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CDC, FDA Say No Booster Yet; Delta Variant Causing COVID-19 Surge across Asia; Haiti in Crisis; Critics Slam Hungary's New Law as Homophobic; War in Afghanistan; U.S. Presses Russia to Go After Ransomware Groups; Florida Condo Collapse Death Toll at 79; Excessive Heat in Western U.S.; Richard Branson to Conduct Historic Space Plane Flight. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 10, 2021 - 03:00   ET

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

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, getting on the same page when it comes to vaccines. How a pharma giant and the U.S. government are working to clear up confusion over booster shots.

And it's not just here in the U.S. We're live in London to see how the discussion is playing out in Europe.

And we will take you to Haiti and Colombia for the latest on the manhunt for suspects in the assassination of Haiti's president.

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HOLMES: Global health experts are trying to reassure anyone who has received the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine that they do not need a booster shot, at least not yet. There has been confusion after Pfizer said it sees waning immunity from their vaccine.

Now the world's top health authorities are scrambling to put together a unified message, based on science and hard fact. Elizabeth Cohen breaks it down for us.

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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There's been a lot of confusion following statements from Pfizer and from the U.S. government about whether people need to get a third shot, a booster of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer put out a statement, saying that they think there's waning immunity and they're going to ask the FDA next month for emergency use authorization for a third shot.

However, the federal government says that third shot isn't necessary. So let's take it from what Pfizer has to say.

Pfizer didn't cite any new data or any particular study to show that there's waning immunity. Instead, they pointed to just some new Israeli data that's not been published in a study, that has not been fully explained.

But let's take a look at that Israeli data. A few days ago, the Israeli ministry of health came out with data, saying that the Pfizer vaccine is now just 64 percent effective at preventing infection. That's lower than previously but -- and this is the really important number -- it's 93 percent effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalization.

This is off of recent data. It is unclear why Pfizer thinks that this means that there's waning immunity, since 93 percent is actually a very, very powerful vaccine.

So the U.S. Food and Drug Administration then put out a joint statement, which hardly ever happens, saying, no, you don't need boosters right now. Let's take a look at their wording, because it was so clear and so direct.

They said, "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time."

And it's not just the FDA and the CDC. Experts are telling us also you don't need a booster shot at this time. Maybe in the future but certainly not now. The one exception, if you're immune-compromised, if you take drugs to suppress your immune system, you might benefit from a third shot.

But for everyone else, the two shots are working really, really well. Back to you.

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HOLMES: Our thanks to Elizabeth Cohen there.

So global health experts are united about the efficacy of many of the current coronavirus vaccines. But, as we're seeing with the Pfizer statement, there's sometimes a lot of discussion to sort through. Dr. Anthony Fauci explains why it's important for Americans to listen to the experts.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF COVID-19 MEDICAL ADVISER: Well, certainly they need to the listen to the CDC and the FDA, the FDA being the regulatory authority that has control over this. And the CDC, in accordance with their advisory committee on immunization practices, will make the recommendation.

Certainly, Pfizer is doing their own studies, which is good. I'm very pleased that they're doing that. And as they have indicated, they're ultimately going to apply to get authorization to give a boost. However, right now, as said by the CDC and the FDA in their joint

statement that they came out with last night, that, right now, people who have gotten the doses of Pfizer, the prime and the boost as well as the prime and the boost of Moderna or a single dose of J&J, do not need to get a boost right now.

Having said that, the FDA, CDC and NIH are now gathering information through clinical studying and laboratory studies to determine if and when we might need boosters. But that's not right now.

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FAUCI: Nothing has changed with regard to the CDC's recommendations. So we respect what the pharmaceutical company is doing but the American public should take their advice from the CDC and the FDA.

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HOLMES: Now as the Delta variant becomes the dominant strain in the U.S., the nation is looking at other countries to get a sense of what might be in store.

In Israel, daily cases have doubled since the variant was first detected there but the death rate has remained relatively low.

And while both cases and deaths have increased in the U.K., infections there have climbed exponentially faster than deaths. Experts say vaccines are critical in preventing the worst outcome. Both countries have inoculated more than 50 percent of their populations.

Cyril Vanier joins me now live from London.

So when it comes to all of this, Cyril, why isn't the European Medicines Agency jumping all over it?

What is it saying?

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what we're seeing, Michael, is that there are steps to this process. And right now, Pfizer, as the innovator in this field, is way ahead of the regulators, right, which, quite naturally and by definition almost, come downstream of the innovators.

So the vaccine inventor, Pfizer in this case, is looking at the data and for the very, very first time we are -- we have six months of data that we can look at in the countries that were most advanced in vaccination and that started vaccinating early. That is Israel.

If you think about it in the U.K., we started vaccinating very early December, so we're just a few weeks ago past the six-month mark, where we can start collecting six months of data and looking at it.

Pfizer is looking at that data and seeing one thing. It has not yet published a comprehensive study that has been published in a peer reviewed journal. That would have to happen. And then the regulators will be able to determine whether essentially,

they agree with Pfizer's assessment or not. So that's where the European Medicines Agency is at the moment.

And, you know, Pfizer's priority is building a vaccine that they are going to be able to provide -- and let's not forget, sell to the richest countries in the world, which is not to cast any doubt on their motivations or what they're doing or the quality of their work.

But then the regulators have to decide, OK, we are -- if we're going to inject something in the arms of people who are healthy, it needs to meet the absolute highest standards of health and quality.

And that is already the reasoning and the approach the EMA took to approve the vaccines. They were a little slower than both the U.K. and the U.S. in approving a number of vaccines earlier this year. That's the approach they're going to be taking with any potential booster jabs -- Michael.

HOLMES: Yes. Great summary there. Thanks, Cyril. Good to see you. Cyril Vanier in London for us.

Now Asia and the South Pacific particularly hard-hit by the Delta variant. Countries that were once success stories at containing COVID now struggling to cope with escalating infections. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout with that.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Across Asia, the Delta variant is fueling a growing wave of new COVID-19 cases. In Thailand, coronavirus deaths are climbing.

The country has ordered new restrictions in the capital Bangkok and surrounding provinces starting on Monday, including mall closures as well as limits on travel and social gatherings.

Cases are also spiking in Vietnam. Both the capital, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh city have tightened restrictions to contain the virus.

Indonesia has reported a record number of deaths fueled by the Delta variant. Save the Children is warning that many more children will die there.

Its humanitarian Chief in Indonesia says this, "The health system is on the verge of collapse. Hospitals are already being overwhelmed. Oxygen supplies are running out and health services in Java and Bali are woefully ill-equipped to handle this surge in critically ill patients."

South Korea is raising its pandemic restrictions to the highest level in and around the capital, Seoul, from Monday. Health ministry officials said that the country is in a "dire situation," with the Delta variant detected at an increasingly fast pace in the greater Seoul area. Only 11 percent of the country's population is fully vaccinated. Japan has also been hit with a sharp rise in infection. Following a

new state of emergency in Tokyo, Olympic organizers on Thursday said that they would ban all spectators from Olympic venues in and around the city. Just over 15 percent of Japan's population is fully vaccinated.

China has reported its highest daily tally of infection since January, with all local cases from Ruili. It's a city in Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar. Parts of the city are in full lockdown. According to local officials, some patients were infected with the Delta variant.

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STOUT: In Australia, the state of New South Wales on Thursday reported its biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases this year. The outbreak began with an unvaccinated driver catching the Delta variant from a flight crew member. Just over 9 percent of the population in New South Wales has been fully vaccinated.

The Delta variant is also ravaging the Pacific Island nation of Fiji. The mortuary in Fiji's main hospital is already filled to capacity. Earlier on, countries across Asia have managed the coronavirus with some success.

But the highly contagious Delta strain, along with the slow pace of vaccination in countries like South Korea, Australia, and Indonesia, have given rise to a devastating new wave of the pandemic -- Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

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HOLMES: LGBTQ activists in Hungary are terrified of losing their civil rights. They say the country's new law is turning that fear into a reality. We'll explain why just ahead.

Also still to come, the motive behind the assassination of Haiti's president remains unknown, as authorities search for five suspects still at large.

And while the fragile nation falls deeper into turmoil, the Haitian people fear for the future that is still so uncertain.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I can't close my eyes, not since the day before yesterday. I can't sleep at night. I had to come here to the embassy because I'm scared. There are many gunshots and I don't even know where they're coming from. I've abandoned my home. I can't go back. I don't know about my family.

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MATHIAS PIERRE, HAITIAN MINISTER OF ELECTIONS: First, we need to find who assassinated the president. That's why we requested U.S. support, in which we're going to have to have the truth and the like for the (INAUDIBLE) to work.

The second is to reinforce stability for the country to move on, while the Haitian people are mourning the death of the president.

And, third, organization of an election in the next 22 days.

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HOLMES: Haiti's elections minister there, discussing the steps going forward, following the brazen assassination of the country's president, Jovenel Moise.

Authorities say a manhunt is still underway for five suspects still at large. Right now, 20 suspects are in custody. Three others were killed in a shootout with police. That brings the total of those allegedly involved to 28.

Police described the armed group as professional killers, including two American citizens and several retired members of the Colombian military. Stefano Pozzebon is in Bogota with more on those Colombian veterans. But first, Matt Rivers reporting from the site of a shootout in the Haitian capital.

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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a building where one of the shootouts took place between some of the suspects in this assassination and Haitian security forces.

And just by looking around at the damage here, you can tell just how ferocious this battle was. Look up here, in the ceiling. It's a concrete ceiling and there are multiple bullet holes. There are dozens just like that all across this building.

And if you come over here, look at this detail. These are the bullet holes left behind, after multiple rounds pierced this metal window frame. And if you step back, you can see this was an entire wall of windows and frames that is now basically just gone.

And this kind of damage just extends throughout this entire building. Walking into this room, you can see lots more bullet holes in the concrete ceiling. And in here, more damage, windows just entirely blown out, more bullet holes.

And here is the thing. There are still suspects on the loose after this assassination.

So it makes you think that, could there be more confrontations like this one in store over the coming days and weeks?

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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At least 13 retired members of the Colombian army traveled from Bogota to the Dominican Republic and then on to Haiti, where they were allegedly involved in the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise, the Colombian national police announced on Friday.

Two of them traveled to Port-au-Prince in early May. While the bulk of the group appear to have arrived months later, said the police chief, General Jorge Barrias (ph), who identified the 13 men in a televised presser.

Their ranks range from lieutenant colonel to soldier and all left active duty over a year ago, Colombian army chief General Luis (INAUDIBLE) Navarro said, also, on Friday.

But there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the motives and actions that led to Moise's assassination. The Haitian police announced on Friday that they are still looking for five suspects involved in the assassination.

And there are discrepancies between the number of Colombian nationals that have been arrested in Haiti and those that have been confirmed from the Colombian national police here in Bogota.

And while this is happening, Colombian president Duque ordered the Colombian national intelligence chief to travel to Haiti to follow the investigations -- on location for CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.

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HOLMES: Robert Muggah is the co-founder of the Igarape Institute and The SecDev Group.

And it's good to have you here to talk about this. Haiti, as you know well, has had a long and sad history of instability.

What -- what do you see as the risks right now, in terms of where this could be headed, both politically but on the streets as well?

ROBERT MUGGAH, IGARAPE INSTITUTE AND THE SECDEV GROUP: We've got a really complicated situation right now in Haiti, probably one of the most volatile moments in -- in a decade or more. You've got a constitutional and political crisis over the succession of the next president of Haiti.

You've got an intensifying security crisis with over 150 gangs in Haiti right now operating, in some cases controlling large swaths of the capital city. You've got an economic crisis, with recession and inflation and the real, the gourde, the currency falling.

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MUGGAH: And you have got a food security crisis. And on top of all of that, you have got COVID-19, which hasn't even really hit Haiti hard, yet. And with Delta, could make a bad situation tremendously worse.

So the real challenge right now is whether or not we can come up with some kind of bargain in Haiti, with the politicians, between the Left and the Right, agreeing to define who the next president of the country will be.

HOLMES: Apart from the -- the -- the political crisis, you touched on this and it's worth revisiting.

What -- what is the role of the gangs when it comes to social instability and insecurity?

I mean, there are calls and plans for elections and so on. But it'd be pretty hard to vote or campaign, when gangs control so much of the street.

MUGGAH: That's right. I mean, you've had a gang phenomenon in Haiti for quite some time. This is not something that's just emerged or materialized in the last couple of years.

Gangs are often deeply embedded in communities, across the major cities of Haiti, from the north to the center to the south. And they play a variety of roles. They provide protection. They extort and racketeer.

But most importantly, a lot of the gangs in Haiti are also implicated in politics; that is to stay, they're instrumentalized by many of the government figures or oppositional figures as a way of either getting out the vote or suppressing the vote in really key areas.

So right now, in Haiti, you've got number of gangs and federations of gangs that have essentially taken over almost two-thirds of the city, making it no-go areas for -- for anybody, let alone, you know, common citizens. So it's a really difficult situation that was coming to a boil, even before the assassination of the president.

HOLMES: What can the international community do to help?

You know, the international community has pledged, I think, it's $13 billion of aid to the country over the last decade. I mean, a lot of people say a lot of that didn't actually make it there.

But what is there to show for international support?

Did it all get there?

Where has it helped the Haitian people?

MUGGAH: It's a really tragic situation and hard to watch. I mean, I've been involved in Haiti for a couple of decades now. And as you say, there's been an enormous amount of resources poured into the country.

There are hundreds of -- of nongovernmental organizations that are delivering services. Some people talk of Haiti as being a republic of NGOs or nongovernmental organizations.

There's been at least half a dozen peacekeeping missions into Haiti over the last two decades. And yet we continue to see a country that's really at the edge, in terms of all of the sustainable development metrics and in terms of security and democracy.

And so, I think, what you are seeing in the international community is a level of fatigue and frustration. But here we are, again, you know, history repeating itself or at least rhyming with another situation that's going to demand an enormous amount of attention.

One thing I think we can say, though, is I think Haiti faces two possible scenarios right now moving forward. One scenario is that there is some kind of bargain that emerges from this succession.

And right now, we have three competing candidates, who -- who -- who possibly might become president and a lot of concern in the street as to how they're going to react.

But if we do have a bargain of some kind, this could be a genuine opportunity for Haitians to come together and form a government of real unity after many years of disunity.

But if that doesn't happen in the next couple of weeks, we could see the reverse, which is a collapse, a breakdown, a continued deterioration and an even darker scenario than we currently have right now.

HOLMES: Yes. That -- that -- that is the bleak outlook but it is a troubled land, as we say. Great to get your insights there, Robert Muggah, thank you so much.

MUGGAH: Oh, thanks so much.

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HOLMES: European leaders and human rights activists are outraged over one of Hungary's newest laws, saying it is blatantly homophobic. The European Parliament says it's another example of eroding civil rights in Hungary. The country's prime minister doesn't think so. Here's what's in the new law and how Hungarians are responding.

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HOLMES (voice-over): LGBTQ activists gather in front of the Hungarian parliament with a giant heart-shaped rainbow balloon. They're protesting a new law, which prohibits sharing any content with people under 18 that the government considers as promoting homosexuality or encouraging gender reassignment.

That means teachers can't share LGBTQ content in school sex education programs. Producers will also have to avoid featuring same-sex relationships in TV shows and movies for kids. Those found violating the law could face unspecified penalties, which will be defined later, according to the government.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban says he supports the LGBTQ community and argues, the legislation is only meant to protect children.

VIKTOR ORBAN, HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER: It's not about homosexuals.

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ORBAN: The law is about that to decide what kind of way the parents would like sexually educate the kids exclusively belonging to the parents. That's what the law is about.

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HOLMES (voice-over): But critics disagree.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Lots of children grow up not being accepted at home. And at least there should be places at schools, where they would be accepted. But this new law would limit that as well.

HOLMES (voice-over): European Union leaders have also slammed the law over what they see as a violation of the bloc's values.

URSULA VAN DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION (through translator): This law puts homosexuality and gender reassignment on par with pornography.

This law uses the protection of children, to which we are all committed, as an excuse to severely discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation. This law is disgraceful.

HOLMES (voice-over): And on Thursday, a majority of the European Parliament voted to condemn it.

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HOLMES: Now as companies weigh a post-pandemic future, there are growing conversations about what the workday could look like -- full- time, work from home, hybrid perhaps.

Well, Iceland did some research. Public sector employees took part in two large trials between 2015 and 2019. People worked 35 to 36 hours instead of around 40 hours -- for the same pay, by the way. The result, worker well-being increased dramatically.

And the study found that even with the shorter hours, productivity either stayed the same or improved.

I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. If you are an international viewer, "AFRICAN VOICES CHANGEMAKERS" If you're joining me here in the United States, I'll be right back with more CNN NEWSROOM. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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HOLMES: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

The Taliban are seizing territory more rapidly in Afghanistan now that the U.S. troop withdrawal is almost complete. Two strategic border crossings are now under their control. Anna Coren reports for us on the latest developments from Kabul.

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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Taliban continues to make sweeping gains across Afghanistan, seizing one of the country's main trading gateways with Iran. The militants took control of the dry port of Islam Qala in the western province of Herat, where millions of dollars worth of fuel and supplies cross.

The Taliban also claimed another border crossing bordering Turkmenistan. The government says security forces are attempting to recapture these key areas. It comes after President Biden vigorously defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces and end America's 20- year war in Afghanistan.

He said the decision was overdue that America did not come here to nation build and that it was up to the Afghan government and its security forces to defend its people.

Meantime, a delegation from the Taliban meeting with the Russian government in Moscow gave a press conference, stating that it had claimed 85 percent of Afghan territory, a figure denied by the government.

It also said that humanitarian groups should keep operating, that schools and hospitals must stay open and that the border crossings and customs offices which have been seized will remain operational.

But attempts to portray the extreme Islamist group as an alternate governing body is not convincing anyone. The fighting continues to rage on the battlefield, with tens of thousands of people being displaced, while those who can plan for an exit strategy out of this country -- Anna Coren, CNN, Kabul.

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HOLMES: Now 18,000 Afghan interpreters and other workers who worked alongside the U.S. are seeking that exit. They live with the constant fear of Taliban retribution. Some have already died.

President Joe Biden pledging to speed up the special visa process that would allow them to move to the U.S. along with their families. They would first be relocated outside of Afghanistan while they wait. But so far the White House hasn't offered any real specifics.

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HOLMES: Steve Miska is a retired U.S. Army colonel, who served in Iraq. He is the author of "Baghdad Underground Railroad," which is about getting interpreters and others out of Iraq. He joins me now to talk about this.

And not for the first time. Good to see you, Colonel. The -- the president said the process is already underway. But in your view, is that true, in a meaningful sense, in the sense of actually getting people out in the numbers that need to get out?

This needs to be a mass operation and right now, doesn't it?

COL. STEVE MISKA, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Absolutely, Michael. And let me just start by saying that nobody in our coalition that I represent -- veterans groups, humanitarian groups -- we're not questioning the decision to withdraw. But we are saying, let us do it with dignity.

Let us get all of our Afghan interpreters out. And so I imagine the president's comments were in reference to what he cited as 2,500 SIV applicants, who have applied since January. And, yes, that is marginal improvement in the SIV bureaucracy.

But it's not meeting the needs on the ground at the time, especially, if you're an Afghan or a family member attempting to get out of harm's way.

HOLMES: Yes. And the -- the -- the president spoke, he spoke directly to translators and others when he said this. Let's have a listen.

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BIDEN: There is a home for you in the United States, if you so choose. And we will stand with you, just as you stood with us.

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HOLMES: The thing that worries me about that is it sounds good but -- but is it true, in terms of what is happening on the ground versus what needs to happen?

What is being done right now?

MISKA: Yes. I -- so, I applaud the intent and it's important that the president said that.

HOLMES: Yes.

MISKA: But the reality is that we need an evacuation on the scale of tens of thousands right now. And we are not seeing that. We're going to see some options exercised, where people will -- might go to third countries. They might use Guam. Some might get humanitarian parole and come direct to the United States.

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MISKA: But it's not enough. And that -- that figure that he cited, about, you know, half of the 2,500 not exercising that option, well, that's not a choice for them. That's a combination of either security conditions on the ground or a broken bureaucracy that's not allowing them to get out.

HOLMES: And -- yes, and some of them haven't even been able to get passports, either, just because of the security situation.

So -- so many are supporting this cause, this very just cause. But -- but speak to the damage to U.S. interests, if it doesn't act on this issue.

Who -- who, in some future conflict, will want to go near working for Americans in a foreign land, if these people in Afghanistan and Iraq are not looked after?

MISKA: Yes. It's not just the future, Michael; we've got men and women in harm's way now around the globe. They rely on interpreters. They rely on local and national support.

What are we doing to those relationships?

How are we impacting our FBI agents, who are doing counterintel -- or counterterrorism investigations anytime a bomb goes off?

What informant will want to provide us with vital intelligence in those cases?

And, lastly, I'd say, for our men and women, who are -- are finishing their time in service, taking off their uniform, going home, feeling like they've violated this ethos of leave no one behind, is that how we want them to talk to prospective recruits in their hometowns?

HOLMES: And -- and to be very clear, you know, what -- what are you hearing from Afghans waiting for the U.S. to meaningfully act?

I mean, the killings and threats are already happening.

MISKA: It's, as you know, it's been going on for 20 years in Afghanistan. I give credit to my colleagues, who are in direct contact -- with Afghans and Iraqis, by the way, every day. They are getting distress calls. And, unfortunately, some of those lines are going dead right now.

And the emotional toll that it's taking on people, who are -- are trying to help them navigate this, you know, incredible bureaucracy, is -- is really damaging to what we're trying to do here.

HOLMES: Real quick, because we were talking about this before we started this interview, that flag behind you, that means something to you, doesn't it?

MISKA: Yes, Michael. That was given to me after we started the Baghdad Underground Railroad and we started getting Iraqi interpreters out.

And as I was getting ready to redeploy back to Germany, the -- the interpreters who remained all signed that flag and they gave it to me as a parting gift. And that was the motivation for me every day, when I came into work to write and get that story told.

HOLMES: You -- you are fighting the good fight. There are many others like you. And I'm with you, all the way. It means a lot to me as well, having worked there and embedded with you in Iraq and worked with a lot of these translators, too. Let's not let this issue go. Steve Miska, always good to see you, my friend. Thank you.

MISKA: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now the U.S. President has put Moscow on notice over ransomware demands blamed on Russian hackers. Recently some American companies have been targeted by cyberattacks, which, among other things, led to temporary gas shortages and shutdowns of meat plants. Kaitlan Collins with more on that.

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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Biden delivering a new warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin tonight.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his soil, even though it's not, not sponsored by the states, we expect them to act if we give them enough information to act on who that is.

COLLINS (voice-over): During an hour-long call, Biden urged Putin to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating out of Russia following a wave of new attacks.

BIDEN: It went well. I'm optimistic.

COLLINS (voice-over): Biden warning, the U.S. has the right to respond if the assaults don't stop, a similar message to the one he issued in Geneva three weeks ago.

BIDEN: The bottom line is, I told President Putin that we need to have some basic rules of the road.

COLLINS (voice-over): The president is under pressure to act after a Russian-based cyber gang carried out a massive attack on a small Florida company, paralyzing hundreds of businesses.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We don't have additional or new information suggesting the Russian government directed these attacks.

COLLINS (voice-over): The White House also still not attributing blame after hackers breached a contractor for the Republican National Committee, though Biden did summon his top cybersecurity officials to the Situation Room this week to weigh responses to the latest onslaught.

PSAKI: This is consistent with the President's view that diplomacy includes working together where there is opportunity and agreement and being clear and candid and forthright when there's disagreement. And this call is an example of that.

COLLINS (voice-over): The White House is declining to say how Putin responded to Biden's latest call for action.

PSAKI: That's an appropriate role for the United States to convey.

[03:40:00]

PSAKI: I can convey and read out to you what role President Biden played and what message he delivered to the Russians.

COLLINS (voice-over): Pressed today on whether the U.S. would go on offense, Biden offered a one-word response.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does it make sense for the U.S. to take it up a notch and attack the actual servers that are used?

BIDEN: Yes.

COLLINS: And the Kremlin responded with their own readout of that hour-long conversation, casting doubt on the idea that these cyber criminals are operating out of Russia, even though the White House has said time and time again that they are.

And this all comes ahead of a meeting next week between American officials and Russian officials, where they are supposed to be discussing cyber crime and ransomware attacks. Whether or not those meetings actually make any progress between the two sides remains to be seen -- Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.

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HOLMES: And we'll update you when we come back on that horrific Florida condo collapse, the rising death toll, where the recovery effort stands now and what's about to happen to the building nearby.

Also billionaire Richard Branson will try to make history Sunday, 50 miles above the Earth. That and more after the break.

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JIMMY PATRONIS, CHIEF FIRE OFFICER AND FLORIDA STATE FIRE MARSHAL: We have been exploiting every element of state resources that we can to ensure that we get the best data possible because, at the end of the day, there may be insurance claims that take place.

I want to make sure families get closure on the emotional side of it and then, for those that are surviving, I want to make sure they get their closure on the financial side.

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HOLMES: That's Florida's chief fire officer, explaining how his team is determining just how many people could have been in the condo that collapsed last month.

Local officials say one more victim has been recovered from the collapsed site in Surfside. That means 79 people are now confirmed to have died in the disaster. Only 53 of those have been identified so far.

[03:45:00]

HOLMES: And 61 others are potentially unaccounted for. CNN's Leyla Santiago has the latest on the investigation into nearby condo towers and whether they are safe to live in.

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LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, officials scrambling to ensure the safety of other buildings not far from Champlain Tower South that collapsed in Surfside.

Drilling is underway at Champlain Tower North, just a block away from its sister building. Engineers are taking samples of concrete for analysis to eventually compare to concrete from the rubble. The city of Surfside is also using ground penetrating radar, GPR, to analyze structure safety.

QUESTION: Have you seen anything that has worried you yet?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, ma'am. But I can't see through concrete. That's why the GPRs and the compressor strength of the concrete is important for me to understand.

GUSTAVO MATA, CRESTVIEW TOWER RESIDENT: You know, you see the building, it looks like a normal building.

SANTIAGO (voice-over): In North Miami Beach, residents of Crestview Towers had 15 minutes to grab personal belongings from their homes after it was closed and evacuated a week ago, deemed unsafe.

MATA: Just 15 minutes is nothing for us. So we take all that you see over there. So you know, it's not enough but we have something.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got 17.

SANTIAGO (voice-over): Newly released video from the Champlain Tower South shows the parking deck in July of 2020. CNN asked two engineers to review the video. Both noted the corrosion but found it difficult to discern anything. MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA (D-FL), MIAMI-DADE COUNTY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, has made very significant progress in tagging and transporting pieces of forensic evidence from the pile.

They've now collected over 200 pieces of evidence and they recently deployed a scientist from the physics measurement lab in Washington to assist with analysis.

SANTIAGO (voice-over): As the investigation into the cause of the collapse continues, teams now on a recovery mission continue to search for victims and retrieve their personal belongings, hoping to bring closure to families as soon as possible.

MAYOR CHARLES BURKETT (I-FL), SURFSIDE: The pile that originally was approximately four or five stories is now almost at ground level. Everything you can imagine has been recovered and processed. This process will continue until every bit of debris has gone through.

SANTIAGO: I spoke to Global Empowerment Mission. It is an organization that is helping some of the survivors move forward. You know, they talked about how they still need very basic things; in some cases, money for a deposit to be able to get a new home.

Just one indication of how this will certainly be a very long road ahead -- Leyla Santiago, CNN, Surfside, Florida.

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HOLMES: Another heat wave is hitting the western United States. When we come back, the latest from our meteorologist on the scorching temperatures and the dangers ahead.

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HOLMES: Now more than 30 million people across the western United States are under heat alerts. The region bracing for another record- breaking heat wave starting this weekend. Temperatures poised to reach well into the triple digits once again.

To make matters worse, there is an historic drought in most of the West, the perfect recipe for wildfire disasters. Already the scorching heat has aggravated many large fires in northern California.

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HOLMES: Well, one day, five hours and counting until the billionaire, Richard Branson, tries to accomplish a first for tycoons like him. He's going to try to fly to the edge of space in a space plane built by his company, Virgin Galactic. [03:55:00]

HOLMES: If everything goes well, Branson will win what some people are calling the billionaire space race, meaning he will beat Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is set to launch in his Blue Origin company's rocket nine days later.

Now Branson, who denies he's racing with Bezos, tweeted pictures of himself with fellow crew members. The two companies are developing commercial space flights for tourists.

Now every year some talented teenagers gather to show off some word magic. This year's Scripps National Spelling Bee came down to this answer from 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde.

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ZAILA AVANT-GARDE, SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE CHAMPION: Murraya, M- U-R-R-A-Y-A.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is correct.

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HOLMES (voice-over): Now murraya is a kind of tree by the way. Zaila, the first African American winner, beat more than 200 contestants but she's much more than a good speller. She's a basketball whiz with three world records for dribbling.

AVANT-GARDE: And I think I'm definitely interested in playing basketball at Harvard. And maybe, then -- then, it's like four options. I am thinking about maybe NBA basketball coach, working for NASA or maybe going into some -- treating diseases and stuff to help with neuroscience.

Or finally, ever since I learned a little bit about it and saw the two women who won Nobel prizes for gene editing, I have been looking into that, too.

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HOLMES: I think she will do all of those things. Zaila gets a $50,000 cash prize and a pretty cool trophy.

I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for spending part of your day with me. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @HolmesCNN. Kim Brunhuber will be here with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.