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Biden's NATO News Conference Gets Mixed Response; Interview with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob about NATO Summit; Most AT&T Customers Affected by Massive Breach; India's Wedding of the Year Gets Underway; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Met with President Biden at the White House Thursday Night; At Least 110 Palestinians Reported Killed in or Near Gaza City; Migrants Hope Power Change After Venezuela Elections; Rethinking Economics in a Climate Crisis. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired July 12, 2024 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:40]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. It is 3:00 p.m. in London, 10:00 a.m. in New York. I'm
Eleni Giokos. Your headlines this hour.
The U.S. president says he's the candidate best qualified to govern. His own party, though, remains divided after another uneven performance.
A mass exodus continues from Gaza City amid intense Israeli military action around the area that has left dozens of Palestinians dead.
And an enormous data breach at AT&T has affected millions of people.
U.S. President Joe Biden is back on the campaign trail today after that closely watched news conference to end the NATO summit in Washington. He'll
be heading to the battleground state of Michigan as more congressional Democrats call on him to exit the presidential race, while others continue
to voice strong support.
Now at the news conference Thursday, Mr. Biden answered questions for nearly an hour, fending off concerns about his cognitive health and ability
to serve four more years in office. He did make one notable flub at the start, mixing up the names of the vice president and his Republican
opponent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I think she's not qualified to
be president. So let's start there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, after the news conference, several more congressional Democrats called for Mr. Biden to exit the race, including the influential
House member, Jim Himes.
Jeff Zeleny has been closely watching the reaction to the news conference and joins us now.
Great to have you with us, Jeff. Look, President Biden pushing on to campaign meetings and the campaign trail. What is happening around him and
is support for him waning even further?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, there's no doubt that the press conference was fine. That's a word I heard again
and again for many Democrats. He did fine. But the question is, is fine good enough to go on with his campaign? And that is very much an
uncertainty at this hour in Washington.
Now the president traveling to Michigan later today, a key battleground state here in the U.S. He is going forward. He said last night at the press
conference he is committed to staying in this race. But the question is with what type of strength and backing? There have been, as you said, three
Democratic members of Congress come out since that news conference on Thursday night saying they would like him to step aside.
We do expect more to do so as the day wears on. It's unclear if any of these have a direct effect on his actual plans, though. One thing we are
watching very carefully former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, of course a longtime ally and friend of President Biden, has been in quiet
conversations we are told this week with former president Barack Obama. Neither have said specifically what they want President Biden to do, but
they have in their conversations, we are told, expressed a worry and concern about his ability to win in November.
So they've been something of a sounding board. The question is, will they take their views to President Biden. It's tricky. He's dug in, in the words
of his advisers. He's committed to staying in, but he did say one thing at the news conference that was different. He said if he's presented
information from data in polls that show he would lose, that could get him to reconsider. But then in the next breath, he went on to say, but they're
not. He's winning.
But that flub you showed certainly is something that will make the rounds on social media. It already has and it could become a soundtrack of his
campaign.
GIOKOS: Yes, it's true. I mean, on the question of polls it's perfect segue into my next guest so, Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much for joining us.
Joining us now is CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Paul Begala.
Paul, welcome to the show. A crucial moment I think in terms of what we're seeing on the U.S. political front and for the Democrats. Let's talk about
CNN Poll of Polls, which takes the averages of recent polling, showing that when head-to-head Trump has the lead on Mr. Biden and also shows that
Biden's approval at just 37 percent. Now these numbers come off on the back of an ABC News-"Washington Post"-Ipsos poll, which shows the majority of
voters think the president should step aside.
[10:05:06]
As a Democratic strategist, and here's the question, what do you think when you see these numbers? What are they telling you?
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well. compared to what? You know, first, let me thank you for having me on. It's nice to see you. So compared
to the last election where Biden is obviously right, he says I'm the only guy who's beaten Trump and he did beat Trump. He was 10 points ahead in
July of 2020. OK. He's not 10 points ahead now. He's behind and he's narrowly behind nationally. But more importantly, he's narrowly behind in
nearly all of the critical swing states.
And I watched that press conference carefully and commented on it. I think it was -- I think he did fine. He showed particularly substantive mastery
of his role as leader of the free world. It was very impressive to me. Style had some problems. He was hesitant, soft-spoken, and then he did call
the vice president Trump. But all of it is a tactical answer to an existential problem, right?
The existential problem is people think he's too old. Democrats think he's too old. And just to put it in -- because it's a global audience, John
Major, the former British prime minister, who's been out of power for 29 years, he's still younger than Joe Biden. You know, we Democrats turned to
him because we believed he could beat Trump. We were right. He beat Trump. He turned out to be a great president, most consequential first-term
president since LBJ.
But more and more Democrats I'm hearing from are saying, it is time for new leadership because they're very worried that this time he won't be able to
beat Trump the way he did last time.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, it's a really good point. I want to talk about with time is the Democrats' enemy right now and, you know, what we're expecting
the DNC to happen in a month's time. Are they running out of time? Is Biden going to try and just make sure that things sort of run out and, you know,
we're sitting in a position where they're going to have to make a decision at the very last-minute? How do you see this playing out?
BEGALA: I think it's a good point. Time is very much on Biden's side. The Democratic National Convention is in August, just a few weeks away. There
has been talk of, in fact even moving up the legal nomination of Mr. President Biden so as to clear some hurdles that could arise in the state
of Ohio. So it could be as soon as two or three weeks that the Democrats settle on Biden as their nominee.
He's already won 14 million votes. He's already won every single primary and caucus. He was challenged within his party. A guy named Dean Phillips,
very accomplished congressman from Minnesota, who got precisely zero, I think. I think he just really got wiped out by President Biden. So in that
sense Biden is invested. What I'm hearing from a lot of politicians who were on the ballot, though, is we really had no idea until the debate that
he could perform this badly.
GIOKOS: Yes.
BEGALA: He beat Trump by a margin of 20 or 30 points in the debates four years ago. He lost to Trump in our polling, the CNN polling, by 35 points
after this debate. So that's the problem, is that something has happened and the fact that he had a good press conference and within minutes three
more members of his party called on him to step aside in the campaign is terrible news for the president.
GIOKOS: Absolutely. And I want to talk about former president Obama as well as Nancy Pelosi that have been reported to have expressed concern
privately. Is there a tipping point here where party leaders have to speak out publicly?
BEGALA: You know, Nancy Pelosi is the finest legislative leader in all of American history.
GIOKOS: Yes.
BEGALA: She's also a woman who raised five kids. OK. And I think what she is operating under is what -- and I've raised four. OK. And as my kids have
become adults, I realized that permission is more powerful than pressure, right? If you go to Joe Biden, especially proud powerful, successful guy,
and say, and push and push him, he will dig in his heels.
I think what Speaker Emerita Pelosi is saying is, let's give him his space. Let him preside over the global stage at NATO, where he was fantastic and
then now he's going to have to reassess. I spoke to somebody close to President Obama yesterday and did not confirm. I did not know that he had
talked to Speaker Emerita Pelosi, but basically said President Obama has always been a personal close friend of Joe Biden's.
There has been political tension sometimes in the past, but he's always been a sounding voice for President Biden, and President Obama really is,
the source close to him told me, he really wants to maintain that. So no, I don't think President Obama is going to say anything in public. And I think
Speaker Pelosi has said a lot and about all she can.
GIOKOS: Paul, good to have you with us. Thank you so much for your insights. Always fascinating to hear some that wisdom that you share with
us.
BEGALA: Thanks, Eleni.
GIOKOS: As I said, this crucial moment.
All right. So moving on, and U.S. President Biden did get down to other business on the final day of NATO summit in Washington. He launched what's
called the Ukraine Compact, a joint effort by the alliance to support Ukraine's long term security.
[10:10:04]
That includes boosting its future military capabilities as well as supporting it in the case of another Russian aggression down the line. Mr.
Biden said the eventual goal is to have Ukraine join the alliance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: You heard me say it before, we're building the bridge to NATO for Ukraine, a pathway leading to an eventual membership as they continue to
implement important domestic reform. This compact, which is on the stage here, is a central piece of that bridge. What happens to Ukraine matters.
It matters to all of Europe. It matters the NATO. And quite frankly, it matters to the whole world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: But one thing that matches to Ukraine is conducting more strikes inside Russia with NATO supplied weapons. President Zelenskyy asked for a
free hand to do that and urged NATO to lift the remaining restrictions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift
all the limitations. I spoke about it with partners, with U.K. leader, with United States president, with secretary, all of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: I want to bring in Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob for his insight now.
Thank you, sir, for joining us live from Washington.
Prime Minister, look, NATO committed $40 billion baseline for Ukraine in the next year. We also know many more billions are being discussed and
committed. Do you believe that the current commitments are enough to put a dent in Russia's war?
ROBERT GOLOB, SLOVENIAN PRIME MINISTER: Well, first, glad to be here. What we decided upon yesterday, it has one clear message. There is a clear
chance that the war in Ukraine is going to be protracted. So we need to adapt to that. And we did. We have to have a systemic and long-term
approach and the support, the package that was agreed upon is exactly that. It brings some coordinating mechanism for the support to flow to Ukraine.
Plus, it gives long-term guarantees to Ukraine that support is going to be there.
GIOKOS: Prime Minister, look, you know, one of the things we've been discussing extensively is what's happening in the United States and many
are discussing the prospect of a potential Donald Trump presidency who has openly threatened to target countries that don't contribute 2 percent of
their GDP to defense. I know Slovenia is below that.
How -- have you been approached about your contribution? Do you even have the fiscal space to increase it? What are you planning right now?
GOLOB: Well, actually the allies have a lot of understanding for our situation. We were faced by the catastrophic floods last year and that is
the only reason why we somehow skip from our trajectory. But next year, the budget has already been adopted, so we are on the trajectory and we are
going to reach that goal of 2 percent. So no trouble there.
GIOKOS: OK. So you've got a target in place because there's a lot of talk about Trump proofing NATO. Do you believe there's been enough on the table
right now at this particular meeting to secure a unified NATO and also that no matter what happens in the United States domestically, that NATO is
ironclad?
GOLOB: Well, to be honest, yesterday, the name of the former president Trump was not mentioned once, which means that, yes, perhaps thing is going
to change in the United States. We don't know that by sure. But NATO is more than that. It's more than one single president wherever in the world.
So I believe the NATO, what was shown yesterday, the unity of the alliance is going to stay as that and that's really the most important message that
we send to the world. That is our unity.
GIOKOS: So Slovenia has been key European country to lead the charge in the recognition of a Palestinian state. Israel has condemned Slovenia. What
conversations are you having with other European leaders as well as NATO leaders and were any discussions had during the summit?
GOLOB: Yes. Apart from the military questions, which were of course dominant, there was also a couple of us raising the question that NATO was
never just the military organization. It was ever also political military organization, meaning that in order to tackle the global challenges, we
need to do more on a political, diplomatic level. And at the moment, the foremost important thing is that we need to show to the world that we do
not have double standards.
And the horror is going on in Palestine do not clearly, you know, demonstrate that. There are some of our Western allies, but also E.U.
member states who do not grasp the moment yet. And we keep pushing it to them, trying them to recognize Palestine, but specifically to get more into
pressure on both sides, on Hamas and Israel, to immediately cease the fire and release all the hostages, start working to the two-state solution, and
this is something what we do at every meeting, especially not just from Slovenia, from other states as well.
[10:15:16]
GIOKOS: So, Prime Minister, you're saying that there isn't real appetite to take the same stance that Slovenia has taken essentially right now from the
conversations you've had?
GOLOB: I wouldn't say that. There are some countries which are more rigid in this regard, but perhaps there is some hope in U.K. But we are really
trying to work with those who have the understanding and push them one by one.
GIOKOS: OK. So President Erdogan said that -- at NATO that there's a clear difference in the way the world has responded to Ukraine versus what we've
seen in Gaza. And he also said that he won't approve NATO's attempts to cooperate with Israel without a clear peace deal or agreement. Do you agree
with these sentiments? I know that you met with him as well over the last few days.
GOLOB: Yes, we did. What my understanding is that NATO is somehow a guarantor to the world order based on rule -- on the rule of law. And the
rule of law is the same throughout the world. It applies to Ukraine, but it also applies to Palestine. And that's what the double standards are about
now. If we do not really implement rule of law everywhere throughout the world and if we do not say that the violation of the international law in
Ukraine is bad, but it is also as bad when it's violated in Palestine, then perhaps, yes, the Arab countries have their reason to criticize the West.
GIOKOS: So I want to share with you a quote from the statements of the NATO Ukraine Council. Allies welcome and support President Zelenskyy's
continuous commitment to advance a comprehensive, just and lasting peace through his peace formula and the peace summit process including the
important first summit in Switzerland.
So what does peace ultimately look like for you, Prime Minister?
GOLOB: Well, obviously peace is always better than war. But there is actually full value in peace without freedom. So we need to look for a just
solution based on international set of rules. That's really what's behind that. But in order to be successful in Ukraine, we need to get support from
both, from the global south, from the Arab countries, but we need to also engage with those so-called enablers, the countries which in any way, at
the moment aid Russia in prolonging the war.
GIOKOS: President Zelenskyy, one of the requests he's made and continuously made, to use NATO supplied weapons to strike within Russian territory. What
is your view on this? And of course, as conversations continue about getting Ukrainian NATO membership, which seems to be some time away.
GOLOB: Well, as far as I'm concerned, no such a permission has been given yesterday, but I wouldn't go into too much detail on that.
GIOKOS: So, you don't agree with it, or you don't want to comment on it?
GOLOB: The good thing is we don't have any weapons that we can give the permission to.
GIOKOS: Yes, absolutely. Well, Prime Minister, thank you so much for your time --
GOLOB: (INAUDIBLE) countries at that point.
GIOKOS: Yes. Go ahead. Finish your statement.
GOLOB: You're welcome. No, no. I was just trying to say that there are there are countries which will try to revise it, revise their position, but
Slovenia is not amongst them.
GIOKOS: All right, Prime Minister, what a pleasure to have you on, sir. Thank you so much for your time and your insights.
GOLOB: You are most welcome.
GIOKOS: All right. Still to come, mixed messages as leaders share both skepticism and positivity about the Gaza hostage ceasefire negotiations.
Plus AT&T says nearly all of its customers had their call and text records exposed in massive data breach. What could that mean for tens of millions
of users.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:21:00]
GIOKOS: AT&T has revealed a massive data breach affecting tens of millions of people. Now the company says the call and text message records for
nearly everyone who used its networks in mid to late 2022 have been exposed, and that the compromised data includes the telephone numbers of
nearly all of its cellular customers from that time. It is blaming an illegal download.
CNN's Matt Egan joins us with more.
I mean, really quite horrifying to hear that so many people have been affected. But what does it actually mean? What kind of content is involved
here?
MATT EGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Eleni, this is just a staggering breach. AT&T says that back in April, they learned of this illegal download of data
from a third party cloud software provider and they went and immediately investigated it, and they've determined that what was stolen here includes
the telephone numbers of, quote, "nearly all" of its cellular phone customers between May and the end of October in 2022.
And unfortunately, a lot of non-AT&T customers are going to be impacted here because they said what was also stolen was the customers of wireless
providers that used its network and also people who interacted with an AT&T customers. Now it's important to note that the company says that at this
point they don't believe that this data is publicly available. Of course, that's just at this point and that could change.
As far as what is included and what's not, critically AT&T says that the content of text messages and phone calls that was not stolen here, nor is
the names of the people who were the customers or their Social Security number. So that of course is a relief. But AT&T acknowledges that there are
publicly available tools out there where you can connect a phone number to a person and the company says that for a small subset of customers, it was
also some cell phone -- cell I.D. tower information was taken.
And that's the kind of data that could be very valuable because it could actually identify where some of these customers are located, where they
live, where they work. Now the company put out a statement. They say they're going to alert former and current customers, they're going to
provide them resources. AT&T says, "We sincerely regret the situation occurred and remain committed to protecting the information in our care."
One other point here that's really interesting is the timing because, as I mentioned, AT&T learned about this back in April, but we're only learning
about it now. The company says that the Justice Department decided that it was worth it to delay things here. The FBI actually put out a statement and
they say that they decided to delay the public release of this because of potential risk to, quote, "national security and/or public safety."
AT&T says that they have been cooperating with law enforcement and that they understand that at least one person believed to be involved here has
been apprehended. We don't know the identity of that person, where they were apprehended or what group or groups they were associated with.
Eleni, this feels like just the tip of the iceberg that there's going to be a lot more information coming out about this breach.
GIOKOS: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely scary just to hear about this data breach and how many people that's affected.
Matt Egan, great to have you on. Thank you.
EGAN: Thanks.
GIOKOS: Moving on to Mumbai, all eyes on one of India's most anticipated and lavish weddings of the year. Billionaire heir Anant Ambani, the son of
Asia's richest man, is set to marry his longtime girlfriend and pharmaceutical heiress Radhika Merchant in a series of opulent ceremonies
that will unfold over the next several days.
Michael Kugelman joins us now with more. He's the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center.
Great to have you with us. It's incredible to see some of the pictures and of course all the celebrities that have converged to try and go to this
event. But you've said the Ambanis are playing the game of the super-rich in India trying to outdo and one-up the over-the-top celebrations of other
super elites.
[10:25:06]
It sounds like everyone is trying to set a new precedent on what it means to have a lavish wedding.
MICHAEL KUGELMAN, DIRECTOR, SOUTH ASIA INSTITUTE AT THE WILSON CENTER: Yes, that's exactly right. I mean, I should say that in India and elsewhere in
South Asia, it's not just the wealthy that tend to have long, loud and lively weddings. It's something that many aspire to have, and so in that
sense, you know, I think that some in India will appreciate and admire these festivities, but still, you know, these festivities are the whole
other order of magnitude.
We're talking about, you know, six months of pre-wedding festivities with millions of dollars paid to A-list entertainers to perform and now of
course comes the main event, which will be even more extravagant.
GIOKOS: Look, I mean, there's a clear issue in terms of what we see between the rich and the poor in India, given the severe poverty rate. How are
these events being viewed by the general population as they watch on?
KUGELMAN: Right, I mean, I don't want overgeneralize with a population of more than billion, of course, but, you know, India has made major progress
in reducing poverty. So more than 400 million Indians have come out of poverty over the last few decades. But still you're looking at such a major
divide between this massive opulence and the millions of Indians that continue to live in poverty at a moment when India is also experiencing
high levels of inflation and unemployment challenges, especially with young people. So quite a few people are going to be very envious and very
unhappy.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, obviously looking on saying, you know, most average people wouldn't be able to afford this. There was another thing that sort
of struck me in watching some of these images. And if you think about the multiplier effect, you know, the suppliers, the supply chain that needed to
be sort of attached to all of these events over the last four months, it's incredible to think how much they've actually spent on this and how it's
affected businesses overall. That's one positive surely.
KUGELMAN: Right. Absolutely. I mean, it's unclear what the exact tab will be, the total, but we're hearing about $300 million or so for this, for the
actual wedding. But yes, huge amounts of money have been put into this, but also major disruptions, impacts on local businesses. I mean, Mumbai is
essentially going to be shut down or a significant part of it, road closures, traffic. People not able to get to where they work, that type of
thing. That's going to hurt small business owners for sure.
GIOKOS: Right.
KUGELMAN: But I think that to put a positive spin on this, you could say that this wedding, among other things, it does showcase the wealth on
display in what is now one of the world's fastest-growing and largest economies, even if Ambani level wealth, you know, was off limits to the
vast majority of the country. So I think it does amplify India's economic clout to an extent.
GIOKOS: It does indeed, and it looks absolutely phenomenal.
Look, Michael, thank you so much for your insights. Great to have you on the story for us.
And still to come, bodies are pulled from the rubble in areas either side of Gaza City as a mass exodus from the area continues. And later as heat
waves hit Iran, I'll talk to a leading climate policy experts on what this extreme heat means for the future.
Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:31:03]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
GIOKOS: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Eleni Giokos and we have this breaking news just in to CNN.
U.S. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a letter to his colleagues Friday morning that he met privately with President Joe Biden
Thursday night after Mr. Biden's news conference. So we have Kayla Tausche to give us an update on this.
To repeat, Hakeem Jeffries meeting with President Biden. Do we know anything about what came out of this meeting?
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the meeting took place last night at the White House after the president's
press conference that was watched by millions of people trying to get a sense for what the president's mindset was going into the race. And now we
know from a letter that Minority Leader Jeffries has shared with the public that he says he brought the concerns of the lawmakers in the Democratic
Party directly to the president.
The message that he sent said this, "On behalf of the House Democratic Caucus I requested and was graciously granted a private meeting with
President Joe Biden. The meeting occurred yesterday evening. And in that conversation I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt
perspectives, and conclusions about the path forward that the caucus has shared in our recent time together."
There are some 16 House Democrats who have now come out publicly and said that President Biden should step aside in the race. And the White House and
the campaign, as well as the party believed that there would be more defections to take place and that even though they were pleased with the
president's performance in the press conference, that that would not be enough to stem the mounting pressure that had been brewing within the
Democratic Party.
And it now appears that the top Democrat in the House of Representatives has shared those concerns directly with the president of the United States.
GIOKOS: Yes. Thank you so much, Kayla. We know that Hakeem Jeffries has been saying that he's going to relay a lot of the conversations that he's
been having with Democrats to the president. And of course, we'll be hearing more about what transpired in the meeting as time goes on. Thank
you so much.
Well, in the meantime, the White House says it's seeing positive signs for a potential Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and
Hamas. However, sources tell CNN there are still tough issues to resolve.
U.S. President Joe Biden says he hopes the proposal now being discussed will allow for a two-state solution in the Middle East. He called these
Israeli war cabinet the most conservative war cabinets in the country's history and said he was working with Arab nations on how they could keep
the peace in Gaza without Israeli forces staying in the enclave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: The questions has been from the beginning, what's the day after in Gaza, and the day after in Gaza has to be -- the end of the day after has
to be no occupation by Israel in the Gaza Strip as well as the ability for us to access, get in and out as rapidly as you can all that's needed there.
I've been disappointed that some of the things that I've put forward have not succeeded as well. Like the port reattached from Cyprus. I was hopeful
that would be more successful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, inside Gaza, intense military activity continuing. We're getting word that the bodies of at least 110 Palestinians have been found
in areas either side of Gaza City with fears that more bodies are buried under the rubble. The Palestinian Civil Defense says it will follow the
partial withdrawal of the Israeli army from several neighborhoods.
Now these images are from a neighborhood east of Gaza City where major battles have been waged since Israel ordered civilians to leave the area at
the end of last month. And you can see the sheer damage and destruction.
We've got Jeremy Diamond to give us more insight live in Jerusalem.
We're seeing some of the aftermath of that incursion into Gaza City. What more can you tell us?
[10:35:04]
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Earlier this week, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of Gaza City bit by
bit to ultimately include nearly the entire city, and this morning it appears that the Israeli military has withdrawn from most parts of that
very same city. And what they have left in their wake, of course, is an enormous amount of destruction.
There has been intense fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza City throughout much of this week. And we've seen some of that fighting
stretch back as much as two weeks in the past. The Israeli military says that the focus of at least some of its operations was near the UNRWA
headquarters in Gaza City.
Now, it's important to note that this headquarter has not been used by that U.N. agency for months now, but in its stead, the Israeli military says
that Hamas began to use that headquarters in Gaza City as a compound for its own operations, including operating a war room out of that building and
also storing large stashes of weapons.
That's not information that CNN can independently verify at this stage, but it does give you a sense of what the Israeli military, what they say they
have been battling in that area. But there's no question that the destruction here is enormous. Not only that UNRWA headquarters that's
partially damaged, but other buildings in that area suffering just an enormous, enormous scale of destruction.
We've started to see images of Palestinians displaced from Gaza City, several hundred thousand of them who were displaced. Some of those
beginning to return to that area and finding this absolute wasteland instead of it. We know that all of this is happening of course as those
ceasefire negotiations continue between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the Egyptian and the Qatari governments.
We've gotten some indications that there's been some progress made, but also just a lot of uncertainty over exactly what that progress actually is
and also what the stumbling blocks that need to be resolved are that remain. But certainly all of Gaza looking towards those ceasefire talks to
see if there could be a reprieve in the fighting.
GIOKOS: Yes. So, Jeremy, another development, the IDF also releasing findings from an internal investigation into failings at a kibbutz on
October 7th. What do we know about the results of that inquiry?
DIAMOND: Well, this was a three-month inquiry conducted by the Israeli military during which the investigators interviewed -- spent hundreds of
hours interviewing residents, members of security forces, members of the Civilian Rapid Response Team in Be'eri, and ultimately the conclusions are
as follows, and this is really the key line from the report where they say, quote, "The inquiry found that the security officials did not provide
sufficient warning to the residents of Kibbutz Be'eri. Combat in the area during the initial hours was characterized by a lack of command and
control, a lack of coordination, and a lack of order among the different forces and units. This led to several incidents where security forces
grouped at the entrance of the kibbutz without immediately engaging in combat."
And what that last line means is that for about the first seven hours of Hamas' attack on this kibbutz, the civilians were effectively left to
defend themselves. That included members of the Civilian Rapid Response Unit for the kibbutz who valiantly battled Hamas militants according to the
Israeli military. But it was only in the afternoon of that day that is Israeli military forces actually began to enter that kibbutz and beat back
the Hamas fighters who were there.
So very sweeping conclusions from the Israeli military. And what's especially notable is the fact that this is only the first such inquiry
into the events of October 7th into the failings of the Israeli security establishment on and riding up until that day. But the Israeli military has
indicated that there will be more reports like this one into those failings on October 7th -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes. So now that they've seen those failings, a lot of questions about why we saw those failings. So, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much for
that update. Good to see you.
And coming up as heat waves across the world continue, I'll be speaking to an expert on climate policy about the future of the planet, especially the
global south.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:41:40]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. Venezuela is preparing for national elections that some hope could change the country's future for many of the millions who
fled under the leadership of Nicolas Maduro. A change in power could bring about some long-sought homecomings.
Stefano Pozzebon has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (voice-over): How do you build a home far away from your home? Sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right people to
help.
These migrants in Bogota are doing just that, working with a foundation that provides free classes and counseling to vulnerable Venezuelans and
Colombians alike.
Maria Alvarez (PH) arrived in Colombia seven years ago. She helped create the organization. Making a living as a manicurist is tough. But Bogota has
been welcoming. Home, however, is still somewhere else.
(Through text translation): What are your hopes for July? What do you think? What do you dream?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): I want Venezuela to be free. That everything goes back to how it used to be.
POZZEBON (voice-over): She dreams that one day her son will finally meet his grandparents in Venezuela. He has only seen them in photos.
This month, millions of Venezuelan migrants are sharing such dreams, as their home country heads to the polls. Authoritarian President Nicolas
Maduro pledging to allow free and fair elections as he campaigns for reelection, and the democratic opposition uniting behind a single
candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, a former diplomat who floated the idea of amnesty for former government officials who have been accused of crimes
against humanity.
It's the most credible democratic challenge in a decade. But because more than seven million Venezuelans like Alvarez have fled the country under
Maduro, the upcoming month can make an impact all across the Americas.
Colombia has welcomed more than two million Venezuelan migrants in recent years. Many here have found a new home. But for others these streets are
just the beginning of a journey to the north.
(Voice-over): Venezuelans were the second largest group of migrants reaching the U.S. southern border last year. Many arrived from Colombia,
crossing the treacherous jungle to Panama, in the Darien Gap, and then upward through Central America. Numbers some experts fear might increase
should Maduro stay in power.
LAURA DIB, VENEZUELA PROGRAM DIRECTOR, WOLA: There are two reasons why migration will increase. The first is political because it's related, I
mean, and this is the interesting part of Venezuela is that you cannot disconnect the complex humanitarian emergency from the authoritarian nature
of the government. I think it's difficult to -- you know, to put a number to it, but it could be more than one million, two million Venezuelans
leaving the country.
POZZEBON: In Colombia, Alvarez is weighing her options. Her cousin crossed the Darien Gap last year. He now lives in the U.S., and she dreams of
reconnecting with him. But she is afraid of the jungle trek with her young son. And abroad, she cannot vote. Their dream is to go back home. If the
government falls, millions will return, she says.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[10:45:08]
GIOKOS: Frustrations are mounting in South Texas where residents are facing a combination of crippling power outages and blistering heat. Four days
after Hurricane Beryl swept through the region, more than a million people are still without electricity. 879,000 of those are CenterPoint Energy
customers. The utility company says half a million Houston homes and businesses may not have their power restored until sometime next week.
Now the outages have been debilitating for hospitals, assisted living facilities and water treatment plants in the area. Texas Governor Greg
Abbott is ordering an investigation into the state's utility companies to see what issues arose in the response to the hurricane.
And outside the United States, we are seeing dangerous heatwaves in countries around the world. One major hotspot right now is in Iran, where
people were warned of rising temperatures heading into the weekend. There are major concerns about the power supply holding. One official calling
this an unprecedented situation. Iran's hottest temperatures in 50 years, provinces around the country have taken precautionary measures and
announced office closures.
Now, India has also been in a brutal struggle with heat for many weeks. It is a problem that is just not going away and in a recent article for the
"Hindu Sun Times," my next guest had this to say. "To emerge as a leader in the rapidly heating world, businesses and countries and the global south
need to become climate ready and tap into opportunities that arise from the energy transition."
Arunabha Ghosh is the founder and CEO of the public policy think tank based in India called the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water, and joins us
now live.
So great to have you with us. You know, I keep thinking about the record temperatures we had last year. We keep covering more and more heat-related
stories, more extreme weather stories, and how it just impacts infrastructure, people's lives.
Where do you see this going? And how concerned are you about countries specifically in the global south being able to adapt?
ARUNABHA GHOSH, CEO, COUNCIL ON ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Well, it's going only one way, it's heading up in terms of temperatures and the number
of heatwave days that countries in the global south are experiencing are on the up as well. And I'm certainly very concerned if you look at my country
India, we've just come through the longest heatwave in history. And this summer in May, for instance, we have more than 37 cities in north and
central India that were experiencing daytime highs above 113 Fahrenheit.
So this is particularly concerning because on average you get five to eight days of heatwaves. This summer it was, say in Delhi, upwards of 20 days. So
there's more than a doubling of the kind of heat stress and that then of course has a public health impact. It has an impact on economic
productivity for workers working outdoors. It has an impact even on infrastructure. The integrity of roads, of bridges, et cetera, power lines,
all begins to get impacted.
GIOKOS: OK. I mean, India is the world's second largest coal producer after China. Coal is very important for energy production. We keep hearing about,
you know, moving away from fossil fuel, and I wonder what the future really brings because you've got the global south trying to industrialize, wanting
to tap into fossil fuels.
What is the solution? And, you know, we need a quick one because we're in code red right now, frankly.
GHOSH: Indeed. I think one of the things that India has been doing right over the past decade or so has been doubling down or rather even tripling
down on renewable energy. We now have non-fossil electricity capacity of about close to 200,000 megawatts, or 200 gigawatts, which is roughly about
the same as coal. So in fact, for the first time in history, the share of coal-based capacity of power generation in India has fallen under 50
percent.
So what more needs to be done? What more needs to be done is we've got to tender out a lot more renewable energy capacity. Last year we tended our
45,000 megawatts. This kind of level of tendering has to go on for the next five years. So 45,000 to 50,000 megawatts every year of clean electric
capacity being installed. We've also got to make sure that we look at the past systems of the future. The past systems of the future will be much
more distributed. We're going to leverage the digital revolution, leverage AI so that you're optimizing for the electrons in a way that you are
reducing the load curve of our demand while increasing the share of clean energy.
GIOKOS: So --
GHOSH: Most importantly money have to flow with sometimes the most, and that's what's not happening.
GIOKOS: Yes. You took the words out of my mouth.
[10:50:03]
Money, you need the money. You need the funding. And that's the thing. If you say, you know, global south needs to become climate ready. By the time
we make a project bankable, we're going to be sweltering under the heat, all drowning or having, you know, living in drought.
How do you accelerate that so it can be viable?
GHOSH: The first thing to do is to recognize that you will get the better returns on investment. In geography is where the energy demand curve is on
the upward slope. And that is in South Asia, in Southeast Asia and Sub- Saharan Africa.
Now, once you recognize the market opportunity is there, of course, you've got to de-risk those investments. So one of the first things that
multilateral development banks, such as the World Bank and others, have to do, is to not give project-by-project loans, but instead de-risk or reduce
the risk of the portfolio of investments going into those geographies. The third thing we have to do is massively increase the kind of loans that we
give out to the final consumer, the homeowner, the farmer that can switch from a diesel irrigation pump to a solar irrigation pump.
The office girl who can switch from a diesel or a petrol two-wheeler to an electric two-wheeler. These are the ways in which we can rapidly move the
capital towards where the energy demand is on the up, but where the infrastructure --
GIOKOS: Well, I mean, it's really fascinating and we hope we can de-risk some of these projects so we thank you so much for your insights. Much
appreciated.
All right. We're going to a short break. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: To sports now and the final of the European Football Championship is set. England will face Spain in Berlin on Sunday and Spain is seeking to
be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time. England in search of their first Euros title.
CNN's Don Riddell is with us.
It's going to be -- it's an exciting one, isn't it? Who do you think has the edge in this?
DON RIDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes, that's a bit of an understatement. It'd be very exciting. It's really hard to go against Spain in this one for so
many different reasons. As you say, they're going for a fourth title. That would be a record. They have looked absolutely amazing in this tournament.
They've won every single game, six wins out of six, whereas oppose England's tree lines have really labored to get this far. And it's been a
difficult journey for them despite the fact that they ended up in the easiest half of the drawer.
The players, the manager in particular Gareth Southgate, has been criticized by the fans and the media. And yet here they are in the final,
in back-to-back European championship tournaments. They lost the last one three years ago to Italy on penalties. That was absolutely heartbreaking
for England. So they've got another chance to win this title for the first time. But as I say, going up against this Spanish team in the way they have
been playing, it will be difficult.
The other thing that you should consider, Spanish team teams just don't lose finals. If you go back more than 20 years every Spanish team, be at a
club side or the international team, La roja, every final they've got to, they have won. So England arguably facing a bit of an uphill task but of
course they will believe that they can do it and they certainly have been improving in the last few games in the tournament. Their win against the
Netherlands was amazing.
GIOKOS: I mean, I have to say, I can see what you're doing there. You're just like not setting expectations so there's no disappointment, Don. I can
see, I can hear it in your voice actually. I can hear it in your voice.
[10:55:04]
Look, I want to talk about Wimbledon. It's also coming to an end this weekend. The men's semifinals are underway. So what's the latest there?
RIDDELL: Yes. So right now, Carlos Alcaraz is playing Daniel Medvedev in the first of the year two-men semifinals. Medvedev, the big Russian, taking
the first set. But within the last few moments actually Alcaraz has gone 2- 1 ahead in that match. These two played in the semi here. Last year Alcaraz won that, which took him into the final against Novak Djokovic, which was
just an absolutely brilliant final.
Alcaraz winning his first Wimbledon title. Right now he's in with a great chance of winning another. We'll see what happens in this match. The second
match is still to come. That is Novak Djokovic, who is the seven-time Wimbledon champion. He's going up against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, who's
into a grand slam semi for the first time in his career. So you would think Djokovic has the edge. We will see.
But certainly at the moment we are kind of on course for a repeat of last year's final. Djokovic and Alcaraz, which was superb. So the fans won't be
too disappointed if that's the story again this year.
GIOKOS: All right. Don Riddell, good to have you with us. Thank you so much for that update. I'll be thinking of you on Sunday evening.
All right. That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Eleni Giokos. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next. Have a great weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
