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Nearly 150 Million Americans Under Heat Advisories; Alpha Phi Alpha Pulls Convention From Florida; Bud Light Maker Laying Off Hundreds Of Employees; Top GOP Cautious About Commenting On McConnell's Future; Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu Defends Judicial Reform; Michigan Judge To Decide If High School Gunman Will Be Sentenced As An Adult. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 27, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

DAVID WALLACE-WELLS, AUTHOR, "THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH: LIVE AFTER WARMING": We might feel bad. We might have to worry about some of those things. Like there was a big paper this week suggesting that some of the oceans' circulation currents may be disrupted as soon as the middle of the century, or even sooner. There are worries about some of the ice melting and the way that affects how much sun is absorbed in the higher latitude oceans, how much will be reflected back.

Those can make a difference in heating the planet up faster. But generally speaking, I would say the conventionalism wisdom is at this moment, where we are right now at 1.2 maybe 1.3 degrees Celsius warming. Most scientists would say that the main driver, the overwhelming main drivers, how much emissions we're putting into the atmosphere today. And that mean that our hands are still on that lever in controlling that temperature rise.

In the future, we may past points where we are less in control, but at the moment, it's still emissions that are the main driver, not natural systems that are spiraling out of control.

That said, we're already seeing all of these. If they're not quite off the chart's events they're up in the 95-percentile kind of events at a more local level. So the particular heat waves, the particular droughts, the particular floods are coming in more intensely than expected even if the system as a whole is performing inline perhaps to the high end of expectations.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: I'm going to take what you said there, that little bit of hope what we do now matters and can make a difference. And I hope people are listening to that as well. Because the last thing we want to do is give up. David Wallace-Wells, thanks so much.

WALLACE-WELLS: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: One day after Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell froze during a press conference, at least one top Republican isn't saying whether he thinks McConnell should run for office again.

Plus, why the oldest and largest historically Black fraternity in the United States just pulled its annual conference out of Florida. We'll be right back.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: The oldest Black U.S. fraternity in the nation is now pulling its 2025 convention from Orlando, Florida. Alpha Phi Alpha Incorporated blame the, quote, harmless, racist and insensitive policies against the Black community from Governor Ron DeSantis. The fraternity specifically noted the recent decision by the Florida Board of Education to mandate that educators teach the benefits of American slavery. You heard that right. That slaves learned useful skills somehow. Alpha Phi Alpha has more than 720 college and alumni chapters. It is currently holding its convention in Dallas. Joining me now is the general president of Alpha Phi Alpha Incorporated is Willis Lonzer III. Dr. Lonzer, since you announced this decision here, I wonder what the response has been?

WILLIS LONZER III, GENERAL PRESIDENT, ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY: I've seen a lot of -- and thank you, Jim, for having me on your program this afternoon. We heard a lot of favorable support from the community around our decision to pull out of Orlando, Florida. The Black community, the marginalized communities around the world of Black and brown peoples are not just going to accept these types of racist rhetoric and policies. And they applauded our decisions to make an economic impact.

SCIUTTO: Dr. Lonzer, can you help folks understand exactly what the change is in how aspects of slavery will now be taught in Florida schools? Just so folks who may not have followed this closely understand exactly what the change in language was.

LONZER: Well, the summary of this curriculum change is that to suggest that those who were enslaved benefits from being in slavery, as if they came into this chattel slavery system, without any skills or any type of labor perception. And that's quite the opposite. We know that people came from the mother continent, through the chattel slavery system here in the United States with skills that they garnered there on the mother continent in the various countries that they came from. The implication here with that policy is absolutely ignorant or divisive or both.

That to suggest that people benefitted from such a level of chattel slavery system. And more importantly, it brutalized existence as if to suggest that they benefited from it, when it's quite the opposite. It was oppressive, it was divisive, and it broke a number of families up as a part of their whole systemic operation.

SCIUTTO: For centuries, right? It seems to be in attempt to soften the brutality --

LONZER: Absolutely. SCIUTTO: -- to the brutality of it all. Now, when you have contested

this decision with Florida education officials, how have they responded? How have do they defend it?

LONZER: Well, as we've heard through various press releases, the understanding is they seem to be cooperating with the governor.

[15:40:00]

Perhaps abiding within their political environment in trying to survive this and going along to get along with Governor DeSantis. But it's not an acceptable decision. Individuals must employ the appropriate courage to stand up for what is right and even what is historically accurate that African Americans, Black people, people from the Caribbean, came to this nation through chattel slavery and helped to build it. Any other depiction is just absolutely and utterly false. And I think that there is a narrative that exists that is truthful, that shows that the reality is, is that this suggestion that there was a benefit is absolutely absurd.

SCIUTTO: Yes. All you got to do is read the history books, Dr. Lonzer, Alpha Phi Alpha, thanks so much for joining us today.

LONZER: Thank you, thank you, Jim. We appreciate the time.

SCIUTTO: Always welcome.

So, Anheuser-Busch is laying off hundreds of employees as it grapples with months of slumping Bud Light sales. The beermaker says it will eliminate nearly 2 percent of its U.S. workforce. This comes after a conservative backsplash over a Bud Light marketing campaign that featured trans activists Dylan Mulvaney. It also cost Bud Light its title as the top selling beer in the United States. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich joins us now. So Vanessa, what more do we know about these layoffs?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anheuser-Busch announcing about little less than 2 percent of the company is being laid out. That's about 380 or so employees of a company that employs 19,000 people. Anheuser-Busch saying this is only going to affect people on the corporate side. It's not going to affect front line workers. So those are folks who work in the breweries, warehouses, drivers and field sales staff.

The company says that they're doing really this to streamline the company and do away with any redundancies. But as you mentioned, this comes after slumping sales, especially for Bud Light, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch. The company is saying that is not in fact the reason. However, we do know the sales and the week of July 15 were down 26 percent. And that is even a bigger drop than the seeing in the previous weeks. And year to date, Bud Light sales down 13.6 percent.

And as you mentioned, this comes after Bud Light sent a customized Bud Light can to transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney who posted it on social media. Conservatives were enraged about this. And also then the LBGT community was very upset because the felt that Bud Light did not come to the defense of what they did giving her this bottle of Bud Light. One analyst telling me, Boris, that it is not looking pretty for Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch ahead -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, hundreds of workers in the United States now jobless because of this. Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you very much -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Just ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, will a teenage school shooter be sentenced as an adult. The judge is deciding that right now. We're going to take you live to Michigan.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: One of the Senate's top-ranking Republicans dodging an important question, whether Mitch McConnell should run for leadership again. This comes after the Republican leader froze in front of reporters yesterday. For nearly 30 seconds, the 81-year-old Senator did not speak. He was barely blinking. And after taking a short break, he later on said that he was fine and answered reporters' questions.

Well today, he's showing no signs of slowing down his commitments including this photo op with the Italian Prime Minister taken a short time ago. CNN has learned that McConnell fell multiple times this year. On top of the widely reported fall he had in March. In which he fracturing a rib and hit his head, suffering a concussion. Let's go live to Capitol Hill with CNN's Melanie Zanona. So Melanie, about are fellow Senators reacting to what they saw and heard yesterday?

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well of course, there was some initial alarm after this incident. Most Senators are now saying that they are not concerned about McConnell's long-term health and that he is fulfilling his duties. But some Senators are saying maybe there should be more transparency about his health. Especially given that McConnell is the top Republican in the Senate. And so far, all his office has told us and to press at least publicly, is that he felt light-headed and that he needed to step away for a moment. They would not say whether he needed to see a doctor, planned to see a doctor or what may have caused this episode yesterday. Let's take a listen to what other Senators are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): Once you become a leader, your responsibilities obviously are with other constituents, namely, at least in this case, 48 of his closest friends. So that probably does call for a little more -- I should say this calls for more transparency than it would for someone else.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How are his 48 colleagues, what happens?

CRAMER: Well, he should tell us if something else -- if something. It's going on, and whatever he tells me I'll trust it to be true.

RAJU: Do you think that Senator McConnell should run for leader in the new Congress?

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD) MINORITY WHIP: Well, I mean, the new Congress is 18 months away. I'm trying to figure out how we can get this authorization bill off the floor today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:50:00]

ZANONA: Now, that last comment you heard there was Senator John Thune. He's a member of the GOP leadership team. And he is also seen as a potential successor to Mitch McConnell whether he does step aside. So this latest health incident now raising new questions about Mitch McConnell's future. He is 81 years old. He will be up for reelection again in 2026. And he did just spaces most serious challenge yet to his leadership last year. But so far Mitch McConnell slotting down any questions or notions he'll step aside in the near future -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Melanie Zanona, thanks so much -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: It's been a tumultuous week in Israel. After month of sprawling protests Israeli lawmakers approved a sweeping measure that overhauls the judiciary there, limits the authority of the Supreme Court in government matters. The widely controversial reforms pushed through by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer sat down with Netanyahu for a one-on-one interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We're not trying to weaken the Supreme Court. We're trying to bring balance between the three branches of government, which is the essence of democracy. And Israel over the last 20, 30 years the Supreme Court arrogated a lot of the powers of the judiciary and the executive. They can basically nullify any decision made. That doesn't happen anywhere on the planet. And so we're trying to bring it back in line.

And we don't want a subservient court. We want an independent court but not an all-powerful court, and that's the corrections that we're doing. I think a lot of the things that you described are -- you know, are in the choir of people are saying that. They're giving indications. But I've been there before. When I made these huge changes in our economy, they said, ah, we'll bring down the economy. Israel has become a juggernaut sense. When I did the -- when I spoke out against Iran, against the entire world --

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: Mr. -- Mr. Prime Minister, let me interrupt with all due respect. You, of course, control the executive in Israel. Your coalition controls the Knesset, the Parliament. You're weakening the Supreme Court. Where are the checks and balances?

NETANYAHU: Well, in Israel we have -- the Supreme Court has a lot of checks but there are no balances. For example, on the court -- on the decision that we passed on reasonableness, understand what that is. It's like the court can nullify a decision, any decision by the government, by the executive by saying it's unreasonable. Not because it's illegal. Not because they're using other checks that they have, plenty of things they do.

They can nullify an appointment. It's like the Supreme Court would be able to nullify an appointment by President Biden not by saying that there's a conflict of interest -- that exists today in Israel -- that it's undue process. That exists today in Israel. That it's not proportional. That exists in Israel. But just by saying we don't think this appointment is reasonable. That doesn't exist in America. It doesn't exist in most democracies not to this scope. And that's the minor correction that we made that is now called the end of democracy. If that's the end of democracy, there are no democracies because none of them have this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: You can see more of Wolf's interview with the Israeli Prime Minister on "THE SITUATION ROOM" that's in just a couple hours. Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Right now, a judge is deciding whether Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley will be sentenced as an adult for a crime he carried out when he was 15 years old. Crumbley pleaded guilty last year to multiple charges including four for first degree murder. If he's sentenced as an adult, Crumbley will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole. CNN's Jean Casarez is in Michigan for us. And Jean, prosecutors are trying to prove -- or prosecute rather, the now 17-year-old, as an adult for a crime he committed when he was 15. How are they trying to make that case?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And of course the defense wants the possibility of parole in his life. You know, Boris, we are in the prosecution's case right now. The courtroom is filled, and there are so many family members of victims, and they have that emotion in that courtroom because of what was played today for the first time, the videotape of the actual shooting done by Ethan Crumbley was played in court. There's a camera in the courtroom, but that did not go out because it's just too violent.

It was during the lunch hour at Oxford High School. And Ethan Crumbley is in the bathroom. He's putting toilet paper in his ears so his ears are shielded. He walks out with his gun and right there are a lot of students walking down the hallway. And he begins to shoot them one after the other.

Family members of the victims start crying. They're holding each other so tightly in court. The prosecution is crying. The emotion was so strong. They also played a videotape, only here the audio of Ethan Crumbly the night before he carried out that shooting. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ETHAN CRUMBLEY, AUDIO: My name is Ethan Crumbley, age 15 and I'm going to be a school shooter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Ethan Crumbley said he wanted to live. He wanted the whole world to know who he was. He wanted to be like King Henry and Cleopatra forever in people's minds. And he researched for weeks before the shooting if Michigan had the death penalty because he did not want to die -- Boris.

[16:00:04]

SANCHEZ: Wow. Jean Casarez reporting from Pontiac, Michigan, thank you so much, Jean.

SCIUTTO: It's always so sad to see the pictures of the children who lose their lives.

SANCHEZ: And the families who been have to relive all of lot of that in court. A lot of news we covered today -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: We did. A lot of stories and certainly ones we're going to keep covering. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.