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"The Price Is Right" Host Bob Barker Dies At 99; Trump Pushes For Delay Amid Requests For Speedy Trial; D.A. Fani Willis Proposes Oct. 23 Trial For Trump, Co-defendants; School Districts Cancel In- Person Classes After Uptick In Illnesses, Including Covid-19; Russia: 6 Injured In Ukraine Shelling In Belgorod Region; More Than 90 Million Under Heat Alerts Across The South; Franklin Strengthens To Category 1 Hurricane; Passengers Applaud Pilot's Unexpected Announcement. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired August 26, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: He was into blood diamonds, minerals, et cetera, making a lot of money. And certainly, nobody wants to give that up. And remember that Wagner was a critical part of Russia's foreign policy in Africa. And also, the government isn't going to give that up either. So, we've seen officials down in in Russia in Africa, saying we'll be with you even if he's gone.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. All right. Jill Dougherty, thanks so much.

Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And this very sad breaking news. Bob Barker, the host of The Price Is Right and a beloved fixture on television for more than 40 years has died at the age of 99. Here is CNN's Stephanie Elam.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bob Barker.

STEPHANI ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): When it comes to game show host, Bob Barker was one of the most beloved. For 35 years he was the man with the mic and the money on The Prices Right.

BOB BARKER, AMERICAN TELEVISION PRESENTER: All right.

ELAM: Barker described his own winning television career as unexpected. He spent much of his childhood on an Indian Reservation in South Dakota. His family part of the Sioux tribe. World War II military service brought Barker to new places.

BARKER: I had never been up in an airplane and I had never seen the ocean and I had not thought about landing an airplane on a carrier.

ELAM: After the war, Barker landed radio jobs and married his high school sweetheart before breaking into television.

BARKER: Time to play Truth or Consequences. ELAM: Barker's run on the comedic stunt game show lasted 18 years.

BARKER: That's beautiful.

ELAM: His smooth hosting style got noticed by game show producer Mark Goodson.

BARKER: He saw me working on Truth or Consequences and he liked my work. And he told me that he would like to have me do the new Price Is Right they called it.

BARKER: He said two. It's two. There he goes.

ELAM: The mix of savvy shopper guessing games and big prizes have made The Price Is Right, America's longest running game show and Barker, its most memorable ringleader.

BARKER: Being on that stage, reaching out and gathering those folks in and making this thing work. Getting up, build him up as quickly as possible to pitch. That is just fun, fun, fun.

ELAM: Offstage, Barker faced some battles. In 1981, he lost his wife of 36 years to lung cancer.

BARKER: She was Mrs. Bob Barker. And to me she always has been and always will be.

ELAM: He faced struggles of his own including a stroke and a sexual harassment case brought by a female employee of The Price Is Right. It was eventually dismissed, but tarnish Barker's silver image for a time. Through it all, he remained focused on his work and philanthropic efforts, signing off each show with this tagline.

BARKER: Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.

ELAM: Barker was a tireless advocate for animal wellbeing, donating millions toward animal rescue and rights groups.

BARKER: If I'm remembered at all in the years to come, they'll refer to me as that old man who was always talking about spay neuter.

ELAM: Barker spent his career giving away money but reflected on his own good fortune in retirement.

BARKER: I'm blessed. I had the opportunity to have fun and just look forward to going to work for half a century.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Pretty remarkable life. Bob Barker was 99 years old and we'll have much more reaction ahead this hour.

All right. Turning now to new developments in the fast-moving Georgia election interference case. Two of the pro-Trump attorneys charged in the case are now asking for speedy trials. Sidney Powell has joined Kenneth Chesebro in requesting quick trials. A judge has already scheduled an October trial for our Chesbro and in response to the request, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wants to trial for all 19 defendants at the end of October.

But the defense team for former President Trump is trying to delay the start. Trump and his 18 co-defendants are facing a variety of charges including racketeering and conspiracy. They all surrendered ahead of yesterday's noon deadline. CNN's Jeremy Herb is tracking all the developments. Jeremy, walk us through what's next in this case.

JEREMY HERB, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, Fred. Now that the 19 defendants have surrendered, we get into this very complicated process of how exactly this trial is going to proceed. The question of when the trial is going to happen, that is one of the first ones that the judge is going to have to answer.

[13:05:05]

But another question is which venue is this trial going to take place. We're going to learn on Monday potentially whether or not the defendants will be able to move this case from state court into federal court. We've already seen five of the 19 defendants. They have filed to move their case. That includes Mark Meadows, the former White House Chief of Staff, Jeffrey Clark, the former DOJ official on Trump administration. And three of the fake electors who said that they were electors for Trump after the 2020 election.

Now on Monday, Mark Meadows' case, there'll be a hearing on whether that he is able to move his trial. This is going to be particularly notable not just because of this question about venue, but it also is going to give us a preview of the case that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has. She's subpoenaed several witnesses who could testify on Monday, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger who you remember was on the call when former President Trump asked him to find enough votes for him to win the state of Georgia.

So, while the trial isn't beginning, yet, this argument on Monday, it'll in effect give us a little hint and a sense of how this case will ultimately proceed, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jeremy Herb, thanks so much. And while Trump and most of his co-defendants were released on bail immediately after being processed today, one of the 19 co-defendants remains in the Fulton County Jail. Last night a judge declined to set bond for Harrison Floyd, a leader of Black Voices for Trump. For more on that let's bring in now CNN's Isabel Rosales. So, Isabel, what do we know about this defendant and how much longer he's going to have to stay in jail?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, there is a big incentive to figure out a bond agreement with the D.A.'s office ahead of surrendering 18 out of the 19 defendants did that. So they were able to get their mug shot, get fingerprinted, and then they left the jail. The one that did not, that is Harrison Floyd. So, he's the only one of these 19 defendants that is still in jail. And something that probably also didn't help him much is that he's got no representation. We saw that yesterday when he went in front of a judge. He said to that judge, Emily Richardson that he could not afford a private attorney. And the judge replied to him that he does not meet the eligibility requirements for a public defender. So let me bring you back to who Harrison Floyd is. This is the former leader of Black Voices for Trump. Prosecutors are alleging here that he is involved in an alleged plot to intimidate an Atlanta election worker Ruby Freeman in to falsely admitting to massive fraud against former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

Now, he went before this judge, Emily Richardson yesterday and he found out that he would remain in jail, that Judge telling him it's actually the chart -- the judge that was assigned to this case, Judge Scott McAfee, who will ultimately decide his bond. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE EMILY RICHARDSON, FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT: I'm going to go ahead and find that you're at risk to commit additional felonies and potential risks to flee the jurisdiction.

HARRISON FLOYD, CO-DEFENDANT: I got on a plane, I voluntarily came here. I am already on federal pretrial supervision. I've had no issues with being on pretrial supervision. There's no way that I'm a flight risk, ma'am. I showed up before the President was here.

RICHARDSON: OK. I understand, Mr. Floyd. The issue bonds not going to be decided by me, it's going to be assigned -- decided by the judge who is assigned to handle your case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Right. And he also, Fred, faces a separate charge of simple assault against the federal worker. This is a totally separate case where FBI agents were going to his house to serve him with a subpoena to show up in front of a grand jury in D.C. for -- to testify. And he's alleged to have assaulted an FBI agent there.

WHITFIELD: And what is the criteria for being eligible for public defender? He has already said he doesn't have money.

ROSALES: Right. And I think that has to do with it. We got to look more into the details there. But perhaps he's making too much money. There's several requirements and the judge said he did not meet them.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. All right. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much.

All right. With me now to discuss the Georgia case is Daniel Richman. He is a former federal prosecutor and an adviser to former FBI Director James Comey. Daniel, great to see you. So, let's begin with your reaction to this new filing from Sidney Powell, also asking for speedy trial. And this comes after, you know, co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro made the same request and his request thus far has been granted. DANIEL RICHMAN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I think in any large multi defendant case, you're going to have defendants pushing in different directions, as you see here. Certainly, they have different interests and it also serves the group purpose to be forcing the court to decide whether to keep a case together which is often what judges prefer or to break it up.

[13:10:00]

And each defendant is really trying to the present layman's terms, make it difficult for the prosecution to keep this case to together to keep it on track.

WHITFIELD: Is it advantageous for Chesebro and Powell to both be asking for a quick trial or -- because their alleged offenses are different, the evidence against them might be different that would be a potential setback for either of the defendants?

RICHMAN: I think it's advantageous, especially to the extent that they won't get exactly what they want but still be able to put pressure on the prosecution. The evidence against Chesebro really relates to how the entire scheme unfolded across multiple states. And it would be really hard for the prosecution to put on a case against Chesebro that didn't fully implicate a wide range of the evidence that would have to be also introduced against Trump on the other defendants.

So certainly, Chesebro would prefer to have this case dropped against him. Perhaps he's trying to put the prosecution to the test of whether they're willing to put something together against him or to walk away. And I assume they won't walk away. And I assume also, that the judge won't give them precisely what he wants because this is a multi- defendant case and a defendant can't just withdraw (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: In a case like this, when you have 19 co-defendants, is it conceivable that the attorneys representing a variety of these defendants would collaborate, talk, discuss, plot?

RICHMAN: Yes. It's more than conceivable. In most cases, it's likely. It certainly serves their interests to be thinking in group terms, even as each pushes perhaps in a different direction. They also might be probably against one another at the same time too, one never knows.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. All right. Now, the next hearing in this case is scheduled for Monday. That's for Mark Meadows, the former chief of staff for Trump. Wants to move his case to federal court saying that he was acting as a federal officer. How might this motion be entertained by the judge?

RICHMAN: I think Meadows is seeking two things. He wants it removed to federal court. He also is arguing that as a matter of the Supremacy Clause. Georgia should be barred from prosecuting him, even once the case is removed to federal court. So, he's filed two kinds of motions. I think the Supremacy Clause claims the one that says what I did was under orders of the president, thanks a lot, we're done here.

It's far less likely to be entertained seriously but the removal effort really has some substance to it. And I expect Trump will be pursuing the same sort of claim at some point.

WHITFIELD: Why does the removal aspect of this have a better chance?

RICHMAN: The essence of removal is not that the case should be dropped against me. But because what I did was related to my federal duties, we shouldn't let a state court preside over this. And the -- it's a very expensive standard because essentially the -- throughout history, the federal government has been very careful to ensure that its officers get fair trials. And certainly, you can't figure out whether the guy's guilty or innocent before the trial happens.

So, it ends up being a very expansive standard. Might not be met here because you still have to show that you did what you did as a federal officer, the suit of your duties. And, you know, obviously, the prosecution will be arguing that trying to interfere with an election as well as the President's role or got at his chief of staff and others.

WHITFIELD: All right. Daniel Richman, thank you so much. Fascinating information. Right now --

RICHMAN: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Excellent. Now to Boston, where officials just held a press conference involving a mass shooting near a festival parade this morning. Seven people were shot and injured. Let's get right to CNN's Polo Sandoval. Polo, what more are we learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. What was described in the last hour by Boston's mayor as a treasured and vibrant community event. It's now going on 50 years. It was violently interrupted by the sound of gunfire earlier this morning at about 7:00 a.m. not related to Boston's Caribbean carnival. We are told that those shots rang at about 7:00 a.m. in a Dorchester neighborhood of the city.

The result was seven people who suffered non-life-threatening injuries. So, according to authorities they're expected to pull through.

[13:15:02]

And two suspects were quickly apprehended there at the scene as well as several weapons that were seized. A motive and all this all of that remains unclear. But authorities now saying in the last hour that this shooting happened, as they put it on the outskirts of where this parade was taken place. One of several parades that are part of this carnival. And this is why the scenes played out here.

In fact, authorities having to stop that parade because of the sheer size of the crime scene that they're investigating right now or event organizers assuring the public that this event, the carnival, it is still on for later today, as this investigation presses forward. But there's still some very important public safety questions here to answer in terms of what police not only are doing but have been doing to guarantee the safety of some of the participants of this event because we have seen violent incidents in years past either at or near this event.

And that's why as we just heard from the show was short while ago, police were able to get on scene very quickly. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE WU, BOSTON MAYOR: Officers were just yards away. And so, it was exactly as planned to be right there on scene on hand and they were immediately able to take those weapons off the street and even get folks into custody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So, overshadowed by the violence this morning the event still presses on. However, Fred, investigators did issue a call to the public for any sort of surveillance video or cellphone video or witness accounts they may be able to get about what happened early this morning. Again, seven people suffering non-life-threatening injuries after shots rang out as the carnival was getting ready to get underway in Boston,

WHITFIELD: Terrible Friday morning. All right. Thank you so much, Polo Sandoval. All right. Still to come. Chaos after a shooting at a high school football game in Oklahoma. The video from the scene straight ahead.

And live pictures out of the nation's capital where tens of thousands of people are expected to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the march on Washington. We'll take you there after this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The cradle of the civil rights movement. The birthplace of --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:21:06]

WHITFIELD: All right. Back now to our breaking news. Bob Barker, the decades long host of The Price Is Right and a beloved fixture on television for years has died at the age of 99. Let's talk about his life and legacy with Stephen Battaglio. He is a T.V. and media reporter for the L.A. Times. Steven, great to see you sadly, under such circumstances. But what an extraordinary life at 99.

And Bob Barker, everyone, you know, knows him as the host of the game show The Price Is Right and Truth and Consequences. I mean, the list goes on, how will he be remembered?

STEPHEN BATTAGLIO, T.V. AND MEDIA REPORTER, LOS ANGELES TIMES; You're talking about one of the true legends in the television industry. Bob Barker was on the show for decades. And he also -- he sort of changed. Rather he was sort of revolutionary in the way -- what he did to the game show. You know, we used to seeing quiz shows, you would see a host -- behind a desk, sitting behind a -- or standing behind a lectern. Bob had his microphone in his hand, he walked the stage and interacted with the performers. He guided them, he calmed them down, he embraced them.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BATTAGLIO: There was an interactivity that connection there that you didn't see any host have before him. He kind of changed T.V. that way. There was an expectation that you had to be more tactile and more involved in the contestants.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's a great point. I mean, I'm now envisioning all of that. I mean, I grew up you know, with all those talk -- game shows that that he hosted and remember that, you know, that the contestants were like embracing him, running up to him. He was laughing. I mean, he did leave the script a lot and you love that about him.

BATTAGLIO: He never lost his cool. You know, people were winning money. So, they're screaming and they're jumping up and down. He was so consistent. And you -- also, you cannot talk about Bob Barker without talking about his commitment to animal rights.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BATTAGLIO: You know, it goes back to very early on the show. They were giving away fur coats on the show. And Bob's went to Mark Goodson of Goodson-Todman, the producer of the show. I'm not doing this anymore. I'm not giving fur coats away. And he became not only contributed money to animal rights but every show he would say remember to spayed or neuter your pet. He was -- and he gave money.

He once gave a million dollars to get some elephants out of the Toronto Zoo and brought them to a sanctuary in Africa. I mean, he was very committed to this.

WHITFIELD: Yes. He started his own animal advocacy foundation, right? The D.J. and T Foundation named after, you know, his late wife and his mom. I mean, this was -- this was important to him. And we saw in the piece that Stephanie Elam did. You know, he would end many of his game shows, talking about, you know, spaying and neutering your pets being responsible pet owners and lovers.

BATTAGLIO: You know, and Bob Barker, his career was not without controversy. I mean, in the mid-90s, he had been a widow for a while but he did get involved with one of Barker's beauties, which is what they used to call them models who would present a prizes on the show and he was taken to court over that. And he actually admitted to having a, you know, an inappropriate professional relationship with this woman.

But it was a -- it was a much more forgiving time for stuff like that back then. It didn't -- it didn't stop him from continuing the show. I believe he was also inducted into the Emmy Hall of Fame after that.

WHITFIELD: Yes. He was also a fixture on -- yes, he was also a fixture of pageants, right? Miss USA, Miss Universe. BATTAGLIO: That's right. Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Can't forget that.

(CROSSTALK)

BATTAGLIO: He did the -- I believe he did Miss Universe about 20 years. So, yes, yes.

[13:25:00]

He was very at ease with himself, with the audience and, you know, could do live television. Just respond in the moment and be incredibly consistent. And, you know, that in for a long-running show like Price Is Right, that's really important. You think about all the generations who grew up with it. You know, you had grandmother's watch, you get your head. If you were a kid home from school, you watch it.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: -- family show.

BATTAGLIO: -- watch it. I mean, it's -- it just reached such a wide range of people. And that's why I think he's remembered so well.

WHITFIELD: Yes. It's emblazoned in my memory. I mean, it's part of my growing up and watching and enjoying all those game shows and you're able to do so with the whole family. Stephen Battaglio, thank you so much for remembering Bob Barker at the age of 99.

All right. Right now, to the nation's capital. Thousands are gathering on the National Mall to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the historic March on Washington. Live pictures right now, from the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial as well. Organizers describing today's event not as a commemoration but a continuation of the dream. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. outlined at the Lincoln Memorial actually.

That's the live pictures you're seeing right now at the Lincoln Memorial. It was August 28th, 1963 when the march on Washington happened. CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll joins me live now from the march. What's the turnout like and what are the messages there that are being disseminated there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you feel comfortable, I advise you to close your eyes.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the key messages, Fredricka has to do with voting rights. I mean, if you look at what happened here, back in 1963, 60 years ago, on these various steps of the Lincoln Memorial, there was talk about voting rights. And we heard much of that being expressed here today as well. You remember historically that African-Americans risk their lives, gave their lives for the right to vote.

And the feeling here today among civil rights leaders is that voter suppression is still alive and well. To drive that point home, a while ago, just a short while ago, we heard from Andrew Young. Former mayor of Atlanta noted civil rights activist. He is 91 years old, Fredricka. He made his way to the stage. He was here 60 years ago, worked alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. And he shared his thoughts about the state of the country today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW YOUNG, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: That the vote is the passport to freedom and opportunity. That is hard work. But it's good work. Don't get mad. Get smart. Don't look at all the things that are wrong. Look back on where we were 66 years ago, when we had the first march on Washington. And Martin Luther King said then give us the ballot. And then he moved up and said, but I have a dream. But he gave his life for that dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Again, Fredricka, 91 years old, he really moved the crowd with his speech that he gave again. What is being expressed out here today dramatically voting rights, education rights, economic equality, just some of the themes that we've heard about. Themes that were expressed 60 years ago. Civil Rights leaders saying out here today, there are themes that need to be addressed today. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Jason Carroll there at the nation's capital on the National Mall right there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial. Thanks so much.

All right. Rising cases of COVID and other illnesses got so bad in two Kentucky school districts that they actually had to cancel in-person classes. We'll ask a doctor if parents across the country need to be concerned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:33:58]

WHITFIELD: All right, new video into CNN showing the terrifying moments when shots rang out at a high school football game last night.

Police say at least three people were injured in a shooting during the third quarter of a Del City-Choctaw football game in Oklahoma.

I want to warn you, this next video is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNFIRE)

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is going on?

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's happening? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea what's happening.

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is going on?

(GUNFIRE)

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we've got people shooting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my goodness. Where?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are down on the field. That's crazy.

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh man!

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Everybody, get down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It's crazy and it's sad.

Authorities say a woman was treated and released after she suffered a gunshot wound to her leg. Two men were also injured. They sustained gunshot wounds. No reports yet on their condition. Police say there are no suspects in custody.

Two school districts in eastern Kentucky are cancelling classes less than two weeks after the start of school because of upticks in cases of Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

The Lee County School District said attendance had dropped by 81 percent by early this week before classes were moved online.

In Georgia, Morris Brown College this week said it was implementing a two-week mask mandate for students and staff after it received reports of positive cases among students.

With me is Dr. Saju Mathew, a primary care physician and public health specialist.

All right, so how worried should people be about this uptick in what they believe to be Covid-19 cases?

DR. SAJU MATHEW, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN & PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST: Unfortunately, we're in a surge, summer surge. That's not unexpected. It is scorching hot out there. I'm a tennis player. I can't play tennis until 8:00 at night.

So guess what people are doing? They're hanging out indoors. People are not getting tested. That's how the virus gets transmitted. So this summer surge is not unexpected, but we should be aware of it.

[13:35:08]

I'm not here to say, oh, we need to go into a lockdown and children should not go to school. I'm here to say, how can we live with Covid- 19?

WHITFIELD: How do we do that? How do we do that? Because Covid-19 has changed and evolved so much over the course of the past few years. There was a moment where everyone thought, OK, it's dissipated a little bit. We have more people vaccinated, et cetera.

But what's unique here is that people are feeling like they just have regular cold symptoms and they're doing their at-home Covid test and coming up negative but then come to find out they may have Covid-19 after all?

MATHEW: Yes. I'm seeing, Fred, a lot of people are getting tested. You should wait a couple of days if you test and you're negative and you still think you might have Covid. Remember, yes, summer colds could be Covid, unfortunately.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MATHEW: What you do is you go to your urgent care and get a PCR. The PCR test is way more accurate. That helps you make the diagnosis.

Then you can change behavior. You can decide to mask again in congested spaces. You can decide, if you're high risk, to get Paxlovid, which is a very underutilized medication that decreases the number of days that you're sick.

And get this --

WHITFIELD: So what's the window?

MATHEW: Well, within the first five days is when you want to get on their medicine. But if you don't talk to your doctor about it -- not every physician is prescribing it, but I have read studies where it might decrease your risk of long Covid.

If you have a summer cold, don't assume it's a cold. Do something about it and change your behavior.

WHITFIELD: What are the symptoms?

MATHEW: Cold-like symptoms.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Runny nose or --

MATHEW: Runny nose, nasal congestion, perhaps a headache, fatigue or flu-like symptoms.

And I've got quite a few patients who are testing negative, assuming, hey, listen, I tested negative, it's OK for me to go hug grandma. And that's what I'm thinking we should really be most careful about is protecting our elderly.

You could do what you want, but remember, for everybody, Covid is a different type of illness.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And this is the year, it seems, that we're now having to think about this trifecta. It's Covid, it's RSV -- even though vaccinations are now available for people over a certain age for RSV -- and flu.

MATHEW: That's exactly right. We're definitely worried about that triple threat that you mentioned.

And for the first time, we have this RSV vaccine. If you're high risk, 50, 60 years old, you might have COPD or asthma, talk to your doctor. You might also want to get it.

But the timing of the vaccines, Fred, is very important. Once you're vaccinated, your vaccine works best in the first three months, because the antibody levels are the highest.

So you want to be protected when the vaccine works best. So don't get these vaccines too early. Around Halloween, October, that's when you should line up the vaccines.

I don't necessarily recommend getting Covid and flu at the same time. Because if you have side effects, you don't want to have side effects --

WHITFIELD: Right.

MATHEW: -- to two vaccines. So maybe get the flu vaccine first. A week later, get this new updated Covid booster, which should be coming out at the end of September, first week of October.

(CROSSTALK)

MATHEW: Yes. My parents are all lined up to get it.

WHITFIELD: Right. Well, I'm going to be lined up, too.

All right, Dr. Saju Mathew, great to see you. Thank you so much.

MATHEW: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: We all have to be really careful, especially this fall and winter.

MATHEW: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead, backlash continues to grow over this controversial kiss at the World Cup. The president of the Spanish Soccer Federation refusing to step down, and now FIFA is stepping in. How it's handling the fallout, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:42:44]

WHITFIELD: Russian officials say six civilians were injured in Ukrainian shelling into Russia's Belgorod region.

Meantime, Ukraine says at least two people were killed in Russian shelling along the front lines in the Kharkiv region.

CNN's Melissa Bell is in Kyiv.

Melissa, while the attention this week was on the apparent death of Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the war in Ukraine and the counteroffensive continued to intensify. What is the latest there?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It intensified. And Ukraine claims some substantial gains. This is a counteroffensive, Fredricka, that will soon be in its third month. It has been much criticized for not having moved forward or achieved more than it has so far.

I think it's important to look back at this last week where the world's attention was distracted by Yevgeny Prigozhin, what was happening on the other side of the border, to take a moment to stock of what's been achieved on this side of the border by Ukrainian forces.

First of all, a series of daring raids on the Crimean Peninsula, one which involved physically landing on the territory. I think that is important not just symbolically but as a reminder about what the ultimate aim of this counteroffensive is.

Which is bringing Ukrainian forces to the Sea of Azov and breaking the land bridge between Crimea and the rest of the Russian-held territories here in Ukraine.

But also the substantial gain that has been made around and towards a village in Zaporizhzhia region. It is still the scene of intense fighting between Russian forces and Ukrainian soldiers.

A great deal of intense fighting to its south and its east. But yet it still represents the first time Ukrainian forces have been able to breach that first line of Russian defenses.

With everything that's going to mean for the Russians need to bring in more men to try and defend their positions from other points along the front lines.

So from the point of view of the Ukrainian forces, what has been achieved this week does bode well as at least, Fredricka, the beginning of a glimmer of hope after many long weeks of a fairly fruitless counteroffensive.

WHITFIELD: All right, Melissa Bell, in Kyiv, thanks so much.

[13:44:52] Coming up, extreme heat in this country baking the southern portion of the U.S. Specifically, more than 90 million people on alert as the temperatures climb. A look at the weekend conditions, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: FIFA is taking action after the president of the Spanish Football Federation refused to resign in the wake of controversy. FIFA has provisionally suspended Luis Rubiales after he kissed star, Jennifer Hermoso, following last Sunday's World Cup win.

The kiss prompted outrage and calls for Rubiales to step down. But he not only refused, he then claimed the kiss was consensual, a claim Hermoso vehemently denies.

[13:50:01]

The Spanish Football Federation doubled down in its support of Rubiales and threatening legal action against Hermoso.

Saying -- and I'm quoting now -- "The evidence is conclusive. The president has not lied. The RFEF and the president, given the seriousness of the content of the press release from the FutPro Union, will initiate the corresponding legal actions."

Again, the suspension is now for 90 days.

Simone Biles' gymnastics comeback isn't about getting a participation ribbon. The seven-time champion kicked off her run at an eighth title in remarkable fashion Friday. And after one day of competition, she is in first place. No surprise there.

Biles returned to action earlier this month after an almost two-year hiatus. With a win at the Core Hydration Classic and with a win this weekend, the 26-year-old could become the only gymnast, man or woman, to win eight U.S. all-around titles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMONE BILES, TEAM USA GYMNAST: Things started off a little rough, but that's to be expected. You get your nerves out of the way. After that, it was pretty smooth sailing.

I'm pretty happy with the overall meet today. I think I just have personal goals that I want to meet and keep pushing for. That's what I'm aiming for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Why does she make it look so easy and we know it's not.

After completing her final rotation of the night, Biles was greeted by teammates, exchanging high-fives and embraces, as you see right there. The U.S. gymnastics championships run through Sunday.

All right, turning now to scorching heat gripping much of the U.S. CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here.

Allison, when is the cooldown coming?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is coming, Fred, I promise --

(LAUGHTER)

CHINCHAR: -- it's coming. We've got to get through the weekend first in a lot of these places.

That includes the southern tier of the U.S. We've got a lot of extreme heat alerts out there. But also seeing more creep into the southwest. That's where we're going to start to see temperatures going up in the coming days.

Take Palm Springs, for example, topping out at 114 tomorrow, up to 117 on Monday. Phoenix, 113 on Sunday, back up to 116 by the time we get to Tuesday. You're talking 10 degrees above average for a lot of these places. Even Sacramento well above where they should be this time of year.

Across the southeastern portion of the U.S., one to two days left of that extreme heat and then we'll finally start to see the numbers come back down.

For Houston, 107 Sunday, back down under triple digits by the start of the week. New Orleans looking at 102 on Sunday, down into the upper 80s by chance on Tuesday.

So, again, seeing that trend come down. Even Atlanta going from 96 on Sunday, dare I say 10 degrees below average on Wednesday.

But there's a reason for that. Because we're going to be adding in rain chances possibly from this potential system here in the gulf coast of Mexico.

Right now, about a 90 percent chance of developing into a tropical system in the next 24 to 36 hours. It's expected to slide into the Gulf of Mexico.

Further development, it's going to move into a much more favorable environment, so we do anticipate it becomes a tropical storm in about the next 24 to 36 hours, even though right now it's still looking a little disorganized.

Most of the models have it coming into a Gulf of Mexico and sliding toward Florida Tuesday or Wednesday of the upcoming week. Certainly something to keep a close eye on.

Also keeping an eye on Hurricane Franklin. Winds of 75 miles per hour. This particular system is expected to become a major hurricane, likely by Monday or Tuesday of this upcoming week, before sliding between Bermuda and the United States.

But Fred, definitely something we'll still keep a close eye on because it is going to come awfully close. It may still have impacts to the U.S. in the form of some rip currents.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, it will be nice if it continues to stay very east.

All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

[13:53:55]

All right, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:58:22]

WHITFIELD: Savannah, Georgia, is making a major change to a historic downtown square. This week, the city council voted to rename Calhoun Square after Suzy King Taylor.

She was a black woman who once taught slaves to read and write. During the Civil War, Taylor was an Army nurse and organized a school to teach emancipated slaves. She later opened more schools for black students.

The square, which is a popular tourist attraction in Georgia's oldest city, was originally named after former Vice President John C. Calhoun, who was known for defending slavery and owning slaves himself.

A pilot on an overseas trip received rounds of applause for a special and unexpected announcement.

Here is CNN's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not unusual for a pilot to praise his exceptional crew. But this pilot singled out a certain flight attendant on board.

COLE DOSS, UNITED AIRLINES PILOT: (INAUDIBLE)

MOOS: On a flight from Washington to Madrid the other day, Cole Doss announced it was the first time in two years at United that he was flying the plane that his mom was working.

DOSS: She's been one of my biggest supporters of my career in becoming a pilot, ever since my first flight lesson.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

MOOS: Together, on United flight 260, reunited.

(SINGING)

[13:59:56]

MOOS: Cole's mom has been a flight attendant at United for over 45 years. Mom and dad have worked in aviation. His sister, Carolyn, is the latest to become a flight attendant.

The passengers cheered.