Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Third Day Of Protests Across The U.S. After Roe v. Wade Overturned; Efforts Underway To Protect Rights As Nation Faces Roe Reversal; Explosions Rock Kyiv As War In Ukraine Looms Over G7 Summit; Biden Speaks At G7 Summit Amid Rising Global Challenges; Multiple States Immediately Ban Abortions After Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade; 22 Young People Found Dead In South African Pub; Triple-Digit Heat Across Pacific Northwest, Central California. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 26, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:33]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday in New York. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with outrage boiling over after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. Protests happening across the country. Right now demonstrations just steps from the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court are still taking place. Activists have been gathering there since Friday's historic ruling.

But the heated debate devolving into violence in other parts of the U.S. in Greenville, South Carolina police arrested six protesters as the crowd size swelled and tempered flared. Police say demonstrators were refusing to follow orders to stay off the road and several tried to interfere when an arrest was made.

And in Eugene, Oregon police clashed with protesters and pepper spray to disperse dozens of people. Ten were arrested.

And then in Providence, Rhode Island a fight broke out among protesters. Police say off duty -- an off duty officer and state senate candidate Jeanne Lugo punched his political rival, Democrat Jennifer Rourke. She says it happened as she attempted to deescalate the situation. Lugo was arrested on simple assault and disorderly conduct charges.

CNN has reporters on the ground covering all of the latest. Let's go first to CNN's Sunlen Serfaty. She's at the U.S. Supreme Court.

So Sunlen, we've been seeing, you know, crowds swelling. How does it look today, this Sunday?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. We certainly have. We're here in the shadow of the Supreme Court here. As you can see there is a large and very vocal crowd behind me. It has been growing slowly all day. And this frankly is the scene that we have seen outside of the Supreme

Court for the last three days since that ruling came down on Friday overturning Roe versus Wade. And what we're hearing from people in this crowd is that they intend to stay here, keep showing up.

I talked to one woman on my way in. And she said she has been here every day since Friday, and that she works in the area. And that she intends to come on her lunch break. She intends to show up after work to let her voice be heard.

I did hear from someone, though, that said there's a sense of what can we do now? A feeling of hopelessness. The word that people keep using is "shell shocked".

But certainly, Fred, right now today, people are trying to let their voices be heard. You're hearing testimonials here. People are listening to speeches.

This is a very peaceful crowd. We have not seen any incidents. But we do know that the D.C. Metropolitan police has the entire police force has been activated on standby in case that is something that is necessary.

Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sunlen, thank you so much. Keep us posted.

All right, on to New York now. Polo Sandoval is there. So Polo, today's Pride March has a very different tone than years past. What is happening?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It absolutely does, Fred. Remember, for the last two years because of the pandemic, this festivity has either been going virtual or significantly scaled back. But when you stand here on 5th Avenue and you look over the presence, it's clear that it's back. And it is back in large scale.

That added significance, which is not just a parade but also part protest as Planned Parenthood was invited to basically lead the way, an organization there. Basically people here celebrating that protest.

It's important also (INAUDIBLE) spectators is that today is a day where many of them feel like they don't have to fight to exist. There was one young lady, a law student that I spoke to was here to basically witness this parade and said that the last 48 hours have been like the world has been shaken upside down.

So today is about continuing with that protest, but also pausing for just a moment to basically celebrate each other and the diversity. But at the same time, reminding me that come tomorrow, they are back at it. They are continuing with their protests, adding to what we saw today with Planned Parenthood leading the way, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

So as soon as the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, business in some clinics serving women across the country stopped nearly immediately. My next guest is the lead attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights and is representing Texas providers in the current case against their state's abortion ban.

[14:04:58]

One of his clients was featured in a "Los Angeles Times" article which details the moment the Supreme Court ruling came down.

I'm going to read some of it in part for you. "The clinic's long-time owner Allen Braid was back in his office when his daughter Andrea Gallegos, the executive administrator, ducked in.

It's out. The decision's out, she said. Full overturn. Braid cursed, then he began to tear up. At 77, he is old enough to remember what abortion was like before the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade in 1973.

I've got to figure out what I'm going to do with these patients now he said before stepping into the hallway. Never thought I'd see this day. His staff was confused. So we can't see anybody? A nurse asked Gallegos. I need to speak with lawyers, she responded before disappearing into an office." That in the "L.A. Times".

Now, I want to bring in one of those lawyers, Marc Hearron. Marc, so good to have you. Describe that first call with Gallegos at the clinic.

MARC HEARRON, LEAD ATTORNEY, CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: Yes. Friday was just a heart breaking and devastating day. You know, Dr. Braid has been providing care for Texans for 50 years. He's been providing safe abortion care in his clinics, and it is -- you know, he saw what the situation was like before Roe, and he's always said we can never go back. And that's exactly where we are.

I had to call clinics all across the state of Texas Friday morning and share the devastating news. And one by one the clinics were saying so that means we're going to have to go talk to the patients who are sitting in the waiting rooms right now and send them home.

And that's exactly what the devastating impact, because there's confusion right now in Texas that the impact of this decision is chaos and confusion about whether abortion is even banned right now in the state of Texas or whether there is another 30, 60, maybe even longer time before Texas's trigger ban takes effect.

WHITFIELD: And time has been of the essence. I mean, when you read the article, they depict so many of the patients, whether they had long- standing appointments, or they traveled many hours to that very clinic, waiting in line outside while they may have been harassed by some parties outside only to be inside and then be told by the staff that we can't do anything for you today. Not today. Perhaps you're going to have to go to another state.

So I wonder for Dr. Braid, since he has been providing care for so many years, describe what he is afraid of -- what kind of circumstances he is afraid might be repeated.

HEARRON: Well, he has written in publications and opinion pieces before about how when he was in medical school, or in his residency, he saw patients who came into the emergency rooms and died, and he vowed then and there never again.

We know that abortion is 14 times safer than carrying a pregnancy to term. We know that there are patients for whom the inability to access an abortion will create severe health risks and risks to their life.

And that's the consequence of this decision on Friday. I mean, picture yourself as a patient who may have driven two or three hours in the morning, Friday morning, to try to get to a clinic and Texas already for ten months has had a ban on abortion beginning at six weeks.

So you already don't know, am I going to be able to be seen today, and then you get in the waiting room, and you've put together the money. You've taken the time off work. You've found child care for your kids. And you figured out this is the day I can finally do it.

And then a fundamental constitutional right that has been recognized for 50 years gets taken away by the stroke of a pen. And now suddenly you can't get the care that you could have gotten ten minutes ago.

WHITFIELD: Many of those patients simply devastated. And clearly the staff of Dr. Braid, and Dr. Braid as well.

So what are the potential consequences for Dr. Braid if he would have continued the services, would he be facing potentially jail time? What's his understanding? What's your understanding? Jail time, fines? What?

[14:10:00]

HEARRON: So Texas has a trigger ban like many other states that bans abortion at some point in time either immediately or after the Supreme Court's decision. In Texas's case, it's not for about 60 days, might even be longer.

But the problem is there are statutes -- the statutes that were actually at issue in Roe that banned abortion, the state officials have come out and said well, those statutes have come back to life immediately, and so abortion is illegal immediately. And so if you provide abortion, you could be criminally prosecuted, you could get jail time, you could get your licenses revoked.

So we're looking at severe consequences, and that's why abortion all across the state of Texas on Friday shut down immediately.

WHITFIELD: And for many of those centers, are they able to follow up with any of those patients, find out what happened?

HEARRON: Clinics are in constant communication with patients and patients are busy trying, I'm sure, to try to figure out how to get out of state. Can they get an appointment in another state? What we've seen as a result of the six-week ban in Texas that's been

in place for ten months is that the rush of Texas patients trying to get out of state has taken up appointments and created weeks -- Weeks' long backlogs in Oklahoma, in Kansas, in Louisiana.

And we're now going to see that happen all across the country when as a result of the Supreme Court decision on Friday, abortion is either now or soon will be banned in probably about half the country.

So the chaos and the desperate -- desperation among patients to try to get appointments, hundreds or thousands of miles away, we're just going to keep seeing it.

WHITFIELD: Sounds like it's just beginning.

Mark Hearron, thanks so much for being with us today.

HEARRON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, a series of Russian missiles strike the capital of Ukraine today just as world leaders are meeting in Europe for a set of critical meetings with Russia's war front and center.

Plus 22 young people found dead inside a tavern in South Africa. Details about the investigation straight ahead.

[14:12:23]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv earlier today. Ukrainian officials say at least one person was killed and five were wounded when missiles hit a residential apartment block. A seven-year- old girl and her mother were among the injured in the explosions.

The attack happened just as the G7 summit got underway in the German Alps. President Biden joining world leaders as they grapple with the crisis in Ukraine and a turbulent global economy.

The president spoke earlier and had a clear message for his G7 counterparts. They must show unity against Russia and President Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have to stay together because Putin is counting down from the beginning that somehow NATO and the G7 would splinter and we haven't. And we're not going to. Can't let this aggression take form and have him get away with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Salma Abdelaziz is in Kyiv, Ukraine and White House correspondent M.J. Lee is covering the G7 for us. So Salma, to you first, you know. What are we learning about this apartment building attack?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a strike that absolutely rattled Kyiv in the early hours of this morning about 6:30 local time. Multiple Russian missiles hitting this apartment block. This nine- story building.

You can see the pictures there. We were on the scene earlier today. And you could just see every single apartment windows blown out. Completely damaged the top floor. Collapsed on itself.

Residents, of course, families trapped under the rubble of their own homes. Rescue operations were ongoing for hours. We watched as one woman after a five-hour ordeal was pulled out from the rubble and taken to hospital. Her daughter, a seven-year-old, was also one of those wounded, injured in the attacks.

We saw on the scene the mayor of Kyiv. And he told me he believes Russia is targeting civilians. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: The entire world is feeling the impact of Russia's brutal war in Ukraine and on our energy markets. We need worldwide effort to invest in transformative clean energy projects to ensure the critical infrastructure is resilient to changing climate.

When democracies demonstrate what we can do, all that we have to offer I have no doubt that we'll win the competition every time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR VITALI KLITSCHKO, KYIV, UKRAINE: It's lie from Russia. They are fighting against military. It's -- we in our hometown destroyed 220 apartments building where lives civilians. They attack in capital of Ukraine and attacking Ukrainians. It's a senseless war. And we have to do everything to stop this war, because thousands and thousands of unguilty people, civilians died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZX: As you mentioned there, several people wounded in that attack on that apartment. There's also a kindergarten nearby that was struck by one of these missiles. No injuries there. But we saw damage in the playground of that kindergarten.

This came -- this attack happened as G7 leaders were gathering in Germany, possible message there from President Putin as he escalates his attacks across the country. He's been pushing Ukrainian forces back on the frontline using the brute force of the Russian military.

[14:19:58]

ABDELAZIZ: Look, this is a disproportionate war in every sense. Moscow has more power, more manpower, more weapons and more brutality. President Zelenskyy is set to address the G7 and you can be sure he's going to be asking for more help and bringing up the civilians caught in the middle, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Salma Abdelaziz, thanks so much.

M.J. to you, now. You're following the G7 for us. What is at the top of the agenda for these leaders there?

M.J. LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we really saw from President Biden standing alongside his other G7 leaders is setting the stage to discuss one of the biggest themes that we're going to hear about over and over again in the coming days. And that is this overarching idea that there is an ongoing battle between democracies and autocracies.

The focus today in a big part was the number of global infrastructure initiatives that these leaders were rolling out which the U.S., by the way, is pledging to invest around $200 billion in over the course of some five years to invest in things like vaccines development and investing in clean energy and climate change initiatives.

And basically the president's message here today was when democracies stick together, we are always going to win was what he said. Now, it's important to note, though, that the president's message was not just geared toward these other G7 nations.

He was also sending an explicit message to developing countries as well, basically saying there are incentives for developing countries to work with some of these countries that it is better for you to work with us than to invest in and lean on a country like Russia, for example.

Now, the only other thing I will quickly note too, is that we did hear the president address these attacks that we saw Salma talking about earlier taking place in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. He said these strikes marked another sign of Russian barbarism.

So obviously we are seeing just reminder after reminder that this ongoing war in Ukraine very much looms large over this G7 summit as well as, of course, the NATO summit that is upcoming later in the week, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. M.J., Salma, thanks to both of you ladies. Appreciate it.

So at the 7:00 summit, CNN's Jake Tapper spoke with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson who urged the U.S. to keep up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is something that America historically does and has to do. And that is to step up for peace and freedom and democracy. And if we let Putin get away with it and just annex, conquer sizable parts of a free independent sovereign country which is what he is poised to do, if not the whole thing, then the consequences for the world are absolutely catastrophic. It means we're legitimating further acquisition by him by violence of other parts of the former Soviet Union. We're legitimating aggression in other parts of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's talk more about what President Biden and other leaders have on tap while on this trip.

David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst and White House and national security correspondent at "The New York Times". He's also the author of the book, "The Perfect Weapon".

David, so good to see you.

So President Biden's message of, you know, we've got to stick together, at the same time hearing the U.K.'s Johnson there, I mean he makes the -- kind of makes the obvious point, right that if Russia gets away with it, the consequences are catastrophic.

They all know that there at this G7. But the problem is what to do about it. Might they get any closer to collectively trying to defeat Vladimir Putin?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think, Fred, that for the president, the trick is emerging from this not any further away. And compare this to the trip in March. You'll remember the president was in Europe at that time. It was just a month after the invasion.

There was still the shock of what the Russians had done, and it was pretty easy to hold unity together, especially because the Russians were on the run.

This is a quite different situation. It's now clear we're in for a long slog. The president is worried about fatigue here among the allies -- aid fatigue, weapons fatigue. Concern that when the fall comes the Russians will be cutting back on gas supplies, the effort to try to wean Europe from oil. So he's now facing -- the president is now facing the problem of trying to hold people together for the long term.

[14:24:55]

WHITFIELD: And how complicated is that because now it's an issue of, you know, endurance.

SANGER: It is. And you know, for all of what Boris Johnson said, that's what democracies don't do all that well. We're great at the beginning. We're all outraged by it.

But I think what Putin is counting on right now is that he'll be able to take more land in the east and the south. He clearly has some momentum there. He's taken several cities.

And over time other issues. Whether it is the abortion debate in the U.S., the gun control debate in the U.S., concern about energy, will make the west flag. And that he'll emerge from this now with everything he wanted, but with somewhat more than he had before the invasion began on February 24th.

WHITFIELD: And what about those sanctions? Any impact?

SANGER: I think there will be some impact. I think the best sanctions they put together, the most effective are the export sanctions on chips and other components that the Russians need for their weapons systems over time for consumer goods.

But so far even though Russian oil shipments have gone down, their revenues have remained up and because the price of oil, don't need to say this to our viewers here, has soared. So they're making as much money as they were even though they're shipping less.

WHITFIELD: Ok. So now let's shift gears a little bit. It's all encompassing however, you know. How is President Biden poised on the world stage when domestically you've got Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court, you know, overturning of Roe v. Wade. You've got the economy. Ongoing inflation.

What is his posture on the world stage with all of this happening as the backdrop domestically?

SANGER: Well, your strength abroad is only as good as your strength at home. And I don't think that he looks quite as strong as he did just looking at the poll numbers and the continuing din of discord in the United States as he did a few months ago when he very deftly handled the post invasion period.

So I think the hard part right now is that as he makes his argument about autocracy versus democracy, the underlying part of this is does the world want a democracy that looks like the United States' democracy? And that's been a hard case to make for a number of years.

And so the president recognizes, I think, and it's not enough to say Russia and China are repressing their people. That you don't want to live in a world run by their rules which I think most people agree with.

I think it is a harder case to say you want to look more like us because many of the leaders are there wondering is Joe Biden there as a permanent shift back to international engagement or will he be the blip between Trump and someone like Trump?

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh. So David, meantime, Biden will be heading to the NATO summit. Sweden and Finland want membership, but so does Ukraine. So to which country does the U.S. advocate for, if at all?

SANGER: Well, the U.S. is advocating very hard to get Sweden and Finland into NATO and get them in quickly. And that requires mostly finding a way to address Turkey's opposition. Turkey's used this as a moment to hold up the west and the rest of NATO for a bunch of things that they want. I suspect they'll get past that. Ukraine? They're not going to be a NATO member for a long time. They've made some progress in recent times being invited to be a candidate to join the European union. That's going to take a while as well. And you know, I think all of the member countries, Fred, are going to look at this and say if Ukraine was a member of NATO right now, we would be required, meaning the United States and the rest of NATO, to provide troops to go directly up against Russia.

And the president has said that one of his standards is avoid World War III.

WHITFIELD: David Sanger, always a pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much for being with me this Sunday.

SANGER: Great to be with you.

WHITFIELD: All right. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade will have immense implications for women's lives all across the nation.

More on what's at stake as so many states look to enact bans and restrictions, next.

[14:29:34]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:34:01]

WHITFIELD: Just minutes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, more than a dozen states effectively banned all abortions through trigger laws that were in place and ready to be enacted. And several more states are now preparing to follow that lead.

With me now is Fatima Goss Graves. She is the president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center.

Fatima, good to see you.

Thirteen states have already effectively banned abortion. Another 13 have plans to follow suit. That means women in more than half the states soon won't have access to abortion.

What is your advice or even message to many women?

FATIMA GOSS GRAVES, PRESIDENT & CEO, NATIONAL WOMEN'S LAW CENTER: I know it's a scary time, and we're hearing from people all over the country that are terrified. The first thing that I want people to know and understand is that if they are looking for information around how to access care, they should go to ineedana.org, ineedana.org, because it's critical that people have accurate information.

[14:35:04]

We're dealing with a lot of un-purposed disinformation at this time. But the other thing people around this country should know and

understand is that we're entering a phase that's going to feel chaotic. That's going to feel legally chaotic because the Supreme Court has taken away a right for the first time that two generations of people have grown up with. And so, so much of the way our laws work is bound up in the idea that you get to control your own body.

That no longer is the case everywhere. And so the ground is going to shift pretty rapidly, and it's also going to feel chaotic with health as people are seeking care. Many people will travel out of their states if they can, and there are many states that -- where abortion will remain legal and available. Other people will manage abortion care at home, but it is going to be a new era that we will have to be adjusting to in this time.

WHITFIELD: And then we're beginning to get a glimpse into what it was like inside some women's health clinics across the country when the news from the U.S. Supreme Court broke on Friday, and through these stories, we're seeing, you know, it has involved all kinds of women from different backgrounds and with different situations and circumstances from a pregnant teenager months away from going to college, a young mother with a six-year-old, a three-year-old at home who says she can't afford to raise yet another child.

And then to a woman who said her doctors told her the baby had a fetal anomaly, and that was one of the reasons why she needed to get this kind of service. But then everything stopped abruptly. None of those women with those circumstances were able to get the services that they had appointments for.

So your worries at this juncture about what you call this shifting ground?

GRAVES: Now, imagine what that is like to have been in the room when that decision came down and multiply that by the thousands as people are waking up and understanding that they no longer get this choice. They no longer make this decision. What it will mean for them is that they will desperately be trying to find care elsewhere.

What it will mean for people is that their health will be put at risk. We are hearing that people who are in the position where for their health have to manage an abortion are now desperate and worried about being criminalized for doing so. And it will also mean that many people end up being bound up in the criminal justice system so deeply unfair that we are in this position at all.

WHITFIELD: Earlier today, Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate for governor in Georgia was on CNN and called on the president, federal lawmakers, all of them to take some sort of action to protect abortion rights. So, let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACEY ABRAMS (D), GEORGIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: I think President Biden should do what is within the purview of the executive. I believe that we need a legislative solution that restores the constitutional protection to women regardless of the state they live in. State lines should not determine the quality of your citizenship in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: To what extent do you hope that Congress might be involved? The president has already said, you know, he can't have like an executive order, but he does encourage the legislature -- legislative body to at least codify a woman's right to an abortion in this country.

GRAVES: Listen, you know, what the Supreme Court did won't be easily undone, but it is critical that everyone with authority do their part. I am totally with say Stacey Abrams on this front.

The president has to use all the authority he has to make change. As this Congress and state lawmakers, what is really clear is up and down the ballot this year is that abortion access will be on the ballot. Every single leader in this country needs to do more than they ever thought they would ever have to do to protect people right now right away.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fatima Goss Graves, good to see you. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Meantime, overseas now. An investigation is underway right now after nearly two dozen young people ages 13 to 20 were found dead inside a tavern in South Africa. Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: South Africa's president is sharing condolences with people after 22 people died as a tavern. A spokesperson for the Eastern Cape health department said the victims were as young as 13. The cause of the incident is under investigation currently.

I want to bring in CNN's Larry for the latest on this.

Larry, what are you learning?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, authorities are expanding maximum resources to find out what happened at this popular night pub in South Africa. The youngest was 13.

[14:45:01]

Right now, they're ruling out a stampede and saying no natural deaths occurred but they haven't figured out what happened. The owner of this tavern said somebody might have used pepper spray, but authorities are not commenting on that. It's not clear why there were so many teenagers in this pub said to have over-crowded, as many -- as young as 13. That's way below the legal drinking age in South Africa.

The Police Minister Bheki Cele who went to the scene and later to the morgue where he saw the bodies broke down in tears and later this is what he told reporters. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BHEKI CELE, SOUTH AFRICAN MINISTER OF POLICE: But when you look at their faces, you realize that these are kids. Kids, kids. Kids. You have heard the story they're young, but when you see them, you realize that is a disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: There is outrage across south Africa about how this could have happened. There's talk about establishments that welcome younger citizens who aren't allowed to be in these places.

The President Cyril Ramaphosa traveling in Germany for the G7 summit sent his condolences and pointed out these were really young people in a tavern. He also said while the president awaits more information on the incident, his thoughts are with the families of lost children as well as families who are waiting confirmation of how their children may have been affected.

Right now, forensic experts are on the scene taking samples from the bodies, and they're expected to be taken to a toxicology lab for further analysis to understand what happened. But truly, a tragedy in South Africa that has the whole nation stunned.

WHITFIELD: Wow, 22 young people. Too much. Too sad.

Thank you so much, Larry Madowo. Appreciate that.

All right. Coming up, more than 30 million people are under heat advisories right now in this country as record temperatures continue to crawl across the nation. The latest forecast, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:19]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

Extreme heat is hitting large sections of the country. This time, it's the northwest feeling the heat. Millions of people in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of California are under a heat advisory.

As temperatures are expected to soar into the triple digits in some areas. For more now, let's bring in Gene Norman in the CNN weather center.

So, Gene, this heat just will not go away. It continues to intensify.

GENE NORMAN, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely right.

And, Fred, for folks in the Pacific Northwest, it's deja vu all over again. Places like Seattle and Portland, you remember last year at this time you had a heat wave like this. Temperatures between 95 and 105 through Monday. And those are 15 to 20 degrees above normal in western Washington and Oregon. In fact, Portland, if you hit 100 degrees today, that won't be a

record. The record was set last year on this date, 116. But still plenty hot.

Then we'll travel to southern and central California, where temperatures expected between 102 through 107. In fact, in some places, it could be hotter like Fresno, Bakersfield, Barstow expecting triple digits. Look at Fresno, 107 today, 108 tomorrow. Those could challenge records.

Across the Deep South, not as hot. But a couple places under heat advisory. Little Rock, Jackson could see the heat index between 105 and 110. Showers and thunderstorm developing that cool some folks off. So the oppressive heat from last week will take a break for a couple days.

And also I'm watching these storms south of New Orleans, and so is the hurricane center. 20 percent chance that something there could develop over the next couple days and there's a 70 percent chance that this in the eastern Atlantic will push into the Caribbean by the time we get to the middle or end of the upcoming week for the next name on the list is Bonnie. And certainly, by Tuesday or Wednesday, it could, indeed, be over the ocean.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. All right. We'll be watching -- you'll be watching and telling us.

Gene Norman, thank you so much.

All right. Still ahead, doctors are sounding the alarm about people experiencing a COVID rebound. We'll discuss what that means exactly straight ahead.

But, first this quick programming note. You may know Arthur Ashe as a legendary tennis champion. The first Black man to win the singles title in Wimbledon, U.S. Open and the Australian Open.

But his legacy goes beyond the court. In addition to his athletic achievements, Ashe used his public platform to condemn apartheid in South Africa, speak out about the AIDS crisis and more.

Watch "Citizen Ashe", a new CNN film when it premiers tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is on a razor's edge. You forget the score. You forget where you are. I feel like my body is floating within myself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arthur Ashe, bright young member of the United States Davis Cup team.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some people think we're all brawn and no brains. I like to fight the myth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He started becoming a citizen of the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arthur Ashe, the first (INAUDIBLE) to win the men's Wimbledon singles title.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was evolved from someone who was analytical to someone who came more about direct action.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: AIDS became another fight for Arthur, and he picked it up like he did every other cause.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He never forgot about his race, I'm talking about the human race.

[14:55:04]

ANNOUNCER: "CITIZEN ASHE" premieres tonight at 9:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday from New York. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A historic ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court triggering a third day of passionate protests across the country. Right now, a new round of demonstrations at the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.