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Nine Children, One Adult Killed In 15-Car Pileup In Alabama; CNN Special Report Explores Roots Of Trump's Insurrection; Search Underway For Gunman Who Stormed Texas Deputy's Home; QAnon Inflames Bogus Arizona Audit Misinformation; Royal Caribbean Test Cruise Sets Sail; Meghan Markle Says Children's Book Inspired By Father's Day Gift To Prince Harry. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 20, 2021 - 18:00   ET

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

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[18:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington on this Sunday. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM on this very busy Sunday.

And we begin this hour with a first look at the tragic aftermath of a 15-car pile-up in Alabama that has left ten people dead. Nine of the victims are children. We want to warn you the images you're about to see are graphic. So if you do have any children in the room, now is the time for them to leave.

These are new images just in to CNN. And they show just how horrific the accident was. CNN's Martin Savidge is in Alabama for us tonight with this heartbreaking story. Martin, what more are you learning?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is absolutely heartbreaking, Pamela. We're outside of the Reeltown High School here. This is a high school where four of the students died who were involved in that crash that took a total of nine lives, as you say. And it is just really, really awful.

We want to show you these images, and they convey just how bad this was. The first responders who were on the scene, the eyewitnesses who were there, and those who rushed in to try to save lives, all say the same thing, worst crash they have ever seen, 15 vehicles at least that piled up on I-65. This was yesterday afternoon, the northbound lanes, south of Montgomery.

The area was dealing with the aftermaths of a tropical system that had come ashore earlier in the day, so torrential rain at times. What triggered the accident, we don't know. But among those killed was a 29-year-old father and his nine-month-old daughter and then eight people inside of a van.

There was one survivor from that van. That van was from the Tallapoosa County Girls' Ranch, it was headed back from what had been a trip for the week down on the beaches right there in Alabama when this horrific crash took place. There was one sole survivor of that van. It was the driver, the ranch director. She was pulled from the wreckage before the flames became too fierce. She lost two of her own children that died in that very same crash.

The NTSB has sent investigators now to try to determine exactly what went wrong. Weather is considered the primary culprit here. But meanwhile, there are communities, especially like Reeltown here, where the camp is located there, Camp Hill. They too are suffering and now planning for funerals for people so young. Pamela, back to you.

BROWN: They are going through unimaginable grief tonight on Father's Day no less. Our hearts, our prayers are with their families. Thank you, Martin Savidge.

And now to a crisis that is equal part shocking and no longer surprising, which is frankly really sad, the epidemic of gun violence in America that's getting harder to ignore. At least seven mass shootings this weekend alone adding to the nearly 300 already this year across the U.S. and disturbing headlines of gun violence incidents are appearing in communities coast to coast.

You see just some of them on your screen right now, too many to have time to go through each individually. Including from Philadelphia, where a three-year-old was shot in the leg and is now without a father on this father's day after he was killed in violence this weekend.

CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro is tracking these stories for us again tonight. Evan, the trend continues this holiday weekend, and the worry is what the summer will now bring.

[18:05:00]

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pam, that's right. It's early in the summer, obviously. And yesterday when you and I talked, I worried that today I'd be reporting to you again that we crossed some of those record thresholds with gun violence. And unfortunately, we have.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gold, on the south side, another shot was just fired.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's down, he's down, he's down!

MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice over): This is becoming the sound of the summer in America, after another weekend torn apart by gun violence, incidents from Oakland, to Chicago, to Minneapolis. Just this weekend, more than 30 people killed in gun violence so far, according to the gun violence archive.

Disturbingly, children continue to be caught in the crossfire. In Dallas, a gunfight between partygoers leaving eight people injured, including a 10-year-old and 15-year-old. And in Detroit Thursday, police still investigating a shooting that killed a two-year-old, one of two unconnected gun violence incidents, according to police, on freeways in the Michigan City last week.

BRIAN CHRISTIAN, TWO-YEAR-OLD SON SHOT: You know, I don't wish this on my worst enemies.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Some victims know their shooter. Some were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Mass shootings, which CNN defines as incidents where four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter, are nearing 300 so far this year, according to gun violence archive. That's about 40 percent higher than this point in 2020, and 65 percent higher than this time in 2019.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to let it shine --

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Some gun reform advocates are discouraged by what they feel is a lack of action at the federal level in the wake of this uptick in violence.

CAMERON KASKY, PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR, GUN REFORM ADVOCATES: The fact that we have not seen very much substantial government reform from the Biden administration, which is disappointing, considering the fact that Joe and Kamala both campaigned on this. You know, people are very frustrated.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: The pace of gun violence in America shows no sign of slowing down. And the summer is just getting under way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO (on camera): Pam, this isn't a simmering story. This isn't a building story. This is a boiling story in America. Shootings are happening all the time. And they are not slowing down. And that's something we're going to be keeping an eye on here at CNN but also something that everyone in America needs to be thinking about as we think about what the rest of this summer and as this year is going to look like.

BROWN: Because everyone could be impacted by it. Evan McMorris- Santoro, thank you so much for bringing us the latest reporting there.

And coming up later tonight, we're treating this like the public health emergency that it is and getting the unique perspective of a trauma surgeon. Dr. Joseph Sacron is also a shooting survivor and advocate for gun violence prevention. He'll join us at 8:00 p.m. tonight in the CNN NEWSROOM.

With each new bit of information we learn about January 6th, we get closer to answering one important question, was it an aberration or are we facing new and bigger problems in its aftermath? In a brand-new special airing tonight, CNN Investigative Reporter Drew Griffin has gone beyond the headlines getting to the roots of why the insurrection happened. He spoke with people who stormed the Capitol, relatives of those who were arrested and congressional staffers who hid for their lives.

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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There are now hundreds in the mob, roaming halls, banging on doors, taking photos and video.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Defend your Constitution. Defend your liberty.

GRIFFIN: Some members of Congress are being escorted to safety, but scattered behind doors, staffers, news media, are in hiding.

ALISA LA, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO SPEAKER PELOSI: Then I remember telling my colleagues, I think we need to go into lockdown.

GRIFFIN: Inside House Speaker Pelosi's office, her staffers rushed to a conference room, locked the door. Among them, Alisa La and Kelsey Smith speaking exclusively to CNN.

LA: Then we started hearing the banging and like the hooting and the hollering.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nancy. Nancy.

LA: Very close to us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go, brother.

LA: And then I realize, okay, music off. Everybody silence your cell phones. Turn the lights off. Do not say anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're coming for you, Nancy.

LA: It was menacing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I speak to Pelosi?

LA: I mean, they were like, where's Nancy? Where's Nancy? Where are the people that work for her, like -- yes.

GRIFFIN: They had barricaded themselves in hoping the door would hold.

KELSEY SMITH, DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND ADVANCE, OFFICE OF SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: The dim was coming from all directions. And we heard somebody yell, I found Nancy Pelosi's office, like they are chanting Nancy, Nancy. They come through this way.

So we're hearing it from behind us and in front of our door. So it was completely -- the sound surrounded us to the point we were just hearing the shouting and the yelling and banging and the crashing and shattering of glass.

[18:10:01]

But then once they started banging on the door, that's all I heard. That's what I still think about, the door sound.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BROWN: Drew Griffin is here now to discuss his reporting, along with Greg Ehrie. He spent 22 years with the FBI most recently as FBI Special Agent In-Charge. He led the domestic terrorism unit at the FBI. He's also the anti-defamation league's vice president of law enforcement and security, so such an important voice to have in this discussion.

But, Drew, I want to start with you. You talked to some of the rioters who were in the Capitol that day. What have you learned about the motivations behind the rioters?

GRIFFIN (on camera): That they're almost delusional in their beliefs, that they appear to be somewhat radicalized by misinformation and still, to this day, Pamela, even though many of them are facing serious federal charges, believe what they did was right and even patriotic. And they still have this delusion that Donald Trump will actually come back and go back into the White House.

BROWN: And a big reason why they believe this is, of course, Greg, propaganda messaging. That is behind so much of what we're seeing from some of these rioters, why they believe this. What do you think now that that failed, will they find a new target?

GREG EHRIE, VICE PRESIDENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT & SECUIRTY, ANTI- DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Absolutely. That's the danger we're facing not only as a society but with law enforcement who's trying to mitigate this threat.

These are people who have a right to believe in an ideology as farfetched as this one may be. But now that the dates have gone and -- come and gone and it's a failed ideology, the danger isn't going to look for a new target or try to revive this with new dates and new threats. That's going to be a problem.

BROWN: Drew, what was the most surprising thing you learned in reporting this documentary? You know, we all think we know so much about what happened that day what was behind it but it seems like there's a lot more to learn.

GRIFFIN: The story just kept unfolding, the level of delusion on one hand, but the heroism on the other. You saw Kelsey Smith and Alisa La. They spent two hours, Pamela, terrified. They thought they were going to be dragged out and killed by this mob.

At one point, one turned to the other and said, do they just take us hostage? Is that what's going to take place? The level of fear that was going on inside that Capitol during the hours-long siege is just incredible.

BROWN: And it begs the question, Greg, how well-equipped is the FBI to stop this evolving threat from domestic extremists?

EHRIE: The Bureau is equipped very well for this, Pam, but you know domestic terrorism, this extremist threat that we face, is one of the most difficult things to investigate because we have to respect our civil liberties and our First Amendment and other rights. But the Bureau has been doing this for a long time. In this case,

you've seen after January 6th the hundreds of arrests that have happened. And every arrest provides the Bureau with more information and more evidence on what's the next target, is there a group plotting. That's what we're looking at right now.

The real threat that we have is the resourcing because this is ever expanding. And the Bureau is going to look at this and follow it to the end of the story. But that's going to take time and person power.

BROWN: Yes, absolutely. And so much of this is also looking back to the roots, Drew, of these rioters' beliefs. Why is that so important?

GRIFFIN: It's extremely important to find out where this anger, where these lies come from because that threat is still out there and growing. I mean, the FBI has its own problem dealing with whom among these groups will act out. But we still have to deal with the leaders of this movement who are continuing to lie and to use these lies to motivate these bases for their own political gain and, quite frankly, their own profit.

So you still have these members of Congress even, certainly the ex- president, and other media operations out there who are still profiting and seeking power off of the delusional lies that led to this insurrection. It was stunning that Congress did not want to investigate what happened because this is not a historical moment. This is a movement that continues and could happen again.

BROWN: Right. And it was an assault on democracy. And in the wake of that, Greg, the FBI recently warned about digital soldiers, where these QAnon followers could transition from online rhetoric to violence when their conspiracies don't come through. Instead of abandoning QAnon and saying, well, clearly, this is all made up, they may go to the streets.

You alluded to that in what you said earlier, but how significant is that threat, in your view?

EHRIE: It's very significant. Because what we're seeing and when you speak about QAnon, they are perceiving that these calls that there is still a need for them to go and act out on this.

[18:15:05]

So I look at it as different levels, as the investigators, as well as the FBI will, is, one, what will they shift to? And you mention that, what's the next target? What's the next strategy they're going to take if they stay with this ideology? Then there are those that will wander away from the ideology.

But that doesn't mean they're turning away from being a threatening individual or group. It means they're focusing somewhere else and maybe joining one of these other extremist ideologies we've seen.

Most threatening to me and what I know the bureau is fighting every day right now is that lone actor, somebody who's radicalizing themselves, who is using this ideology, thinks that these leaders are speaking to him or her and then going to go act on that. It's a very difficult thing to combat.

BROWN: Really quickly, if you would, I just want you to debunk for our viewers this ridiculous conspiracy that was put out there by Tucker Carlson and others in the right-wing that suggested that FBI orchestrated the insurrection based on unindicted co-conspirators. What do you think about that? What's your reaction?

EHRIE: I usually reserve my comment but that it's patently ridiculous. The FBI, in no way, shape or form would incite, they certainly were monitoring. I'm aware that they were looking at certain individuals and groups in order to mitigate a threat. And to even cast perception that the FBI was trying to instigate something I take as a personal and a group insult.

BROWN: All right. Greg Ehrie and Drew Griffin, that's sums it's up. Thank you.

GRIFFIN: Thanks, Pam.

BROWN: And be sure to tune in to Drew's Special Assault on Democracy, the Roots of Trump's Insurrection, that airs tonight at 9:00 P.M. Eastern.

And coming up for you tonight, a cruise ship COVID safety test is under way right now in Miami, and we are live on the scene as the ship sets sail.

And then the Duchess of Sussex gets real about race as she reveals what inspired her new children's book.

And then next hour, a lost hiker who faced down a bear shares her sensational story of survival. You do not want to miss that.

But first, new details tonight that take you inside the DOJ's record sweep of Democratic lawmakers and the White House Counsel. Our Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez standing by with that new reporting when we come back.

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[18:15:00]

BROWN: Right now, police in Houston are looking for a gunman who ambushed the home of a law enforcement officer. The off-duty deputy's wife and four-year-old stepdaughter shot in their apartment overnight.

CNN's Camila Bernal joins me now. So what more are you learning about this terrifying attack, Camila?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Pam. So at the moment, authorities really focused on trying to find the shooter. But it is a very concerning case for law enforcement because the shooter was able to go to the home of an off-duty deputy and injure has family members. Now, we know that, according to police, this happened around 2:20 in the morning central time. This shooter arrived to the deputy's home wearing all black. They say he had a shotgun and some kind of assault weapon. He began shooting at the home and was able to shoot his wife in the leg.

She is OK. The four-year-old stepdaughter was shot in her arm and needed surgery, but she is doing okay as well. Authorities say she is in stable condition. But the chief of police in Houston saying there's still a lot of work to be done in this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TROY FINNER, HOUSTON POLICE: We don't know anything of what's the motive of this. We don't know if it was targeted or what. All we know is he forced entry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now, they just don't know why this man went to the deputy's home at the moment, but we do know the deputy was able to exchange gunfire with the shooter, and he believes that he was able to hurt him. And so at the moment, everyone is on alert for anyone who is injured or who may be involved in this case. The priority, Pam, is finding him.

BROWN: Camila Bernal, thank you so much. And new details tonight on the Trump Justice Department's secret record sweep on two Democratic lawmakers and the White House Counsel. Sources tell me and my colleagues, Evan Perez and Jeremy Herb, that the subpoenas that swept up those records appears to be the result of a leak investigation into people they were talking to and not into the lawmakers or lawyer themselves.

Let's bring in CNN's Evan Perez who is covering this story. You know, Evan, we have covered DOJ for a long time. And when the details of this first came out, we thought something isn't exactly adding up because leadership and DOJ claim to have not known anything about this. So tell us what more we've learned.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, you and I have spent hours and hours the last week or so since the story broke trying to talk to people, the former officials in the department. And everybody seems to be in the dark as to how this happened and why it seems like nobody was briefed on that.

And what this -- what we've learned is that it appears that this was an investigation or at least the scrutinizing, scrutinizing a former staffer, high level staffer on the House Intelligence Committee. This is somebody who is close to Adam Schiff. And so as a result of that, they were -- it appears the FBI and prosecutors were trying to identify some of the contacts that this staffer had.

And, of course, when Apple returned this more than 100 contacts that the staffer had, one of them was Adam Schiff, who is now the chairman of that committee, as well as Eric Swalwell, who is also another prominent member on that committee.

And, of course, these are two people who were prominent critics of the former president and why there has been so much suspicion that this was an effort to spy on these Democratic lawmakers, that this was an effort to essentially go after them for some of their criticism of the president.

What we've learned is that it appears to have been some kind of bureaucratic snafu, right?

[18:25:02]

This is something -- at least again, there's a lot to be learned here. We still don't know everything that happened here, but it appears that because these members were not being targeted in this investigation or as part of this, that those notifications didn't quite bubble up to the right people in the leadership of the Justice Department.

And as a result, members of congress were in the dark and that's why you see there's so much criticism now from those members about how they learned about this, which was they got an email from Apple.

BROWN: And I was told by a source familiar the same situation applied to Don McGahn. They didn't know when they went to Apple, when they were getting his records. They were investigating someone else. But what does this tell you about how DOJ handles politically sensitive investigations?

PEREZ: Well, what you're beginning to see from Merrick Garland, the attorney general, and Lisa Monaco, the deputy attorney general, is that now they're doing a bigger effort to try to see if they can understand and learn about other possible investigations, politically sensitive investigations, that perhaps senior officials were not told about, that did not sign off on. I call it an effort to see where the other bodies are buried.

Because the concern that the new leadership at Justice Department has, they've only been in office now about 100 days, is that there are other -- you know, there are other things here that they haven't told members of Congress perhaps that they need to brief people on that they just don't know about.

And so one of the things Lisa Monaco is doing is reviewing the procedures that applied to these investigations to see whether there needs to be some changes, whether there is something needs to be more explicit to make sure that agents and prosecutors brief the right people about these probes.

BROWN: Right, especially if you know you're investigating someone who is in politics, (INAUDIBLE) records.

PEREZ: It raises -- right, it raises separation of powers issues, right?

BROWN: Exactly.

PEREZ: Members of Congress and, of course, the executive branch.

BROWN: Exactly. All right Evan Perez, thanks for coming on set on a Sunday.

PEREZ: Great to see you.

BROWN: Thanks so much.

And up next, the fallout from Donald Trump's big lie, how Arizona has become the next potential flash point for violence and how QAnon is feeding into the misinformation.

Phil Bump from "The Washington Post" and CNN's Donie O'Sullivan join me next.

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[18:31:47]

BROWN: Tonight, Arizona's so-called election audit is entering its final stage. The company hired to conduct the audit, the Cyber Ninjas, has spent the past six weeks analyzing voter data, even conducting bizarre forensic tests on ballots in a frantic search to find election fraud that doesn't exist.

Questions are swirling about how the Ninjas are in any way qualified to analyze voter data. A colleague of the group CEO says he's in way over his head.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SUMMERLIN, FRIEND OF CYBER NINJA CEO: He has absolutely no background or skills in the area. He's very smart, but doing an election audit is not the same as doing a cyber audit. I mean, he's gone way beyond studying a machine's software.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: One group watching the audit very closely, the conspiracy theorist cult known as QAnon. This week, the FBI warned that QAnon, quote, "digital soldiers" may soon resort to real-world violence. And as members are calling the audit their great awakening, experts worry it's end could be a dangerous inflection point.

For more let's bring in two experts on radical right-wing movements. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has made a name for himself covering QAnon and other conspiracy theorist groups, and Philip Bump is a national correspondent at "The Washington Post."

Great to see you, gentlemen. Let's dive right in.

Donie, we know that QAnon followers are watching this Arizona audit with great interest. I mean, what do they think is going to happen?

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pam. I mean, ever since Trump lost the election, QAnon supporters and many Trump supporters believe that in some way he was going to come back. So whether it was the inauguration, folks believed that he would declare martial law and stop Biden's inauguration that we saw. Some Qanon believers believe that he might come back on March 4th.

What's different here and what is dangerous is that with neither of those instances, Trump didn't endorse those ideas essentially. What he did do was he endorsed January 6th and brought his followers here to Washington. And that's essentially now what is happening with Arizona. He is playing into the hype about it, even suggesting that this is going to be the first domino to fall and that the election could be overturned which, of course, is false.

BROWN: Philip, you have written extensively about this, and worry about a, quote, "chain reaction" after the audit. What do you think might happen?

PHILIP BUMP, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, THE WASHINGTON POST: Well, I think it's important to remember that, you know, we refer to this as an audit. You mentioned before that it's actually not an audit. It's essentially as though you had someone who always hated you who decided he was going to investigate you for murder and was given full access to your house to dig up whatever and move things into the "this is suspicious" pile, right?

That's sort of what's happening in Arizona. And so what's happening then from Arizona is the Donald Trump supporters and a lot of other folks across the country are hoping to do the same sorts of investigations in other states. And so what we're going to see then is at some point the Arizona audit is going to wrap and they're going to have some sort of announcement of the results.

And my fear about that, in particular, is that the missing ingredient that we had on January 6th and haven't had since, to Donie's point, is there hasn't been a central focal point and place in time for people to direct their energy.

[18:35:10]

Arizona is going to be that. But not only that. They're going to try and do this in other states as well. So it's going to increase the likelihood that there's going to be some situation where there are a lot of people who are very angry about what's happening with these purported election results and we're all going to be in the same place and sharing in the same delusion.

BROWN: And Donie, you know all of this too well because you went to a QAnon conference in Arizona in October. Here's video of one of the speakers who's talking about using violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Violence is a horrible, horrible thing. Until we go back and reflect on a revolutionary war. They picked up guns at some point and said enough. Until we reflect on the civil war. We did slavery by picking up guns and dealing with it. We don't want that to have to happen. But always has to be something in the back of your mind. We've never been as close to it as we are today since the civil war.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Do you get the sense that this could be an inflection point for certain followers?

SULLIVAN: Yes, I do. And that man we should mention went to Washington on January 6th and is now facing charges. So, look, there's a lot of talk around QAnon online. But you can see there, you know, it is not just all talk. There are a lot of people like we saw at that QAnon event that took place in Arizona back in October who will go on and take action, who will show up. And just as Philip mentioned, you know, this is -- you know, you look at the QAnon forums right now. You look at a lot of the Trump-supporting forums.

They are watching everything that is happening in Arizona so, so closely. There is so much energy building up around this. And I think, you know, it is -- we're in a pretty precarious situation right here because the parallels with the build up to what is happening in Arizona, the conclusion of this sham audit and the parallels with the build up to the hype around January 6th. They're very real. And it's just sort of striking to me.

You know, I spoke to Trump supporters in the days leading up to the 6th of January and they were convinced that something was going to happen to overturn the election. And we're seeing that same sort of talk here again.

BROWN: And yet, time and time again, their conspiracies don't come true and they just look for the next thing like this, right? So let's give it out, Philip. If the audit reveals evidence of fraud that these people will be somewhat understandably furious, right? But if the audit comes up empty, I'd imagine they'll say it's all rigged against them and be just as angry. I mean, is this just a lose-lose situation here?

BUMP: It's absolutely a lose-lose situation but it's also the case. You know, I tried to get out of the prediction business a few years back. But there is zero chance that they're going to come back and say everything was above board.

There is zero chance. The only reason this audit exists is to generate something which they can use to draw suspicion to the results in Arizona. Literally that's why everyone who is involved is involved in this in order to come to that conclusion.

They're going to come to that conclusion. But to your point, yes, what happens then? What happens when all people who believe this delusion, believe this conspiracy theory and, moreover, believe that this is somehow a legit process, what happens when someone says to them, yes, you were right. Right? What happens in that moment when people who have been believing these conspiracy theories for years now are finally told at last there is something that's come true that has been predicted?

We don't know. And it's very important to remember that what the FBI warned about last week was not that there was going to be 600 QAnon supporters who stormed a building. It was that QAnon supporters who have lost the voice of Q in the aftermath of Donald Trump's presidency are going to start making decisions for themselves in terms of what sorts of actions are needed. Meeting a lot of people who are coming to determinations based on delusions of what is necessary to save the country. And that obviously is a problematic position.

BROWN: I just want to look big picture here, Donie. You know, I was talking to Greg Ehrie earlier who said that some people will continue to stay in the group even though time and time again they're disappointed because their conspiracies don't come true. Others will leave. And I wonder, as you watch this movement, is it gaining in momentum? Are more people joining this group, QAnon, or are they losing followers because, clearly, it's all predicated on falsehoods?

SULLIVAN: Yes, it's very, very hard to tell. You know, we saw polling recently that, you know, possibly tens of millions of Americans have bought into the ideas of QAnon in some way. But look, I mean, I think you could almost put QAnon to one side here and say that a lot of people are buying into the big lie. Right? And that's the core of everything here. That's sort of what enables all the crazy.

So even if folks aren't necessarily, you know, saying they're buying into QAnon, they are following the big lie, which is a more dangerous and more corrosive conspiracy theory to American democracy which, of course, is being actively pushed by the former president.

[18:40:06]

BROWN: OK. Philip Bump, Donie O'Sullivan, thank you. What a disturbing conversation.

A cruise ship COVID safety test is under way in Miami and our Leyla Santiago is live on the scene as the ship sets sail. We'll be right back with more.

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BROWN: Moments from now, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship will set sail for a simulated voyage with hundreds of employee volunteers on board. Now the goal here is to test new safety protocols designed to mitigate COVID-19 risks and meet CDC requirements.

CNN's Leyla Santiago is in Miami where the ship is about to leave.

So what more can you tell us about this voyage, Leyla?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, I can tell you we are already, from where I'm standing, starting to hear some of the announcements on board. This is Freedom of the Seas. They will have about 600 passengers that set sail in just a matter of minutes for two nights.

[18:45:03]

Now as you mentioned, this is a simulated voyage. So consider this a bit of a test run for the cruise line to test those safety protocols and it's a requirement by the CDC if the cruise line wants to avoid requiring passengers, 95 percent of passengers to be vaccinated. Now, as you know, the cruising industry has been one that was really hit hard for 15 months. They pretty much have been put on pause here.

And in Florida, this is a big deal because the cruise industry pumps $8.5 billion into the economy and supports 154,000 jobs. So for this simulated voyage, Royal Caribbean is turning to its employees to be the passengers. All of them are fully vaccinated, but when I had a chance to talk to them, I asked them what is it that was the deciding factor that made them feel comfortable enough to get on this cruise and what were some of the concerns? Listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELILAH HERRERA, SENIOR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: I needed to get out. I'm vaccinated. I haven't -- I've been very healthy. I'm very healthy, thank God. And I just need to get out and see my friends and see my work family.

LISA CHEN, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF ONBOARD REVENUE: I'm feeling very excited overall. I mean, a little -- just apprehensive, not because of the cruise, just because I haven't packed for a trip in a long time so I kind of forgot.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: And I should mention there's a bit of a curveball just in the last 48 hours. We heard from a federal judge in the lawsuit where the governor here sued the CDC over its requirement. That federal judge ruled that the CDC cannot force new rules onto the cruise lines here in Florida after July 18th. So you have a lot of people reading through that decision. The cruise lines, of course the industry trying to figure out how exactly that will impact their future voyages.

BROWN: Yes. That was a win for Ron DeSantis. I head you had to learn a lot of sailing lingo on this story, Leyla.

(LAUGHTER)

SANTIAGO: I am just excited to see them take off. I think I am not alone. But again, so much still unclear about the future here. So we'll be watching.

BROWN: We sure will. Leyla Santiago, thank you so much.

And when we come back, on this Sunday evening, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex explains what inspired her new children's book. We'll be back.

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[18:51:53]

BROWN: Talk about a lucky break. Take a look at this unbelievable video after a storm in Georgia. A woman was rescued after a huge oak tree and power lines crushed her car. Look at this. She was driving early this morning when the tree fell and then trapped her inside.

According to CNN affiliate WSB, rescuers were able to pull the driver out safely, and then bring her to a local hospital. They say the tree barely missed her head. Luckily she only sustained a few minor injuries.

Well, many families are celebrating Father's Day today, and in a new interview, her first since sitting down with Oprah, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex is marking the occasion by talking about her new children's book which started as a gift to Prince Harry on his first Father's Day.

CNN's Max Foster joins us now. So tell us more about this book, Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Pam, the book was inspired by Prince Harry and son Archie, and it features a diverse range of fathers and sons. The Duchess told NPR it is about representation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: Growing up, I remember so much how it felt to not see yourself represented, or see your family or see that kind of diversity or a mixed race relationship or whatever it could be, so any child or any family hopefully can open this book and see themselves in it, whether that means glasses or freckled or different body shape or different ethnicity or religion, to really just feel like this story that I wrote for my husband and son could really be your story also.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The book actually emerged from a poem that Meghan wrote for Harry for his first Father's Day. And if you look closely at the illustrations, you'll see a reference to his mother Princess Diana in there as well. Meghan told NPR, "I think you can find sweet little moments that we tucked in there, from my favorite flower, even my husband's mom's favorite flower, forget-me-nots.

The interview was recorded before the couple had their daughter Lilibet. They're actually still away on parental leave -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, Max Foster, thanks so much.

Well, the threat for severe weather remains in part to the southeast tonight as tropical depression Claudette makes its way through the Carolinas, bringing with it strong wind and heavy rainfall. And in Alabama, fierce wind and heavy rain drenched parts of the state yesterday. Homes were even destroyed after a tornado touched down in Escambia County.

In Georgia this morning, firefighters rescued a woman who was trapped after that huge oak tree fell on her car. We talked about this earlier. It's just incredible that this woman came out, she lived to tell her story. Listen to how firefighters rescued a man -- he was trapped after this huge oak tree fell on her car in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That house right there, that -- the water was inside the house last night. Our house, it didn't get too high, but it got up to the front door, we had to move the cars because it was inside the cars, but our neighbor also right here, she also got some water inside her house. It was kind of crazy last night. It was falling pretty bad.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

[18:55:02]

BROWN: Gosh, it looks like he's literally in the water there. Claudette is expected to restrengthen into a tropical storm by early tomorrow morning as it sweeps across North Carolina and into the Western Atlantic.

As the pace of vaccinations meantime slows down, all eyes on where the Delta variant could spread and how quickly. When we come back, I'm going to speak to Andy Slavitt, that's the former White House senior adviser for COVID response about the variant he calls COVID on steroids.

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