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American Nurse And Her Child Kidnapped In Haiti; Russia: Ukraine Targeted Moscow With Drone Attack; Trump GOP Challenger Would Still Pardon Him If Elected. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 30, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've had those monsoonal rains set in over the next few days, which helps, but the sun shines. It went back up to about 115 degrees in Phoenix, as we get into your upcoming weekend.

So the Southeast, yes, this is where it gets really rough. Our temperatures are topping out in the triple digits, factor in dewpoints, it feels much hotter, and that's what matters, Fred.

Our temperature is what it feels like, your heat index values, pushing nearly 107 degrees in New Orleans.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Yes. That's brutal. All right, Britley Ritz, thanks so much for that.

[15:00:34]

WHITFIELD: All right, hello again, everyone. Sorry, our lights are a little bright there, it is not your television set. Okay, it is coming down. It's almost like being outside. Very bright.

All right, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Good to see you.

We begin this hour with the overseas kidnapping of an American nurse and her child, Alix Dorsainvil, who was reportedly abducted Thursday morning while serving in their community ministry in Haiti.

The two were taken from the organization's campus near Port-au-Prince according to El Roi, Haiti's website.

Dorsainvil is married to the director of the Christian humanitarian aid group.

CNN's Paula Newton is following this story for us and has details on this alleged abduction.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: So the charity, El Roi did, in fact, confirm the abduction and the details are quite disturbing. Remember, this is a nurse from New Hampshire. She was in Haiti working for the charity, El Roi, she was abducted along with her child, and this was actually on what they call is the campus of this charity close to Port-au-Prince.

Now they announced this abduction on their website El Roi, and in a statement, they say that "Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home, the Haitian people, her friends and family. Alix has worked tirelessly as our school and community nurse to bring relief to those who are suffering as she loves and serves the people of Haiti in the name of Jesus."

Now, US officials say that they are aware of this abduction and the statement to CNN also said that the US State Department and our embassies and consulates abroad have no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas.

It is interesting here that the US had already asked for all Americans to leave Haiti. They made that call again on Thursday on the day that this nurse and her child were abducted.

But also, they made it seem as if it was much more urgent for Americans to leave, and that is because they also evacuated non- emergency personnel that worked for the US government there from Haiti.

Now, this is unfortunately a state of terror that so many Haitians live in day after day. Many people are released sometimes for no reason, sometimes for ransom, but clearly, this is a dangerous situation for this family and the charity at this hour, saying that they are asking for everybody's prayers, and they are also asking for privacy.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paula Newton, thank you so much.

All right, so I want to bring in now, Haitian journalist, Garry Pierre-Pierre for more perspective on this. He is the founder and editor for "The Haitian Times" and joins me live now from Indianapolis.

So Garry, in your view, why are these kidnappings happening?

GARRY PIERRE-PIERRE, FOUNDER AND EDITOR, "THE HAITIAN TIMES": Well, Fredricka, they have been happening for quite some time now. I think what's happening is that they feel that, the gang leaders, they feel that their days are numbered. There is talk about sending some kind of intervention troops, police force to pacify the situation.

And so, I think now is the most dangerous time to be in Haiti because anything can happen to you.

WHITFIELD: And, and who is generally behind these alleged kidnappings?

PIERRE-PIERRE: Well, there are several gangs just scattered throughout the capital city of Port-au-Prince, and no one has taken responsibility for this kidnapping, so I'm not sure who the suspects are, who the culprits are in this particular case.

But you have the Mawozo 400. You have the G9 gangs out in Port-au- Prince, so it could be just anybody. It depends exactly where they were abducted.

WHITFIELD: And generally, what are among the demands? PIERRE-PIERRE: Well, the money, and lots of it. They start at two

million US dollars, and they maybe settle for 200,000. It depends on what value to put on their kidnappee.

WHITFIELD: And in your view, since the US State Department has put out the highest warning against people traveling to Haiti, recently asking Americans who are there to leave Haiti.

Generally, how has that been received among Americans who are doing missionary work there when the travel alert warnings are elevated?

[15:05:18]

PIERRE-PIERRE: I was surprised to hear that American missionaries were still going to Haiti.

If you remember, last year, a group of American and Canadian missionaries were kidnapped and held for a long time, and they were able to escape according to their account of it. And so the other thing is, the US Embassy is getting personnel out, non-emergency personnel out of Haiti, and so the situation is very dire right now, even by American diplomat with all sorts of security.

And the other thing that is happening now is that you also have -- this is the season where you have a lot of homecoming. A lot of Haitian-Americans and other Americans go to Haiti in these cities and towns to celebrate.

And we had a story of "The Haitian Times" just last week talking about the dangers of that, and people are still going despite the warnings. And I guess, the draw of Haiti magnetism is so high, so strong that people are still going.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Are you at all torn about, you know, the ongoing needs there in Haiti and people who want to travel there, Americans who want to go, whether it's part of missionary work or maybe it's backed by some other organizations, they want to assist, but at the same time, the dangers are great. You know, how do you strike that balance? Where are you on this?

PIERRE-PIERRE: Well, you know, as you say, it is really tugging at everyone's heart. At the same time, we want to see Haiti restore some sort of normalcy, and at the same time, it's dangerous.

We have friends that have been kidnapped, colleagues that have been kidnapped. Our staff in Haiti had -- one of our reporters had to flee her neighborhood because it was dangerous.

And so people just want to be home, and this is -- you know, as bad as things are, people just want to be home. They miss Haiti. They want to be there. They want to see families, but you take a high risk.

WHITFIELD: All right, Garry Pierre-Pierre, thank you so much for your perspective, and joining us of course. We are all wishing for the best possible outcome for this American nurse and her child.

PIERRE-PIERRE: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, a dramatic drone attack in Moscow that was caught on video. Russia says Ukraine was behind it. We will go live to the region for the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:11:53]

WHITFIELD: Russia says Ukraine is behind drone attacks that targeted Moscow earlier today. One of which hit a shopping center and was caught on video.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

WHITFIELD: Russia's Defense Ministry says three other drones were intercepted. It was the second reported attack on the Russian capital in a week and it comes as fighting intensifies in parts of Ukraine as its forces press ahead with a counteroffensive.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in the southeastern portion of the country of Ukraine. Nick, what more are we learning about today's attack?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Increasingly, those who live in the Russian capital are coming to terms with the fact that it appears Ukraine's drones are able to reach first the Kremlin, then the expensive suburbs of the city and now Moscow City as it's called itself, a kind of financial glass tower of a district, thinking perhaps it was impregnable, invulnerable to the damage that Russia is inflicting on Ukraine struck, it seems, according to Russian officials by three drones, one intercepted two taken down by electronic jamming.

Russian officials essentially saying it intercepted all of them, but the damages from the fragments of those drones itself, but still the psychological impact, extraordinary, particularly given how Moscow's elite seem to have been told this whole invasion of choice would be over in a matter of days, now nearly 18 months in, it is the capital of Russia being hit it seems repeatedly, but that is just a flavor of what Ukrainians get every single night.

Here in Zaporizhzhia, we've heard the sirens during the day in the last 24 hours. Two dead, two injured from a Russian barrage against a residential area here and north of where I'm standing, in Sumy near the Russian border, two dead and 20 injured from another Russian barrage against a school, a high rise, and dormitories as well.

Russia continually pounding civilian areas over the past months, possibly because they think they're trying to hit military targets or possibly because they simply don't care and want to sow panic.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy painting today to point out progress of their counteroffensive in the east, slower progress more gradual in the south, and also saying how the strikes against Moscow were a sign that the war is gradually returning to Russian territory. To point out Ukraine, like often with cases of attacks against

Russians mainland has not directly claimed responsibility, but their Air Force quite obliquely said there's always something flying in the sky around Russia and the tranquility of its backwaters was very much now in question.

So a psychological impact certainly, but the broader thrust of Ukraine here in the south about trying to break the Crimean peninsula away from the Russian mainland, that's occupied parts of Ukraine, slower progress but a lot of pressure certainly because the NATO suppliers of weaponry, the West surly wants to see some kind of change in the battlefield before winter sets in -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Nick Paton Walsh in Ukraine, thank you so much.

[15:15:10]

Straight ahead, record temperatures in this country continuing to bake much of the US leaving millions of Americans under heat alerts. How long the conditions are expected to stick around, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

Vice President Kamala Harris is taking center stage in Biden's re- election campaign by playing offense on the campaign trail.

Earlier this month, she traveled to Florida where she went toe-to-toe with Republican presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis over the state's new curriculum standards on Black History.

Joining me right now is CNN senior reporter, Isaac Dovere.

Isaac, great to see you.

I mean, this is a major shift for the vice president's role, you know, after facing two years, facing criticism over her performance and responsibilities. Why is this playing to her and the administration's advantage?

[15:20:22]

ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, as you said, it is criticism for her role and it is also trying to figure out what to do with herself. There's been a lot of questions of how she spends her days? What it is that she has been working on?

This has been a way in these last couple of weeks for the Biden re- election campaign to get more active and engaging with the Republican primary candidates, but also to have her be that attack -- the leader the attack, and as the campaign is trying to keep President Biden himself out of the fray, it is Harris who goes out and she was in, as you mentioned, Jacksonville on Friday, elevating the conversation, making more people pay attention to this questions of what's going on with the Florida curriculum around slavery. And then on Friday, she was in Iowa talking about reproductive rights.

Iowa, where they've just recently signed a ban on abortions after six weeks. We should expect to see more of this from the vice president in the weeks and months ahead. She is jumping on these things and elevating things that the Biden campaign want voters to be paying attention to coming out of the Republican candidates.

WHITFIELD: All right, Isaac Dovere, great to see you. Thanks so much.

DOVERE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And even with all of Donald Trump's legal problems worsening this past week, one of his GOP primary opponents not only continues to defend the former president, Vivek Ramaswamy is repeating his pledge to pardon Trump if elected.

Ramaswamy appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Federal prosecutors added new obstruction of justice charges against former President Donald Trump on Thursday.

The indictment -- the superseding indictment says that after Trump learned that the Justice Department wanted to subpoena security footage from Mar-a-Lago, Trump talked with an aide who later told the IT director at Mar-a-Lago that "the boss" wanted the footage deleted.

Now, I know you've said repeatedly that you would pardon Trump in this documents case, but this is significant new information.

So given this new information, do you still -- would you still pardon him if you were president?

VIVEK RAMASWAMY (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The standard I use as our next president is what moves our country forward. What is the right thing for the United States of America?

HUNT: Right, and would having a president like this move forward?

RAMASWAMY: Absolutely the right answer is to move on and I would pardon him. I would -- I intend to be our next president, and yes, I do believe I will move us forward. And yes, I think one of the right ways to do that is to pardon the former president of the United States from what is clearly a politicized prosecution.

And I'll share a view with you, Kasie, this is not specific to Trump. This is part of my broader view on the justice system in our country.

I think that our general norm in our Justice Department is you should not convict somebody of a process crime when there was no actual underlying crime. I think that's a problem, entrapment even with the --

HUNT: So you think destroying evidence is a process crime? RAMASWAMY: I think it is by definition a process crime. Nobody left-

right -- any legal scholar will agree with me on that statement, that is, by definition, a process crime, a crime that would not have existed, but for the existence of an investigation.

And if we look ourselves in the mirror over the last several years, even look at the acquittals in the Gretchen Whitmer case, the fact that two people were acquitted of entrapment. I think it is a bad habit that our FBI and DOJ have gotten into, intervening and creating crimes that would not have existed, but for their action.

And I think as it relates to moving forward as a country, I absolutely think the right answer for the country is to put the grievances of the past behind us, to pardon President Trump so that we can move forward as one nation rather than marching to a national divorce.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Vivek Ramaswamy may be a newcomer to the GOP field of national politics, but as CNN's Elle Reeve discovered, Ramaswamy is winning over some Trump fans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Vivek Ramaswamy is a 37- year-old, extremely wealthy pharmaceutical entrepreneur running for president as a Republican. He captured conservatives' attention after writing a book on wokeness and tweeting a lot.

In polls, he is competitive with seasoned politicians.

RAMASWAMY: Thank you.

REEVE (voice over): We asked people what they liked about him at a Turning Point action conference where he was speaking.

The event was attended by some 6,000 conservatives, most of whom cheered wildly for the headliner, Donald Trump.

(CROWD cheering "USA.")

REEVE (on camera): Tell me what you think about the Vivek Ramaswamy.

KAREN COLBY, CONFERENCE ATTENDEE: I'm excited by Vivek because I see a newness in him. I like his goals. I like his values. I like what he says.

MICHAEL FRANCHEK, CONFERENCE ATTENDEE: I first really came to know Vivek from the speech he gave at the NRA convention.

Trump had spoken at that same conference, and he was -- how to put it -- it was very Trumpy. Vivek came in and had a real direct appeal.

It was not about him, it was about the audience.

RAMASWAMY: I came here to tell you why I became a gun owner.

REEVE (voice over): He is getting praise among supporters of Donald Trump who he has promised to pardon if elected and he says he'll further Trump's America First agenda.

[15:25:09]

REEVE (on camera): So they've got a wall here where people can put Post-It notes about what they think about each candidate. Some say nice things, some say bad things.

You can't even tell this is Trump's head anymore -- Daddy, handsome. Save us. You're our last hope.

So here we have Mike Pence, generally negative tone. We've got a traitor, you lost, loser. So Vivek, we've got a whole variety. We've got, Vivek, have my children. Vivek is brilliance, future president. I like you, but you'll never win, possibly VP.'

Tell me what you wrote on the Post-It?

FRANCHEK: On the Vivek Post-It?

REEVE: Yes.

FRANCHEK: I wrote great guy. Great VP.

REEVE: Why VP?

FRANCHEK: I'm not sure that he is seasoned enough yet.

SAM MATHEWS, CONFERENCE ATTENDEE: I think Trump is going to win, but I'm voting for Vivek Ramaswamy.

REEVE: And what is your path to the nomination, aside from Trump, for whatever reason, dropping out of the race?

RAMASWAMY: The path is very similar to the trajectory that he took as an outsider the last time coming in.

I'm polling ahead of where he was in June of 2015. The debates haven't even started. I think the debate stage is going to be critical.

JASON BREWSTER, CONFERENCE ATTENDEE: I think that both him and Trump have a fighting chance.

REEVE: Do you think he'd do well in a debate?

BREWSTER: I think he'd sweep the floor with Ron DeSantis, that's for sure.

REEVE (voice over): DeSantis has fallen out of favor with some in this crowd, but that didn't kill their appetite for a campaign against wokeness.

RAMASWAMY: Woke capitalism is bad for capitalism, but it is also bad for American democracy.

REEVE: A big part of Ramaswamy's message has been against woke corporations that he says are promoting messages of diversity that hurt their own profits.

REEVE (on camera): So what do you think about Ramaswamy's campaign against woke capitalism?

DOLAN BLAIR, CONFERENCE ATTENDEE: I think a lot of these big companies like Disney, they do push more liberal agendas. I am thinking like Apple or like Google, even though they are private companies, they are so large that you can't just avoid them. They also give all these -- they give Pride Month, you know --

REEVE: So what do you think of the argument that gay people were historically marginalized, oppressed, can't even have their own bars, they got raided all the time. And so Pride Month now exists to not to give them a leg up, but to say yes, you are equal members of society.

BLAIR: I think that's a fair point that, you know, they were treated unfairly throughout history. But at what point does Pride Month go away? When does Pride Month become two months? When does it become Pride Year?

REEVE (voice over): Ramaswamy is known for giving a lot of interviews.

RAMASWAMY: Let's talk about woke capitalism.

This new sort of, we'll call it the woke left --

They blow what I call woke smoke.

REEVE: When you talk about anti-wokeism, my objection to it is not that --

RAMASWAMY: Let me stop you right there, because I feel like you keep putting words in my mouth.

REEVE: Yes. Okay, when you talk about wokeism.

RAMASWAMY: I never talk about anti-wokeism.

REEVE: Sorry, sorry.

RAMASWAMY: I talk about national identity.

REEVE: When you talk about wokeism as a negative thing.

RAMASWAMY: As a symptom of a deeper cancer.

REEVE: My objection to -- okay, well, a symptom of cancer is not a positive thing.

RAMASWAMY: No, but it is a position of how I want to talk about it.

REEVE: I don't want it. RAMASWAMY: It is a symptom.

REEVE: My objection is not that there's not annoying people on Twitter, like, of course, there are.

RAMASWAMY: Yes. Let's put that to one side.

REEVE: But there are problems of racism in this country, and I have concerns that what you're telling the audience is like, actually, no, there isn't. There's no more problems. There's nothing that needs to be addressed. There are no more disparities. You don't have to worry about that anymore and you can even be angry that someone asked you to worry about that.

RAMASWAMY: I think the right way to deal with what I view as the last final burning embers of racism is to let it quietly burn out rather than trying to put that fire out by accidentally throwing kerosene on it.

REEVE (voice over): But those embers don't always go out quietly, which was evident even at this conference.

REEVE (on camera): We have a little bit of the dark side here we have a Star of David crossed out that says "soon" now, that's a 4chan joke, saying there'll be another holocaust. We also have 1488. That is also a Nazi joke, so we've got two Nazi jokes here.

Everything else though, pretty positive.

REEVE (voice over): When CNN pointed out these notes, a Turning Point spokesman took them down.

You're not responsible for the people who put that up, but it was just a very stark reminder that that kind of bigotry still exists, and it isn't a lot of places that you wouldn't expect.

RAMASWAMY: I can't speak to that particular instance. I'll tell you my experience in this country. Have I experienced racism? Yes, I have. But I reject the myth that hardship is the same thing as victimhood.

That is why we win. Affirmative action in every sphere of American life --

BOB RIVERNIDER, CONFERENCE ATTENDEE: Running against Donald Trump is a death shot for any political campaign. However, Vivek is someone who is getting name recognition by running.

BLAIR: I don't know that he should be the next president, but I think he's does have a place in politics.

REEVE (on camera): Like what would that place be then?

BLAIR: I think particularly like an adviser to Trump. I think he's got some good America First ideas.

REEVE (voice over): Elle Reeve, CNN, West Palm Beach. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still to come, police in Texas apologizing after mistakenly pulling over a family headed to a basketball game.

Newly released bodycam video shows officers had their guns drawn. How this could have happened, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:34:22]

WHITFIELD: I'm quoting now: "We've made a mistake." That's what police in Texas are saying after they pulled over a car in what they thought was a high-risk traffic stop and then pulled guns on the family and handcuffed a child.

Frisco, Texas officers say they ran the car's plates, but typed in the wrong state, leading them to believe it was stolen. CNN's Camila Bernal walks us through the newly released bodycam video.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One wrong letter. That was the mistake that left Frisco Police officers apologizing multiple times and then an apology from the chief of police, but the family involved in this incident says they want to bring awareness to the issue, they want to share what happened to them, they want others to see it, too.

Here it is.

[15:35:10 ]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (voice over): An overwhelmed father.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all put a gun on my son for no reason, that's --

OFFICER: Can I explain to you?

BERNAL (voice over): Police say it was a mistake.

OFFICER: I ran AZ for Arizona to the AR.

BERNAL (voice over): On July 23rd, a Frisco, Texas police officer ran plates on a black Dodge Charger. But instead of typing AR for Arkansas, she says she typed a Z for Arizona.

The information came back as a possible stolen car. Police say it was a high-risk traffic stops and at least one officer had his weapon drawn.

OFFICER: Everybody in the car hands outside the window, hands outside. Maintain your hands outside.

Hey find out if there's any weapons in the car.

BERNAL (voice over): The family tells police they have a gun in the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the glove box. In the glove box.

OFFICER: If you reach in that car, you may get shot so be careful, do not reach in the car.

BERNAL (voice over): Demetria Heard was behind the wheel. In the car were her husband, her son, and their nephew. They were on their way to a basketball tournament. She explains what it was like to see her sixth grade son involved.

DEMETRIA HEARD, PULLED OVER IN HIGH-RISK TRAFFIC STOP: They actually bring him in, cuff him and put him in the car. They're walking him to put him in a police car. And I already have been -- I'm crying. I've been hyperventilating.

BERNAL (voice over): She says they were instructed not to move.

HEARD: My husband explains to me that my nephew is in there literally screaming for his life and telling him "Uncle, we are about to die."

BERNAL (voice over): But finally --

OFFICER; The officer made a mistake and the plate was ran differently.

BERNAL (voice over): The officer realizes it was a mistake --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: AR is Arkansas, right?

BERNAL (voice over): An incident review is now underway.

OFFICER: I'm not justifying anything, I'm just saying like it wasn't a computer that read it. It was our human error that did this. So, please forgive us, ma'am.

OFFICER: So, I made a mistake.

BERNAL (voice over): The ongoing review would identify further changes to the department's training policies and procedures.

HEARD: And I thank God that we were not physically injured, but we have suffered a lot of mental and emotional trauma from this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): And in his statement, the chief of police admitting to the mistake saying the department does not hide from their mistake and instead learns from them.

He says he spoke to the family and understands why they're so upset.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles. WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, the record breaking heatwave isn't

just affecting those of us on land. Rising water temperatures are now threatening Florida's corals. The urgent efforts to save the species from extinction up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:20]

WHITFIELD: Cleanup is underway today in Washington, DC and Northern Virginia after violent storms barreled through the area last night killing one man in Virginia when a tree fell on his home.

The storms ripped hundreds of trees from their roots knocking out power for 200,000 people across the metro area and tore roofs off buildings and even damaged cars.

And it's not just severe storms, extreme heat continues to batter the entire country making it difficult for cities to keep up with electricity demand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RON NIRENBERG, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: We continue to set records every week with respect to electricity demand. Our emergency calls for heat exhaustion, heat illness are up 50 percent since last year, which itself was a record breaker, so it is a dangerous heatwave that we're experiencing with just an unrelenting day after day heat exposure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Isabel Rosales joining me right now from Atlanta, where it is hot.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Fred, it is so hot that scientists say that July will be the planet's hottest month on record. So, it's no surprise that the city of Atlanta and many other major cities have opened up cooling centers to blast that AC, to give out free water and help people beat the heat.

I want to show you something real quick. So this is an infrared thermometer that I borrowed from my producer. He uses this to bake pizza. We will not be baking pizza here, instead we're going to check the pavement right here.

So it's 91 degrees right now in Atlanta. Pavement temperatures can reach to 150 degrees when the air temperature is that hot. So right now I'm checking, I don't know if the camera can pick up that number. But we're reading at about 115 degrees right now on this pavement.

As I'm looking out toward the beltline, this walkable 22-mile trail that people in Atlanta know very well, the heat is certainly not scaring off people, they are out here exercising, running, on their bikes. They are walking, walking their pets, so that's another concern with the pavement heat.

We spoke with a few of the people here on the beltline, a couple of hours ago, and here's how they're beating the heat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBORAH WOODLEY, SEATTLE RESIDENT: I'm trying to find some cool air and when it comes, I say, yay, it's here. I keep stopping at every little spot that I can for shade.

KEEGAN BECKER, SEATTLE RESIDENT: Ultimately if you're not used to the heat and stuff like this, I would suggest you don't necessarily come out and experience it because it is a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And Fred, there is over 80 million Americans right now under a heat alert in over 10 states. This is primarily impacting the Southern Plains and the Southeast where we are right now.

[15:45:10]

And these dangerously high temperatures, the humidity, this has proven deadly in states like Illinois, Texas, and Arizona impacting people, animals, and plants.

Over in Arizona, cactuses or cacti take your pick, have actually died because of the soaring temperatures. And in Maricopa County, the medical examiner's office has actually had to bring in extra refrigerated containers because of worries that they don't have any capacity for possibly more deaths coming in from heat-related causes -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Brutal, brutal conditions in so many areas of the United States.

All right, Isabel Rosales, try to stay cool out there. Thank you so much.

All right, it wasn't just dozens of states facing sweltering temperatures throughout last week. Florida's ocean waters are under siege as well.

Water temperatures were near record territory off the coast of Florida, the Florida peninsula hitting an incredible 101 degrees in some spots, and those temperatures could be putting coral reefs in grave danger.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam joined a team of coral reef scientists and researchers in Miami to witness just how these temperatures are affecting the ecosystem below the sea -- below the surface.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're leaving the marina on a scientific expedition with some of the world's top coral scientists.

We've come here to determine how the coral reefs off the Florida peninsula are coping with unprecedented ocean heat. If anyone can tackle this problem, it is these people. They're inspired, and they are motivated, and they are on the frontlines of this climate emergency every single day.

ANDREW BAKER, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: I think one of the big questions that we have as scientist is what explains why some corals bleach really severely and other ones don't.

VAN DAM (voice over): Scientists aren't just worried about the high- water temperatures, they are concerned, this is only July and the hottest months are still ahead of us.

LIV WILLIAMSON, ASSISTANT SCIENTIST, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: You know, corals are really sensitive to heat. I'm a little bit worried that we might see quite a few bleached and stressed out corals.

VAN DAM (voice over): You see more than 90 percent of excess heat from greenhouse warming is stored in our oceans and that doesn't just disappear. It can supercharge storms, melt our glaciers and bleach our coral reefs.

Bleached corals are still alive, but they're extremely stressed, highly vulnerable, and if the heat continues, they may die. So this is part of why scientists worry.

The first location we go to was south of Key Biscayne.

BAKER: I think we saw exactly what we feared, which is that this is the moving front of severe bleaching up through the Keys and now up into Miami-Dade.

VAN DAM (on camera): It was just a remarkable moment to stand next to these century old giants, right? I mean, how else do you describe it? But it was very eye opening to see this array of a mixture of completely dead coral, bleached coral, and healthy coral. So, I saw hope, but I also saw a tough situation and I can see what heat stress really does to these animals. They're sensitive, and I witnessed it. It was -- it was humbling.

There's still hope.

BAKER: Absolutely. There's still hope. You know, the water conditions are actually cooling down somewhat and on a day like this, we have some overcast conditions. That all helps because it decreases the amount of heat stress building up on the reef, and I think as far as this bleaching front going, we hope that it doesn't continue to increase and move northwards, but the next few weeks are going to really tell that story.

VAN DAM (voice over): Next, we headed north to Miami to see the impact on the reef there. You may be thinking why does the coral reef matter so much to us?

Well, they are part of an interconnected ecosystem. It acts as habitat for marine wildlife, so any impact on the coral will have an impact on the entire water ecosystem, and something a lot of people may not realize, it is not just ocean life that relies on our coral reefs being healthy. They are Mother Nature's natural barriers against hurricanes and storm surge.

WILLIAMSON: Coral reefs provide this really amazing structure that's actually key for breaking wave energy as it comes toward our shores. So they help to protect our beaches and our coastal properties.

VAN DAM: And on this second dive, there was obvious relief felt by these scientists.

VAN DAM (on camera): That was completely different.

WILLIAMSON: Better. A lot better.

VAN DAM: If you were happy, I was happy. I could see it in your eyes. I mean, we just did a heart to each other because we saw how much more alive these corals are.

WILLIAMSON: I can't tell you how relieved I am to see those nice big dark happy colonies.

VAN DAM: That was a big difference. It really was. You could just see how healthy some of the corals were. It gives me a lot of hope that, you know, if we can keep the temperatures down, that these corals are going to survive. That was good.

Let's have coral cliffhanger. It's not the endgame.

Research scientists on the boat tell me that because we still have the warmest months ahead of us, we need to watch for the advancement of this severe coral bleaching and coral mortality moving from south to north through the Florida peninsula.

Could the waters cool? Definitely. We need rain, perhaps a tropical system to bring some upwelling from the deep ocean below, but that's just something we'll continue to monitor.

CNN meteorologist, Derek Van Dam, Miami Beach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:50:12]

WHITFIELD: All right, that's a great relief for a lot of folks who are very concerned about our coral reefs.

All right, thanks so much, Derek.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:54:30]

WHITFIELD: All right, the new CNN original series, "See It Loud: The History of Black Television" celebrates the creators who brought Black television to life.

This week, we explore how unscripted television highlights Black culture and talent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Black unscripted television launches superstars.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We see some of ourselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it has changed the actual world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Admissions went up by 50 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oprah was the pioneer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Networks like BET and Bravo, led the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: RuPaul brings us into the drag experience.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To be able to talk about Black joy was really important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:55:10]

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining us right now is Sylvia Obell. She's a journalist and host of the podcast, "The Scottie and Sylvia Show" and she appears in "See It Loud."

Good to see you again, Sylvia.

All right, so, as we just saw --

Great, as we just saw in that clip, unscripted television encompasses so many different kinds of television, reality shows, talk shows, competition shows. In your view, how does this kind of television kind of elevate Black talent and culture in a unique way.

SYLVIA OBELL, JOURNALIST: With unscripted, it's because we get to be just that, unscripted. You get a lot of genuine, authentic, just personalities getting the chance to grow on free, versus like conversation that's decided in a room full of writers, you know, the time to decide what the dialogue should sound like. On unscripted, it is all natural, there's a lot more chance to freestyle it and ignite different reactions and lingos and slang and all of the culture that Black people tend to, you know, bring to the entertainment.

So I think that really allows people to really get a full scope of characters in that way.

WHITFIELD: So one of the biggest television mega stars of all time, came from what is considered the unscripted category in Black television, Oprah Winfrey. What are or who are some of the other more influential figures that you can think of? I mean, even Oprah will tell you, there's a lot of material that is scripted, but you know, we get it. There was a lot of improv, you know, in her conversations with people

is largely what made her shows and she is so dynamic, but who were some of the other big influencers that you can think of?

OBELL: Yes, you know, Oprah, definitely somebody when it comes to the talk show space, I think of Cardi B, you know, as one of the musicians who launched first on reality TV and is now one of the biggest rappers in the game, I think of Jennifer Hudson, who went on to win an Academy Award and Grammys who started out on "American Idol."

NeNe Leakes, who was one of the key housewives of all time on Bravo, and literally her faces all over the internet all the time with memes and gifts and all of those things. Those are just some names that come to mind for sure.

WHITFIELD: What do you see is on the horizon? You know, how might unscripted television, I guess branch out? You know, and perhaps help peel back some more layers or help untap more talent?

OBELL: Yes. I think what we're seeing even now more so is getting into even more intersectionality in the sense of, we see RuPaul with "Drag Race" and Law Roach with "Legendary" bringing the ballroom culture to television and just getting to see more of the LBGTQIA, colored community on television, showing their culture as well.

And I think also when it comes to the dating reality show, which has always been the case, we just got our first Black bachelorette not too long ago and getting to see Black women fall in love on television and have their choice of whatever like -- these are all interesting ways in which we're seeing things continue to move forward.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, folks look forward to seeing -- I meant to say untapped talent, how to find them.

All right, Sylvia Obell, thank you so much. Of course "See It Loud" looks back on the rise of Black unscripted television, a new episode of the CNN Original Series, "See It Loud: The History of Black Television" premieres tonight at 9:00 PM Eastern right here on CNN.

All right, a day of airshows turned deadly in Wisconsin. Two separate plane crashes left four people killed near the Airventure Convention in Oshkosh.

The first crash occurring on Saturday morning after a vintage military training craft went into Lake Winnebago. Authorities say the plane was maneuvering before rapidly descending from about 3,000 feet. The two passengers on board were found dead.

And only hours later, two more people died in a midair collision involving a helicopter and gyrocopter. Rescue teams transported the other two passengers on board to the hospital where they remain in stable condition.

And in New Hampshire, beachgoers had a big scare as a small plane towing an advertising banner landed right there in the ocean. This video showing the aircraft hitting the water nose first and then flipping upside down as you see right there, just feet away from swimmers in Hampton Beach.

Lifeguards are rushing to the water to help the pilot who despite the harsh landing did not suffer any injuries. Rescue personnel towed the craft out of the water and the NTSB says it will investigate the cause of the crash.

[16:00:17]