Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Waves of Russian Strikes Take a Toll in Odessa, Ukraine; Sexual Assault Video Draws Outrage Throughout India; Travel Experts Seeing Shift from Hot Destinations; Legendary Singer Tony Bennett Dies at Age 96; Judge Sets Trial Date in Trump Classified Docs Case; Darfur Attacks Raise Fears of Renewed Ethnic Cleansing; Hollywood Hopes Movie Box Goes Nuclear. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired July 21, 2023 - 10:00:00   ET

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


[10:00:56]

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Eleni Giokos, live from Abu Dhabi. I'm in for my colleague Becky Anderson. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.

And coming up this hour, Russia keeps up its bombardment of Odessa, targeting Ukrainian grain. Outrage in India following a shocking sexual

assault video. Legendary singer Tony Bennett dies at the age of 96. And what happens when two summer blockbusters are released on the same day,

"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer"?

Welcome to the show. And we start with a fourth straight night of Russian missile strikes on Odessa. Russia hitting Ukrainian grain warehouses in

attacks that Ukraine claims are tied to Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal. Ukraine says the strikes destroyed large stocks of peas and

barley. And now both sides are warning that the other may be poised to attack ships in the region.

And with the U.S. raising concerns of potential Russian false flag operations, Russia leaving the grain deal sparked a surge in green prices.

Wheat futures are about 10 percent higher. It is the biggest increase since Russia's invasion in February of last year.

Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin.

Fred, there is a lot to get through here in what is now becoming a very direct target for Russia strikes on grain infrastructure, raised even

bigger concerns of what this means for global supply. The E.U. says that we've already seen a lot of around 65,000 tons of grain that were lost due

to burning and the fires. Losses are rising. Take us through the damage.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right. It's a really tense situation down there in the Black Sea

right now. Certainly, if you look at the Ukrainian part you're absolutely right. A fourth night of strikes, especially around the Odessa region. And

one of the things the Ukrainians are saying is there was a grain and agricultural facility that was hit overnight by the Russians, destroying a

lot of those peas and barley, as you put it, that of course were also meant for exports.

The Ukrainians are saying the Russians are directly targeting their grain and in general agriculture export facilities and capabilities which

obviously is a disaster, as we've already heard, for the world market. For the prices of the world market as well but also for Ukraine, of course, in

the long term as this is something that always in the past decades has been an extremely important sector for the Ukrainians.

These strikes don't appear to be letting up. In fact, last night, once again, a lot of air strikes targeting the south of Ukraine specifically,

the region around Odessa. Here's what we're learning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Search and rescue crews trying to save lives after another round of Russian airstrikes in southern Ukraine. Moscow's army

claiming they're hitting military targets.

The Russian armed forces continued retaliatory strikes with sea and air based high precision weapons on workshops and warehouses with unmanned

boats in Odessa and Chornomorsk, the spokesman says. But the Ukrainians say the Russians are targeting civilian infrastructure. One person was killed

and several wounded when a missile hit this building in the port city, Odessa.

The mayor, irate. Another terrorist attack by non-humans on the peaceful city of Odessa, he says. Look at what they're, doing this is a nursery,

there's a kindergarten nearby. Others desperately hoping their loved ones might be found alive. They're searching for my grandson, this man says.

From the recording it seems he went down to the basement. They're trying to dig up the rubble.

Ukraine's air defenses were only able to shoot down about a quarter of the cruise missiles Russia fired, Kyiv says. Putin's military using some of its

heaviest naval missiles designed to destroy warships and even aircraft carriers. There's no possibility to shoot them down because we understand

what kind of missiles they are, how fast they fly and their trajectory, the spokesman for the air force says.

[10:05:06]

Ukraine says it needs more and better air defense capabilities from the U.S. and its allies where the authorities here will be able to do a little

more than try to save victims from the rubble after the attacks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: As you can see there, Eleni, a really difficult situation for the Ukrainians there on the ground. As those strikes, as we've been saying,

have now been happening for four days in a row. And I think one of the things that we felt was really telling us that the Ukrainians are saying,

look, they're able to shoot down some of those Shahed drones that comes, some of those slower cruise missiles.

But the Russians really are using some of the heaviest and most sophisticated weapons that they have. And some of these missiles are

designed to destroy aircraft carriers. And obviously, if those things hit a grain facility or, God forbid, an urban environment, they cause a lot of

damage.

The Ukrainians coming out just a couple of minutes ago and saying that 21 people were injured in the past couple of days just in the Odessa region

alone. And of course we know a couple people were killed in those strikes that have been ongoing as well -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes, a lot is at stake. Look, Russia says any vessels in the Black Sea will be defined as carrying military cargo. Take us through what the

security risks are right now in the Black Sea, as the U.S. says that they're warning of a possible false flag, you know, experience there as

well. It is really fascinating to see what's happening.

PLEITGEN: I think it's fascinating to see it. But it's also extremely dangerous as well. I think what we're seeing right now in the Black Sea is

essentially a standoff between the Ukrainians and the Russians. And of course, you have various players of the international community that in

some way, shape or form are trying to mitigate all this and trying to get involved as well.

In fact Turkey came out today and said look, they want to ensure that humanitarian cargo and that grain can be exported in some way. This could

be brought back on track. Of course the Turks are saying that Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are going to be talking in the next couple

of days about the grain deal. They want to try to get it back on track. But at the same, you have Russians saying that even civilian vessels that go to

Ukrainian ports will be considered as possible carriers of military cargo and will themselves become targets.

And not only that, what the flags that these ships are flying under those countries will also be considered to be part of -- on the side of Ukraine.

The Ukrainians, for their part, are now saying exactly the same thing, saying that ships going to Russian ports could be seen as ships carrying

military cargo as well. That's where the standoff factor comes in which obviously makes for an extremely dangerous situation.

And that certainly could be one of the reasons why we are seeing this big surge in prices on world markets because that situation really seems to be

deteriorating. No side is letting up. It seems to becoming more dangerous by the minute. And certainly right now despite efforts at mitigation,

especially by countries like Turkey, there doesn't appear to be a clear path out of this at this point in time. Certainly not one that could make

it possible to once again export grain from Ukrainian ports -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: An incredible amount of uncertainty regarding food security that will impact globally.

Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much for that update.

Now, we move to a shocking video shedding new and disturbing light on the sectarian conflict in northeastern India. In fact the footage is too

graphic for us to air. So what you're seeing now are protests after the video emerged of two women forced to walk naked through a heckling mob of

men who appeared to sexually assault them.

The incident itself is thought to have been from May but the footage surfacing this week has prompted police to make arrests and Prime Minister

Narendra Modi to break his silence on the months of violence.

Vedika Sud joins us now live in Delhi.

Harrowing video, Vedika. And to be honest, we just see violence that is similar to this against women playing out far too often. What is the

government's reaction right now and intervention?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a horrific video indeed. And there has been widespread condemnation over across India. There have been

protests in parliament and outside. And the opposition lawmakers in parliament are demanding a detailed statement from the Indian prime

minister, Narendra Modi.

Before I go into more details and respond to your questions, I want to play Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first statement, his first public

statement on the ongoing crisis and violence in the northeastern state of Manipur soon after this video was seen online and it went viral. Here's

what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): And I want to assure the countrymen that no culprit will be spared. The law, with all its

might and strictness, will take steps one by one. Whatever has happened with the daughters of Manipur will never be forgiven.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:10:02]

SUD: But the assurances by the Indian prime minister are really not going down well with the people of the nation as well as lawmakers and opposition

leaders, and here is why. We've seen the video, but of course we don't want to share that video because of the horrific visuals in it with our audience

here, but let me first take you through the video.

It's a 26-second clip where you see two women who are forced to walk down naked on a road with a mob of at least three dozen men surrounding them.

They heckled them, they groped them, they sexually assault them. You can hear the women crying for help. You can see them using their hands to cover

their bare bodies.

It's taken more than two months for this video to surface. This incident dates back to the 4th of May. And now only after this video has surfaced is

the government in Manipur and the center taking action against all the perpetrators and suspects related to this crime. And that's what's shocking

for me and for a lot of people around us here. A lot of questions are being asked by activists and others to the government.

And this is a BJP-led government. Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, leads this government in the center and the BJP government leads the

Manipur government as well. And the question they're asking is why has it taken more than 70 days since this incident took place for action on the

ground? Like I said, there are more than three dozen men in that video who are sexually assaulting and a part of that mob. But only a handful of

arrests have taken place until now after 70 days.

As of now, as I speak to you, four arrests have taken place and we have at least 36 men in that video. We've counted those men. And according to the

state chief minister a manhunt has already been announced and launched in terms of trying to catch the suspects. But a lot has to be done in terms of

accountability for that trust really to rebuild in the state of Manipur, that has seen ethnic clashes for over two and half months now between two

ethnic groups. Both fighting over rights and both fighting over access to government benefits.

Back to you.

GIOKOS: Vedika Sud, thank you so much for that update.

The repercussions of Europe's relentless heat wave are spreading as fast as thermometers are rising. The Italian Health Ministry held emergency

meetings Thursday to come up with new protocols for employers whose workers spend hours in the sweltering heat. This after temperatures in Rome reached

a record high of nearly 42 degrees Celsius earlier this week.

In Greece workers at the Acropolis are walking off the job to protest having to work in the baking sun. A trade union representing staff at Greek

archaeological sites has announced a daily four-hour strike through Sunday.

The heat wave is also putting the travel industry on edge. In fact observers are already seeing a shift in people's destination preferences.

CNN's Anna Stewart joins us now live from London.

Great to have you on, Anna. Look, we're seeing a huge shift here. It is inevitable. When you have the numbers, the thermometers, reaching this kind

of levels that is coinciding with, you know, a high season right now. So what trends are we starting to see emerge?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, everyone wants some sun for their summer holiday but not this much. This is uncomfortably hot in southern

Europe and also actually quite dangerously hot in many situations. And it's really changing how tourists are experiencing parts of Europe.

For instance, in Athens, the Acropolis has been shut. In Rome, there are stations where the city set up sort of command centers so tourists have

access to water, to misting stations and to shade because it is dangerously hot and some people are passing out as they queue for attractions.

So this is a big challenge. And for some of these European countries, of course, tourism represents such a huge part of the economy. For Greece, it

made up 18.5 percent last year, more than 10 percent for Italy.

Now looking at the shift we're seeing, the top spots in Europe continue to be the hottest locations. I can show you these top destinations according

to the ETC. We'll see, I believe, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia all up there. Spain is leading it at 8 percent. But the question is whether

that will reduce. Will we see more popular destinations pop up?

Interestingly, according to the ETC, they are seeing a surge in popularity for the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ireland, places that do have cooler

climates. That said, it's hard to say whether people are necessarily avoiding southern Europe at this stage. There aren't the cancellations you

might expect possibly because actually cancellation policies don't include extreme heat in terms of your insurance.

But it might be a shift over the years. Particularly as we had a heat wave in Europe last year and this year. It may make tourists reconsider whether

they want to hit up Southern Italy or Greece in August of next year -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes. Really fascinating. Interesting on the extreme heat and whether that policy will be introduced when booking down the line.

[10:15:02]

Anna Stewart, great to see you. Thank you so much.

Well, climate change and its sweltering effects on tourism, infrastructure, health, and what it all means for the economy is a lot to keep up with. And

someone has to do it. So stay with us because next hour we're going to meet the Global Heat chief to U.N. Habitat. It's a position that didn't even

exist a few years ago, but it's more important than ever.

Lenio Myrivili will talk us through all of this next hour on CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay tuned for that.

Legendary singer Tony Bennett has died at the age of 96. Bennett carved out one of the most remarkable careers in entertainment history, performing

over parts of eight decades. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016 but continue to record and perform.

Stephanie Elam looks back at a man whose golden voice spanned genres and generations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A legend on stage, Tony Bennett's career spanned more than 70 years. He was opening up for Pearl

Bailey when Bob Hope discovered him in 1949 in a New York City club.

BOB HOPE, TV HOST: You know, it's been about 16 years since I discovered you singing in a Greenwich Village nightclub. How come this is your first

appearance on my television show?

TONY BENNETT, LEGENDARY SINGER: Well, I've been waiting for you to make good.

ELAM: Bennett had a string of hits in the '50s, but the best was yet to come. He won his first Grammy Award in 1963 for his song, "I Left My Heart

in San Francisco" and performed it on "The Judy Garland Show."

But Bennett's unique voice and timeless style helped him win a total of 19 Grammys and two Emmys throughout his career.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tony Bennett, ladies and gentlemen. Maybe the best pop singer in the whole world.

BENNETT: You know, I asked Sinatra, why do you think we stayed around so long? And he said, because we stayed with good songs.

ELAM: But the classics weren't always hits. In the '70s, Bennett found himself without a recording contract. He was in debt and battling a drug

problem.

BENNETT: I realized that I thought I was doing well with the drugs, and I really wasn't.

ELAM: That's when Bennett's son Danny stepped in as his manager. Bennett resigned with Columbia Records and began to revitalize his career. It was

then he discovered a new audience, the MTV generation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look, it's Tony Bennett.

BENNETT: Hey, good to see you.

Yes, "The Simpsons." We did a commercial for MTV and they liked it so much they gave me an unplugged special and it won Album of the Year.

ELAM: Then it went on to collaborate with singers like Amy Winehouse for "Body and Soul" and Lady Gaga for "The Lady is a Tramp."

At 85 he became the oldest living artist to hit number one on the Billboard 200 chart with his "Duets II" album. Several years later he toured with

Lady Gaga to promote their album, "Cheek to Cheek."

Yet Bennett's talent went beyond singing. He was an accomplished painter with artwork at the Smithsonian.

BENNETT: I have it sound light because I've always known what I wanted to do.

ELAM: The son of a grocer and a seamstress, Bennett married three times and had four children. He and his third wife, Susan, founded the Exploring the

Arts Foundation and opened the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in New York.

BENNETT: Everybody has a dream and hope that something is going to work for them. And then when it happens, it's a great joy.

ELAM: Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016, but with the encouragement of his doctors kept doing what he loved best. Singing.

He cut his final album, "Love for Sale," with Lady Gaga. And performed with her one last time in two sold-out concerts for his 95th birthday.

LADY GAGA, SINGER: He's my musical companion. He is the greatest singer in the whole world.

ELAM: Aired on CBS it was a moving tribute to a musical legend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: What a legend. The passing of Tony Bennett at age 96.

We're getting some important news just into CNN. A federal judge has set a date for the trial of former U.S. president, Donald Trump. Now there are

many court cases he is involved in. This particular trial date is for the criminal case against him regarding his retention of classified documents.

And this is about classified documents, Katelyn Polantz joins us now from Washington.

[10:20:05]

From what I can see, the trial date is set when Republican nominations are said to be heating up. Tell me about what we're expecting.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. So the judge in this case, Judge Aileen Cannon, she sits in Fort Pierce,

Florida. So a little bit to the east of Orlando, north of Miami in Florida. And at that courthouse, there is now going to be the trial of Donald Trump

set for the end of May of next year. That's what the judge says.

There is going to be a question about how firm she will hold to that date that she has now put on the calendar. This was a question that had been

fought over by both sides in this case. The Justice Department prosecutors wanting this to go to trial at the end of this year, which would be very

fast. And the judge even agrees with that. She says that that would be atypically accelerated, those were her words.

But then Donald Trump, he didn't want to have a trial date set at all. He essentially wanted to push this past the entirety of the presidential

election next year. That would be in November of 2024. And so now Judge Cannon comes in and she says, let's do it in May, but that does put this

trial date right in the middle of essentially a political calendar that could be quite heated. There will be nomination contests.

It will be before the general election in the United States and also it's just shortly after Donald Trump sits through to other scheduled trials at

the beginning of that year. So a very busy 2024 for the ex-president.

GIOKOS: It is indeed. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much. Good to see you.

Just ahead, how Malibu Barbie and the leader of the Manhattan Project could be a nuclear meet cute for the Hollywood box office. We will explain just a

little later. Plus, aid group is unsafe from the violence gripping Sudan. What Medecins Sans Frontieres says happened to one of its teams in

Khartoum. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres says one of its teams has been aggressively assaulted by armed men in Sudan's capital. MSF is also known

as Doctors Without Borders. It says 18 of its crew were physically beaten and whipped in Khartoum. It didn't indicate if the attackers were from

Sudan's military or the rival paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces. The fighting in Sudan already seen as a civil war by some which began in April.

And reports of ethnic violence are raising fears about what could be a new genocide.

For the latest CNN's David McKenzie is live for us in Johannesburg.

David, look, when this conflict started, it made working on the ground for aid groups highly risky. This is one of the most recent examples of the

violence on the ground. What are we learning about how these people were attacked and their safety right now?

[10:25:04]

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is just a short time ago, Doctors Without Borders, Eleni, released another

statement saying that this incident happened on Thursday when they were violently attacked, the convoy carrying medical supplies in the capital

Khartoum.

MSF is working in one of just two, they say, hospitals that are functioning, barely functioning, but functioning in the capital. They say

just on Thursday they tweeted more than 40 civilians, four injuries from an airstrike in the capital in the last few days. It's seen intensifying

fighting in the capital and expanding fighting across the country in the civil war in Sudan that has now lasted more than 90 days and caused so much

death and destruction. Now the specter of genocide is being raised.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE (voice-over): In El Geneina, the survivors have fled, but the bodies remain. The city came under coordinated attack by the Rapid Support

Forces and Arab militia, witnesses tell CNN. This the awful consequence of Sudan's civil war and decades of ethnic hatred in Darfur. In Masteri, a

town of 40,000, Human Rights Watch say attackers swept in at dawn in late May, executing at least 28 men. Burning and looting the town like so many

others in Darfur. Now, extensive reports of mass graves are emerging.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fear of accountability I'm sure, I think that's not that much for many of the perpetrators in Sudan.

MCKENZIE (on-camera): And what could that lead to?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the stories we are hearing I think the concern that we might be heading a situation in which would amount to be an ethnic

cleansing or a genocide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If this of repeated phrase of never again is to mean anything, it must mean something here and now for the people of Darfur.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): But justice then and now hasn't come. The images eerily similar to Darfur's genocide of 20 years ago.

You are all dead, dead, dead, yells a child in Arabic at a convoy of refugees. You sons of bitches, shouts another.

Witnesses say snipers target civilians on the road trying to flee. Refugees are often harassed and robbed near the border. And this video obtained by

CNN. If they make it out alive, they end up in sprawling camps in Chad, more than three million Sudanese have fled their homes said the United

Nations.

In Sudan's heart, Khartoum, the vicious fighting goes on. The generals of the Sudan armed forces and RSF holding the country at gunpoint.

ALAN BOSWELL, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: The big fear was that a civil war in Sudan would not only collapse the state in the center but it would

eventually prove almost difficult to unravel any time soon because so many other conflicts across the country would flare up.

MCKENZIE: The paramilitary RSF, with its roots in the Janjaweed Arab militia, seem to be gaining the upper hand in Khartoum and Darfur. As

cease-fire talks brokered by the U.S. and Saudis and others are going nowhere.

BOSWELL: Whatever happens in Sudan won't stay inside Sudan. I think the major concern is we could be looking at a Somalia type situation where if

we don't re-stabilize the situation soon it could mean decades before the window arises again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Now the Sudan Armed Forces put out this propaganda video this week showing the General al-Burhan looking confident. The message they're

obviously trying to get is that he is in charge. But the real fact is, is that this country is collapsing. And the implications of that are extremely

serious for that region and its international community.

And as Alan Boswell there said, the window is very tight people believe to try and get a sustainable cease-fire before this gets even more out of

control and civilians are targeted in even worse ways -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: David McKenzie, great to have you on. Thank you so much for that update.

Well, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD and there's more news ahead. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:32:14]

GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos and you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD

A Barbenheimer has landed. Fueling a global cultural moment that's asking you to think pink.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world will remember this day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," two big movies taking a new look at pop culture icon and a controversial genius that could also give people back

into cinemas in a very big way, after all Kenergy and Barbie core already making a dent in the global zeitgeist and social media. It has "Barbie"

star Margot Robbie talking to CNN before the actors and writers strike about the director's idea for the film.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGOT ROBBIE, ACTOR, BARBIE: She actually used like Buddha's journey to enlightenment as a reference. And I was like, OK, wow, I didn't see that

coming. But now that you've said it does make perfect sense. And so suddenly she did have like this framework of a narrative. And within that

we could have all these conversations on so many different levels.

And what we wanted to do with this conversation is kind of honored the legacy that the 64 years of Barbie has, you know, created. You know, and

also bring it into today's day. You know, how about have culturally relevant conversations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are debuting at the same time. So could plutonium and plastic be a match made in box office heaven?

I want to bring in CNN's Jason Carroll to explain for us.

A lot of pink on CNN today, Jason. I see that you're going neutral. Taking a very diplomatic stance. Look, battle for the box office. Who is the

frontrunner?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, "Oppenheimer" is a three-hour film. So you do have to take that in consideration in terms of

how people decide how they're going to watch a particular film. The length of the film can oftentimes make a difference. So if I was a betting man I

would probably say "Barbie" has the edge in that way. But a lot of folks that we are talking to, fans, the only decision that they are trying to

make is which one to see first.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice-over): Probably not much of a surprise when one hears something odd has come out of Hollywood. But now there is this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world will remember this day.

CARROLL: That's not a clip from a real movie, it's a fan driven mash-up of two. And it's the answer to anyone out there trying to figure out what to

do when two potentially blockbuster films open on the same day. "Barbie."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Barbie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Barbie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Barbie.

[10:35:01]

CARROLL: And "Oppenheimer."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a matter of life and death.

CARROLL: The internet's answer is to see both. Barbenheimer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw "Barbie" in the morning. I saw "Oppenheimer" in the afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How did that go?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was the right way to do it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

RYAN GOSLING, ACTOR, BARBIE: I think you see "Barbie" afterwards as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. OK -- yes, again.

(CROSSTALK)

GOSLING: A Barbie chaser.

CARROLL: There are TikToks, tweets and T-shirts, even a Barbenheimer Wikipedia page promoting what has become a viral marketing phenomenon,

pushing moviegoers to try both.

(On-camera): So I see you've got your Barbie pink on. So the question is. will you see "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer"? Or just one?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh yes, both.

PRIYA MAHABIR, MOVIEGOER: Both. Both. Yes, we kind of like the idea of walking into "Oppenheimer" with full pink.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it's the Barbenheimer experience.

CARROLL (voice-over): Both films are worlds apart.

ROBBIE: You guys ever think about dying?

CARROLL: On the one hand, you have director Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy about a doll experiencing an existential crisis. It has to go to the real

world to resolve it. The company behind it, Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN.

EMILY BLUNT, ACTOR, OPPENHEIMER: There's happening, isn't it?

CARROLL: And on the other, you have Christopher Nolan's biographical thriller for Universal about a physicist credited for creating -- well, you

know.

CILLIAN MURPHY, ACTOR, OPPENHEIMER: I mean, I'll be going to see "Barbie" 100 percent. I can't wait to see. And I think it's just great for the

industry and for audiences that we have two amazing films by amazing filmmakers coming out in the same day.

ROBBIE: It's the perfect double bill. I think actually start your day with Barbie, then go to straight to "Oppenheimer," and then "Barbie" chaser.

CARROLL: Could a double feature about a plastic doll and the so-called father of the atomic bomb create much-needed life back into the movie

industry, hit hard by streaming, disappointing post-pandemic box office, and now actors and writers on strike?

REBECCA RUBIN, FILM AND MEDIA REPORTER, VARIETY: I think this is the best thing that's happened to movie theaters in a really long time because it's

happening really organically.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And just off camera a short while ago we saw some "Barbie" goers. She was wearing a pink dress and polka dots. So they are really gearing up

for this but when it comes to blockbusters, oftentimes what really matters here is international viewers.

How well some of these domestic films do well internationally. That plays a big role in determining a box office haul. So we will have to see how well

"Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" do on the international stage before we can call either one of these a blockbuster. We'll see. Back to you.

GIOKOS: We'll see. I have to say, I've seen a lot of pink. I of course have not fallen for that trap. Kind of. But it is exciting. I can't wait to see

the actual numbers.

Jason Carroll, great to have you on. Thank you.

Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the stories that are on our radar right now.

In Germany police have called off a search for a lioness. Police thought the lioness was on the loose southwest of Berlin, after an extensive search

using drones, helicopters and infrared cameras, they no longer believe that to be the case.

In Nevada, Dwayne Davis was the target of a search warrant that police executed earlier this week in the ongoing murder investigation of a

musician Tupac Shakur. Police seized multiple items including five computers and diaries from Davis's home. Davis says he witnessed Shakur's

1996 fatal shooting.

One of the world's most famous cyber hackers has died. Kevin Mitnick died of pancreatic cancer at age 59. He was arrested multiple times starting in

the 1980s and spent five years in prison after his release. Mitnick launched a career to legally help businesses to track people trying to

break into their systems.

Mitnick inspired multiple films including "War Games," partially based on allegations that he has successfully hacked into the North American

Aerospace Defense System as a teenager.

Now England's highly touted goalkeeper says fans are being kept from buying her kit. How her merchandise became marginalized. That is coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:20]

GIOKOS: To the Women's World Cup now. We'll get to the latest action in a bit but we wanted to highlight this woke commercial story first and that is

on England's goalkeeper. Mary Earp, she's the best in the world at her position but no fans can find her jersey because Nike doesn't sell it.

Doubly the confusing here, Adidas makes Manchester United's uniforms where Earps plays club and sold out of her replica kit last season.

Amanda Davies joins me now to perhaps shed some light onto why this is happening

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN'S WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Well, why is a very good question. And the question is being asked, Eleni. And ultimately we're talking about

this Women's World Cup as a real sign of progress for equality and the fight against sexism in sports and football. But it's very difficult to see

this is anything but. Mary Earps as you rightly said she was named the FIFA best goalkeeper last year.

But Nike and adidas, I have to say, for the World Cup are not producing replica kits for the goalkeepers of any of the national sides. You can see

here as well Mary Earps is somebody who always wears a long sleeve goalkeeper shirt. But here she is wearing a short sleeve one because her

shirt was designed without any consultation. So she had to come up with an alternative which was to wear something underneath her sleeves.

And she said in a statement, an interview, that she said she was hoping not to have to make. She's been trying to come up with a solution to have the

conversations that make this better. But she's described it as incredibly hurtful. She said it is hugely hurtful considering the last 12 months,

especially, there's been an incredible rise in goalkeeping participation. It is a scary message that is being sent to goalkeepers worldwide that you

are not important.

And fans should be able to buy the shirts like with the men's game of any of the players they want to see. And they want to support. And that is not

happening. Nike haven't responded to CNN in our request for comment. Adidas have responded, they have acknowledged that the goalkeeper's jerseys aren't

for sale. They haven't explained why. But they have come back saying that their biggest effort kit bag for a Women's World Cup is being provided,

still not good enough -- Eleni.

GIOKOS: It makes me feel like we still have a lot of work to do, a lot of work.

Amanda Davies, great to see you. We'll see you after the break. I'll be back at the top of the hour. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END