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Powerful Storms Expected From Colorado To Florida; Storms To Bring Drenching Rain, Hail Possible Tornadoes Across The United States; Gunman Convicted In Pittsburgh Mass Shooting; CNN Sits Down With Migrants Flown To California By Florida Officials; CNN On Front Lines With Ukrainian Troops; GOP Senator Blocks 250 Plus Military Nominations In Protest Of Defense Dept. Abortion Policy; UPS Teamsters Authorize Strike If No Deal Reached. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired June 17, 2023 - 12:00   ET

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

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: 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 -- that top sales title.

[12:00:02]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is certainly fierce competition for that top spot.

Nathaniel Meyersohn, thank you very much.

Hello, thank you for joining me today. I'm Alex Marquardt, in for Fredricka Whitfield. We begin this hour with millions of Americans bracing for a new severe weather threat.

Powerful storms are expected today from Colorado to Florida, putting 60 million people in a potentially dangerous situation.

CNN meteorologist Britley Ritz is monitoring the latest. Britley, where are the storms now? I know you're tracking them very carefully. How strong are they expected to be?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well Alex, we are dealing with the threat of damaging winds, tornadoes, and even hail, yet again today. Currently, we have severe thunderstorm warnings in parts of Florida this morning.

A few of them have now expired, but still one left upon the space coast yet this morning, where winds have been reaching over 50 miles per hour. Plus, heavy rain, a big concern too.

Parts of -- parts of North Central Florida been dealing with nearly two inches per hour, like Ocala. And flood watches have now been extended into Florida.

So, it's not just the severe weather risk in terms of wind and hail and tornadoes, but flooding. Tallahassee now, included back around the Big Bend, all the way back into Mobile, where these areas could pick up six plus inches of rain as the system moves through over the next two days' time.

With that being said, our risk today, areas highlighted in orange. Oklahoma City included. Norman, as well as Tulsa with this enhanced risk of damaging winds in excess of 50 to 60 miles per hour.

Also, hail, two inches in diameter and long-lived tornadoes. Strong tornadoes a possibility.

So, holding on to that threat as we get down into parts of Dallas, Mobile, and Tampa, but the threats start to lower a bit. That extends back into Sunday. Little Rock, Jackson, Mobile included.

Less of a risk in Florida on Sunday, but still holding that possibility. Timing it out for you, take a look this afternoon, the storms will start to redevelop as we get the heat of the day, plus, a lot of moisture out there ahead of the dry line.

And that deepening area of low pressure across parts of Texas. So, anywhere between, I'd say, six and 8:00. We start to see some of these strong, possibly, even severe storms from Oklahoma down into Central Texas. That pushes into Arkansas once we get into the overnight hours. So, midnight to about 2:00.

And remember, a lot of us are probably asleep at this point in time. So, make sure you have a device that wake you up to get to your safe spot.

Remember, an interior room was these many walls in between you and the outside is possible. And if you have a basement, that's your prime location.

This system pushes in Sunday afternoon into Florida and into the evening hours. But again, that threat starts to lessen at that point in time.

On top of all of this, record heat a possibility, over 40 million under some sort of heat alert. Excessive heat warnings included from Brownsville to Corpus Christi back into New Orleans.

These areas are talking about temperatures reaching over 100, actual temperatures. And if we factor in the humidity, it feels like nearly 120 degrees, Alex.

MARQUARDT: 116 right there in Laredo and elsewhere.

RITZ: Yes.

MARQUARDT: All right. Britley Ritz, thank you very much. A lot to keep an eye on.

Now, those new threats are posing more danger for people still cleaning up after a devastating tornado hit Texas. At least three people, including one child were killed. But dozens more were injured in Perryton, when the storm struck on Thursday.

The National Weather Service now saying that the twister that struck there on Thursday evening was an EF3, with peak winds of 140 miles an hour.

So, I ever say it was a terrifying experience.

(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 is people here who died today, serving our community. These are the best people I have ever met in my life are here in this town.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Just devastating. CNN's Isabel Rosales is there in Perryton, Texas. Isabel, how are those recovery efforts going today?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alex. I'm really struck by a change of pace happening today. Yesterday, I saw really family sifting through what remained of their homes, looking for things that were priceless, like pictures -- family pictures.

But today, it's all about leveling this community what's been too damaged to really recover from so that they can start to rebuild.

Really, anywhere you turn. It's a 360 effort. There's a flurry of activity. Folks out here with their families, young children with gloves on, picking up wood, picking up whatever they can and bringing it to dump truck.

People borrowing heavy machinery like bulldozers from their bosses, their neighbors.

And what's striking here is I've been to other sites like this where a tornado has gone through, and you see volunteers from out of town coming out to help. But this is really not an outsider effort. These are neighbors, these are people living here, working to bring this community back in order.

[12:04:59]

Let me give you a higher vantage point out so that you can see, really the devastation that's been left behind by what the National Weather Service thinks as an EF3 tornado on the ground for 11 minutes. A 140 peak-mile-per-hour winds, going beyond six miles in length.

Now, I spoke with a teenager, 16-year-old Orlando Mendoza, who lives in this neighborhood, who rode out the storm in his mobile home. And he says it happened so quick. There was no siren, there was no warning. It was just him praying to God to keep his family safe. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ORLANDO MENDOZA, TORNADO SURVIVOR: We were eating in our kitchen. And then, we saw the wind starting to get -- getting really bad. And I told my sister-in-law that we might have to go to the shelter, and when I said that, I was going to go, get my dog, which was in my room. And when I opened my room, my roof flip flew off.

My dog tried to run out so I grabbed them and put them against the wall. And that kind of -- we could kind of go against the wall for a little bit, waited there, and that we went to the restroom, and that's where we stayed for the rest of the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES (on camera): Yes, and as you guys can see this devastation, just everywhere you look, and what was the bustling downtown of this community.

I want to remember what's important here and it's the loss of life. Three people dead, including the youngest, Matthew Ramirez, 11-years- old found knocked away from his mobile home. Just a devastating experience, traumatic experience for his family.

And you can see here the small town of 8,500 people all at work bustling from sunrise to sunset. One thing that will not help them, however, Alex, is the heat. The sweltering heat once the sun comes up.

Temperatures right now in Texas, 10 to 15 degrees above what is normal and that is expected to last here for the next seven days, not making this cleanup effort any easier.

MARQUARDT: The strength of that community on full display behind you, Isabel.

Isabel Rosales in Perryton, Texas. Thank you very much.

And joining me now to talk more about the recovery efforts in Texas is Stefanie Arcangelo. She is the chief communications officer for the Red Cross.

Stefanie, thank you so much for joining us today. When disasters like this happen, like the one in Texas, what are the most pressing needs that people have?

STEFANIE ARCANGELO, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, RED CROSS: Well, first, I'd like to say that our hearts at the Red Cross go out to everyone in this community that has been devastated, and impacted by this event.

After disasters like this, the Red Cross goes out into our communities, we set up shelters to make sure that people have a safe place to stay, warm meals to eat. They have a source of respite in a time when there is -- their lives have been turned upside down unexpectedly.

We also work with local government and community partners to assess the needs and assess the damage in the community.

Right now, we have about teams, about seven or eight teams of two that are going out into the impacted area, providing tarps gloves, water cleanup supplies as people begin this difficult task of recovery.

MARQUARDT: That remote area was just described by our Isabel Rosales. It's a town of about 8,000 --- 8-1/2 thousand residents. What does that mean in terms of the challenges that are presented to an organization like yours as you try to get there to help.

ARCANGELO: Well, the Red Cross relies on the generosity of our volunteers. And so, we have volunteers from the local Red Cross in the area that are out and about that are helping.

We also are able to bring in more volunteers as needed, if needed to help out in the community. When we have devastation like this, it's going to take a while, it takes a long time to assess the damage, and then to make sure that everyone has the recovery options that they need.

That's why we work so closely with our community partners, a local emergency management, and local government officials. Disasters like this are bigger than one organization can handle, and the Red Cross is happy to play a small part to help those on their road to recovery.

MARQUARDT: How does that work? Because we just saw Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, he issued a state of emergency for Perryton.

But when you go into a community like this, and you have to engage with local and state governments, how do you get in there and make sure you're helping where we're needed, where the where the greatest need is?

ARCANGELO: Well, this type of work at the Red Cross starts well before any disaster strikes. So, we work regularly with local nonprofits, with local emergency management and the state, government and county governments pretty much on a regular daily basis to make sure that we understand the needs of the various communities.

Those relationships in advance of a disaster help us to be able to get access to information and be able to determine what resources are most needed at any particular point. And that's why we do a lot of that pre-planning, so that when something happens, we are able to mobilize relatively quickly to get out there to help those impacted.

MARQUARDT: All right. Stefanie Arcangelo of the Red Cross, thank you for joining us and thank you to the Red Cross for everything you do.

[12:10:04]

ARCANGELO: Thank you.

MARQUARDT: And still ahead, an incredible rescue caught on camera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. I thank to Jesus.

Oh, Jesus, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) he's died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh --

MARQUARDT (voice over): A Florida officer rushing into rising floodwaters only to get sucked into a drain pipe with the trapped residents. That drag a dramatic video just ahead.

And unfilled promises. CNN sat down with some of the migrants who were flown to Sacramento, California by Florida officials. They say they came under the guise there and would be given jobs and housing, but that those offers were too good to be true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARQUARDT: A jury has found Robert Bowers guilty of carrying out the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. 11 people died in the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.

[12:15:04]

The trial now moves into the penalty phase and jurors must decide to sentence Bowers to death or to life in prison without parole.

CNN's Danny Freeman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Silence in the courtroom Friday morning as Judge Robert Colville read the verdicts. 63 federal charges, guilty on all counts. 22 of those charges, punishable by death.

The jury agreed with federal prosecutors that the man who killed 11 Jewish worshippers and injured six other people in October 2018 targeted them, specifically because they were Jewish.

JO RECHT, PRESIDENT, DOR HADASH: I am feeling a sense of relief that after 4-1/2 years, the world has heard again about the horrific acts on October 27th, 2018. And the shooter has -- is being held accountable for those awful acts.

FREEMAN: Throughout more than two grueling weeks of testimony, prosecutors showed how the defendant turned a sacred house of worship into a hunting ground.

Body camera video and 911 calls revealed chaos and terror. Jurors heard 84-year-old Bernice Simon's 911 call as she held a prayer shawl to her husband's bullet wounds.

We're being attacked. I'm scared to death, she cried out before she was shot and killed while hiding in a pew.

The defense did not dispute their client killed the 11 worshippers. But the shooters attorneys tried to argue the attack was motivated by immigration-related conspiracy theories, not by a hatred of Jews.

Prosecutors called that argument absurd.

JEFF FINKELSTEIN, JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PITTSBURGH: This was an anti-Semitic incident, period end of the statement.

FREEMAN: Community leaders in Pittsburgh say Friday's results was a victory. But the death penalty phase looms large.

FINKELSTEIN: While we're pleased with the verdict -- very pleased, we know that there is still more to come. This is only the first phase.

STEPHEN COHEN, CO-PRESIDENT, NEW LIGHT CONGREGATION: It's difficult to say the emotions we feel right now. One of relief, obviously, that the jury returned a full verdict of guilty to all 63 counts. But there's also a degree of trepidation because this is just the first third of the trial. And in a sense, it was the least complicated part.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN (on camera): Now, as we look ahead to the death penalty phase of this trial, one of the things we'll be looking for is exactly what kind of defense will be mounted.

Remember, in this guilt phase, the prosecution called the 60 witnesses to the stand, while the defense team called no one. But now, the gunman's attorneys will be fighting to spare his life.

Danny Freeman, CNN, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Danny Freeman.

Now, this week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, submitted a public records request to Florida officials, including the Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, regarding the 36 migrants who were transported from Texas to New Mexico, and then flown to Sacramento. That was earlier this month.

CNN's Camila Bernal traveled to Sacramento to meet the asylum seekers and find out more about their journey and what their future holds.

Camila joins me now from Los Angeles. So, Camila What did those asylum seekers tell you?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alex, they say they were lied to, that they were deceived, that they were told that they were going to have a job and a house here in California. Over and over, they repeated this.

They all told me they were so decided to fly. This was the first time that many of them were getting on an airplane. And so, they thought that people were being genuinely nice to them. Of course, that quickly faded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BERNAL (voice over): Walking the streets of Sacramento is a dream come true for this 31-year-old migrant. But the first time she set foot in the California capital, she felt confused, angry, and betrayed.

Unfulfilled promises, says the migrant who has not to be identified for legal reasons. It was in a shelter in El Paso, Texas, where she says two men approached her with the offer of a lifetime.

A paid trip on a jet to California and the promise of a job and housing.

BERNAL: She said they offered her a job so she was happy and signed.

BERNAL (voice over): This, after she spent two months traveling from her native Colombia to the U.S.-Mexico border. She describes the difficulties of the jungle, the train, starving, sleeping on the street, begging for money.

BERNAL: She is emotional and says it's the worst because you feel like you're at your lowest.

BERNAL (voice over): The offer in the end was too good to be true. But it was made to a total of 36 migrants, who traveled on two separate charter flights from Texas to Sacramento.

[12:20:03]

When we got here, we didn't have a job, nor house, nor direction in life, said this 34-year-old Venezuelan migrant, who was part of the first flight.

The migrants are at the center of a political battle over immigration policy. With Republican governors like Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida, sending 1000s of migrants from Texas to democratic led cities.

BERNAL: We didn't come here for political reasons. We came here for work.

BERNAL (voice over): But he says he wants people to understand their suffering. And their desire to work.

BERNAL: She says they are human beings with feelings and families.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): And the attorney general here in California looking into the possibility of criminal liability. He says there is a possibility of kidnapping or false imprisonment. All of these, this happening as these migrants are trying to essentially get used to living in the U.S. They are so thankful to the people that have taken them in the nonprofit organizations that are helping them meet with an attorney that are helping them find a place to live and are helping them to understand the U.S. Simple things like who you call when there is an emergency. I spoke to one of them who told me, I'm learning English, all of them saying they wanted to stay in Sacramento and were just so thankful to be received with open arms. Alex?

MARQUARDT: Yes. So many people talk about that arduous journey just to get to the United States. And then, that journey continues even once they are here in the country before they can get settled.

Camila Bernal, thank you so much for that terrific and important report.

BERNAL: Thank you.

MARQUARDT: And coming up, Russian strikes rained down on Kyiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv, as Ukrainian troops say they are advancing in the east and the south. And their latest counter offensive, we will have a report from the frontlines. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:26:10]

MARQUARDT: Ukraine says two civilians have been killed after a Russian missile hit a car in eastern Ukraine today. It's just one of a series of attacks in the Kharkiv region in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Kyiv the capital says its troops are advancing albeit very slowly in the east and in the south, in the early stages of its counter offensive.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen, file this report from the frontlines.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly is a tough grind here on the battlefields in southern Ukraine.

In fact, the Ukrainian military official saying that over the span of 24 hours, Ukrainian forces conducted around 1,500 missions with their artillery and missile forces. So, just going to show how much firepower is being unleashed here on the front lines.

Ukrainian soldiers near the frontlines that we've been speaking to say that right now progress is not going as fast as they'd like it to, but they do have progress, and they believe it's important progress. Here is what we saw.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice over): Ukraine's army continuing to take the fight to the Russians on the southern front. This video shows the 128 territorial defense battalion, clearing trenches after ousting Vladimir Putin's army, the unit says.

One of the soldiers, nicknamed, the Octopus, telling me, the fighting remains fierce. We're currently launching an assault, he says. Our frontline is moving forward. We've already advanced a lot more than two kilometers. So, now, we're only moving forward.

Even after returning from the front line, the troops continue to train, assaulting enemy positions so important for Ukraine's ongoing major counteroffensive.

PLEITGEN: The guys here say that the battles that they've had with the Russians have been extremely tough. They've had to fight for every yard, and yet they are confident, they say, that they can make this counteroffensive a success.

PLEITGEN (voice over): Troops we spoke to say the biggest threat to them is Russian air power.

This video released by the Russian Defense Ministry purporting to show a Russian attack helicopter hitting a Ukrainian armored vehicle. The 128th's deputy commander acknowledges choppers, planes, and drones are making his forces advance tougher.

They work continuously, he says, all day long, either with helicopters or with planes. It's hard to advance like that, but we retake territory. We do not allow them to hit the columns.

And the unit says they have managed to capture not only territory, but also hardware from the Russian, including this infantry fighting vehicle.

Mechanics now fixing it up to use against the Russians. An angry Russian president complaining about Kyiv's offensive and claiming that Russia is beating back Ukraine's forces.

They've suffered large losses, Vladimir Putin says, 10 times more than the Russian army, and that is a fact.

The Ukrainians do acknowledge some losses, but also say they've taken out a lot of Russian assets. And these troops vowed to press on and take more vehicles from Moscow's troops as they advance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (on camera): So, that's a situation on the southern front line, where we can see that the Ukrainian forces down here certainly still are very confident that they can make the counter offensive succeed.

And another place that also is seeing a lot of action right now is the eastern part of the country, specifically the battlefields around the town of Bakhmut, where the Ukrainians are also saying that they are making some important headway there.

Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Fred Pleitgen for that report.

Now, he is not backing down. Republican Senator Toby -- Tommy Tuberville, continues holding up critical military nominations.

Why he is refusing to allow the Pentagon nominees to come up for votes in the Senate and the impact it could have on national security and military readiness. That's next.

And we have this quick programming note from selfies to foodies, to a more serious role in U.S. elections. Look back on the evolution of social media in the last decade.

The CNN original series, "THE 2010s" continues with the social media boom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:30:06]

CECILIA KING, REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: After the fall of the Egyptian government. Wael Ghonim was interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on CNN.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Wael, you're giving Facebook a lot of credit for this.

WAEL GHONIM, EGYPTIAN ACTIVIST: Yes, for sure. I want to meet Mark Zuckerberg one day and thank him, actually. You know, I always said that if you want to liberate a society, just give them the Internet.

KING: He was giving credit to Facebook as a powerful example of how social media stretched beyond just friends connecting, but could be used to foster these big social movements.

CROWD: We are (inaudible). We are (inaudible).

YAEL EISENSTAT, FMR FACEBOOK EXECUTIVE: There were a number of movements that really harnessed social media.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: So catch a brand new episode of the CNN original series, The 2010s. That's tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m., right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:02]

MARQUARDT: On Capitol Hill, one Republican senator continues to block more than 250 military nominations. For the past few months, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville has refused to allow the Pentagon's nominees to come up for votes in the Senate. Pentagon officials have warned that it's having an impact on national security and military readiness. But Senator Tuberville says he won't back down until he has a vote on the Senate floor on codifying the Biden era Pentagon policy which ensures that service members can access abortion services.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AL): My hold will remain in place. I will keep my hold until the Pentagon follows the law and Congress changes the law. These jobs are being done as we speak. They're not empty. Four months ago into this situation that is obvious that people are doing the job. It is not affecting our readiness. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: With me now to discuss this is Colonel Cedric Leighton. He is a CNN military analyst and a retired Air Force colonel. Colonel, thank you so much for joining us on this very important topic. So the Pentagon has warned that national security and military readiness could be harmed here. What are the implications of officers, senior officers, who are up for promotion, having those promotions held up?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Alex, those implications are actually pretty profound. So every time a four star general moves, there are at least 60 direct other moves that happen as a result of that. All of those moves are now held up because of what Senator Tuberville is doing. The other thing to think about is that there are over 400,000 PCS or permanent change of station moves that occur every year, most of them occurring during the summer months.

And there's always this cascading effect. For example, in the case of General Brown, who's the prospective chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff just nominated by President Biden, he is currently the Air Force chief of Staff. Well, his replacement can't take over as chief of staff of the Air Force until General Brown becomes the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. And so there are similar effects in multiple commands. They affect not only operational forces, but also the intelligence forces.

So every time one of these senior leaders is not in position, new initiatives get stalled, new ways of doing things kind of stop. And the readiness quotient actually becomes an issue because in many cases you can't do the things that you want to do because you don't have the leadership that would allow you to do them.

MARQUARDT: I'm glad you brought up General Brown. He's expected to take over for General -- from General Mark Milley, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs. So what happens if Brown is the process has slowed down and Brown can't take that role?

LEIGHTON: So several things could happen. In the extreme event, General Brown would potentially be forced to retire because it would be, you know, if this goes on long enough, he could potentially run out his term as chief of Staff of the Air Force. So that would then leave another vacancy. There would have to be somebody else selected to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

General Milley is basically limited in his term as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs unless he's confirmed or reconfirmed by the Senate for an additional tenure as Chairman, he couldn't fill that position after his term is up. So basically what happens is, you know, a whole new set officers would have to potentially be nominated and it could have a really adverse impact on not only the readiness of the force, but the ability of senior leaders to actually carry out their duties.

MARQUARDT: I think, Colonel, that a lot of people would be surprised that just one senator can wield this kind of power over the entire U.S. military. How is that control seen from inside the military?

LEIGHTON: Well, the military is generally not happy about it. And, you know, the rules of the Senate allow for Senator Tuberville to do this. But, you know, it also speaks to a greater issue of whether or not one senator in a body of 100 senators should have that kind of authority. So it's really incumbent upon the Senators, the Senate leadership, including Senator McConnell and of course, Senator Schumer, to fix this kind of thing and fix the Senate rules so that this doesn't happen, because it really does have an adverse impact on how things are done.

As far as the military is concerned, they're very frustrated PCSing or moving is a very stressful period for anybody who does it. And in the military, moves happen quite a bit. You know, in my time, my 26 years in the military, I moved 12 times, and that's not abnormal at all. These people move a lot. They've invested their lives into this career and they're the ones that are most qualified to hold these jobs. And to prevent them from doing that would be like Coach Tuberville not being allowed to coach Auburn. So that is a major issue and should be prevented.

[12:40:09]

MARQUARDT: Yes. It's not just the troops moving. It's their spouses. It's their children who are being uprooted as well. Colonel, at the end of the day, this is about a pentagon policy that subsidizes travel for service members who are seeking abortions or their dependents seeking abortions outside of where they live, outside of their state. How does it sit with the military's rank and file that they are now being dragged into what is essentially part of a broader culture war?

LEIGHTON: You know, it's a real problem because the military tries really hard to be as apolitical as possible. Of course, military members have their own political views. Many of them have stances on abortion that are similar to senator Tuberville's. But to, in essence, penalize them for a policy that they did not write, that they did not have any real input into, is something that they resent very much, and it's a real problem for them, and it was going to be a real problem for morale and the force.

MARQUARDT: All right, Colonel Cedric Leighton, really appreciate your perspective today. Thank you.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Alex. Anytime.

MARQUARDT: And coming up, a potential walkout that could cripple the nation's supply chain. UPS Teamsters just overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike if contract negotiations aren't met. One of the union representatives will join me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:51]

MARQUARDT: Hundreds of thousands of UPS workers are preparing to walk off the job after members of the Teamsters Union voted overwhelmingly yesterday to approve a strike if contract negotiations are not met. If a strike does happen, it would be the largest against a single employer in U.S. history.

And it is, of course, crucial to the nation's economy. UPS delivered more than 18 million domestic packages per day in the first three months of the year, and an estimated 6 percent of the United States' entire gross domestic product moves aboard UPS trucks. Now, the Teamster's current five year contract expires at the end of next month on July 31st, meaning that a strike could start the next day on August 1st.

Joining me now is Richard Hooker of the Teamsters Local 623 in Philadelphia. His union represents UPS workers in Philadelphia as well as Delaware County. Richard, thank you so much for joining us today. I know these contract negotiations are still very much underway. We're several weeks out, but can you walk us through the key sticking points that the Teamsters are seeking?

RICHARD HOOKER, UPS TEAMSTERS LOCAL 623, PHILADELPHIA: Well, the key points are get rid of two tier wage system. We have this Article 224 Drivers that do the same thing as our regular package car drivers, but they get paid significantly less and have less protections. So that needs to go away. Of course, the harassment, the retaliation, and the brutal antics of UPS, that also needs to go away.

Better working conditions, more sick time, because as you guys know, that COVID is still here and our members delivered through the pandemic. And so we want to make sure our members can deliver safely as well as being able to be compensated for if they need to be at home taking care of their families.

MARQUARDT: You mentioned brutal antics. Can you describe that a bit more?

HOOKER: So UPS for everybody that's in the UPS world, we know that UPS is a very hostile company. They like to control the work. And it is their company, but they don't see us as equals, so they govern as such. They are very retaliatory. They do not like when you stand up for yourself. We have in our contract, every member has a grievance procedure whenever the company violates the contract. We have an apparatus that allows us to file that grievance for the company to do the right thing. They don't like that.

They don't like union activists. They don't like when you stand up for yourself, for your rights. So they become retaliate. They become retaliatory. And they are very hostile. And they create a hostile working environment for our members. And that is a big, big part in our contract. Harassment language needs to beefed up because this company is a hostile company.

MARQUARDT: I want to read a bit of what UPS said in a statement. They wrote, the results of this vote, I spoke them with yesterday, do not mean that a strike is imminent and do not impact our current business operations in any way. We continue to make progress on key issues and remain confident that we will reach an agreement that provides wins for our employees, the Teamsters, our company and our customers. Do you agree with that? Is progress being made?

HOOKER: Well, UPS has to say the politically correct thing. If they felt that way, then they wouldn't have dragged their feet throughout this whole negotiating process. We still have two outstanding supplements, one in Northern California and one in Kentucky. If they felt that way, they would have been done by now. In some areas, when this negotiation first started, they weren't even coming to the table.

Now we just made this company the most profitable it ever has been and they're not even coming to the table in some areas. That doesn't show me that they won an agreement. Again, they still want to be hostile. They still want to be contentious. And again, if that's the way they want to do it, then August 1st we will be on the side of the road.

MARQUARDT: What does that mean for customers? Obviously, you know, millions of Americans a day are hugely reliant on UPS. So what would a strike mean for them?

[12:50:04]

HOOKER: Well, a strike would mean that you're not going to get your product, you're not going to get your necessities, you're not going to get your wants. And it's based on what UPS does, because the Teamsters we provide that service that they can provide to their customers. Without us, there is no you getting your baby formula.

Without us, there is no COVID vaccination being delivered. Without us, you're not going to get what you need to have your business provide for where your customers may need. And so this could mean a whole lot for the customers. So if I were those business owners and customers, I will put a lot of pressure on UPS to get this done, because it's not the teams that's causing this. It's the company.

MARQUARDT: Yes, you're absolutely right. Lots of essentials are being delivered every single day all across the country. So are you optimistic, then, that a deal can be struck before August 1st?

HOOKER: I'm optimistic to a point. But I've seen some things over this last five years of this contract. I've seen, again, the brutality of UPS. I've seen their contentious. I've seen their hostility toward our workers. And I think the reason why you saw such a high turnout in this vote authorization is because our members have seen it. They've experienced it, the pandemic. I mean we've had members who gotten injured on the job, and UPS said, whatever, continue to work.

We've seen pregnant women fired. We've seen single parents having to make a decision on spending time with their kids or coming to work on a day that they're not scheduled to work because UPS is demanding them to come in. Our members have not forgotten that. We were called heroes and essential. Now they're treating our members as if they're disposable, and that's just not fair.

MARQUARDT: Yes. Some very important negotiations with seven weeks to go. Richard Hooker, thank you very much for your time.

HOOKER: Thank you so much for having me.

MARQUARDT: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:56:30]

MARQUARDT: And this just into CNN. Eight people are injured following a possible gang related shooting in Southern California. It happened overnight in the city of Carson. That's about 20 miles south of Los Angeles. Investigators say the victims range in age from 16 to 29. There's no word yet on what may have led up to the shooting. Authorities have not released any possible information about suspects or suspect.

Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers, has died at the age of 92 from pancreatic cancer. He risked his freedom to share classified documents with "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" during the Nixon administration. The records painted a devastating picture of the war in Vietnam and showed that officials knew that the conflict was unwinnable. The government sued the newspapers, but in a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court found in favor of the media.

And a dramatic rescue, in Escambia County, Florida rapidly rising floodwaters Friday morning, nearly sweeping a man away, until a sheriff's deputy rushed in to help, putting his own life at risk. During the rescue attempt, Deputy William Hollingsworth and the man were both sucked into a drainage pipe and were swept underneath a four lane road. They were submerged for about 30 seconds until they resurfaced on the other end of the road. The footage you're about to see from Deputy -- is from Deputy Hollingsworth's body camera. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: David. David. Hey, David hey. Oh, man I got you. Oh, man I got you. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. David. David. David. David. David. Can you believe what just happened to us? You're OK, buddy? Can you believe what just happened to us? Just breathe. Just breathe, buddy. Oh, my God. Oh, thank you, Jesus. Oh, God. Oh, Jesus. Oh, my God. My buddy sucking me in. Oh, my God. I did it. I never held my breath that my life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me either.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. Oh, my god. (Inaudible). Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. (Inaudible).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:00:00]

MARQUARDT: Cries of joy and relief there just extraordinary video. The sheriff says that Deputy Hollingsworth and the man who he rescued traveled underwater for nearly 100 feet and are lucky to be alive.