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Fulton County DA To Present Trump Election Subversion Case To Grand Jury Early Next Week; GOP Presidential Candidates Flock To Iowa State Fair; At Least 80 Dead In Maui Wildfires With More Expected; At Least 80 Dead in Maui Wildfires With More Expected; Ukraine Missiles Shot Down Over Crimea Bridge; Police Apologize For Handcuffing 12- Year-Old Boy; Damar Hamlin Takes To The Field In First Game Since Cardiac Arrest. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 12, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

WARRICK DUNN, FORMER NFL PLAYER, PHILANTHROPIST: And for myself, learning after 10 years, going to counseling but I became confident over the years. And I got to the point where I even went to see the guy who shot and killed my mom, because that's how confident that I was in myself. And I wanted to come out and share that counselor is important. We need to help each other.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Wow. Well, that that then reminds me of the moment in your film, Isaac about the young man, you know, saying he feeling the courage in that moment where he wanted to reach out to his dad after for so many years, you know, feeling abandoned.

I wish we could talk more about it. We've got breaking news, Issac Ingram work done, really fantastic connecting with you. And congratulations on a really inspiring, enriching and powerful film. Hey, thanks so much.

ISSAC INGRAM, DIRECTOR: Hey, just want to tell everybody.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

INGRAM: If you want to see the film, go to truefreedomfilm.com and sign up for the screener. And it'll it'll have the screener there, as well as CVS health, Aetna, they gave us a facilitators guide. So if you wanted to facilitate it in your mentoring program, truefreedomfilm.com. That's where you can go and download the film and watch it. So thank you so much, Fredricka. Really appreciate this.

WHITFIELD: Perfect making it available. That's the key. Thank you so much to both of you, gentlemen. Appreciate it. Great to see you. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

INGRAM: Bye-bye.

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me in Washington, DC. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And first on CNN, we're following a major new development in what could soon be Donald Trump's fourth indictment. Just a short time ago today I spoke with former Georgia Republican

Lieutenant Governor and Geoff Duncan, who told me that he will testify in the next 48 hours before grand jury in Atlanta. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has subpoenaed Duncan to testify about efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

And we also now know that an independent journalist has tweeted today that he was also called by the Fulton County District Attorney, and also was asked to testify before that grand jury on Tuesday. Geoff Duncan is now a CNN political commentator.

And this is his entire interview with me earlier today as Duncan talks about this subpoena and his plans to testify.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: So have you received that notice that would come from their office a 48 hour notice to testify?

GEOFF DUNCAN (R) FORMER LT. GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA: Frederick, I did just receive notification to appear on Tuesday morning at the Fulton County grand jury, and I certainly will be there to do my part in recounting facts.

WHITFIELD: OK. You were one of 70 people who testified last year before grand jury. Is it your expectation that on Tuesday, when you're asked questions, again that they will be similar? Or do you expect? Or are you preparing yourself for new questions and a broadening of the investigation?

DUNCAN: Well, I have no expectations as to the questions. And I'll certainly answer whatever questions put in front of me and certainly don't want to go any deeper than that to to, you know, jeopardize or compromise the investigation.

But look, for me, this is a story that is important for Republicans, to hear Americans to hear. Let's hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth about Donald Trump's actions in the surrounding cast of characters around him. We watched a series of events happen here that were tragic and untruthful. And he's got a chance to present these facts and say, Hey, I didn't know what was going on or I think what's what reality is going to be as they knew exactly what they were doing.

And I think the interesting part to this indictment that's different than the others is that there's going to heavy signaling that there's going to be well plus co-conspirators. And these folks don't have the same level of loyalty they had to Donald Trump when he was trying to to change the election outcome in 2020. And so it's gonna be interesting to see which way they go.

And you know, these are serious charges that are being signaled racketeering, conspiracy, RICO. I mean, these are things really, you know, kind of garnered for the the mafia or the mob. And so what we'll certainly see, this gets ratcheted up in the next few days. WHITFIELD: Well, tell me more about that people who you believe once were very loyal to Trump now, as a result of the investigation and the ongoing investigation no longer have the same kind of loyalties. How do you believe that may have changed the building of this case against Trump?

DUNCAN: Yes, I think a number of people arrived on Donald Trump's conspiracy team from a number of different angles. Some folks got there, because the sitting president, the head of their party told them it was true. And so they just believed it. Word for word.

Others got there because they saw an opportunity to be in the cool kids club for the first time to hang out tight to the inner circle of a president and lots of things in between those two elements. So that -- that's going to be the part that plays out here. I mean, there are currently elected folks that are rumored to be indicted.

[15:05:00]

There are formerly elected folks party leads, successful business owner. I mean, this is a wide swath of Georgia, or representatives of Georgia that are going to have to face the consequences of answering some very, very tough questions.

But the reality is, I've yet to see a single ounce of proof that the election was not fair and legal didn't turn out the way Republicans wanted to. But it was fair and legal here in Georgia, and quite honestly, the rest of the country.

But this is an important part for the Republican Party to face, right. If we're going to truly turn and look forward, if we're going to turn -- surely turn the page for GOP 2.0, we've got to have Donald Trump the rearview mirror and the uncomfortable facts and figures of what he did during the post-election 2020 period of time, he is going to be part of that healing process for the Republican Party. It's necessary, but it's going to be painful.

WHITFIELD: How immediately did your loyalties to Trump as the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, as a Republican, when and how, and under what circumstances did that change where you are no longer on board with the former president.

DUNCAN: So it's interesting, it actually started this is the first chapter of my book that I wrote about a rally two days before the election in Rome, Georgia. I gave an opening intro remarks before President Trump got -- I got on stage. And I made a couple of comments. I said every time we lower people's taxes, it's not just for Republicans, it's for Democrats, too. And I got booed by 30,000 MAGA hats.

And then I said, every time we improve education, it's not just for Democrats, it's for Republicans, and I got booed even louder. And then I made this this crazy statement and said, you know, our policies are so good. They even help the people that don't vote for us and I got booed even louder. It was at that moment that I realized that that crew of 30,000 people

were not conservative, they were angry. And within hours of the 2020 election, when I started hearing Donald Trump talk about his notion that the election was rigged, and the machines were corrupt and whatever else conspiracy theories, I quickly turned the page and I tried to get to it as quickly as I could, so that I could try to stop the the little grass fire from turning into a forest fire, but unfortunately, I was unsuccessful.

There wasn't enough of us out there doing it. But instead, we're gonna have this slow, painful process of realizing what the truth actually is. And that's Donald Trump ran the worst campaign ever. And if we let him be our nominee again, he will get beat by Joe Biden again because it will be the worst campaign a Republican could ever put forward.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Again, the breaking news here, the former Lieutenant Governor, Geoff Duncan of Georgia has been called to appear before a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury. He said he will be there on Tuesday. With me now to discuss these developments is Renato Marriott a he is a former federal prosecutor. Also back with us is CNN's Marshall Cohen. Marshall to you first, tell us more about the significance of this announcement by Duncan, that he will testify in the coming days before the grand jury.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Fredricka, it's happening. It's finally here. There have been so much speculation and preparation and security measures and grand juries and rulings and motions and litigation. It's finally here with these notifications going out to Geoff Duncan and another member of the potential -- another person who is going to testify to the grand jury with these notifications.

It is clear that Fani Willis is moving forward. This is her big moment to give this presentation to the grand jury probably expect it to begin on Monday could spill into Tuesday, where she is expected as CNN has been reporting for a while to seek indictments against Donald Trump and many of his Republican allies in Georgia, possibly more than a dozen defendants.

We are talking very serious felony charges possibly on the table like conspiracy and racketeering RICO, which Fani Willis has a lot of experience with it as a prosecutor in Atlanta. So the notifications going out today really are the starting gun have the final stretch of this investigation. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. You said notifications going out today. So we know Geoff Duncan, we understand that another witness who is an independent journalist, what can you tell us about that person? And does that mean they're more even more after that?

COHEN: There very well could be more you broke the story on your show here with Geoff Duncan. And in the wake of that shortly after that, the independent journalist George Chidi, who is an Atlanta based journalist, he tweeted out that he had been asked to appear on Tuesday as well. We previously reported that he was subpoenaed, and now he is

announcing that the date of that appearance will be like Lieutenant Governor Duncan on Tuesday. And this is an interesting figure George Chidi because he actually was a witness in 2020, December 2020 to the fake electors, the fake pro-Trump electors meeting in the state house in Atlanta in December 2020 as part of that Trump backed scheme to to subvert the electoral college process.

[15:10:00]

So that might be a clue of one of the things that the grand jurors are going to hear. That is one of the many prongs of this investigation, the fake electoral scheme, so many other elements. But it will all come to a head, presumably in the next few days.

WHITFIELD: These notifications going out to witnesses to appear before the grand jury happening, you're simultaneous to the former president making campaign stops there in Iowa at the Iowa State Fair today. That was the the video that you were seeing just a moment ago.

So Renato, what is this mean that you would have some witnesses called to testify before the grand jury this week. And these are witnesses that have already testified in the past, and now being brought back what does it say about where the case is?

RENATO MARIOTTI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, it says that we are on mile 25 of the marathon so to speak. We are basically close to the end, as Marshall mentioned, Fred. This now is a grand jury, a charging grand jury, a grand jury that can return an indictment, and Fani Willis and her team are putting their evidence into that grand jury so that ultimately, they can ask in the very near future, whether it's this week or next asked for the fourth indictment of Donald Trump and perhaps the first of some of his, you know, co-conspirators or co- schemers.

WHITFIELD: And then Renato, does a DA pick a witness to testify again, reveal something new about information. Is it to clarify? Or is it to perhaps underscore something that's already been discovered?

MARIOTTI: So well, it's a couple of things. First of all, the information needs to get from the special grand jury into the new one, instead of reading the testimony, in other words, you could have someone just read the transcript of what happened before the special grand jury, it's obviously more powerful if it's presented in person. They can ask some additional questions, put some, you know, for example, new things that they've learned over the course of their investigation.

But ultimately, the main purpose here is to take the information they already have. I don't think there's going to be any big surprises about what for example, the lieutenant governor is going to say, since they've already spoken to him. But they're going to put that all in front of this grand jury. So the grand jury has an opportunity to see these witnesses see the evidence, and this way that the district attorney can make sure that the grand jury is going to return the indictment that she puts before them.

WHITFIELD: And Renato, you know, this case is different than the other three indictments of Trump in that. This is a state case and won't involve federal charges. And last hour, when I was talking to election attorney Ben Ginsberg, he reminded us all that, you know, state cases, if Trump were to be reelected, he would be unable to pardon himself. What else is significant about the types of charges the Fulton County prosecutor is considering?

MARIOTTI: A few things and not only would he not be able to pardon himself, but the pardon process in Georgia means the Governor Kemp would not be able to pardon him either. There's a pardon board. So it's a more complicated process.

He also would not be able to shut down the investigation in the same way. In other words, Trump could try to make some argument to courts in Georgia that, as president, he can't be subject to a state indictment. But if he, you know, was president of United States, he could order if the attorney general install an attorney general, something like Jeffrey Clark, who could literally shut down Jack Smith's investigations. You can't do that to Fanni Willis. She's an elected official, you know, in the state of Georgia.

But separate and apart from that, Fred, you know, unlike the other state charge, right, there's a Manhattan DA indictment that's also not a federal charge. This is for conduct that occurred while he was president in the United States, not beforehand, not this is not just some sort of books and records violation. This is a chart for him over trying to overturn the election in Georgia.

And as I think, you know, Marshall pointed out a moment ago, there are potentially others that can be part of this. And, you know, there is an interplay between this and those other cases. If, for example, John Eastman, or Rudy Giuliani faces a charge here, and ultimately decides that it's in their best interest to cooperate, that could have an impact on these other investigations as well. So definitely important. There's really a multiplier effect and an interplay between these different prosecutions that we should keep in mind.

WHITFIELD: Another commonality in all of this, Marshall, even though there are distinctions of these, you know, three indictments and now a possible fourth is that Trump style is to go after the prosecutors, go after the Special Counsel Jack Smith, go after the DA you know, Alvin Bragg and also his record of going after and I'm talking about verbally, you know, taunting threats however you want to put it of Fani Willis.

[15:15:07]

So given that then, Marshall, you know, how does that continue to complicate these cases, even as these prosecutors special counsel may try to coordinate with one another.

COHEN: The atmosphere of threats and intimidation and vitriol has only been getting stronger and stronger. And, you know, with Fani Willis, who is an African American woman elected in Atlanta, she's actually the first woman to hold that position of DA in Fulton County. A lot of the attacks have been racial in character, you know, and I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Donald Trump himself regularly accuses Fani Willis of being racist, and Marxist and a lunatic.

And he actually, in the past several days, spread some incredibly ugly claims that are totally false about her that I won't even repeat. She has had security beefed up not just in the courthouse but for her personally. And, look, if he does end up as a criminal defendant in the state of Georgia, he will have to answer to a judge.

And those comments may be brought before the judge, just like they have been right here in Washington DC, as we literally saw yesterday, with a hearing in his federal election subversion case where prosecutors were flagging to the judge, Trump's post on Truth Social, if you come after me, I'll come after you and whether that type of rhetoric where that falls on the line between free speech defending oneself and a serious threat to to the interests of justice.

WHITFIELD: Yes, Fani Willis has said she has been called the N word and been subjected to, you know, threats of violence more in the last year than she has in her entire life and the connection that she's made to the investigation of the former president. All right, Marshall Cohen, Renato Mariotti. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

COHEN: Thank you.

MARIOTTI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come. The political impact of this breaking news, new signs that a fourth indictment for Donald Trump could be coming soon in Fulton County, Georgia. The former president campaigning right now in Iowa as you see right there. We're live from Des Moines, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:17]

WHITFIELD: Former President Donald Trump is at the Iowa State Fair where he is drawing in quite the crowd of supporters. And this coming after former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia and CNN contributor Geoff Duncan revealed to CNN today that he has been told to testify before Fulton County grand jury about the former president's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Joining me right now is CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who is at the state fair. And Geoff Duncan telling me about his appearance now on Tuesday. He said that today. Has that signal been sent to the former president? And has he commented on it?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Frederick, and this is something that former President Donald Trump obviously has been expecting. In fact, he's been campaigning on the fact that he is anticipating. And in fact, even he would say looking forward to a fourth indictment in Georgia, at least politically. Legally, of course, it is a very different matter. But the news was happening as he was flying here to the state fair. He

made a comment about it on his social media channel, again, talking about that phone call that is really at issue here in the Georgia investigation. He again called it a perfect call. Of course, we heard that call for ourselves when he was asking the Georgia Secretary of State for more votes.

So you know, there's no doubt that that is hanging over the Trump campaign, as are the other indictments, but he at least politically speaking, is using that to gain support and for his advantages here, but he was here at the State Fair, working out his supporters talking to others, of course, he is still a celebrity. So he gains more attention and notice than some of his rivals might. But he talked about his standing here in Iowa. And now he plans to campaign aggressively and remain the front runner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We are going to take any chances. We're way up in the polls in Iowa and all over the country, we have a over 50 points. That's a lot. But we don't want to take any chances. We'll be back. We love you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: Now, he's not quite up by 50 percent. But there's no doubt that he is a front runner. All of his rivals know that very well. But the question is, will he remain that as these developments happen throughout the next several months? Of course, the first debate is in less than two weeks time and these indictments are playing out.

But even though he's the front runner, there are at least half the party polls and in our reporting would suggest that Republicans are looking in a different direction open to someone else. So we will of course have to let this play out. But this is very much Fredricka, a competition that is is is fully engaged. You can tell that by seeing so many of his rivals here at the fair today campaigning as well.

WHITFIELD: Oh, they are indeed. All right. Jeff Zeleny. Thanks so much. We'll check back with you.

All right, straight ahead. As Maui residents begin to assess the loss and Lahaina, we're seeing more videos of harrowing escapes out of Lahaina. We'll show you how one family and their pets made it out alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:27]

WHITFIELD: All right on the road to Lahaina on Maui, the traffic grows once again as does the frustration as residents are kept from returning to their homes and businesses. It's the second time the main road into the hard hit area abruptly was shut down. The line of cars waiting there stretch for nearly a mile. So you can see right there. At least 80 people died and many more are missing after wildfires

raged across the island this week. Let's go now to CNN Mike Valeria. Who is on Maui. Mike, what is the latest on people trying to get in being turned around being told? You know that the situation is very tenuous.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Federicka. It's unbelievable. After all the heartstopping images that we've seen since Tuesday afternoon with people waiting to get in sometimes 15 hours or more. It is now at times traffic here on Maui (ph) that is deciding whether or not people get in past this police perimeter.

So when you walk with me down here, this is the main road that is into this and just over to my right Ssome of these folks have been waiting since far before dawn. The story essentially, Fredericka, is that this roadway reopened yesterday but because too many people were going into Lahaina beyond the barriers that were meant to only be accessed by FEMA that weren't investigated yet by first responders.

[15:30:03]

The police here in Maui said all right now we got to stop everybody, we're going to shut this down and reassess how we are managing this.

So you know, on that front Fredericka, we spoke to a bunch of motorists before dawn, take a listen to what they told us about their own journeys. Patrick made it in, Todd did not the second gentleman you're going to hear from listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK THURSTON, LAHAINA RESIDENT: I got out here by 11 made it all the way to the other side. I was done by 3:00 picking up all the supplies I got. And then got to here and I've been here since 3:00 in the afternoon.

VALERIO: You've been here since three?

THURSTON: Yes, we nobody -- none of us has moved. My coworker she's up there two trucks, my other -- I got three other coworkers down there. They're back there. They've been here the whole time.

TODD DOMECK, LAHAINA RESIDENT: It's either laughter or tears, you know. So when I talked to all the people in our business that have been affected, about 14 people that have lost their houses, and -- so we're just trying to do the most good we can, but it's really frustrating when you can't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: So what you should know Fred is this is the latest in the storyline that is all about communication, everything from the emergency sirens, the cell phone, or it's not going through, because beyond this perimeter, there's not much cellphone service since Tuesday. This is the latest when you think about all the people who are waiting

in this line, going back for about a mile. We're trying to get the word out to them. People who are turned around are trying to say, look, as soon as I go down this road, I'm going to tell people that because there's this traffic jam, don't go any farther.

In terms of, Fredericka, the new reporting that CNN has for the wider picture of what it is going to take to rebuild. We have new numbers out from FEMA, that estimate it's going to take $5.5 billion to rebuild the epicenter of this crisis area.

Also 2,200 structures damaged or destroyed. 4,500 People who are projected to be in need of long term shelter. So, essentially what people back in the mainland and around the world should know. This is just the start of rebuilding of finding how structures like your homes if they made it from late Tuesday night into Wednesday, if people survived as well. This is just another roadblock, another chapter for people's misery here on Maui. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Yes, misery on Maui. That's one way to put it. Thank you so much, Mike Valario.

All right. A couple in Lahaina is sharing their terrifying escape to safety after the wildfire barreled toward their home. CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL PERKINS, LAHAINA RESIDENT: Oh my god, I think we need to load up the car maybe. Oh my God. It is so close.

MAHEALANI RICHARDSON, REPORTER, HAWAII NEWS NOW (voiceover): Jill and Mike Perkins say the Lahaina fire started just behind their Millstreet home around 3:30 Tuesday with no notice to evacuate. They jumped in their car with their dog, two cats and just a few items.

PERKINS: Oh my god.

RICHARDSON: As the angry flames roared all around them.

PERKINS: We have the kiddies and I have you.

RICHARDSON: They desperately tried to figure out how to escape.

PERKINS: I thought we were going to die. I said oh my god, this can't be happening right now. The Mckeeva tree. Next there our house.

RICHARDSON: Their Lahaina home devoured as they fled.

PERKINS: (INAUDIBLE) I'm just going to chip for the freeway here.

I only took a videotape because I knew that that was probably the last time we'll be there. And it was just like, unbelievable to watch.

MIKE PERKINS, LAHAINA RESIDENT: Just turn right by it and keep going.

J. PERKINS: Oh my god.

RICHARDSON (on camera): The Perkins a traffic was at a standstill because of live wires overhaul Honoapiilani Highway. Then he called crews put down plywood over the lines. And they drove over it one car at a time. They say each second was excruciating.

M. PERKINS: Like probably 80 cars in front of us.

J. PERKINS: I don't know. It just --

M. PERKINS: You know, 60 or 80 cars.

J. PERKINS: It just seemed like every second was 10 hours waiting. And I kept saying do we get out and run. Things are hitting our car like branches and embers we're hitting our car, live wire hit our car, with their car.

M. PERKINS: We had a power of live powerline at the top of our car. I was terrified and I was concerned for our family and for all the other people there.

RICHARDSON: They made it to Kahului in two and a half hours their house now in ashes but memories of their beloved Dickinson plantation home and Lahaina still strong. Mahealani Richardson, Hawaii News Now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And there are so many stories of escaped just like that.

[15:35:02]

Meantime, there's also growing criticism over how authorities handled the early moments of the wildfires as flames spread across the island. Hawaii's Attorney General will lead a review of the state's response leading up to the fires.

There are questions and concerns about the warning sirens that were not activated, which critics say cost some people their lives. That's not the only concern about Hawaii's wildfire preparedness. Here's CNN Pam Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): CNN is learning Hawaii officials underestimated the risk of wildfires and a recent report. Even as other documents show officials knew they lacked resources to prevent and fight fires.

ABBY FRAZIER, CLIMATOLOGIST, CLARK UNIVERSITY: We had advanced notice coming into the summer this week. The winds the low humidity and the fuels, any ignition would have sparked a pretty big fire and that's exactly what we saw.

BROWN: In a state report out just last year ranking natural disasters, Hawaii officials classified the wildfire risk to human life as low in this color coded chart. The assessment though coming years after Hurricane Lane fanned the flames of fires in Hawaii ravaging Maui and Oahu in 2018. That perfect storm of conditions highlighted the threat and how unprepared officials in Hawaii were dealing with such a disaster.

With the county report in 2021, Noting hurricane Lane made small fires swell and stretch public safety resources with strong winds grounding air support, that storm should have been a wake-up call according to this planning document from Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency.

Other state and local documents show Hawaii lagged behind and preparedness for the devastating wildfires playing out now that have killed more than 50 people left countless people missing and triggered widespread evacuations, a cruel deja vu for some residents.

MARK STEFL, LST HOME TO FIRE TWICE: About four years ago, we had another hurricane and we lost our house in the fire. Rebuilt. And what happened yesterday is killing me right now. We just lost our house again twice in four years.

BROWN: A 2021 report also makes the troubling point that despite the increasing number of wildfires, fire prevention was given quote, short shrift in a strategic plan from Maui County's Department of Fire and Safety. The plan also included quote nothing about what can and should be done to prevent fires, which it called a significant oversight.

FRAZIER: Given how catastrophic this event was. I think there will be a lot of pressure on the state and other organizations to improve their fire prevention actions that they're taking statewide.

BROWN: The increase in fires in Hawaii comes as Maui has faced increasing drought conditions in recent years, contributing to warnings like this, and I'm a webinar from Nani Barreto with the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization.

NANI BARRETO, HAWAII WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION: Hawaii has a big wildfire problem. We are on par with the most fire prone states in the western continental US. The impacts of fire are broad and long lasting.

BROWN: Now residents like Mark Stefl are left to rebuild again as the threat of future disasters looms with no clear plan in place.

STEFL: I mean, I know what I needed to do. We've done it before. It sucks.

BROWN: Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And for more information on how you can help Hawaii wildfire victims go to cnn.com/impact or text Hawaii to 707070 to donate.

Ukraine once again appearing to target a key bridge in Crimea used by Russia. We'll show you what happened as the missiles approached.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:05]

WHITFIELD: Traffic is once again flowing across the Crimean bridge after three Ukrainian missiles were shut down. That's according to a Russian backed official.

Meantime, Ukrainian authorities are discussing a possible mandatory evacuation of children in the Kupiansk region of Kharkiv as Russia intensifies its shelling. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is Dnipro and he has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Again dramatic scenes around the Kerch Bridge the really only independent link that runs from the Russian mainland to the occupied Crimean peninsula of Ukraine that was annexed by Russia in 2014.

We've seen previous attacks on that cause damage to it. It's unclear if today's scenes resulted in damage to the bridge. Certainly Russian officials said it did not. And that two missiles one they said an adapted S-200 anti-aircraft missile were in fact intercepted. And then what in fact holidaymakers people on the beach films, the extraordinary scenes was instead, a smokescreen designed to you might say obscure any strike had occurred or make it harder for the missile to impact the bridge itself.

But again, a reminder for Russians of how things they may have considered to have been impregnable at the start of the war, now clearly in Ukraine's reach. We've seen Ukrainian drone attacks in the east part of the Black Sea recently, and it appears one on the Kerch Bridge itself as well.

And so today's attack, another reminder that if Ukraine is finding the southern counteroffensive moving at a slower pace than it would like it's still able to hit key parts of Russian infrastructure. It seems at will even if today's attack wasn't successful.

We're also to hearing of a Ukrainian order to evacuate a city known as Kupiansk not far from Kharkiv. They've been saying that the 12,000 civilians who've returned there, since it was liberated from the Russians last, that they should evacuate and now a more direct order for the children there possibly over 500 to be taken out immediately.

[15:45:07]

This is because of a Russian push there, intense artillery strikes on what remains of that town and a sign that perhaps Moscow is trying to change the narrative after feeling intense pressure in the south to find another area of work, perhaps and distract Ukrainian forces and force them to readjust where their strength necessarily is, but still seem to gain at that bridge to Crimea, a reminder that even though this counteroffensive is sort of moving at a slower pace than Ukraine would like it's able to project strength elsewhere. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Dnipro, Ukraine. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And a moment of normality in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, the area's beaches have been reopened for the first time since the Russian invasion. Odesa once thrived with busy holiday resorts but has been the site of relentless shelling almost since the war began.

Authorities say the beach will still be closed to swimmers during air raid alerts.

All right, coming up. A Michigan police chief has issued an apology after officers wrongly detained a child while he was taking the trash out behind his home. More details straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: The police chief in Lansing, Michigan issuing an apology after an incident in which a black child was handcuffed by officers while he was taking out the trash behind his home. CNN Isabel Rosales is following the developments for us. So what exactly is the chief saying?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. Lansing police are calling this a case of mistaken identity saying that this was the wrong time in the wrong place. And in fact, they put out two pictures of side by side comparison, showing the public the suspect who they were looking for. And then the 12-year-old boy that they mistakenly detained.

This all caught national attention due to a TikTok video put out by a neighbor who shot this confrontation on their cell phone showing the boy right there in handcuffs. And then the father later on in the video shouting from several feet away. That boy is then placed in the back of a police car. He is then after a short time released, uncuffed and released back to his father.

This TikTok video right here about over nearly 5 million views and thousands of comments. Now the boy's father Michael Bernard spoke with WILX an affiliate of CNN. He says that he was washing the dishes and then told his son Tashawn to take out the trash. And here's what he said happened during an off camera interview with our affiliate.

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MICHAEL BERNARD, BOY'S FATHER: I get concerned when I didn't see him come back within that period of time. And I walk out to here, look out and to my surprise the cops had him in handcuffs. I was mad about it. That was my sudden never do it breaking the law. So I rushed down and asked the cop what's the problem? Well, you have my son in handcuff just like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And the family has since that video right there, that interviewer done a virtual news conference and has spoken publicly about what transpired there. Lansing Police Department says that they were searching for a suspect in a string of car thefts and then a witness came forward and describe that suspect is having neon shorts and a white shirt and that is why they detained this child 12 years old that was wearing similar clothing and was actually in the same apartment complex as the witness said that this accused car thief had run off to.

So the police Chief Ellery Sosobee has issued an apology. Here's part of the statement he put out, as the chief of police, I want to apologize that this incident had such an effect on this young man, and again 12 years old here, and his family. I'm asking for the community to consider all the facts of the situation before making a judgment. The relationship with our community has been and will continue to be a top priority for the Lansing Police Department.

And Fred the family here, the Barnard family has gotten a hold of an attorney. And they -- the attorney is claiming that his client was wearing a gray shirt not a white one and was visibly much younger than the suspect. CNN has not independently been able to confirm the color that the child was wearing during that incident. And the family is considering legal action against the city.

WHITFIELD: All right, Isabel Rosales, thanks so much.

ROSALES: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: Right now Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is playing in a preseason game today his first since collapsing on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this year. Hamlin went into cardiac arrest in January after making a tackle and appearing to take a hit to his chest.

Doctors and trainers performed CPR on Hamlin when he lost his pulse and needed to be revived. He was on a ventilator for days and spent over a week in the hospital. The 25-year-old was cleared to resume football activities in April and first set back onto the field in June.

All right, the world's largest cruise ship hasn't welcomed a single passenger yet, but it's already riding a wave of free publicity. The Icon of the Seas is nearly 1,200 feet long. That's about 300 feet longer than the Titanic has 20 decks and a capacity of 10,000 people.

But when this image went viral in July, it was called everything from a pile of decadence to an icon of disease. It is expected to rake in about $10 million a week.

And finally look up tonight you just might happen to see one of nature's most stunning light displays. The Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak this weekend. The streaks of light will be most visible to viewers in the northern hemisphere just a few hours before dawn and there is the potential to see over 50 meteors per hour streak across the sky. Happy viewing.

[16:00:00]

Thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues next with Jessica Dean.