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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Israel Launches Largest West Bank Military Operations In Over 20 Years; Source: Trump Pressured Arizona Governor Ducey After 2020 Election To Overturn Results; Trump, DeSantis Speak At Moms For Liberty Event; Officials Offering $28,000 Reward For Info That Could Lead To Arrest In Baltimore Mass Shooting; Update On Migrant Mother, Daughter Separated And Reunited During Trump Admin.; 15-Time Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Champ On How He Prepares For The Contest. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired July 03, 2023 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Rush was among the five people who died last month when the OceanGate sub imploded on a trip to the Titanic.

Thank you for joining us on "Out Front."

AC 360 starts right now.

[20:00:17]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: One of the world's longest standing hotspots is heating up. John Berman here, in for Anderson.

Tonight on 360: Troops on the move in major airstrikes on a refugee camp that Israel calls a safe haven for militants and locals now call a warzone.

The very latest on Israel's biggest strike on the West Bank in two decades.

Also tonight, is Ron DeSantis openly advertising intolerance? His campaign puts out a video which it literally says is to wrap up Pride Month, slamming Donald Trump for being too accepting of LGBTQ Americans.

Later, the little Salvadoran girl who was torn from her mother at the southern border, how she and mom are doing now and the American life they are trying to build five years after that moment.

We begin with the latest on Israel's combined air and ground attack on Jenin in the West Bank, specifically the refugee camp there. According to Israel, the camp is known to be a haven for militants. That said, it is also densely populated in the middle of a crowded city packed with civilians in a conflict that is once again dangerously flaring up.

CNN's Hadas Gold is in Jerusalem for us tonight.

Hadas, what's the very latest from there?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. I was actually just in Jenin yesterday, but today, it is a different story.

Residents there saying they haven't seen scenes like what they're seeing in two decades. This is turning into the largest Israeli military operation since 2002. These were the days of the Second Intifada.

It began overnight around 1:00 AM with airstrikes carried out by drones. The Israeli military saying that they carried out these targeted airstrikes targeting militants in the Jenin refugee camp.

But since then, there have been hundreds of Israeli soldiers entering the camp. Bulldozers have been taking to the streets to rip them up, they say in order to remove IEDs that they say are under the pavement. And even on the outskirts of Jenin, tanks, Israeli military tanks have been seen.

Now, they have not entered the city itself, but that is so reminiscent of those incredibly violent days of the Second Intifada when Israeli tanks were actually taking to the streets of Palestinian cities in the West Bank.

Now, the Palestinian Ministry of Health saying that at least eight Palestinians have been killed so far, and more than 100 have been injured, and I should warn that these numbers could be changing, especially as this operation, John, is ongoing.

There are still ongoing firefighters in the city, even as we speak, and they are expected to continue overnight, potentially even for another day or so.

However, the Israeli military saying that at least eight of those killed, they say were all combatants. They said that they were all armed. But the Israeli military is acknowledging that there are civilians amongst the more than 100 injured and they are acknowledging that their actions in the camp have directly affected vital services there like the electricity and like the water.

Now, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu was actually speaking earlier this evening at an event at the US Embassy saying that the operation will continue, saying that they are doing everything they can to avoid civilian casualties.

But saying that, Jenin, he says has become essentially a safe haven for militants and that they are not going to allow that to happen -- John.

BERMAN: I keep looking at these images, Hadas, and you're so right. I haven't seen anything reminiscent of this or anything like this in two full decades.

What are the Israeli forces saying about where this goes from here?

GOLD: Well, John, the Israeli forces are saying that they will continue this operation as long as they believe necessary to achieve their targets. They say they are targeting militant command centers. They say they've already targeted weapons, manufacturing sites, explosive storage facilities, as well as tunnels that they say they found underneath a mosque and what is happening, though, right now in the camp, is that hundreds of these families in the refugee camp are fleeing the camp overnight, because they have been hearing and as we have been hearing from the Israeli military that this operation could continue for another day or so.

And these families, they have essentially been under siege in this refugee camp because even if they are of course not the targets, they are civilians, they are so directly affected because the firefights are happening on their streets, the bulldozers are tearing up the streets making many of them impassable.

And so these families are now fleeing. They are refugees once again, from a refugee camp -- John.

BERMAN: There could be some long nights ahead. Hadas Gold, please keep us posted. Thank you so much.

Let's go to the White House now and CNN's Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy, what is the White House saying about this military operation?

[20:05:04]

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, not very much, John, but they are actively monitoring the situation both here at the White House's National Security Council, as well as at the State Department very closely monitoring the situation, not only for reports of casualties, how many are civilian casualties, those are the kinds of things that this White House typically pays attention to, but what they are also doing is they are reaffirming Israel's right to defend itself against terrorist organizations.

And they're also saying that it is: "Imperative to take all possible precautions to prevent the loss of civilian lives." So very mindful of that.

And beyond that, John, this is a White House that is also very much mindful of the possibility of escalation here. We know the politics in the region right now can be very combustible. And certainly, every time there is a flare up like this, this is a White House that very much turns to focus on seeing how they can try and avoid any broader escalation of the situation, whether it is between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip, or militants in the West Bank.

BERMAN: Jeremy, what is the extent of communication right now between US and Israeli officials?

DIAMOND: Well, you just heard Hadas say that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu was actually at the US Embassy today and the US ambassador, Tom Nides was right by his side, so there certainly has been communication. There always is communication between US and Israeli officials around these types of incidents.

Now, what remains to be seen is what the effect is on some of this administration's other priorities as it affects the region, not only the possibility of escalation between Israel and Palestinian militants, but this is also an administration that hasn't really pursued a full two-state solution process. Instead, what they have really focused on is trying to do confidence building measures on both sides.

They have brought Israeli and Palestinian officials at the highest levels in years together, and yet still, we are seeing this kind of operation that could potentially undermine that small and steady progress.

The US has also been focused on trying to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and the secretary of State, Tony Blinken, just last month, warned that continued violence between Israel and the Palestinians could potentially undermine the possibility of all of that progress. Saudi Arabia has made very clear that progress on the Palestinian issue is necessary if that normalization is ever to take root.

BERMAN: Jeremy Diamond at the White House where there are no doubt, watchful and weary eyes tonight. Thank you, Jeremy.

Now, what could be a serious development of the special counsel's probe of former President Trump, we now know specifics about another call Trump made to another state in search for votes.

Georgia meet Arizona. Justice special counsel, Jack Smith appears to be ramping up his look into the effort to overturn the 2020 election. CNN has learned that Mr. Trump called Arizona's then governor at the time, Doug Ducey to put the squeeze on him. In fact, there is even video of him trying to reach the governor unsuccessfully in this instance, as he signed papers certifying President Biden's victory.

The audio is a little rough here, but the ringtone you hear is "Hail to the Chief."

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

BERMAN: So when he finally reached Governor Ducey, a source familiar with the call tells us that the former president did talk about the results and a source with knowledge says he pressured Ducey to find fraud that would help him reverse his defeat.

Separately, "The Washington Post" reports that Mr. Trump spoke specifically about his margin of defeat, more than 10,000 votes, then talk about a range of false claims that he said would show he overwhelmingly won and encouraged Governor Ducey to study them.

As to CNN reporting that former Vice President Pence was pressured by his boss to call Ducey as well, here is what he said about it to Margaret Brennan of CBS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't remember any pressure.

Look, the president and I, things came to a head at the end, Margaret. I've spoken about it very openly and the president and I continue to have a strong difference.

I'll always believe that by God's grace, I did my duty under the constitution that day in presiding over a joint session of Congress in the aftermath of the mayhem and the rioting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: He also said: "I did check in with not only Governor Ducey, but other governors and states that were going through the legal process of reviewing their election results, but there was no pressure involved.

With us now, CNN legal analyst, Jennifer Rodgers and senior political analyst, David Gergen.

Jennifer, let me just start with you here. Where would a call like this or how might a call like this to Governor Ducey cross a line if it did?

JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, John, it is not so much that this particular call would be illegal or across the statutory line, but special counsel, Jack Smith charges Trump and potentially others with a broad ranging conspiracy to overturn the elections.

[20:10:09]

It's really just a conspiracy against the United States. This would be one of many, many strong pieces of evidence. So, it's really more of a building block than a chargeable event in and of itself.

But just like the Raffensperger call, I mean, you have testimony in this case about Trump saying, we need this many votes. So all of this just goes into the pot of evidence showing that they had this illegal motive and that they, meaning Trump and his allies, conspired to overturn the election.

BERMAN: Because it's part of a pattern?

RODGERS: Well, just because it goes to the conspiracy. So conspiracy is an agreement, you know, between two people or more to do some illegal objectives. So the illegal objective is this overturning of the election, and this is a piece of evidence that he and others were on the same page, and they were taking action to try to get that done.

BERMAN: David, do you ever sit back and think, you know, obviously, Raffensperger in Georgia didn't go find the votes that Trump asked him to. Governor Ducey obviously didn't go try to overthrow anything in Arizona. Do you ever sit and think about what would have happened had they done something?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: If they had actually changed votes?

BERMAN: Yes, what would have happened had he found them receptive --

GERGEN: If they got to bring up --

BERMAN: Yes. What would have happened to the country had he found a receptive audience?

GERGEN: If he had a receptive audience, and I will tell you, when everything -- when all the facts were to come out, it would be like Nixon and the tapes. And that is, when the tape finally came out, it undid the Nixon administration, and he resigned shortly thereafter.

In this case, if you really could build up the idea that there were serious efforts to twist arms to do so in illegal or conspiratorial ways, and that continues to build up, I think it could burst before the election and have a real impact when it comes out.

I don't think Trump is out of the woods, even though his poll numbers are not only staying up, they have actually been strengthened some. He is not out of the woods yet, John, by a longshot.

BERMAN: You worked in four different White Houses, including Richard Nixon's. Can you conceive of a president doing this after Election Day, calling not one, but two, at least election officials saying hey, do something for me here if you can?

GERGEN: No, no. And even Richard Nixon in 1960, when he ran against John F. Kennedy, you know -- and lost by a very narrow margin.

There were all sorts of rumors and allegations that the votes hadn't come in from Chicago and that Mayor Daley, bumped the system up and would have cost Nixon the election or at least would have gotten it into the courts.

And Nixon himself, in one of the more patriotic moments of his life, said no, we're not going to contest this election. The country deserves to have a smooth transition, and he ensured that to be the case, and Donald Trump as -- I mean, you can't out-Nixon Nixon very easily, but Donald Trump has.

BERMAN: So Jennifer, according to "The Washington Post," the former Arizona governor, Doug Ducey has said that he is surprised he has not been contacted by special counsel, Jack Smith.

If that's the case, if Smith hasn't contacted him. Can you explain that?

RODGERS: Well, I'm a little surprised, too. I mean, previously, it was reported that they had spoken, but apparently the content of that conversation hadn't come out. So, it would be more surprising if now, Jack Smith doesn't try to talk to Doug Ducey at this time.

But it is true that they've been from the very beginning, and this has changed in the last couple of months, but a little bit behind the curve, right? DOJ let Georgia go first in their investigation. They let the January 6 committee effectively go first with the broader plot.

So before Jack Smith came in, there was a little bit of a lackadaisical attitude, it seems, which I think now has finally been remedied. I mean, it does seem like they're now going gangbusters. So I think they will speak to Ducey and see what they can get from him.

BERMAN: Well, Ducey apparently, there is no tape. Raffensperger obviously, we've all heard the recording of the Trump call there. How much does it matter that there is apparently no tape of the call with Ducey?

RODGERS: Well, prosecutors love tapes, right? There's no better evidence of listening to the defendant, in his own words, his own voice commit a crime, right, in the courtroom for you.

But this is the kind of evidence prosecutors usually have -- a credible witness up there on the stand swearing the oath and telling them what happened in this conversation. So, it is very strong evidence, not as good as the tape, but very typical and very believable.

BERMAN: We heard, David, Mike Pence talk about his differences with Donald Trump on this matter. Do you think any of the other Republican candidates will be brave enough to condemn the phone call with Doug Ducey?

GERGEN: Well, that depends on what Ducey has to say of course. If he comes out and throws cold water on this, then I don't think it goes anywhere. If he, on the other hand, hints broadly before he were to talk to Jack Smith that his arm was twisted heavily, then I think that's going to make a major difference in how people sort of view all of this.

[20:15:17]

But what I can't understand is why Ducey hasn't spoken up already. It does seem to me you know, he owed it to everybody to sort of get -- put the truth out there before he went to see Jack Smith.

BERMAN: All right, David Gergen, great to see you. Jennifer Rodgers, thank you as well.

Still ahead tonight, a video shared by the Ron DeSantis campaign at the end of Pride Month that some gay Republicans are calling homophobic. It comes as he is battling former President Trump to win culture war votes in the race for the Republican nomination for president.

Also tonight, the latest on a manhunt after two died and dozens were wounded at a block party in Maryland.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: A video posted at the end of Pride Month by the DeSantis campaign is being called "divisive and desperate" by the log cabin Republicans. It slammed former President Trump for his vow to protect LGBTQ rights as DeSantis tries to position himself to the right of Trump in the eyes of some of the Republican Party. Here's a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the future, can transgender women compete in this union?

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make America great again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Psych.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:20:12]

BERMAN: In response to the criticism, a spokeswoman for the DeSantis campaign called Pride Month, "unnecessary divisive pandering."

This video was reposted the same day that Trump, DeSantis, and other candidates appeared at the Moms for Liberty conference in Philadelphia this weekend. The group was formed in 2021 in Florida, and has grown into a national force on education from the right, and despite ties to Governor DeSantis and his positive reception, Friday, the crowd also reportedly showed a lot of enthusiasm for the former president.

I'm joined now by CNN senior political commentator, Scott Jennings who has advised both former President George W. Bush and Senator Mitch McConnell; and CNN political analyst, Margaret Talev, managing editor of Axios.

Scott, why? Why do you think that DeSantis campaign thought that this video would help them?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, they didn't create it, they did retweet it, I think from one of their accounts, But ultimately, for them, it's about continuing to build a brand, which they think is sort of centered on DeSantis being a reliable conservative, which they are trying to juxtapose against Trump being momentarily interested in things -- interested in paying lip service to things, but ultimately not strong enough to follow through on things.

So I think they've done that on this issue now. They've done it on immigration, and they've done it on several other topics. So, I would expect them to continue to do that.

Also, I think they are looking ahead this week. They are trying to launch this coalition, which they're calling Mamas for DeSantis, which is going to be an initiative from his wife, Casey and they're going to really, I think, drill down on his record on taking sexualized content out of the classroom, and also the idea of protecting girls sports, from boys playing in girls' sports.

I think this is sort of part of the DeSantis brand. I'm not surprised they did it. I think it might be one of the better news cycles they've had over the last few weeks, and I would expect them to continue to do it. BERMAN: You think this was a good news cycle for them? The response to this seeming to try to go around tolerance -- say tolerance is too much?

JENNINGS: Well, if you're thinking about the context of a Republican primary, one of the key things about winning a news cycle is who is mad at you? I mean, Donald Trump, mastered this in '16 and sort of throughout his presidency. Who is mad at Ron DeSantis right now? The media is mad. The Democrats are mad. Pete Buttigieg was on CNN, he was mad.

And all the people that you would want to be mad at you, having all the right enemies matters in a Republican primary, and they are collecting it with this particular news cycle.

So when you compare what they're getting now, versus what they've been getting over the last couple of weeks, which has been, you know, a lot of people crapping on their campaign, yes, I would say they would probably judge this to be a successful venture versus what they've had over the last couple of weeks.

BERMAN: Margaret, what do you think of that?

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, it's a pretty mean- spirited ad, so it is clearly a play for the base, and it is a calculation that DeSantis and Donald Trump are both making that the real right flank of the base is going to be what matters and where this primary is decided. But of course, once you emerge from a primary election, you have to run it a general election.

There are a lot of centrist and suburban Republicans and Independents, who are going to be offended by the spirit of that ad. So it's certainly a risky calculation and coming out of Pride Month, GLAAD, the advocacy group has said that seven out of 10 Americans want companies to support the LGBTQ community, Gallup has been showing for years the rise and support for same sex marriages have. It is now something like seventy, seventy-five percent of Americans say same sex marriages should have the same rights as traditional marriage.

So I think it's a calibration question, but this is showing you that DeSantis is ready to do whatever it takes in the primaries, not thinking about the general election right now.

BERMAN: You know, just as a matter of fact, one of the clips shown of Donald Trump in this commercial was of him speaking out in favor of tolerance for LGBTQ rights, like a month after the Pulse Nightclub shooting, that's a historical reference for when Trump was talking there. Is that the type of thing that could be problematic for DeSantis come general election time, if he gets that far, Margaret?

TALEV: It just shows -- it shows you how far Donald Trump has moved from the 2016 contest to now two cycles later because you would, I dare say, not hear Donald Trump make the same appeals to Caitlyn Jenner, the same appeals to the LGBT community, certainly not during the primary election this time around. BERMAN: So Scott, we talked in the intro here, we mentioned this conference this past weekend where both DeSantis and Trump spoke. This would have or should have been a particularly DeSantis-friendly crowd, and he did well there by all accounts.

But our friend, Jackie Kucinich, she was covering the event said, you know DeSantis got a good reception; Trump got an uproarious, just huge, you know, boisterous reception and she was suggesting that that is somehow indicative of the overall challenge now for the DeSantis campaign. No matter how hard he tries he can't generate this kind of excitement.

[20:25:12]

JENNINGS: Well, look, Donald Trump is doing well. I mean, look at the polling. He is winning the Republican primary. He's gone up a few points over the last few weeks.

I mean, for DeSantis, though, part of his issue is not just taking on Donald Trump, it is trying to close out everybody else, sort of that bracket of the Republican primary, getting that field cleared for the right to then go on and take on the final boss, Donald Trump.

And so for DeSantis, to me, the key issue is not what the applause level is for Trump right now, it is what's the applause level for Mike Pence? Tim Scott? Nikki Haley? And how do I get them out of the race because ultimately, you'll never be able to rise up if you can't get these other non-Trump candidates to move on. And they haven't done that yet, there is obviously some time for that, but that's really the principal issue for him at the moment, clearing the rest of the field, consolidating them behind him, and making sure they don't go over to Trump when they do drop out.

BERMAN: Scott Jennings, Margaret Talev, Happy almost Fourth of July to both of you.

TALEV: Thanks, John.

JENNINGS: God bless America.

BERMAN: We'll stay on the topic of Governor DeSantis and female voters. Elle Reeve talks with women from various parts of the country who say they bonded online over the DeSantis record on COVID.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: It is important to note that the so-called anti-woke strategy from Ron DeSantis we were discussing before the break does have its fans. Our Elle Reeve met a group of women from different parts of the country with various political backgrounds, but also they say, bonding online over their appreciation of the now, presidential candidate in his actions surrounding COVID.

[20:30:07]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VANESSA STEINKAMP, TEACHER: If DeSantis were to run tomorrow, he would win, and that would be such a hard pill to fall, I think, for many people.

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Back in 2021, Vanessa Steinkamp was the first person who told me she was a fan of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and that there were more like her.

(on-camera): When we first spoke to you in 2021, you mentioned that you had this group of mom friends that you met on Twitter who are just obsessed with DeSantis. And it just stuck in my mind for years.

STEINKAMP: He would just do stuff and say stuff with this conviction. We were all like, thank you.

REEVE (on-camera): Did you guys have a nickname for him?

JULIE HAMILL, LAWYER: Daddy DeSantis. I mean, it's all joking.

REEVE (on-camera): Of course.

HAMILL: Because we're like desperate women who had tried everything that we could do in our own power, in our own communities, and we weren't getting anywhere.

JENNIFER SEY, AUTHOR AND FORMER BRAND PRESIDENT OF LEVI'S: He was very vocal starting in the summer of 2020, about the need to open schools, in particular.

REEVE (voice-over): During the COVID lockdowns in 2020, these frustrated moms built an informal Twitter network of people angry about closed schools and the difficulty of remote learning. They were from all over the country, but saw DeSantis as a model of what they wanted in their cities.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: School is a safe haven.

STEINKAMP: I mean, when I started advocating for kids to go back in person, I was called a granny killer, a teacher killer, selfish on Twitter.

REEVE (on-camera): On Twitter.

STEINKAMP: Oh, my god, they were -- it was awful.

REEVE (voice-over): Steinkamp is a teacher in Dallas and warned early on that lockdowns would hurt kids, especially poor kids.

STEINKAMP: We can't forget our most vulnerable, and we've just created the single largest inequality generator in a generation by having some schools opened, some schools closed.

REEVE (voice-over): On Twitter, Steinkamp connected with Jen Sey, then a Levi's executive who moved her family from San Francisco to Denver in early 2021 so she could send her kids to school in person. SEY: We quickly sort of found a community online, and I found it really interesting that she was a teacher that was advocating for in- person school. In San Francisco, you could go to a bar or a strip club, but my high school student couldn't go to English class.

REEVE (voice-over): Sey says she was forced out of Levi's in 2022 because of her COVID tweets, which the company told NPR, undermined its own health and safety policies and sowed confusion among employees.

SEY: 90 percent of what I wrote about was playgrounds in schools, and there's nothing embarrassing about that now.

REEVE (voice-over): There were several active group chats where the mom shared news about COVID and DeSantis. One grew to more than 80 people, and they traveled to each other's homes. Many had been lifelong Democrats, including Julie Hamill, who has three kids and lives near L.A.

(on-camera): You voted for Obama?

HAMILL: Yes.

REEVE (on-camera): You vote --

HAMILL: Twice.

REEVE (on-camera): Clinton?

HAMILL: Yes.

REEVE (on-camera): Did you vote for Biden?

HAMILL: Yes. I have never voted for a Republican presidential candidate. I have always considered myself very socially liberal. But as we became more vocal on Twitter, we were really demonized.

REEVE (voice-over): In 2022, she ran for schoolboard in Palos Verdes and won.

HAMILL: So I'm going to fight back.

REEVE (voice-over): And was an active defender of her Twitter friends. They aren't crazy. Data from the Education Department shows kids have been hurt by long-term remote learning. Black and brown students more than white. In August 2020, DeSantis was early to open schools compared to other U.S. states, but not the world. Many European countries went back under national policies.

In May 2020, for example, a Finland health official cited data that kids didn't play a significant role in spreading the virus. But in the last two years, DeSantis has launched his presidential campaign and focused more on the culture war.

DESANTIS: We will make sure as president, we leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history where it belongs. REEVE (voice-over): The Twitter backlash they experienced made these women more receptive to parts of DeSantis's fight against wokeness, but not all of it.

(on-camera): I'm wondering if you think that DeSantis's, you know, very public, more on woke, distracts from the message that you like about him.

SEY: A little bit, I do. Yes.

REEVE (on-camera): Because, I mean, to be honest, I do feel like it would be really good to have a big public debate about, what did we get wrong in COVID. Like --

SEY: The left doesn't want to have that debate. They're never going to allow that debate. I think there's a lot of kind of incendiary tactics being used to smear him. I think they did --

REEVE (on-camera): There's a sign a law that restricts transgender care for adults as well as kids.

SEY: I have greater concerns about the six-week abortion ban.

REEVE (on-camera): Tell me about that.

SEY: You know, I think if he made it clear that he's a state's rights person and that he's not looking to kind of pass a national law in this regard, I would be less concerned.

REEVE (voice-over): Not everyone in their Twitter orbit agrees on his tactics, but these three do think Florida's new six-week abortion ban is bad.

HAMILL: I think that's dangerous. That's something that I cannot get behind, and I don't think that's going to bode well for his presidential campaign. I think that that might be a real impediment to bringing in moderate women.

[20:35:11]

REEVE (voice-over): None of these women like the idea of a 2024 rematch between Biden and Trump. They're open to voting for DeSantis but are not sold.

(on-camera): So there's been criticism from Republicans that DeSantis is like too online, that his campaign is too influenced by stuff that's popping online but, like, isn't affecting people in real life. So someone struggling to pay their bills isn't thinking about pronouns. Is it possible that's true?

STEINKAMP: Oh, I don't think so. I've been down all over Florida, and you know what they all say? He helped my business open up. He helped my kids go to school. The media just fixates on the culture ward pieces.

REEVE (voice-over): Is it possible that you're too online? REEVE (voice-over): Yes, for sure in the beginning, but not anymore. Do I need to fight with some random online? No.

HAMILL: I would love to be off Twitter, but I feel like there are discussions that need to be had. For all the bad that comes with it, there is also a good. And I've connected with all of these likeminded women who are not alt-right demons. They're moms who have been unseen and unheard.

Elle Reeve, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Elle for that.

Next, a live report from Baltimore on the search for gunmen who opened fire at a neighborhood block party. That and the very latest on the many severely wounded victims and the two who did not make it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:40:12]

BERMAN: Authorities in Baltimore are searching for multiple suspects in a mass shooting at a block party over the weekend. Two people were killed, more than two dozen were hurt, several of them critically wounded by shooters who remain at large tonight. Details from CNN's Danny Freeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surveillance video taken early Sunday morning captured people running for their lives as gunfire broke out in Baltimore's Brooklyn neighborhood.

MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT (D), BALTIMORE: We won't stop until we find those responsible and hold them accountable. We won't.

FREEMAN (voice-over): 28 people were injured, including 15 children under the age of 18. 18 year old Aaliyah Gonzalez and 20 year old Kylis Fagbemi were killed in the shooting.

SERITA ANDERSON, BALTIMORE RESIDENT: It was frightening, and that's when straight into prayer, you know, protection for this community.

FREEMAN (on-camera): Police say the crime scene stretches multiple blocks and at this point, they have not made an arrest, but believe there were multiple shooters.

ACTING COMMISSIONER RICH WORLEY, BALTIMORE POLICE: We are still looking at every casing. We have multiple casings from one caliber weapon, but that doesn't mean everyone came from that same weapon.

FREEMAN (on-camera): Police also fear this shooting could lead to even more gun violence.

WORLEY: We're always concerned about retaliation in every single incident.

FREEMAN (on-camera): And today, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called for stronger gun laws.

SCOTT: This is not just a Baltimore thing. We have to be honest. This is the United States of America. This is our longest standing public health challenge, and we need to focus on gun violence regardless of where it happens.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: John, now, at this point, there is a $28,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and charges in this case. And the city said that they really are relying on tips from the public in order to crack this case open.

But I also just want to take a moment to look ahead. Remember, this holiday weekend is still not over yet, and there are still large events expected to happen here in Baltimore in the next 24 hours. But the mayor said, and I quote here, that we are gearing up every resource at our disposal to ensure the actual 4 July holiday itself is safe. John?

BERMAN: Let's hope. Danny Freeman, thank you so much.

Up next, a little girl whose anguish at being separated from her mother touched our hearts and our conscience about the former administration's border policy. Five years later, how she and mom are doing and what our Gary Tuchman discovered when he visited them, when 360 continues.

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[20:46:55]

BERMAN: Over the weekend, another bus with migrants arrived in Los Angeles from Texas. This time, 41 people, mostly from Central and South America, were on board, including 11 children. For months, thousands of migrants have been bused from Texas and Florida to Democratic led cities, including Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.

Five years ago, during the Trump administration, you will likely remember that thousands of migrant families were forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a so-called zero tolerance approach to the crisis. Adults were detained and children held in other locations, many of them crying for their parents.

Tonight, our Gary Tuchman has an update on one of those children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice-over): This 11-year old girl, Ximena Madrid, enjoying an Astros baseball game in Houston, may have one more than anyone to shock the nation's conscience when thousands of children were separated from their migrant parents during the Trump administration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are you from?

XIMENA MADRID, SEPARATED FROM MOTHER IN 2018: El Salvador?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guatemala.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): The child who said El Salvador in this secretly recorded audio tape from 2018 is Ximena Madrid when she was six years old. After three weeks in custody, Ximena and her mother, Cindy, who were being held 1,200 miles away from each other, are reunited at Houston's Intercontinental Airport. They move in with Texas relatives.

Mother and daughter don't know any English.

(on-camera): Are you happy today?

MADRID: (Speaking Foreign Language).

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Exactly five years after they were separated, this is Ximena today.

(on-camera): Are you a happy girl today?

MADRID: Yes, I am.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): How come?

MADRID: Well, I feel like the United States has provided me with a lot of good stuff that I wasn't provided with in my old country. And I just feel like here I have better opportunities to take, and I can be a successful person in here.

Ximena just graduated from a Houston elementary school and will be heading to middle school. Here she is radiant following the ceremony with her mother and Cindy's partner, Alfredo, whom Cindy met since she's been in Texas.

And earlier this year, Ximena welcomed a sister, Eileen. Cindy and Ximena left El Salvador on a month long journey to the U.S. after Cindy says her boyfriend was shot and killed while she was walking with him. She felt Ximena was in danger if she stayed.

The 34 year old has a U.S. government work visa and has started her own business cleaning houses.

(on-camera): What is your dream? Cindy says, my dream is to see my daughters grow up, go to school, and be confident in themselves. That they live in a safe place and not be afraid for their lives. But here's the thing. While Cindy has that work visa, she has not had a court hearing yet to decide if she gets asylum.

The immigration attorney who has championed their case is Thelma Garcia. [20:50:03]

THELMA GARCIA, MADRID FAMILY ATTORNEY: There is no finality. There's still fear involved. The family is afraid that they are going to be sent back to El Salvador and so their nightmare continues.

TUCHMAN (on-camera): If you could talk to the political leaders who make decisions like this about who gets sent back and who stays, what would you say to them as an 11-year-old girl?

MADRID: I would say to please let us stay because I promise that we're not bad people, we're not people that want to harm others. We're here to have a better life and hopefully be better persons that can help the country in the future.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Cindy says I have never lost hope that someday they will let us know that we can be here legally. But I am still afraid I might have to go back to my country.

(on-camera): What do you want to do when you grow up?

MADRID: I'm still not sure. But right now, I really feel like I would be a good book writer because I write a lot and I feel like I'm a very creative person. So I would like to be a book writer.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): That's wonderful. Would you write in Spanish or in English or both?

MADRID: Both. Definitely both.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: John, there are still hundreds of migrant families who are separated according to the ACLU. Potentially, they say 1,000 families. The typical scenario is a parent or parents got sent back to their home countries before they met up with their children, their child or children then ended up going to a relative, a foster home or perhaps to a guardian.

And the families had plans to come back to the United States and it is not an easy thing for them to do and they remain separated. John?

BERMAN: Quite a journey in so many different ways. Gary, thank you so much for that.

Turning now to the holiday, a quick programming note. CNN's July 4 special returns with an all-star lineup. Celebrate with spectacular fireworks and the biggest musical performances around. Don't miss the Zac Brown Band, Post Malone, Sheryl Crow and many others. Watch CNN's the Fourth in America live tomorrow night starting at 07:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

We can't forget tomorrow's other big event. Nathan's famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. The reigning champ, Joey Chestnut, is hoping to get his 16th win tomorrow. Tonight on the contest eve, he dishes on how he prepares for the competition and how many hot dogs he hopes to devour in just ten minutes.

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[20:56:33]

BERMAN: All right. Of course, there are the fireworks and barbecue gatherings on the Fourth of July, but don't forget Nathan's famous hot dog eating contest on Brooklyn's Coney Island. Thousands are expected to cheer as people chow down as many francs as they can in 10 minutes.

In the men's division, Joey Chestnut, the king of professional eating and yes, that is a thing, is the reigning champ. He is hoping to win again and take home his 16th mustard belt. Joey, do you even like hot dogs?

JOEY CHESTNUT, 15-TIME NATHAN'S FAMOUS HOT DOG EATING CHAMP: Oh, man, I love them. It's one of the best foods there is. And on the Fourth of July, there's nothing better.

BERMAN: When you go out to eat on your own when you're not in season, do you ever order hot dogs?

CHESTNUT: A baseball game? Not all the time, but I'm almost doing one every inning at a baseball game. But I love them.

BERMAN: So it's not like you separate work from pleasure. It's just nonstop. There's never an off season in the hot dog eating business.

CHESTNUT: It's -- I love them naturally, but when I'm eating them at home, I'm not dunking them in water and I'm not eating to the point where I'm uncomfortable.

BERMAN: So, you've won 15 out of the last 16 contests. This is, you know, contest eve. What are you doing today to get ready for this? How do you prepare?

CHESTNUT: Today, I had an apple. I had a little bit of salad and some protein supplement, but I lost the liquid. I'm going to go into the contest tomorrow empty, loose, happy, healthy. Last year I had a broken leg. This year, I put a lot of work into recovering that leg and rehabbing it and just getting back into good shape so I can push myself to an extreme limit tomorrow.

BERMAN: When you eat vegetables, does your body just say like, no, what are you doing? I don't want any of this?

CHESTNUT: No, it's not -- I'm not anti-vegetable at all. Actually, this year I did a three-week detox, vegan detox, because last year I had so many infections, I took a crazy amount of antibiotics, so I had to do a crazy detox to get my body back to even.

BERMAN: Yes.

CHESTNUT: And vegetables are great and some people are against them, but I'm definitely not. BERMAN: I like the fact that you're not anti-vegetable. You're a vegetable inclusive. You just like everything. You just like hot dogs in great quantities. I mean, how do you feel after eating so many hot dogs at once? And you were just talking about the detox and the antibiotics, how long does it take you to recover?

CHESTNUT: It takes a while. You know, a football player, Tom Brady, he'd go into a football game knowing that he's going to get hit. I know that after this contest, I'm not going to feel great. It's going to take about four days to feel really normal. And the first 12 hours after the contest, I'm going to feel like garbage.

So it's -- I go in knowing that and I'm willing to go through that because it's an amazing contest. It's Fourth of July, and I'm going to do what it takes to get number 16.

BERMAN: I mean, victory does cost, there's no question about that. In 2021, you set the record, 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. What are you shooting for in this one? Do you think you will win it again?

CHESTNUT: I think I can pull off the win and if the conditions are right and I find a mean, nasty rhythm, a record is possible. And the crowd is -- it's an amazing crowd, Coney Island, and they're going to be pushing me and supporting me, and I'm going to do whatever I can to deliver.

BERMAN: 80 possible?

CHESTNUT: I've hit it in practice and things would have to be perfect. And, you know, I'm not saying, you know what, I'm -- it's possible. And I that's the way I try not to limit myself and say anything's impossible. But 80s can be tough. And -- but it's -- I can do it, I think.

BERMAN: If you dream it, you can do it. Joey Chestnut, God speed and the best of luck to you.

CHESTNUT: Oh, thank you. Great talking to you.

BERMAN: Nice talking to you, my friend.

We have mustered all the news we can. Time now for Kaitlan Collins and CNN Primetime.