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Governor Andy Beshear (D-KY) is Interviewed about Flooding in His State; Aid Organization Founder Michael Capponi is Interviewed about Venezuela; Polls on the 2020 Obsession; FAA Investigating Close Call in Miami; GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan is Interviewed about Gas Prices. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired June 29, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

REP. AMI BERA (D-CA): Back and forth if things seem a little bit quite in Lebanon. But again, I expect that to flare up periodically as well. So, this is going to be a long process.

I am happy that there's a ceasefire that, you know, hostilities have stopped for a day or so. But this, you know, having lived through the JCPOA, the Obama nuclear deal, it took a long time and there was a lot of back and forth, stops and starts. So, I didn't expect this to come to fruition overnight.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, this latest flare up seemed to occur because Iran did not like the fact that some ships were passing through the Strait of Hormuz through a route that was in Omani waters, not Iranian waters, but Omani waters. So, Iran apparently didn't like that, started firing. The United States responded. And now if there are talks this week, it seems to be murky. But if there are new talks this week, how much power does Iran have if the fact that they started firing forces the U.S. into specific discussions about the Strait that weren't scheduled before, how much power does Iran have here?

BERA: You know, Iran has shown that they've got a lot of power because they were able to close the Strait. I would argue, though, that the president should bring Congress in. No deal should allow Iran to have full control over the Strait, because those are international waterways. It sets an incredibly bad precedent that you can see in the South China Sea, you can see in the Taiwan Straits. I think we've got to work with our Arab allies, our European allies, our Asian allies. But I would be really concerned if any deal said Iran can charge tolls, can control who gets to pass through that Strait. That would be a really bad precedent.

BERMAN: I want to talk about electoral politics in the United States? California has already had its primaries. Colorado has theirs tomorrow. New York had it last week.

There have been victories for the left here, the progressive left, including Democratic socialists. Dan Pfeiffer, who walked -- worked in the Trump White House, on "Pod Save America" -- sorry, Dan Pfeiffer worked in the Obama White House, said on "Pod Save America," quote, "it's very clear that the groups on the left, Justice Democrats, Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution, are out-organizing, out-fundraising, out-working, out-maneuvering the traditional party institutions. They've captured more energy, they're being more creative and more strategic. If you're someone in the Democratic establishment, you should be deeply concerned."

So, what do you think these victories for Democratic socialists say about the state of the Democratic Party?

BERA: You know, so you're seeing these victories in deep blue districts, probably with some incumbents that have not had to run a very competitive race for a number of years. I would -- I agree with Dan, that, you know, if you're running for re-election and you've got a primary, you've got to go out and run a campaign. You've got to energize your grassroots, your folks on the phones.

That said, you know, they're not winning the competitive seats, the seats that are a shade blue, a shade red, where we could make the House majority. These are deep blue districts where they may be out organizing some of the more establishment Democrats.

BERMAN: Colorado's purplish. I mean blue -- maybe blue tinted purple. But Colorado isn't New York. And we're going to see something in these primaries tomorrow maybe if this trend is nationalizing. But what does it mean for the party overall? Is there maybe a one-off after effect on some of the other candidates in your party in November?

BERA: You know, we'll have to see. We -- I've talked to our leadership. Again, we're a big party with lots of different ideas. That said, we've got to come together because this is about putting a check on Donald Trump. So, while we'll have conversations across the spectrum, we'll wait and see when these new members get here. But at the end of the day, this is about affordability. It's about stopping Donald Trump. It's about holding this corrupt regime accountable.

BERMAN: You nervous they'll make Democrats less electable in November?

BERA: You know, the Republicans are going to run the campaigns that they have to run. We've got to run the campaigns that we do. At the end of the day, Donald Trump is extremely unpopular. This war in Iran is unpopular. And if we've got ideas, we've got to put them out there about how we're going to make American's lives better. And I think we'll win on that.

BERMAN: Congressman Ami Bera from California, great to talk to you this morning. Thank you.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you, John.

Right now, a state of emergency has been declared in Kentucky. Look at these pictures. Kentucky has been dealing with catastrophic and deadly flooding across the state. Four people have already perished after severe storms created dangerous floods. Those floods have destroyed roads, bridges, you can see homes and businesses, churches, underwater.

While things are improving, there have been dozens of water rescues. Governor Andy Beshear is joining me now to talk us through all this.

First of all, thank you for taking a bit of time this morning with us. I know you are busy.

[08:35:00]

I know you are heartbroken. What are the conditions now in the flood affected areas of your state, and how widespread is it still?

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): Well, it's significantly widespread. We probably have 15, 16 of our 120 counties that got hit and got hit mildly to significantly hard.

Now, we are through the worst of it. The rain moved out yesterday. The flash flooding is abating. We have some moderate river flooding. But I don't think that that's going to reach levels that we saw last year or in the past.

We still have a number of search and rescue teams out there, but they've moved from areas that have a lot of water, to surveying the more remote parts of some of our counties to make sure there aren't more people in need.

We're already identifying the number of structures that have been impacted, the number of people whose homes have been either destroyed or significantly impacted. We're sheltering people in hotels and in state parks. We're going to make sure they get back up on their feet.

This is tough, but this is now the 16th major disaster that's hit Kentucky since I became governor, just weather related. So, sadly, we've had a lot of practice. But what that means is, we know how to be there for our people in their toughest of moments.

SIDNER: I -- you said its 15 to 16, up to potentially 20 counties that have either been mildly or majorly affected by this. That's more than 10 percent of all of Kentucky. Give me some sense of what is destroyed, how much work there is, and what you're telling residents as they come forward to the July 4th weekend, where most people like to go out and drive the road and go see family and watch fireworks, what are you telling people this morning?

BESHEAR: Well, when we look at our damage, it's really twofold. It's to homes and to our infrastructure.

To homes in Madison County, which got hit in the first wave, we probably have 30 residents that are displaced and probably half of them have really significant damage to their homes.

You've got Cumberland County, where we are still doing some surveys. They got really almost a foot of rain in that second round, in a very short period of time. Thankfully, our water systems held up well. Power. We only have about

200 homes total across the state that are without power, thank God, because it's getting really, really hot and people need that air conditioning.

SIDNER: Yes.

BESHEAR: But it's our roads and our bridges that have taken a hit. Some of these counties are more rural, and so you think about bridges that are really critical that are washed out, that could add 45 minutes to an hour to somebody's commute. In some areas, this wiped out an entire road for a period of time. Thankfully, in most places, the water's come down, but we still have some major state roads that it's -- that it's covering.

So, we're certainly going to need the federal government's help when it comes to public assistance. That's where the federal government comes in through FEMA and helps counties, cities and the state. And then we'll be looking for that individual assistance. Because remember, a lot of people's insurance doesn't cover flooding. It may cover tornadoes or other events, but flooding can wipe out everything you have. And then guess what? You can't even wait. You've got to be in there mucking it out, making sure that you're bleaching the walls as it was hit before that mildew and mold set in.

So, we got a lot of work ahead of us, but we love each other in Kentucky. We are there for our neighbors. Every time somebody's mucking out a house, there's 12 or 13 other people ready to help. We already have some of our faith-based groups that are mobilizing, getting to these areas. So, we stick together and we're going to make sure our families get through this. And we'll celebrate that Fourth of July weekend the best we can, but we will do it together, lifting up our people.

SIDNER: Just quickly, yes or no, do you think FEMA is going to show up? Because the Trump administration has been wanting to close FEMA and put it all on the states. Are you confident you will get what you need from FEMA?

BESHEAR: Yes. But what we need this time is a little different. Normally, we need that initial federal disaster declaration so they're there with the search and rescue efforts. We've gotten very good at that with the practice we've had. So, we didn't need that help. So, we'll be applying for more of the monetary assistance. And I believe that this is sadly a slam dunk case where we suffered enough damage where it qualifies under the law. All the president has to do is say yes.

SIDNER: All right, Governor Andy Beshear, it's good to speak to you this morning. Good luck with what's going on there in the state. We wish you well.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's turn to Venezuela once again. It has now been five days since the back-to-back earthquakes just rocked the coast of Venezuela. The official death toll is now at more than 1,400. There are so many more still missing.

But there's also, just this morning, some almost miraculous news.

[08:40:00]

Look at this video of a 21-year-old man, we're told, was pulled from the rubble just after surviving five days stuck there. The rescue mission to get him, complicated to say the least. But still video of pulling him out alive.

Also, a 60-year-old woman who was pulled out after surviving 86 hours under the rubble, she's now speaking out and says that she feels reborn after all of this.

Aid organizations from around the world are flooding into Venezuela now. It's clear the country needs as much help, aid and supply and volunteers that they can get. One of the aid organizations on the ground to help is Global Empowerment Mission, based out of Florida.

And joining us right now is the founder, Michael Capponi, who just arrived in country, I believe, this weekend, Saturday morning.

It's good to speak with you, Michael.

You're just kind of getting on the ground. Can you give me your first impressions of what you're seeing?

MICHAEL CAPPONI, FOUNDER, GLOBAL EMPOWERMENT MISSION: Yes. Thanks, Kate. Thanks for having us.

So, yesterday we toured all of ground zero. It's much wider than I thought. I mean it's -- basically the damage is like from Miami to Fort Lauderdale, really like as far as scope, 39 kilometers wide of damage. We were at many buildings -- remember the Surfside collapse. I'm trying to give -- like, paint a picture. Surfside collapse. You had all those people under the rubble. Almost a hundred of them. You had just one building. Here you have hundreds of buildings that look exactly like Surfside, with the same scenario. So, at every building you have search and rescue crews. You can't talk. You can't -- you have to turn off your car. You have to turn off the motorcycle because it has to be like radio silence because they're just listening and hoping to hear like someone just hitting something to, you know, show that they're still alive. And it's a very powerful thing being out there.

So, we were scouting for our first, you know, distribution locations, right, to get that all organized today. We had our first cargo plane coming in last night. So, our distribution starts -- as soon as I'm done with this interview we'll be distributing, you know, some of the U.S. aid that we're working in partnership now with the State Department. So, they've been extremely helpful. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. And all the other orgs wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. So, to me, this is a historical moment and it's definitely needed. Without thousands and thousands of people and everybody here, you know, I don't think this recovery would be possible. And --

BOLDUAN: Yes. I -- you know, just hearing the way you're describing it I think is so important because a lot of the video that we're seeing coming out, it's almost hard to wrap your mind around what you're looking at because the destruction seemed so vast. And the way you're kind of putting it, I think really can drive home the scope of the disaster that Venezuela is dealing with.

And I was, you know, looking at some of the places that your organization has showed up, from the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, to Turkey, Syria earthquakes, after massive hurricanes, and the war in Ukraine, the Maui wildfires. I mean your organization has showed up to assist in the aftermath of so many things.

Is it -- are you -- how would -- how does this compare in terms of what you think is going to be needed from you, from others, from all rescue and volunteer efforts to get -- to help them recover?

CAPPONI: Well, here you can't depend and count on the country where the disaster is at. So, look at the Turkey earthquake, for example. But Turkey was playing the biggest role in supporting. Here, the biggest role is 100 percent the United States, the State Department and its partners. So, that's already something very different. So, the burden is now on, you know, the United States groups and the American companies to help here. Which has been, by the way, I have never seen, in my entire life, a bigger support response like this. I -- it's unbelievable.

Like the Venezuelan diaspora has come through. We have a 60,000 square foot warehouse in Miami. It overflowed after 24 hours. We didn't have room in it anymore. We had to go rent down the street another warehouse that's 160,000 square feet. And then the -- so many people are donating. Yesterday we had 1,500 different groups show up in just one day to the warehouse to drop off supplies. Now we had to get an additional 50,000 square feet space. So, you're talking about as much space as a Costco that we have now of just diaspora and American brands that are donating for Venezuela.

This has never happened, right? Imagine. So, the response is going to be very strong. I mean, we have to set up infrastructure here, major warehouses. You know, we're going to have trucks and planes and, you know, everything, every single day for months and if not years to come. I think it's a, it's a point in history now that everything is going to change.

[08:45:03]

And I see a lot of hope, personally, with this. But, unfortunately, we have 50,000 people that are still missing. And that's the main focus right now of the search and rescue people.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. But having your organization, which is, you know, tried and tested and been there after -- in the aftermath of so many things is a -- is a wonderful thing. And to find hope, hope in this darkness, is an important thing as well to keep everyone moving on. Michael Capponi of the Global Empowerment Mission, thanks for coming

on. We'll stay very close to you and the work that you guys are just now really getting underway with. Thank you.

John.

BERMAN: All right, a close call. To close. A private jet nearly crosses in front of an American Airlines plane just before takeoff.

And new video of rescuers pulling a driver out of a pond.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, new comments from Republican Mike Collins, the Senate candidate in Georgia. He tells our Manu Raju that Donald Trump won Georgia in 2020. Of course, he did not.

[08:50:08]

BERMAN: Rest assured, if that sound continued, you would have heard Mike Collins say that Donald Trump won in Georgia in 2020. I won't do a dramatic reenactment. But go on Twitter and play the video there.

With us now is CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten.

Good to see you this morning, Harry.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Nice to see you.

BERMAN: So, talk to me about Mike Collins and where he fits among Republicans when it comes to what happened in 2020.

ENTEN: You know, honestly, Mike Collins is starting to feel a whole heck of a lot like Herschel Walker 2.0. You can remember Walker, of course, ran for the Senate in Georgia. Lost that race in 2022. A very winnable seat.

But he fits in very well with how Republicans still feel about the 2020 election. I mean, they just believe this garbage.

Look at this, GOP who say that the 2020 election was stolen. Back in 2021, just after the 2020 election, 60 percent of Republicans believe that the 2020 election was stolen. Of course, there is no proof of that whatsoever. Come back, come forward, five years later, again, there's no proof. But now 63 percent of Republicans believe that the 2020 election was stolen. So, Mike Collins' comments to Manu Raju make a whole heck of a lot of sense when you put it in the larger polling picture, which is that most Republicans, despite all the evidence to the contrary, believe that the 2020 election was, in fact, stolen.

BERMAN: Is this a winning message in a general election?

ENTEN: No. This is the whole problem, which is the Republican Party is in one camp all the way over here on the right and the rest of the American public is in the same camp, in the actual this is the real world we're dealing with camp. Take a look at this. OK. Americans on the 2020 election. They say, not

stolen, stolen. In 2021, about three in five, 59 percent, say not stolen. Look at this now. We're talking about two in three. If anything, that number has gone up a little bit. Sixty-four percent of Americans say that the 2020 election was not stolen. Stolen, 32, 31, about the same, about three in ten Americans.

So, what you see is that the American people are in one camp believing the results, rightfully believing the results of the 2020 election. And then you have Republicans all the way in another camp. It is a losing message. That is why I say that Mike Collins is starting to sound like Herschel Walker 2.0, because that's a winnable seat for Republicans, and comments like that make it very difficult to win.

BERMAN: OK. Well, could you argue Donald Trump is so popular in Georgia that maybe Mike Collins would want to lean into that message because he thinks that the Trump popularity will drag him over the finish line?

ENTEN: If Mike Collins thinks that Donald Trump is going to carry him over the finish line, then I have a brave new world that he needs to face, because that is a belief that just, simply put, is not on this planet. It is in some galaxy far, far away.

Trump's net popularity in Georgia. Look at this. Among Republicans, hey, yes, winning a Republican primary, you want to be backed by Donald Trump, plus 64 points. Donald Trump very much on the positive side of the ledger. But among all voters, Donald Trump deeply underwater, heading right off Savannah, into the Atlantic Ocean. Donald Trump deeply unpopular in Georgia. Mike Collins should be running from Donald Trump. Instead, he's leaning into a belief that, simply put, has no evidence to back it up about the 2020 election.

BERMAN: And that's quite a large number in a state which is basically a 50/50 state now.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: You see a number like that, a warning sign.

ENTEN: It makes a whole heck of a lot with what matches nationally, and that is that Donald Trump is deeply underwater nationally, in the key swing states as well.

BERMAN: Harry Enten, good to see you this morning. Thank you.

ENTEN: Nice to see you, my friend.

BERMAN: Sara.

SIDNER: Thank you, gentlemen.

This morning, the FAA is investigating after an American Airlines flight had to abort its takeoff in Miami Friday evening. The American flight, which was headed to Bermuda, aborted takeoff when the flight crew saw a business jet just coming into the way, coming onto the runway.

Joining me now is CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean.

What are you learning about what happened here? Clearly, I mean, thank goodness the pilot's eyes were on the prize and saw this and aborted.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It begs mentioning that Senator Tammy Duckworth, during a Senate hearing last week, said that these type of incidents, called runway incursions, are often avoided by a pilot or controller being the last line of defense, doing what they were supposed to do. It also begs mentioning that this is an incident that happened less than an hour apart from another incident. Both close calls for sure. But they point to very different threats to aviation safety. We'll get to the second one in a second.

This incident we know the most about. It happened on the ground at Miami International Airport. This American Airlines flight had just started accelerating for takeoff when that business jet taxied onto the runway directly into its path. Thankfully, the American pilots spotted the conflict, aborted their takeoff run. The preliminary tracking data shows that the two aircraft came within about a third of a mile of each other at their closest. And I want you to listen now to this tense exchange on air traffic control after the crews avoided the collision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PILOT: American 308 is aborting on the runway.

ATC: Four Quebec Sierra, you just crossed an active runway. Hold short of runway eight left.

PILOT: You just told me to cross the runway, sir.

ATC: No, we said Amerijet 461.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:55:04]

MUNTEAN: Clearly some confusion there on the radio.

This is what's known as a runway incursion. When an aircraft or a vehicle is on the runway when it shouldn't be.

NetJets says it operated that business jet, but there were no paying passengers on board, and the aircraft was being taxied around the airport by a third party maintenance vendor.

The FAA and NTSB have spent years trying to reduce these runway incursions. And the numbers have gone down since a peak in 2023. But there have been a few high-profile cases lately, including the fatal collision on the ground at LaGuardia Airport involving a fire truck and an Air Canada Express flight in March. That's the first incident, Sara. The second incident in Newark highlights an entirely different problem. And this is what the pilots of a United flight reported as they were descending into Newark on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNITED PILOT: And we almost hit a drone right there at Gimme United 1513, about 100 feet below us.

ATC: Right where you're at right now?

UNITED PILOT: Exactly.

ATC: OK. And United 1513, did you get a look at it? Do you know the color or any -- how much propellers or anything like that, whatever they're called?

UNITED PILOT: Yes. It was -- it was like a circular shape, and that was about it. It looked like it was about three feet wide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: That report backed up by the pilots of a regional jet landing behind that United flight. The FAA receives more than 100 reports of drone sightings near airports every month. Even though drones are prohibited from operating anywhere they could interfere with an aircraft.

Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, that's really scary that people are still doing this sort of thing.

Pete Muntean, thank you so much. Great reporting from you this morning. Appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: A driver in Virginia was pulled to safety after her car plunged into a pond. First responders found the woman trapped inside the sinking car, formed a human chain to rescue her. Police say that she was treated for minor injuries. The incident is now under investigation.

If the World Cup wasn't enough for you, sports fans, Wimbledon kicks off today. Among the stars taking to the grass courts, seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, six-time women's doubles champion Serena Williams, she's returning to the tournament for the first time since 2022, when she exited in the opening round. Williams says this time she is just looking to enjoy the experience and probably have some pretty good wins at the same time, John.

BERMAN: She's looking like she's having a lot of fun already.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BERMAN: All right, some good news for drivers hitting the road for this holiday weekend. Gas prices, they are falling. The national average for a gallon of gas, $3.86, dropping seven cents since last week. That's still 88 cents higher than before the war with Iran began.

With us now is Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

Patrick, it's great to see you in person. We depend on your analysis. So, thank you for everything you do.

What can drivers expect as they head into this holiday, a few days to go here, besides the fact that they're going to need the air conditioning in their car with the heat so high?

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Yes, for sure. Well, at least the heat is coming down on gas prices across the country. Virtually everyone is seeing gas prices drop in the last several weeks. The national average now declining seven straight weeks. So, after the national average peaked at $4.57, we've seen almost an 80 cent a gallon drop, though Americans today are still going to be spending $250 million more on gasoline than they did a year ago.

We're trending in the right direction. Both gasoline prices declining in 46 of the nation's 50 states over the last week. Diesel prices declining in 49 of the nation's 50 states. Oil prices holding after a weekend skirmishes between the U.S. and Iran. Gas prices should continue trending lower in most states as motorists start taking to the road for July 4th.

BERMAN: But as you noted, Fourth of July this year, a lot more expensive than last year.

DE HAAN: Still very elevated. The national average, 65 cents higher than it was last year. And while the numbers all sound good, it's going to be the second most expensive July 4th we've ever recorded at GasBuddy. Still under 2022's peak, when prices were well above $4, but indeed still a perilous record of the second most expensive July 4th.

BERMAN: So, Patrick, I do, I follow you religiously on social media. And I noted this weekend when there was the renewed fighting between Iran and the United States, the back and forth, threatening maybe to reclose the Strait of Hormuz. When it all ended, or when President Trump suggested that it wasn't going to change the ceasefire situation, you seemed to be not at all surprised. You seemed to think that the oil markets and gas prices, I think, at this point, have just come to accept that this is more or less over.

DE HAAN: It's certainly a lot of drama, but as we saw over the weekend, a Friday afternoon skirmish ended by Sunday night, just in time for oil opening on electronic markets. So, the problem was solved again. And we've seen this time after time over the last couple of months that what happens Friday afternoon, by Sunday evening, the situation improves.

[09:00:06]

Oil again flowing through the Strait. And that's what oil markets are really looking at.