Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Biden Under Fire For "Fist Bump" With Saudi Crown Prince; Biden Heads Back To United States After Meeting With Key Leaders; Father Pleads For Help Finding College Student; Griner Faces Up To 10 Years In Prison On Drug Charges; Biden Faces Pressure As Migrants From 100- Plus Countries Flood Border; 237 Dead In Spain As Record-Breaking Heat Sweeps Europe. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired July 16, 2022 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:09]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST (on camera): Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

All right, new this hour. The U.S. Secret Service is now vowing to respond swiftly to a subpoena from the January 6 committee.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): On Friday, the House committee probing the insurrection issued a subpoena to the Secret Service for text messages sent on January 5th, and 6th of 2021. This comes after the Homeland Security's inspector general accused the Secret Service of erasing those texts after his office requested them.

The Secret Service denies deleting any text maliciously. CNN's Katelyn Polantz joining us now.

WHITFIELD (on camera): So, Katelyn, what more do we know about this subpoena, and what the Secret Service is willing to say?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER (on camera): Oh, Fred, this story is very fast moving. We just learned three days ago about this problem that there are lost text messages from the Secret Service on January 5th, and 6th.

What exactly that means? That is something that the House Select Committee and other entities are really trying to figure out. So, let's walk through what happened. Three days ago, July 13th, the DHS, so, that's the Department of Homeland Security, their inspector general, which was looking into the Secret Service handling of January 6th, they notified Capitol Hill to say that there were text messages that were erased as part of a data migration process that DHS was doing. And that meant that there were missing text messages from Secret Service phones on January 5th, and 6th.

The DHS inspector general was clearly very frustrated with this and felt like they weren't getting the information they wanted out of the Secret Service for their investigation, told Capitol Hill, then, that watchdog -- the chief there did brief all nine members of the House Select Committee about this yesterday for several hours. The committee members emerged from that meeting, very concerned. Here is what's Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren said afterwards. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): I will say that the explanation that you have to factory set, and eliminate your data without backing up your data, just seems I'm skeptical. I mean, I wouldn't do that.

The argument about when the request was made is largely irrelevant. The Secret Service was aware that this was one of the signature events of our country, and that there would be a need to preserve all of the evidence because of that. And also, there's an obligation for federal agencies to retain records.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: So, she mentions there that obligation of federal agencies to retain records, that is part of what is prompting now. This subpoena from the House Select Committee to the Secret Service, they are asking for the text messages at issue here, as well as any after action reports.

What happened here provide some explanations. They're asking the Secret Service to do. And now, just this morning, we did get a statement from the secret service's chief of communications. He wrote, "The committee has had our full and unwavering cooperation. That does not change." Now, we have provided voluntarily -- dozens of hours of formal testimony from special agents, over 790,000 unredacted e-mails, radio transmissions, operational and planning records.

And then, he says, "We plan to continue that cooperation by responding swiftly to the Committee's subpoena."

So, we are going to be waiting to see what this -- what the --- what the Secret Service says now. And they are one of these agencies that the House Select Committee really does want information out of, as they tried to nail down exactly what happened around the president on January 5th, January 6th, Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Katelyn Polantz, thanks so much.

And right now, President Biden is heading home from his historic trip to the Middle East. The president met with Arab leaders and laid out his strategy for building alliances in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me state clearly that the United States is going to remain an active, engaged partner in the Middle East. As the world grows more competitive, and the challenges we face more complex, is only becoming clear to me that how closely interwoven America's interests are with the successes of the Middle East. We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): But the president is also being sharply criticized for this moment -- this controversial meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and that fist bump.

Biden is under fire for that moment when he greeted the crown prince who is accused of being behind the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. CNN's Phil Mattingly is in Jeddah for the president's trip.

[12:05:00]

So, what does the White House believe Biden accomplished particularly on this last day while in the Middle East?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, Fred, this was a day of rapid fire one on one meetings between the president and top leaders in the region, and his most sustained effort to lay out his theory of the case or in a fulsome way, the U.S. sees this part of the world. A critical part of the world, but perhaps most importantly, a dramatically changing part of the world.

The president, making clear probably one of the truer statements he made all weekend. This is a very different reason than it was even when he was vice president, as alliances have shifted -- regional contributions have shifted, and the president making clear that the U.S. has a role adds those shifts transpired.

That sound you played from the president of top from his remarks today. That was an important moment, making clear to the leaders that were gathered here earlier today that the U.S. was indeed engaged, would not be turning a blind eye, because there was very real criticism and very real concern for many diplomats I've spoken to in the region that, that was exactly what this administration had planned.

The president saying that is very much, not the case. But Fred, it's worth noting that meeting yesterday between the crown prince and the president, meeting on a bilateral basis for more than two hours. That was a meeting despite the criticism, despite the heat that the White House and the president knew they were going to take in meeting with the individual the U.S. said ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

That was a meeting that allowed today to happen. And I think that's when you talk to White House officials, how they tried to frame this entire trip. They knew they were going to get hit, and they knew they were going to take heat. But it was important to look at the broader strategic objectives.

In fact, it's one of the things the president laid out when he was asked about the most visceral criticism he got last night from Jamal Khashoggi's former fiancee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I'm sorry, she feels that way. I was straightforward back then. I was straightforward today. What I have -- this is a meeting, not I didn't come here to meet with the crown prince.

I came here to meet with the GCC and nine nations to deal with the security and the needs of the free world, and particularly the United States, and not leave a vacuum here, which was happening as it has in other parts of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And, Fred, the president has gotten positive reviews from officials in the region I've spoken to, in the wake of his remarks. Obviously, a lot of criticism back home, that's not going away anytime soon. But White House officials make clear this trip was about the future, not necessarily dwelling on the past. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Phil Mattingly, thank you so much.

To talk further now, I'm going to bring in Susan Glasser. She is a CNN global affairs analyst, and a staff writer at The New Yorker. Good to see you, Susan.

So, that moment with the fist bump, was there another way the president could have handled that greeting, that meeting with the crown prince?

SUSAN GLASSER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Look, you know, Biden made the decision some time ago to take the head, if you will. He looks like a big flip flopper, and hypocrite. He's not the first American president to look like a hypocrite when it comes to the gap between American values and American interests in the Middle East, but this was a big one.

He said he was going to make Saudi Arabia a pariah because of its actions in murdering the Washington Post columnist. Instead, here, he was meeting with him.

The fist bump, if their effort was to avoid a handshake, I don't think they did themselves any favors by opting for the fist bump, instead. The Washington Post publisher said it was an even more intimate gesture. Whatever you think of it, the gesture spoke pretty eloquently to the political choice that Joe Biden made.

Remember, a lot of this has to do with someone who wasn't present at all, Vladimir Putin and Russia's decision to invade Ukraine that drove up the price of energy. That made Saudi Arabia a lot more important in the short term calculations of the Biden administration. The result is this meeting.

But the questions, of course, are what exactly did the United States accomplish in return for this fairly humiliating climb down? It's not clear, by the way.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, I wonder if there is a hypothetical. What if and, you know, back to the fist bump. What if the crown prince had his fist up, you know, or hand out for handshake and President Biden were not to engage in either? I just to leave them hanging.

I mean, what would that moment have been interpreted as, I mean, how would that have helped the president or might it have?

GLASSER: The decision was made on the front end for Joe Biden to give the Saudis what they wanted, which was the recognition and a return to non-pariah status. So, he decided to take the meeting with Mohammed bin Salman.

So, whether he shook his hand or fist bumped with him, the net effect would have been the same conversation that you and I are having right now. Again, I come back to the question of what is it exactly I beyond a very rhetorical statement that the United States isn't going to walk away from the Middle East.

[12:10:06]

Beyond that, and a lot of commentary about longer terms strategic considerations. Have the Saudis agreed to free up additional energy supply in order to help bring prices down?

How much is really available for them to do so? Have they made anything more than a short term commitment to a ceasefire in Yemen? What commitments have they made? If a new nuclear deal with Iran does not happen, what is their longer term security commitment in the United States?

Did they really agree to major steps in normalizing their relationship with Israel? None of that is really clear.

WHITFIELD: Not clear now. But the president says it wasn't his objective to just meet with the Saudi Arabian prince, but to the entire GCC. The Gulf Cooperation Council, an alliance of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.

And in order to accomplish all of those things that you just laid out, it meant meeting with them in order to secure greater production of oil, of food, of counterterrorism.

Was it important as a whole for the president to be meeting with the GCC abroad?

GLASSER: Well, look, of course, he can meet with the GCC, not in Saudi Arabia. So, the choice here very much was to give Saudi Arabia the recognition of a presidential visit from a president who said he would isolate them, first of all.

Second of all, of course, Saudi Arabia is not the only human rights abuser in the region by a longshot. He had a private meeting today with Egypt's leader at a time when there is been an enormous crackdown against all forms of dissidents in Egypt.

So, you know, it's not that Saudi Arabia is an isolated actor here. It's also a very important region. But I -- you know, it's a pretty thin pretext to say that oh, no, it actually was about a regional meeting that did not have to occur exclusively with the president in Saudi Arabia. I think that's a face saving, excuse for this really. WHITFIELD: On the issue of the murder of journalist Khashoggi and the president, President Biden saying he addressed it, you know, at the top with his meeting with the crown prince.

You saw from the press conference how he was told to the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi was, you know, Jamal Khashoggi was insulted, you know, by this. And he says, I'm sorry, she feels that way. Do you see that there will be another opportunity that President Biden is in a position to press Saudi Arabia, once again for its accountability, for its responsibility for the death of Jamal Khashoggi?

GLASSER: Look, this is a very familiar conversation over decades when it comes to the Saudis and human rights abuses. And American leaders, often choosing to override their own concerns about that because of the greater strategic importance of Saudi Arabia to the broader global economy.

Vladimir Putin is again, the key actor, you know, who probably made this meeting happen today between the president of the United -- and the crown prince. It's not a new conversation. It's a painful one, though, for a president like Joe Biden, who campaigned as someone who was going to return the United States to what he called a values-based foreign policy.

It's not clear what values, if any, the United States would like to say that it shares with Mohammed bin Salman.

WHITFIELD: All right. Susan Glasser, good to see you. Thanks so much.

GLASSER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come. A desperate father pleading for help as the search continues for his son a 20-year-old University of Mississippi student who went missing on July 8th.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:17:58]

WHITFIELD: All right. The search is on for a Mississippi college student who disappeared a week ago. Jimmie Jay Lee was last seen leaving an apartment complex near the University of Mississippi on July 8th.

On Monday, police recovered his car which had been towed from another apartment complex.

Police believe he was visiting someone there before disappearing.

Nadia Romero is following the developments for us. So, I mean, this is heartbreaking because everyone's looking for him.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes.

WHITFIELD: But particularly heartbreaking for his father --

ROMERO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- who is pleading for some kind of information.

ROMERO: Yes, Fred. He released a video message pleading for anyone. If you saw something, know something to please come forward. And we're hearing that from authorities as well that no tip is too small as they tried to piece together what happened to him, what led up to the moment where he was last seen last Friday outside of his apartment complex until they found his car on Monday and where he could possibly be right now.

This has also been very traumatic for his friends, for those on the college campus who knew him. I want you to listen to his neighbor talk about why she's so shocked that this is happening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAKIOWA MILAN, NEIGHBOR OF JIMMIE JAY LEE: He is real energetic, like real nice, friendly. He will talk to anybody. He is kind of the life of the party, like he's real sweet. So, it's just unfortunate that something like this has happened to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And it has been so unnerving for folks on the campus, a close knit small community on -- of Ole Miss. That the university released this statement for those teachers, for professors, for the students there who are going through a rough time.

That message says, in part, "We understand that this may be a very distressing time for members of our campus community, and you may feel a need to speak with someone. Students who need assistance can access the support services from the university."

And in that message going on to list, a handful of ways that students can reach out to talk to someone because some people are fearing that this was a random kidnapping. Maybe he knew the person, there is just so many unanswered questions.

Investigators say that they have already executed about a dozen search warrants and you can see just how close things are. His apartment0, Campus Walk Apartments, Molly Barr Trails, a different apartment complex that's where his car was found.

[12:20:05]

It's only about 2-1/2 miles away. So, we also learned his sisters spoke with one of our affiliates there in Oxford, saying that they conducted a search party with family and people in the community, all out looking for him.

I want you to take one last look at Jimmie Jay Lee. So, he is about 5'7", 120 pounds, black and blond hair. And you can see in those pictures that he sometimes has a low cut hair cut, other times he's wearing hair and makeup, and a dress. So, there, different looks that he has. So, if you maybe have seen Jimmie Jay out there, he could have a different look. As you try to wrack your brain to remember if you may have seen him, there is also reward out there for any information, Fred.

But still no real updates at this point, just out searching.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And understandable why it's so unsettling because that is a tight knit that whole Oxford, you know, very tight knit Ole Miss community.

ROMERO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So, I'm glad to hear that everybody is on the prowl looking for him.

ROMERO: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nadia Romero, thank you so much.

All right, coming up, an Indiana doctor is fighting back after the state's attorney general announces an investigation into abortion services the doctor provided to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio.

What the doctor's attorney told CNN after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:46]

WHITFIELD: An investigation is underway in Indiana where a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio received an abortion. She was forced to travel because her own state's abortion ban -- wouldn't allow it.

So, now, the attorney general of Indiana is looking into the doctor who performed the procedure. CNN's Polo Sandoval is following the story for us.

So, Polo, the doctor is fighting back. What she's saying?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): She's fighting back in a cease-and-desist letter that Dr. Caitlin Bernard has sent. The attorney general in Indiana basically saying that he should stop, making false and misleading statements about her."

Now, she is the OB-GYN in Indianapolis that actually helped carry out that abortion on that 10-year-old little girl from Ohio.

What we do know though is that if you actually pull some of those records, as we have independently been able to do, you can actually see that she did, in fact, reported with the state only two days after that procedure was carried out. And that is why Dr. Bernard's attorney is basically submitting this letter.

Now, we did reach out to the Attorney General's Office shortly after we received these documents. And the attorney general saying that they are still, at this point looking into gathering evidence, and as they put it, still continuing their legal review that remains open.

But again, when you hear from the attorney that's representing Dr. Bernard, it will say that there is nothing left to review. They maintain that this doctor followed the right rules and procedures in providing this care to this 10-year-old girl that traveled from Ohio into Indiana.

This is the attorney on Erin Burnett out front last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHLEEN DELANEY, ATTORNEY FOR OBGYN WHO TREATED 10-YEAR-OLD RAPE VICTIM: We want Mr. Rokita to stop lying about Dr. Bernard, and stop smearing her reputation, and making ridiculously unsupported accusations when even the barest minimum of homework on his part would have found that, that report had been timely done.

We're going to do the opposite of what Attorney General Rokita did. We're actually going to take our time and gather the facts and research the law and put together our case thoughtfully and deliberately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: That was just a few days ago that Attorney General Todd Rokita appeared on Fox News, announcing that it would be launching this inquiry into this -- into this particular procedure here that was carried out by Dr. Bernard. And again, they maintained that they're continuing to gather evidence, we have reached out though back again to the Attorney General's Office since this cease-and-desist letter was sent his way.

Still, waiting to hear back. Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then, Polo, how's the little girl doing?

SANDOVAL: Hey, no, that's one of the key questions is that little girl that's really at the center of all of this. We -- there's for obvious reasons, there isn't much that we know about the little girl. Especially, after the traumatizing incident that she experienced in Ohio.

But this case is certainly bringing to light, obviously, various arguments from all sides about what this could potentially mean to health care providers.

An example here with Dr. Bernard, carrying out this procedure and now basically find herself in the national spotlight and under investigation by this Republican Attorney General's Office.

And then, of course, the victim herself, this 10-year-old little girl who was traumatized to begin with, during that -- the rape, and then, obviously now, a big part of the conversation that's happening. Fred.

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

SANDOVAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. One of the FBI's most wanted fugitives has been arrested in Mexico. Special Agents from the DEA working alongside the Mexican Navy took Rafael Caro Quintero into custody. He was wanted for his alleged role in the kidnapping and murder of DEA -- ADD -- DEA agent rather, back in 1985.

Mexican authorities consider Quintero one of the founders of the Guadalajara Cartel and is known as the narco of drug traffickers. Attorney General Merrick Garland says the U.S. is seeking Quintero's immediate extradition to face charges.

All right. Still ahead, Brittney Griner's trial has been postponed. And in a new twist, her lawyer say that she was prescribed medical marijuana for quote severe chronic pain. But what will it take to bring Griner home? We'll talk about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:00]

WHITFIELD: What will it take to bring Griner home? We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Lawyers for WNBA star Brittney Griner told Russian judges this week that she was prescribed medical marijuana for quote, severe chronic pain. She was arrested there in February and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of transporting drugs. CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brittney Griner has to duck to get into her cell inside a Russian courtroom. Once uncuffed she flashes a smile not seen publicly since her incarceration, she then holds up a photograph of the WNBA players who recently wore her jersey and number at their All-Star game. Her lawyers presented the court on Friday with a key piece of edits a letter from a U.S. medical center prescribing Griner medical cannabis for quote, severe chronic pain.

[12:35:01]

JAMISON FIRESTONE, ATTORNEY WHO PRACTICED IN RUSSIA: It can't really hurt her. We're trying to make the judge sympathetic. And so when she shows evidence like that the judge can go, well, OK, you know, I mean, United States did prescribe this and she's in pain and she's not a recreational drug user.

TODD (voice-over): The American basketball star allegedly had less than one gram of cannabis oil in her luggage when she was apprehended at a Moscow airport in February, but it could still land or as much as 10 years in a Russian prison. JULIA IOFFE, FOUNDING PARTNER AND WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, PUCK: I worry that she's going to serve at least a year or two or three of her sentence before something gets hammered out.

TODD (voice-over): Griner has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges but says she accidentally packed the cannabis oil and is now trying for a more lenient sentence. This week, her lawyers presented character witnesses, the general manager of Griner's Russian team and a teammate who spoke on her behalf.

EVGENIYA BELYAKOVA, TEAMMATE OF GRINER'S ON RUSSIAN TEAM (through translator): Brittney was always a great teammate, and that is why I'm here, to support her and be there for her at this difficult time. We miss her so much, miss her energy.

FIRESTONE: It's really hard to say whether any of it helps, because this trial is so big that the Russian government is obviously watching it and I don't think believing the judge alone at this point.

TODD (voice-over): But one analyst says this case has become so high profile that even an offer to trade Griner for convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who's in a U.S. prison might not win her release.

IOFFE: I also worry that Vladimir Putin won't be satisfied with a simple prisoner exchange. He doesn't want to exchange prisoners at this point. He wants sanctions relief.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: The analysts we spoke to say if Brittney Griner serves any portion of her sentence, it will likely be in a Russian penal colony. They say that those are notoriously violent places, particularly the women's colonies. And they say the longer that Griner might languish in a place like that, the greater the chance that Vladimir Putin might believe that the Biden administration would have to cave to his demands.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

WHITFIELD: All right, so what is it going to take to bring Brittney Griner home joining right now to talk more about it is Danielle Gilbert, a fellow in U.S. policy and international security at Dartmouth College. Danielle, good to see you. So in a recent article, you wrote that hostage diplomacy will likely become a more prevalent threat to the security of Western countries. What do you mean by that?

DANIELLE GILBERT, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, RESEARCH SPECIALIST HOSTAGE TAKING/RECOVERY: Hostage diplomacy is when foreign governments use their criminal justice system to take hostages. Essentially, they arrest foreigners under the color and guise of law. But the intention is always to use them for foreign policy leverage. So when we look at the case of Brittney Griner and other Americans held in Russia, in Venezuela, in Iran all over the world right now, we have our adversaries who are pretending that they have made these legitimate arrests, when actually they're just trying to make the U.S. government make political concessions.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And so those political concessions, then, like we just heard in the piece, that it's more likely Russia would want sanction release rather than a prisoner swap. Are you seeing that that potentially really could be the equation here, the use of that leverage?

GILBERT: It's really difficult to know. Yes, it's really difficult to know, because these governments will never come out and say, Brittney Griner, or these 40 other Americans arrested abroad, they'll never come out and say that they're hostages. They'll never make explicit demands. Instead, they might imply that they want sanctions relief or a prisoner swap. They might make those demands behind the scenes, but we'll never hear them say them out loud.

In the past, Russia has been quite content to do a one for one prisoner swap. A couple of months ago, American Trevor Reed was released and was able to come back to the United States in a prisoner swap for a Russian former pilot who was arrested in the U.S. for drug smuggling, and he came home in that one for one prisoner swap. But some countries much prefer larger diplomatic deals. The Iranians, for instance, want not only prisoner swaps, but sanctions relief, debt relief, all kinds of other political concessions in these cases.

WHITFIELD: Do think this is different because she's a star. I mean, she is a global star, not just an American star, but globally.

GILBERT: Brittney Griner is a superstar athlete and Olympian and not only beloved by her team and family in the United States, but as we saw in the trial this week, beloved by her teammates and her fans in Russia as well. There is so much more attention to this case, and there really ever has been before for a wrongful detainee from the United States. And so you can imagine that with more attention comes the desire for more leverage from the Russian government. They might see this as an opportunity to ask for more and more.

[12:40:03]

WHITFIELD: So President Biden did make a phone call to the family of Paul Whelan another American being held there last week. And Whelan is a U.S. citizen, former Marine, serving a 16-year sentence in Russia. Elizabeth Whelan had been questioning why the President hadn't spoken with her family even after bringing up, you know, her brother's case in a phone call with Brittney Griner's wife. So how does the White House proceed in, you know, making sure that in an even way, there is that distributed care, you know, and concern for all American detainees in Russia.

GILBERT: It's an incredibly difficult situation, both for the families that are experiencing this horrific tragedy and for the White House for the President of the United States. So if you are the family member, or a close, you know, team member, colleague, community member of one of these people who's being held, there is nothing more important on the planet, than bringing that person home as quickly and as safely as possible. The White House has a few other interests of balance, they want to

bring home Americans. They want to make sure that the families know that they're doing everything they can, but they also have to make sure that they're not raising so much attention that they're going to have to make concessions that are harmful to the foreign policy and the national interests of the United States.

And so in an ideal world, all of the families would feel that they're being cared for by the U.S. government, that they're getting the attention that they want, without having to go so public, as to raise it for the rest of the world to see that all you have to do is arrest an American, and you get the full attention of the President of the United States.

WHITFIELD: All right, Danielle Gilbert, thank you so much. And of course everybody is hoping for the quick and safe return of all of this Americans being detained.

All right, President Biden is facing pressure to slow the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and CNN is learning these migrants aren't just coming from Central America and Mexico. More on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:46:46]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Part of the U.S. border with Mexico are being overwhelmed by migrants seeking asylum in the United States. And unlike past years, they're not mainly from Mexico and Central America. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more from Yuma, Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Mass migration is landing at the U.S. doorstep with conditions getting worse in their countries of origin, migrants are arriving in droves relieved as they crossed the border. Sometimes the situation at home eliminates any possibilities, she says.

In this part of the border, U.S. authorities arrest up to 1,000 migrants daily. The influx is in alarming trend made even more difficult by the nationalities of the people crossing the border.

(on camera): Here past midnight in Yuma, hundreds of migrants have already crossed into the U.S. and turn themselves over to Border Patrol. They come from a range of countries including as far as Russia, and they all after speaking with them have said the same thing, they are looking for a better life here in the United States. Yuma border patrol's sector chief Chris Clem described the situation as dynamic.

CHRIS CLEM, YUMA SECTOR CHIEF PATROL OFFICER, U.S. BORDER PATROL: We were having countries from Mexico, Central America things that we could process and, you know, take biometric data and put them in removal proceedings and or return them back to Mexico. The countries were receiving now those nationalities are flying in, arriving to the border, and, you know, they're having to be processed and there's just so many of them that it is posing a challenge to the workforce.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Authorities can turn back migrants at the Southwest border back to Mexico or their home countries under a Trump era pandemic rule known as Title 42. But it doesn't apply to everyone. That coupled with frosty relations with countries like Venezuela and Cuba keeps the U.S. from removing certain people meaning they might be released while going through immigration proceedings.

CLEM: We continue to evolve with technology and resources not only for our agents, but also for the overall mission, the former surveillance systems. And then we continue to add to the processing and the humane care and -- of the migrants in custody, wrap around medical services, food contracts to make sure that we've got plenty of food and to be able to take care of those in custody.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): The pace of people journeying north presents a steep challenge for President Biden and one he raised with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador this week.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of those is migration, a historic level throughout our hemisphere. Like us, Mexico has become a top destination of migrants. And here's what we're going to do to address it together.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): The U.S. has looked to countries further south for help, including Costa Rica, where many migrants traveled through, an agreement between the two obtained by CNN outlines commitments to strengthen enforcement, exchange information on migrant flows, and stabilize host communities. But Biden continues to face political pressure from Republicans who say he's not doing enough.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation to shore up funds for border security and following the example set by Texas has sent 25 buses with migrants to Washington, D.C., even so people continue to come with hope of a new life on the horizon.

[12:50:07]

(on camera): The Yuma sector chief tells me that in the coming days he anticipates that they will reach 250,000 arrests just in the sector. And so far this fiscal year that would surpass all of the last fiscal year.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Yuma, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And starting today, Americans have a new lifeline to get help in a crisis. A new suicide prevention hotline is now available, the new number 988. It is simplified from the previous 10-digit number. And if you call you'll be directed to a local call center to talk to someone who can help. The nonprofit that operates the hotline plans to launch a pilot program specifically for the LGBTQ community. And again, if you need help, don't hesitate, call 988 and you can stay anonymous.

All right, still ahead, a deadly heat wave is striking Europe. Hundreds are already reported dead as temperatures soar to highs that scientists predicted would not be filled until 2050.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:55:50]

WHITFIELD: All right, deadly heat is sweeping Europe. In Spain in just over a week, the death toll has risen to 237 according to the health ministry. And the U.K. is calling for emergency meetings today to deal with the heat crisis. CNN's Allison Chinchar joining us right now. So Allison long term heat waves like this one we're seeing now we're expected to accept that it's going to be an everyday event until 2015. Tell us more.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, so I think the thing that they're trying to emphasize is that these long term heat waves, we're not just talking a day or two, but the prolonged ones are likely to become more and more common and the concern there and ultimately the impacts are it leads to more heat related illnesses. And in fact, take a look at the U.K., they issued their very first red alert for heat, it's the first time they've ever done that in history. And that's the highest level you can possibly get for a warning out of the U.K. Met Office.

Essentially what it means is they have at least a 50 percent chance of their temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius, which is 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and at least an 80 percent chance of them reaching record levels across the country. But it's not the only place. Take a look at Paris also expected to reach triple digit temperatures, Madrid, Seville, other areas across this region likely to see that heat continue and in fact, it's likely to keep going for the next several days.

So it's not just one thing that's going to be a day or two here and there. We talked about the record for the U.K., the all-time record there is 101 degrees. But if you notice on that previous map, that's the forecast high for London on Monday, so they are very likely to reach those all-time record levels. The most concerning part is the people that live there, less than 5 percent of residential homes in England have air conditioning.

So when you talk about these prolonged heat waves, that's why you have such a prolonged areas that are dealing with heat related illnesses because they simply have no way to cool their bodies down. Back here in the U.S. similar heat wave as well, Dallas, Oklahoma City, El Paso, San Antonio, we get it. It's summertime, these places are hot, but not this hot, and not for this long period of time. All of those areas are expected to remain in triple digits for at least the next five days.

Other areas say the eastern half of the country has had just average temperatures the last few days. But that's going to change because all of that heat that's in the center of the U.S. is really going to start to expand and spread to the east. So now you're going to start to see some other areas that have had relatively pleasant temperatures or at least more seasonal temperatures the last few days that are now going to start to go up.

Take for example Chicago going from a high today in the mid 70s back to the 90s by Tuesday, same thing for Indianapolis, St. Louis, in Des Moines, all expected to get back into the 90's, Fred, in the next several days and likely stay there for a while.

WHITFIELD: This is a very difficult summer. Thank you so much Allison Chinchar. All right, in another extreme weather event, a deadly dust storm ripped through Montana yesterday killing six and leaving chaos in its wake. The sudden storm caused a massive 21 car pileup on I-90 in Big Horn County. Traffic was rerouted overnight for emergency responders to clear the scene.

And on this week's episode of Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World, we explore its sheltered fjords. These beautiful flooded valleys were carved out by ice over millennia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Patagonia's fjords are now bursting with life. Running for 1,000 miles up the West Coast, this is one of the most extensive fjord land regions on Earth. Fed by dozens of these fjords is an incredibly rich feeding ground, the Corcovado Gulf. And heading straight forward is the largest animal that has ever lived. A blue whale weighing nearly 200 tons, he's twice as heavy as the largest dinosaur.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:00:13]

WHITFIELD: This cinematography extraordinary join CNN as we explore the natural wonders of Patagonia's fjords, Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.