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NASA's Lunar Rocket Set To Blast Off Monday Morning; Federal Judge May Appoint Special Master To Oversee Review Of Mar-a-Lago Search; Mississippi Residents Prepare For Major Flooding After Heavy Rain; Possibility Of A Single-Digit House Majority; Animal Sanctuary Had Emaciated Animals; CNN Hero. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired August 28, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Some even picked up Wally to pet him. Oh, my gosh, and if you're wondering, Wally has quite the social media following, documenting his adventures including visiting kids and people with special needs.

I say no thanks. Not trying to see that alligator.

All right. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thank you so much. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta right now. See you later, alligator.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

To the moon and beyond. In less than 24 hours we will witness the start of NASA's historic Artemis Space Program which aims to eventually put a human on Mars, but first the moon, and this Orion spacecraft set to lift off tomorrow morning from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

It's the first small step in this new age of space exploration. Orion will enter a distant orbit of the moon and travel 40,000 miles beyond it. That's further than any spacecraft intended to carry humans. Cameras inside and outside Orion will document the trip because this crew is unmanned but not un-mannequined, if you'll pardon that phrase.

Commander Moonikin Campos is reporting for duty. A suited mannequin that will collect data on what future human crews might experience as NASA prepares for a lunar landing in 2025.

CNN correspondent Rachel Crane joins me now.

Rachel, I hope I explained that OK. I can't -- we're sending mannequins into space. I suppose maybe that's been done before. But none of this happens if the weather doesn't cooperate. I'm sure NASA is on pins and needles about all of this. How is it looking for tomorrow?

RACHEL CRANE, CNN BUSINESS INNOVATION AND SPACE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jim. You know, when it comes to rocket launches everyone's eyes are on Mother Nature and right now NASA is saying that the conditions are 80 percent favorable for a launch tomorrow morning. The launch window opens at 8:33 a.m. Eastern Time and the countdown clock has already started, Jim, so people are pretty optimistic that this will take flight, that the weather will not be the deciding factor.

But, also, a lot of folks are concerned about the fact that this is a rocket that has never flown before and several rehearsals, which were referred to as the wet dress of the SLS rocket, they didn't go exactly as planned. There were issues with valves, there were leaks. So only on the fourth time did NASA deem the rehearsal a success. But, of course, you know, everyone is very, very excited about this potential launch tomorrow and this, if it does take off, will be a 42-day journey around the moon and back.

And this is all leading up to those crude missions that NASA hopes to start launching next year of the Artemis program. The Artemis program aims to have a sustainable presence on the moon and eventually get to Mars. So tomorrow's launch is a huge step forward to getting there. And the main objectives of this test mission are to test the heat shield of the Orion spacecraft because they obviously have to make sure that that heat shield is able to withstand the, you know, 5,000- degree temperatures that it will experience when it re-enters the earth's atmosphere.

Also, as I mentioned, this rocket has never flown so they need to make sure that the vehicle is working properly. Also, they want to check and they want to run through retrieval of the Orion spacecraft. There's some avionics on board that they're hoping to use on Artemis 2, which will be the first crewed mission of this program. So they are hoping to achieve a lot with this mission. But as you pointed out, no crew on board, but they have some mannequins, Moonikin Campos, as you mentioned.

He'll be wearing several sensors to measure the vibrations and the sounds. Also several sensors on board will be measuring the radiation that the crew will experience on these lunar journeys, Jim. So, you know, fingers crossed that this launch happens tomorrow and all kinds of science and excitement will take place. Back to you, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, and it's a huge step towards what will be a very exciting chapter in the American space program.

Rachel Crane, we know you'll be watching it and we'll follow all the developments with you. Thanks so much.

Let's get Scott Kelly in here. He's a retired NASA astronaut with several tours of duty. Got the space suit to prove it right behind him.

Scott, great to see you as always. There haven't been boots on the moon for, what, 50 years? For the folks at home who might be thinking, well, we did this already. I think I saw a movie about it. What is the significance of this mission?

SCOTT KELLY, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: Well, you made a good point, Jim. It was 50 years ago when you think about, you know, how we've advanced in the last 50 years and the technology we have now and how that positions us well for going to Mars someday. But first, you know, we need to practice a lot of the new technology we're going to use to go to Mars on the moon.

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And there's also a lot of scientific reasons we want to go back to the moon, to study the moon more, understand how it formed, helped us understand, you know, how our earth formed. So there's a lot to learn there. Plus, it's about inspiration as well. And, you know, all the inspiration that the Apollo program provided to not only the United States but the planet is something that I think we need greatly in our society today and hopefully Artemis will bring that.

ACOSTA: And we've got a countdown clock on our screen right now, we can watch it, some 13 hours and 27 minutes, the countdown to liftoff.

You know, Scott, no people will be on board this mission but there will be some mannequins, as Rachel Crane was saying, some test dummies. I guess I wasn't available but let me ask you this, you spent an entire year in space. You know the toll that took on your body. You know, they're talking about sending this craft into a distant orbit of the moon, farther than we've sent -- what is intended to be a manned spacecraft. Can you explain that? And what are the risks -- are there risks to traveling this far into space?

KELLY: So we're going to go on with the Orion capsule 40,000 miles away from the moon which is further than -- much further actually than Apollo 13 went, which was previously the furthest distance a human rated spacecraft has traveled for the moon. So this will be the furthest that something that people could fly in. And when you go to those distances, there are extremes of radiation, there's extremes of temperatures, you know, things that we need to understand well and the mitigation effects surrounding those.

So that's why we have those two mannequins on board that are going to study radiation protection for astronauts in that environment, but the other components of this is just studying the spacecraft, the environmental control system, the life support systems that will keep astronauts alive on the next mission, and most importantly we need to make sure that heat shield that is going to come back into the atmosphere faster than anything has ever come into the atmosphere before with humans on it, we need to make sure absolutely that it works and we know how critical that is from Columbia and that accident and we need to be absolutely certain that we have a good heat shield.

ACOSTA: And so the plan is to put astronauts into lunar orbit in two years, and then a landing on the moon a year or two after? I mean, tell us about this. I mean, this sounds very exciting. This is going to happen -- it's going to be here before we know it. How long before you and I get to pay for a ride to the moon, do you think?

KELLY: Well, I think that will probably never happen for you and I. Maybe somebody someday will be able to afford rides to the moon but certainly you know --

ACOSTA: A little younger than us probably. KELLY: Yes, probably. But, you know, space flight is becoming more

accessible. It's still expensive. But, you know, that's what the early days of commercial aviation were. And, you know, now we can jump on an airplane at a reasonable price so someday I hope to have that. But this is so very exciting, Jim. I mean, we have the biggest rocket launching ever. In just a few years there will be people on it and, you know, I think I know some of those people. I'm very excited for them. I wish I could be in their shoes in a few years.

ACOSTA: Yes, and this is not a billionaire space mission. This is not a private company. This is NASA. And I wonder what that says about the space program.

KELLY: I think it says a lot. I think it also says a lot about the position and the leadership role this country plays throughout the world and the example we set that we can do the hardest, most challenging things. And I really, really hope we never give up on that. I know people say this is expensive, maybe that money could be used elsewhere, but I think the value we get out of that, scientific value, geopolitical value, but also the inspiration that the space program provides for kids in this country and around the world.

I mean, this is going to be, you know, the first human -- the next human boots are going to be a woman and a person of color on the moon, and that inspiration to provide, you know, diversity in this type of environment really, really goes a long way and I think is worth every penny of the investment.

ACOSTA: Well, that leads me to my next question. We learned this weekend some news about Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Lieutenant Uhura on "Star Trek," maybe you're a Trekkie like I am, she died in July. Her ashes will be launched into outer space later this year. I mean, you know, she played -- she brought diversity to TV screens around the country when she played Lieutenant Uhura back in the day.

And now what you're talking about is actually going to become reality. We're going to see it in space. What do you make of that, I guess, evolution in our history?

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KELLY: Well, it's clearly been a long time since she aired on "Star Trek" as a woman of color, an African-American woman, that provided, you know, inspiration for a lot of African-Americans, females, people of diverse backgrounds. And to see it, you know, 50 plus years later, I mean, it's taken a long time obviously but it's great that we are getting to the point of doing that for real and putting a person of diversity on the moon, and I'm excited about that. And it's unfortunate that she passed recently.

But I hope she realized how much of an inspiration she was to people around the world including myself when I was a kid watching "Star Trek."

ACOSTA: She really was, and for a lot of people who went into the space program.

Scott Kelly, great to see you, as always. Thanks so much. We appreciate it.

KELLY: Thanks for having me, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. And now to the investigation into former President Donald Trump. A federal judge says she has preliminary intent to appoint a special master who can oversee the FBI's review of the documents taken during the search at Mar-a-Lago. U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon, who was appointed by then-President Trump, we should note, has scheduled a hearing for this Thursday to consider Trump's request for a special master.

If appointed that third party attorney would filter out potentially privileged material found at the former president's Florida residence. All of this comes as the director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes tells Congress that she is conducting a damage assessment of the documents taken from Mar-a-Lago.

A redacted affidavit released Friday shows the FBI found 184 classified documents and 15 boxes Trump voluntarily turned over back in January.

And CNN's senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor joins me now.

Elie, thanks so much for being with us. Let's start with this special master. Most Americans may be unfamiliar with what a special master is. Why does Trump get one when other folks -- I mean, we've heard this time and again, people who have been in government and have said on our air and in other places, if they had done what Trump had done, they would be in big legal hot water right now. But he gets a special master. How does all of this work?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Jim, well. that's actually a really good question. If there is a special master appointed, this will be an outside, independent third party, typically it's going to be a retired judge, who will go through all the documents that DOJ or the Archives seized from Mar-a-Lago, review for privilege, potentially attorney-client privilege, potentially executive privilege.

If there's no privilege then those documents go over to DOJ and they can do what they will with them. If the special master decides there may be some privilege, then the special master holds on to them and the parties can deal with it from there. Now as a practical matter, what this will do if there is a special mater, it will slow down the proceedings. That's unavoidable. It takes time to pick a special master, takes time to go through the documents.

On the other hand it will enable DOJ to say, look, we took every possible precaution to protect Donald Trump's rights to give him due process. As you know, way more than they would in a normal case. And, by the way, if you look at the motion, Donald Trump's motion where he asks for the special master, it was a procedural disaster. It is filled with all manner of irrelevant political bluster. But the bottom line ask for a special master, it's not unreasonable, it's not unprecedented, and it was not surprising -- it's not surprising that this judge may be leaning in that direction.

ACOSTA: But it could slow the process down?

HONIG: Yes, for sure. It takes time to pick the special master. It takes time for the special master to go through those documents. We know delay has been a successful strategy for Donald Trump before but it's unavoidable if the judge does go this way.

ACOSTA: And the DOJ and Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced they are working together to review the classifications of the documents recovered in the search. What do you think they're going to be looking for?

HONIG: Well, two things. First of all, they have to do a damage assessment, as you said. They have to figure out could any of this information that's in these boxes endanger any of our resources, our people, our agents, our intel analyst who are out there in the field putting themselves at risk? If so, those people will have to be protected, perhaps pulled.

Second of all DOJ of course is looking at this from potential criminal standpoint. They need to know what's in those documents? Is there any sign those documents have been tampered, removed, altered, anything that could be obstruction of justice. So they're going to be carefully analyzing every piece of paper in those boxes.

ACOSTA: And, Elie, we've now seen this affidavit and we've seen all of the black lines in all of the different pages, but we've also seen a lot of new details and a lot of things that really stand out. I mean, you don't have to put the words in bold and in underlined text. I mean, but, you know, there are some big blockbuster headlines that came out of this.

HONIG: Yes, even with all the redactions, Jim, there are some really important takeaways. First of all, we now know what was in those original 15 boxes that the Archives got from Mar-a-Lago. 184 classified documents including 25 of them at the highest level of classification. We now know additionally that DOJ is working with multiple, a significant number, to quote their papers, of civilian witnesses, meaning they have more than one, more than two people on the inside who were providing them with information.

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And we know that DOJ is really focused on obstruction here whether it's threats and harm to potential witnesses or also whether documents were misplaced or taken out of their rightful place, were tampered, altered, anything like that. So there's quite a bit that we really learned from this affidavit even with all that redactioning.

ACOSTA: And do you think -- what comes next, Elie, in all of this?

HONIG: Well, it depends if someone gets charged or not. If nobody gets charged, we really may not hear much more of this affidavit. If somebody does get charged ever then they get the full affidavit. We will surely see it shortly after that. And then the person who does get charged, or people, they have the ability to go into court and challenge the search itself on legal basis. That's normally the way this works.

What we saw last week is highly abnormal and, again, to go back to your starting point, something that I think a lot of other people who've been subject to search warrants say, well, why does Donald Trump get that ability, that extra consideration but not me?

ACOSTA: Yes, it has been normal for some time in all of this, Elie. But, all right, thanks so much for breaking it down. We appreciate it.

HONIG: For sure. Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: Coming up, an old-fashioned form of punishment making its way to a Missouri school district that's allowing corporal punishment of students this year. We'll talk to a pediatrician about the damage that could be done to children, next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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ACOSTA: People in Mississippi this weekend are being warned to leave their homes ahead of what could be a major flooding event. Experts believe heavy rainfall will cause the Pearl River to rise several feet and trigger flash flooding as early as this evening. Mississippi's governor has already declared a state of emergency.

CNN's Nadia Romero is following this story for us.

Nadia, how are things looking where you are? Mississippi is still recovering from another record flooding just two years ago. How are they preparing for this?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, well, the residents here and the city officials say they're hoping that they'll be more prepared this time around. But you can already see the flooding happening in this neighborhood. We're on the northeast side of Jackson, Mississippi, and you can see, I'm standing in what is supposed to be someone's front lawn and then a few feet back is the actual sidewalk and street.

Across the street, you can see one of the homes here has sandbags all along the driveway here. And I spoke with some residents and they said, you know what, we are not going to sandbag this time around. We did so back in 2020. One man told me he had 50 sandbags all around his house. Didn't matter. He still had $60,000 worth of damage. And the damage is because you just don't know what's in these waters.

I spoke with a couple, the Holders. They've been living in this neighborhood for 20 years. And you see these trash cans that are all lined up? I mean, that's what makes this floodwater so nasty, so murky. When it gets into your home, you have to rip everything out.

I want you to listen to Anitra Holder. She says it feels like they just cleaned up from the last storm and here they are again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANITRA HOLDER, HOME DAMAGED IN 2020 FLOOD: The experience that I had was when we actually did come back into our house and we were able to get back in, the whole house was damaged. We had to gut it inside, all of the walls had to be out. We lost everything. And now that we just started back regaining things we feel like we're back in the same stage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: Yes, they feel like they're back in the same place they were two years ago. So the waters are coming up here, the street signs are getting a lot lower, all the debris that was already out is filling up the waters here. We spoke with the mayor just a few hours ago. He told us that he wants everyone to get prepared.

In this neighborhood, the power is already out, and that's why it's so eerily quiet here. Many people have already left their homes to hotels or with family members because it's hot, they don't have air- conditioning, their food is spoiling. And it could be like this, Jim, for the next seven to 10 days as the waters are expected to slowly, slowly recede.

ACOSTA: All right, Nadia Romero, stay safe. Thank you very much.

A Missouri school district with nearly 2,000 students is kicking off the new school year with a new policy, paddling students who misbehave. If parents give the OK school officials would be allowed to strike their children on the back side with a paddle as a punishment. The district says it would only be used in a, quote, "reasonable form," but does not clarify what reasonable means. We invited the superintendent to the school district here to discuss this with us but received no response.

But Dr. Allison Jackson joins me now. She's a pediatrician and the division chief at the Child and Adolescent Protection Center at Children's National Hospital. She's also a member of the American Association of Pediatrics Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Dr. Jackson, thanks so much for lending your expertise this afternoon. We appreciate it. I want to get your reaction to this policy. What do you think?

DR. ALLISON JACKSON, PEDIATRICIAN: Well, the policy is very concerning. It's actually kind of going back in time. We had been making great progress on the elimination of corporal punishment in schools and we're hoping to eliminate it across the country. And now it seems we're stepping back here.

ACOSTA: And though many people think of this as a thing of the past, I guess it's not. A 2016 report from the Society for Research and Child Development found it is still illegal in 19 states. We're showing those states up on the screen right now. The same 2016 report found 160,000 children are subjected to some form of corporal punishment in schools each year. That's kind of staggering to think about.

What kind of short and long-term effects does this kind of punishment have on a child? I suspect for some of these kids it's a traumatic experience that they will remember the rest of their lives.

JACKSON: Well, certainly we know and there's a robust body of research that continues to tell the same story that hitting harms children and that it can harm them physically, of course, from physical injury, but it can also harm them emotionally and developmentally.

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And, unfortunately, we also know that it is disproportionately impacting children of color, children who have disabilities, and so it is not equitably applied.

ACOSTA: And corporal punishment in school was ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in the late 1970s. But should we as a nation be moving towards some sort of ban of this form of discipline, do you think? Even if some parents are OK with it, I mean, I suppose that's part of the reason why it's still around. Some parents are OK with this. But do you think Congress should step in or there should be some sort of legislative action?

JACKSON: Well, the American Academy of Pediatrics has clearly stated and it is statement based truly in the science and the literature and research that indicates that spanking is harmful, it's detrimental to children. And we should be in the business of building children up not beating them down. And the science continues to show that and, in fact, what can actually happen is that children can become more aggressive as a result of corporal punishment which is really presumably the opposite effect that one is trying to cause by disciplining them in this unfortunate way.

ACOSTA: And what can schools do besides this? I mean, there are other ways to punish kids, right, that are more effective.

JACKSON: Well, consistency is always important for children and structure is critical for their well-being but it's also important to know that we need to also understand why children might be behaving the way they are behaving.

When we talk about having trauma informed systems, if there's anything we've learned from the pandemic and the mental health crisis that so many children are experiencing, we know that adversity affects their well-being emotionally and psychologically, and so instead of harming them by hitting them it would be more prudent to dig deeper and understand why they're behaving that way and work together with parents and professionals, whether they're mental health professionals or medical professionals to try and mitigate whatever it is the adversity that this child is struggling with that might cause them to behave in a way that is unfavorable. ACOSTA: Right, there might be something going on at home that we're

not getting to the bottom of because we're paddling them on the bottom.

All right, Dr. Allison Jackson, thanks very much. We appreciate it.

JACKSON: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Coming up, Republican lawmakers are confident they will recapture the House this fall but by how much? New Republican concerns that Democrats could keep that majority smaller than expected. We'll break it all down next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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ACOSTA: Just in to CNN, Democratic candidate for Texas governor, Beto O'Rourke, was hospitalized Friday, after he became sick with a bacterial infection. He received I.V. antibiotics and now is at his home in El Paso. O'Rourke says he will be off the campaign trail as he recovers. And he promises to be back on the road as soon as he's able to.

That's all the information we have on it at the moment. Of course, it's developing. We'll get the information to you as it comes into us, here at CNN.

In the meantime, President Biden's late summer rebound, could it be enough to hold off that expected red wave in the November midterms? Democrats suddenly seem poised to hold onto the Senate.

And, on the House side, GOP sources now tell CNN they aren't ruling out a thin, single-digit majority, way down from Republican leader Kevin McCarthy's prediction of a 60-seat pickup.

Here to discuss is CNN political commentator and former Republican Congresswoman, Mia Love. And with me here in Washington, former press secretary to first lady, Jill Biden, and former assistant -- special assistant to the President, Michael LaRosa.

Michael, great to have you here in the studio. And, Congresswoman, let me talk to you first about all of this. What do you think is going on here? Do you think this red wave is shaping up to be more of a belly flop?

MIA LOVE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think that the conversation has changed in American. Whether the department of justice or the FBI's actions were intended to be political or not, that's what it seems to be the things that Republicans are talking about. Where Republicans should have been and should be talking about the pains that Americans are feeling. And what are the plans to fix them?

I have long said that GOP does not have the time nor is it their job to defend Trump and fix his problems. It's in -- it is appropriate to ask questions and demand transparency from our institutions. But you have to do your job for the American people, and you have to talk about what you're for.

Republicans need to talk about the inflation reduction act in name only, a bill that actually raises inflation in the near term, reduces take-home pay for Americans over the long term, reduces overall GDP. It does not -- not to mention the fact that thousands of IRS agents will be assigned to audit middle income families. Those are the things that they need to talk about.

And I'm telling you, it'll turn around. The wave will be there because Americans are feeling the pain of having to put food on the table.

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: and I think their studies have shown that, actually, the inflation will be bent downward slightly over the long haul. But I know you're working in some of those -- some of those talking points, I suppose, on the Republican side. Michael, let me talk to you about this. How much of the roe reversal -- the reversal of roe vs. Wade, how much of that is going to play into what we might -- what we might expect to see come November?

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ACOSTA: A surge of women registered to vote in 10 states, including Kansas, Pennsylvania and Ohio. According to "The New York Times," on average in the month after Dobbs, 55 percent of newly registered voters in those states were women, up from just under 50 percent before the decision about overturning Roe vs. Wade was leaked. What do you think? Is this going to affect things?

MICHAEL LAROSA, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY TO FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN: Yes. Well, I think where elections tend to be about a yes or a no, I think I'd rather be on the side of, you know, Democrats and supporting all of the things that the President's getting done. And I think it's going to come down to a, yes, I like what's going on. I don't want my rights taken away.

And I think that's why you're seeing the fallout from Roe and the incredible voter registration. 70 percent, I think, of the new registered voters in Kansas were actually women. You have the RNC chair right now begging for money. You have the GOP candidates kind of twisting themselves into knots, trying to soften their language. Because they know how passionate people are about this, moderates and some Republicans as well.

And I think even in the New York 19, he ran -- Pat Ryan ran that race largely as a referendum on abortion and women's rights. So, I think Democrats have a lot of energy on their side, as a result. And it wasn't expected. They -- Republicans had this election as a layup. They had a walk in the park. They had history on their side. And they had a president with a low-approval rating. And a pocketbook issue like inflation, like Mia said. But it doesn't turn -- it's not turning out to be as easy as they thought.

ACOSTA: And, Mia, Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger had this to say about how the party has shifted on the abortion issue. I want to get your take on that. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R), ILLINIOS: I've always taken the position of rape, incest, life of the mother, and, you know, certain weeks up until 15 weeks or whatever. And that was, actually, a fairly common thing in the Republican Party.

Even Donald Trump said rape, incest, life of the mother exceptions. And now you've been seeing these Republicans go, there is absolutely no exception. Because somehow in the Republican Party, the crueler you are, the more likely you are to win a primary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes, Mia, how big of a deal is this for Republicans, in terms of the impact? How concerned should they be about the near total effect of these bans. Some of these bans that are being put in place in states across the country?

LOVE: Well, Jim, when I was in the House of Representatives, I did a lot of work on the pro-life issue. And I agree with Adam. He's a good friend of mine. And I've seen this shift where there's a place where government can't go. When it comes to the life of a mother, when it comes to rape, incest, when it comes to those things, really, it should be -- I mean, those are the places where government shouldn't be.

So, getting it back over to the states, I think it's going to, obviously, get the base going in -- the Democrat base going. But it can also do the opposite. It can get Republican bases going, also. As long as Republicans aren't being extreme on the issues.

I know that this is not an issue that is going to affect states like Utah. Utah likes to have the ability to make these decisions closer to people. So, this is going to be a debate that we're going to hear and we're going to hear throughout the campaign trail. But I think it's going to do the same for both parties. It's going to just get the base -- get the base going and get the base out to vote.

ACOSTA: Yes. And, Michael, Biden -- the President will be in Ohio next month, appearing with Democratic senator hopeful, Congressman Tim Ryan, who, I suppose, has a real shot at winning this Senate race. I mean, it wasn't really thought of as maybe being something that Democrats could pick up. But there seems to be a real chance. Say, Ryan made it clear there's reservation within the party on this student loan forgiveness plan. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. TIM RYAN (D), OHIO: People are getting crushed with inflation, crushed with gas prices, food prices and all the rest. And I think a targeted approach right now really does send the wrong message. There's a lot of people out there, making $30,000, $40,000 a year that didn't go to college, and they need help as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Michael, what about this rollout of the student loan debt forgiveness policy? What are you hearing from inside the administration? Was everybody on the same page, when it comes to whether this was a smart political idea to put out before the election? And whether, I mean, the policy is something that's going to work with swing districts. Work in states like the one that Tim Ryan is trying to win there in Ohio. What are your thoughts?

LAROSA: Sure. Well, 99 percent of the people who -- I'm sorry, 90 percent of the people who are eligible for this program making -- are making under $75,000 a year. So, these are teachers. These are police officers, firefighters, nurses.

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LAROSA: And I would just say that we gave $350 billion in loan forgiveness away in the last year for businesses. So, why is it OK to give businesses and business owners loans back, but why -- and not OK to forgive the loans of a -- of a teacher or a police officer? That's what this bill does. I'm sorry, that's what this action does. And, you know, I think the policy -- the President's policy sort of reflects his values. He made no secret that he was going to invest in the middle class. And that's exactly what this does.

ACOSTA: All right. And the White House pointed out there are some members of Congress who also got these PPP loans.

LAROSA: Yes.

ACOSTA: And some of those got --

LAROSA: And I would just say that the moderates -- you know, the most prominent moderate in the country in the Democratic Party is for this. His name is Joe Biden.

ACOSTA: All right. Michael, Mia, thanks so much. Mia, thank you -- thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. Michael, thanks so much.

LAROSA: Thanks.

ACOSTA: Thanks so much. All right, we'll be right back.

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ACOSTA: In Mexico, the Black Jaguar White Tiger animal sanctuary seemed like a perfect haven for exotic, big cats.

[16:45:03]

ACOSTA: It even became a destination spot for celebrities. But, then, videos revealed emaciated animals at the sanctuary. Some even looking too weak to stand. Here is CNN's Rafael Romo.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: On social media and on its Website, it looked like what every animal sanctuary should be, happy and well-fed animals playfully enjoying themselves in wide open areas. But according to animal rights' activists, the Mexican Animal Protection Group and Mexican authorities, these idyllic images were far from reality at the Black Jaguar White Tiger foundation.

The animal sanctuary became so popular that even celebrities, like Katy Perry, Paris Hilton and the Kardashians, had visited the site at Mexico City's south side and posted selfies on social media. Even a former Mexican president was among the guests.

But videos of the real conditions the animals endured, recorded by former employees and animal protection groups, shocked and horrified many when they first surfaced earlier this summer. They show a sick lion lying motionless on the ground, another lion biting its own tail, apparently because it was too hungry. And severely emaciated exotic animals seemingly too weak to run or play. The

Mexican Association of Zoos, Breeders and Aquariums reported that the animals received no medical care and not enough food, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ERNESTO ZAZUETA, PRESIDENT, MEXICAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS, BREEDERS AND AQUARIUMS (translator): You could see their bones. Some had scabies. Some are missing an eye, another an ear, another the tail. They have eaten themselves.

ROMO: Eduardo Serio is the man behind the Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation. For years, Papa Bear, as he called himself, was very public about his work at the sanctuary, sharing it widely on social media. His success was such that the Mexican government agency in charge of animal protection would send confiscated animals to Serio's sanctuary.

CNN calls and messages to Serio requesting an interview have, so far, gone unanswered. His attorney told us his client is not currently doing any interviews. On his foundation Instagram account, Serio said that the sanctuary depended on private donors and that donations considerably decreased at the beginning of the pandemic.

We lost 70 percent of our donations, Serio said. When people lost their jobs, they had to cut any gifts.

EDUARDO SERIO, FOUNDER, BLACK JAGUAR WHITE TIGER FOUNDATION (translated): These horrible videos that they took are definitely true. But as I was telling you, I am not a zoo. I do not hold pure, precious, beautiful animals like works of art in a museum. No, I dedicate myself to rescuing all kinds of animals.

ROMO: Serio's attorney has filed the motion seeking to prevent his client's arrest. He says that Serio is someone whose only goal was protecting abandoned animals, some of which were already in bad shape when they were taken in by the foundation.

SALVADOR PADILLA ESTRADA, ATTORNEY, BJWT FOUNDATION: What happened was that, naturally, due to the situation of the pandemic, donations dropped. And as a consequence, they tried to adjust with good, quality food, but that did not arrive with the same frequency which does not mean that they were not fed. All was done under the care of veterinarian who tried to meet the needs of the animals.

ROMO: In early July, heavily armed Mexico City police in tactical assault gear raided the Black Jaguar White Tiger animal sanctuary. The more than 200 lions, tigers, jaguars, and other exotic animals at the site, were sent to zoos and animal shelters around Mexico, where animal protection groups hope they will be properly fed and taken care of.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

[16:49:00]

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ACOSTA: The NFL preseason is in full swing. But this week's most dominating performance belongs to a major league baseball mascot. Blooper represents the World Series champion, Atlanta Braves, and he had absolutely zero intention of losing to a youth football team during halftime at the Atlanta Falcons preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars yesterday.

Check out how he stiff arms these kids. My goodness, that might be overdoing it there. Tossing them to the ground on his way to the endzone. We're actually unclear on who won the matchup, Blooper or the kids. But Blooper's showing earned him a salute from the pro-football hall of fame. Take it easy on those kids, Blooper. That's -- that might be a little too aggressive there.

All right, this week's CNN hero knows, firsthand, the challenges of rebuilding your life in a new country. Born in a refugee camp, the parents (ph) who fled Ethiopia, she helps refugees and immigrants, in her California community, showcase their culture and talents.

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MEYMUNA HUSSEIN-CATTAN, FOUNDER, FLAVORS FROM AFAR (voice-over): For all refugees and immigrants, food is a sense of self-preservation. So, as long as you preserve those family recipes, it really instills a sense of rootedness, feeling connected to your cultural upbringing.

(on camera): In August, Chef Orbal (ph) will be partnering will Flavors From Afar to highlight her dishes from Afghanistan.

(voice-over): My restaurant, Flavors From Afar, we really bring international cuisine to Los Angeles in a way that hasn't been done before. And it's a way to highlight chefs, who all share some form of displacement. [16:55:04]

HUSSEIN-CATTAN: Giving these home-trained chefs an opportunity to shine, it's amazing.

(on camera): And 40 percent of the proceeds go back to the nonprofit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I borrow some of yours?

HUSSEIN-CATTAN: This here foundation serves immigrants, refugees and displaced indigenous communities. My mom and I, we knew that we could help make the path easier for other families. We want to create a sense of community.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And to learn more about the story, go to CNNHeroes.com.

Coming up, fears of a potential nuclear disaster continue in Ukraine, after recent shelling hit just 300 feet from reactor buildings in Zaporizhzhia. Officials there are now handing out iodine pills to residents. An expert on the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster joins me live, next.

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