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Rescue Crews Hopes to Find More Survivors; Families Escape Death; U.S. Launched Airstrike Against Iran-Back Militias; Unvaccinated People Face the Risk of Getting Delta Variant; Australia Under a Stay-at-Home Order; Search and Rescue Continue After a Building in Florida Collapsed; Pride Month Celebration; Hungary's Anti-LGBTQ Law; Record-Breaking Heat Wave; Princes William and Harry to Unveil Princess Diana Statue; Simone Biles Secures Spot on U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 28, 2021 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United State and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, hope for finding more survivors is dwindling at that collapsed condo complex in Florida as rescue crews sift through the rubble of a building that was flagged as unstable years before.

Concerns over the Delta COVID variant force officials to lock down a major Australian city.

And pride festivities turn violent in Turkey as police used tear gas to disperse a banned march.

Thanks for joining us.

Well, as a new day begins to dawn in Surfside, Florida, rescuers are battling the elements and clinging to hope. The death toll from Thursday's condo collapse has now risen to nine, and more than 150 people are unaccounted for as of Sunday. This as hopes of finding anyone left alive grow more remote. Families face an agonizing wait, desperate for any word on the fate of their loved ones.

On Sunday they were given an opportunity to visit the site of the collapse, but hope still remains amid prayers for an 11th hour miracle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR CHARLES BURKETT, SURFSIDE, FLORIDA: I expect miracles. I'm expecting many miracles.

We want to keep maximum pressure, maximum staffing, maximum rescue people on that mound looking for people to pull them out alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): Brian Todd has the latest now on the progress being made in the round-the-clock search efforts.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The grim and very dangerous work of the rescue teams is continuing 24/7. Rescue officials telling us that about 200 rescuers at a time are combing through the rubble trying to find survivors, trying to find victims to pull them out. What we've learned is that they've dug a massive trench to tunnel into the rubble, and that trench has enabled them to pull bodies out and identify people. That trench is about 125 feet long and at least 40 feet deep.

One top fire and rescue official described the trench as horrific. He also gave some bad news saying that they have not been able to find what he called the voids what they need to find, those pockets of air, pockets of space that survivors can sometimes find to find oxygen and to find space to make noise and signal rescuers.

Well this top fire official told CNN that they have not been able to find the voids that they had hoped for. So that is not good news right now. What is good news though is that they have been able to contain a fire that's been inside the rubble that took days to get to and isolate that fire. It took them a long time and that fire cause a lot of problem for rescuers. Emitting smoke and fumes and particles and they couldn't even see where they were going half the time because of that fire. But that fire has now been contained.

So, the grim work of this rescue effort continues, and municipalities all around Surfside are now taking time to inspect their buildings to make sure this kind of calamity doesn't happen in their areas.

Brian Todd, CNN, Surfside, Florida.

CHURCH: Families of the missing were able to visit the site of the collapse. The Miami-Dade County mayor spoke earlier with our Wolf Blitzer about what they're going through.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA (D), MIAMI-DADE COUNTY: I think we know that in grieving there is a process and there are steps and obviously people are angry and frustrated. And then as they see what's being done, they see the work that is round the clock that they believe that people are truly caring for what happens to their loved ones helps them to have some peace and some closure even as they're still grieving for the potential that they'll never see their loved ones alive again.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Are they still holding out hope, though, do you think?

CAVA: I think some are, I think some are but I think others are recognizing that the chances are closing. For example, not only that bodies have been found but even body parts. And so that's very sobering news. It doesn't mean that there couldn't be a chance that there is an air pocket or a place where someone could still be rescued. So, we're all holding out hope for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): Joining me now is Dawn E. Lehman, professor of civil engineering at the University of Washington. Thank you so much for talking with us.

DAWN E. LEHMAN, CIVIL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: Thank you for inviting me to be here.

[03:04:58]

CHURCH: So, we keep hearing officials say that buildings don't just collapse in America. And now there are concerns that other similar buildings nearby may also collapse or pose a threat to doing that. What massive failure likely took place for this to happen, do you think?

LEHMAN: So, I think that it's important for your audience to understand that this is a very, very rare occurrence. So, one of the reasons unfortunately it makes the news is because it rarely occurs. And so, we design buildings so that they don't collapse. We design them so that they have redundancy.

So, something like this is shocking, of course, for everyone, including the structural engineering community, which I am a part of. Of course, the most important thing to all of us is to support the rescue effort. But we do want to take this seriously. We want to investigate what happened. But we also don't want to cause unnecessary alarm.

So, it's a balance between those two things, I think, that is very important. And this building was designed in 1979, constructed in 1981. So, it is 40 years old. And the building codes were quite a bit different then. So, we are always making advancements in engineering. So, those advancements are implemented into our building codes.

So, I don't think that we need to be concerned about modern construction. The question that I think is on everybody's mind is could this happen to another building? We don't know the answer to that.

One of the things about buildings is that they're very unique. Every building has a unique framing structure, a unique foundation, is on a unique site. And so, we can't just take one building failure and then extend that into what might happen to other buildings.

CHURCH: The problem with this is that this isn't -- I mean, we knew about cracks in the foundation in the columns. And it's one thing to have portions of a building fall. But to have the whole building collapse, that is extraordinary, and to have that happen in the United States of America has shocked people, and that's what they're looking around thinking, well, how could this possibly happen? And from an engineering perspective, how do you explain that?

LEHMAN: You know, I think it's important to understand that the majority of that report actually focuses on architectural aspects. You know, there -- there was one particular aspect that focused on the structure. But that was the structure that was below the pool.

And so, I -- I don't -- cracks alone are not a concern because, you know, concrete is weakened tension. That's why we put reinforcement in so we expect cracking. It's falling, corrosion, that sort of damage that we've seen in this building is something that we don't expect and is a cause for concern. There was a building in Seattle that had quite a bit of corrosion in an area called Belltown. It was actually demolished.

So, we have to take -- we do have to take this seriously. Usually building failures are a combination of, you know, a number of different characteristics that, unfortunately, don't meet the structural requirements. So that could be the materials, could be the connections, could be under designed numbers, could be an overload that it was not intentionally designed for. It could be foundation or soil failure. And so, it's likely a combination of these things, but we don't know yet. And we can't just look at the damage and make conclusions yet.

CHURCH: Yes. It is a horrifying nightmare playing out for those families with loved ones under that rubble. Dawn E. Lehman, thank you so much for talking with us. We do appreciate it.

LEHMAN: It is a pleasure. Yes, of course.

CHURCH: And while investigators work to figure out what caused this collapse, families are confronting devastating loss. Earlier, CNN spoke with Bettina Obias, her aunt and uncle, Maria and Claudia Bonifay (Ph), are still missing, she told us what went through her mind when she got the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETTINA OBIAS, AUNT & UNCLE MISSING AFTER COLLAPSE: When I heard it, I was really hoping -- I said a bargaining, lord, please, let them -- let her be alive because I want to spend more time with her. I promise -- I promise to spend more time with her and take care of her.

[03:09:59]

You know, she was my mother here. She took care of all of us. She was the most -- my old renaissance woman. She played piano professionally. She painted; she drew. She was a member of the Feed the Hungry. She was a matriarch that any families should really have. And so, losing her is a very big loss for all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): And we're also hearing from a family who managed to escape the building before it collapsed. They told CNN they were asleep and they were in the 11th floor apartment when they woke up to the walls shaking violently. From there, it was a race against time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANETTE AGUERO, ESCAPED BUILDING COLLAPSE: All I was thinking is we need to get out of here before this building completely comes down on us. After seeing the walls and how badly and violently they swayed, I honestly don't know how it didn't come down when we were startled basically out of our sleep. So, yes, that was the only thing on my mind, let's get down and let's get down as quickly as possible and away from the building.

ALBERT AGUERO, ESCAPED BUILDING COLLAPSE: When we opened the front do, that's when we really were made aware of the devastation to the building. I looked to the left, and the apartment is half sheared off. I looked right ahead which is where the elevator was supposed to be. It was just two ends of the elevator shafts.

And thankfully the emergency exit light to the staircase was open -- was lit up. So, we sprinted to the staircase and opened that door only to realize that the wall had partially collapsed there. At that moment where it really hit me that we were racing against time to get to the bottom of the building before the entire thing caved in. At least that was my initial gut.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): And incredibly, the family says they also helped an elderly woman escape on their way down.

Still to come, he was once one of Donald Trump's most loyal cabinet members. Now Bill Barr has a blunt assessment of the former president's election fraud claims.

And we'll go live to Sydney, Australia, now under a stay-at-home order prompted by a growing local cluster of cases. That's ahead.

[03:15:00]

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CHURCH (on camera): U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered military airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. The Defense Department says the strikes targeted operational and weapons storage facilities, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says they are in response to a serious and specific threat. There has been a series of attacks in recent months by Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. and allied forces in the region.

CNN's Joe Johns has more from the White House.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Just minutes before President Biden was expected to arrive back here at the White House after a weekend at Camp David, the word started going out that the president had ordered airstrikes on Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria, including weapons storage facilities on the border between the two countries. The administration officials called it an act of self-defense and said

it was done in order to protect U.S. military personnel who were stationed along the border. The president did not elaborate, but he did tell reporters he'll have more to talk about the situation on Monday.

Joe Johns, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: One of Donald Trump's staunchest allies during his White House days is now bashing the former president's big lie. In a newly released book excerpt, former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr says he suspected Trump's claims of election fraud were all B.S., but he still launched unofficial inquiries to appease his boss.

But tells Jonathan Karl of ABC News, quote, "if there was evidence of fraud, I had no motive to suppress it. But my suspicion all the way along was that there was nothing there, it was all B.S."

Barr resigned almost two weeks after saying no election fraud evidence was found, though his split with Trump, at least publicly, still seemed amicable.

The former chief of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the Delta coronavirus variant poses a big threat to communities with low vaccination rates. Dr. Scott Gottlieb says there are regions without enough immunity buildup. He's urging local leaders and doctors to take on a grassroots approach to getting people their shots. Here who he says is most at risk right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: There are social compartments in the U.S. both geographic and social compartments where you have under vaccination, they don't have a lot of immunity in the population, particularly rural parts, in the south particularly.

You're seeing what's happening in the Missouri right now where about 60 percent of the infections are the Delta variant. And so that's a reflection of the fact that we have parts of the United States where we don't have a lot of vaccination and we also don't have a prior infection. Those are going to be the more vulnerable parts of this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): And with new COVID cases emerging across Australia officials are tightening coronavirus restrictions. Queensland and Western Australia are among the regions strengthening their rules. This as a stay-at-home order is already in effect in the greater-Sydney area through July 9th. Shorter restrictions are also in place in parts of the northern territory.

Angus Watson joins us live from Sydney with more on all this. Good to see you, Angus. So, it has to be said Australia has done so well up to this point with testing and contact tracing, but now it's paying for its very slow vaccine rollout and of course the presence of the Delta variant. What is the latest on all of this?

ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: Well, that's what has people particularly nervous here, Rosemary. The Delta variant and that low vaccination rate in the community, under 5 percent of Australians are fully vaccinated.

[03:20:01]

And with those figures they're now staring at outbreaks of that Delta variant. Here in Sydney, authorities say that the variant is moving too quickly for contact tracers to get on top of it. That means that here in Australia's largest city, a lockdown had to happen. People were told for two weeks they shouldn't leave their homes unless it's absolutely necessary.

One of the reasons to leave their home. people are turning out right behind me to get tested en masse for coronavirus, pulling up in their cars there. As you can see, 58,000 people around the state of New South Wales coming to get tested on Sunday. Eighteen positive cases from that amount of tests.

So, authorities are saying that they're happy with that but they are still very nervous going ahead because the variant is catching people in their most slightest of passing fleeting, they say, movements between each other. And with this unvaccinated population that is a concern. Here is what one of those people had to say to me down at (Inaudible) today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN SEETO, SYDNEY RESIDENT: I think this has been an entire failure, if I'm honest. Most of this could have been prevented if it were rolled out a lot faster and with a lot more haste.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: That person there saying that he thinks that he wouldn't have to be locked down if the government had done more to get people vaccinated. Now, the problem that the government has is both a supply issue and a hesitancy issue. Australia has bet big on the AstraZeneca vaccine, the only vaccine that's being produced her domestically. But people here concerned of that blood clot risk, that very rare risk of contracting a blood clot after you've got the AstraZeneca vaccine. That means that people only over the age of 60 here in Australia are eligible to get it. The rest need to get Pfizer. Those supply of that vaccine are running low, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, it is a big concern, they need to move fast on those vaccinations. Angus Watson joining us live from Sydney. Many thanks.

Joining me now is Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public health. Thank you, doctor, for all that you do. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Thank you

so much for having me back, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Dr. Anthony Fauci says the Delta variant is the greatest threat to America's attempt to eliminate COVID-19. We know of course that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are very effective against this variant. But what about the 12 million Americans who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? How vulnerable are those people right now?

JHA: Yes. So first and foremost, I agree with Dr. Fauci that this is the biggest challenge we have faced during the entire pandemic in terms of a new variant. It does look like both Moderna and Pfizer hold up reasonably well. We just don't have the data on Johnson & Johnson.

So, the 12 million Americans who have gotten the J&J vaccine, my advice for them is hold tight, do not get nervous about this because I believe the J&J vaccine will ending up holding up well. But we need a little bit more data and it may end up being, but some of those people may need a booster shot. But at this point I think it is still speculative most of the evidence suggests that the J&J vaccine is working really quite well.

CHURCH: And, as a result of this Delta variant, the WHO is now urging vaccinated people to mask up. Do you agree with that guidance even if people have received the highly effective Pfizer and Moderna vaccines?

JHA: Yes. My general feeling is if you've received the highly effective Pfizer/Moderna vaccines and you're in a largely vaccinated community, I do not believe it's necessary to be wearing a mask. Obviously, if you're in a place where you've gotten vaccinated but there are a lot of unvaccinated people and high levels of community transmission these vaccines are terrific but they're not 100 percent and there will be breakthrough infections.

And so, wearing a mask in that context makes sense. But, otherwise, I would say that you don't to be wearing a mask, especially if you're around other vaccinated people.

CHURCH: And if this highly infectious Delta variant isn't enough to convince those people who are either hesitant or resistant to getting the COVID vaccine, what do you say to those people to try to convince them, and what are the risks to everyone else if they continue to hold out?

JHA: Yes. So first and foremost, I try to understand what's holding people back. I think a majority of people who have not yet gotten vaccinated have questions and have concerns, and they need addressing. And I think we should address it with respect and making sure that we are not talking down to people and really trying to understand those issues and trying to address them.

There will always be a small proportion who will be very, very resistant. But I think that's a very tiny minority. A majority of the people who have not gotten it right now still are on the fence, and I think we should try to persuade them, try to help them answer their questions, but make it easier for them. Because the risk to them is really quite substantial if we do not do this.

[03:24:56]

CHURCH: And, of course, doctor, we've watched some incredible vaccine rollouts in parts of the world, the United States, across the U.K., Israel, and other points across the globe. But how concerned are you with what you're seeing happen with infections across the African continent? And what's still -- what's still happening in India and Brazil, and of course areas where there hasn't been a particularly good rollout of these vaccines?

JHA: This is, actually the big issue in front of us, right? It's one thing to talk about vaccines in the United State where a lot of people have been vaccinated. And more importantly, anyone who wants one, can get one. In much of the African continent, that is not the case. In India, in Latin America that's not the case.

And we saw what the Delta variant did to India, it flattened the health system, cost tens of thousands of deaths. Unfortunately, I'm worried that it will happen in many other places including in many places in Africa. The Delta variant is now spreading very, very quickly throughout the world and there really is the public health measures that matter, but there really is only one way to stop this ultimately. And it is to ramp up vaccine production and get many more people vaccinated.

CHURCH: Yes, that is a key to everything, isn't it? Dr. Ashish Jha, thank you as always for talking with us. We appreciate it.

JHA: Thank you.

CHURCH: The coronavirus has now sidelined many of the United Kingdom's top military officials. The defense ministry announced that its armed forces head, General Nick Carter is isolating at home after testing positive. Six other senior military officials including the defense secretary are in quarantine after coming into contact with him last week. New infections in the U.K. have been ticking up in recent days.

Well coming up here on CNN Newsroom, the search for possible survivors from the Florida building collapse intensifies. The latest as rescue efforts enter their fifth day.

Plus, New York's annual pride parade was notably smaller, thanks to the pandemic. But it also lacked marching police officers. We will have the details on why you won't see them for the next few years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): More now on our top story, the urgent search for possible survivors of the building collapse in Southern Florida. Rescue efforts are now entering their fifth day as the death toll rises to nine and more than 150 people remain unaccounted for. Crews are being aided by a massive trench and improving weather conditions.

Ryan Young reports from outside the hotel where family members have been gathering.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yeah, very difficult few days for these families. We've been outside of this hotel for several days. We've been talking to family members. They've been upset but they have started to get more updates and that is something that they desperately wanted.

They also were trying to coordinate a trip over to the site where, obviously, workers are still trying to work around the clock to save anyone they can. We saw three busloads. There are three groups going over in buses to the site. They finally got their opportunity to be there.

Now, we know extra crews have been added. The operation has actually seemed to speed up over the last few days. The weather was a lot better than before.

Now, look at this video from Jason Pizzo. He is a state senator. We can see in this video just how dangerous the situation is for first responders as they try to save anyone they can. But, for family members, this has been tough. When you speak to the state senator, though, you can understand what rescuers are dealing with.

JASON PIZZO, FLORIDA STATE SENATE DEMOCRAT: But right now, there is just -- really just universal homogenous sadness regardless of anyone's backgrounds. What we tell the families is, you know, they're working as fast as they possibly can, and if you have a loved one in a pile of rubble, that is never fast enough.

YOUNG (voice-over): Yeah. It was really here outside the hotel where we saw groups of people coming out obviously very upset about some of the information they were learning. It does seem like authorities have stepped up all their briefings with them. That has given them a lot more information. But this has been very difficult. Over the last few days, they've been talking with us pretty much nonstop.

(On camera): This is one of those times where you can see it has been more difficult than usual, especially with the death toll rising.

Reporting at Surfside, Ryan Young, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CHURCH (on camera): And among the 152 people still unaccounted for, members of Temple Menorah, which is just blocks away from the rubble. CNN spoke with the leader of that temple, Rabbi Eliot Pearlson. He described the toll this disaster is taking on his community.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) ELIOT PEARLSON, RABBI, TEMPLE MENORAH: Besides the couples that I married and I named their children, besides them, Temple Menorah is part of a community that is very interwoven. Orthodox (ph), conservative (ph), reformer (ph), and Jewish and non-Jewish, we are all very, very close. So, I know so many members of the community that are unfortunately we are waiting to hear.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Tell us about some of these wonderful people.

PEARLSON: Well, there is Coach Arnie and Myriam. I mean, they are part of a staple of South Florida. Arnie was a coach here for 45 years. I'm getting phone calls, left and right, from people, professional athletes that he trained over the years.

Myriam, you know, fled Poland, went to Havana, fled Havana, came here. Friendship is another interesting aspect of our communities. They are very heavily Latin and Cuban.

You're talking about people who have been friends since kindergarten, 70 and 80 years, who have been best friends and their children have married each other. Their grandchildren married each other.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CHURCH (on camera): And while many relatives of those missing or killed were able to visit the site of the collapse on Sunday, dozens of other families are watching this tragedy unfold from abroad. Journalist Stefano Pozzebon is in Bogota, Columbia with more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (on camera): The tragedy of the collapse of the building in Surfside, South Florida reverberates far beyond the United States border with dozens of families across South America who remained in apprehension over the fate of their dear ones who have gone missing when the building collapsed over three days ago.

At least 31 people from six different counties in South America are believed to have been inside the condominium when the building fell down. Every hour that passes makes up the possibility of safely rescuing them more remote.

[03:34:56]

POZZEBON: Nevertheless, rescue officials are urging to keep their hopes alive, pointing that survivors have been found after several days in similar circumstances and consulates across the region are working to provide expedited visas and the travel options so that relatives can travel to Miami to follow the search and rescue operations from the site.

Some of those gone missing, including the family of the first lady of Paraguay, were traveling to the United States in order to receive COVID-19 vaccination. Their loved ones back in South America can now only hope to see them back home against all the odds (ph).

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CHURCH (on camera): And as families endure an agonizing wait for answers and rescue crews keep up the search for survivors, we want to pay tribute to the nine victims who have sadly been confirmed dead.

Authorities have released age eight of their name so far. Fifty-four- year-old Stacie Fang was the first victim identified. We know that her 15-year-old son, Jonah Handler, was the boy who was pulled alive from that rubble in the moments after the collapse.

Also among those lost, Antonio and Gladys Lozano, Manuel LaFont. And then there are the victims we learned about on Sunday, 80-year-old Leon Oliwkowicz, Luis Bermudez, just 26 years old, 46-year-old Anna Ortiz, and 74-year-old Christina Beatriz Elvira. Our hearts are with those who have lost family members and all those still awaiting news of their loved ones.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GROUP: (INAUDIBLE).

CHURCH: This was the scene in Istanbul over the weekend where police in riot gear fired tear gas into crowds to break up a pride march. Istanbul and Ankara have both banned pride events in recent years. Local reports say 20 people, including a photo journalist, were detained on Saturday after clashes between demonstrators and police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): New York celebrated Pride Month in style this year, bringing back its annual parade. Last year's event was completely online. Sunday's parade was scaled back because of the coronavirus. Notably absent from the crowds was the NYPD who have been banned from marching in the parade for the next five years.

CNN's Polo Sandoval reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was on this rainy summer day back in 1996 at some of New York City's finest made pride history after the NYPD gave them permission to march in uniform.

Since then, uniformed members of GOAL, New York's Gay Officers Action League can, can join the crowds, commemorating the Stonewall Inn riots. During that 1969 uprising, oppressed gay and lesbian patrons of this tiny New York bar revolted against the police and their practices that the NYPD characterized as discriminatory and their mea culpa decades later. With GOAL a regular participant at nearly New York pride marches, there sense was a sense of relations between the police and the LGBTQ community were on the mend.

Then, 2020 happened. While the annual pride parade went virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, the queer liberation march separate from NYC Pride took to New York's Washington Square Park. That is where LGBTQ activists ended up in a confrontation with police, according to New York State's A.G.

In the same report, witnesses contend officers responded with indiscriminate use of pepper spray after a group of protesters tried interfering with the arrest of a small group that had tried to curvy (ph) a police car.

Pointing to that altercation, NYC Pride voted to ban uniformed law enforcement officers from participating in and from safeguarding the city's pride events for the next five years.

ANDRE THOMAS, CO-CHAIR, NYC PRIDE: The symbol of that uniform, for many people in our community, for people who are Black, who are brown, who are trends, represents violence. It represents fear.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Thomas explains his organization was prepared for blow back. But he says it is okay if it helps amplify Black, brown and trans' voices still marginalized even after decades of progress.

THOMAS: It is ideal for us to have visibility of police officers there, but we also want you to be there in a way that doesn't make other people feel oppressed. It's important to have visibility but in a way that addresses the needs of a community that is really under attack.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Cut in the middle, Ana Arboleda and Jason Samuel, both gay NYPD officers now feeling shut out by their own and standing their ground when it comes to wearing the uniforms.

ANA ARBOLEDA, VICE PRESIDENT, GOAL NYC: You are taking a part of me away. So why can't I be both? Why do I have to go ahead and beat back, thrown in the closet for one aspect of me?

JASON SAMUEL, MEMBER, GOAL NYC: The only thing that was achieved here was not banning the NYPD. It was banning GOAL. It was banning queer officers.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Both Officer Samuel and Sergeant Arboleda agree relations between their department and their community remain far from ideal. But they say NYC Pride's decision to ban them in uniform ignores decades of progress made. Thanks to GOAL like revised police practices for trans people.

SAMUEL: Not allowing us to marches is, I think, something separate and distinct from a larger conversation about police and police interaction with particularly (INAUDIBLE) across America.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Finding common ground won't be easy or quick. For now, GOAL and the NYPD are showcasing their pride online while NYC Pride says it is open to compromise with one caveat, no uniforms or service weapons.

THOMAS: I've worn a uniform myself. I was in the military for eight years. I know the effect that I can have on people. Hey, let's bring it down. Let's bring you to a level where you are like everyone else who is walking in our parade.

ARBOLEDA: So I can't march in uniform but that still doesn't take away that I am equally proud of being both.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CHURCH (on camera): In the meantime, some European leaders are attacking the LGBTQ community. A new law in Hungary has banned materials and schools deemed to promote LGBTQ content, a move much of Europe is speaking out against. Despite spearheading the law, the country's prime minister says he is a defender of gay rights.

The president of the Czech Republic is also making waves in an interview with our affiliate, CNN Prima News.

[03:44:59]

CHURCH: On Sunday, the president said transgender people are -- quote -- "disgusting." He defended Hungary's prime minister, saying there was no reason to disagree with the country's new law.

Well, from the U.S.-Mexico border all the way to Canada, an unprecedented heat wave is breaking records and even interfering with Olympic trials. We will have the details for you on the other side of the break.

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CHURCH: Nearly 20 million people in the western U.S. are under excessive heat warnings. Some areas broke records on Sunday with temperatures as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit or 45 Celsius.

More than 33,000 customers in Oregon are without power during this heat wave. In Portland, the extreme heat has forced officials to suspend some train and street car services and urging people not to travel unless it is an emergency.

CNN's Camila Bernal is in Portland with more.

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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All-time high temperature record shattered here in Portland over the weekend. During the day, triple digit heat.

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BERNAL: And at night, there is no relief with temperatures in the 70s and 80s, not giving the body enough time to cool down.

According to county officials, more than a dozen people had to be taken to the emergency room or a clinic with heat-related incidents. They also say that most of these cases, people under the age of 65, which is why they are warning that no matter how old you are, this can be dangerous and even deadly.

The problem is a lot of people here don't have air conditioning. So, to solve for that, they have set up a number of pooling centers around the city for people to go and at least cool off a bit. We do know that they're trying to help at least the most vulnerable populations. Among them, the elderly, the homeless, and even pets.

We spoke to the coordinator of one of these cooling centers and here is what he told us.

PETER TISO, COOLING CENTER COORDINATOR: Our goal here is to really just protect health and safety by offering people a cool place to be, and that is really like the baseline of our job. You know, the space, food, water, the basics, and just keep the space calm, safe, and accessible for everybody.

BERNAL (voice-over): And this unprecedented and dangerous heat wave will continue to affect people in this region over the next couple of days.

(On camera): Along the west coast, more than 20 million people are under some sort of heat advisory or warning.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Portland.

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CHURCH (on camera): It has been so hot in Eugene, Oregon. The U.S. Olympic track and field trials have been suspended there. The city hit an all-time high of 110 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday. The final day of those trials was able to resume on Sunday night.

This oppressive heat even extends into Canada. One village in British Columbia reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday. That is over 46 degrees Celsius, marking the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada.

This is the man who is going to explain it all to us, meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. These are temperatures are extraordinary. How much longer are we going to see this?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, the entire week. We are going to see conditions cool off just a little bit, Rosemary, to still about 10 to 15 degrees above average. But this sort of an extreme heat that we've seen in the last 24 hours, the all-time records, another day of this before we see it drop off just a little bit going to the next several days.

But look at the area of coverage, Rosemary. Take you up to the Arctic Circle. That is where the heat warnings are extended to. So it is not just in the northwestern U.S. but as far north as the Arctic Circle where this heat has really been covering.

You will notice some 300 records, still possible over the next several days across the western U.S. These numbers, the hottest ever observed in some 120 plus years of record-keeping. Look at Portland, 112 degrees. Previous record from Saturday, 108. Seattle, 104 degrees. That is 40 degrees Celsius. Previous record, 103 from 2009.

Again, this is not the peak of it just yet. Monday afternoon is when we expect temps to be at their highest. But take Mt. Rainier. This is the highest elevation in Washington State, 14,400 feet high. (INAUDIBLE) at 10,000 feet is where sea level temperatures are being observed, 73 degrees there on Sunday at 10,000 feet. That is the average temperature of Seattle at sea level in the latter portion of June.

It kind of speaks to where we should be. There is the average, 73. There is the record. It will break Sunday's record at 109 degrees, which, by the way, would be warmer than what is happening in places such as Kuwait into Abu Dhabi.

Portland aims for 116 degrees, stays well above average for the upcoming week of 77 there, the average being in -- you'll notice. There is Abu Dhabi, expecting a high of 103, which sits right around 40 degrees or so. And in Portland, it is well above that coming in on Monday afternoon with this remarkable heat wave.

Officials from the Washington State Department of transportation is saying, take it easy on the roads, the roads beginning to buckle and making dangerous go. So, if you are speeding down some of these highways and roadways, you could run into a dangerous situation if you aren't careful.

I've noticed, even on the eastern United States, heat advisories there for temperatures exceed 100 degrees, what it feels like outside. In New York City, in the shade, could be as high as 97 over the next several days. So, big-time heat from coast to coast. Rosemary?

CHURCH (on camera): Just extraordinary temperatures. Pedram, thank you so much for keeping a close eye on all of that. I appreciate it.

Well, the U.K.'s Prince William and Prince Harry will reconnect this week amid growing speculation about a royal rift between the brothers. They plan to unveil a memorial celebrating their late mother, Princess Diana. CNN's Isa Soares has the details.

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ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been said that death brings the living together. That will ring true this week when Prince Harry and Prince William, distant and living on separate continents, reunite to celebrate the legacy of their late mother, Princess Diana.

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SOARES (voice-over): The two will unveil a statue of Diana at Kensington Palace on Thursday on what would have been her 60th birthday.

The brothers co-commissioned the statue from British sculptor, Ian Rank-Broadley, whose portrait of the queen appears on all British coins and the memorial will live in the palace's sunken garden, a place Diana loved, allowing those who visit Kensington Palace to remember and celebrate her life, the princess said in a joint statement issued in 2017 when the project was announced.

Ahead of the unveiling of Diana's memorial, there has been increased speculation over whether there will be visible tension between her two sons. The last time Harry and William saw each other in person was at their grandfather Prince Philip's funeral where the two were seen talking quietly before parting ways.

UNKNOWN: Fortitude and faith.

SOARES (voice-over): Since then, reports of their relationship breakdown have continued to fill the British tabloids, citing the decision by Harry and his wife, Meghan, the duchess of Sussex, to step away from royal life as the main catalyst, along with a bombshell interview the couple gave to Oprah Winfrey that aired in March in which they suggested racism and increased neglect had forced them to flee the palace.

But while the brothers' bond may not be what it once was, they seemingly still agree on one thing, the importance of keeping their mother's memory alive. And as expected, Thursday's event was more than just that.

Isa Soares, CNN, London.

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CHURCH (on camera): U.S. gymnast Simone Biles can't be stopped. She has officially secured a spot on the U.S. women's team heading to Tokyo next month. Biles earned an automatic spot on the team with her high score of the trials on Sunday. This will be her second Olympics. She took home four gold from the Rio Games in 2016. Biles has hinted she may even try to compete at the Paris Games in 2024.

Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news after the short break.

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