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American Nurse And Her Child Kidnapped In Haiti; Russia Accuses Ukraine Of Targeting Moscow With Drone Attack; Trump Blasts DOJ On Truth Social After Latest Charges Of Obstruction; What Happened In Georgia In 2020; Death Posted On Facebook; Alcohol-Related Deaths; Business Crime In San Francisco. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired July 30, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Rescue personnel towed the craft out of the water and the NTSB says it will investigate the cause of the crash.

Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with the overseas kidnapping of an American nurse and her child. A Christian ministry group says Alix Dorsainvil was abducted Thursday morning while serving in their community near the capital of Haiti. Dorsainvil is married to the director of the humanitarian aid group.

I want to bring in now CNN national correspondent Athena Jones for the latest on this.

So, Athena, what are officials saying about this alleged abduction?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, we know that U.S. authorities are working with their Haitian counterparts and U.S. inter-government agencies to try to resolve this crisis. But we don't know or it's unclear right now who is responsible for this kidnapping, and whether they've made any demands, whether for ransom or anything else.

We do have a statement from El Roi Haiti, that is the Christian humanitarian organization that Alix Dorsainvil, originally from New Hampshire, was working for. Here's what they said. They say, "Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian 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."

And El Roi, that organization, says that their highest priority of course is to secure the safe return of Alix and her child. And so they want to limit the amount of information they provided. We do know that this was said to have occurred on Thursday morning at the campus of El Roi Haiti which is near the capital of Port-au-Prince. Now the State Department has also put out a statement saying, "The

U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas."

But, Fredricka, the context of all of this is so important. This kidnapping comes amid growing concerns among U.S. officials and leaders all around the world about the worsening violence in Haiti. You'll remember it was just a couple of years ago that gangs assassinated President Jovenel Moise and there's been a power vacuum left, and so gangs have been taking over swaths of the country.

The State Department has warned Americans not to travel to Haiti due to the kidnapping, the crime, the civil unrest, and the poor health care infrastructure. And just last week the State Department ordered family members and non-emergency personnel at the embassy there to leave the country immediately because of this deteriorating security situation. So this is not uncommon.

Kidnappings are incredibly common in Haiti and we know that the world is watching. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on a recent visit to Haiti that Haitians are trapped living in a nightmare. And so they are -- the U.N. is backing the putting together a multinational force to try to bring security back to Haiti and get control from those gangs. But as of right now, all we know is that this young woman and her child have been kidnapped.

We're waiting to hear more from authorities -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bring it to us when you get it. Athena Jones, thank you so much.

I want to bring in now Pierre Esperance for more details on the situation in Haiti as best he knows. He is the executive director of the National Human Rights Defense Network, and he's joining me live from Port-au-Prince.

Pierre, good to see you. So what are your concerns right now?

PIERRE ESPERANCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE NETWORK: Thank you. Well, I would say today there is no life in Haiti. The Haitian people is under distress because of the powerful of the gang. They do whatever they want when they want under the eyes of the government. The gangs, they are protected by the authorities, by the government, by some police officers in Haiti. That's why the gang they have a lot of powerful.

WHITFIELD: So you are describing that really no one can feel safe. And so what are your biggest concerns about people who are doing this missionary work, like we understand this American nurse to have been doing? Why would she be kidnapped? What would her alleged abductors want out of this?

ESPERANCE: Well, no one is safe in Haiti from the instigating, from the powerful of the gang, whether you are foreigner or Haitian.

[16:05:08]

Remember what happened in Haiti almost two years ago in October -- late in October '20, '21 when the gang member in Croix-des-Bouquets, 400 in Mawozo, who kidnapped more than 12 foreigners. That's the situation we have in Haiti. The gang, they are powerful and then they are protected by the police and the government. The only one who can stop the gang is the government and the police.

But there are a lot of connection today between the gang and the gang with the police and the government. When one of the gang who are a lot of powerful is the gang Kraze Barye, who led by Vitel'Homme. Most of the Vitel'Homme gang is responsible for most of the kidnapping in Haiti since June.

WHITFIELD: So you are describing that it's your belief that the gangs have the upper hand and influence over police and what government structure there is.

Pierre Esperance, we appreciate your time and of course we're all hoping for the best of an outcome from this situation.

ESPERANCE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right. An explosion ripped through a political convention in northwestern Pakistan and police say it was a suicide bomber. So far at least 44 people are dead and more than 120 injured. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan's prime minister has condemned the attack saying, quoting now, "Terrorists are enemies are Pakistan," end quote.

All right, turning now to Russia where officials say Ukraine is behind drone attacks that targeted Moscow earlier today, one of which hit a shopping center and was caught on video.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Russian officials say there were three drones in total, fired one, intercepted two, taken out by electronic jamming, but still damage inflicted on Moscow city, a very opulent part of the Russian capital. Part of the glass towers of Russia's elite. Some of that glass shattered. As possibly is the preconception they had over the past months that the war was something different, not necessarily affecting the sophisticated lives in the capital.

We've seen those slowly bids by Ukraine who did not take direct responsibility for this. More opaque statements about how Russia's tranquil backwaters were no longer so calm. Ukraine trying to impact Russian psychology by hitting areas like this. Even the Kremlin, too, subject of a drone strike.

Russia saying nobody injured in this but again it is simply a taste of what Ukrainians have been experiencing over the past nearly 18 months now. Nightly strikes often on parts of civilian in Ukraine. In Sumy, in northern Ukraine, 20 injured, two killed from Russian barrages at the same time as Moscow was being hit, and even here in Zaporizhzhia city, two dead in the last 24 hours and two injured from yet more attacks by Russia.

Russia targeting civilian areas it seems repeatedly day after day. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying how these strikes on Moscow were a sign that the war was running to Russian territory but also to touting gains by Ukraine in the east near Bakhmut and also a slower, steadier, less publicly touted progress in the south near where I am here.

This counteroffensive by Ukraine moving forward, it seems, slowly. They targeted part of Russia's railway supply line up from Crimea into Zaporizhzhia in the last 24 hours as well. That's potentially key for Russia's ability to defend the frontlines it's urgently holding on to at the moment despite these Ukrainian advances.

But, still, Moscow being hit in such a way repeatedly now it seems will have an impact on those in Russia. We're told by the Kremlin that this could be a matter of days, this war, and now we're in its second year.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, new reaction from former President Donald Trump on charges that he directed staff to delete security footage. Plus, fans behaving badly. This time Cardi D hit with a drink while performing but this fan messed with the wrong artist, and it's all on video.

[16:10:03]

And later, police arrest a California man in a brutal killing that they say he posted on Facebook.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Former President Donald Trump took to his social media site Truth Social in the wake of the Justice Department unveiling new charges against him in the classified documents case and he didn't hold back, writing this, "Mar-a-Lago security tapes were not deleted. They were voluntarily handed over to the thugs headed up by deranged Jack Smith. We did not even go to court to stop them from getting these tapes. I never told anybody to delete them. Prosecutorial fiction and misconduct, election interference."

CNN's senior -- it shouldn't make us laugh. CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein joining me right now. I mean, the word thugs, deranged, I mean clearly Donald Trump is not at all worried about how his tone would impact the potential outcome.

[16:15:06] We've seen it before, but even as the charges are elevated, so is his intolerance for things.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Well, you know, Fred, one thing we have learned, and I think we are going to continue to learn over the next year, is that there is a very different consequence that Trump world in the political arena and in the legal arena. I mean, this kind of outrageous, over-the-top rhetoric has served him well in the context of a Republican primary.

You know, we've seen polling that came out last week from Bright Line Watchers, which is a collaboration -- a consortium of political scientists studying democracy issues, the vast majority of Republican voters accept his contention that he did nothing wrong and he is the victim of a politicized witch hunt.

But inside the courtroom, as we saw first in the Jean Carroll case and we're likely to see in these other cases, what matters are facts and statements of fact. And this kind of rhetoric, you know, he can say it as much as he wants in Iowa. I don't know if we're going to hear this from him when he is inside a courtroom and ultimately the legal process will turn on a different set of variables.

WHITFIELD: Right. Important distinctions. So Republican contender Chris Christie, you know, had this to say on "STATE OF THE UNION" earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is most likely that by the time we get on the debate stage on August 23rd, the frontrunner will be out on bail in four different jurisdictions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, I mean, he's always the prosecutor. I mean, that really could be the case.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. And in many ways that is the key variable in the Republican race. I think one thing we know -- obviously we are still far away from anyone voting, but I think it is already pretty apparent that the leading challengers to Donald Trump have neither the skill nor the will to take him down through their own actions. The one question is whether there is a camel's back dynamic among Republican voters, whether a critical mass of them will ultimately reach the conclusion that all of this is too much baggage to carry into a general election and that they have to find someone else.

So far, as we were just saying, there really is no indication of that, but trials haven't started. And the prospect of Trump facing as many as four separate criminal indictments and trials while he is running for president, shuttling between the campaign trail and the courthouse, until we see how voters react to that, we don't know for sure.

WHITFIELD: And then sources telling CNN, Ron, that Trump's political action committee, Save America, has spent more than $40 million on legal fees since the start of this year. I mean, that's money that usually is relegating to campaigning. So is this permissible? Will this be challenged? What's at stake for him by using PAC money?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, the election experts I've seen quoted have said that it does seem to be, you know, that there's no legal issue here. But is there a more obvious political target for his opponents? Again, we're talking about the failure or the refusal of Trump's Republican rivals to try to use his vulnerabilities against him. The idea that he is taking tens of millions of dollars from Republican base donors and using them on his own legal defense rather than their broader goal of trying to elect a Republican president, you know, evict Joe Biden from the White House, that would seem to be pretty much of a hanging curveball for anyone else running against him.

But other than Will Hurd, who is, you know, in the asterisk level of support, we do not see any of the other Republican rivals mention that on Friday night in Des Moines. And again, it goes to the question, are they willing to directly confront someone who is 35 points ahead of them or are they simply hoping that something takes him down, and they will be there to pick up the pieces? So far it looks more like the latter than the former. And so far this burden --

WHITFIELD: I was going to say I think it's the latter.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you're giving some good scenarios, but yes, it's probably the latter. So I want you to listen now to what Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace said on FOX this morning about the GOP's push to impeach Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Well, I do believe we are at this point an inquiry is different from an impeachment vote. It is another tool in the toolbox. But I will tell you, every time we walk the plank, we are putting moderate members, members that won Biden-won districts. We are putting those seats at risk for 2024. We are putting the majority at risk. And it's not just impeachment that does that, other issues like abortion, et cetera, also put those members on the plank.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So in your view does a Biden impeachment inquiry seem likely?

BROWNSTEIN: There's a lot of pressure, you know, inside the Republican conference to do it. But she is exactly right. I mean, you know, there are 18 House Republicans in districts that Biden carried. There are several more in districts that Trump carried by only a narrow margin.

[16:20:02]

And one thing that we saw in 2022 was that really an unprecedented number of voters who are dissatisfied with the economy and/or disappointed in Biden's performance still voted for Democrats anyway because they viewed the Republican alternative as too extreme, especially in the five key swing states that swung from Trump to Biden in 2020 and made him president, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

And she is correct in that the House Republicans are consistently behaving in a way, not only on impeachment but on abortion, transgender issues, of satisfying the furthest kind of far-right plank of their caucus in a way that will make it easier for Democrats to make the case that they are extremists in those swing districts. Having said that, I think that the party that wins the White House is highly likely to also win the House next year because of the increasing correlation between more party line voting up and down the ballot.

But I think there is no question that her analysis is correct that McCarthy has governed on a basis of satisfying the far-right critics he had to get to win the job and expecting moderates to fall in line behind the deals he makes with the right. And as you see form her, there may be a limit to how far the moderates are willing to go out on that limb.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ron Brownstein, good to see you and hear from you. Thanks so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. And then there's Georgia, a decision on whether to indict former President Donald Trump and his allies is imminent. The investigation is focused on efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

And in this week's episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," CNN's Sara Murray takes us inside the effort to set up a shadow slate of electors in Georgia and swing the state for Trump.

All right, Sara, good to see you. So, you know, attorneys representing some of these electors have said that there was nothing really secretive about what they were up to but that doesn't seem to be what you're learning.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, attorneys especially for the Republican Party chairman David Shafer are insisting that because he came out afterwards and spoke to the cameras and cameras were eventually allowed into this meeting where they were casting votes for Donald Trump, even though he lost the state, that this wasn't even a secret. But we talked to a number of people as part of this documentary who really laid out how the planning of this was secretive. Even talking to a journalist who got thrown out of the room when he tried to figure out what was going on.

Take a look at just a clip from our upcoming documentary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE CHIDI, JOURNALIST: I'm looking around at who else is seeing this. Like hey, does anybody know what's going on in that room?

MURRAY (voice-over): Room 216 at the Georgia state capitol, just one floor below where the Democratic electors were meeting to certify the Georgia vote for President-elect Biden.

(On-camera): So you followed him?

CHIDI: I followed him.

MURRAY: Did you go into the room?

CHIDI: I went into the room. Then I walked in the door. Hey, what's going on here? What are you doing? Like what, we're having a meeting, and there was a woman's voice. I'm looking around and I've got the thing going. And then she says, "He's got a camera going." And then another fellow comes and just sort of hustles me out. I said, but what is this meeting? And she says it's an education meeting.

MURRAY: So they told you it was an education meeting.

CHIDI: Yes. They all but frog marched me out of the room.

MURRAY: Yes.

CHIDI: And they posted somebody out in front to make sure that nobody else went in.

MURRAY: So were you convinced it was an education meeting?

CHIDI: I was convinced it was exactly what I thought it was.

MURRAY (voice-over): And what he thought turned out to be right. A group of Republican shadow electors gathered to sign an illegitimate certification for President Trump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: So you can see there a lot of secrecy went into the planning. We have even more in the documentary. But there are certainly conflicting versions of what went on that day.

WHITFIELD: And now a lot of attention is focused on Georgia for, you know, a number of reasons. And a possible upcoming indictment, grand jury, you know, meetings that have taken place. Is there a sense of the timeline? Are we close to seeing whether there is a decision from this grand jury in Georgia?

MURRAY: I think we are close. I mean, she sort of set the window for potential indictment announcements beginning on Monday by signaling to her local partners that's the time to step up security. That's what her staff is going to be working from home a lot of these days.

One thing that just threw a wrench I think a little bit in the timing is that a judge just set a hearing for August 10th where he wants to hear some arguments that Trump legal team is making, that Fani Willis should be disqualified from this case, that certain evidence should be thrown out. So I would be a little bit surprised if she decided to go to a grand jury before August 10th and ask for this indictment. But I certainly think we are in the window where we will see an announcement from her sometime in the next couple of weeks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sara Murray, thank you so much. Great to see you here in Atlanta.

MURRAY: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: And of course we'll be watching this evening on "THE WHOLE STORY." An all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER." One whole story, one whole hour airing tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

[16:25:03]

All right, coming up, singer Cardi B rocked the mic and then threw it at a fan who tossed something on stage. That must-see video is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Rapper Cardi B threw down literally at a concert Saturday after someone in the audience splashed her with a beverage during her performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDI B, RAPPER: (EXPLETIVE DELETED). (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Video from the crowd showing a concert-goer flip a cup at Cardi while she performs "Bodak Yellow" at a club in Las Vegas. The rapper immediately, as you saw right there, throwing her microphone into the crowd, visibly upset as security guards swarm the stage and jumping into the crowd.

It's the latest in an alarming trend, where performing artists become the target of objects thrown at them while on stage. Some singers, including Kelsea Ballerini and Harry Styles, suffered eye injuries as a result.

[16:30:33]

And a horrific story out of California, where police say a man stabbed a woman to death and posted her final moments on Facebook. CNN National Correspondent Camila Bernal joining me right now with more on this. Camila, what more can you tell us?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. This really is a horrible story. And authorities are saying that 39-year-old Mark Mechikoff filmed this stabbing and then posted it on Facebook.

This all started on Wednesday, when the Nye County Sheriff's Office in Nevada actually called the San Mateo Police Department saying, look, there is woman that is calling us, that is saying that she is watching this video on Facebook of a woman being stabbed. And so, because of this information that was relayed from another state to the San Mateo Police Department, they were able to get his name and his phone number.

The problem here was that they were able to find him in an apartment complex. They just didn't know exactly which apartment. And so, what they had to do was go door to door, trying to find either the victim or the suspect in this case.

It took them about three hours as they went door to door. And, unfortunately, they found this woman who had been stabbed. And so, after this, they went to try to find the suspect in this case. He was found about two hours later in San Jose, California, so in another city.

And authorities, what they're saying is that the two of them knew each other. But that, at the moment, they still do not know what the motive in this case was.

He was arraigned on Friday. And he is facing a felony murder charge. We know that he is being represented by a public defender, but we were unable to locate exactly who is the one that is representing him.

We also reached out to Meta, just to figure out how long this video was posted on Facebook. Why it was posted on Facebook for the amount of time that it was. And exactly what happened here. We have not heard back from the company.

But, yes, there are still a lot of questions on this case. And, of course, it is sad to hear that this man filmed her last moments -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then, Camila, police are asking for the public's help in what way?

BERNAL: They already arrested him but they're still trying to piece together exactly what happened that day. And so, they're asking for anyone with surveillance video to come forward, so they can try to figure out what happened and the motive behind all of this.

And they're actually going even further and encouraging people in the community to put up surveillance cameras, saying that this extremely helpful for police officers when they have these street-facing cameras, because it can help them in cases like this one and in other cases -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

BERNAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, she returned to the court, just several months after her release from a Russian prison. Why basketball star, Brittney Griner, says she needs to step away right now.

[16:33:30]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: WNBA superstar, Brittney Griner, will step away from her team in competition. The 32-year-old spent nearly 300 days in a Russian prison, before being released last December.

CNN Anchor and Correspondent Don Riddell joining me now. I mean, so she has returned with great fanfare. We've all, you know -- all of us, WNBA fans, have enjoyed seeing her back on the court. I just saw her last week, when the Mercury played the Atlanta Dream. She looked amazing. She looked, you know, calm. She was smiling a lot. But, at the same

time, I mean, who can't empathize and understand what -- given what she's been through, yes, no wonder she would need some sort of break.

DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's --

WHITFIELD: Some sort of transition from what she went through to --

RIDDELL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- now being on the court.

RIDDELL: Yes. So, the mercury team is saying that she's stepping away from the next two games, the road trip to Chicago and Indiana, to focus on her mental health. And I think this is just a really stark reminder of what she's been through.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RIDDELL: Because, you know, I spent so much of last year covering the situation, where she was in, you know, custody in Russia, facing a very, very uncertain future, potentially nine years in jail. The American government worked so hard to return her via that prisoner swap. They regarded her as a hostage in Russia. And it was a really dicey time for Brittney Griner.

And she returned, as you say, to great fanfare. Back in the team almost immediately, playing brilliantly for the Mercury.

WHITFIELD: Beautiful.

RIDDELL: I mean, she's having a phenomenal season. The team, though, are not. And I think it says a lot about her situation, because they could really do with her on the court right now, that they are allowing her to step away.

And it's not clear when she'll be back.

WHITFIELD: Right.

RIDDELL: The next home game is next Thursday against Atlanta again. But there's no word that she'll be back for that game. And I think we can only imagine just everything she's been through. And how she must still be processing and trying to deal that. The PTSD that I can only imagine she's suffering from.

WHITFIELD: Right. And we don't know the totality of her experience yet.

RIDDELL: No. And, you know -- and it's not been a cake walk for her either since returning. Remember, there was that incident in a Dallas airport only last month, --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RIDDELL: -- where a provocateur, as he was described, accosted her in the airport. And, as a result, the team has been flying charter flights since then.

So, it's not been straight forward since returning either, even though she does have the support of her team, and the league, and kind of everybody in her community.

[16:40:03]

RIDDELL: I imagine she's still dealing with an awful lot.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I also imagine that she's going to receive a lot of outreach from other athletes, elite athletes, who have embraced that it is important to take the time for mental health. Because, in recent years, are we only starting to see more high-profile athletes who are willing to say, publicly, I need to take a mental break. Because, you know, for a very long time, perhaps in many circles, it was taboo to do such.

RIDDELL: Absolutely, yes.

WHITFIELD: And now, thank goodness, you know, Brittney Griner is making that known that she needs to do this. Who do you think she might be hear -- or how important will it be to hear from others who have gone through something similar, in terms of needing that mental break?

RIDDELL: I think it's so important. And, remember, all of the athletes that we might be thinking of are not people who spent nearly 300 days in custody in a foreign --

WHITFIELD: Right.

RIDDELL: -- and scary country.

So, it's hard enough just competing at the highest level. And, as you say, we have seen such a profound shift, in the last couple of years, with athletes now talking about this. So, you -- we might be thinking of people like Simone Biles, who went to the Olympics and got the twisties. And was brave enough to come out and say it and ended up not competing in certain events. Naomi Osaka in tennis. Kelly Love, another basketball player, took time away to focus on his mental health.

So, yes, I'm sure there will be a lot of sympathy and empathy within the athletic community from other players and athletes who've been through something similar.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RIDDELL: Not what she's been through but --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RIDDELL: -- that can relate to it.

WHITFIELD: No one has been through that. But can relate to what it is to need some space. To need some space.

RIDDELL: Right.

WHITFIELD: And, of course, all of us sending her a big hug and hoping that she gets the space and the time that she needs.

Don Riddell, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

RIDDELL: All right.

WHITFIELD: All right, a new study shows that alcohol-related deaths among women are on the rise across the U.S. Historically, deaths due to alcohol have been more prevalent among men. CNN Health Reporter Jacqueline Howard has more.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: As alcohol-related deaths rise, women are increasingly at risk. And here's what we now know. In recent years, between 2018 and 2020, alcohol-related deaths rose by 12.5 percent among men, compared with 14.7 percent among women. So, the gap in alcohol-related deaths among men versus women is narrowing.

And this doesn't appear to be solely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because when researchers eliminated the year 2020 from their data, they still had similar findings. And the researchers are now calling for more study into what could be driving these deaths. It could be related to how some people turn to alcohol to cope with stress or other factors.

But these findings are really a reminder that if you choose to drink, watch how much. The CDC recommends limiting yourself to no more than two drinks a day for men and no more than one drink a day for women. That means within a week, men should have no more than 14 drinks and women no more than eight.

WHITFIELD: Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much.

All right, still ahead, we're tracking extreme weather across the U.S. from deadly storms to excessive heat. The soonest we can see some relief?

[16:43:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, clean-up is underway today in Washington, D.C. 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 storm ripped hundreds of trees from their roots, knocking out power for 200,000 people across the metro area.

And D.C. fire officials say they responded to over 800 emergency calls. The largest number in their history. CNN's Isabel Rosales joining me now from Atlanta where it is hot and people are looking for all kinds of creative ways to stay cool. And it's potentially dangerous weather, too. Lots of trees came down here, power outages. But what are you finding today?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. Atlanta, the city of Atlanta, and other major cities across the U.S., it is so hot that they're actually opening up cooling centers, allowing people to come in, take a break from the heat, with them blasting the air conditions systems. And also giving them free water.

But here on the beltline, this walkable trail 22 miles long, we're seeing folks getting their exercise in and getting creative, too, with staying cooling. This is Harrison right here.

JENNY HARRISON, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: Yes, hello.

ROSALES: And this right here is Georgia (ph). So, I can imagine, it's been a little difficult watching -- walking Georgia today. How are you staying cool and keeping her cool?

HARRISON: Yes, just trying to get her some water and, you know, taking a break right now. But, yes, it's really hot outside. So, just trying to, you know, stay in light clothes and just drink a lot of water, stay hydrated.

ROSALES: Yes. And you can see clearly, a lot of businesses out here. This is a pet shop actually pointing out to the water. Georgia looks very pleased. She is happy. She is cool. Getting her break. Thank you, Harrison.

HARRISON: Of course.

ROSALES: Let me move over here to Rachel and Kirsten. They are keeping cool today, too. I know you're from Florida. You're from New York, originally. Is this heat phasing you? Do you feel any different?

RACHEL BARRICK, CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL CODER: It's definitely hot but we went to hot yoga today, so.

ROSALES: Excuse me, hot yoga?

BARRICK: Yes, hot yoga. So, leaving there and coming outside, it feels a lot cooler and breezier than it did inside, so.

ROSALES: Kirsten, I feel like you're built different.

KIRSTEN CROVELLO, ASSOCIATE AT FRAGOMEN'S ATLANTA OFFICE: Yes, you know, I think once you've been living in Atlanta for a long time, you kind of just know how to handle it. You know how to embrace it a little bit. Like, you're going to sweat. You're going to be a little bit uncomfortable. And that's just part of living here, you know?

ROSALES: And what are you ladies doing to keep cool?

[16:50:00]

BARRICK: We stopped for smoothies and juices. And so, we're sitting in the shade and hanging out.

ROSALES: And I can see you didn't leave a drop here. So, that's a cool way to --

CROVELLO: Very refreshing.

ROSALES: All right. Any last tip for anyone who's not used to this heat?

BARRICK: I mean, gone to the pool a couple times this summer. So, that's, you know, definitely something.

CROVELLO: Yes, just kind of embrace the heat. Drink a lot of water and, you know, we'll be in a cooler season soon enough, I'm sure.

ROSALES: All right. Love that optimism. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: I like it. Hey, lots of popsicles. That's the answer. You know, if you were to ask my kids, how you stay cool? Popsicles. All right, Isabel Rosales, --

ROSALES: Smart.

WHITFIELD: -- thank you so much.

All right. So, after the pandemic, math and reading scores among children in the U.S. not seen in decades. Only 17 percent of black fourth graders are able to read proficiently. This week's CNN Hero is working to change that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALVIN IRBY AWARD-WINNING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR(on camera): What's up, man? How're you doing?

(voice-over): We install a child-friendly reading space in the barber shop. We, literally, ask little black boys, what do you like to read? And then, those are the books that we distribute to our national network of barbers. Use the opportunity when they're sitting in the chair to just even talk to them about books.

Many black boys are raised by single mothers. So, there's this opportunity to support barbers in becoming --

(on camera): How's the book going so far?

(voice-over): -- black male reading role models.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): Two.

IRBY: I'm just excited that we get to create a safe space for boys to do something that is really life changing. That's what I really believe reading is. It unlocks potential.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: To learn more and to nominate someone you think should be a hero, go to CNNheroes.com.

[16:51:52]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In San Francisco, businesses are fed up with crime. So, stores are taking some extreme steps to stop retail theft, locking up merchandise and even putting items, like frozen pizza and ketchup, behind plexiglass.

CNN's Kyung Lah visited one Walgreens that has been hit by shoplifters more than a dozen times a day, three times just while Kyung Lah was inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Richie Greenberg walked into a San Francisco Walgreens, when he saw in the frozen food section, this.

RICHIE GREENBERG, SAN FRANCISCO POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Chains. Heavy chains that went from padlock to padlock on both sides of the doors. And this was bizarre. Something I'd never seen before. This is just more icing on the cake, telling us that rampant crime is -- has become a regular part of life.

LAH: So typical that, in the 30 minutes we were at that Walgreens, we watched three people, including this man, steal.

(on camera): Did that guy pay?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE.)

LAH: Did that guy pay?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

LAH: He didn't pay?

(voice-over): Walgreens says this Richmond neighborhood store, with aisles of products like mustard locked behind plexiglass, has the highest theft rate of all their nearly 9,000 U.S. stores. Hit more than a dozen times a day. When thieves turn to cleaning out ice cream and frozen burritos, workers grew so frustrated, they resorted to the chains. They were ordered down by corporate because of the negative messaging.

But Walgreens isn't the only retailer impacted in San Francisco.

(on camera): You have to ask an employee for help. (voice-over): At this store, frozen food is controlled with a cable

lock. Fake eyelashes locked behind plexiglass, along with lotion and nail polish. At another grocery store, $14 bags of coffee under lock and key.

(on camera): What is this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. I don't understand why coffee. I don't know.

LAH: Oh, here she is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's become kind of like a police state in San Francisco. I don't know how else to describe it.

MARJAN PHILHOUR, SUPERVISOR IN SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT 1: It's not part of city life. It's not part of the way people should be living, right? And that includes folks who are committing the crimes.

LAH (voice-over): Marjan Philhour, mom of three, small business and community advocate, says these visible problems in her city are leading to renewed activism, driven by residents. Like the recall of the city's district attorney last year.

PHILHOUR: I think what we've seen, especially in the past couple years, is less tolerance, more exasperation, and more movement to action by everyday San Franciscans to change how their city is run. It's not enough right now. But there is a change. And, I think, ultimately, we will get there.

LAH: San Francisco city supervisor, Matt Dorsey, former police spokesman and recovering drug addict, sees the rampant shoplifting as a systemic problem, from city leaders to an understaffed police force to the fentanyl crisis.

MATT DORSEY, SUPERVISOR, CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO: When you're seeing that level of retail theft, that tends to be subsistence level retail theft.

LAH (on camera): People who are hungry.

DORSEY: People who are hungry. There is a level of addiction playing out in many parts of our city. It's happening at levels we really haven't seen in San Francisco. What I'm hearing from my residents and what I'm hearing from San Franciscans is it's time for tough love.

We are not doing any addict in this city favors by enabling behavior that is potentially deadly in ways we have never seen.

LAH: Property and violent crime was actually lower at the end of 2022 than it was before the pandemic began.

[17:00:02]

LAH: But a recent Chamber of Commerce survey still found that three quarters of those asked felt that the city was going in the wrong direction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)