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Fears Escalate of Wider Conflict After Golan Heights Attack; Vigils Held Across U.S. for Woman Killed by Deputy; U.S., Japan to Modernize Military Partnership; Study: Blood Tests Catches 90 Percent of Early Dementia Cases. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 29, 2024 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. Here are some of our top stories we're following today.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will serve a third term in office. The country's National Electoral Council, which is controlled by the government, says Maduro won more than 51 percent of the vote. However, the leader of Venezuela's main opposition coalition is rejecting the official results.

U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Houston, Texas later today to pay his respects to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who died from cancer earlier this month. He will also visit the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin during the trip.

And significant rainfall this weekend helped firefighters in Alberta, Canada, make progress on the wildfires burning in the province. Canada's Parks Agency says the fire burning in Jasper National Park is the largest in the area for more than 100 years.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: To the Middle East, as the region is on edge following a deadly rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a Security Cabinet meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation.

MACFARLANE: Well, the Cabinet authorized Mr. Netanyahu and his Defense Minister to, quote, decide on the nature of the response against Hezbollah. Israel has blamed the Lebanese militant group for the strike, which killed 12 children and injured more than 40 people on Saturday. Hezbollah has firmly denied it was behind the attack.

FOSTER: Israel's military says it conducted airstrikes against Hezbollah targets deep inside Lebanese territory and along the border overnight on Sunday. Lebanon is warning Israel of a regional war if it goes too far.

MACFARLANE: Well, meantime, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington does not want to see an escalation in the region.

CNN's Salma Abdulaziz is joining us now to discuss. And Salma, Hezbollah have obviously claimed that this is not their responsibility, although it is believed that this might have been or probably was a miscalculation on their part. And now there are fears for an all-out war. What kind of reaction, retaliation can we expect at this stage?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think if you're any of these families living on these border areas, you are absolutely waiting for bated breath, because Israel has said that Hezbollah will pay the price for this attack, regardless of whether or not they've claimed responsibility. That means the area of southern Lebanon. In fact, Hezbollah itself says it is in a state of mobilization in its pulling back from its own military posts.

You also have all these warnings that are pouring in from the region. Iran saying to Israel, don't play any adventures in Lebanon. You have the Lebanese government saying, look, this is going to instigate, this could spur all the militias that Iran backed from Syria to Iraq to get involved.

And we have seen some retaliation Saturday night, of course, those strikes that Israel says were deep within Lebanon. But is that all we're going to see or will we see more?

[04:35:00]

I want to draw our attention back to that community, the small Druze community that is right now mourning the loss of 12 children killed in a soccer field over the weekend. Horrifying attack.

But it is not just about this attack. Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire for years, but more so since October 7th. Netanyahu has promised Israelis a territory that is safe from incoming rocket fire. That means at some point he has to find a way to either degrade or destroy Hezbollah's capabilities. When does he do that? How? Is this the opportunity?

And that's the fear, is that this becomes a political moment that is bigger than the 12 children that were killed, that drags this region into this conflict.

FOSTER: OK, Salma, thank you so much.

Joining us now from Tel Aviv is Alon Pinkas, former Israeli consul general in New York. Thank you so much for joining us.

I'm just looking at the CNN headline here, and they're describing it as the war that nobody wants. Obviously, there is this talk of a wider regional war. Just explain what that would look like and how likely you think it is.

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Well, you know what, Max? Almost all wars begin with everyone saying, no one wants this war. Like all elections begin when everyone says no one has an interest in the election, and every escalation unravels when everyone says, well, all sides have a vested interest in not escalating.

Well, these things happen, which is why I expect this to escalate. The question is escalate by how much, meaning in terms of scope, geographical scope, of firepower used or ammunition, and duration.

Now, you would think that, and here's where this vicious circle comes into play, you would think that Israel has to respond. By responding, it sort of escalates, but not too much. But then Hezbollah has to respond to Israel's response. That's an escalation too. So before you know it, we're in a spiral of escalation, and I think this is going to happen in the next few days.

MACFARLANE: We heard the Secretary of State Blinken say that the best way to avoid a war was obviously to seek a ceasefire in Gaza, and we know that talks have been happening in Rome on a potential ceasefire. But do you think that is a short-term measure? And obviously at this stage, that is not looking likely any time soon.

PINKAS: Well, no. I've got to tell you, you know, the Americans from the outset described the link, the relation between what's going on in Gaza and what's going on, on the Israeli-Lebanese border with Hezbollah as connecting vessels, meaning that if you reach a ceasefire in Gaza, it will de-escalate or ameliorate the tensions and the exchanges of fires in the north.

Israel, until now, refused -- well, including now, refused to accept that logic and that equation, meaning that Israel was in no hurry to do anything in terms of a ceasefire. Now, I do not see these Rome talks leading to a ceasefire. Mr. Netanyahu is not interested in a ceasefire because that's a 42-day ceasefire, according to phase one of the plan that everyone knows about, a partial exchange of hostages for Palestinian terrorists, and a realignment, not to say withdrawal of Israeli forces inside Gaza.

He is patently not interested in that. And by a virtue of escalation in the north, that will further diminish the chances of a ceasefire. That's exactly what the state of Gaza, that's exactly what the connecting vessels are all about.

So I don't -- I'm sorry I'm not too optimistic about that, but I just don't see this being resolved in the next few days.

FOSTER: It does become a regional war, doesn't it, when Iran officially gets involved and starts striking -- well, you know, you've got the war effectively between Israel and Iran. I mean, just reassure people about where we are with that.

PINKAS: OK, so here's the thing. First of all, in April, it almost happened. On the 13th and 14th of April, just three months ago, three and a half months ago, Israel and Iran exchanged missile salvos after Israel assassinated several Hezbollah officials in the Iranian embassy annex in Damascus, Syria. And everyone was talking, rightly so, about the possibility of an expansion or escalation, a geographical escalation, and it did happen, but it was contained.

What may happen now is that you have a war in Gaza that's going on, even though the intensity has decreased, but you still have a war in Gaza. You're going to have a mini-war or some kind of serious exchanges of fire with Hezbollah, but then if Iran gets involved and the Houthis in Gaza, you're going to have a mini-war or some kind of serious exchanges of fire with Hezbollah.

But then if Iran gets involved and the Houthis in Yemen get involved by firing at maritime traffic from the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal, as they have done before, then you're right. Then we're talking about a regional war, which brings us back to our original point in our conversation here, and that is the question is how massive the Israeli retaliation is going to be and then what Hezbollah is going to do in response.

If Hezbollah says, OK, the rules of the game have not been broken, the so-called invisible implicit red lines have not been crossed, so our response is going to be minor, maybe. But they may do something else, and before you know it, everything is going to spiral out of control and you do have a regional war.

MACFARLANE: There's so much on the line, isn't there, and so much to be watching in the hours ahead. Alon Pinkas, we appreciate you joining us and your perspective on this. Thank you.

PINKAS: Thank you.

FOSTER: Across the U.S., vigils are being held for an Illinois mother who was killed by a sheriff's deputy earlier this month.

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CROWD CHANTS: Sonya Massey!

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FOSTER: Sonya Massey was gunned down in her own home after calling 911 about a potential prowler.

MACFARLANE: Body cam footage shows an exchange between Massey and the now former deputy, Sean Grayson, which ended with Grayson shooting Massey and failing to render aid. The incident has once again renewed calls for police reform.

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JUSTIN RUSSELL, SOUTHSIDERS ORGANIZED FOR UNITY AND LIBERATION: Sonya Massey called the police to deal with a potential intruder, and the irony, she was safer with a potential intruder than the police. She was murdered in her home by those she called for protection. Simply charging this officer with murder is insufficient without further action.

We need systemic change, or the system will continue to tear Black lives from our communities and families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She called for help, and instead she was gunned down in her home. And I felt that. There's so many people here, I think, who looked at it and said, that should not be happening in 2024.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MACFARLANE: Well, Grayson was fired and charged with murder. He has pled not guilty. The Massey family attorney is questioning why Grayson was even allowed to join the sheriff's department. Records show he was discharged from the army years ago for serious misconduct and had a history of driving under the influence.

FOSTER: Coming up, the U.S. and Japan are overhauling their historic military partnership with an eye on China. We'll go live to Tokyo next.

MACFARLANE: And new developments in diagnosing Alzheimer's, a blood test that's significantly better at predicting early cases of dementia when we come back.

[04:45:00]

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MACFARLANE: The U.S. is overhauling its military partnership with Japan as the two countries work to counter China's influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

FOSTER: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are in Tokyo where they just met with the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Earlier, the U.S. and Japanese officials announced a new plan to modernize the American troop presence in Japan.

Hanako Montgomery joins us now from Tokyo. So what do you think it's going to look like, Hanako?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Max. So we know that the US has announced that it would massively reconfigure its military here in Japan. Specifically, the U.S. forces in Japan will be reconstituted as a joint force headquarters.

Now, what this really means is that both countries will be able to better communicate and better coordinate any security threats or any addresses to security threats in the Indo-Pacific region. And we know that the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, has described this upgrade as the most significant improvement to military ties in the last 70 years. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also praised the U.S.-Japan alliance and discussed its importance to the U.S.'s foreign policy.

Here's what Blinken had to say.

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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: For over 70 years, the United States-Japan alliance has been the cornerstone for peace, for stability in the Indo-Pacific and now beyond. And it's helping make our own people more free, more secure, more prosperous.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MONTGOMERY: Now today, Japan also hosted a meeting for the Quad, which is specifically the foreign ministers from India, Australia, Japan, and the United States. And during this meeting, the Quad described their support for ceasefire proposals in the Middle East and also described their grave concerns over China's growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically in the South China Sea. They released a joint statement, in fact, today, where they pledged to bolster their maritime security to address these concerns.

But for some Asian countries, this isn't the only issue that they are worried about. They're also very closely watching the outcome of the U.S. presidential election because, as we know, the former U.S. President Donald Trump has previously toyed with the idea of pulling out U.S. troops from Asia. And he's also questioned the cost of some of these Asian alliances.

But over this weekend, the U.S. Secretary of State, Blinken, tried to assuage those fears and stated how the U.S. remains steadfast in its commitment to this region and said that no matter the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, would continue to work on and develop the regional relationships between the U.S. and its Asian allies -- Max.

FOSTER: Hanako Montgomery, in Tokyo. Thank you.

Now, another stride towards being able to diagnose Alzheimer's disease.

MACFARLANE: A new study finds a blood test can catch 90 percent of early dementia cases significantly more accurate than current methods. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more on this promising new development.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We're talking about a two-part blood test here to give you an idea of how much amyloid you likely have in your brain. It's an amyloid probability score.

Now, I want to be clear, this is not an Alzheimer's test per se. You can't take the blood test and say you either have Alzheimer's or you don't. But it can provide a lot of information for people, especially those who are worried, could the memory loss they're experiencing actually be due to Alzheimer's?

So, specifically, again, we're talking about two specific blood tests here. One is called P-Tau 217. That's measuring for tau protein. And something known as Beta Amyloid 42. That's another biomarker of Alzheimer's disease.

[04:50:00]

The real question, I think, and part of the reason there's so much enthusiasm is how predictive is it really? And how predictive is it against what is typically out there?

And what you find is that the accuracy in determining if memory loss is likely due to Alzheimer's disease with this blood test, around 90 percent. Compare that to neurologists, memory specialists, around 73 percent. Primary care doctors, around 61 percent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: No ticket, no problem. Thousands of Swifties in Germany attended the Eras Tour without stepping foot inside the stadium. We'll explain next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the Wolverine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: "Deadpool and Wolverine" giving the Marvel Universe a fresh injection of energy.

MACFARLANE: The 34th movie in its cinematic universe has grossed $205 million in its U.S. opening weekend and nearly $440 million worldwide, setting a new record for an R-rated film. And it's bringing more than just Marvel fans to the big screens.

[04:55:00]

With the movie so popular, theatres have been adding showings to meet viewer demand.

FOSTER: You going?

MACFARLANE: I am not. I'm sorry, I'm just not a big Marvel person, but, you know, please tell me why I'm wrong.

FOSTER: I reckon if we watch them from the start, we might get into the groove. So give it a go.

MACFARLANE: Yes, I think I've missed that boat, to be honest.

Although this one I would fully get on board with. Taylor Swift fans have taken to tailgating, or Taylor-gating, as it's become known -- love it -- to the next level in Munich, Germany. Those on the hill outside the Open Roof Stadium were able to hear Swift's performance for free. Police estimated some 40,000 people camped there on Saturday. That's in addition to the 75,000 fans who had tickets for the show.

FOSTER: What I find fascinating is they're all facing the stadium, but they can't actually see inside the stadium. I kind of figure it should be a festival.

MACFARLANE: Yes, but this is a thing, right? This has been happening now for years, I believe, where fans have been showing up at stadiums. I just feel a bit sad that I didn't take the initiative when she came through here in London. It looks like a good party, doesn't it? FOSTER: Well, it was loads of people, it's going to work, isn't it? Swift is on the European leg of her Euros Tour, of course. After two nights in Munich, she'll be heading to the Polish capital of Warsaw for three concerts, probably near parks.

MACFARLANE: Also much cheaper, let's be honest. I don't know how much you pay for a Taylor ticket these days. But --

FOSTER: You're not going to get away with taking your daughters to --

FOSTER: Shh! Don't say anything. I know she's watching.

FOSTER: -- to a concert and sing outside.

MACFARLANE: I am while she's three, so there we go.

That'll do it for us here at CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane.

FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. CNN "THIS MORNING" up next after the break.

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