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Isa Soares Tonight
Biden Visits U.K. Ahead Of Key NATO Meeting; Eastern U.S. Hit By Heavy Rainfall, Flooding; Former USA Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar Stabbed; Protesters Promise an All-Night Outside Israel's Parliament Over Contentious Bill. 2-3p ET
Aired July 10, 2023 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Christina Macfarlane in for Isa Soares. Tonight, a week
of diplomacy. Leaders are gathering in Vilnius for the NATO Summit, split on Ukraine's hopes of membership in the alliance. Plus, protesters are
promising an all-nighter outside Israel's parliament. Lawmakers are set in the next hour to vote on changing the country's judicial system.
And disgraced former USA gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, has been stabbed in prison. An internal investigation is underway. We begin tonight in
Vilnius, Lithuania, on the eve of a critical NATO Summit. Leaders from around the world preparing for the meeting, which will put Russia's war in
Ukraine front and center. The crucial question, is there a path for Ukraine's membership to the bloc?
Well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for a united response to his country's request to join. But U.S. President Joe Biden
tells CNN, he doesn't think Ukraine is, quote, "ready, and the time isn't right."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO
family now at this moment in the middle of a war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Clearly. Mr. Biden made a stop in the U.K. ahead of his journey to Vilnius. He met with both King Charles and the British Prime
Minister Rishi Sunak. U.S. President hailed the rock-solid friendship between the two countries. Let's bring in our team here, covering this,
Natasha Bertrand is in Vilnius in Lithuania and Nic Robertson is at Downing Street in London.
Natasha, let's begin with you because it's been a busy day for President Biden already. But there is a sense that landing in Vilnius, the real work
is about to begin. So just walk us through the big picture here, what Biden is hoping to achieve at this summit, and where he's likely to face
resistance.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Christina, a number of huge items on the agenda for the next two days, chief among them, of
course, as you mentioned is whether or not Ukraine will have a path to membership in NATO. How fast that path will be, and what it will actually
look like.
There is a lot of dissension among the allies about whether Ukraine can join now, whether there can be a fast track to that membership where they
can kind of skip some steps in terms of their membership in NATO, or whether they have to wait until the fighting with Russia is over. And even
if they do wait until that moment when there is peace, how lasting is that peace? And will the alliance then welcome Ukraine in at that point?
That is something that they simply do not have an agreement on just yet. Another question, of course, is in the interim before Ukraine is able to
become a member of NATO. What kind of security guarantees is NATO willing to give to Ukraine? President Biden said that the U.S. and NATO seem
willing at this point to give them security assurances, akin to what the U.S. gives to Israel.
So, perhaps a model like that. But there's still no unanimity on this question. And then, of course, just moving past Ukraine, there's the
question of Sweden. Will they be able to join the alliance given Turkey's staunch opposition to their joining, and now a new demand that Erdogan has
thrown into the ranch here, which is, that Erdogan wants Turkey to become a member of the European Union, before he will allow Sweden's accession into
NATO to actually move forward.
So, there's a whole host of ideological issues here, as well as of course, the practical issue of whether the U.S. and NATO are going to be able to
continue their logistical and weapons support to Ukraine. President Biden said just this past weekend that the U.S. is running very low on
ammunition. Something of course, that the Ukraine desperately needs to continue their counteroffensive against Russia.
So, all of these issues are going to be -- you know, try to work out at the summit and over the next two days, but unlikely really, to come to any kind
of firm answers that will satisfy everyone. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, some big issues on the table, but as you mentioned, Natasha, that development from President Erdogan coming just a couple of
hours ago. Let's discuss that with Nic Robertson who is at Downing Street, because Nic, there have been an expectation that President Erdogan was
holding out for a bigger concession for granting Sweden's accession.
And earlier today, we have this surprising demand. Just take a listen to what President Erdogan had to say.
[14:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT, TURKEY (through translator): First, let's clear Turkey's way in the European Union, then let's clear the way for
Sweden just as we paved the way for Finland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: So, Nic, a tit-for-tat offer. What has been the reaction to this so far?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think there's general disappointment we've heard from Jens Stoltenberg, that he says --
the NATO Secretary-General, he says that he still thinks there is a positive outcome for Sweden. The Swedish Prime Minister seems optimistic
that there's still a positive outcome ahead.
German chancellor has weighed in, and he says that Sweden is ready to become a member of NATO. Jens Stoltenberg said that Sweden has met all the
things that it needs to do to become a NATO member. Remember, President Erdogan originally said that Sweden wasn't doing enough to combat the PKK,
the Kurdish separatist group that Turkey and many others see and call a terrorist organization.
He felt that Sweden wasn't pulling its weight, sending some PKK members back to Turkey. Sweden has changed some of its laws in that regard. But
this seems to be a whole fresh issue that President Erdogan is opening. And it does sort of raise the question in people's minds what exactly is
President Erdogan's bottom line?
Will there be something else after this? And from a European Union perspective, there are concerns that President Erdogan has been taking more
power, shifting himself from prime minister to president, taking the powers from prime minister into the presidency, a lengthening presidency. That
these are not in keeping with the standards that European Union membership would require.
So, there is a sense here that Erdogan is putting himself in a position where he cannot get what he is asking for, fulfilled. Therefore, will he
continue to block Sweden's membership? And that's an open question. There's, you know, a small amount of optimism there, but it's hard to see
the way, because Erdogan hasn't had, sticking by what he says.
And this comes hot on the heels of yesterday, President Biden calling President Erdogan from Air Force One when he was flying over here, having a
long conversation, talking about the F-16 fighter aircraft that Turkey has -- that Erdogan wants upgraded. And in the same sentence, Biden's National
Security adviser bringing in the issue of Swedish membership of NATO.
So, it seems that there were some corollary there between those two things. So, you know, it's really unclear, but I think the very short answer to
your question is, this is being viewed as widely unhelpful by President Erdogan at this stage.
MACFARLANE: Absolutely. And Nic, as we were hearing from Natasha there, obviously, the big talker ahead of this two-day summit is going to be
focused not just on Sweden, but of course, of Ukraine's admission to NATO. We heard at the top of the show there, President Biden speaking to CNN on
Sunday, saying that he felt this was not the time for Ukraine to be moving forward, that they were not ready.
And I think we have had some early reaction to that, from Jens Stoltenberg in the last few hours. What -- just bring us up-to-speed with what's being
said about this currently.
ROBERTSON: Yes, I think -- you know, what President Biden has said was not a million miles from what everyone was thinking that Ukraine wasn't going
to -- you know, wasn't going to become an instant member of NATO, for the reasons that Natasha laid out, the democratization, the Article 5 part of
NATO, that would put all NATO nations at war with Russia.
So, I think that was widely understood, and perhaps, it's how President Biden's comments have landed interestingly, that we've heard from Ukraine's
foreign minister that is saying, he thinks that actually, Ukraine is getting something of a shortcut. Go back to 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest,
and there, Ukraine was given a pathway to NATO membership through a process called MAP, membership action plan.
OK, so according to the Ukrainian foreign minister, that's now been put to one side. But it's all those security guarantees. But I think it's
interesting what we've heard from NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, commenting on his vision for what should happen at this summit here, and he
wrote an article that's just been published in foreign affairs.
He says "Ukraine's NATO membership is a matter for NATO, NATO allies and for Kyiv to decide -- Russia doesn't get a veto." This is very much a
language we've heard from Stoltenberg before. "In Vilnius, we will set out a strong vision for Ukraine's future close to NATO." So that ambition is
still there and it's still alive for Ukraine to get this position.
And he also spoke about the -- in the same article about having the first meeting sitting down together at the NATO-Ukraine Council where he expects
President Zelenskyy to be present.
[14:10:00]
So, it does seem as if there is a pathway to what Ukraine wants, perhaps, his comments over the weekend have made that -- those waters look a little
more choppy than they did -- they actually are.
MACFARLANE: Yes, and it will be very interesting to see what this strong vision may turn out to be in the days ahead. Nic Robertson there live from
Downing Street, thank you. Well, it's been weeks since we've heard from Yevgeny Prigozhin, but the typically outspoken leader of the Wagner
Mercenary Group is still making headlines.
The Kremlin says Prigozhin met with President Vladimir Putin, this, days after ending his rebellion against Russia's top generals, and reportedly
agreeing to exile in Belarus. Well, Moscow responding to a report in a French newspaper, the Kremlin says 30-plus commanders attended, but
wouldn't say if the defense ministry was represented at that meeting.
Well, CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins me now live from Berlin. And Fred, this is pretty puzzling. This was a man who just days before had attempted an
insurrection on Moscow. So what do we think Putin was thinking here? What would this mean for Prigozhin's current status?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think puzzling is exactly the right word, and you know, puzzling for many
international observers, certainly, puzzling for many Russians as well to see this happening.
And of course, one of the things that we have to remember is when that mutiny or as that mutiny was unfolding on June 24th, and even after Yevgeny
Prigozhin called back his forces that were marching on Moscow, as they put it, to try and get to the defense minister and the top general of Russia's
military, that Vladimir Putin went in a video message to the Russian nation and called this a betrayal.
He essentially called Yevgeny Prigozhin a traitor. And so, just a couple of days later, he hosted Yevgeny Prigozhin inside the Kremlin. And that
certainly is something that is quite puzzling to a lot of folks who are -- who are observing this. And then we got some of the details as to what
apparently was spoken about.
This is, again, according to the Kremlin -- and you already mentioned they said that there were 35 commanders who were at that meeting, including
Yevgeny Prigozhin, of course, unclear whether or not anybody from the defense minister was there -- defense ministry was there. But one of the
things that we picked out which we thought was really interesting is that, the Kremlin said that Vladimir Putin at that meeting spoke about the mutiny
itself.
Spoke about the way forward, but also spoke about as the Kremlin says, possible future deployment. Now, that could be seen to mean that Wagner,
the Wagner Mercenary Group could make a comeback to the battlefields of Ukraine, of course, completely unclear whether or not Yevgeny Prigozhin
would be part of that, whether he would retain any control of the Wagner Group.
However, we do know that he's not in Belarus, apparently he is in St. Petersburg, so inside Russia. And we also know now that he was indeed
hosted by Vladimir Putin just a couple of days after that mutiny. So clearly, it seems to indicate that the Wagner private military company is
very important for Vladimir Putin.
MACFARLANE: Yes, still very valuable, it would seem. And Fred, at a time when we know Ukraine is struggling with ammunition supplies, I know you had
--
PLEITGEN: Yes --
MACFARLANE: An interview with the CEO of one of Europe's biggest defense companies, who are sending lots of surprise to Ukraine. What did he tell
you?
PLEITGEN: Yes, and who were saying that they're going to ramp up production for all of this. And you're absolutely right. Artillery
ammunition, the CEO told me was really one of the big shortfalls that the Ukrainians have. By the way, not just the Ukrainians, but also a lot of
European countries as well. And he said that Rheinmetall, the company's CEO that I spoke to, that they had invested into artillery ammo production,
into ammo production in general, and that they can ramp things up very quickly. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: The ammunition is a huge deficit right now --
(CLEARS THROAT)
For the Ukrainians, they talk about it a lot. Where can you help?
ARMIN PAPPERGER, CEO, RHEINMETALL: We help them, and the capacity we have is huge. Rheinmetall has the biggest capacity for tank ammunition, we
produced this year, 150,000 rounds, we are able to produce 240,000 rounds. By far the biggest competitor worldwide. We will deliver and we deliver
also now, the Ukrainian forces.
The second point is -- and this is the biggest need artillery ammunition. On the artillery ammunition, we produce 100,000 of rounds, and the capacity
of next year will be 600,000. So if you see that the need is 1 million Rheinmetall could deliver, if we deliver only, the Ukrainians, 60 percent
of the need.
PLEITGEN: So you can -- you can -- can you ramp that up quickly also?
PAPPERGER: We ramped it up. We invested.
PLEITGEN: And you've already being in that process --
PAPPERGER: Before --
PLEITGEN: Shall we know that for artillery ammunition, or generally for ammunition, gunpowder has to go through a certain process before it can be
turned into shells.
PAPPERGER: We are the biggest producer of gunpowder, and this is also a point.
[14:15:00]
If you're able to produce 600,000 rounds, I think that's a huge help for the Ukrainians.
PLEITGEN: What are some of the things where you've maybe found weak points, stuff that you might need to change, stuff that might need to be
improved? Are there lessons learned?
PAPPERGER: The Ukrainians now need land system stuff. They need ammunition, conventional ammunition, because all people and all governments
thought it is impossible to have conventional war. We have a conventional war in Europe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So that's the Rheinmettal CEO, Armin Papperger, who I spoke to. Obviously right now, ammunition, Christina, is a huge deal. And certainly,
will also be one of the big talking points there at that NATO meeting as well. And the Ukrainians have said that one of the reasons why the
offensive that they're currently conducting has been fairly slow so far, as they say they need more firepower, especially in the way of 155 millimeter
artillery ammunition.
So, certainly right now, ramping that up seems to be a really big deal, and one of the main priorities of the U.S. and its allies, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, very interesting, coming hot on the heels of that U.S. agreement to send cluster ammunitions as well that we heard on Friday. Fred
Pleitgen there, great reporting, thank you. Well, meanwhile in Ukraine, rescue operations were ongoing today after a Russian airstrike in the
Zaporizhzhia region over the weekend.
Ukrainians say the Russians hit a school where civilians were receiving aid, at least, five deaths have been reported. One official says the
Russians launched more attacks as crews were clearing rubble. For the latest, CNN's Ben Wedeman is live for us in Kyiv. And Ben, I think this is
a kind of sobering reminder of what continues to be at stake for Ukraine as NATO leaders are meeting in Lithuania.
The latest in a long line of war crimes committed by Russia. What more are you learning about the attack itself?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this happened in -- the attack was on a school that had been turned into a shelter for
local residents, some of whom who had lost their homes. This town, Polohy(ph) in the Zaporizhzhia region is very close to the frontlines,
there's no running water, there's no electricity.
Food is hard to come by, simply because the stores are all closed. And, therefore people in the -- who have remained in the town, gather in these
places, where they have food, there is electricity, there is water, sometimes there is medicine available. I've been to many of these shelters.
And this shelter got hit on Sunday, but often, it has a basement.
So there are several layers, levels in there. And the rescue workers had to dig overnight, and the latest fatality, was not found until this afternoon.
And the fact that people are living in dozens, hundreds of towns and villages very close to the frontline underscores the determination of so
many Ukrainians that despite all the danger, they stay in their homes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (voice-over): A small flash light is all that illuminates the cellar Olga(ph) calls her home. Her bedroom, a cramped windowless storage
space. "I'd like to live under normal conditions" says Olga(ph), a retired school teacher. Retired and 78 years old. She's been living like this since
shortly after the war came to her town of Siversk, battered to smithereens by months of Russian bombardment.
(on camera): Five hundred days of war have left this town and so many others a wasteland of wreckage and rubble. Despite that, some people refuse
to leave.
(voice-over): We met 70-year-old Nina(ph) last March, when she told us happier days seemed a world away. "What do we feel?" She asks? "Pain. When
you see something destroyed, you tear up. We cry. We cry." Summer has improved her mood, I showed Nina(ph) and her friend Valentina(ph) pictures
of the potatoes I grow back home in Italy, prompting Nina(ph) to show off her tiny garden of herbs and onions. Still, emotions flood back when I
asked what she hopes for most.
"We're waiting for the day", she says, "the minute when the war ends." On this day, Siversk was quiet. All we heard was the occasional faint thud of
distant shelling. Russian lines are 6 miles away. Yet, the air of tranquility is deceptive.
"it's not quiet", insists Valentina(ph), they were firing all night long. Those who remained are an eclectic group, like Sasha(ph), an aging rocker,
a great fan of '70s classics.
[14:20:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bee Gees.
WEDEMAN (on camera): Bee Gees, all right, "Staying Alive".
(voice-over): Oleksandr(ph) never goes anywhere without his dog, Maliche(ph). Does he have high hopes for Ukraine's counteroffensive? No.
"Putin", he tells me, "will keep pushing ahead even if he has to kill every last Ukrainian. Russians are like a bear, they sit and wait, and then" --
Olga(ph) has the task of distributing loaves of bread to her neighbors brought in by volunteers. The powerful will do what they will do. Here, the
priority is staying alive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: Now, these people are staying, some of them told us because their loved ones are buried in the cemetery, others simply don't have the
wherewithal to pick up and move somewhere else. So despite the risks, they just stay put. Christina?
MACFARLANE: Yes, and it's so interesting to see the mindsets at this stage of the war. Ben Wedeman, really appreciate you bringing us that. Thank you.
Well, still to come tonight, after months of mass protests, Israeli lawmakers will soon hold their first vote on a bill that would limit
judicial powers. We're live in Jerusalem just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back. Protesters are gathered outside Israel's parliament this hour as lawmakers get ready to hold their first of three
votes on a deeply contentious bill, part of the government's larger effort, to limit the Supreme Court's oversight of the executive and legislative
branches.
Opponents across the country have been protesting the judicial overhaul for months. But Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition is pressing ahead,
despite critics' warnings that it could spell the end of Israeli democracy. Now, let's bring in Hadas Gold, she's live for us in Jerusalem this
evening. And Hadas, I understand that as well as protests tonight, there has also been talk of a day of disruption across the country tomorrow if
the bill passes, the first reading. So just remind us what's at stake here, and when we will likely know the outcome of this vote.
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, this vote is expected to take place within the next hour or two, and there's all
expectations that it will pass without any problem.
[14:25:00]
This is the first of three readings on only one aspect of this massive judicial overhaul bill. This specific legislation would gauge whether the
Supreme Court would be allowed as it currently is allowed to decide whether government actions are unreasonable or not, even if they don't necessarily
break any specific laws.
The Supreme Court right now has pretty wide action to be able to say, hey, that government decision, that was unreasonable, it cannot stand. This bill
would attempt to strip that ability away from the Supreme Court, and it's part of this much broader judicial overhaul that we've been talking about
now for months.
But what's been happening is, over the past few months, this process was essentially frozen, after you remember that massive general strike a few
months ago when the defense minister came out against this judicial overhaul, saying it needed to be paused. It was paused. There were attempts
at negotiations. But now, it's back on the table.
Now, Benjamin Netanyahu has stepped back from some of the more controversial elements of this judicial overhaul, namely, allowing the
Israeli parliament for example to overturn Supreme Court decisions. That is off the table. But other aspects of this judicial overhaul like the bill
we're seeing tonight, those are back on the table.
And now, the approach is to do this in a very slow and piecemeal fashion perhaps, potentially, that's an attempt to try and, you know, out-run the
protesters, out-run the opposition. But the protesters, they are not backing down, even as this overhaul, even as the legislation has been
frozen. The protesters have stayed out on the streets week after week, and now, that this overhaul is back on the table, what we're seeing right now
on the screen, this is just in the last hour.
So this was at the Israeli parliament, protesters made their way to the floor of the parliament. And they were doing a sit-in there until they were
forcibly moved by parliament security. Tonight, there is protest plans, and then tomorrow, protesters are planning another massive day of disruption
from the morning into the evening.
They had due plan to go to Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv's main airport, try to shut it down. They plan to go to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. They also
plan to be protesting along the main streets in Tel Aviv, along the main highway. They see this as a renewed effort now that the legislation is back
on the table.
Because even though this legislation in some aspects has been watered down, the protesters essentially -- and the opposition don't believe Benjamin
Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition when they say that certain parts will be softened and when it's not going to be as hard as it was.
They essentially want to see this judicial overhaul either completely off the table or only presented after a compromise negotiation have been
completed with the opposition. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, and those protests pictures you're mentioning give us a real strong indication of what could come in the next 24 hours. Hadas, I
just want to ask you because we had this interview with -- on CNN yesterday, Fareed Zakaria with President Biden. And in it, Biden called out
Israel's government, and he said it was one of the most extreme in 50 years.
I mean, we should remember that U.S. is Israel's closest allies, supplies the country with $3.8 billion in aid per year. How have those comments been
received overnight? .
GOLD: Well, they definitely made a lot of waves here, I was getting a lot of messages and phone calls as that interview was airing because of
President Biden's really strong comments about this Israeli government. You know, he had sort of hinted, alluded at his feelings about what this
government was doing, when he was asked a few months ago about whether Benjamin Netanyahu will be receiving invitation to the White House anytime
soon.
He essentially said, no, he very much openly encourage Benjamin Netanyahu to walk away from this judicial overhaul plan. But these comments, so far
we haven't received any sort of official response from Benjamin Netanyahu himself. But the more right-wing members of this coalition, like Itamar
Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, have been pushing back in ways that they often push back when they feel the Americans are intervening too much, saying
things like we're not a star on the U.S.' flag.
We're our own sovereign nation. We can do what we want, we're a democracy, we can do what we want. What's interesting to me about the messaging from
this Israeli government regarding the relationship with the White House is, you know, we hear both sides. Their National Security adviser, Tzahi
Hanegbi, a few weeks ago was saying, we don't need an invitation to the White House, it doesn't matter.
You know, we still deal with the White House all the time on security issues. But then when I once asked the foreign minister who gave a press
conference last week about this, saying, so what, you guys don't care about an invitation to the White House? Of course, they care about an invitation
to the White House. They want to have this relationship with the White House.
And for right now, Benjamin Netanyahu so much of running this government is a balancing act. It's trying to balance, you know, Israel's position on the
world stage, Israel relationship with the United States, with his own domestic politics. Because he needs to keep these right-wing aspects of his
coalition onboard, otherwise he's not in power anymore. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, it's a very good point and great analysis as always. Hadas Gold there live for us in Jerusalem tonight. Thanks, Hadas. Well,
still to come tonight, millions of people in the northeastern U.S. are under flood alert. We'll have a live report on the dangerous situation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
MACFARLANE: Returning to our top story now. U.S. President Joe Biden has now arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania on the eve of a critical NATO summit.
Russia's war in Ukraine is expected to top the agenda alongside the questions over both Ukraine and Sweden's possible membership to the
alliance. The U.S. leader's diplomacy efforts already began in earnest earlier today. He visited the U.K. meeting with both British Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak and King Charles.
Our correspondent Max Foster has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Biden kicking off his summer European tour with a quick stop in London aimed at bolstering the
special U.S.-U.K. relationship and it's a visit full of high stakes diplomacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Great to have you here. Thanks very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER (voice-over): First, it was tea in the garden at Downing Street with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The pair who've met five times in the past five
months keen to show they're in lockstep on key issues such as the war in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Our relationship is rock-solid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: On the agenda, strengthening economic security and the NATO alliance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUNAK: We head from here to NATO in Vilnius where we stand as two of the firmest allies in that alliance and I know we want to do everything we can
to strengthen your Atlantic security, but it's a great pleasure to have you here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER (voice-over): Their meeting comes after the U.S. announced it'll send controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine for the first time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Ukraine has been requesting cluster munitions in order to defend its own sovereign territory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER (voice-over): A rare topic of disagreement between the two allies, the British Prime Minister addressing those concerns on Sunday.
[14:30:02]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUNAK: The U.K. is signatory to a convention, which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use. We will
continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion. Then it was on to Windsor Castle. To support Ukraine
against Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER (voice-over): Then it was on to Windsor Castle, marking Biden's first meeting with Charles since his coronation as king. He was greeted
with all the pomp and pageantry of an arrival ceremony and an honor guard inspection.
Ahead of their meeting, the palace released details of what the monarch would be discussing, something which his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II,
never allowed.
The topic, climate change, an important subject for both the president and the king coming after four days of record-breaking heat last week. The pair
convening a discussion with high profile private sector stakeholders along with Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, who warned the
world is in uncharted territory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, U.S. SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE: There's a lot of capital in the world, but some of it's been sitting on the sidelines and
what we need to do now is accelerate the development of new technologies and also the deployment of existing technologies. Solar, wind, nuclear, so
forth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER (voice-over): Kerry thanked Charles for holding the event and his leadership on the issue.
From London, President Biden traveled to Lithuania where NATO leaders will gather for a major summit amid Ukraine's offensive and last month's failed
coup attempt in Russia, a series of critical meetings at a critical juncture in European and global security.
Max Foster, CNN, Windsor Castle, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Well, let's dig more into the significance of President Biden's trip to the U.K. ahead of this NATO summit. Joining me now is Brett Bruen,
President of the Global Situation Room and the former director of Global Engagement at the White House under President Obama.
Brett, great to have you with us. Let's pick up from what we were just seeing in this package because I think Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister, and
President Biden's opposition on the issue of Ukraine's inclusion into NATO is going to represent a more broader split within the NATO allies, some
being more bullish and saying that, you know, they should be moving forward with this and others being more cautious. Do you think the time is right
now for Ukraine to be admitted to NATO and what is going to be the likely outcome of this summit on that?
BRETT BRUEN, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SITUATION ROOM: You know, as a recovering diplomat, one of the things I can say is there are a lot of different ways
of describing something. And while, as President Biden told Fareed Zakaria yesterday, the full membership into NATO right now is probably beyond the
reach of Kyiv.
However, there are a lot of things short of full membership and the president alluded to them in Israel-like status that would give Zelenskyy
something that he could show his people in terms of progress, in terms of more security guarantees, that's what this summit in Vilnius has to start
delivering on.
MACFARLANE: But if it's an Israel-like situation that you were just describing, that would mean the U.S. would have to commit more upfront than
they're currently doing. It would not be involving NATO.
BRUEN: Well, I think, one, the U.S. can lead. The U.S. can show what does this relationship look like and then drag along in some cases. The alliance
is certainly a number of reluctant members of the alliance because at this stage, I think you do have some of those doubts, some of those divisions
that are starting to show a year and a half into this conflict. And what Biden's trying to do is box in Macron, box in Olaf Scholz, and some of the
other members of NATO who talk a good game but are not delivering on those promises.
MACFARLANE: So, you're suggesting the U.S. take a lead on this, actually do more than they're currently doing. How important is it that any decisions
that come from this summit are not vague? Because we saw back in 2008, when the summit happened in Bucharest, that that did not stop President --
Russia from invading Ukraine. So, I mean, how crucial is it that there's something substantive?
BRUEN: I was in Madrid last year for the NATO summit. And quite frankly, I was disappointed because I think we did need more specificity. We did need
firmer commitments. It's not enough simply to pat ourselves on the back and say, look at how much we've done because Russian troops still occupy over
20 percent of Ukrainian territory. Ukrainians need, and I think, quite frankly, other adversaries around the world are watching to see what is
NATO really going to do? If it's simply a statement, if it's simply a superficial stuff, then they are going to take that as a sign of weakness.
MACFARLANE: Another comment we saw just there from Rishi Sunak was around the issue of cluster bombs, which we now know are being provided to
Ukraine. And, again, this is an issue that is going to split the allies. We know 120 countries already signed a treaty against this.
[14:40:03]
It was a controversial move. It is a controversial move. And the timing of this is somewhat questionable. So, what -- are you in favor of this move?
What do you make of it?
BRUEN: First, I would say, Christina, as a former White House staffer, I do not understand the timing of this. Why in the world would you highlight a
division amongst the alliance just before the summit in Vilnius? Personally, I think it's the right move, but it's the wrong timing.
Obviously, there are so many Ukrainian civilians who are dying every day, who are getting injured every day by Russian missiles. They need more arms.
And it underlines the lack of ammunition, the lack of arms that NATO allies have been providing the Ukrainians.
MACFARLANE: Yes, there's a very real concern about the lack of ammunitions. But is there no other option that could be put forward other than, you
know, this precedent-breaking move by the U.S.?
BRUEN: This also speaks to the problem that has to be addressed in Vilnius. We've had a potluck approach to supporting Ukraine. That is to say,
everybody brings a dish to dinner, but it doesn't necessarily add up to a real strategy, to real strength for the Ukrainians. And I think what the
Americans are doing by this move is showing the rest of our alliance, you have to step up, because we are searching around our warehouses and this is
what we, the United States, the largest military in the world, can come up with, you have to show up more.
And I think there is a specific pressure on France, which is lagging behind compared to other allies, and especially compared to countries of its size.
Emmanuel Macron has to show up and do more in Vilnius.
MACFARLANE: Interesting. So this could be being used as a leverage point, perhaps, to kind of push them further. Brett, we'll have to leave it there.
But it's pretty interesting to speak to you. Thanks for joining us.
BRUEN: Sure thing.
MACFARLANE: Now, more than nine million people in the Northeast U.S. are under flood alerts today, that includes parts of New York and Vermont,
areas that have already seen intense rain and flooding. The floods have closed rows, forced evacuations of campgrounds and drenched entire towns.
At least one person has died. And near the West Point Military Academy, several people were stuck in their cars and forced to swim to higher
ground. More than 19 centimeters of rain fell in just six hours.
Well, joining us with more on this is CNN's Polo Sandoval. Polo, the pictures here are just extraordinary. How are the emergency services
handling all of this?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Especially, Cristina, when you consider those just harrowing moments that took place yesterday, yesterday
afternoon, and last night, with countless rescues that we saw throughout the region. We're actually just about a 45, you know, drive north of New
York City. This is what this flooding left at its wake, to just demonstrate the sheer strength of the floodwaters that were rushing through this home.
This is a massive log that's going to be very hard to move. The owner of this property telling me that those floodwaters are basically depositing.
That's just this log. Debris, large and small, and even some picnic tables from a park that's right across the street that you would see right in
front of you if you would be standing where I am.
It gives you a sense of the cleanup of the force of the water. All of this water coming from a creek that's not far from this home here. Right now
what we're seeing, just off camera here, actually, the owner of this home getting a little bit of help from the neighbors. He tells me that he's
about 80 years old, has lived here for about 55 years, and he has never seen it at this level. Yet he considers himself lucky. His house, which is
behind me, largely spared, except for some basement flooding, but the true loss just north of here in neighboring Orange County, New York, that's
where a young woman in her 30s, as she was trying to evacuate her home with her dog and her fiance, was -- she lost her footing. She was swept away and
sadly died. Her body later recovered in a ravine.
So, it does give you a sense of not just obviously the property toll, but certainly the irreplaceable loss for at least one family. And this also
gives you an idea of what could potentially happen as you see the system continue to move to the northeastern part of the United States as there are
still millions and millions of people still under threat of flooding.
MACFARLANE: Yes, everyone's still needing to be vigilant and on high alert. Absolutely. Polo Sandoval --
SANDOVAL: Absolutely.
MACFARLANE: -- that was quite the cleanup job. Thank you.
Now, a new study is revealing the deadly consequences of extreme heat driven by climate change. Researchers found that nearly 62,000 people in
Europe died from heat-related illnesses last summer when the region was experiencing its hottest summer on record. Italy, Greece, Spain and
Portugal were the hardest hit countries.
We'll be right back after this short break. Stay with us.
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[14:46:51]
MACFARLANE: Larry Nassar, the disgraced former doctor for USA Gymnastics, has been attacked in prison. Local officials say he was stabbed 10 times at
the federal prison in Florida, but is now in stable condition. Nassar was convicted of sexually abusing young athletes under the guise of medical
treatment. More than 150 women and girls said in court that he sexually abused them over the course of two decades.
Well, let's go to CNN's Carlos Suarez for more on this. He's in Miami, Florida. Carlos, what more do we know about what actually took place? What
happened?
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Cristina, we know that Nassar is recovering in a hospital in central Florida after he was stabbed 10 times
that according to a union president for Corrections Officers just northwest of Orlando. We were told that Nassar was stabbed twice in the neck, two
times in the back and six times in the chest.
Now back in 2018, Nassar admitted to sexually assaulting athletes while he was a sports doctor at Michigan State University as well as USA Gymnastics
among some of the athletes that he admitted to sexually assaulting are Olympians Simone Biles and Aly Raisman.
Now during his sentencing trial, more than 150 women and girls, they all testified in court. They all described how NASA sexually assaulted them
after the women went to him to get treatment for sports related injuries. And he said that the sexual assault that had taken place was a treatment.
Now Nassar who is essentially serving a life sentence in federal prison was also pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography charges. Again,
Cristina we were told that he is recovering in a hospital that he is in stable condition after he got into some sort of altercation with another
inmate at this federal penitentiary. And he was stabbed 10 times, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Carlos Suarez with the update there. Thanks Carlos. It's a pretty shocking attack.
Now a horrific scene in southern China's Guangdong province happened earlier today. A deadly knife attack took place outside a kindergarten
there. And a warning, the images are disturbing. State media reports six people were killed in the attack, including three children, a teacher and
two parents. Police say a 25-year-old suspect has been arrested. An ongoing an investigation is ongoing.
We'll be right back after this. Stay with us.
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[14:51:58]
MACFARLANE: Welcome back. Second week of Wimbledon started off with a bang. American Christopher Eubanks knocking out the fifth seed in a five set
showdown with Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas. Now you may remember Tsitsipas eliminated Great Britain's Andy Murray last week. And on Sunday,
we also saw Ukrainian victory brought the crowd to its feet. They're in court number one. Fans cheered as Elina Svitolina defeated Belarusian
Victoria Azarenka. Belarus supports Russia's war on Ukraine and after the match, Svitolina declined to shake her opponent's hands.
Our Patrick Snell's at CNN Center Atlanta with much more on this. And Patrick, before I get to a couple of questions, I just want to say I was
actually on court for that match yesterday and I still think, because we saw some boos directed at Azarenka, that there's still a lot of
misunderstanding about the stance that Ukrainian players have taken at these grandstands. And that's why we, you know, saw that booing towards
Azarenka so that was my read on what actually happened on court number one yesterday, but it was indeed a great match between two titans of the game,
two mothers of tennis.
But getting to today's action, Patrick, I know there's been a huge upset. We saw world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas ousted by Chris Eubanks who is
having the run of his life this fortnight it seems.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: And just phenomenal storyline, yes. Absolutely incredible. 27-year-old from Atlanta right here in Atlanta, he
went to Georgia Tech just less than a handful of miles away from it here at the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta with a really wonderful victory for him.
Remember, this is his first Wimbledon, Chrissy, and he beats a really talented Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas, a five set thriller early on this
Monday. Through to the quarterfinals where he'll face Russia's former U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev. And I'm telling you, Daniil Medvedev is
absolutely beatable on grass.
Let's look a little more than at Eubanks's career because I said, this is his first Wimbledon. Not long ago, he was ranked 200 or so in the world,
he's now up to world number 43, Chrissy, he's only going to go higher after this Wimbledon one. And I'll tell you what, he didn't even win his first
ATP Tour title just under 10 days ago when he won on the Spanish Island of Mallorca so what a story he is.
MACFARLANE: Absolutely. And there's so much more to come from him as you say, Patrick.
I just want to pivot quickly to another big story of the day, a controversial resignation from the -- in the world of PGA Tour Golf, a
former board member, Randall Stephenson, just resigned citing concerns over the deal that we know was recently previously done with Saudi Arabia. Can
you just give us a bit more background on that?
SNELL: Yes, you know, I think as we all know when we cover golf and politics, when the two collide, there's never a dull moment, isn't there,
when it comes to covering all things around the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf series and all the fallout we've seen since. That shocking
announcement, I want to get to that quickly, because that was back in June. The reverberations around the golf world, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment
Fund, or PIF, signed an agreement to combine the funds golf-related commercial businesses and rights.
[14:55:05]
Including the LIV series, with the commercial businesses and rights of the US PGA Tour, and what is now the DP World Tour into a new collectively
owned and for-profit entity. Just a little context here, the public investment that is Saudi Arabia's Sovereign Wealth Fund, it's shared by the
crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Now in recent years, he'd spent billions on investments, both at home and overseas.
On Monday, that highly significant development he references, Randall Stephenson, he's the former AT&T CEO, resigning from his post on the
influential policy board of the US PGA Tour in protest at the merger that I just outlined. Let's get to something that really stuck out from his
resignation letter. Stephenson writing that he had, "Serious concerns with the PGA Tour's deal with LIV Golf saying it is not one that I can
objectively evaluate or in good conscience support particularly in light of the U.S. intelligence report concerning Jamal Khashoggi in 2018."
There is much fallout from this. We're staying across it, you can be sure. And this comes, Chrissy, as the world's golfers now gathering this week in
Scotland for the Scottish Open then it goes next week. It's all eyes on Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula for the
British Open. There's much more to come on this, I assure you. Back to you.
MACFARLANE: Yes. the controversial drama in golf continues. Patrick, thanks so much for the update.
And thank you all for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. We've got QUEST MEANS BUSINESS coming up after the break.
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