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Sixty Million Americans Under Significant Storm Threats; NWS: EF-3 Tornado Ripped Through Perryton, Texas; ISIS-Linked Group Attacks School, Killing Dozens; Biden Hopes To Meet China's Xi In Next Several Months; King Charles Celebrates First Official Birthday Parade; Millions of Americans' Personal Information Exposed by Hackers; Justice Department Contacted By Trump's Lawyers Regarding Obtaining Security Clearances; I-95 Collapse Site Visited by Biden From Air; Boston Logan International Airport, United Flight's Wing Collided With Delta Aircraft's Tail; Food Stamp Recipients Struggle As Benefits Decrease; Anheuser-Busch Writing Checks To Distributors As Bud Light Sales Sink; Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired June 17, 2023 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:20]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, thank you for joining me. I'm Alex Marquardt in today for Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour in Philadelphia, where President Joe Biden landed just moments ago, heading off on a campaign rally that he will be holding there later today. Right now, however, he is taking an aerial tour over I-95. You may remember a portion of that highway collapsed last weekend after investigators say a tanker truck crashed and burst into flames.

Crews continue to work around the clock at the collapse site. This week, they finished demolishing the crumbled section of roadway and are now working to rebuild it all. And it will be quite a process. Officials will soon briefed the president on that reconstruction work.

And soon, President Biden will also be giving an update on how his administration is helping with those efforts. We will bring that to you live when it is coming up later this hour.

But now to a severe weather threat. Sixty million people are facing potentially dangerous storms from Colorado to Florida. Many of these areas are still reeling from powerful storm systems that swept through earlier this week.

CNN meteorologist, Britley Ritz, is tracking all of these threats. Britley, what are we expecting to see with these storms?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, Alex, the same threats that we dealt with yesterday long lived tornadoes, strong tornadoes that that hail and wind as well as flooding.

Take a look at radar across parts of North Central Florida already picking up heavy rains. Places like Ocala two inches per hour. And we've extended the flood watch now in two parts of Florida. That includes Tallahassee, all the way down through the Big Bend where we could pick up over six inches of rain, if not more.

Not only that, but again, the threat for severe weather today and tomorrow. Areas highlighted in orange that includes Tulsa, Oklahoma City, that's where we're most vulnerable for those strong long lived tornadoes, but we can't rule them out in places like Dallas into Mobile. Even places like Tampa, where we are under a slight risk. That extends into Sunday, then to Little Rock, Shreveport, back into Mobile for the strongest tornado risk.

But we watch this very closely. Take a look at the timeframe later this afternoon. We get this redevelopment with the heat of the day. So late afternoon, early evening, we're talking four or five o'clock, starting to see them spark that really ramp up around eight, nine o'clock. That pushes into the southeast through the overnight hours, places like Arkansas back into Mississippi, Alabama.

Early tomorrow morning and into the afternoon, still holding on to that threat of severe weather. Then late into the afternoon and evening, then pushing down into places like Tampa and back into places like Miami, West Palm.

Not only that, but it is extremely hot. We need to make sure we're taking care of ourselves and our pets and our neighbors too. They're just as important as you are. The heat really ramping up across places like Texas.

Back into Louisiana, over 40 million are under some sort of heat alert, and including excessive heat warnings. We need to make sure we're making -- taking care of ourselves. I want you to take a look at some of these numbers. Because these numbers are very important to pay attention to. It's hot, but then we factor in the humidity. And it feels so much worse.

Look at the numbers. I mean places like Austin, your heat index value at 111 degrees. Brownsville, back into San Antonio, doing the same thing, in upwards of roughly 120 degrees. That's what it's going to feel like.

So let's avoid heatstroke and heat exhaustion at all cost. One thing to remember, light colored clothing, loose fitting clothing, drink plenty of water. I can't stress that enough. Take frequent breaks if you have to be outdoors for an extended period of time. These are extremely dangerous temperatures. Alex.

MARQUARDT: Yes. Great tips. Just extraordinary figures there. All right. Britley Ritz, thank you very much. We'll certainly be coming back to you as you track those storms.

Now, one of the town's at risk of severe weather today is Perryton, Texas, where people are still cleaning up from a devastating tornado. The National Weather Service now says that the twister that struck their Thursday evening was an EF-3 with peak winds of 140 miles an hour.

At least three people, including a child, were killed and dozens more were injured. Survivors describe a harrowing ordeal. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE JAMES, TORNADO SURVIVOR: And there was a time where I thought that I was going to die and I was going to leave a lot of things undone. I know there's people here who died today. Serve in our community. These are the best people I've ever met in my life are here in this town.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: And CNN's Isabel Rosales is in Perryton, Texas. Isabel, what are you seeing there?

[11:05:06]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alex. So everyone that has been missing is accounted for. So this is really cleanup mode for this community, small town of 8,500 people. Once the sun goes up to sunset, it is just a flurry of activity, people coming out, volunteers, neighbors lending heavy equipment like this. Folks coming out with coffee, with food, helping one another to get this cleanup done.

But the work is not easy, not just because of the heat when that sun is blasting, but also hazards all over the ground like this. Look at this nails sticking out of the woods. And this right here, this uprooted tree, a true representation of just how powerful this tornado was.

I want to give you a bird's eye view right now. So you can get a clearer picture of what used to be the bustling heart of this downtown area, now really looking like a landfill. You can even see there in the shot that that piece of crumbled steel over there. That used to be a cell tower. But you mentioned those winds of 140 miles per hour able to knock that over. This tornado was on the ground for 11 minutes, spanning over six miles.

Now I spoke with Orlando Mendoza, 16 years old, who rode out the storm right here in this community, in his mobile home. That home has been totaled. But there's three pieces of really priceless artifacts of his family that were undamaged. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ORLANDO MENDOZA, TORNADO SURVIVOR: (inaudible) she was in the alley, or not in the alley, in the laundry and then ended up over here but it didn't break. And we have this one right here too.

ROSALES: Neither broke?

MENDOZA: Neither of them broke. And this one.

ROSALES: What do you think that says?

MENDOZA: I mean, just faith in God. The faith we had in God we got protected in that day. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And, Alex, it's just incredible to see just how close this has brought the community in such a devastating time. We're seeing entire families out here, young kids with gloves on helping grandpa who lost his body shop right here toward cleaning this up. And something that is not easy, again, that heat temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal right now for the state of Texas. And it's expected to remain that way for at least seven days. Alex.

MARQUARDT: That devastation just extraordinary and all too obvious in that drone shot. Isabel Rosales in Perryton, Texas, thank you very much.

We have a horrific story out of Western Uganda to bring you where officials say that rebel extremists, armed with machetes, attacked a secondary school on Friday night. Then they set it on fire, killing 41 people, most of whom were students. Six others were also abducted. Authorities say that the attackers are part of a group that is linked to ISIS.

CNN's Larry Madowo joins us now live from Uganda's capital, Kampala. Larry, what are you learning?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Alex, we're trying to piece together exactly what happened in this Friday night massacre at this school. It's a high school in Kasese. That's in Western Uganda, just two kilometers away from the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Authorities, eyewitnesses, and survivors say that these gunmen allied to the Allied Democratic Forces or ADF, attacked the school and they went to the dormitories, the boys dormitories and the girls dormitory. So the girls apparently opened the door and tried to escape. That's according to Uganda's Education Minister, Janet Museveni. And they were hacked with machetes.

At least 20 girls were killed in that. But the boys' dormitory was locked and they were not able to get in. The First Lady of Uganda here saying that they threw a petrol bomb inside that boys' dormitory. And the two -- the kids were in there, at least 17 of them are burnt beyond recognition.

They're going to need to do DNA analysis to identify those bodies and send them to their families, so a really horrific attack, the worst that Uganda seen in decades, the worst suddenly that's been carried out by the ADF since at least 1998 when it attacked another educational institution and 80 people were killed.

The people that live in this area now care for their lives. I want to listen from -- to one person who lives in this area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD DDUMBA, MPONDWE, KENYA RESIDENT: We are in a lot of fear. We do not know how we are going to get help because it seems like the rebels are amongst us. They come spying and we need a lot of protection. We the residents of this area are very scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: The Allied Democratic Forces or ADF that the government is blaming for this attack, began here in Uganda in the '90s, opposing the role of President Yoweri Museveni and has crossed over into the eastern DRC.

In recent years it's become a malevolent force that there has been a joint operation between the Ugandan military and the DRC military to try and stamp it out. And President Museveni himself has said that they are nothing and we can get rid of them like we have with other armed groups, but this is a really strong statement on this group that they will continue to force a serious threat to this country and the DRC.

[11:10:05]

The head of the military here in Uganda, the operation in the DRC saying that they were in the town for at least two days. They were led by local to show them around before they carried out this attack that shocked the nation. And so many families today in tears just trying to figure out how some of this horrific could have happened to their kids.

MARQUARDT: Just a horrific tragedy. Larry Madowo in Kampala, thank you very much for that report.

And coming up, a collision at Boston's airport after one plane clipped the tale of another one while taxiing.

And a royal celebration, King Charles III's first official birthday kicking off in London this morning. We will bring you all the pomp and pageantry. That's next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARQUARDT: Today, President Joe Biden said he hopes to meet with Chinese President, Xi Jinping, in the next several months to find common ground. His comments coming as his top diplomat Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is headed on a high stakes trip to China, to Beijing, to ease tensions between the two superpowers.

[11:15:12]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: China has some legitimate difficulties unrelated to -- unrelated to the United States. And I think one of the things that balloon cost was not so much that it got shot down, but I don't think the leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on.

I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional. And so I'm hoping that over the next several months, I'll be meeting with Xi again and talking about legitimate differences we have, but also how those areas we can get along.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Better forgiveness there over that spy balloon back in February.

Now, Blinken's trip to China aims to reset relations between Beijing and Moscow after his previous trip there, which was supposed to be back in February was then delayed after that Chinese spy balloon appeared over the United States.

Earlier today, King Charles III and the Royal Family participated in the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, celebrating the King's first official birthday as British sovereign. This is the first time a British monarch has appeared on horseback for that ceremony in nearly 40 years.

Later, the King and the Royal Family were up on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Royal Air Force flypast.

CNN's Anna Stewart has more from Buckingham Palace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN INTENTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the perks of being a British monarch is having a second official birthday and one marked with a parade like no other. This was King Charles' first Trooping the Colour.

He left Buckingham Palace for the procession on horseback, a site not seen for nearly 40 years and wearing the regimental uniform of the Welsh Guards. The regiment whose color or regimental flag was being treated this year. Cheers from the crowds who gathered on The Mall, also, for the royals that followed. Close behind, Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, also, in Welsh Guard uniform as he is the regiment's colonel now, a position he inherited from his father. He was joined by Princess Anne and the Duke of Edinburgh in their respective regimental uniforms.

And then behind in a carriage Queen Camilla, the Princess of Wales with the ultimate crowd pleasing trio of Princess George and Louie and Princess Charlotte.

Unlike the coronation, this military ceremony focuses on the Household Division of the British army. The five regiments of the Foot Guards take turn to troop that colour each year with a two household cavalry regiments performing the King's escort.

The national anthem played as the King received his final salute, marking the end of the ceremony and the return of His Majesty to Buckingham Palace.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fire.

STEWART: Gun sounded across London before the king and other members of the Royal Family made it out onto Buckingham Palace's iconic balcony to watch a flypast. Seventy aircraft took part to the delight of many, particularly Prince Louis, whose expressions were as expected. And all culminated with a fly pass from the red arrows, plumes of red, white and blue smoke. A British flag emblazoned across the sky to mark King Charles' official birthday.

Anna Stewart, CNN, from outside Buckingham Palace in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Anna Stewart for that report.

Now, still ahead, personal information of millions of Americans has been exposed. What you need to know about the global cyber-attack that just happened. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:00]

MARQUARDT: Right now, U.S. government officials are investigating a sprawling cyber-attack that exposed millions of Americans personal information. The hack also compromised several federal agencies, including the Department of Energy.

CNN's Sean Lyngaas has more on how this happened and who was behind it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: U.S. government agencies and corporations around the world continue to respond to a ransomware attack, allegedly carried out by Russian hackers. Now the hackers exploited a vulnerability in a very popular software called MOVEit. It's a file transfer software that governments and organizations used to send files from one system to another.

The hack actually began a several weeks ago but this week, CNN broke the news that multiple U.S. government agencies were impacted. The investigation is ongoing. This appears to be a very opportunistic attack. And there's not really a risk of any sort of disruption to government services.

However, it's another reminder of the threat from ransomware, which is haunted organizations around the world in the last few years. Hackers from Russia and Eastern Europe and elsewhere have been able to extort organizations for millions of dollars and continue to feel their attacks using the money they earn.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Sean Lyngaas for that report.

And with me now is a former Special Assistant to the President for Cybersecurity, Amit Mital, who is also a senior director under President Joe Biden on the National Security Council. Amit, thank you so much for joining us on this very important story, which we're still learning more about.

We're still looking into or discovering how wide-ranging this data breach was. We do know that it affected the Department of Energy as well as the Office of Personnel Management on top of the Louisiana and Oregon motor vehicle departments. And all of that means that a lot of personal data could have been accessed. So the first question to you is, how concerning is this?

AMIT MITAL, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR CYBERSECURITY: Good morning, Alex. Thank you for having me. And good to be here.

[11:25:02]

So, you know, if you're a business, obviously, it is quite concerning because as you know, a large amount of data has been exfiltrated. And, honestly, it's too early to tell what the impact of this exfiltration will be. But it could be quite -- the concern can be that the data could be embarrassing, it could be proprietary information, secrets.

And so from a business perspective, there are some concerns. For me, individual American concern, I think there's a couple of ways of looking at it. One is, you know, as you know, unfortunately, because of a large number of historical data breaches, a large amount of this data is already on the internet.

On the other hand, there are a large amount of data was exfiltrated in this -- in this attack as well. And so what we should expect is that over the next several months, there will be an uptick in identity fraud cases of incidents. And so if you're an individual, you want to be vigilant about identity fraud.

MARQUARDT: One of your former colleagues, one of the administration's top cyber officials, Jen Easterly, she said that the hacks have not had a significant impact on federal civilian agencies. But how much pressure do you think this is going to be putting on people like Easterly, like your old office at the NSC, to prevent hacks that expose people's data? How much more will they feel they need to do as a result of this?

MITAL: Yes. So, you know, at the top level, this is an example of ransomware. And so as you know, ransomware has been around for the last several years because it has an attractive business model. A cybercriminal will typically cripple your business using malware, and you can't recover unless you pay the ransom.

And the ransom is typically in cryptocurrency, which -- you know, which is an important point because before the advent of crypto, these ransomware attacks would have been played quite a bit (inaudible).

Now, you know, I think there's several things that can be done and that are being done in terms of disrupting the ransomware actors. As you -- you know, CISA and the NSC and government agencies have been taking the federal ransomware quite seriously over the last couple of years. And a lot of -- a lot of progress has been made in disrupting ransomware networks. At the same time, it is critical that we continue to strengthen the cybersecurity of the businesses of agencies of organizations involved. And things like basic patching, cyber hygiene, like using multifactor authentication, changing your passwords regularly, so that you have a strong password. These are things that every organization, every business, every individual can do.

And so this is an ongoing fight. You know, as you know, ransomware is just one aspect of cybersecurity and cybersecurity, you know, one of the challenges is that you're dealing with a human adversary. And these human adversaries are often very creative, very smart, and are constantly evolving. So this is an ongoing battle.

MARQUARDT: And ransomware groups, we should remind our viewers, they will hold networks hostage, essentially, demanding money to release them. They will threaten to release all kinds of data online, unless they get the ransom.

This group behind this attack is known to ask for millions of dollars in ransom. But U.S. and state government officials have said that they have not yet received any ransom demands. So, Amit, what does that tell you?

MITAL: Yes. So, you know, this is quite interesting. This group, Clop, also known as TA505, they're a Russian speaking group, but it's not clear that there's any connection right now to the Russian government itself, but also highlights the fact that, you know, there's this vulnerability of these actors operating from safe havens, such as Russia.

Now, one of the things they said was they really weren't interested in government data, and they were purely motivated by financial needs, and they wanted, you know, to extort the businesses that's impacted to pay up, otherwise, they would release data.

Now, that's what they said. It's not clear to me that I'm going to take, you know, the word of a cyber criminal group operating under Russia at face value. But so far, it's deemed like it is consistent with that -- with their behavior.

MARQUARDT: And we only have a couple of moments left, Amit. But I just want to explain to our viewers how this works. The hackers appear to have exploited a flaw in a popular file transfer software. So can you explain what that means and how it allowed them to break into these networks?

[11:30:00]

MITAL: Yes, sure. So basically, you know, as your correspondent, Sean, said, the hackers exploited a popular file sharing software called MOVEit, and it has a vulnerability which allowed them to from their web application access the database of files that were being transferred. And so, what they ended up doing was extricating large amounts of data through this mechanism. And, you know, and now they're basically extorting the owners of the information, saying look, we will release this information. We'll embarrass you. We'll cause downstream vulnerabilities as a result of the release of the information.

MARQUARDT: All right. Amit Mital, thank you very much. We really appreciate your thoughts and your perspective on this really important attack. Amit Mital, thank you.

MITAL: Thank you.

MARQUARDT: Coming up, the evidence surrounding Donald Trump's indictment, so sensitive the former president's attorneys are now working with the Justice Department to get the proper security clearances to view it. How this process could impact the timeline of this case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:35:00]

MARQUARDT: There are new developments in the criminal case against Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents. The judge overseeing the case has ordered attorneys involved in the case to obtain security clearances for the classified information. The Special Counsel, Jack Smith, is also asking the judge to bar the former president and his defense team from publicly disclosing some of the materials shared in the criminal case. CNN's Paula Reid has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The special counsel's office is asking the judge overseeing the Trump's document case to sign off on a set of rules for protecting sensitive information in this case. Now, according to this request, both sides, both prosecutors and defense attorneys, have agreed to these rules, about how to handle the sensitive evidence that will soon be shared with defense attorneys. They're not talking about classified information here. We're talking about the other sensitive information that is part of this case.

Now, among the rules that prosecutors are seeking here, have to do with the defendants, former president Trump, and his aide, Walt Nauta. They're insisting that the two defendants not be able to view any of the evidence that is shared with attorneys without their attorneys present. They also request that they not be given copies of it, or be able to take notes and then take those notes. The notes need to be protected and kept safe by the attorneys.

Now, prosecutors say in this request that they worry that sharing this information with the public or others could compromise other ongoing investigations, witnesses, or other people who haven't been charged. We note the special counsel is, of course, looking at the events in and around January 6th, and efforts to undermine the 2020 election. We also know that many of the witnesses in the Trump documents case are also interviewed in the January 6th investigation.

Now, when it comes to classified information, they're not quite there yet because the Trump attorneys need clearances before they can handle any of those sensitive secrets that are at the heart of this case. The former president is accused of taking over 30 documents. Now, earlier this week, the judge overseeing this case, Aileen Cannon, she told the lawyers to begin that process, to get their clearances. She wants an update next week. Now, the lawyers, Todd Blanche and Chris Kise, have said they are already in touch with the Justice Department to get that process started so that they can eventually be able to view classified evidence as well.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: All right. Our thanks to Paula for that report.

President Biden has just ended an aerial tour that he took over I-95. Of course, part of that highway collapsed. We're going to take -- we're going to listen in on these remarks from President Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Support and all hands-on deck response in this crisis. It is a crisis.

And I want to thank these officials for working collaboratively, effectively, efficiently with the interior and with our federal team. I also want to thank the five first responders who dealt with the immediate aftermath, and the workers on-site, we saw some of that today as we flew over the site, who've been working 24/7 to clear the debris.

Within hours of the crash, officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation were on the ground, supporting Pennsylvania officials to get the site cleared and be able to start the rebuilding. The immediate release of $3 million is called quick release emergency funds were made to offset the cost of repairs. This is just a down payment, obviously. It's a lot more than that. We're going to be getting a lot more federal funding out the door in the coming weeks.

Additionally, Pennsylvania has already received $8.9 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law, including $6.5 billion for transportation projects which gives the governor some flexibility to move existing state funds to this project right away knowing that this money is in the bank.

Also, union crews have been hard at work, 24/7, since the crash. Operating engineers, laborers, carpenters, cement finishers, teamsters, and the ironworkers, are going to help rebuild, and they're doing it right now. And folks here know that the crews finished demolition on Thursday, ahead of schedule, and now they're working on emergency repairs to quickly and safely reopen the roadway to traffic.

The federal government, committed were going to reimburse 100 percent this phase of the work, and well over the first 200 days. And then after that, 90 percent of the work. We'll be here until the end. We won't leave until it's finished.

[11:40:00]

And that's why I want -- I asked Mayor Landrieu, who runs my operation relative to the infrastructure legislation, to lead the effort. He knows as mayor what it takes, mayor of county (ph), as you know, to get things done. New Orleans never had any problems like tornadoes and hurricanes and floods and the like. But all kidding aside, he's on it -- on this every day.

We're using materials made of recycled glass manufactured here in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. And the design of the project is incredibly innovative in order to get this work done in record time. We're also working with local officials to redirect traffic, minimize congestion, and allow alternative routes.

Look, I grew up not very far from here, just across the line in Pennsylvania, I'm from Pennsylvania in Claymont, Delaware. I know how important this stretch of highway is not just to Philly but to the entire northeast corridor and to my home state. Over 150,000 vehicles travel on it every day, including 14,000, 14,000 trucks. It's critical. It's critical to our economy and it's critical to our quality of life.

We're going to continue to do everything we can within our power to get this back open as quickly and easily as possible. We're not leaving until it's done and we're going to get this done, God willing, in record time. I'm looking forward to hearing more from the folks on the ground at -- in the moment. And now, I'm going to turn it over to the governor who is doing one hell of a job. He gets tired of my calls, I think, but he is doing a hell of a job. Thank you.

Gov.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: All right. President Biden there speaking after taking aerial tour of I-95. Talking there about the reconstruction of that damaged section of I-95. He said, we will be here until the end. President Biden also in Pennsylvania today for his first big campaign rally for his -- after launching -- relaunching his bid for the presidency. He will be speaking alongside union workers later at that rally. We are going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:00]

MARQUARDT: There are new developments in the criminal case against Former President Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents. The judge overseeing the case has now ordered attorneys involved to obtain security clearances for classified information -- to see that classified information.

With me now is Michael Zeldin, he's a former federal prosecutor and a host of the podcast "That Said with Michael Zeldin." Michael, thank you so much for joining us today. I want to start by first asking you about that judge's order for the lawyers involved to get those security clearances. You know, I cover national security and I know it can be a lengthy process for a lot of people. The authorities probing into your background and asking all kinds of questions.

For these lawyers, what will be involved in this process? How difficult is it going to be for Trump's lawyers to get those security clearances?

MICHAEL ZELDIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR AND HOST, "THAT SAID WITH MICHAEL ZELDIN" PODCAST: Well, it's a cumbersome process, and it's an exacting process, Alex, as you know. But if their backgrounds are clear, and if they have had clearances in the past, then it shouldn't be too long of a process. If they have complications in their past, they're registered foreign agents or they've had different issues with prior classification cases, then it could be a very long and they could get denied the clearances that they need.

So, this is something why the judge set it up so quickly. They know that this could take a while and we'll see how it plays out, but Trump still needs to get a lawyer. So, you know, that -- that's first order of business.

MARQUARDT: On that point, how challenging is it going to be for the former president to round out his legal team in this case?

ZELDIN: Well, it's proving difficult and we don't know why exactly, other than Trump is a complicated client to have, but we also hear things like he takes advice from political people and not legal people. That some of the lawyers in his inner circle are difficult to work with, and that they supersede, if you will, the lawyer advice of the day-to-day people.

So, you have to make sure that you have control of the case, that your client is listening to you, and that you can proceed with the theory of defense that you think is in your client's best interest. Unless that can be assured, then most lawyers are going to hesitate.

MARQUARDT: One of the lawyers who has been at his side for quite some time, in his inner legal circle is Boris Epshteyn, what kind of influence has he had on the various legal, you know, case -- the various cases, whether it's Manhattan or the classified documents case? What kind of impact has Boris Epshteyn had?

ZELDIN: Well, the reporting is that he's had an outsized influence on Trump, and that he may, in fact, be one of the issues that is causing other lawyers to hesitate. I don't know that from personal information. But the public reporting and the conversation among lawyers is that Boris has the president's ear, and Boris isn't the easiest guy to work with. And as long as he is there, other lawyers may have some hesitation to move in because they don't know whether the president will listen to them or Boris.

MARQUARDT: We also know that prosecutors have filed a motion to ban the former president and his attorneys from disclosing evidence that is shared in this case. What do you make of that request? ZELDIN: It's pretty routine in classified information cases. They want to make sure -- and the defense hasn't even objected to this, of course.

[11:50:00]

They want to make sure that classified information is protected. That unclassified information, especially that which relates to ongoing investigations is protected. So, a secured facility will be set up. The lawyers who have security clearances will be able to go in there. They'll take their notes, they'll leave their notes in there, and that's the ordinary course by which these types of cases proceed. So, so far, Judge Cannon is doing everything by the book properly.

MARQUARDT: And we have, of course, just seen this extraordinary indictment in the classified documents case. What could the next few months look like? Because there are still investigations that are ongoing in Georgia. There is Jack Smith's federal January 6th investigation. How is all that going to play out?

ZELDIN: Well, that's a great question and nobody knows. It seems that each judge is going to set their own calendar for each case, and may not, sort of, coordinate with the other judges, except of course, if you're in trial in one case, you can't be in trial in another case. So, I think they'll -- some order to the calendar, but each of these judges (ph) are independent-minded people. They set their own calendars, and each has to accommodate one another.

So, this is going to be a very complicated mosaic, especially if we get a third indictment out of Georgia and a fourth indictment in the January 6th case. It's going to be a very busy year.

MARQUARDT: A very long legal road ahead for the former president. Michael Zeldin, thank you very much.

ZELDIN: Thanks, Alex.

MARQUARDT: And coming up, America's top-selling beer has been dethroned. How Bud Light is trying to stage a comeback after losing its coveted title for the first time in decades. And which beer is now America's favorite, that's next.

And a quick programming note, let's lift every voice for a special holiday. A CNN concert event with some of the biggest names in music that returns. Watch "Juneteenth, A Global Celebration for Freedom", live coverage starts Monday at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN. We'll be right back.

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[11:55:00]

MARQUARDT: Like a brief earthquake, that's how one passenger on board a Delta flight described an incident at Boston Logan International Airport last night. The FAA is now investigating after it says, the Delta plane was waiting to take off when its back tail was clipped by the wing of the United Airlines plane that was taxiing to a holding pad. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

Now, Kroger and other major chains are saying that customers on food assistance programs like SNAP are struggling as their benefits drop. That comes as grocery prices have ballooned since last year.

CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn joins me now. Nathaniel, thanks so much for being with us. Tell us more about what's going on here with SNAP and other food assistance program benefits.

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: So, Alex, in March, the extra pandemic aid to food stamp recipients ended. And so, that led to about a $95 a month drop for food stamp recipients, and that's taking a big toll on these customers right now. Kroger said that food stamp recipients were buying less when they go to the grocery store, they were buying smaller pack sizes, they were switching to store -- to the Kroger private labeled brands which are cheaper. These are all signs of financial stress.

And then Kroger isn't the only company that's called out this hardship among food stamp recipients. Dollar General said that more customers were turning to food banks and dipping into their savings to afford groceries. And Walmart has noticed this shift as well. So, really troubling on the grocery front.

MARQUARDT: Yes, inflation certainly not helping things. On a completely different story, Bud Light has now lost its title as America's top-selling beer, which it had for years. What does the data tell us? Why is this happening?

MEYERSOHN: Yes, Alex. So, America's top-selling beer is no longer an American beer. It now belongs to Modelo Especial. In May, Modelo's -- Modelo controlled about 8.4 percent of the beer market compared to Bud Light which slipped to 7.3 percent. And Bud Light has held this title since 2001, but we see more beer drinkers switching to imported beers like Modelo and Corona. And that Bud Light has also been hammered by right-wing anti-LGBT backlash to a single post from transgender, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, where Mulvaney posted a pictured with a Bud Light can. And that just set off this ferocious backlash and so that's hit Bud Light's sales as well.

MARQUARDT: So, how is Bud Light responding to being dethroned?

MEYERSOHN: Yes. So, Bud Light is very eager to move on from all of this backlash and the controversy. And its suppliers and distributors have also been hit hard by the drop in Bud Light sales. So, it's going to be sending financial aid to its independent wholesalers. It's reimbursing fuel for its distributors. And then soon, it's going to launch a new advertising campaign to try to get customers interested again in Bud Light and regain that top sales title.

MARQUARDT: Yes, and it's certainly a fierce competition for that top spot. Nathaniel Meyersohn, thank you very much.