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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Iran's Supreme Leader Reportedly Ordering a Direct Strike on Israel; Haniyeh Assassinated in Tehran; Hezbollah Confirms Fu'ad Shukr's Death; Trump Clashing with Black Journalists at Black Journalists Convention; Trump Falsely Claims Harris "Happened to Turn Black"; U.S. Reaches Plea Deal with Alleged 9/11 Mastermind; Maduro Asks Supreme Court to Certify Election; Fed Chair: Rate Cut Could Come in September; Boeing Appoints New CEO as Losses Widen; Triathletes Swim in Seine After Water Quality Concerns; Fears of Wider Mideast War After High-Profile Assassinations; Tech Firm Tacking Turbulence; New Olympic Record for American Swimmer Katie Ledecky. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired July 31, 2024 - 18:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN HOST: It's 1:00 am in Tel Aviv, 7:00 a.m. in Tokyo, and 6:00 p.m. here in New York. I'm Julia Chatterley. And wherever you are
in the world, this your "First Move."
And a welcome to "First Move," as always. And here's today's need to know. Iran's supreme leader reportedly ordering a direct strike on Israel after
the killing of a top Hamas leader in Tehran. That's according to "The New York Times."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened
to turn black. And now, she wants to be known as black. So, I don't know, is she Indian or is she black?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: Race rant. Donald Trump clashing with black journalists while questioning the ethnicity of Kamala Harris.
Supreme solution. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro asking the nation's top court to certify the disputed election result. Critics say that Supreme
Court is not independent.
And tackling turbulence. The tech firm that says it can cut plane volatility by up to 80 percent. Find out how. That conversation and plenty
more coming up.
But first, Iran's supreme leader issuing an order to strike Israel directly following the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran,
at least according to "The New York Times." The newspaper's citing information provided by three Iranian officials familiar with the order
said to have been given during an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council. Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh's
death.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, a security source confirming to CNN that the body of a high-level Hezbollah commander was found under rubble in Beirut.
Jeremy Diamond is in the Israeli city of Haifa tonight. Jeremy, good to have you with us. Prime Minister Netanyahu said earlier Wednesday that the
nation had dealt crushing blows to its enemies and that they're prepared for any scenario. I think a lot of people tonight there in Israel are
questioning what those scenarios now might look like.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: No question about it, Julia. It truly feels like we are on a knife's edge at this moment, in this
region, as the Israeli prime minister not acknowledging directly that Israel was responsible for this assassination in Tehran, but saying that
Israel has delivered what he describes as "crushing blows to its enemies."
And now, major questions about what the Iranian response will look like as reports indicate that Iran will perhaps retaliate directly against Israel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DIAMOND (voice-over): Tonight, a red flag of revenge flies over Iran, and a region teeters ever closer to the brink. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political
leader, assassinated in Tehran, where he was meeting with the Iranian supreme leader.
Hamas says a rocket struck Haniyeh in his room, killing him and his bodyguard. Israel will neither confirm nor deny its involvement, but Iran
and Hamas say Israel was behind the strike and are promising to respond.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowing it is our duty to take revenge. The Israeli Prime Minister answering hours later.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We are prepared for any scenario and will stand united and determined against any
threat. Israel will exact a very heavy price for any aggression against us, from any arena.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Haniyeh's assassination came just hours after Israel carried out another strike in the Lebanese capital, killing Fu'ad Shukr,
Hezbollah's senior most military commander. Back-to-back strikes on senior leaders of two Iranian proxies, now ratcheting up the risk of a regional
war. And the dangers of miscalculation.
Haniyeh who openly celebrated Hamas' massacre of hundreds of Israeli civilians on October 7th has been on Israel's kill list for months.
NETANYAHU (through translator): I instructed the Mossad to act against Hamas leaders, wherever they are.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But Haniyeh was also viewed as a key figure in ongoing ceasefire negotiations at a critical time. Leading Qatar's prime
minister to wonder, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?
SHARONE LIFSCHITZ, DAUGHTER OF TWO HOSTAGES TAKEN ON OCTOBER 7: I have no sympathy for Haniyeh. He was dancing on the 7th of October, but I have huge
sympathy for all the people -- for all the hostages and their families and people caught in this nightmare, innocent civilians, and we -- it's hard to
see how it will advance a deal.
[18:05:00]
DIAMOND (voice-over): In Gaza, Haniyeh's killing seen by some as confirmation that Israel wants to prolong the war.
AMJAD AL SHAWWA, POLITICAL ANALYST (through translator): It is clear that the occupation has a clear intention not to reach any calm, cease fire, or
to stop the aggression. Rather, it continues to practice this aggression at all levels. And through this assassination, there is no doubt that it seeks
to escalate this position and not move towards any calm.
DIAMOND (voice-over): That calm remains as elusive as ever. Like other journalists around the world, Al Jazeera's Ismail Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami
al-Refee spent the day reporting on Haniyeh's assassination.
From in front of Haniyeh's house, al-Ghoul spoke of the Israeli airstrike that destroyed the home months ago. Moments after leaving the site, Al
Jazeera says another Israeli airstrike hit a car leaving the scene. The two journalists were killed on the spot.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (on camera): And, Julia, the White House tonight is quite starkly acknowledging that the events of the last 24 to 48 hours are really not
helping to bring down the temperature in this region, clearly raising concerns about the potential for escalation. And amid all of that, the U.S.
secretary of state, Antony Blinken, speaking with his Qatari counterpart, the Qatari prime minister, who is also the foreign minister, asking him to
convey messages to Iran as well as Hezbollah, asking that those countries agree to de-escalate and not retaliate for the strikes in Beirut and
Tehran. Julia.
CHATTERLEY: And we'll continue to watch. Jeremy Diamond there, thank you. All right. Donald Trump clashed with moderators at a conference of black
journalists a few hours ago in Chicago. The former U.S. president repeatedly calling one of the moderators "rude." Her opening question was
pretty pointed.
Yet later, Trump also falsely claiming that Kamala Harris "happened to turn black a few years ago." The vice president wasn't able to make it to the
conference and is due to speak soon in Houston, Texas. Kristen Holmes has more details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A combative Former President Donald Trump clashing with reporters during an appearance
at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Chicago.
RACHEL SCOTT, MODERATOR: You have pushed false claims about some of your rivals, from Nikki Haley to Former President Barack Obama, saying that they
were not born in the United States, which is not true. You have told four congresswoman women of color who were American citizens to go back to where
they came from. Why should black voters trust you after you have used language like that?
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First of all, I don't think I've ever been asked a question so -- in such a
horrible manner. I think it's disgraceful that I came here, in good spirit, I love the black population of this country.
HOLMES (voice-over): The half hour long question and answer session was marked by several pointed exchanges right from the start. With Trump
falsely questioning Vice President Kamala Harris' heritage after being asked if he felt attacks by his allies calling her a DEI hire were
appropriate.
TRUMP: I really don't know. Could be. Could be. I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn black. And
now, she wants to be known as black. So, I don't know, is she Indian or is she black?
SCOTT: She has always identified as a black when she went to a historically black college.
TRUMP: I respect either one, but she obviously doesn't. Because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn and she went
-- she became a black person.
HOLMES (voice-over): The Republican nominee also pressed on past comments by his running mate, Ohio Senator J. D. Vance, about childless Americans.
SCOTT: Did you know that he had these views?
TRUMP: I know this. He is very family oriented. But I know people with great families. I know people with not great families that don't have a
family. And the people without the family are far better. They're superior in many cases.
HOLMES (voice-over): Amid criticism of Vance, Trump asked if he believed his running mate was ready to serve on day one.
TRUMP: Historically, the choice of a vice president makes no difference. You're voting for the president, and you can have a vice president who's
outstanding in every way, and I think J. D. is. I think that all of them would have been. But you're not voting that way. You're voting for the
president. You're voting for me. If you like me, I'm going to win. If you don't like me, I'm not going to win.
HOLMES (voice-over): The former president was also asked whether he stood by his pledge to pardon rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6,
2021, likening the events of that day to recent protests in Washington over Israel's war in Gaza.
TRUMP: Like about five days ago, we had an attack on the Capitol, a horrible attack on the Capitol. Red spray paint that will never actually
come off, especially on the limestone. It will never -- I'm a builder. I know about this stuff.
They fought with police, they fought with them much more openly than I saw on January 6th. What's going to happen to those people?
SCOTT: Would you pardon those people?
[18:10:00]
TRUMP: What's going to happen -- oh, absolutely, I would.
SCOTT: You would pardon those --
TRUMP: If they're innocent. If they're innocent, I would pardon them.
SCOTT: They've been convicted.
TRUMP: And by the way -- well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: Breaking news now into CNN regarding a plea deal between the U.S. and the alleged mastermind of the terror attacks of September 11th and
two other defendants. That's according to the Defense Department. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured in Pakistan back in 2003 for his alleged
involvement in the attacks against the United States.
Oren Liebermann is with us now. Oren, I vividly remember the United States saying they would seek the death penalty, at least for Mohammed. What more
do we know about this plea deal?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you pointed out, Julia, this announcement coming just a few moments ago from the Defense
Department that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, more commonly known perhaps as KSM, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks has reached what DOD calls a
pretrial agreement, a plea deal with prosecutors in what was a military tribunal of his alleged involvement in the attacks.
He had faced, as well as his co-defendants, a list of charges, including conspiracy. And a number of other charges causing bodily harm as well as
intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property and violation of the law of war. So, there were a number of charges he was
facing. The Defense Department does not say or give many details about the agreement that had been reached.
But "The New York Times" is reporting that KSM, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, had agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in exchange for the life
sentence instead of, as you pointed out, the Defense Department in the U.S. pursuing the death penalty against KSM for his alleged involvement in the
9/11 attacks.
Two other co-defendants who face charges for their alleged involvement in planning the 9/11 attacks have also reached pretrial agreements. According
to DOD, those two are Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi.
So, this had been under -- in the works for several years now. We reported back in March of 2022 that the U.S. was looking to see if there was a
possibility for reaching pretrial agreements, but it's worth noting that this whole case has been drawn out and long stalled. It was years between
his capture in Pakistan and his arraignment back in 2008. It was many years more before his trial was set to begin.
And now, this, this pretrial agreement, this plea deal with KSM here that has been announced. We will wait to see when there are more official
statements about what's in the plea deal itself. It is worth noting that had been -- it had been a major effort of the Biden administration to try
to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. They had repatriated a number of those held there back to their home countries as
part of determining that they were no longer a national security risk.
Still, there were nearly 40 detainees still left at Gitmo and it didn't look like there was much progress there until this announcement just a
short time ago that plea agreements had been reached in these three defendants, including, of course, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Oren, very quickly, do we have any sense of how quickly they could submit these pleas in, in open court and then we get more details, of
course?
LIEBERMANN: I don't have a good answer to that. I don't know if this process will move quickly or slowly from here. It has, of course,
historically moved slowly. But this such a major moment, the announcement, that an agreement has been reached. And that may essentially make the
entire process from here move a bit faster. Certainly, something we'll keep an eye on.
CHATTERLEY: We certainly will. Oren, great to have you. Thank you. Oren Liebermann there. OK. To Venezuela now, where President Nicolas Maduro says
he will not hesitate to call for a "new revolution" if forced by what he calls North American imperialism and fascist criminals.
His comments came just hours after Washington urged him to "come clean" about Sunday's election. Many nations in Latin America and Europe joining
calls for greater transparency. President Maduro also filing an appeal before the Supreme Court to certify Sunday's results. He was named the
winner with 51 percent of the vote, but the opposition claims it won in a landslide.
Deadly protests have followed, and the attorney general says more than a thousand people have been arrested. Let's go to Stefano Pozzebon who's in
Caracas for us. Stefano, you can talk to us about the Supreme Court because that's where we began discussing it earlier this week and saying there's
going to be criticism that the Supreme Court isn't independent. But what does he mean, first and foremost, by a new revolution?
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Well, I think, Julia, that we are in front today to the counter reaction of Nicolas Maduro and his government after
being asked pretty much by everybody to release those ballot data and those voting center tallies. And by everybody, I mean allies, ideological
friends, and his usual foes, the U.S., the U.N., and the G7. Everybody's asking the same thing here. We want to see those ballots.
[18:15:00]
And Maduro, to all of them, said, well, let's have the Supreme Court rule on that. Because, like just as you said, the Supreme Court here in
Venezuela has been accused many times in the past of not being independent. This the same Supreme Court that earlier this year barred the opposition
leader Maria Corina Machado to compete in the election against Maduro in the first place.
So, I think that by just throwing the ball and passing it on to the Supreme Court of Maduro is trying to buy some time from the pressure that the
International Community has created around him in demanding just very firmly and very simply to release all the data that he, his party, or his
government, which in Venezuela is pretty much the same thing, have at their hands.
Today, Maduro, to everybody involved, said that he will just wait for the Supreme Court to rule on that and he will not accept any foreign
intervention, coming from either Washington, which is a traditional flow, but from other people. He -- I think he just finished -- he finished
speaking from -- on televised press conference about 10 minutes ago.
He went on for three hours asking everybody to don't mind on Venezuelan business and he was back to his usual punchy self. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If North American imperialism and fascist criminals force us, my pulse will not
tremble to call the people to a new revolution with other characteristics. The people know it. They know it. I was not born on the day of the cowards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: One usual refrain that the government of Nicolas Maduro is that the Bolivarian Revolution, which is this movement that they say that they
lead is peaceful to the core, but not unarmed. That they retain the right to use the arms whenever they need. And unfortunately, today, we reached
the news from the Human Rights Watch, who said that they have credible reports of up to 20 people killed in the protest that erupted on Monday and
Tuesday following the publications of those results.
Today, we are in the office. The streets of Caracas are empty. Caracas is back to his usual self. There is a lot of fear because the repression has
been brutal over the last couple of days. And today is Maduro, once again, saying -- telling everybody, everybody who is willing to listen to him that
he doesn't intend to move an inch, to seed an inch, or to move from where he stands. Julia.
CHATTERLEY: If you've got nothing to hide, show the data. That's been the message from the International Community, certainly, and the people, many
people there, Stefano.
POZZEBON: Yes.
CHATTERLEY: We'll see if that pressure continues. Stefano Pozzebon for now. Thank you.
POZZEBON: Yes.
CHATTERLEY: All right. Coming up, an open and shut Fed cut. Well, that's the hope for September. We'll hear from former New York Fed President Bill
Dudley who says, cut now.
Plus, the River Seine cleaner once again. New Olympic triathletes finally making a splash and coming away seemingly unscathed after water quality
levels improved. The latest action from the Paris Games coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back. In today's "Money Move," we've got tech stock traction and central bank reaction. Wall Street sparks fly on the last day
of July, with tech bouncing back thanks to chip sector gains and hopes for lower U.S. borrowing costs.
The NASDAQ up 2.5 percent, while NVIDIA gained nearly 13 percent in Wednesday's session. After the closing bow, more tech-tastic news too.
Shares Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, rallying after strong results on an upbeat forecast due to strong advertising sales.
And for Meta earnings to a mega day for central banks too, the Bank of Japan announcing its second-rate hike of the year as well as plans to phase
out stimulus measures. The result, a spike in the value of the yen. We're now sitting on a value of 150 yen to the U.S. dollar.
And then, came the Fed. The U.S. Central Bank holding rates steady, but cuts could be coming soon. Chair Jerome Powell keeping a rate cut in play
when policymakers meet in September.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: The question will be whether the totality of the data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks
are consistent with rising confidence on inflation and maintaining a solid labor market. If that test is met, a reduction in our policy rate could be
on the table as soon as the next meeting in September.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: And joining us now, former New York Fed president Bill Dudley, who argued in a recent op ed that the Fed needs to act to avoid rising
recession risks. Bill, fantastic to have you on the show. Welcome.
Just to be clear with our viewers, you have long been in the hire for longer camp to get inflation under control. You're now saying, look. the
facts have changed and so have you. Why? Why do you think the Fed should be cutting rates even as early as today?
BILL DUDLEY, FORMER NEW YORK FED PRESIDENT: Well, I think two things have happened. Number one, the Feds got inflation under control. Their favorite
inflation indicator is now rising 2.6 percent on a year over year basis, which is not that far from their 2 percent inflation objective.
And two, there's signs of weakness in various parts of the economy. Small businesses are suffering from higher interest rates. And low- and moderate-
income households, you know, they don't get the benefit of a soaring stock market to make them feel better. They're paying more on auto loans and
credit card debt. So, you're actually seen some signs of slowing on the economy. You've seen the unemployment rate, you know, drift up quite a bit
over the last six months.
Wage trends are also coming down. We saw that earlier today. So, I think, you know, the risk reward of waiting now seems to be pretty low in my
opinion. If you -- if you're basically telling people you're -- you plan to cut in September, it begs the question of, well, if that's so obvious, then
why don't you just do it today?
CHATTERLEY: So, why aren't they? I mean, in this article, you also point out and you say, look. you're looking at the three-month average
unemployment rate, and that's ticking higher. The Fed's saying exactly what you're seeing. Why aren't they moving? Because you say this an indicator at
least of rising recession risks and a consistent one.
DUDLEY: Well, I think there's a couple of reasons why they're going more slowly. Number one, I think that they were burned by the bad inflation data
early in the year when we got the three bad inflation reports in a row. So, they sort of don't want to go down that path again, you know, sort of
declaring victory prematurely.
Number two, I think Powell wants to maintain a consensus on the FOMC, in the Federal Open Market Committee. And one way to do that is to basically
tell the doves that cuts are coming, but tell the hawks, look, we're actually being a little bit more patient.
And, then finally, the (INAUDIBLE) is what you're referencing. Every time the unemployment rate goes up by more than a half a percent on a three-
month moving average basis, U.S. ends up in recession. That indicator right now is at 0.43 percent. So, not very far away. The Fed's view of that is,
yes, it's a nice indicator. He was asked about it at his press conference, but he basically said, you know, maybe this time it's different because the
unemployment rate is going up because of strong labor force growth, not because of a lot of job layoffs. So, we'll see if this time is different.
I've heard that refrain before though.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. Mistakes have been made like that in the past. Bill, can a recession still be avoided if they do start cutting rates in September or
based on that?
[18:25:00]
DUDLEY: Yes, I think so. I think that, you know, the prospect for a soft landing are clearly better than you would expect just by looking at that
kind of indicator because business balance sheets and household balance sheets are in reasonable shape, especially compared to like where they were
like in 2007, 2008. And the Fed Reserve is poised to cut rates.
So, if the economy shows signs of weaknesses, then the Federal Reserve will respond, you know, pretty quickly. You know, and the fact is that it looks
like the economy is still growing. It looks like, you know, the economy is growing at about a 2 percent annual rate. Job gains are still positive. So,
yes, the economy is weakening, but it doesn't look like it's falling off the table.
So, I think, you know, the possibility of a soft landing is higher than normal. But why do you want to take that risk?
CHATTERLEY: Yes. This time may be different, but it may not. Bill Dudley, the former president of the New York Fed. great to get your insights, sir.
Thank you.
DUDLEY: Thank you.
CHATTERLEY: Now, changes afoot at the Fed and the world's largest aerospace firm too, Boeing, trying to move on from a disastrous start to
the year, announcing that a well-respected industry vet, Kelly Ortberg, will begin piloting the corporate craft next week.
The news helped sugarcoat week second quarter results, with corporate losses widening significantly to $1.4 billion. Now, Boeing shares finished
Wednesday session up 2 percent, but as always, context key shares still down 24 percent year to date. Richard Quest joins us now. Richard, welcome.
Always great to get your insights.
He clearly knows a thing or two about aerospace and about defense. Why is everybody so excited about Kelly Ortberg?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Well, I suppose you could put it at its most simple, which is that he comes from the industry.
He was the CEO of Rockwell. And so, he knows the industry aerospace, both civil and -- civil commercial and military and defense. He is very
experienced in that regard.
And because of his Rockwell Collins experience, there's a feeling that he also knows how to run a very large organization with difficult supply
chains across a wide range of different types of aircraft. Now, that's the positive.
Secondly, he's a mechanical engineer by trade. That is his background and the view has been that Boeing, they let the bean counters take control.
They were more concerned with investors and quarterly profits than they were. And then the need to squeeze the assets, if you will, squeeze the
planes to the point where they fell off the air or bits fell off. So, there's a huge optimism.
I think it's a -- it's partly justified, Julia, but I wouldn't say that this task involved, as indeed Kelly himself admitted, is simply ginormous.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, one could argue the bar is low here as well. Bank of America said it was a bad quarter. I mean, the numbers are eye watering,
but by no means the kitchen sink, Richard, so that the data could get worse.
QUEST: Oh, we haven't even started that.
CHATTERLEY: Oh, come on then.
QUEST: We haven't. Remember, he's still cleaning up the mess before you get to the restructuring. Calhoun, the outgoing CEO, had two years from the
crashes, the MAX crashes -- two years from MAX crashes to Alaska door blowing off, and he didn't manage to do it. Now, this new guy coming in,
he's got a very good team that's in place now.
But the other problem, Julia, besides the systemic issues is the supply chain issues. Even if the regulators allow them to start building MAX
planes at the rate they want to, they simply can't get the parts. They can't put it together. He's going to have to merge spirit back into Boeing,
the fuselage manufacturer. And then, he's still got to get the triple seven X certified to bring in, start bringing in the large bucks. To say nothing,
by the way, of a future mid-range long haul aircraft.
CHATTERLEY: And the defense business, where the margins have collapsed as well. And we didn't even mention corporate culture, Richard. We'll save it
for another episode.
QUEST: Another day.
CHATTERLEY: Another day.
QUEST: I guarantee you it's on this one.
CHATTERLEY: Thank you, Richard. Now, across the Atlantic at the Paris Olympics, some successful swimming in the Seine. Heavy rainfall had caused
water quality concerns, but the numbers improved right before the triathlon events, that according to the mayor.
During the cycling portion of the race though, several athletes slipped on the wet streets of the French capital. The weather has been an Olympic
sized challenge for days now. Chad Myers joins us. Chad, you wouldn't catch me swimming in the Seine. I have to say that. Yes. Give us the weather
forecast.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, and the good news is yesterday we talked about these thunderstorms that were very, very close to Paris, but
they were just to the northwest of Paris. So, down river of the Seine where they were putting in.
No, if you were to just push this rain -- because there was 150 millimeters in some spots, you put all of that upriver having to flow through Paris,
then we have a completely different number there for the count. I won't even count -- don't even tell you what that count is.
[18:30:00]
25 right now in Paris, that should be the normal high for the day. So, yes, we're going to see some cooler air. We're going to see some mild air over
the next couple of days and a lack of rainfall. There still will be some showers tomorrow across the area, but we're not going to see a lot. This
going to be the story for the middle part of the country here. And so, the rain is going to be over by Friday.
Now, back to the U.S., where we're going to go to Fahrenheit. High temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit here, causing thunderstorms,
some of them severe with very gusty winds across the Midwest. We don't need those temperatures, though, back out toward the western part of the country
where they are fighting fires. Here, in the 90s again for even the big cities. But above average across most of the U.S.
And when you put the temperatures with firefighters on the ground trying to battle fires and you're over 100 degrees, you're over 40 degrees Celsius
with 95 active big fires going, you have problems. Those firefighters have to take breaks. A lot of this firefight is now from the air, even from
Colorado all the way to California. And some of the firefighters are right on the ground.
Think about this, if it's 100 degrees and flames are that close. I know you have a hose, but it's not doing very much. Now, the fifth biggest fire in
California history 389,000 acres, 150,000 hectares still completely out of control. Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Wow. Chad Meyers, thank you for that report. We'll be right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move" with a look at more international headlines this hour. Recapping our breaking news first, the U.S. Defense
Department says a plea deal now has been reached between the U.S. and the alleged mastermind of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 and two
other defendants.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in 2003. The three men agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in exchange for a life
sentence instead of the death penalty, according to "The New York Times."
[18:35:00]
Ukraine says Russia has launched one of the largest drone attacks since the war began. The Ukrainian military says 89 drones were shot down around the
Kyiv region over a seven-hour period. This video is from further east near the Russian border. Russian strikes on Eastern and Southern Ukraine killed
at least two people.
Rescue operations are underway in Southern India after deadly landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains. More than 150 people have been killed.
Officials say that number is expected to rise.
Iranian leaders are vowing revenge after a senior leader of Iran-backed groups Hezbollah and Hamas were killed just hours apart. And while Israel
has neither confirmed nor denied being behind the brazen assassination of the political head of Hamas in Tehran, "The New York Times" is now
reporting that Iran's supreme leader has ordered a direct attack on Israel in response, according to three Iranian officials. All of this complicating
the hostage and ceasefire negotiations.
Qatar's prime minister, a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas talks wrote on X, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on
the other side?"\
Alex Marquardt joins us now from Washington, D.C. Alex, good to have you with us. Two big questions here. I think the first, what does this mean for
the ceasefire and hostage negotiations? And then, I think the second is, as far as the Israelis are concerned, what does retaliation look like, whether
that's on the part of Hamas, Hezbollah, or indeed Iran itself?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, Julia, if these ceasefire talks are still going on, then they
are on a pause. If they're not dead in the water completely.
Certainly, things were moving in a positive direction. We saw meetings in Rome on Sunday with the key mediators, including the CIA director, Bill
Burns. But this has now come to a crashing halt because the main Hamas interlocutor, the main Hamas member at the negotiating table was Ismail
Haniyeh, who was killed in this strike in Tehran believed to have been carried out by Israel.
Now, the White House is not confirming, no U.S. officials are confirming that Israel was behind this, but we did hear from the White House's John
Kirby earlier today who did say that this does complicate the nature of what they're trying to get done and this does obviously turn up the
temperature in the region. So, we'll have to see where the ceasefire talks go.
In terms of a potential response, we have heard throughout the course of the day, Iranian officials threatening a response against Israel for the
attack that took place in Tehran that killed the Hamas leader who was there for the inauguration ceremony of the new president.
Now, that could come in a number of different ways. Now, you'll remember, as well, our viewers back in April, there was that massive barrage of crews
and ballistic missiles as well as drones that were fired at Israel. They were largely stopped by Israel and a number of allies, including the United
States. So, we could see another direct strike from the Iranians, but of course, we could see the proxies in the region really stepping up as well.
We've seen proxies in Iraq and Syria attacking Israel and U.S. forces across the region. Of course, Hezbollah from Lebanon that has been in a
low-level war with Israel since October 8th. And then the, Houthis who have also recently attacked Israel with a drone and saw a response from the
Israeli Air Force. So, it could come in a number of different ways.
But I think, Julia, without question today, we have had a serious escalation and a serious raise of the temperature in the region with not
just one, but these back-to-back strikes believed to have been carried out by Israel yesterday in Beirut against the top Hezbollah commander, and
then, today, the one that Israel has not admitted to, but is believed to be behind against the political leader of Hamas taking place in Tehran. Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, the prime minister of Israel saying they're ready for any scenario. We'll continue to watch it. Alex Marquardt in Washington. Thank
you.
All right. Coming up for us, taming turbulence. Bumpy rides may be less frequent in the skies thanks to brand-new technology We'll hear from a
company working to make flights both smoother and safer, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are hearing of another case of airplane turbulence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was so scary at the time. You just don't know is this it or not?
QUEST: And you have to have your seatbelt fastened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Another scary moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: The aftermath there of plane turbulence, not the experience anyone wants when traveling or heading on holidays this summer, yet
turbulence is very topical as you just heard there after a spate of recent dramatic incidents beginning back in May with this Singapore Airlines plane
where one passenger sadly died and more than 100 others were injured. Then fast forward to July, an Air Europa flight was struck over the Atlantic,
some passengers thrown into the ceiling.
Now, one solution, as you heard Richard say there, buckle up perhaps for the entire trip. But perhaps technology too has a solution. Turbulent
Solutions is a start-up aiming to predict volatility before it hits and then correct it using aircraft controls. They hope to knock out up to 80
percent of the movement, if not more.
Andres Galffy is the CEO of Turbulent Solutions, and he joins us now. Welcome to the show. You boldly claimed your aim is to create a turbulence
free industry. But just explain how this system works in practice.
ANDRAS GALFFY, CEO, TURBULENCE SOLUTIONS: Yes, thanks for having us. So, our vision is to make flights turbulence free, the whole aviation industry
turbulence free.
Imagine you're sitting in aircraft in stronger turbulence. So, the cabin is shaking. You're feeling all these bumps. With turbulence cancelling
technology, we just don't feel this turbulence anymore.
How does it work? We measure the turbulence ahead of the wing and then, at the right moment, we just produce the right counter motion of the wing. So,
we have small flaps that change the deflection just like birds do with the feathers and you don't feel the turbulence anymore.
CHATTERLEY: What's the cost then of applying this technology or adapting current planes of any form, be they private planes, commercial planes or
much smaller planes in order to have this adjustment?
GALFFY: Yes. So, it needs about one year. So, from time cost and direct cost is about 3 to 5 percent of the aircraft price for all the devices, for
the electronics. And what we achieve is for light aircraft, business jets, airliner about 15 to 20 percent of extra value. So, there's a big case out
there to make flights turbulence free.
CHATTERLEY: OK. But the ideal, I guess, would be when these planes are originally being built to have this technology in place from the get-go?
GALFFY: Definitely. So, that would be the forward fit. And there is a very interesting development in aviation at the moment. It's the so-called
bounced air mobility. So, this air taxis, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, like a multi-copter going up vertically, like a helicopter
advantages and then going horizontal, very efficient wing board.
So, there will be a lot of turbulence impact, and we will need this technology as a forward fit to really make this happen. So, it's about full
passenger trust. It's this magic vehicle going up vertically. You don't have recurring revenues and returning passengers, recommending passengers
if it's not a really good flight experience. And down there with the light aircraft, you have a lot of turbulence.
[18:45:00]
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I mean, I think most of us have experienced turbulence at some point, and I know it's a huge chunk of the anxiety that people face
flying is because of that feeling of instability. You say, actually, it's not just about the reduction in turbulence that you're achieving now in
test, but also that you can achieve a sort of 10 percent reduction in fuel use and fuel costs, therefore, as well. Why?
GALFFY: Yes. So, climate and aviation, they are very much coupled and linked because they both happen in the atmosphere. So, because of climate
change, we have more heating in the atmosphere, higher weather phenomena, and even for jet aircraft, we are now experiencing more and more of these
turbulence encounters. For light aircraft in low atmosphere, so they're not reaching this jet age top levels above the weather, not anymore above the
weather, it's even more troubling down there.
So, this a reason why you need to have heavier aircraft. So, you need to reinforce the wings. It's a lot of added mass. Then you also are not very
efficient in the operation and also in the logistics. So, you have flight delays. You're not routing directly, but you're avoiding the turbulence.
And now, if the turbulence is getting higher and higher and stronger and stronger, we will need to even more avoid the turbulence having even longer
routes and 10 percent more routing means 10 percent more flight time means 10 percent more emissions. And this 10 percent is also from mass, from
flight logistics, from inefficiency in the actual design.
So, with canceling turbulence and not avoiding anymore, we really capture a lot of this emission reduction that we can achieve.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I mean, you're clearly saying that you save fuel simply by not having to get out of the way of the turbulence. You can just
continue to fly through it. I know you're hoping to bring this to light aircraft by 2024, by commercial airlines by 2030. Just very quickly, what
else do you have to do to get to that point? Is it down to discussions with regulators? I'm assuming some of the airlines as well.
GALFFY: Definitely, and we are already in detail discussion with the airliner manufacturers. It looks pretty promising that we get very fast
results in the market with just keeping complexity low for the beginning.
So, it's for 30 years already, a lot of academic research with like the maximum solution. So, having the big airliner aircraft to start with, with
a lot of counter turbulence, all the surfaces on the aircraft you can imagine, countering turbulence with a lot of deflection what is hard to
certify and you're guaranteeing this function.
We starting with like a minimum approach where we have light aircraft for the first product to fast get into the market, have just limited
deflection. So, it's additional small surfaces, so-called flat plates (ph) that can introduce big problems into normal operation. And we don't
guarantee the function for the beginning. It's just an assistant system for flight comfort, and then, step by step ramped it up. So, larger aircraft,
more deflection and up to guaranteeing the function.
CHATTERLEY: Very quickly, the Singapore Airlines flight and the Europa flight that I mentioned, would this system, in your mind, ideally be able
to knock that out? It just wouldn't be a situation in the future?
GALFFY: Yes. So, in principle, it's even possible to really cancel also even this turbulence out, but this would be like this maximum solution that
we will see maybe in 15, 20, 25 years at this extent. But already, with now the maturity that we have now, so like the assisting (ph) system with
limited deflection, we can still largely reduce the effect.
So, it's not about guaranteeing the function, but if you have 99.9 percent of availability, that's too little to change the aircraft design and the
windbreaks, but it's still sufficient to really have a high availability, even in these cases. So, with very high probability, 99.9 percent, we would
have been active at this Singapore flight and we wouldn't cancel out all this 2G on extra force, but at least we cancel out, for instance, 0.5G.
CHATTERLEY: Yes.
GALFFY: So, like 50 percent of critical force. Yes.
CHATTERLEY: You saved yourself there. I was about to say, when you said 25 to 30 years, I was going to say work a bit quicker, but if we're talking
about 99.9 percent, I'll forgive you. Andras, great to have you with us. Thank you for joining us.
All right. You're watching "First Move." Coming up, all the action from the Paris Olympics, including a new Olympic record for American swimmer Katie
Ledecky. That's next.
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[18:50:00]
CHATTERLEY: It's been a smashing day in the pool in Paris. U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky won gold and broke her own Olympic record in the women's
1500-meter freestyle. And France's Leon Marchand stunned the home crowd, winning gold at the men's 200-meter butterfly with a record performance of
his own.
Don Riddell joins us more. I was bouncing up on my chair watching Katie. She truly is in a league of her own.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, absolutely. You know, all of the events that really caught our eye in Paris today involved the water. We'll talk
about the canoeing in a moment. You've just talked about the swimming in the pool.
The triathlon, remember, that had become a bit of a source of angst for the organizers, but in the end, they were claiming victory actually,
successfully staging both the men's and women's events when the bacteria levels in the River Seine finally dropped down to safe levels.
The women's triathlon went ahead as scheduled on Wednesday, crowning a very impressive win for the home favorite, Cassandre Beaugrand. She's the first
French athlete in history to win gold in the triathlon. And it was a home game for her. The 27-year-old grew up in the Paris suburbs, securing what,
at the time, was a sixth gold medal for the host nation. France now have eight gold medals.
And after that came a sensational sprint finish in the men's. And what a moment for Team GB's Alex Yee, who won silver in Tokyo. The 26-year-old
going one better this time, beating New Zealand's Hayden Wilde by six seconds. And despite the event being delayed by 24 hours, he was pretty
complimentary of the Paris organizers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX YEE, TRIATHLON GOLD MEDALIST: For us, you know, we're lucky enough to have probably the most beautiful venue of any race in the Olympics. And I
guess that came with a small penalty of the risk River Seine being dirty. But I think, you know, the big difference between, you know, a lot of the
challenges that we've had before is that, you know, the governments being proactive in trying to clean the water rather than, you know, in other
countries where we're seeing, you know, the opposite happening.
So, I think, you know, fair play to France and the government that, yes, we're able to hopefully create a legacy and for that to live on, you know,
post our race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: What an Olympics it has been for the Australian Jessica Fox, who's now the most decorated canoe slalom athlete of all time. On
Wednesday, she successfully defended her C1 title, adding to the gold medal she won earlier this week in the K1 category. She's now won six Olympic
medals, three gold, a silver, two bronze, and she can actually add even more to her tally on Friday in the kayak cross time trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA FOX, THREE-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIS: I felt really good today. So, I'm just -- I was riding that wave and kayak cross is a lot more
physical. And if you go all the way to the end, you know, there's a lot of rounds. So, you've got to manage your energy for that. So, I'll see how I
feel tomorrow when I get on the water, it'll probably feel a bit rough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: So, Olympic canoeing is something of a family tradition for Jessica Fox. Her parents were both Olympians. This was her mom, Myriam,
competing in Atlanta in 1996 when she won bronze. At the time, Jessica was just a toddler. Her mom was competing for France. So, how cool is it that
she's now back in France? Where she was born, completing the narrative arc and continuing the family legacy, along with her sister, Noemie. Both of
them will be competing in Friday's kayak cross event.
Now, the United States isn't exactly known as a rugby nation, but their women's team is celebrating a huge bronze medal in the sevens, and they
clinched it in dramatic style on Tuesday with a last gasps try against Australia. That really was a great moment.
[18:55:00]
Ilona Maher is the star of this team. In recent weeks, her social media following has surged into the millions and she's loving her time in the
spotlight. We actually caught up with her a little bit earlier on Wednesday and asked her if she thought she was maybe chosen to have this platform to
influence the next generation. This was her response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ILONA MAHER, TEAM USA RUGBY PLAYER: I was just thinking about that today. It was like, why me? Why me? And it's a kind of a scary burden at times,
but I'm excited to get to carry it. But just trying to stay grounded and I'm -- I think it's why me is that I feel comfortable sharing myself and I
hope that other people resonate with it.
I think it's kind of like, if you can see it, you can believe it. I get to see it every day with my teammates around me, Naya Tapper, Nicole, and they
helped me to see it. So, if I can just spread that to them. It's hard to be confident. It's hard to be that, but if you could see somebody else do it,
maybe it'll help you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIDDELL: Yes. If you haven't found it yet, Julia, check Ilona Mayer out on TikTok and Instagram. She's a lot of fun.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, her midair twirl there. She's a dancer as well, apparently.
RIDDELL: Right. She's got it all.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I know. Don Riddell, thank you.
RIDDELL: All right.
CHATTERLEY: And that just about wraps up the show. Thank you for joining us, and I'll see you tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
