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Biden Departs For European Trip, NATO Summit; Russia: Key Crimea Bridge Briefly Closed After Cruise Missile Shot Down; Gun Violence Epidemic; Fight Over Transgender Rights In Tennessee; Texas Sued Over Plan To Deploy Floating Barrier On Rio Grande To Curb Border Crossings; Congress Returns To Capitol Hill This Week. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired July 09, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:31]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with President Biden who will soon arrive in London for the start of a high-stakes trip to Europe. During the five-day visit, Biden will meet with leaders in the U.K. and Finland.

And in between those two stops, attend a critical NATO summit. A meeting that will be keenly focused on Russia's war in Ukraine, a conflict right on NATO's borders.

The summit comes just days after President Biden approved giving controversial cluster munitions to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Munitions that nearly all NATO members have banned.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is traveling just ahead of the president's arrival, already there in London.

Arlette, what is first on the president's agenda?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, President Biden will arrive here in London in just a few hours. And tomorrow he will meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street before heading over to Windsor Castle for an engagement with King Charles, the first time the two men will be meeting since his coronation in May.

One of the issues that they're expected to discuss is climate change, which is a key priority and portfolio for the monarch.

And after this visit here to the United Kingdom, President Biden will then head to Vilnius Lithuania, which is home to this year's NATO summit. That is really the centerpiece of President Biden's trip.

He will then travel on to Finland where he will meet with the country's president as well as Nordic leaders.

But at the NATO summit, really the war -- Russia's war against Ukraine will be the key focus, as the NATO alliance wants to once again shore up their support for the war-torn country.

Also up for debate is a possible road map for Ukraine to potentially join NATO down the road. That is an issue that has already caused some debate amongst allies. And President Biden told our colleague Fareed Zakaria in an interview that now is not the time for Ukraine to join NATO. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO. but here is the deal. I spent, as you know, a great deal of time trying to hold NATO together because I believe Putin has had an overwhelming objective from the time he launched 185,000 troops into Ukraine. And that was to break NATO. He was confident, in my view, and many in the intelligence community -- he was confident he could break NATO.

So holding NATO together is really critical. I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine in to the NATO family now at this moment in the middle of a war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, another issue that is going to be discussed at this summit is Sweden's interest in joining NATO. That is currently held up by Hungary and mainly President Erdogan of Turkey. Now the president has said that he is optimistic that they will be able to overcome those roadblocks.

So that is another key question that will need to be answered in the coming week. It's unclear whether that could be decided this week, but it's shaping up to be a very consequential week for the future of the NATO alliance.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, thanks so much in London. We'll check back with you.

Let's talk more about all of this now and turn to CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. Also with us, CNN presidential historian Tim Naftali. Good to see both of you gentlemen.

All right. David, you first. You know, we're now just over 500 days into Russia's war in Ukraine. So what needs to come out of this NATO summit to ensure that there are not 500 more days of this conflict?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, you know, you raised the right question, Fredricka, because I think the difference between this year's summit, and I've just arrived in Vilnius a few hours ago. And last year's NATO summit, was that last year the Russians had just left Kyiv and begun to retreat down to the south and the east where the war has been since.

And there was some optimism that you were going to see the Ukrainians score some big victories. And they did initially in Kherson and elsewhere. But now I think as everybody meets today and tomorrow, there is a sense here that this war is a long haul.

[14:04:51]

SANGER: And that Putin's bet is that the European's will give up, or the U.S. will elect President Trump -- former President Trump or someone Trump-like who takes the view that we shouldn't be in this war, or the Ukrainians will run out of ammunition. And that's what last week and the cluster munitions was all about. And so I would say there's a considerable more pessimism now.

And then, of course, we don't know if Zelenskyy us going to show up, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine because he wants serious progress and at least a timetable for Ukraine's entry into NATO.

And you just heard the president. If the war is on, they're not going to give them a timetable. And we don't know how long the war is going to last.

WHITFIELD: And on the decision about the controversial, you know, cluster munitions that the White House has now agreed upon, here is what the president told our Fareed Zakaria in this exclusive interview on his decision-making.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: It was a very difficult decision on my part. And by the way, I discussed this with our allies. I discussed this with our friends up on the Hill. And we're in a situation where Ukraine continues to be brutally attacked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And today a top House Republican was asked about what he thought of Biden's decision. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): Russia is dropping with impunity cluster bombs in Ukraine, in the country of Ukraine right now. All the Ukrainians and Zelenskyy are asking for is to give them the same weapons the Russians have to use in their own country against Russians who are in their own country. They do not want these to be used in Russia. They want these as self defense to use against Russians in their own country of Ukraine.

I don't see anything wrong with that because, quite honestly, Jake, as you look at the counteroffensive, it's been slowed tremendously because this administration has been so slow to get the weapons in.

These weapons would be a game changer. They are highly effective and particularly hitting flanks of troops inside of Ukraine. They would be a game changer in the counteroffensive. And I'm really pleased the administration has finally agreed to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Tim, I mean, what does this say to you that people who have been critical of this administration are now on board, at least with this decision from President Biden.

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, I mean, you do have a substantial group of Republican leaders, elected Republicans, who do support protecting and defending, at least indirectly, Ukraine.

So it's not a real surprise that those Republicans would support this. After all, their argument has been that the administration hasn't done enough for Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: And David, you know, many of the NATO countries that Biden will be meeting with have banned the use of these cluster munitions. And may not be in step with what Biden's decision has been as of recent, but he says he did inform his allies about his decision ahead of time.

So how does he navigate this NATO summit while he's making these offerings to Ukraine at the same time he is saying that Ukraine is just not ready to be a member. So what are the discussions going to be?

SANGER: So, Fredricka, there are two separate issues here on Ukraine's readiness. The first is are they ready to be a part of NATO, to be able to make the contributions to NATO, to be an established democracy. And while the U.S. has been helping them and NATO has been helping them, Europeans have, we don't know yet what Ukraine's democratic course is going to be.

Obviously they're under martial law now because of the war. But they're not a country -- it's not a country with an established democratic tradition. So I can see why it is that President Biden wants to make sure that that piece of it isn't rushed.

The second part of the argument, though, is if you do this with a country at war, you are in the war and directly in combat with the Russians from that moment forward.

On the munitions, I think this is different than the other weapons that the president was hesitant to give. He was hesitant to give the F-16s and the others because he was concerned about the escalation that it may trigger by the Russians.

In this case, these munitions, he was hesitant to give because there was a treaty that his allies had signed that banned storing these, making them, shipping them because kids pick them up in the unexploded shells and get grievously injured.

And in the end, the decision they made was there are so many of these cluster munitions on the ground now, Fredricka, that because the Russians dropped them and some of the Ukrainians have dropped that the U.S. addition to this would be pretty marginal and that the whole area will have to be cleaned up any way.

[14:09:54]

WHITFIELD: Right. But perhaps one of the concessions here or conditions was that when Ukraine is to use them, it will not be in the urban areas so --

SANGER: That's right.

WHITFIELD: -- you know, Less populated areas perhaps to alleviate those kind of concerns.

So Tim, Biden is also set to visit Finland this week, the newest member of NATO. He also said that he is optimistic that Sweden will soon join.

Is this going to be a rather awkward set of meetings while he's advocated for some and still not for Ukraine?

NAFTALI: Well, we're hearing a slightly different tone out of Turkish leader Erdogan, not regarding Sweden but he's actually sent sort of positive signals that he would be supportive down the road of Ukraine joining NATO.

Well, that's a big thing for him to say when he's trying to maintain some kind of relationship with the Russians. So Erdogan has just won an election. And maybe if he gets his F-16s, which he's been asking for, he might give a little.

So this may not be as tough for Biden. I just wanted to add that President Biden and the Biden administration had been really great at knitting together NATO after the Trump years when the United States seemed to be flirting with leaving NATO.

But one of the challenges for the president, I believe, is that he has to get to that point David raised about escalation. I think this administration has been far too concerned about the ladder of escalation when I don't think Russians, at least in my study of Russians, they don't really think that way.

And so this might be the time to discuss with NATO allies when air power will be part of this. Because the issue with cluster bombs is a symptom of a war that drags on in an almost like Iraq war or World War I-type scenario. When if you had air power, you could actually do real damage rather quickly to the Russian defenses.

And that's something NATO actually could do not as a NATO attack of course, but as a repainted fuselage, Ukrainian air force attack. And that might be something that will be discussed at this point.

WHITFIELD: And then Tim, I wonder you know, as the president embarks on this big five-day European trip, it is in the midst of a presidential election. So, does this journey rise to a different level of importance?

NAFTALI: Well, I think that will have a lot to -- two points.

One, President Biden has to think about his own coalition, his own Democratic coalition. It will be very interesting to see what, if any, major criticism he gets from Democrats because of this decision regarding cluster bombs.

And secondly, with regard to the Republicans, the war in Ukraine is a problem for the Republicans. And there's -- it's nothing to do with President Biden. It's the fact that Republicans themselves cannot agree.

So as we watch the primaries, the Republican primaries or the competition of the primaries, we'll get a sense of that debate. The president being presidential is always a good thing, but we don't yet know what role the war in Ukraine is going to play in the 2024 election.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now, gentlemen. Thank you so much, Tim Naftali, David Sanger. Good to see you both.

SANGER: You too.

NAFTALI: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Turning now to the latest in the war in Ukraine.

A Russian official says their air defenses shot down a cruise missile near a key bridge linking Russian-controlled Crime with the mainland. The incident closed the bridge for a time before being reopened. And this is the same bridge that was attacked last October causing a partial collapse.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is in eastern Ukraine for us. Ben, what's the latest?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredricka, today really the news is about this incident, shall we say, at the Kerch Bridge. This is a bridge that links Russia proper with Russian- occupied Crimea.

It was -- the construction of that bridge which is 11 miles long, it's the largest -- longest bridge in Europe, began just after Russia seized illegally the Crimean Peninsula.

And it was sort of a project of prestige for President Putin. The Russians spent millions of dollars. But on the 8th of October last year, there was a strike on that bridge. And it basically knocked it out for months.

And so, the fact that there was this incident today coinciding with a statement from the deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar, who's the deputy defense minister who acknowledged indirectly that it was Ukraine that actually struck that bridge on the 8th of October last year. She put out a message saying that -- listing 12 important Ukrainian achievements in the 500 days since the full-scale Russian invasion. And she included in that list the strike -- a strike on the Kerch Bridge. So there's been lots of talk about that.

[14:15:00]

WEDEMAN: Now today was a fairly minor incident. According to Russian officials, rather Russian-backed officials in Crimea, there was a cruise missile fired near the bridge. It was shot down by air defenses. Traffic was suspended in both directions temporarily but resumed thereafter.

But it just goes to show how vulnerable the Russian presence in Crimea is when anything flies near that bridge, let alone like what happened on the 8th of October last year when it was knocked out of action for months and months, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then Ben, tell me about these Ukrainian POWs and their appearances this weekend.

WEDEMAN: Well, this is an interesting story because they're from the famous Azovstal siege, that was an 80-day siege of a massive steel plant that was in the city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea. And when the Ukrainians finally surrendered after that 80-day siege, many of them were taken into custody as prisoners of war by the Russians.

Now, then later there was a deal worked out where 215 Ukrainian prisoners held by the Russians were sent home in exchange for 54 Russians, plus a very prominent Ukrainian businessman who just so happened to be a close friend of Putin. Now they're back. The deal seems to have fallen apart.

Apparently President Erdogan, who was hosting five of the commanders of this group, agreed to allow them to come home. And as soon as they came home they said they want to go straight to the front, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Extraordinary.

All right. Ben Wedeman in eastern Ukraine. Thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, another violent weekend in America. Shootings in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Cleveland.

Plus, Texas Governor Greg Abbott facing a lawsuit over plans to put floating barriers in the Rio Grande River to deter migrants. Details on this legal fight.

[14:17:13]

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

Police in Cleveland are investigating a mass shooting on a city street overnight. Officials say a gunman opened fire toward a group of people, hitting and wounding nine of them and then fled the scene.

Thankfully there were no fatalities. No information has been provided yet about the suspect.

There had been more than 365 mass shootings so far in 2023 according to the Gun Violence Archive.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joining us right now with more on this. Put these numbers into perspective. I mean it is sad.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sad and quite sobering too, Fred, when you look at sort of the greater picture here. You mentioned the shooting in Cleveland from last night that left nine people injured.

We covered just yesterday here in Queens, New York and in Brooklyn, this individual that according to police was randomly shooting individuals, at least four of them shot, one of them fatally, an elderly man that was shot in the back in Queens.

So each one of those is a clear example at really just the latest reminder of America's constant struggle to overcome gun violence here. When you look at the numbers alone, just nine days into July of this year, and we have already seen just this month alone, you see the number there, 32 mass shootings. An average of 3 or 4 a day.

And then the larger picture there, when you look at numbers that we have seen so far, 367, considering that up against 647 total last year, that tells you that we are basically on pace to exceed what we have seen before.

July 4th and July 5th was key here in the United States, recording at least ten mass shootings. And this is certainly not uncommon, I should say. The Gun Violence Archive, which actually would classify mass shooting as an incident that results in the deaths of four people or more, not including the shooter reporting that Fourth of July holiday usually accounts for the most mass shootings of any other day in nearly a decade.

Again, that's according to the Gun Violence Archive and the second most frequent day, July 5th. So that's certainly telling here. So it's telling us that just some or overall based on historic trends, also we tend to see that increase in numbers.

Now the question as to why we're seeing this. I mean just look at the locations of the mass shootings in 2023 alone. We have seen them obviously, saw some in the West Coast, or in Louisiana recently and of course plenty in the Northeast.

The question of why, well, social scientists we have heard from them for decades now. Some might say there's a correlation, at least an indirect or direct correlation between temperatures, for example. And also the propensity for violence.

Then the question of a solution, right? It depends those who you ask. You might hear those who say that the key is to address mental health, while you have others who will propose legislation, for example try to eliminate gun show loopholes.

So it really is still that on going debate and caught in the middle are people as a result of some of these guns that have been used as well, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, too much. All right. Polo Sandoval, thanks so much for that.

SANDOVAL: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, a federal appeals court allows a ban on gender affirming care for minors to take effect in Tennessee. What's next on that legal fight, straight ahead.

[14:24:30]

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WHITFIELD: Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors will now take effect after a federal appeals court lifted an injunction against the law. The ban, which originally was set to take effect July 1, prohibits healthcare providers from performing gender-affirming surgeries and administering hormones or puberty blockers to transgender youth.

19 states so far have passed similar laws. In five states providing gender-affirming care to minors is now a felony.

CNN's Rafael Romo has been following all of this for us. So the courts still have to reach a final decision.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. They do. But it seems like it's going to happen very, very soon. And in their opinion the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati acknowledged that their views were, quote, "initial". And they also said, Fred that they may be wrong.

[14:29:48]

ROMO: But there's a reason why they expedited the appeal of the preliminary injunction. The judges say they have the goal of resolving the matter no later than September 30th this year in an effort to mitigate any potential harm from that possibility.

To reach their conclusion, they granted a stay of a lower court injunction which had been blocking enforcement of the state's ban on healthcare providers from performing - gender-affirming surgeries and administering hormones or puberty blockers to transgender minors, pending the duration of the appeal.

A Tennessee General Attorney Jonathan Skrmetti who is a Republican acknowledged Saturday after the ruling was announced that this case is far from over, he said, but this is a big win, adding that the court of appeals lifted the injunction meaning the law can be fully enforced and recognized that Tennessee is likely to win the constitutional argument and the case.

On the other side, the American Civil Liberties Union blasted the decision in a statement, also saying that this case is far from over and calling the ruling disappointing and heart breaking. As we and our clients consider, our next steps the ACLU said, we want all the transgender youth of Tennessee to know this fight is far from over and we will continue to challenge this law until it is permanently defeated and Tennessee is made a safer place to raise every family.

The ruling means the ban will now take effect immediately. And, Fred, this is the first time a U.S. federal court rules in favor banning healthcare providers from providing transition care to transgender minors.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: This is just one chapter. Let's see what happens next.

All right. Thanks so much, Rafael Romo. Appreciate it.

All right. The state of Texas is being sued over a plan to deploy a floating barrier on the Rio Grande River to curb illegal border crossings. The owner of a Texas canoe and kayaking company has filed a lawsuit against Governor Greg Abbott claiming the buoys would prevent his company from giving tours on the river.

CNN's Camila Bernal is joining us with more on this.

Camila, what more do we know about this lawsuit and the status of this floating barrier?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. So on Friday, Texas began the deployment of the floating barrier of the buoys. And Governor Greg Abbott said he wants these in place essentially to deter migrants, to keep them from coming to Texas.

Now, that same day on Friday before the buoys were installed, this owner of the kayaking and canoe company sued, saying specifically that the governor does not have the right to regulate the border. This owner also says that putting these buoys out on the river prevents him from essentially giving any tours or having kayaking and canoeing sessions on the river, which the lawsuit says creates imminent and irreparable harm.

Now, CNN has reached out to Governor Greg Abbott's office. While we did not hear back, he did post about this on Twitter, saying this -- we will see you in court. And don't think the Travis County court will be the end of it that's because that lawsuit was filed in the Travis County Court. He says this is going to the Supreme Court. Texas has a constitutional right to secure our border.

Now, overall, the deployment of these buoys has been criticized by immigration activists and also by a lot of Democrats.

I want you to listen to what Representative Veronica Escobar had to say about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR (D-TX): I think it's really important for Americans to understand just how dangerous, reckless and deadly the governor's decision is. It is shameful. We are going to see more drownings.

We know that deterrents and tactics like this don't stop desperate people who are running for their safety. It only causes more death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now, the governor, when he announced this about a month ago, said this is essentially securing the border at the border. And he specifically said that this will not necessarily cause more harm because it will prevent people from even trying to swim across the Rio Grande River. DPS there said that they essentially are going to anchor them to the bottom of the river. They could be four to six feet high depending on the area of the river that you are at.

But again, there's just a lot of back and forth and a lot of controversy because a lot of people are criticizing this and what the governor of Texas is saying that this will go to the Supreme Court -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Camila Bernal, thanks so much for that.

BERNAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still to come, lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill this week. And U.S. senators will get the first classified briefing on artificial intelligence.

And in the House, U.S. House, a renewed impeachment push is set to take center stage. We'll have detailed straight ahead.

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[14:38:50]

WHITFIELD: Congress returns to Capitol Hill from its holiday recess this week. The U.S. Senate will be back in session tomorrow and the U.S. House resumes its work on Tuesday.

CNN has learned that lawmakers have been working through the recess to reach a compromise on spending.

For more, let's bring in CNN's Alayna Treene.

Alayna, what more do we know about these spending talks?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, good afternoon, Fred. These spending talks are going to be the top priority for Congress when they come back this week. And right now, the House and the Senate are careening toward a major spending standoff that will likely consume Congress this fall and potentially lead to a governor shutdown.

Now, a lot of House Republicans particularly those on the far right, are pushing for spending cuts that many in Congress are not comfortable with, especially Senate Democrats and others Democrats across the board. And this is really going to be a huge test again of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's leadership capabilities and whether he can keep Republicans in his conference behind him as they negotiate this and try to find some sort of agreement.

Now, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had a press conference today where he mentioned these spending fights.

[14:40:02]

Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans are working together on the appropriations committee to fund the government. They have come to an agreement on whole bunch of the sub committees of the appropriations committee and hopefully we can have a bipartisan agreement that avoids a shutdown. There are some on the hard right who say they want a shutdown, but we hope cooler and saner heads will prevail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, Fred, Congress has until September 30th to pass a budget deal and avoid a government shutdown. But they're only back for another three weeks until they break again for all of August. And so, this period right now when they return will be really crucial for them to figure out how they're going to navigate these talks and try to find a way forward, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alayna, we're also hearing a lot of buzz about Republicans potential impeachment efforts and the House investigations. I mean, what more do we know about that and how this might impact Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the GOP agenda.

TREENE: Right. Well, I think House investigations is the second priority, right, after the spending talks. I mean, Republicans have spent a lot of energy on these investigations. And now, we're starting to hear, like you mentioned, Fred, a lot of talk about impeachment and impeachment of top Biden officials including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and even President Biden himself.

And right before Congress broke before their July 4th recess, a lot of Republicans began calling for Merrick Garland's impeachment after they learned of allegations from IRS whistleblowers, claiming that the Justice Department mishandled and interfered in the Hunter Biden criminal probe.

And Kevin McCarthy, who has so far taken a pretty measured approach to impeachment efforts has signaled that he would be open to impeaching Merrick Garland if these allegations prove true. And I just want to say the big picture here, Fred, is that soon, we're going to be heading into election season and all of the oxygen in Washington is going to be focused on the 2024 presidential election.

And Republicans really want to use these investigations to put their messaging forward and talk about what they argue is weaponization of the government. And so, we're going to be seeing them use these investigations to really message against Democrats as we head into election season.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now.

Alayna Treene, thanks so much in D.C.

All right. Straight ahead, after 17 years on Team USA, soccer legend Megan Rapinoe announces that she's retiring from the sport. A look at her legacy on and off the field, next.

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[14:47:06]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Remember that huge seaweed, a blob heading for the Florida beaches and had so many of us so worried? Well, guess what, there's some good news now. It's almost gone.

The great Atlantic sargassum seaweed belt that has been washing up along Florida beaches, well, it's already shrunk by 75 percent. And this dramatic decrease in the Gulf of Mexico was earlier than scientists actually expected. The rotting algae emits toxic gases, which can cause breathing issues for beachgoers and create dead zones for marine wildlife. So, some great news there.

Meantime not so great news here, dangerous heat alert is in effect across the Southwest, Texas, and Florida. And residents can expect high temperatures well into the triple digits.

CNN meteorologist Britley Ritz has the very latest.

Okay, ridiculous. But now, we're past ridiculous, right? That was your word yesterday and that really stuck with me, because now we're talking really dangerous. I mean, life-threatening stuff.

BRITLEY RITZ, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. And you were talking about that sargassum, Fred. Now, we can finally get to the beach in this heat and not have to worry about that stinky sargassum because it really does put off an awful scent.

But over the southwest, here we are with excessive heat warnings still in effect, as well as heat advisories that's now been extended back into Texas and Florida, including even parts of the Pacific Northwest. This ridge of high pressure really holding on.

We were hoping the summer-time monsoon would set up over the Southwest and bring us much-needed rain. Unfortunately, it's taking its time doing so and our temperatures will continue to rise. Phoenix, look at your numbers, over 100 degrees. And in some cases, over 110 degrees, and that's the forecast here as we progress all the way into the upcoming workweek.

Look at our average, should be around 107 degrees. We're pushing 116 by the time we roll into Friday and Saturday. Florida, that heat advisory still in effect from the palm beaches down into the Florida Keys. You factor in dew points of 70-plus. It feels ridiculous, as Fred and I have been talking about.

Our temperatures are in the 90s, which is above normal and records are a possibility, rolling into next week as that ridge continues to build. But it feels like 103 degrees in places like Ft. Myers and Naples, 104 degrees, Miami 102.

So we've got quite a bit of heat going on out there, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. And then poor Florida, Florida, Florida. Yet, there's something else to talk about as it pertains to Florida. We got sargassum, and we got this crazy heat. And now, what up with this is a Saharan dust cloud? What?

RITZ: The Saharan dust cloud. We get what's called easterly -- African easterly waves. So, all the way on the another side of the continent, we have African easterly waves hat push this dust over the Atlantic.

So what that does -- I know. There's a lot to talk about here.

WHITFIELD: Very curious.

RITZ: Let's sum it up in a few bullet -- yeah, a few bullet points here. We have the dust that basically inhibits storm development and dries this out completely.

[14:50:02]

And you're seeing all of that dust roll off the coastline of Africa and sit right over Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and even South Florida here in upcoming days, and that just allows for the temperatures to continue to rise, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, all this while we still brace, right, particularly along the east coast because we are still in the midst of hurricane season.

All right. And then there's that. But I'm not putting it out there. We haven't talked about a named storm in a while. That's good.

All right. Britley, thank you.

RITZ: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: All right. Soccer legend Megan Rapinoe says she's retiring at the end of the season, but first, she'll take the pitch one more time with Team USA as they look to become the first team ever to win three straight World Cups. They can do it, I know they can.

CNN Sports Patrick Snell is here with us.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: You put out, English land, that's as well, I might add.

WHITFIELD: Okay, wow. Right now, all eyes are on Rapinoe. What is up with her and her future?

SNELL: Living legend, absolutely. I tell you what, when you think of the beautiful game of football, Fred, there are a few names to breakthrough in terms of global icons but she is absolutely one of them.

WHITFIELD: She's it.

SNELL: And in about an hour and 10 minutes from right now, the USA taking on Wales in California. This is America's final warm-up game before the World Cup, before they head off to Australia and New Zealand, defending their title there. On Saturday, the 38-year-old Megan Rapinoe will retire from the sport at the end of the 2023 NWSL season, though she will compete in the forthcoming World Cup.

But will she get a starting berth for Team USA this afternoon against Wales? We shall see. She's going for her 200th appearance, would you believe, for her country. We saw her training Saturday ahead of the match against the Welsh. Rapinoe --

WHITFIELD: With new hair colors.

SNELL: Right, always eye catching. Rapinoe hoping to become part of America's bid. This would be so amazing for the Americas if they can do, it if they could win three straight World Cups. No male or female team was ever done that before.

She was also part of the U.S. squad that won gold in the 2012 Olympics as well. She scored 63 times so far at the international level for her country, including the sixth, remember the 2019 World Cup in France, she got 6 in that tournament, she would go on to claim the gold -- golden ball award.

Rapinoe, though, I think this is really important to make it clear, Fred. She's about so much more than what is already an amazing football career. She is so passionate. She cares deeply about her fellow human beings.

She has this massive vocal platform as well. A whole range of social issues as well over the years, including LGBTQ+ rights, racial inequality, voter rights as well, and probably most famously her tireless efforts on behalf of gender and pay equity.

I want to hear from Rapinoe now, because I think it is fair to say she is really leaving the sport as one of the most impactful figures in the history of football, both not just here in the U.S. --

WHITFIELD: Agree.

SNELL: -- but also globally as well.

Let's hear from her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLP)

MEGAN RAPINOE, U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM SOCCER PLAYER: I just could've just never imagined where this beautiful game would've taken me. I feel so honored to be able to have represented this country and this federation for so many years. It has truly been the greatest thing that I have ever done. I feel as excited to play the rest of my career as I do to retire and step away from this beautiful game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Yeah, so very impactful, Fred. I'll tell you what? The USA will be opening up against Vietnam at the forthcoming World Cup down under. You just sensed that as far as Rapinoe is concerned, there is still much to be scripted when it comes her story both on and off the field.

WHITFIELD: I think. I mean, she is so graceful. Even just in the eloquence of her remarks there, retiring from the game.

SNELL: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: So, we know there is more on the horizon for her. I mean, she's just been so smart about how she has used her platform. And like you said, so unselfishly.

SNELL: Because so many people do get a platform but they don't use it to maximum effect.

WHITFIELD: They don't know how to use it. Right.

SNELL: She absolutely does. And you just know she'll continue to do that.

WHITFIELD: I agree. All right, thanks so much. Good to see you.

All right, to improve your memory, I always need that, you may want to step up your dance moves. In this staying well, an expert puts us through the paces.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN AGUINAGA, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN: Dance is a really great way to reduce our risk for cognitive decline. The latest study involved a four month-long program where we taught Spanish speaking, middle age and older Latinos how to dance cha-cha, and salsa. They were able to increase their total physical activity levels.

Our research has actually shown that with dance, we can improve working memory. Dance is cognitively and mentally stimulating. You have to learn new steps.

[14:55:01]

You have to recall those steps and you have to combine them to form dance sequences.

Dance is also socially engaging. And that social engagement is really important for combating loneliness and isolation.

DAVID LIN, REGENT BALLROOM: My mission is really hoping to show people enough about dancing so they can improve their life. Our average age student is about 80 years old. We have people in their 90s.

After classes, people go out to dinner, they travel together. It's like a community.

AGUINAGA: It doesn't matter what types of dance style one does. What matters is that individuals enjoy it. Dance is really great because you can adapt. The dancing can also take place in a seated position. Dance is anaerobic type of physical activity that is good for heart health and brain health.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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