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Radiation Leak Fears At Ukrainian Nuclear Plant Amid New Shelling; Bodies Still Being Found In Bucha Months After Deadly Massacre; U.S. Intel Chiefs Assessing Security Risks From Seized Documents; Various Democrats Unsold On Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness; California Planning To End Sale Of Gas-Powered Cars; Herschel Walker Falsely Claims Warnock Lied About Having A Dog. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired August 27, 2022 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: From the top secret documents found at Mar-a- Lago.

And security threat. More shelling brings new renewed concerns about a radiation leak at a Ukrainian nuclear plant.

Also tonight, palace intrigue. The White House infighting over President Biden's decision to cancel student loan debt. The first lady's former press secretary and special assistant to the president is here live to discuss.

And parents in Missouri saying thanks for the spanks. You heard that right. As a school district there weighs bringing back paddling for bad behavior.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, concern is growing tonight about a potential radiation leak near an enormous nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the largest one in Europe. Local officials are now distributing iodine tablets that residents in the region. Iodine helps blocks the absorption of radiation in the event of a nuclear event.

On Thursday the plant was completely knocked off the power grid for the first time in its history after fires damaged a key power line. It was finally reconnected to the country's power grid yesterday.

Here is Sam Kiley. He has the latest from Zaporizhzhia. This is very troubling news, Sam.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pam, the international community remain extremely concerned about the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station with increased allegations again of shelling both from the Ukrainians and the Russians both accusing each other of threatening that nuclear power plant by shelling in the environment.

So just about 20 minutes' drive from here in Zaporizhzhia on the Ukrainian government side, there were also casualties, civilian casualties from Russian shelling, not necessarily from the nuclear power station but that has been used and is being used regularly as a fire base for attacking civilian areas. A lot of pressure going on to the Russian to try to let international observers into that power station.

But elsewhere on this very extended front line fighting continues with now the confirmation that a third American has been killed fighting on the Ukrainian side with the Russian backed rebels of the east offered to hand over his body, his remains. We don't know when or if that would be followed through on. But this in a weird way is an almost step forward in terms of their humanitarian response to foreign fighters because they've sentenced other foreign fighters whom they've captured alive to death, accusing them of being mercenaries and terrorists. And they're also threatening to put large numbers of other prisoners of war, Ukrainian prisoners of war, on trial for alleged terrorism -- Pam.

BROWN: All right. Thanks, Sam.

The massive nuclear plant has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the six-month-old war but the facility is still being run by Ukrainian workers performing an already high stress job under added pressure. Power failures like the one this week can be catastrophic at a nuclear plant. The core, where fissure is taking place, is super hot. Pumps -- need constant flow of water to cool the rods and prevent nuclear material from overheating.

Now if those pumps quit, heat builds up, steam builds up, and the fuel itself can melt down leading to that potential for radioactive material to be released into the environment.

CNN military analyst, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling says the Russian army is essentially holding that nuclear plant there hostage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Russia is really playing with fire both a literal and a figurative sense when they're playing with six nuclear reactors that have nuclear rod. It doesn't matter if it's shelled or not. It just has to do with the potential for causing chaos in this kind of energy source. I'm certainly not a nuclear engineer, I don't claim to be, but I got to tell you I have been around soldiers a lot.

And when you put a lot of soldiers, especially the undisciplined type of soldiers that Russia has in its armed forces, in a facility that requires this level of care, you're asking for disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Joining me now, Anthony Ruggiero, an expert in nuclear power. He is senior director at the Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program and a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

So, Anthony, how do you react to new reports of fears about a leak and that officials near the plant are starting to handout iodine pills?

ANTHONY RUGGIERO, NONPROLIFERATION AND BIODEFENSE PROGRAM, FOUNDATION FOR THE DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Right. You know, last week I think we came the closest since March when the Russians took over the plant. I think Secretary Blinken when he said that the Russians are using the plant as a nuclear shield because they know the Ukrainians are not going to fire back when the Russians fire toward the Ukrainians. It's really completely irresponsible on the part of the Russians.

BROWN: And Russia as we know took control of that plant in March. The U.N. and International Atomic Energy officials, they have been trying for weeks to get in and inspect this plant. Just help us understand and grasp how real this threat is.

[19:05:03]

RUGGIERO: Well, last week as was noted in the piece when the reactor went offline from the electric grid, we basically had to make sure that -- or the Ukrainians did to make sure that diesel generators would kick in. Now you have a staff that's been working nonstop since March, stressed out. The Russians are intimidating them. They're torturing some of them. There are reports that they've killed some of those workers.

This is a stressful job without that kind of stress on top of them, and now it looks like the Russians hopefully we averted a disaster and it looks like the IAEA is going to go in hopefully next week. What we really need is we need some kind of demilitarized zone around that nuclear power plant so that we don't go toward an ecological or humanitarian disaster.

BROWN: Right. And the threat still remains hopefully that's, you know, nothing will happen there obviously but in terms of a frame or a reference for a potential disaster there, what if you had to compare the threat to, say, Fukushima or Chernobyl? Help us better understand.

RUGGIERO: Well, I think, you know, there are six nuclear reactors here, right. It provided a fifth of the power for Ukraine before the war. You noted the passing out of iodine tablets. You know, these are the kinds of things that those of us who work in this field, this is the nightmare scenario and it can be prevented. It can be prevented. And it doesn't need to be this way.

Nuclear power plants are not for -- are not military bases. That's what the Russians are trying to use it as. It's not a military base. It shouldn't be a military base. It's not a pawn in a military conflict. It should be preserved and the people around. This is not going to just be Ukraine, it would be other countries in Europe that would be at risk, other countries, probably Russia itself depending on the wins.

But hopefully we can avert that disaster. We never want to have these kinds of things but, you know, in this case, the other two you referenced are accidents. This might be an accident but it would be caused by, you know, negligence on the part of the Russians. BROWN: Right now, only two of the plant's six reactors are currently

functioning. They're protected by steel and concrete casing that's meters thick. One expert said it would be improbable that shelling could destroy it. Do you agree with that assessment?

RUGGIERO: Well, the reactor hall is one thing but there's other parts of the nuclear power plant that we have to be worried about, the cooling elements as we talked about, you know, being connected to the power grid, making sure that diesel generators that are probably quite old and have been under stress themselves through this ordeal and we know that there are some spare parts issues. So it's not just the reactor hall itself.

It's the entire complex and so, you know, the point here being that's why as I noted you don't use a nuclear power plant as a military base even in a military conflict.

BROWN: Anthony Ruggiero, thank you so much.

And months after that massacre in Bucha dead bodies still being found in the town outside of Kyiv.

CNN's David McKenzie takes a closer look at how Ukrainians there are feeling from the impact of past wars and bracing for new ones. We want to warn you, some of the images in this report are upsetting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Bucha, they lived in peace, had families and names. But they died in a war that no one here wanted. Behind each number, an unknown victim. A life worthy of Father Andrii Havelin's prayer.

Each person had their own life and each had one and only one, he says. It's not just bodies that we are burying. For us, these are people who lived once, people to whom the Russians brought suffering and death.

Bucha is now synonymous with the horrors and brutality of Russia's war of choice. When their army retreated, their burned out tanks were cleared. Bucha seems almost normal now. Almost, but not. Not here. Not anywhere in Ukraine because they are still discovering the dead.

The police forensic team gathers evidence at a shallow grave. They say a man was shot as he fled. They found more than 1300 bodies in greater Kyiv alone.

[19:10:04]

Everything changed on February 24th, says Kyiv's police chief. They invaded our country and started killing people. It's very difficult for any country to prepare for this because you never expect such cruelty.

The cruelty, the sheer weight of loss for Oleksandr is hard to comprehend. This is where the shots were fired, he says, and where the car was on

fire. His family, like others, tried to flee the Russian advance. They came to Bucha from Ukraine's war in the east. They were happy here. Madvia and Klim (PH) were inseparable. The boys, a joy for their father. But as they escaped Bucha, he says a Russian armored vehicle struck their car again and again. Everyone died. Only Oleksandr lived.

My oldest would have been 10, my youngest, 5, he says. It's very hard. Justice must be restored. Everything must be done to destroy the Russians, to destroy the nation completely. Probably you can't say that. But I want this whole nation to not exist at all, so that there would not be so much grief.

So much grief, too much for any nation to bear in a war that still shows no end.

David McKenzie, CNN, Bucha, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Up next, secret files fallout. The National Intelligence director confirming there is now an official investigation into the security fallout from the highly sensitive files found at Mar-a-Lago.

Also tonight, the first lady's former press secretary and special assistant to the president, Michael LaRosa, here to talk about the controversy over cancelling student loan debt.

And a political dogfight in Georgia keeping the fact checkers busy for all the wrong reasons.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:16:46]

BROWN: Well, there is dramatic new fallout over the top secret documents seized from Donald Trump's Florida mansion. The U.S. intelligence community is now conducting a damage assessment to determine if national security was put at risk. CNN has obtained a letter sent by the director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, to lawmakers alerting them to this assessment.

Well, just yesterday, the Justice Department released the heavily redacted affidavit that led to the search of Mar-a-Lago and it provides details on why the feds wanted to take such unprecedented action. The FBI said it had probable cause to believe that classified national security materials were taken to an authorized locations at the resort. The affidavit also gives new specifics about the 184 classified documents retrieved in January notably before this month's FBI search, 67 were marked confidential, 92 secret and 25 top secret.

And we learned just a short time ago that a federal judge has scheduled a Thursday hearing to consider Donald Trump's request for a special master. That third party lawyer would oversee the FBI's review of evidence seized from his Florida home. The judge says she has preliminary intent to make that appointment.

I want to bring in some guests to drill down into this. What does it mean? CNN legal analyst Jennifer Rodgers is a former federal prosecutor, and CNN military analyst retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army is here with us as well.

So, General Hertling, let's start with you. We know that some of these documents contain information that could compromise, quote, "clandestine human sources." Is it a stretch to say that people's lives could be in danger if these documents fell into the wrong hands?

HERTLING: Not a stretch at all, Pamela. And truthfully you pay me to bring logic and reason to some of these arguments, but truthfully there is a lot of passion behind this because I've seen these kinds of documents in my job as a military officer. They definitely give information that put individuals at risk, and I'm talking about the risk of death. It also -- they also contained processes which have probably been going on for a very long time, which provides information to the U.S. government to basically help our national security.

Yes, these things can certainly put not only U.S. citizens at risk but those we have recruited overseas to provide information on their governments at a very deep risk, and I think we're seeing Avril Haines already understanding that and I would suggest she probably has done an assessment long before this week in terms of what kind of harm these documents could do if anyone has seen them.

BROWN: Yes. Our understanding is this actually started in May once the FBI was given access to those classified documents. I'm curious to get your response or your reaction to what I heard from a Republican congressman I just interviewed him in the last hour, Warren Davidson. And he tried to make the case that, look, these documents, these classified documents were secure at Mar-a-Lago, the former president's home, presumably also because of the Secret Service there.

[19:20:04]

What do you say to that? Because that is something that I have heard repeatedly on the right-wing media.

HERTLING: All right. Well, I don't know who that congressman is, Pamela, but I would say they absolutely do not know what they're talking about. They are making stuff up. The president absconded with official documents, some of which were highly classified. And they were not secured in the facility which they originated from.

That's the standard. These documents are so important that if they get out of the ability to control who sees them and where they are, I will tell you that in units that I had where documents, one document, a classified document was not controlled properly, soldiers would be disciplined. And in many cases, they might be court marshalled depending on the intent behind it.

So this congressman, whoever it was, is out of his mind and doesn't know how classified documents are handled, and I'm sorry for becoming so passionate about this but I have seen these documents. I know what they contain and this congressman probably does not. So it has to be under specific lock and keys in safes, in secured facilities, period. You know, full stop.

BROWN: Yes. You know, he was a former Army ranger. I just think it's important to get your take on what we are hearing from allies of the former president, those who are coming out to defend him in the wake of this.

Jennifer, I want to get to you on the legal angle here. What exposure, what legal exposure do you think Donald Trump has here? Do you think he will face criminal prosecution?

JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I wish I knew, Pamela. I mean, what we do know since the release of the redacted affidavit is that DOJ is actively conducting a criminal investigation here. You know, many people thought as this was all going on that perhaps the main goal of the search warrant was to retrieve these documents, which of course very, very serious as the general was just saying that they get back into appropriate government hands.

But it now appears from reading the affidavit, DOJ is actively looking at this as a criminal matter so usually when you see a search warrant, which of course is just part of the investigation, it's just an investigative tool, it's not nearly to the end of an investigation, and ready for charging, but usually if you see a search warrant executed, chances are quite good that there will be a charge.

It's a little tricky with classified documents. DOJ likes to try to avoid prosecution in those cases because revealing classified information during litigation is obviously a risk. But I would say chances are pretty good at this point that ultimately there will be a criminal charge here.

BROWN: You think there will ultimately be a criminal charge of the former president? Is that what you're saying?

RODGERS: I mean, I think there's a good chance. I mean, with all the signs, you know, listen, we're in uncharted waters here, but typically when there is a search warrant executed, when they've shown there's probable cause, of course we have no idea what additional evidence they've now gathered from the search warrant, we don't know what the redacted portions of the affidavit say, but the proof to me from what we have seen looks relatively strong. So, you know, my best guess, and it's just a guess.

BROWN: Right.

RODGERS: Is that it's likely going to be a charge.

BROWN: What would you say then to, and I believe Alan Dershowitz brought this up. He of course is a lawyer and also an ally of the former president. He said then if the president is charged for this, how would it be different from Hillary Clinton? Because as we know, the FBI investigated Hillary Clinton and said, the former FBI director said that she was reckless in how she handled classified information that was found in her server and so forth. How would this be different?

RODGERS: Well, the finding of the FBI in the Clinton matter was that it was unintentional. She may have been sloppy with the way her server was set up and handled but they found that she did not intentionally handled classified information through that server. It was sloppy, it was not intentional.

Here you have months and months of back and forth where it's 100 percent clear the former president knew he had classified information, was told he wasn't supposed to have it, and kept it despite being ordered to turn it over including with a subpoena. So it's just completely different on the intent side and that's why charges are possible here.

BROWN: I want to go to you, General. You know, look, former President Trump has been out of office for 19 months now. Knowing these national security concerns, do you think it took too long for this process to play out?

HERTLING: Pam, I'm not a lawyer and I'm not in government now. I don't know. I don't know what the rest of this story is but when you're talking about the level of classifications on these documents and for people to know after they received the boxes that these were the kinds of things that were not only there for a long period of time but there might be more that the president had taken illegally, then, you know, I would initially say yes, it took them too long a time to go after it.

[19:25:07]

You know, you drop everything when classified documents are missing or when you don't know where they are. At least, that's what I did as a military commander. So I don't know what the rest of the story is in terms of the legal implications and certainly dealing with a former president you have to be walking on egg shells in terms of how you approach it from the A.G.'s perspective. So I don't know. But yes, I think it probably in my view and this is my opinion only took too long to make amends to get these documents back.

BROWN: All right. General Mark Hertling, Jennifer Rodgers, thank you both.

And here's a reminder that the federal investigation into the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol remains very much active. Earlier this week the FBI arrested a former NASA engineering intern, the latest of the 850 some people arrested. Investigators say Brandon Kavanaugh spent 13 minutes inside the breached Capitol and they say he also made several racist and violent remarks in a Telegram chat with another rioter. Kavanaugh spent five months in 2019 as an engineering intern with NASA's jet propulsion laboratory.

Well, not all Democrats are happy with President Biden's decision to bring some relief to student loan borrowers but could this move actually help Republicans in some tight races? Michael LaRosa, a former special assistant to President Biden, joins

me next to discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:31:00]

BROWN: Welcome back, everyone, 7:30 PM Eastern time here in our nation's capital, taking a live look here at the Capitol Building, 85 degrees here at the end of August, beautiful evening.

All right, well, President Biden's move this week to cancel student loan debt has been met with some criticism even from Democratic lawmakers. The majority have come out in support, but a handful of Democrats, particularly in tight midterm races took a different position.

Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan who is running for Senate says: "It sends the wrong message to the millions of Ohioans without a degree working just as hard to make ends meet."

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto out of Nevada points out: "... it doesn't address what makes college unaffordable." And Congressman Jared Golden of Maine says, the decision is, "... out of touch with what the majority of people want from the White House."

Joining me now is former Special Assistant to President Biden and former Press Secretary to the First Lady, Michael LaRosa.

Hi, Michael. Great to have you here on set.

MICHAEL LAROSA, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

BROWN: All right, so let's dive into this. I mean, President Biden made good on a campaign promise. Right? But moderates, as I pointed out, they clearly are not sold.

How do you see the politics of this playing out? Do you think it could actually help the GOP and the midterm?

LAROSA: No, I mean, I think that that the President, you know, this is not only good policy, but good policy makes good politics. And again, like you said, this is what he promised he was going to do as a candidate. This is what the First Lady went around telling people her husband was going to do when he got into office.

But I'm also glad to finally hear some Democrats and Republicans talk about college affordability, because the First Lady was out front on that for an entire year, championing free community college, and when it came time for the Build Back Better plan when Community College was in that as part of the plan, everybody was against it, or at least nobody came to champion free community college, which is a gateway into the economy for so many people, so many students who can afford higher education. BROWN: Yes, there has certainly been a lot of talk about that in the wake of it and we're going to do an analysis of that on the show tomorrow. But there are those who say that this is a Band-Aid, this isn't fixing the underlying problem.

And you mentioned the First Lady, "The New York Times" is reporting that First Lady Jill Biden was "uncomfortable" about the student loan debt announcement. You worked for the First Lady in the White House. First of all, does that seem right to you? And how much does the President rely on her opinion when making these decisions?

LAROSA: Well, look, like I said, she talked about -- I was with her for a year-and-a-half on the campaign, the primary and the general, we talked about this, I want to say every day. This was the President's plan. It was always a $10,000.00 limit.

So, I think he relies on her. I don't think she considers herself a policy adviser. She considers herself an educator, a mom, a grandmother and a supportive spouse, but she doesn't advise on policy.

BROWN: I want to ask you about it, because you said this has always been his plan, but here we are so many months into his presidency, and the White House finally unveiled this plan that he had been talking about. But it has also been all over the map in terms of numbers, how much is this going to cost? We've heard different answers.

Do you think that the White House should have been more prepared with a cost estimate, a breakdown when it unveiled this plan?

LAROSA: Sure. Well, I think the cost estimate is coming in a couple of weeks from the Education Department and the Office of Management and Budget.

But I think what's important is that that assumes that numbers on a spreadsheet are more important to the President than doing what he said he was going to do, which is focused on the middle class, and this is what -- that's what this action does. Ninety percent of the people who will be eligible for this, make $75,000.00 or less, so the President promised that he was going to help give them more breathing room and that is what he is doing with this right.

In the end, it's more money in their pockets. It is focused on the middle class and people like -- I'm sorry, public servants, like teachers, like police officers, like nurses, they're all going to be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which is what the First Lady is very excited about and you're going to see her talk about that in the next couple of weeks.

[19:35:21]

BROWN: And you mentioned it is going to be more money in their pockets, but then as you well know, the criticism of this is that it is going to be a burden for taxpayers, given the cost estimates that are out there.

One budget watchdog has notes that it would wipe out the deficit reduction from the Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden and congressional Democrats touted as historic for reducing the deficit, all of this as the country is already struggling with inflation.

Does the President risk looking fiscally irresponsible here?

LAROSA: Not at all. In fact, he cut the deficit his first year as President, and he is on track according to the latest estimates to do it again, this year.

And of course, everybody was concerned about fueling more inflation, but what this does, it puts strict limits on incomes for qualification. It also starts repayment of student loans starting January 1st, which will offset the cost and mitigate any inflation going forward.

BROWN: I guess, last question, before I get to another one. What did this actually solve long term?

LAROSA: Well, again, I think it's what the President has been saying. This is going to provide breathing room for people who are struggling. Look, this is going to cost $240 billion over 10 years. You paid back $350 billion in loan forgiveness for the PPP program in just the last year. So, I guess my question is why is it okay to pay back a business owner, but not okay to provide the same relief to people who are struggling who make under $75,000.00 a year and struggling with their loans?

BROWN: Yes, and I know the White House has been talking about that. Some of the Republicans who are attacking this who took out PPP loans and were forgiven.

LAROSA: Yes. I know, your previous guest, the congressman mentioned that he didn't have the authority, but the President is using the same authority the previous President used to pause student loan repayment.

So, I found that pretty interesting. I'm not sure the argument holds, but we'll see when the Courts take it up, if they take it up.

BROWN: Right, and he had argued that it was Congress who passed it and so forth, but I want to ask you about something else that has been making some headlines here.

In one of his first political rallies this cycle, President Biden came out hard against Trump, and what he called MAGA Republicans. Here he is in Maryland on Thursday. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those of you who love this country -- Democrats, Independents, mainstream Republicans -- we must be stronger, more determined, and more committed to saving America than the MAGA Republicans are destroying America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So earlier tonight, the President's Deputy Chief of Staff told MSNBC we can expect to hear more of this in the coming days. What do you think about this messaging, the anti-MAGA democracy on the ballot ahead of the midterms?

LAROSA: I think it is great. I think it's what Democrats want to hear. I think that is what he is trying to do. I think he is trying to motivate people motivate the base of Democrats who, you know, we tend to set out some midterms in the last couple of cycles. So, I think he is hoping that people will remember what's at stake here.

BROWN: And calling some semi-fascist, what do you think about that? Were you surprised when he used that term?

LAROSA: The President calls it like he sees it, I think that sounds just like him.

BROWN: Alright. Michael LaRosa, thank you so much for coming on the show.

LAROSA: Thank you.

BROWN: And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

California is taking the first steps to get gasoline powered cars off its roads, but will it be ready to plug in every car in just a few years? We are live in California up next.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, some optimistic news in the fight against monkeypox.

The World Health Organization says global cases dropped 21 percent compared to last week. New cases in the US are down 25 percent in the past two weeks.

Here is CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL: There are certain jurisdictions in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco that are starting to report that they are starting to see a downward trend.

I want to be cautiously optimistic about these.

We're actually seeing vaccine get out; behaviors change, harm reduction messages being heard and implemented, and all of that working together to bend the curve, if you will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Well, California State regulators voted this week to ban new gasoline-powered car sales there by the year 2035. And if they do, it would certainly be a historic move in the US and the first one like it anywhere in the world. Now, more states are looking at similar rules in place in the coming years. CNN's Chris Nguyen joins us now from Pasadena.

So Chris, this is an ambitious plan and a tight timeline.

CHRIS NGUYEN, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pam, good evening.

As you know, California accounts for a huge chunk of the US car market. A lot has to happen between now and 2035 and if this ban is to be successful, experts say it's going to come down to infrastructure and consumer demand. We'll get to those points in just a sec, but first, let's take a look at some numbers.

These are the benchmarks from the state of California, and remember this only applies to new vehicle sales here in the State. So, the hope is that 35 percent of new vehicles will be zero emission by the year 2026. The target then goes up each year until 2035.

But right now, there are a lot of concerns about the stability of the State's power grid, as well as access and affordability when it comes to these electric vehicles. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SAHAKIAN, LIVES IN LOS ANGELES: If the prices of electric car goes down, it makes sense. But if the prices keep on staying as fifty, sixty thousand dollars, I don't think it's going to be a good idea.

[19:45:07]

PROF. MOHAMED BADAWY, SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY: It is certainly something doable and there are tons of companies in the industry and research labs working on solving this exact challenge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: A study from UC Davis estimates that by the year 2035, California may need to install an additional 1.9 million public charging stations like the ones you see behind me here in Pasadena just to meet the expected demand.

And Pam, California will also have to apply for a waiver from the EPA to enforce the ban. So, a lot taking place here in the next few years, legal challenges are very likely -- Pam.

BROWN: For sure, Chris Nguyen, thank you so much.

Well, the race for Georgia's Senate seat might be getting doggone silly. Get ready for the puns here as the Republican candidate says his Democratic opponent lied about having a puppy. It's time to fetch the truth.

Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:50:32]

BROWN: Well, we are just a few months away from the midterms and plenty of eyes are on the Senate race in Georgia between Herschel Walker and Senator Raphael Warnock.

The Republican challenger has been caught in a couple of lies over the past few months, but now he is accusing his Democratic opponent of doing the same thing.

CNN's Daniel Dale is here to fact check this for us.

DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: What comes before the midterms really get going around Labor Day? Well, it is of course the dog days of summer, literally in the case of one important Senate campaign.

Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock has been going after Republican opponent, Herschel Walker for Walker's history of dishonesty about his resume.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Herschel Walker has a problem, a problem with the truth. Time and again caught lying about who he really is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: So, Walker fired back this past week. He tweeted an allegation that Warnock lied -- lied about having a dog. Now, as an obsessive Pomeranian owner, I couldn't resist dog-related research, and even though this battle is about a dog, it's also about a central issue in the Walker-Warnock campaign, honesty and integrity.

So, I looked into it. And it's not true.

Warnock did not lie about having a dog. This is what happened. Warnock ran popular ads featuring a dog during his 2020-2021 Senate race, but never said in those ads or anywhere else, that Alvin the Beagle, a very good boy who belongs to one of his supporters was his own dog.

Let's take a look at the ads.

In the first ad, a narrative joked that Warnock was going to face ridiculous attacks from his opponent, Kelly Loeffler, like a claim that he hates puppies, and the ad ended like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): And by the way, I love puppies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: So, Warnock held the dog. He didn't say he was holding his own dog. Another ad was built around a dog poop joke, and it ended with another shot of Warnock being pals with Alvin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WARNOCK: But I think Georgians will see your ads for what they are, don't you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: So, I see how some viewers could have assumed Alvin was his own dog, but there was no lie either in the ad or any of Warnock's public comments. His campaign explicitly told at least one media outlet before Election Day 2021 that the dog belonged to a supporter.

And come on, campaign ads are filled with stage scenes and much more explicit fiction than Raphael Warnock did. For example, in 2018, Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp ran an ad where he held a shotgun near a nervous young dude, he identified as "a young man interested in one of my daughters."

That man was actually of course an actor. This was not treated as a scandal -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, Daniel Dale, thanks so much.

Well, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday.

Up next, a Missouri School District wants to bring back an old- fashioned form of discipline, and it seems that some parents are actually supportive of this. We're going to discuss.

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[19:58:02]

BROWN: "Spare the rod, spoil the child," a sentiment that comes directly from the Bible in a proverb that warns parents that if they don't provide stern discipline, it isn't the loving choice.

Well now, we can argue all day what parents should or shouldn't do when it comes to raising their own children. But do you think schools should have a free hand when it comes to spankings?

Well, parents in Cassville, Missouri have a dilemma after running an anonymous survey of parents, students, and school employees, the Cassville School Board approved the return of spanking in its schools. They say it should only be used as a last resort and with written permission from parents.

And you may be surprised to learn that corporal punishment in schools is illegal in 19 States. The Supreme Court actually ruled on this issue in 1977 after two Florida students sued following paddling incidents. In a five-four decision, the Court said physical discipline in school did not constitute cruel and unusual punishment and due process didn't apply.

So, I ask you, would you want your kids spanked at school? You can vote on my Twitter page @PamelaBrownCNN and I will read the results at the end of the show.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

BROWN: New tonight, damage assessment. US Intel set to assess the security risks stemming from the top-secret documents found at former President Trump's Florida home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the document that prosecutors used to establish probable cause that Federal crimes were committed, violation of the Espionage Act, destruction of government documents, and obstruction.

BROWN: A woman from Louisiana fighting for her reproductive rights after she was denied an abortion even though her fetus was diagnosed with a fatal condition.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want you to imagine what it has been like to continue this pregnancy for another six weeks after this diagnosis.

BROWN: The woman at the center of the controversy shares her story.

[20:00:08]