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100 Million+ People Under Heat Alerts From CA To MA; Trump Charged With New Crimes In Classified Docs Case, Accused Of Trying To Get Mar-A-Lago Security Video Deleted; LeBron James Shares Video Of His Son Playing The Piano Days After Going Into Cardiac Arrest; Health Questions Arise With Senators McConnell & Feinstein; Migrant Families Weigh Risks Of Floating Barriers; Woman Who Staged Fake Kidnapping Faces Charges; Israel's Parliament Passes 1st Legislation To Weaken Supreme Court. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired July 29, 2023 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:42]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And we begin this hour with a punishing heatwave that has more than 100 million people under heat alerts from coast to coast after hitting 116 yesterday. Phoenix marked its 29th consecutive day of over 110 degrees. The Medical Examiner's office in Phoenix in fact is bringing in refrigerated containers in anticipation of a possible overflow of heat-related deaths.
And with high temperature scorching in the Northeast, New York City's mayor is sounding the alarm about its deadly potential.
Cooling centers and public pools in the region are offering extended hours to help residents stay safe. CNN National Correspondent Athena Jones is live for us in Washington Square Park in New York City. How are people keeping cool and how is this putting a stress on the power grid?
ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi Fredricka, I can tell you that temperature -- the real temperature is 89 degrees but the feels like is 95. And it's only going to get hotter over the next few hours. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for southern Connecticut, northeast New Jersey and southeast New York which includes right here in New York City.
And so, you have a lot of folks out here trying to beat the heat. We're in a popular place. You can see the fountain behind me is luckily working today, it wasn't working part of yesterday. We've seen people going in and out of that. And we caught up with a couple of young people who told us why it's so important to have water and water parks and sprinklers. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRSTEN TICZON, VISITING FROM TORONTO: Yes. We found like a few fountains while we're walking around and we just ran through it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She ran through it.
JORDAN, NINE YEARS OLD: Yesterday, I just -- I went to the waterpark, so then, I said, what about -- it's just like the same thing because the fountain is cold just like the water. So, I guess I'll get refresh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: So people getting refreshed by the -- by the water and the fountain. But you mentioned concerns about the power grid. We know that Con Edison which supplies energy in New York is warning people not to over consume. If you have three air conditioners, don't use all three of them. Just use a one of them. Of course, turn off the air when you're leaving your home. All of this, of course is to avoid the potential for blackouts.
That's the last thing we want here in New York. And another thing we should note about New Yorkers, we are in an ideal spot because there are trees, there is shade, there is green grass. But New York is one of those cities where it's an urban hotspot, the temperature can be 10 degrees warmer than in other parts of the region because of all the concrete. The asphalt.
Areas that don't have a lot of trees and grass. And that is why you're finding a lot of folks gravitating to spots like this, as I said, in and out of water fountains. And of course, they're going to the vendors around here selling ice cream and the like. Speaking to some of them, we don't want appear on camera. One woman described it as hell. She said she's been living in hell the last couple of days, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Days, weeks in some parts. It's been a long haul this summer. All right. Athena Jones. Hanging in there. Thank you so much. I want to bring in now CNN Meteorologist Britley Ritz who is tracking all of this from the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta. So Britley, everyone's getting hit hard. But now you're focusing on the southwest. Phoenix in particular hit very hard by this heatwave.
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And to Athena's point where we have that urban heat island and all that blacktop and concrete, the darker the blacktop, the more heat gets absorbed. And at 90 degrees, air temperature, that surface of the blacktop is at 150 degrees. So if you're walking your pets, do it early in the morning or later on into the evening. They're just as important as you are.
And speaking of Phoenix. Here it is at 115 degrees. That's the forecast side. That's nearly 10 degrees, almost 20 degrees in some cases, in some of these locations across the Southwest above normal. And 115 degrees verifies, we are now at 30 consecutive days at 110 plus. And that's here in Phoenix. Much of the United States above normal, if not, it's thanks to a cold front that decided to work its way through Chicago.
You're a prime example of that with a high of 80 degrees finally. But Memphis, 98, Atlanta, 95, D.C. at 95 degrees. Factor in dewpoints because Phoenix is a dry heat. It's like Opening an oven that heat just smacks you in the face. We factor in dew points of 70 plus.
[13:05:04]
And mind you, dew point is the measurement of moisture near the surface. That's what gives us the humidity. It gives us the heat index or the feels like temperature. In places like Atlanta, it will feel like 102 degrees, Washington D.C., it'll feel like 103. Record highs and record warm lows, believe it or not. 80 plus records expected throughout the weekend all across the United States. That's why we have heat alerts in effect from the West Coast to the East Coast.
L.A., St. Louis, just south of D.C. under excessive heat warnings. The Florida Panhandle, under an excessive heat watch. And parts of L.A. back across the Central Plains and into the mid-Atlantic even up into New York City under that heat advisories. So, the best thing I can tell you to do is just stay indoors in between the hours of 1:00 and 4:00. That's peak heating and stay hydrated. Fred?
WHITFIELD: Indeed, of capital H, hydrate. All right, Britley Ritz, thanks so much. All right. Now to the mounting legal troubles for former President Donald Trump. The Special Counsel is charging Trump with three new counts in the classified documents investigation. Those charges include one additional count of willful retention of National Defense Information and two additional counts of obstruction.
Prosecutors say Trump along with two employees, aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira allegedly tried to pressure another employee into destroying security camera footage. CNN's Zachary Cohen joining us right now with more on this act. So, explain what we know about these allegations of the leading or attempting to delete security video.
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Fred. These two new obstruction charges stem from allegations that Trump and these two Mar-a-Lago employees not only tried to delete this surveillance video, but also that Trump himself is the one who requested that it'd be deleted because he wanted to block a grand jury from getting access to it. Now this grand jury is the one who's investigating his handling of classified documents.
And the indictment itself really paints a picture and makes the case that prosecutors say Trump was the one who led the way and was directing this effort to obstruct the probe into his handling of classified documents. I want to point this one specific part of the indictment that really makes this point clear. It's a conversation between one of those two Mar-a-Lago employees, Carlos De Oliveira and another employee.
And Oliveira makes very clear. He says, look, "The boss wanted the server deleted." And the boss, obviously there, De Oliveira seems to be referring to Donald Trump himself. So, prosecutors really laying out a comprehensive case as to why Trump and these two employees engaged in effectively a cover up and why all three should be charged active participants in that. WHITFIELD: And prosecutors are also charging Trump with mishandling classified documents. What more can you tell us about that charge?
COHEN: Yes, Fred. You remember the first indictment included 31 counts of the willful retention of defense information. Now, this new indictment includes an additional count of that -- it's related to a document that we know existed because Trump was caught on audio talking about it during a meeting in 2021 at his Bedminster office. Listen to how he described this document at the time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Wait a minute. Let's see here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my gosh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
TRUMP: I just found -- isn't that amazing? This totally wins my case, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
TRUMP: Except it is like, highly confidential, secret.
I was just saying because we were talking about it. And, you know, he said, he wanted to Iran and what --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: These are the papers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did.
TRUMP: This was done by the military given to me. I think we can probably, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, we'll have to see. Yes. We'll have to try to --
TRUMP: Declassify it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- figure out a -- yes.
TRUMP: See as president I could have declassified it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
TRUMP: Now I can't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: So, after CNN first reported on that audio and the existence of this Iran military attack plan that was apparently still in Trump's possession. You know, Trump effectively denied that document even existed, said he was holding paper clippings and other various excuses. But we now know from this indictment, and from our own reporting that the document itself does exist and that it was actually among those that were handed back by Trump to the National Archives last summer when those first 15 boxes were given back. Fred?
WHITFIELD: All right, Zach Cohen, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much. Carlos De Oliveira, the Mar-a-Lago property manager accused of trying to delete security footage for "the boss" is just the latest person in Donald Trump's orbit to find himself in legal trouble. Here now is CNN's Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Another week, another person close to Donald Trump in trouble. The property manager at Mar- a-Lago Carlos De Oliveira like Trump aide Walt Nauta has now been swept into the case over those classified documents which the Justice Department says Trump illegally took and held. Trump denies it.
[13:10:08]
TRUMP: This is harassment. This is election interference.
FOREMAN: But the charges against Team Trump had been mounting for years. Start with Steve Bannon.
STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: I stand with Trump and the Constitution.
FOREMAN: The firebrand advisor has pleaded not guilty to New York state charges of conspiracy to money laundering and fraud, but he's been slapped with four months in prison for another matter. Ignoring a congressional subpoena about the January 6 attack. His jail time is on hold while he appeals. Allen Weisselberg, Trump's longtime chief financial officer served roughly four months for tax fraud and was ordered to pay $2 million in back taxes, interest and penalties.
Paul Manafort, once Trump's campaign manager. He served two years in prison for bank and tax fraud, illegal foreign lobbying and more before Trump pardoned him. Also pardoned, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
MICHAEL FLYNN, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR OF THE UNITED STATES: The next President of the United States right here.
FOREMAN: He admitted lying to the FBI about his contact with Russia before walking the admission back and suing the government for alleged malicious prosecution.
JACK O'DONNELL, FORMER PRESIDENT, TRUMP PLAZA HOTEL AND CASINO: He compromises almost everyone that works with them at some point or another.
FOREMAN: None of it surprises Jack O'Donnell who worked for the Trump Organization.
O'DONNELL: I mean, demand is the least compassionate, empathetic person I've ever met in my life. He doesn't care about anyone.
FOREMAN: And the list goes on. George Papadopoulos, Rick Gates, Elliot Broidy, Roger Stone, all had ties to Trump all wound up in legal jeopardy. And of course, former Trump Attorney Michael Cohen was confined three years after admitting several crimes, including campaign finance violations. He says it's simple why so many follow Trump into trouble.
MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER DONALD TRUMP'S ATTORNEY: Look, it's not as devious as you might think. The man is a cult leader, plain and simple.
FOREMAN: Neither De Oliveira nor Nauta responded to CNN's request for any further comment. Those are the two men most recently tied to the Mar-a-Lago case. But that's not really very uncommon, is it? Many of those who are close to Trump's inner circle have remained largely tight lipped, even as legal peril has seemed to swirl.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Tom Foreman, thank you so much, Tom. All right. Just in. Brand new video of Bronny James being shared today by his father LeBron. Bronny suffering a cardiac arrest just days ago. CNN's Patrick Snell joining me now with what we think is good news. Good news video. What's up?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Yes. Good news. Very encouraging, Fred. It has been a difficult, very challenging week very emotional week indeed. But I think this is a real, real positive. No question about this. Not just for Bronny of course but the entire James family. And LeBron posting the video Bronny playing the piano and saying grind rising, God is great. Bronny, you are amazing.
Simple as that. Keep going, young king. We're here right with you every step of the way. #JamesGang. I mentioned this difficult toughly. There are wonderful, wonderful images there to see. The 18-year-old just to recap for our viewers suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball practice at the University of Southern California earlier this week. On Monday, in fact, rushed to hospital and briefly admitted to the intensive care unit.
A cardiologist at a medical center in question right there in Los Angeles saying Bronny James was fully conscious when he arrived at the hospital. Doctors are encouraged by his progress. Now Bronny was getting set for his first season at USC just down the street from where LeBron plays his games with the Lakers. That USC season starts in November, but it's too early to know for sure whether he would be there for the start of it.
And of course, we do wish him all the very best at 18 years of age and his entire family as well. And I think encouraging as well when you make a big picture, you think back Damar Hamlin earlier this year after his cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest on the field of play in the NFL now cleared to play and also from the world of football. Christian Eriksen, the Danish football is suffering a cardiac arrest on the field of play during the Euro 2020 championship. Now playing full time with Manchester United, his current club of the English Premier League and still playing to a very, very high level indeed. So, encouraging signs there. Of course, we are just monitoring it every step of the way. Every detail, every development.
WHITFIELD: Yes. It's very encouraging.
SNELL: But first and foremost -- yes. First and foremost, thoughts and prayers have been with the James family all week long and that young man is --
WHITFIELD: Yes. We're sending them all good energy. But of course, everybody's recovery is different and unique to them and their circumstances. So of course, we're pulling for them.
SNELL: Very much. Thank you.
[13:15:00]
WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. Patrick Snell, great to see you. Thank you.
SNELL: Good to be here. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come. Russia says it shut down Ukrainian missiles over Russian territory as Ukraine's counteroffensive continues. We're on the ground in Kyiv next. And new questions are being raised about the age and competency of some older political leaders after U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze during a news conference this week.
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WHITFIELD: An escalation in fighting as Russian missiles hit one of Ukraine's biggest cities hours after accusing Ukraine of firing missiles into Russia. Officials in Kherson say four people were injured early this morning after shells hit near a grain terminal. And Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile hit an apartment building in Dnipro, damaging multiple buildings and injuring nine people.
Along the border and Russia, officials there saying Ukrainian missiles were shot down and crashed to the ground.
[13:20:03]
Ukrainian troops have now reached one of Russia's Long Dragon teeth defensive lines along the southern front in the Zaporizhzhia region. That line is three rows deep and hundreds of miles long. Alex Marquardt is in Ukraine for us. Alex, what's the latest?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we are expecting President Putin to make remarks in St. Petersburg, at some point soon after wrapping up a meeting with African leaders. They've been talking about Ukraine, the African leaders over at this Russia-Africa Summit over the past few days have expressed alarm, not just about the ongoing war in Ukraine in their desire for peace, but also about the implications for food and green on the African continent, especially after Russia pulled out of that Grain Deal.
Major concern on the African continent about what that will mean for food prices and food supply. So, it will be very interesting to see what Putin says out of that. But of course, no expectation that he will change his attitude that ultimately, he believes Ukraine is responsible for this war. And Fred as this war drags on, we got an exclusive look at the newest version of a weapon that has been talked about a lot lately.
It's a sea drone, and it is something that Ukraine is now using to target Russia increasingly, in the Black Sea. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT (voiceover): At a secret makeshift Ukrainian military base, one of the newest pieces of Ukraine's arsenal is lowered into the water. Wars out into the open water under the control of this pilot who asked we don't show his face, callsign Shark. This is Ukraine's latest sea or surface drone designed to attack Russia in the Black Sea. They've never been shown to the public before.
This model is armed with 300 kilograms or almost 700 pounds of explosive and can hit a target 800 kilometers 500, miles away. They're very easy to control, Shark tells us. And they have severely limited the Russian Navy's movements. Ukraine sends it see drones out hunting plowing through the waves if spotted the Russian ships frantically open fire. Sometimes the Russians get lucky and manage to take them out.
Other times the drones break through the hail of bullets and reach their targets. Last October, Ukrainian sea drones carried out a stunning attack on the homeport of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Russian-occupied Crimea, targeting the flagship, the Admiral Makorov. This drone can attack, carry out surveillance and reconnaissance among other operations. It is entirely Ukrainian designed and produced according to its developer, who also asked for anonymity for security reasons.
MARQUARDT: How effective are the Russian defenses against these drones?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not effective. The equipment they have on their ships is designed to attack other ships. They can't hit such small drones. These are faster than anything else in the Black Sea.
MARQUARDT (voiceover): A stunning pre-dawn attack last week on Russia's Kerch Bridge shows the havoc they can wreak. The bridge which is a vital supply line from Russia to Crimea was hit by two drones and left heavily damaged. In response, Russia said they launched days of intense strikes on seaside Odesa, alleging that the Ukrainian port city houses the sea drones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Russia's equipment is from the 20th century, and ours is from the 21st. There are 100 years between us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT: Fred, we have never seen a war like this where drones are so prevalent on both sides and Ukraine has a well-stated goal that they intend to create what they call an army of drones. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much for that view. Alex Marquardt. All right. Let's get more on the developments in Ukraine. Joining us now is General Mark Hertling. He is a CNN military analyst and former commanding general of U.S. Army, Europe and the Seventh Army. Great to see you, General. So, Russia says it shot down Ukrainian missiles on the Russian side of the border. What do you think a Ukraine strategy might be here if that's the case?
MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANAYST: Well, it's to bring the war to Russia mainland, Fred. And this has been ongoing for a long time. The see drones that Fred just talked about, the kinds of systems that are unmanned that can possibly reach further distances are all part of the expanding view of -- and the nature of warfare in the modern age. So, that's what we're seeing. But it's also to show the Russians that they have nowhere to hide.
And what they're going to have to do just like the sea drones, they have to take the fences off of other places in order to protect their ships, their cities, their electronic warfare devices, their radars. And when you do that, that you take them off the front lines and that allows Ukraine to move more stealthily and in fact to maneuver in places where they might not otherwise be able to move.
[13:25:11]
WHITFIELD: And Ukraine has made several requests even, you know, appealing to Congress for long-range missiles and thus far. The U.S. is not sending them. Why not for now, it's not sending them?
HERTLING: What -- I think in order to address the issue, Fred, you have to understand what's going on in the battlefield. Russia has extensive air defense equipment, they have extensive electronic warfare, just like every time the Russians send all kinds of ballistic missiles toward the Ukraine. We're getting daily reports that they are shut down. When you're talking about long-range systems going over a border, you have to address that kind of electronic warfare and air defense systems.
And many of the systems the United States are sending are multimillion-dollar rockets, ballistic missiles. And they are, you know, truthfully, there are different techniques that can be used by other types of weapons systems. Everyone is screaming for attacking missiles, but those missiles go straight up in the air, have a ballistic signature and then head toward a target. They can easily be knocked down by air defense systems or jammed by electronic warfare system.
The same as Ukraine is doing to many of the Russian ballistic missiles. So it's a tradeoff of what kind of equipment do you really need right now, as Ukraine is maneuvering on the main defensive belts? Are you looking at long-range targets that you can hit with things like Storm Shadow missiles, which run nap of the earth and go closer to the ground and aren't as affected by air defense systems?
WHITFIELD: And we saw some dramatic pictures of Ukrainian troops this week, you know, going up against Russia's massive defenses known as the Dragon's Teeth. Is Ukraine's counteroffensive starting to gather some momentum in your view?
HERTLING: Well, truthfully, I've seen this film, this video that you're showing right now, a couple of dozen times. That is probably the worst example of what Ukraine might be doing right now. Sending one vehicle toward a trench line or a tank ditch and then having it disappeared. And with Dragon's Teeth on the other side, those are the white obstacles further down on the screen.
Beyond that there are minefields. So, when you have to attack those kinds of positions, which are very difficult to do, you need obscuration, you need suppression of the Russian forces and their long-range weapon systems. You need counter fire on their artillery units, and you need massing of equipment. Ukraine is facing in Russia along a 600-kilometer front, they are trying to choose the places of the attack the places of the maneuver and they are doing that by basically breaching some of these defensive lines, four different defensive lines that the Russians have had six months to in place.
So this is going to be a very difficult challenge to Ukraine. It's going to take a very long time.
WHITFIELD: All right. Oh, you know what, I want to ask you to the Polish Prime Minister, you know, says about 100 Wagner mercenaries are headed to his border. And we heard, you know, from the Wagner Group that they wanted to do this and now it looks like they are following through on those threats. What does that mean for NATO's potential --
(CROSSTALK)
HERTLING: You know, first of all, yes. 100 Wagner troops isn't going to be much. The border patrol of Poland can certainly manage that. But it is another threat by Belarus. There is a corridor that goes to a place called the Suwalki Gap that goes into a small area. That's a Russian-naval base called Kaliningrad. Many people don't know about that but it's -- it borders Lithuania and Poland.
And it's been a danger to NATO for -- a threat to NATO for many years. That's what these Prigozhin Wagner troops are threatening, but truthfully, you know, I think the Polish defenses are excellent. They are one of the better armies of Europe, and they won't allow any kind of incursion into their sovereign territory.
WHITFIELD: All right. General Mark Hertling, great to see you. Thanks so much.
HERTLING: Pleasure, Fred. Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up. How much should voters know about the health of their elected officials? Recent health scares are raising questions about age caps on Congress.
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[13:33:42]
WHITFIELD: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office tells CNN he plans to serve the rest of this 118th Congress as the GOP leader.
This, after McConnell appeared to freeze for about 30 seconds during a news conference this week and then left the podium and returned a few minutes later to say he was fine. He was deflecting further questions about his health.
And it's not just McConnell whose age and health issues have become fair game for questions. On Thursday, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein appeared confused and had to be prodded to cast a vote in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.
She also took an extended absence from the Senate earlier this year after being diagnosed with shingles. And there are doubts about whether she ever actually fully recovered.
Joining me right now to discuss this is Julian Zelizer, a professor of political history at Princeton University.
Julian, great to see you.
You wrote an op-ed for us where you raise concerns about the age of modern politicians, specifically in Congress. What do people have to keep in mind as it pertains to age and their service?
[13:34:59]
JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think age itself is less important than the health of a politician, either a candidate or an incumbent.
I think when there are issues that can affect their performance in a public role, that there is a value and, some would say, right for the public to know that before they cast their decision or as they evaluate the state of American politics.
So it's about health problems that can affect the performance on the job.
WHITFIELD: Congress is getting older. The "Washington Post" reports that the current class of lawmakers is one of the oldest in history with an overall median age of 59, and specifically a median age for Senators of 65.
How might this be rectified? What's the answer here?
ZELIZER: Well, I mean, ultimately, the answer, in my opinion, is not term limits so much as just generational change. Voters have the power in their own hands to, over time, replenish the institution and to bring in new voices.
Again, it's not simply age. That issue is more about having people who reflect where younger parts of the populace are. But that's what Election Day is all about.
WHITFIELD: You state, in Feinstein's absence from shingles, while she was dealing with shingles earlier this year, it impeded the Senate Democrats' ability to move forward on crucial judicial nominations for several months.
So as to anticipate a potential problem like this ahead, what can Congress do to better address these things before it becomes a problem?
ZELIZER: I think this is going to be less about legislation as norms. I wish that we could get into a place where candidates and their staff and politicians in office are more comfortable talking about this.
You know, we all suffer from different kinds of health issues in our families or ourselves. There doesn't have to be a norm where this is all hidden. I think a lot of politicians equate sickness with weakness. That's not the case.
But voters certainly have a right to know exactly what they're supporting or what they're opposing with all the information in front of them. Health is a main one.
WHITFIELD: What is the degree of transparency? Because there are also privacy issues when you are talking about individuals' health, even if you are in public office.
ZELIZER: Right now, privacy is stronger than transparency. In presidential politics, presidents now release pretty cursory materials, and it doesn't always tell you that much. Candidates sometimes share information.
In Congress, there's really nothing putting pressure on members to share this. So overall, the kind of weight is toward privacy. Privacy is important.
But I do think more transparency is required. And it would undermine or weaken some of the speculation we always hear about what's going on and what's the situation with different politicians.
We should just know that, and then we can make kind of serious determinations.
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it there.
Julian Zelizer, great to see you. Thanks so much.
ZELIZER: Thanks for having me. Bye-bye.
WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, from walls to the water. The state of Texas is deploying a new tactic to stop migrants from entering the U.S., wrecking ball-sized buoys. And the escalation is backfiring. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:42:37]
WHITFIELD: Floating barriers or not, some migrant families are determined to make their way across the U.S. southern border in search of a better life.
But large buoys and razor wire installed along the Rio Grande are making it more challenging for them to travel safely.
CNN's Raphael Romo spoke to some who say turning back now is not an option.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly what we heard, Fred. We have reported previously that the buoys, the floating barriers, are at the center of a political battle both in Texas and in Washington.
But one question remains, are those floating barriers going to stop the flow of migrants?
This is what we found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO (voice-over): A mother and her young daughter attempt to cross the Rio Grande in broad daylight. Orange buoys four feet in diameter and anchored to the riverbed as well as concertina wire stop them at the Eagle Pass border in Texas.
A migrant family from Venezuela says they have been on the Mexican side of the border gauging the risk of trying to cross the river with young children in tow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
"What we have seen is that people have got hurt with the razor wire," he says. Adding that they are thinking twice about taking any risk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
ROMO: But his wife said the family fled Venezuela for reasons much more compelling than floating barriers, including crime, extortion and living under a dictatorship.
Others say, barriers or not, returning home is not an option.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
ROMO: This migrant father, traveling with his wife and young son, says the buoys and razor wire are, indeed, going to make it more difficult to cross. But their mission, he says, remains unchanged, making it to the United States, barriers or not.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): This is what they look like up close. ROMO: Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced last month a plan to deploy
the floating barriers on the Rio Grande to deter migrant crossings.
ABBOTT: We're securing the border at the border. What these buoys will allow us to do is to prevent people from even getting to the border.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
ROMO: Mexico's top diplomat blasted the barriers, claiming they violate two international treaties.
More than 80 Democratic members of the U.S. Congress signed a letter urging President Joe Biden to challenge the installation in court.
[13:44:56]
The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit on Monday to try to force Texas to remove the floating barriers on the Rio Grande and then filed a motion seeking a preliminary injunction Wednesday in an attempt to put the case on a fast track.
The response from Governor Abbott, "Texas will see you in court."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO: And the mayor of the border city on the Mexican side now says that anywhere from 600 to 700 people, Fred, are getting there daily, trying to cross.
This is about a third of the number of people that used to get there last year. But listen to this. There are more minors traveling with those people, more families. That number has increased.
But you get the idea after doing a story like this that people are going to go there because the reasons why they're getting there are more powerful than any political battle, whether in Texas or in Washington.
WHITFIELD: And then, when trying to get through these barriers, from what you're learning from people there, these floating buoys are anchored, so they are somewhat stationary.
How are they getting around them, under them, through them, in between the buoys? What's happening?
ROMO: One of the immigrants was telling us that it's just one more obstacle. They come all the way from Venezuela. They crossed the Darien Gap. They crossed Mexico. They eluded criminal gangs. This is just one more obstacle.
And they're going to, he said, try to go around them. They're going to have to walk a little bit more and it may be a little bit more dangerous, but the mission remains. They say we want to get to America. We're not going to stop until we get there.
WHITFIELD: Razor wire in the water? ROMO: It's on the other side. Once you get across the river, that's
where you find the concertina wire.
WHITFIELD: All right.
Rafael Romo, thank you so much.
Still ahead, massive protests are happening in Tel Aviv as lawmakers try to strip the judicial branch of its power. CNN is live, next.
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[13:51:19]
WHITFIELD: The Alabama woman who faked her own kidnapping is now under arrest. Carlee Russell gained nationwide attention earlier this month when she called police claiming that she saw a toddler on the side of a busy highway. But when police showed up, all they found was her empty car and her cell phone.
CNN's Ryan Young has more on how this evolved.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of fascination about this story, especially when it comes to Carlee Russell. Where did this young lady go for several hours? It was 49 hours, to be exact, of how long she was missing.
She was on the side of the road when she called 911 and said she saw a toddler on the side of the road. When police arrived, they found Carlee Russell's car but they didn't see a sign of her or the toddler.
And 49 hours later, when she showed up to her parents' home, she had a story about a man with orange hair who had kidnapped her, along with a woman who she said she had never seen before.
At some point, she was able to break away from this story she was telling police and they were able to discover that what she was saying was a hoax.
Police also went through her social media and they were able to figure out also through her phone and her searches that she had looked up a one-way bus ticket and travel outside the city and the movie "Taken".
Listen to the police chief talking about the charges he decided to place against Carlee Russell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF NICK DERZIS, HOOVER POLICE DEPARTMENT: I know many are shocked and appalled that Miss Russell is only being charged with two misdemeanors, despite the panic and disruption her actions caused.
Let me assure you, I, too, share the same frustration. But existing laws only allow the charges that were filed to be filed. I can tell you that I will be contacting our state legislators on
behalf of law enforcement in Montgomery and asking them to look at this law, applied to these facts, and urge them to add an enhancement to current legislation when somebody falsely reports kidnapping or another violent crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Those charges are false reporting to law enforcement authorities and false reporting an incident. Both ended up being about a $1,000 bond. Carlee Russell was arrested and she was released.
At this point, there is talk about whether or not there could be more charges, but because of the way the laws are set up in Alabama, that is not the case as of right now.
There's also talk about the economic impact to the police departments that were involved in this.
So a lot of discussion. What we do know is she was arrested, charged and bonded out. A weird ending to this entire saga.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Ryan Young, indeed. Thank you so much.
All right, a second crack was discovered on one of Charlotte, North Carolina's fastest and tallest roller coasters. This is the same ride that was shut down last month after a visitor spotted a major crack on one of its supporting pillars that was moving as the cars flew by.
The coaster reaches speeds of nearly 100 miles an hour and peaks at 325 feet. Park officials say the ride will remain closed until further inspection and repairs are made.
And this quick programming note. From love and hip hop to America's next top model, "SEE IT LOUD" looks back on the rise of black unscripted television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When social unrest and the truth of what ails us as a country impacted network executives to say enough of the false narrative of cops always being the hero.
ERNIE SUGGS, JOURNALIST, "THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": So you have these incidents, good and bad, in reality TV and on scripted television, where real-life events are seeping into what we're seeing on television and giving us a different way to consume what's happening in the streets.
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[13:55:01] WHITFIELD: A new episode of the CNN original series, "SEE IT LOUD, THE HISTORY OF BLACK TELEVISION," premieres tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
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WHITFIELD: In Israel, tens of thousands of demonstrators continue to line the streets, blocking highways and other public spaces to protest against judicial reform there.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tel Aviv for us -- Fred?
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Fredricka. We'll you're absolutely right. First of all, I want to show you the scene here. I'll get out of your way, real quick.
[13:59:56]
There are, indeed, tens of thousands of people, we believe, who came out on the street. This is one of the big protest marches that happened in Tel Aviv. They are in the center of Tel Aviv demonstrating.
