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Hurricane Arthur Downgraded to Post-Tropical Storm; Some Evidence Displayed Against Man Accused of Leaving Toddler Son in Car All Day to Die; Central American Children Continue to Stream Across U.S. Southern Border; Joan Rivers Makes Controversial Statements about Obamas; Videotape Shows Patrolman Beating Woman; Teenager's Online Posting of Hunted Animals She has Killed Causes Outrage; Protestors Demonstrate Against Recent Central American Immigrants; Brazilian Soccer Star Injured in World Cup Game
Aired July 05, 2014 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik in for Christi Paul this morning.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's 10:00 now on the east coast, 7:00 out west. You're in the CNN Newsroom.
And we begin with breaking news overnight. Another flight carrying illegal immigrants from Texas has now touched down in southern California. It's the second one this week. The passengers reportedly boarded three buses to a processing center in the San Ysidro district of San Diego.
KOSIK: They did not go to nearby Murrieta where demonstrators forced the first fleet of buses to turn back. Dozens of people, including this man, staged another protest on the Fourth of July.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON WOOLLEY, MURRIETA, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: We're not going to stand for it. That's just how it is. There's thousands and millions of other people who have done the right way, but for people to just come in here and ask for a free handout, that's my money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: These protesters are involved now in what's become a really passionate immigration debate reaching all the way to Washington. Sunlen Serfaty joins us from the White House. Sunlen, what's the latest on what we're hearing what will be done about all of these kids.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Alison, we've soon California really become ground zero for this debate this week. It's really been a powerful image, and those 100 immigrants arriving on that flight last night, and as you said, as they arrived on bus, they weren't taken to Murrieta, California. They were taken somewhere else specifically because that small town really has become a flashpoint in this debate all week.
Last night protesters and counter protestors again squared off outside that border control facility as we've seen in the heated debate all week.
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CROWD: Shame on you! Shame on you!
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SERFATY: Meanwhile, here in the White House, while all of that goes on, nearly 3,000 miles away, the president, he attended a naturalization ceremony here at the White House. This again was a powerful image. He watched 25 new Americans be sworn in as citizens as they took their oath of allegiance, and during that ceremony he made another pitch for immigration reform.
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BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we want to keep attracting the best and brightest from beyond our shores, we have to fix or immigration system, which is broken, and pass commonsense immigration reform. We shouldn't be making it harder for the best and brightest to come here and create jobs here and grow our economy here. We should be making it easier.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: And Victor and Alison, the president didn't specifically mention the problems in California that we've seen all week, but he did sap that the ceremony is another reminder of the problems at the border.
KOSIK: Sunlen, we know that President Obama is scheduled to be in Texas next week on Wednesday for a fundraising event. In that state, Governor Rick Perry, a Republican, has in essence challenged the president to go ahead and visit the border while he is in Texas. What is the White House saying about this? Do you see the president making a side trip there while he's in Texas?
SERFATY: He might. I would say it's not likely at this point. I just checked with the White House this morning. They said as of now there is no side trips scheduled when the president is in Texas for that group of fundraisers. The challenge it was, that's exactly the right word, Alison, to use there, because the White House responded specifically to Perry's challenge by saying Republicans would be better served using attention and their time to passing comprehensive immigration reform instead of extending border invitations. So that was a little bit of a quirky and I would say heavy response from the White House, kind of pinging Rick Perry there a bit. So I guess you could say, as of now, no border stops planned. It will be interesting to see over the next few days whether political pressure mounts for President Obama to do so.
BLACKWELL: All right, Sunlen Serfaty at the White House, thank you very much.
KOSIK: Plenty of amazing fireworks displays across the country last night. I didn't see any of them, but take a look.
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KOSIK: This one was in Tempe, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. And 100,000 gathered to watch the display. Beautifully clear skies for the celebration just hours after the first sandstorm of the season blew through the area.
BLACKWELL: Talking about blowing through an area, Arthur now getting a second downgrade of the morning. Once a category two storm, this morning was first dropped to a tropical storm, now a post-tropical cyclone.
KOSIK: Don't relax just yet. The storm can pack a wallop for those in its path. Winds as high as 65 miles per hour and drenching rain has been forecast for Maine, also for parts of eastern Canada.
BLACKWELL: Also along the eastern seaboard, things getting back to normal with residents cleaning up their flooded streets, getting their lights back on, and getting back on track with their holiday weekend plans.
KOSIK: That includes the beach, of course. Alexandra Field out at Jones beach on New York's Long Island. Good morning to you, Alexandra. What do the crowds look like at this point.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alison. You really just have to take a look for yourself. Only 10:00 in the morning, this beach is literally crowded with thousands of people who are out here enjoying the sun and some of this warm weather and starting to soak it up. A lot of people just really relieved to see Arthur moved up north of us now, doing less damage in its path than had been anticipated.
But a lot of people's eyes still on the coastline and the water. If you look out here, you see that it actually looks really calm and really smooth. You don't always get there in the aftermath of a hurricane. Lifeguards were out earlier this morning. They wanted to really get an eye on the water, see if rip currents were a problem, because that he can happen in the aftermath. Out here they say they are not seeing that. Swimmers along the coast need to be aware of that. When you get in the water and feel a strong pull. We spoke to one lifeguard who described some of the dangers, you've heard them before, but it's worth listening to.
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TAMMY MCLOUGHLIN, NEW YORK LIFEGUARD: The rip currents that we deal with here and at other beaches actually around the United States are the number one leading cause for beachgoer's concern. And rip currents, what they are is basically an overabundance of water coming over our sandbars, and that water has the to go somewhere. So what happens is it rushes in towards the beach and then pulls out.
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FIELD: Often those rip currents form when you get that break in the sandbar. It's pretty common in the spring and in the early part of the summer. Also, most common at low tide, but certainly a lot of people wanting to get in the water here at Jones beach today. They're being told by lifeguards that conditions are good, that it's safe out here, but something always to be mindful of. Alison, Victor?
KOSIK: Alexandra Field, thank you. It looks like a beautiful day there in New York. Let's bring in meteorologist Karen Maginnis for the latest now on Arthur, but Arthur that's no more.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right. It's hard to believe that this comma shaped cloud it what used to be a category two hurricane. It slammed onshore, the central coast of North Carolina, right around Cape Lookout, with 100 mile-per-hour winds sustained. And then it rapidly moved up towards the northeast, impacted the mid-Atlantic, and now we're watching it exit into Canada. So New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, you can expect some gusty winds and the potential for some flooding.
Let's show you some of the flooding that they saw in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Yes, they were walking on the street, and the rain was really coming down. In some cases these cars were submerged. There was as much as eight inches of rainfall recorded. But now we have a post-tropical cyclone that is formerly known at Arthur.
We've still got some pretty heavy rainfall across sections of Maine. Some areas will pick up three to six inches. Already in Washington County they've seen five inches of rainfall there and they're saying that a lot of trees have been reported down. A couple of roads have been washed out, but overall they're faring fairly well as the storm system continues to weaken. Back to you guys.
BLACKWELL: Karen Maginnis for, thank you, Karen.
KOSIK: The World Cup is still going on, you know that, but, sadly, without team USA. But that doesn't mean the American squad's new legion of fans is letting up on the love.
BLACKWELL: That includes President Obama. He gave the team a huge shout-out in today's weekly address and he offered a special nod to the goalkeeper, Tim Howard, who had a record 16 saves against Belgium.
KOSIK: Yes.
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BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to begin today by saying a special word to the U.S. men's soccer team who represented America so well in the past few weeks. We are so proud of you. You've got a lot of new believers, and I know there's actually a petition on the White House Web site to make Tim Howard the next secretary of defense. Chuck Hagel's got that spot right now, but if there is a vacancy, I promise to think about it.
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KOSIK: He's got a sense of humor.
BLACKWELL: Yes, good message from the president.
KOSIK: All right, serious story here, a stunning beat-down on a busy California freeway.
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DAVID DIAZ, EYEWITNESS: This is not just jabs. These are like hooks. I mean --
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BLACKWELL: This is tough to watch. We've got the story behind why this woman was repeatedly punched in the face by a California highway patrolman.
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KOSIK: OK, just a warning for you. This is shocking and disturbing video, very tough to watch.
BLACKWELL: The California highway patrol says it does not tell the whole story, though. Still, it's now investigating. OK, so a driver in California caught this scene on tape. Look at this. This is a highway patrol officer just beating a woman in the face over and over again. He says he counted 11 punches. Police are at 15. We don't know who this guy is who runs up.
KOSIK: Now, the driver who taped this is talking to CNN's Sara Sidner. Sara has more now from Los Angeles. Sara?
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Alison, the witness said he was in very heavy traffic, basically at a standstill, when all of this happened right in front of him.
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SIDNER: Video from a California freeway shot by a driver stunned by what he was seeing unfold, a woman being punched over and over and over again by a California Highway Patrolman.
DIAZ: You see it, you heard it. Like thump, thump, thump and then you see her head bounce, bam, bam, on the concrete.
SIDNER: How many times did he hit her?
DIAZ: Oh, I've seen 11 on the video. He took more shots than that. I think it was around 15 shots to her head, and then --
SIDNER: Punching?
DIAZ: This is not just jabs. These are -- hooks. Those are lights out punches. Those aren't like taps.
SIDNER: The highway patrol report says the woman posed a danger to herself and other drivers because she was walking within traffic lanes at times. And when he asked to stop, she continued ignoring the officer's command. And ultimately, she becomes physically combative, it says.
ASSISTANT CHIEF CHRIS O'QUINN, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: The tape only shows a small part of what transpired. There are events that led up to this. Until all of that is collected and put into perspective, we aren't going to be able to make a determination.
SIDNER: The eyewitness who goes by the name David Diaz says he saw exactly what led up to it before he started recording.
DIAZ: You see the video, the first thing you hear is me laughing. The reason why is because before we got the video starting, they were playing like a ring around the rosy behind that red truck, a grown man and grown woman running around the truck. It's kind of like a Benny Hill moment, right?
SIDNER: Avoiding him?
DIAZ: She's avoiding him. It's almost like when we laugh when someone runs on the field in a baseball game.
SIDNER: He says she did eventually start walking towards the officer, and that is when the takedown began.
DIAZ: He grabs her, and she kind of is like, you know, there's the resistance in terms of like natural reaction. And then he then grabs her, throws her to the floor, and then gets on top of her, which then you would think, OK. He's just going to wrap her up, call it a day, another day in Los Angeles. But no, this wasn't the case.
SIDNER: The CHP says the woman who carried no I.D. was taken to hospital for a physical and mental evaluation.
O'QUINN: The report indicated that the individual was not injured and the officer didn't notice injuries on the individual.
SIDNER: Diaz has a hard time believing that after seeing and hearing this --
DIAZ: She didn't put up restraint. She did what anyone else would do when getting pounded is to go like this, to go like this. And now they say, she's -- it's an excuse. We've giving too many excuses. There's no more rationalizing this. We need to stop this. And that's why I put the video, I posted this video.
O'QUINN: We're going to make a determination as to what transpired in this situation and we will do the right thing.
SIDNER: The officer involved has been put on administrative duty while the case is investigated.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIDNER: Witness Diaz says he has not spoken with anyone from the California Highway Patrol and that if they call him he will discuss what he saw with them. Alison, Victor?
BLACKWELL: Sara Sidner, thank you so much.
KOSIK: It's going to be interesting to hear what the other side of this. That woman looks like she's being used as a punching bag.
BLACKWELL: We certainly need to hear more about what led up to this, more than even that video.
KOSIK: Yes.
BLACKWELL: So this is the question so many people, not just around the country, but around the world are asking about this dad and his son. Was this a tragic accident or was it premeditated murder?
KOSIK: New details emerge in the case of a Georgia toddler who died after being left in a hot car, and the picture prosecutors have painted of the father accused in the case has sparked outrage.
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BLACKWELL: CNN is learning new details about the Georgia man charged with murder in his son's death in the hot SUV. It involves two life insurance policies that Justin Ross Harris took out, actually one, though, came from his employer.
KOSIK: This comes on the heels of a hearing where prosecutors described the 33-year-old as an unfaithful husband who was in financial trouble. They even allege he lived a double life and spent his day sexting with a half dozen women while his son was dying. Joining us now is Joey Jackson, a legal analyst, and CNN national reporter Nick Valencia. First, Nick, what have you learned about the life insurance policies that Harris had on his son?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, much is being made about them, and I know a lot of people are talking at home about them, but I think we need to take a step back. There is two policies, one from his employer, Home Depot. That's sort of a standard thing. Everyone employed there has a life insurance policy. We have one here at Turner. And then there's the one they took out in November of 2012 for $25,000, a total of $27,000.
And in these new search warrants, this is what's revealed by Cobb County officials. It says through the investigation, meaning after the death of 22-month-old Cooper, Harris has made comments to family members regarding a life insurance he has on Cooper and what to do to file for it. Joey Jackson I'm sure can get into it a little bit more, but this maybe painting a motive here. Maybe $27,000 is worth it to kill your son. Some people would say that's not a lot of money. Again, innocent until proven guilty, his friends adamant that this guy, Justin Ross Harris, doesn't have it in his character.
BLACKWELL: Joey, we heard so much come out in the hearing. It was just two searches on the Internet. The searches by the mom and dad for deaths in hot cars, but then the sexting and the money and the mom's comments, this was huge.
JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, it really is, Victor. Because it is huge, because, remember, any case is not about one material fact. It's about a number of facts. It's about painting a portrait. It's about telling a story. And as your question implies, Victor, too, what happens is there's a lot. There's more.
And so what do we expect from the prosecution? This, of course, was probable cause hearing, where they're just explaining to the judge their basis for detaining him, that it's lawful, and they want to force the case to move on to a grand jury to indict and to move forward. So we're scratching the surface. And who knows what they held back and who knows what else an investigation will reveal?
But when you start to put together a life insurance policy, a troubled marriage, potential financial problems, the fact that he's going on to these sites to look at, how do I survive in prison? How do people die? Hot car deaths. It really paints a portrait of someone who may have been motivated by malice to do this, and also, Victor, it may even point to the wife as having some culpability involved. Now, we don't know and we are a far cry away from embroiling her into this. But as it stands now based on what we know from her conduct and his conduct, boy, I think there's a lot more to come, and she very may be a defendant in this case when all is said and done.
KOSIK: Is there any evidence as this point that you've uncovered Harris and his wife were having financial problems?
VALENCIA: Victor and I have been on the story, as well as Martin Savidge. We looked into financial records. We looked into bank statements. We tried to get bank statements, but we just couldn't find it. We couldn't find anything that was out of the ordinary in our background searches. In this probable cause hearing a lot came out. This $4,000 credit card debt, he was trying to rack up sky mile, his wife was upset at his spending habits because he had recently taken over the family finances and he was in charge now. We didn't really see anything out of the ordinary.
And you say the detective sort of do a backtrack here when he was asked about proof of that financial instability in the family. It seems by all appearances, Alison, they were renting their home, a condo in Murrieta. He had a good job as a web developer at Home Depot. She was a registered dietitian, worked at Da Vita, which is a kidney and dialysis service to provide those procedures. From all appearances on the outside they seemed to be a put-together family, that they didn't really have any financial turmoil. There was, of course, though this $4,000 credit card debt.
BLACKWELL: So Joey, this was essentially two hearings in one proceeding. There was probable cause and then the bond portion. Probable cause, I think after all that we heard, there isn't much surprise that he's, this is being moved up to superior court. But the bond hearing, are you surprised that he was denied the possibility of staying at home while they prepare for trial, flight risk? Was he a danger to the community?
JACKSON: Not at all am I surprised about that, Victor. And just to Nick's point very briefly, Nick is right to be cautious, right? We don't know, and everyone's entitled to due process. This is simply probable cause. We'll see as everything unfolds whether the prosecution has the proof through the investigation.
But as to the issue of whether this person, the defendant, should be released, if you're a judge in the case, as the judge said, look, he's facing a minimum of 30 years. This case says, your honor, the judge, may well be at the end of the day moves up to a capital murder case where he's facing the death penalty. Under those circumstances, of course, says the judge, this person would be a flight risk and maybe someone who's motivated not to return. So based upon the gravity of the offense, based on the punishment that he's facing, you will be detained and held until such time as the trial proceeds and you're either innocent or your guilt is established.
BLACKWELL: We know there are likely more search warrants to be released and maybe we'll get more information about the conversations, the interviews that happened back on the 18th with this boy was pulled out of that vehicle. HLN legal analyst Joey Jackson, thank you so much, Nick Valencia as well.
JACKSON: A pleasure and a privilege.
KOSIK: Children in danger in their Central American homeland, arriving by the busloads to California, but many are saying, not in my backyard. Hateful or realistic? The arguments on both sides, ahead.
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KOSIK: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik in for Christi Paul.
BLACKWELL: And I'm Victor Blackwell. Let's start this half with five stories we're watching for you this morning.
Up first, Arthur gets a second downgrade in just one morning, this morning, once a category two hurricane now just a post-tropical cyclone. The storm is headed for Maine and eastern Canada, with drenching rains and high winds as well. But back in the U.S., Arthur left behind flooded streets on the eastern coast, knocked out power to as many as 44,000 people in North Carolina alone.
KOSIK: Number two, Philadelphia's fire commissioner says it's a tragic, tragic day for his city. Four children were killed when a massive fire tore through eight row houses early this morning. The victims were a one-month-old baby, four-year-old twin girls, and a four-year-old boy. They were all in the same house. Police tried to rescue them but they couldn't get them out.
BLACKWELL: Number three, Taliban militants claim they fired rockets at hundreds of oil tankers at a depot west of Afghanistan's capital Kabul. More than 400 trucks went up in flames. Look at this. Emergency crews rushed to the scene. The Taliban says it attacked the depot because the trucks deliver fuel for NATO forces.
KOSIK: Number four, Anthony Cumia, part of the popular SiriusXM radio show "Opie and Anthony" was fired for a racially charged rant on Twitter. After allegedly being attacked by an African-American woman in Times Square, Cumia sent a series of profane laced tweets, calling the woman, among other things, "an animal," and ranted about violence in the black community. His tweet history was apparently deleted overnight but he promises to address the story online next week.
BLACKWELL: Five now, convicted killer Joran Van Der Sloot is a newlywed and is about to be a new dad. He married this woman in Lima, Peru, in a prison yesterday. They're having a baby in September. Van Der Sloot is serving a 28-year-old sentence for killing another woman. Once he eligible to get out, he'll be extradited to the U.S. to face charges related to the 2005 case involving missing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway.
KOSIK: A second flight carrying illegal immigrants from Texas has now touched down in southern California. Earlier this week, buses carrying passengers from the first flight were turned back by protesters in the city of Murrieta, some of whom said they should never have been allowed to cross the border.
BLACKWELL: There is no word yet on how many children are among the latest group of travelers. The young immigrants have been arriving in overwhelming numbers lately, rekindling of course the national debate about immigration.
So let's talk about it. We've got Enrique Morones, president and cofounder of the nonprofit group Border Angels, and CNN.com commentator Ruben Navarrette Jr., author of "A Darker Shade of Crimson, Odyssey of a Harvard Chicano." Ruben, we want to start with you. I think what really strikes a lot of people, it doesn't matter what side of this argument they're on, is when they see the shouting at these buses, and we know that a lot of people on the buses are children. They're 12 and under. It seems in some ways callous, although many of the people say we're not yelling at them, essentially, but they are.
RUBEN NAVARRETTE JR., SYNDICATED OPINION COLUMNIST: Yes, they are. Thanks for having me on, Alison and Victor. I'll tell you, it is shameful to watch this. You're talking about women and children on a bus. I feel that, if folks feel angry and frustrated, and they should, at a broken immigration system, they should go to Washington and yell at those folks there and both parties who are responsible for it. They should go down the block to Murrieta at employers in Murrieta, California, hotels, restaurants, domestic workers who work as nannies and housekeepers in those homes there, people who built the homes, in fact, yell at the employers. But to take it out on these kids who, face it, have had a very difficult time just in the last several months coming all the way from Central America. They've seen terrible things in their home country. Now they've seen terrible things in this country. KOSIK: Enrique, the "New York Times" editorial board this week urged
President Obama to go big on immigration, writing, you know "As the border crisis plays out, public support for legalization will are tested, but Mr. Obama can ease fears if he acts millions here are a benefit to the country and deserve a chance to stay." What do you say about that?
ENRIQUE MORONES, PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER, BORDER ANGELS: There's no doubt the undocumented community is a benefit to this country, and there's no doubt that the immigration system is broken. Both parties need to work on it, as Ruben mentioned. But I think that what happened in Murrieta, because I was there when the buses arrived a few days ago, we saw the worst of the American spirit. This could be our Rosa Parks moment where the country goes, wait a minute. Is that who we are as a nation? Our flags banged against the bus, screaming at these kids and mothers?
So President Obama said it's a humanitarian crisis. We need a humanitarian response. His saying he wants to expedite the deportation is not humanitarian. Deportation is not humanitarian to a lot of these people because the overwhelming majority are not criminals. They're children and women who are trying to escape a very violent situation in their homeland, and we as a country can invest in those countries, have more presence, so that they don't have to leave.
BLACKWELL: I understand what you're saying, but should they be offered asylum? I mean, you can't take in -- I guess you can -- but should the U.S. take in 40,000, 50,000, 60,000, 70,000 children and offer all asylum?
MORONES: Yes, the ones that do qualify, I believe we should, because this country has a great role in what happened down in Central America. What's happening down there now, the demand for drugs, the wars of the 1980s, we've played a role down there and not always a positive role.
We can't open to the doors to everybody. That's not what we're saying. Most undocumented people don't come to the United States. There's 250 million undocumented people, 11.5 million of them are in this great country. But when you put up a wall, Operation Gatekeeper, and it leads to 10,000 deaths, when there's no line for the people actually to get into and they have to risk their lives coming through the desert, that is not the solution.
There's a solution that we need to work on as the adults, but taking it out on the children like these people did is not what this country is all about, and we need to take a closer look at ourselves to have humane policies and work closer with our neighbors in all directions. If these were Canadian kids, we wouldn't be having this discussion.
KOSIK: But you can't deny the fact there is a huge influx, Enrique, of immigrants coming in all at once. We don't have the facilities or border patrol to hand le this. There are also some reports of immigrants that have arrived with contagious skin diseases, or rather contagious skin conditions. Could in this possibly become a health crisis? MORONES: No. Just like when people came through Ellis Island, there
was people who had diseases. The overwhelming majority -- they were allowed in, not the people with diseases, people just came in. It was illegal versus illegal. This is a relatively new phenomenon of the last 100 years, legal versus illegal. If there's people have health issues, have them go to the doctor. If there are families that have criminal history, put them in jail.
But the overwhelming majority of these people that are coming, children are not criminals, are not sick. They're trying to escape. They're trying to find a place to feed their family. They trying to be with their family or they're trying to escape this terrible violence. Let's look at humane solutions to this terrible situation that they're living in.
BLACKWELL: Ruben, let me come to you. Of course, this is a political hot potato and the president says Congress, send me something. Congress says, president, you can't do this all by executive order. Is there a message that is reinforcing this in Central America? The president was very clear with George Stephanopoulos on ABC just a few days ago, but is -- is there perceived leniency from the president that's being received in Central America?
NAVARRETTE: Well, let me say that there is a perceived and a real leniency that's being perceived and seen not just by the president but by longstanding U.S. policy no matter who's the president.
But before I get to that, let's talk about the politics of this. There's a fundamental misunderstanding in Washington, D.C. about the immigration issue, and the narrative that's so popular on CNN, places, other places I work, in the media, it's somehow this is all the Republicans' fault. The Democrats are blameless. And if you just had Republicans get onboard immigration reform we'd have it tomorrow. That's not the case. Democrats have often done their best to thwart immigration reform efforts in Congress and serve at the behest of organized labor, which despite the rhetoric, does not want an immigration reform bill that creates more competition for U.S. workers.
And so you have both parties in Washington fundamentally dishonest, each blaming the other, each of them culpable in ways that folks don't find out about. But to your point of leniency, in the perceived sense of leniency, we have had this longstanding policy signed into law by George Bush himself, George W. Bush, that said that border patrolmen would take kids, unaccompanied minors, and not simply send them across the border. We're not that kind of country. Give them over to Health and Human Services and see if they can be placed with relatives in the U.S.
And the misconception on the right wing among conservative radio talk show hosts and others who are equally uninformed, terribly uninformed about immigration, is somehow that this is an Obama creation. It's not an Obama creation. It's an American creation. Regardless of presidents, this is how we handle unaccompanied minors.
BLACKWELL: In this political moment, and unfortunately, we've run out of time, the Senate passed a bill, the president has said at least he's hoping to get a bill. Maybe he says that because he knows John Boehner knows he's not going to bring it to the floor, but it is Speaker Boehner who says that they're not going to take it up this term. Enrique Morones, Ruben Navarrette, thank you both for talking about this with us.
MORONES: Thank you.
KOSIK: Joan Rivers, she's at it again. The comments she made about the Obamas that's not sitting so well.
BLACKWELL: Yes. And you will certainly want to see how she responded in an interview with CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield when asked about her furs.
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BLACKWELL: Blue skies after hurricane Arthur whipped its way through the east coast. You've got crowds flocking to the waves.
KOSIK: Ah.
BLACKWELL: That's Jones beach. Nice shot. People are getting out there early. It's not even 11:00 on long island.
KOSIK: When you had the winter we had in New York, I'm not surprised they're out there early.
BLACKWELL: You get what you can.
KOSIK: But lifeguards are on alert. The danger is these rip currents that are out there. You can't necessarily see them, but they can be deadly. Chad Myers joins us to explain the science behind the rip currents.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Alison, this may look like an amazing surfs-up kind of day at the beach, but there are hidden dangers out there. Those dangers are sandbars offshore and those big waves that are crashing over the sandbars, piling up water very close to the shore right where you want to swim.
So here comes the water. You can't see the sandbars in those big waves like we just saw, but if the waves are a little bit calmer and the seas are a little bit clearer, you can see the lighter color up there. So the water crashes over. Eventually it piles up, and somewhere, you don't even know where, eventually this is going to erode the sandbar. And the sandbar erodes just like any kind of erosion you've ever seen, and a rip current extends right from the shore right back out into the ocean 100 or so yards. If you are caught in this, you are going out with it.
Now, the theory is to always swim along the shore away from where you're swimming to go back out. Don't try to turn around and swim against it. I've been caught in one of these. All your body wants to do, all your brain wants to do is get back to shore, and you start swimming against the rip current and that's the wrong thing. You're going to get tired very, very quickly.
So if you can get out of the rip current and allow these feeder currents to bring you back, that's when you'll be safe. Another way to be safe or at least safer, is, of course, to always wear a life jacket in the ocean. Victor?
BLACKWELL: All right, Chad Myers for us, helping us understand the science behind those rip currents. Thank you, Chad.
KOSIK: I have a question for you. Who needs those Fourth of July fireworks when you have Joan Rivers?
BLACKWELL: Boom, nobody.
KOSIK: The comedienne who lately has been censoring her own typically outrageous commentary recently officiated a same-sex wedding.
BLACKWELL: And when a photographer pitcher her a question, her response was typical Joan Rivers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think the country will, the United States will see the first gay president or the first woman president?
JOAN RIVERS, COMEDIENNE: We already have it with Obama, so let's just calm down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got it.
RIVERS: You know Michelle is a tranny.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, she's a what?
RIVERS: A transgender. We all know that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Our colleague Fredricka Whitfield got to sit down with Joan Rivers recently, and she asked her some questions.
RIVERS: She asked about the criticism she's getting over the furs she wears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: You know, this whole interview is becoming a defensive interview.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: No!
RIVERS: Are you wearing leather shoes?
WHITFIELD: Yes. RIVERS: Shut up. You know what I mean? I don't want to hear.
You're wearing leather shoes.
WHITFIELD: I'm not an activist.
RIVERS: You're eating chicken, you're eating meat. I don't want to hear this nonsense. Come to me with a paper belt and I'll talk to you.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: But you did hear it in some of those press conferences. People were upset. You're saying, no way?
RIVERS: I'm going. I really am going, because all you have done is negative. All you have done is negative.
WHITFIELD: No!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Want to see more? Yes. Fred's full interview airing at 11:00 when she anchors the CNN Newsroom right here on CNN.
BLACKWELL: All right, a game hunting cheerleader has spurred both admiration and anger over the photos she's taken with her kill. Now the pictures have gone viral and Facebook has taken action.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Have you seen these pictures? Before you look over, one is over my shoulder, but be warned they may make some of the kids uncomfortable. Texas cheerleader Kendal Jones hunts big game in Africa for sport. She has a public Facebook account shows her posing proudly with dead lions and elephants and leopards. But there are a lot of critics initially who responded with comments, calling her a monster. But she says she does it to conserve wildlife.
KOSIK: Now, on the other side, a support page created was created and it got almost 80,000 likes. But a representative for Jones says Facebook just shut it down. CNN did invite Ms. Jones to the show. She declined. We also invited Safari Club International, but they declined, saying in part, quote, "We feel this is no longer a discussion on wildlife conservation but rather a personal attack on a teenager."
BLACKWELL: Nicole Paquette joins us from Washington. She's vice president of the Wildlife Protection for the Humane Society of the U.S. Nicole, does Ms. Jones' argument that shooting animals helps to conserve wildlife hold water?
NICOLE PAQUETTE, VICE PRESIDENT, WILDLIFE PROTECTION, HUMANE SOCIETY OF U.S.: Absolutely not. To kill an animal, to hunt and animal is simply unacceptable in this time. It's merely a thrill kill. If she was truly wanting to conserve these animals she would be ensuring that her money went to on the ground conservation efforts to help anti- poaching, as well as to help the communities that live in and around these areas.
KOSIK: Nicole, let's listen to a sound from Safari club International. Does being a professional hunter make this anymore humane? Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM GAFFORD, PRESIDENT, LUBBOCK CHAPTER, SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL: You don't just go out and kill everything on site. When you go there, you have a professional hunter with you, and that professional hunter tells you when and what to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAQUETTE: Well, essentially, most of these people who go to Africa to kill animals are hiring a private company whose sole issue is to have more money in their pockets. They care more about providing a ready inventory of animals for foreign travelers to kill, like an elephant, like a buffalo, like a rhino. These animals are on the brink population decline due to habitat loss and illegal poaching. We should be making sure that our money that is spent over there is going towards these on the ground efforts.
BLACKWELL: So what about -- I mean, I understand the argument in many ways is that this is -- is sport. For some people, it's lifestyle. And this is more of an attack on them and their lifestyle by some, maybe not you, than a protection of the animals.
PAQUETTE: Well, I mean, Ms. Jones actually went to a country, Zimbabwe, and she purported to kill, wanted to kill an elephant on Facebook. Now, it should be noted that just this year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service actually stated and ended the import of elephants into this country due to the fact that there is lack of law enforcement on the ground and there is an increase in illegal poaching. Just last year over 300 elephants in Zimbabwe were poisoned to death.
Therefore, the U.S. government actually stated that any kill of an animal, even if it's legal, is actually not sustainable, nor does it add to the -- it's not sustainable nor does it help the population that's on decline. And she went over there to kill an elephant. It's so shameful.
KOSIK: Nicole, what are ways people can save wildlife?
PAQUETTE: There's many ways. The Humane Society of the United States as well as our affiliate, Humane Society International, we are on the ground in various countries to actually stop the curve in illegal poaching of a rhino trade as well as the ivory trade. A, you can stop purchasing these products and don't contribute. But you also could do eco-tourism. I was lucky enough to actually go Africa. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I shot those animals with a camera. And I and other people can go there and see those exact same animals generating revenue to come to help those animals on the ground. KOSIK: OK, Nicole, thanks for your time. And if you want -- we want
to be clear that the offer to Ms. Jones to come on the show here is still open, and we would be happy to hear from her.
BLACKWELL: All right, a huge blow to team Brazil in the World Cup. Superstar Neymar goes down with a fractured spine.
And Wimbledon has a winner. Results of latest final ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: This weekend is more about than just barbecues and fireworks and sleeping late.
BLACKWELL: It's about independence, America's independence. And in celebrating the country's independence we remember past CNN heroes who helped keep America free. CNN's Anderson Cooper has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN hero Dale Beatty.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Since being honored as a top ten CNN hero last year, Dale Beatty and his group have nearly doubled their efforts to modify or help provide homes for disabled veterans. With 1,000 applications received, the group's new chapters will bring more neighbors together to meet those needs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I come bearing widows.
COOPER: 2011 hero Taryn Davis has not helped more than 1,600 young military widows find a network of support. Last year she launched an education program that empowered widows as they move forward.
2013 hero Jake Woods disaster relief group made up of military veterans has increased its network's volunteers tenfold. Now 16,000 strong, their teams have already responded to 12 disasters this year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pick up the bed.
COOPER: Wit help of 2012's Mary Cortani, dozens more veterans are managing PTSD and moving forward in life with their service dogs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go. Walk with confidence. Relax.
COOPER: Cortani's group is now employing veterans and has expanded its efforts to southern California.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There will be no man left behind as long as we are this nation.
COOPER: And 2009's Roy Foster and his nonprofit have now assisted more than 7,000 veterans, men and women, struggling with addiction and homelessness. Their new job training and placement program has so far helped 50 vets gain employment. New projects on the horizon, these heroes show that service to community never gets tired. It just keeps growing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right, you can nominate a hero at CNNheroes.com.
All right, there is a new queen of the court.
KOSIK: Laura Rutledge has more now on the ladies final at Wimbledon.
LAURA RUTLEDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It was exciting and actually not a familiar name like Maria Sharapova or Serena Williams that we're talking about here, of course, unless you're a tennis fan. Petra Kvitova won her second Wimbledon title just a short time ago. She beat 20-year-old Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets. Kvitova made it look easy, cruising to victory in about 45 minutes. She also won on the crass courts back in 2011.
And a bittersweet moment for soccer fans in Brazil. The host nation advances to the World Cup semifinals, but it will be without star striker Neymar. He fractured a vertebra during this collision in the closing minutes of Brazil the 2-1 win against Colombia yesterday, and he's out for the rest of the tournament. Now we're all then wondering, who will step up in Neymar's place? He has four goals and one assist in the World Cup this year.
And the super bowl of bicycle racing gets under way today. This year the Tour de France will actually start in England, and that's not unusual. The race passes through neighboring countries sometimes. Two years ago the tour began in Belgium. The 21-state race finishes in Paris on July 27th.
I just can't get over this story about Neymar. I'm wondering, is Brazil going to crumble or say let's win it for Neymar?
KOSIK: They may surprise you.
BLACKWELL: Yes, it could be a rallying point, a rallying cry for Brazil, although they don't really need a rallying cry, because it's Brazil. Have you ever looked into the stands at these stadiums? They're revved up anyway.
KOSIK: That will do it for us today. Thanks for watching.
BLACKWELL: And we turn everything now over to our colleague, Fredricka Whitfield. Hey, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. Have a great rest of the happy Fourth weekend. Victor, I know I'll see you in a couple minutes. Good to see you, Alison, here.
KOSIK: Same here.
WHITFIELD: So seldom get to be in the same room together.
BLACKWELL: We're all together.
WHITFIELD: You all have a good one. It is the 11:00 eastern hour of the Newsroom, which begins right now.
Stunning allegations surrounding the tragic death of a little boy left in a hot car. It quickly turned form what appeared to be a terrible accident to now a disturbing legal case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you uncover anything of what we has doing during that day while the child was out in the car?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And the most common term would be "sexting."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And it doesn't end there. More shocking testimony, next.
Plus, angry protesters face off in California over the arrival of busloads of undocumented immigrants. Some of them had this strong message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not going to stand for it. That's just how it is. There's thousands and millions of others who have done it the right way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: We have the latest on where those immigrants ended up and how Washington is now responding.
And on this day three years ago, on this day, rather, three years ago, Casey Anthony heard her fate, not guilty of murdering her daughter Caylee. Where she is now -- coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
