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One Killed, Three Others Shot By Man Riding Scooter; U.S. Military Aid To Ukraine Includes Cluster Munitions; Interview With Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA); Leslie Van Houten A Step Closer To Parole; Russia: Casey DeSantis Campaigns Solo For Husband In Iowa, Launches National Mamas For DeSantis; Locally Detected Cases Of Malaria Detected In The U.S. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired July 08, 2023 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:01:59]

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

And we begin this hour with developing news of a shooting spree in Queens, New York. Police have apprehended a gunman they say killed one person and injured another three while riding a scooter through various parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Police say the shootings appear to be random.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is following all of this for us.

Polo, what's the latest from the investigation?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The details from the NYPD are just frankly disturbing here. An individual aboard a scooter randomly opening fire on people in two New York City boroughs, shooting and killing at least one individual. When you plot them out on a map you can see how really kind of close they are together here. A total of five separate shootings here. Several of them in Queens and then at least one there in a neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Five scenes, four people shot, one of them unfortunately did not survive. He has only been identified as an 87-year-old man who was shot in the back. Rushed to the hospital but that's where he died. Another individual did survive however they're currently listed in critical condition after being shot in the face.

Investigators saying that the suspect so far only identified as a 25- year-old Hispanic man, used a nine-millimeter pistol that you can see in some of the images that had been released by investigators. Not only the scooter that he was allegedly riding but also that weapon.

And if you look closely Jim, you could see that extended magazine that investigators have recovered right now. This is what police have been able to say when it comes to a possible motive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JOSEPH KENNEY, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: It seems that his acts were random. If you look at the demographics and pedigree of the victims they're all different. At this time, video shows that he is not targeting anybody, he's not following anybody. As he's driving on his scooter he's randomly shooting people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So let's show viewers that weapon again. Investigators are currently trying to trace it. They were able to recover it after arresting this individual about two hours after the spree started. They noticed that there is no sort of registration number on there or no serial number. And so what investigators are doing right now they're working with federal partners trying to trace it to see if it was potentially a ghost gun, those privately assembled, impossible to trace weapons, or if a serial number was simply filed off.

So that will certainly be key in this investigation when it comes to learning more about the suspect. Again, a 25-year-old Hispanic man, he's had at least one NYPD run in with the law before, but again investigators still don't know what would have potentially motivated him to do what he allegedly did -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Polo Sandoval, very disturbing case. Thanks for staying on top of it for us. We'll get back to you if there are any new developments.

Now to President Biden pushing back against criticism of his decision to include cluster bombs in his administration's latest military aid package to Ukraine. Human rights groups oppose cluster bombs which can carry dozens or even hundreds of smaller explosives known as bomblets. Sometimes the bomblets don't explode on impact. And as you'll see in this video of a Russian cluster bomb dropped on Ukraine last year, the unexploded ordinands can kill and maim civilians.

[19:05:05]

More than 100 countries have outlawed cluster bombs, but that does not include the United States or Russia.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where the president is spending the weekend.

Priscilla, the president is facing some pushback from some of his fellow Democrats, isn't that right?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And two Democrats put it bluntly, calling it, quote, "a serious mistake." In a "Washington Post" op-ed, Senator Merkley and former Senator Leahy said that this will have a devastating impact and really pushed back against the Biden administration's decisions to send these munitions to Ukraine.

But of course, the administration is doing that at a critical time where Ukraine has not made major gains in its counteroffensive against Russia as was expected by this point. Now officials have said that this was taken under serious consideration. It wasn't until the National Security team came to a unanimous decision, and then it was ultimately up to President Biden to make the final call. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Two things for you, and it was a very difficult decision in my part. And by the way, I discussed this with our allies, discussed this with our friends up on the Hill, and we're in a situation where Ukraine continues to be brutally attacked across the board by munitions, by these cluster munitions that are -- have dud rates that are very, very low, I mean, very high that are a danger to civilians, number one.

Number two, the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition. The ammunition that they used to call them 155-millimeter weapons. This is a war relating to munitions, and they are running out of that ammunition and we're low on it. And so what I finally did, I took the recommendation of the Defense Department to, not permanently, but to allow for in this transition period where we have more 155 weapons, these shells for the Ukrainians, to provide them with something that has a very low dud rate. It's about -- I think it's 1.50, which is the least likely to be blown.

And it's not used in civilian areas. They're trying to get through those trenches and stop those tanks from rolling. And so it was not an easy decision, and we're not signatories to that agreement, but I -- it took me a while to be convinced to do it. But the main thing is, they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now -- keep them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas or they don't. And I think they needed them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now as you hear there, President Biden making it clear that a priority is this counteroffensive that Ukraine is launching against Russia. This is a significant development, and one that is likely to come up quite a bit in the next few days when the president attends the NATO summit in Lithuania. And that is going to be a key topic of discussion, the ongoing war in Ukraine and how assistance looks in the long term as they continue that counteroffensive -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much.

And you can see the entire interview with President Biden tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS." That's right here on CNN.

And joining me now to talk about this, Democratic Congressman John Garamendi of California.

Congressman, great to see you. Thanks so much for being with us. You serve on the House Armed Services Committee. What do you think? Do you agree with the president here on including cluster bombs in this aid package to Ukraine? I was talking with the former U.N. ambassador Bill Richardson in the prior hour, and he thought that this was not the right move. What do you think?

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): I think the president did make the right move. I also recognize how difficult this decision is. However, when you consider all of the factors, as the president has done, it is the right thing to do.

The fields in Ukraine where this war is taking place are currently littered with duds of all kinds of armaments. Nearly four million rounds of military artillery have been fired across both lines and there is a considerable number of duds already in the field. These cluster munitions are very effective. The problem with them is that there are a certain percentage, perhaps 1 percent or 2 percent of these small bomblets do not explode, and they are duds and littering the field and seriously a danger for the future.

And that's -- the president took all of that into account. He also took into account the effectiveness of these cluster bombs, and particularly in the trench warfare that we're now seeing in the eastern Ukraine.

[19:10:03]

So I do support him. I think it's the right thing for him to have done. I think it's also very important that the United States does what it has done before, and that is to follow up when the war is over and put as much money as necessary into cleaning the debris of war including the duds.

ACOSTA: And Congressman, just to press you on that, maybe you've seen this "Washington Post" op-ed by Senator Jeff Merkley, former Senator Patrick Leahy, both Democrats, both opposed to supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine, and they say, quote, "Supplying Kyiv with cluster munitions would come at an unsupportable moral and political price, knowing that these weapons cause indiscriminate terror and mayhem. Both of us like many others in the international community have worked for years to end their use," end quote.

Your thoughts on that, that there might be some, I guess, moral inconsistency on the part of the United States in sending these cluster bombs to Ukraine?

GARAMENDI: Well, certainly Mr. Leahy and Merkley are extremely well aware of the danger of these munitions. Let's keep in mind that the munitions themselves are extremely effective for what they intend to be used for, and that is to clear the way past the trenches that the Russians have installed in the eastern Ukrainian front.

Now the remaining duds, that is that percentage that do not explode, will add to the existing litter that is already on the battlefield. There has been four million rounds of artillery that have been lobbed by both -- by two million by both sides across the frontline. There is a significant percentage of those munitions that are already unexploded on the battlefield. These cluster bomblets that do not explode will add to that mounting number of duds and the danger into the future.

The immediate effect of the cluster bomb is, as said by the two senators, it is awesome. These are extremely explosive, extremely effective munitions for what they are intended to do. The residual is of enormous concern to all of us, and the major point here, if we want to talk about morality, we should keep in mind who started this war, why this war continues. It is prudent, it is the Russians that invaded Ukraine, that have launched this horrific war, and continue to pursue it, not only on the front line, but every day Russia immorally is attacking civilians in virtually every city of Ukraine. So if we want to talk about moral equivalency, we should keep that in mind.

ACOSTA: And tomorrow, President Biden leaves for a weeklong trip to Europe. The war in Ukraine will be a key backdrop obviously. What do you think? Should membership for Ukraine be on the table?

GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, membership for Sweden must be on the table. Right now, two of our allies, Turkey and Hungary are holding up Sweden's ascension into the NATO pack. We need Sweden in this fight. We need them in NATO. We need to understand that Russia has not given up on trying to reestablish the Warsaw Pact, which was the Russian influence, the Soviet Union influence during the Cold War.

Now with regard to Ukraine, this is not a new issue. Ukraine has put forth a solicitation to join NATO about three years ago and that has been on hold. That was being studied. Now that this war is underway, when it terminates, there is a high probability that Ukraine will once again put forth a solicitation to join NATO. And at that point, it seems to me that they should be allowed to join NATO.

They will ultimately be the victors in this war, this horrendous fight that they have endured, and they have at least thus far successfully pursued, although the current offense is going much slower than all of us would like, and that brings us back to the cluster bomb issue.

ACOSTA: And I want to turn to some reporting in the "New York Times." It involves John Kelly, who served as President Trump's White House chief of staff. "The Times" says that John Kelly said in a sworn statement that former president -- then President Trump had discussed having the IRS and other federal agencies investigate two FBI officials, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page." They were involved in the Russia investigation.

[19:15:06]

You served on the Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government. Isn't this the epitome of weaponizing the federal government?

GARAMENDI: It certainly is. For four years, Trump attempted and successfully in some cases, to use the power of the federal government, the IRS, the judiciary and others, to prosecute, to persecute, and to go after his political enemies. This is not a new issue, it's been there for four years during the Trump period. It was plain to see and it was discussed and it was news items during that period of time.

And now we have this hypocrisy from Jim Jordan going after what clearly Biden did not do with regard to the Hunter Biden situation, and if you want to investigate, the weaponization of the federal government, go back three years, 2 1/2 years, go back to January of 2020, when the waning days of the Trump administration, even at that time, Trump was attempting to use the military -- to use the military to stay in power. So yes, there's plenty to investigate.

When all of this was said and done it may be that we will want to put in place more safeguards, more rails, if you will, to make it clear that no administration should ever be using the federal -- the power of the federal government to go after their political opponents. Clearly Biden has not done that. Clearly Trump did. And if guardrails are necessary, then that should be our work, not just, as Mr. Jordan is doing, using the committee as a weapon.

Jordan is using the committee as a weapon, using the government as a weapon, to go after his perceived political foes, specifically the Biden family and the Biden administration.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman John Garamendi, of course if Congress Jordan wants to come on and refute what you just said there, we're happy to have him on.

Congressman Garamendi, thanks very much for your time. We appreciate it.

GARAMENDI: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Thank you.

Coming up, she has been in prison for more than 50 years but now Manson Family member and convicted killer Leslie Van Houten is now a big step closer to winning parole. But the Biden administration confirming it will send cluster munitions to Ukraine. Will it be a battlefield gamechanger that is worth the controversy? And later locally acquired cases of malaria are on the rise. What you need to know to keep yourself and your family safe.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:22:05]

ACOSTA: Manson family member and convicted murderer Leslie Van Houten could soon be a free woman. California Governor Gavin Newsom's office said it will not fight a ruling recommending parole for the 73-year- old, putting her one step closer to being released from prison. Van Houten was convicted in 1971 for her role in the brutal killings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in their home. She was originally sentenced to death, but that sentence was commuted to life in prison after the death penalty was overturned in California.

With me now is Van Houten's attorney, Nancy Tetreault.

Nancy, thanks very much for being with us. Have you talked to Van Houten? What is her reaction to this news? Is it your expectation as it is being reported that your client is probably going to be paroled and be allowed to leave prison?

NANCY TETREAULT, LESLIE VAN HOUTEN'S ATTORNEY: She is for sure going to be leaving prison on parole, probably within the next couple of weeks. What happened procedurally is that board granted her parole in 2020. She has been in front of the California -- the parole board, it was about 21 times starting in 1982, denied all the 21 times. In 2016, she got her first grant of parole. She had five consecutive parole grants by the board, all of them reversed by the governor.

The governor did reverse this grant of parole, but we prevailed in the California court of appeal. The court of appeal found that there was no evidence, not even a modicum of evidence, supporting the governor's finding that she presents a current risk of danger. And truly, she does not. She's had decades of therapy. She's had decades of rehabilitative programming. She has accepted full responsibility for her part in the LaBianca murders. She has expressed genuine remorse, all of the things that are necessary for a finding of parole suitability.

What the governor has done is, the governor -- the court of appeal vacated the governor's reversal, reinstated the board's grant of parole. The governor then have the right to call on the California Supreme Court to reverse the court of appeal. He has declined to do that. So that means the grant of parole has been reinstated, yes.

ACOSTA: OK. And let's listen to what Van Houten told CNN's Larry King back in 1994, that's how long we've been covering this case, about her role in the killings. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESLIE VAN HOUTEN, CONVICTED MURDERER: I went and I called Tex, and I said that we weren't able to kill her and then Tex went in the bedroom and Pat went into the living room, and I went and I stood in the hallway. And then Tex turned me around and he handed me a knife and he said do something. And so I went in and Mrs. LaBianca was laying on the floor and I stabbed her.

[19:25:03]

LARRY KING, FORMER CNN HOST: Where?

VAN HOUTEN: In the lower back around 16 times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: As you know, this was a grizzly killing. And Van Houten does not deny that she took part in it. She was 19 at the time of the LaBianca murders, if I'm not mistaken. She was not a minor. What do you say to folks out there who just say, I'm sorry, she should not be released?

TETREAULT: That is not the law. There is -- she was granted -- actually her sentence was not commuted. She was tried three times. The first time she was tried with Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, all of the murderers for both the Tate and LaBianca murders. Leslie was only involved in the LaBianca murders. They were all convicted, they were all sentenced to death.

And you're correct that in California, the California Supreme Court in "People versus Anderson" reversed the death penalty under cruel and unusual punishment grounds. So all of those sentences were commuted. However, Leslie's sentence was -- conviction was reversed by the court of appeal. It found that actually her attorney rendered ineffective assistance of counsel, so she -- her conviction was reversed, and that's unrelated to the death penalty reversal.

So she was tried a second time, hung jury. Tried a third time, convicted and given a sentence of an indeterminate life sentence of 25 years to life. So when you have an indeterminate life sentence, due process requires that you're given a meaningful opportunity at parole. And so those that say she should remain in prison, maybe that's how they feel, but that's not what the law says. And after 22 tries, the parole board finally said yes, you meet the standard. So therefore, she is suitable for parole.

ACOSTA: But even the family --

TETREAULT: So therefore the law --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Even the LaBianca family is slamming this and they are saying that Cory LaBianca, Leno's daughter, told the Associated Press, "My family and I are heartbroken because we're once again reminded of all the years that we have not had my father and my stepmother with us."

TETREAULT: And that's absolutely true. She has argued that --

ACOSTA: What does she have to say about that?

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Does she specifically say now how much she regrets this?

TETREAULT: Absolutely. That is one of the indicia of being found suitable for parole. She had to prove that she had insight into what caused her to fall under the influence of Charles Manson, because that is a question, and also what caused her to participate in the murders. She was 19, and California recognizes something called the hallmark features abuse and that is impulsivity and inability to appreciate consequence.

So that's factored into it. But beyond that, she spent decades trying to figure out the causative factors and she finally was able to explain it to the board and the court of appeals' satisfaction. And part of that is accepting full responsibility. And she accepts responsibility for both murders and actually everything that happened when she was a member of the Manson cult.

And with that, accepting responsibility is a difficult thing for prisoners to accept because with that, you have to feel the guilt, and she does. She says -- she said her word, I have heard her say that she wakes up every day feeling remorse and guilt, and it's genuine and the board found that to be true. So yes.

ACOSTA: Yes. All right, well, Nancy Tetreault, thanks very much. We'll check back in with you once this release happens. Appreciate your time. Thanks so much.

TETREAULT: Thank you for having me.

ACOSTA: All right. Still ahead, Ukraine is welcoming President Biden's decision to send cluster munitions to that country. How much could the weapons impact tactics on the battlefield? We'll discuss next with Colonel Cedric Leighton. He comes up in a few moments. Stay with us.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:33:20]

ACOSTA: Russia's Foreign Ministry says the Biden administration's decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine is an act of "desperation." President Biden himself says it was a difficult, but necessary decision to help Ukraine fight back against Russia, but many disagree. Critics say it's a mistake that will cost the lives of many innocent civilians.

And joining me to talk about this is CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel Leighton, I mean, do you -- why do you think the Biden administration took this course? Why cluster munitions? Why not other types of munitions that haven't been banned by a hundred other countries? Why go into this kind of a thicket in trying to help the Ukrainians out?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think the primary reason, Jim, is that our defense industrial base has not kept up with the standard munitions that the Ukrainians are using, up until this point for the most part in their effort against the Russians.

So what you have is a defense industrial base that can't keep pace with the demand. The fact that it can't keep pace with the demand means that once the Ukrainians run out of the munitions that they have, they're going to have to ask for other munitions and cluster munitions was one of their asks, and the United States has finally agreed to provide them under some pretty rigid conditions.

But nonetheless, they are cluster munitions and there is the risk that they could potentially hurt civilians, especially if they're found as unexploded ordnance on the field.

ACOSTA: Well, and that's what I was going to ask you and not Russian civilians, Ukrainian civilians.

LEIGHTON: Exactly.

ACOSTA: The use of these cluster munitions by the Ukrainians provided by the United States may result in some of these dud bomblets of being found on the battlefield by innocent civilians and you could have tragic consequences. That's a possibility here.

[19:35:10]

LEIGHTON: Absolutely a possibility.

Now, the one thing to keep in mind is that the rate of unexploded ordnance, in other words, the dud rate, as they call it, for Russian munitions is far, far higher for Russian cluster bombs than it is for American cluster bombs.

So the difference is somewhere between 2.5 to three percent for the American ones, and some were up to 30 to 40 percent for the Russian cluster munitions. So there is a vast difference between the types of ordnance that either side uses.

However, it is very true that in Afghanistan, for example, we use cluster munitions and those cluster munitions did fall into the hands at times of children in Afghanistan, and they exploded, and of course, killed and injured many of them and that is a problem even with low dud -- supposedly low dud rates, it's a huge issue.

ACOSTA: Will this change the battle for Ukraine? Will this give them some kind of an advantage? Will it be worth the cost? The overall cost some may say.

LEIGHTON: Right, if the cluster munitions arrive quickly on the battlefield, it could make a tactical difference. The real answer should be, provide weapons systems quickly and have a supply chain that works from start to finish with standard munitions and that also means platforms that, you know, that they've resisted providing, such as the F-16, for example, or the ATACMS, the army tactical missile system.

Those weapons systems could be used without cluster munitions, so that it would be a much more standard and much more acceptable way of fighting the battle. But given the situation that we're in right now, President Biden had to make a very difficult decision and I think he felt compelled to send cluster munitions because there is really no other choice to help the Ukrainians quickly.

ACOSTA: And why not go with those other weapons systems, as you were saying? I mean, those were other options on the table, potentially.

LEIGHTON: Potentially. So let's take the F-16 as an example, it has a fairly long training pipeline that you need in order to, you know, get proficient in the F-16. It takes about, you know, at best eight months to get somebody rudimentary, ready to fly an F-16 and that is somebody who has already had experience with flying an aircraft, especially a fighter jet.

Barring that, you really don't have much choice. The ATACMS would be a different situation. They could probably use that fairly quickly. Of course, they need to be trained on that. But because it's not there, and the administration has resisted providing the ATACMS which has a longer range than the HIMARS, for example, that then gives you a situation where if you need something quickly, and they don't have the training yet, cluster munitions are basically your only other alternative at this point. ACOSTA: All right, I'm guessing we're going to be talking about this subject in the days to come, especially this coming week with the president meeting with NATO allies.

All right, Colonel Cedric Leighton, thanks very much. We appreciate it.

We'll be right back.

LEIGHTON: Thank you, Jim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:42:10]

ACOSTA: Casey DeSantis has a high-profile role in her husband's 2024 White House bid. This week she held her first solo campaign event for him in Iowa, borrowing a page from the conservative group, Moms for Liberty, which is involved in book banning and school board fights, Mrs. DeSantis is launching what the campaign is calling Mamas for DeSantis, and some details now from CNN Kristen Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY DESANTIS, WIFE OF GOV. RON DESANTIS: Thank you for the honor to be here.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A regular fixture on the campaign trail --

CASEY DESANTIS: As long as I have breath in my body, I will go out and I will fight for Ron DeSantis.

HOLMES (voice over): Florida's First Lady, Casey DeSantis has built her own brand as a mom focused on parents' rights. Now, she is taking her act solo, headlining her own event in Iowa this week to campaign for her husband.

CASEY DESANTIS: He led with principle, courage, and conviction.

HOLMES (voice over): And launched Mamas for DeSantis, a national initiative to mobilize women to back her husband's White House bid releasing this video amplifying his core message and combative rhetoric.

WOMAN VOICE OVER: There is nothing we won't do to protect our children. We will not allow you to exploit their innocence to advance your agenda. We are no longer silent. We are united.

CASEY DESANTIS: And God bless --

HOLMES (voice over): Once a local news anchor in Jacksonville, Florida.

CASEY DESANTIS: Hello everyone, and welcome to First Coast Living, I am Casey DeSantis.

HOLMES (voice over): She is no stranger to the spotlight, using your skill set in public speaking ease to campaign alongside her husband, helping propel him to the US House of Representatives, and then to the Florida Governor's Mansion.

CASEY DESANTIS: He is teaching Madison to talk --

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Make America great again.

I am bringing out the First Lady of Florida --

HOLMES (voice over): Casey has always been a pillar of DeSantis' political campaigns, as has been their marriage.

RON DESANTIS: The two most important women in my life, my mother was from Youngstown, and my wife is from Troy, and so our family reflects your family.

CASEY DESANTIS: He is a good dad. He's fighting for our children just as much as he's fighting for your families.

HOLMES (voice over): It's a dynamic some Republican voters have noticed.

SHELLIE FLOCKHART, DESANTIS CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEER: Parts that I think that DeSantis is really strong in is his family unit. His wife, Casey. He is very respectful of her and he just loves her.

KIT HART, REPUBLICAN VOTER : His marriage with Casey and his relationship with his children are obviously of utmost importance

HOLMES (voice over): For Casey DeSantis, her solo appearance in Iowa capped a week on the campaign trail that started with a pair of Fourth of July parades in New Hampshire, where she and her husband were joined by their three young children.

RON DESANTIS: All things considered, they are well-behaved, like you always keep your fingers crossed for things like this.

HOLMES (voice over): A sign of things to come as DeSantis puts his family front and center in his run for the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And that was Kristen Holmes with that report. Thanks very much.

Coming up, Medical First, the FDA just approved the first medicine proven to slow the course of Alzheimer's, that's next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:49:32] ACOSTA: For the first time in 20 years, locally acquired cases of malaria are being reported in the United States. The mosquito-borne disease is a relatively rare find here in the US with 95 percent of cases detected in Africa.

Now the CDC is issuing an alert after six cases were identified in Florida and another one in Texas in just the last few months, and Dr. Leana Wen joins us now.

Dr. Wen, great to see you. Always good to talk to you.

I mean, what do you think? Should Americans be concerned about this? Can this be contained quickly so it's not a big concern?

[19:50:06]

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: The short answer is no. Most Americans should not be concerned about malaria at this time, they should be concerned about malaria if they're traveling to areas that are known to be -- to have malaria.

So for example, you mentioned 95 percent of cases are in Africa and there are some places in Southeast Asia, for example, where malaria is endemic as well. And if somebody is going to travel to these areas, they should talk to their physician about what medications to take for prophylaxis.

But if they're in the US, the chance of them getting malaria is extremely low. The reason why the CDC issued this particular alert is so that clinicians can be on the lookout if there are patients who have high fevers, they look very ill, even if they haven't traveled to those endemic places, clinicians can still be testing patients for malaria.

And in the meantime, public health authorities should be concerned because we have not had cases of locally transmitted malaria here in the US for 20 years. And so this is something for public health authorities to be concerned about, but not average individuals, because this is not transmitted person to person, it is transmitted only through mosquitoes.

ACOSTA: And so why do you think it popped up for the first time in 20 years?

WEN: That's a really good question. There are -- there is speculation about this. No one knows for certain, some people think that it's a result of climate change. Others think that it might be because of increased travel.

Again, 20 years ago, there was an outbreak in one particular area in Florida where eight people got locally acquired malaria. And so, this is something that can happen. And again, these public health efforts are going to be really important in tracking these cases.

ACOSTA: Yes. Okay, and I want to ask you about a new Alzheimer's drug on the market. I mean, this is big news. I know you follow this so closely, and anybody who has this issue in their family must have been very heartened by this.

This week, the FDA granted full approval to Leqembi, the first medicine proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. How significant is this for patients? What do you think?

WEN: I think, it is a really significant development, Jim, and that's because this is the very first medication fully approved by the FDA to slow the progression of disease from Alzheimer's, and in the US, there are more than six million patients who have Alzheimer's.

And so this offers a ray of hope, and I hope also will pave the way for a lot more research to be done into these types of treatments.

That said, we also have to be very careful about stating what this drug is and isn't. This is not a cure for Alzheimer's, it is not to be used for people with moderate or severe Alzheimer's. It's only for people with mild early onset Alzheimer's, early in the course of their illness.

And also, this medication has a lot of side effects, including brain bleeding and brain swelling. Thirteen percent of patients in the clinical trial actually got brain bleeding and swelling. It's also an infusion, it's given one dose every two weeks and patients need frequent MRI scans of the brain to look for brain swelling and bleeding.

And so I think a lot of patients probably are not going to be interested in this medication at this time, but I think it will be a really good option for some, and I'm really glad to be able to provide patients and caregivers this option.

ACOSTA: And I have to go, but Dr. Wen, last week, you published a column in "The Washington Post" about a health scare that you got that got you to slow down and prioritize your health and well-being, and I just want to say as somebody who spoke with you so many times over the years, especially during the pandemic, I'm so glad you're doing much better.

But perhaps, we can have you on some time to talk about this, "When the Doctor Unexpectedly Becomes the Patient." Check out Dr. Wen's column about this. Yes, even doctors go through this stuff too. But Dr. Wen, great to see you as always. Thanks so much.

WEN: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, good to see you.

The new CNN original series, "See it Loud: The History of Black Television" is coming. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I think about the history of Black television and really think about progress, for the longest time, we were footnotes in history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is so important for us to have African- American representation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've talked about things that nobody in this country was willing to have a discussion about.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was like, Martin, can you believe they call us icons?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was one of the first times I saw myself in the sci-fi genre.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That show was so successful, it launched Bravo Network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have Tyler Perry who owns a studio. In 1950, you could never have imagined it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was an era to be as loud as possible and as Black as possible.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are the story.

ANNOUNCER: "See It Loud: The History of Black Television" premieres tomorrow at nine on CNN.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I still get those residual cheques. Thank you. You're welcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:59:23]

ACOSTA: Finally tonight, to a great moment at last night's Red Sox game against the Oakland A's. CNN's very own Andrew Kaczynski better known as K-File threw out the first pitch on behalf of Team Beans.

He and his wife Rachel have raised some -- more than $3 million for research to cure childhood cancer. Their daughter, Francesca nicknamed Beans, died in 2020 from brain cancer at just nine years old.

If you'd like to make a donation to Francesca's cause and in her honor, you can visit TeamBeansFund.com. It is a great cause and we love Andrew over here at CNN, very proud of everything he's done on behalf of that cause.

Thanks very much for joining me this evening. I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you tomorrow at five o'clock Eastern.

The CNN Originals "The 2000s: The Platinum Age of Television" is up next.

And as we leave you tonight, as we do sometimes here on the program, a final look at the US Capitol on this Saturday night.

Stay safe everybody. We'll see you tomorrow. Have a goodnight.

[20:00:21]