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Forrest Galante is Interviewed about Shark Attacks; Moderna's Covid-Flu Vaccine Trial; Swaying Key Latino Voting Demographic; Indications Hunter Biden Won't Testify at Trial. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired June 10, 2024 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Particularly in dealing with Ukraine.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: : Dealing with Ukraine, dealing with Russia, dealing towards Russia, of course, dealing with the Middle East as well.

Right now, of course, you do have Europe very much in the U.S.' corner on all of these issues. And the other big one, of course, is China as well, and what could happen in that regard. Will that be the same in the future? I think that's something that is very much up for grabs.

One of the things that we do have to mention, though, John, is that the European parliament, the election that took place here, doesn't have that much power here on the continent. Nevertheless, of course, it is something that needs to be taken into account if you have these far-right parties there.

Now we know the far-right party of France, led by Marine Le Pen, that that - that she's very close to Vladimir Putin, very close to Russia. Also the far-right party here in Germany, the AFD, as well. Probably won't have tectonic shifts in the immediate future, but certainly very, very concerning for relations with the U.S. as well, John.

BERMAN: Yes, it is certainly worth watching and it is something of an indicator of which way the political winds are blowing.

Frederik Pleitgen, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much, Fred.

Breakthrough results. That's how Moderna is describing the trial of its new combined Covid/flu vaccine.

And then, I worship a convicted felon. New and somewhat bizarre statements from Trump loyalists comparing him to Jesus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:53]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The National Park Service is looking into a fire that jumped from boat, to boat, to boat, to boat from - at an marina at Lake Mead. The flames destroyed 15 boats at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor Marina. It took hours for agencies to contain it all. Witnesses said that they had to get out so quickly they did not even have time to grab any of their things. The marina released a statement on Facebook saying that they were thankful there were no known fatalities. There were only two minor injuries. They say an investigation into the cause of all this is still ongoing.

Tensions escalating once again on the Korean peninsula. South Korea says that it has detected signs North Korea is preparing its loudspeakers on the border in response to these speakers at the South - that South Korea has been using to broadcast anti-North Korean propaganda.

And remember, this is just the latest. This comes after the back-and- forth - the wild back-and-forth over the trash and propaganda balloons that were going back and forth over the border and reach a real fever pitch last week.

This morning, and investigation is underway into a cyber incident as it's being described in Cleveland, Ohio. Fire, police and other emergency services are running, but city hall is closed today. Some systems are offline. The city says the nature and scope of this remains unclear.

Scottie Scheffler has won his first tournament since his arrest last month. He won the Memorial Tournament in Ohio. His fifth PGA tour win of the season. His wife and newborn son were on hand to celebrate Sunday's victory. The world number one golfer was arrested, you'll remember, last month in Louisville, Kentucky, in what he calls a big misunderstanding. The charges were later dropped.

John.

BERMAN: That dude has fit a lot into a short period of time.

BOLDUAN: I know. I was like, oh my gosh, that was the span of time this has all happened. I thought - yes.

BERMAN: A lot of PGA victories. A child. And an arrest. And a dismissal.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BERMAN: He's busier than we are.

All right, back-to-back shark attacks in Florida. The victims, a 45- year-old woman and two teenage girls. The woman had to have part of her arm amputated. Than just 90 minutes later, on a beach about four miles away, a shark attacked the teenagers, and they were left with significant injuries.

With us now, wildlife biologists and Shark Week expert Forrest Galante.

Thanks so much for being with us.

Multiple injuries from two attacks, not that far apart, in one day. How unusual is this?

FORREST GALANTE, WILDLIFE EXPERT/BIOLOGIST: Well, to be honest, John, it's very unusual. It's a complete anomaly that there happened to be two separate attacks in the same area on one day. I mean that's not how sharks work. It's not coordinated efforts taking place. It is just really, really unfortunate with the timing.

BERMAN: So, unfortunate with the timing. It's not how sharks work. Does that mean there's no explanation for why you might be seeing this happen?

GALANTE: No, that's a good question. It's summertime. The waters are warming. There are more people entering into the ocean than usual. Especially at this time of year, people are playing a lot, they're splashing around, they're having fun. So, these are the things that can lead to a negative shark encounter.

In addition to that, this time of year is when sharks will move in shallower to feed. They're looking for pray along the beaches. And as you can see by the pictures of these beaches, there are a lot of people there. So, these sharks are not trying to attack people. They are out swimming, looking for food in the same habitat that human beings happen to be entering in. And, of course, that's why you have these negative interactions.

BERMAN: You know, I grew up in Massachusetts and, obviously, on Cape Cod it's a whole different situation now than it was when I was growing up. The sharks are much more present, much closer to shore. Is there an explanation for why, in some cases, are sharks in Florida and other places spending more time closer to shore?

GALANTE: Well, it's a good question and that's the thing about conservation, John, is you never know what's happening where and every case is independent.

So, when it comes to the northeast, there are higher shark densities and populations than there used to be. And as sea surface temperatures continue to increase globally, sharks are moving into new areas and distribution is changing.

Now, as sharks warm up and the sea warms up, their metabolism actually speeds up. So, they have to eat more and they have to travel more to look for prey than their historical ranges.

[08:40:03]

At the same time, a lot of their prey may have been removed due to overfishing or habitat change. So, it's sort of this perfect storm of situations for sharks globally, not just in Florida and the northeast, where they're going to be moving into new areas looking for prey sources. And if people happen to be there, they may end up having an incident like we've just seen here.

BERMAN: So, officials tell beachgoers to be situationally aware in the water. So, what does that mean? I mean what are the signs if you're swimming that a shark could or might be nearby? GALANTE: Great question. I mean the best - the best thing you can do at the beach is be cautious and be preventative. So, don't go in the water with jewelry. Don't go in the water with plastic water bottles because that crunching sounds like fish bones. Stay away from river mouths or murky areas, anywhere where people are fishing or discarding bycatch (ph). Things like that are where sharks are likely to congregate because sharks are an ambush predator, they like to hide in murky water and eat things that smell good to them.

So, if you're aware of your area, aware of the situation, stay in clear water. Don't get in the water at dusk or dawn because sharks are corpuscular Hunters. And just swim on a normal beach in a normal day. The likelihood of a negative shark encounter is very, very slim, even though it may have happened here.

BERMAN: Also, lakes and ponds turn out to be great and just as wet.

Forrest Galante, great to see you this morning. Appreciate your time. Thank you.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right, we do have some breaking news just in. Hunter Biden's defense attorney saying in court - indicating in court that Hunter Biden will not testify in this case according to his attorney. He's agreed to allow the judge - allow the judge to give an instruction to the jury that they should not hold it against him that he did not testify in this case. However, this is not the same as announcing definitively that Hunter Biden is not testifying. That would be announced officially when the defense rests its case in the presence of the jury. But indications pointing to Hunter Biden not taking the stand in his own defense. We're going to have much more on this at the top of the hour.

We're also tracking this right now. Researchers say they are no closer to unveiling - they are now closer to unveiling a two-in-one vaccine to combat Covid and the flu. Moderna saying its scientists are seeing positive results in a late stage trial.

And CNN's Meg Tirrell joining us now. Now closer to - not no closer to.

Meg, what are you hearing about this?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, this is the same mRNA technology behind Moderna's Covid vaccine. They have an mRNA flu vaccine. And now they're putting the flu and Covid shots into one shot together. They've tested this now in a phase three trial of about 8,000 adults age 50 and older, and they say the immune response generated by this combination shot was stronger than currently licensed or approved flu and Covid vaccines. They tested against three strains of flu and the SARS-COV-2 virus. They also say that the safety and tolerability profile was acceptable and similar to what you see with currently available vaccines.

From a public health standpoint, folks are hoping perhaps a combination shot could bring Covid vaccination rates up to closer where they are for adults for flu. More than - or about half of adults in the United States every season get vaccinated against flu. And that is about 25 percent for adults against Covid right now. So perhaps putting those together in one shot, it's more convenient. You can take care of both at the same time.

Now, in terms of timing, this is not going to be available this coming flu season at the end of the year, but Moderna's CEO telling me this morning they do have to engage with regulators, with the FDA and other regulators, but they are hoping perhaps for the 2025 flu season this could be available.

And Pfizer also has a combination shot in late-stage trials too. So, the situation is evolving.

Guys.

BOLDUAN: Sure is.

Great to see you, Meg. Thank you so much for bringing us that.

John.

BERMAN: And for those dealing with Covid right now, like my mother, keep getting better.

BOLDUAN: Oh.

BERMAN: Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly sizing up her competition this morning. Her new comments on Donald Trump's potential VP picks.

And then, will Siri get a boost of artificial intelligence. A preview of Apple's plans for AI.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:49:16]

BERMAN: All right, both presidential campaigns with big outreach to Hispanic voters over the weekend.

CNN's senior data reporter, Harry Enten, is with me now.

And it takes someone with your vast expertise and seniority I think to explain the situation now. Why are we seeing this from both campaigns?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, I mean, look at this change in the vote. All right, this is the polls at this point among Hispanic voters nationally. You know, at this point, in 2020, Joe Biden had a very clear advantage, right, 59 percent, 32 percent. That's a 27-point lead.

Look at this tremendous shift. Oh, my goodness, gracious. Now to 2024, Biden's dropped by eight points, 51 percent. Trump is up 12 points, to 44 percent. And you have what was a 27-point margin has been shrunk to seven. That margin has been shrunk by 20 points now versus this point four years ago.

[08:50:02]

So, it's no wonder that Donald Trump thinks he can play for the Hispanic vote, and it's no wonder that Joe Biden thinks he has to defend against Trump's advantage (ph).

BERMAN: So how is this manifesting itself in the battleground states?

ENTEN: Yes, so, you know, let's take a look here. Hispanics share of likely voters. Where are these campaigns going to be focusing if they're focusing on Hispanic voters? Well, it's pretty clear from this screen, John, that they're going to be focusing on the southwest, right? Nevada, 19 percent. That's the percentage that Hispanics make up of likely voters. How about Arizona? They make up 17 percent. The rest of these battleground states, these key battleground states, those six battleground states we keep focusing on, Hispanic voters don't make up that large of a share. They make up the largest share in Georgia at 5 percent. But those Great Lake battleground states, four, three, 2 percent, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania. The focus here, John, is going to be in Nevada and Arizona in the southwest if they're interested in breaking through with Hispanic voters.

BERMAN: I was going to say, OK, as you're looking at this right now, how are things going in the battleground states in general?

ENTEN: Yes, so you see this 19 percent, you see this 17 percent. You saw that first slide where Biden's struggling with Hispanic voters. All right, how about what's going on here? Well, in the Great Lakes, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, where Hispanics make up a very small portion of the electorate, Joe Biden's actually doing OK, right? The smallest lead Trump has is two points. Actually, the only lead Trump has is two point.

In Michigan and Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin, excuse me, we have a tie. We have a tie. Look at these sunbelt battleground states, right, where Hispanics are much more likely to make up a significant portion of the electorate. In Nevada, where they make up the largest share, look at that, Donald Trump ahead by seven points. Arizona, Donald Trump ahead by five points. And in Georgia, where African Americans make up a substantial portion of the electorate and where Joe Biden is struggling as well, we see her again Trump up by seven.

But the bottom line, John, to take away from this is, where Hispanic voters make up a significant share of the electorate, that is where Joe Biden is struggling the most relative to four years ago.

BERMAN: Which might help explain the focus that we are seeing right now.

ENTEN: Exactly right.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, nice to see you this morning.

ENTEN: Nice to see you, my friend.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now is CNN political commentator, Karen Finney. She's also a former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Former deputy communications director for Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, Bryan Lanza, is also here with us.

Bryan, let's start with the -- basically with the conversation that was just left off. When it comes to Nevada, how big of an impact do you think immigration is going to have on the eventual outcome?

BRYAN LANZA, FORMER DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN: First of all, good morning. Thank you for having me.

Listen, I think it's going to be immigration and the economy with Nevada. I mean Nevada was hit very difficult during Covid. Their economy was very dependent on tourism, which took a huge hit. And that sort of started the shift.

And I think if you look at immigration, I think President Trump has done a good job of sort of highlighting the fact that when you have illegal immigration, illegal aliens coming into our American - into the workforce, they tend to target, you know, the working class - the working class worker more. And they're the ones that are suffering.

So, President Trump, for the first time, has delivered that message. The community is starting to understand it. And you couple that with a tough economy that's taking place with inflation sort of wiping out the middle class, that hurts Latinos. That hurts working class Latinos. And they're suffering a lot. And Arizona and Nevada of the best examples of that.

BOLDUAN: One poll number, Karen, since we love poll number so much, we're going to continue with this theme forever, by the way. One poll I wanted to ask for (ph) you from CBS News shows that 62 percent of registered voters say they're in favor of a new national program to deport all undocumented immigrants. Still you have CNN's new reporting that Biden's on the verge of following up his executive action from last week that was tightening up the border with another move possibly focused on providing legal status for undocumented spouses married to American citizens.

How does this win over the 62 percent?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, what I want to know in that 62 percent is, what percentage of that were actually Latinos who they asked that question to because oftentimes in these national polls they end up being a very small share, because here's what we're seeing.

Particularly where you have mixed status families, when we talk - when you hear Trump talk about mass deportations, that actually brings people a lot of anxiety because you're looking at families where you have people who have come through the process who don't want to see their family members deported, but they also want to see, like DACA kids, for example, be safe and be able to be in this country. So, the - that's kind of the way I would kind of wrestle with those

numbers. And again I think what we continue to see is the way in which you do it matters, right? I mean the fact that President Biden is talking about we're not going to - talking about separating families. We're not demonizing people as, you know, you heard my - or my distinguished colleague Bryan call people aliens. Human beings are not aliens. We can, you know, talk about people very civilly and humanely. And how we do these processes actually matters deeply to people.

BOLDUAN: And how we talk about - I love when you guys give me my transitions - and how we talk about people does matter. John highlighted this earlier in the show and I wanted to get your guys take as well. Some of what was said from the stage in Nevada before Donald Trump took the stage and how people are talking about Donald Trump.

[08:55:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Oh, President Trump is a convicted felon. Well, you want to know something, the man that I worship is also a convicted felon. And he was murdered on a Roman cross.

MICHAEL MCDONALD, CHAIR, NEVADA REPUBLICAN PARTY: We're here in Sunset Park to worship and bring back the greatest president we've ever known in our generation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Bryan, does this work with MAGA Republicans? Absolutely. Does this help attract independent voters, or as it has been deemed this election, the double-haters? I mean does this bother you at all?

LANZA: Yes, listen, I think the only term I like President Trump to be called is going to be a two-term president, right? I think volunteers get carried away with their language. They're entitled to their volunteers to private citizens. They're enthusiastic about they're who supporting.

You know, does it matter, ultimately, to an independent voter what somebody in Nevada said. No. What matters to an independent voter is their pocketbook. What matters is that milk is almost 40 percent more expensive than it was - than it was during President Trump. Those are going to be the things that matter. It's not going to matter, you know, what somebody says on the stage in Arizona, it's going to be pocketbook issues. And it actually might be another war that takes place under the Biden watch, which will bring us to three wars under his term. Those are the issues that are going to have the biggest impact with Latino voters because, at the end of the day, it's Latino voters that are serving this military with huge distinctions and they're the ones that are suffering - that are going to be, you know, paying the burden of Joe Biden's bad decisions.

BOLDUAN: So, we've gone from words do matter, to words do not matter. And now, Karen, Biden - Biden campaign spokeswoman and advisor Adrienne Elrod was just on last hour with John. Her reaction when John played that for her was, I don't even know what to think about that, kind of reverence that people are paying to Donald Trump.

FINNEY: Yes.

BOLDUAN: What do you think about that?

FINNEY: Well, remember one of those individuals was a member of Congress, not just a volunteer.

Look, words do matter.

BOLDUAN: Or a Republican Party chair in Nevada. Yes.

FINNEY: Yes. Right.

But here's why the words matter. Elections are about contrast and they're about the future. And so when you have President Biden laying out his vision for the future, when you have President Biden, who is out there talking about the ways in which he's actually trying to lower costs and address inflation and continue to create jobs, that meant - that - those are pocketbook issues.

LANZA: No way (ph).

FINNEY: But what also matters to people is - hey, Brian, I didn't interrupt you. But what also matters to voters is this - this contrast basically of who do you trust? Who are you going to trust your future to? And we are starting to see, certainly in some of the internal data that I'm looking at from the outside groups, and I think you saw a little bit of this in the CBS poll, I'm going to come back to it because we do like both, that - the likability. And that's been something that's been a consistent factor for Trump, right, which is particularly when you're trying to consolidate suburban women with they like him or they think, you know, they feel concerned about, well, I can have the TV on with - when he's on when my kids are in the room.

So again, you know, Trump's going to keep trying to muddy the waters, whereas Biden is going to keep trying to drive the contrast. And it is a fact that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, 34 times over, and Joe Biden is a good, decent guy who is trying to work hard for your family and not focused on the past and the grievances.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you guys. Let's see where this next chapter in our wild trio takes us next.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

BERMAN: All right, the breaking news, we are hearing that Hunter Biden will not testify in his own defense. We are now poised for the beginning of closing arguments there.

The former president and the probation officer. Donald Trump about to have really an historic meeting.

And a major announcement expected from Apple. The company looking to make a big plunge into artificial intelligence.

Sara is out. I'm John Berman, with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

And the breaking news is word from Hunter Biden's attorney that Hunter Biden will not testify in the federal gun case against him. This means that we could soon hear closing arguments and the jury could soon get the case.

Let's go right to CNN's Evan Perez, live outside the court.

Bring us up to speed on what has happened, Evan.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the jury is still not in the room at this moment. And the prosecution and the defense could - could get to their closing arguments as soon as that happens. As soon as the jury is in the room.

But as you pointed out, Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden's attorney, no surprise here, let's be honest, indicated in the pretrial - in the pretrial hearing just now that he doesn't believe Hunter Biden will - will testify.

[09:00:08]