prig prigozhin, and does this encourage more dramatic things of putin with nuclear weapons, and interference with american elections. >> well, interference with american elections is nothing new, but there is no real prospect, and you never know of putin using nuclear weapons, and not only the west, but china has said, don't go there. don't go there. number two. number three. i think that determining what happens to prigozhin and happens to vilnius, excuse me, what happened when we discussed this in vilnius, god only knows what he is likely to do. we are not even sure where he is and what relationship he has, and if i were him, i would be careful what i ate and keep my

eye on the menu, but all kidding aside, i don't know, and i don't think that any of us know for certain what the future of prigozhin is in russia. so, i don't know how to answer that question beyond that. >> if i could also ask you about something happening back home. you are seeing the gop grappling to tie the abortion rights with other issues including a block on military promotions from senator tuberville, and what is that saying abouat the military readiness, and would you be willing to talk with senator tuberville with solutions? >> i would be willing to talk to him about his ridiculous position. i expect the republican party to stand up, stand up and do something about it. it is within their power to do that and the idea that we don't have a chairman of the joint

chiefs of staff, and the idea that we have all of the promotions at abeyance and we don't know what is going to happen, and the idea that we are injecting into foreign fundamental policy policies is bizarre. i don't recall that happening, ever. it is totally irresponsible in my view. so i think that -- i mean, i'm confident that the mainstream republican party no longer does not support what he is doing, but they have to stand up and be counted. that is how it ends. >> and for president niinisto, you have been working on fortifying border between finland and rush sharks and also

as a leader who shares a border with russia, what more do you want to be done to deter putin? >> in the beginning of the application process, surely, we had to make sure first trying to figure out every possible negative action that we might meet, and surely how we response from that, and we are very careful than work. so, at the moment situation, it is quite calm and remains as such, but i just want to tell you that finnish people do feel more secure at the moment that we have 80% of the population supporting nato membership and more than 80% who say that we

will help protect our allies. >> thank you. this concludes press conference. >> all right. we got some news at this news conference, the finnish president and the president of the united states, and it was significant that president biden quickly said that putin has already lost the war. there is no possibility he said of putin's winning this war in ukraine, and that is significant, and there is no real prospect, he said, of russia using nuclear weapons in desperation of trying to win this war, and it does not look possible. no real prospect, his words, of using nuclear weapons, and he was very, very forceful, president biden, including

finland and sweden and making sure that there is an opportunity for ukraine to be a member of nato as well. we have an excellent group of analysts to assess what we have heard which is significant statements indeed. we have alex marquardt in ukraine, and we have retired general wesley clark, the retired supreme allied commander. what have you heard? >> very strong support from the united states to nato, and strong message to putin, back off, you have lost. i thought that it was a great ending for what has been a very successful week for the administration and for nato.

>> do you believe that putin is going to back off or escalate the military invasion of ukraine? >> you have a russia that is mobilizing military and putin is concerned about angry moms in russia, because the casualties are mounting. there is disarray in the russian forces, but i'd be surprised if we don't see another russian attempt to push back ukraine somewhere and gain an advantage in whatever negotiations ensue at the end of this. so, i don't believe it is over despite the fact that the administration has said that putin has already lost. i am not sure that he accepts that. i think that he does recognize that there are limits to what he can get done in the near term. >> important point as well. nic robertson, it was clear to me based on what we heard from the finnish journalist that

there is clear concern with the russian invasion, and there was concern about the support for the united states from near the united states, and what was your thought of that? >> well, i think that many people in europe are asking that question, and especially in helsinki where they saw trump sit with putin, and putin even gave him a football, and president trump at the time said that he took president putin's analysis that there was no interference by russia in the u.s. election, and he took it over and above what he was hearing from his own intelligence advisers, and so the finns have seen it is firsthand, and there is concern of what can happen, but from what we heard from president biden in explaining in congress

and in senate that there is a lot of support, and this was echoed by the finnish president to lay some of the concerns to rest. but another takeaway is that president biden's analysis here that perhaps ukraine or this is an implicit analysis that perhaps ukraine is not going to take back all of the territory, because there is a war and then negotiation, and if ukraine was to force russia off of the territory, then what leads to negotiations because the war would be over, and russia would be gone. that is an interesting insight, and i'm not sure if that is what the president implied there, but that is what came across. >> arlette saenz is in helsinki traveling with the president. arlette, you had a chance to ask a question yourself, but what was your thoughts of the

reactions of the two presidents? >> well, i think that president biden once again tried to stress the unity of the nato alliance, and he was specifically asked a question about the political differences within the u.s., and how he can guarantee that the u.s. would stand by nato, and that is a reference to the fact that the president is running for re-election, and there could be a change of power coming in 2024, but the president is trying to stress that the u.s. would continue to nato allies throughout the process that is ahead of them, and he reiterated support for ukraine, but i have been asking the president about things specifically happening within russia, and the disarray of the generals, and the recent rebellion of prigozhin, and one thing that is noteworthy, they don't know where prigozhin is at this moment, and when i asked him about the possibility that

it could drive putin to take greater steps. he does not believe that nuclear weapons will be used, and if he is pushed into the corner what he might do. and so i asked about the block of promotion led by alabama senator tommy tuberville, and would he sit down to talk to him, and he said he would, but he is holding it up because of abortion policies within the defense department. , the president is heading home from the summit trying to once again stress that the nato alliance has been r reinvigorated and standing and emboldened in the resolve against russia, and they are firmly committed to supporting ukraine down the road.

>> and all of this is unfolding as the political environment in the united states is escalating looking ahead to 2024. david challenge yon, you are the political director, and give us a sense of how president will return to the united states, and what has been achieved with the summit, and the news conference and some of the other achievements? >> well, this is going to be returning with the wind in his sails, because it is going to be what president biden had promised the american people, he would bring donald trump's america-first approach to foreign policy make it an end and america with the allies primary approach, and that is stronger this week with finland going forward with the process

and showing a battle that ukraine is engaged in, and all of that was completely within how joe biden has presented his view of america's role in the world to the american people, and direct contrast from the predecessor donald trump, wolf, who may be his republican opponent next time around including when arlette had asked him about the potential election interference from russian, and could you get a stronger contrast in the very same place where donald trump sided with putin over the american intelligence community, and biden said that they have interfered with american election, and trying to do so would be nothing new. and so those were the contrasts that he was eager to make with his predecessor. >> and he also said that russia

is still interfering with u.s. elections, and you heard him say that? >> yes, it happened in the more recent one, and think about it in 2016, and you are right, if russia is doing that, it would not be a new approach from moscow and putin to try to interfere with the elections, so we have to lean into what russia is currently believing right now, wolf. >> and we go to alex marquardt who is reporting from inside of ukraine. he said that putin has lost the war, and there is no possibility of putin winning the war in ukraine, and i wonder how the folks in ukraine will react to those words? >> i think that the folks in ukraine would like to hear that putin has lost this war, and

even in the ice of europe, but he is still at war. and he brought up negotiated settlement, and putting up more pressure at this counter and seen as the best shot or one shot to, and if the president believes that russia has lost, we have to remember, they occupy most of the area, and it is going to be much more difficult to defend than to go on the offensive, and what we are seeing is russia defending territory they v and doing it quite well. we are seeing the fierce

resistance to the ukrainians trying to punch through the lines in the south and the eastern part of the country, and facing huge mine fields, and facing ferocious resistance from the fighters digging in for the past few months, and so and that it will set the scene for a negotiated settlement. i don't believe they will push out of western ukraine and certainly not out of crimea, and what they are looking to do right now is to basically get the best result they can so that eventually when they have to come to the table, and perhaps u.s. and american pressure which is for now not there, but it may come, and they certainly have the upperhand or at least some kind of leverage. that is why the weapons are pouring into ukraine, and immense amount of training and

weaponry gone into the counter offensive, and then of course in the last few days, more commitments to ukraine from the nato member, and hundreds of millions of dollars of new military hardware, because they want to see ukraine do as well as they can in the counter offensive, so when the time to negotiate comes, that they can get the best deal possible, but for right now, wolf, this counter offensive is slow going, and ukraine has made some gains, but they are extremely modest, wolf i think that you are absolutely right, alex, over there in ukraine. stay safe. general clark, retired u.s. supreme allied commander, and

what were you thinking about the comments of president biden of talking about senator tuberville's blocking the military commanders because he does not like the idea of women in the u.s. military traveling to other states to go have abortions, and that the military would pay for the travel expenses and not the abortions, but would pay for the travel expense, and what is your thought of what tuberville is doing, and this is undermining the military and preventing these admirals and generals from moving up. >> it is appalling what senator tuberville is doing, and way out of line that a responsible senator is doing. whatever his views are of the use of the military and how the military can engage in taking care of its people and meeting

needs, but to block with these promotions and mess with the chain of command is pure political stunting. it may be great for some of the funders back in alabama or someone from the extreme right wing, but it is harmful to the united states of america. i'm delighted that the president is willing to speak to him, but it should not take, that and the republican party should stop t this. this is an outrage against the american armed forces and against the national security interests. >> i spoke with defense secretary earlier today, and he made the same point, it is undermining the defense secretary and preventing these admirals and generals from moving up the line. thank you, nic robertson, alex marquardt, arlette saenz, david

chalian and retired supreme allied commander wesley clark. we will have more with you in the 6:00 p.m. hour, but for now, i will send it over to kate and sara. >> thank you, wolf. thank you for covering the very important press conference from those two later and more with that interview with lloyd austin at 6:00 p.m. and now, the key consumer index is hitting the lowest in three years, and what this means for the state of the economy, anand what it means for your family potentially. find yoursn opportunity sasales event. ( ♪ ) i was stuck. unresolved depression symptoms were in my way.

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new this morning, in a briefing on capitol hill, secret series vice is wrapping up the investigation of that bag of cocaine that was brought into the west wing earlier in this month. sources are telling cnn they do not have a suspect. jeremy diamond is doing the reporting, what more are you learning? >> yes, they are concluding the investigation, and they have not identified a suspect despite combing through hundreds of potential individuals who walked through the entrance where this

small baggy was found less than two weeks ago. lawmakers were told it is less than a gram of cocaine found here, but secret service officials were not able to identify a suspect, and i am told by two people familiar with the investigation, they have concluded the investigatory efforts. the leading theory is that it is likely one of the individuals who was a visitor on a west wing tour who likely left that baggy of cocaine, and that is in part of where it was found and not only at the entrance where the tour groups go through, but because it was found inside of one of the cubbies where the visitors are asked to leave their phones before going on the tours. one of my colleagues has learned that despite the cameras in the hallway, the cubbies are a blind spot, and so they did not have

cameras trained there and so that investigation has conclude and no suspects have been identified. kate. >> thank you, jeremy. sara? >> the fda has approved the first over the counter birth control pill. and we are joined by jacqueline howard, and can you tell us about the evfficacy of this dru? >> we are hearing that early next year, it could be in grocery stores, and drugstore shelves and online. that is the time line. and to tell you more about opill, it is oral conisception,

a -- contraception, and this is the first time that it has been af approved for over t kouhe count accessibility. and it is not for any type of abortion pill, because it is a birth control pill. >> how many women could this impact? >> the fda says that we do know that half of the 6 million pregnancies here in the united states is unplanned and so this opill is going go another option, and it is estimated that

2/3 of women use some form of contraception, and another option made available for women here in the u.s. >> it is easier to get it and not having to go to the doctor and get it. thank you, jacqueline howard. >> it is shocking that half of the pregnancies, and she just said half of them are unplanned. that seems -- that is really shocking. it is great to have this over the counter pill available. and not since ronald reagan led the screen actors guild have we seen a strike between the actors and the writers. so what is behind this halt in the entertainment industry is coming up. with gold bond... you can age on your own terms. retinol overnight means... the smoothing benefits of retinol.

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overnight talks between the streaming giants and hundreds of thousands of tv movie actors and writers failed. the writers have been on strike since may, and with the actors, that is going to bring the entertainment history to a fault. natasha chin has the latest from los angeles. now, how soon could this massive strike begin, and where did the negotiations fall part? >> yeah, kate, this could begin

a new round in los angeles when the sag-aftra plans to hold a national board vote which is to authorize the strike to begin. t this is huge. the fallout across the entertainment industry, but also beyond with all of the local businesses that support production, and they are seeing the business dry up, and layoffs, because no productions to serve. this is a word from the mitigation servers. the pga and some the better sticking points are better compensation and benefits fans, and residuals when it comes the

streams, and also, the artificial intelligence guidelines. they can take a.i. and alter their i iger said that the expectation of the unions is not realistic. >> this is just not respectful, and they respect their right to get as much compensation for the people, but you have to be realistic about the business environment and what they can deliver. it has been a great business for all of these people, and it will continue to be even through the rough times.

>> and he said there are groundbreaking protections in the wake of a.i., and we are deeply disappointed that sag-aftra is walking away instead of continuing to negotiate, and they have put us on a deeper foundship of the thousands who depend upon the nation for their livelihoods. that is and many of them are supportive of the unions, but worry about the future. >> this is very important, and we will keep an eye on. this we will look forward to t another update at the top of the hour. and also, we want to know what investigators wanted to

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a cnn exclusive. federal prosecutors have interviewed michigan's secretary of state jocelyn benson. the interview occurred in march as part of the ongoing investigation of donald trump's efforts to overturn his presidential loss. my colleague learned that it lasted hours and the focus was on the impact of misinformation and the threats against the election workers. kcaikatelyn polantz was learnede

about this. what do we know about this? >> well, it is filling in the map, and we have known for a while, that the special investigators had sought documents in battleground elector, and they wanted to talk to them for some time, and now they are come back to talk to people in the united states cabinet members and senators, so we know arizona, nevada and michigan and we also know that there is a lot of activity in the special council investigation building out what they know about what happened in the battleground states, and when benson was interviewed by

kaitlan collin last night, she spoke about more of what she felt was the valuable testimony that she could provide to the criminal investigators. >> i think that it is a combination of what we witnessed with a coordinated strategic effort of trying to block the voting in our state and certification in our state and then transform lies against the lives of elected officials who were simply doing their job. >> that is benson's recollection of the most important things that she did with the investigators back in march burk she sat for hours of questioning, so they could have covered a lot of ground for this ongoing investigation. kate? >> great to see you, katelyn. thank you so much.

sara? >> yes, the republican debate stage is getting crowded. chris christie and tim scott now have the 40,000 individual donors to make the debate stage. they joined donald trump and three other white house hopefuls to meet that threshold. jeff zeleny is with us now. jeff, to make the debate, the candidates also needed to hit at least one percent in the national poll, and there are so many people running, and who might miss out on this? >> sara, that is is the hot question on the summer presidential campaign. we know who is likely to be in, and that is a big development for former new jersey governor chris christie making that threshold of 40,000 donors. and maybe you think that it should be easy, but it is difficult from 20 different states.

also, you to have a polling threshold of poll of one percent of three national polls, and three national polls, and early state polls, and that is why there is an obstacle here as far as we don't know, but threads to a and of course, other candidates have not. asa hutchinson is out there trying to qualify and north dakota candidate dou g burgham. >> and so if he doesn't make it

to the debate for donald trump, that would diminish the debate? >> well, it would diminish chris christie to confront him directly, but it would not diminish the entire debate, because among the candidates, the question is who is going to rise above this second and third tier of candidates. for governor ron desantis, he has never been on a national debate stage, and with the other candidates sort of trying to rise to occasion, and so the presidential debates are happening much later, but very, very important in winnowing down the field. and many questions between now and august 23rd in milwaukee when that first debate happens, sara. >> yes, we are looking all of the potential 12 candidates who are trying to rise up to get those 40,000 individual donors

in 20 states. thank you, jeff. >> and now, temperatures that have cooled the lowest level in three years. this week's dr. sanjay gupta in chasing life. i'm dr. sanjay gupta in "chasing life." wildfires are increasing in the united states, and it is pushing our physical health at risk. besides trouble breathing, all of the particulate matter in the air is causing heart disease and other problems. so when you see that poor air quality, it is important to protect yourself. when you think of a bad storm, protect yourself, and when you do go out, consider a high quality mask like a n95.

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key inflation gauge has cooled to the lowest level in nearly three years. the new data this morning shows wholesale inflation rose just 0.1% last month. meaning, it's been on the

decline for 12 straight months. the index is closelied as it captures price changes before they hit the consumer. we have a whole bunch of pencils and pens, it looks like back to school. what's happening? will we see a break here? sgllt ppi is not going to make much of a difference for back to school shopping. we know how much kids hate back to school shopping. parents hate them even more because of just how expensive it is. parents are look ing at an arch of $600 per kid. but that's a 10 rs% drop from last year. and it's the first time that this number is going to be falling in nine years it's because of inflation. school supply prices have jumped the past couple years of about 24% from 2021 levels. ask so parents are saying they have had enough. they are just boing to be buying their kids the essentials necessities and not some of the high-tech gadgets and other items.

>> you also reported there are some signs of some trouble here. people are using the buy now, pay later apps for groceries. we call that lay away back in the day, but that's what it is. >> that's exactly right. that's the new lay away. buy now, pay later was designed for furniture and some of the expensive products. now we see customers switching to buy now and pay later for groceries. it's a really troubling sign. buy now, pay later, up 40% in january and february from a year ago. the retailers have them all over their websites. they are appealing toen cop assumeers because you can spread out the cost of your purchase. but a ton of risk here. experts say it encourages overspending. if you miss one of the installments, you'll get hit with a late fee and might rack up debt. so be careful with these apps. >> when you look at all of this, this really tells you the real

impact and all the numbers that people say inflation is cooling. it hasn't hit the consumer enough if they are trying to lay away groceries. >> that's exactly right. ppi is not coming just in time for these consumers. >> it doesn't translate yet. thank you so much. thank you for joining us today. this is "cnn news central." "inside politics" is up next.

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today on "inside politics," promises and pushback. the president of the united states says ukraine will get into nato eventually. and husband message to vladimir putin was impossible to misunderstand. putin is losing. plus no suspect in a blind spot. secret service ends its investigation into cocaine found at the