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President Biden Arrives For European Visit, NATO Summit; NYPD Arrests Suspect In Random Shootings; Gov. Ron DeSantis Laughs Off Idea His Campaign Is Struggling; Hong Kong Puts Bounty On Pro-Democracy Activists; Twitter Threatens To Sue Meta Over Threads; U.S. Women's Soccer Team Wins Tune-up Match. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired July 09, 2023 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:05]

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

We begin with President Biden in his high stakes overseas trip. A short time ago he arrived in London where he begins his week-long visit to Europe and the NATO Summit. His mission shoring up the military alliance as Ukraine pushes for membership in Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine grinds on.

CNN's Arlette Saenz joins us now live from London.

Arlette, can you walk us through the president's agenda for the trip and his priorities?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim. President Biden will kick things off here in London tomorrow where he will meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before heading to Windsor Castle for an engagement with King Charles. This will be the first time the two men are meeting since the king's coronation in May. The two men are expected to discuss climate issues which are a key priority for King Charles.

After these meetings here in the United Kingdom, the president will travel over to the NATO summit in Lithuania, and then travel on to Finland to welcome and offer support to NATO's newest member country. But really, that NATO summit will be the centerpiece of President Biden's trip here to Europe. And at the top of the discussion there will be Russia's war in Ukraine.

The president is hoping that he can once again build and strengthen support and unity around Ukraine and continue to secure these long- term security commitments to assist Ukraine going forward. And additionally, one issue that's already served coming up to be a flash point at this summit is the prospect of Ukraine eventually joining NATO. There are some allied countries who want to see a more concrete time frame and timetable for when that could happen.

But President Biden in an interview with our colleague Fareed Zakaria said that it's not currently the time for Ukraine to join as that war against Russia still continues, and as that he believes there are still reforms and commitments that Ukraine needs to make before joining the alliance. 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'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 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 into the NATO family now at this moment in the middle of a war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now in addition to discussing the possible future for Ukraine and NATO, there is another country trying to join the alliance. That will come up at this summit, and that is Sweden. Sweden applied for membership to NATO back in May, but it's been blocked from entering the alliance, primarily by Turkish President Erdogan.

President Biden spoke with Erdogan by phone today and they talked about trying to approve Sweden's entry into NATO, as well as the prospect of potentially selling -- the U.S. selling F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. That is something that Turkey has wanted for quite some time. And there are some who believe that it needs to be tied, any sale of F-16 fighter jets needs to be tied to Turkey agreeing to allow Sweden into the alliance.

So these are very major, big questions for NATO going forward as the future of the alliance could take shape at this very summit in Lithuania starting on Tuesday.

ACOSTA: All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you very much.

For more analysis on this, let me bring in national security expert, Joe Cirincione, he's a former adviser to the State Department.

Joe, this is a pivotal moment for the NATO alliance, as you know, with Sweden's request for membership still in limbo, more prominent voices calling for Ukraine to be admitted as well. What are your thoughts on this? Should President Biden and other NATO leaders be thinking about finding a way to get Sweden into this alliance?

JOE CIRINCIONE, NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST AND AUTHOR: Oh, absolutely. Both Sweden and Ukraine are pivotal to the future of NATO. Sweden, of course, would add substantial military capability to NATO's northern flank. And the president has got to find a way to convince President Erdogan to drop his objections. Clearly the sale of advanced fighter jets are part of his carrots that he wants to offer Erdogan. But I'm sure he's got a number of sticks that he's reluctant to express privately to pressure him.

And also the case for Ukraine, while the president is correct it is premature to bring Ukraine into the NATO alliance at this point with an active war going on in the territory, nonetheless there has to be a path laid out that encourages Ukraine to pursue democratic reforms including crackdowns on corruption in that country that could allow a path for Ukraine's eventual entry once they defeat the Russian invasion force.

[19:05:00]

ACOSTA: And President Biden says Ukraine needs to wait for the war to be over before they can be considered for NATO membership. Is that the right path?

CIRINCIONE: Unfortunately I think it is. As much as we'd like -- much as our hearts say bring Ukraine in, NATO should rush to the defense of Ukraine, it's a tremendous obstacle to have an ongoing conflict in a country. In fact, NATO rules prohibit any country from joining NATO while there is an ongoing territorial dispute in the country. And of course that's happening in spades with Ukraine. So unfortunately, Ukraine's membership will have to wait until the end of this war.

ACOSTA: And Joe, I wanted to bring you on to ask about this ongoing standoff between Russia and Ukraine over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Earlier this week President Zelenskyy accused Russia of using the plant as a cover for shelling neighboring cities. The increased attacks have led to fears of a nuclear disaster. There were concerns of this exact scenario earlier on in the war. Those concerns seem to be coming back to the forefront. What is your sense of the situation there now?

CIRINCIONE: Well, there is two reasons for this. One is that apparently Russia seems to be actively laying the groundwork for sabotaging the plant. And Ukrainians have been warning about this for some time. They now assert that Russia has actually placed some explosives on the roofs of some of the six reactors that are at the plant. The IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been trying to verify that. They've been denied access to those roofs.

But the other aspect is that this is a psychological warfare by Putin against the West. He is directly targeting this NATO summit. He wants to ratchet up nuclear fears, one by once again raising the prospect of using nuclear weapons, which some of his officials have been raising in the last week. But also by this nuclear threat, the idea that the war could lead to a nuclear catastrophe.

He is still trying to break NATO, as President Biden mentioned. He is trying to split the unity, scare them off, try to get them to decrease their aid to Ukraine, try to get the West to pressure Ukraine into surrendering, into giving in to Putin's terms. I don't think it's going to work. But the risks are real. We shouldn't underestimate them.

You know, something can be a threat, a psychological warfare, and also a very real physical threat, and that's true for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. If the Russians are willing to blow up the Kakhovka dam, they're certainly willing to cause severe damage to this nuclear plant, spreading radioactivity throughout Ukraine, perhaps even further.

ACOSTA: All right. It's a lot to watch. A lot to be concerned about. We'll be keeping our eyes on it. We know you will as well.

Joe Cirincione, thanks so much. Great to talk to you. Really appreciate it.

CIRINCIONE: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: And police in Cleveland are searching for a suspect in a mass shooting that left at least nine people wounded. Police are reviewing evidence and video from the crime scene. Meanwhile, new developments in another shooting spree now in six different locations, we understand from authorities in New York City yesterday.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joins us now.

Polo, what more are we learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a suspect that New York City police say is responsible for this string of shootings that police say was simply done at random yesterday, Jim. You'll recall it was just yesterday when you and I were talking about this Saturday morning shooting when police say 25-year-old Thomas Abreu, seen in footage from earlier today here at CNN, NYPD charged him with murder in connection to the string of these shootings.

They believe that he was the one who was aboard a scooter yesterday when he allegedly randomly opened fire on six different locations in the process shooting and killing an 86-year-old man from Queens, now identified as Hamoo Saeidi. Again, they don't believe that both victim and suspect knew each other here. That's the scooter from yesterday's incident.

But the broader context is certainly just extremely sobering. When you just look at the number of mass shootings per officials here. And when you just look according to the Gun Violence Archive, I should say, the number of shootings over 30 this month already. This is just nine days into the month. And in terms of the year so far, we've already seen about 369 shootings this year so far.

And by the way, it's noteworthy that that number was 365 when we started today, and that's already more than half of what we saw the total last year of 647. So it's certainly concerning. Now the question of why, well, social scientists have weighed in before. Some suggesting that there is a correlation between when it's hotter outside, tensions may flare up and the propensity for violence.

But then also the question of a solution, right? That opens up an entirely different debate. Was it potential legislation when you hear from some pro-gun groups?

[19:10:03]

Is it addressing mental health? Well, that's still much for debate. And caught in the middle are still many, many Americans -- Jim. ACOSTA: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you very much.

Is Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign in trouble? It depends on who you ask. What he is saying and what one of his political action committees is saying. What our political panel has to say about all that is next.

Later, Hong Kong has put a bounty on the head of pro-democracy activists, including this man, Nathan Law. I'll talk to him in just a little bit about his fight for freedom.

Plus the social media battle of the year, Threads versus Twitter. Why one company is threatening to sue the other. We'll talk about that as well. Are you on Threads? I am. I'm sure a lot of other folks are this weekend. We'll talk about it.

You're live in CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Some Republicans are sounding the alarm on Ron DeSantis' sagging presidential campaign as his top opponent, Donald Trump, continues to dominate in the polls.

[19:15:01]

A spokesperson for a super PAC backing DeSantis admits the Florida governor faces an uphill battle to beat the former president. But today DeSantis is laughing off the criticism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: What's going on with your campaign?

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Maria, these are narratives. The media does not want me to be the nominee. I think that's very, very clear. Why? Because they know I'll beat Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Joining us to discuss, "Vanity Fair" special correspondent Molly Jong-Fast and CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Alice Stewart.

Alice, we saw the governor laughing there, laughing off the question. If you were advising DeSantis, you've advised a lot of Republican campaigns over the years, would you be laughing right now?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, the narrative that his campaign had a failure to launch I think are really off base because you have to look at the polls. He has been in a steady and distant far ahead of the other candidates, second place in this race in the primary. And he has $150 million raised and that money is going to be spent very quickly to put ads on the air, boots on the ground, and gas in the tank for him to deliver his message. So people that are critical of how he has launched I think need to

just sit back and wait and see how he engages. A lot of people are tuned out. Things will really pick up as we get to the debate next month and he is able to debate the candidates head-to-head. And he also mentioned in the interview he does plan to debate. So I think it's a little premature to write how this campaign is going. But, you know, there is a lot of time and a lot of campaign to do between now and January.

ACOSTA: Molly, what do you think? Does Governor DeSantis have time to work out the kinks here?

MOLLY JONG-FAST, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, VANITY FAIR: Well, what we've seen is that the more voters see him, the less they like him, which generally does not mean a candidate will get elected as president. You see him just a terrible retail politician with negative charisma running to the right of Donald Trump. You know a lot of people, the sort of -- you know, he is sort of Donald Trump without the fun, if there is something, you know, without the charisma, without the thing that people in the Republican Party like about Donald Trump. And I don't think any amount of money, publicity, or advertisements are going to change that.

ACOSTA: And Alice, Mike Pence spending a lot of time wooing Iowans, focusing on the small intimate events to meet and engage with voters. You've seen candidates do this over the years, people like Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum. I remember when you work for Rick Santorum. Does Pence's calculus make sense here? Could this work for him?

We were playing some video earlier on in this program of a voter who was going after him, I'm sure you've seen this video, saying you should have overturned the election results and made Donald Trump president. He is still kind of running into a lot of this resistance inside the Republican base.

STEWART: Right. And what he did with that particular voter is explain very factually and accurately that he did not have the authority to stop the certification of the election results. And the interview with her afterwards says, you know, I believe what he has to say. I appreciate him explaining it. And what Mike Pence is doing is one by one, event by event, pizza ranch by pizza ranch, talking with the people of Iowa about the things that are important for them.

And it certainly is not January 6th. And it is certainly not the 2020 election. They're concerned with crop prices, food prices, gas prices and safety in their community. So he is talking with them one-on-one.

And one more point on DeSantis. Look, you know, a lot of candidates are out there. They have surrogates out there. What I'm hearing from people in Iowa that Casey DeSantis, his wife, has done a lot of campaigning with the senator with moms, talking to moms. And if you can connect with mothers and families on an individual level, whether it is Pence or DeSantis or Nikki Haley or Scott, that is a winning formula to win Iowa.

ACOSTA: And Molly, I want to ask you about this. I'm sure you saw President Biden sat down and spoke with our very own Fareed Zakaria. He made a lot of news with this interview. Listen to what the president had to say when he was asked about his age. And we should note the president said this is a legitimate issue. He knows it's going to come up. But this is what Fareed asked the president and his response.

(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: Molly, how do you think he handled that question?

JONG-FAST: You know, again, if he is running against Donald Trump, he is three years older than Donald Trump. So it's going to be hard for Republicans to say he is too old when he is three years older than Donald Trump and he is much more even and much less volatile, right. So I think it's going to depend on who he is running against. But I think he's done a really good job with that question. And, you know, AOC has already endorsed him.

[19:20:02]

The Democrats are rallying around him. You know, you may not like the fact that he is so old, but he's done a very good job, and he's been a very, you know, he's been president for a lot of us and done a lot of things that were Democratic priorities. So I think people are largely -- you know, it's not -- it would be nice if he were a little younger, but that's what we have. And you fight with the arm that you do.

And let me say, he's running -- I mean, if he is running against Donald Trump, you know, Donald Trump has been impeached twice, indicted twice, probably more coming. I mean, you know, there is a big difference between these two candidates.

STEWART: And Molly is 100 percent correct. Biden is doing a tremendous job with rallying his troops and rallying Democrats, getting these key people on board, AOC and others. The problem is his approval ratings are still around 40 percent. And that is not good for running into a campaign. And also, the economy is a big issue for voters. And we're seeing that 75 percent of Americans don't feel that the economy is strong, and they're pointing the finger at Biden.

So it's not his age, it's his policies that are I think going to be more of a detriment to him as we head into this election.

ACOSTA: Let me ask you, Molly, about this turmoil that we've been seeing inside the House Freedom Caucus. There are reports that the caucus has given Marjorie Taylor Greene the boot. What did you make of that? I mean, it seemed for a long time there that Marjorie Taylor Greene was the Freedom Caucus or the Freedom Caucus was Marjorie Taylor Greene.

JONG-FAST: Yes, I mean, it's sort of a strange behavior. Look, Marjorie Taylor Greene decided to support Speaker McCarthy and, you know, vote to raise the debt ceiling, which by the way did not crash the economy, which would have been really bad. So this was perhaps the one time Marjorie Taylor Greene did the sensible thing. And she is being punished by the Freedom Caucus.

Again, you know, the Freedom Caucus, these are Republicans in disarray, right. Look, the Freedom Caucus fighting against Kevin McCarthy who's really their guy and then you have them kicking out Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is also their girl. I don't know where this ends. You know, they're having a lot of internal fighting. They're having trouble passing things. You know, again, you only need one member to have a motion to vacate. We could see that happen. It's a disarray.

ACOSTA: Yes, Alice, I mean, you've got a lot of contacts up on the Hill on the Republican side.

STEWART: Right.

ACOSTA: What is going on there?

STEWART: Well, I think --

ACOSTA: Is it because of this so-called cat fight?

STEWART: Well, that's exactly -- you know, the cat fight between she and Lauren Boebert is, you know, really getting out of hand. And it's a huge distraction. We certainly don't need that and, you know, I applaud the Freedom Caucus for taking this step. At some point, Marjorie Taylor Greene has to learn, you know, you're part of a team. You're part of a caucus. And you need to behave as such. But look, the reality --

ACOSTA: Has she really done that ever, though, since she got to Congress?

STEWART: No, she has not. But the truth is, look, there is so much conversation and vocal conversations we hear from the Freedom Caucus, most of the Republicans and the Republican caucus in the House and the Senate, they're the more moderate people that are getting things done. They're keeping their nose to the grindstone. They're working to get things done and not get headlines about the latest cat fight in Washington, D.C. Those are ones that are actually getting things done.

ACOSTA: All right. Alice and Molly, thank you very much. Really appreciate -- oh, go ahead. Go ahead, Molly. Last word to you.

JONG-FAST: Well, I was just going to say, I mean, they only control the House so they can't get much done. And these are largely messaging bills. But the failure to be able to do this is a very bad look for Republicans.

ACOSTA: Yes. All right. Great conversation. Thanks to you both. Really appreciate it.

Hong Kong says it will never stop pursuing pro-democracy activists, even placing a bounty on them. The United States is condemning the action, but will it have any impact? Coming up next, one of those activists, Nathan Law, there he is right there, joins us live to talk about this, what he has been through. You're going to want to stay tuned for it.

You're live in CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:28:22]

ACOSTA: A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is pressuring the White House to punish Hong Kong and in turn China for the violent crackdown on pro-democracy activists in 2019 in a law that targets protesters accused of colluding with foreign governments.

In a letter, the group writes, "While we understand the importance of fostering regional economic dialogue with our Indo-Pacific allies and partners, inviting a sanctioned human rights abuser is an affront to all those who have been persecuted." They want Secretary Antony Blinken to prohibit Hong Kong's leader from attending a summit in San Francisco this fall.

Nate Law is among eight exiled activists wanted by Hong Kong police. They just issued a new arrest warrant for him. And Nate joins us now from an undisclosed location.

I really appreciate you joining us. It's good to talk to you. I guess there is no other way to put it. There is a bounty on your head right now. How are you doing? What's it been like?

NATHAN LAW, FORMER HONG KONG LEGISLATOR: Well, thanks for having me, Jim. Life has been difficult because after the bounty is out, like everyone has been asking what they can help with, and for me, I've been living a discreet life, but for now it's another level because there could be people giving out my information because there is a bounty, more than $128,000 U.S. That's quite like an amount of money for many people.

So for me, I just have to be much more careful and to avoid going to places where they are friendly with China or have an extradition with them.

[19:30:00]

And just carry out my advocacy work in this condition.

ACOSTA: And the concern is, I guess is that literally wherever you go anywhere in the world, you could be snatched off the street, thrown in a van, something like that and brought back and brought up on some, I guess, trumped up charges, that kind of thing. Is that basically the scenario that you're concerned about? You're afraid of? LAW: Yes, it could happen. Legally, they could extradite me from a country where they have extradition treaty, but China, they also have a track record of doing extra-legal, extra-territorial persecution, like adopting people from a third country and going back to Mainland China.

So yes, that's definitely a risk that would be there whenever I go with a country that there is no like strong rule of law and there is a risk of that.

ACOSTA: Yes, and you're urging the activists not to cooperate with authorities and not to give up. Have you heard from some of these other exiles? I suppose you're now a group of people who can relate to one another. What's that been like? What are those conversations like?

LAW: Well, for now, the eight of us have been stating very clearly that we are not going to back down because of the bounty, even though it is unprecedented, even though this is the first time that there are Hong Kongers being wanted, and being offered a bounty because of political crimes.

We believe that our political work are important. We are advocating for a free and democratic Hong Kong, and we should continue the work. And definitely, being warranted a bounty is actually a badge of honor to many of us, because we believe that what we're doing is right, and the government is trying to silence us.

So, yes, they are all doing all right. I think, more or less, we are foreseeing that we will be wanted, but offering bounties is just another level and we're getting used to it.

ACOSTA: And is there anything more that the Biden administration can do, that the United States government can do that other governments around the world can do that believe in democracy to put pressure on Hong Kong, put pressure on the Chinese to get rid of these bounties and let pro-democracy activists like yourself, be able to live your life?

LAW: Well, for me, I'm being hunted with several charges, other than the national security law. I think the crux is that the Chinese government is believing their authoritarian system is going to work. They're the best system in the world and they do need Hong Kong to be an example that they're catching up with the democratic and more modernized ideas that we used to enjoy, which are freedom, and about checks and balances in the system.

So I think the most important thing is still to put pressure to the Chinese government, to reduce our reliance on them, and to -- well, basically warn them that they should not continue their authoritarian system. Otherwise, there will be consequences on matters not only economic terms and political terms, and I think in general, the grand strategy should be like this, other than just appeasing them or trying to convince them that, yes, that there should not be a monitored list of political figures.

ACOSTA: Right, and Nate, you should be commended. For this. You have said we should not limit ourselves, self-censor, be intimidated or live in fear. How do you continue to protest against the Chinese government and what they're doing in cracking down on democracy?

LAW: Protesting in Hong Kong is really difficult because people are just getting arrested, because of chanting a slogan or holding a protest sign on the street. There are people literally in jail for years just for speaking up a very simple protest term.

For me, a person who have left Hong Kong and, like get my asylum status in the UK will continue to urge foreign governments to hold the Chinese government accountable, building a stronger diasporic community so that our voice could be hurt, and also bringing up our influence no matter it is cultural term or political term, so that there are more policies that taking Hong Kong's situation into consideration, and just to try to continue the voice of democratic movement in Hong Kong.

ACOSTA: Well, Nathan Law, thank you very much for sharing your story with us and what you've been going through. Hats off to you, Nate. Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

I hope you'll come back and share with us any updates that you might have on how things are going, but please stay safe and best of luck to you. Thanks so much.

LAW: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: Good to talk to you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:39:02]

ACOSTA: Just in to CNN, we are getting video in of a flash flooding event in parts of New York. This is in Highland Falls about an hour and a half north of New York City. You can see water gushing past houses and rising around cars. We're also learning that the flooding is forcing people to swim out of their cars.

At the US Military Academy and West Point, officials are reminding residents to not drive on flooded roads. It is very important that folks stay safe out there with this kind of activity going on, those flashfloods can be very swift.

It has been a wild week in the world of social media. On Wednesday night, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta launched Threads. The long-anticipated Twitter alternative is already estimated to have nearly 100 million users.

Twitter owner, Elon Musk responding with multiple tweets attacking the site and reportedly threatening to sue Meta for allegedly ripping off Twitter, all of this, as an actual cage match it seems between the two billionaires remains on the table.

[19:40:01]

CNN senior media reporter, Oliver Darcey joins us now to discuss all of this.

Oliver, what do you think? How is Threads getting off so far? It seems like they're off to an amazing start, far surpassing a lot of folks' expectations.

OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: Yes, Jim. If I were Elon Musk over at Twitter, I'd be quite nervous now that Mark Zuckerberg has entered the ring, at least the online ring, the cage match that you talked about or alluded to, has yet to take place. That's because though, Jim, there have been some attempts over the past several months to emulate Twitter, to create the community elsewhere.

Those attempts have never really taken off, because the people or companies launching them really lacked the scale and the resources that Meta and Mark Zuckerberg can bring to the table.

And so when Mark Zuckerberg launched this new app on Thursday, he has already been able to get tens of millions of people, as you said, maybe 100 million people by later today to sign up for this service and that is really threatening Twitter's dominance in this space like it has never been threatened before.

If I were Elon Musk, I would maybe try to stop the bleeding if possible, but he has all but encouraged users on Twitter to really leave the platform over the last several months, by way of some of the things he has done.

You know, first, he fired half the staff, which really made the service quite glitchy. But even more recently, he has rate limited users, which meant basically that people who could only view 600 or so tweets before being locked out of the service and he has done a number of other things that have really alienated the Twitter base, and really left this opening for Mark Zuckerberg to come in and fill that void.

And so, right now, if I'm Elon Musk, and I'm looking at Threads with maybe 100 million signups later today, I'm quite nervous -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, absolutely. I mean, it is a very usable app. I have to say, it was very simple to set up. I mean, I've tried other Twitter alternatives in recent weeks, Bluesky and others and they are all well and good, but Threads just seems to be incredibly user friendly, and that may be why Elon Musk is so concerned and is reacting accordingly.

What do you know about this lawsuit threat from Twitter? Because they've been threatening to go after Meta about essentially copying what they've done over at Twitter in creating Threads. Do you think there's any merit to this?

DARCY: You know, Jim, I don't think you can rule anything out when it comes to Elon Musk. I mean, there is, as you said, again, a literal cage match these two are reportedly in talks to do.

So, a look a lawsuit threat, I'm not ruling that out. I'm sure that they are taking a look at all their options, but I'm also guessing that Mark Zuckerberg and the team over at Meta are pretty confident that what they're doing is legally okay. So we'll see what happens, but for now, I don't think Zuckerberg looks too worried.

ACOSTA: And Oliver, I've seen you on Threads. I'm following you. I noticed you are following me. I appreciate that very much.

But I mean, so far, this app, I mean, it's almost like you're on Twitter. You know, I shouldn't admit this, but I've kind of gone back and forth between the two apps. And sometimes you're saying, oh, yes, I'm on Threads, not Twitter right now. It's that close. It is kind of amazing.

DARCY: Yes, it is Twitter right now without the chaos that Elon Musk has really brought to the platform, and I think that's what users are really craving and longing for and they are finding it, at least for now, over on Threads.

ACOSTA: All right, Oliver Darcy, great to talk to you again. Thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

DARCY: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, and just one day after announcing her plans to retire, Megan Rapinoe and the women's national team were back in action. How they did, what they're saying about the soccer trailblazer's surprise announcement that she is retiring. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:23]

ACOSTA: The US women's soccer team just wrapped up their final warmup ahead of the World Cup and it happened just one day after Megan Rapinoe surprised us all by announcing her retirement.

CNN Sports anchor, Patrick Snell joins us with more.

Patrick, the women's team got a nice win ahead of the tournament, didn't they?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Hi, Jim.

Yes, they most certainly did. Soon to be the end of an era for the storied US soccer icon, Megan Rapinoe on Saturday. Big, big weekend full of really big developments.

Jim, as you mentioned the iconic 38-year-old, a two-time Women's World Cup winner, announcing that she is going to be calling time on her illustrious playing career at the end of this year's NWSL campaign.

Now, Rapinoe though will play in her fourth and final World Cup later on this month in Australia and New Zealand. The Americans seeking a record third straight title, what an achievement that would be.

The United States playing their final warm-up game Sunday ahead of the World Cup which starts on July the 20th. The Americans taking on Wales in California Sunday with Rapinoe who was hoping for her 200th International cap, not actually in the starting lineup there. Goalless until near the end, that's when Trinity Rodman, she is the daughter of the NBA legend, Dennis Rodman breaking the deadlock from the Sofia Smith assist for the first goal.

Rodman who plays the club football for the Washington Spirit doubling the lead three minutes from time. By the way, no sign of Rapinoe though, that 200th cap, Jim, will just have to wait for the World Cup it seems, that's two-nil the United States. They get the job done against the Welsh national team. Rapinoe remains on 199 caps for now.

Now, after the match, the US given a rousing sendoff before they head down under.

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[19:50:07]

SNELL: America looking to become the first country ever, the US hoping to become the first country ever, men's or women's team, Jim, to win three World Cups in a row that would be absolutely incredible if they can get the job done.

The USA opening up against Vietnam on July the 21st.

Jim, back to you.

ACOSTA: Yes, we're going to be cheering them on. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch.

And Patrick another big story this weekend is the NBA announcing a new midseason tournament. I heard about this earlier today and I was -- what is this? What is this all about?

SNELL: Yes, there is certainly plenty to be talking about in this.

Here is what we do know for sure. The NBA actually releasing details of the new midseason tournament. When does it begin? Well we can tell you, later on this year. It actually starts, Jim, November 3rd, and are all 30 teams participating.

Now all 30 teams actually randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on one loss records from the 2022-23 regular season. The best team from each group, plus two wildcards reaching the knockout stage with a championship game being played in Las Vegas on December 9th, so just before Christmas.

Players on the winning team will get $500,000.00 each. Nice work if you can get it, I'll tell you; while players on the team that loses in the title game will take home $200,000.00 each.

Every game will count towards regular season standings except the championship game. So exciting new developments, I tell you. We're watching it very closely as well. How will it be embraced? How will fans respond? How will the players respond? That's all ahead. We'll see.

Back to you, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, we've heard of March Madness. This sounds like November Nirvana. It is just going to make my family even more hoops crazy.

All right, Patrick Snell, thanks so much.

We'll be right back.

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[19:56:06]

ACOSTA: Just minutes from now, CNN's "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper explores the dangers of social media for children.

The US surgeon-general recently warned that social media carries what he called a profound risk of harm to the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents.

Several school districts are suing tech giants alleging they are contributing to a mental health crisis among youth. Now hundreds of families are suing, too, including Tammy Rodriguez.

CNN's Audie Cornish spoke to Tammy about her daughter, Selena.

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AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What Tammy didn't know at the time was that Selena had figured out how to block her mother from seeing her online life.

TAMMY RODRIGUEZ, SELENA'S MOTHER: She had saved her fingerprint and I didn't know she had saved it in my phone, so like if I'd fall asleep or whatever she would use her fingerprint to get in and change the settings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once the pandemic had started, she was posting more. She became more recluse. She was focused on how many likes she has, how many followers she has, how many followers she is losing, who was messaging her.

CORNISH (voice over): During the pandemic when Selena's school and social life moved online, she was regularly messaging with people on these apps. Some she knew, some she did not.

RODRIGUEZ: There were adults that would reach out, which I was not aware of, until not too long ago. Men, they knew she was a minor.

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ACOSTA: CNN's Audie Cornish joins us now, and Audie, you found some disturbing situations regarding children and social media and sadly, too many cases.

CORNISH: Exactly. I mean, obviously, kids had to use social media and their tablets and their phones, et cetera, especially coming out of the pandemic when they went through public school quarantines.

But these parents are pointing to instances where their kid fell into maybe sexual exploitation, many instances of bullying that affected kids' mental health. Eating disorders was another issue that's come up. People sort of searching content that seems innocuous at first, whether it'd be about recipes or exercise, and kind of escalates into something darker.

ACOSTA: And what surprised you the most when you spoke with these kids and their parents? I suppose one of those surprises would be the parents not knowing what the kids are doing on their phones.

CORNISH: Actually, what surprised me is that the parents tried to know what their kids were doing on their phone. They were -- a lot of the parents said to me, look, I absolutely was looking at the phone. I absolutely tried to take the phone away from my kid.

We talked to one teenager who said that at one point, she smuggled her phone into her treatment center where she was being treated for her eating disorder.

The intensity with which the kids kind of connected with the phone in times of trouble was really striking for the parents and they didn't really have anywhere to turn.

ACOSTA: And we hear a lot of these bad stories connected to social media. Was there anything you learned while making this special that gave you some hope that there might be some changes? Are these social media companies doing enough? I mean, it doesn't sound like it.

CORNISH: Right. We saw Threads, which was launched by Meta this week. Inside of that app, in its settings, there's a family center where parents can add supervision. But fundamentally, the people who want to reform this area say, look, this is a lot like big tobacco. It's a moment where a movement can kind of push companies into admitting they know they're doing more harm than good, and that there should be more guardrails to prevent things from getting worse.

Other people and states are talking about age verification laws, the same way there's a rated-R movie. Yes, a few kids can sneak into a rated-R movie, but on the whole, it's a very different experience and people are saying you could do the same thing for social media.

But fundamentally, the courts and Congress are very reluctant to be in breach of people's First Amendment speech rights and that makes it hard to figure out where to go on social media without being accused of censorship

ACOSTA: And that's going to make it that much harder for us to catch up with our kids.

CORNISH: Exactly.

ACOSTA: To figure out what they're doing.

CORNISH: But people really, I hope they identify with this because every kid, every parent who has a phone will find something kind of familiar in tonight's show.

ACOSTA: All right, we will be watching.

Audie Cornish, thank you very much. Stay with us, as Audie Cornish delves into all of this on a new episode of "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper. That is next here on CNN.

Thanks for joining me this evening. I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you next weekend.

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