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U.S. Olympic Sprinter suspended after Positive Marijuana Test; U.S. Athlete Gwen Berry Asked about Protesting If She Reaches Olympic Podium: "We'll See"; Body of 7-Year-Old Pulls from Surfside Rubble Identified as Daughter of Miami Firefighter; Survivors, Witnesses and Responders Reveal Clues; Capitol Rioter Visits Border with GOP Members of Congress. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 02, 2021 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:34:18]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: A positive marijuana test delivering a blow to the U.S. Olympic team weeks before the games.

U.S. Track and field star, Sha'Carri Richardson, has been suspended from the Olympic team for one month after testing positive for THC. That's the active ingredient in marijuana.

This comes after her first-place finish. She got first in the 100- meter dash at last month's trials. Now that result has been tossed.

This suspension means she will have to miss at least her signature event in Tokyo.

Richardson told "The Today Show" this morning she used marijuana in Oregon, where it is legal, after finding out her biological mother died.

But she also says she takes full responsibility for breaking the rules and she apologized for letting her fans down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[13:35:07]

SHA'CARRI RICHARDSON, U.S. OLYMPICS TRACK & FIELD SPRINTER: I apologize for the fact that I need to know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time.

And I would just leave with my fans, or I would leave out there.

Like I tweeted yesterday, I'm human. We're human.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Now, because of the timing of the suspension, Richardson could still compete in one of the relay races in Tokyo. But that remains to be seen.

And CNN sports analyst, Christine Brennan, joins us to discuss.

Christine, as far as I know, marijuana is not exactly a performance- enhancing drug. It is legal in some form in the majority of states in the U.S.

How do you view the situation?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Ana, this is a sad, sad story. It really is heart breaking.

And among those who believe it's heart breaking is the man in charge of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart.

I put in a phone call to him this morning asking that exact question. Why is it that marijuana, which we don't see as a performance enhancer, why is it on the ban list?

Why is she banned? Why is one of the great stars of the U.S. team, a breakout star, could make millions from that performance in Tokyo, why is she banned?

And what I heard from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, from Travis Tygart, was that, first of all, they are heart broken, and they are sad, and they don't necessarily agree with it.

But it is the World Anti-Doping Agency ruling and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is a part of it.

Having said that, there are reasons to ban marijuana. For example, skiers going downhill at 90 miles per hour, you probably don't want them to be high. You certainly wouldn't want snow-borders to be high. You don't want cyclists in the Tour De France to be high.

There are truly reasons for the safety of athletes that you would have marijuana be banned.

But in this day and age, it is so out of sync with where we are as a culture in the United States, and in many other countries around the world, that that's why this issue is out there.

And it may well be the moment when the World Anti-Doping Agency starts to really look at this, even though that's no consolation for Sha'Carri Richardson.

CABRERA: I can't help but think of other athletes like Michael Phelps and that infamous photo of him smoking weed. Plus, we have the NFL which has changed its policy regarding marijuana as well. We'll see where this goes.

In the meantime, let's talk about activism and protesting at the Olympics.

Track and field star, Gwen Berry, is defending her decision to protest during the trials where she turned her back to the flag. This was during the national anthem.

When asked if she would abide by the protest demonstration ban if she reaches the podium at the Olympics, here's what she told Don Lemon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GWEN BERRY, U.S. OLYMPICS TRACK & FIELD HAMMER THROWER: We'll see. It depends on how I'm feeling. It depends on what I want to do in that moment and what I want to do for my people in that moment. And I will do whatever comes upon me and whatever is in my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Since the interview last night, the IOC today announced that they will be loosening some rules for athletes who wish to protest during the games.

What kind of impact do you think this will have on the games?

BRENNAN: Ana, the one place where the athletes still will not be able to protest is on the medal stand.

And that -- I'm sure that's shocking for some Americans who have been watching the Black Lives Matter protests, those of us who have been supportive of the protests.

You wonder, wait a minute, why can't they protest there? They can protest before the event or take a knee before day run, before they compete, before they swim, but not after.

And I think one of the reasons is you've got over 200 countries at the Olympics. And while we certainly can agree on what is acceptable protesting and what isn't, where do you draw the line?

Is it OK to have, god forbid, a Nazi flag waving in the face of an Israeli athlete who wins the silver medal? I think we can agree that's probably not OK. But for some countries, that might be, as horrifying as that is.

So they've drawn the line on the medal stand itself. That doesn't mean that Gwen Berry, if she gets there or anyone else, still can't protest.

Then their national Olympic committees would make the determination.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has basically said they're not going to send anyone home. So the U.S. athletes probably feel comfortable with protesting anywhere.

But also there's the question of showing up other athletes. In other words, if you're not the gold medalist, what happens if you take a knee and draw the attention away from the gold medalist, say, from Spain or from Canada?

These are issues, obviously, that are much broader than a domestic conversation, but much more an international conversation.

CABRERA: I appreciate the conversation we're having here today.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Christine Brennan, it's good to see you. Thank you for joining us.

BRENNAN: Ana, thank you very much.

[13:39:52]

CABRERA: Ahead, we'll go live to Surfside, where we're learning another report, this one from 2020, flagged major concrete deterioration near the pool area at the Champlain Towers South. The latest, next.

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CABRERA: Heartbreaking new details out of Surfside, Florida, where we learned two more bodies have been found in the rubble of that collapsed condo building. They include the 7-year-old daughter of a city of Miami firefighter.

[13:45:07]

CNN's Rosa Flores is in Surfside for us.

Rosa, what more can you tell us?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Ana, every single day has been a tough day for these firefighters. But overnight is uniquely painful for them. As you mentioned, the 7-year-old daughter of a firefighter was recovered.

Now, we don't have a lot of details, as you might imagine, because of the sensitivity of the situation.

But what I can tell you is that she was 7-years-old. Her dad is a firefighter with the city of Miami. And he belongs to the Florida task force, too.

Now, it was members of his team who found her body. The chief tells me that it was his brother and sister firefighters that called him over.

Now, they have a process that they go through every single time that a body is recovered. And this, of course, was uniquely painful for them.

The family is asking for time and space. And, of course, our hearts and prayers go out to the family.

And, Ana, these brave men and women are right back at work. I can tell you that, right now, their deployment is complete and full. Even though their homes are perhaps a few miles away from this scene

where I am now, they're living in tents. They're working 12-hour shifts.

They only take breaks to check their pulse and their oxygen levels to make sure they can continue searching for signs of life.

So this is one of the most painful days for these brave men and women. Because all they want to do, Ana, is find people alive under that rubble.

CABRERA: A really sad situation.

And of course, now weather is also playing a role as we've seen in the last few days. But with this hurricane bearing down perhaps in the next few days, that'll be something to watch.

Rosa Flores, thank you.

Since the collapse, we've heard shocking stories from survivors who managed to get out on time. We have heard from others who saw red flags leading up to the tragedy. And officials who are telling us what they are seeing as they respond and they work in the rubble.

Here they are in their own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MIAMI-DADE RESCUE MEMBER (voice-over): The 13-story building with most of the building gone. I see many people in the balconies. The building is gone. There's no elevators. It almost resembles the Trade Center.

SARAH BLASKEY, REPORTER, "MIAMI HERALD": What's odd about this building is withstood Hurricane Andrew. It was up for four decades before it collapsed suddenly without warning. Other buildings that collapsed, at least hours of warning, big cracks. Residents able to evacuate.

SARA MIR, ESCAPED BUILDING WITH CHILDREN BEFORE COLLAPSE: I start to hear a knocking sound. Knock, knock. And I said, OK, somebody probably hanging pictures on the wall.

And then it was more intense. And I said, oh, probably they're doing some small renovation.

Then it was a big boom. And I was running to see where the sound come from. And I saw all the garage collapse.

MARIA ILIANA MONTEAGUDO, ESCAPED CHAMPLAIN TOWERS SOUTH DURING COLLAPSE: I was asleep, and a rare force wake up me.

I saw it cracks starting in the ceiling, coming down, coming down fast. And that black line opened it and opened it and opened it. Something inside of me said run. You have to run to save your life. ESTHER GORFINKEL, ESCAPED CHAMPLAIN TOWERS SOUTH DURING COLLAPSE: My

whole apartment shake. My bed, I was sleeping, shake. I have my nightgown. I put on a house coat. They push me out.

And we got into water. And in front of me was a lot of debris. And we saw a hole. They pick me up, carry me on his back, outside, and I saw the sky. I know I will be out.

ELIANA SALZHAUER, SURFSIDE COMMISSIONER: I spent some time watching the survivors come to the community center and seeing the looks on their faces.

The first thing they said to me was, I knew it, I knew it. The building was shaking like crazy when they were building that building next door. I knew the water damage was there. I told them. Nobody listened to me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was leaks in the garage. There was cracks on the balconies.

SHARON SCHECHTER, SURVIVED CHAMPLAIN TOWERS SOUTH COLLAPSE: I started to become very angry and very -- just very jittery. The more I hear about the structural problems and the comments from the engineers, I think I become angry every day.

CAPT. EDDY ALARCON, MEMBER, MIAMI-DADE FIRE RESCUE: It's hard not to put yourself in that situation. You know? Not to put yourself in a position that these families are in.

We start thinking about it in that way, in, what would I do? How hard are we going to work to save our family members if something like this were to happen?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:50:07]

CABRERA: For a list of ways you can help the Surfside victims, long onto CNN's "IMPACT YOUR WORLD."

We'll be right back.

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CABRERA: A disturbing revelation unearthed by CNN's "KFILE" team. A rioter who entered the capitol on January 6th actually accompanied Republican members of Congress to the U.S./Mexico border just this week.

Anthony Aguero is a prominent conservative YouTuber who cheered and justified the capitol break-in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY AGUERO, CONSERVATIVE YOUTUBER WHO ENTERED U.S. CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6TH: They're basically herding these people on to one particular location. So we're about to catch all of them, basically, come out of the woodworks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So, that's his video from the border this week.

CNN's Andrew Kaczynski, the senior editor of "KFILE," joins us now.

Andrew, who is this guy? And why was he there?

ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN REPORTER & CNN SENIOR EDITOR, "KFILE": So, Anthony Aguero is a close friend and ally of Marjorie Taylor Greene.

[13:55:03]

Before she was elected to Congress, they actually did lots of events together, traveled to the border together, did events where they went to the offices of members of Congress together.

And as his -- he's a conservative YouTuber and he actually operates along the border pretty frequently.

Now, a group of conservative members of Congress went to see the border on late Tuesday night. They went to an area that migrants frequently use to cross into the United States. And Aguero was actually able to accompany them on this trip.

It's not clear exactly how he ended up there. He wasn't at a press briefing before. But he, you know, was there with members of Congress.

He actually serves as a translator for many of them when speaking to migrants.

He interviewed many of the reps. And in many of the instances -- a member of Congress actually even drove in his truck.

CABRERA: And we're talking about those members being Tom Tiffany, Lauren Boebert, Madison Cawthorn, Chris Jacobs, Michael Cloud, John Rose, Ronny Jackson and Mary Miller.

Thank you, Andrew, for your reporting.

People should go to CNN.com to read more about that.

I just want to give a quick programming note as well. This July 4th, America is open. It's time to celebrate.

I hope you'll join me, along with my colleagues and friends, Don Lemon, Dana Bash and Victor Blackwell, for a star-studded evening of music and fireworks.

It's going to be such a fantastic celebration. And it all begins on July 4th at 7:00 Eastern only on CNN.

Alisyn takes it from here.

Have a great weekend. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:59:58]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. Welcome to NEWSROOM. I'm Alisyn Camerota. Victor Blackwell is off today.

And we begin with a landmark moment in America's longest war. All U.S. forces have left Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.