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U.S. Sends Forces to Middle East; Harris to Interview VP Finalists; Secret Service Says Local Law Enforcement Shouldn't Be Blamed for Trump Assassination Attempt; U.S. Calls Multination Prisoner Swap a "Human Victory"; Dow Closes Down on Weak July Jobs Data; Extreme Weather in Kerala State; Death Valley Breaks Hottest Month Record; European Overtourism. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired August 03, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

The Middle East is a powder keg, right now. The latest on heightened fears of a wide scale war and U.S. involvement.

History for Kamala Harris, now the Democratic Party's official presidential nominee.

Who will she select to join her at the top of the ticket?

And what's fueling America's stock market slump even as the Federal Reserve prepares to finally cut interest rates?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: And we begin with word from U.S. officials about what Iran's possible retaliation against Israel could look like.

Iran has vowed to attack Israel after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran this week. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement. Haniyeh was buried in Qatar on Friday after a funeral procession attended by thousands.

And the White House is now sending a naval strike group to the region, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. U.S. officials say Iran's retaliation against Israel could be just days away. They also say it could be larger and more complex than what Tehran has done before and may not come only from Iran. Oren Liebermann explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This is arguably the largest movement of U.S. forces to the region, to the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea that we have seen since the beginning of the war back in October. At that point, the Defense Departments sent two Carrier Strike Groups.

Now so we're seeing almost a similar level of forces heading back once again. According to a statement from the Pentagon released on Friday afternoon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the region.

That will replace another strike group that's currently in the Gulf of Oman and has been there for the past several weeks. In addition, Austin also ordered destroyers and cruisers capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, both of the Middle East and to the Mediterranean Sea.

And we have seen how critical those can be. When Iran launched a massive attack on Israel back in April, that included ballistic missiles and drones, it was U.S. destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that intercepted part of that barrage.

So they have shown (INAUDIBLE) this as the U.S. braces for what could be a similar attack to what we saw back in mid-April.

U.S. officials say it could be even larger, including not only drones and missiles from Iran but also perhaps more dated attack with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies perhaps attacking U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.

It's also worth noting that Austin also ordered a fighter squadron to the Middle East and to the region. We have seen U.S. fighter aircraft intercept Houthi launches over the course of the past several months.

It is worth noting that the U.S. normally does this fairly quietly. So it is in and of itself a statement that the U.S. is now being very vocal and very loud about what it's calling the defensive forces it's sending to the region.

It is intended to send a message of deterrence to Iran and a warning about how it intends to carry out its anticipated attack. We have seen some very forceful and perhaps inflammatory rhetoric coming not only from Iran but also from Hezbollah.

The U.S. is watching that very closely as it tries to calibrate its response and send a message of deescalation and a warning to the region not to start the all-out war that so many have feared -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, in the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And for more, Salma Abdelaziz joins us now from London.

So Salma, the tension obviously rising in the region, with U.S. forces heading to the Middle East. SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not just the tension but the

fears and the worries and the concern. You heard there from our colleague, Oren Liebermann, the calculations that are being made in D.C. right now regarding U.S. troop assets, distributing them around the region.

So that you could potentially evacuate American citizens or intercept ballistic missiles from Iran -- my apologies -- or open up trade routes if necessary.

I want you to take a listen to how John Kirby laid out the fears, the calculations right now for Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. JOHN KIRBY (RET), COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AT THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: We have heard the supreme leader loud and clear that he intends to avenge this killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran and that they want to conduct another attack on Israel.

[04:05:08]

We can't just assume that we aren't also potentially going to be victims of that kind of an attack. So we've got to make sure we've got the right resources and capabilities in the region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: What the worry is, is that Tehran doesn't just retaliate directly but that it activates its tentacles around the region, that it pushes its proxy militias from Iraq to Syria to Yemen to attack.

And that would widen the scope of this already tinder box conflict.

And how do you contain it, again, when mediation efforts, of course, have stalled?

Because the key mediator himself for the Palestinian side, Ismail Haniyeh, is the one whose assassination triggered this current moment of escalation. So real worries about how to bring the temperature down in this context, how far this war could widen and expand pressure on prime minister Netanyahu.

I have to note that pressure on him to accept a ceasefire deal. He's made very clear with these recent assassinations on senior Hezbollah, senior Hamas figures, senior Islamic Jihad figure, all of these assassinations within the region that some have been claimed by Israel.

To many in the region, that is a clear indication that peace is not on the table for Netanyahu for now.

So how do you begin to pull these two sides, who are vowing to get at each other, back from the brink?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that is the question. Salma Abdelaziz in London. Thank you so much.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: So for more, I want to bring in Maha Yahya, the director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.

Thank you so much for being here with us. The region on edge here.

What are the most likely scenarios, do you think, in terms of Iran and its proxies retaliating?

MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, MALCOLM H. KERR CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning, Kim. Thank you for having me.

I think the scenario we're looking at right now is a direct attack on Israel from Iran itself. But also Hezbollah is going to react as well. Don't forget the assassinations or twin. You had this fascination of Shukr, who's the inner swan of the inner circle of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah.

And Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. So I think we're very likely to see a multi-front attack on Israel to -- in retaliation to these assassinations. And this is very worrisome because if that emerges, if we start seeing rockets raining in on Israel from Lebanon, from Iraq, from Iran, it can escalate much further very quickly.

And it will be a lot more difficult to try and contain it further.

(CROSSTALK)

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's the fear exactly.

You only mentioned Israel there in terms of being targeted. We heard just recently there from John Kirby about the possibility that U.S. troops might be attacked.

How likely do you think that is?

YAHYA: Yes, very likely, very likely. Unfortunately, given the administration's policies over the past 10 months, where we've seen a lot of rhetoric, which we've heard about the bear hug. We've seen President Biden is angry with Bibi Netanyahu. He was very harsh with him.

But all of this has just remained -- has remained empty words. We haven't seen this followed up with any kind of serious policy repercussions. The only way you can deescalate today is to condition offensive arms transfers to Israel on a ceasefire in Gaza and deescalation in the region.

There's no other way to do that. Today the conflict is being seen as an Israeli American conflict and therefore, U.S. bases in the region are likely also to be attacked.

BRUNHUBER: So but if that happens, then, we could see possibly U.S. casualties or fatalities and that might actually drag the U.S. into a war which presumably Iran wants to avoid, right?

YAHYA: Iran wants to avoid a war as much as it can with the U.S. I think Bibi Netanyahu would like the U.S. to take care of Iran on his behalf. The assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, of all places, was in part, I think, to scuttle any kind of prospect for an Iranian-U.S. rapprochement.

So they will calibrate and they will calibrate very carefully when it comes to attacking U.S. forces. They may do some sort of symbolic attacks, at least when it comes to U.S. forces.

BRUNHUBER: For Israel, overstretched it as, as it is, an expansion of the war.

[04:10:00]

I mean, that would be hugely costly for Israel as well.

YAHYA: It will be hugely costly for Israel and for Lebanon. These are the two countries. I think, that will be directly impacted in a very significant way. For Israel, the, as you said, they are overstretched.

There are lots of -- we're hearing from the press and others there are lots of divisions within the Israeli cabinet, disagreements between Bibi Netanyahu and his security apparatus, whether it's the Shin Bet, the IDF leaders, et cetera, on where to go next and how to go next.

There's a lot of concern that Bibi Netanyahu has basically sold out the hostages and that he's not interested in any kind of rescue attempts or any deal that would get the remaining hostages out of Gaza.

And the kind of damage we're looking at, I mean, the assessments by the Israeli security establishment that have been publicized in the press is that Israel will bear significant damage, something it has not seen ever actually.

So we're looking at damage to infrastructure possibly, civilian casualties, et cetera. These are -- I mean, for someone who has not -- who's lived through war, this is not to be trifled with.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So much on the line as we wait for Iran's retaliation. We'll see what form that takes. Really appreciate your analysis. Maha Yahya in Beirut. Thank you so much.

YAHYA: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The debate over where and whether the U.S. presidential candidates will face off has taken a new turn.

Donald Trump says he's backing out of the ABC News debate he previously agreed to. The Republican nominee says, he's agreed to participate in the debate moderated by FOX News instead. According to Trump, the new debate would be hosted in Pennsylvania on

September 4. But it's not clear whether his rival, Kamala Harris, has accepted the invitation from FOX News.

In other campaign news, Harris has formally won enough delegate votes to clinch the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. She's the first Black woman and Asian American to lead a major U.S. party ticket.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Vice president will soon choose her running mate, so they can campaign together early next week. Harris is heading into a pivotal weekend of final candidate interviews before hitting the road for a swing state blitz with her new VP pick.

U.S. President Joe Biden confirms he and Harris have discussed her upcoming decision but he's not saying much else. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION (from captions): Have you spoken to Vice President Harris about her running mate?

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (from captions): Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION (from captions): Do you know who she's going to pick?

QUESTION (from captions): Sir, you have been a Vice President before.

What key qualities should the Vice President be looking for when she picks hers?

BIDEN (from captions): I'll let her work that out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has more from Washington.

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JAIME HARRISON, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I am so proud to confirm that Vice President Harris has earned more than a majority of votes from all convention delegates.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The DNC announcing Friday that Vice President Kamala Harris has won enough votes from Democratic delegates to become the party's nominee for president.

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: I will officially accept your nomination next week. Once the virtual voting period is closed but already, I'm happy to know that we have enough delegates to secure the nomination.

SERFATY (voice-over): And Harris is closing in on one of the most consequential decisions of her political career as she is set to debut her running mate on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you be in Philadelphia on Tuesday by chance?

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): I hope to be, yes.

SERFATY (voice-over): Sources tell CNN that Harris has not made a decision yet but is scheduled to meet with top finalists over the weekend with most expected to be in person.

Those set to meet with Harris include Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

Some contenders shifting their schedules as Harris nears a decision.

PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: You know, every day we have to tweak the schedule a little bit because things come up, calls and meetings that we have to take of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could you explain what those are?

BUTTIGIEG: No.

SERFATY (voice-over): Others joking about fellow hopefuls clearing their calendars.

GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): Lollapalooza is happening this weekend here in Chicago. You know, I've heard other governors talk about how they've cancelled their weekend plans. I was going to perform, of course, with Blink 182 on Sunday but I've cancelled in order to clear my schedule.

SERFATY (voice-over): The meeting's poised to play a critical role in her selection process. Sources tell CNN Harris is looking for a running mate that she gets along with personally and will not be a distraction.

But her top consideration is electability, assessing which contender will help most with independents and swing voters, especially in the battleground states.

SHAPIRO: I got a message to Donald Trump.

[04:15:00]

Stop (INAUDIBLE) talking America. This is the greatest country on the face of the Earth.

SERFATY (voice-over): Shapiro, Walz and Kelly are seen as the top contenders with Beshear also being looked out closely. Shapiro and Kelly hailing from key battleground states.

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): This is not about me. You know, this is about Donald Trump. And what a sad figure he has become. SERFATY: The vice president is spending her weekend here in Washington at her home at the U.S. Naval Observatory. And sources tell CNN that these face-to-face meetings, they are absolutely critical to her decision-making process ahead.

And certainly, there could be additional candidates added to her schedule throughout the weekend, a critical few days ahead as she works toward making that big decision by Tuesday -- Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump too is weighing in on the Democratic VP search, though he claims he doesn't care who Harris picks. So here's the Republican nominee talking about what he thinks could happen if Kamala Harris chooses Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If she picks Shapiro, she's going to lose the Palestinian vote. And that's fine. Everybody has their liabilities. I think if you picked Shapiro, who happens to be Jewish, she loses her little Palestinian base because she has, because they like me because I think I'm going to bring peace to the Middle East even though I'm very strong for Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Trump has previously claimed that Harris doesn't like Jewish people, despite the fact that her husband, second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, is Jewish. Meanwhile, Trump and his own running mate, JD Vance are expected to hold a joint rally in the battleground state of Georgia later Saturday.

All right. Still to come, we're learning new details about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The Secret Service is now revealing what went wrong at his rally last month.

And the man accused of being the mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks could face the death penalty after a surprise facing turnaround from the U.S. Defense Secretary. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The Secret Service is taking the blame for security failures that led to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump last month. The agency's acting director held a news conference on Friday, saying local law enforcement shouldn't be held responsible in any way. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD ROWE, ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: Every single person within the Secret Service feels the weight of what happened. We are in an unprecedented threat environment and high operational tempo during this presidential campaign.

The men and women of the Secret Service are working incredibly hard and doing their jobs under difficult circumstances. They need to focus on their work and they need to know that I have their backs. And that is my commitment to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: He went on to detail some of the lapses in security, including that his agents should have had eyes on the roof where the shooter was positioned. He says a very thorough internal review is underway. CNN's Whitney Wild has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Director Rowe revealed some pretty major breakdowns in communication and what he said was that there was radio traffic, there were text messages and there were phone calls but it was it was pretty scattered among the different agencies.

And what we know is that that's a very critical breakdown because local law enforcement had been tracking that shooter for quite some time.

It was only until about 30 seconds before the shooting started that they realized he had a firearm and the local law enforcement agencies put that information out over the radio.

But the problem was, there were two command posts. What Director Rowe described was a unified command post, where local law enforcement agencies were stationed, so they could hear one another's radios there.

But there was another area where the Secret Service was located and that was their security room, where they were with a Pennsylvania state trooper. That information, that radio traffic did not get to the Secret Service.

And so the Secret Service agents and counter-snipers did not know that gunman had a firearm until he started shooting. Here's what Director Rowe said about how these two command centers, how these two command centers were working and why that radio traffic became so hampered.

ROWE: On the day in Butler, we had a Pennsylvania state trooper in our security room. They also had a unified command post that had some of the other agencies that were onsite that day. It is plainly obvious to me that we were not -- we didn't have access to certain information, not by anybody's fault.

It just so happened that there was a sense of urgency that there might have been radio traffic that we missed. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: The other big question here is about accountability and Director Rowe made very clear that he's not going to discipline anyone or fire anyone until the result of an internal investigation are complete.

He said that that is also not information we are going to be getting in real time but, instead, he said at some point he'd be prepared to make what he called a high level statement to assure everyone that there was some level of accountability associated with this massive failure -- Whitney Wild, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: It had been more than 40 years since someone tried to assassinate a U.S. president.

And that man was 25-year-old John Hinckley Jr. He fired six shots at president Ronald Reagan as he left a Washington hotel in 1981. The bullet narrowly missed his heart. Three other people around the president were also shot.

Hinckley was later found not guilty by reason of mental illness and spent decades in a mental institution. He was released from all court restrictions in 2022. Hinckley spoke with CNN's Erin Burnett and had this to say about Donald Trump's assassination attempt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HINCKLEY JR., FOILED REAGAN ASSASSIN: I feel the need to speak out because this country is just in a really bad place right now. There's so much violence, so many guns and its just really a fraught time right now in America.

And I wanted to speak out as someone who knows a little bit about what happened, because of what happened to me in 1981.

[04:25:00]

So I wanted to speak to the American public and just tell people to please, try and reject violence and bring peace and love into their lives.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: I know you have expressed remorse for trying to kill President Reagan but of course, it is surprising and uncomfortable for many people to hear you even now, commenting on the assassination attempt on Trump.

Who are you hoping to reach most with your message?

HINCKLEY: Just anyone and everyone who is out there in its going through hard times.

You know, back in 1981, I was going through really hard times. And, of course, always thinks it turned out differently but if I can reach people who are struggling in their lives and maybe, maybe looking for the right way to go.

I'm just here to tell you the please, please go the right path and reject violence in just trying love your neighbor and love yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And Hinckley went on to say he hopes to bring his message of peace to people through his songwriting and music.

In an abrupt turnabout, the U.S. Defense Secretary is reimposing a possible death penalty and revoking a plea deal with the alleged mastermind of the September 11th terror attacks.

In a memo, quietly released on Friday, Lloyd Austin overrode the agreement approved by a Pentagon overseer. It would have avoided trial with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants, sentenced to prison in exchange for pleading guilty to all 9/11 charges.

The accusations include murdering almost 3,000 people. The agreement prompted a fierce backlash from critics and families. They've been pushing the U.S. government for more than two decades to seek the death penalty for those involved.

Venezuela is bracing for a day of dueling pro- and anti-government demonstrations over the country's contested presidential election. Protests have erupted across Venezuela since last Sunday's contest.

On Friday, the U.S. congratulated opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez for receiving the most votes. The opposition coalition says it has vote tallies confirming Gonzalez's victory but official results haven't been released.

Meanwhile, Maduro's government accused the U.S. of what it called a coup attempt. The U.S. rejects the claim.

All right, still ahead, Russian dissidents are speaking out following a historic prisoner swap between Moscow and the West. We'll have their message to the world next, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

The White House is celebrating the arrival of three U.S. citizens back on American soil after being wrongfully detained in Russia. The three Americans were part of a prisoner swap in the largest exchange between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War. CNN's Alex Marquardt has the latest from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those last three?

That's us.

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva holding a flag that flies over the White House commemorating detainees and hostages were brought home. There places now on the flag.

The message from U.S. officials to the three American now former prisoners and their families as they arrived overnight in Texas, your ordeal is over but quote, the next phase of your journey begins now.

PAUL WHELAN, AMERICAN RELEASED FROM RUSSIA: As we came over England and I looked down, you know, that's when it became real.

Whelan, a former marine who was held in Russia for over 5.5 years, was in good spirits.

Getting off the plane and seeing the president, the vice president, that was nice. It was a good homecoming. So looking forward to seeing my family down here and just recuperating from five years, seven months and five days of just absolute nonsense by the Russian government.

The three are now being evaluated and treated at the Brooke Army Medical Center where a program is offered to help those recover physically and psychologically from being detained or held hostage.

Trevor Reed was held by Russia, released in 2022 and went through this specialized program.

TREVOR REED, AMERICAN PREVIOUSLY HELD IN RUSSIA: When you actually go through that, it's much more difficult than the even you yourself can imagine it to be in that situation. So it does take awhile and San Antonio, there at the army base there very effective at helping you to readjust.

MARQUARDT: Earlier, tearful reunions unfolded on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews just before midnight. President Biden gave Whelan the American flag pin off his jacket.

Gershkovich walked over to the press area where a group of his "Wall Street Journal" colleagues were waiting, who spent the past 16 months advocating for his release.

EVAN GERSHKOVICH, REPORTER RELEASED FROM RUSSIA: I'm all right. It was a good flight.

REPORTER: What about the show of support?

GERSHKOVICH: It's --

(CROSSTALK)

GERSHKOVICH: It's overwhelming.

MARQUARDT: The stories and emotions from the released prisoners are starting to spill out.

In Germany today, three Russian dissidents released spoke with reporters. Vladimir Kara-Murza, a U.S. resident, said he thought he was going to die in prison but vowed to return to Russia, promising it will one day be free.

VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA, RELEASED RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I know that I'll be back in my home country and it'll be much quicker than you think.

MARQUARDT: On the Russian side, when we saw the Russian spies, criminals and that assassin, Vadim Krasikov, arrive back in Moscow, they were greeted by president Vladimir Putin on the tarmac.

Two of those spies who got off that Russian plane had been caught in Slovenia and they had two children with them, a boy and a girl. Those spies were a couple, who were undercover, posing as Argentinians in Slovenia.

They were under such deep cover that their children actually thought that they, too, were Argentinian and they only learned that they were actually Russian -- and this is according to the Kremlin -- when they were on that flight to Moscow.

And when they met President Putin, they didn't know who he was. And since they didn't speak Russian, he spoke with them in Spanish, welcoming them to Russia with "Buenos noches" -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, some of the Russian opposition figures released in the prisoner swap with the West are speaking out against the Kremlin and president Vladimir Putin. Three of the dissidents posed for a photo together after arriving in Germany on Thursday.

Some of the former prisoners were detained for criticizing Russia's war on Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA, RELEASED RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): Don't confuse the Putin regime with Russia. Kremlin propaganda wants to pretend that everyone in our country supports Putin's leadership and supports his aggressive war in Ukraine.

[04:35:02]

This is a lie. And don't let anyone convince you that these Kremlin lies have any connection to reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The opposition politicians there thanked all of the people who helped secure their release.

Friday marks another gilded day at the Paris Summer Games, 23 gold medals were won, China still leads the pack with the most golds. Host nation France and Australia trail China with 11 each. Team USA still leads but the most medals overall.

So looking ahead today, Simone Biles, arguably the star attraction of the Paris Games, looks to add to her medal collection in the vault final. Team USA men's basketball will face Puerto Rico as they continue their campaign for a fifth consecutive gold medal.

Meanwhile, France has been fulfilling its hosting duties and then some at the Paris Games. Our Patrick Snell breaks down all of Friday's highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, these Paris Games says no disputing the standout performer when it comes to gold medals, look no further than the host nation superstar swimmer Leon Marchand.

Four gold medals and counting, he hopes, for the 20-year-old phenom from Toulouse. And Marchand clearly does not know how to lose though. On Friday, he was in sparkling form yet again in the pool as he powered his way to a fourth gold medal at these Olympics.

And nobody has more at these games as of right now, as late as goal coming, this was in the men's 200 meters individual medley. And he also did it in Olympic record time of 1:54:06, just .06 of a second off the world record time of the American Ryan Lochte.

This gold, adding to his triumphs in the 200 meter breaststroke, the 200 meters butterfly and the 400 meters individual medley. Marchand, who attended Arizona State University over here in America, could be far from done. Potentially he could win two more golds if he competes in additional team events.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEO MARCHAND, TEAM FRANCE OLYMPIC SWIMMER: It's been unbelievable. Four gold medals is not where I thought I could possibly do. I was trying to trying to win one at first at four chances of doing it.

So after 24 hours really relaxed by the crazy race that I just did, four gold medals is yes, just, you know, it was possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: What a games he's having. Meantime, Australia's Cameron McAvoy taking gold in the men's 50 meters freestyle to take the first ever gold for Australia in this event with a time of 21.25.

Great moment for the 30-year old from Queensland. Great Britain's Ben Proud should be proud after finishing just behind him for silver with a time of 21.30. Team USA's Caeleb Dressel, the defending gold medalist from Tokyo, in the end settling for a sixth place finish.

Well, for the second straight Olympics, Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown doing what she does best and that winning. The 23-year old has now swept two women's individual backstroke events. Kaylee winning the 200 meter backstroke in Olympic record time as well of 2:3.73 that led day France arena.

The RC adding the 200 meter gold to a 100 meters backstroke gold, one on Tuesday but also sweeping these two events, you may recall at the Tokyo games three years ago. She now owns five career Olympic golds and one bronze.

And more great news for the host nation, France's national hero, Teddy Riner, getting to celebrate an Olympic record, fourth judo gold medal. Such an historic achievement. Teddy's fourth gold, which came in the men's 100 kilogram final Friday, is now the most by a judoka in Olympic history.

Teddy, who lit the Olympic flame to conclude the opening ceremony in Paris, emerging triumphant over reigning world champion Kim Min-jong of South Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEDDY RINER, OLYMPIC JUDO WRESTLER: When you win a new gold medal, if the day is not perfect, it's a perfect day because some time you prepare during -- not of years, of hours of training very hard. And sometimes the fight is not like you prefer. But you take your motile (ph) and you win. That's it.

This is a good and perfect day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: And our congratulations too. What a day for France, all told, three goals, nine medals and their football team as well beating Argentina to reach the semifinals as well.

But for now, it's right back to you.

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BRUNHUBER: Also a tough finish to the week for global markets. Japan's Nikkei saw a 5.8 percent drop Friday, its biggest daily fall since March 2020 during the COVID-19 crisis. In Europe, the FTSE closed down 1.3 percent while Germanys DAX dropped 2.3 percent.

The global losses come as several central banks announced interest rate cuts. And a disappointing jobs report sent stocks tumbling on Wall Street Friday. The Dow closed 612 points down. The S&P 500 lost nearly 2 percent.

[04:40:00] And the Nasdaq felt 2.4 percent. Now the U.S. economy added just 114,000 jobs in July. That's far below economists' estimates of 175,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate surged from 4.1 percent to 4.3.

Now it's not just stock markets and investors who are growing concerns. Many ordinary Americans have been losing confidence in the economy as prices have gone up and the job market loses steam. Brian Todd has more.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dave Flannery runs an apple orchard in Wisconsin and like many Americans, has anxiety about how the economy is trending.

DAVE FLANNERY, RUNS APPLE ORCHARD IN WISCONSIN: Things are really uncertain, not knowing what's going to happen with interest rates and what's going to happen with the whole economy.

TODD: And today, the uncertainty only grew. The U.S. government out with its jobs report, saying the economy added about 114,000 jobs last month, less than expected and the unemployment rate is now the highest it's been since October of 2021.

DAVID WILCOX, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: It's another element of evidence on top of a long string of evidence that we've had that the labor market is softening. Consumers have been telling us for quite a while now that the job market isn't as hospitable for job seekers as it was a year ago, two years ago.

TODD: The job news sent the stock market tumbling today but the market had already taken some serious hits in the few days prior to this report. Why?

CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMY AND POLITICS COMMENTATOR: The alarm that you see in the stock market and potentially among consumers is about worries that things could potentially get worse.

TODD: Inflation has fueled Americans' psychological fears about the economy. A Gallup poll taken last month found seven in 10 Americans believe it's getting worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got adult children now who are starting out and how can they be able to survive with what it costs in today's world?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Inflation is really hitting a lot of people in a hard, hard way.

WILCOX: American households are still understandably unhappy about the economic situation. A key reason for that is because that cart of groceries that used to cost them $100 now cost them $130.

TODD: And new questions are being raised about whether the Federal Reserve has waited too long to lower interest rates. RAMPELL: This puts even more pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut rates in September. Markets widely expect that the Fed will cut rates by at least a quarter point at its next meeting. TODD: But analysts also say we shouldn't overreact, that the U.S. economy is still very strong.

WILCOX: The fundamentals of the economy actually are quite solid today. Inflation has been high but it's come way down and it's now close to the Fed's 2 percent objective. This is a good labor market for people who want to work and are willing to seek those opportunities, even if that may mean, for example, moving locations.

TODD: In the meantime, analysts offer some practical advice for us as we ride out this uncertain period.

RAMPELL: It's always good to have a nest egg. It's always good to make sure your job prospects are strong. I wouldn't do anything hasty. You know, don't sell all your stocks.

TODD: The analysts we spoke to say, as far as other practical advice for the average American during this period, try to curb your spending a little bit, especially in the next couple of months.

Reevaluate big expenditures, like trips or appliances and especially try to avoid spending with your credit card until those interest rates come down again -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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BRUNHUBER: Southern India is still suffering after being hit by devastating landslides and flooding in recent days. We'll have the latest on that.

When we come back.

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BRUNHUBER: On Tuesday, the southern Indian state of Kerala was hit by flooding and landslides in the middle of the night as people slept. More than 200 people are confirmed dead. But the losses are still being counted and questions being asked, all while hopes for rescues dim. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the latest.

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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was these deafening roars that awoke Kerala. The southern Indian state was sound asleep on Tuesday when thunderous landslides triggered by heavy rain came crashing at midnight, tearing buildings and shattering homes.

"To escape, we climbed on top of a terrace house and sat down. Around 4:00 in the morning, another huge landslide happened."

Known as a haven of green hilltops and tea fields, Northern Kerala is now ravaged by its worst disaster in years. Cars are strewn like toys, homes are flattened, roads submerged, hundreds are confirmed dead. But many more are still missing.

As bodies surface in these muddy waters, soldiers and rescue workers now sift through uprooted trees and broken buildings, rappelling across bloated rivers with ropes. And airlifting battered villagers with helicopters.

The government built a new bridge to reach isolated areas and to dig for survivors. But with days gone since the initial landslides, rescue has turned to recovery.

"I lost my son and my grandchild. The river swept them away and I don't have a life anymore. I lost everything. They've found the body of my son."

At hospitals, desperate villagers look from bed to bed, hoping to find their loved ones here and not among the rubble.

India is also asking questions about why this tragedy occurred amid swirling claims about the timing of official warnings and who received them.

But with climate change causing increasingly fatal natural disasters, experts warn this won't be Kerala's last -- Hanako Montgomery, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: Seven defendants have been ordered to pay more than $4 billion to resolve lawsuits stemming from wildfires that devastated Maui last year. Hawaii's governor announced the settlement on Friday.

The courts still need to approve the payout, which will be divided among some 2,200 parties who filed lawsuits. Defendants include Hawaiian Electric, the City of Hawaii and Spectrum Charter Communications.

The fires killed more than 100 people and caused an estimated $6 billion in economic losses.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in 54 of the state's counties ahead of a possible tropical storm hitting the state. Tropical depression number four is expected to enter the eastern Gulf of Mexico in the hours ahead and strengthen to become Tropical Storm Derby (sic) later today or tonight.

Now forecasters call for heavy rain and dangerous storm surge along Florida's west coast this weekend. The tropical depression is currently just off the coast of Cuba and has maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour. That's according to the National Hurricane Center's latest update.

[04:50:00] Death Valley National Park in the western U.S. is living up to its name. It broke its record for hottest month ever in July. The average temperature over a single day was 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 42.5 degrees Celsius. That's fractionally hotter than the average in 2018.

And on one day it reached a scorching 129.2 degrees Fahrenheit at its aptly named Furnace Creek area. The National Park Service reported one fatality during the month as rangers responded to multiple life- threatening heat related incidents.

All right. Still to come, tourists are taking over many of Europe's destination cities. And now the locals are pushing back. That's next, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Europe's travel hotspots are struggling to cope with a record number of tourists. As locals are being pushed out, some European cities are trying to find new ways to deal with overtourism. CNN's Barbie Nadeau reports.

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BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A dream vacation for some, a midsummer nightmare for others. Overtourism continues to make European destination cities unlivable this summer.

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In Italy, Venice tested a five euro entrance fee, which netted this city 2.4 million euros but did little to control the crowds. Now Venetian officials have limited tour groups to a maximum 25 people and banned the use of loudspeakers.

In Greece, Santorini, now nicknamed Instagram Island by the locals, set to limit cruise ship passengers to 8,000 a day, down from the current average of 17,000.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Santorini has -- it has a surface of 70 square kilometers. When we increase the number of visitors 20 times, what kind of infrastructure uniquely impose on this small island in order to cope with an increase of 30 times the number?

I mean, without creating a monster.

NADEAU (voice-over): Even places that used to be off the beaten track now under pressure. Croatia and Albania both expecting record tourism seasons, according to their tourism ministries. In Venice, locals say, even the restrictions won't solve the problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tourism in Venice has pushed out 72 percent of the inhabitants in the past seven years. So 28 percent only remain today. As a consequence, it's not enough to just make smaller groups of, for example, ask people to pay a small touring tax.

What must be done is to rethink tourism in order to support the local community.

NADEAU (voice-over): For many locals, leaving the tourist cities to the tourists is the only option, even if that risks losing a whole reason people visit these magical spots in the first place -- Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.