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President Biden and Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Prepare for First Presidential Debate; Man Dies in Wildfire in New Mexico; Interview with Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM); Pilots Say Bird Strike Fills Boeing 737 Max Cabin with Smoke. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired June 20, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: 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. So they're really continuing to go after ISIS here in the region because they say ISIS has continued to plot terror attacks against the U.S. homeland.

But also it's important to note that often, and this happens, the U.S. will conduct airstrikes against militants, saying that they are militants when in fact they accidentally kill civilians. And that happened just last year in May of 2023 when U.S. Central Command said that it was targeting getting an Al-Qaeda operative, and, in fact, they ended up killing a farmer in Syria. And of course, we all remember that botched drone strike in Kabul in 2021 when the U.S. was withdrawing and said they were targeting ISIS operatives there when, in fact, they killed a family of 10 civilians.

And so while ISIS does -- while the U.S. does say it's going after these ISIS militants, these Al-Qaeda operatives, it is always important to ask the question of how they can be short these are, in fact, Al-Qaeda and terrorist operatives and not civilians. In this case, they say there's no indication that civilians were harmed, Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Natasha Bertrand, thank you for that.

Another hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is like cramming for a test, but at stake not making the honor roll, but the future of the country, if not the world. We've got new reporting on how President Biden and Donald Trump are preparing for the historic debate on CNN now just one week away.

An entire town of 7,000 forced to evacuate. First, it was the fires, now the raging floods. A dangerous situation is getting worse.

And the Ten Commandments, the ones in the Bible, about religion or history? It might come down to that after one state just required they be placed in every public school classroom.

Kate is out. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner, and this is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: It is crunch-time for the presidential candidates. Just seven days from the first presidential debate right here on CNN. It will be historic in a couple of ways. First, it's the first debate between a sitting president and a former president. And it is the earliest ever general election debate. With the clock ticking, both President Biden and Donald Trump are strategizing on exactly what they'll say on that debate stage.

Later today, President Biden traveling to Camp David where the White House says he's going over potential questions and preparing for personal attacks. And Trump insiders say he's been working with his vice presidential contenders and outside allies with preparations in overdrive.

A new FOX News poll coming out this morning shows President Biden with a two-point edge over Donald Trump. That's well within, of course, the margin of error, but a change from May.

We've got team coverage this morning. CNN's Arlette Saenz and Steve Contorno joining us this morning. Arlette, we're going to begin with you. What is the president doing to prepare for this crucial, and most early, first debate?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, President Biden will depart Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, a bit later tonight and head straight to Camp David where he will huddle with his top advisers for the coming days to prepare for this debate. One key goal for President Biden is trying to paint Donald Trump as chaotic and divisive and trying to remind voters of what a second Trump term could look like.

Now, it's expected that they will begin with some informal discussions, going over a topic -- areas that could come up for discussion, ways to answer some of these questions before transitioning into those full 90-minute mock debates. Aides have been putting together binders, running through some of the areas that could be raised in the debates, ways that the president could answer those questions. And Biden as well known for really drilling in on a lot of those preparations and offering feedback extensively to his aides.

Now, he is going to be joined by a team of top advisers. That includes former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, who has handled Biden's debate prep in the past and is taking on a similar role. This time there will also be Bruce Reed, his deputy chief of staff, who really has been focusing on trying to identify a lot of Trump's policy, going through hours of speeches, things that he said to try to prepare for this debate.

There is also the possibility that the president's personal lawyer, Bob Bauer, could potentially play Trump in a mock debate. But so much of what the focus will be is trying to find ways to hold Trump accountable on that debate stage. As you mentioned, Biden could also prepare for some personal attacks that could come his way. But really, advisers believe that when voters hear more of what Trump would bring in a second term, that that is something that will turn them off heading into the November election.

[08:05:06]

This debate will be a high-stakes moment for President Biden to present his own case, but also trying to make that contrast with Trump. S

SIDNER: Some are saying a make-or-break moment potentially for these candidates.

Steve, how is Donald Trump preparing for this debate?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Sara, unlike President Biden, Donald Trump is not bunkering down to study over the next few days. He has a fundraiser tonight in Ohio. He goes to Philadelphia on Saturday to hold a rally. Nor is he holding mock debate sessions like Biden or like he has done in the past. Instead, he has been having these informal prep sessions with some close advisors, including some of the people he is considering to be his running mate. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, for example, Senator Marco Rubio. He has been meeting with his campaign managers, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, as well as people who have advised them in the past, Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Miller, Richard Grenell.

And they have been preparing the former president on a bunch of issues they expect to come up at this first debate -- crime, immigration, the border, abortion, and as well as preparing them to answer questions about -- some of the attacks that they expect from President Biden on issues like January 6th and some of these criminal convictions over the past few weeks.

And Trump, interestingly, has been sort of leveling expectations heading into this debate. Listen to what he said in Racine, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Is anybody going to watch the debate?

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: He's going to be so pumped up, he's going to be pumped up. You know all that stuff that was missing about a month ago from the White House. I'll probably be negotiating with three people. But that's OK. I've done that before. I'll be debating three people instead of one, instead of one half of a person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Trump and his allies have been spending so much time both criticizing Biden as too old to hold office, and hyping expectations for this debate. It's interesting there to see him there, Sara and John, sort of level expectations going into Thursday.

SIDNER: It will be interesting to see. Steve Contorno and Arlette Saenz, thank you so much.

Jake Tapper, of course, and Dana Bash moderating the CNN presidential debate live from Atlanta beginning 9:00 p.m. eastern and streaming on Max as well. John?

BERMAN: An entire town forced to evacuate as floods now tear through areas just ravaged by fires.

And the new warning about what could happen to passengers if a bird hits the engine of a plane. Spoiler alert, it's not good for you or the bird.

And then a pillar of religion, or a historic memento? The new debate as one state is now requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public school classrooms.

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[08:12:25]

SIDNER: This morning, the death toll in fire devastated New Mexico has risen as new flash flooding threats now target burned areas there. Overnight, officials confirmed a second victim was found as new images of charred debris shows just utter devastation. Those used to be homes. Sixty-year-old Patrick Pearson was not able to escape. His family understandably, in complete shock.

(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 broken leg in 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)

SIDNER: Just awful. Joining me now is New Mexico Congressman Gabe Vasquez. You ended up touring the devastated district with the governor yesterday. Sir, can you just explain to us what you saw as you were going through the area?

REP. GABE VASQUEZ (D-NM): Well, what we've seen is horrible devastation in one of southern New Mexico's most important communities both economically but also culturally. And so we received a briefing alongside New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and met with the new critical incident management team. And right now, the most important thing is preventing the loss of life. What we've seen is that a lot of folks are reluctant to leave their homes. There will be loss of property, that is no question. But what we want to prevent is the loss of life.

Now, conditions here are very uncertain. Wind patterns continue to change. And we're unsure about the direction of the fire at this point. What we are sure of is that people are suffering, but we are mobilizing quickly every resource possible, local, state, and federal, to make sure that people leave their homes and have the opportunity to save their lives, their livestock, and their pets.

SIDNER: Yes. We've had two people break down on camera just talking about this. One, you saw the son of Mr. Pearson there talking about the fact that he was he had a broken leg and couldn't get out of the way of the fire and he lost his dad. And another who was talking about his home. They did leave. But what can you tell residents who their homes are everything, it's their place of peace, what do you tell them to get them to go when these fires are raging?

[08:15:00]

This happens all the time where people stay because they are trying to protect what they've worked for their whole lives.

VASQUEZ: Well, the Mescalero Apache Indians reservation is one of the most historic communities here in New Mexico, and really across the country. And so it is even more difficult for people to leave their homes, their historic homes that have been around for hundreds of years.

And so my conversation yesterday with Tribal President Thora Padilla was that we should mobilize all local resources to ensure that the laws are being enforced, that people are checking on people's homes, to make them realize just how important it is.

Now, I spoke to an 82-year-old veteran for Mescalero yesterday, who was at one of the shelters and community centers, and all he kept talking and about wanting to go back home and as he held back tears, he thought about the property he might be losing that he would be looking to pass down for future generations.

But the most important thing right now is that law enforcement does their job and that we cooperate in an inter-agency way along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the state government, and my job is to make sure that we make sure that people take this seriously because this will be one of New Mexico's most devastating fires.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you, we are looking at wildlife there as well, and of course, there is people's pets as well that are dealing with this at the same time, but I do want to ask you if you think this is going to get worse before it gets better. And I ask you that because of climate change, because we are starting to see these fires earlier and earlier, burning hotter and hotter.

What have you experienced there in New Mexico?

VASQUEZ: Well, yesterday, I had the chance to tour the livestock holdings center, as well as a temporary humane shelter for pets that have been displaced. There is a really good plan in place. In fact, donations have come in as far as Farmington, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, both for pet food, for hay.

We have currently the facilities within the Mescalero Apache Reservation to be able to hold both people's domestic pets, livestock, and as far as the wildlife concern, look, there is going to be a loss of wildlife in the area, and this is an area that is rich in wildlife. Everything from bull elk to mule deer.

But we have a large enough Lincoln National Forest that we do believe some of those animals will be migrating into much safer areas. Unfortunately, fire is something that we will have to continue to deal with. It is always been a constant here in New Mexico, but climate change is only exacerbating both the amount of fires that we have, the two largest actually just last year, the amounts of heat and the unpredictability as these fires continue to rage on.

And so, it is going to continue to be an issue and it takes an immense amount of resources. That's why it is so important for agencies like FEMA to respond to these incidents quickly, to make sure to compensate and find housing for folks quickly. And frankly, the federal government has to do a much better job of responding to these fires.

This is the new normal. We have to get used to it and Congress and the administration has to act as soon as we spot these fires and see the potential for the destruction that they can cause.

SIDNER: Speaking of the administration, give me some sense, just changing gears here, what you need to hear from President Biden during the debate that is coming up in just seven days.

VASQUEZ: Well, look, I think President Biden needs to focus on the things that people care about right here at home, things like these catastrophic wildfires that are happening across the West.

But most importantly, when we talk about people's livelihoods, the economy is the number one issue in my district. That's what I've been focused on.

We need to make sure that we get people back into good paying jobs, that we remind folks that the dollars that have been spent and are being spent and communities like Ruidoso, like Las Cruces or Albuquerque, New Mexico that are now creating jobs, that are putting welders back to work, pipe fitters back to work, carpenters back to work are jobs that we can count on in the future and that they are good paying jobs and that the American people are going to be protected going into the future and that they will have futures that their kids will have jobs, and that folks will be able to go to the grocery store and to the gas pump and be able to see some relief.

That is what the next four years of this administration needs to look like, and I am focused strictly on my district. There are a lot of needs here, from agricultural reform in the farm bill that we've been working on today, to support changes for our military service airmen and women at places like Holloman Air Force Base.

So we need to hear from the president that he is going to support rural districts, just like ours, in the meantime, I am going to continue to make sure that the bills that I have introduced pass Congress because without Congress, the president can't do much without executive action.

[08:20:01] And so Congress needs to do its job. We need to act. Folks need to

stop complaining on both sides of the aisle and we need to come together in a bipartisan way and get the things done for the American people that they are expecting us to do.

SIDNER: Congressman Gabe Vasquez, thank you so much, and good luck to you with the fires there that are burning really, really, really dangerously there -- John.

BERMAN: Right. The deadliest corporate crime in US history, what Boeing is being accused of that could cost the company billions of dollars.

Twelve weeks trapped on board a cargo ship. New reporting on the stranded crew whose ship caused that major bridge collapse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:25:03]

BERMAN: So a new potential issue for Boeing, the airline is warning pilots that if a bird hits the engine of a Boeing 737 Max, the passenger cabin could become filled with smoke.

CNN's Pete Muntean joins us live.

Pete, as we said, this is bad for the bird and potentially bad for people onboard the plane also.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is significant, John.

Smoke in the cockpit has been the cause of crashes, but smoke in the cabin is pretty rare, though can make you sick; worst-case, it could be incapacitating.

The procedure here is to get on the ground as quickly as possible. This issue really just coming to light now. It signals yet another possible issue with Boeing 737 Max line, a model that has been dogged by design and quality control issues.

This stems from two incidents on Southwest Airlines flights where one of the plane's two engines was hit by a bird. In February, Boeing then warned Southwest and American Airlines about the issue, and in turn, those airlines warned their pilots and here is what the alert said: American airlines told its pilots, Boeing received two reports of CFM LEAP-1B engine failures following large bird strikes on takeoff and initial climb that could cause oil to burn.

Southwest Airlines then told its pilot that that could cause the immediate presence of smoke and fumes entering the passenger cabin through the air conditioning system.

Now company that makes the engine itself, CFM International, told me the engine has met bird ingestion certification requirements, performed as designed though the birds in these incidents were very large, much larger than is required to be given the blessing by regulators.

Now, the Federal Aviation Administration says it is still working with Boeing on this investigation into these incidents and will determine if there any new actions that need to be taken.

Remember here, that bird strikes are pretty common. Most of them occur in the early morning and sunset when birds are most active, 90 percent of them happen near airports, so that means takeoff and landing is the most risky time.

The FAA recorded 17,000 bird strikes in 2022, although very few of them as serious as these two that prompted these alerts to pilots.

John, there is a name for what is left over of the bird after there was a bird strike, it is called snarge and is often studied by researchers to make sure that they can better mitigate bird strikes and keep the danger to you on board airplanes down.

BERMAN: All right, Pete Muntean for us this morning. We are looking at these pictures right now, you can see why it would be an issue for these planes. Thank you so much for that -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, ahead, he once told advertisers to go away. Now, Elon Musk is working to woo them back. How he is planning to do that.

And only pirates do this sort of thing. New video from the Philippine military showing what they call a brutal assault, a pirate-like assault by the Chinese Coast Guard.

Those stories and more, ahead.

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