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At Least Two People Killed As Fires And Floods Devastate New Mexico; Harnessing Volcanoes In Iceland For Clean Energy; Tonight: MLB Honors Willie Mays, Negro Leagues At Rickwood Field. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired June 20, 2024 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[07:30:38]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Happening now, an extremely dangerous situation in New Mexico. A new round of intense rain could trigger flash flood emergencies in the burn scars left behind by two deadly wildfires. There were water rescues overnight with new video showing multiple campers stuck in several feet of muddy water. That's tough right there. Officials concern now -- confirm now there has been a second fire death.
Let's get right to CNN's Ed Lavandera in New Mexico with the latest. Ed, what are you seeing there?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, this Ruidoso community -- this mountain village in New Mexico just dealing with all sorts of weather phenomena getting thrown at it between these wildfires that are now measuring more than 23,000 acres.
And then a round of intense rain fell briefly yesterday, as you mentioned, over that burn scar -- about three inches of rain, which might not sound like a lot, but it triggered what the National Weather Service says mudslides in that burn scarred area around Ruidoso causing mudslides, causing flash flooding. The warnings were going off nonstop.
One of the main arteries that is being used for residents to evacuate the area is -- was -- parts of it were flooding along that -- along that roadway. So just an intense situation.
Now, the weather forecast calls for more rain again today, so that could be something we see happen again, although that rain is also the one thing that is going to provide fast and much-needed relief for these firefighters to be able to get these massive wildfires under control that have been burning since Monday. And these are dangerous conditions.
We've learned of a second death, as you mentioned -- someone who was found in their car trying to escape from the wildfires presumably earlier this week. That person has not been identified.
The first victim that was identified is a gentleman 60 years old by the name of Patrick Pearson. He had a broken leg and wasn't able to drive. And he was at the Swiss chalet in -- along the northern edge of Ruidoso.
His son talked about is father's death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZACH PEARSON, WILDFIRE VICTIM'S SON: He was trying to get away from the fire as fast as he could, you know, but with a -- with a broken leg and a brace, using a walker, trying to carry what you could, it's heartbreaking to know that he didn't make it. To know that he was trying to run for his life -- trying to get away from the fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: John, you know, the loss and the devastation caused by these wildfires is simply just so intense. More than 8,000 people have evacuated that Ruidoso area. It really is just kind of like a smoke- filled ghost town there. But more than 1,400 structures have also been lost. So the impact of this is still not really fully grasped because so many of the residents there have been evacuated for days and still haven't had the chance to go back yet, John.
BERMAN: It is heartbreaking hearing that son's story.
Ed Lavandera, thanks so much for being there.
Police in Arkansas are searching for a man they say is wanted for murders and carjackings in Oklahoma. Police say 50-year-old Stacy Lee Drake has now crossed state lines and was last seen walking outside a motel in Arkansas. Authorities say he is armed and dangerous and may have ties to robberies, carjackings, and murders in other areas.
This morning, the trial of a U.S-Russian dual citizen accused of committing treason begins in Russia. Los Angeles resident Ksenia Karelina was detained while visiting her grandparents. She is accused of donating $51.00 to a Ukrainian charity based in the United States. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison.
So, the Philippines is accusing China's Coast Guard of a brutal assault with bladed weapons. This incident happened during a Philippine mission to resupply its soldiers stationed on a beached World War II-era warship. The military released video showing Chinese officers waving an ax at the Filipino soldiers and then say they slashed their boat.
[07:35:00]
Analysts saw China's tactics here could be a test of how the Philippines and its key defense ally, the U.S., will respond. China said measures taken by its Coast Guard were "professional and restrained." "Restrained" -- the word they used -- Sara.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know -- with an ax. All right, thank you, John.
It is exactly one week now until the first presidential debate here on CNN. This morning, a brand-new Fox News poll of registered voters shows
President Biden actually leading Donald Trump by a very narrow two points -- 50 to 48. You see the numbers there. That is, of course, within the margin of error reflecting how high stakes this pivotal debate could be for voters. Keep in mind this is the first time Donald Trump has trailed by him in a Fox News poll since October.
Joining me now, Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky, and Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton.
I want to first start with you, Julie. What do you think is behind this new polling, which often has had Donald Trump in the lead by several more points?
JULIE ROGINSKY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, CO-FOUNDER, LIFT OUR VOICES: Well, a couple of things.
One is, of course, the conviction of Donald Trump. And Independents, it seems, don't like the fact that their potential next president can be a convicted felon. And so you've seen that shift coming over to the president from them.
Also, look, Donald Trump has been raising and spending money on legal fees, and the president has really amped up his advertising in the last month or so and he's continuing to amp it up now. And that message is finally resonating and coming through.
And I think that's a mistake that Republicans consistently have made with Donald Trump. They give money to him thinking it's going to get him elected. In fact, he's taken that money and put it on legal fees and put it on other efforts other than convincing voters that he should be the next President of the United States -- and you see that in the polling that's reflected now.
SIDNER: Shermichael, I want to talk to you about debate prep. President Trump says it's rallies that have been helping him prepare. He's having one on Saturday. But nobody is asking questions at rallies or going against what he's saying.
How else do you think he should be preparing for this debate -- the earliest debate we have ever seen in our history?
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yeah. Yeah, look, I think the former president needs to practice with his team, particularly on how he may respond to some difficult questions maybe about January 6. Maybe questions about some of the legal issues that he currently faces. And I put the emphasis on those things Sara because we know the former president sometimes gets a little agitated when asked about some of those issues.
And I think this debate is going to be crucial for both men. But for the former president, I would argue that his tone really matters here. If he can come off as presidential and continue to focus and emphasize the fact that people materially are not better economically, to emphasize the importance of immigration. The fact that most Americans, regardless of their political persuasion, are concerned about immigration. And maybe even throw in some concerns about foreign policy and the United States' standing globally I think is an issue that also registers with a percent of voters.
If he can do that while being measured, then I think he could have a successful night.
SIDNER: All right, Julie, to you. You know, President Biden's camp really believes that Americans, for the most part, have not been fully tuning into what's happening with this race. We are in June, that we've got quite a bit of time to go, and believes this is the first time they'll really be paying attention to what is happening and who these candidates truly are.
So do you think this is a make-or-break moment for President Biden?
ROGINSKY: It's important. Look, Trump has made a very effective push to showing -- and I think kind of an unforced error on his part to really lowering expectations for Joe Biden, right? If you listen to Donald Trump, you're going to have a crippled old man come out who may be or may not be senile and try to debate.
Joe Biden needs to show the United States -- not just Trump's voters but everybody else -- that he's up for the task as the oldest president in history and somebody who is asking to be reelected as the oldest president in history. So he really needs to show up the way he did for the State of the Union. I think that's probably what they're really working very hard on in debate prep.
And to Shermichael's point, I think it's an excellent point. Look, I've run debate prep for countless candidates. You need to -- it's really like a murder room almost. We have to go in and ask the toughest questions possible in a debate format. That's something that you can't do at a rally. You have to sit down and really go through the wringer. And if Trump doesn't do that and subject himself to that, he's not going to have a great debate.
SIDNER: I was going to ask you if this was sort of like a legal battle -- preparing for a case.
ROGINSKY: One hundred percent, it's like a court case. You have to go through it. You have to come up with every contingency. And you have to be asked the really hard questions -- the ones that you break in debate prep -- that break you in debate prep, so you don't break on stage when you're actually doing it. If you don't do that, you're -- no candidate -- Trump or anybody running for dog catcher, nobody's going to have a good debate.
SIDNER: Julie, you alluded to Shermichael --
SINGLETON: I mean, Sara --
SIDNER: Go ahead, Shermichael.
SINGLETON: Oh, I just wanted to just say really quickly. So, for example, when a presidential -- president, rather, appoints individuals to the cabinet there's something that we call a "murder board."
[07:40:00]
And essentially, a murder board is where you're asking those potential nominees very, very tough, challenging, and surgical questions in preparation for them to go before the respective committee that will ultimately vote them out to go before the full body for confirmation.
The candidates have to go through a very similar process.
SIDNER: Shermichael, I'm wondering from you, what do you think the worst-case scenario is for each of these candidates? I will let you start with Donald Trump. What is the worst-case scenario here? I know -- nobody likes to answer that question.
SINGLETON: I mean, look, Sara, I think the worst-case scenario for the former president is if he gets on that debate stage and starts talking about the previous election being stolen. If he starts to make, I guess, statements about the January 6, that sort of turns off voters about these individuals or hostages. Some of the rhetoric that he typically uses on the campaign trail, which is great for the base. Those things don't really sway Independent voters.
You -- we mentioned the Fox News poll. If you look at that Fox News poll, President Biden does have a slight advantage with some of those swing voters. Now, granted, we're five months ahead. Those numbers are going to constantly change. But as a strategist, I'm looking at those numbers and I'm wondering what can my candidate do to usurp the lead of this opponent.
We also know that the economic issues are still front and center for the vast majority of Americans, which is where I think the former president is strong.
Now, on the question of President Biden, he has to not come off as someone who is incapable or unable to lead for another four years. He is going to be the oldest president elected. If he can just showcase stability and an ability to be energetic, to speak to the future, to be forward-looking, then I think that is an advantage for him.
SIDNER: There are things that are going to be different in this debate than we've seen before. And Julie and Shermichael, I'll both let you speak to this.
This debate, for example -- the mics will be turned off when you are not the person being asked the question. There will also be no audience, which I think the public has sort of gotten used to an audience which is almost like the third person in the room because you can hear them.
Who do you think this might help -- these new rules?
ROGINSKY: Well, actually, I think it helps Trump because it dispels some of his worst tendencies, which is to mumble under his breath, to make snide comments, to interrupt. And so, if Trump can't be Trump -- frankly, that really only helps Trump. Because the Donald Trump that we've all seen -- the one that stalks Hillary Clinton across the stage if you remember, the one who constantly interrupted Joe Biden, or Joe Biden told him to shut up -- that's not a Trump that appeals, as Shermichael pointed out, to Independent voters.
SIDNER: Shermichael, can I quickly ask you about the veepstakes. You've got J.D. Vance going to dinner with Trump in Cleveland. You've got Doug Burgum on a tour in Michigan.
Where do you think this stands? And is this also going to make a difference here?
SINGLETON: I mean, Sara, I wish I knew. I'd be the richest person in America --
SIDNER: Yeah.
SINGLETON: -- if I had the answer to that question.
But seriously, as a strategist, when I'm thinking about the running mate -- and I was just looking at some academic research that came out a couple of years ago that talked about the focus and the importance of choosing the right running mate because that person could potentially bring in voters that the principal struggles with.
I'm not certain what J.D. Vance or Doug Burgum brings to the Trump ticket.
SIDNER: That is a really interesting point to make. Donald Trump is sort of a candidate we've never seen before, so we will see what happens going forward.
Again, we've got this debate. It's the CNN presidential debate happening at 9:00 p.m. Eastern -- thank you to both of you -- on Thursday. You can also stream it on Max -- John.
BERMAN: So, the volcanic eruptions in Iceland that closed popular tourist spots are both disruptive and dangerous. Now scientists are tapping into the Earth's natural energy to harness its power.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen, who has seen the lava firsthand, is here to explain. Good morning to you, sir.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, John -- and Iceland is definitely a remarkable place. You know, you land at the capital's airport and you can see a volcano erupt out of your airplane window. And when you ask the Icelanders, they say oh, don't worry -- the magma channels in a different direction, but it is very close.
And you're absolutely right. The volcanoes do disrupt life there but they also give that place an abundance of energy. And now, the Icelanders say they've found a way they could get even more out of the Earth's power. Here's what we learned.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PLEITGEN (voice-over): The awesome power of nature on full display in southwest Iceland. The Reykjanes Peninsula, close to the capital, suffering a string of violent volcanic eruptions in the past years. Iceland's massive activity both a burden and a blessing for those who live here.
The town Grindavik, close to the eruption site, evacuated -- a fissure running right through the streets and the houses.
Klara Halldorsdottir, one of the more than 3,000 residents evacuated last November, says she's had enough and will never move back.
KLARA HALLDORSDOTTIR, FORMER GRINDAVIK RESIDENT: I get goosebumps when I talk about it because it was really, really strange. Just long lines of cars exiting town. It was like in a terrible movie or something.
[07:45:05]
PLEITGEN (voice-over): When things appear to get more calm, a few months later, another violent eruption occurs as the Reykjanes Peninsula seems to have entered into a period of high volcanic activity that could last months, years, or even centuries, experts say, keeping the specialists at Iceland's Meteorological Office tasked with predicting eruptions busy round the clock.
SARA BARSOTTI, ICELANDIC METEORLOGICAL OFFICE: The GPS station -- they're telling us if the ground is changing, it is forming, we are maintaining the gel (PH) chemical monitoring that is telling us which are the kind of gases that are leaving the volcanoes.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): While volcanoes often have an impact on life here in Iceland, the Icelanders have found ways to harness the power of our violent Earth. Geothermal power plants, feeding off he heat, providing emission-free energy in abundance and leading companies from around the world to move energy-intensive manufacturing, like aluminum production, to Iceland.
Our team traveled all the way to the northeast of Iceland to the Krafla Geothermal Plant. When drilling a new bore hole here at Krafla, they accidentally hit a shallow magma chamber and now are working on harnessing the Earth's energy almost directly from the extremely hot magma.
The project's director says this technology could provide clean energy for hundreds of millions of people.
HJALTI PALL INGOLFSSON, KRAFLA MAGMA TESTBED: We have a very big part of humanity living close to a volcano. And if we are able to harness the volcano directly, reducing the risk by lowering the pressure and lowering the tension in the volcano, then, of course, we have a win- win situation.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Using the Earth's natural energy with burning fossil fuels. The scientists acknowledge there is still a long way to go and a lot to be learned, but they also believe the potential energy supply could be virtually limitless and totally clean.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: So as you can see there, John, a lot of technologies that still need to be developed and a lot of research that still needs to be done. But the Icelanders do believe that it is something that could be possible to harness even more of the energy of the Earth's core and use it to make clean energy here for millions of people around the world, John.
BERMAN: Learning to embrace the magma maybe not literally, Fred, because that would hurt, but more conceptually. Fascinating.
PLEIGTEN: Yeah.
BERMAN: Great to see you this morning.
And, of course, you can watch the full episode of "VIOLENT EARTH WITH LIEV SCHREIBER" this Sunday at 9:00 on CNN.
Fearful of retaliation. A revealing new interview with a business insider who says CEOs are scared of Donald Trump. And an incredible tribute in Major League Baseball planned for tonight.
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SIDNER: Expect a moving tribute tonight as Major League Baseball honors one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Willie Mays, at Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark in America. He played there for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1948. His former team, the San Francisco Giants, will play the St. Louis Cardinals at that ballpark tonight.
The MLB commissioner says this is a tribute to "...an American who will forever remain on the short list of the most impactful individuals our great game has ever known."
CNN senior national correspondent Ryan Young live outside Rickwood Field. Ryan, I've got to be honest, I'm a little jealous. This is going to be a really beautiful night that you get to experience.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely. And when you include all the things that are a part of this -- all the storied details -- this is amazing. Sara, I know you're a Giants fan as well, but think about that. Baseball describing Willie Mays as an American. It's awesome to see because at first, when he first started playing, he was described as an African American or a Black American. Now just simply an American.
And we saw that spirit throughout this area yesterday as fans from all across the country were really talking about Willie Mays and the experience they had of watching baseball for the first time.
As we stand here and you talk about Rickwood Field, that field was built in 1910, so it is history in itself. And you can see the Negro Leagues being interweaved with Major League Baseball and it's something that people say they are glad to see these stats included into Major League Baseball.
But listen to Joe Torre because he talked about what Willie Mays meant to the game of baseball just yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE TORRE, MLB HALL OF FAMER: Willie loved the game. I mean, it was evidenced by the fact that when he played in an All-Star game he batted first and played the whole game because, you know, he knew people wanted to see him. And it was exciting. Never needed a coach because his head was on a swivel all the time when he ran the bases.
DOUG EMHOFF, SECOND GENTLEMAN: I'm old enough for -- to have actually seen him play. My dad took me to see him when he was on the Mets. He's going to go down as not even arguably the greatest baseball player of all time. Yes, it's a loss but it's almost poetic to have him pass literally the night before this incredible event. I'm looking at the Willie Mays Pavilion as we speak, surrounded by all these legends who held him in such high esteem -- so he's a hero.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Yeah, so you had the second gentleman there talking about just how much Willie Mays meant to baseball.
Everywhere you looked yesterday, even young people were getting a chance to watch these old highlights.
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One thing about baseball -- and I'm sure John is standing in there and is probably nodding his head just a little bit -- is just the idea that baseball is something that's almost forever. It's timeless in terms of its plays. So even though the athletes have gotten bigger and they are extraordinary on the field -- and we'll see some of that play out today -- the stuff that Willie Mays did at such a young age is something that will stand forever. And that's why you start hearing about the greatest of all time.
Let's not forget that he gave two years of his life to military service -- he was a veteran -- and that paused his baseball career. So how many more home runs could he have had?
This man really meant something to this community, in particular -- Birmingham. When we talked to the mayor yesterday it was all about what he could do and not what he couldn't do. So despite being denied some of the rights that all of us enjoy today, he never found that as an excuse. He just kept pushing forward. And he pushed forward to be one of the greatest of all time -- Sara.
SIDNER: Ryan, not just an extraordinary baseball player but an extraordinary human being. Thank you so much, and you're going to have a good time. Bring me back a souvenir. All right, John.
BERMAN: You know, grown adults just getting giddy talking about baseball there. It truly is timeless and historic. Doug Emhoff and Joe Torre, not to mention Ryan Young -- the smile on his face.
All right. New this morning, the co-founder of LinkedIn is warning other top executives to be wary of Donald Trump. He says Trump is bad for business and that he believes other CEOs agree but they're scared to speak up.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID HOFFMAN, CO-FOUNDER, LINKEDIN: And I literally talk to business leaders who are -- who are fearful about speaking out against this because they're fearful of retaliation.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Are you concerned that Trump could retaliate against you?
HOFFMAN: Of course, I'm concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right, just one of the handsome men you saw in that interview right there is CNN's Matt Egan, who spoke with Reid Hoffman. What did he tell you?
EGAN: Well, John, Reid Hoffman is a rare breed these days -- a billionaire business leader forcefully making the case against another Trump presidency. We've seen some CEOs who were critical of Trump after January 6. They're back on the Trump train.
Hoffman, on the other hand -- he penned an op-ed in The Economist blasting CEOs who support Trump, saying that "American business should not empower a criminal."
Hoffman told me that in the end, Trump is going to hit corporate America where it hurts them the most -- the bottom line, right? He is saying that, really, it's Trump who is not as pro-business as Biden because he says that Trump doesn't respect the rule of law and Biden does.
And it's an interesting argument especially because, of course, Trump sees himself as the CEO president, right? He wants low taxes, light regulation. He just went to a meeting with CEOs in Washington where he said he doesn't want to just extend the 2017 tax cuts; he wants to make the corporate rate even lower. But Hoffman says it's not just about taxes and regulation because without the rule of law nothing else matters.
Take a listen to what else Hoffman said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HOFFMAN: The rule of law is what has made America very special. It has made an environment for business that has been spectacular -- a glowing beacon to the entire world. It's the trust that other countries have in us and our system and how we interact, which allows our industries to export and allows the dollar to be the reserve world currency of the world. And that's the reason why Biden is fundamentally -- no matter what -- more pro-business than Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
EGAN: Now, the Trump campaign responded in a statement attacking Hoffman as "A protegee of George Soros," and making other attacks on his character. But the campaign did not directly address any of Hoffman's actual arguments.
I think at the end of the day, there are a lot of CEOs who do view Trump as the bigger winner as far as business goes and the economy, but it's not really up to the CEOs, right? At the end of the day, it's going to be up to the voters, and I do think how they view the economy and who is going to be better for their own personal finances is going to be a major factor in this election, John.
BERMAN: No, not up the CEOs. Although, I imagine some of them will dump a ton of money --
EGAN: A ton.
BERMAN: -- into the campaign.
EGAN: That's right.
BERMAN: Matt Egan, that's a really interesting interview. Thanks so much --
EGAN: Thank you, John.
BERMAN: -- for being with us -- Sara.
SIDNER: Really.
All right, a development out of the Middle East this morning. U.S. Central Command confirming in a post on X that a senior ISIS official was killed in a U.S. airstrike on Sunday in Syria. They say there was "no indication any civilians were harmed in that strike."
CNN's Natasha Bertrand is live from the Pentagon. What do you know about this strike?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Sara. So this was carried out by U.S. Central Command forces on June 16 in Syria, as you said. And according to Central Command, they did kill a senior ISIS official who they say was a facilitator and his death will therefore prevent or at least impede ISIS from planning and facilitating future attacks.
Now, I think it's important to note here that the U.S. has continued to go after ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria, and Africa, really consistently over the last several months. In fact, just from January to March, roughly 18 ISIS fighters, according to U.S. Central Command, have been killed in airstrikes conducted by the U.S. and its coalition partners in the area. And an additional 27 have been detained in Syria and 36 detained in Iraq.
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