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Trump to Be Arraigned over 2020 Election Claims; Ukrainian Air Defense Systems Shoot Down Drones; Israeli Supreme Court Hears Challenge to New Law; China Proposes Limiting Phone Time for Minors; Trump Expected in D.C. Court after Arraignment; Thousands Rally in Niamey to Support Coup; Morocco Advances to Knockout Stage. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired August 03, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): I'm Becky Anderson live from London for, you just after 3 in the afternoon and this is CONNECT THE WORLD.

Coming up this hour, on a tight security Donald Trump getting ready to appear in a Washington court over efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Thousands rally in Niger in support of the coup.

Israel's supreme court hears a challenge to a law protecting Benjamin Netanyahu.

And Morocco through to the knockout stage of the Women's World Cup.

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ANDERSON: Hours from, now just a block from the U.S. Capitol where rioters ran rampant on January the 6th, 2021, former U.S. president Donald Trump

will face charges that his lies stirred those protesters up.

Trump is expected to plead not guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in court. They are related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020

election results, accusing him of trying to subvert the very democracy he was sworn to protect.

CNN's Zachary Cohen, Shimon Prokupecz are in Washington. Alayna Treene is in New Jersey, where Trump is beginning what is a historic day.

And, Zachary, let's start with you. Trump returning to the scene of the alleged crime; Washington, of course, on high alert. Remind us what charges

he faces at this point.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he is scheduled to appear at the courthouse at 4 pm local time and he faces four charges,

including various forms of conspiracy that are very serious and do stem from allegations that his lies about the 2020 election stirred up anger and

unrest and ultimately led to the violence that happened on January 6th.

Now when Trump arrives in D.C., he will travel to the courthouse here and will be placed under arrest, processed and then likely arraigned. And we

expect that the process today will be streamlined because he's already been through the federal court processing system before, for the Mar-a-Lago

documents indictment.

Look, as you mentioned, this courthouse is in direct view of where the violence on January 6th, 2021, took place. And also, more than 1,000 Trump

supporters who breached the Capitol that day have gone through the motions of the same initial appearance that Trump will make today.

Really sort of a full circle moment as the former president travels to the courthouse here in, D.C. to answer for those charges that were laid down by

Jack Smith and the special counsel.

ANDERSON: Alayna, he did not have to appear in court in person today but he has chosen to do so, as we understand it.

What is Donald Trump's strategy here?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, well, I am just near his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he will be departing soon from his

golf club, passing just by here in his motorcade to head to the airport and head to D.C.

As for his strategy, you are right; he could've appeared by Zoom. Part of this is showing that he is showing up for his court appearance.

And they also want it to be known that, despite his aggressive campaign schedule -- he will be in Alabama tomorrow on Friday and South Carolina on

Saturday-- he is being forced to take time out of that schedule to come to this.

It plays a bit into his defense team's strategy to talk about election interference. That is one of the key lines of defense that they will be

using in this case. To give you a sense of how today will go, as Zachary said and just talking about Trump's plans, he will be leaving here shortly

after noon Eastern time.

He'll head to Newark airport and then will take his private plane to, D.C. and go to his court appearance at 4. As Zach said, it will be a pretty

swift process. And immediately after he will go back to the airport for his plane and come back to New Jersey.

I think one thing to watch out for, as I am told he is expected to speak with reporters before leaving D.C. So we may have a chance to hear from him

publicly later today following that court appearance.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

Shimon, returning to the scene of the alleged crime, as we should call it at this point.

[10:05:00]

ANDERSON: Washington on high alert obviously. You have been speaking to authorities, that did not have very much time to prepare for this. So just

describe D.C. as it stands this hour.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: So, yes, just about two days to prepare for this. But in some ways maybe it works to

their advantage because, this way, people don't have enough time to plan to gather here.

So far, we are at the courthouse and this is the security scene outside of the courthouse, mostly law enforcement officials, police officers from the

Washington, D.C., police. Secret Service is here, federal officers that are in charge of securing the courthouse are all here.

And we're not seeing Trump supporters. I have been at two other court appearances for the former president. And certainly by now, we see some of

his supporters arriving. We are not seeing any of that here. And just to show you, look, I think for law enforcement, because this is the scene of

the crime, this is where January 6th happened.

Nobody is taking anything for granted and so we are seeing this extra level of security; they placed snowplows here around the courthouse. We are

seeing barricades all around the courthouse. Law enforcement officials are outside and everybody is just waiting as we approach the hour that the

former president arrives here.

We expect him to come this way, this will be the street that we expect him to drive down and then enter the courthouse here around 4 pm local time.

He will be taken into custody. He will be arrested and then we will see him in court and then he will come right back out this way and head back to the

airport. So everyone just right now is waiting, certainly not taking anything for granted and we're going to see the security as the day goes on

increase out here.

ANDERSON: And Shimon, this is a defining moment, as critics will say, in trying to hold him to account for the worst attack on democracy in modern

times. His supporters, of course, calling this a witch hunt.

To you and Zach and Alayna, chime in if you will, what chance of success for the prosecution at this point, Shimon?

PROKUPECZ: In terms -- I am sorry; I did not hear what you said.

In terms of what, the prosecution?

ANDERSON: Correct.

PROKUPECZ: Well, I think they have, you know, a lot of evidence, they have a lot of witnesses. A lot of the witnesses, that if, when you go through

the indictment, a lot of the witnesses are people who worked with the former president, a lot of Republicans who worked, who were close to the

former president.

Also we haven't seen everything. We have seen a lot of information from the special counsel. You know this indictment, more than we normally see an

indictment. But certainly there is a lot more to come as this process goes on.

And then the big question is going to be, if this does go to trial, will we see the former vice president?

Mike Pence taking the stand and what a moment that would be if that happens. It is very likely for that to happen. So look, there is so much

more that is yet to come out about this and what other evidence. You know, we are likely to see more indictments where more information will come out.

But certainly from every indication that we are getting from the special counsel is they want to do this as quickly as possible, get this going, get

this trial started, certainly before the election.

ANDERSON: And clearly the understanding is, as far as the prosecution is concerned, as you say, to get this done as quickly as possible. The

presiding judge, somebody who likes to expedite or certainly get on with these trials. So it remains to be seen just how long this will take and how

successful the prosecution will be.

Guys, I've run out of time but thank you very much indeed for joining us.

A Trump lawyer told CNN the former president was exercising his First Amendment rights to free speech and that will be the focus of his defense.

Here is what Trump's former attorney general, Bill Barr, told CNN about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BARR, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I really don't think that's a valid argument, because, as the indictment says, they're not attacking his

First Amendment right. He can say whatever he wants. He can even lie. He can even tell people that the election was stolen, when he knew better. But

that does not protect you from entering into a conspiracy.

All conspiracies involve speech. And all fraud involves speech. So, free speech doesn't give you the right, to engage in a fraudulent conspiracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Bill Barr speaking to my colleague, Kaitlan Collins.

It remains to be seen how the indictment will affect Donald Trump's bid for a second term as president.

[10:10:00]

ANDERSON: One of his rivals for the Republican nomination says America's Constitution is more important than any single person. Have a listen to

Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE (R-IN), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sadly, the president was surrounded by a group of crackpot lawyers that kept telling him what his

itching ears wanted to hear.

Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States. And anyone who asks someone else to put themselves over

the Constitution should never be President of the United States again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: This as a new poll suggests that Trump's claim that the election was stolen is resonating with more of his base. For more on how this could

play out in the year ahead, I am joined now by CNN U.S. politics correspondent Eva McKend.

It is good to have you, I think it is the first time on the show, certainly while I've been anchoring it, so welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. Let's talk

about how this plays into the race to be the Republican contender, first and foremost. Of course, Donald Trump at present is the front-runner in

that Republican race for president.

Your thoughts?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, what we are seeing from the field is some GOP hopefuls offer more direct criticism of

Trump than others. This, what you heard there, is one of the former vice president's harshest rebukes of Trump to date.

We previously saw him reticent to engage this way, especially on the campaign trail. But this indictment is markedly more personal for Pence,

who says it is important for Americans to know he resisted pressure to overturn the 2020 election.

He is really a central character in this latest never-ending saga of the Trump post-presidency.

But take South Carolina senator Tim Scott for instance, another GOP hopeful.

He and many others in the field are casting suspicion on this latest indictment, arguing he remains concerned about the weaponization of the

Department of Justice, even going so far as to suggest our institutions here in America hunt Republicans and protect Democrats.

But former New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, another rival, has made going after Trump a cornerstone of his campaign. And he says the former

president violated his oath of office.

Now all of these candidates, Becky, they are really forced to confront the daily revelations regarding Trump. And that is really limiting because they

are unable to more directly talk about their visions for America.

ANDERSON: But in the court of Republican Party opinion, he gets more popular, not less.

Briefly, why?

MCKEND: He absolutely does. You know, it is unclear why but that is just how it seems to be playing out. You speak to his supporters at different

conservative events and they say, in the wake of the indictments, they are more inclined to support him.

I think it is just largely, Becky, because of the narrative that he has long elevated, that he is under attack and he says that the institutions

attacking him are an extension of them being attacked as well.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, important times. Thank you for your insight and your analysis.

CNN's special coverage of the arraignment of former president Donald Trump begins at 1 pm Eastern time. Stay with us for that.

Still to come this hour, after days of air attacks in and around each other's capitals, we will take a look at Ukraine and Russia's drone

warfare.

And Israel's supreme court hearing a new challenge to a new law, which critics say is entirely for the prime minister's benefit.

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ANDERSON: Russia says it shot down seven enemy drones southwest of Moscow overnight on Wednesday. Of course, this comes after a Russian drone strike

damaged critical port infrastructure in the Odessa region of Ukraine this week.

That attack, one of the closest to NATO territory since this war began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): For perspective, the footage you are watching showing the aftermath on Wednesday was filmed from Romania, which is just a

kilometer away. This report from Fred Pleitgen.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Air defenses lighting up the sky in southern Ukraine, as Russia launched a

wave of drone attacks on a grain port in the Odessa region. The Ukrainian military later saying they managed to shoot down 11 of the Iranian made

Shahed drones.

"Two enemy targets were detected because of their sound and/or seen," he says. "We opened fire resulting in the destruction of one Shahed."

But Ukraine is increasingly fighting back, attacking central Moscow with drones twice within three days. A presidential adviser vowing there will be

more to come.

"I think Moscow will have more and more war on its territory," he says, "and this has nothing to do with Ukraine alone. Now this is due to the

historical significance of this moment. If you start such a war, you have to expect that this war will be on your territory."

And Russia is increasingly on the back foot on the territory it occupies inside Ukraine. Kyiv saying its forces are making gains both in the south

and in the east.

Eager to shore up support, Vladimir Putin handing out gold stars to troops who fought in what the Kremlin still calls the "special military

operation."

"You came to the front line with a single goal," he says, "to be with the fatherland and your people in difficult times."

Putin has increased fines for those who don't answer draft summons and Russia's Parliament recently voted to increase the draft age limit.

And now, the country is also dealing with a wave of arson attacks on military recruitment offices, though authorities haven't identified a link

to the war. They say, in many cases, phone scammers are pressuring vulnerable people to attack the facilities.

But speaking to Brazilian media, Ukraine's president saying he believes there are cracks in Putin's armor.

"He will not be around for another 30 years. He will die. This is absolutely clear. But I give him 10 years, tops."

But the Russian military remains a threat both on the battlefield and for Ukraine cities, towns and key infrastructure facing attacks both day and

night -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Israel's supreme court today hearing a challenge to a new law amid a wider, unprecedented domestic crisis over judicial powers there.

This law makes it more difficult to declare a prime minister unfit for office and takes away the possibility of ousting the prime minister because

of a conflict of interest.

Now Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition pushed for this law as he faces trial for corruption himself. Journalist Elliott Gotkine is in

Tel Aviv.

Elliott, what is the risk for Netanyahu that he will face a big loss in this case?

Just explain what is going on here.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you said, Becky, this supreme court hearing has its roots in Netanyahu's legal troubles, as you say. He is on

trial for corruption charges he vehemently denies.

[10:20:00]

GOTKINE: And when his legal troubles began, there were petitions to the supreme court saying, look, he has legal troubles. He's on trial for

corruption, he shouldn't be prime minister. The supreme court unanimously disagreed with that.

They said he can be prime minister so long as there's no conflict of interest. Roll forward to the forward formation of this government, unveils

this wide scale judicial overhaul, this judicial overhaul, which has led to hundreds of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets month after month,

week after week, to defend what they say is the erosion of Israel's democracy.

So as a result of this judicial overhaul, the attorney general said, Netanyahu, you are on trial for corruption. You can't be involved in this

judicial overhaul because it is a conflict of interest.

What does the government do?

It passes this law, which the supreme court is hearing today. This amendment to one of Israel's quasi-constitutional, basic laws to say that

you cannot make it much harder to remove a prime minister from office because of a conflict of interest.

So that is what the court case today was all about, a hearing for about five hours or so, the three judges, they have the option of putting

together a panel of more judges to hear it again. They could strike down the law or they can let it stand.

But it would be a blow to Netanyahu, if he were to lose this. And perhaps, more significantly, the president said, by striking down a basic law, which

the supreme court has never done before, might give an indication of what it might do come September when it is petitioned against this government's

first part of its judicial overhaul.

ANDERSON: The significance of what is going on today and the potential consequences from Elliott there, thank you very much indeed, Elliott

Gotkine in the house.

China considering a proposal that would limit phone time for kids. Now the cyberspace administration of China released a proposal that would require a

minor mode on all mobile devices. That would restrict phone time to a maximum of two hours a day, depending on the age group. Here is CNN's Anna

Coren with more.

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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: China is proposing new restrictions on children and teenagers on the time they can spend on the

internet and mobile devices each day in a bid to counter internet addiction.

The country's cyberspace regulator says it wants providers introduce a so- called minor mode that will cut off users from accessing the internet on mobile devices from 10 pm until 6 am. The proposal also includes a limit on

how much time those under the age of 18 will be allowed to go online each day.

Those under the age of 8, it will be 40 minutes a day. Those between 8 and 16, it is an hour a day. For those aged between 16 and 18, it is two hours

a day.

Once it has reached the limit, the device will shut down. There are a number of exceptions, including emergency services, educational products,

such as online classes, apps for the physical and mental development, such as calculation and measurement applications.

Also, parents can choose to exempt apps for the child plus opt out of time limits. We spoke to one parent in China, let me read you what that mother

said.

"I think it is good. On one hand, it can protect their eye vision, as many young kids cannot stop themselves while watching something they like. It

helps automatically cut it off.

"On the other hand, it is easier for us parents to control our kid's screen time. Without parents' approval, they only have 40 minutes. Most

importantly, the content under the teenage mode is more positive and healthy."

Parents might be happy but internet companies and their investors certainly are not. Shares in Chinese tech firms fell yesterday after news of the

restrictions was announced. Billy Belief (ph) fell almost 7 percent, Tai Shu (ph) fell 3.5 percent while Tencent Holdings, which operates the social

network app, WeChat, closed down 3 percent.

But they have all bounced in trading today. One lawyer based in Shanghai said these new rules would be a headache for internet companies, that a lot

of effort and costs to properly implement these new regulatory requirements.

The draft proposal is open for public discussion until the 2nd of September. Now it's important to remember that minor mode is nothing new.

Chinese authorities have grown increasingly concerned about internet addiction among young people and want to cultivate good morality and

socialist values.

In 2021, the Chinese government imposed time limits for online gamers under the age of 18, barring them from playing video games on weekdays and

restricting their play to three hours on weekends.

And since 2021, Chinese social media platforms such as doyen, the Chinese version of TikTok, have offered teenage modes to restrict users' access to

content and duration of use.

[10:25:00]

COREN: Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Let's get you up to speed on the stories on the radar right now.

Greenpeace activists draped the British prime minister Rishi Sunak's luxury mansion in black to protest his environmental policies. This comes after

the U.K. government announced new plans to allow an expansion of drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.

Pope Francis will speak at a welcome ceremony in the coming hours as the Catholic Church marks World Youth Day with festivities in Portugal. On

Wednesday, the pope acknowledged that the church's sexual abuse scandals have made some people feel anger and disappointment toward the institution.

And Kenya has halted the world coin cryptocurrency project. The start-up raised security concerns after thousands of people got their eyes scanned

in exchange for money. The foreign minister accuses world coin of data harvesting and using Kenyans as guinea pigs.

You are with CONNECT THE WORLD, I am Becky Anderson. The time here in London is 25 past 3. Still to come, a historic moment in U.S. history. A

former president set to face charges for the worst attack on democracy in modern times.

Plus, thousands take to the streets in Niger's capital city to rally in support of the military coup there.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in London this week. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Back to our top story for you.

Donald Trump scheduled to appear in a Washington, D.C., courtroom in the coming hours. The indicted former president will face four criminal charges

related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Those efforts preceded the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. Law enforcement is tightening security in Washington ahead of Mr. Trump's

appearance. CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us from in front of the courthouse in Washington.

We have talked about the charges, we've talked about the preparations. Let's talk about what it is likely to happen here.

[10:30:00]

ANDERSON: Firstly, is it clear yet how long any trial would take?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we don't have the answer to that yet because there is a long road between now

and the trial. When it actually happens, it could take multiple days. It could be as long as a year or even more.

This court often does take a full year from charging to trial. Just today this 4 pm hearing of Donald Trump is going to be taking place in this

courthouse behind me. It is going to be very, very short from what we could expect, based on all of the other times people get arraigned, having their

initial appearances.

He is going to come into court; we are not going to see him physically for any photos and videos inside the building. He will be brought into the

courthouse, very likely underground in a motorcade.

He will be in the courtroom where there will be observers themselves as well as media and public who will be able to observe through closed circuit

TV throughout the building.

So we will watch the proceedings; he will be presented with his charges, then he very likely will be given the opportunity to plead not guilty, the

plea we expect him to put into the system here.

That will get him into the system, set him off toward a trial. Very possibly Trump may not speak at all to the judge in this courtroom today.

His lawyers may be speaking for him.

We are also watching to see if the prosecutor himself, the top prosecutor that signed off on these charges, special counsel Jack Smith, if he is also

in the courtroom. A few of his team members, I just was inside, saw them assembling there in the building.

We are all getting ready. The judges are walking around, there's a lot of anticipation, a lot of security. But we will have to wait and see exactly

who is in the courtroom whenever this is assembled with Trump before a judge here for the first time.

ANDERSON: The charges reflecting allegations that he was involved in the worst attack on democracy in modern history, if you buy the prosecution's

line; a witch hunt, were you to talk to Donald Trump's supporters.

Is it clear what Donald Trump's strategy is at this point?

POLANTZ: We've gotten a little of that because his lawyers, one of his lawyers, John Lauro, who's going to be involved in this case, he has been

out there on television a couple of times already.

He has essentially defended Trump, saying he was just listening to the advice of the lawyers around him, people who are now named as conspirators

but are not charged in this case.

And also, there's a lot of discussion from Trump's lawyers about how this is free speech. He should be able to say whatever he wants.

The Justice Department is saying that this was a fraudulent scheme and that his speech alone is not what is being tested; it was his decision-making as

well.

But this really is a moment that is quite significant in that, not only is he facing these charges in this courthouse, which itself has handled

hundreds of rioters' cases and is right across the street from the national capital, where that rally turned into a violent riot.

ANDERSON: Busy times at what is a really important juncture in U.S. political history. Katelyn Polantz, thank you very much indeed.

In Niger, the streets of the capital quiet now. But a short time ago, thousands of people rallied to celebrate the country's Independence Day and

support the military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum last week.

This rally also aimed at protesting sanctions that were slapped on Niger by countries that want the coup to end. Meantime, U.S. secretary of state

Antony Blinken assured Mr. Bazoum on Wednesday that Washington remains committed to restoring Niger's democratically elected government and is

dedicated to finding a peaceful resolution.

The U.S. has also ordered all nonessential personnel and their families out of Niger but is keeping its military troops stationed there. For more on

this, let's bring in David McKenzie. He is following the story in Johannesburg today.

Kylie Atwood at the U.S. State Department in Washington, stand by.

David, to you first, certainly secretary of state Antony Blinken said that he wants to see a nonviolent, peaceful resolution to this.

Frankly, is that likely?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't know at this stage. There's a lot of unknowns in the story. What I can say for sure

is that the next few days will be critical in how this plays out. It has very real implications for both Nigeriens, that region and, in fact global

security.

Because of that very critical role that Niger plays in the U.S., in France and other countries in combating extremist groups.

[10:35:00]

MCKENZIE: You had that large rally in Niamey, the capital. It is hard to tell just how much support, though, despite what you're seeing with these

images, the coup leaders had.

We know from a former adviser to President Bazoum that he is confident. He's feeling optimistic. He is able to, of course, speak to world leaders

and foreign diplomats as they apply pressure, growing pressure on the coup leaders, to try to return power to the president or to some form of

democratic dispensation.

You've had in particular the U.S. and ECOWAS, the regional grouping there, led by Nigeria, a very powerful neighbor to Niger, that is already turning

the screws on the economy.

You mentioned the protests in part against sanctions, well, there's some indication that Nigeria is switching off the power supply at some level to

Niger. They are already sanctioning individuals who were involved in the coup. And they are going to continue to apply pressure.

(CROSSTALK)

MCKENZIE: ECOWAS says that it could send troops in potentially and Senegal's the latest country to say that they would be willing to do that.

So a lot of pressure is building.

ANDERSON: I just do want to highlight that Senegal now has said they will send soldiers to Niger if the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS

decides to intervene. That is just kind of underscoring where some of these regional countries stand.

MCKENZIE: Yes, because ECOWAS failed to stop the coups in Guinea, Burkina Faso and in Mali. They are taking a much stronger line here. And a country

like Senegal, for example, has a lot at stake here because of what we saw with the military takeovers of countries in the Sahel.

The security situation has deteriorated there rapidly with the withdrawal of foreign troops as well. If that happens in Niger, you can see the

extremist threat directly affecting countries like Senegal. So they have a real interest in trying to solve the situation.

Thank you, David.

The U.S. saying that there hasn't been any threat to Americans per se. But as I understand, it it is still drawing down its presence in Niger. Just

explain what we understand to be the U.S. position.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is right, Becky, the U.S. continues to say that things are relatively calm in the

country. Of course, we have seen the images of protests.

But when you talk to U.S. officials who track the region closely, they say, given what they have seen in other instances, what they're seeing right now

in Niger is relative calm.

But still, they are taking the step to pull down their diplomatic presence in the country. Just yesterday, announcing that they're going to be

evacuating non emergency personnel and their family members from the U.S. embassy there.

That doesn't mean that they are closing the embassy, at least not at this time. They're going to be suspending some of those services, again, cutting

down the diplomatic presence.

And they will be opening up some of those flights that U.S. government personnel on to American citizens who want to leave.

Now when it comes to those Americans who are in the country, the State Department earlier this week asked them to reach out to states, to register

with them if they're trying to get out of Niger.

This is something that unfortunately the U.S. government has done quite recently. When you look at what happened over the course of the last few

months in Sudan, getting American citizens out of that country.

So this is something that the State Department does regularly when they're concerned about the security situation. Clearly they are concerned. But as

you said earlier, the secretary of state had a conversation with President Bazoum last night, re-committing the fact that the United States wants

there to be the restoration of a democratically elected government in Niger.

And U.S. officials are still publicly saying that they think there is a narrow opportunity for the restoration of that democratically elected

government. But it's not exactly clear what the pathway is to that point right now.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. So it goes on.

To both of you, thank you.

Still ahead, a surprising win sends a World Cup newcomer to the knockout stage. We will have highlights on the Women's World Cup coming up.

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[10:40:00]

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ANDERSON: A surprise ending for a favored team and a surprise advancement for another. That is the Women's World Cup.

Germany out and Morocco advancing to the knockout stages after securing a 1-0 victory against Colombia. This is Morocco's first World Cup appearance

and the team's winning goal came in the first half stoppage time. Patrick Snell joins me now.

And this tournament is the gift, it feels, just keeps giving, Patrick.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky you're, spot on as always. It was being hailed as this will likely be the best Women's World Cup ever. And I

think we are seeing that, no question. The storylines are amazing. You said it best, Germany is out.

Who would've thought that?

But what a storyline around Morocco. Their first World Cup. Colombia advancing as well. And history is made because we now have for the first

time ever three African nations in the knockout stages, the Women's World Cup. More on "WORLD SPORT."

ANDERSON: I remember talking about the women's team during the Qatar men's World Cup and really hoping that Morocco would do well. I think they have

sealed the deal by making into the knockout stages. "WORLD SPORT" is coming up after this short break as Patrick rightly is said, he's in the hot seat

there.

I'm back top of the hour for you. Stay with us.

(WORLD SPORT)

[11:00:00]

END