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Major Airports Across Northeast Issue Ground Stops; Heat Wave Could Threaten 100 All-Time Records; Manhunt Underway For Suspect Accused Of Killing 4 In GA; Police Capture Escaped Inmate On The Run for Over A Week; Ukraine: Frontline Battles Changing Dynamically; Actors And Writers On Strike Against Studios, Streamers; Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Reigning Champion Djokovic. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired July 16, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:31]

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

And we've got lots of breaking news this weekend. And it entails weather extremes.

Major airports across the Northeast have either issued ground stops or are experiencing significant delays as storms moved through the region.

Joining us right now on the phone is CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean. Pete, what airports are we talking about?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): We're talking about a lot of airports on the East Coast, Fredricka. I just checked FlightAware, 1,195 cancellations in the U.S. so far today; 4,331 delays.

New York getting hit especially hard again. After we saw a lot of delays, more than 2,000 just last Sunday and then the last week of June we saw a meltdown at United Airlines. So this sort of feeds into the story of travel misery that keeps happening over and over again this summer especially for folks trying to come home on a Sunday after the weekend and make it back to work.

Just checking the FAA status of airports right now. Ground stops have been issued for Boston. Logan, that's flights into Logan until 3:00 p.m. A ground delay also. That's means flights leaving Logan, a departure delay for 75 minutes. So we're are talking an hour and 15 minute delays leaving there right now.

Newark, a huge hotspot for these delays, a ground stop there as well. Also JFK, LaGuardia -- so New York getting hit hard. Even Florida -- Fort Lauderdale, Miami -- there are also issues there as well.

Not out of the woods yet, Fredricka. The FAA says we could see ground stops as the day goes on in places like Philadelphia, Chicago O'Hare, Chicago Midway, also the major airports around D.C. -- Dulles, National, BWI.

So this is just the start of what will be another day of misery for a lot of travelers. JetBlue getting hit especially hard right now. 23 percent of its flights have been canceled, but the very New York-heavy airline. Also united, relatively low right now, about 4 percent of cancellations right now. Though remember, the norm is about 1 to 2 percent for an airline. We know that United canceled about 3,000 flights; delayed another 8000 during that last week of June.

And Newark is under a ground stop meaning that it's a huge hub for United, so they will get hit especially hard. We'll see as the day goes on. You know, these things have a lasting trickle-down effect, Fredricka and it can be widespread.

So once the deck of cards starts coming tumbling down, it's really hard for airlines sometimes to pull it out of the dive. But the weather is moving off the East Coast but the FAA is warning things could last for a little while as the day goes on. It's really a weather story.

WHITFIELD: Wow. What a nightmare --

(CROSSTALK)

MUNTEAN: And it feeds into the fact of climate change really impacting weather especially when it comes to people trying to travel.

WHITFIELD: A real nightmare because delays today means most likely delays this evening and into tomorrow because you've got5 all these folks who are standing in these troubleshooting lines now that their flights have been delayed, they are trying to get on the next one and, you know, the ball keeps rolling from there on out. What a nightmare.

All right. Pete Muntean, thank you so much for that. We will check back with you.

All right. Let's talk about this weather event which is now turning into a travel nightmare this weekend.

Brandon Miller -- extreme weather. We were talking about heat yesterday which is still a significant problem but now we are talking thunderstorms and these pop-up storms flooding that are causing these kinds of problems in the area.

(CROSSTALK)

BRANDON MILLER, CNN SENIOR METEOROLOGIST; Yes, weather extremes certainly on each coast. We've been tracking this line of storms all morning and into the afternoon. It's moving very slowly. That's the biggest problem with this line of showers and thunderstorms here in the Northeast. It's sort of training on itself, bringing rainfall totals two, three inches.

You can actually see a little bit boxes of red here from Long Island up into New England. That is actually a tornado watch. We've had a tornado watch in effect for most of the day here.

So I'll bring you some good news. We haven't seen any tornadoes reported. So that's good to have a tornado watch with no tornadoes but what it is bringing is copious amounts of rainfall.

[14:04:47]

MILLER: And that's what we've seen. We've seen flash flood warnings, we have some in effect right now for New York City, almost all of Manhattan, Providence, well up into western Mass and again into New England where we have seen so much flooding over the past week. It was just last Sunday and Monday that we saw the disastrous flooding up there and this is more rain.

Now again, fortunately we haven't seen that level of flooding yet and the good news is, this line is moving out. It's slow and it's not as fast as everyone waiting in those airport lines would like to see but it is going to move out.

We can put the map into motion and see the rest of Sunday. That line moves out by a little after midnight and certainly by tomorrow morning, the line has moved out and we are sort of in the clear when it comes to the weather.

Now what that is going to mean for the knock-on delays and everything that Pete talked about, you know, we've seen that in recent weeks.

WHITFIELD: Yes. The ripple effect of that.

All right. so we've got extreme, you know, rain and flooding in the Northeast right there. And now let's talk about the rest of the nation which is sweltering in this heat wave.

MILLER: Yes. You're either getting --

WHITFIELD: It's really impacting a lot of people.

MILLER: -- you are getting burned or you're getting choked out by smoke in the middle. So it really is -- it's dependent on where you are and we will talk a little bit more about the heat.

I mean We look at these temperatures, these are the feels like temperatures right now. 108 in New Orleans, 103 in Houston, Shreveport at 112.

If you are wondering why Dallas is only 84, that's another airport that got hammered by thunderstorms today. That's why it's a little cooler. But we know that is a hub as well. So again, more airport problems there.

The current temperatures in the west: 104 in Las Vegas, 104 in Phoenix, and that's really where I'm worried about over the next couple of days. Moving into the next couple of days we see above average temperatures, they really don't go anywhere. They just sort of meander back towards Texas but under the gun still is Arizona.

And Fredricka, this is just a downright scary map of Phoenix going forward for the next week. Nearly every one of these highs is a record for the day and the lows, if you want to call them lows, 94 and 95 as cold as it's getting cold at night.

That is where these heat waves really turn dangerous. They turn deadly. All of these, all week long, would rank in the top 10 hottest nights Phoenix has ever had and you are putting 7 to 14 of them in a row. It hasn't dropped below 90 since last Sunday and it doesn't look like it's going to happen again for next Sunday.

We talk about heat being a silent killer, you know, this is like a major hurricane when it comes to, you know, the disaster that could happen with this type of heat. And you know, we call it the silent killer because we don't hear about it like when a hurricane comes and you have devastation left everywhere and there's a death toll; or a tornado.

We find out weeks after with the extreme heat, you know, when we look back and see these excess mortalities. We saw it last year and the year before in Phoenix with heat waves and this one is worse.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Oh, it's incredible. I mean waking up in the degrees of 90s and then it's only going to worsen throughout the day.

All right. Brandon Miller, we'll check back with you. Thank you so much.

So all of that extreme weather is indeed turning deadly in Pennsylvania where authorities now say at least four people are dead after flash flooding there, hitting Bucks County. Several others remain missing including two children from the same family, a nine- month-old boy and his two-year-old sister.

Officials say intense rainfall flooded roadways, trapped some people in their cars. They say three cars were swept away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TIM BREWER, UPPER MAKEFIELD FIRED COMPANY: We want the families of those who are lost -- that they are in our hearts and we will work tirelessly until we locate their loved ones. We cannot imagine how difficult it's been for them in this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Officials say the area received six to seven inches of rainfall in under an hour.

All right. Let's turn now to CNN's Rafael Romo and we're talking about the extreme opposite of that. Very dry and extremely hot.

Rafael, you're at the Hoover Dam. What are you seeing right there and what are you feeling?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, extreme is the right word and, Fred, even with a temperature expected to reach 113 degrees here today, tourists are finding it very difficult Hoover Dam.

So we are seeing plenty of people visiting this marvel of engineering, of course, many of them are taking their precautions, trying to stay in the shade as much as possible and drinking plenty of water. But the reality is that we are going through a weeks-long heat wave that is having an impact across many parts of the south and the southwest.

Around 100 heat records were expected to fall through the weekend as the heat wave intensified. Piling onto the more than 1,000 high temperature records broken in the U.S. since July and just to give you an idea about how bad it's been, Fred, and just a moment ago Brandon was talking about Phoenix.

[14:10:00]

ROMO: Well, Phoenix is in the middle of a likely record-breaking streak of consecutive 110 degree days, forcing many businesses and parks to close or readjust their hours.

The low temperature in Phoenix might not drop below 90 degrees for eight consecutive days. It's going well beyond that, another record.

We were in Las Vegas Friday and Saturday where people are wondering if the old-time record of 117 degrees was going to be broken this weekend. The National Weather Service Fred, said the top temperature was going to be 113 degrees today.

So it doesn't seem for now that the record will be broken but, you know Fred, how they often tell us that when you are on camera you need to be cool, calm and collected? I'm calm, I'm collected; cool is an entirely different matter but we have a job to do, right. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Yes. You are hot and we understand the equipment is hot. So it's all very volatile and we are happy that we were actually able to talk to you because our cameras are suffering in that heat as well as our staff. All right. Hang in there, Rafael Romo. Appreciate it.

All right. And we continue to follow the new developments in the case of an Alabama woman who disappeared Thursday night after calling 911 to report a toddler walking along the interstate.

The woman has since been found alive. Police say 25-year-old Carly Russell returned to her home last night just before 11:00 p.m. She's now being evaluated at an area hospital as investigators try to piece together what happened to her and where she has been all this time.

Her car and phone were found next to the interstate the day that she disappeared. But, there was no sign of her or a child when authorities arrived. News of Russell's disappearance sparked a frantic 48-hour search effort across the Birmingham area but at this point, still unclear what actually happened to her since Thursday. And what happened between Thursday, being reported missing and her showing up at home last night. We'll keep you updated.

All right. Coming up, a manhunt underway right now after a mass shooting in Hampton, Georgia. What we know about the suspect and the search to find him next.

Plus new details about how police tracked down an escaped Pennsylvania inmate. How a barking dog and a tip from a private citizen led to his recapture.

[14:12:32]

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WHITFIELD: The manhunt continues today for a suspect in the fatal shooting of four people in Georgia. The Henry County Sheriff's Office has identified the suspect as 40-year-old Andre Longmore.

The shootings took place Saturday in Hampton, Georgia just about 30 miles south of Atlanta. And police have not determined a motive for the shooting and have not yet identified the victims except to say they are three men and one woman.

Longmore, who officials say is armed and dangerous, was last seen driving a black GMC Acadia. The sheriff's office is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to his arrest.

An inmate who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison is now back in custody after more than a week on the run. Police captured Michael Burham yesterday in a wooded area near the town of Warren. He escaped from the Warren County jail earlier this month.

Authorities had described him as dangerous and warned that he had military experience and survivalist skills.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has more on how this all unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After about nine days on the run in parts of rural Pennsylvania, the search is now over after an inmate was recaptured by authorities on Saturday afternoon.

The man's name, Michael Burham. He was recaptured without incidents in a wooded area in Warren County, Pennsylvania. The 34-year-old former reservist and survivalist was also a prime suspect in a New York homicide case as well as a related arson case in Western New York.

It was back on July 6th that Burham reportedly used a rope fashioned from beddings to escape out a window in the recreation room at the facility that he was being held in, in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

During the search for the last few days, a search that was conducted by hundreds of states, local, federal officers, they were able to locate some campsites and various stockpiles that they believe were directly linked to Burham. However, then Saturday came.

I want you to hear directly from Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens describing how a private citizen managed to call in a tip that led to the arrest of this runaway inmate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Sorry about that. We are having some problems with the audio on that. It's not your television. All right. Thanks to Polo Sandoval.

All right. Burham is currently being held at the Erie County Prison according to Pennsylvania state police. And right now it's unclear what kind of additional charges he may face.

Again part of that sound bite was describing that someone's dog was barking and then the dog owner came out and was able to see and then notify authorities leading to the capture.

All right. Coming up, the U.S. just sent controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine. Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin is issuing a stark warning if these weapons are used against his troops.

[14:19:51]

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

The Israeli prime minister has left the hospital after being fitted with a type of heart monitor. His doctors say tests show his heart was normal but this will allow them to continue regular monitoring of his heart.

Netanyahu was admitted to the hospital Saturday after complaining of dizziness. Initial statements said the prime minister was suffering from dehydration. Israel is in the midst of a heat wave like much of the world right now.

[14:24:46]

WHITFIELD: Turning to Ukraine where military officials say battles on the eastern front are escalating and positions between the two forces are changing quickly. Officials in Russian-controlled Crimea also say they repelled a massive Ukrainian drone attack earlier today.

CNN's Alex Marquardt is in the southern port city of Odessa in Ukraine.

Alex, the fighting is in the east as well but also around Bakhmut. So what has been the hardest fought among the battles?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bakhmut certainly HAS been the biggest fighting that we've seen REALLY throughout this entire war and now we are hearing from Ukraine's ministry of defense, in fact the deputy defense minister, who says that things are escalating in the east, that there are fierce battles, that positions are changing dynamically.

She says that in the Northeastern Kharkiv region which is near the border with Russia, that Ukrainian forces are on the defensive, that Russian forces have managed to make some gains there. There and farther south and then around Bakhmut which is just seeing such an extraordinary level of fighting.

That entire city has been destroyed. Remember the Wagner mercenary forces, they were the primary fighters on the Russian side there for quite some time before pulling out several weeks ago. But Russian forces have managed to maintain control of the vast majority of the city.

Ukrainian forces trying to push both in the north and in the south. To the north of the city they haven't made much progress. They too are on the defensive there while they make some gains in the southern part.

So it is rather going for the Ukrainian side, not just in the eastern part of the country but also in the south where they have also made some gains but they have been relatively modest, Fred.

We did hear from a senior adviser to President Zelenskyy just yesterday who said that it is hard and it is slow going, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Alex, you're there in Odessa which is where a lot of Ukraine's grain, you know, has been exported under the grain deal that was reached with Russia.

So that deal is set to expire tomorrow. What could happen?

MARQUARDT: Yes. That critical huge Odessa port over my right shoulder in the distance. This deal is set to expire Monday at midnight. The last ship that was part of the Black Sea Green Initiative has already left the Odessa port and it is unclear what happens next.

Putin has indicated that Russia may not renew this deal. If the deal is not renewed that could threaten global food supply. That could drive grain prices up that could damage the Ukrainian economy.

Russia is claiming that it is a one-sided deal the really only benefits Ukraine while Russia continues to be punished financially. Russia has said that one of the biggest things that it is asking for is that it's agricultural bank gets put back on the SWIFT international payment system. That's one of their big demands.

So far we've not seen that happen yet. The last deal, the original deal was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations. And the United Nations is still negotiating with Russia at this hour to prevent this very critical and important deal from lapsing, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then also today, Alex, Vladimir Putin said that if Ukraine uses the U.S. cluster, you know, ammunition, that Russia would reciprocate. What else do we know?

MARQUARDT: Yes. This is a bit rich coming from Putin because we know, there is documentation that Russian forces have used clusters throughout this war from the very beginning of this war on civilian areas, not just against Ukrainian troops but in densely-populated areas which is, of course, illegal.

That is one of the reasons the United States says that they were going to give, are going to give and have given these cluster munitions to Ukraine but Vladimir Putin has said that if Ukraine uses these American cluster munitions that that would be a crime and that they could respond in kind.

Remember, Fredricka, we reported a couple of days ago that these American cluster munitions are now in the country. We've not seen yet whether they have been used but that certainly that is the expectation, that they could be used in the near future, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alex Marquardt, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much.

All right. Let's get more analysis now on this rapidly moving situation.

Mark Kimmitt is a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army. He was also former assistant secretary of state for political military affairs under president George W. Bush.

Good to see you, General.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RET): Hi Fred.

WHITFIELD: I'd love to start with this whole grain deal that is to expire tomorrow. Do you think there is some leverage there to convince in any way, you know, Russia to keep the deal going?

KIMMITT: I would certainly hope so, as Alex mentioned, this would spike grain prices around the world. Particularly countries like Egypt where they import most, if not all of their wheat.

So as he said, this is going to be used by Putin as leverage in his attempts to win this war through both military and economic means.

WHITFIELD: And then you heard in Alex's report there that, you know, we are seeing the fighting intensifying on the eastern front including Bakhmut.

Ukraine says Russia, you know, has sent its best troops to the area. Is Russia feeling, you know, the absence of the mercenary Wagner troops in this battle, do you think?

[14:30:03]

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Apparently not. I suspect it was made very clear to the commander of the unit that's fighting now, when he came in to replace the Wagner units that he was going to fight or die. It was going to be very clear, had a unit and sent in behind Wagner and collapsed, what a significant effect that would have not only for Ukraine but for the Russian military as well.

WHITFIELD: OK. And on the issue of the counteroffensive, Ukraine says that this counteroffensive is going very slowly. What does that mean and, you know, why share that publicly?

KIMMITT: Well, I think it's obvious to anybody watching this that the Ukrainians have lost two of the key elements in the counteroffensive. Number one, the element of time, and the element of surprise. This is tough going, as I've said many times. The obstacle belt that the Russians have set up has had months to prepare its multilayered and it's the toughest kind of fighting.

So, I would expect that this counteroffensive would be going on for perhaps months as the Ukrainians either where the Russians down or find a soft spot in the Russian lines to punch through, to the sea.

WHITFIELD: Have a listen to what National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on CNN's State of the Union about the cluster munitions that have been arriving in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: If they have not yet they will be in the coming hours or days because they have now very rapidly been shipped into the fight and are in the hands of the Ukrainian defenders on the front lines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Vladimir Putin has said on state TV that he considers the use of cluster bombs a crime and that Russia would retaliate. We know that they used it on the front end very early in the war, hitting, you know, civilian dense areas. That's the difference with this arrangement that the U.S. has made with Ukraine. It would be in more remote location so that fewer citizens would be impacted.

So, what -- how do you dissect what Putin is saying? Is this more bluster? Or was it his plan to use them anyway and this is just another excuse?

KIMMITT: Well, I think everybody recognized that they have been used fairly indiscriminately and in violation of the laws of land warfare. What I'm most concerned about is when Putin says he will reciprocate, it will not be more cluster munitions, but he may bring out something like fuel air explosives which is a very potent weapon system which we've not seen up to this point. It would have a significant effect on mass formations of Ukrainian forces or even worse, if he would possibly consider using it inside the cities.

WHITFIELD: All right. General Mark Kimmitt, so glad you were able to be with us. Appreciate it.

KIMMITT: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Hollywood remains at a standstill today. Actors vowed to strike as long as it takes until a deal is reached with streaming platforms and studios. Comedian and actress Margaret Cho joins me live to discuss all of this next.

But, first, this quick programming note. CNN's Fareed Zakaria has a smart documentary on immigration airing tonight at 8:00 p.m. looking at the border, immigration and politics, the economy, all of it. The fascinating history of immigration, the story that is intertwined with America's most contentious issue, race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST (voice-over): Two-point-four million migrants were apprehended at the border the last fiscal year. That shattered the record set the previous year, and nearly equaled the total population of Chicago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the clock is ticking.

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on a Fareed Zakaria special, a border overwhelmed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not about politics. It's about humanity.

ANNOUNCER: A history of hatred.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is happening now has a long lineage.

ANNOUNCER: And a system on the brink. If America can't get immigration right, could our democracy be at risk?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If liberals won't defend the borders, fascists will.

ANNOUNCER: "IMMIGRATION BREAKDOWN: A FAREED ZAKARIA SPECIAL", tonight at 8:00 on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:38:58]

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, much of the movie and television show making business is dark. About 160,000 television and movie actors walked off the jobs last week to join more than 10,000 writers already on the picket line. The strike comes after negotiations with major studios and streamers and streaming businesses, rather, collapsed. The union representing the actors SAG-AFTRA wants a deal to improve wages and limit the use of artificial intelligence, to name a few things.

The TV and film studios say they offered the highest pay increase in 35 years and a proposal to limit the impact of A.I. Let's talk more about all of this, the strikes and the fallout with Emmy nominated actress and comedian Margaret Cho.

Margaret, great to see you. I was disappointed that you are not here in Atlanta because I know sometimes you spend a lot of time here in Atlanta, but, hey, I'm so glad to see you're from Los Angeles.

We've seen you, you know, a lot over the years. Most recently in shows like "The Flight Attendant" and "Hacks". You know, you are also a standup comedian and you are on tour.

[14:40:04]

Is your tour called "Live and Livid" or "Live and Livid"?

MARGARET CHO, ACTRESS: Live & Livid.

WHITFIELD: Live and Livid. All right. OK, I know that.

CHO: Live, live,

WHITFIELD: All right. Fantastic. So, have you been on the picket line? Are you taking a look at what's going on out there?

CHO: Well, you know, I'm going to start tomorrow. I really have been very active right now, using the weekend on social media to get up to speed on everything. I will be out there tomorrow.

It's such an important strike and for me as a former background artist, some 45 years ago, when an extra is coming onto the screen, you know, now there is this proposal. They want to scan the likeness and use it in perpetuity with no control over what that's going to be used for and background work is the way so many of us enter show business and filmmaking. You learn about the industry from there. What they are trying to do is basically take away that first step for people to get into moviemaking.

And it's just -- one of the things that is a huge problem, not just A.I. but the industry as a whole, it's like we are looking to take out the humanity from art and that is such a huge problem. So, there so many issues that we are fighting for and I am so inspired by the writers guild and IAPSCI (ph), we just seen so much incredible work from them and here we are joining in.

I'm so honored to be part of my union. I have a long history with unionizing. My grandfather was a labor union leader in Korea, so this is in my blood.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, so you are passionate about it for a lot of reasons through your artistry and with your dad as a union leader. So this is really important, but I think you so aptly described the background work. And to give permission to use your image or likeness in perpetuity, I mean, just seems ridiculous.

So, I mean, why would, you know, why would anyone think that would go over well with any of the artists?

CHO: I think it's because sometimes people are so desperate to work and desperate to break into this industry, that they are willing. You know, they are willing to do whatever it takes and think, believing this I lie that we will only use it one time but it sets a precedent for it to be used in perpetuity and how many of us can be used for anything after that.

WHITFIELD: And people are counting on those residual checks, so if you are signing off on that you only get paid once. You don't get paid the multiple times you should be paid that anyone would think you should be paid if your likeness, or if your, you know, your talent is being used and utilized.

CHO: The majority of our industry really is working-class. We are working class people. We need these jobs. We need these residuals. We need to be able to make a living wage.

And this is something that, I think people who are not in the entertainment industry don't understand. They look at the movie stars and think they have so much money. That's not the case. When you look at the television program or film, you see any actors who make the bulk of the movie and the film that you're watching and those are working-class people. We need protection.

WHITFIELD: I know you were just in Atlanta and you will be in New York later in the year as well. I'm wondering, in the meantime, so many studios are dark and actors are not working and able to follow through on projects that they've committed to. How has the writers strike impacted you and your plans and your tour? All the projects that you had upcoming?

CHO: It's completely change the way that I look to this year and I'm really waiting to see how it goes. You know, fortunately, I'm still a standup comedian which is a different art form and I'm very excited to be out on the road doing that and that's something that is my main focus, always, anyway.

But I had about five movies that are really waiting. I have to wait to finish them. I have to wait to start them, and, you know, it's something that I am willing to do because I believe in our union. I believe in this cause, and we are willing to hold up and change things.

WHITFIELD: Margaret Cho, so great to talk to you for any variety of things. I can't wait to come back to Atlanta and have you in studio. It would be good to see you again.

CHO: I would love that. Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All the best. Thank you so much.

On this week's "Staying Well", we explored the fitness benefits of gardening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA ROGERS, GARDENER: Gardening is a good workout for me. Every morning, I walk around the entire garden.

[14:45:05]

I have to lean in a lot and stretch and harvest things because I grow so many things together. There's a lot of, you know, stretching and moving and reaching in and grabbing. I've got radish, tomatoes, all kinds of peppers, cucumbers, multiple squashes and zucchinis, and green beans. Whatever we harvest that week, we eat.

DR. ALICE CHEN, HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY: Gardening is a great form of exercise because it allows you to use large muscle groups which are the central foundation of core strengthening. Gardening can offer a great workout. You can burn anywhere between 200 and 800 calories an hour which is just as good as any form of exercise.

Weeding and pruning and mulching and squatting, all of those exercises are really excellent forms of using your muscle groups.

ROGERS: I'm also carrying dirt around. When I have to pull my lettuce out, I've got a bucket of dirt that I have to carry around and I feel it in my core which is nice.

CHEN: And I think that's the nice thing about gardening is that there is no time limit to it. You are not limited to time.

ROGERS: I love watching it grow. There's a sense of satisfaction and anytime I harvest something, it's very satisfying.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:53]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Let's talk some Wimbledon. Twenty-year-old Carlos Alcaraz has won his second grand slam title after defeating four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the men's singles match in Wimbledon after a thrilling five sets fight.

Alcaraz is now the third youngest man in the open era to win at Wimbledon.

Joining me right now from Wimbledon is seven-time major champion, Mats Wilander.

Wow, what a match. I know you were right front and center. I mean, it was a test for so many things. I didn't get to see all of it because I was preparing for the show. What I did see was a real test of stamina. I mean, they were dueling, they were slipping.

I mean, there was a little gymnastics in there as well, but this was a stunning loss in the end for Djokovic, wasn't it, and his fans?

MATS WILANDER, SEVEN-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION: Yes, Fredricka. Yes, it's a very stunning loss for Novak. Of course, am I surprised? Of course, you have to be surprised when know Novak loses a grand slam final these days. But I'm not shocked because Carlos Alcaraz has such a high level and I would even go out in a limb and say that this is most probably the highest level that men's tennis has ever been played on at the Wimbledon center court because like you're seeing, the grass is difficult to move but Carlos Alcaraz is just so good at 20 years old.

But Novak Djokovic is the guy that makes this happen because he's so good, he's raising the ceiling, raising the bar and you have to step it up and Carlos Alcaraz did.

WHITFIELD: Right. I mean, it was a test of wills, too, I mean, you can see the determination in Novak. At first he seemed very confident like I got this. And then suddenly it was like tied and then you saw him kind of look a little frazzled but then he dug deep, I'm talking Djokovic, and he did battle hard. But it did seem like it became a test of wills and of stamina.

WILANDER: Yea, I think will, they have the same will. I think stamina, maybe Carlos Alcaraz is up a little bit because he's so much younger. But also, he was dictating most of the points after the first set. He was kind of in control, not of the match, but of the points. And I think he did a great job there.

But Novak Djokovic is, I love to see great champions winning and I hope Novak wins five or six more grand slam singles titles, but it's really important for the sport to have another face at the top of the game.

No one better than Carlos Alcaraz. He has the stamina. He's got the stability. He's got the power. He's got the foot speed and then he's got the smile.

And we have never seen a tennis player smile more than Carlos Alcaraz in these big pressure moments. So he's such a welcome gift from our tennis gods to our sport.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's such a nice point. He really did seem to love the audience. He was looking to the audience. He was feeding off that cheering. I thought that was an incredible display of confidence, too, where it didn't allow him -- it wasn't a distraction. Sometimes you see that in a player, it becomes a distraction and they believe the hype so to speak and then they fall flat but that seemed to help him.

Did I get that right?

WILANDER: Absolutely you got that right. What's important here also is that he has so many options, carols Alcaraz. And for anyone that watched the match, he can hit drop shots at anytime. He could hit a forehand harder than anyone in the world.

So, for him to make the right choice at the right time, plus getting involved with the crowd is amazing at 20 years old. For Novak Djokovic, he gets involved with the crowd, too, but he uses that crowd a little bit differently. Sometimes he nearly wants them to be against him because it fires him up.

But the gracefulness of Novak Djokovic on the court after the match, I have to say, Fredricka, is that of a great, great champion. So, Novak deserves all the credit for this match and Carlos is our champion.

WHITFIELD: Oh, absolutely, don't count out Djokovic. He'll be back. We know that for sure, right? But that was really exciting. I wish I was there with you front and center. Maybe next time I'll make it to a Wimbledon.

WILANDER: Thank you so much. Thanks, Fredricka. I'm sure they welcome you here.

[14:55:01]

WHITFIELD: Fantastic. Thank you so much. It was great to see you and talk to you. I'll see you there next time courtside. I'm putting it on my calendar. Thanks, Mats.

All right. Before we go to break, here's today's "Impact Your World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASMIN GRAHAM, CO-FOUNDER, MINORITIES IN SHARK SCIENCE: I'm a shark scientist. I very quickly became aware that there's not a lot of people like me in the field.

We had this sort of movement on Twitter of Black scientists with the #blackinnature.

When we started talking, we said, well, we should start a club. Minorities in Shark Science's mission is to change the culture so that people from historically excluded groups participate in marine science. We have programs like our Gill Guardians which is a curriculum that lives on line to help educate people about sharks and move them from fear to fascination. We have camp for our kids, science at the sea where we bring kids out to the ocean and then we have science on the move for those kids that can't get to the ocean and we can bring the ocean to them.

We also have professional development so people can get very specific skills they need to be successful in this field and help connect people with other people that are doing research.

MAGRIELI RODRIGUEZ-RUIZ, MISS EUGENIE CLARK FELLOW: This has opened a lot of doors. I didn't think it was feasible being 45 years old pursuing a degree later in life. This reminds me that anything I want to do is possible.

GRAHAM: What I hope is that one day, Minorities in Shark Science doesn't need to exist because barriers are eliminated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. So neat.

To learn more about shack shark conservation, visit CNN.com/impact or text FINS to 707070 to donate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)