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Isa Soares Tonight
Democratic National Convention Set to Kick Off Today; Israel Accepts Bridging Proposal for Gaza Ceasefire Deal; Biden to Pass Torch to Harris; Democratic National Convention Begins Today; Six Missing and One Dead After Yacht Sinks Off Sicily; Democratic National Convention Security. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 19, 2024 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, CO-HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares, it is 7:00 p.m. here in London, it's 1:00 p.m. in
Chicago where the Democratic Convention is about to kick off with U.S. President Joe Biden set to speak later today.
JIM SCIUTTO, CO-HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: And I'm Jim Sciutto here in Tel Aviv, where the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has just given an
update on the ongoing negotiations, saying that Israel has accepted the bridging proposal and now the ball is in Hamas' court. We'll see what the
next steps are.
SOARES: Indeed, we'll have much more on that story. We begin though in Chicago with a new --
SCIUTTO: There's no --
SOARES: Chapter --
SCIUTTO: The prompter is not moving --
SOARES: In one of the most unprecedented U.S. presidential campaigns in history. In just a few hours, President Joe Biden will speak on the opening
night of the Democratic National Convention. His speech will represent a passing of the torch of sorts to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Also expected to speak is former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. The only other woman of course, to capture a major party's presidential
nomination. We're joined now by CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak at the convention. And Kevin, tonight is very much about passing on
the baton.
And President Biden, who we're expected to see shortly, actually making his way to Chicago is expected to be the key note speaker, the keynote address
night. I mean, it was quite a change from the last four weeks, right? When he thought he'd be giving a much different speech. So, what are we likely
to hear from him, Kevin?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, you know, he's taking this speech very seriously. He spent the whole weekend at Camp David working on
it with a pair of his senior most aides, and I don't think the weight of this moment is lost on President Biden.
He came to his first Democratic National Convention in 1972, back then he was a candidate to become the youngest member of the U.S. Senate. This
really marks the end of that political arc. He's the oldest sitting President handing off the baton to his chosen successor, Kamala Harris.
You know, this is not the speech he would have liked to give. It's not the speech you would have hoped to give. And I think he is still processing in
some ways that effort to remove him from the top of the Democratic ticket. But when you talked to Biden aides, they say that he is very intent on
making clear that he does view Kamala Harris as the most natural inheritor of his legacy, as the best person to carry on all of the accomplishments
that he achieved while he was in office.
And that is certainly what we're going to be hearing from him tonight. And I think he will enjoy quite a warm reception from the Democrats in this
room who are very thankful for President Biden. It's a thank you note in some ways, it's also a bit of a goodbye note, the last sort of major
address to his biggest television audience that we can expect from this man who has had more than a 50-year run in the national spotlight.
So, it's bittersweet in some ways for him, but also looking ahead, and certainly Democrats very much want to look ahead. President Biden will not
stay around in Chicago for the rest of the week. He's heading off to California for a vacation with his family, essentially turning the keys of
this convention over to Vice President Harris, and she will have plenty of help in kind of introducing herself to an American public that may not have
been paying that much attention until now.
Two former Presidents speaking at this convention, for former first ladies, a whole roster of high-wattage Democrats trying to make the case both for
Kamala Harris and against Donald Trump. And you will hear a lot of that from the convention stage this week, really warning about what a potential
second Trump presidency might portend.
Certainly, Kamala Harris is entering on a swell of momentum. She has taken the lead in many national polls. But when you talk to Harris aides, they do
say this is a very close race, and that the real work of this campaign will start once this convention ends --
SOARES: Yes, and as you're talking, we are seeing, Kevin, the President, the first lady at Joint Base Andrews, making their way -- there he is --
making -- will be making his way to Chicago for, of course, that opening keynote address tonight.
[14:05:00]
And it's interesting because I was reading the article that you wrote about President Biden, how he was a spectator at his first DNC, it is now the
13th and is incumbent President passing the torch? I imagine as we look at these images, Kevin, this might be an incredibly emotional moment for him
too.
LIPTAK: There's no doubt that it is an -- so much of the President's political life has been wrapped up in his family life as well. You know, in
2008, when he was Barack Obama's vice presidential nominee, he was introduced by his son, Beau Biden. Four years later, Beau Biden officially
submitted his name to nomination, and of course, for years after that, after Beau Biden had passed away and President Biden had given up on a run
for President that year around, he was so present in the proceedings in that convention in Philadelphia.
And I think President Biden, when he speaks tonight and as he is on his way to Philadelphia, all of these memories will come to the fore. At the same
time though, I think he's, you know, very cognizant of the direction that the Democratic Party is now turning to.
When you talk to his aides and talk to people that he's been talking to for the last several weeks, they say certainly, this prolonged effort to remove
him from the ticket did leave its own set of scars. He's still working through it. It was an unhappy experience for him is what they say.
But at the same time, they said he's not going to dwell on this, he is pre- occupied with how he will finish the remainder of his presidency. This won't be the last time that we see him. He will be on the campaign trail
for Kamala Harris in as much as she wants him on the campaign trail, he will be working on foreign policy, including those critical negotiations in
the Middle East. And he wants to leave on a high note, and he wants to run through the tape, and this I think is the beginning of that.
SOARES: Yes, I mean, look, Monday night, tonight is very much Joe Biden's night. Then I'm guessing he'll turn the keys over to Kamala Harris and just
focusing on that, well, just pushing it forward, Kevin, to later on. The theme from what I understand of the convention today is for the people.
How do you expect the Democrats to frame the choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump? What are we likely to hear on that?
LIPTAK: Well, it's interesting because we did learn earlier today about some of the featured speakers that you will hear tonight. And they all have
to do with the January 6th insurrection. And that tells you everything you need to know about how they want to frame this race against Donald Trump.
So, we'll hear from some of the congressmen who are on the congressional panel that investigated that incident. We'll hear from a police officer who
was injured in the Capitol riot. And they do want to make the case that President Trump would be a threat to democracy.
And of course, that was in the whole underpinning of President Biden's campaign when it was in fact, President Biden's campaign. He run on
restoring the soul of America, and there were plenty of Democrats who disagreed with that as the thrust of the ticket. And certainly, President
Biden is no longer the nominee and Kamala Harris has tried to look more towards the future, towards a more optimistic vision.
But on President Biden's night, that will be a focus, and we did hear from the White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt earlier today, who said,
President Biden will name Trump in his speech. He is not going to dance around it. He's not going to talk about the former guy or the predecessor,
he will raise Donald Trump by name. After all, it's a political speech. This is a political convention --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: And for Democrats, the stakes of this election are so high and they very much want to underscore that from the stage.
SOARES: Kevin Liptak, as always, really appreciate -- a very windy Chicago as you would expect. Thank you very much, Kevin, thank you --
LIPTAK: Yes, windy -- it's the Windy City, yes --
SOARES: It is, sticking to its name --
LIPTAK: Sure --
SOARES: Abiding by its name. Thank you, Kevin. And we'll have much more of course on this story a bit later. In the meantime, our Jim Sciutto is in
Tel Aviv, Israel, uncovering what is a very critical moment of course, for the entire Middle East.
SCIUTTO: Yes --
SOARES: It's one that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken believes could be the best, maybe last, he said earlier, chance for a Gaza ceasefire
deal. Jim --
SCIUTTO: Yes --
SOARES: Bring us up-to-date with the very latest.
SCIUTTO: Yes, last best chance in the words of the top U.S. Diplomat, Blinken says he had a very constructive meeting with the Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. And just a short time ago, he reported progress and he said that the Israeli side at least has accepted the
bridging proposal -- in effect, the proposal on the table for a ceasefire and hostage deal for Gaza, in his words, he says this is now in the hands
of Hamas for its reaction.
Blinken says that Netanyahu has agreed to all U.S.-backed proposals meant to bridge those gaps between the sides. He says this round of diplomacy --
well, as we were saying there, might be their last chance to reach a deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: Just last week, the President put forward a proposal with Qatar and with Egypt to try to bridge
the gaps that remain between the parties so that we can get agreement to what the President put out there a couple of months ago.
[14:10:00]
In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal, that he supports
it. It's now incumbent on Hamas to do the same, and then the parties with the help of the mediators, the United States, Egypt and Qatar have to come
together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they'll implement the commitments that they've made under this
agreement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Well, for the families of the hostages still held in Gaza, a ceasefire cannot come a moment too soon. Protesters took to the streets
during Blinken's visit to Tel Aviv. You can see them here, they are demanding a hostage deal now as they have for months.
Secretary Blinken says the U.S. is working to make sure there are no provocations that could jeopardize the ongoing ceasefire efforts. But just
last night, Tel Aviv was rocked by a blast that has since been claimed by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSION)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: There's the blast there, widely circulated on Israeli media, it's been geo-located by CNN. Police are calling this a terror attack. They say
that the militant who was carrying the explosives was killed, a nearby passerby wounded. I'm joined now by CNN's international diplomatic editor,
Nic Robertson.
So, Secretary Blinken comes, he has a constructive meeting with his -- with the Israeli Prime Minister. He says that Israel has now accepted the
outlines of a proposal here and it's in Hamas' court. Is that the actual playing field right now? Has Israel accepted the entire U.S. agreement
because Hamas has been saying for months that it's accepted the U.S. proposal.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Previous proposal, and then they -- according to Hamas, Israel came along and made some additional
add-ons to putting proposals designed to sort of get around those. And we heard from Hamas in a press statement literally released just after
Secretary Blinken landed, that they have listened to the mediators about that bridging proposal, and they feel that it's entirely one-sided,
favoring Israel.
So, I think what we've heard today from the Secretary of State is a tiny incremental piece of progress, but only progress in as much as it ticks the
box and says Israel pretty much agrees to what they were already aware of. And now it's for Hamas to agree.
SCIUTTO: So, is Blinken pushing back on Hamas' complaint that Israel has moved to the goal post here and saying, no, actually Israel agrees to this
bridging proposal?
ROBERTSON: You might say pressuring back like pushing back. I think absolutely. Secretary Blinken was asked, look, Hamas has already said they
don't agree to this, and he said, well, sometimes their public position is different from their private position, but that really implies that there's
going to be a lot of pressure applied --
SCIUTTO: Right --
ROBERTSON: To get them to change, you know, their behind-the-scenes position that will then become public. But the reason that this is
incremental is, this isn't a -- this is in essence an agreement to a proposal without any discussion, and this is what Secretary Blinken is
saying. Next comes the discussion about how you implement it --
SCIUTTO: Right --
ROBERTSON: A bridge. The principles that you're agreeing to, so, it's absolutely salami-slicing down the negotiation, which is the skill of the
negotiators. But what it really means in reality is, this is such a long way from being resolved --
SCIUTTO: Right --
ROBERTSON: I think that's what we learned from Secretary Blinken. Now, obviously, hopes not. But I think that's where we're at --
SCIUTTO: And just briefly, the next step is now, if it is indeed in Hamas' court, they either say, OK, we're happy with what's on the table, and then
another round of talks gets underway later this week, or they say no, we don't buy what's on the table, and there has to be more back-and-forth.
ROBERTSON: And most likely think -- the short answer to your question is yes --
SCIUTTO: Yes --
ROBERTSON: That's right, the most likely thing because no party to the negotiation wants to be the one that says no and walk away from the table.
That precisely, they want to turn the tables and put it back on Israeli government again. So, you will find ultimately, I expect Hamas coming
forward with a formulation that accepts a bit, rejects a bit --
SCIUTTO: Right --
ROBERTSON: And then says, OK, back to Israel --
SCIUTTO: Back to you, yes, which is, well, we could say groundhog day in these negotiations.
ROBERTSON: You very much could.
SCIUTTO: Nic Robertson, thanks so much. Well, our next guest says that ending the war in Gaza would be the fastest way to head off what concerns
many people in this region, that is a wider conflict. Fawaz Gerges is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics.
He's also the author of "What Really Went Wrong: The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East".
[14:15:00]
Good to have you back, sir, thanks so much for taking the time this evening.
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Thank you, Jim, thanks for having me.
SCIUTTO: You have years, decades of experience following negotiations just like this one. Can you give us your best sense of where these
negotiations stand? Are they alive still? Are they frozen at this point? What's your view?
GERGES: Well, they are progressing, but to nowhere. I think the odds are against. It breaks through. I don't see -- I don't expect any major
breakthrough in the next few weeks. This is what the American bridging proposal is a non-starter for -- in fact, according to an Israeli official,
the American bridging proposal is an American-Israeli proposal.
The Americans had coordinated with the Israelis before they put the proposal on the table. And in fact, I was not surprised that Israeli Prime
Minister accepted the American bridging proposal. He made it very clear to bridging proposal has taken into account Israel's vital interests.
And Jim, you might say, what are Israel's vital security interests? That means Israel will not pull out its troops from Gaza, and Israeli Prime
Minister Netanyahu accepts only a pause, a ceasefire, as opposed to ending the war. And for Hamas, as we all know, they have repeatedly stressed they
want an end to the war, and Israeli troops to pull out of Gaza.
And this is where we are. This has been going on for months or so.
SCIUTTO: Yes, the concern is that the war expands, of course, and I wonder if these talks are dragging on for days, perhaps weeks without any
resolution. Does that successfully hold off Hezbollah, for instance, from expanding its attacks from the north, Iran, from carrying out what it is
promising, which it says is revenge for the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran. Is that enough to hold back an expansion of this war?
GERGES: I think what we need to understand -- the reason why the Biden administration is engaged in intensive diplomacy in the past --
SCIUTTO: Yes --
GERGES: Two weeks or so, because they have really built a kind of a link between a ceasefire in Gaza and basically avoiding an all-out regional
conflict. And I think it seems to me that implicitly, the Iranians and Hezbollah have made it very clear that the strategic goal is the ending of
the war in Gaza.
So, that's why the Americans have been pushing very hard. That's why the shuttle diplomacy. But at the end of the day, the fear, Jim, here, is the
fear. If the talks fail as they seem to be in the next couple of weeks, there is a real danger that the war in Gaza could really -- into an all-out
wider regional conflict between Israel and some allies, particularly the United States and Britain and Iran and its local proxies, Hezbollah in
Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and also some elements in Syria as well.
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, given that President Biden is no longer running for President, is there a power vacuum here? There's a U.S.
election coming up. Kamala Harris, of course, he's still the sitting Vice President, but she is running for President now.
And I imagine the region looks at that election and says well, we might have a different U.S. leader with a very different approach. Is there in
effect a power vacuum, a U.S. power vacuum in the region during that time?
GERGES: Well, I think what we have is a dangerous transitional phase, you have several months until November-January. And I think there is a relative
consensus in the region that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really wants President Trump to recapture the White House, because Trump
has promised Netanyahu a green light.
He said you can do whatever you want. So, this is really where the real danger, and that's why the administration, the Biden administration is
really trying to bring about an end to the conflict in Gaza. Because look, as you and I are talking now, I mean the war, Israel's war in Gaza is
playing on American streets in Chicago, the site of the Democratic National Convention.
And the war in Gaza, the Biden-Harris administration fears that the war in Gaza could overshadow the joy displays of confidence, you know, about the
Democratic ticket --
SCIUTTO: Yes --
GERGES: The Americans, they want an end to the war, but I take it -- they really, they use their leverage against Netanyahu. And that's why the
American bridging proposal.
[14:20:00]
They have given Netanyahu exactly what he has wanted throughout the past ten months or so.
SCIUTTO: Fawaz Gerges, it's always good to have your point of view on the region, thanks so much for joining.
GERGES: Thanks.
SCIUTTO: Well, a reminder of just how high the stakes are as mediators urgently tried to ease regional tensions by ceasing -- ceiling a Gaza
ceasefire deal. But as you heard there, there are still many more questions. I'll be back next hour with much more from Tel Aviv. And we have
much more still to come this hour, including the search for six people now missing off the Coast of Sicily after a tornado hit a luxury yacht killing
at least one person.
Plus, security is tight around the Democratic National Convention, we're going to be live in Chicago with the latest on preparations and the
protests.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, let's get back to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago because it is day one of the convention. Today's theme is for the
people where the party will highlight the stark differences between what Democrats want to take the country versus former President Donald Trump.
And President Biden, as Kevin Liptak and I were talking at the top of the show, will deliver the keynote address tonight. I want to bring in CNN
political commentator Van Jones for his take on what we can expect. Van, good to see you. In the last ten minutes or so, we saw President Biden
leave Washington -- Joint Base Andrews to say to Chicago, where he is expected to deliver that keynote address. Imagine emotional bittersweet
moment for him. What do we expect to hear from him today?
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, it's the old lion's last roar.
SOARES: Yes.
JONES: You know, he's one of the most beloved figures in American politics. He's not popular because of the economy, but he's beloved and
he's done something quite extraordinary. It's very hard to get people to give up any position, any job at all, let alone the top job in the world
and to step back and to let someone else step forward.
But he's done that and he's doing that tonight. And, you know, it's going to be an emotional moment. You know, if you -- if you can still invest at
the -- stock market is open, invest in some Kleenex --
SOARES: Yes --
[14:25:00]
JONES: You're going to have a big run on Kleenex tonight.
SOARES: I imagine so, imagine the standing ovation as well for President Biden. We know that he's going to ask America, Van, CNN on stands to vote
for what the White House is calling close governing partner. But, you know, polling has consistently shown the voters are unhappy with key issues.
You mentioned the economy, but also immigration. Does Harris then -- Kamala Harris want to be seen as Biden's close governing partner of this week?
Just talk to the risks here of tying her too closely to his record.
JONES: Well, I mean, I think ordinary people know, everyday people know, you can have a boss or you can love your boss, but you might do things
differently if it was your opportunity. And I think that's the relationship between Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.
She respects Joe Biden. She loves Joe Biden, but she's her own person. She's from a different generation with a different region of the country.
He's from the east coast, she's from the west coast, and she has her own ideas. And I think she can point with some pride to the good things that,
that administration got done.
But a Kamala Harris-Waltz administration would be different than a Biden- Harris administration. She needs to make sure that people understand that.
SOARES: And speaking of, you know, being her own person, we've seen that voters seem to want to know more about her. And I am hoping we can bring up
the "CBS"-YouGov poll that we have, because it shows, Van, to like one- third of voters don't yet know what she stands for. What does she need to do this week to make that clear who she is, to make that pitch?
JONES: Look, I think she should just keep doing what she's been doing, which is to be optimistic, to be future forward. I mean, people are
excited.
SOARES: Yes --
JONES: People are joyful, and at the same time, people want to know what is she going to do for them in particular? And she does have ideas. She's
got good kitchen table ideas, and as she speaks to those -- now look, we've got a couple of challenges here. There are some young men of color that
she's going to need in Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and cities like Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit that are skeptical of
Kamala Harris.
She says she's a prosecutor. Well, they haven't had a good experience with the police and prosecutors. And she hasn't said what she's going to do for
them. So, she's got some business to handle to get all these bunnies back in the barn with her. She's got to do some work. But I think she's got to
underscore what she's going to do for some constituencies that she needs, specially young men of color --
SOARES: Yes --
JONES: She can do that tonight and she's going to be doing -- she can do that over the course of the convention through other speakers and then when
she has her turn.
SOARES: Yes, look, she has suddenly -- and we've seen in the last two weeks, energize the party and the polls reflect that right there. There's
momentum, there's optimism. But outside the convention, we have seen -- we are expecting to see tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protests --
protesters inside.
I assume, Van, there will also be uncommitted voters. I just want to play how she's been responding to some of the protests, some of their concerns.
Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He intends to surrender our fight against the climate crisis and he intends to end the
Affordable Care Act. You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that otherwise, I'm speaking.
I will not speak for him, but I will tell you that these conversations are ongoing and we are not giving up, and we are going to continue to work very
hard on this. We've got to get a ceasefire, and we've got to get those hostages out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: So, what else? I mean, those protesters outside the convention, they feel -- we've heard from them, our Donie O'Sullivan has been reporting
on this. They feel very passionate about this. These are live pictures, in fact, from Chicago of protesters right now, Van. What do they -- does she
need to say or what does she need to address? How does she address their concerns right now?
JONES: Well, I think that she has addressed those concerns. I mean, look, we have two candidates in this race. One is Kamala Harris, who has called
for a ceasefire. Donald Trump has not. One is Kamala Harris who has met with these protesters, another is Donald Trump, who has not.
One is Kamala Harris who speaks with compassion about Palestinians, and frankly, Israelis too. The other is Donald Trump who had a Muslim ban and
who does not. And so, the idea that the person to attack in this race is Kamala Harris, a person to protest in this race is Kamala Harris. The
person to disrupt and disrespect where she's speaking is Kamala Harris.
Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. There's not much more she can do. She's not the commander-in-chief at this point. She says she wants the hostages
home. She wants a ceasefire. And so, I think that she needs to continue to speak out the way that she has for a common sense solution in the region.
But some protesters are not going to be satisfied no matter what she says, and to those people, I think she needs to give less attention and pay more
attention to just ordinary Americans, everyday Americans who worry about other issues.
SOARES: Let's push ahead then to later. And I want to show viewers who we're expecting, Van, to hear from, I think it's first lady, Jill Biden,
who we saw a few minutes ago, but also Hillary Clinton, who of course, lost to Donald Trump some eight years ago. What is she likely to say tonight?
Frame that frame this moment for us.
[14:30:15]
JONES: Well, listen, Hillary Clinton is her shoulders that Kamala Harris is proudly standing on as the first woman candidate who got as close as she
did. Hillary Clinton talks about putting the 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling. And now, Kamala Harris is pushing through those cracks and
she's going to actually be able to do what Hillary Clinton was a trailblazer for.
And so, I expect for Hillary Clinton to have some real pride. There might be a little bit of a bittersweet moment that she wasn't the one to be able
to get it done. But she opened the door. As Kamala Harris might say, she kicked in the door. Hillary Clinton did. So, that someone like Kamala
Harris can do what she's doing.
SOARES: Yes, indeed, breaking the glass ceiling. Van, always great to get your insight. Really appreciate you sticking with us. Thank you.
JONES: No, thank you very much.
SOARES: Now, at least one person has died and another six are missing off the coast of Sicily after a tornado sunk a luxury yacht. The vessel was
anchored near the village of Porticello when it was hit by the storm. Officials say 15 people were rescued while British tech billionaire and
entrepreneur Mike Lynch is among the missing.
A storm system over Italy has battered the island with torrential rainfall as well as strong winds. Our Barbie Nadeau has been monitoring this for us,
and she joins me from Rome. And, Barbie, what more can you tell us about the search and the rescue operation on the way? I assume it's still on the
way. What are authorities telling you this hour?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know, we know that the civil protection authorities say that they're going to be working through the
night. They brought in some special divers that usually work in caves for rescue to try to reach this vessel, which is about 50 meters below the
surface.
So, many questions about if they're -- if they should have been closer to shore and what could have happened differently in order to prevent this.
But at the end of the day, you know, a tornado hitting a yacht sort of it - - you know, it's happened at 5:00 a.m. in the morning is very much hard to predict and hard to avoid the sort of consequences that we're seeing.
You know, there are some incredible stories of survival. There was a 35- year-old woman who said -- who had told reporters on the ground, you know, that she was a guest on the ship of Mike Lynch. She had worked for him,
worked with his companies. At some point, you know, the seas were stormy. Her one-year-old daughter, she had taken into her arms because this little
girl, this little baby was afraid of the thunder.
What happened then when the ship overturned, she and the baby and her husband were able to, you know, stay above the boat, stay above the water,
but she lost the grip of this one-year-old baby. And you can imagine the waves. It's 5:00 a.m. in the morning, there's a little bit of light, but
not a lot. For a couple of minutes, as she described it, able then to retrieve that baby and they were saved by another boat that was nearby. So,
you've got stories of survival.
But right now, the rescuers and the civil protection, the coast guard and the fire brigade are calling it a search operation. But, you know, this
happened more than, I guess, we're at 18 hours ago now. So, it seems very unlikely that anyone that may still be in that boat at the bottom of the
Mediterranean could have survived. Isa.
SOARES: Absolutely terrifying. Barbie, really appreciate it. I know you'll stay on top of the story. Barbie Nadeau, there for us from Rome.
Well, an intense wildfire is raging in the Portuguese island of Madeira in the Atlantic. And you can see the flames sweeping across the southern
mountains in this time lapse video. More than a hundred people have had to evacuate since the fire broke out on Wednesday. Hundreds of firefighters
have been deployed to stop the blaze. This, as strong winds, of course, feed the inferno.
Well, Ernesto has become a hurricane once again as it picks up strength on its way to Eastern Canada. Even though the storm is still 100 miles or more
than a thousand kilometers away, it is causing deadly rip currents along the U.S. east coast as well as Canada. Ernesto has also caused severe
flooding in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Bermuda. And Ernesto is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm on Tuesday as it reaches
cooler Canadian waters.
And still to come on the show tonight, tight security is in place for the Democratic National Convention. We'll have a live report from Chicago about
the protests as well as the preparation. That's just ahead. You are watching CNN.
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[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. We are seeing tight security in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. Activists have gathered in the
city, as we've shown you, to try to get their message across. The march on the DNC has now gotten underway. You are looking at live pictures and is
focused on ending U.S. aid to Israel and could be one of the biggest protests all week in fact.
Protests already took place, you remember on Sunday in the heart of Downtown Chicago. The area is home to one of the largest Palestinian
communities in the United States.
Joining us now from Chicago, CNN's Whitney Wild. So, Whitney, give us a sense of where you are, what you're seeing. What are people telling you?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: We're in Downtown Chicago. This is on the west side. It's an area called Union Park, and it's
about five blocks or so from the United Center. This is where we expect one of the biggest protests of the entire week is going to step off here in
just a few minutes.
Right now, there are speakers taking the stage. This is very much entirely really a protest that is pro-Palestinian, that is protesting the war in the
Middle East. And what we expect is that after, you know, about an hour and a half of speakers, that this march will happen throughout Downtown
Chicago, kind of a couple blocks north of the United Center.
One of the big issues out here, Isa, has been this court battle between this organization, the Coalition to March on the DNC, and the city. The
coalition has been fighting for a stage, which they did get, speakers, which they ended up getting, but they've also been fighting for a longer
parade route.
The parade route that the city wants them to abide by is about a mile long. They want to go twice that. They say that the thousands of people here,
it's just too big for the parade route that the city has identified. So, that has been the big court battle here.
Well, protest groups have made very clear over the last several days leading up to this protest is they plan to go that longer route. So, we'll
have to watch and see what the police response is to that decision.
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The police security here is pretty tight, but it's not in the crowd. It's very much at the perimeter. So, once you're in the crowd, you actually
don't see any police presence. But at the outside, you see, you know, I would say hundreds of police officers -- you know, maybe dozens of police
officers lined up around the outside. Many are on bicycles, which is a pretty typical tool that law enforcement uses because they can move quickly
and they can also pretty quickly become a barricade if something happens.
The other thing that we're watching for, Isa, is any counter protesters. And right now, we've seen maybe about a dozen protesters. It was a very
brief. It was very little confrontation. I mean, the two groups just came up to one another, but there was no confrontation. So, for now, this has
maintained entirely peaceful. Isa.
SOARES: And, Whitney, I know it's loud, so hopefully you can hear me. I wonder if you could just explain to us what protesters want to see from the
conversations you've had from those there, what do they want to see and hear from Kamala Harris? And do they believe that she's been clear on her
policy? She said she wants the hostages home, she wants a ceasefire deal, what else do they want?
WILD: Anything short of a complete ceasefire immediately is not acceptable to this protest group. I mean, that is what's very clear. When you look
around at the signs here, you see that they don't think either party, Republicans or Democrats, has done enough to get to that point.
So, they're very angry that Joe Biden is going to take the stage tonight. They've called him Genocide Joe. They are pushing for an immediate
ceasefire and anything short of that, Isa, is not acceptable.
SOARES: Whitney, I appreciate it. We are looking very lively indeed. And I don't know how many in terms of numbers, but we are expecting tens of
thousands potentially today. It's 1:41 in the afternoon there. Whitney Wild, appreciate it. Thank you very much. Tight security being in place
there, as you can expect, given the crowd.
That does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here, though, for much more coverage on the Democratic National Convention, which starts, of course, at
5:00 p.m. Chicago time, 6:00 p.m. Eastern time. If you are up in London, 11:00 p.m. right here.
And my colleague, Jim Sciutto, is back with Newsroom in about 50 minutes. And World Sport is up next.
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