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Two Dead, Three In Critical Condition At Baltimore Block Party; Walt Nauta Indicted Alongside Trump On June 13; Security Tightened As France Braces For Unrest; Trump Says He Plans To Skip First Republican Presidential Debate; Office And Retail Buildings Empty Across The Nation. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired July 02, 2023 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:01:20]

PAULA REID, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Reid in Washington. Jim Acosta has the evening off.

An explosion of gunfire shatters the joy of a holiday block party and leaves behind a gruesome toll. Baltimore Police say at least two people are dead and an astonishing 28 others are injured. And here is another heart-wrenching number, 14 of the gunshot victims are under the age of 18.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino joins us live from the scene in Baltimore.

Gloria, have investigators been able to piece together exactly what happened here?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula, police here are still very much in the early stages of this investigation. But we have learned two new important updates. The first is that the police have told us they are looking for more than one shooter. They believe there were at least two people involved in last night's shooting, and they say that they have not ruled out that more people have -- were involved in the violence last night.

Now the second piece of information that we've learned is that those injuries, 28 people suffering gunshot wounds, two people were killed, an 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man. So you can just imagine the amount of chaos that was unfolding here last night as gunshots rang out.

Now we are in the Brooklyn homes section of Baltimore and people were gathered here to celebrate the holiday weekend, just like so many other communities across the country are doing right now. They had gathered to celebrate. There were families, even children here. And police say it was shortly after midnight that gunshots rang out.

We spoke to people here who said they ran for cover and it was absolute mayhem as they tried to take shelter. Now the mayor and local police officials were here earlier asking this community to step up, to come forward, and share any information they might have that may help police find the people that were behind last night's shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BRANDON M. SCOTT, BALTIMORE: We are asking again that anyone that knows anything about this mass shooting, and that's what I wanted to call it, it's a mass shooting. We want this shooting to be treated just as it happened in rural America. We want everyone to come forward and say, treat this as if it was your daughter, your son, your brother, your cousin that was out here shot at this event.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, Paula, nine people are still in the hospital recovering from those injuries. Again, 28 people in total were injured. It's kind of amazing to think that more people weren't killed in this shooting here last night. Another important detail that the police shared with us, they say they are poring through the video that was gathered here last night including videos that have been posted to social media that appear to show a man carrying a gun inside of a backpack.

They are going through that evidence trying to figure out who was behind last night's violence and why they opened fire during this gathering here last night -- Paula.

REID: Gloria Pazmino, from a rainy Baltimore tonight, thank you so much.

Earlier this evening, I spoke to a member of Baltimore City Council. Mark Conway is also the son of two law enforcement officials. So I asked him about the need for the community to help police despite a long and painful history of mistrust in the city of Baltimore.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CONWAY (D), BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL: We have been working incredibly hard as a city to make sure that we rebuild that relationship between the police department and the community, and our police department has been doing the same.

[19:05:06]

You know, we encourage folks, especially when things like this happen, to do everything you can to be a part of the solution. No one wants to see something like this happen. No one wants to see 30 people wounded by guns, two killed by guns. And this is tragic. And so if there's anything that you can do, if there's, you know, anyone watching that knows more about what happened here, or who was involved, you do your part and step up, regardless of anything that may have happened in the past. Two people lost their life and it's our duty to make sure this doesn't happen again.

REID: And as you know this country is awash in guns right now and gun violence. In the city of Baltimore, how are you addressing this issue?

CONWAY: Yes, so this is, of course, a long-standing issue in the city of Baltimore. We've been working really, really hard to get guns off of our street. Just this year alone, we've had over 700 gun arrests which is insane when you think about the number of people in the city and the number of guns off the street.

That said, the problem here isn't necessarily because people are getting guns in Baltimore. In fact, we don't have a single gun shop in Baltimore. These guns are coming from outside of Baltimore, sometimes even outside of the state of Maryland. We need real policy and real action from folks that have enough ability to make a change here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Councilman Conway also chairs the city's Public Safety and Government Operations Committee. He says his committee will look into claims by some residents that the normal police presence for the annual block party was not there this year.

And it has been nearly three weeks since former President Donald Trump was indicted in a Florida courtroom in the Mar-a-Lago documents case. His close aide Walt Nauta was also indicted on June 13th but still has not been arraigned. Although he has a lawyer, Nauta needs a Florida lawyer who can practice in the Southern District of the state. So far he hasn't been able to find one.

Joining us to discuss, former federal prosecutor and a very high- profile criminal defense attorney Tim Jansen.

Tim, thank you so much for being with us. I appreciate your expertise tonight.

TIM JANSEN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Welcome, Paula. Thank you.

REID: All right. So a Florida magistrate judge gave Nauta a, quote, "drop-dead deadline" to get somebody on board by Thursday, July 6th. Clearly Florida doesn't have a shortage of lawyers. So what do you think is happening here?

JANSEN: I think you have a combination of maybe someone trying to pick the lawyer they can control rather than getting an independent lawyer who is willing to represent Nauta and represent Nauta's best interests. My understanding, he's going to be paid by a PAC money. So it's going to be difficult to take -- get a lawyer, some lawyers won't take the case because of the -- you know, the animosity on certain figures in the case.

Some law firms won't allow their partners to represent anybody that could be damaging to their reputation or conflict with their current clients. But there are plenty of lawyers in Florida that are members of Southern District who could represent him very competently.

REID: And it's so interesting for Walt because he is a co-defendant, right, to former President Trump, to his boss. As you noted, his lawyers currently funded by a Trump-linked PAC. If you could talk to Walt Nauta, what would be your advice as he is looking for a defense attorney to guide him through a case where at some point, Tim, we know his interests will diverge from that of former President Trump's.

JANSEN: That's always a difficult situation. Nauta is not the key figure in this case. He's a lesser figure by many standards. He's very allegiant to the president. He's former military. He probably has his own strong beliefs. He's going to have to -- whatever PAC and who is deciding who hires the lawyer.

Is Nauta picking his lawyer or is the PAC picking the lawyer? That's the problem. And if you get in a case where fees are paid by a third party, you need to make sure that that third party understands, I'm representing him, and I always will represent that person. And if we diverge, you understand, as a lawyer, my interests are his interests.

REID: And what do you think about the fact that he's getting this third chance at an arraignment? Is this how anyone else's arraignment would be handled if they didn't have local counsel or is this a case of special treatment?

JANSEN: It is kind of an unusual situation. You normally get in, you get an arraignment pretty quickly. In the Northern District -- and I am a member of the Southern District also, you normally get seven days. You go in first appearance and then within seven days you have to say if I'm going to be the permanent lawyer.

[19:10:05]

But this case is complicated because you have confidential records. You got classified records. That lawyer is going to have to be vetted that he can actually review those records and it wouldn't be a violation of national security. And, you know, some lawyers may not want to take the case under the circumstances of who is running the show and what is my role going to be? Am I going to have control of my client or are they controlling me, and I'm just going to be a puppet? And not many lawyers want to sign up for that.

REID: And, Tim, we know at the center of this case is this tension. Right? The special counsel, Jack Smith, he says I want a speedy trial. Translation, I want to do this before the election. Former president and his lawyers have every incentive to try to delay this. As of right now, it looks like they're going to try to schedule it for December. All of our armchair experts up here in D.C. say no way is this going to happen in December.

But you have a long and successful history of trying cases in Florida. What is your prediction in terms of when this actually goes to trial?

JANSEN: I don't believe it will be tried before the election, the general election of 2024. He doesn't have a lawyer yet. He's got to get a lawyer. They've got to get discovery. They're going to have pretrial motions. President Trump has trials all over the country in different locations. You've got to review the discovery and then you're going to have pretrial motions. There are going some motions.

The attorney-client privilege was excoriated by the special counsel's office and the judicial court in D.C. so there's valid legal issues that are pending. I just don't see how they can rush it. I don't see it before November of 2024.

REID: OK. So let's go to November 2024. Obviously if former President Trump is re-elected.

JANSEN: Right.

REID: That would open up a whole new series of constitutional questions about the fate of this. But let's assume he is not, he is not re-elected, this goes to trial. Let's talk about picking a jury for a case like this. I mean, what -- how do you see that playing out? What are the challenges?

JANSEN: Well, the interesting thing is the case was moved to the Fort Myers Division. And the Fort Myers Division is in the Southern District but it's a much more Republican district, which means you're going to have much more Republican voters in the potential jury venire. And you say, what does that mean? Well, in federal court you have to have unanimous decision. So the way the country is polarized, 50 percent believe President Trump should be president, 50 percent believe he should be in jail.

All President Trump needs is one or two to get on that jury. If three get on that jury, they're not going to budge. So the jury makeup and the judge who does all the jury selection, the key thing there is on what's called challenges for cause. The judge makes that decision. You only get certain (INAUDIBLE). And the judge can sway that jury venire by either granting or denying challenges for cause.

REID: And the judge in this case, Judge Aileen Cannon, have you ever had any experience before her? She's only been on the bench for like two years, three years?

JANSEN: No, I haven't had any experience with her on the bench. I know she's getting a lot of heat about appointing the special master on this case. But she was a qualified judge. She went through the -- I believe she's going to be fair. She would be crazy not to be fair. But she does have influence.

Her decision on the motions and jury selection are going to be key in this case and she makes the decision on the timing of the trial. That's given to the discretion of the judge. A sitting judge. So no circuit court is going to overturn her when she decides that trial is going to take place.

REID: Yes. It's going to be really fascinating to watch this. My last question is, you do expect that the former president and Walt Nauta will find local counsel, right?

JANSEN: I do. And I know that, you know, Chris is representing President Trump, a friend of mine, and I tell you, it's so disappointing for Chris, I'm sure, that as president he's out there making statements on Bret Baier. He's going up there making all these statements when he's got criminal charges pending. And all those statements are relevant and admissible in this trial.

The latest tape is very damaging to the president. That tape that was leaked with him on it, very damaging to his criminal case.

REID: Yes. Absolutely. I mean, obviously CNN had the tape exclusively and released it. What was your first reaction -- as a defense attorney, assuming you've had the chance to listen to it, what was your reaction?

JANSEN: You know, you could cross-examine witnesses and they all have motives. But it's really hard to cross-examine your own client's voice on a tape and he's in a causal demeanor, he's laughing, he's joking, and you listen to his words, what he's telling these people, and then you listen to what he said on Bret Baier about the papers, they just don't comport with each other.

[19:15:11]

It's clear that he had documented papers that were classified. He was passing them around, showing to them. I think that really harms his case for the obstruction and destruction of the records. I still think the 34 counts on the espionage are going to be difficult. But his hardest one now is going to be the obstruction of those documents that were apparently not at the house when they executed the search warrant.

REID: And they're trying to wrap me but I just want to seize on your expertise here. I mean, do you think, though, for a jury, even if you get people who are Republicans who have voted for former President Trump either once or twice, three times, by the time this goes to trial, do you think that that tape, I mean, could help some people override their political preferences and convict?

JANSEN: Well, let me give you an example. We just had a case where a political figure ran for governor and he had a very favorable jury and he was on tape denying that he got special benefits. And he did get many benefits and the jury voted not guilty across the board.

REID: There you go. Right? Here with the expertise and the examples, Tim Jansen, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

JANSEN: Thank you, Paula.

REID: And the first Republican presidential debate is next month. Donald Trump says he might skip it. Some other candidates might not even qualify for it. A closer look just ahead.

Also, the U.S. Army is offering big, nearly $50,000 bonuses, to get some soldiers to re-enlist. We'll explain why there's a shortage of air defense troops.

Plus, they've played on stages around the world. Ahead, members of the rock 'n' roll Hall of Fame band Lynyrd Skynyrd tell CNN how they're expanding their reach.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Tuesday, CNN's July 4th special returns with an all-star lineup. Celebrate with spectacular fireworks and the biggest musical performances. Don't miss CNN's "THE FOURTH IN AMERICA LIVE" on July 4th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:21:47]

REID: France bracing for another night of violence following the police shooting of a teenager. This as the boy's grandmother is calling for peace.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in Paris with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: In the center of Paris again, another night bracing for possible violence. Police out in numbers on the Champs-Elysees. 871 fires set Saturday night compared to Friday night, 2500 or so, the night before 3900 or so. The number is trending down. If Saturday night was a pivot, Sunday night is going to be a real test if that violence trends down.

The center of Paris, the Champs-Elysees, looking down there. There are still a lot of tourists out. The sun setting. People still enjoying the evening. There are riot cops on the streets there but not the buzz that there was, the activity that there was at the same time on Saturday.

Over here, a few more police officers here. They're getting around the city in these small saloon vehicles. That's how they're racing around to try to stay on top of any potential protests. And just looking around down here, just as it's falling dark, you can see the police officers with their motorbikes.

And those were the high-speed officers Saturday night. There are police officers right in the motorbikes, riot officers sitting pillion passenger, keeping moving, moving in groups of 20, keeping moving and staying on top of the rioters. And that's what we're hearing from the government right now. Still keeping the same number of officers on the streets, 45,000 police and gendarmes saying that they will have swift justice for any perpetrators of violence, and try to stay on top and quash any outbreaks of violence.

Meanwhile, Nahel's grandmother, the young boy who was tragically shot and killed on Tuesday, his grandmother appealing for peace and calm.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: The stage will be set next month for the first Republican presidential debate. But who will be on it? And will anyone watch it?

The story is next on CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:28:29]

REID: This just into CNN, 34 people were hurt when an SUV crashed into a restaurant in Laconia, New Hampshire. The city's fire department says the vehicle drove into the Looney Bin Bar and Grill just after noon today. 14 people were taken to hospitals for treatment, 20 others were treated at the scene and released. Police say the SUV was involved in an accident with another vehicle when it careened into the restaurant.

And there could be one very notable absence at the Republican's first 2024 primary debate. In an interview with "Reuters," Donald Trump says he may skip next month's debate being hosted by FOX, calling the network, quote, "hostile toward him." Instead, the leading GOP candidate says he's leaving open the option of holding a rival event of his own.

Here with us to discuss, Dr. Larry Sabato, he's the director of the University of Virginia's Center of Politics. He's also the editor of "Sabato's Crystal Ball."

Larry, I'm glad you're here. I feel like we've seen this before with Trump, right? Threatening to pull out of a major event, holding a rival event. Do you think this move will work this time around?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, it will work because he's unpredictable. You really don't know what he will do. You can easily imagine him pulling out so he doesn't give attention to whatever other candidates manage to make it on to the stage.

(19:30:05)

You can also imagine him jumping in at the last minute.

The Republicans obviously aren't going to refuse admission to Donald Trump, even if he decides to come on the day before, so -- and he could hold a rival event. That's the kind of thing that Donald Trump often has up his sleeve. And that's why he does it, he can come out with a new decision every day between now and August.

REID: And he is not the only one who may not be on the debate stage. Some Republicans may not even meet the party's new polling requirements. So, what do you make of the debate criteria here?

SABATO: Well, unless they change the debate criteria, there is simply no way that maybe even half of the current 13 candidates will be on that debate stage.

The tests for them are simply too great. Several of them are almost completely unknown, and some of those who are known don't have enough support in the Republican Party to meet the criteria, to fulfill the criteria.

So I think, it will be a smaller group than we saw in 2016, but regardless, it will be to Donald Trump's advantage, whether he is on the stage or off the stage. Happiness to Donald Trump is a divided opposition.

REID: You have a new analysis out that says there are only four swing states in 2024 -- Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Why are there fewer competitive states now then there have been in previous presidential elections?

SABATO: Well, others could come in and become competitive before November 2024. But right now, those four states seem to be balanced almost equally between the two parties, not just in terms of the results in 2020, but also their demographics, current political trends, their opinion of Donald Trump should he be the nominee or even DeSantis.

So you look at all the factors involved and those four seem particularly close, and they have enough electoral votes so that if this is a close election, which most people expect today, they have enough electoral votes to decide it.

REID: That's such an interesting map, you see just a little bit of orange in North Carolina and in one of Maine's districts and a little bit of light blue, but otherwise things seem to be leaning one way or the other.

I want to turn your attention to the Supreme Court. Big week for the court, of course. Let's look at Justice Clarence Thomas and how he responded to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for accusing the court's conservative majority of "let them eat cake obliviousness" in the landmark ruling on affirmative action.

In his opinion, Thomas wrote: "As she (Judge Jackson) sees things, we are all inexorably linked, trapped in fundamentally racist society." That's a pretty barbed comments to make about a colleague. What do you make of this increasingly polarized language coming from the justices often aimed at one another?

SABATO: I don't think they can hide anymore the fact that their fundamental disagreements affect even their personal relationships. Often, justices will tell people publicly, oh, we get along beautifully. We get along so well.

Well, sooner or later decisions like the one we just saw on affirmative action and some of the others going back to Dobbs, overturning Roe v. Wade, they are bound to have an impact on those personal relationships. And truthfully, the personal relationships don't matter. It's the results. And the conservatives, the Republicans have the numbers. They've got six of the nine justices, and until the composition of the court changes, I don't think the ideology of many of these big decisions will change either no matter what they're saying on the bench.

REID: But do you think that this is good for the country, for democracy? So much about the Supreme Court is shrouded in mystery. They would argue, Chief Justice Roberts would argue that's important, right, we have to hash these things out behind closed doors. Do you think there's any benefit to sort of airing their grievances publicly or no?

SABATO: Well, I can see one advantage, which is that the minority that is the Democrats and the more moderate to liberal positions, which, if you're to judge by polls, many cases are favored by a majority of Americans, that is their favored, in terms of the liberals rather than conservatives on the court. It at least gives voice to the opinions of those who feel correctly that they are in a small minority, and that the six majority justices simply don't listen to them and aren't interested in their viewpoints.

REID: Larry Sabato, thank you so much for joining us.

SABATO: Thank you, Paula.

REID: And rockers, Lynyrd Skynyrd are celebrating the band's 50th anniversary. They are playing their classics from "Free Bird" to "Sweet Home Alabama" for a new audience. They'll explain how next on the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:39:16]

REID: Rock and roll Hall of Famers, Lynyrd Skynyrd are hitting the big screen. The band's 50th anniversary concert is coming to movie theaters next week.

CNN's Chloe Melas talked to two members of the legendary band about this historic performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Talk about a bucket list moment for this Auburn University graduate. I got a chance to catch up with Lynyrd Skynyrd's Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke about their final performance with founding member Gary Rossington who passed away in March.

They talked to me about their excitement for their fans to be able to watch this performance in just a few weeks.

JOHNNY VAN ZANT, LYNYRD SKYNYRD: Gary had been very sick and we were going okay, well, we want you to come to the show because we're taping it, of course and it's been -- it was at the Ryman Auditorium, which is a great place to do, just -- you know, God works in mysterious ways.

[19:40:12]

And He brought -- gave Gary enough energy to come out there and play with us, and I think it was a great thing that him and Dale showed up and looking back on it now, like I said, we didn't know for sure because he had been sick, you know that if he was going to be able to really do it.

And Gary had always pulled things off. Gary had been through everything -- plane crashes, car wrecks, bar fights, anything you could think about a guy could live through, he lived through, and he came and he did his job and we love it. And the biggest thing about that show to me is that the fans came out. They love it. RICKEY MEDLOCKE, LYNYRD SKYNYRD: I'm one of the proudest members of this band because every night that I climb up there, I give it 110 percent every night. And I know that Johnny does, and I know the rest of the band does, you know, because when you look out there, and you see everybody singing the songs, I mean, that's incredible.

MELAS: This band, as we all know has been faced with a lot of tragedy.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

MELAS: Johnny spoke to me about that day in 1977 when he picked up the phone to learn that his older brother, Ronnie had been tragically killed in a plane crash alongside other members of the band.

VAN ZANT: Very traumatic. I mean, it was for our whole family, you know, because they just came out with "Street Survivors," the album "Street Survivors," and was just starting the tour. And actually, I was going to go down and I could have been on that plane myself.

But I was in high school and everybody said, hey, if you skip school, Ron is going to beat your butt when he sees you, so you better not go down to see a show. So you better be in school.

So I -- it was just very traumatic. The way we found out was we got a call from ex-manager, Alan Walden and me and my dad had been working in the yard all day. And it came on the evening news and the phone rang and where we lived, we always kept our front door open. We lived in a neighborhood, you know, that we all kind of knew each other, and so it was very safe back then.

And my dad said, "The phone is ringing. Go grab it," you know? And I ran in and it was Alan Walden and he said, "Hey, this is Alan Walden. Have you heard about what happened with Skynyrd?" And I looked up at the TV and it was on the TV and I hollered for my dad.

And after that, you kind of go blank. You know when things bad happen, you know, I think your mind has a way of just kind of making it fuzzy.

A very long night; very sad night. Days after was very sad, and you know, just unbelievable. You know, you just don't think of something like that.

But we were a strong family and we got through it. We weren't rich in money, but we were rich in family.

MELAS: They said that getting up each time to perform on that stage is a gift and that it never gets old to see their fans enjoying songs like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird."

This concert is presented by Unbranded Events. It's called the 50th Anniversary of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Tickets are on sale, and fans can watch it at theaters all across the country starting on July 8th.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Well, stocks rallied in the first half of 2023, but what will the second half of the year bring when it starts tomorrow? A look ahead, next on the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:21]

REID: June was a big month for stocks. In fact, the S&P 500 rallied for the first half of this year. So what can we expect in the second half? Here's Before the Bell with CNN chief business correspondent, Christine Romans.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: The stock market has shown resilience after that awful 2022 as we wrap up the first half of the year for Wall Street here.

The NASDAQ is up nearly 30 percent so far this year. That's the best first half since 1983. Wall Street also got some encouraging news on the inflation front. The Fed's preferred inflation gauge cooled last month, hitting its lowest level in more than two years and the US economy also grew faster than estimates expanding at an annual pace of two percent in the first quarter.

The job market is still resilient with unemployment claims recording the biggest drop in 20 months despite all this optimistic news. Inflation is still above the Fed's two percent target and Jerome Powell reiterated the Central Bank's rate hike campaign is set to resume after a pause in early June.

Keep in mind, it is a short week on Wall Street for the holiday. US markets are closed Tuesday for July 4th. After re-opening, we'll get the minutes from the Fed's June meeting, jobless claims and the critical June Jobs Report.

REID: The office environment across the country has certainly changed post-pandemic, and with many companies now allowing their employees to work from home, the commercial real estate industry is suffering from skyscrapers to retail spaces, many buildings are just sitting empty.

Now the owners of those buildings are having to find creative solutions to fill those vacancies.

Here is CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They are statuesque, vast, and staggering and they're empty.

[19:50:10]

Skyscrapers and office buildings once stacked high with businesses are experiencing high vacancy rates in the US, nearly 19 percent. Five- and-a-half percent higher than before the pandemic.

STEVEN DURELS, EVP AND DIRECTOR OF LEASING, SL GREEN REALTY CORP.: I think it's a very unique moment. Nothing like any disruptive marketplace that I've experienced over the past 40 years. YURKEVICH (voice over): The pandemic emptied offices around the country. Today, the number of people returning to in-person work is less than 50 percent in 10 major metro areas, forcing companies to re- think physical office space.

Half of the biggest global companies say they'll need less real estate in the next three years, leaving landlords with loans to pay in a bind.

YURKEVICH (on camera): Of course, if there is no tenant, you're not making money. What do you do?

DURELS: There's no recouping, you know, lost income for downtime.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Steven Durels runs the leasing at SL Green, New York City's largest commercial landlord, with more than 30 million square feet of space to rent, the collapsing demand for office space means their tenant vacancy rate shot up from three percent pre- pandemic to 10 percent today. That calls for some creativity.

AMANDA WEISENTHAL, HEAD OF SALES AND PRODUCTION, BACKLOT: You can build a set in here, you can have a fight scene in here.

YURKEVICH (voice over): SL Green is now working with Backlot, a company that connects landlords at 332 buildings across New York and New Jersey with film and TV companies. This episode of "Law and Order" was filmed in this vacant office in Midtown Manhattan. "The Watcher" on Netflix, in these East Side offices.

WEISENTHAL: I think people are starting to look holistically at how they can support a revenue stream.

YURKEVICH (voice over): This year, SL Green says it will earn $3 million from film and TV shoots.

DURELS: It's really helped mitigate the loss of income during the downtime periods.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Empty office buildings could be turned into residential, a big need. This project in Washington, DC once an office building is being turned into apartments, but that's not an easy quick fix process.

Less than one percent of apartments nationwide are converted from commercial properties.

And across the river in Arlington, Virginia, the city is trying to get ahead of its empty office space problem at 22 percent.

RYAN TOUHILL, DIRECTOR, ARLINGTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: I'm sitting right today in Northeastern's DC campus. Last year, a university was not allowed to take up space in an office building.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Thanks to new city zoning laws, that is now possible along with seven new types of commercial businesses like animal boarding, hydroponic farms, and pickleball. It's already happening in South Jersey. This 22,000 square foot pickleball facility was a vacant Burlington coat factory in a strip mall. Regional mall vacancy is at a record high.

YURKEVICH (on camera): Were there a lot of options like this on the market?

ANDREW PESSANO, CO-OWNER, PROSHOT PICKLEBALL: Yes. I think we had more opportunity than we thought there would be in the market.

YURKEVICH: Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. So does that mean that the sport needs to find places to play quickly?

PESSANO: The greatest threat to the growth of pickleball is the lack of facilities.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the latest on the investigation into this weekend's mass shooting in Baltimore. Two people are dead and more than two dozen injured. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:52]

REID: Let's get you caught up on some of our top stories before we go tonight.

An urgent manhunt is underway in Baltimore following a mass shooting at a neighborhood block party. Police say at least two suspects opened fire and shot at least 30 people. Nearly half of them children. Two people died including a teenager.

The mayor is calling it an unspeakable tragedy, and it's not known whether it was a targeted attack.

Meantime, major flash flooding wreaking havoc in Chicago. Floodwaters stranding people in their cars and temporarily shutting down major expressways. It comes after torrential rains swamped the city this morning. The National Weather Service calling it Chicago's heaviest rain event in over 40 years.

And on the lighter side, are you willing to shell out $70.00 for your must-have condiment? Normally, sriracha sauce sells for about $5.00, but a shortage of raw materials has prices soaring. In some cases it's $70.00 a bottle. One person on Amazon was selling two bottles for $124.00.

The company behind the fan favorite sauce has been dealing with a shortage of chili peppers for three years. The company says it's not sure when that shortage might end. Next on CNN: "Deadly Adventure: Trip to the Titanic." Our Randi Kaye takes a look at what led up to the tragedy on CNN's "The Whole Story." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH GATES, HOST, DISCOVERY CHANNEL'S "EXPEDITION: UNKNOWN): My observations when I was there is that this was a kind of bare bones operation, that this is -- that this was a company that was inventing the technology that it was deploying as it went, you know that this was kind of happening -- all happening for them in real time.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tourists who pay $250,000.00 to descend almost 13,000 feet below sea level to view the wreck of the Titanic must sign a waiver saying they accept the submersible is not approved by any regulatory body.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's basically the Wild West out there. There is little to no government regulation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Stay with us for "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper.

Thank you for joining me this evening. I'm Paula Reid. Goodnight.

[20:20:18]