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Biden Faces Questions from Reporters Post-NATO Summit; Ukrainian Compact Highlights Closing Day of NATO Summit. Ukraine to Receive Aid from the Recently-Concluded NATO Summit On Top of the Ukrainian Compact; Venezuelan Migrants Want Change in Their Upcoming Polls; Prince Harry Honored at the ESPY Awards. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 12, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers watching around the world. I'm Max Foster in London, ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

President Biden on the world stage at the NATO Summit in Washington. Will his performance at a press conference slow the calls for him to step aside in the race against Donald Trump?

At that event, Mr. Biden calls for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. We'll have a live report from the region.

And the suspect in the UK, crossbow killings, is in custody, but so far hasn't spoken to police.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Max Foster.

FOSTER: U.S. President Joe Biden is hoping his performance at the NATO press conference will end the calls for him to exit the race for the White House. Mr. Biden answered questions for nearly an hour, highlighting his economic record and foreign policy achievements. And he said neurological exams show he's in good shape. But if his doctors want him to take more tests, that he will. There was, however, a major gaffe early in the news conference when he misidentified his own vice president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president. I think she's not qualified to be president. So let's start there.

Number one. The fact is that the consideration is that I think I'm the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I will beat him again.

Secondly, the idea -- I served in the Senate a long time. The idea that senators and congressmen running for office worry about the ticket is not unusual. And I might add there are at least five presidents running or incumbent presidents who had lower numbers than I have now later in the campaign.

So there's a long way to go in this campaign. And so I -- I'm just going to keep moving, keep moving. And because, look, I got more work to do. We've got more work to finish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: More now from CNN's senior White House correspondent, Kayla Tausche.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: In a high stakes press conference, President Biden unapologetic in his decision to seek a second term, saying that the gravity of the situation demands he finish the job while acknowledging he has much more work to do to allay the concerns of voters.

BIDEN: I'm just going to keep moving, keep moving. And because, look, I got more work to do. We've got more work to finish. There's so much we made so much progress.

TAUSCHE: Biden was far less defiant than he was in recent days, taking an opportunity to exalt his vice president, suggesting that she could serve as president on day one and that even she could beat Trump, though he said his team hasn't given him data to prove that he could it. Biden's team in the wake of this press conference relieved that he had an opportunity to talk about substance and personality and even hit back at his opponent in an opportunity he missed on the debate stage.

But Democrats aren't sold. Some texting tonight saying it was better, but not a home run. And in the coming days, his party will continue assessing his candidacy.

Kayla Tausche, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The White House is calling the press conference a success, despite even more Democrats calling for Mr. Biden to quit the presidential race. CNN political director David Chalian offered his analysis to Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: He obviously was up there for nearly an hour and was able to speak on a variety of topics, but he spoke in sort of the way we've come accustomed to hearing Joe Biden, certainly nothing that resembled what occurred on the debate stage, but obviously still at times rambling, at times mixing up words. That last question you heard about at the very top of the presser mixing up, saying Vice President Trump instead of Vice President Harris. But I think, Anderson, what was most telling for me from this, you asked the question, did he assuage concerns?

He actually himself acknowledged that he is still on a mission of trying to allay concerns, as he said. He certainly said, I am keeping on. We are going to keep on moving through this. He said he is going to continue to run this race, but it was a different tone on that stuff that seemed to open the idea. He said he doesn't think he's the only one that can beat Donald Trump.

[03:05:05]

He said nobody yet has presented him with evidence that he doesn't have a viable winning path to the presidency. Well, that still may come. That seems to me that he was sort of opening up some metrics that he's willing to consider, perhaps.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, despite concerns about his political future, Mr. Biden got down to business on the final day of the NATO summit. He launched a joint effort by the alliance to support Ukraine's long-term security. Alex Marquardt now reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The three- day NATO summit here in Washington culminated with NATO countries further emphasizing their support for Ukraine's security by announcing what's being called a Ukraine compact. This comes on the heels of previous announcements of more air defenses for Ukraine, F-16s, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken said would be in the skies over Ukraine later this summer, and a new American aid package of more than $200 million.

But much of this critical and really historic summit was overshadowed by questions over President Biden's political fate and questions over his lucidity following that debate two weeks ago in which he had a disastrous performance.

Those questions were really accentuated after a flub by President Biden, which he accidentally called President Zelenskyy of Ukraine by the Russian president's name. Take a listen.

BIDEN: Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin. President Putin. He's going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I'm so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I'm better.

BIDEN: You are a hell of a better.

MARQUARDT: Earlier in the day, President Zelenskyy and Biden met one- on-one on the sidelines of the NATO summit, and President Zelenskyy said that after thanking the U.S. for their support, he would be pressing President Biden on lifting restrictions that the U.S. has put on Ukraine for how they use American weapons inside of Russia. Here's what he said. ZELENSKYY: And I also want to discuss, Mr. President, how we can quickly and decisively stop Russian terror with this big problem for us, guided bombs. And of course, we need some quick steps, some to lift all limitations for our Ukrainian soldiers.

MARQUARDT: President Joe Biden's political future weighs heavily on this alliance because of what may happen if President Trump is elected in November. President Trump, of course, has shown real disdain for the NATO alliance and said that he would allow Russia to, quote, "do whatever the hell they want to NATO countries who," in his opinion, "aren't paying enough in defense spending." As President Zelenskyy bluntly put it at the outset of this summit, everybody is waiting for November.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, at the NATO summit in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: But during his closing remarks at the summit, President Biden warned that China will face consequences for working with Russia. He suggested that some European allies may cut investment in Beijing. But Mr. Biden said he's ready to deal one-on-one with leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: It is a concern that you have both China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, countries that are not necessarily coordinated in the past, looking to figure out how they can have impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Joining me now, Leslie Vinjamuri is head of the U.S. and Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Good morning, Leslie. I mean, we're going to talk -- we are going to talk about policy because obviously it was a NATO summit. This is about international security. But it has unfortunately been hijacked by everyone's obsession with how fit President Biden is to serve. I mean, it was a very -- we've mentioned it was a very long press conference. But there are two key parts that stick out. And that's when he misnamed two key people. How concerned should we be about that?

LESLIE VINJAMURI, U.S. AND THE AMERICAS PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, we've seen that President Biden, for a very long time, has frequently misnamed leaders or individuals or stumbled on words. But again, if you go to the content of that press conference, which, as you say, was long, it was very deep, it was very rich on foreign policy, not only his initial remarks, which, you know, really remarkably, drew the story of America's leadership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, talked about the United States as an indispensable nation, talked about the significance of NATO, reminded the Americans that the only time the Article Five had ever been invoked was after the 9/11 terror attacks to protect the United States.

[03:10:08] So he fielded numerous questions with very rich and great depth. So you know, this is a president really, when it comes to foreign policy at his best, but of course, at some level, the telling comment was when he said, you know, no matter what I do, it's not going to be enough. And we've seen the polling 67 percent of Americans would like to see President Biden step down from that nomination, not run again. So many people in his own party, the polling on the swing states not looking good.

And so despite the depth that the press conference really read as a president who's done a remarkable job, not a perfect job, but a remarkable job over many decades in the Senate, in the presidency and foreign policy, prices coming down, jobs growing, unemployment at its lowest in decades.

But a president that doesn't appear to have the energy and the vigor, and that still appears to be slowing down and an uproar that feels like it will be very, very difficult to quell, regardless of how strong a single press conference is.

FOSTER: And from an international perspective, isn't the issue here that this was a very important event, NATO, for people like Zelenskyy, for the new British Prime Minister, for example, as well to assert himself on the world stage, and they are all, they can't actually talk about what they wanted to get out of it. Because everyone wants to ask them. I mean, you know, the British Prime Minister was the first questions he received were about, how was President Biden? That's the actual material damage that's being done by all of this talk.

VINJAMURI: Yes, it's clear that -- that President Biden has become the story, not the not the real issues. You know, let's be clear, as we all know, those leaders met, and they had very rigorous and serious discussions. It's when it comes to the public, that that just simply is disintegrating. And that matters unfortunately, in an election year, with only, you know, a handful of months to go, it matters a huge amount. It does make it very difficult for international leaders, and NATO allies have been concerned for a very long time about this election, about the looming threat of Donald Trump.

Even before the considerations of President Biden's health became so prominent. There's been deep fear in Europe, endless talk about Trump proofing NATO of Europeans doing more on European security. And that was a focus in this meeting of the NATO leaders.

But you're right, it's very difficult to communicate this to the public to have any broader influence, because every single news article, every single question, every single comment is about President Biden's health. And, you know, despite again, a very strong press conference deep on the issues, there is just a real concern about, you know, can the President win? The polling doesn't look good. Can he govern if he does win for four more years?

But right now, you know, the short term, the urgent question for leaders around the world, for people around the world, especially in Europe, and especially for Americans, of course, is whether he can actually beat Donald Trump. And that, I think, is a grave concern. It's very sad, you know, for Americans, for people around the world to listen to a president talk about that -- he wants to stay in the race because of the gravity of the situation that he faces. He talked about the need to get legislation through. But in my mind, the saddest part was when he spoke about gun violence in the United States and kids getting killed by guns.

And he sort of had that moment. He said that we are the United States of America. And I think we were all taken back to our childhood when, you know, this didn't happen in America. And unfortunately, it sort of framed President Biden as a man who governed, who's led the country in various roles in an era that no longer exists.

FOSTER: OK, Leslie, as ever, thank you so much for your insights.

Now, still ahead, Israel's prime minister strikes a note of skepticism about the Gaza ceasefire negotiations and the U.S. President Joe Biden weighs in on those talks, those details and more when we return. Do stay with us.

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[03:15:00]

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FOSTER: The White House says it's seeing positive signs for a potential Gaza ceasefire and a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. However, sources tell CNN there are still tough issues to resolve. U.S. President Joe Biden says he hopes the proposal being discussed will allow for a two-state solution in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: This war cabinet is one of the most conservative war cabinets in the history of -- of Israel. And there's no ultimate answer other than a two-state solution here. And so what was able to be done in terms of the plan I put together was it would be a process for a two- state solution. And we get the Arab nations to particularly from Egypt to all the way to Saudi Arabia to be in a position where they would cooperate in the transition so that they could keep the peace in Gaza without Israeli forces staying in Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Israel says it's sending a delegation to Cairo to continue the ceasefire negotiations speaking at a graduation ceremony for new military officers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he remains committed to a deal. But the Hamas is making demands that contradict the plan.

CNN's Scott McLean following developments for us from Istanbul in Turkey. I mean, you've been here many times before, Scott, does it feel different?

[03:20:03] SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT; Yeah, I think whatever optimism there was maybe a week ago has been pretty well diminished. I don't think that anybody is expecting a huge breakthrough here. As you mentioned, two sources have told our colleague Alex Marquardt that there has been some progress made in Doha, but there are still pretty tough issues to resolve and still a long way to go.

The Israeli prime minister's office said that Benjamin Netanyahu met with the negotiators yesterday in Israel and then sent them on their way to Cairo. So if there's any good news, it's that the talks are at least continuing there.

And you mentioned that speech that Netanyahu gave where he said that, look, he is committed to getting a deal to get the hostages back. But he said that it is Hamas that keeps making demands that contradict the plans that are the plan that's on the table already.

And he went back to this point that he has made many times before over the last several months, and that is that it is military pressure and staying firm on the red lines that Israel has already set that made it possible to get a ceasefire deal back in November. And he thinks that the same approach will help this time around.

In truth, it is not entirely clear what the sticking points are, how far the parties are apart. But you remember a diplomatic source told CNN that what was unclear is that the Israeli position, because Hamas had said over the weekend that it was willing to forego one of its main demands that any ceasefire deal that's agreed to be a permanent one. And then the very next day, you had Prime Minister Netanyahu seeming to move the goalposts with new demands about Israeli troops preventing the movement of Hamas fighters from south to north and maintaining control over Gaza's border with Egypt, and also continuing to insist that Israel go back to war, be able to go back to war even after a ceasefire, something that Israeli opposition called provocative.

Now, you played that clip from President Biden. He was obviously asked about this. His answer was pretty meandering. It covered a lot of different territory and one or two parts. It was a little bit difficult to follow. But he repeated his point that he's made many times that the two-state solution is the only solution.

And you also heard him there talking about the plan for post-war Gaza, at least his plan, which is sort of this guarantorship system, for lack of a better term, that would essentially get Arab states on board to keep everyone in line in Gaza to allow Israeli troops to withdraw. Obviously, getting Israel to agree to that, though, is going to be a difficult one. And when it comes to negotiations, the president said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: But the bottom line is, we have a chance now. It's time to end this war. Doesn't mean walk away from going after Sinwar and Hamas. And if you notice, you know better than most, there is a growing dissatisfaction on the West Bank from the Palestinians about Hamas. Hamas is not popular now. And so there's a lot of moving parts. I just have to keep moving to make sure that we get as much done as we can toward a ceasefire, a ceasefire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: So for the record, Max, that part where he said that Hamas is losing popularity in the West Bank, there is not a lot of polling data in the West Bank. But based on the data that we do have, that statement is not true. In fact, a poll shows that Hamas, about half of people in the West Bank said that they would vote for Hamas today. That's double the support that Hamas had in the West Bank prior to the October 7th terror attacks. And also about three quarters of people in the West Bank said that they supported Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. That is even higher than the number of people in Gaza who gave the same answer. Max.

FOSTER: Okay. Scott in Istanbul. Thank you.

Andrey Kosolov was nearing the end of his shift as a security guard at the NOVA music festival when Hamas fighters attacked. The Russian- Israeli citizen was soon captured and taken to Gaza as a hostage. In an interview with CNN, Kozlov detailed his months of captivity, the psychological torture he endured, and the threats that he faced. And finally, after his rescue, the emotional reunion with his mother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: We all saw the video of when you were reunited with your mother at the hospital. As a mother, it brought tears to my eyes to see how you fell down on your knees hugging her. Do you know how difficult I would imagine you do those eight months were for them.

ANDREY KOSOLOV, RUSSIAN-ISRAELI CITIZEN RESCUED FROM HAMAS CAPTIVITY: I was so afraid not to see them.

[03:25:05]

GOLODRYGA: You thought you'd never see them again?

KOSOLOV: I was afraid. I imagined how. That my mother and father and brother will not hear the words I love you anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: You can see the full interview with rescued hostage Andrei Kozlov on Friday on "Amanpour." That's at 1 pm Eastern, that's 6 pm in London and 8 pm in Tel Aviv. It will also air on "Anderson Cooper 360" on Friday night at 8 p.m. Eastern, that's 5 pm on the U.S. West Coast.

Now, still ahead, U.S. President Biden facing reporters as even more Democrats call for him to withdraw from the presidential race. We'll look at how he fared in the spotlight.

Plus, Ukraine walks away from a NATO summit with pledges of more military aid. But Keith also wants the green light to take the fight to Russia. Details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: U.S. President Joe Biden wrapped up the NATO summit in Washington with a forceful defense of his ability to serve another term in the White House. Mr. Biden answered questions for nearly an hour covering his economic record, China, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Reporters asked about his mental acuity and stamina to serve as president for four more years.

[03:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I've taken three significant and intense neurological exams by a neurologist. In each case, as recently as February. And they say I'm in good shape. The only thing age does is help you with it. It creates a little bit of wisdom if you pay attention.

And so the point I'm making is, I think it's important that I, if my, if the neurologist tells me he thinks I need another exam, and by the way, I've laid every bit of the record out. Every single day I'm surrounded by good docs. If they think there's a problem, I promise you, or even if they don't think it's a problem, I think I should have a neurological exam again. I'll do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Here's CNN's Jeff Zeleny on Democrats' reaction to Mr. Biden's closing remarks at the NATO summit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It was the moment that everyone in Washington was waiting for President Biden's high stakes news conference on Thursday night. The question, did it change any minds among anxious Democrats nervous about his decision to run for reelection?

Talking to Democrats after the president's news conference, it is unclear that it did. But one thing was notable. The president spoke with far less defiance and combativeness about his decision to stay in. He said he needed to work to allay the concerns of Democratic voters. And he even said that he was open to his delegates supporting someone else should they choose to do that. But he said again and again, he wants to finish the job.

He said he is not worried about his legacy, but he wants to continue working on the accomplishments of his first term. But did this change any minds? There is reason to believe, at least in the early hours after the news conference, that it may not have.

We're also learning that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama are playing a role behind the scenes in the future of this Democratic presidential campaign. We have learned that Obama and Pelosi have had conversations this week about where to take the party.

Of course, many Democrats are asking them to step in to try and send some type of a signal to the White House. These Democrats, of course, are the ones that would like to see the president step aside.

But the president, for his part, has many supporters as well, the Congressional Black Caucus, labor unions and other key pieces of his coalition. So as we end this historic week in Washington, the central question remains the same. Will President Biden keep running for the presidency now less than four months from Election Day? He says he will.

But all eyes certainly on the White House today now that the NATO summit is over. Nancy Pelosi, of course, said she wishes everyone would wait until that time. Well, now that time is here. The question is, what will President Biden do?

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Concerns about his future aside, President Biden got down to business at the NATO summit, too. On Thursday, he launched what's being called the Ukraine Compact, a joint effort by the alliance to support Ukraine's long term security that includes boosting its future military capabilities and supporting it in case of another Russian aggression down the line. Mr. Biden also ruled out any talks with the Russian president, at least for now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Is Putin ready to talk? I'm not ready to talk to Putin unless Putin is ready to change his behavior and the idea. Look, Putin's got a problem. I've been very successful. They've called horrible damage, loss of life. But they've also lost over 350,000 troops, military killed or wounded. They've over a million people, particularly young people with technical capability, leaving Russia because they see no future there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Ukraine has lined up tens of billions of dollars in future aid from NATO during the summit that ended on Thursday, but Kyiv is also asking for a free hand to use Western weapons to bring the war back home to Russia. Fred Pleitgen has those details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Ukrainians have shown themselves to be quite satisfied with some of the assurances and pledges they've gotten from the NATO alliance at that meeting in Washington, D.C. Of course, the U.S. announcing another security assistance package. Joe Biden, the U.S. president, announcing that on the sidelines of a meeting with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

And part of that package is a surface to air missile system, a patriot that is made in the United States. And that's extremely important for the Ukrainians. Of course, the U.S. president had said that the NATO alliance would give Ukraine another five strategic surface to air missile systems. Those very important as the Ukrainians face an increased Russian missile threat.

[03:34:56]

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the alliance for its support. But he also says that the Ukrainians believe that restrictions on the use of Western weapons, for instance, striking Russian territory, need to be lifted.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations. I spoke about it with partners, with U.K. leader, with United States president, with secretary, all of that.

PLEITGEN: Another very important announcement for the Ukrainians was the alliance saying that F-16 fighter jets provided by several European countries should be in the skies above Ukraine this summer. That, of course, key for the Ukrainians as they face that increased Russian missile threat with a flurry of Russian missiles hitting this country on Monday, killing more than 40 people.

One of the things that the Ukrainians were a little bit maybe disappointed by is the fact that while the NATO alliance announced that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to NATO membership, there isn't yet a timeline for when this country will actually be a member of the alliance.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: British police are searching for a man they believe may have dropped two suitcases containing human remains off a bridge in the southwestern city of Bristol. Avon and Somerset police say they got a call close to midnight on Thursday about a man acting suspiciously on the Clifton suspension bridge. Officers responded and found the two suitcases but there was no sign of the man who they described as a black man with a beard dressed all in black with an Adidas baseball cap and a black backpack. Police say they're not aware of any current threat to the wider public.

U.K. authorities say the man suspected of killing the wife and daughters of a BBC sports commentator with a crossbow. He's in serious condition at a London hospital and is yet to speak with the police. Karl Clifford was found by British police on Wednesday after an overnight manhunt. The victims were the wife and two daughters, adult daughters of BBC horse racing commentator John Hunt. Police responded to the Hunt's home in the town of Bushey on Tuesday night and found that women with serious injuries, all three died a short time later at the scene.

Nada Bashir joins me now in London. I mean there's so much talk about this in the U.K. because he was quite a well-known figure but the, you know, the nature of the attack, which we don't know much about obviously yet, just seems horrendous.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely and it has sent shockwaves across the country. We've been hearing those tributes coming in from sporting figures of course, colleagues of John Hunt. We've been hearing condolences expressed by the government as well. The Home Secretary issuing a statement of shock at the news of the murder of the three women and we have been learning more details around the possible relationship between the suspect in question, Kyle Clifford and the three women.

He is currently in a serious condition in a London hospital so no questioning has taken place just yet by British police but until that questioning has taken place there has been some speculation in British media around the possible motives. We don't know the motives just yet but some have suggested a possible romantic relationship between Kyle Clifford and John Hunt's youngest daughter, 25-year-old Louise Clifford.

Now there have been reports that she may have been in a romantic relationship with him, that has been reported by U.K. outlets as well as the BBC which has of course expressed its condolences for its colleague John Hunt but she also shared some posts on social media quite recently reposting something on X, formerly known as Twitter, praising women who leave toxic relationships. One of those posts saying, I admire women who leave.

Now Hertfordshire police have not commented or have declined to comment rather on the possible personal relationship between the two but they have said previously that there may have been a personal relationship, that they may have been known to each other. So that will certainly be a line of inquiry as this investigation continues but again that questioning process is yet to have taken place as far as we are aware. Kyle Clifford is still in hospital but as you can imagine those condolences are still coming in.

FOSTER: Just to clarify he's in hospital injured not because of anything, any altercation with the police?

BASHIR: No exactly.

FOSTER: Okay. Nada, thank you so much.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled their country in recent years but they're hoping the upcoming election will open the door to go back home. That's ahead on CNN.

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[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOSTER: Venezuela preparing for national elections that some hope could change the country's future. For many of the millions who fled under the leadership of Nicolas Maduro a change in power could bring about some long-sought homecomings. Stefano Pozzebon has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (voice-over): How do you build a home far away from your home? Sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right people to help. These migrants in Bogota are doing just that, working with a foundation that provides free classes and counseling to vulnerable Venezuelans and Colombians alike.

Maria Alvarez arrived in Colombia seven years ago. She helped create the organization. Making a living as a manicurist is tough but Bogota has been welcoming. Home however is still somewhere else.

POZZEBON (translated): What are your hopes for this July? What do you think? What do you dream?

MARIA ALVAREZ, VENEZUELAN MIGRANT (translated): I want Venezuela to be free. That everything goes back to how it used to be.

POZZEBON (voice-over): She dreams that one day her son will finally meet his grandparents in Venezuela. He has only seen them in photos.

This month, millions of Venezuelan migrants are sharing such dreams as their home country heads to the polls.

Authoritarian president Nicolas Maduro pledging to allow free and fair elections as he campaigns for re-election and the democratic opposition uniting behind a single candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, a former diplomat who floated the idea of amnesty for former government officials who have been accused of crimes against humanity. It's the most credible democratic challenge in a decade but because more than seven million Venezuelans like Alvarez have fled the country under Maduro the upcoming month can make an impact all across the Americas.

POZZEBON: Colombia has welcomed more than two million Venezuelan migrants in recent years. Many here have found a new home but for others these streets are just the beginning of a journey to the north.

[03:45:05]

POZZEBON (voice-over): Venezuelans were the second largest group of migrants reaching the U.S. southern border last year. Many arrived from Colombia crossing the treacherous jungle to Panama in the Darien Gap and then upward through Central America. Numbers some experts fear might increase should Maduro stay in power.

LAURA DIB, VENEZUELAN PROGRAM DIRECTOR, WOLA: There are two reasons why migration will increase. The first is political because it's related I mean and this is the interesting part about Venezuela is that you cannot disconnect the complex humanitarian emergency from the authoritarian nature of the government. I think it's -- it's difficult to you know to put a number to it but it could be more than one million, two million Venezuelans leaving the country.

POZZEBON (voice-over): In Colombia Alvarez is weighing her options. Her cousin crossed the Darien Gap last year. He now lives in the U.S. and she dreams of reconnecting with him but she's afraid of the jungle trek with her young son and abroad she cannot vote. Their dream is to go back home. If the government falls, millions will return, she says.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: When we come back a new study shows the massive role lifestyle behaviors have in our changes -- chances of getting or avoiding cancer. We'll have details on exactly what's happening there.

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[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: A fire broke out in the spire of a cathedral in Rouen, France on Thursday morning. Smoke billowed out of the top of the Gothic Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Normandy. The cathedral which is an important example of French medieval architecture currently undergoing restoration work. Firefighters put out the blaze. The damage is now being assessed. It was five years ago that a massive fire broke out in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris you might remember.

A new study highlights the outsized role behavior and lifestyle can play in developing cancer. The study shows that close to half of cancer deaths in the U.S. could be attributed to preventable risk factors. CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell has the details.

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MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well this new study from the American Cancer Society looks at cancer cases and deaths among adults age 30 and older and it estimates that 40 percent of cancer cases and 44 percent of cancer deaths could potentially be preventable. They say they're attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors.

Now what are those risk factors? Well the leading one probably won't surprise anybody. It's cigarette smoking. They estimate that that contributed to 19 percent of cancer cases and 29 percent of cancer deaths in this study.

The next is excess body weight followed by alcohol consumption. Also a big risk factor up there is exposure to U.V. radiation. The risk for skin cancer of course. They also looked at people's diets not eating enough fruits and vegetables or eating a lot of red meat or processed meat as well as cancer causing viruses.

Now they found that the cancers that were most linked to these potentially modifiable behaviors, the top one is lung cancer that connection to smoking. The second is female breast cancer. There are links there both to excess body weight and to alcohol consumption. Skin melanoma of course from sun exposure and colorectal cancer.

Now the researchers told us that there's actually some good news here which is that folks think maybe it takes a long time to reverse your risk for these kinds of cancers. But actually changing behaviors they say can start to reduce risk pretty quickly.

So on a personal basis it's the things we hear about all the time. Don't smoke, maintain a healthy body weight, cut back or stop drinking alcohol, exercise and of course use sun protection.

But the researchers here also focused on the importance of things happening from a societal level policy changes that can make it easier for people to live healthier lives.

For smoking for example they said the thing that's been the most effective in reducing smoking rates is making it more expensive through excise taxes. They point out that a pack of cigarettes in Missouri costs about half as much as a pack of cigarettes in New York state. And if you look at cancer rates for those two states they are dramatically higher in Missouri than they are in New York for lung cancer.

And so the takeaway here is there are things we can do to try to reduce our risks but there are also things that need to be done on a bigger societal level to try to make things healthier for everybody.

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FOSTER: Prince Harry received the Pat Tillman award at the 2024 ESPY Sports Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was being recognized for creating the Invictus Games, a sports tournament for military veterans founded in 2014. Tillman was a university and NFL football player who served in the U.S. Army after the 9/11 attacks and was killed in Afghanistan in 2004. In accepting the award Harry said it was important to highlight the Invictus Games allies, athletes and families for their achievements, spirit and courage.

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PRINCE HARRY, ESPY PAT TILLMAN AWARD RECIPIENT: Moments like these help us reach those that need Invictus most and reduce more than 20 veterans a day talking taking their own lives in this country alone. We live in an age marked by polarization and division. Conflicts rage around the globe. Anger and resentment towards those who are different seem to pervade societies everywhere. Our community challenges that. Our community proves that unity is not just possible but formidable.

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FOSTER: The award wasn't without controversy though. Tillman's mother was quoted calling the Prince controversial and divisive and said there were more fitting candidates.

Barbara Krejcikova of the Czech Republic put together a stunning comeback at Wimbledon on Thursday defeating former champ Elena Rybakina in three sets.

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The 2021 French Open champion Krejcikova got off to a slow start losing the first set 6-3 after being down four games. Down but not out that is. She broke her opponent's serve in the sixth game of the second set and went on to level the match. She broke again in the third set and eventually claimed victory. She'll meet the Italian Jasmine Paolini in the final tomorrow. What a game.

At least seven people were injured in Pamplona's running of the Bulls on Thursday. Take a look. Now the spectacle takes place each day during the annual week-long San Fermin festival in the Spanish city. Six fighting bulls bred for the purpose led by six steers chase runners through the narrow passageways of Pamplona's old quarter. Pretty tight there. Each year many people are injured taking part in the event mostly due to falls but very much at their own risk. In the past there have even been fatalities though. Fortunately not this time.

A new art installation in Manhattan is highlighting the importance of biodiversity in a fun and unique way. New Yorkers can grab a seat next to some of the most endangered animals in the world. The bronze statue titled the Wild Couch Party in France features the artist's beloved hybrid characters Rabbit Woman and Dog Man. The pair are shown hosting 12 animals on a communal couch as they enjoy coffee, tea, pastries. The sculpture will be on view through to next May. Want to see it?

That wraps up this hour of our coverage. I'm Max Foster, in London. I'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after the break.

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