a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states and all around the world. i'm christina macfarlane in here for max foster in london. just ahead -- >> completely crushed. >> there are a number of people that are unaccounted for. in a word, this event is devastating. >> the january 6 select committee zeroing in on members of former president donald

trump's old cabinet. >> the west wing was broken. it was not functioning properly. >> the problem hesident has a l history with president xi. we're adversaries, we're competitors with china right now, no doubt about that . welcome, it is friday, july 29, 9:00 a.m. in london, 4:00 a.m. in eastern kentucky where flash flood warnings are up right now as more storms and heavy rains move through the region. that is after catastrophic flooding already claimed the lives of at least eight people and the governor warns the death toll will go higher. and he said that it could take years for residents to rebuild and called it the worst flooding disaster of his lifetime.

overnight residents near a dam were ordered to evacuate due to the fast moving water and the area has gone through this before, but not quite like this. >> we've seen water in the streets before, but we've never seen water, you know, waist deep in the streets or chest deep in the streets. >> never seen this in all the years i've lived here. i have never seen this. never. >> i've got a girlfriend that is eight months pregnant and we had ultrasound pictures and stuff like that in the house that we needed to grab and the house can be replaced, but some things just can't. >> the water was so high in some places it forced some residents to their rooftops to be rescued. on thursday, governor beshear activated the national guard to help with rescues and recover i are and declared an emergency to help expediate resources. the governor also appealed to the white house for federal

assistance. joe johns is in kentucky with the latest. >> reporter: a race to rescue those still stranded in eastern kentucky and what the governor says will end up being one of the most significant deadly floods in years. >> unfortunately i expect double digit deaths in this flooding, that is something that we rarely see. >> reporter: the water so high you can only see the roof of this home. many others submerged up to the windows. a relentless stalled storm front dumped more than 8 inches of rain in the area overnight, raging waters swept away homes and cars. >> i didn't think that it would get, you know, that high. >> reporter: this couple barely got out of their home in time. >> he said you better be getting your clothes and backpack because we got to get out of here. by the time we got up to the neighbors, it was -- it had went from the back of the trailer to

the carport. >> reporter: the creek side town appears to be submerged in water. governor beshear declared a statewide state of emergency and announced the first confirmed deaths, a woman in her 80s in perry county and at least two others. later in the day the governor said the death toll had reached at least eight. >> we expect the loss of life. hundreds will lose their homes. and this is going to be yet another event that it will take not months but likely years for many families to rebuild and recover. >> reporter: flooded downed phone lines kept residents from getting helped mely immediately overnight. >> can't get to them. never been this bad. >> reporter: and floodwaters rising over the bridge in downtown whitesburg. and many roads are impassable while the national guard has been mobilized to rescue people,

hundreds are expected to lose their homes. >> it happens. i mean, it is bad enough the first time. we had insurance. this time we don't. but we'll make it. we always do with god's help. just have to pick yourself back up and that is all we can do, you know. >> reporter: joe johns, cnn, hazard, kentucky. and let's bring in derek van dam. this is just devastating and we heard residents saying that it was the speed of the water it seems that took them by surprise. and it is not over yet, right? we're expecting more rain to fall. >> yeah, when you have nearly 200 millimeters of rain falling in 12 hours or roughly 9 inches, that is a significant amount of precipitation in a short period of time. unfortunately there is more precipitation on the way. not as heavy as what we've experienced, but you can imagine adding additional water to this situation is only going to make matters worse. just look at this video, this is

an elementary school that is submerged by the water. you can imagine why. the governor says some of the residents here will take not months but years to recover from this devastating flood. and if you look at the radar sfimt estimated rainfall, it is southeastern kentucky that has been hit the hardest with the most amount of rain. these are some of the rainfall totals. over 10 inches in buck horn lake, that is a lot of rain. as i mentioned, there is rainfall moving through the area as we speak. adding more misery to the flooding that is already ongoing. national weather service has picked up on this, they have hoisted flash flood warnings, flood warnings and watches. that shading 6e ing of green an. and this is also at the border of kentucky. and in terms of what is causing all this rain, you talked about it a moment ago and the story we just heard, a stalled out frontal boundary allowing for

the training of thunderstorms, meaning literally the thunderstorms move over the same locations as if it was a train car moving along a railroad track impacting the same locations. this is one river gauge in eastern can iky that hit a staggering 20.91 feet in a matter of minutes. the old record was 14.7 feet. so you can see just how quickly the water rose above record territory into major flooding. unfortunately with the forecast rainfall accumulation going forward, you can see much of kentucky will see and experience more rainfall. so the potential exists for more flooding going forward. at least through the rest of today being friday and into the overnight period of friday night. the boundary is stalled out over the nation's midsection. the weather prediction center has a moderate risk across eastern kentucky and western west virginia today for the greatest probability of flash flooding with the additional rainfall that is in store. you can see some of our forecast

radar showing the pop-up showers and thunderstorms especially across eastern and southern kentucky. another 1 to 3 inches possible. >> intense heat, flash floods, we really are seeing it all. derek van dam, thank you. earlier we spoke with jerry stacy, the emergency management director in perry county, kentucky. here is how he described what his area is going through. >> this has been one of the most devastating things that i've seen in my lifetime. you know, we've just had so many families across eastern kentucky, i'm emergency managing director for perry county, but there are so many counties across eastern kentucky that our families have lost not just part of what they got, they have lost everything. and it is devastating. when you start talking about 7,

8, 9 inches of rain in a matter of three or four hours, it is jus just -- the water comes up so fast. it just overwhelms and surprises and destroys. it is something else. we're really one big family. and, you know, regardless of the situation, you know, we really rally around each other, pull toyi together and provide. our people will do that again. this is something that lasts a long time here. going to be a very difficult thing to overcome, but our people will rally around each other as always. >> thanks to jerry stacy the emergency management director in perry county, kentucky. new images from california as firefighters battle the

state's largest wildfire of the season so far. these satellite images show vegetation damage by the oak fire burning near yosemite national park. thousands of firefighters from across the state have been deployed to help fight the blaze. the fire has burned more than 19,000 acres since it began a week ago. it is only 42% contained. now to the investigation into the attack on the u.s. capitol. cnn has exclusively learned that federal prosecutors are preparing for a legal battle. they will try to force former white house officials to testify about their conversations with donald trump around january 6 last year. this is the clearest sign yet that investigators are focussing on the former president 's conduct as he tries to prevent the transfer of power. at issue are claims of executive privilege that the trump camp is expected to make to shield information from the grand jury.

we're also learning that the committee plans to share at least 20 transcripts with the u.s. justice department. the panel is also focusing on members of trump's inner circle which include former treasury seblgts secretary and former acting chief of staff. and they seem particularly interested in conversations of invok in invoking the 25th amendment which could have led to donald trump being removed from office. ryan nobles has the details. >> reporter: the committee is zeroing in on donald trump's old cabinet. >> we've had discussions about them potentially appearing, making sure we understand what it is that they are asking for. as i always did, i'm happy to cooperate with things that are fair and transparent and deliver good outcomes for the american people. >> reporter: former secretary of state miamike mimpompeo confirm that he is will be to cooperate.

but he says when is an open question calling the committee a circus. >> we're trying to figure the way out. i want to make sure that the american people get the full story of the things that happened in the trump administration. >> reporter: pompeo joins a growing list of cabinet officials who have either engaged or have sat for interviews with the committee. cnn also learning steve mnuchin has talked to the committee and mick mulvaney met with investigators today. he is a vocal critic of trump's behavior on january 6. >> the west wing was broken, it was not functioning properly. in that type of setting, can people make bad decisions to that can come back to haunt them? absolutely. >> reporter: mulvaney was serving abroad on january 6. his insight may be different than that of pompeo, mnuchin and former director of national intelligence john radcliff who is also in talks with the committee. cabinet officials could help the committee learn more about talks related to the 25th amendment which was a real discussion at

the time. marc short, then chief of staff to vice president mike pence, says there were reasons those talks never got any traction. >> the reality is there was ten days left in the administration. this was a political employ. and further, when they designed the 25th amendment, it has higher standards and higher hurdles than even impeachment. >> reporter: bennie thompson saying that the committee is in the process of putting together an interim report specifically on the national guard response to what happened on january 6. he said that it will look into a lot much aspects about the guard and the pentagon's role in the response on that day, but it will specifically answer the question definitively as to whether or not donald trump did ask for 10,000 troops to be on standby ahead of the event, something he has claimed over and over and over again. according to thompson, the report will show that trump's claims simply aren't accurate. ryan nobles, cnn, on capitol

hill. a source tells cnn the chairman of the georgia republican party has appeared before a special grand jury. david schaffer is one of 16 fake electors who took part in the plan to try to keep donald trump in the white house despite joe biden's win. he also faces inquiries from federal investigators and the house january 6 committee. his attorney did not immediately respond to cnn's request for comment. now to lottery fever, which has taken over the u.s. the drawing for the mega millions lottery and a $1.1 billion jackpot is later today. it is the second largest jackpot in mega millions history. the winnings can be paid out bit by bit annually over 29 years or you can take a lump sum which is about $648 million before taxes. mega millions tickets are sold in 45 u.s. states, washington, d.c. and the u.s. virgin islands.

get your tickets. you are watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead, a warning to joe biden straight from beijing, if you play with fire, you get burned. and some areas of the u.s. are raising the alarm about mo monkeypox. we'll find out where they are calling it a public health emergency. frank is a fan of fast. he's a fast talker. a fast walker. thanks, gary. and for unexpected heartburn... frank is a fan of pepcid. it works in n minutes. nexium 2 24 hour and prilosec otc can take one to four days to fully work. pepcid. strongng relief for fans of fast.

now to the sharp warning from chinese president xi jinping to his u.s. counterpart joe biden during their phone call yesterday. if you play with fire, you get burned. the chinese leader making it clear his anger over washington's relations with taiwan including a possible visit by u.s. house speaker nancy pelosi, the u.s. calls the warning standard fair from beijing and described the 2:17 conversation as direct and honest. the president also agreed to start planning for a face-to-face summit possibly later this year in indonesia or thailand, but taiwan was the central focus.

>> the president was clear nothing has changed about our policy, it stays the same and nothing has changed about our desire to not see the status quo between the ststraits issue. the president has been nothing but consistent, there is no reason for this to devolve into conflict because our one chai p china policy has not changed. steven jiang is joining us. despite that, this was a unequivocal warning from beijing. did it make the relations better or worse? >> reporter: as alarming at xi jinping's warning to biden on taiwan may sound, this is not the first time he uttered the same phrase to biden. he used it in august 2021 when the two men held a virtual summit. the key difference is the timing of this latest phone call, we're

only three months away from a major communist party congress where it is all but certain that xi jinping will assume a precedent-breaking third term as the country's top leader paving the way for him to rule for life. so this is a critical moment when he is facing a myriad of domestic challenges so he can't afford to look weak on this issue. that is why this is so important. but the hope is that the two men have talked in length and gained better understanding and clarity on where each stands and that could help them contain the fallout better if pelosi does decide to go ahead. but it is clear that both sides are wanting to move along this one issue and highlighting the wider nature of their conversations. from chinese perspective, they have been trying to emphasize that xi jinping told biden that the u.s. has been reading china wrong, the u.s. perception of china as a strategic competitor

and long term rival is simply wrong. this is important because the americans have been saying for a long time their goal is setting up the so-called guardrails to prevent things from getting out of control. but from the chinese perspective, if the whole u.s./china policy is wrong headed what is the point of these guardrails. also interesting what the americans have said after the phone call with the u.s. officials telling reporters that despite the saber rattling, officials from both sides have been meeting and following up on their leader's previous commitments and making progress in some key areas. so one thing both sides seem to agree is the necessity to keep these communications going especially when tensions are running high. >> steven jiang, many thanks. u.s. national security officials are trying to convince speaker pelosi of the risks a trip to taiwan could pose. but they are also getting ready just in case they can't change her mind. oren liebermann has the details.

all right the pentagon is developing a series of plans and options if nancy pelosi chooses to go ahead with a trip to taiwan. defense officials here have said such a plan would involve u.s. military assets in the region such as aircraft and ships and as well as potentially satellites to monitor the area around pelosi if she were in the region. the u schlt ss ronald reagan ha re-entered the china sea and already the chinese are shadowing it. and it is important to note that that is fairly common place both for the reagan and also chinese ships. but this is all of what the u.s. is watching here as they wait for the decision from the speaker of the house on whether she chooses to go forward with this trip. the defense officials we've spoken with have said that they

are not really concerned about the possibility or the risk of any sort of shooting happening between american forces and chinese forces. the concern is more on a potential miscalculation between those forces if there are more in the region around speaker of the house nancy pelosi. and also what china might do in reaction. china has used some pretty harsh rhetoric leading up to and responding to a potential pelosi trip to the region. what might the u.s. expect to see. chairman mark milley has talked about what he sees as increasingly aggressive actions by the chinese military around the ships and aircraft of not only the u.s. but u.s. allies such as intercepts and unsafe or unprofessional interactions. so prerhaps that is what the u.. would expect to see should the rip go fourward. behind the scenes u.s. officials are trying to brief her on the risks but unclear if that has

influenced her thinking at all. oren liebermann, cnn, the pentagon. now to the monkeypox outbreak as the u.s. centers for disease control says the number of cases of the virus worldwide has now passed 21,000. still health officials in africa say that they have no vaccines for monkeypox despite having all of the 75 recorded deaths from the disease. and in the u.s. some cities and states aren't waiting for the federal government to raise alert levels on the virus. new york is calling it an imminent threat to public health. and san francisco is declaring monkeypox a public health emergency. health experts in the u.s. are growing increasingly concerned over the low numbers of monkeypox tests. labs are operating at a fraction of the capacity and without that crucial testing it is difficult to know the true expense of the outbreak. elizabeth cohen explains why. >> reporter: a key to getting the outbreak under control is testing and lots of it.

and that is why the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention has engaged with five commercial labs to increase testing capacity and now those five labs can do 70,000 specimens per week, that is a lot. but cnn has found by checking in with these labs that actually the demand of these labs is very low. doctors aren't sending in specimens in any large numbers. let's take a look at a few examples. for example at the mayo clinic, they could handle 1,000 samples a week and over the past two weeks, they have received 45, 45 over both of those weeks. and agi sflt gchlt ichltagis, ae the capacity for 5,000 and they have received zero. and labcorp, they say that they have received more than this, but still they say that the number of samples coming in has been extremely low. so this is problematic for

several reasons. one is that you can only find out who has monkeypox if you test them and then you can isolate them and do contact tracing. also especially in a country as large as the united states, you want to know where your cases are so you can send resources to the right places. so let's look at monkeypox cases in the united states. so you can see the number of cases has rifsh dramatically at a time when they are trying to get it under control. so a month ago there was about 244 cases. and now there is about 4600 cases. so there are several reasons for the low demand at labs and one of them is that most of the cases, really almost all of the cases have been among men who have sex with men. these men often go to sexual health clinics to get their care. and now these clinics say they are underfunded and about half of them don't even use commercial labs because they say it is too expensive. so if you have a lot of pirkts going to clinics that don't send their samples to private labs,

but those private labs have a lot of capacity, obviously there is a disconnect there. back to you. >> elizabeth cohen there. coming up on "cnn newsroom," a legislative win for the biden administration could be a boon for the u.s. semiconductor industry. and this -- >> this is an embarrassment to the senate, to the country, to the founders and all that they profess to hold dear. >> comedian jon stewart goes to bat to military veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. what he is demanding from congress, just ahead. then we found shipstation. now we'r're shippig out orders 5 times faster and we're saving a a to. go to shipstation.cocom /tv and get 2 months free. i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if and looking to buy5, life insurance on a fixed budget,

remeer the three ps. what are the three ps? the the ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80, what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information

and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information.

welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm christina macfarlane. if you are just joining us, let's me bring you up-to-date with our top stories. state of emergency in kentucky where at least eight people have died from flooding in the eastern part of the state. and the state's governor says sadly he expects that number to go up. evacuations are also under way this hour in jackson, kentucky due to rising floodwaters. u.s. president joe biden had a phone call yesterday with china's president xi jinping warning that the u.s. is, quote, playing with fire over taiwan as pressures mount over a possible trip by house speaker nancy pelosi. the pair agreed to plan for a face-to-face summit later this year. [ bell ] >> u.s. stocks closed in positive territory for the second consecutive day thursday.

all three maindices up by more than 1% on hopes that economic contraction could lead to lower interest rates down the road. according to data released earlier thursday, gross domestic product fell by 0.9% in the second quarter of 2022. and u.s. gdp has fallen for two quarters in a row, usually the unofficial indication of a recession. but a bipartisan nonprofit makes the call. rahel solomon has that and the economic data. >> reporter: another day, another major economic report. it has been a busy week for economic data. thursday the commerce department released second quarter gdp data which showed that the u.s. economy shrank at an annualized rate of 0.9%. the report showing while u.s. consumers are still spending,

that is slowing. and business investment is slowing especially in categories like inventories and in the residential space. thursday's report will be revised at least two more times, but does follow a 1.6% decline for the first quarter of the year. u.s. economy has now seen two straight quarters of negative growth and that is reigniting the debate about whether we're in a recession. many economists say we're not. at least not yet. the job market is still strong, unemployment is practically at a 50 year low, and demand for workers continue to be strong. the official arbiter of recessions is a group of eight economists that make up the business cycle dating committee at the nonprofit, nonpartisan national bureau of economic research. and they operate rather discreetly. but define a recession as a significant decline in economic activity. the committee considers factors such as personal income, the job market and consumer spending. i spoke to harvard university professor, former member of the committee on thursday, and asked

might we see a recession call after this gdp print? and he told me the committee is very unlikely to say a recession happened in the first quarter because a whole host of other indicators were positive. as for his thoughts on today's report, he says the economy is clearly slowing down. rahel solomon, cnn, new york. meantime u.s. president joe biden is on the cusp of a major legislative victory thanks to the deal struck by chuck schumer and west virginia senator joe manchin on the $739 billion inflation reduction act. mr. biden urges congress to seize the moment. >> this is the strongest bill you can pass to lower inflation, cut the deficit, reduce health care costs, tackle the climate crisis and promote energy security. so pass it. pass it for the american people. >> the bill aimed at combatting the global semiconductor chip

shortage is on its way to president biden's desk to be signed into law. it is designed to significantly increase their production in the united states. ly gelmiguel marquez takes us inside a factor making these critically important chips. >> reporter: it is enormous.y me a factor making these critically important chips. >> reporter: it is enormous. mi a factor making these critically important chips. >> reporter: it is enormous.miga factor making these critically important chips. >> reporter: it is enormous. global foundries semiconductor chip plant. in this fabrication unit, how many chips are being made for how many products? >> so we could produce roughly millions of chips a day. >> a day. >> reporter: the fab where the chips are made about the size of six football fields. the process so sensitive a single human hair could gum up the works, even the light has to be controlled. >> any expose some you are to ambient light will have a negative impact. >> reporter: the chips produced here go in to everything from cars, computer, video games, communications technology and the defense industry.

>> we're hat aat a half a trill now. by 2030, we'll be at a trillion. so the question is not-of. >> a trillion. >> a trillion dollar industry. so we'll double between now and 030. >> reporter: the chips act called for investing $52 billion in accept any conductor production here at home. 18 states now produce chips and could benefit from the funding. global foundry started producing the chip here in 2012. new york state kicked in $2 billion helping the company secure another $13 billion to build a plant today employing 3,000 employees with a median salary says the company of $90,000. at just this one plant, the expected effect of the chips act funding -- >> we intend to double capacity in partnership with the federal government, with the state government. >> reporter: doubling capacity adding up to 1,000 more job, many high paying, all of it a

boom to the area. in the last decade, how has the economy here changed? >> it has just grown. all ri >> reporter: leaps and bounds? >> almost seems like it is sort of a bubble. >> and dividends are felt throughout all the restaurants and shops and tavtaverns. >> reporter: and some conservatives and progressives argue government should not be in the business of subsidizing private industry. the industry says a little bit of public financing goes a long way. >> the proof is in the pudding. look at this facility we have, the number of jobs, the taxpayer return 2, 3, 4 x with the state. >> reporter: an industry started by america, an industry central to the tech economy, critical to the nation's defense. and an industry the u.s. would like to dominate again. industry executives say it doesn't take much government financing to attract lots of private capital. they also point out that america's biggest competition in

semiconductor production china, the eu, india, korea, japan. they collectively have put together about $280 billion in government financing to spur their own semiconductor industries. it is very big money and very heavy competition. back to you. chuck schumer says that he plans on monday to vote on a bill to help military veterans who suffer from toxic exposure to burn pits. democrats accuse republicans of wasting precious time by blocking the advance of the bill this week. comedian jon stewart has been a staunch proponent of helping the veterans and he unloaded on senate republicans thursday calling them cruel and cowardly and demanded action to help the victims. >> they lived up to their oath. and yesterday they spit on it. in abject cruelty.

these people thought that they could finally breathe. do you think their struggles he said because the pact act passes? all it means is they don't have to decide between their cancer drugs and their house. >> of course republicans blame democrats for the delay in passing the bill. they want votes on amendments that would change the way the project is funded. ukraine's artillery puts a key russian supply bridge out of commission. but now russia is reportedly implementing a backup plan to keep military supplies flowing. that is ahead.

do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy - even a term policy - for an immediate cash payment. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have $100,000 or more of life insurance, you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit coventrydirect.com to find out if your policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance. i typed in grandma's name and birth year... and there she was, working at the five and dime. my dad's been wondering about his childhood address for 70 years... and i found it in five minutes.

...that little leaf helped me learn all the names from the old neighborhood... it felt like a treasure hunt. the 1950 census adds vivid new detail to your family story. and it's available now on ancestry.

negotiators are sorting out the final details before ukraine can resume grain exports. officials still need to iron out the exact locations of safe corridors. an meanwhile ukraine is reporting a new russian strike

on the center of its second largest city kharkiv. cities across the donetsk region are also taking fire. and they are working to restore supply routes after ukrainian artillery damaged a key bridge preventing heavy weapons from crossing. nina dos santos is joining me now with the latest. we know that ukrainian force respect have been preparing for a counteroffensive in the south. what more do we though about that effort under way to retake kherson? >> that is the first city to have fallen to russian forces as they began their invasion of ukraine at the end of february this year, also the second biggest city in the whole of ukraine, so it is crucial and also a gateway across the krive. and so it really is the crucial gateway towards those black seaports that we're seeing being blockaded and heavily bombed,

the heart of the grain crisis at the moment. and for some time kherson has been used ever since obviously it was taken by russian forces earlier this year as a place from which to launch various russian offenses on ukrainian troops. but what has changed now is that ukraine has managed to get its hands on long range western supplied weaponry, in particular from the united states. and that is what they have used this week where they have taken out one of the biggest bridges thwarting russia's attempts to restock the troops on the other side with things like tanks and big heavy weaponry. overnight we have heard from the ukrainians that the russians may have managed to mount a pontoon bridge, that could again be targeted by ukrainian forces. russianed a me ed ed a men admi say that they have been able to get people across the river but it is a sign that ukraine is

fighting back after president zelenskyy said that ukraine would prevail.s a sign that ukr fighting back after president zelenskyy said that ukraine would prevail. >> and of course all eyes still on the black sea waiting for the movement of this grain. they are trying to figure out the safe corridors with which to get the grain out. how difficult is that operation? >> will, this is all part of a deal that was brokered of course by turkey and the united nations this week. essentially the target was to try to get ukrainian grain out through mine fields that the ukrainian forces themselves, this navy, had to mine at the start of the invasion of ukraine to try to prevent an amphibious landing. the idea was that ukraine would help escort commercial trips out of ports like odesa where 20 metric tons said to be waiting

export to easy 0e the blockage before the harvest in the month of august and president zelenskyy says that that could mean that ukraine could have 75 metric tons of food grain backed up that is so badly needed in developing parts of the world. so far we haven't seen any ships actually leave, but of course this is friday, the weekend to come, but all eyes are on the first shipments to see when they can make their way out through the dangerous waters in the black sea. >> keep a close eye on that. nina, thanks very much. the biden administration officials are reportedly frustrating that russia has yet to respond to any -- in any meaningful way to the proposed prisoner swap. the u.s. has offered up notorious arms dealer viktor bout in exchange for grbrittney griner and paul whelan. moscow says they decide whether to discuss the trade when time

permits. you're watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead, donald trump in the rough for hosting a saudi backed golf tournament at his new jersey country club. h blood pre. and since pain relievers may affect blood pressure, they can't just take anything for theheir pain. tylenoll® is the #1 dr. recommended pain relief brand for those withth high blood pressure. if you have questions on whether tylenol is right for you, talk to o your doctor. shipstation saves us so much timeme it makes it really easy and seamless pick an order print everything you need slap the label on ito the box and it's rea to go our cost for shipping, were cut in ha just like that go to shipstatiotv and get 2 months free buried in receipts, inices and other paperwork that's preventing you from doing what matters most? then get the all new epson rapidreceipt smart organizer to scan, digitize and organize your documents and receipts. receipts go in, and stress goes away. it's the only solution on the market specifically designed to extract and digitize key data trapped on receipts and invoices. and it

integrates with financial software like quickbooks and turbotax. transform paper documents like contracts, tax records, warranties, wills, even recipes into searchable pdfs. so the information is always right at your fingertips, safe and secure. you can even turn business cards into digital contacts, and it scans up to 100 pages at a time. even different sizes in one batch. with this exclusive tv offer, you'll get the epson rapidreceipt smart organizer and over $300 in added value! act now and save up to $100 for a limited time. this rapidreceipt has made a huge difference. it categorizes everything for me. it puts everything into the right files. i don't misplace a thing anymore. no more losing receipts means no more losing money. people everywhere love the epson rapidreceipt. organized at last and made so simple. you can use this for both business and household. that's the smartest move i ever made for my business. it even helps organize

me for taxes and expenses. there's even a mobile rapidreceipt you can use when you're on the go! this has changed everything. as soon as i get a receipt i just scan it, and store it away immediately right here into the laptop, no matter where i am. with this exclusive tv offer, you'll get a mobile or desktop epson rapidreceipt smart organizer, and over $300 in added value. act now and save up to $100 for a limited time. go online or call to get an epson rapidreceipt smart organizer delivered right to your door. i came, i scanned, i conquered. epson rapidreceipt - visit buyrapidreceipt.com or call. piece of cake baby!

pope francis travels today to northern canada the final stop on his week long pilgrimage of penance. thursday for the first time since arriving, he apologized for the sexual abuse of minors by members of the canadian catholic church. he called the crimes evil but blamed church members not the institution. during his tour, he also apologized to indigenous communities for the residential. dwloo f dwloo. >> donald trump is under fire for hosting a saudi backed golf tournament at his new jersey club. liv golf has rocked the pga tour by luring away big name players with huge numbers of money. polo sandoval reports.

a >> reporter: donald trump teeing off in new jersey amid controversy that is testing both the sporting world and international relations. the third event of saudi backed liv golf starts friday at bedminster attracting big name athletes with millions in guaranteed pay days. bubba watson reportedly the latest to join in. the breakaway league has drawn criticism over concerns that it provides international legitimacy to saudi arabia's regime which is accused of human rights violations for years. includes a 2018 killing of jamal khashoggi. u.s. intelligence maintains saudi crown prince mohammad bin salman approved of the killing but he denies it. >> it is a multibillion-dollar public relations stunt bought and paid for by the kingdom of saudi arabia. >> reporter: critics say it is sports washing using this league to help improve the kingdom's

image. >> i can confidently say that change is happening and that what we do is having a positive effect. >> reporter: families of 9/11 victims point to saudi arabia as home to 15 of the 19 hijackers responsible for the error attacks, though the kingdom denies that involvement. >> i lost my husband in the north tower. >> reporter: donald trump's golf club just 50 miles from ground zero, the former president defending the attorney to espn today. >> nobody has gotten to the bottom of 9/11 unfortunately. and they should have. >> reporter: it is the first of two live competitions on trump properties. >> we welcome good healthy competition. the liv saudi golf league is not that. >> reporter: the pga has suspended golfers who join liv. >> if it were backed by any other entity, then it would just be a rival tour. in this case there is a direct business relationship between each of these golfers and the saudi regime.

>> reporter: 9/11 families plan to speak out again on friday ahead of the official start of this golf tournament, they maintain that they blame every u.s. president since the attack of 9/11 for not holding the saudis responsible for their alleged role in the attacks of 21 years ago. polo sandoval, cnn, bedminster, new jersey. britain's prince charles helped kick off the commonwealth games in birmingham. he met with athletes and represented the queen at the opening ceremony. it brings together athletes from states aterritories to compete n events over the next ten days. more than 5,000 athletes are expected to participate. wedding bells will be ringing at the white house later this year. 28-year-old naomi biden is a lawyer based in washington and the president's eldest granddaughter. she tweeted that she will be married on the south lawn later this year. naomi is the daughter of hunter biden. her fiance is peter neal who

graduated from law school this spring. there is a long history of white house weddings dating back to the children of james monroe in the 1800s. sounds like something out of a horror movie, scientists have found a way to give new life to dead spiders by turning them into robots. yep, you heard that correctly. robots that can pick up objects. engineers from rice university in texas used so-called wolf spiders for the study. here is how it works. they pump air into the dead spier's legs, and then using a needle and super glue, they are able too triggering the open and closing of the legs to pick up objects. oef, 0 oh, my god, researchers say they will be useful because they can carry more than their body weight. that is super creepy. that does it for this edition of "cnn newsroom." "early start" is next.

hey, i just got a text from my sister. you remember rick, her neighbor? sure, he's the 76-year-old guy who still runs marathons, right? sadly, n anymore. wow. so sudde um, we're not about to have the "we need life insurance" conversation again, are we? no, we're having the "we're getting coverage so we don't have to worry about it" conversation. so you're calling about the $9.95 a month plan -from colonial penn? -i am.

we put it off long enough. we are getting that $9.95 plan, today. (jonathan) is it time for you to call about the $9.95 plan? i'm jonathan from colonial penn life insurance company. sometimes we just need a reminder not to take today for granted. if you're age 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance starting at just $9.95 a month. there are no health questions so you can't be turned down for any health reason. the $9.95 plan is colonial penn's number one most popular whole life plan. options start at just $9.95 a month. that's less than 35 cents a day. your rate can never go up. it's locked in for life. call today for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner, so call now. (soft music) ♪ hello, colonial penn?

as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network with no line activation fees or term contracts...

saving you up to $500 a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. it is friday, july 29th, 5:00 a.m. in new york, thanks for getting an early start with us. i'm christine romans. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. right now urgent flood warning for parts of hard hit kentucky where least eight people have already been killed. the area is already saturated and more storms are moving in. towns near the kentucky/west