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President Joe Biden Arrives In London For A High Stakes Trip In Europe; Random Shootings In New York, One Person Dead; Car Crash In Chicago Leaves One Dead And 20 Injured; Iowa Republican Caucus Set For January 15, 2024; President Biden Arrived In London For NATO Summit; Manhunt Underway For Escaped Inmate; John Elton Says Farewell To Touring. Aired 5-6p ET>

Aired July 09, 2023 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Thanks so much for joining me today and this whole weekend. I'm Fredericka Whitfield and the "CNN Newsroom" continues with Jim Acosta right now.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Good evening. We begin with President Biden and his high stakes overseas trip. Just moments ago, Air Force One landed in the U.K. Here is some video of that right now. Next stop, London for the president, where Mr. Biden begins his week-long visit to Europe and the NATO summit. His mission showing -- shoring up the military alliance as Ukraine pushes for membership and Russia's unprovoked war grinds on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO, but here's 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 objector 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 into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: CNN's Arlette Saenz joins us now from London. Arlette, can you walk us through the president's agenda for this trip, his priorities? There's a lot riding on it.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, there certainly is Jim and President Biden touched down just outside of London and he will be making his way here to London in a short bit where he is set to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tomorrow as well as travel to Windsor Castle for a meeting with King Charles.

But the centerpiece of the president's trip to Europe really comes at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where Russia's war against Ukraine is expected to be the main focal point. The president during his trip here is really hoping to once again shore up that remarkable unity that has been seen between allies when it comes to providing support to Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.

That includes, the president is hoping some discussions when it comes to long-term security assistance that the alliance can provide to Ukraine going forward. Just a few days ago, President Biden said that he approved sending cluster munitions, a highly controversial topic, decided to send those to Ukraine, saying that it was a difficult decision, but one that was necessary as they are continuing that counteroffensive against Russia.

Now, in addition to more security assistance long term, another issue that is going to be up for discussion at this summit will be a possible roadmap for Ukraine to eventually join NATO. As you heard, the president there say he is not quite ready for Ukraine to join NATO at this moment. There are some allies who want to see a more concrete timeline for that to happen. So that is certainly up for discussion at this summit as the U.S. and other allies are still trying to project this image of unity, even if there are some disagreements when it comes to that path for Ukraine to join NATO.

ACOSTA: And Arlette, during President Biden's flight to London, he spoke to Turkish President Erdogan. As you know, Turkey has been blocking Sweden's bid to join NATO. What can you tell us about that call?

SAENZ: Yeah, the two men spoke for about 45 minutes to an hour as the president flew over to London on Air Force One. It really comes as Turkey has been the main holdup when it comes to Sweden's bid to join NATO. Sweden had applied for NATO membership last May and Turkey has been blocking that because they are frustrated and believe that Sweden is harboring groups that Turkey believes are terrorists.

Now, the president has said that he is optimistic Sweden will eventually be able to join the NATO alliance, but it's unclear whether that can happen at this summit. One issue that the two leaders did discuss was the prospect of F-16 fighter jets that the U.S. could sell to Turkey. That is something Turkey has been calling for quite some time. And the president suggested it could be linked to their eventual agreement for Sweden to join the alliance. So, those are all topics that will also be discussed at that NATO summit in just a few days.

ACOSTA: All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you very much. Joining us live from London. We appreciate it with us. Now with more on all of this is Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS." Fareed, you just sat down with an ex -- for an exclusive interview with President Biden ahead of this trip.

[17:04:56]

Let's start with your conversation about NATO, Turkey's continued opposition to admitting Sweden. It sounds like that came up on this phone call that the president had with Erdogan earlier today. And here's how the president says he's trying to negotiate it. We'll talk about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, FARED ZAKARIA GPS: There is a -- Turkey is looking for modernization of F-16 aircraft. And Mitsotakis in Greece is also looking for some help. And so, what I'm trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here where we're strengthen NATO in terms of military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey and allow Sweden to come in. But it's again, it's in play. It's not done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Fareed, it sounds like Joe Biden is trying to craft a little bit of a deal here to get Erdogan on board. What do you think? Is it going to work?

ZAKARIA: Exactly right. He's -- that what basically does the Swede -- the Turks are behaving as they have often under Erdogan, relentlessly (inaudible) trying to extract every concession they can, really looking at -- we are looking at it really in terms of what can we get out of this and the push the Swedes as much as they can, more than that would be essentially got violating Sweden's traditions of free speech and free association.

So now they're asking the United States basically to make up the difference by selling them F-16's. I think the Biden administration is basically willing to do it. And so, if everyone is willing to take yes for an answer, I think they're close. The sense I got from the body languages, I would shade it a bit more optimistically on maybe not this summit, but I think they think it might happen soon and they do not foreclose the possibility it could be at this summit.

ACOSTA: And Fareed, let's talk about China. The Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, making back-to-back visits there. Let's listen to this part of the conversation they had with the president about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA: Do you think there's a kind of stable point here where U.S.- China relations can be, as you have often said, competitive, but also, when necessary, cooperative?

BIDEN: The answer is I think there's a stable point. But look, if you don't mind my saying, just before we went on air, we talked about things are changing around the world. China is in flux right now as well. China has enormous potential capacity, but enormous problems as well.

ZAKARIA: Do you think he wants to replace -- he wants China to replace the United States as the leading power, the defining power?

BIDEN: Oh yeah, I think he does. I mean, you know, I'm confident he wants to have the largest economy in the world and have the largest military capacity in the world. ZAKAIRA: Rewrite the rules of the international order?

BIDEN: I think so. Not all of them, but he says, he pointed out to me, he said, we weren't there when those rules were written about international airspace and so on. And -- but I don't think he wants -- he's looking for war of conflict, expansion of territory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yeah, Fareed, what was your sense of that part of the conversation? I mean, do you get the impression that the Biden administration has a clear plan for dealing with China that wants to surpass the U.S. as world leader? And how does Taiwan fit into that scenario?

ZAKARIA: I think you put that together very well because that is really the substance of his view that was expressed on China, which is they would like to replace the U.S. They would like to rewrite some of the rules of the international order, but they don't seem to be, you know, trying to wage war, a kind of aggressive expansionism. China, in other words, Xi's China is not Putin's Russia.

Now, whether or not there is that stable point he said yes, but he didn't elaborate on it. And I think that's what a lot of people are wondering. Is, you know, are we going to keep putting more blockages on various Chinese products? Are they going to retaliate? They've already started with restricting critical minerals. Now what do we do next? You know, that's the part where he was a little unclear.

And I -- my guess is, they haven't figured that out yet. And you know, it's a dynamic situation. The technologies themselves are evolving and changing. So, I think it was a sophisticated answer, but I don't think the Biden administration has found a kind of resting point where they can say, okay, we're done. Now, let's all, you know, let's all just go back to business as usual.

ACOSTA: Yeah.

ZAKARIA: I don't think that's the world we're in for. We are in for a pretty intense ongoing competition between the United States and China.

[17:10:01]

And then there's always, as you know, Jim, events that were like the balloon, which can pop up and then derail everything.

ACOSTA: And get popped. Yeah, the China puzzle continues. No question about it, Fareed. And I just want to ask you because you did press President Biden on his age, why he's running again instead of passing the baton to a younger Democrat. He himself has said this is a legitimate issue for the voters and so you asked him about it. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BIDEN: I think we're at an inflection point. I think the world is changing, and I think I -- there is one thing that comes with age, if you've been honest about it your whole life, and that is some wisdom. I think we're on the cusp of being able to make significant positive changes in the world. Really, honest to God, do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yeah, Fareed, interesting answer there. I mean, do you think that the president figures that if Donald Trump gets a Republican nomination, age is a relatively moot point. They're only a few years apart in age. And so why not? And at this point, if you're President Biden, you're looking at where Donald Trump is right now, it does look like a rematch.

ZAKARIA: Yeah, I asked that question very carefully because I tried to couch it in a way that I get a different answer. You know, he's answered this question many times. So, I said, you know, your most ardent supporters, people who think you've been a great president, people who think you've brought the economy back, you've restored relations with the world. Those people say, now what you should do is step aside and let another Democrat, the next generation of Democrats, come forward.

And his response was interesting. After the clip you showed, he said, look, I think we're on the verge of being able to bring the world's democracies together, you know, to face this challenge of the autocracies. I think he really thinks in those terms. Notice, he didn't talk about domestic policy at that point. For him, the overriding challenge here is, what do you do about a world in which Russia is playing the kind of spoiler role in this, China is rising.

And I think you're right, Jim, he worries a lot that if Donald Trump would have come into power, that battle against the autocracies would not take place in the same way. The United States would not be bringing together the democracies. After all, Trump often says that he has a great relationship with Putin and he's constantly criticizing NATO. He's often talking about pulling out of NATO.

So, the stakes, if you think about it in Joe Biden's, you know, world view, are very high if Donald Trump were to be elected. The central premise that he is worried about, which is this battle between the democracies and the autocracies would go seriously awry. And I, you know, look, there's a lot of ego involved in running for the president. This is a job he's wanted since he's been in his late 20s. But I do think this substantive issue weighs very heavily on the president and the fear of what would happen to it if Trump, or frankly, a lot of Trump lookalikes were to get elected.

ACOSTA: Yeah.

ZAKARIA: That I think is part, a big part of what's keeping him in the game, even at this age.

ACOSTA: Yeah, it is hard to see him leaving the arena with that question not resolved. You're absolutely right. Fareed Zakaria, great interview. Great to talk to you as always. Thanks so much, Fareed. Really appreciate it.

ZAKARIA: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: And police in Cleveland are searching for a suspect in a mass shooting that left at least nine people wounded. The violence broke out early this morning in the city's downtown area. At this time, no arrests have been made and the search for possible suspects is ongoing. We're also learning more about a shooting spree in five different locations in New York City yesterday. CNN's Polo Sandoval joins us now. Polo, we were talking about this yesterday. What more are we learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, 24 hours ago, Jim, you and I were talking about this awful random shooting case that took place here in Queens and in Brooklyn. And now this update coming with a new video that we want to share with our viewers showing Thomas Abreu. This is a 25-year-old man who police say was aboard a scooter yesterday, opened fire on people at random at least six different locations in the process shooting and killing an 86-year-old Queens man now identified as Hamoo Saeidi.

He's been charged with murder, this individual that you see here, in addition to other charges. This is certainly still an ongoing investigation, Jim. They still have not established an actual motive here, but still awful. This is now the 306 or at least we have now seen 369 mass shootings in the country and, you know, these are the -- this is actually the gun that, that was used in that case. So, we're going to continue to follow this case to see if investigators eventually track down a motive in yesterday's shooting. Back to you.

ACOSTA: Yeah. It keeps happening and we keep covering it just about every weekend. Polo Sandoval, thank you very much. Police in Chicago say one person is dead and at least two people are hospitalized in critical condition after a car slammed into a transit bus.

[17:15:00]

The accident happened earlier this morning. Authorities say an SUV was traveling the wrong way when it collided with the bus. A passenger in the SUV died. The driver and another occupant are in critical condition. The bus driver and 12 passengers were taken to the hospital while several others on the bus were also hurt.

Coming up, a date has been set for Iowa's Republican caucuses and while Donald Trump may be the favorite, he won't have the backing of at least one leading conservative there. Bob Vander Plaats joins us with an early look at the campaign so far, that's coming up.

Plus, the Biden administration now defending the president's decision to give Ukraine cluster bombs. A key member of both the intelligence and foreign affairs committees joins me live just ahead to discuss that. And later, the rocket man says goodbye yellow brick road for the last time. Elton John wrapped up his days as a touring artist in Stockholm. We'll take you inside the farewell tour in that show coming up just ahead. You're live at the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:00]

ACOSTA: The GOP's first presidential nominating contest of 2024 officially has a date. Iowa Republicans voting unanimously this weekend to hold their first in the nation caucus on January 15th next year. That date setting a hard deadline for candidates to win the hearts and minds of the state's voters in what could be a pivotal contest in the state of Iowa. And joining us now from Iowa to discuss is Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of the Evangelical Organization, The Family Leader.

And he made several headlines a few weeks ago for saying it's time for the GOP to move on from Trump. Bob, great to see you. Thanks for joining us. Good to talk to you again.

BOB VANDER PLAATS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE FAMILY LEADER: Good to see you too, Jim. Thanks for having me.

ACOSTA: Yeah, Bob, what's your read on the race in Iowa as it stands right now? You've been doing this for a long time. You did stand out a few weeks ago, as I just said, saying you're not going to support Donald Trump, or you don't think he should be the Republican nominee. Why hasn't the GOP moved on from the former president? He's still way ahead in the polls.

PLAATS: Well, first of all, Jim, it's a nice way of saying I'm old. I've been around a long time in this deal. But -- but I would say Jimmy --

ACOSTA: I meant that in the nicest way.

PLAATS: -- the field in Iowa right now -- yeah -- the field in Iowa right now is completely wide open. Trump's going to have his 20 to 30 percent of support. I happen to believe that's a self-inflicted ceiling. But I think now Iowa is really kicking the tires about who could be an alternative to Trump. Is it DeSantis? Is it Tim Scott? Is it Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, one of the above?

But there's a lot of people making a lot of good ground. They're doing the right things in Iowa. As you know, Iowa caucuses tend to surprise like they did with Huckabee, Santorum and with Cruz.

ACOSTA: That's true. Let's listen to what an Iowa voter said to former Vice President Mike Pence during a recent campaign stop. I'm sure you've seen this, but let's play it for our viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: If it wasn't for your vote, we would not have Joe Biden in the White House.

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did exactly what the Constitution of the United States required of me that day. I kept my oath. I'm sorry ma'am, but that's actually what the Constitution says. No vice president in American history ever asserted the authority that you have been convinced that I had. President Trump was wrong about my authority that day and he's still wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: So, Bob, you can see that there are a lot of Republican voters. I think that's pretty emblematic of a lot of Republican voters who have not gotten over the 2020 election results, think that Donald Trump should be president right now, that Mike Pence should have overturned the election results and thrown them out. I guess, I'm just curious, do you agree with Mike Pence's response? And what is your sense of what is going on there in that back and forth with that voter?

PLAATS: Well, typically what it is, is I get asked this question a lot, even from our base, about could Mike Pence have done something that would have rejected the votes of a lot of different states and made Donald Trump the president? And I just returned the question, I say, would you like to have Vice President Harris do that in the 2024 election? And right away they say no, then I say, you know, probably Mike Pence couldn't have done that either.

So, I think what it is every candidate is going to have their hurdle to get over, this is going to be one that Mike Pence is going to have to answer to and answer a lot. The former president, Donald Trump's going to have to answer, can he win in 2024 or is too much of America made up their mind on him? You can thank him for a lot of the great things he did as president, but I think right now, as you alluded to early on, Jim, that America is ready to turn the page to the next generational leader.

ACOSTA: And I know that, you know, that one of the things that you and other evangelicals are happy about when it comes to Trump's presidency is what he did with the Supreme Court even though a lot of Americans may disagree with that, you're an opponent of abortion rights. Donald Trump, he is the leading Republican in this race right now. But this time around, he has yet to clearly define his stance on abortion, particularly when it comes to a national abortion ban. Why do you think he hasn't? Is that going to be a big factor in what takes place in the Iowa caucuses?

PLAATS: I think there's no doubt the pro-life issue is going to be a big issue when it comes to the Iowa caucuses and the Republican primary overall. And I think it's not just the former president. I think all of the candidates are really trying to get their sea legs on this issue in a post Roe v. Wade world in regards to what is the federal government's role.

I do think President Trump is evolving in the right way on this issue. I think Mike Pence is very solid. Obviously, Governor DeSantis, Tim Scott, and others are going to be solid on this issue as well. So, I think you're going to see candidates evolve in the right way on this issue.

ACOSTA: And do you think over, I mean, you -- I shouldn't say it this way, but you have been doing this for a long time. And you were part of a movement that pushed for the overturning of Roe versus Wade.

[17:24:52]

Looking back in hindsight, do you think that that was a good thing politically for the evangelical movement in that, I mean, yes, you achieved a policy objective, but it really has become a hugely animating factor for Democratic voters. It is really driving the Democratic base. Could this become costly for your cause in an upcoming national election?

PLAATS: I've said many times, Jim, you'll never be right when you do what's wrong. You'll never be wrong when you do what's right. Overturning Roe v. Wade is the right thing to do. America's becoming more and more and more pro-life. Science is on our side. We understand that little baby has a separate DNA, a separate heartbeat. She's not a blob of tissue. She's a baby in her mother's womb.

And so, I think Americans are rallying around. There are more pro-life Americans today than ever. I think politically, this is going to be on our right side as well.

ACOSTA: But what you said is not true, correct? That America is becoming more pro-life. That's just not the case. If you look at the latest polling --

PLAATS: Well, I believe --

ACOSTA: -- it shows overwhelmingly Americans disagree with the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.

PLAATS: Where Americans really disagree is the extreme position of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Governor Newsom of abortion on demand until the time of birth and the government subsidized and pays for it. I believe what we want to do is have a champion for the culture of the sanctity of human life --

ACOSTA: The Democrats are not in favor of --

PLAATS: -- and someone who can point out the differences in the experience (ph).

ACOSTA: Bob, you and I have had lots of conversations over the years. Democrats are not in favor of abortion right up until birth. That's not true.

PLAATS: Someone's going to have to tell Governor Newsom that, and I believe even President Biden that as well. They are not willing to say when they would stop --

ACOSTA: He has said that his position is Roe versus Wade.

PLAATS: -- or when they would -- did an abortion.

ACOSTA: Yeah. But he -- President Biden has said his position is --

PLAATS: Yeah. Roe versus Wade which is a -- so I think what you're going to see, I was a very pro-life state. We passed a heartbeat bill. Right now, they're going to call a special session on Tuesday. They're going to repass a heartbeat bill. South Carolina's passed a heartbeat bill. Florida's passed a heartbeat bill. You're going to see more and more of America do this because they know it's the right thing to do.

ACOSTA: All right. All right, Bob, I have a feeling we could go back and forth on this issue. I'm out of time. Let's do it again sometime soon.

PLAATS: Sure.

ACOSTA: Bob Vander Plaats, thanks very much for coming on. We appreciate it. We'll talk to you again soon.

PLAATS: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Up next, the Biden administration takes some heat for agreeing to give Ukraine cluster munitions. Will the controversial weapons shift the trajectory of the war? That's coming up Congressman Joaquin Castro joins me next and talk about it. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:30:00]

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ACOSTA: Just minutes ago, President Biden arrived in London. He will spend the next five days shoring up ties with allies, including a high-stakes summit with NATO partners in Lithuania. Russia's war in Ukraine will be the big topic, and let's discuss with Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas.

Congressman, thanks for joining us. As you know, Ukraine really wants to join NATO. President Biden says the war has to end first. The president told our Fareed Zakaria, if NATO is -- Ukraine is a NATO member, I should say, other NATO countries might be required to join the war. What is your sense of it? Is now the time for Ukraine to be part of NATO or should that be held off until after the war with Russia is won?

REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX): Yeah, obviously, Jim, it's a very tough call because I've been supportive of every single package that has come to the Congress to support Ukraine in defending itself from Vladimir Putin and Russia's aggression and their invasion of Ukraine.

But President Biden is right. Historically, NATO has not admitted nations that are in the middle of a conflict. I think that we can work with NATO -- work with Ukraine so that once the conflict has ended, they can be admitted to NATO.

But it would essentially be an automatic declaration of all the nations of NATO declaring war by agreement on Russia and that's, of course, not where we are. It would be very dangerous for the world.

ACOSTA: And another topic at the summit is going to be the president's decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. More than 100 countries have outlawed them. Some Democrats have spoken out against the president's decision. We had Bill Richardson on yesterday, the former U.N. ambassador. He disagrees with this position. But a top House Republican supports the move. Let's listen to this talk about on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): I don't see anything wrong with that because quite honestly, Jake, as you look at the counteroffensive, it has 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 in particularly hitting flanks of troops inside of Ukraine. They would be a game changer in the counteroffensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: You know, what do you think, Congressman? I mean, you're on the Foreign Affairs Committee with Chairman McCaul. Where do you stand on sending these cluster bombs to Ukraine?

CASTRO: I mean, look, on the one hand, I'm not surprised that some people are tempted to support the use of these cluster munitions or cluster bombs because we want to do everything possible to help Ukraine win.

But I have spoken out for several years now against the use of cluster munitions. To give you a sense of how dangerous and inhumane these things are, these are bombs that are dropped that then spread out into smaller bombs, many of which go undetonated until a child or another civilian, sometimes decades later, encounters one.

[17:34:57]

And so, they're still dealing in Southeast Asia, in places like Vietnam and Laos, with unexploded devices, and that's essentially the situation that you'd be creating in Ukraine by using these things. A 120 countries have called for them to be banned.

Unfortunately, the United States and Russia are not part of that convention or that agreement. But I disagree with the president on this one. I don't think that we should send them over to Ukraine.

ACOSTA: And let's shift gears to your home state of Texas. The Republican governor there, Greg Abbott, posted this on social medial. He is showing these buoys that will create a floating barrier in the Rio Grande, the river separating the U.S. from Mexico. The goal, the governor says, is to deter migrant crossings.

What do you make of this? Is there anything that you can do in Congress? I suppose if you're against it, that you would want to do to stop this. What do you -- what was your sense of it when you saw this?

CASTRO: Look, Greg Abbott and Republicans in Texas and really Republicans like Donald Trump and others, for them, the border and immigrants and brown-skinned immigrants are their number one boogeyman to try to get their base all riled up.

And so, I want to be clear about this. What Greg Abbott is proposing or what he intends to put out in that water are drowning devices. Those things are going to force people to drown: children, disabled people, mothers and others.

He needs to know and people who support this need to know that those things are going to cause people to drown, and that's an inhumanity that I can't support. And so, we'll take a look in Congress when we come back early next week about what we can do to try to stop him from doing that.

ACOSTA: Is this something that the Biden administration should try to stop the governor from doing? Can the administration -- I mean, can the president stop the governor of Texas from doing this?

CASTRO: Yeah, I think the president and the administration should look at any kind of executive action they can take to stop Greg Abbott from doing this. And bear in mind, I think we have to keep in context where we are right now. Migration is down 50% since the end of Title 42. So, 50% in the last few months.

But, again, for Greg Abbott and for Republicans in Texas, migration, immigration, immigrants, all of it is more of a political issue to them. It is a substitute for solving the real issues that Texans deal with every day like a power grid that's on the brink of failure, it seems like every week, sky-high electricity prices, an education system that they have allowed to falter over the years, a broken juvenile justice system, all of these things, you know, a broken health care system in many ways in Texas.

Instead of dealing with those things, this is the red herring that they try to use, is to scare people with the border.

ACOSTA: And I want to ask you about something else in Texas. The "Houston Chronicle" reporting that a Texas judicial commission has decided it won't discipline a judge in your state who referred to Latino defendants by the racial slur wetbacks. I know you've been tweeting about this. What's your response to this?

CASTRO: I was, I mean, in some ways shocked, but then in some ways not surprised because of where we are now in Texas. This is a racial slur that has been used against Hispanics and Latinos in Texas and in other places for generations.

And the State Commission on Judicial Conduct in Texas has really shown itself to be a sham. If it can't even admonish or somehow penalize a judge for using this term about defendants in his courtroom and continue to allow that judge to sit and preside over other cases, then the Judicial Commission is a sham. And it's also that the whole thing is racist and discriminatory. But unfortunately, that's where Greg Abbott and Republicans have brought us to in Texas right now.

ACOSTA: And on Monday, on a lighter note, you posted about this rare cancer that you've been fighting, and you had surgery in February to remove tumors from your gastrointestinal tract. It sounds as though, congressman, that things are going better for you. You look fine. You look good here. But I know it has been a battle for you. How are you doing?

CASTRO: I'm doing a lot better than I was four months ago when I had the surgery. Yeah, I had what are called neuroendocrine tumors. And I still have some actually, some small ones in my liver, one near my lung. But it's neuroendocrine cancer, and I had likely been walking around with those tumors for 5 to 10 years.

And so, I wrote about not only my experience and how I came to find out through a car accident in Spain and the fact that when I got treated there, I didn't get a single bill, hospital bill or any other bill for the treatment.

[17:40:00]

And at the same time, the fact that health care is so expensive in the United States, for 10 days at the hospital, the bill, which I think had been negotiated down, was $126,000, and I'm responsible for several thousand of that because I pay about $1,300 a month for health insurance.

But there are so many families in my district in San Antonio that cannot afford those kinds of medical bills. And so, I really believe now more than ever that we need to move towards universal health care coverage in this country, that nobody should go broke, should suffer or should die because they can't afford cancer treatment, diabetes treatment, MS, ALS, schizophrenia, whatever it may be, physical or mental, that we need to make sure that Americans in the richest country in the world have the health care that they need.

ACOSTA: All right. A powerful message. I'm glad you're doing well. I know that the battle continues. You're going to have to keep fighting this. But good to see you up and able to come on with us today and keep us posted as this battle continues for you. Congressman Joaquin Castro, great to talk to you. Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it. We'll be right back.

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ACOSTA: A multistate manhunt is underway right now for a dangerous criminal on the run in Pennsylvania. Authorities say Michael Charles Burham escaped a Warren County prison on Friday and is considered armed and dangerous. Officials say he knows survivalist skills and may be holed up in a wooded area near the city. There is a nearly $10,000 reward being offered for any information leading to his capture.

And CNN's Rafael Romo is joining us now. He is following all this for us. Rafael, police just wrapped up a press conference. What are they saying?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they say that there's a possibility that he may still be in the general area, the general vicinity of Warren, a city from which he escaped. And it's now been more than 72 hours, Jim, since Michael Burham escaped from the Warren County Prison in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

During press conferences both Saturday and today, officials describe the manhunt as a very fluid and active investigation conducted by more than a dozen federal state and local law enforcement agencies. New today is a fact that police say they have located small stockpiles or campsites in wooded areas in the general vicinity of Warren and they believe these sites are associated with him.

Officials continue to ask the public for help and say all tips are being investigated. The U.S. Marshals have offered a $7,500 reward and Warren County Crime Stoppers has offered an additional $2,000 reward for a total of $9,500 for information leading to his arrest. Officials also say that Burham has military training as a reservist, which can make him even more dangerous. Where is he now? This is what police had to say about that.

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LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: We have no reason to believe Burham has left the general area. With that said, we have received several tips or investigative leads from outside of the area and we are thoroughly investigating each of those. None of them has caused us to change our assessment that he remains in this area.

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ROMO: And Jim, the 34-year-old was being held in Pennsylvania prison on arson and burglary charges, and he's also a suspect in a homicide case. Also, police in Jamestown, New York said in May that Burham had an active warrant for rape. And that's not all, Jim. Police say Burham allegedly kidnapped a local couple, uh, in Warren County. So, a long rap sheet for him. Very dangerous indeed. Back to you.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. Our Rafael Romo, thank you very much.

Still ahead, goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Elton John says farewell to touring. That's next. You're live at the "CNN Newsroom."

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ACOSTA: It's the end of an era for one of the world's most talented and beloved performers.

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ACOSTA: After more than 50 years dazzling the world with his legendary music, Elton John performed what he says was the last show on the final tour of his career last night at the Glastonbury Festival in Sweden.

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CNN Entertainment reporter Chloe Melas joins us with more details. Chloe, you've interviewed Elton John, good for you, and you were there for the announcement for this tour back in 2018. I can't believe this. I feel like I've heard this several times from Elton John, but maybe I'm just lumping him in with other artists who say, this is my farewell tour, this is it. But what is Elton John saying about his last performance? I kind of wish I can see him one more time. He has just been an amazing performer all these years.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: I know. And Jim, look, you're not alone. But it has been sort of a long goodbye, right? So, like you said, I was there in 2018 when he announced this farewell tour. I was just reading, there have been 300 shows, okay? So, if you knew that this was the end and you wanted to see him, you probably had a good chance of making that happen.

I saw him perform as part of this tour at Madison Square Garden and there's just nothing like it, right? And, you know, it's sort of like how Billy Joel just announced the end of his Madison Square Garden residency, but there's a whole year left if fans want to get a chance to see him.

But this is going to be his last performance as part of his stadium tour that took place on Saturday night in Sweden, like you said. But I'm sure that we'll see him pop up every now and then at places, but it's not going to be as easy to see that.

And look, he always said that he wanted to do this so that he could spend more time with his two young sons and with his family. And, you know, he has been doing this, like you said, Jim, for 50 years. So, he has earned a very well-deserved break. But again, it is the end of an era, right? There's no one like Elton John.

ACOSTA: Yeah. I mean, I grew up with my parents playing it on the radio car growing up in a decade. It might date me if I say which decade it was, but it was a long time ago. It was nearly 50 years ago.

And Chloe, I mean, speaking of concerts, it has not been all that much fun for some artists going on tour this summer. There has been a concerning trend with fans throwing objects at performers on stage. I mean, I hate that this is even happening. The latest victim is Harry Styles. Is that right? New video appears to show the artist getting hit with an object in the eye while performing during a concert in Vienna last night. What happened?

MELAS: I mean, look, that is exactly it. Harry Styles on stage, a concert goer throwing something. And in the video, you see him wince.

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He grabs his eye, he kind of puts his head in his hands, he bends down, but then he, a moment later, continues the show miraculously. But this is a very concerning trend, right? We just saw Bebe Rexha, who recently performed when someone threw a cell phone at her. You heard that right, injuring her. She had to stop the show, required a couple stiches. Something recently happened like that to Drake.

This is, though, several celebrities have had this happened, but Adele recently speaking out and said, don't even think about doing this at my show. Take a listen.

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ADELE, SINGER: People are (bleep) insane. Have you seen that? (INAUDIBLE).

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MELAS: I mean, look, I was at the Counting Crows last night at Jones Beach here in New York. I love going to live music. I'm going to go see Sting in the fall. And the idea that someone would go and throw something on the stage at one of your artists, it's just really concerning. And hopefully, people will listen to Adele and stop doing this very, very dangerous, these dangerous acts of violence at these shows where people are trying to have fun.

ACOSTA: It's totally crazy and concertgoers better watch it or they're going to be putting up nets or something that might restrict people's viewing of these amazing artists. The concert event planners have to do something to protect these artists. Great stuff, Chloe. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. We appreciate it. We will be right back.

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