real life drama for hollywood actors as contract talks collapse setting up a strike. plus president biden in finland to welcome one and eventually two nordic nations to the nato alliance. and federal prosecutors talk to the top elections official in michigan. what does she know about efforts to overturn the 2020 vote. welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. we begin this morning with a developing story out of hollywood, california, where contract negotiations with the s.a.g. actors union and major studios and streamers broke down overnight. this sets the stage for hollywood's first big shutdown in more than six decades. union leaders say its national board will meet a few hours from now to formally authorize a strike. s.a.g. has about 160,000 members. if they go on strike, they would join hollywood screen writers who walked off the job in may. more on this coming up. but first president biden with a meeting of nordic leaders in finland this morning following nato's decision to welcome finland and soon sweden into its alliance as it aims to provide an even stronger display of unity in the face of russia's war in ukraine. arlette saenz traveling with the president in helsinki. what is the president looking to do with this visit? >> reporter: president biden is wrapping up his foreign trip here in helsinki, newest member of the nato alliance, another effort to have united show of force to signify the strength of the nato alliance amid russia's war in ukraine. finland shares about an 800 mile land border with russia. and while the president is here, he will be meeting with the president of finland and then heading to a meeting with leaders of five nordic countries including sweden. of course there is a big win for both sweden and president biden earlier in the week when turkey made the surprise reversal to drop their objections to sweden joining the nato alliance. president biden told reporters as he was heading over here that he believed there was cynicism about whether he would be able to convince erdogan to allow li. so of course he views this as a big win. and they wanted to enter the alliance given their close proximity to russia. and additionally one thing still needing to be figured out when it comes to sweden, erdogan says it will still need to be voted upon by the turkish parliament. he says that vote may not happen until the fall. so would he deny may need to wait just a little bit longer to enter the alliance. but this is all capping off a week for president biden that he said accomplished all of the goals that he set out to meet as he came to this nato summit. yes they got turkey to drop their objections to sweden, but also the president left that summit in vilnius with a more united front around the world in ukraine. there was some tension at that summit, they were not able to give president zelenskyy the time line that he wanted to enter the nato alliance, but zelenskyy did leave that summit with long term security commitments from the u.s. and other g7 allies. so the president will be wrapping up that trip here. he will end the day with a press conference before heading back to washington, d.c. >> we think about him starting in the uk and now finland. and you point out that he will be meeting with several nordic leaders. are there specific practical items that he might be trying to accomplish with these meetings? >> reporter: i think there are a few items that they are trying to touch on. there are issues related to ai technology and as well as climate issues. but a big focus will also be the arctic region especially as we've seen china and russia really trying to build up their presence there and the arctic has been becoming more accessible due to climate change. of course the u.s. also has a keen interest in that. >> a lot to watch. arlette saenz, thank you. back here in the u.s., michigan secretary of state jocelyn benson now confirms that she was interviewed by federal prosecutors in connection with their investigation into interference during the 2020 election. she talked to kaitlan collins on the source last night. >> it really underscored i think the depth through which the federal prosecutors are looking into everything and the seriousness with which they are taking what occurred and the quest for justice to ensure it doesn't happen again. >> zach cohen has more from washington. >> reporter: we can now count michigan secretary of state jocelyn benson among a growing group of state officials who have been interviewed by special counsel jack smith in his ongoing criminal probe. this is really another indication that smith and his team are honing in on what former president donald trump and his allies were doing at the state level as they tried to overturn the presidential election results in 2020. benson has been one of the loudest voices in pushing back against former president trump's baseless claims about voter fraud, his effort to file unfettered lawsuits. and also to put altered electors which michigan started a criminal investigation into before the justice department did. so benson joining georgia secretary of state brad raffensperger, joining rusty bowers former top gop official in arizona, as those who have gone into talk to prosecutorses in recent weeks. it remains to be seen exactly when or if a charging decision will come. but we do know this remain as core focus of prosecutors in the special counsel's office. zach cohen, cnn, washington. christopher wray on the hot seat on capitol hill, and he faced a steady stream of attacks from republican members of the house judiciary committee from the role of the fbi, classified documents case, to the recent investigation of hunter biden. wray tried to push back on accusations of partisan bias. sara murray has more. >> reporter: fbi director christopher wray -- >> thank you, good morning. >> reporter: pulling no punches in critiquing former president trump's sloppy retention of classified documents. >> i don't want to be commenting on a pending case, but i will say that there are specific rules about where to store classified information, and that those need to be in a scif, secure compartmentalized information facility. and in my experience ball rooms, bathrooms and bedrooms are not scifs. >> reporter: and insisting that the bureau is not protecting the biden family. >> are you protecting the bidens? >> absolutely not. the fbi -- >> you won't answer the question. hold on. you won't answer the question about whether -- >> reporter: he also disavowed some of the behavior outlined in john durham's probe which documented missteps by the fbi in its investigation into the 2016 trump campaign ties with russia. >> i consider the conduct described in the durham report as totally unacceptable and unrepresentative of what i see from the fbi every day and must never be allowed to happen again. >> reporter: wray however stood by the search at mar-a-lago. >> i would not call it a raid, i would call it an execution of a lawful search warrant. >> reporter: and defended the fbi rank and file amid a wave of threats in the wake of that search. >> we did stand up a whole dedicated unit to focus on threats to fbi individuals, fbi employees and fbi facilities because of the uptick that we saw over that time period. >> reporter: wray facing off against some of his toughest congressional critics on the house judiciary committee where republicans have threatened to slash the bureau's budget and accused fbi leadership of political bias. >> people trusted the fbi more when j. edgar hoover was running the place. >> respectfully congressman, in your home state of florida the number of people applying to come work for us and devote their lives working for us is up over 100%. >> we're deeply proud of them and they deserve better than you. >> reporter: all as democrats took shots at their gop colleagues. >> we are here today because maga republicans will do anything to protect donald trump their savior no matter how unfounded or dangerous it may be to do so. >> reporter: democrats also needling judiciary chair than jim jordan for once defying a subpoena in the house january 6 investigation. >> quite rich to me that you are hearing all these allegations from somebody who won't even respond to a lawful subpoena. >> reporter: republicans on this committee and particularly the chair jim jordan, have made a big deal of their belief that the leadership of the fbi is somehow biased against conservatives. chris wray was asked about this and he said that it is insane to him the notion that he would be biased against conservatives especially given his personal background. and his background is that he is a registered republican and he was appointed into this position by donald trump, a former republican president. sara murray, cnn, washington. turning overseas now, a senior russian general has been dismissed after he says he voiced concerns about the lack of support for russian forces in southern ukraine, something we have heard before from others. the general had been involved in the heavy fighting in the zaporizhzhia region specifically. he was also one of the most senior officers involved in the russian campaign in ukraine. clare sebastian is live for us in london. clare, good morning. what more are we learning about the dismissal? >> reporter: good morning. this commander of the 58th army, so one of the top generals in charge of russian efforts in zaporizhzhia, he according to an audio message that was published on the telegram channel of the russian lawmaker has been making sort of raising questions about what he says is the lack of support for troops on the front lines. take a listen to part of that audio message. >> translator: i had no right to lie. therefore i outlined all the problematic issues that exist today in the army in terms of combat work and support. i called a spade a spade. i drew attention to the most important tragedy of modern warfare, this is the lack of counter battery combat, absence ofrecognizance oig stations. >> reporter: pretty jarring to hear. we know russia has tried to cover the scale of their losses in this war. and he says according to the audio message that this was seen by the senior commanders as a threat and they dismissed him, an action that he describes as treacherously decapitating the army at the most difficult and tense moment of course referring to the counteroffensive. this clearly speaks to a legal of chaos perhaps even incompetence in the russian army after the insurrection a few weeks ago, speaking perhaps to these issues continuing. and also reflects a level of in-fighting in the russian army that we've seen throughout this war. and intensifying after the wagner rebellion amid reports that the army was being sort of cleansed, picked over for signs of disloyalty. so i think it does paint a pinkt picture of an army fighting a war among itself. >> thank you, clare. and coming up for us, exit stage right. hollywood actors look ready to walk off the job and on to the picket line as contract talks just collapsed. plus cleanup under way after multiple tornados touched down in the chicago area. and investigators believe that the escaped inmate in pennsylvania that he had help. who they are now questioning as the manhunt really ramps up. brushed away. y 'e even a little blurry vision can distort things. and something serious may be behind thosese itchy eyes. up to 50% of people with graves' could develop a different conditionn called thyroid eye disease, which should be treated by a different doctor. see an expert. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com [car screech] [car door slam] [camera shutter sfx] introducing ned's plaque psoriasis. 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[ting] ♪ live in the moment. ask your doctor about otezla. the morgan stanley client experience? listening more than talking, and a personalized plan ♪ to guide you through a changing world. ♪ from prom dresses to workouts and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. our policies need to evolve as well. he i just hope studios can be as collaborative with thing e acto union so people can go back to work. >> they may soon start hitting the picket lines. union leaders say its national board will meet today to formally authorize a strike. the contract for s.a.g. actor has expired and no deal was reached overnight. let's bring in a culture reporter the "time." laura, thanks for being with us. so what are the issues here? >> yeah, so the main issues here, that s.a.g. actors striking over have a lot to with the rise of the streaming bubble. that means that there are shorter tv seasons, longer periods between them, which means that it is just tougher to make a living essentially. they are looking at trying to raise minimum pay rates. they are really concerned about the use of potential ai, so authorizing use of actor's l likenesses, and they are also worried about the use of self-tapes and authorizing and regulating the new practice. >> and when you say use of ai to use the actor's likeness, what that would practically mean. >> well, there are two concerns. one is that these studios and streamers would use ai essentially to replace actors and actresses on screen. the other is that they would use ai -- they would train ai with existing portrayals and existing f filmography to replace the actors. and they want to be properly compensated. >> so this is at the same time as we know writers have already been on strike. how powerful do you think both of these groups striking at the same time would be to the industry? >> extremely powerful. it hasn't happened in 1960. and at the time, it essentially shut down hollywood. that would essentially happen again. some of the productions are already halted because no writers are stepping across the picket line. but those trying to continue filming will essentially stop now given that no writers or actors will step foot onset. >> so to be clear, some have all right stopped and the longest this drags on presumably, the longer and more of an impact that viewers will actually experience. >> absolutely. and that would start to affect essentially the fall cycle of tv and films. on so we'd see more of a shift toward reality tv, reruns and panic set in. >> great to have you today. thank you. >> thank you so much. pennsylvania officials are increasing the reward to almost $20,000 for the capture of escaped inte michael burham. state police believe sightings in warren county, pennsylvania are accurate as they now interview possible accomplices in the case. brian todd reports. >> reporter: a new clue in last thursday's prison escape -- >> just prior to the escape, there was a drone flying in that area. it could also be that it was somehow connected to his escape. >> reporter: officials also saying that they found additional items between tuesday night and wednesday night believed to be associated with the fugitive. and they have had sightings that they believe to be accurate. michael burham, age 34, is considered armed and dangerous and wanted in cases involving murder, kidnapping, carjacking and arson. officials are convinced that he is still in the area. they believe he is getting help. and they are actively interviewing potential accomplices. police say he escaped through a hole in the gym and rappelling down using bedsheets tied together. >> amount of time he got out was quicker than anybody could respond to get inside the room. >> they did do a big search -- >> reporter: mary lives next to the prison. >> he must have come up this grass. >> reporter: in the middle of the night the police searched her home and her property with spotlights and dogs. they told her burham has jumped her back wall and ran through her backyard. >> i thought he would have been in high security. how could they let him do this. so there was a mistake. >> reporter: burham has been on the lam once before in may when it took two weeks to capture him. he allegedly car jacked an elderly couple and finally caught in south carolina. is ex nicole says he came to her door at 4:00 a.m. and set her car on fire. she told an affiliate she is in protective custody while he's on the loose. >> it is either going to end because he is exhausted, dehydrated, starving and he comes out because of that, or it will end with a body bag. >> reporter: authorities describe burham as a self taught survivalist. how might he be caught? >> trying to communicate with someone he knows or if someone is helping him or he'll made a mistake and come upon a homeowner or someone who will take matters in to their own hands if he tries to break into a residence. >> reporter: county officials continue to say that the response from corrections officerses to burham's escape was as quick as it possibly could have been, but one county official says while a corrections officer was watching him on surveillance video at the moment of his escape, there were no corrections officers physically present with him at that rooftop gym when he went over the wall. brian todd, cnn, warren, pennsylvania. at least five reports of possible tornadoes touching down in illinois. video show a pair of them, this is just northwest of chicago on wednesday, downed trees and damaged roofs just part of the damage there. abortion providers in iowa filed a lawsuit to block a law banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. a hearing is set for friday. and arizona trump supporter who bay the target of conspiracy claims on fox news suing the network for defamation. he says tucker carlson made him a january 6 scapegoat. and still ahead for us, a secret briefing later today about the cocaine found at the white house. and tomato turmoil. right now in india, why the red vegetable suddenly costs so much green. i like that. we'll be right back. uuuhhhh..... here, i'll take that! woohoo! ensure max protetein, 30 grams of protein, 1 gramam of sugar. enter the $10,00000 powered by protetein max challenge. ♪ ♪ meet gold bond healing. a powerhouse lotion that moisturizes, heals, and smooths dry skin. with 7 moisturers and 3 vitamins, you can pay more but you can't get more. gold bond. champion yr skin. with the freestyle lie 2 system, know your glucoslevel and where it's headed. no fingersticks needed. manage your diabetes with more confidence. freestyle libre 2. 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across asia and around the world are now being forced to treat the symptoms of a climate emergency with no immediate cure. >> this is all a harrowing warning about what is at stake and why it is so important that we do everything possible to respond to the climate crisis. >> reporter: in japan, eight people have been killed in land slides and flooding just this month. houses have washed away. hospitals have flooded. electricity and water cut off. the downpours, heaviest they have ever been on this mountainous island where the forecast is for more rain. >> we are living in an age of consequences for past inaction on climate change. we see it playing out all over the world. but there is still so much we can do to limit future harms. >> reporter: no one nation holds the solution to the climate crisis. but china, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gas, holds more sway than most. the china energy investment corporation, world's largest coal fired power generation company, says it produced more electricity on monday than any other day in the past. hundreds of millions in china are sweltering through what could once again be the country's hottest ever summer. and it is not just people who need protecting as our world gets warmer. anna coren, cnn, hong kong. to east africa where more than 3 million people in sudan have fled their homes as the sudanese armed forces war with their rival the rapid support forces for control of the country. fighting began in mid april. human rights groups warn of escalated attacks on civilians. the u.n. reporting a mass grave has been discovered in west darfur with at least 87 bodies. stephanie busari is joining us live. what more are we learning about this discovery? >> reporter: yes, absolutely horrific details emerging of 87 bodies buried in the u.n. rights agency is reporting. and these bodies apparently all killed last month and mostly from one of the main nonarab communities in this region. now, this is history repeating itself here because 20 years ago this year, darfur went through a genocide where 300,000 people were killed and the same militia which has evolved into the rapid support forces which is being led by one of the generals involved in this recent conflict in sudan, they were responsible for that genocide. and they say there is credible evidence that this rapid forces was behind it. so it is horrific with what is happening there. the u.n. has called for an investigation and today in egypt, a summit is holding urgent summit with neighbors of sudan to discuss what can be done. it is the latest international mediation attempt to try to bring an end to this conflict that has raged for 12 weeks now. each time there is a mediation and ceasefire is agreed, it is immediately violated leading to frustration. and so it is just a very, very desperate situation for sudanese people who are caught in this hellish trap of violence that seemingly is not ending. >> and as you point out, it is a tragic case of history repeating itself. and it was something that at the start of this conflict many had concerns about, that darfur would find itself in the center of conflict yet again. stephanie busari, thank you. quick hits around the globe. secretary of state antony blinken set to meet top chinese diplomat wang yi today. and police in italy have arrested a homeless man accused in the arson that destroyed the installation in naples. he was identified through surveillance video. and in india, the price of tomatoes skyrocketing 400%, that is after crop failures triggered by heatwaves and heavy rains. scientists say it is part of climate change. just ahead, victory auto makes could soon hit a bit of a speed bump. >> and another emotional moment for damar hamlin. a new car loses about ten percent of its value the minute you drive off the lot. or more. that's why farmers new car replacement pays to replace it with a new one of the same make and model. get a whole lot of something with farmers policy 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complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ welcome back. here is today's fast forward look ahead. president biden is meeting with authorize nordic leaders this finland this morning, an opportunity to discuss bolstered security. cnn has learned the secret service set to brief members of the house oversight committee this morning on the recently discovered bag of cocaine found in the west wing. and the president of the united autoworkers says a strike remain on the table as contract talks are set to big with the big three automakers. overseas now, in thailand lawmakers are voting on a new prime minister. it is a classic political match-up between a young progressive candidate and the country's old guard. kristie lu stout is live with the latest. what is on the line here and which side appears to be in better shape? >> reporter: this election is a critical moment for the future of democracy in thailand. earlier we heard from the prime minister hopeful, he addressed parliament. voting has begun. and a candidate has to secure about 376 votes in parliament to win. this process is transparent, being broadcast live all day. and the minister who took power nine years ago in a coup is not seeking re-election and he will retire from politics. it was just fuew months ago his party was defeated in a general election. so all eyes are on pita, the leader of the progressive move forward party. he is a 42-year-old harvard graduate and he is confident. but to become premier, he has to grab around 60 more votes from rival parties and conservatives. and that is a tall order given his party's very progressive policies. his party, the move forward party, wants to bring big changes to thailand with plans to reform both the military and the monarchy by changing thailand's very strict laws that criminalize critz simicism of tn a monarchy with long prison terms. he wants to decentralize thailand but he also could be disqualified as a lawmaker over a share holding of a media group issue. the thai constitutional court will review the case next week. but after nearly a decade of turbulent military backed rule, many people across the country are looking forward to a new era. back to you. >> we'll see what they decide. kristie lu stout, thank you. turning to sports. the magical wimbledon run for chris eubanks has finally come to an end, but not before winning over fans across the world. he really mesmerized the nation. >> he has been the story of the tournament. and it is because he is so easy to root for. it wasn't that long ago that he had doubts. he took a job as commentator for the tennis channel, he continued to play. he didn't know about his professional tennis career, whether or not it could continue. but this week he went on an incredible run making it all the way to the quarter finals in his first appearance at the all-england club fresh off the first atp title of his career just a couple weeks ago, coming this close to beating medvedev. he was up two sets to one and ended up running out of gas losing in a five set thriller. afterwards he expressed an incredible amount of gratitude. but he believes that he is here to stay. >> definitely believe a lot more in my ability to contend with some of the best players in the world. it is tough to really know until you've played some of the best. i think it just gives needed confidence in my ability that i know that i can compete with some of the best in the world. whereas maybe i didn't fully know or believe that before. >> we'll hear much more from chris in the 7:00 hour when he joins "cnn this morning" for a live interview. so excited about that. meantime for only the second time since 2003, the u.s. men's soccer team will not be in the gold cup final. panama stunnings americans after a penalty shoot-out last night. the loss marking the last game for the interim coach callahan. and espys taking place last night in l.a., one of the most emotional moments was presentation of the jimmy v perseverance award, this year given to liam hendricks returning to baseball after being diagnosed with stage four lymphoma. >> cancer changes you. no doubt about it. going through this, it chanced me for the better. a lot of times i think about what i could have done differently in my life leading up to this moment. but you know what, everything in life is short. life, it is just trivial. things are just trivial when you go through something like this. doesn't matter what is going on, doesn't matter how it goes. all that matters is that you just live life your way, fly by your own seat, fly by everything that you want to do yourself. that is all that really matters. another powerful moment from damar hamlin presenting the pat tillman award for service to his team's training staff. he wiped away tears as he honored the first responders who saved his life when he went into cardiac arrest during a game. >> by the grace of god and did i vine intervention, we had the best outdo we could have prayed for or imagined.ivine intervent best outdo we could have prayed for or imagined. first and foremost, thank you for staying alive, brother. seriously, we are so honored to be standing up here next to such a strong and courageous human being. >> i love that. he was fully cleared to resume football activities in anticipate. he is expected to participate when training camp begins on july 26. but this was such a beautiful moment. he got a standing ovation from the crowd and to see him get emotional in front of everybody like that, it was really special. >> i was just about to say that, even though it has been months since that moment on the field, you still just get emotional watching it because it was just such a scary moment. dr. gupta did a story where he interviewed the training staff. so understand what they go through just to get ready for moments like that. incredible. >> yeah, we think about the pressure of the players on the field, but that training staff is incredible. >> thanks, carolyn. coming up on "cnn this morning," we expect to see president biden as he visits nato's newest member. and back here, why back to school shopping may not be what it used to be. we'll explain. is it possible to protect my business from cyber threats? it is, with comcast business. helping every connected device stay protected. yours. your employees'. even... susan? hers, too. safe. secure. and powered by the next generation 10g network. with comcast business, advanced security isn't just possible. it's happening. get started wih fast spees and advanced security for $49.99a month for 12 monts plus ask how to get up to a $750 prepaid card with qualifying internet. welcome back. let's look at markets around the world. green arrows across the board. i wonder why. perhaps because of that better than expected inflation report we got in the u.s. but take a look, tokyo, hong kong, shanghai and european markets all up. u.s. futures, also up. perhaps for the same reason. dow futures up 0.1%. nasdaq up more than half a percent. having a freight year. and s&p also up let's call it one third of a percent. stocks jumped wednesday after new data gave investors hope that the federal reserve may soon stop aggressively raising interest rates. consumer price index showing that inflation slowed to 3% on an annual basis making june the 12th straight month that inflation has slowed. let look at some of the categories. gas from a year ago down 27%, used cars 5%, meat fractionally, but airfare off almost 19%. one thing that is not off are school supplies. for the first time in nine year, back to school spending set to fall according to a new report. consumers are expected to spend 10% less has prices have increased almost 24% in the past two years. let's bring in brian mccarthy. good morning, thanks for waking up with us. >> absolutely, good morning. >> so where are people pulling back and where are they -- how are they looking to save? >> our study finds that inflation is taking its toll. as you mentioned, we expect spending to be down about 10% this year to protect wallets, parents will be focusing on necessity, spending a bit more on school supplies and pulling back from other categories like clothing, footwear and technology categories like laptops and smartphones. >> is the pull back across income levels? one thing we've seen thus far in the pandemic is a pullback perhaps among the lower income spectrum, but not necessarily upper middle class or upper class spectrum. >> we are. this is a pretty consistent story this year across all income group that's with surveyed. everybody intends to pull back spending this year. >> typically back to school shopping is the second largest spending event for families after the holiday shopping season. how do you think retailers will capitalize despite parents' uneasiness about inflation? >> so parents are signaling what they are interested in this year. they are focused on minimizing costs, and they have indicated that they want to come to stores a bit earlier this year, so making sure that you are in stock and looking for promotions and deals is really going to drive behavior this year. >> as you were talking to parents, were there any categories where they indicated that they are still willing to spend, that they are prioritizing spending back to school shopping? >> parents did indicate that they are willing to splurge for the right thing. right quality product, new features within technology, or giving their children a way to express themselves through clothing and apparel. >> and we've been in this sort of inflation cycle for quite some time now. anything surprise you in the report? >> the consistency of behavior, right? we're seeing and i think you mentioned inflation is starting to dip. we also track sentiment of customers and we're seeing despite inflation starting to slow, there is still a steady weariness that continues. so we'll pay attention to see how long behaviors start to change after inflation starts to slow down. >> one thing that caught my eye in your report was the level of parents saying that they have some uneasiness about their financial situation moving forward in 2023. brian mccarthy, we'll have to leave it here. thank you. >> thank you veu you very much. so, you've got the power of xfinity at home. now take it outside with xfinity mobile. like speed? it's the fastest mobile service around. with the best price for two lines of unlimited. only 30 bucks a line per month. that's hundreds in savings a year when you wave bye to the other guys. no wonder xfinity mobile is one of the fastest growing mobile services. you really shouldn't walk out the front door without it. switch today at xfinitymobile.com.