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Secretary Austin Meets Zelenskyy At Singapore Security Conference; World Awaits Hamas Response On Israel's Ceasefire Proposal In Gaza; White House: Biden Traveling To France To Commemorate 80th D- Day Anniversary; White House Preparing To Roll Out Sweeping Executive Action On Border; Polls Open In Historic Mexico Election. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired June 02, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:41]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Alisyn Camerota, in for Fredricka Whitfield today.

We're following several major developments around the globe that will present challenges for President Biden at home and abroad this week.

First, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Singapore today. Secretary Austin reiterated, quote, unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's war.

We're also awaiting word on Hamas's response to a new ceasefire proposal with Israel as detailed by President Biden on Friday. The president is expected to address these and other global challenges when he visits France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand and Priscilla Alvarez are tracking all of these stories for us.

So, Natasha, you're in Singapore. What happened at the meeting today?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin did meet with President Zelenskyy earlier today and they discussed Ukraine's battlefield needs as well as the most urgent things they need to defend themselves against the Russians, including additional air defense systems, which are so key and which are running really in short supply in Ukraine, but also as Zelenskyy wanted use the opportunity during his meeting with Austin to thank him, to thank President Biden for that major policy shift that we learned about last week where President Biden agreed to allow Ukraine to use American made weapons to strike inside Russian territory itself.

A major shift and something that we have not seen the U.S. allowed before over the course of this war. That Zelenskyy has really been pushing for and has said as pretty much a game changer because of the fact that its going to allow them to actually hit Russia where they are launching these attacks right across the border inside Russia. But, ultimately, you know, this was an opportunity for Zelenskyy to

come, to meet with Asian leaders here in Singapore, and importantly to try to secure a meeting with Chinese officials, the Chinese are an extremely important international actor here when it comes to the war in Ukraine because according to the U.S. and the U.K., they are actively supporting Russia's defense sector, which in turn is fooling, of course, the war in Ukraine.

So Zelenskyy wanted to meet with Chinese officials here in Singapore, but he was rebuffed. He told hold reporters earlier today that he sought out some meetings with them to try to get them to come to a peace summit that Ukraine is trying to organize here in the next two weeks and Switzerland. But that they did not make any commitment to do so. And in fact, he did address Chinas support for Russia and he said that that is only going to make the war in Ukraine last longer. We should note that Secretary of Defense Austin, he also met with his Chinese counterpart on Friday and he discussed this very thing with his Chinese counterpart of the fact that the us believes that they are supporting the Russians.

And importantly, he raised the idea that there could be consequences if they continue to do so. He said that the international community will be forced to take, quote, further measures if the Chinese do not stop supporting Russia. But for now, it does not seem like the Chinese are very receptive to those calls and importantly, they have denied even now, providing any kind of support to Russia as something of course, the U.S. and the U.K. say is completely at odds with reality -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Okay, those are important updates. Thank you for that.

Priscilla, let's talk about President Biden's visit to France this coming week. Is that mostly ceremonial, or does the White House expect something out of that?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it could be both. So they're -- they are going to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day and that will be a moment for the president, but that's also going to be followed by remarks on democracy. That is how the White House has described those remarks that he is going to deliver.

Now, this is important and because it has been a central theme of the presidents campaign, here in the U.S. But he also came into his administration saying that he wanted to reaffirm U.S. leadership on the world stage. So these remarks are going to be a moment for that and we've also heard from the president at fundraisers say that world leaders have come to him and said that former President Donald Trump can't win a second term -- second term.

So these themes about the U.S. on the global stage and protecting and preserving democracy are really going to come through in these remarks. Now, the president is also going to meet with the French president, and that's going to be a meeting that comes on the heels of this proposal that the president outlined on Friday to try to reach some type of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

[13:05:06]

Now, the French president has already come out and said that he is in support of that. But this is going to be a moment where the president is also trying to shore up allies behind this proposal to try to reach some peace in Gaza. Of course, that's going to be difficult. The president himself in those remarks that you see there recognize that, but it's going to be the president going abroad and having an opportunity to have these meetings to talk about democracy, to talk look about the Middle East, and try to shore up agreement to get that proposal moving forward.

CAMEROTA: Priscilla, let's also talk about the major things happening with Mexico this weekend. So, right now, they're voting for a new president today. And we also understand the President Biden is preparing new border security measures.

So what's the thinking on how both of these thanks will affect the U.S.-Mexico relationship?

ALVAREZ: U.S. officials are certainly closely monitoring this election. Of course, Mexico has been a key us ally on multiple issues. Not only migration, but also on trade and cracking down on drug trafficking, but sources did tell me that they -- one of the considerations in releasing this border executive action that is expected as early as this week was doing so after the election in Mexico, of course, they didn't want to give any type of appearance of interference or sway in the Mexican election. So they wanted to hold off until after the fact this executive action is expected to be a measure quite reminiscent of one in the Trump era in the way that it clamps down on unlawful border crossings.

Now, again, we anticipate that this could be announced as early as Tuesday. Mexico would have to have some level of buy-in to execute this order like they have on many other border security measures. In fact, the U.S. has really credit in Mexico and part for helping drive down the lower border crossings that we are seeing now.

So this election is important, but it also comes at a critical time for the U.S. as they themselves grapple with migration in the hemisphere. And he really looked to Mexico to help them with that. So they are all close sleep monitoring this today, especially as they prepare that rollout this week.

CAMEROTA: Okay. Priscilla Alvarez and Natasha Bertrand, thank you both very much.

So the voting happening right now in Mexico could mark a dramatic shift for the country. It is the largest election in Mexico's history with more than 20,000 public offices at stake, including the presidency. And for the first time ever, two women are the top presidential contenders.

But there has also been shocking violence during this election cycle. Monitoring groups say dozens of people connected to the campaigns and candidates have been murdered.

CNN's Gustavo Valdes is in Mexico City.

Gustavo, how is the voting going so far?

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Alisyn.

We have seen a lot of enthusiasm from voters. We went to a couple of polling places where people lined up hours before the polls open, there's been so much these organizations, some delays in opening some places especially the special polling stations. These are the places where four for people who are outside the district, perhaps you're visiting from out-of-state these are this is where were seeing the most delays because there seems to be see some problems are getting the polling stations proper working order. And now so because if people are getting desperate, they know that there's a limited number for ballots that they all want to vote in most places, we seem to have seen more people than ballots, usually between thousand, 1,500 ballots in these places, we saw lines were longer.

So there's a lot of enthusiasm and they're hoping that these day goes peacefully. The violence that you mentioned was in the mind the voters and officials, they started they open the session of the national elections institute with a moment of silence to remember, they about 200 people who were killed during this process. So it is a very important issue for the voters in Mexico.

And you mentioned, Mexico could have its first female president, something that is not the driving force for voters, but they say that having a female representative country is also good for the image of this nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BELIT GONZALEZ, WRITER FROM ACAPULCO, GUERRERO: I think it shows a lot of how our country has improved in our society. Sometimes people would say that because of the way that the country sees women, that there was no way on Earth that that was going to happen and seen it be something so that --

VALDES: Tangible.

GONZALEZ: So tangible, it's quite amazing.

DIEGO MASTA, BUSINESSMAN FROM CHIHUAHUA: It's important because it keeps power to and inspiration to other the womans. Also like, it's a big change in this country that it's been improved by mans and the macho go through life. So, it's very important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:10:04]

GONZALEZ: Polls close around 6:00 p.m. local. We should have the first results around 10:00 p.m. local time -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Gustavo, we also understand that now for the first time, Mexicans can vote abroad. How does that work? VALDES: It seems to be working very well. There's about 1.4 million people that are registered to vote according to official numbers. And we've seen videos of people in France and Spain, even in the -- in the United States that were forming long lines, wishing to also elect their candidate. And especially the vote in the United States is an important one because they send a lot of money back to relatives in Mexico.

So they really have skin in the game if you will. So that vote is going to be important and is something that the next president is going to have to keep in mind that they also representing people outside their borders.

CAMEROTA: Okay. Gustavo Valdes in Mexico City for us, thank you.

Back here, Atlanta's mayor declares a state of emergency after a massive water main break that leaves many parts of the city's downtown completely flooded and the water unusable and a hospital is forced to relocate patients.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:53]

CAMEROTA: Right now, a major water main break is still plaguing portions of Atlanta. This is for the third day now, the city declaring a state of emergency to deal with this water crisis, the disruption forcing one of the city's major hospitals to relocate some of its patients.

CNN's Rafael Romo is still on the street for us where our crews are still working to repair all this.

Now, Rafael, I understand you've just learned of another water main break.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right, Alisyn. Unfortunately, just a few moments ago, we heard of another incident, the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is confirming what at this time they're calling a potential water main break, not too far from here, where we are and four our viewers who are familiar with Atlanta, that is at an area near the Carter Center. The department added that a temporary disruption of water service for residences and businesses may occur.

And, Alisyn, last night, the mayor declared a state of emergency in the city to be able to access resources to deal with this water crisis, which is now on its third day. Overnight, Mayor Dickens said that city crews were able to repair one of the two major water main breaks located just west of the city's downtown area. And now they're focusing on the second major water main break here in midtown the midtown neighborhood where we are.

Atlanta Water Commissioner Al Wiggins said his crews are getting close to being able to fix this break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL WIGGINS, COMMISSIONER, ATLANTA DEPARTMENT OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT: We're waiting for a particular part to arrive. We expect for that part to arrive here soon. Once that part arrives, we think that this would be a routine repair and wants to repair is completed, we'll be able to restore water services immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And let me show you right now, the water is still gushing here and the Midtown neighborhood, Alisyn, that leak has been going on, that break, I should say. It has been going on for 36 hours now. And Mayor Dickens also said that city workers have visited more than 30 senior communities, homeless shelters, hospitals, and other centers across the city with vulnerable populations to deliver fresh drinking water and flushing water, impacting over 10,500 people.

The Atlanta Police Department has done 30 welfare checks, two senior living communities and buildings. Mayor Dickens says the city is also getting help from the state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ANDRE DICKENS, ATLANTA: We have declared a state of emergency in the city of Atlanta to allow us to access -- to access resources in an expedited fashion. We've been working with the Georgia Department of Emergency Management and we appreciate the support from the state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Alisyn, were back live here in the Midtown neighborhood. Mayor Andre Dickens has said that his themes are working as fast as they can to try to fix the situation.

Let me also tell you a little bit about the hospitals in the city. Grady Memorial Hospital, one of the top medical institutions in the planter announced on Saturday that they were experiencing low water pressure, but remained the fully operational and there emergency room was accepting all patients.

Emory healthcare told CNN in a statement that they have had to take several measures including diverting ambulances, transferring dialysis patients to other facilities and bring in, imagine this, 58,000 gallons of water for the hospital chillers and cooling towers. An incredible crisis here in Atlanta.

Alisyn, back to you.

CAMEROTA: Yeah. And, Rafael, I had heard the mayor and one of the press conference is personally apologizing for all of this to the community. And is this scene somehow is his direct fault?

ROMO: Well, he hasn't taken any -- he hasn't said directly that it is his responsibility, but once they're able to repair everything and we were talking about two major water main breaks, but there are other breaks throughout the city. [13:20:10]

Once they can repair that, they can focus on who dropped the ball here because it has inconvenienced thousands and thousands of people and it speaks also to the to the state of the aging infrastructure in a planter. One thing that the water commissioner did say at a press conference on Saturday was that the cause for at least one of the water main breaks was decay. So that gives you an idea of what they're dealing with right now. But again what they had have to do right now is put an end to this crisis, bring water back to these communities because people that, people that we've been talking to here are very, very frustrated, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yeah, I can imagine.

Rafael Romo. Thank you very much for an update.

So, Hunter Biden's trial is set to begin tomorrow. For the first time, the child of a sitting president will stand trial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:25:29]

CAMEROTA: The criminal trial for President Biden's son Hunter is set to begin tomorrow. Hunter Biden is due in court on federal gun charges that could potentially land him in jail. You may remember it was a year ago that his attempted plea deal with prosecutors fell apart.

CNN's Marshall Cohen is covering this trial.

So, Marshall, what happens tomorrow?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Hey, Alisyn, jury selection kicks off tomorrow morning in Wilmington, Delaware. It's the start of this trial that has been building up, as you mentioned, for the past year after that plea deal collapsed and spectacular fashion. With no deal, that means there's a trial and Hunter Biden is facing three felony gun charges. The first two are for allegedly lying on federal firearm forms and ATF form that you have to fill out when you buy a gun. The third charge is allegedly unlawful possession of a gun.

It all relates to the fact that according to prosecutors, Hunter Biden was a drug user or addict at the time of when he purchased and possessed that gun. It's against federal law for a drug user or a drug addict to have a gun. And that's what they will need to prove at this trial, which starts tomorrow. The case is being prosecuted by special counsel, David Weiss, and 250 jurors from Delaware have been summoned, and they'll eventually whittle that down to a panel of 12 and four alternates. So it all starts tomorrow morning -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: And we know what evidenced prosecutors will bring in?

COHEN: You know, they have been signaling in the last few weeks what they want to present it this trial its going to be very personal and it's going to be frankly very difficult for the Biden family because three of Hunter's exes are set to testify, including his ex-wife and also the widow of his brother, Beau Biden, whom he also was the relationship with after his death.

The prosecutors also plan to introduce some texts its from that infamous Hunter Biden laptop that we've heard so much about over the past several years. They say they verified some of the texts that they want to introduce that would show his drug use around the time when he bought that gun, and also, they have excerpts from his memoir. Hunter has been incredibly public and open about his struggles with alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction. He talked about it a lot in his memoir, and the prosecutors will be trying to use that material against him in court.

CAMEROTA: That will be interesting to watch. Marshall Cohen, thank you for the preview.

Well, a typically festive parade is a somber one. Today, thousands of people marching down the streets of New York to bring attention to the tragic events of October 7th.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:32:44]

CAMEROTA: Back to one of our top stories.

Voters are hitting the polls at this hour in Mexico for an historic election. Let's get more on why this one matter so much.

Lila Abed is the acting director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center. She's also former chief of staff for Mexico's attorney general.

Lila, thank you very much for being with us.

First, just tell us what is today's election is about. What are the issues that are most important?

LILA ABED, ACTING DIRECTOR, MEXICO INSTITUTE WILSON CENTER: These are perhaps Mexico's most consequential elections. They are not only the largest in Mexico's history with more than 20,000 positions up for election, including 128 senators, 500 congressional deputies, nine governorships, and thousands of municipal and local elections.

And this electoral cycle has been marked by a huge wave of violence, more than 35 candidates have been assassinated since this electoral cycle began and an estimated 99 million Mexican citizens are now voting, as we speak in different ballot boxes around the country. And what many Mexicans are going to choose, Alisyn, is between continuing -- continuity with AMLO's platform with his protege presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum, or for a change, which many consider Xochitl Galvez, the opposition leader who is leading a coalition of three traditional Mexican political parties to really make a difference and to start a real difference between what president and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has done and what she expects to do for the next six years in Mexico. But without a doubt, these are historic elections, not just because of the amount of positions up for election, but because Mexico is poised to elect its first female president.

CAMEROTA: Lila, I just want to underscore what you just said about the violence because it is jaw-dropping. I mean, at least 35 candidates killed and then I was just reading that 700 also election workers or officials, or relatives have been kidnapped or harassed or injured somehow. But how is this level of political violence happening?

ABED: Yeah, so this is all a result of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's failed security strategy known as "hugs not bullets", which is really focused on the prevention side of security and has not frontally combated transnational organized criminal organizations in Mexico. And therefore, in the last six years, under the AMLO tenure, there have been more than 180,000 homicides registered in the country, more than 37 journalists killed.

[13:35:08]

Again, 35 candidates assassinated, 10 to 11 women die every day because of their gender. And this is all something that has been affecting these elections, which again are historic for Mexico and really the challenge for the next female president of Mexico is to really address the insecurity problem that Mexicans have to deal with on a daily basis.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about the relationship between Mexico and the U.S. because critics say that one of the candidates that you mentioned, Claudia Sheinbaum, that if she were elected, it would usher in a chillier relationship with the U.S.

Is that true?

ABED: So every 12 years, interestingly enough, presidential elections between Mexico and the United States coincide, and that's true this 2024 electoral cycle.

And so whoever wins the White House in November and whoever wins today in Mexico are really going to -- are going to be able to sort of push forward how the bilateral agenda between both nations is really going to be carried out. There are three fundamental pillars on the bilateral agenda that regardless of who wins on both sides of the border, were always remain the same and that's immigration, security, and then trade as it relates to USMCA.

Claudia Sheinbaum has stated that she wants to continue with her predecessor's, currently the current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, foreign policy, which is really start a paranoia, sort of an imperialist view of the U.S. and it has really inhibited security cooperation between both nations, although they have been able to strike several agreements in terms of stemming migration coming from Mexico southern border to the U.S. southern border.

And in terms of trade, there's no other countries that are so interconnected and so important and vital for the future of the economy, like the United States and Mexico. Mexico is the U.S.'s top trading partner, a position itself has so in 2023, way above China and way above Canada. And so, all of these issues are going to be -- they're going to be fundamental on the bilateral agenda. And it will definitely be, you know, defined depending on who wins both the White House on the presidential palace in Mexico, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: And then at the same time, this is happening. The Biden administration is preparing to roll out sweeping executive action on the Mexico border as early as this Tuesday that could dramatically limit immigrants' ability to seek asylum. So what does that mean for the next Mexican president?

ABED: Mexico, more than any other country, can really undermine or strengthen the U.S.'s border policy and migration policies I mean, of course there are several actions that the president can do in the United States to stem migrants from entering the country illegally. But in almost all aspects, they forcefully need Mexico's government cooperation to really stem the flow of migrants that are entering through Mexico southern border with Guatemala.

And so, I think going forward, the president of the next president, the United States and the next president of Mexico are really going to have to define how they're going to develop a comprehensive regional strategy that goes beyond the U.S. Mexico border, and that really deals with other hemispheric leaders like Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and others that are really the countries that are pushing so many thousands of migrants to travel to the northern border of the United States.

And so it's going to have to take a lot of political will. And I think cooperation on the migration front is only going to intensify during this electoral cycle in the United States, and hopefully both countries are able to really strengthen migration cooperation going forward.

CAMEROTA: Lila Abed, thank you for all the expertise. Really appreciate it.

Back here in New York, security is high along Fifth Avenue where the city's annual Israel Day parade is in full swing. This is the first parade since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and as you can see, some in the crowd are marching in shirts that have the words, "bring them home".

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is along the parade route.

So, Gloria, what are you seeing out there?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Alisyn, you know, it's been a massive display bride of Israeli and Jewish pride here along Fifth Avenue. All morning, I have watched as thousands of people marched on this parade, which has been happening since 1964, it happens every year, the Israeli Day parade.

But this year, Alisyn, the parade is taking a new meaning. As you said, it's the first grade to take place since the tragic events of October 7th, since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war so people here, although they are celebrating their heritage and celebrating their community, they're also solemn in one specific message, and that is to bring the hostages home.

Many of the hostages of family members are participating in this parade. They're at the front of the line, carrying that banner, reminding people that their loved ones are still in captivity.

We spoke to some of those family members, asking that why they were here and what message they wanted to send.

[13:40:05]

I want you to take a listen and hear directly from that.

(BEGIN VIDOE CLIP)

YAEL AVSKAR, FAMILY MEMBER OF HOSTAGE OHAD YAHALOMI: All we want is to bring our families home.

EFFI YAHALOMI, FAMILY MEMBER OF HOSTAGE OHAD YAHALOMI: I'm asking not to forget. I'm asking to understand that those are human being that are suffering. Those are human beings that didn't do anything wrong. My brother was kidnapped from his own home, from his safe place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: That is a sister and the niece of one of the hostages, Ohad Yahalomi, and as you can see behind me, you know, this is just a massive turnout.

I also do want to highlight, there is a really big NYPD security operation underway. There had been preparing for the possibility of counter counter-protesters to be here at this great. But so far the event has been peaceful. There has been no disruptions of any crime, but police are certainly out in force to make sure that everything goes as planned.

And this crowd, Alisyn, it just extends for blocks and blocks and city blocks. They had been marching since early this morning. Again, with that message, bring the hostages home. The theme of the break this year, one people, one heart again, despite the celebration of heritage and community here, also a somber tone, remembering the hostages and their families -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes, it's good to know that it's been peaceful.

Gloria Pazmino, thank you.

All right. When we come back, more than 35 million people are facing severe weather today. We'll tell you where.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:46:27]

CAMEROTA: More than 35 million people are under a severe weather threat today.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is here.

So, Derek, where are -- where's this threat?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. The threat ranges across much of the nation's midsection and it's all because of this -- this dynamic between two competing air masses.

But when we put into what we've been dealing with into context, this has been an extraordinarily active year in terms of tornadoes, eclipsing the year to date average number for of tornadoes, which should be approaching about 800. Instead, we've nearly topped 1,100 tornadoes so far.

So I had an opportunity to sit down with a scientists as well as a professional storm chaser to talk to them about an unlikely partnership that could solve the mystery behind what drops the most powerful tornadoes on the planet. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VAN DAM (voice-over): Determining the precise weather conditions that spawn monster tornadoes is a topic heavily studied by forecasters. Now, that mystery is one step closer to being solved thanks to a first of its kind partnership.

HANK SCHYMA, PROFESSIONAL STORM CHASER: So this is a super cell that is in Oklahoma in May, and its just beginning to start to drop its first tornado the day.

VAN DAM: Hank Schyma, also known as Pecos Hank, is a professional storm chaser who's documented some of the world's most intense tornadoes.

He's collaborated with University of Wisconsin research scientist, Dr. Leigh Orf, who utilizes one of the world's most powerful super computers to simulate the same twisters.

DR. LEIGH ORF, RESEARCH SCIENTIST, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: He's capturing some of these low pressure areas around the storm, little tiny worlds, they probably last fall five seconds and you can see the same thing going on in my simulation.

VA DAM: Pairing up Dr. Orf's animations with Hank's storm chasing footage provides clarity and realism that gives scientists confidence in their models and hopefully the detail needed to put the last pieces of the puzzle together.

SCHYMA: That's another thing that I think these simulations can really help is we need to figure out why one storm is dropping these big tornadoes and why another one is not.

VAN DAM: It's a tag team effort, one behind the lens and one behind the screen. But they hope to see the benefits in real life. ORF: The combined effect, looking at lots of storms, its basically crunching through to get to saving more lives. It's just -- there's no easy way to get there but just the hard way, but, you know, it's -- I'm willing to do it.

VAN DAM: Knowing when a storm is going to produce the next big tornado. And just as importantly, if its not, could reduce the amount of false alarms that the public has to navigate.

SCHYMA: The cried wolf effect is, is if we can limit that, it would actually be more effective.

VAN DAM: With 2024's active tornado season, there has been plenty for this scientists and storm chaser to team up on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAN DAM (on camera): All that research to save lives and give more advanced warnings ahead of the next big tornado unfortunately, today is going to be another threat of tornadoes as well as severe weather. And just when we thought we would get a break tomorrow, the latest information from the Storm Prediction Center has increased this area and you see across northeastern Texas and in the southern Oklahoma, into a slight risks.

So earlier this morning, it was just a marginal and that would have been if we would have maintained that the first time in over a month where we have not had a slight risk or greater in our severe weather threat toolbox for the day.

Well, unfortunately, it's this collision of air masses that setting up the ingredients across nations midsection, particularly across the Ark-La-Tex region into the Southern Plains.

[13:50:02]

That's where well see a fire thunderstorms through the day today. This is our greatest probability of hail. That's roughly a golf ball falling out of the sky, two inch in diameter size hail for portions of Nebraska and Kansas and then the potential there for wins in access of 74 miles per hour. That's equivalent to a category one hurricane, really stretching from coast to coast, the border of Canada, all the way to the border of Mexico, and is fueled by this instability in the atmosphere that's really behind all this heat that's been forming a heat wave will develop and continue to persist through the week across the southwestern U.S.

So, Alisyn, it's been a busy, busy year for tornadoes, but so much other things going on at the same time.

CAMEROTA: It sure has. Derek Van Dam, thank you for all of that information.

And remember to tune in to "VIOLENT EARTH WITH LIVE SCHREIBER". It premieres tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. All right. Will Pennsylvania's Republican voters who supported Nikki Haley in the primaries change their vote to Trump in November? We're going to head to the crucial swing swing-state to ask voters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:55:43]

CAMEROTA: Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley was the last Trump challenger in the Republican primary. But despite her tough talk about Trump on the campaign trail, she now says she will vote for him in November.

So what do her primary voters think about that?

CNN's John King went to the battleground state of Pennsylvania, just before Donald Trumps criminal conviction last week, to talk with voters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Michael Pesce's first big political statement came 40 years ago.

MICHAEL PESCE, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I became a Republican when I turned 18 because of Ronald Reagan. Both my parents were staunch Democrats and I -- and, you know, at the time they're like, we're Democrats, we're not Republicans. And I was like, no, no, no, this -- you know, I'm a Reagan Republican.

KING: The Philadelphia suburbs were reliably red back then. Pesce, a reluctant piece of why they are much more blue now.

So, in 2016, you voted for --

PESCE: Trump.

KING: And in 2020?

PESCE: Biden.

KING: And you've got an election in a few months. What are you going to do?

PESCE: If I had my choice, I wouldn't vote for either. But I will vote for Biden. I will vote for anyone but Trump.

KING: Why?

PESCE: Well, so, he tried to overthrow our government. And that's a problem with me. I served in the U.S. military. I just have very strong feelings about what it means to be an American.

KING: So, another big statement this election year, a primary vote for Nikki Haley, six weeks after Donald Trump locked up the nomination. PESCE: I want other Republicans out there saying like, we don't have to choose this guy. They don't want to hear that, OK, he could be a convicted criminal in a couple days. They don't want to hear that, hey, he did all these things.

KING: Pesce is hardly alone. Haley won 17 percent statewide, 24 percent here in suburban Montgomery County.

IRMA FRALIC, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: This is a little paradise outside the city.

KING: Irma Fralic also wanted to send a message.

FRALIC: I want a country that's normal. I want a country that functions. And I want people to be together.

KING: Fralic is the daughter of Cuban immigrants, a staunch supporter of Israel, another Reagan Republican, beyond frustrated with her choices.

FRALIC: One's in court, and the other one is, I feel bad for him. If he was my father I'd say, you know, you might want to reconsider your life. I don't know. And the other one I'd say, you might want to prioritize your personal problems.

KING: Rural Berks County is more Trumpy, but even here, 16 percent for Haley. Joan London was a Reagan supporter in her teens, a Tea Party backer in the Obama years. But after she cast a primary vote for Haley, London left the GOP, registering as an independent.

JOAN LONDON, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: The national party just didn't reflect my values the way it had. And I'm seeing a change in that more towards populism, which carries -- carries some unpleasant baggage.

KING: She won't vote for Biden. London's debate, skip the presidential ballot line or write in a conservative.

KING: This is a county Trump needs. It's a county he won by eight points in 2020. If you are not Trump, that's subtraction. It hurts him. You get that, right?

LONDON: I do.

KING: And you think that's important?

LONDON: I -- I believe that there -- that we have to send a message that the Republican Party needs to go in -- to go in a different direction.

KING: And if Biden wins because of that, so be it?

LONDON: It's a principled position I need to take.

KING: Media is in Delaware County, the Philly suburbs. Linda Rooney, a registered Republican. A Trump voter in 2016, then Biden in 2020. Her Haley vote in April, both a protest and a question. LINDAY ROONEY, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: Who are these people in the Republican Party that are shoving this down our throats right now? Like, why can't we be -- why can't we elect someone normal?

KING: Rooney serves as a borough election monitor.

KING: He just said the other day that he won Pennsylvania in 2020.

ROONEY: No.

KING: Oh.

ROONEY: No.

KING: Yes.

ROONEY: Yes.

KING: Yes, we're laughing about it, but it's not funny.

ROONEY: No, it's not funny.

KING: She also says Trump's conduct on January 6th was reprehensible.

ROONEY: So, you know, I just can't - I can't forgive him for that.

KING: But Rooney won't vote for Biden again.

ROONEY: I can't. I don't trust him with the economy. My son's in the Army. I don't -- I'm -- I'm angry about Afghanistan, about that withdrawal.