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Ninety Million Under Heat Advisories And Warnings Across The US; Cheney: Fully Prepared To Contemplate Subpoenaing Ginni Thomas; Trump And Pence Test Rivalry With Arizona Governor's Race. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 24, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, we begin with a massive wildfire raging outside Yosemite National Park. Residents forced to flee their homes as firefighters desperately try to beat back the flames.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just don't know anything. We don't know anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why I went up the hills and looked and I'm like, "Oh my God, it was coming fast."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The fire has consumed more than 14,000 acres leaving a trail of ash in its path.

Roughly 3,000 people have been forced to evacuate. And this as much of the country bakes under stifling heat. Ninety million people are currently under heat alerts as temperatures soar into the triple digits in many areas.

And we have team coverage of all of this. Let's begin with CNN's Camila Bernal near Yosemite National Park in California -- Camila.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, we're seeing nonstop work here plane after plane dropping just red fire retardant.

What you see now is the smoke and all of that smoke becomes worse every time the fire retardant is dropped, of course, because they're trying to put out those flames. But unfortunately, despite all of these efforts, we're still at zero percent containment and firefighters say that the next couple of hours, the afternoon hours, those are the worst hours for them. And that's because they say the temperatures increase, the humidity drops and the winds pick up.

So that's the time when this fire begins to expand even more. We've seen it grown dramatically over the last couple of days and they expect it to continue, unfortunately.

Firefighters also saying that this is a difficult fire because it is in very steep areas and they say it's hard to get to people and homes because a lot of the homes here are big, say five acre lots, and when firefighters try to get here, they say these homes are essentially surrounded by the forest and a lot of it is overgrown and dry.

So they are really asking people to pay attention to evacuation orders, to pack their bags and some people are listening while others really are choosing to stay here. I've talked to a couple of neighbors here who say they just don't want to leave. They're going to continue to watch the flames and see how the situation develops, but they don't want to leave their homes. They say they will do anything they can to protect their homes.

There has been an increase in resources here. So, we are expecting a little bit more in terms of that containment number hopefully because more and more firefighters are now on the ground -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Dangerous stuff.

All right, Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

On to New York now where CNN's Polo Sandoval is -- temperatures are stifling there. What's going on?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Stifling, Fred and dangerous. Sadly, we've learned that New York City officials now confirming the death of at least one person yesterday. This is an individual that according to the Medical Examiner did suffer from preexisting health conditions, but that is a heat-related death, and it really shows the dangers that we're experiencing, not just here throughout the Northeast, but as you extend down the eastern seaboard, and towards the Southern Plains, where forecasters are expecting that heat index, which is really what it feels like are your skin is at triple digits.

And ultimately today is when we expect to be the highest temperature as part of this heat wave now entering Day Six for New Yorkers. By the time we finally get some relief, which could potentially come in the next day or two, that is when weather experts are estimating that New Yorkers will experience a total of seven days with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The last time we saw that was nearly a decade ago.

And the concerns are not just here in New York, but nearby Philadelphia, where city officials there, Fred, went ahead and extended a heat related health emergency into late tonight. What that does, basically extends now the access of swimming pools or cooling centers, as well as officials are really concerned about those that are perhaps most vulnerable, those who may not be able to go out and find other ways of cooling themselves down.

So they are deploying some of those things to people's homes to make sure that they -- especially the elderly -- are safe this afternoon as that temperature really peaks today -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Goodness. All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much in New York.

Let's check it with CNN meteorologist, Tom Sater who is monitoring the weather across the country. So we're in this for a while, aren't we?

TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, unfortunately.

And so this heat dome, Fredricka, kind of meanders around the North America. We're going to find our next issue in the Pacific Northwest. More on that in a moment.

Typically when you have a heat dome like this, and these record high temperatures around the periphery, especially the northern and northeastern quadrant, the storms are just amazing in their strength, downing trees, knocking out power. In fact, this is new, Fredricka, in the last half hour, we now have a severe thunderstorm watch that has been issued in parts of Pennsylvania, Upstate New York.

Yesterday afternoon, a quarter of a million people lost power in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, in fact, thousands still without power in Michigan, and that threat comes to the east. This is going to end the extensive heatwave that we had.

However, it probably will not be like they said in Boston, Polo mentioned just to reiterate, the mayor of Boston extending that heat advisory now and through Monday, because it's going to take a while for the storms to move here. But we're looking at records again, throughout the areas of the Southern Plains in the Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley, millions of people experiencing unusually high temperatures.

This is not normal for the stretch that we're having in July. Boston's record, 98. It goes back to 1933. A 90-year old record could easily fall.

[15:05:01]

SATER: Notice the heat index, Tulsa, Springfield, St. Louis, Louisville, Nashville all in the triple digits. When you look at the records that'll be set today, again, we've had over 200 this month. That is not normal.

And again, that streak now, in Dallas, more triple digits. You've had 19 days of this month with temperatures above 100 degrees, but now, we're going to focus on the Pacific Northwest. Look at Portland, up to 102 degrees. This is going to be around all week long in that area, it's going to become deadly because not everyone has air conditioning, and you're well up into the you know, above average rain. Their average high is 84. This is madness. But it's going to continue just kind of moving around North America.

Last week, Fredricka, 47 or the lower 48 had temperatures above 90 degrees, the one exception is Wisconsin.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. Madness is the right word, and we're really all -- and people forget, we're only a month into summer officially and we still have a little ways to go. So, this is hot. SATER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Thanks so much, Tom Sater.

All right, still ahead, the January 6 Committee eyes Ginni Thomas, the wife of US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for her role in trying to help overturn the 2020 election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): We certainly hope that she will agree to come in voluntarily, but the Committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena if she does not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Plus, why the Pope is in Canada, apologizing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:10:29]

WHITFIELD: All right, we're following new developments in the January 6 investigation. Today, Republican Liz Cheney, the Vice Chair for the Committee, put Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on notice.

Cheney told CNN, Thomas could be subpoenaed to testify for her role in trying to help overturn the 2020 election. Cheney also accused former President Trump of serious misconduct and dereliction of duty and says the Committee is not ruling out recommending criminal charges against him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENEY: There is no question that we've seen very serious misconduct and certainly supreme dereliction of duty. But you look at what we've laid out in these hearings in terms of the President's efforts to corrupt the Department of Justice, to corruptly pressure State and local officials.

Certainly, what he did in terms of attempting to pressure the Vice President to violate the law and the Constitution, and then what we saw last week in terms of once he had sent the armed mob to the Capitol, to refuse to call them off and send them home for multiple hours, despite the fact that people -- everyone really was pleading with him to do so.

There is no doubt in my mind that the President of the United States is unfit for further office, that any man who would conduct themselves -- or woman -- who would conduct themselves the way that he did in attempting to overturn an election and stay in power must never again be anywhere close to the Oval Office.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: At the end of the hearing, you said: "Doors have opened," and "New subpoenas have been issued." It took public pressure from you before former White House Counsel, Pat Cipollone, agreed to speak to the Committee. Who is next on your wish list of witnesses you most want to hear from in the coming months?

CHENEY: Well, we have a number of many interviews scheduled that are coming up. We anticipate talking to additional members of the President's Cabinet. We anticipate talking to additional members of his campaign.

Certainly, we are very focused as well on the Secret Service and on interviewing additional members of the Secret Service and collecting additional information from them.

So it's true, and I would say in particular after Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony, we saw a number of people come forward and certainly, Pat Cipollone. The subpoena that we issued to him and his testimony was certainly -- he was encouraged, I would say by Cassidy's testimony to come forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, joining me now to discuss William Cohen. He is a former Secretary of Defense under President Clinton and a former Republican senator from Maine.

Mr. Secretary, always good to see you.

WILLIAM COHEN (R), FORMER US SENATOR: Good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So Congresswoman Cheney says former President Trump is unfit to hold future office. Do you see the outcome of these hearings potentially thwarting Trump's chances of being in office again?

COHEN: I would hope so. I would hope certainly, the majority -- the overwhelming majority of the American people would look at what he has done and come to the conclusion that this man is absolutely unfit to hold not only the presidency, but I would say any public office.

When we talk about the President of the United States, the President of the United States once elected becomes the face of our country becomes, the -- I would like to say, the heart and soul of this country to the greater world and when you look at what Donald Trump has done, and how he has conducted himself, over the four years, not to mention just in January 6th, prior to that time, what he did.

When he threw under the bus, the Intelligence Committee, when he tried to get President Zelenskyy to dig up dirt on a political opponent. You go through the list of all the things he's done, culminating in all of the investigation being conducted by the January 6 Committee, tampering -- asking people to tamper with ballots, trying to corrupt the Attorney General and the Justice Department.

You go down the list of the attempts at multiple levels, Federal and State trying to corrupt the rule of law. I think everyone including apparently Rupert Murdoch, now has come to the conclusion that Donald Trump is unfit to hold that office again. So I would hope, and thanks to Liz Cheney, she is the face of conservatism. She is the real conservative in the country, representing other real conservatives. I think Donald Trump is, I would call a CINO, a Conservative In Name Only, because he is not a real conservative, she is the conservative.

[15:15:06]

COHEN: Congressman Kinzinger, I want to say just, you look at --

WHITFIELD: Kinzinger --

COHEN: And he is the face of conservatism. So, I hope that the reasonable conservatives who still have an open mind will join Liz Cheney. I hope the Independents who have been deciding whether they're moving to the Republican's side or not, will take this into account when they cast their votes, certainly in this November, but in 2024.

I think Liz Cheney really deserves the Profile in Courage Award for what she had been willing to do to take on the President -- the former President of the United States to make sure a man who is morally bankrupt, who has engaged in conduct that puts our country at risk and continues to pose, as one Judge said, a clear and present danger to the future of this country.

WHITFIELD: And so while the Committee doesn't have the power to charge Trump with crimes, Congresswoman Cheney says the panel is considering recommending criminal charges to the Department of Justice. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENEY: I think that the Committee has produced and provided and gathered a tremendous amount of information. We're not finished yet. Certainly, it's clear, if you look at Judge Carter's opinion that he believes that it's more likely than not the President Trump committed at least two Federal crimes.

I think we certainly -- we have not decided yet as a Committee whether we're going to make criminal referrals, but that's absolutely something we're looking at.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So what kind of impact do you think a criminal referral would make?

COHEN: I think it will carry weight. Obviously, the Committee has done a heroic job in gathering all of his information, but whether the Committee makes a recommendation or not, it really shouldn't have any impact upon the Justice Department.

The Justice Department, whether there is a hearing or not, should have its own investigation, and I think come to the same conclusion that most people watching what's happened take place. So I was thinking when you talked about Justice, Justice Brandeis once said, that when government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for the law, it breeds anarchy.

And that's what Merrick Garland as the Attorney General has to take into account. I would say, Merrick Garland would look at all this evidence, weigh it and decide what would Justice Brandeis do in this circumstance, when government clearly has become a law breaker?

So I think this will add great weight to the Attorney General's investigation, but even if they don't make a criminal referral, I think that the Justice Department should move forward, because the rule of law is really at stake.

And I find it incredible, that Republicans who have had the courage to say that the former President Trump committed acts unworthy of the office, that they would now say, if he is a nominee, I'd vote for him again. That to me is shocking. I think it's really scandalous that anyone would hand the shears to a man who is trying to sever that very thin thread, holding the Constitution from falling to what, as Liz Cheney said, the abyss, the abyss of lawlessness.

WHITFIELD: No, I've got you. You're talking about the contrast of what was said immediately following the insurrection versus a year, year and a half later, and even in the midst of these hearings, there is also kind of a resonating silence from a lot of the GOP leadership.

So you talk about the Justices, speaking of which, I wonder what your point of view is on this. Liz Cheney is also saying that they may subpoena Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, for her role in advocating for the overturning of the 2020 election, and if she is unwilling to come forward voluntarily, she too could be facing similar charges to what we've just seen Steve Bannon be convicted of refusing, you know, for refusing to testify.

You know what does this mean? What is your viewpoint on the idea of the spouse of a Supreme Court Justice that may be subpoenaed for any potential role or involvement in the overturning of an election?

COHEN: I don't think any one spouse or not should be insulated by virtue of their marriage that they are not compelled to tell the truth of circumstances, which posed a threat to the Constitution and the rule of law.

So if the Committee feels that she has information or potentially as information, which will add weight to what was taking place on the part of Donald Trump, I think she should be compelled to come before the Committee.

I doubt that there is any justifiable reason why she wouldn't be willing to do so.

One final thought on this, Fred, I've been trying to juxtapose the position.

[15:20:10] COHEN: President Eisenhower sent our young men to war to storm the beaches of Normandy. These were the greatest generation to fight against Nazism.

Donald Trump sent a mob to Capitol Hill, some of those mob members were Neo-Nazis. Some were Confederate flag waving, so-called White supremacists, to tear down the rule of law, which the greatest generation fought so hard and gave so much to bring to us.

So I think all of that has to be considered by the Justice Department, and I would think a White spouse of a Justice Department, of a member of the Supreme Court should have an absolute obligation to fulfill her responsibility as a citizen of this country to protect the rule of law.

And we'll see whether she is subpoenaed or whether she can voluntarily, but it's to say, what do you have in the way of evidence? Can you help us or not? We would be willing to listen to you in private and possibly in public.

WHITFIELD: Profound thoughts and comparisons. Thank you so much, Secretary Cohen. Good to see you. Appreciate it.

COHEN: Thank you, Fred, very much.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up. It is a Trump-Pence showdown in Arizona. How the Republican primary for Governor is turning into a proxy fight between the two former allies, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:48]

WHITFIELD: A Republican faceoff in Arizona could foreshadow the 2024 presidential race. The state's upcoming Republican primary for Governor has quickly morphed into a bitter proxy war between former President Donald Trump and Vice President -- former Vice President Mike Pence, as CNN Kyung Lah reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A showdown in the desert over the future of the Republican Party.

Mike Pence and Donald Trump at odds yet again, this time in the hotly contested GOP primary for Arizona Governor.

The former President has endorsed Republican candidate, Kari Lake.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She is complete and total endorsee.

LAH (voice over): A former Republican --

KARI LAKE (R), ARIZONA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I registered as a Republican -- LAH (voice over): Turned Independent.

LAKE: I was really fed up --

LAH (voice over): Turned Democrat.

LAKE: I registered as a Democrat --

LAH (voice over): Turned Republican again.

LAKE: The Republican Party, party of solutions.

LAH (voice over): Her campaign is centered on the lie that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden.

LAKE: I may not feel the same with the whole US as long as illegitimate President is in the White House.

LAH (voice over): She spouts far-right conspiracies.

LAKE: We had major election fraud, hundreds -- 200,000 minimum ballots were trafficked by mules.

I'm Kari Lake --

LAH (voice over): Like Trump, Lake made her name on television. The former Arizona local news anchor has also borrowed from his playbook frequently attacking those in her old profession.

LAKE: Fake news here, by the way, I got ambushed by CNN outside.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Kari Lake has what it takes to get us to where we need to get back on track for our families and gives us hope.

LAH (on camera): Lake has a message for a base and only that group. The question is, is that group large enough to win the Republican nomination?

KARRIN TAYLOR ROBSON (R), ARIZONA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: How are you?

LAH (voice over): Republican gubernatorial candidate, Karrin Taylor Robson, another leading contender for the GOP nomination says it's not.

LAH (on camera): How do you run against an opponent who is backed by a popular former President?

ROBSON: If you like Donald Trump's policies and record of limited government, low tax, pro-business environment, and somebody with a track record of success, I am your candidate. If you want somebody who is a big personality, I think Kari Lake is your candidate.

LAH (voice over): Robson's strategy to win the GOP nomination is to consolidate support of traditional conservatives helped by Pence's Friday rally. MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Arizona needs Karrin Taylor Robson.

LAH (voice over): Robson also has the support of Arizona's outgoing Republican Governor, Doug Ducey who attacked Lake's support for Trump as a matter of political convenience.

GOV. DOUG DUCEY (R-AZ): Kari Lake is misleading voters with no evidence. She has been tagged by her opponents with a nickname "Fake Lake," which seems to be sticking.

ROBSON: Thank you.

LAH (voice over): A delicate dance for Robson.

Courting the right-wing means sowing doubts about the 2020 election.

LAH (on camera): Where are you on the 2020 election?

ROBSON: At a minimum, the election was not fair. I know people want to hear a different answer from me, but when you take a look at, you know, there was concern from a lot of voters.

MARCUS DELL'ARTINO, ARIZONA REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: When you look at the primaries, we just went through and some of these other states, I think messages to take away from that are certainly the Donald Trump endorsement is a powerful asset, but it's not the silver bullet.

LAH (voice over): Arizona's primary will be another signal for national Republicans.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Phoenix.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk more about all of this.

I want to bring in CNN political commentator and former Republican Congressman, Charlie Dent. Also joining me is Republican strategist and former RNC Communications Director, Doug Heye.

Good to see both of you, gentlemen.

Doug, to you first. Do you think that what we're seeing play out in Arizona gubernatorial primary is a litmus for the direction of the GOP?

DOUG HEYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it's part of a litmus test. We've see many litmus tests.

What we're seeing -- we just saw in Maryland, where Kelly Schultz, who was supposed to be the nominee, by most accounts, was upset in the last minute by Dan Cox. We've seen these insurgent candidates in Pennsylvania, in Ohio. Certainly, Arizona seems to be the hotbed because it's not just the Governor's race. It's the Senate race, Secretary of State as well. And what concerns Republicans in Washington right now is a lot of these candidates are candidates who may not be able to win or definitely can't win come November, so we've nominated somebody who may be the most Trump-like but if they lose, well, then the Republicans don't get that seat.

[15:30:12]

HEYE: Democrats are banking on this, and I'd also add the State of Missouri where Eric Greitens is seen as the only Republican who could put that seat in Democratic hands potentially.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. So, Charlie, I mean, it does seem to be a rather confusing time for the GOP. You know, on one hand, the former President continues to show tremendous influence within the party, like at some of those primary races that Doug was talking about.

And then, you know, listen to the silence from leadership just in the past week of the January 6th testimony. But then you see, both "The New York Post" and "Wall Street Journal," both Rupert Murdoch entities released editorials on Trump's silence during the insurrection as being damning. So is there a sea change happening in your view?

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, my view has been that Donald Trump is a diminishing figure within the electorate. That said, he is still a dangerous one, just like Doug indicated.

I mean, he still has an enormous influence on this primary situation. I mean, he just invaded the primary in Maryland, nominating Cox, who has just given a seat away in Maryland. It's a tough road to hoe in Maryland for a Republican to begin with, but now they have no chance.

Pennsylvania, it is a similar story nominating the most extreme candidate. You know, I'm not saying that person can't win, but is likely to lose to Josh Shapiro, and so on and on it goes.

So with "The Wall Street Journal" and also "The New York Post" coming out, and really condemning the former President, I think that helps create a stronger narrative.

I'd really be anxious to see if FOX News actually now moves in the same direction, another Rupert owned property. I think that should be really the big indication. He steps in with FOX, then I think we could maybe see a greater sea change.

WHITFIELD: Doug, do you think that's the next move for the Rupert Murdoch Empire that FOX News might be next to, you know, snub its nose or be critical of Trump?

HEYE: The honest answer is I'm not smart enough to know that but we know that there's a difference between daytime FOX News and nighttime FOX News, where one is more news based, and one is certainly more much more opinion based and certainly more pro-Trump.

But it's very clear that Republicans, or at least a lot of Republicans are starting to inch away from Donald Trump and are looking for other places to go. We certainly talk about, you know, a Ron DeSantis, a Kristi Noem, Nikki Haley, and so forth.

To me, the most significant thing isn't "The New York Post" or "The Wall Street Journal," those are significant. It's that Mike Pence, not Arizona, but that Mike Pence was in Washington, DC last week meeting with the House Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative Republican Members of Congress that they were willing to do so today is something I would have bet six months ago wouldn't have happened.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. So Charlie, do you think particularly after last week's, you know, January 6th hearing that there are some very serious, you know, internal conversations going on right now about whether Trump should be disqualified? I mean, that was Congresswoman Cheney's point of view that, you know, he should be disqualified from running for any office.

Do you believe those kinds of conversations, serious conversations are happening right now within the party?

DENT: I have no doubt that those conversations are going on. I know that are going on actually. Many Republican members, I'm sure if we had a secret ballot vote, I mean, I don't think there would be very many who would be voting for Donald Trump to be the next Republican nominee for President.

The challenge has always been that Republican-elected leaders need to speak publicly. That's how they will change the narrative. It is just a bunch of guys sitting in the backroom, complaining to each other about Donald Trump, how they don't want him. That doesn't change the narrative.

They have to be willing to publicly go out and put their thumbs on the scale because you know, Donald Trump is not afraid to put his whole body on the scale. Until Republicans speak up like Liz and Adam and a few others are doing. I think it's going to be harder to change the narrative, even though I think Liz has made a very compelling case about the former President's dereliction of duty and his disqualification to serve in any office.

WHITFIELD: And then Doug, do you also think that there are, you know, members within the party who are waiting to see what the Department of Justice does?

HEYE: Yes, absolutely. They're all looking for, not all I should say, but most of them are looking for whatever excuse that they can find to get permission internally, to just inch away a little bit more and a little bit more from Donald Trump. They're not going to move a mile a minute, but they're certainly looking for any avenue that they can just to have some separation so that they can move forward and have positive candidates after the November elections.

Frankly, I'll tell you, Charlie Dent was a real pain in the neck to House leadership when he was a Member of Congress, but he was a pain in the neck for the right reasons. These Republican members that that we've been talking about over the past few minutes are not going to be there for the right reasons. We need more Charlie Dent's.

WHITFIELD: I knew there was a compliment coming out of that one. All right, Doug Heye --

DENT: I voted for --

WHITFIELD: Yes, go ahead, Charlie.

DENT: I voted for -- I was just saying, I voted for things that needed to get done so the leadership had to take my two cents' worth whether they liked it or not because I was wanting to keep the government running.

HEYE: Every day. Every day.

DENT: So that was it.

[15:35:08]

WHITFIELD: All right, well isn't that what the constituents generally want?

All right, Doug Heye, Charlie Dent, thanks so much to both of you, gentlemen. Appreciate it.

HEYE: Thank you.

DENT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Texas. Well, it's one of only 10 states with no limitations on individual campaign donations to candidates, which means two oil tycoons have a major influence on legislature, and it's the focus of the new CNN Special Report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For more than a decade, you were winning elections out here in East Texas.

TEXT: Former Republican Senator Bob Deuell served in the Texas Senate from 2003 to 2015.

For the first time, he agreed to speak (on camera) about Tim Dunn's and Farris Wilks' influence on the Texas Legislature.

BOB DEUELL, FORMER REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR: I looked at myself more as a Reagan conservative, someone that was interested in good government and policy.

LAVANDERA: In all of your time in the Texas Senate, you never received any money from Tim Dunn, Faris Wilks, any of the PACs that they represent.

DEUELL: No. No.

LAVANDERA: And someone who says, look, I have a hard time believing that a couple of guys who are donating to candidates across the state can really have this much influence, I just don't buy it. DEUELL: I had one senator literally open a book and said, "I think I can vote for that, because I haven't really voted against them on anything so far." What kind of public policy -- I'm not going to name them, but you know, someone that is still there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Ed Lavandera joining me now from Dallas. Congratulations on this, Ed.

So this documentary, you know, it really is about Big Money in Texas politics. I mean, one person told you in the course of filming this, that it is shaping up to be like a Russian oligarchy down there.

Help us understand. Who are these people?

LAVANDERA: Yes. Incredibly strong word from a State Senator, who you'll hear about in the special tonight. But you know, Big Money in politics is no secret. But in a State like Texas, where Republicans have dominated every level of government for almost 30 years, and where Democrats are also starting to make inroads, statewide elections, the victory gap for Republicans has shrunken quite a bit.

You would think that the Republican Party would moderate a little bit, but that hasn't happened. In the last year, we've seen the State pass some of the most conservative legislation it has ever seen. So, we're going to focus and try to peel back the curtain on why that's happening and a great deal of that is because of the influence of two West Texas billionaires, and we'll introduce you to them tonight.

WHITFIELD: Look forward to that. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.

And join us for a new CNN Special Report, "Deep in the Pockets of Texas" airs tonight at 8:00 PM, Eastern, only on CNN.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:47]

WHITFIELD: Russia now says both Russian and Turkish vessels will be escorting ships carrying grain supplies from Ukraine.

Last week, Ukraine and Russia reached a deal to export desperately needed grain through ports on the Black Sea.

CNN's Ivan Watson is in Ukraine.

So there have been attacks in Odessa along the Black Sea that's disrupted deliveries, but now what?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's just that the last 24 hours have been pretty remarkable. You had these suspected cruise missile strikes on that port, Saturday morning, that the Russians initially denied having anything to do with and then the Russian Foreign Ministry has now done a complete 180 saying, yes, we did carry out these cruise missile strikes, but we were hitting what they claimed was a Ukrainian Navy ship.

But the missile strikes were condemned by the Ukrainian government, by the US State Department, the British government, the European Union's Foreign Policy Chief, because they were carried out hours after the Russian government signed a deal mediated by Turkey by the United Nations with Ukraine signed onboard as well to allow the export of Ukrainian wheat from that port of Odessa, as well as two other Ukrainian ports that have all been blockaded.

The blockades have driven up the price of wheat around the world throwing tens of millions of people into acute hunger and that's part of why it is so important to try to get that wheat out.

Well, the Ukrainians are basically saying these missile strikes mean you cannot trust the Russians. But the Ukrainian say they are still going to try to follow the deal.

The Russian Foreign Minister has said that by his understanding, Ukrainians will remove the sea mines from in front of the port and then Russian-Turkish warships and another ship from a country yet to be determined will escort the cargo ships to the Turkish Bosphorus Strait, and then they can go to global markets.

We'll just have to see. It is delicate right now and as we've seen, it is an active warzone, and there are provocations -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, from the farmers to these crew members, they are under a lot of stress.

All right, Ivan Watson, thank you so much.

All right, Pope Francis arrived in Canada a short time ago for a week- long trip. It's a trip the Vatican is calling a penitential pilgrimage.

The Pope is meeting with indigenous groups and is expected to apologize for the church's role in the abuse of Canadian indigenous children at residential schools.

Last year, hundreds of unmarked graves were discovered on the grounds of some of the former schools.

CNN's Paula Newton is in Edmonton, where the Pope has just arrived. Paula, this is a big trip. How is it being received?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in fact, Fred, this is historic, right? There is a singular purpose here and the Pope was quite blunt in a way that he has not been before, in a way his predecessors have not been before.

He is here to apologize. He is here for atonement. And really, this amounts to what a government commission here called cultural genocide.

It was quite striking to see him get out off the plane, Fred. Just to remind everyone, this is a Pope who is 85 years old. He is in firm and frail health. He has canceled other international trips, but he is here in order to make that apology to Canadians -- Canada's indigenous peoples on Canadian soil.

[15:45:17]

NEWTON: It is important to him, and again striking to see those images of him being welcomed to Canada by indigenous leaders, having Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on one side, but also Canada's Governor General, the representative here of The Queen, she herself is also indigenous.

Fred, I have to tell you, there is a lot of ambivalence, a lot of mixed emotions, about him being here. The issue about the Catholic Church and this apology, it really is one of accountability.

And for so many decades, through so much abuse and harm, indigenous peoples have felt like, you know, whether it was priests or nuns or school staff, that they acted with impunity, and that still to this day, there has not been the justice that is needed.

The Pope is certainly hoping to not try and make amends for this in one visit, but to at least begin that process of healing. As I said, what is most disappointing here is that so many people we talked to feel that this could be retriggering for them. It will bring back all the trauma that they and their families have gone through for so many years.

WHITFIELD: I mean, it certainly doesn't change history, but overall, you're feeling from people, or hearing from people that they do feel it's an important acknowledgement, by way of the Pope's visit.

NEWTON: Yes. Absolutely, Fred. I mean, look, that acknowledgement is important, but then there are so many other things whether it has to do with acknowledging these unmarked graves that you were talking about, Fred, picture it.

You know, children being taken from you forcibly, and this is cultural genocide, people being called savages and being told that you cannot speak your language, you cannot see your family and your parents, and you should be ashamed of your culture.

This is a long journey the Pope is embarking on, something that will not end with him and that indigenous people here know will continue to affect people years in the future.

WHITFIELD: Yes, still horribly, so painful.

All right, Paula Newton in Edmonton. Thanks so much.

Coming up, the new episode of "United Shades of America" looks at how sports intensity and pressure can compromise athlete's mental health.

We'll talk with Kamau Bell after this.

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WHITFIELD: All right, this week on an all-new episode of "United Shades of America," W. Kamau Bell looks at the toll, the constant pressure and expectations take on athletes and their mental health.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, Fenway, I've heard it at Yankee Stadium, I've heard it at Pac-Bell. I mean that's -- people think I've paid this money and I have this right to now do this.

W. KAMAU BELL, CNN HOST, "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA": I'm paying for the right to express myself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

BELL: And also, there is something again, baked into sports in this country where booing is a part of it, and not even booing, but abuse is a part of it's not just like, it's okay. It's actually a part of the ritual.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, that's toxic. That's as toxic as it gets.

And this idea that somehow your health is irrelevant, that your job is to be a show horse, and get out there and entertain the people and you make a lot of money to do that.

You know that ugliness is impossible to divorce from what professional sports is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Good points. I've never liked that booing when you hear it from the stands. I've never quite understood where that's coming from. Aren't you there to enjoy and look at the excellence of these athletes?

But anyway, I digress.

Here we go. Our host of "United Shades of America."

BELL: Fred, that's what we are talking about.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you know, W. Kamau Bell, good to see you.

Of course, folks, you know, you're the host of this show and you're also the co-author, congratulations, of "Do the Work: And Anti-Racist Activity Book" and it just released. Congratulations on that.

So you know, Kamau, so what is all you know, this about? And collectively it really does take a toll on athletes. People don't think it does, but you know, in variations it does.

And then, more recently, we've seen some elite athletes from Simone Biles to Naomi Osaka, talk about the mental stresses that have come with being you know, an elite athlete. They have prioritized their mental health.

So in your episode, you're exploring as to why it has been so hard for a lot of athletes to want to say publicly that, you know, I need a mental break or perhaps maybe they feel more empowered to do so because of you know, Biles and Osaka.

BELL: I mean, I think that what Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka did absolutely helps other athletes across their sports to deal with their mental health.

But I think generally as Americans, we're not good at talking about our mental health, whether we're athletes or not, and then I think there's something toxic with professional athletes where we feel like if you're getting paid and we can't see the injury, like it's not like a broken leg or a broken arm, then you should get out there and play because somehow you're there for us.

It's not about we are "Wow" at what you can do. You're there for us. If we're fans, you've got to do it when we say you've got to do it.

WHITFIELD: You talked to a number of fans and athletes in this episode. What did they tell you about the role of mental health? How that all plays a role in sports?

BELL: Well, I talked to Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics, who my Golden State Warriors defeated in the NBA Finals, but we don't talk about that. But Grant Williams talks about the idea that like as a Black athlete, there's a certain amount of pressure you feel to speak up when things happen like the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

And yet there's also the pressure to perform when that's happening and how that sometimes you can't perform and also combat racism at the same time.

And so there is, I asked him if there was more talk about mental health in the locker room. He said there is, but we know through the story of athletes this year that we still don't have enough to talk about that because fans, if we can't see the injury, we don't believe it.

[15:55:09]

WHITFIELD: You also point out in the episode that, you know, it's important for people to have fun. I mean, I love the snippets that I saw with the kids, you know, who talked about their aspirations of wanting to be great, wanting to be Olympians, but at the same time, you know, they had fun poking fun at you.

BELL: Yes, surprise, surprise, I'm not a great gymnast. But I mean, as a dad, that's segment was really special for me, because I have three daughters, and two of them are in gymnastics. And as a parent, you think about, oh, that's great that you want to be great athletes, but then you also know the realities of the sport that like very few are going to go the Olympics.

And also, as we talk about in the episode, there is a lot of toxic behavior in high level gymnastics that none of us want our kids to be a part of and it's about the sport really owning up to that in the wake of Larry Nasser and others and say, how do we make this sport safe and good for kids and not something that is harmful?

WHITFIELD: All right. We look forward to watching. Thank you so much, Kamau.

Always great to see you, and congrats again.

BELL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: On the new episode and the book.

Be sure to tune in on an all-new episode of "United Shades of America" with W. Kamau Bell, which airs tonight at 10:00 PM right here on CNN.

And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta after this.

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