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Bolivian General Arrested After Apparent Failed Coup Attempt As Government Faces New Crisis; Kenya President Backs Down On Tax Hikes After Deadly Unrest; Biden, Trump Prepare To Face Off On Debate Stage; Labor Party Soft In The Polls As The Tories Continue To Sink; Former Bolivian Army Chief Behind Failed Coup D'etat Arrested; White House Expresses Support for Evan Gershkovich Amid Trial; An Encounter with the Iconic Shoebill; Georgia Stun Portugal to Advance in First Major Tournament. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired June 27, 2024 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[01:00:32]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton. Ahead right here on CNN Newsroom.

A criminal probe is now underway in Bolivia against taught military general after he allegedly led an attempted coup.

The president of Kenya backs down after controversial talks will send protesters storming into the streets and into the halls of Parliament and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is back in Australia and a free man after agreeing to a plea deal with the United States.

So an attempt to overthrow Bolivia's democratically elected government has been stopped and the former army chief behind the failed coup d'etat is now in state custody. That was after a dramatic confrontation with the Bolivian President inside a government palace. President Luis Arce reportedly told Juan Jose Zuniga, I am your captain and I will not allow this insubordination. Zuniga was later shown handcuffed on national TV before being forced into a police vehicle. You see him there.

This all comes a day after he was relieved of his duties. Now, earlier armored vehicles were seen ramming the doors of the palace as armed troops surrounded government buildings and a main square and La Paz but the soldiers withdrew after the newly appointed army chief ordered them back to their units. President Arce had called on the public to mobilize in defense of their democracy.

The Attorney General's Office is now vowing to impose the maximum punishment on the perpetrators of this attempted coup. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is standing by for us in Los Angeles. But we go first a journalist Stefano Pozzebon, who's with us from Bogota, and has been following all the developments. And Stefano, can you just take us through what happened during this attempted coup, especially as it unfolded over just a few tents? And I have to say, very confusing hours.

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Yes, a very, very fast turnaround in La Paz this afternoon. I remember speaking with people in the streets or other colleagues who are rushing towards the main square to try to get closer to the action. And they literally told me that the coup was over in the blink of an eye.

It appeared that the former chief of the army of the Bolivian army Juan Jose Zuniga had moved with several units under his command, including that armored personal vehicle that we've seen ramming through the doors of the presidential palace to allow the troops to storm what is effectively the house of all Bolivians, the presidential palace, think of it as if it was the White House of that country.

And he was there to stage a coup d'etat. There's been -- he -- all of these was televised. We've seen him on video saying that very soon that the government will change and there will be a new Cabinet of Ministers taking power.

However, he did not perhaps already underestimated the resistance from the sitting President Luis Arce, civilian, elected with very low approval rates for sure a president has been in trouble over the last few months and years in with popularity and in passing the reforms. They think Bolivian needs.

However, still a person very much in charge. He was the one that stopped him on the doorstep of that presidential palace and told him go back to the barracks because I am in charge. At that point the coup was clear that it was destined to be felled, a lot of members of the international community from the United States, Spain, other countries in Latin America and the organization of the American states, they all condemned the coup d'etat and soon after, well, Zuniga was seen leaving the square, his army units were seen leaving the squares going back to the barracks, hundreds of citizens, Bolivian citizens just simply entered to sink and defend democracy.

And now the end which is that Zuniga is in state custody facing charges and other members of the military have also been detained in the last few hours.

[01:05:03]

NEWTON: Yes, certainly much calmer on the streets of La Paz was still so many questions.

Julia, you now, Luis Arce is the current President of Bolivia. He's gotten through this crisis. He was a political protege of the former President Evo Morales. But they had a rift, can you explain to us how that potentially could be playing a role in the political turmoil we're seeing now?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I think that is the name that we're not hearing enough of. It's Evo Morales, this is really not so much about Zuniga and Arce as it is about whether Evo Morales can or not run for next year's presidential elections. Right?

I mean, look, yes, it is about a mentor and his mentee facing off, there's been a rift that's been playing out since 2023 when Morales initially said that he wanted to run for presidency. He was barred from a high court, Paula, from doing so. The court saying simply that, you know, in Bolivia, a president can serve two terms. He's already served three because one of his terms was ruled to have, you know, started after that legislation was into place, but that's neither here nor there.

The rift comes from a sentiment that Evo Morales is now challenging the authority of the presidency of the person that he hand picked to be in power. So obviously, at the same time, Bolivia is going through some turmoil, economic turmoil, we have reduced energy production, inflation devaluing of the local currency shortages of basic goods.

But this accusation from one side and the other is not necessarily helping the party mass is split into two those who are siding with Arce, and those who are siding with Evo Morales. And now they're accusing each other of making things more difficult one and the other. Of course, the Bolivian population stuck in the middle.

You have to remember Paula, everyone was a towering figure in Latin America politics. He served for 14 years and a lot of his policies brought a lot of people lifted people out of poverty. So he is regarded mostly in a positive light, but still in 2016. He asked the people of Bolivia if he could run via a referendum for a third time, and they said very resounding no.

NEWTON: Yes, and given all this turmoil, it'll be interesting to see what happens over the sunrises, certainly when we get perhaps more clarity on the political situation at this hour. Julia Vargas Jones and Stefano Pozzebon, thanks so much to both of you.

Now protesters in Kenya meantime are set to take to the streets once again in the coming hours for a 1 million people march. It comes after more than a week of deadly protests over a controversial Finance bill that made its way through Parliament protesters torched government buildings and cars around Nairobi in response in a surprising turn of events.

So on Wednesday, Kenyan President William Ruto withdrew the bill. After vowing to protect the country from violence, at least 23 people died in clashes with police. That's according to Kenyan civil society organization. Kenya's president, though reports six people were killed in the violence. Details now from CNN's Larry Madowo in Nairobi.

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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Ruto fails to read the Kenyan national mood and he has been forced to make this embarrassing U-turn. It was a dramatic climb down when just 24 hours earlier, he had called the young people demonstrating on the streets, treasonous protesters, and promised to deploy the full force of the security agencies to make sure that today's violence does not happen again. And then a short while later, admitting that the young people were

right, life is too expensive for them, and they want even more concessions withdrawing the finance bill in full. This is the anger we saw on the streets outside Parliament as the Finance bill was passed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I have two children as you can see me now. I don't have work. I don't have anything to do. So can you help me? But he can't. He can't tell us why, why is he killing us by the way?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why killed someone over glass that can be bought again, why? Why?

MADOWO: Those young people outside Parliament's told CNN they can't kill all of us. And the broken glass is referring to is the windows of parliament that was smashed as police clashed with protesters. And it's something that the Law Society of Kenya is now picking up demanding the resignation of the chief of police in Kenya, the Nairobi commander accusing them of using too much force against peaceful protesters.

FAITH ODHIAMBO, PRESIDENT, LAW SOCIETY OF KENYA: There was a clear directive, so to speak, to kill protesters. Well, if by 11:00 a.m., we had already had four shootings. Then I say those no intends to even you know left the protesters peacefully move around.

[01:10:00]

The escalation that we saw this Tuesday was by virtue of the shootings that are ongoing after the shootings is when we saw the protesters becoming aggressive and throwing stones because they were also trying to defend themselves, their human beings.

MADOWO: The Kenya Police are now under international scrutiny as people return to the streets on Thursday despite getting what they were demanding. They are called on social media for a 1 million March on Thursday. Some protesters even calling for plans to occupy statehouse where President Ruto lives and works. And that is going to be likely another dramatic day if a significant amount of people show up on the streets to express displeasure about President Ruto administration. Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Joining me now is Chris Sambu is a reporter anchor and editor for Kirk TV in Kenya. And I certainly thank you for joining us, as I said, as the sun is up there in Kenya, and we're waiting to see what the turnout will be during this March. I mean, the words are pivotal, right, the President saying, I concede. Did that surprise you at all? And do you believe it will just further encourage some of these protesters?

CHRIS SAMBU, NEWS REPORTER AND ANCHOR, KIRK TV: Well, thank you, Paula, for having me this morning. It's around 8:00 a.m. Kenyan time about what you're asking me, the move by President William Ruto did not come to as a surprise to most of us because the pressure was piling in every corner. Kenyans who are unrelenting, especially the youth demanding that if at all, the bill is not withdrawn or rather rejected in totality, then they would be pushing also for the resignation of the President.

So when President William Ruto made that surprise move, of course, to many protesters who had the intentions to continue the protest until their voices were heard, then it became a surprise, though not well received by the young people because they talk about the president withdrawing that particular bill through verbal statement, but not through parliamentary proceedings where the bill has to be in a rejecting totality through a true blood majority vote by the members of the ruling party.

So it's quite a different scenario we see today because Kenyans also are expected to go to the streets today demanding that the President and these entire government, you know, stepped down because of when they talk about the protests that were many protesters were killed.

So it's quite a scenario where we expect to see what unfolds today, now that the President agreed to, you know, return the bill to Parliament for reconsideration, where a majority of the members of Parliament could end up rejecting the bill in totality, as what Kenyans demand at this moment.

NEWTON: Do you think, though, that that is as far as the demands will go? I mean, obviously, there's a lot of turmoil in Kenya. And we just had, you know, one of the protesters speak so pointedly about the fact that they have this dissatisfaction with what their government is not doing for them.

SAMBU: Well, I couldn't say these protests have not been, you know, pushed by only the children for financial bail. But it's about a matured aggression of Kenyans failing that the President did not fulfill what he promised during the campaigns in 2022. And that is what has caused anger in most of the Kenyans.

And as you can see, what they have been doing is now trying to come into terms without the President has not done and trying to make sure that the President understands that these people today know that he did not fulfill what exactly he said during the election period.

So it's quite a moment for Kenyans to express the democratic wide standing, not a large number, because this protest, unlike the previous protests, now it's fully pushed by the Kenyan young people. And they are not relenting in any way. Because you see, this pressure they're pushing on the President is that you are going to listen to us and you're not going to do what you want. And that is the tone of unity of the young people here.

So besides protesting about the finance bill to instrument for that has been a contentious marching. They're also protesting about the life how it's been since the President was elected in the office in 2024.

NEWTON: Right. Right. I have to ask you, you know, with the deaths of the protesters live ammunition and again, this did not -- it may not be justified anyway. But certainly this didn't happen when things got out of control. What do you think? What kind of influence do you think this will have on the protests like the one that we're going about to see today?

SAMBU: One thing that is fueling past these protests is the killings that happen on Tuesday where a police officer used live bullets on them, on innocent protesters, I was the ongoing follow on everything.

[01:15:07]

And police began shooting at exactly 10:00 where I was among the first people to capture the first person killed or other shot by the police. And that is what, you know, spearheaded the aggression from the protesters now they feel that they have not come to protest, but they have come to war and that is what caused the situation to escalate.

And today we expect a march that is pushed by the killings of choosing. But what do we do not know is whether the situation will escalate further because there is cause within amomum (ph) protest that we do a peaceful march. We ensure that we voice our concerns regarding how the government conducted itself through the police.

NEWTON: OK, we will wait to see what transpires today 8:15 a.m. in Nairobi at this hour as we wait that protest, Chris Sambu for us in Nairobi, thanks so much.

Now, the first 2024 U.S. presidential debate is just hours away, we'll take a look at the top issues for each candidate and how President Biden is preparing for a personal line of attack from Donald Trump.

Plus, British voters are just days away from deciding whether Rishi Sunak and his conservative party will continue to leave the country details from London after a break.

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NEWTON: Yes, so buckle up today. In the moment many have been waiting for the U.S. right now. Finally here the first debate of the 2024 presidential campaign between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Now the candidates will take the stage at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta just in the coming hours. You see the podiums there will not be alive on audience and the candidates microphones will be turned off when they're speaking time expires.

The economy, immigration, abortion and protecting democracy are among the key issues for voters and we can expect plenty of focus on the candidate's mental sharpness. There is no clear leader in the latest CNN Poll of polls, CNN's MJ Lee has a look at one specific line of attack the President is expecting from Donald Trump.

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MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: There is one separate category of incoming from Donald Trump that President Biden we are told is preparing for and that is potential personal insults and attacks aimed not just at the president, but members of his family as well.

A Biden advisor tells me that in debate prep sessions at Camp David, the President and his team have been preparing for the President to respond to those kinds of potential attacks thrown his way by the former president. And while this advisor wouldn't elaborate, of course, still fresh for President Biden is the news from earlier this month that his son Hunter was convicted on three felony gun charges.

[01:20:04]

This was a legal saga that was extremely painful for the entire Biden family. And of course, what's incredible is that the President has already experienced his son Hunter being attacked by the former president on the debate stage. And that was back in 2020, when President Trump said that Hunter Biden had been dishonorably discharged from the military for cocaine use. To be clear, he had been administratively discharged, which is different.

He also mocked Hunter Biden for not getting a job, he said until his father had become vice president. And the moment where a President Biden defended Hunter Biden in in response ended up being a moment that aide said afterwards really resonated with American voters was a moment where the president at the time was able to really connect with different American families who have had experience with family members dealing with addiction issues.

So all of this just goes to show the level to which the Biden team has really been trying to prepare the president for anything and everything that the former president might throw his way on Thursday night. MJ Lee, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and the author of "Return to Normalcy: The 2020 Election That Almost Broke America," and he joins me now from Charlottesville, Virginia, normal anything but these days, Larry, I mean, let's zero in on the voters for our discussion, shall we more than two thirds of the country.

I mean, they're saying they will watch this debate regardless of political leanings. What do you think most voters will be looking for?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: If I had to name the number one thing I think most people are looking to hear both Trump and Biden talk about what they would do for the voters for the country over the next four years. They're not interested in just hearing the back and forth bickering about the downsides of being Donald Trump or Joe Biden. That's not what people want. They want to know how this relates to their lives, if they're going to take time out to pay attention and eventually to vote.

NEWTON: Now, to be clear, the polls show that these two candidates are in a statistical tie in and we have many months before this election. But I do want to have a look at the approval ratings because it does give us some nuance here. Right now, at this hour, according to polls, The Poll polls, Biden's approval rating is just 38 percent. It is so interesting, because if we flip back for years to 2020, Trump's approval rating was just at 38 percent.

What do you believe this tells us about where the incumbent president may be? And the former president maybe?

SABATO: Neither one is in a particularly admirable position, certainly, judging by American history. Normally, for a candidate to be elected president, assuming it's basically a two-way race, which we more or less have now. A candidate in order to win has to be maybe in the mid-40s. It used to be over 50. That was our rule. But people are much more critical of politicians, particularly presidential candidates these days.

Neither one is really at the point where you can say that one can get over the mark and manage to win and get a majority of the Electoral College. We're just not there yet. And maybe they both will be in that position by the end. But right now, neither one is and that's significant.

NEWTON: Now for voters looking for substance, what are the odds that they're going to get it, you know, those answers on policy? Or do you think some people are waiting for that rhetorical battle? I'm being polite here?

SABATO: Well, I think the most they could hope for, frankly, is a few sentences, maybe a third of an answer on policy and substance. And the other two-thirds is going to be reciting the record of the opponent, and potentially refuting what the opponent has already said, that's just in the nature of debates.

I mean, this is an argument or a series of arguments. So it's not a kind of exercise you would see in the classroom.

NEWTON: It's definitely not, although do you think the muted microphones may help here a bit? No audience.

SABATO: I'm hoping they do. I'm just worried that if a candidate really wants to be heard, he's just going to speak loudly and the other candidate's microphone is going to pick it up, but fingers crossed that that won't happen.

NEWTON: Well, I'm hoping in fact, I'm sure CNN has already tested for that they are fairly close though, apparently just eight feet from each other. So even if it can't be picked up on a microphone, as you said, it might be distracting. It will be really interesting to watch this without the actual audience there.

[01:25:00]

You know, it's true that undecided voters, independents, they will be watching this debate closely? And what about those in that group who are the so called double haters who do not see the point in voting at all right now? Do you think this debate has a shot at getting their attention and holding their attention? SABATO: Sure, it is an early debate. But you know, if you can manage to attract a voter for whatever reason, early on in the campaign, at least some of them are going to stick with you. They're not going to continue to switch sides or decide they're not going to vote. If they make a commitment, they will, in essence, put that to bed. They'll put the voting obligation to bed. They'll know who they're going to support.

So there are some of those double haters who might like one better than the other. They don't have to love the candidate. But they might say, I don't really care for either of these candidates. But I do think that X is better than Y.

In this situation that's all you need. Because most of them no matter what polls say now, are not going to be slipping away to third party and independent candidates. When you get close to the election the old line always works. Vote for a third party or independent candidate is a vote don't throw it away.

NEWTON: Yes. And we'll be in waiting and watching with interest just to see how this unfolds, especially as we've been saying so early in this voting season. Larry, thanks so much. I know you'll be watching along with the rest of us.

SABATO: I will indeed. Thank you, Paula.

NEWTON: OK, and here's your reminder, you can watch the CNN presidential debate Thursday 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. We'll replay the debate in full on Friday, at 7:00 a.m. London time, that's 2:00 p.m. in Hong Kong and later at 7:00 p.m. in London, that's 10:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi.

Now, just one week to go before Britain's general election and it looks like Keir Starmer, could become the next prime minister, as the Tories led by current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak continue to sink in the polls. CNN's Nic Robertson has the latest.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Elections close. U.K. P.M. Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party facing an historic drubbing.

GIDEON SKINNER, SENIOR U.K. DIRECTOR OF POLITICS, IPSOS: The polls are showing that the Conservatives are in a pretty difficult position and our central estimate was having the Conservatives around about 115 seats.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): 650 seats at stake each week of campaigning damaging Sunak more than the last. The British Prime Minister left D- Day commemorations in France early on.

RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Reflection that was a mistake and I apologize.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): More damaging allegations followed several of his senior staff there on the unexpected July 4th election date.

SUNAK: But I was incredibly angry.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Good for his main opponent Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer, you'd think not so much. Labour, like conservative have dropped a little in the polls.

SKINNER: And maybe two to three points. The big picture is still that Labour have got, on average a fairly healthy lead.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Healthy meaning about 20 percentage points. Starmer's challenge. most voters aren't sure what he stands for. Recently praising his socialist predecessor Jeremy Corbyn now booted from Labour say he would have been a better Prime Minister than Donald Trump friend, Boris Johnson.

JEREMY CORBYN, FORMER LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM: Look, look what we got Boris Johnson, a man who made massive promises didn't keep them.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Labour's left wing legacy haunts Starmer for centrist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You said he'd make a great Prime Minister. Did you mean it?

KEIR STARMER, U.K. LABOUR PARTY LEADER: It wasn't a question that really arose because I didn't think we were going to win the election.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): His skills so far, uniting his once fractious party, not so for Sunak, right-wing Tory voters increasingly tempted by the upstart right-wing disruptor Reform Party, led by Nigel Farage.

NIGEL FARAGE, REFORM PARTY LEADER: Thanks for coming everybody.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Another friend of Trump, who almost a decade ago led the charge for Brexit now back in the political fray as ever, pulling the country right costing Sunak voters.

The field though bigger than these three leading parties, middle class, middle of the road Liberal Democrats struggling for attention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think politicians should take themselves too seriously I guess.

ROBERTSON: His stunts paying off Lib Dem polling up slightly. Mostly soon at its expense.

Starmer look into benefit in Scotland too. The powerful but scandal hit independence striven Scottish National Party, SNP, onto their third leader in 15 months.

[01:30:07]

JOHN SWINNEY, FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND: Be careful what you wish for because the Labour Party is going to pick up where the Tories left off.

ROBERTSON: But despite their tough talk, likely losing their dominance north of the border.

Polls are notorious. There's no hard guarantee of actual results. And if the most favorable outcome for Sunak is an historic loss, the worst could leave his party and the political wilderness for years, vulnerable to populists like Faraj.

Nic Robertson, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Still ahead for us, Russia's trial of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich began Wednesday. What the U.S. is saying about the espionage charges against him. That's next.

Plus Julian Assange is celebrating his freedom. What's next for the WikiLeaks founder now that he's agreed to a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors.

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NEWTON: Welcome back. More now on our top story.

Bolivia's democratically-elected president has stared down an ill- fated attempt at a coup orchestrated by the country's former army chief who was fired earlier this week.

Now, he sent troops in tanks into the streets of La Paz on Wednesday, who surrounded government buildings and filled the main square. But the soldiers later stood down after the newly-appointed army chief General Jose Sanchez ordered them to return to their units.

Eduardo Gamarra (ph) is a politics and international relations professor at Florida International University. And he is with us now from Miami.

I think we need to all take a deep breath here, given the events that so many witnessed today. What do you make of the general's attempted coup and the motivation behind it?

EDUARDO GAMARRA, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Well, I don't think we're going to get to the full explanation for a few days. But I do think that there is a lot of political theater going on in La Paz these days, as there has been for at least the last five or six years.

One of the most recurring explanations is that this was a self-coup, that this was something staged by -- by the president in the context of a very bitter battle with his former boss, so former president Evo Morales.

[01:34:53]

GAMARRA: Both of whom are vying for a chance to be -- to become in Arce's case, to become, to be reelected. And in Morales' case to be re-reelected.

In other words, he wants to return to power after having been out for five years and after assuming that Arce would give way and return power to him.

So we don't really know. We do know that this general Zuniga gave a talk and give an interview to the media on over the weekend where he threatened to go after Morales and where he essentially acted many say at the behest of the current president.

So we really don't know what happened, how much (INAUDIBLE) there was, whether in fact this was a real coup or a self-coup that now strengthens Arce's hand in the next few -- the next few days and in the next year.

NEWTON: Now, we should say, we have absolutely no proof of anything at this point and you've, you know, you've made that that point quite clear in the sense that we still do not know, may not know for several days.

But I asked you given the fact that some people are already speculating and its funny when you look at the video, there, it does seem like something that was shot scene by scene, hour by hour out of some script.

Again, we don't have any proof of that. So then I asked you, what do you make of the blow, if any kind of a blow here to Bolivian security at this hour. Because let's imagine if you're sitting in Bolivia right now, you are wondering what the heck is going on.

GAMARRA: Yes.

In fact the reality is that this is -- this is something that occurred over a matter of hours from beginning to end. There are reportedly nine people wounded. There are no other signs of violence. And this is a very sharp contrast if for example, what happened in 2019 team when there were many, many people killed.

So this is -- this was done in a very orderly fashion. And it's done by the way, a week after the Bolivians accused the U.S. of trying to orchestrate a coup. The Bolivian government in fact called in the U.S. charge d'affaires accusing the U.S. of attempting to stage a coup in Bolivia.

So -- so all of these are the ingredients for this very, very interesting plot that leads many reputable people to conclude that there was -- that this is mainly political theater in an attempt to strengthen a very weak president with very weak, political institutions.

NEWTON: Yes, and that will come as very little comfort again for those Bolivians who are suffering through a very profound financial crisis and perhaps now a political one as well.

Eduardo Gamarra for us. We'll have to leave it there. Thanks so much.

GAMARRA: Thank you.

NEWTON: Appreciate it.

GAMARRA: Thank you.

NEWTON: The White House is expressing its support for American journalist Evan Gershkovich after his trial began in Russia on Wednesday. He's condemning his trial as a quote, "sham and a performance".

The U.S. is accusing Moscow of treating Gershkovich and other detained Americans as bargaining chips.

CNN's Matthew Chance has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: This is the first glimpse of Evan Gershkovich for months. Cameras briefly allowed into the courthouse about a thousand miles from Moscow, where his trial for espionage is finally underway.

His head shaved, the 32-year-old "Wall Street Journal" reporter looked calm but he faces a sentence of up to 20 years, if or likely when he's found guilty.

In a statement the editor in chief of "The Journal" wrote, "This bogus accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a bogus conviction for an innocent man."

CHANCE: Hi, Matthew from CNN.

Are you holding up all right?

No questions.

CHANCE: For nearly 15 months, Gershkovich has been held under tight security in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo prison.

He, his employer and the U.S. government all vigorously deny the spying allegations against him. But Russia appears determined to press ahead despite official U.S. objections.

A new statement from the U.S. embassy in Moscow says, "Evan did not commit any illegal acts and should not have been arrested at all. This trial isn't about the presentation of evidence, due process or the rule of law. We're talking about the Kremlin using American citizens to achieve its political goals," the statement adds.

[01:39:54]

CHANCE: With the conflict raging in Ukraine, Russia began a crackdown at home on free speech, silencing dissidents or forcing them into exile.

It's against this backdrop that Gershkovich was arrested on a reporting assignment in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

This is video from the Website of the tank factory there, where Russian prosecutors allege Gershkovich acted, quote, "on the instructions of the CIA" to collect secret information although no evidence has been made public.

The trial will take place in the city, which is about a thousand miles from Moscow, amid an outcry.

LESTER HOLT, NBC HOST: Journalism is not a crime.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Journalism is not a crime.

CHANCE: Some of the most prominent journalists in the United States are calling for his release. And Tucker Carlson even appealed directly to Putin in his recent sit-down.

TUCKER CARLSON, TV HOST: And I just want to ask you directly without getting into the details of it or your version of what happened, if as a sign of your decency you would be willing to release him to us and we'll bring him back to the United States.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We have done so many gestures of goodwill out of decency that I think we have run out of them.

CHANCE: But they're not running out of Americans in Russian prisons -- far from it.

PAUL WHELAN, AMERICAN, PRISONER IN RUSSIA: I am innocent of any kind -- political kidnapping.

CHANCE: Former Marine Paul Whelan is serving 16 years for what U.S. officials say were trumped-up spying charges.

Dual citizen Ksenia Karelina, an amateur ballerina from L.A., and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva are also in custody. As are Gordon Black, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army and U.S. school teacher Marc Fogel.

Critics suspect the Kremlin is collecting U.S. citizens as bargaining chips for a future deal.

With his trial for espionage now underway, Evan Gershkovich is one of the most valuable in the Kremlin's hand.

Matthew Chance, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Julian Assange's wife is asking for privacy. Now that her husband is home in Australia and a free man. The WikiLeaks founder agreed to a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors on a single espionage- related charge.

Journalist Alex Thomas has our details.

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ALEX THOMAS, JOURNALIST: Julian Assange's opponents said he should not and would not be given a hero's welcome on his return to Australia.

But there was a celebratory atmosphere when hundreds of his supporters turned up to this hotel near Canberra airport to catch a glimpse of the WikiLeaks founder.

In the end, Assange didn't speak to the media but his lawyers and his wife did.

STELLA ASSANGE, WIFE OF JULIAN ASSANGE: He needs to recuperate and this is a process. I ask you please to give us space, to give us privacy, to find our place so that our family be a family before he can speak again at a time of his choosing.

THOMAS: It has been a whirlwind 48 hours for Assange since news broke that he had agreed a plea bargain with the U.S. Department of Justice, released from the high-security Belmarsh prison in London to fly to a court hearing in Saipan, where a judge agreed to the deal of time already served and released him.

Then another flight -- of more than 6.5 hours to Australia's capital landing after the country's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he had welcomed his release and into the arms of his wife. The first time he had ever spent time with her as a free man.

Alex Thomas -- Canberra, Australia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Tensions are again flaring on Israel's northern border. Lebanon state media reports that Israel launched two air-to-surface missiles and the southern city of Nabatieh (ph). At least 19 people were reported injured after a building was destroyed.

The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.

Earlier, Israel had said firefighters responded to fires in two buildings in the northern part of the country that it says were the result of rocket fire incoming from Lebanon.

Just ahead for us here on CNN in a remote swamp in Zambia explorer Steve Boyes encounters one of the planet's strangest-looking birds.

[01:44:25]

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NEWTON: This week on "Call to Earth", we embark on an epic mission with South African explorer Steve Boyes as part of the "Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative".

He's on a multi-year expedition across Africa to scientifically document the continent's massive inland river basins. Today, Steve visits a remote region in Zambia to meet up with a scientist who is looking after one of the world's most peculiar creatures.

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STEVE BOYES, PROJECT LEADER, SPINE OF AFRICA: Bangweulu means where the water meets the sky in the local language. Beautiful reflections of the water.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: A vast wetland that stretches for almost 10,000 square kilometers Bangweulu is one of Africa's most diverse ecosystems, home to some extraordinary species.

BOYES: I've never been here to the Bangweulu swamps before and I'm intrigued. Abundant bird life, thousands -- tens of thousands (INAUDIBLE). You can hear the hippos calling, the hyenas coming around. The system has a lot to teach us.

WEIR: "Call to Earth" guest editor Steve Boyes and his expedition team have been joined on the water by ornithologists and conservationist Maggie Hirschauer, who has been living in the swamps for three years, studying and rehabilitating one of the its most iconic species.

Standing up to five feet tall with an eight-foot wingspan and a large clog-shaped beak that gives them their name, the shoebill is one of the strangest-looking birds on the planet.

Listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Bangweulu is the southern-most population remaining in the world with no more than 215 individuals surviving in these wetlands.

MAGGIE HIRSCHAUER, SHOEBILL PROGRAM MANAGER, BANGWEULU WETLANDS, AFRICAN PARKS: A lot of people say they look quite prehistoric like dinosaurs.

They have a really sharp massive hook on the end of their beak And razor-sharp edges to both the top and bottom of their bills. So they grab these slippery, powerful fish and then crush their skulls with one or two chomps.

BOYES: I'm an ornithologist. I meant to be an expert, but shoebills leave me lost for words. You just look at it and you go -- extraordinary.

WEIR: Unlike many of the systems Steve has explored in the past Bangweulu also has an abundance of people. Around 60,000 living in the swamps but shoebills face the threat of capture to be sold on the illegal exotic pet market.

And much of Maggie's job has been educating and integrating the local fishing community into the birds' protection.

HIRSCHAUER: So the main core underpinning of all of this program is the community engagement. We have an nest protection program where fishermen actually notify us when they find nests and we then go into the swamps. We verify that nest and we get data through those reports.

[01:49:53]

HIRSCHAUER: The shoebills typically lay two eggs, not always, but typically. And almost always if they lay two eggs, one of the chicks kills the other. it's just competition.

We can capitalize on that and we take one of the eggs or one of the chicks off the nest. We bring it into our facility and we raise it without human contact. And then we release them back into Bangweulu.

WEIR: The "Great Spine of Africa" expeditions will provide Maggie and other scientists with a whole host of new information about species like the shoebill with data on the ecosystem surrounding them and even new undocumented populations in other parts of the continent.

BOYES: Systems like this teach us that it is possible. It is possible to have living abundance and the pressure of people. People don't pressure, they're part of it. They're meant to be here.

You can't value something until you can measure it. And you can measure change in it. So that is what our baselines are. It's the beginning of measuring value.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Spectacular. For more from Steve and his team tune in for "CALL TO EARTH: THE GREAT SPINE OF AFRICA" this weekend on CNN.

And we will be right back with more news in a moment.

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NEWTON: The group stage of UEFA at European football championship came to a dramatic finish Wednesday. Georgia stunned Portugal with a 2-nil victory in its first major tournament in the nation's history.

CNN's Patrick Snell has the highlights and a preview of the knockout round of 16.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Well we now know the last 16 of the European football championships in Germany and as always at this stage, you get a whole range of emotions.

So you get sheer heartbreak for countries going home but then this utter delight and elation for those nations making history.

Let's get to Group F now where already qualified Portugal faced Georgia. On paper, not many giving Georgia too much hope. But matches aren't played on paper, are they?

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portuguese teammates, in fact, group winners out of this one but all three other teams in the group could advance and leaves Georgia ahead after just two minutes to play with the Napoli superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia producing a sublime finish. Really well taken.

The (INAUDIBLE) goal is a match. At this point, Georgia were qualifying then just for the (INAUDIBLE) gets even better for the Georgians. They doubled their lead, Georges Mikautadze (ph) converting from the penalty spot after the foul on Luka Lochoshvili (ph), this is one famous, famous win and Georgia would see the game out. Look at these scenes.

Ronaldo not happy. He wants to win every game he plays, doesn't he.

Georgia 74th in the world through to their first ever major tournament knockout stage after a victory they will forever cherish and their fans as well.

Without question though it's the greatest night in Georgia's football history, you know, by beating Portugal. This now the biggest upset in tournament history based on FIFA rankings. Portugal are rank six in the world.

I'll say it again. Georgia, all the way down in 74th place, what an occasion for Georgia and football.

All right. Earlier in the day that despair I was talking about and it goes and it applies to Ukraine who carried the hopes of a war-torn nation into these Euros ahead of their match with Belgium in Stuttgart all four teams in Group E remarkably level on points.

[01:54:53]

SNELL: Ukraine gave it everything and they did have a really good chance right at the end, two minutes into stoppage. It's Georgiy Sudakov who runs a really amazing, terrific run there.

But the shot is straight at the keeper. That had to go in, didn't it for the Ukrainians from their point of view. And just seconds after that, look at this, the final whistle goes and it's heartbreak for Ukraine whose players fall to the ground at the end there. And it's a huge disappointment.

Ahead of the tournament. Ukraine's head coach Serhiy Rebrov, revered former player as well, telling us how he hoped his team could show the world the real character of our country. Well, they have fallen just short, but they can hold their heads up high -- very high indeed.

Just look how group E ended then. This is incredible. For the first time ever in Euro's history, all four countries within that same group ending up on the same number of points. Heartbreak for Ukraine, who now become the first team ever in this competition did not advance from a group on four points.

The reason they go out, it is on goal difference Romania and Slovakia both advance. The Slovakians as one of the best third place nations.

So what about the last 16? Well, here we have it, the host Germany will take on Denmark on Saturday. On the same day we got the defending champs Italy, facing Switzerland. England will face Slovakia. Turkey have Austria. Georgia will play Spain. While Portugal take on Slovenia. Belgium's failure to top Group E means the Red Devils now face the daunting task of taking on France for a place in the quarter finals.

And with that, it's right back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Our thanks to Patrick Snell there.

Now panda diplomacy is back between the U.S. and China with the San Diego Zoo in southern California expecting two new residents. Two giant pandas in fact left China on Wednesday, marking the country's first panda loan to the United States in two decades.

The San Diego Zoo has not had pandas since 2019 when it returned its last two to China.

The world-renowned facility was the first in the United States to carry out cooperative research on giant pandas with China.

All right. I'm Paula Newton.

I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM after a quick break. Stay with us.

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