Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Gun Violence and Mass Shootings Disrupts Fourth of July Celebrations; Israeli Forces Withdrawn in Jenin, Violence Still Spreading Across the Gaza Strip; Russian President Puts Strength and Power, In Charge of the Russia-Ukraine Situation; Nuclear Regulators Green Lighted Fukushima Plant Dumpwater Release; SoKor Ace Striker Hopes for a Women's World Cup Return; Fireworks, Drone Shows Highlight Fourth of July Celebrations. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 05, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, America marks its Independence Day, but the fireworks and parties give way to gunshots and mourning amid a wave of mass shootings.
Plus, Israel strikes Gaza, hitting what it says are Hamas weapon sites, a live report on the escalating violence in the Middle East.
And Japan plans to release a million tons of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Experts say the water is treated and safe, but not everyone agrees. We're live in Tokyo.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for being with us. And we begin here in the United States, where cities across the country are dealing with the fallout from mass shootings over the holiday weekend.
Indianapolis police are investigating the death of a 16-year-old girl who was killed in a shooting during a block party late Monday evening. Further south in Texas, three people are dead after gunfire erupted at an annual neighborhood gathering in Fort Worth. Police are still unsure what motivated the violence. And in Philadelphia, authorities say a shooter killed five people at random on Monday. The city's mayor expressed his anger over the gun violence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM KENNEY, PHILADELPHIA, PASADENA MAYOR: I am frustrated and outraged that mass shootings like this continue to happen in communities across the United States. This country needs to reexamine its conscience and find out how to get guns out of dangerous people's hands. We are begging Congress to protect lives and do something about America's gun problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Fourth of July brings out the presidential candidates who are eager to leverage a day of patriotism to win over some voters.
Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and his family walked through the rain in two parades in the key primary state of New Hampshire. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum also made the rounds in the Granite State. And under sunniest skies in Iowa, former Vice President Mike Pence walked two miles in a Fourth of July parade. He shook hands with voters and tried to separate himself from his former boss, Donald Trump, who did not campaign at all on the holiday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can't account for what other campaigns decided, but for me, it was vitally important to be here where the journey to the White House always begins, and to spend two miles at times jogging uphill to take our case to the people of Iowa. And I promise you, we're going to keep running that hard all the way to the finish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Still, Trump's presence was not totally absent. Dozens of his supporters braved the rain in Merrimack, New Hampshire, to make sure he was well represented in the city's parade. And earlier, I spoke with political analyst Michael Genovese about Trump's choice not to campaign this July 4th and what it means for his Republican challengers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: We expect the candidate to be out there on the 4th of July, pressing the flesh. And people in Iowa and New Hampshire expect to meet and talk with each of the candidates. And so, that was unusual. I think you have to remember though, that this is not 2016, it's not 2020.
And Donald Trump is older, he's more tired. He doesn't have his mojo. I think he lost his mojo. And so, I think it's a function of two major factors, one, the indictments, the ones that have already taken place and the ones that look like they're in the pipeline must have taken a great toll on him. The second thing is we have to remember he's 77 and like Joe Biden, senior citizens like myself we get more tired. We don't have the energy. We don't have the pepper and vinegar. And so, I think those two factors are making Donald Trump look like he's lost a little bit of his mojo.
The thing to remember is that since 1980 in the Republican primaries and caucuses in Iowa and New Hampshire, the front runner has always lost one of those two races. And so that gives all of the other would- be presidents an opening, a hope, a sense in which, you know, if Trump crumbles, maybe I'll be in the top two or three. And so, there is hope, but boy, time is fading fast for the single digit candidates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:05:02]
CHURCH: Israel says all of its forces have now withdrawn from Jenin in the West Bank and that its military operation there is over. But the violence in the region has still spread beyond Jenin to Gaza and Tel Aviv. Israeli forces say they have been conducting strikes in the Gaza Strip the past few hours after rockets were fired toward Israeli territory. They say all five of those rockets were intercepted.
The IDF says its strikes targeted weapon production sites for the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel's military operation in Jenin began two days ago and was its largest in that city in more than two decades.
Meantime, Hamas says it's responded to that operation, claiming responsibility for a car ramming and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv Tuesday, which left at least eight people injured. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the attack cannot break Israel's resolve to fight terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Whoever thinks that such an attack will deter us from continuing our fight against terrorism is wrong. They simply do not know the spirit of the State of Israel. We will continue as long as necessary to root out terrorism. We will not allow Jenin to return to being a city of refuge for terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And CNN's Nada Bashir is tracking developments for us. She joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So, Israel has pulled its troops out of Jenin, but tensions and violence remain and beyond Jenin. What is the latest and what happens next?
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, Rosemary. Tensions are certainly still high, and as we've seen time and time again in the past, the situation can change very, very quickly. And while that operation is over, we have heard from the IDF, they say they reserve the right to return to Jenin, should they receive intelligence that should warrant a return.
They have, of course, said that they were successful in achieving all of their targets, namely targeting terrorist infrastructure, in the words of the Israeli military. But we've also heard from the leaders of Hamas. They have framed this withdrawal as a victory for Palestinian fighters in Jenin. They have described the Israeli military as withdrawing from the Jenin refugee camp with their tails between their legs and have commended the fighters in Jenin. And of course, we have seen that violence continuing beyond the Jenin refugee camp. As you mentioned there, there has been that exchange of rocket fire at the Israeli military targeting the Gaza Strip. They say they are targeting military infrastructure in the Gaza Strip after rockets were launched from Gaza towards Israeli territory.
So, of course, tensions are still very, very high across the region. And of course, for those who are forced to flee their homes, this might be an opportunity to return to their homes in the Jenin refugee camp, but what they are returning to is a scene of utter destruction and for many it is also a moment of mourning. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (voice-over): This is Jenin, the focal point of deadly confrontations after the Israeli military launched its largest operation against suspected terrorist targets inside the Jenin refugee camp since the second intifada.
Jenin refugee camp, located in the north of the occupied West Bank, houses some 17,000 Palestinian refugees across an area that is less than half a square kilometer in size, the vast majority, descendants of Palestinians who were expelled or fled from their homes after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
Over the last two decades, the city of Jenin has seen waves of violence. In April 2002, Israel launched a major assault targeting suspected militants inside the Palestinian refugee camp. At the time, the operation was framed by the Israeli government as a response to suicide bombings inside Israel.
But the scale of the incursion, which became known as the Battle of Jenin, was unprecedented. The camp faced days of sustained missile and sniper fire, with many residents trapped in their homes, unable to escape to safety.
A report from Human Rights Watch found that attacks by the Israel Defense Forces were indiscriminate, with many civilian deaths amounting to unlawful or willful killings by the Israeli military.
Some cases documented by the International Human Rights Group even amounted to, in their words, summary executions, a clear war crime. Back then, as now, the IDF used armored bulldozers to push through the narrow and winding alleys of the camp. The aftermath left hundreds of family homes destroyed, rendering thousands homeless.
[03:09:59]
The report also said that many deaths could have been avoided if Israel had done more to protect civilians. Israel, however, disputed that, saying 23 of its own soldiers had died in the fiercest urban warfare the military had experienced in decades, adding that the military had conducted the operation carefully to result in a minimum number of Palestinian casualties. Scenes from those violent days still stand out today. The Jenin refugee camp has emerged yet again as a flashpoint in recent waves of violence gripping the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military says it is targeting suspected terrorists in the city, with several Palestinian armed groups known to have a presence in the camp, including Islamic Jihad and other fighters operating as part of the Jenin Brigades.
At least a dozen Palestinians were killed, with some 100 injured, and thousands of others forced to flee their homes as a result of the ongoing violence and infrastructural damage, with limited access to electricity, water or internet services.
Aid agencies have also accused the Israeli forces of obstructing access to the camp and impeding the medical response, claims the IDF has, however, denied.
A spokesperson for the IDF acknowledged on Monday that civilians were among the injured, but insisted that the operation was targeting terrorists.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has, however, described the large-scale Israeli military operation as a new war crime.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (on camera): And you heard the allegations from the Palestinian Authority. And just as we saw back in 2002, there are now real questions around accountability following the spate of violence that we have seen at the Jenin refugee camp. We've heard from the United Nations already calling for peace, but also warning that in the context of occupation, the deaths by Palestinians, the deaths of Palestinians, rather, by Israeli airstrikes could amount to willful killing.
And so, there will certainly be questions organizations, including the United Nations of course around this accountability.
CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Nada Bashir joining us live from London. I appreciate that report.
Well, coming up, Moscow is accusing Kyiv of committing an act of terrorism while Russian forces launch deadly attacks on residential areas in Ukraine.
And later, international nuclear regulators give the okay for Japan to dump a million tons of waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. Why some neighboring countries are furious about it, we'll explain on the other side of the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: This just into CNN, at least seven people have been injured in a shooting in Washington, D.C. Police say all of the victims are conscious and breathing, and they're looking for a blue or black SUV as part of their investigation. The shooting took place about five miles from the U.S. Capitol building. We'll bring you more details as they come into us.
Vladimir Putin is putting on a show of power and strength, telling his allies he's fully in charge of the situation in Russia and in Ukraine. The Russian president was addressing a virtual summit hosted by India's prime minister in his first appearance on the world stage since the rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group.
Putin thanked nations like Belarus, Iran and China for offering solidarity during the crisis. All that as Russian forces target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, an assault in the Kharkiv region left dozens of people wounded on Tuesday, and a shelling attack on the city of Kherson killed two people.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials say Russia is using all its forces to stop Ukraine's progress around the city of Bakhmut. The fighting along the eastern and southern front lines is fierce and slow-going, but Ukraine insists it has the upper hand.
Ben Wedeman has the latest from Eastern Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A tiny plume of smoke rises above Moscow as blood seeps into Ukrainian soil near an apartment block.
Two people were killed by Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson Tuesday. Dozens of civilians also injured in an attack in the Kharkiv region, with medics wrapping bandages around the heads of those wounded.
I was lying on the sofa, says this woman. There was an explosion. The balcony was blown off. Everything was blown apart.
The relentless targeting of Ukrainian civilian structures by Russia comes, as the Kremlin says, it intercepted five drones near civilian buildings in Moscow.
DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (through translator): All these drones were either destroyed or neutralized using the appropriate systems.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The Defense Ministry says there were no casualties or damage. But the Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman called the attack an act of international terrorism.
An advisor to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy quick to point out the irony, writing, a terrorist attack is when you have been deliberately firing crews and ballistic missiles at residential areas and crowded pizzerias for 16 months. Terrorism is the main attribute of Russia today. President Putin, attempting to project a different image, one of
strength and stability, while addressing his allies for the first time since facing an armed insurrection by the Wagner group.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The Russian people are consolidated as never before. I would like to thank my colleagues from the SCO countries who expressed the support for the actions of the Russian leadership to protect the constitutional order, the life and security of Russian citizens. We highly appreciate it.
[03:20:07]
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Putin's gratitude, a sign of his questionable grip on power, his fate being tested as Ukraine makes slow progress on the front lines.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, acknowledging difficulties on the battlefield, but claiming his military is retaking territory, championing the fight ahead by drawing inspiration from Ukraine's strongest backer, the United States, on their Independence Day.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Only the brave gain independence and only the best of the brave are able to pass the freedom from generation to generation.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Ben Wedeman, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And CNN's Scott McLean joins me now live from London. Good morning to you, Scott. So what more are you learning about the fighting on the front lines and attacks targeting Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so, Rosemary, first off, the Ukrainians have acknowledged that while they have been able to move the front lines forward and make some progress around the outskirts of Bakhmut, that heavily-contested city in eastern Ukraine, they say that the Russians have dug in pretty deep in many other places. And frankly, while they continue to try to move the front lines forward, they are running into some pretty heavy resistance there.
We are also getting new reports just this morning from local Russian governors of two regions just across the border to the north of Ukraine saying that there were interceptions of Ukrainian drones or incoming shelling or missiles. It's not entirely clear what they say that one person was actually injured in what they describe as Ukrainian attacks. We have not heard from the Ukrainian side there.
We're also getting more information on a attack in the Ukrainian town of Pervomaisk, this is about 60 kilometers or so south of Kharkiv, frankly nowhere near the front lines. It's been hit by Russia before, but the Ukrainians insist that there are no military installations here. This is only civilians. And what's interesting about this particular attack is that according to the chief of the local special forces unit, people in that town had gathered for the funeral of a fallen Ukrainian soldier.
And so, when that missile actually landed, it was about 800 meters or so from where that funeral service was being held, which is why there are plenty of people injured, but no one actually killed, given the distance that shrapnel would have had to travel. So at last word, 43 people were injured, the youngest among them, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, a three-month-old baby. There was also a 10-month-old baby rushed to the hospital, obviously, with shrapnel wounds straight into intensive care. Their condition, luckily, has stabilized.
Quickly, Rosemary, on the Russian-occupied side of things, Donetsk City has been the target of Ukrainian shelling, according to Russian- backed officials there, saying that 24 shells actually landed in the city, 25 people injured, two of them killed. Among the injured, a two- year-old and a seven-year-old so children, among them there.
And what is worth noting here is that while, of course, Donetsk City has been the target of Ukrainian shelling in the past throughout the course of this war, it is worth noting that the intensity of those attacks seems to have picked up as of late. Again, this is a city that has been firmly under Russian occupation since 2014. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Absolutely, yeah. Scott McLean, joining us live from London, our thanks for that live report.
Well, the Taliban in Afghanistan have ordered beauty salons to close within a month. It's the latest crackdown on access to public places for Afghan women. One business owner told CNN her salon was the only means to feed her family. Bathhouses, gyms and parks have also been closed to women since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Last year, authorities closed most girls' high schools and barred women from universities.
International nuclear regulators approved Japan's controversial plan to dump Fukushima wastewater into the sea. As the IAEA chief heads to the decimated nuclear plant, we will explain why some of Japan's neighbors are furious. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: More than a million metric tons of treated radioactive waste water. That is what Japan wants to dump into the sea from its decimated Fukushima nuclear power plant. And on Tuesday, international nuclear regulators said they think it's okay, but not everyone agrees.
CNN's Mark Stewart is in Tokyo. He joins us now live. Good to have you back with us, Mark. So what are some of these critics saying about Japan's plans to dump this water into the ocean?
MARK STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, there is certainly concern about the short-term impact of this water release but also a long-term impact of this water release, mainly the question being, is this safe?
In recent months and even in recent years, we've heard a lot of skepticism from nations around Japan. China, for example, just recently voiced its concerns, but also other nations over the years have expressed reservations.
But they are not the only ones who are worried about this. There's also a lot of concern within Japan, especially among the fishing community, which is a big part of the economy here, about the reputation of fish caught in the Pacific Ocean by Japanese fisherman.
[03:30:00]
Will that be impacted and will that be safe?
That is why the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is in Japan. He's going to be touring the facility. He met with the Prime Minister to offer reassurance that the plan that has been in place is one that is going to be effective and it's going to be safe.
We toured the facility back in April, and it is much more reminiscent of a water treatment facility than a nuclear facility. The amount of water that has been treated is just staggering, enough to fill 500 Olympic swimming pools. This is water that has been diluted.
Now, there is still going to be some radioactive aspects to all of this, including the fact that there will be some trace amounts of tritium, which is a radioactive isotope. But if you look at the international standards, the amount of tritium is something that is in compliance, in accord with what other nuclear facilities are doing. But that still is creating some reservations.
Just today, there was some reporting in South Korea by a newspaper there, that there's been a rush to buy sea salt for fears that the sea salt would be contaminated with radiation.
But among the broader scientific community, this is seen as the right thing to do. Burying it or just letting it sit there really isn't a reality because this plant needs to be decommissioned.
And finally, Rosemary, we should let people know that even though this is going to be a big moment when this release happens, it's not going to be just sudden, let's turn on the faucet. This is something that is going to be gradual. It will take years to complete, perhaps even decades.
So, the International Atomic Energy Agency is going to be watching from an office that they will have created here in Japan to make sure that this follows the plan that has been established.
CHURCH: All right. Mark Stewart, joining us live from Tokyo, many thanks for that report. I appreciate it.
Emmanuel Macron says he believes the peak of urban violence has passed in France, but he remains cautious. The French president met with over 200 mayors of towns and cities that have been affected by violent protests following the fatal police shooting of a 17-year old boy last week. Some mayors left the meeting unsatisfied with the government's plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINCENT BONY, RIVE-DE-GIER FRANCE MAYOR (through translator): We do not feel that the government is preparing measures, since we have no direction for action from the president of the republic. No measures have been announced, and we are still left very disappointed, as the situation is particularly serious.
ZARTOSHTE BAKHTIARI, NEUILLY-SUR-MARNE, FRANCE MAYOR (through translator): I was still waiting for the president of the republic to give us a vision, a direction, to tell us how we were going to get out of this and move forward. Today, we got absolutely nothing. So, I'm extremely disappointed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Officials say on Monday night, violence in French cities had decreased by half in 24 hours with 72 people arrested nationwide. France's largest business union says the riots have caused $1 billion worth of damage.
Still to come, the road to the 2023 Women's World Cup. South Korea's star player has overcome adversity throughout her extraordinary career. But there's one goal she still wants to accomplish. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: The Women's World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand in 15 days. One of South Korea's star players is hoping to have recovered from an injury by game time. And it wouldn't be the first time she's overcome adversity.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Park Eun-seon is used to breaking records. From being the youngest South Korean women's soccer player to play in a World Cup, aged just 17 back in 2003. Twenty years later, she may become one of the oldest at 36.
PARK EUN-SEON, SOUTH KOREAN STRIKER (through translator): If I get to go to the World Cup, even if I play one minute or 10, I'll do my best. I haven't scored a World Cup goal yet, so I have to score.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Nursing an injury, Park is confident of being match-ready in time, acknowledging she has overcome greater challenges than this. In 2013, when Park became the top scorer of the season, coaches from
rival clubs questioned her gender, insisting she underwent gender testing, which she did, previously participating in the Olympics and World Cup.
It was a controversy the National Human Rights Commission called, quote, "sexual harassment." Park spoke at the time of being upset and ashamed. The coaches later claimed their comments had been a joke.
EUN-SEON (through translator): I wasn't angry, but a bit puzzled. I wondered why I had to go through all that. At the time, I thought frequently about quitting soccer. But fell doing so would be like me admitting their claims.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Park says she played soccer with the boys in her neighborhood as a child, but only started training in her second year of middle school when her P.E. teacher suggested it.
JEON HAE-RIM, VP, KOREA WOMEN'S FOOTBALL CLUB FEDERATION (through translator): Already as a middle-schooler, she had extraordinary speed, extraordinary strength and extraordinary physique. It's not easy to play soccer as a woman. We have to overcome a lot of prejudice. Seeing Park come through the tough times really meant a lot.
[03:40:00]
HANCOCKS (on-camera): South Korea ranks 17th in the world going into this World Cup, its first match against Colombia on July 25th. Now, what Park says is her main focus now is to ensure that her country makes it through to the knockout stages.
Paula Hancocks, CNN Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Scotland is set to celebrate the accession of King Charles with its own festivities following his coronation in May. The British monarch will be presented with the Scottish crown jewels at a ceremony in Edinburgh today. The event is part of Royal Week which takes place annually to celebrate Scottish culture. King Charles and Queen Camilla will be joined by Prince William and Kate for a series of engagements around the country.
For our international viewers, "Marketplace Middle East" is next. And for those of you joining us here in North America, "CNN Newsroom" continues after a short break. Do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A suspicious powder found inside the White House has been sent for further analysis after initial tests showed it was possibly cocaine. Sunday's discovery prompted a temporary evacuation of the complex. President Joe Biden was at Camp David at the time and returned to the White House on Tuesday.
For the Republican presidential contenders, Independence Day was a prime day to round up some votes. Former Vice President Mike Pence walked in a Fourth of July parade and shook hands with -- in Iowa where Republicans will hold presidential caucuses early next year, the first in the nation.
And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was also trying to hit his stride but in New Hampshire. He marched in two parades there along with his family. The presumptive Republican front runner Donald Trump spent the holiday off the campaign trail.
Well, although DeSantis is not leading the race, the Florida governor has won over some voters thanks to his approach to school lockdowns during the COVID pandemic.
CNN's Elle Reeve reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANESSA STEINKAMP, TEACHER: If DeSantis were to run tomorrow, he would win. And that would be such a hard pill to swallow, I think, for many people.
ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Back in 2021, Vanessa Steinkamp was the first person who told me she was a fan of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and that there were more like her.
(on-camera): When we first spoke to you in 2021, you mentioned that you had this group of mom friends that you met on Twitter who are just obsessed with DeSantis and it just stuck in my mind for years.
STEINKAMP: He would just do stuff and say stuff with this conviction. We're all like, thank you.
REEVE (on-camera): Did you guys have a nickname for him?
JULIE HAMILL, LAWYER: Daddy DeSantis. I mean it's all joking.
REEVE: Of course.
HAMILL: Because we're like desperate women who had tried everything that we could do in our own power in our own communities and we weren't getting anywhere.
JENNIFER SEY, AUTHOR AND FORMER BRAND PRESIDENT, LEVI'S: He was very vocal starting in the summer of 2020 about the need to open schools in particular.
REEVE (voice-over): During the COVID lockdowns in 2020, these frustrated moms built an informal Twitter network of people angry about closed schools and the difficulty of remote learning. They are from all over the country, but saw DeSantis as a model of what they wanted in their cities. GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-CA), REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: School is
a safe haven.
STEINKAMP: I mean, when I started advocating for kids to go back in person, I was called a granny killer, a teacher killer, selfish on Twitter. Oh my God, they were -- it was awful.
REEVE (voice-over): Steinkamp is a teacher in Dallas and warned early on that lockdowns would hurt kids, especially poor kids.
STEINKAMP: We can't forget our most vulnerable. And we've just created the single largest inequality generator in a generation by having some schools open, some schools closed.
REEVE (voice-over): On Twitter, Steinkamp connected with Jen Sey, then a Levi's executive, who moved her family from San Francisco to Denver in early 2021, so she could send her kids to school in person.
SEY: We quickly sort of found a community online, and I found it really interesting that she was a teacher that was advocating for in- person school. In San Francisco, you could go to a bar or a strip club, but my high school student couldn't go to English class.
REEVE (voice-over): Sey says she was forced out of Levi's in 2022 because of her COVID tweets, which the company told NPR undermined its own health and safety policies and sowed confusion among employees.
SEY: 90 percent of what I wrote about was playgrounds and schools, and there's nothing embarrassing about that now.
REEVE (voice-over): There were several active group chats where the moms shared news about COVID and DeSantis. One grew to more than 80 people and they traveled to each other's homes.
Many had been lifelong Democrats, including Julie Hamill, who has three kids and lives near L.A.
(on-camera): You voted for Obama?
HAMILL: Yeah.
REEVE (on-camera): You vote --
HAMILL: Twice.
REEVE (on-camera): -- Clinton?
HAMILLl: Yes.
REEVE (on-camera): Did you vote for Biden?
HAMILL: Yes. I have never voted for a Republican presidential candidate. I have always considered myself very socially liberal. But as we became more vocal on Twitter, we were really demonized.
REEVE (voice-over): In 2022, she ran for school board in Palos Verdes and won --
HAMILL: So I'm going to fight back.
REEVE (voice-over): -- and was an active defender of her Twitter friends.
They aren't crazy. Data from the Education Department shows kids have been hurt by long term remote learning, black and brown students more than white.
In August 2020, DeSantis was early to open schools compared to other U.S. states but not the world. Many European countries went back under national policies. In May 2020, for example, a Finland health official cited data that kids didn't play a significant role in spreading the virus.
[03:50:05]
But in the last two years, DeSantis has launched his presidential campaign and focused more on the culture war.
DESANTIS: We will make sure as president we leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history where it belongs.
REEVE (voice-over): The Twitter backlash they experienced made these women more receptive to parts of DeSantis' fight against wokeness, but not all of it.
(on-camera): I wonder if you think that DeSants', you know, very public, more unwoke, distracts from the message that you like about him?
SEY: A little bit, I do. Yeah.
REEVE (on-camera): Because, I mean, to be honest, I do feel like it would be really good to have a big public debate about what did we get wrong in COVID.
SEY: The left doesn't want to have that debate. They're never going to allow that debate. I think there's a lot of -- kind of incendiary tactics being used to smear him. I think --
REEVE (on-camera): He did sign a law that restricts transgender care for adults as well as kids.
SEY: I have greater concerns about the six-week abortion ban.
REEVE (on-camera): Tell me about that.
SEY: You know, I think if he made it clear that he's a states' rights person and that he's not looking to kind of pass a national law in this regard, I would be less concerned.
REEVE (voice-over): Not everyone in their Twitter orbit agrees on his tactics, but these three do think Florida's new six-week abortion ban is bad. HAMILL: I think that's dangerous. That's something that I cannot get
behind and I don't think that's going to bode well for his presidential campaign. I think that might be a real impediment to bringing in moderate women.
REEVE (voice-over): None of these women like the idea of a 2024 rematch between Biden and Trump. They're open to voting for DeSantis but are not sold.
(on-camera): So there's been criticism from Republicans that DeSantis is too online, that his campaign is too influenced by stuff that's popping online, but isn't affecting people in real life. So someone struggling to pay their bills isn't thinking about pronouns. Is it possible that's true?
STEINKAMP: Oh, I don't think so. I've been down all over Florida, and you know what they all say? He helped my business open up. He helped my kids go to school. The media just fixates on the culture ward pieces.
REEVE (on-camera): Is it possible that you're too online?
STEINKAMP: Yes, for sure in the beginning, but not anymore. Do I need to fight with some random online? No.
HAMILL: I would love to be off Twitter, but I feel like there are discussions that need to be had. For all the bad that comes with it, there is also a good. And I've connected with all of these like-minded women who are not alt-right demons. They're moms who have been unseen and unheard.
REEVE (voice-over): Elle Reeve, CNN, Dallas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Some Twitter users have not been happy with the platform since Elon Musk took control last October. Now, Instagram's parent company Meta is about to launch a new social media app called Threads, and they're hoping to poach some Twitter users when it goes live on Thursday.
The Threads app appears to have a similar look and feel to Twitter. Musk responded to the news with an apparent jab at Meta's executives tweeting, thank goodness, they're so sanely run. Meantime, a fidelity fund recently slashed its estimate of Twitter's value, suggesting it may be worth only a third of what Musk paid for the company when he acquired it.
Hotdogs are a food often associated with Fourth of July barbecues, but they're also the focus of Nathan's famous hotdog eating contest. Joey Chestnut was the heavy favorite in the Men's competition which he has dominated; and on Tuesday he won the title for a record 16th time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: With 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes for his 16th win, I give you the number one ranked eater in the world, Gary Chesna.
[APPLAUSE]
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Unbelievable. And in the Women's competition Mickey Sudo, she ate 39.5 dogs to win the contest for the ninth straight time; the top eater in each category takes home $10,000.
Well the United States celebrated its 247th birthday on Tuesday with spectacular fireworks for Independence Day.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
This was the annual gathering on the National Mall in Washington, where tens of thousands turned out for the stunning display and live music. Similar scenes played out across the country, including St. Louis, New Orleans, and Austin, Texas.
[03:55:00]
(VIDEO PLAYING)
In Park City, Utah, they were treated to a drone show, which flew in decorative formations. In Las Vegas, the city's newest concert venue, The Sphere, lit up its exterior screens with a patriotic display.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
And this was the finale in Idaho Falls where 200,000 people watched the largest firework show in the western United States.
And finally, after two months of radio silence, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter is talking again. The chopper has been on Mars for two years and made more than 50 flights to survey the rugged Martian landscape, but it lost contact in the middle of its latest mission in April. Ingenuity finally phoned home last week, easing concerns about its fate.
And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
