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L.A. County Mulls Return To Mask Mandate; Family Of Jay Lee Pleads For Public To Help Find Him; Doctor Fights Back Against Ohio Attorney General Over 10-Year-old Rape Victim's Abortion; Interview With Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO); WaPo Columnist: January 6 Committee Isn't Uncovering Anything New; Former South Carolina Lawyer Charged In Death Of Wife And Son; Climate Crisis Hits Europe As Extreme Heat Wave Kills Hundreds. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired July 16, 2022 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:25]

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: I'm Laura Coates. Pamela Brown has the night off.

The top stories, as COVID cases rise across the U.S., health officials in L.A. County tell CNN that mask mandates will likely return by the end of this month. Also ahead, a disgraced South Carolina attorney who called 911 saying that he discovered the bodies of his wife and son will now face murder charges. A new court hearing has been scheduled. And temperatures in Europe hitting levels not expected for another 30 years and they're here right now.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The most contagious variant yet, BA.5 is cutting a vicious path across this entire country. Data from the CDC shows that more than half of the U.S. population lives in a county with high community transmission as we speak, and they predict we will soon see hospitalizations begin to increase as well.

In Los Angeles County, there's a concern that -- and they're so concerned that they're talking about even reviving an indoor mask mandate within the next two weeks.

CNN's Camila Bernal is at the Santa Monica pier with more.

Camila, how much have transmission rates actually increased in L.A. County?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, the county says they're seeing about 9,000 cases every single day, and the problem is that hospitalizations are increasing. They say that compared to last month they've seen an 88 percent increase. So for every 100,000 people that are here, 10.5 more or less, are having to be hospitalized and that's what's concerning for them.

So they say that if those numbers stay or increase over the next couple of weeks, what's going to happen is that everyone here over the age of 2 is going to have to wear a mask. So you'll have to wear it if you go to a restaurant, to school, to work or just to a store and, look, yes, the numbers could go down, but officials here are very skeptical about that.

Here is what the director of the Department of Public Health had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BARBARA FERRER, DIRECTOR, L.A. COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH: With these very high rates, unless we start seeing a slowdown in spread, a slowdown in what's happening in our hospitals, in two weeks we will do a universal indoor masking here and again that will be aligned fully with CDC.

I am fearful that because we continue to see those increases in cases in two weeks, our hospital numbers will not have come down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And I talked to a lot of people today, many telling me that, yes, they will wear the mask. They want to be careful, but the reality is that it is not going to be easy for L.A. County. There are people who simply do not want to wear a mask and they're already used to having that freedom. So it is going to be very difficult and yet officials say not wearing them is going to make things worse not just here in L.A. County, but we're seeing those increases all over the country.

The case rates are the highest that they've been in months and the CDC is also saying and forecasting an increase in hospitalizations for the first time in weeks also because we've been seeing those steady numbers and instead with this variant, what we're seeing is these numbers increasing and the concern, the worry is those hospitalizations -- Laura.

COATES: I mean, those numbers, I mean, the way they're going up. Camila Bernal, thank you so much. It's hard to have the yo-yo approach of having people get used to not having them on and now having them on again, but those numbers, the maps you just showed, really stunning. Thank you.

You know, last hour I sat down with Dr. Anthony Fauci, and I asked him as officials in California's L.A. County say they could bring back universal indoor masking within the next two weeks, I asked him how important it would be for other communities to now reconsider mask mandates again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If you look at the map that you're looking at now, a substantial proportion of the population is in that orange zone and a lot more in the yellow zone. So yellow means mask optional, orange means recommend wearing masks in an indoor congregant setting.

It is clear that some jurisdictions that have a high level of virus circulating will make that decision that they will mandate a mask, but that will be left up to the local jurisdictions to make that decision because each state, each county might be different from the other so you don't want to make a universal declaration about whether it's a good idea or not. It has to be decided at the local level.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:05:02]

COATES: Well, meantime, we're following the search for a missing University of Mississippi student. Jay Lee's father is now pleading for help from the public.

CNN's Nadia Romero is following details. Nadia, what are you seeing?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Laura, the search continues for that missing college student and we're hearing passionate pleas from his family for anyone with any information to please come forward. Ole Miss University student Jimmie Lee who also goes by the nickname Jay was last seen last Friday on July 8th at about 6:00 in the morning outside the campus walk apartments.

And you can see here his car was recovered by police on Monday at Molly Bar Trails Apartment Complex and that's just over two and a half miles away. Now in some photos and videos Lee is wearing dresses and makeup. A local station in Oxford, Mississippi, says they caught up with Lee's sister who was with others in the community doing a search on a nearby trail. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLA CASEY, MISSING STUDENT'S SISTER: Just to see people come out and actually help us that shows us that there's actually some people in this world that actually care. If there's anybody out there that know anything, anything, it's just anything, a simple clue, a simple piece, a simple something, just to get something to find him, pretty much, because that's all we want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: Now Jimmie Lee's disappearance is also impacting students at Ole Miss. The university released an alert to students, reading 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 that statement goes on to identify ways students can reach out for help and talk to someone about what's going on.

Police tell us they've executed a dozen search warrants on digital and physical elements along with interviewing people in the area. They're urging people to come forward even with the smallest tip that can help them find Jimmie Lee -- Laura.

COATES: Nadia Romero, thank you. You never know what you may have seen. If you have information please help that family. Deeply harmful to our nation. Those words today from Vice President

Kamala Harris about the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe versus Wade. As she reaffirmed the president's commitment to protect women's reproductive rights, the vice president did sound the alarm about the repercussions stemming from that decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are talking about a situation in our nation right now where states and so-called leaders are passing laws that would criminalize medical health professionals, healthcare providers. We are talking about several states in our nation who will not allow an exception for rape or incest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Now that scenario is actually playing out in Indiana right now where a physician is under investigation for providing abortion services to a 10-year-old rape victim.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joins me now. Polo, that doctor is starting to fight back, right? How?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And her name is Dr. Caitlin Bernard, Laura. She is the OB-GYN who has come forward and identified herself as the doctor who helped terminate the pregnancy of that 10-year-old from Ohio and now she's finding herself the subject of an investigation that's being led by the state's Republican attorney general looking into the potential failure to report an abortion.

You'll recall, it was just a few days ago that Attorney General Todd Rokita took to FOX News announcing that he would basically launch this investigation and look into whether or not the doctor violated the state law that requires that an abortion performed on anybody under the age of 16 be reported to the state within three days. Well, it didn't take long and CNN was able to obtain some of those documents that do show that the doctor did report that abortion only two days after it was done.

Those -- we did reach out to AG Rokita's office saying that they are collecting evidence right now as part of that investigation that was launched. It was announced on FOX News and that that legal review remains open but that's where a lot of that debate begins. But when you hear from the attorney that's representing Dr. Bernard, she says no review should be necessary if you were to look up some of those publicly available documents and that's one of the reasons why she's sent a cease-and-desist letter to the attorney general and calling on him to, quote, "stop making false and misleading statements about alleged misconduct by Dr. Bernard and her profession."

Just last night that attorney had a conversation with our colleague Erin Burnett and that attorney basically calling this investigation, describing it a smear campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KATHLEEN DELANEY, ATTORNEY FOR DOCTOR WHO PROVIDED ABORTION SERVICES TO 10-YEAR-OLD RAPE VICTIM: Even the barest minimum of homework on his part would have found that that report have been timely done.

[19:10:04]

So we want him to stop the smear and then we want him to stop this dangerous rhetoric that he's using where he is whipping people up into a frenzy at a very unsettled time in our nation's history and we want to make sure that our client stays safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: That attorney also saying that they're basically laying the groundwork for a possible civil case. So we'll have to see exactly what the next steps will be for Dr. Bernard in terms of that cease- and-desist letter after it was sent back to the attorney general. We did reach back out to the attorney general, Laura, and we are still waiting to hear back from them.

COATES: Polo Sandoval, thank you. And the fact that we're not talking about the rape of a 10-year-old girl and the idea of having to go to a different state, instead the focus on the doctor is quite telling at this point in American present and history. Thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: Thank you.

COATES: And this just in to CNN, professional race car driver Bobby East was apparently stabbed to death at a California gas station earlier this week and moments ago CNN has confirmed that the suspect is dead, shot and killed during a confrontation with police and also SWAT team members.

East was pumping gas at a 76 station not far away when he was stabbed in the chest on Wednesday afternoon. The suspect was on parole for armed robbery and had an unrelated arrest warrant out for him. Police say the accused killer became confrontational when they tried to take him into custody.

East who was just 37 years old is being remembered as one of the most prolific drivers of his era.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. And coming up this hour, the bombshells keep dropping in the January 6th investigation. Tonight the "New York Times" reporting that a right-wing lawyer suggested Donald Trump declare martial law to subvert the 2020 election.

And also ahead, could your cell phone be used against you in an abortion case? CNN legal analyst Loni Coombs is here for our legal lightning round. And blistering heat baking Europe as temperatures hit levels that were not supposed to start for another 30 years.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:16:26]

COATES: The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has far- reaching implications and in some states abortion and related actions now fall into the realm of crime and punishment and that's particularly concerning to many lawmakers, and that includes Democratic Colorado Senator Michael Bennet.

Senator, thank you for being with us today. It's really important to have this conversation because you and your Democratic colleagues actually introduced new legislation to protect the right to cross for state lines to seek reproductive health care. We've just covered the story about a 10-year-old little girl having to do so and the tragedy of that is just unspeakable.

The Senate Republicans, as you know, blocked that bill, Senator. I'm wondering where do Democrats go from here to try to protect women's reproductive rights in this country in light of that Dobbs decision?

SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO): Well, this is the first time, Laura, in the history of our country that a fundamental constitutional right has been stripped away. I read all the opinions including Alito's opinion. I don't think he grappled at all with the fundamental nature of this right, and I think he didn't understand some of the collateral damage and already just in a week or 10 days we're seeing it.

I mean, you know, there are legislators, elected officials across the country for whom reversing Roe isn't even enough. They want to now penalize women who are free Americans, who are trying to travel across state lines to protect themselves, and to access abortions and other health care services. So last week, we tried to pass a bill that would prevent that and would also protect doctors like the doctor in Indiana, Dr. Bernard, who is confronting an attorney general who is trying to go after for a 10-year-old rape victim's abortion.

This is an insane country -- or this insane situation that the court has created for us. So I think it's important for us to keep pushing. The most important thing for us to do is to elect pro-choice majorities in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House and to pass a law that codifies Roe and re-establishes what for 50 years has been a fundamental liberty in this country.

COATES: I mean, as a former prosecutor, I always think to myself, when you've got the idea of the notion of outlawing something, then how do you actually criminalize it? Are you absolutely able to do this? I mean, there are so many different facets and nuances here.

BENNET: Yes.

COATES: And in fact, you wrote when this opinion came out, you wrote this ruling is not the last word. The question people have, Senator, is, can Congress codify making abortion access legal on a federal level? Obviously it's a patchwork of states we're talking about, but can that codification be done, I mean, given the politics of it and also just the idea of legislating it?

BENNET: I have absolutely no doubt that we will codify Roe versus Wade in a bipartisan way at some points. The question is how much damage to people's freedom and liberty, and the health is going to be done before now and then? You know, we don't have the votes to do it today, but we -- I have no doubt that we're going to have pro-choice majorities in the House and the Senate because the American people, you know, 70 percent of them don't think this right should be overturned, unfortunately.

And so -- and nationally, I think we have to do it because this isn't just the state's rights issue. One of the first calls I got when Roe versus Wade was overturned was from a woman that I know who served in the Armed Forces and she was saying to me, Michael, what's going to happen to all these women in the military who are on military bases in Alabama, in Mississippi, in Georgia, and other states where abortion is banned.

[19:20:11]

And even if you pay for the abortion, even if the federal government decides we can pay for people to travel, nobody is left with their right to privacy anymore. That's been destroyed. We see what's happening in Indiana, in Ohio with this 10-year-old rape victim, and Dr, Bernard. Their right to privacy has been shattered and this could have happened to millions and millions and millions of American women.

COATES: It's important you talk about the collateral aspect, and I'm glad that you raised the issue of the military. There has been a lot of conversation about whether this would impact military readiness, about other factors that might be involved as well.

BENNET: Right.

COATES: It's important to think about all these nuances in particular. There's also a new CNN poll out tonight, Senator, new CNN poll recently, polls that averaged the ratings for President Biden's handling of the presidency. Look at this. It finds that 39 percent of Americans approve of the job he's doing. 58 percent, however, disapprove of the job he's doing.

I'm wondering, given you said the notion of having a pro-choice majority or the retention of majority by Democrats in general, are you concerned that the president's overall rating as leader of the party is going to impact others' re-election campaigns including yours?

BENNET: Well, I think that any president with the inflation numbers that we're seeing and with the energy prices that we're seeing would have challenging numbers. I mean, I think it would be true if it were a Democrat or Republican, if it were anybody. I mean, I'm grateful to Joe that he ran for president because I think he was the one American out of 330 million Americans who could beat Donald Trump, and I deeply appreciate the fact that he provided that service to our country. And I remain grateful for it.

I think it's important for people to understand that we're seeing these inflation numbers and these energy price increases, you know, in almost every country in the world. If you look at the U.K., the E.U., Canada, India, the numbers are very, very similar because this isn't, you know, Joe Biden causing this. It is the result of broken supply chains that, you know, have made it very difficult when we've recovered as an economy to be able to deliver stuff, and it gets a lot more expensive as a result.

Not to mention energy prices increasing because the economy has recovered and Putin has invaded Ukraine. So that's cold comfort to people in Colorado. They're paying $4.80 today for gasoline but, you know, we've had a decline in gas prices for the last 32 days. I hope we're going to continue to see that decline. I just think it's important for the American people to understand that we're all facing these challenges together. It's not just the United States of America.

COATES: Well, speaking of that, I mean, part of what you mentioned, the idea of climate issues and climate action, I mean, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin dropped a pretty big bomb in the Biden agenda. He seems to remain a bit of a thorn in the side of those cohesion of the Democratic Party, and he's saying that he's not going to support sweeping climate action and tax provisions in the economic recovery legislation.

And that provisions negotiate lower prescription drug prices and extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies is basically what's left of the president's Build Back Better plan. Is that acceptable to you?

BENNET: Well, Laura, you're right to describe it that way, is basically what's left. Those are two major things. I mean, if we can reduce drug prices for the American people, have Medicare negotiate drug prices on behalf of the American people, American citizens, cap seniors' out-of-pocket costs of $2,000, those are major victories that I've been fighting for a long time.

If we can keep insurance rates from increasing by extending the subsidies for people's buying Affordable Care Act insurance, that's major, too. So I think it's very important for us to do those two things. Having said all -- and I will support it. Having said all that, you know, my state is being virtually incinerated by climate change. We've got no water left in the Colorado River. It's half empty. We're having the worst fires in our state's history.

I've tried to make Senator Manchin understand what it's like to be living in a state where we're so challenged every single day with the threats of climate change. So far have been unsuccessful. What I think we need to do as a country is understand that we don't have an energy policy. The United States of America needs one because the policy we're pursuing today, you know, and have been for many years is inflationary.

It doesn't -- it doesn't advance our national security and it's really bad at reducing emissions, and I believe we can develop an energy policy that does all of those things and helps not only support our national security but drives economic growth for our country and dramatically reduces emissions. That's what we have to do.

[19:25:16]

COATES: Senator Bennet, I remember when you ran for president you were consistent with similar policies, speaking about that very notion.

BENNET: Almost nobody does -- almost nobody does remember that I ran for president but I appreciate that.

COATES: I remember -- no, I certainly remember, and you know what? If you think memories are somehow lacking, are you intending to run again?

BENNET: I don't know, Laura. I'm up right now for re-election to the Senate, and as you pointed out, this is a very, very tough cycle for Democrats. I've had tough races in the past in 2010 and 2016. I know this is going to be a tough race, as well, but I think I've got a good record for my state, and I'm looking forward to the campaign, and I'm looking forward to getting re-elected so I can go back and we can, you know, create an economy that when it grows, it grows for everybody, not just the top 10 percent.

And so we can create energy policy, as I said earlier that drives the economy forward and reduces emissions so that we can save this democracy. That's what's really on the ballot, and I hope that everybody in America at some point not only is protected with a fundamental right that Roe versus Wade had but also that everybody in America has the chance to vote the way everybody in Colorado has the chance to vote. That's key to saving the democracy, as well.

COATES: I didn't hear a no exactly, Senator, but I did hear everything you said, and I certainly remember your run. Thank you for joining us tonight. I appreciate it.

BENNET: Thanks, Laura. Thanks for having me.

COATES: Well, next week the January 6th Committee will hold its final public hearing. Are they uncovering anything new? My next guest, well, he doesn't think so. I'll talk to "Washington Post" columnist, Gary Abernathy, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:31:25]

COATES: The January 6th hearings aren't over as you know, but a new opinion piece in "The Washington Post" raises the question of whether they've been a waste of time. Contributing columnist, Gary Abernathy doesn't dispute the idea that the election was valid, or that Donald Trump incited the riot and refused to take part in the peaceful transfer of power.

But he does argue: "Despite breathless previews of coming attractions, little has changed since the hearings began beyond what was already established." And Gary Abernathy joins me tonight.

Welcome, Gary.

I'm really curious about your piece, and it is an interesting one and very thought provoking. And I'm wondering, of all that we've seen, we are seven hearings in. The eighth to happen this coming Thursday in primetime.

You've got Cassidy Hutchinson and Pat Cipollone, and the Capitol police officers, the Georgia election workers you can add to that people like Jeffrey Rosen and Richard Donoghue, State officials from different states like Arizona, none of that moved the needle for you in any way?

GARY ABERNATHY, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, no. And again, I'm someone like you, Laura, if I follow the news, I am aware of almost all these things that have been talked about in the Committee.

Maybe there are people watching, you know, who don't follow the news that closely and they're learning some new things. We certainly had some details, added to things we previously knew.

But here's the problem, Laura, I think that, you know, I'm someone that was a big Trump supporter for a year, four, five, six years ago, I guess now. I worked at a newspaper that was like one of the few newspapers in the country to endorse Trump for President in 2016, and so I'm still glad he was President.

But what he did by refusing to accept the election results which led to the January 6 riot, and then even just as bad on January 20th, we have the spectacle of Joe Biden taking the oath of office with Donald Trump nowhere in sight, to show appreciation for the peaceful transfer of power that was disgraceful.

So I think Republicans should move away from Trump. I'm all for that. But I think the Committee risked going a step too far, Laura, in trying to build a criminal case against Trump and trying to say that these radical groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers were taking directions from him.

If you connect Dot A to Dot D, and go back to C and B, then we can look what Trump said and affected these people. I just don't think they're going to build that kind of a case.

COATES: Well, to be fair, they will tell you, of course, that they are a Legislative Committee and other prosecutorial body like DOJ, but they certainly are talking about the idea of connecting the dots, and there was concerned during the seventh hearing about whether they did not manage expectations, where they over promised the ability to connect those dots.

And I think many were left wondering whether they had proven, which I think they did that maybe they were inspired by the former President, or were they instructed by that President.

Now, here is the thing about this, though, as you know, we're seven hearings in and there has been a lot more than that one date, and the idea of who you think the audience is here, you've have told me in the past and you think they're preaching to the choir, is that is the church is there? The pews are not open to others, it's closed and this moment, do you a close universe of people who are watching not those who should be? ABERNATHY: Yes, you know, I talked to a lot of people. Where I live is

very heavy Trump country and they're just not paying attention. I'll try to bring up a conversation about the hearings: Have you watched that? Did you see that the other day? And they are just, "No." They're just not watching it.

So the people watching it are people who have long hated Donald Trump anyway, and you know, I worry, Laura that they are really kind of falling into the category of a Michael Moore documentary like "Fahrenheit 9/11" which may have been an entertaining movie, but it made a one-sided case, you know, against George W. Bush in relation to 9/11, and how he handled that.

[19:35:16]

ABERNATHY: And this, you know, without any challenging of the witnesses, without any skepticism being expressed by any member of the Committee. It would be interesting, I think, for all Americans, to have some of this testimony challenged a little bit.

I'm not saying anyone is lying, but wouldn't it be more interesting, I know they're not a -- this is not a trial, but still most hearings do include that kind of back and forth questioning and not just soft balls, where everybody just kind of nods, and accepts what's taken at face value and move on to the next question.

COATES: Well, Gary, I mean, you can talk to Kevin McCarthy about that, because it was the opportunity to have that be more broad on one hand; on the other hand, remember, it maybe it could very well be that you're not hearing different challenges, because you actually hear from people who were in the rooms where they happen, of course, we'll talk more about this. We have an eighth hearing coming up.

We've got a few seconds left, and of course, I'm glad that you came today, Gary. I am curious of your perspective, though. Do you think that in the next hearing, you'll be able to sort of bridge the gap on what you desire to know more about or draw in more of an audience? It's primetime.

ABERNATHY: Yes. I mean, more people will watch it because it is primetime. I imagine -- I'm guessing I haven't seen the numbers lately. The first primetime hearing is still probably the most watched of the hearings, because it just -- people are home to watch that way.

So I don't think it's going to move the needle and especially in the midterms, I still think, Laura, people are going to be voting on the inflation or high gas prices is what's going to drive that vote.

COATES: Well, it's all back to, "It's the economy stupid," after all.

ABERNATHY: Yes.

COATES: Gary Abernathy, thank you so much.

ABERNATHY: Thank you, Laura.

COATES: Everyone, you are -- thanks, Gary.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A prominent and disgraced South Carolina attorney is now accused of murdering his own wife and son. So, what's next for Alex Murdaugh?

I'll break it down with former prosecutor, Loni Coombs, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:41:18]

COATES: Once a legal dynasty, now the Murdaugh family is in ruins. This week, prominent attorney, Alex Murdaugh was indicted by a grand jury in South Carolina for the 2021 murders of his wife and son.

The motive, millions of dollars in life insurance, they believe.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher has more on this bizarre tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The murder indictments handed down by the Colleton County, South Carolina grand jury on Thursday allege that it was Alex Murdaugh who pulled the triggers -- and yes, I said triggers -- as in plural.

The indictments have very few details in them, but what they do say is that Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his 52-year-old wife Maggie with a rifle and that he shot and killed his 22-year-old son, Paul with a shotgun.

Now, Murdaugh was once a powerful and prominent attorney here in the low country area from a very prominent legal family, but he was disbarred earlier this week by the State Supreme Court.

Now Murdaugh's attorneys released a statement soon after those indictments were handed down. That said, in part: "Alex wants his family and friends and everyone to know that he did not have anything to do with the murders of Maggie and Paul. He loved them more than anything in the world. It was clear from day one that law enforcement and the Attorney General prematurely concluded that Alex was responsible for the murder of his wife and son. But we know that Alex did not have any motive whatsoever to murder them."

Now, his attorneys have said they plan to request a speedy trial that they want to get whatever evidence that law enforcement says they have out in the open and hope all of this can began to unfold sometime within the next 90 days or so.

We said there is not much detail included in those indictments, so that's likely when we would learn more information, but a source does tell CNN that they may be looking at some evidence including the potential of blood spatter on Murdaugh's clothing he was wearing the night of those murders, which could indicate a close firing of a rifle at close range. Now, Murdaugh was already in jail because he has $7 million bond on

some of the more than 70 financial related charges that are pending against him with a slew of his former clients and other victims saying that he defrauded them.

But the nation, not just the low country has been gripped by this case, because of all the mystery that surrounds it. Much of that going back to the initial arrest of Murdaugh, where it was that bizarre roadside attempted suicide, for higher insurance fraud plot, and then there are the death investigations.

Three of those investigations have either been opened or reopened in the past year that are connected in some way to the Murdaugh family in addition, of course, to the murders of Maggie and Paul.

Now, again, Alex Murdaugh is in jail, but he will appear for a bond hearing on those murder indictments on Wednesday of next week.

Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Charleston, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COATES: Wow. Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much.

I want to bring in CNN legal analyst, Loni Coombs.

Loni, this is an unbelievable case. As Dianne just said, I mean, some of the evidence could be blood splatter on Murdaugh's own close. I mean, he's also the one who called 9-1-1. So we already know that he was on the scene in some way.

I mean, if you're the prosecutor, in this case, this is helpful to you.

LONI COOMBS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely. Great to be with you, Laura.

I would be thrilled as the prosecutor to have this blood spatter evidence. Look, it is high velocity blood spatter. It's essentially from an assault rifle.

Now we know from the indictment, the shotgun was used to kill Paul, shooting at close range in his chest and his head, but for Maggie, an assault rifle type was used and it was shot in the back perhaps when she was fleeing and then when she went down, she was shot several more times.

[19:45:10]

COOMBS: To get that type of high velocity blood spatter on your clothing, you have to be in very close range. So, if they are able to link the blood spatter on his clothing to Maggie's DNA, that is essentially putting Alex Murdaugh next to her body with the assault rifle in his hand at the time she is killed.

COATES: I mean, unbelievable. The word "spatter" I think is the most important here, not just having blood on one's clothing, but the idea of it coming out from a victim in that particular way, as you describe. It's just -- it's heart wrenching to think about and Murdaugh, he is facing a litany of other charges here, Loni.

I mean, most of them are financial. I wonder how these new murder charges are going to impact what he is already being held, you know, on a $7 million bond, I think, Dianne, said for. How will that impact it?

COOMBS: Well, look, I think it's going to end up -- the cases are going to kind of influence each other. Right? So they still are talking about what the motive was in these murder cases. And as you know, as a former prosecutor, juries want to know what the motive is in a murder case.

So he has all these financial charges from money laundering to embezzlement to insurance fraud and we know that three months after this murder, he has confessed that he hired somebody to kill himself so that his son could get the insurance money from his own death.

So we know what he is thinking about, his state of mind. So most likely, it is this financial disaster that he was going through and the desperation that ended up being the motive for why he allegedly killed his wife and son.

COATES: Loni, you're so right, as a prosecutor, sometimes you know, that even when you have "the who," the jury is not satisfied until they know "the why," and they won't convict on that point. But I want to turn now to abortion, because tech experts are saying that the phones of women who travel to seek abortions could be used against them in prosecuting abortion related cases.

And legally speaking, I'm wondering, what level of access could investigators actually have? I mean, there's the idea of privacy, there's the idea of someone being able to have this data on their phones, how it's going to be used? I mean, what is your thought in terms of how one would be able to even prosecute using someone's data in this fashion in a way that we've never seen?

COOMBS: Yet, Laura, this is so important for people to think about now in our post Roe world, right? So for many years, as you and I know, as prosecutors, we have had access to all of this information, right? On any case, we would get a search warrant or a subpoena and get access to a suspect's cellphone data, because you want to see if they're talking in their texts about plotting this crime or their location tracker shows that they were near the crime at the time or their financial data shows that they've got to pay out after the crime. All great evidence for a prosecutor to prove that a crime occurred.

Now, change that crime to abortion. Right? Abortion is now the crime and as I heard you, Laura say so brilliantly and I've repeated many times. If abortion is a crime, your womb, your body is the crime scene. And every decision, every action, every choice you make about your body becomes evidence that can be used to prove whether that abortion occurred or not. So your text message to your friend, "Oh, my goodness, I'm pregnant.

What shall I do?" You're Googling about what's an abortion pill? You're paying for a pregnancy test with your credit card. Your location tracker showing you driving to an abortion clinic.

All of this is information that we used to think of as private. But once abortion becomes a crime, it is now evidence that can be used against you to prove if you got an abortion or not.

COATES: Or a fertility app.

Loni Coombs, thank you so much. Unbelievable.

We'll be right back.

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[19:53:06]

COATES: Six people are dead in Montana after a dust storm caused a massive 21-car pileup. It happened in Big Horn County on I-90.

A witness told CNN that it was like wearing sepia colored glasses. She wanted to describe the visibility as poor and scary.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte shared his condolences for the victims saying: "I'm deeply saddened by the news of a mass casualty crash near Hardin. Please join me in prayer to lift up the victims and their loved ones. We are grateful to our first responders for their service."

And tonight, a deadly heatwave sweeping across Europe. Hundreds are already reported dead as temperatures soar to highs that scientists predicted would not be felt until the year 2050. In Spain, in just what over a week, the death toll has risen to 237 people according to the Health Ministry.

And the UK tonight preparing for its highest temperatures ever. The National Weather Service there calling for emergency meetings to deal with the crisis.

CNN's Allison Chinchar has more from the Weather Center.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Laura, for the first time ever, the UK Met Office has actually issued a red warning for heat across the UK in the coming days. Essentially, what this means is they have at least a 50 percent chance of their temperatures getting up to 40 degrees Celsius, which is 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and about an 80 percent chance of them reaching record high levels.

The main concern here is that it increases your risk for heat related illnesses. And also, when we talk about that record, look at this. The all-time UK record is 101 degrees Fahrenheit. That is the exact forecast high for where London is supposed to be on Monday and they're not the only place. Paris expected to have triple digit temperatures. Madrid, so many

other places in between are expected to continue to see a prolonged heatwave over the next several days.

[19:55:08]

CHINCHAR: One of the more concerning parts that you have to understand is, take England, for example, less than five percent of residential homes in that country have air conditioning. And so, that's another concern is that it doesn't give your body the chance to cool off when you don't have access to air conditioning.

Back here in the States, we are also dealing with another heatwave -- Dallas, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and El Paso. Yes, it is summertime, it's supposed to be hot, but not this hot and not for these prolonged periods of time. All of those areas expected to have triple digit temperatures for at least the next five days.

Another thing, areas of the eastern portion of the US, which have been closer to average the last few days, that's going to change as that heat begins to spread and expand across the country in the coming days.

COATES: Wow. Allison Chinchar. Thank you so much. Unbelievable.

You're in the NEWSROOM, the CNN NEWSROOM, and just days before the final hearing of the January 6 Committee at that, we're learning new details about a different and aggressive push to subvert President Trump's election loss.

We will be right back.

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