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NATO Leaders Jointly Affirm 'Ukraine's Future Is In Western Alliance; Crossbow-wielding triple murder suspect in U.K. Caught after massive manhunt; Gaza Ceasefire And Hostage Release Talks Wrap Up In Doha; Prosecutors Say Alec Baldwin Broke "Cardinal Rules" For Handling Guns; Biden, NATO Leaders Attend Dinner at the White House; Mounting Concerns Among Democrats on Biden's Future; Trump Nearing Deadline to Announce His Running Mate; How Russia's "Shadow War" on NATO Members is Evolving; South Africa's CSI for Wildlife; Protesters in Barcelona Slam Impact on Cost of Living; England Advances to Final after Beating Netherlands 2-1. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 11, 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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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Ahead on CNN Newsroom. Joe Biden, who hosts NATO leaders at the White House has the chorus of Democrats and supporters calling for him to withdraw from the U.S. presidential race grows louder.
Those NATO leaders jointly affirm that Ukraine's future is in NATO and the path is irreversible.
Also, a man suspected of killing three women with a crossbow has been captured in London.
UNIDENATIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: NATO allies reaffirming their support for Ukraine at their annual summits in Washington saying the country's future is in NATO. The leaders are quietly expressing their concern about Joe Biden and the prospect that he might lose the presidency to Donald Trump. Mr. Biden hosted a dinner at the White House Wednesday, praising the strength of the Alliance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're neighbors because we all share common beliefs, indignity, equality, democracy freedom. And we're all neighbors, because we're there for one another neighborhood I grew up in. That's what you do. When a neighbor needed help you pitched in. When the bullies threatened to block you stepped up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Mr. Biden's exit the U.S. presidential race actor and democratic donor George Clooney says he loves the president, but it's time for him to step aside.
And Peter Welch of Vermont is now the first Democratic senator to call on Mr. Biden to withdraw a quote for the good of the country. Multiple sources tell CNN the democratic donors are holding back big checks over concerns about the President's viability. And top Democrats in the House are offering increasingly tepid endorsements.
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NANCY PELOSI, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER EMERITA: It's up to the President just aside if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to make that decision. I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that's the way it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's his decision final.
JIM CLYBURN, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: I have no idea to ask him. I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, Canada has announced an additional $367 million military aid package for Ukraine. And separate NATO declaration issued Wednesday says in Part, we welcome the concrete progress Ukraine has made on its required democratic economic and security reforms. As Ukraine continues this vital work, we will continue to support it on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.
Ukraine's president is thanking Denmark and the Netherlands for donating U.S. F-16 fighter jets to its military. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: As we speak, the transfer of F-16 jets is underway coming from Denmark, coming from the Netherlands. And those jets, those jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: NATO secretary Jens Stoltenberg address concerns about working with Donald Trump if he wins the U.S. presidency.
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JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I expect that regardless of the outcome of the U.S. elections, the U.S. will remain a strong and staunch NATO allies ally for three reasons. One is that it is in the US security interest to have strong NATO.
NATO is good for Europe, but it's also good for United States it makes the United States stronger and safer. Because in NATO, the United States has something no other ally -- no other major power has and that is one on 30 friends and allies. Russia doesn't have that. China does not have that. The United States has NATO makes the United States stronger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Joining me now is Matthew Schmidt, Associate Professor of National Security at the University of New Haven and a former professor of strategic and operational planning at the US Army Command and General Staff College. Good to have you with us.
MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ASSOC. PROF. OF NATIONAL SECURITY, UNIVERSITY OF HAVEN Good to be here, Lynda.
KINKADE: So President Joe Biden is hosting a White House dinner Wednesday night Thursday, he'll hold his first press conference since that disastrous debate. It will be closely watched. 00
[01:05:03]
How concerned is NATO about this upcoming election and the uncertainty around leadership?
SCHMIDT: That's all NATO is thinking about whether or not they're talking about other things. Their concern is what happens in the American election. And whether or not a potential Donald Trump president would follow through on the threat he made in his last term to pull the United States out of NATO.
KINKADE: Of course, the other issue we are hearing about, obviously, is Ukraine. Also on the agenda, we heard about the F-16 fighter jets from the U.S., Denmark and Netherlands, which will be flying in Ukraine soon. From the Ukrainians, you're speaking to what's been their reaction so far to this summit?
SCHMIDT: Their expectation going into the summit, as I heard from a number of people wasn't much at all. Remember that President Biden had dashed hopes of NATO membership several weeks ago already. So what they're hoping to get out of this summit, I think they've gotten, you know, they got this language late today about an unwavering course for membership, which seems to indicate that NATO is committed to letting Ukraine come in, although not putting a timeline on it, and critically not defining specific steps. So that's important for them.
But another letdown for Ukraine is that although NATO agreed to spend $40 billion in military defense on Ukraine in the in the coming year, they did not agree to spend the original $100 billion. So that's a lot of money, but it's not what they were expecting.
KINKADE: And the other issue that came out was the fact that NATO is calling out China, accusing Beijing of becoming a decisive enabler of Russia's war against Ukraine. And as a member of the U.N. Security Council, it urged China to stop and put out a statement saying this includes the transfer of dual use materials, such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that serve as inputs for Russia's defense sector. The PRC cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history,
without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation. So what should we make of NATO calling out China in this way? And what sort of reaction could we see? And what are the action could NATO take?
SCHMIDT: To be quite blunt, NATO declared that China was now a direct threat to the North Atlantic, right, and to its European based members, which it hasn't done before. That's quite a big deal. And it extends the philosophical umbrella of NATO beyond, you know, European boundaries, right, at least in theory, right? This opens up the idea of Georgia or this opens up the idea of using NATO as a structure to build some kind of alliance in the Far East.
And so this is this is really a statement that there's a there's a world that's emerging now, with Russia and China, and North Korea, on one side, and the United States and NATO and Europe on the other. And NATO just picked sides and said, we're not pretending that China is not part of this.
KINKADE: Yes, it was really, it was quite remarkable that statement. I have to ask you how strong the NATO alliance is right now, given that it is growing in membership in budget. But also, given the fact that four months from now we will have an election and how quickly things might change.
SCHMIDT: NATO is celebrating its success. But it's a celebration that's overshadowed by the storm clouds of the President. It's doing what it was designed to do. It's protecting its members from the Russian threat. But it's not doing it in the way it was designed to do it. It's doing essentially with one hand tied behind his own back, because it's not allowing Ukrainian as a NATO member.
It's essentially defending Europe or fighting, you know, by providing aid and training and intelligence to a non-NATO member. And so it's learning how to do this mission as it goes. And it's looking out and it's saying, look, we've kept the peace for 75 years.
But now, how long is that going to last? Right? Is it going to last another four months? Is it going to last another year with that $40 billion we can put into Ukraine? Is it going to last through a next American presidential term depending on who it is? That's really what's happening in Washington right now behind the scenes are those questions.
KINKADE: And so Matthew, should we see Joe Biden stumble through this press conference to NATO? Will we see the cause for him to step aside grow?
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SCHMIDT: Not for NATO members. They're going to be diplomatic about it. We know behind the scenes that they're concerned and they have been concerned for some time. If you're talking about what's going on in American domestic politics, I think you've seen a lot of -- a lot more public voices calling for the President to consider step down tonight. And I think you're going to see that pressure grow as we go through the weekend, because we have the opening of the Republican National Convention, and then the Olympics and then the Democratic National Convention.
So people want a decision made soon. And that's why you have George Clooney coming out, and putting his foot down and saying, thank you for your service, but it's time to pass the torch. And, you know, the members of NATO, they understand American politics. They're not blind to this in any way. They see what's going on, and they're preparing for it.
KINKADE: Yes, everyone will be watching that press conference closely. And as you say, time is of the essence. Matthew Schmidt, good to have you with us. Thank you.
SCHMIDT: Always a pleasure.
KINAKDE: Gaza's ceasefire (INAUDIBLE) wrapped up in Doha as the Israeli military expands its evacuation orders to the whole of Gaza City. In Qatar, a diplomatic source says mediators from the U.S., Israel, Qatar and Egypt were cautious but hopeful when heading into the talks.
But it's not clear if any progress was made. Israel's Prime Minister met with the top U.S. envoy for the Middle East in Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized his commitment to a ceasefire deal, as long as Israel's quote red lines are preserved.
When it comes as the Israeli military order Palestinians to evacuate all of Gaza City, urging more than 250,000 people to head south since Sunday, amid ongoing Israeli operations. The IDF says it has opened up a safe passage for civilians to reach humanitarian zones. Hamas says the evacuations threatened to return negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal 2.0 but the Israeli army is defending its actions.
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HERZI HALEVI, CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): Will solve them in the end it reduces Hamas capabilities allows us to advance with the achievements allows us to carry out a very important pressure. We will continue operating to bring home the hostages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, some of the most vulnerable victims of the war in Gaza for those who have lost access to critical medications and care, blockades and delays of humanitarian aid or putting even more strain on Gaza has nearly destroyed healthcare system. And patients including four-year old Julia as suffering. CNN's Becky Anderson has her story.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It's been a grueling nine months for four-year old Julia Abu Zeiter. Diagnosed with an extremely rare neurological disorder known as AHC, little Julia suffers with the tax of paralysis and epilepsy.
Since the war began access to the life-saving medication she needs has all but dried up.
DR. AHMED MUBARAK, HOSPITAL DIRECTOR: She lost all of her medication she has started to have a lot of seizures for minimum of trauma.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Dr. Ahmed Mubarak is the medical director on board this Floating Hospital docked in El Arish of the coast of Egypt, just 40 kilometers from the Gaza border. An ER doctor by trade, Mubarak says Julia is an invisible victim of the grueling conflict caught up in what medicines of (INAUDIBLE) head of Emergency Programs describes as Gaza's silent killings.
In a recent op-ed, Murray Carmen vanillas says, quote, delivering life-saving supplies into Gaza is nearly impossible amidst Israeli authorities blockades, delays and restrictions on humanitarian aid, and essential medical supplies.
Quote, the people of Gaza are paying the price. Not only the tens of thousands already injured in the war, but also all those with other medical needs.
ANDERSON: Since Julia arrived here about a week or so ago from Gaza, the staff have been able to stabilize her with the appropriate medication. And they only are sufficiently confident that she can be evacuated back to the UAE where her care will continue.
Real work that goes on here for some two and a half thousand patients who have come through over the last eight weeks has been any critical care for the severely wounded in the intensive care unit. Like this one and here in what is a makeshift operating theater.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Doctors on this UAE medical ship have performed nearly 1,000 surgical procedures since late February.
ANDERSON: Nomerger (ph) is nine years old. He was born with a deformity to his leg. The surgeons here are absolutely confident. Now he is here on this ship, they are going to be able to correct that.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The team of doctors and nursing staff here tell me they've seen some of the most difficult cases of their careers.
ANDERSON: What's your biggest challenge?
MUBARAK: My biggest challenge is opening the borders so that we are allowing the injured Palestinian people who come to our facility and to have advanced level of care and to secure all of their injuries.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Since Rafah's border crossing was destroyed during Israel's operation in May, evacuations have almost completely stopped. With the help of the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, the U.S. based NGO, Julia made it through Israel's Karem Shalom crossing, with only her 21-year-old aunt Dareen allowed to cross with her.
Displaced from Northern Gaza where her aunt says Julia witnessed explosions and shelling. A journey to safety now continues.
Along with a group of mostly critically ill children, and cancer patients, bound for Abu Dhabi, aboard a specially equipped Etihad Airways flight as part of the Emirati initiative to relocate some of the conflicts most vulnerable for further treatment.
ANDERSON: It's been a very long day for this little girl. It's half was five in the morning here now in Abu Dhabi.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Julia will be given the long term medical support she desperately needs. The very visible face of Gaza has invisible victims. Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to come, three British women killed in an attack that authorities say involved crossbow. Now the suspect has been found in a quiet North London neighborhood.
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KINKADE: Welcome back British authorities have captured a man wanted in connection with the deaths of three women in an attack that police believe involved a crossbow. Officials said the suspect Kylie Clifford was found in North London Wednesday afternoon. Less than a day after the wife and daughters of a BBC journalist were killed. CNN's Nic Robertson has the story from London.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DEPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): It began Tuesday night. Emergency services call to the house of a BBC horse racing commentator John Hunt after women screams were heard coming from the home.
Medics found Hunt's wife Carol and his two daughters, Louise aged 25 and Hannah, 28 seriously injured. They've been brutally attacked. The medics were unable to save the women in a massive 24 hour manhunt began in search of their killer.
CCTV video captured near the family's house appeared to show a man leaving the vicinity carrying an object tucked under his arm covered in a white cloth. Police believe he may have been carrying a crossbow.
Police dragged the 26-year old suspect to a North London cemetery 45 minutes drive away. Police say the suspect Kyle Clifford is a British military vet and police believe he knew the victims. Police say when they captured Clifford he was injured and taken away on a stretcher.
ANDERSON: This is where they bought him out of the cemetery on the stretcher into the street here put him on an ambulance took him to a nearby hospital and for all the neighbors around here watching this. It was utterly shocking.
YOLANDA NDUNGUNE, ENFIELD RESIDENT: In the morning I went to the work is no it's quite place at DVC anyone -- anyone's. When I back to the work I saw the policeman every area in the bus stop, so the policeman and the cops and (INAUDIBLE) and so the postman. I was asking the update. When people told me what they looked at one man he took the lady.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Other nearby residents described seeing ambulances, fire trucks and heavily armed police around the cemetery where Clifford was captured. The police believe it was a targeted incident but aren't specifying how he knew the Clifford family. Although he appears close in ages to Hunt's daughters.
The BBC called the murders utterly devastating in a statement released the staff. Later into the evening, police investigators were still searching for evidence in the cemetery. However, they are not at this time searching for any other suspects. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Alec Baldwin is trial on involuntary manslaughter charges has begun with prosecutors arguing that the actor was reckless with his use of a gun on the set of "Rust" in 2021. The film cinematographer was killed and its director was injured. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty. CNN's Cheryl Hubbard (ph) has the details.
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UNDIENTIFIED MALE: On female shot to chest.
CHERYL HUBBARD (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A seemingly normal day on set turned tragic and 2021 when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot. It happened on the set of the Western film Rust.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can get up nice and slow toss the weapon you have.
HUBBARD (ph) (voice-over): Alec Baldwin was holding the gun.
ERLINDA JOHNSON, PROSECUTOR: When someone plays make believe, with a real gun in a real life workplace. And while playing make believe with that gun violates the cardinal rules of firearm safety. People's lives are endangered and someone could be killed.
HUBBARD (ph) (voice-over): The five men and 11 women of the jury will eventually have to decide if Baldwin is innocent or guilty. He has pleaded not guilty and says he didn't pull the trigger on the prop gun, which his defense team said in opening statements had been deemed quote, cold or safe.
ALEX SPIRO, ALEC BALDWIN'S LAWYER: There were people responsible for ensuring the safety of the seven the firearm. Those people failed in their duties.
HUBBARD (ph) (voice-over): In this film, Baldwin was also a producer. Before the trial the prosecution argued that that role made him responsible for the overall safety on set. The judge ruled that Baldwin's role as a producer on the film should not be considered by the jury a win for the defense.
SPIRO: He was an actor acting, playing the role of Harlan Rust.
HUBBARD (ph) (voice-over): Ever both sides delivered opening statements the prosecution called its first witness responding Officer Nicholas Lefleur. Juror saw his body cam footage of Baldwin and several crew members.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You were in the room and the lady --
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: I was holding the gun, yes.
HUBBARD (voice-over): I'm Cheryl Hubbard (ph) reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Attorney and Legal Affairs commentator Areva Martin joins me now from Los Angeles. Thanks for your time tonight. So the prosecution is trying to paint Alec Baldwin as reckless. The defense is saying he's just an actor acting. Ultimately though this will come down to a jury to decide in this case, it must be a unanimous decision, right?
AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY, AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Absolutely. And this is not unlike any celebrity criminal case where the issue of the celebrity status of this defendant, Alec Baldwin has to weigh heavily on these jurors.
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And although jurors will be instructed to strictly follow the laws, read to them by the judge, and to look at the evidence that's been presented by both the prosecution and the defense team, you have a bigger than life figure in Alec Baldwin, who may or may not take the witness stand, but who will be sitting in this courtroom every day, looking at the jurors, looking at the witnesses as they take the witness stand. And those jurors will be looking at him at every move that he makes, you know, everything that he does during this trial will be evaluated by these jurors.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And today, the jury was showing some video of the scene that led up to that tragedy. What does the Prosecution have to do in this case?
MARTIN: Prosecution has charged him with involuntary manslaughter, basically acting with reckless disregard for the safety of others. And we saw in their opening statement, what they're trying to do is suggest that Alec Baldwin was just that he was reckless that he didn't follow safety precautions that he didn't follow normal safety rules when handling a firearm.
But the defense came back pretty strong, and its opening statement and said, look, he was an actor. And the responsibility of checking for the safety of this gun was in the hands of someone else. He's pointing the finger at the armorer, saying that when a gun was handed to him, he was told that the gun was cold, which means that there was -- it was safe to use, there was no ammunition, there was definitely no live ammunition in the gun. And I think that's going to be a problem for the prosecution to overcome.
KINKADE: And we heard that Baldwin obviously was not just starring as an actor in this film, it was also a producer, co-producer, which one could argue means overall he should take some responsibility for safety on set. But the judge in this case ruled that that role should not be considered by the jury. On what grounds would she made that call?
MARTIN: It that was a big point for the prosecution. It was a big loss for the prosecution and a win for the defense. Prosecution wanted to present evidence that he was a producer. And as a producer, he had a higher level of responsibility. They had a responsibility like a manager or an owner would have to ensure the safety of everyone on that set, and that he failed, because we've heard rumors, and we've heard reports that there were lots of safety lapses on this particular set.
And the judge said no, that you have to evaluate his conduct as an actor, as someone who was handed this gun in the scene that was being shot, not someone that perhaps was responsible for the overall safety of all of the crew on that particular set.
So with that in mind, the prosecution will be very limited in the evidence that they could put forth as to some of the other safety lapses and particularly as they relate to any responsibility that Alec Baldwin had with any of those safety lapses.
KINKADE: And Areva, interestingly, the same judge who presided over the trial of the armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was convicted -- is presiding over this. She gave good Gutierrez-Reed, the maximum sentence of 18 months. Baldwin faces the same if convicted, right?
MARTIN: Oh, absolutely. He faces the same sentence of potential for jail time as the armorer. We should note that she's actually appealing, or she's trying to overturn the conviction of this case. And as I said earlier, Alec Baldwin's defense strategy is to point the finger at her and to say to the extent anyone is responsible for her Halyna Hutchins death, it is the armorer that it was her job, her responsibility to make sure that the gun that was handed to him as an actor did not contain any ammunition or anything that could be harmful to anyone on the set.
I think, again, that there's going to be some video presented to the jurors where Alec Baldwin was demonstrating the use of a gun, and he was told to do a particular maneuver over and over again, and he's going to use and his team will use that to say, look, there were no safety issues that this crew was concerned about. And there was nothing in particular that this actor Alec Baldwin the actor should have been concerned about. It's going to be interesting to see if jurors believe the defense put on by this mega star.
KINKADE: Yes, and obviously quite a few witnesses will be called people that were on the set at the time of this tragedy. Areva Martin, good to have you on the program. Thanks very much.
MARTIN: Thanks Lynda. KINKADE: Well, despite efforts to come concerns more U.S. Congress members are now calling on President Biden to step aside in this year's election. We'll have the details ahead.
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KINKADE: Well, back now to our top story.
The NATO summit in Washington, where just hours ago, U.S. president Joe Biden raised a glass and toasted 75 years of the alliance. The U.S. president's comments Wednesday night came during a dinner at the White House, attended by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and other world leaders.
But the gathering has been overshadowed by mounting questions and concerns over Mr. Biden and his reelection bid.
Earlier in the day, President Biden sat down for talks in the Oval Office with the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Mr. Biden called the U.S. and the U.K. the best of allies and so the two men had much to talk about including soccer.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To start off we can talk about what your call football we call soccer. By the way, you know, soccer has become incredibly popular here in the United States.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
BIDEN: It really is growing.
But at any rate there's a lot going on I think keeping closer times with Europe is good for all us in the general climate (ph). I think it's a great idea that we're going to be working together on. I thought we had a good meeting today in NATO.
STARMER: Very good. Very good.
(CROSSTALKING)
BIDEN: And I think things are moving in the right direction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, President Biden has been looking to project strength during his meetings with NATO leaders, but so far there's been little to ease the concerns of congressional Democrats who are worried about the president's chances for reelection.
CNN's Manu Raju has more from Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Democratic fears are only intensifying in the aftermath of Joe Biden's debate performance late last month. In fact, all the efforts by the president to say I'm running, I'm running and the campaign saying that he's going to push forward, that has done very little to calm Democratic anxiety on Capitol Hill.
In fact, many Democrats, they either said they want to see more, or they're suggesting that Joe Biden still may not run. In fact, that's what Nancy Pelosi suggested in a national television interview just earlier in the day on Wednesday.
And that led to a whole day of back-and-forth, including from some Biden allies who said that, like John Fetterman said, this is a strange remark that she would make it this time.
Others, however, echo that remark and hope that Joe Biden would make the quote, "right decision even if they were not trying to forcefully call him to step aside, suggesting that he should step aside because they're worried that he could take him down. They could take Congress down with him in November.
[01:34:53]
RAJU: Now, there are still eight -- only eight Democrats have come out publicly in calling for Joe Biden to step aside the eighth, Pat Ryan of New York, he is a New York swing district Democrat. Other swing district Democrats are also on that list.
And some of them do harbor those concerns privately, including Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Senator Jon Tester of Montana, two Democrats in red states who are facing difficult reelection in the fall both of whom said behind closed doors on Tuesday that Joe Biden would lose in November.
They will not reiterate those same concerns when we asked them earlier in the day on Wednesday. But when speaking to Democratic senators, it was very clear that there is still ample fear about what Joe Biden's candidacy may mean for them in November.
You think he's going to lose.
SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D-OH): I think it's the legitimate concerns of Ohio voters. My job is to fight for them on everything, to fight for lower drug prices.
RAJU: how concerned are you about his chances in November?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very concerned. It's going to be a close race and we all already knew that.
RAJU: but I mean, you have to be concerned about his viability aren't you?
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTAL (D-CT): I am deeply concerned about Joe Biden winning this November because it is an existential threat to the country if Donald Trump wins, so I think that we have to reach a conclusion as soon as possible.
RAJU: And this all comes at a critical time for the Biden campaign to ease those Democratic concerns. The Senate and the House go on recess after Thursday for a week.
And on the Senate side of the Capitol on Thursday afternoon, three top Biden officials will be briefing Democratic senators about the state of the campaign. Can they ease those concerns? That's a big question and we're also hearing that Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries plaintiffs to relay the concerns he is hearing privately directly to the White House itself and to the president himself. So this debate within the Democratic Party still playing out.
Manu Raju, CNN -- Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well since Manu filed that report, a ninth U.S. House member has joined calls for President Biden to exit the race. Democrat Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, sent a statement Wednesday that he hopes Mr. Biden will come to the conclusion that he should not be the Democratic presidential nominee.
Well, the Republican National Convention starts Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And that's the deadline for Donald Trump to announce his running mate.
CNN's Kristen Holmes, has this new reporting.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump has yet to make a decision on who his vice-presidential pick will be. But he was weighing in on all three of the top contenders over the last two days, some with more negative input than others.
Now as we have reported, there are three people who have been circulating at the top of the list: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
Now, he did weigh in on Burgum and not necessarily in the best light. Something we have heard from allies of Rubio, as well as Vance, is that Burgum went too far on the issue of abortion when he passed a near total abortion ban in the state of North Dakota.
People have warned Donald Trump that that could be bad for Trump because they think that it would bring the issue of abortion something Donald Trump has tried to stay away from on the campaign trail back in to the spotlight.
Donald Trump himself has said that privately, but now he was saying it publicly. Take a listen.
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's a little bit of an issue. It's a pretty strong ban. You know, I think Doug is great, but it is a strong -- he's taken a very strong stance, or the state has.
HOLMES: He also had a compliment for Senator JD Vance after reports he didn't like his facial hair saying he actually liked it and it makes him look like a young Abraham Lincoln. And when it came to Marco Rubio he acknowledged that it was complicated because they both lived in the same state. But the residency itself was a little bit difficult, but he said that it was easily fixed.
We are still told by people close to Donald Trump that he has not yet made up his mind or if he has, he's not sharing it with anyone yet. As we have said on Monday, that is the latest that he can decide but one source told me it could come as late as Monday morning.
Kristen Holmes, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: The Indian prime minister, is reiterating the war is not the only way to finding solutions to conflicts during his visit to Austria.
Narendra Modi's trip that met with the Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer. The two leaders discuss trade ties, climate change as well as the war in Ukraine. Modi says both parties support restoring peace in the region.
Well, some experts call it a new shadow war fought by the Kremlin. It's target is anything from supply lines to Ukraine to the training of its troops in eastern Europe.
[01:39:46]
KINKADE: And according to a senior NATO official, Russia's clandestine game is getting bolder and much more dangerous.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This is the moment first broadcast here, a vast saboteur operation in Poland gave itself away.
Caught on camera is Maxim, a 24-year-old Ukrainian living here, recruited online by Russian agents, who first just asked him to daub anti-war graffiti. Filmed buying a lot of energy drinks, a move that led Polish agents to arrest him and 15 others because he dropped a receipt from here at a crime scene.
His Russian handler, Andriy, had begun asking for much more, positioning cameras, some here overlooking these tracks to Ukraine; others, where Poland trained Ukrainian troops and for Maxim to commit arson. In all, it got him six years in jail.
Amazing how the Russians are recruiting people straight off Telegram, who find themselves here in maximum security. He gave our producer a rare interview inside. We could not record, so an actor is voicing his words.
MAXIM, UKRAINIAN RECRUITED BY RUSSIAN AGENT (through translator): It was easy money. I needed money badly. I didn't think any of it could cause any harm. It seemed so insignificant.
When Andriy told me to install cameras where Poles were training Ukrainian soldiers, that's when I knew it could be serious. It made me feel uneasy.
That was when I decided I'd quit. But I never got a chance. I got arrested the next day.
WALSH: U.S. bases in Europe are on the highest alert for a decade. The main reason? The threat of Russian sabotage -- persistent, real, growing across Europe along the supply lines to the Ukrainian border here.
Well, supply hubs like these have never really been more vital for Ukraine trying to hold the front line. But a senior NATO official has told me of a six- to nine-months' effort by Russia to sabotage NATO weapon supplies into Ukraine, a fair bit of it going right down these tracks.
Now they described it as something that is against, at times, the point of production, against those making the decisions, against the storage of the weapons or even their actual delivery, saying the operation has been bold.
But it gets fiercer here, right next to Russia in Estonia. Russia's appetite to disrupt led them at this tense border crossing one May night to sneak out in these thermal camera images and remove the buoys marking where Estonia ends and Russia begins, literally removing the border.
Tank traps and razor wires speak of how bad it has got. Estonian GPS signals have been jammed. In the skies above, Russians film us filming them.
Your job is also to filter out any of the Russian agents who might be being used to come and do hybrid attacks, right?
EERIK PURGEL, HEAD OF ESTONIAN BORDER GUARD BUREAU, EAST PREFECTURE: All the time, 24/7, and trying to filter those people out. I think the Russians now are trying to see how we will react to different things.
WALSH: Security officials say Russia was using amateurs here, too. 10 people arrested in February after an attack on the Estonian interior minister's car, fears the Ukraine war may, in the future, make Russians more aggressive still.
HARRYS PUUSEPP, ESTONIAN INTERNAL SECURITY SERVICE: We have seen it moving toward physical attacks. Yes, they are at the moment were against -- more against properties. There are people who take part in the war against Ukraine. They have more experience; their mindset is more violent. They are perhaps not so patient anymore.
WALSH: A shadowy standoff where the unthinkable, in a matter of months, becomes reality.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN -- Narva, Estonia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well coming up, CNN visits the first-of-its-kind facility in South Africa that's giving students the skills they need to put animal poachers behind bars.
[01:43:45]
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KINKADE: Well around the world, wildlife crimes including animal trafficking and poaching are on the rise and remain a major threat to our planet's biodiversity.
Today on "Call to Earth", we visit a facility in South Africa that aims to reverse the trend by giving students the skills they need to put more perpetrators behind bars.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Within landscapes like this, all across the continent of Africa, poaching persists as a serious problem. But inside this building, sitting in the middle of a game and nature reserve, about an hour north of Cape Town, there is new hope in ending the crisis.
GREG SIMPSON, CO-FOUNDER, WILDLIFE FORENSIC ACADEMY: The Wildlife Forensic Academy is a unique facility focusing on the training of individuals that come across a wildlife crime scene.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The animals in this first-of-a-kind facility are real and were preserved through a taxidermy process. The blood is fake.
SIMPSON: Wildlife crimes often are processed initially by individuals that don't necessarily have training around law enforcement from a legal perspective. So they often don't collect evidence correctly, or they don't even notice this evidence.
So what is really important is to give people skills that they can collect evidence so that the evidence can be used in an investigation. And hopefully down the line that will end up in a prosecution.
LEITAH MKHABELA, RANGER, BLACK MAMBA ANTI-POACHING UNIT: This is something that we can come across every day. We have higher rate of rhino poaching and we have so many poor poachers that walked free in court because rangers didn't collect evidence enough or they don't know how to collect evidence. so it is important for ranges to get this knowledge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Co-founder and veterinarian Greg Simpson, first encountered the issue while training veterinary students.
SIMPSON: We noticed more and more poachings and then I would take my students to these events and help them process them, find the bullets, et cetera.
And I realized that we didn't get that kind of training -- we didn't really get forensic training. And so we saw the need to try and capitalize improvements and improve biodiversity protection.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are also simulations of a poachers house and truck, and an inflatable boat which could be used to poaching marine life.
SIMPSON: Historically Wildlife forensics has not had the profile that is needed. With increasing crimes, particularly certain animals like rhinos and elephants, it's got much better profile.
So it's becoming more important and people are seeing the value of forensics in a wildlife crime scene.
The training is led by crime scene and legal experts like Petro Van Der Westhuizen, who spent 21 years as an investigator for the South African police service.
PETRO VAN DER WESTHUIZEN, LECTURER, WILDLIFE FORENSIC ACADEMY: Today, we created this scenario of a rhino poaching for them. We've divided them into teams, and now they have to investigate the scene and see if they can find the evidence linking the suspect to the scene.
We use actual wildlife crime scene, evidence that we know of that has previously been supplanted in court.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The courses range from one to four weeks long and welcome students from all over the world.
From vehicle searches to evidence collection to properly handling documentation, the lessons culminate with a courtroom scenario where students learn how to defend their case.
PHIL SNIJMAN, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, WILDLIFE FORENSIC ACADEMYU: The purpose of cross-examination is to test the credibility, the trustworthiness of evidence. And unless you can survive that cross- examination, it might mean that the court can like not accept your evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Arresting the criminals is a crucial first step in this global fight. But without conviction, the cycle is likely to continue.
SIMPSON: Illegal wildlife trade a lot of times is a real priority, it's a threat to biodiversity, it's a threat to human health.
[01:49:48]
SIMPSON: And if we can improve the knowledge around this and awareness that will be really, really valuable. So teaching people skills of how to document evidence is really important from a law enforcement perspective. And we really need to improve our law enforcement around wildlife and the environment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Please, let us know what you're doing to answer the "Call to Earth" with the #CalltoEarth.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
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KINKADE: Last weekend in Barcelona, protesters sprayed visitors water and chanted "tourists go home".
It was part of a demonstration against tourism's impact on the cost of living and the quality of life. These complaints are becoming more and more common in tourist hotspots around the world.
CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau reports.
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BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR; This summer is on track to break records when it comes to tourism. But increasingly it's the locals who need the break.
In Barcelona, spraying holiday makers with water to chase them away from cafes.
Posting fake warning signs on the beaches of Mallorca, tired of being pushed out of city centers where rents have skyrocketed and prices have increased so much that residents no longer feel at home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've come here to demonstrate against (INAUDIBLE) here in Barcelona. The last years the city has turned completely for tourists. And what we want is a city for citizens and not in service of tourists.
NADEAU: This sentiment is echoed in busy tourist havens like Venice where authorities have taken drastic measures charging an entrance fee to the city on busy weekends.
Here in Rome, tourists are important to the city's economy, but the price is often high. Visitors have caused damage to these famous Spanish steppes, gone swimming in historic fountains, and even carved their names in the ancient Roman Coliseum.
Overtourism has spread to all corners of the world. In one Japanese city, locals have blocked the view to Mount Fuji to dissuade visitors. In Austria, blocking tourists from taking selfies. And in Amsterdam, cutting down on the city's famous river cruises to try to wrestle back control of the city.
Many tourist cities clamping down on short-term rentals. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, they live with this conflict. Those who live in the historic center complain because there is too much tourism. But if there is no tourism, there are no restaurants or hotels to offer work.
Therefore, I believe they have to make peace.
NADEAU: AS important as tourism is to many local economies, striking a balance for those who call these popular places home and those who want to enjoy them is an even bigger priority.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN -- Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Colombia will fight for the title in the Copa America final after coming out on top in the semis against Uruguay. The Colombian teams sealed the spot thanks to this header in the 39th minute, which gave it a one to nil victory on Wednesday.
Colombia will play Argentina for the trophy in the Miami Gardens, Florida on Sunday.
But the semifinal game was testy. The players getting into a shoving match in the field after the game. Some members of Uruguay's squad later entered the stands and got into a scuffle with fans.
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KINKADE: Well, on the European side, it's the first time in history that England has reached a major final on foreign soil, securing a spot in the Euro 2024 final after a victory over the Netherlands that went down to the wire.
Patrick Snell has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: So the final of the European football championships now set. Spain will play England on Sunday in Berlin at the Olympiastadion as the two countries battle it out to be crowned kings of Europe.
On Wednesday night in Dortmund, a dramatic meeting between Holland and the Three Lions. The Dutch ahead after just seven minutes. It's a stunning strike there from Xavi Simons, a superb hit right into the back of the net, flew past a shocked Jordan Pickford.
Approaching the 20-minute mark, a moment of controversy as England's Harry Kane gets a shot away as Denzel Dumfries challenges for the ball and the box. Penalty given, Kane takes it himself and knocks it in perfectly. He's now the all-time top scoring knockout games in this competition with six.
and then high drama as the English win it in stoppage time, Cole Palmer with the assist and Ollie Watkins producing, a superb finish right into the corner. It's a sensational strike.
What a moment. What a way to win it. Look at the joy there for the Aston Villa man, England and their delirious fans. England 2 - 1 winners and into the final.
So it's England who will face Spain then in Berlin on Sunday. La Roja seeking to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time. England, their first Euros title beckoning, they hope. They've got to get past Spain first though.
But for now, it's right back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Patrick Snell there.
Well, a two-year-old German boy has been taking the art world by storm. Back in May Laurent Schwarz reportedly sold a piece of artwork for thousands of dollars. Now he's getting inquiries from around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA SCHWARZ, LAURENT'S MOTHER (through translator): And then I get countless messages from people who are huge fans. Some of them stand in front of our house and say, that's where the mini-Picasso lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: His mother said Laurent started painting about a year ago. She came up with the idea to put his paintings online. His parents say the money Laurent makes from the sales are going into a bank account that he can access when he's 18.
I should put some of my toddlers artwork on line for sale.
Thanks so much for watching this edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
The news continues with the lovely Rosemary Church in just a moment.
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