Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Florida Condo Search And Rescue Paused Ahead Of Impending Demolition; FAA Posts Video Of Kids Telling Adult Flyers To Behave; Olympic Teams From Countries With COVID-19 Variants Face Stricter Rules; Japan Mudslide Claims Two, 19 Rescued; Massive Cyberattack Hits Hundreds Of Businesses; U.S. Updates Emergency Evacuation Plans For Kabul Embassy; Thieves Target Mexican Schools During Pandemic; Track And Field Olympian Suspended After Failed Drug Test. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired July 04, 2021 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Officials in Florida are racing against the clock aiming to demolish the rest of a partially collapsed condo before a tropical storm arrives. We'll have the very latest.
Plus millions of Americans take to the roads and skies this holiday weekend. Why airlines are struggling to cope with the sudden demand.
And 19 people are rescued after a dramatic landslide in Japan but more remain missing. CNN is at the scene this hour.
Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to all of you watching in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: We could be just hours away from the demolition of that collapsed condo building in Florida as authorities race to beat an approaching tropical storm. If left standing, there's growing concern strong winds and rain could topple the structure. Engineers believe they can safely bring it down before the storm arrives.
Search and rescue efforts have been suspended in the meantime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA (D), MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL: Search and rescue does have to pause temporarily while the demolition preparation is underway. And there is threat to the standing building that is posed to the first responders, as we've told you.
We will begin the search and rescue once again on any sections of the pile that are safe to access as soon as we are cleared.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: CNN's Brian Todd is in Surfside, Florida, with the latest developments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Officials here in Surfside, Florida have announced a pause in the rescue operation while they prepare to demolish the remainder of what's left of that condo complex that collapsed.
There is part of the Champlain Towers South complex in Surfside that remains upright but they have paused the search-and-rescue operation. They're planning to bring that building down via demolition, probably within the next couple of days.
They say they want to do that before the tropical storm that is tracking toward South Florida, tropical storm Elsa, gets to this area. Now it's not clear what, if any, impacts Elsa is going to have on Surfside and the nearby area.
But the storm could at least provide some remnants of high wind and heavy rain here. And they want to make sure they get that building demolished before that happens.
Will they be able to do it?
That's not clear. They had to pause the rescue operations at 4:00 pm Eastern on Saturday while they prepare for that demolition. That includes drilling into columns and doing other technical work to prepare for the demolition of the building because that building, as it stands upright, remains simply too dangerous.
There are concrete slabs, there are concrete columns hanging from it. Part of the rubble has shifted under the building. There are sensors indicating cracking. So it's a very dangerous structure as it remains.
They're going to try to bring it down in the next couple of days. The mayor said they will not need to evacuate anyone from nearby buildings for that demolition -- Brian Todd, CNN, Surfside, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: As rescue teams dig through the rubble, searching for possible survivors, they're gathering and cataloguing any valuables and personal effects they find. The mayor of Surfside said those items will be returned to the victims' families.
He also said the imminent demolition of the remaining structure is necessary to ensure the search area doesn't get covered up by tons of additional debris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR CHARLES BURKETT, SURFSIDE, FL: The fear was that the hurricane may take the building down for us in the wrong direction on top of the pile, where we have victims. We'll allow our rescue workers to pore all over the site without fear
of any danger from falling debris or falling buildings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Elsa weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Saturday but that could change by the time it reaches the U.S.
(WEATHER REPORT)
[04:05:00]
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. fight against the coronavirus pandemic is getting more complicated because of the highly contagious Delta variant. Authorities say the strain is the likely driver for a 10 percent rise in U.S. infections this week compared to the week before.
Experts say it's hitting states with the lowest vaccination rates the hardest. Right now, nearly half of the U.S. population is fully inoculated, not enough to reach herd immunity, which happens when 70 percent to 85 percent of people are immune to the disease.
Health authorities say the Delta variant could make reaching the threshold harder. In California, where the positivity rate has doubled, the strain is responsible for more than a third of new infections. Now some officials are asking people to wear masks in public indoor spaces, even if they are fully vaccinated. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA FERRER, LOS ANGELES COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR: Now we are not requiring people who are vaccinated to wear those face coverings indoors. We're just made a strong recommendation.
If you're indoors, in a setting where you don't know everybody else's vaccination status and, in fact, there may be unvaccinated people around, for security for others and for safety for others, it is best at this point to prevent another surge here in L.A. County by having everyone in those settings, where it could be crowded and you're indoors, often with poor ventilation, to keep those face coverings on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: It's Independence Day here in the United States and the U.S. travel organization, AAA, estimates about 48 million people are traveling this holiday weekend by air or car. Those big numbers are causing big headaches.
Southwest and American Airlines both had to cancel dozens of flights with hundreds more delayed. CNN's Polo Sandoval reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By now, most Americans who plan to travel this holiday weekend may have already braved the Fourth of July frenzy on the roads.
VALENTINE CHAVARIA, TRAVELER: I think it's going to be pretty busy and congested. Yes, that's why I didn't want to wait and leave any, any later than today.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Or at some of the nation's airports, many of which seem to be bursting at the seams on Friday. AAA expecting nearly 48 million people will have traveled either by road or by air by the time this 4th of July weekend comes to a close.
Most of them, some 43 million, opted to drive to and from their destinations, according to Andrew Gross from AAA.
ANDREW GROSS, AAA: The biggest difference probably the number of people traveling by car and there are a number of factors figuring into that, international travel is still down, cruising has not picked back up yet.
And people may generally feel a little more comfortable traveling by car, you can decide when you're going to leave, where are you going to stop and maybe not everybody in the family is vaccinated yet.
SANDOVAL: Gross expects rising fuel prices likely aren't keeping families from a long overdue post pandemic getaway. It won't come cheap though with the cost of a gallon of gas averaging $3.12, nationally, the highest in seven years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $11.00.
[04:10:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm at 2.5 gallons.
SANDOVAL: Experts say not only a summer demand to blame but a shortage of fuel truck drivers that has left some service stations empty.
Flying this weekend, you want to adhere to your air crew's instructions or face paying some hefty fines. The Federal Aviation Administration has received over 3,000 reports of unruly passengers this year alone. A majority of incidents related to non-compliance of the federal mandate requiring mask wearing on flights.
Hoping to address people who don't listen to crew instructions, the agency rolled out a video message for those who should know better from those who do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They'll go to jail if they keep doing that stuff.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is so unsafe. They should know better if they're like adults.
SANDOVAL: Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: Dr. Scott Miscovich is a family physician and national consultant for COVID-19 testing and he joins me from Sacramento, California.
Thanks for being with us. We're already seeing a rise in hospitalizations in counties with low vaccination rates. You happen to be in California right now. Even L.A. County, which has a relatively high vaccination rate, around 60 percent fully vaccinated, we're seeing a worrying spike.
You said you expect to see another wave of COVID because of the Delta variant, how bad do you expect that to get?
DR. SCOTT MISCOVICH, FAMILY PHYSICIAN AND NATIONAL CONSULTANT: Fortunately it probably won't get as bad as the other waves but it's going to be very serious. One of the things we look at when studying this across the country is data available and not discussed by leadership now, which is the percent positivity.
How many tests are you doing and what percent is positive?
Right now Nevada leads the country with 10-14 percent positivity, projecting the next two to four weeks. And we're going to see significant rises. Missouri at 8 percent to 9 percent and another 11 states at 5 percent to 8 percent, another 10 states at 3 percent to 4 percent. This is a significant uptick.
All of those are portraying we'll have rises and we're probably not doing enough testing in those areas. So it's serious. We all know where they are. They're the center of the country, in the lower South up into the Mountain West and the Midwest. So we need those vaccination rates up.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. I wanted to take advantage of your expertise to change tack slightly. You're overseeing COVID-19 testing and protocols with four of the U.S. national teams, I understand, for their Olympic trials. It's not a requirement for athletes to be vaccinated for the Olympics.
So how do you prevent the spread?
Maybe could you give us concrete examples of how different the games will be for the athletes compared to 2018.
MISCOVICH: A couple of things, Kim, I'd like to say. Number one, we just completed the major testing for our big events, as you described. We had no athletes eliminated due to COVID during the main events.
The other thing I can say, although I'm not allowed to give specifics, there was quite a good penetration above the national averages of vaccinations. So those are two positive things.
The other thing is congrats to all the Olympic leadership. We ran very strict testing protocols. Even if you were vaccinated, you were still tested to make sure that you're not one of those 2 percent, 3 percent, 8 percent, that is breaking through with the Delta variant. So that's the way you're going to do this. Not much has changed since
the beginning of COVID. Testing is so important. And frequent, recurrent testing in the sporting events, like we did with the SEC, minimum three times a week. Now in Japan they're testing daily.
Do I agree with that?
Yes. That's the way you stop this as we move forward.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, I said 2018; of course, I meant 2016. I was there in Brazil so I should have known that.
One of the sports you're overseeing is gymnastics, obviously a team sport with bigger challenges, with many of the athletes training together. Tell us about the role of alternates.
How will that work if somebody tests positive?
MISCOVICH: I think that's going to be very important in all of the events. But I do believe, in all of the events right now, since we have chosen our final teams, there are very strict protocols unless someone blatantly jumps across.
I feel strongly our Olympians are going to show up in Japan and be COVID free. But again, I believe it will be important for alternates.
[04:15:00]
MISCOVICH: But I don't think we'll need them. I feel confident, having been there on the ground.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Hopefully that's right. Before we go, I want to ask about the fans. We're seeing with Euro 2020 soccer tournament, already it's being associated with outbreaks after some fans have been congregating not only in the stadiums but bars and viewing parties and so on.
Right now, at the Olympics, local spectators will be allowed.
Is that a mistake?
MISCOVICH: A very big mistake. We just had a study out of the U.K. that looked at 92,000 individuals infected with the Delta variant. There were about 7,200 or 8 percent who were fully vaccinated. So that is a significant issue right there.
And then there was another 22,000 or about 24 percent that had only one vaccine dose. So Delta variant is more contagious. You have to have both doses to be safe. And even though you're probably not going to die if you get it, with both doses, you can contract it but you could still spread it to those around you.
That's what we have to watch with, with the new Delta variant.
BRUNHUBER: All right, hopefully it will go smoothly. We'll have to leave it there. Always a pleasure to speak with you, Dr. Scott Miscovich. Thanks so much.
MISCOVICH: Thank you, Kim.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: An update on breaking news now. CNN Philippines confirmed at least 17 people were killed when a C-130 military transport plane crashed in the southern Philippines. At least 40 people have been rescued.
The Philippines air force plane was carrying troops to a island in the Sulu province. It missed the runway and crashed into a nearby village.
Photos we just got show flames and smoke pouring from the crash site. Officials say at least 92 people were on board when it crashed. Again, a military transport plane with the Filipino air force crashed in the southern Philippines. At least 17 people and 40 people rescued so far. We'll bring you details as they become more available.
We want to bring you new information coming into CNN in the past few hours. Officials in Japan say nine more people have been rescued following a mudslide that devastated the coastal city of Atami, bringing the total saved to 19. Two women are confirmed dead and 20 others are unaccounted for after the disaster struck Saturday morning.
For more, let's bring in Blake Essig, who is live in Atami, Japan.
Just looking behind you, a dramatic landscape there.
What more can you tell us on the ground there?
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kim, the sun is almost out here. The search will continue for about another hour. Torrential rains triggered a massive landslide in Atami. And the horrifying scene was captured 10:30 Saturday morning.
A section of the hillside gave way, sending residents scrambling, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. You can see that trail of death and destruction, the residential area once littered with homes. But Atami city officials say 130 homes have been buried or swept away and hundreds more affected, just like the one you're seeing right now.
The bottom floor completely destroyed and mud splattered up the side of the house. Search and rescue efforts have been underway throughout the day to find survivors. City officials say 19 people have been rescued, dug out from their homes.
Around 700 people are assisting with operations and that includes police officers, firefighters, the Coast Guard and members of Japan's self-defense force. As of early Sunday morning, roughly 380 people have been evacuated throughout 10 evacuation centers in the city.
One man says he and his family are lucky to be alive. They got out of their house moments before the landslide hit, burying part of their home. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The first thing that struck me was the sound of the ground rumbling. There was such a muddy, chemical stench to the air. Of course, as so many things were being washed away, it all happened in a split second.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ESSIG: Adverse weather conditions and steep terrain have made the rescue effort more difficult and there are fears more landslides could take place, not just here but in several areas along the coast, as rain continues to fall.
Since we arrived this morning, we've received multiple messages sent to our mobile phones, warning of that very possibility. Because of those concerns, evacuation orders have been put in place in several cities along the coast.
But experts say, even if the rain stops, the risk of another disaster is high because of the amount of water that has been accumulated into the ground in an area prone to landslides -- Kim.
[04:20:00]
BRUNHUBER: All right, great reporting from the scene there, Blake, stay safe. Thanks for your reports in Japan.
The U.S. says it warned the Kremlin about cyber crime.
What happens now after another ransomware attack?
Plus with 4th of July weekend in the U.S. comes fireworks. Officials in the West want people to be extra cautious this year. We'll have details ahead. Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: U.S. officials are tracking a major new ransomware attack targeting a key I.T. vendor. It's believed it's by the same group that hit meat supplier JBS. And the hackers may have links to Russia and Eastern Europe.
U.S. President Joe Biden was in Michigan on Saturday. He visited orchards and met with local officials but eventually talk turned to the cyber attack. And if Biden knows who is responsible, he isn't saying. Arlette Saenz reports.
[04:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden said intelligence officials are still piecing together the details of a massive ransomware attack that affected a key software vendor. That vendor, named Kaseya, provides many products to I.T. management companies.
And cybersecurity experts believe that the same criminal gang responsible for an attack on that meat supplier, JBS, that that same gang was responsible for this attack against that software vendor. That gang is believed to originate in either Eastern Europe or Russia.
Now President Biden told reporters that he was briefed on the matter as he traveled here to Michigan on Air Force One and that, so far, the U.S. government does not know who was responsible for the attack.
And he said that it may not be the Russian government. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, we're not sure who it is. The director of the Intelligence Community will be giving me a deep dive on what's happened. And I'll know better tomorrow. And if it is, either with a knowledge of and/or a consequence of Russia, then I told Putin, we will respond.
We're not certain. The initial thinking was it was not Russian government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now the president raised the issue of cyber attacks with Russia's president Vladimir Putin as they sat face-to-face in Geneva, Switzerland, last month. And following that meeting, the president told reporters that he told Putin, if these types of attacks were to continue and if the Russian government was involved or had knowledge, that the U.S. would be ready to respond.
These issues of cyber attacks really such a point of contention between the U.S. and Russia over the course of the past few months -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Travers City, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: A record-breaking heat wave is overwhelming parts of the Pacific Northwest, Upper Plains and Canada. Millions are under heat warnings. In Portland, Oregon, a medical examiner ruled at least 30 deaths have been caused by excessive heat.
Between 2017 and 2019, there were only 12 deaths from hyperthermia in the whole state. Overall, almost 100 people have died in Oregon from the recent extreme weather.
Today is July 4th, Independence Day in the U.S. Americans are ready to enjoy the long holiday weekend but some are worried that spectacular traditions could be dangerous during this historic heat wave. Paul Vercammen explains. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Up and down the West Coast, they're worried about the combination of the drought, high temperatures and fireworks. They're saying come down to the beach, cool off. If you need to set a fire, do it in one of these cement rings.
The big concern is so many people get their hands on illegal fireworks or legal fireworks and setting them off in the city. Los Angeles has had its problems here and just the other day, they confiscated 5,000 pounds of fireworks, put them in a bomb squad van and somehow that detonated.
Extreme danger, they're telling everyone they will be very aggressive in prosecuting somebody who starts a fire by fooling around with fireworks -- reporting from Los Angeles, I'm Paul Vercammen. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, the U.S. is increasing security measures at its embassy in Kabul, as America's withdrawal from Afghanistan nears completion.
Plus a former South African president finds legal wiggle room in the face of a 50-month prison sentence. We go live to Jacob Zuma's hometown, stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Officials are actively updating evacuation plans at the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan as the threat of potential violence escalates there. Just days after troops left Bagram Air Base, the most significant step yet in the pullout from the country, the Taliban have made territorial gains across the country.
But in a statement last week, the militants said embassies wouldn't face security risks. But still safety concerns remain. CNN's Anna Coren is live in Kabul.
President Biden promised the U.S. isn't abandoning Afghanistan diplomatically.
Many are asking, how long can the U.S. keep its diplomats in the country? ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kim. We know there's going to be 650 Marines protecting the U.S. embassy here in Kabul. There will be other troops and U.S. contractors, who will be securing the airport, the international airport here, until there's a permanent solution put in place.
But certainly, the fact that they're updating these emergency evacuation plans, that leaked out, is causing real alarm here in Afghanistan. People are already feeling extremely abandoned by what has taken place here.
Obviously, U.S. and NATO troops pulling out of Bagram Air Base, that last flight, early Friday morning, has rattled folks. Without that U.S. security blanket, if you like, which has been here for the last 20 years, people are feeling very exposed because of the deteriorating situation across the country.
The Taliban launching this huge offensive, particularly in the north, in the countryside, claiming districts. And we're seeing districts fall every single day. I was just speaking to a woman who runs a woman's organization across the country.
And she said they have had to evacuate their offices up in the north, where the fighting is taking place because, obviously women are under threat, particularly these women who have fled the Taliban.
So this is causing a great deal of concern. We were speaking to local Afghans yesterday, who said we hear the U.S. embassy is closing. So there is that real sense of uncertainty and fear.
On top of that, there is no political road map here in Afghanistan. The peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have really ground to a halt. There has been no progress when it comes to peace. And you speak to people and they say, peace is the only solution because the alternative is war -- Kim.
[04:35:00]
BRUNHUBER: You used words like -- I wrote some down here -- "rattled," "exposed," "uncertainty," "fear."
I'm just reading about this, that so many Afghans seem bitter about this withdrawal, asking questions after 20 years, what was the point?
What is the sense you're getting there?
Do most Afghans consider the U.S. legacy there a failure?
COREN: I think that is a very fair assessment. There's no denying huge strides have been made in human rights, women's rights. Girls now go to school. Press freedoms; the media is a thriving industry in Afghanistan.
I haven't been here for the last seven years, returning on this trip. There's so much more construction underway, a lot of infrastructure. There are power cuts in the capital. Every single day the power goes out for hours on end. So whilst all of the advances have been made over the last 20 years, people are wondering, why has the U.S. left now?
There is a state of helplessness, of insecurity and violence. They say we know America couldn't stay forever but now was not the time to be leaving.
BRUNHUBER: Thank you for your reporting there in Kabul, Anna Coren, appreciate it.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma is buying himself more time. He was up against the deadline of today to turn himself in to police but his attorneys made a last-ditch legal move to buy him some time. David McKenzie is reporting from Zuma's hometown.
What more can you tell us about this new development?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What you see behind me is the palatial homestead of former president Jacob Zuma. Today supporters have been gathering of what would have been a standoff, a tense standoff, because it was today that the former president of South Africa was due to hand himself in to prison for 15 months for contempt.
But he has got that wriggle room, as you suggest, because of that late-breaking, somewhat obscure filing to the constitutional court they'll hear this July 12th. Still the expectation is this leader that has faced corruption, fraud and racketeering charges and gotten out of jail, despite denying allegations for many, many years.
This is a true test of South Africa's constitutional democracy. There was a feeling from analysts, of optimism that, despite the intense pressure from former president Zuma's supporters, that he would, in fact, see jail time.
Now people are less sure. And here in the supporters I've been speaking to today say that, if it comes to him being picked up, they will fight. So there is a threat of violence; however, remote at this point, in South Africa.
And the pressure will build until that moment, in a few weeks, Kim, where possibly the fate of South Africa's former president will be decided -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, thank you so much for that. David McKenzie in South Africa, thank you so much.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, computers, desks, copper pipes, even musical instruments are just some of the things thieves are stealing from schools in Mexico. We'll have a report from Mexico City when we come back. Please stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:40:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): So we want to show you some dramatic video from the Gulf of Mexico. What you're seeing there is an underwater gas leak near an oil platform which caused this Eye of Fire to burn for more than five hours Friday.
Mexican authorities were able to get the blaze under control. No injuries were reported. The company says there was no oil spill and the pipeline has been capped.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Thieves have been targeting schools across Mexico that closed during the pandemic. The cases range from looted classrooms to more extensive damage that could prevent some schools from opening. Matt Rivers has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As if the pandemic hasn't been hard enough on both students and educators and Mexico, we are learning more about just how difficult it was and in many cases, still is, for a lot of these schools to reopen over the last few months because of vandalism and burglaries that have taken place across the country in a pretty staggering rate.
Basically what happened was that schools became easy targets for criminals, because they were closed for so many months during the height of Mexico's pandemic. Take this school, for example, in the state of state of San Luis Potosi, where criminals went through and looted just about the entire school.
You can see some of the damage left behind, a mixture of simple vandalism but also multiple things were stolen, according to the school's principal, including copper piping that was ripped out of the walls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It is anger, helplessness, sadness, because we, say, if it's people from around here doing this, it is their own school they are taking from. Everything we have is for them. And also we feel helpless, because it is the authorities that never solve the crimes.
RIVERS: Now according to a report from Mexicanos Primeros, an education advocacy nonprofit here, nearly 10,000 schools across the country have suffered either vandalism or burglaries since the start of the pandemic through now.
We spoke to another principal of a school in the state of Tabasco, who said thieves stole everything from air conditioning units to sinks to piping. Because of that, the school has no running water, which means it cannot open back up. This principal didn't want to give his or her name or the name of the
school because of fears of being fired and also fears that the thieves may come back.
Like so many other crimes in Mexico, crimes against both of those schools remain unsolved at this point with police in both states saying investigations are underway. Meanwhile, federal election officials tell us these crimes are a significant issue that need to be paid more attention to but told CNN, they didn't want to comment on the total number of schools affected in this way or on the Mexicanos Primeros report -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, a recent Supreme Court decision allows U.S. college athletes to get paid for their endorsements, how that brought together two rivals on the field. Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:45:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BRUNHUBER: A top U.S. track and field star is speaking out about her failed drug test ahead of the Tokyo games. Sha'Carri Richardson is forbidden from running in her signature event. Coy Wire explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Sha'Carri Richardson was suspended for 30 days after testing positive for THC at the Olympic trials in Oregon last month saying that she used marijuana to cope after learning her biological mother had died. Marijuana is legal in Oregon but it's banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Many calling this rule antiquated. U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamie Raskin appealing to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency asking to have the suspension overturned.
Some star athletes, like Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, basketball legends Sue Byrd, Dwyane Wade, all slamming the ruling, hoping she'll be allowed to run.
Others, though, like former NFL player turned TV commentator Emmanuel Acho coming down on the other side, tweeting that, while he doesn't agree with the rule, Richardson knew it was in place and was aware of the punishment for breaking it.
Richardson could potentially still compete in Tokyo as part of the four-by-100-meter relay team if selected. That event takes place after the suspension would end. CNN has reached out to Team USA for clarification but has not yet heard back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Starting this week, the NCAA, which regulates college athletes in the U.S., is allowing them to earn money from endorsements and sponsorships.
[04:50:00]
BRUNHUBER: The decision follows a ground-breaking Supreme Court ruling. College sports rakes in billions of dollars a year in the U.S. in everything from TV contracts to merchandise and didn't take long for some athletes to cash in on their names, faces and brands.
A University of Iowa basketball player announced almost immediately he got a deal with the Boom in Iowa fireworks store for an autograph signing. And two rivals on the gridiron teamed up to start a booking company for live events for student athletes.
The Florida State and the University of Miami's quarterbacks are starting the platform Dream Field.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Daniel Durbin is the director of the USC Annenberg Institute of Sports Media and Society and he joins me now from Wichita, Kansas. Thanks for being on with us.
(CROSSTALK)
DANIEL DURBIN, DIRECTOR, USC ANNENBERG INSTITUTE OF SPORTS MEDIA AND SOCIETY: Thank you for having me.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, my pleasure. Athletes haven't wasted any time cashing in here.
What have you seen in terms of the number and types of deals we're already seeing now that the floodgates are open?
DURBIN: Well, in the short term there will be a fast flood and I've seen a number of folks signing up for -- attempting to engage fans on social media and elsewhere in order to build their public image. I think it's the smart thing to do.
In the long run, this will even out because athletes will still have to perform and still have a public role on the field in order to keep up the audience numbers. But in the short term, it's kind of a boon to the athletes.
BRUNHUBER: Some athletes in high-profile sports might stand to make millions of dollars here. But among the first to snag an endorsement deal were Hayley and Hanna Cavinder, twins that play basketball at Fresno State and they cashed in on their huge social media fame with a couple of deals.
They were on CNN earlier and they pointed to the difference this will make for athletes further down the rungs of college sports, who don't have the prospects of a lucrative pro career when they graduate. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNA CAVINDER, FRESNO STATE BASKETBALL GUARD: I think that's why I'm so excited about it because a lot of college athletes are at their peak while they are in college and I think that you should be able to profit off of it.
So now that it has passed, I feel like it will help all student athletes be able to benefit from it in the future, even if you don't go pro.
So I think that's a huge impact for a student.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Is that right?
Do you think that will be where this makes the biggest impact to people who don't stand to make millions when they sort of graduate?
DURBIN: Of course. The vast majority of college athletes will never make it into the pros. Even those who make it into the pros are tangential, getting into small positions. A lot of athletics in the college and university world where you really don't have the possibility of a multimillion-dollar pro career.
So this offers them the opportunity, while they have that moment of time, where they have the name value tied to a university and where they can develop social media followings so they can build up some resources that they wouldn't be able to otherwise.
The NCAA kept them down for so long that they had no opportunity to do that. And so this gives a tremendous opportunity for the vast majority of college athletes, who will never turn pro.
BRUNHUBER: Schools are allowed to arrange these opportunities for students. But the payments can't be used as incentives to recruit them. So it seems like a very slippery slope there, to say the least.
Schools are already starting an arms race in terms of marketing themselves as having partnerships with marketing companies and so on. USC is among many that announced these types of initiatives.
Do you see it opening a Wild West on that front, making recruiting more unfair than it already is, with athletes sort of choosing where to go, based on how much money they might make?
DURBIN: Look, your illustration is two athletes from Fresno State. So I wouldn't hold that this is necessarily going to disproportionately favor the major universities. Frankly major universities sold themselves on giving the athletes a large stage on which to play and to build up potential money for themselves after they leave the university.
So this is no change in the market. I don't think there's any way in which this makes a huge slippery slope that wasn't already there.
BRUNHUBER: We're seeing some reaction from plenty of athletes, who have been punished when this was illegal. USC had a famous case a year ago, Reggie Bush lost his Heisman trophy, got his records vacated because he and his family were accused of getting money and benefits. USC got a two-year bowl ban.
[04:55:00]
BRUNHUBER: Now he says he never cheated the game. He wants his records and his Heisman back.
Should the NCAA right past wrongs here?
DURBIN: Well, that becomes a complicated issue and, in certain respects, you can't change the past by changing the rules in the present. I think there are other issues involved with Reggie Bush.
And the university and the NCAA could and should reconsider that situation. But that wasn't simply using right of publicity -- which the issue right now is the right of publicity for an athlete's image and their person, not whether or not you gained some benefit outside of the university.
So the Reggie Bush situation is a little bit different. Really it should come under scrutiny but it should not be taken as being an assumption that, because the athletes now have right of publicity, that fits exactly the Reggie Bush case.
BRUNHUBER: So much still to figure out here on this issue. Sounds like it's a step toward fairness. That's all the time we have. Thank you for joining us, Daniel Durbin. Really appreciate it.
DURBIN: Thank you, Kim.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
English soccer fans are on cloud nine after their national team finally reached the Euro 2020 semifinals. Let's have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): "Football's coming home, football's coming home," that's how they celebrated in Rome after England crushed Ukraine 4-0 in the quarterfinal Saturday. That was the first time in 25 years that England reached the semis.
The Three Lions will face Denmark, the Cinderella story of the tournament. The Danes beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in the second quarterfinal match of the day. They'll go up against England at Wembley on Wednesday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with yet another hour. Please do stay with us.
