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Special Counsel's Team Interviews PA, NM, GA, And MI In 2020 Election Interference Probe; 160, 000 Actors Strike Outside Major Studios, Networks; Over 90 Million Under Heat Alerts Across 15 States. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired July 14, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

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RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR: The investigation into the 2020 election and former President Trump's efforts to overturn it appears to be widening. We have exclusive new details about who's being questioned.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And betting big on the first debate. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is hoping a breakout moment at the first GOP debate could help his campaign change course. DeSantis and his competitors are all in Iowa today with one big exception. We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SOLOMON: Now, to a CNN exclusive. The ongoing federal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election is expanding. We have learned that federal prosecutors have recently interviewed the secretaries of state for both Pennsylvania and New Mexico, Secretary Al Schmidt, and Secretary Maggie Toulouse Oliver. It indicates that the special counsel is focused on actions taken by former President Trump and allies in seven key battleground states that you see here that Joe Biden won.

CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz joins me now. So, Katelyn, what are you learning about these new interviews?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME & JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, these are just the latest interviews of secretaries of state that we know now happened in recent months. And this map really is filling out how much the special counsel's office had looked into the administration of elections in battleground states. So, when you look at this, we now know based on the reporting from our -- my colleague Zachary Cohen, he has just been all over this and he was able to confirm Al Schmidt who now is the secretary of the Commonwealth in Pennsylvania, he previously was the Philadelphia City Commissioner, he was interviewed by the special counsel's office in March about what happened there. Philly was one of those places that Rudy Giuliani especially was trying to undermine the election of the vote counting.

Maggie Toulouse Oliver in New Mexico. That's another state where there were fake electors, and there was pressure to be placed in that state on whether Joe -- whether Joe Biden won and which he had, and Donald Trump had not. That was one of the states with fake electors.

And then that comes on top of confirmation that Jocelyn Benson in Michigan, the Secretary of State there. Brad Raffensperger in Georgia, the Secretary of State there. They all have talked to the special counsel's office criminal investigators about the 2020 election.

And these aren't just anyone. These are the top elections officials in those states. So, the special counsel's office, we now know has a very full understanding of how those elections were affected by whatever the Trump campaign and others were doing.

SOLOMON: As it appears, the investigation is expanding. It feels like a few times a week now we're hearing about more and more people who are being --

POLANTZ: Every day.

SOLOMON: -- question. Exactly.

POLANTZ: Yes.

SOLOMON: Every day. OK. Well, we also have some new reporting that Trump's lawyers are asking a Georgia court to throw out the evidence. What do we know about this?

POLANTZ: Right. So, there's this ongoing criminal investigation in Fulton County, Georgia, where the special grand jury finished their report and made recommendations for charges. And now the district attorney there, Fani Willis, is going to be taking it through a new grand jury that was just seated -- just sworn in a few days ago. And so, Donald Trump and his team, they're going to court and they're asking the court to intervene.

They're writing and saying, you know, it's a violation of his rights to be potentially under this investigation to have this special grand jury report still out there and to be potentially looked at by a new grand jury. He's facing reputational harm because of this. And he's essentially asking them to throw out both the work of the District Attorney Fani Willis as well as that special grand jury that spent months investigating, hearing from witnesses and gathering evidence, and finally coming to some clues -- some conclusions that are still secret but are likely to be presented to a grand jury who would consider indictments.

SOLOMON: Likely any week now.

POLANTZ: Yes.

SOLOMON: I mean, we're expecting by August, I think. Katelyn Polantz, thank you. Brianna.

KEILAR: In the Republican race for 2024, presidential contender Ron DeSantis is standing his ground on his campaign strategy as some supporters fear he'll lose more ground to the front-runner Donald Trump.

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Multiple sources say that DeSantis is resisting calls for a big change in his campaign. And it appears he has stalled in second place solidly ahead of those behind him. But he's still far behind Trump. Right now, he'll be on the stage with at least five other people for the first Republican debate that is set for August 23.

CNN's Steve Contorno has all of the details on DeSantis for us. So, Steve, tell us. When is DeSantis planning to make his move?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Brianna, there is little expectation inside DeSantis's campaign that these poll numbers are going to change much if at all before that August 23 debate. In fact, they are bracing for these -- for DeSantis to remain behind Donald Trump for the rest of the summer. But they're eyeing that first debate as a chance when Republican voters are turning -- tuning in for the first time as their first chance to sort of move the dial and make their case against President Donald Trump -- former President Donald Trump.

And then he's urging patients in the meantime trying to tell supporters look, we got this. listen to what he had to say earlier this week when he was asked about his position in the polls.

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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I'm looking forward to being able to participate in the debates. But this is not something that you know I ever expected to just snap fingers and all of a sudden you know you win seven months before anyone happens. You got to earn it.

MARIA BARTIROMO, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS: Yes.

DESANTIS: And you got to work. And it requires a lot of toil and tears and sweat. And we're going to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: DeSantis has added that he has more than enough resources to get through all the way to the primary -- early primary states. He has put $150 million between a Super PAC and his campaign. But there are Republicans who are calling for a change in strategy and saying they've seen what DeSantis has to offer so far, and they think he needs to change things up.

They -- I talked to one radio broadcaster in Iowa who said he thinks DeSantis is coming off as too technocratic and doesn't give people the feels. Another Republican consultant told me that DeSantis is relying too much on talking about his Florida accomplishments. Calling it a typical governor's trap.

And then Erick Erickson, a conservative commentator telling his subscribers earlier this week. "Put bluntly, people in Iowa -- in Ohio or Iowa do not want to be in Florida. They don't care about Florida, and they are tired of hearing about Florida." So, that's what he's up against over these next six weeks as he tries to keep down the pressure and get people looking forward to that August 23 debate instead.

KEILAR: Yes. Maybe unless they're going to Disney World, which some of them definitely are this summer, I'm sure. Steve Contorno, thank you so much.

I want to bring in now Brianne Pfannenstiel. She's the Chief politics reporter for The Des Moines Register. Brianne, thank you so much for being with us. DeSantis, of course, in Iowa today trying to court that all-important evangelical caucus goer at the Family Leadership Summit. A major focus is, of course, this six-week abortion ban that the governor in Iowa, Kim Reynolds, is going to sign. How is this going to play with voters in caucus-goers in Iowa?

BRIANNE PFANNENSTIEL, CHIEF POLITICS REPORTER, THE DES MOINES REGISTER: That's exactly right. Governor Kim Reynolds is actually going to be signing that bill into law here in just a little bit this afternoon in front of about 2000 of these Iowa Christian conservative evangelicals. And so, Ron DeSantis will be here with five other presidential contenders. And this is a really critical issue for this voting bloc.

Iowa evangelicals turn up to caucus. They can you know, unite together and end up pushing someone over the finish line. So, this is a really critical group to reach. And certainly, abortion is an issue that they're very passionate about.

KEILAR: So, it's interesting though. 61 percent of Iowa adults say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. 35 percent say the procedure should be illegal in most or all cases. More than two-thirds of Iowa women, 70 percent, say abortion should be legal in most or all cases. So, you actually see a real discrepancy between what's happening and what folks in Iowa think on the issue.

PFANNENSTIEL: That's right. And I think that's what we're going to see play out in a general election. And so, that's something that candidates are grappling with right now, you know. Are you playing into a Republican primary base where people really especially in this crowd today that we're at are interested in life -- protecting life at conception?

You know, they're interested in banning as many abortions as possible. And so, when you espouse policies like that in a primary and then have to go forward into a general, how is that going to play with the wider voting electorate? And so, you know, we asked Asa Hutchinson today, the former governor of Arkansas, about his abortion policies.

And he said, you know, that's why he thinks there should be a federal abortion ban at about 15 weeks, something like that. And then more or less leave it up to the states to go further if they want. And so, we'll see you know, of course, Governor DeSantis has signed into law a six-week abortion ban, very similar to the one that Governor Reynolds is going to sign today. And so, we'll see how he talks about that today.

[14:10:07] KEILAR: So, Brianne, Trump, of course, is the front-runner in polling. It's notable, though he's not going to be in attendance here. Is there an opening for another candidate to gain traction in the state, especially what happened after the last go round?

PFANNENSTIEL: Right. I mean, this is a long caucus process. And if you look historically when candidates if they come from behind to surge, it's typically not until the fall. You know, I think we'll see these debates play out, we'll see some things through the summer kind of play out, and then if there's still an opening for a candidate to move, I think we might see that happen a little bit later.

You're seeing people like Governor DeSantis really laying the groundwork. The same with Senator Tim Scott really laying the groundwork in Iowa. Putting people on the ground. Doing kind of you know that -- the nuts and bolts of campaigning so that if lightning strikes, if there is an opening, they can really capitalize on that when the moment comes along.

KEILAR: All right, we'll be watching. It is a long process and I know this is your Super Bowl so you'll be watching along with us. Brianne, great to have you. Thank you. Rahel?

SOLOMON: All right, Brianna. And ahead this hour on CNN NEWS CENTRAL. In Hollywood, those in front of the cameras have joined the people behind the cameras on the picket line. We are in New York and LA where both actors and writers are on strike today. Their demands coming up next.

Plus, almost a third of the country is under a heat alert. We'll tell you what city is expected to hit 130 degrees this weekend.

And a 79-year-old man is in the hospital after being attacked by a seven-foot alligator. We're going to show you the exact one. It's this one, seen here. We're also going to have a 911 call.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm bleeding. I don't know how bad it is. Go figure. Out for a walk to stay healthy.

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SOLOMON: They say they were stonewalled by the studios. And now, 160,000 actors are officially on strike joining the Writers Union on the picket lines outside of several major production companies. It's the first time that both unions have gone on strike in more than 60 years. The studios and the unions can't seem to see eye to eye on two major issues, protections from artificial intelligence, and also how to adequately compensate in the era of streaming.

CNN's Chloe Melas is outside of NBC Universal Studios in New York. Chloe, you've been out there talking to union members. I think I see one with you now. What are they telling you?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yes. Look, I don't have just anybody standing next to me right now in front of NBC Universal, Brianna. I have Ezra who is the SAG-AFTRA national president here in New York, and the local chapter -- the local chapter president. And he wants to talk today about the issues that are at stake.

So, first of all, I mean, essentially, if we don't come to some sort -- if you won't -- don't come to some sort of a resolution here you know, what do things look like in the landscape of TV and film come the fall?

EZRA KNIGHT, PRESIDENT, SAG-AFTRA NEW YORK LOCAL: There will be no new productions come fall if this continues beyond that point. Because not only do you have us on our first day, day one of our strike, but you also have a day near 70 already with the WGA.

MELAS: Also, we're hearing a lot about artificial intelligence. We know that the resolution that was offered by the AFMPT was that, a day rate for extras to have their likeness scanned and then be able to be used in perpetuity, but not for extra pay. But what else is it about AI that is vital right now?

KNIGHT: We can negotiate the day rates or the -- rather, the rate that can be used for that rate of pay. That's OK. However, their entrenched desire to use that content in perpetuity is not acceptable to us. So, we want to put fences around the use of that. We want to have consent, as well as regard for the limited use of that.

MELAS: When you hear Bob Iger out in Idaho, saying that really, they just haven't figured out how to make streaming as lucrative as they hoped it could be, that really the money isn't there. What's your response?

KNIGHT: The money is there. I counted that response with the reality that money is there. They're already making money from this technology.

You've already seen it with music as well as voiceover. And is creeping over into TV theatrical now as well. And they're trying to harness this huge machine, which for them is a future of profits.

MELAS: Well, thank you for your time. Brianna, as you know, there is a lot at stake. Some famous faces behind me, including Jason Sudeikis -- Rahel, Jason Sudeikis is behind me. And a lot of people are out here showing support. And they really hope that a resolution can come soon, but they don't think it's going to happen soon enough.

SOLOMON: It's hard to see. It seems like the two sides are very apart on these two issues. Chloe Melas, live for us there in New York. Thank you.

And it's money that's at issue here but it's also the economic impact that's at issue here because the impact of this will be huge in terms of the economy. Potentially because many economies supporting these productions will take a hit. Vanessa Yurkevich joins me for more on that. So, Vanessa, explain to us who and how this strike will really affect the industry in the economy.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It's not every day that you have one Hollywood Union on strike. Now, we have two. So, you have 160,000 actors joining 11,000 writers that have already been on strike.

So, we've already seen some of the economic impacts. Now, of course, studios will lose revenue. And unfortunately, actors and writers are losing their salaries.

But there is the ripple effect here. So, we are talking about businesses and people who work in craft services, janitors, Uber drivers, and deli owners, who support local communities were protected -- where production happens. As well as prop and set companies who basically stage a lot of these productions. And now, this is no longer going to be a U.S. economic impact.

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This is going to be an international economic impact because you have a lot of these movie studios that do production in other countries like New Zealand, the UK, and Australia. Those countries can be impacted. And then, also anywhere that you have post-production being done.

Now, Disney CEO Bob Iger was on CNBC yesterday. And he says that he believes that there will be collateral damage on other industries because of these two strikes. The last strike, 15 weeks, the writers held their strike in 2007.

The first perspective, Rahel, that was about two billion dollars in economic impact. This one according to the Milken Institute. Four billion dollars so, Rahel, about to double that.

SOLOMON: Yes. And we know the longer this goes on, the larger the economic impact will likely be. Vanessa Yurkevich, live for us in New York. Thank you, Vanessa. Brianna?

KEILAR: A major arrest in a long-dormant case, but one that affects a lot of New York families. A grand jury has charged a New York architect with six counts of murder in connection to an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of human remains. Those are remains that were discovered more than a decade ago on Long Island.

I want to go now to Brynn Gingras, who was in New York following us. This is a case that many people will be familiar with, Brynn. What is the latest here?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, especially in the New York area. It's one that's haunted detectives, especially on Long Island who have tried to solve it for more than a decade. A huge break in this case. I got to tell you, Brianna. I'm still working through the court document. This is the document the prosecutors have sent to keep this suspect behind bars on no bail.

And it is extremely detailed about how they made this connection to the suspect whose name is Rex Heuermann according to sources. We're still waiting for his court appearance.

But in this document, he is charged with three of the woman's murders. First-degree and second-degree murder charges for three of the women who were discovered along Gilgo Beach on Long Island back in 2010. And let me just read you actually a page from this.

In it, some of this information that they've collected against a suspect, according to this document is recent searches of Heuermann for sadistic materials, child pornography, images of the victims and their relatives. They -- he counted -- did counter surveillance and conducted online searches about the criminal investigations that was going on for over a decade. He used fictitious names, burner e-mails, and cell phone accounts to access, and also about a history of possessing firearms.

There's just a lot of detail that I'm actually still going through. But this is a man, according to authorities, who worked -- owned an architecture firm in New York City. He was arrested in the city yesterday. And now, he is going to go in front of a judge on these charges.

But pretty -- a lot of really interesting details that we're still working to confirm and go through. I will continue to follow this one for you. But a big break in this case, like you said, Brianna, that a lot of families have been waiting for answers for.

KEILAR: Yes. For so many years, so many people missing. All right, Brynn, we'll let you keep going through that. Thank you so much. Rahel?

SOLOMON: All right, Brianna. Coming up for us. He was the second-most senior U.S. military officer in the nation, and now in the U.S. is paying out nearly one million dollars to the woman who accused him of sexual assaults.

Coming up. We will talk to the woman -- talk to the lawyer rather who represented that woman. And also talk about the ramifications of this. Coming up ahead.

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KEILAR: I know that the summer heat right now is too hot to handle but prepare yourselves because this weekend is going to be even worse. We're talking up to 130 degrees in some cases. More than 90 million people are under heat alerts in at least 15 states, all the way from Florida to California. CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers is in the weather center for us. So, Chad, the National Weather Service said this heat dome that is smothering the country is actually going to be reaching peak strength this weekend.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That is correct. And all of the watches and warnings that are posted by the weather service are not because it's summer. They are because the summer temperatures that should be are going to be exceeded by a certain threshold, whether it's 7, 10, or 15 degrees above the normal.

So, just because it's hot in a normal summer, this is hotter than a normal summer. And you alluded to heat dome and that's exactly what we have here. Jetstream well up to the north allowing all the heat to build.

But something else that's not happening with this is that typically on a summer, humid day in Dallas, Texas, the air will rise and you'll get this puffy little cloud. And then it'll start to rain a little bit. And it will cool things off.

But because the temperature from the surface all the way to the top of the atmosphere is so warm all the way up, that can't happen. The clouds don't form. There's not -- the area up to the top of our atmosphere, that's cold enough to cause these clouds.

And even the clouds would cause some -- you know some shade. And they're certainly not causing any rainfall whatsoever. That's why it feels so dreadfully hot right now.

Sunshine at 103, the feels like temperature in Dallas. And at that temperature on a normal summer day, there should be some clouds. It should start to pop up with a rain shower to come down. But because of that atmosphere warmth all the way up, that is not going to happen.

Since the first of June, we've set one thousand record highs across the country. And that's not the end of it. By the time we work our way through the end of the weekend, there'll be a hundred more record highs.

And now, you see them mainly in the South and in the West as well. California is going to heat up.