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Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former Trump Adviser Peter Navarro On Criminal Contempt Charges; Official Says, Retired Wisconsin Judge Killed In Targeted Attack, Source Says Suspect Had Other Targets; "New York Times" Reports Child's 911 Call Amid Shooting; Queen Elizabeth Marking 70 Years On British Throne; Rising Sea Levels Eroding Land, Devouring Homes On Coast. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired June 04, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:00:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're alive in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

The committee investigating January 6th is ready for primetime as they prepare to go public with new information next week. One of their criminal contempt referrals has resulted in a high-profile arrest. A federal grand jury on Friday indicted former White House Adviser Peter Navarro for contempt of Congress after he refused to cooperate with the January 6th committee. He joins the Justice Department's insurrection indictment list alongside former Trump Adviser Steve Bannon.

But that list will not include Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino. The Justice Department declined to act on criminal contempt referrals for the former White House chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, a decision the January 6th committee calls puzzling.

The committee will hold its first ever public hearing on Thursday night. They plan to show previously unseen material documenting January 6th, call witnesses and provide a summary of its findings so far. CNN has learned that two people directly tied to former Vice President Mike Pence have received invitations to appear. This as a stunning report in the New York Times says one day before Pence certified the election, a top Pence aide warned the Secret Service that Trump was going to turn publicly against the vice president putting him in danger. The Secret Service disputes that account, but, of course, we now know how January 6th unfolded.

And joining me now is veteran Democratic Strategist James Carville. James, great to see you, thanks for doing this.

You know, after the Justice Department made that announcement, the January 6th committee tweeted in part, we find the decision to reward Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino for their continued attack on the rule of law puzzling. And, James, as you know, you're no stranger to all of this. This news was dropped late on a Friday night. Do you think it's time for Democrats to call in the attorney general, Merrick Garland for a hearing, ask him some questions about how this all came about?

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Probably not, because it's going to be some explosive hearings without Meadows and Scavino anyway, and I wouldn't want anything to detract from that.

But there's something else that's very important to remember, Jim. June is going to be an enormous month. You're going to have the Dobbs case come out of the Supreme Court. You're going to have the New York gun case come out of the Supreme Court. And I'm told that there's going to be a major environmental case that's got a good chance it would get the federal's response to have almost any kind of environmental regulation.

So, we've got an eventful June here, but only to create any more events than we have. I think the committee can just work around these two guys, I really do.

ACOSTA: Well, let me ask you this, do you worry that Trump and some of his top aides, like Mark Meadows, are just going to be let off the hook in all of this? I mean, what does that mean for the country? I mean, Meadows was the chief of staff to the president. He's intimately involved in planning meetings at the White House with members of Congress. He's on the phone with Raffensperger down on Georgia, the secretary of state, trying to change the outcome of the election down there, and he's not going to feel the heat of a congressional hearing.

CARVILLE: Well, what I'm really worried about is the Trump White House is on a crime spree for four years, and no one in law enforcement seems to be very upset about it. And now maybe I'm told by people that the attorney general is a very diligent, very thorough man and that he's working through this on his own time schedule.

So, I've got to trust the president's judgment in picking Attorney General Garland, and I got to trust that Attorney General Garland, at some point, but it's evident that there was a huge crime spree. It's evident that there was massive criminality on January the 6th, and I think this committee is going to develop that in a way that the American people are going to see it, and law enforcement is not going to be able to look the other way. I genuinely believe that.

ACOSTA: In terms of criminal prosecution, I mean, just to follow-up on that, and we'll move along to the next thing here, you know, because you understand the political timing of a lot of these things, James. If the attorney general is waiting until around the midterms or just after the midterms, maybe he's just being diligent about it. Obviously, he doesn't want to time things politically. Could there potentially be a problem in that you'll have, you know, 40 percent of the country say, oh, this is just time to the midterms, or this is just time because of the upcoming presidential campaign?

CARVILLE: Well, I mean, Jim, that's exactly what I'm saying. They said forget about it, get on with the hearings. They have plenty of witnesses. They have plenty of people. They have plenty of evidence. They have plenty of documents. They have plenty of video. And if you were to go to the attorney general, you would try to get the subpoena enforced some other way, it would take you forever. [18:05:00]

And you're right to think you don't want to be doing this in the fall, that they're up against a timeline, they're doing it in June. I congratulate them. They've put a lot of work together in this. And let's get the show on. And if we don't have these two clowns, we can revisit that later, and take more advice down the road. But I think we want to get these hearings started and have them be front and center and not extraneous subpoenas being litigated through court.

ACOSTA: And one last January 6th question, you know, Axios is reporting that Trump and his allies are going to try to counterprogram these hearings. There's a big question as to how Fox is going to cover these hearings. You know, are we just going to see counterprogramming over on the right in conservative media?

You know, James, I mean, these summer hearings have the potential, or they used to have the potential to really dramatically change public opinion. But if half the country is watching alternate facts, how does the truth get through?

CARVILLE: You know, it's so funny because I was studying for the bar exam in 1973 during the Watergate hearings. I don't know how I passed the bar exam. It was a miracle, because I was transfixed by it. But I think these people know what a story and a narrative is. I think Thursday night is going to be -- they got to come up with something explosive out of the chute. And, of course Fox is going to forget about it, I mean, just like they forgot about the John Durham verdict. You'd never thought that happened.

I will say one thing in relation to the Secret Service in Pence. Maggie Haberman wrote that story. There is zero chance that's wrong, zero chance. If she put it in the paper, you know, that that's true, and that's a pretty stunning story, you know? And we're going to see more of this in the next six weeks coming out of these hearings. I honestly believe that, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, and it does -- I think, Maggie's reporting also, I think, dovetails with some of the other testimony that's already come in, that Meadows, Mark Meadows, the chief of staff was warned before January 6th that there could be violence on January 6th. There were warnings that were -- they weren't being circulated publicly but they were certainly being circulated privately.

CARVILLE: Yes. And, you know, everything that I see, that I read that people tell me, these are some highly competent people on this committee, and they have very competent staff and have very good lawyers, you know? And I would -- anybody that thinks they're going to go up there and lie and try to shade something, I would ask them to see a lawyer. And I would advise strongly against that because these people are dead serious and they're highly competent and I think they know how to tell a story, but I hope I'm right.

ACOSTA: Yes. And as we look at the midterms, we mentioned the midterms, I want to show an ad released by the Democratic Georgia senator, Raphael Warnock, against GOP challenger and former football star Herschel Walker. You'll see how he's trying to make Walker his own worst enemy. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATORIAL CANDIDATE HERSCHEL WALKER (R-GA): Do you know right now I have something that can bring you into a building that would clean you from COVID as you go through this (INAUDIBLE). As you walk through the door, it would kill any COVID on your body. When you leave, it will kill the virus as you leave this here product. They don't want to talk about that. They don't want to hear about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What do you think, James? Do Democrats need to do more of this?

CARVILLE: Yes. I've seen that ad. People have texted me all day and probably the 40th time I've seen it. I was campaigning in Georgia for Democrats and I said I think Herschel Walker had an ill-fitting helmet, okay? He didn't put his helmet on right because there's something wrong with him. That guy, he's not right. I promise you that, and there's more of this kind of tape coming from every kind of corner you can from everything from evolution to COVID. I don't know what he calls it, but I'm more optimistic of --

ACOSTA: The mist.

CARVILLE: Yes, I think that Senator Warnock has been one of the real, real upside surprises that's coming out of this Senate class. So, yes, I've seen that and it's pretty amazing. And I think we're going to get some more looks (ph) here at Herschel Walker's extent.

Like I said --

ACOSTA: Let me --

CARVILLE: Go ahead, sorry.

ACOSTA: No. I was just going to say, you know, it does have the potential to help the Democrats heading into the midterms, some of these candidates that the Republicans are putting up.

I want to shift to the economy, because you're known for coining the phrase, it's the economy stupid. There was a better than expected job report on Friday. There are plenty of voters upset about food and gas prices. In a speech yesterday, President Biden pointed the finger at Vladimir Putin again. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a Putin price hike, Putin price hike, Putin's price hike.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Your thoughts on that, James. Is that explanation good enough and are Democrats losing on some of these kitchen table issues? Do you want to give them some tough talk here?

CARVILLE: Yes. I'm going to tell you who's doing well, Exxon, Chevron, Shell, every oil company, stories today about how much they're selling stocks back that they're worth.

[16:10:03]

And if anybody doesn't think that these oil companies are manipulating these prices to their advantage, and I have no idea what to tell you because you're strictly naive (ph), the British parliaments, the Tories passed this, the Democrat in the House passed this, tax those windfall profits and return that money to consumers, in particular consumers that are making under $100,000 a year. And they can do that. And there's not a single person in the United States that doesn't think that these prices are being manipulated by these oil companies.

And I'm sure Putin is somewhat to blame, but believe you me, they're riding that and the Democrats have got to show that they really understand what's going on in this economy. A lot of this is being manipulated for the purpose of profit. That's what's really happening here.

ACOSTA: Why hasn't the White House been more aggressive on that, James? Why hasn't the president been more aggressive on that in terms of going after the oil companies? And I wonder why haven't we seen maybe some more creative ideas for giving people some relief, you know, on the home front? We've seen previous presidents send tax rebates to people, you know? Why not do something like that to get people through these summer high gas prices?

CARVILLE: Well, hopefully, Jim, that you and I on here today that somebody see this and say, maybe we ought to push this -- you know, we're going to push this thing a little harder, or maybe we've got to go out. But I talked to people that do focus groups endlessly, and they all say the same thing, that they're being manipulated and the president needs to be strong and stand up to these oil companies. And I think that he will.

And I think this idea is a very good idea to tax these profits. The 16th Amendment is very broad and it's granted upon to Congress to levy taxes and to collect these taxes in order to return them to consumers, particularly consumers that are making $100,000 a year less. This is very difficult for people to deal with all across the country.

Look at hourly workers. They're doing real well now. There's good charts in The Times. So, there is some good news out there. We just got to be sure that people are ready to feel it. But these energy costs are crushing people and that we can do things to help people between now and November, I promise you.

ACOSTA: All right. James Carville, we knew it would be fire if you came on. Thanks so much, as always. Good to see you, sir.

CARVILLE: All right. Thank you, Jim. I appreciate it.

ACOSTA: We appreciate it. All right, thank you. Coming up, a man accused of gunning down a former judge as part of a plot against government officials, what we're learning about other targets on his alleged hit list, next.

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[16:15:00]

ACOSTA: A former Wisconsin judge murdered in his own home in what authorities say was a targeted attack, and they say the gunman was also aiming to go after other high ranking government officials, including the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer.

CNN's Whitney Wild joins me now. Whitney, this is very disturbing stuff. What else are you learning and what do we know about the motivations of the gunman?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESSPONDENT: Well, based on what officials have said, it sounds like this was another example of anti- government grievances coming about with real violence attached to them. And what officials are saying is that it appears that this was, in some way, connected to the judicial system.

Again, what we know is that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was on a hit list along with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. They are still trying to figure out in what way this list was constructed and in what way this was connected to the judicial system. Was it a single case? Was it a series of cases? Those are all of the questions that law enforcement are trying to answer.

What we know now is that this all started at 6:30 Friday morning when a man ran out of Judge Roemer's home and called 911 saying there was an armed person, saying two shots had been fired. Police tried to negotiate with the person inside but those efforts failed. And at around 10:00 A.M., tactical teams finally made their way inside where they found 68-year-old John Roemer dead.

Inside that home, they also found a 56-year-old suspect with a self- inflicted gunshot wound. Officials stressed this wasn't random.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH KAUL, WISCONSIN ATTORNEY GENERAL: This, as I mentioned before, does appear to be a targeted act and the individual who's the suspect appears to have had other targets as well. It appears to be related to the judicial system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Federal officials have been warning for many months now that there is a real possibility of violence, anti-government sentiment, and this is just part of this heightened threat landscape that they have been raising alarm bells about.

Jim, this is the very example of the type of act that they're really worried about, someone flying under the radar, someone with access to a firearm, and then further targeting and zeroing in on a highly visible but soft target, like a former judge. And so this all fits into this greater landscape, we talk a lot about a lot where violence is really coming to the surface. It's something officials are concerned about.

And one thing I'll tell you is that I spoke with an official earlier today who has a really good understanding of just the threat landscape across the country, and they're very concerned that this could inspire other attacks because what we know is that violence is infectious.

ACOSTA: No question about it. And federal law enforcement officials, as you said, they have been warning about this over and over again. This is further evidence that this has to be a big concern for the country. Whitney Wild, thank you very much.

Coming up, a child's chilling 911 call during the Texas school massacre revealing a lot of bodies, quote, a lot of bodies in the classroom. But did the commander at the scene ever hear that plea for help?

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[16:20:00]

ACOSTA: Days after the Uvalde school massacre, officials continue shifting the narrative on what exactly happened at Robb Elementary. Officials initially told the public a teacher left a school door propped open, and that's how the gunman got in, but now that teacher says she didn't leave the door open. She actually closed it.

CNN's Omar Jimenez has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was supposed to be an end of the year class party, before it became a nightmare.

DON FLANARY, ATTORNEY FOR TEACHER'S AIDE: She saw everything from the time he wrecked to the time she was taken out of there.

JIMENEZ: Special Education Aide Amelia Marin was meeting a co-worker with food for the party when she saw a car crash. So, her lawyer says she propped the door open, went back inside to get her phone and called 911 but to report the accident. Then she returned to the door.

FLANARY: And she looks and sees him, and he has a weapon that she can't identify, but a big weapon flung over him, and he hopped over the fence and starts to run towards her.

JIMENEZ: So she kicks the door shut.

And did she expect it to lock?

FLANARY: Absolutely, she thought it was going to be locked.

JIMENEZ: Marin scrambles into a nearby classroom as she begins to hear gunshots.

[16:25:04]

FLANARY: She's inside now, she hides. The 911 call drops. They don't call her back. She doesn't attempt to call back because she doesn't want to make any noise. There's some sort of counter that she gets under, but it's exposed. She said that she thought that, at that point, she was going to die, and she made her peace with death.

JIMENEZ: So, she hears every single gunshot.

FLANARY: Every single gunshot.

JIMENEZ: But she was one of the lucky ones who survived. Days later, though, she hears law enforcement say she had left the door the shooter used open.

And she's second guessing herself.

FLANARY: Right, yes, it even made her second guess her own memories. And she had already spoken to the FBI and the rangers and told them what happened.

JIMENEZ: The rangers eventually publicly corrected the record.

As the community grieves, a flurry of unanswered questions linger, including more about Texas school's Police Chief Pete Arredondo acting as incident commander during the shooting.

STATE SEN. ROLAND GUTIERREZ (D-TX): I have been told that this person did not have -- this person being the incident commander -- did not have radio communication, and I don't know as to why.

JIMENEZ: And questioned if the 911 calls were properly relayed to first responders on the scene. One of those 911 calls came from a ten- year-old student who was inside the classroom. And according to transcripts reviewed by The New York Times, the student said there is a lot of bodies, and I don't want to die. My teacher is dead, my teacher is dead. Please send help. Send help for my teacher, she is shot, but still alive.

The call lasted about 17 minutes. Gunfire was heard in the background at times and the call was made more than 30 minutes after the shooting began, The Times reports.

The teaching aide, Amelia Marin, has now filed legal documents to get a deposition from Daniel Defense, the manufacturer of the gun used in the shooting, with her attorney saying, because the shooter got the weapons on his 18th birthday, he was likely planning the purchases beforehand.

FLANARY: So, his motivations to get that gun were when he was a minor. Are there, you know, gun companies that are marketing to minors? Is that what they're doing? I mean, how many mass shootings do we have to have by 18-year-old men? It's cookie cutter. So, what are they doing to change? (END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): Now, it's worth noting this pre-suit petition does not formally accuse the gun manufacturer of any wrongdoing, and instead, it seeks to allow Amelia Marin to investigate whether she has a basis to file a claim against Daniel Defense.

Omar Jimenez, CNN, Uvalde, Texas.

ACOSTA: Coming up, pomp and drama, Queen Elizabeth forced to skip more events as the crowds celebrate her 70 years on the throne. The queen's former press secretary joins me next.

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[16:32:44]

ACOSTA: Some of the biggest names in music are gathering outside the walls of Buckingham Palace today for one historic moment, the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Diana Ross, Elton John, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, and more. And thousands have taken to the streets to celebrate the longest reigning monarch in British history.

The concert just one part of a four-day event that pays tribute to the queen's 70 years of service while also offering a glimpse of the future for the royal family.

CNN royal historian, Kate Williams, joins me now.

Kate, great to see you. Thank you so much for being with us.

Tell us more about what's being planned for this party at the palace. It sounds like a lot of fun.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: It's an extravaganza. It's a lot of fun, Jim. I was down there earlier. The crowds are so excited.

It's a real show. We finished off with Diana Ross, all these stars of music, as you were saying.

But what's really delighted the crowds is it's just been kicked off with a special sketch by the queen. Remember that fantastic sketch for the Winter Olympics when was like a Bond girl and we thought she was jumping out of the helicopter.

This time, she's been taking tea at the palace with Paddington Bear. And he tried to give her a marmalade sandwich. And she had a marmalade sandwich famously in her famous handbag. So we really got some insight there into the queen's wit.

She's not there this evening. She's watching from home. But it was fantastic to see her kicking it off, and the crowds just loved it.

ACOSTA: We know that members of the queen's family have been stepping in in her absence this weekend. She didn't attend today's derby, nor did she appear at a service of thanksgiving yesterday.

Do you expect we're going to see the queen at all this weekend?

WILLIAMS: I don't think we're going to see her this weekend. We may see some engagements next week, the week after. But I don't expect to necessarily see her tomorrow.

The big day to see her was Thursday and Friday. And Friday she really felt that, after Thursday, standing on the balcony, it was too much. She's got these mobility issues.

But also, you know, as you were saying, it's a strategy here. It's not just that Charles is stepping in because she's unwell. Charles is also stepping in, I think, to ensure a seamless transition, that people get used to seeing Charles in the role of the monarch.

Because as you were saying, we've all seen the queen doing it for 70 years. There's no one here who doesn't remember her being here as queen.

[16:35:02]

So she's such an incredible figure, a huge figure that really following her is quite a challenge.

ACOSTA: Yes, that's not the case just for folks in the U.K. It's for everybody around the world. We're all familiar, obviously, with Queen Elizabeth and this impressive, just remarkable reign that she's had.

And Prince Harry, I should say, and his wife, Meghan, the duchess of Sussex, back for their first royal engagement since leaving the monarchy two years ago.

What do you think about all of this? Was the jubilee an olive branch, a way to ease them back into the fold? What are your thoughts?

WILLIAMS: I think it was an olive branch. I was outside St. Paul's Cathedral. Huge cheers from the crowd for them. They went up before the other members of the royal family, so we got a good look at them. Everyone was thrilled to see them.

I think it was a real insight into the star power that Harry and Meghan do bring. They're all over the papers. And simply people find them fascinating. They love to see them.

And I think it's been a real moment for the queen to see all the family there supporting her. I know that she was thrilled to meet Harry and Meghan's daughter, Lilibet, who turns 1 today.

What we hope, I think, is seeing more family meetings. And I do think that, without Harry and Meghan, the royal family just don't have the same amount of star power.

ACOSTA: Maybe Prince Louis will supply some of that in the years to come. I think he's already off to a tremendous start.

All right, Kate Williams, thank you very much.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

ACOSTA: And joining us now is Queen Elizabeth's former press secretary, Charles Anson.

Charles, thank you so much for being with us.

We'll never see another event like this in our lifetime, it's safe to say. But sadly, the queen had to skip today's events because of these health issues.

What do you think of all of that? And what is the mood there as people celebrate the jubilee?

But also this is a reminder that the monarchy is going to be undergoing some changes there in Britain.

CHARLES ANSON, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II: Well, I think, first of all, the jubilee has been a huge success in terms of raising public awareness and showing the affection that people feel and expect for the queen's 70 years of service.

And it was marvelous that she was able to on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for trooping the color and take the salute and the fly past on Thursday.

And of course, you know, a shame that she couldn't go to the service at St Paul's.

But she's a woman after great religious faith, so she would have enjoyed seeing the service, even from a distance. And that would be an important part of it for her.

I think, really, the point of the jubilee is to pay tribute to a monarch, a head of state who's given impeccable service and such commitment to her public role as head of state and head of the commonwealth, over 70 years.

I mean, most people in this country have only lived during the queen's reign. So the flow of affection has been enormous towards her, and also towards the monarchy.

And I think, you know, looking at the future, we may have a smaller royal family in public life because so many of the children or members of the royal family are choosing to take jobs rather than to carry on royal duties.

So it will be a smaller family. And in a way, that may be a good thing. It will be in keeping with the times that these institutions don't get too big.

I think in terms of the succession, eventually, Prince Charles will make a marvelous king. His views on the contemporary interests and environment and young people, and helping to create jobs and employment and good education for people from every walk of life and every income and every group.

And he has very contemporary interests, as does the queen. Her role as head of the commonwealth, over two billion people, 55 countries in the commonwealth --

ACOSTA: Right.

ANSON: -- has been a very valuable, very valuable instrument of good practice and good race relations and tolerance within our society.

So I think the contribution of the monarchy in that field has been excellent.

ACOSTA: And we've been showing some amazing archival footage of the queen over her many years, you know, during her reign.

And I have to ask, do you have a favorite memory of the queen during your time working with her?

ANSON: Well, I think my favorite memory, I first met the queen on the state visit she made to the United States after the Falklands War in 1982, and Ronald Reagan was her host.

[16:40:06]

And a lot of the visit took place in California. And tremendous rainfall during the period that she was in California.

And the Secret Service were not too keen on taking the queen up to Ronald Reagan's ranch because the weather was so bad and the roads were so muddy.

The queen said, no, we're used to traveling on muddy roads in Scotland. In fact, I rather enjoy it. So if we can, I'd very much like to go up the muddy route to the president's ranch.

And that's exactly what they did. And I think people thought that was pretty gutsy. She's both a head of state, but also a determined country woman. Of course, a great follower of the horses and outside pursuits of all kinds.

I think this combination of her public service to all of us in the United Kingdom and as a figure of great respect around the world, it's been a pleasure to celebrate her 70 years over this weekend.

And even though the weather's changing a bit, people's spirits are still just as high as ever.

ACOSTA: Well, thank you, Charles, very much for spending time with us. It's been a pleasure for us to look on her incredible reign. And 70 years, just remarkable.

Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

ANSON: My pleasure. Very good. Thank you.

ACOSTA: Thank you, sir.

And coming up, homes swept out to sea, an entire city at risk. Rising sea levels threatening coastal communities in this country. CNN looks into all of that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:46:16]

ACOSTA: In the western U.S. states this weekend, officials are warning that the nation's power grid is under stress like never before. Meaning we could see a summer of rolling blackouts when temperatures soar.

CNN's chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, joins me now.

Bill, a very important story. This is pretty incredible to think that many states could lack the power needed to get through heat waves this summer. What's going on here?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, for one thing, our grid system in the United States is old, Jim. It certainly wasn't built for these unpredictable times of increased temperatures in the climate crisis.

There was an early heat wave in Texas a few weeks ago. It knocked off six power plants. Residents were asked to keep the air conditioner at about 78 degrees Fahrenheit to conserve.

This also is exacerbated by the drought in the west. Because hydropower, if there's not enough water in rivers to spin those turbines, that's one less power provider at a time when there's so many more air conditioners and cooling centers.

That's sadly the paradox here. Going into the future, cooling will become sort of a health right for many folks who are vulnerable. The machines we have today only add to the problem. So one thing to think about.

ACOSTA: No, absolutely.

And, Bill, I was really glad that you did this story about what's happening down in the Carolinas. where people are grappling with another effect of climate change, rising sea levels.

This is an area that I used to go to every summer as a kid on summer vacation. And it's absolutely true that this is happening down there.

What did you find?

WEIR: Well, we saw this viral video a few weeks ago from the Outer Banks of this house just collapsing into the ocean during a mediocre storm. It wasn't even a named hurricane.

And then to find out that there's at least a dozen homes that were condemned. Two others fell so far this year. I just went down there to get a lay of the land, talk to folks, figure

out what's happening. And I really got a lesson in how the age of rising sea levels not only changes things physically but also emotionally and financially.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This home, we have been notified by the Dare County building inspector, is in the state of potential imminent collapse.

WEIR (voice-over): When these houses were built in the '80s, this beach ran hundreds of feet towards the horizon.

(on camera): I don't believe it's even high tide yet.

(voice-over): Now, the water is at the doorstep in this part of North Carolina's Outer Banks, and the beach is eroding by a dozen feet a year.

(on camera): You expect next year, it's going to 12 to 15 feet back?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twelve to 15 back. And then the next year and the next year and the next year.

WEIR: I see.

(voice-over): And while most locals understand that barrier islands move over time, few imagined this --

(CRASHING)

WEIR: -- would happen this fast.

Especially the new owner of this $275,000 getaway who never got a chance to sleep here before a mediocre storm took it away.

Or the half-million-dollar place that collapsed a few days earlier and spread nail-field debris along 15 miles of public beaches.

At least nine more houses on this stretch are condemned. And the sea is taking more than just houses.

DAWN TAYLOR, OUTER BANKS RESIDENT: This is our heritage --

WEIR (on camera): Look at that!

TAYLOR: -- that we want to save.

WEIR: Wow! Oh, my goodness, it is right there on the edge!

(voice-over): As a proud daughter of the Outer Banks, Dawn Taylor spends her days trying to save the graves.

TAYLOR: We are missing the remains of our loved ones due to the tide. Up and down the coast, we have multiple cemeteries here that have met their demise due to the rising sea level. WEIR (on camera): And so, when you think about the lives, the history, the families that we are talking about, you put in those terms, the fundamental question of the age of sea level rise is, what is worth saving and who can afford to save it?

[16:50:06]

BERNARD MANNHEIM, CHARLESTON, SC, RESIDENT: We watch the water bubble up through those vents --

WEIR: Is that right?

MANNHEIM: -- into the house.

WEIR (voice-over): Down the Carolina coast in Charleston, the Mannheims decided to raise their 450-ton mansion with a system of hydraulic jacks.

(on camera): Can I asked what something like this cost?

MANNHEIM: My answer is many hundreds of thousands of dollars.

WEIR: Right.

MANNHEIM: It's something, hopefully, that will last another hundred years.

WEIR (voice-over): Whether it does may depend on whether Charleston can afford plans for a billion-dollar sea wall, which would only protect the most valuable 20% of the city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This house was actually moved to this -- this is a new location.

WEIR: Back in the Outer Banks, some are moving their houses as far as they can afford.

(CROSSTALK)

(on camera): They moved it from right there to right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that was as far as they could go.

WEIR (voice-over): Meanwhile, NOAA projects at least a foot of sea level rise here mid-century with 10 times as many flooding events like this one, which fill driveways with five feet of sand.

READE CORBETT, DIRECTOR, COASTAL STUDIES INSTITUTE: This isn't just happening on the Outer Banks. It is happening around the world.

WEIR (on camera): This is a story that is about anybody who lives anywhere near the ocean from Southern Maine to Padre Island, right?

CORBETT: Right. These processes are happening everywhere.

WEIR: Yes. (voice-over): But it is not as evident on the mainland because states, counties, and towns dredge, pump, and truck millions of dollars-worth of sand so tourists and real estate buyers will keep coming.

CORBETT: If you start a nourishment program, when is the next nourishment? Five years, seven years down the road? When you get to that point. And you have to think about the economics, it is $25 million, $30 million.

WEIR (on camera): So, if you play that out, it really comes down to have or have not communities fortifying themselves, right?

CORBETT: It is challenging when it comes down to the tax base. It is not that we can't work with the environment, we can't work with the change, we can. And we have for years.

WEIR: You just can't do it the way you used to do it.

CORBETT: We got to do it differently.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEIR: One thing that needs to be done differently is insurance on houses like this. A lot of those residents, whose homes have been condemned and the Park Service has disconnected their power, they call the insurance company and say, will you help me move it or tear it down.

They pretty much say no, call us back once the waves take it and then we can start a claim. That's not sustainable given how vulnerable places, especially on the mainland, Jim, will be in coming years.

ACOSTA: Yes, Bill, I mean, I hate to see this happen to the Outer Banks. Such a beautiful part of the country.

I mean, are we just going to have to live with the fact that many of these communities are just going to be washed away?

WEIR: I think it's going to take a very long time. And those who can afford to adapt will. And the community may get smaller. They'll move with the island as it shifts towards the west there.

But, yes, this is one of those really slow-motion disasters that we have to brace for because there's a certain amount that's already sort of baked in.

But, again, the emotion, it's so hard. Retreat is not in the American vocabulary. But managed retreat is our future, unfortunately.

ACOSTA: All right, Bill Weir, excellent story telling there. Just a great story all around.

We really appreciate it. Thank you.

Tomorrow night, hear the inside story of Watergate from the people who lived it on the new CNN original series, "WATERGATE, BLUEPRINT FOR A SCANDAL."

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Dean is part of this discussion because he's already aware of investigations associated with the politician enemies project.

It was always understood that Liddy's main job would be spying on Nixon's political opponent.

And Liddy has a very dangerous understanding of power.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of the people they had hired at CREEP were of a mind-set, whatever he asked them to do, they were going to do it. They went beyond what he could have thought of himself sometimes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six months before the Watergate break-in, I got a call to come to John Mitchell's office and Liddy is setting up an easel, and I can see he's got big charts. It was a sales pitch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Liddy is tasked with coming up with a plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: You're going to want to watch, "WATERGATE: BLUEPRINT FOR A SCANDAL." It airs tomorrow night at 9:00 right here on CNN.

[16:54:29]

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: This just in. Miami-Dade County has issued a no-swim advisory for area beaches after excessive rainfall caused some sewer systems to overflow.

Miami has seen more than 11 inches of rainfall in just the last 24 hours. Some of this footage -- look at this right here --just incredible. Drivers getting stranded in waist-deep water, climbing up onto their car rooftops just to get out of there.

And check out what it looks like in this flooded Miami-Dade County neighborhood right there. My goodness.

The Miami-Dade County mayor saying a short time ago people there are safe but adding this is a warning ahead of what is expected to be a busy hurricane season.

And you are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta.

[16:59:59]

In Washington, the American public is getting a sense for where the Justice Department is headed when it comes to the January 6th insurrection probe.