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Tomorrow: Hunter Biden Heads To Court On Gun Charges; Zelenskyy Speaks At Defense Summit In Singapore; Polls Set To Close In Hours In Historic Mexico Election. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired June 02, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:01:12]

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

Hunter Biden, the president's son tomorrow morning becomes the first adult child of a sitting president to stand trial. He is due in a Delaware courtroom to face federal gun charges which could potentially land him in jail.

CNN's Marshall Cohen is covering this trial. So Marshall, tell us what we should expect tomorrow and beyond in this trial?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Hey, Alisyn, good afternoon.

It all kicks off tomorrow morning in Wilmington, Delaware. That is where Hunter Biden has been indicted on three felony gun charges.

It all goes back to a gun that he purchased in 2018, a revolver that he had in his possession for about a week-and-a-half. He is charged with three felonies. The first two are for allegedly lying on a federal gun form when he bought the gun. The third charge is for allegedly possessing it unlawfully. It all relates to the fact that at the time, according to prosecutors, he was addicted to crack cocaine.

He was addicted to drugs and it is against federal law for a drug user or a drug addict to buy a gun or possess a gun. So this is expected to be a one or two-week trial and it begins tomorrow morning with jury selection, 250 Delaware residents who know the Biden family very well. His father has been in politics there since 1971.

They have been summoned to the courthouse and eventually, they will whittle that down to a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates to hear the evidence in this case, which is being put on by Special Counsel David Weiss -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Marshall, just help me understand that. I don't know if you know the answer to this. Hunter Biden -- I mean, President Biden has talked about his son's drugs struggles. Hunter Biden has admitted to struggling as an addict.

So is the issue the timing of when he was an addict?

COHEN: You make a very good point, Alisyn, and that's exactly why a lot of analysts think that it won't be too hard for prosecutors to win this case.

Hunter has been very public about his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction. The prosecutors will need to specifically prove to the jury that Hunter Biden was using drugs around the time that he bought this gun, October 2018 and to do that, they have some testimony expected from some of his exes, his ex-romantic partners, including his ex-wife and Hailey Biden, who is the widow of his brother, Beau Biden, who according to prosecutors, can tell the jury that yes, he was using drugs in October 2018 when he bought the gun.

They also have texts from his laptop and passages from his memoir where he very honestly described the day-to-day grip of his crack cocaine addiction. So prosecutors are going to be using that against him, Alisyn and you're right, he has been open about it and public about it, which is extremely admirable and he has attacked Republicans for trying to weaponize his addiction.

But in the courtroom, the prosecutors will need to prove that he was using drugs when he bought the gun. That's their path to a conviction.

And Alisyn, if he is convicted on all counts, he could go to prison. Of course, his dad does also have the power to pardon him, but that is getting a little ahead of ourselves here.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely.

Marshall, thanks for explaining all of that. Really helpful.

COHEN: Of course.

CAMEROTA: Hunter Biden's trial comes just days after his father said, "No one is above the law" and one of his top allies in Congress says Americans and even the president should accept the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): The president himself will respect the verdict much as it is painful, I am sure to see one of your children on trial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins us live.

So Priscilla, what is the White House now doing as this trial is about to start?

[15:05:05]

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The White House is essentially doing what they have been doing over the course of the trial, which is keeping their heads down and saying that the president is focused on the work at hand.

There is no question though that this does weigh on the president, but he hasn't refused to look at his son as a political liability and rather kept him close. We have seen Hunter Biden multiple times at the White House with his father, as well as in Delaware.

In fact, just yesterday, the president was seen with his son, Hunter on a bike ride. You see the images there. Earlier in the week, the two had also been together marking the ninth anniversary of his son, Beau Biden's death.

And so this has been a sensitive topic within the White House and aides have said, it weighs on the president. But they also maintain that focuses on the work at hand. And of course this week, as this trial is ongoing, the president will be traveling abroad to France.

Now, the White House over the course of the trial has deferred all questions about the trial to Hunter Biden's attorney, so we don't anticipate hearing from them very much over the course of the week when it comes to this specific issue. Instead, if anything, when asked about this, we anticipate that the White House will continue to say what they've said the whole time.

The president has regular communication with his family, they don't read out those communications and that the president is still focused on the work at hand -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Okay, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much.

Let's discuss more with former federal prosecutor, Neama Rahmani.

Neama, thanks so much for being here. So how serious are these charges?

NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Alisyn, they are very serious. We are talking about federal gun charges and lying on those ATF forms.

Now, of course, we know that he is facing a potential 25-year sentence in federal prison, but no one gets near the statutory max, but there is a real possibility of prison time.

Judge Noreika is a no nonsense judge. She hasn't been on the bench that long, but judging by her previous criminal sentences, there is that real possibility that if and when Hunter Biden is convicted, there is some prison time, even though logistically that would be a nightmare because of course, he is entitled to Secret Service protection.

CAMEROTA: Or you maybe just heard our reporter, Marshall Cohen, outline some of the evidence that the prosecution plans to use. And if there are text messages from Hunter Biden himself on his laptop or if his exes testified that yes, he was a drug addict or using drugs during this time, is that an open-and-shut case?

RAHMANI: It is a very strong prosecution case. Like Marshall said, we have Hunter Biden's own admissions in his memoir, those text messages on his laptop and the testimony of course, of his ex-wife, girlfriend, and mother of his child. This is going to be very difficult.

I think the defense here is not necessarily in the trial court. They're looking at the Court of Appeals. They are trying to get that original plea agreement enforced. Many thought it was a sweetheart deal, it was a great deal for Hunter Biden, that felony diversion and those misdemeanor charges. I think they regret blowing up that deal.

They're going to try to get an enforced if Hunter Biden is convicted and they're also going to challenge the constitutionality of this very statute. The irony is there are some conservative judges, particularly in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, that have said that this law is unconstitutional as applied to former addicts. So that's a basis on appeal as well.

And of course, we know that they're arguing selective prosecution, very difficult to prove, just like Donald Trump was unable to do so. But Hunter Biden's best defense may not be before this jury, but before the Court of Appeals when he is convicted.

CAMEROTA: That is very interesting.

So basically, he will go through this entire embarrassing, let's face it -- for everyone. I mean, painful for the whole Biden family and sordid trial just to try to appeal it. I mean, that's the gambit here?

RAHMANI: It is because the trial judge in the case has rejected these arguments, but they are certainly much better on appeal than they are actually arguing the merits of the case. For Biden to win at trial, he has to convince these jurors that he wasn't an addict or a user at or near the time that he purchased this gun. That's going to be very difficult to prove given the overwhelming evidence from Hunter Biden's own mouth regarding his drug use and addiction.

CAMEROTA: Neama Rahmani, thank you very much for walking us through this. We will see what happens this week.

RAHMANI: Thanks, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: The polls are now open at Mexico's historic presidential election. Their next president is expected to be a woman.

And votes are being cast right now across the country here in the United States as well. We will explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:31]

CAMEROTA: New, today, the US is reaffirming its support for Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to Asia.

Zelenskyy spoke at a key security summit in Singapore today trying to rally world leaders to his country's fight against Russia's aggression.

He also met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who vowed the US will continue to aid Ukraine's war effort.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand is in Singapore at the Defense Summit -- Natasha.

[15:15:00]

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, he met with a number of different leaders here earlier today in Singapore, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the two according to a readout from the Pentagon discussed Ukraine's most urgent battlefield needs, including their desperate need for additional air defense systems to really fend off the massive missile barrages that Russia is launching at Ukraine on a near daily basis.

And importantly, President Zelenskyy also wanted to thank Austin and the United States and President Biden for making that policy decision to finally allow Ukraine to use American-made weapons to strike into Russia itself to try to defend itself against those attacks that Russia is launching from near the border with the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Now, the big theme though, and the reason why Zelenskyy came here to Singapore was to try to rally Asian countries behind Ukraine to try to get behind Ukraine's fight against The Russians, to not side with the Russians and to importantly, participate in a very important Peace Summit that Ukraine has its been organizing over the last several months in which it is going to be held in just two weeks' time.

A Peace Summit that aims to develop some kind of formula to finally end the war between Ukraine and Russia. And importantly, Zelenskyy was trying to get the Chinese to attend this Peace Summit, but the Chinese would not even meet today here in Singapore with President Zelenskyy, and they are not expected to attend that Peace Summit either.

In fact, according to the US and the UK, China is actively supporting Russia's war in Ukraine via supporting its defense sector. So President Zelenskyy did not get everything that he wanted here today, including that important meeting with the Chinese.

He did say that he accomplished some very key things, including meeting face-to-face with some of these very important leaders and hopefully rallying an even bigger coalition of international partners to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russians -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Natasha, thank you very much for that update.

So voting is underway in this historic election in Mexico right now, and that will likely end with a woman leading the country for the first time.

CNN's Gustavo Valdes and Camila Bernal are on this story for us. So Gustavo, you're in Mexico City, how is the voting going there?

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Alisyn. It is improving.

The National Institute of Elections has announced that only 10 percent of the polling stations have seen a more than three-hour delay. Things are improving. They are saying they haven't registered any major incident.

We are expecting that report because voters here came out early to the polling places hours before they opened. There is some enthusiasm to select the next president like that, as you said, that a woman is expected to be the next president. The top two candidates went out and voted this morning. They vote, expressed optimism that they will be the favorite of the Mexican voters, and they represent a different vision of the current president.

One of them could be a continuation of the policies of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Claudia Sheinbaum, who is representing Morena, and Xochitl Galvez who represents a change of direction.

We've talked to people who really are telling us that they are happy, on the one hand with some of the plans, some of the projects, some of the ideas of the current president, some others that say it is time for a change.

In Mexico, there is no re-election, so every president's term limit after six years and the voters are used to having a new person every six years and they expect that person to be somebody different than the past six years.

It is a historic election. There are almost a hundred million Mexicans registered to vote. That's why we are seeing these large numbers of voters. And in some places were hearing that they don't have enough ballots. They are trying to solve that problem especially in places where people from out-of-state, from out-of-district, they want to go and vote. There are not enough ballots. They are trying to solve that problem.

We are expecting to have the first results around 10:00 PM local.

CAMEROTA: Okay, Gustavo, thank you for all of that.

Camila Bernal is in Los Angeles for us.

So Camila, this is interesting. It is the first time that Mexican citizens living abroad are allowed to cast ballots for an election in Mexico. So how is that working?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey Alisyn, so really mixed reviews here. If you ask Mexican officials, they are extremely pleased about the turnout, about the people wanting to come and vote.

Now, the problem is that a lot of these people did not register to vote. So there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of people outside of the Mexican Consulate here in Los Angeles that will not be able to vote.

So what you see here behind me is the front of the line. So this is just a small amount of the voters, of the people that are here wanting to vote. About 1,500 registered to vote, less than that and they said another 1,500 were going to be allowed to vote despite the fact that they had not registered to vote.

[15:20:05]

They told me, by seven in the morning, they already had 2,000 people lined up. So by seven, they already knew that not all of these people were going to be able to vote.

In total, Mexican officials estimate that in the US, about 223,000 Mexican nationals will be able to vote from abroad, about 70 percent of that comes from the vote within the United States.

So they had 20 consulates all over the country where people were able to vote. But at least here in Los Angeles, they are telling people, do not come anymore because you likely will not be able to vote if you're not registered to vote.

There is so much excitement from people here because of what you heard from Gustavo. This is a historic election for a lot of the Mexicans here in the US.

Take a listen to what one voter told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is very important for us to elect a woman as president, no matter who wins. But I say, for me, it is very important because the women are leading contenders to be the next president of Mexico, but also, it is the first time that we, Mexicans who live abroad are going to cast a ballot here.

It used to be by mail or electronically, but now we are going to have that opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And here is another very interesting thing here. Terms for the president in Mexico are six-year terms. Of course, you have the four- year terms here in the United States, so they only line up every 12 years, and this is one of those years where these two elections lineup the same year.

So it will be extremely crucial to see who the next president of Mexico is and what kind of relationship this person has with the next president of the United States.

There is of course, the economics, the trade within the two countries. There is the migration issue because Mexico is facing a lot of problems being on the receiving end of a lot of migrants as well, so that relationship within the United States, and you've talked about the security issue people on the bordering states with Mexico, but really for people all over in the United States.

So this election in Mexico is crucial, and that is why you're seeing a lot of Mexicans in the US wanting to participate.

So again, it is the first time that they are doing so in-person here in the United States. So officials are just very encouraged by what they're seeing today. They believe that as more and more people come now to go and understand the voting process at what it requires, the registration, the voter ID card that they require here, they believe that in the coming elections, they are going to continue to see more increase of people just in the United States wanting to participate in the Mexican election as well -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes, it certainly looks active and enthusiastic if somewhat messy there. Camila, Gustavo, thank you very much.

All right, well, repair work continues in Atlanta for the third straight day after this water main break forced the city's mayor to declare a state of emergency.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:15]

CAMEROTA: Breaking news out of Atlanta: A possible third water break is being investigated in the city. Residents there have been dealing with outages and boil advisories for three days now from two other water main breaks, only one has been repaired, and the mayor has declared a state of emergency.

Let's go to CNN's Rafael Romo who has been on the street for us.

Rafael, are they making any progress?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are making progress, Alisyn.

Overnight, the mayor said that they had fixed that first major water main break, and so that is very good news for the thousands upon thousands of people who have been without water, and then in the last couple of hours, we saw how a large piece of equipment was delivered here to this location, which may be the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to fixing the second major water main break in Atlanta's midtown neighborhood where we are.

Overnight, city officials said, one of the its major water main breaks located just west of the downtown area was fixed. But as you can see behind me, city crews are working on the second one that has been gushing water for well over 36 hours now.

In the last hour, workers delivered that very large part, possibly the one the water commissioner her had previously said they needed to fix the break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL WIGGINS, COMMISSIONER, ATLANTA DEPARTMENT OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT: We are waiting for a particular part to arrive. We expect for that part arrive here soon.

Once that part arrives, we think that this will be a routine repair and once the repair is completed, we will be able to restore water services immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMO: And let me show you some images we captured not too long ago about that. the latest that water main break located near the Carter Center.

Again, not as bad as the other ones, but it is just another problem for the city. And as we reported earlier, city officials confirmed in the last couple of hours that's the other main break that we are talking about.

We checked it out, and again, that's what you see right now. And the Department of Watershed Management acknowledged a temporary disruption of water service for residences and businesses may occur hours after apologizing to the city, Mayor Andre Dickens declared a state of emergency last night to be able to access resources to deal with this water crisis.

He also explained what the city has done to help those impacted by the water outage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ANDRE DICKENS, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: We have touched 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 about 10,500 people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:30:10]

ROMO: Of course, Atlanta attracts thousands of tourists every weekend, especially during the summer months. The Atlanta United, the city's soccer team announced earlier today that the game scheduled for 4:30 PM today will still be played, but there will be limited food and beverage options due to the boil water advisory. They are also asking fans to use hand sanitation stations set up around the Mercedes Benz Stadium. And imagine this, Alisyn, to bring their own bottled water or buy bottled water and soft drinks inside the stadium because their soda dispensers and ice machines are not up and running.

Alisyn, back to you.

CAMEROTA: Ay-yay-yay. It just adds insult to injury.

Rafael Romo, thank you very much.

Now to California where this fast-moving wildfire in Central California is burning more than 12,000 acres so far. It is also forcing people to evacuate.

The Corral Fire started Saturday afternoon in San Joaquin County, it is only 15 percent contained. It has scorching temperatures, of course, and gusty winds are intensifying it.

The Cal Fire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira told me last hour, the more favorable conditions today are allowing crews to get a better handle on this fire. He adds that two firefighters were injured, but they are in stable condition.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.

Well, a Michigan State trooper has been charged with second-degree murder. Investigators are now accusing Michigan Sergeant Brian Keely of hitting a suspect with an SUV after they tried to run from police.

CNN's Whitney Wild has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(POLICE OFFICER shouting)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Body- worn camera video captures 25-year-old, Samuel Sterling's last moments as he lay groaning on the wet sidewalk of a Burger King parking lot near Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The video shows April 17th, multiple police officers tried to apprehend Sterling, who is wanted on outstanding warrants. As Sterling ran, police raced through an intersection and into the parking lot.

Multiple angles of the videos show as Sterling ran toward the restaurant, an unmarked SUV slammed into him, thrusting Sterling against a brick wall.

Sterling began moaning in pain.

POLICE OFFICER: Samuel, what hurts exactly?

WILD (voice over): The video shows medical personnel arrived minutes later.

POLICE OFFICER: He is conscious, mobile, moving on the ground. His cuffs are in front because his back hurts.

WILD (voice over): More than six minutes after he was struck, medical personnel began assessing Sterling. He was transported to the hospital where he later died of his injuries.

The driver of that SUV, Michigan State Police Detective Sergeant Brian Keeley. Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel has now charged Keely with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder which carries a possible sentence of life in prison.

DANA NESSEL (D), MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have found that Detective Sergeant Kelly's actions that day were legally grossly negligent and created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm, which could have otherwise been prevented.

VAN JOHNSON, ATTORNEY: Yes, there was relief there.

WILD (voice over): Attorney Van Johnson is representing Sterling's family.

JOHNSON: We appreciate and applaud Attorney General Dana Nessel. WILD (voice over): Keely's attorney told CNN Keely was working as part of a fugitive apprehension taskforce and that his actions were accidental.

MARC E. CURTIS, ATTORNEY FOR SERGEANT BRIAN KEELY: Sergeant Keely was trying to prevent Mr. Sterling from entering the Burger King at that point in time. He was trying to basically apprehend him.

He was not trying to use his vehicle in that apprehension. It isn't anything that was out of the ordinary. The issue that we run into or that you can see from the video and from the pictures, is there was a heavy storm that moved through that area and that parking lot was soaking wet with huge puddles at that point in time.

He did not intend to ever strike Mr. Sterling with a vehicle. He is heartbroken. Actually, he is ease torn up about it.

WILD (voice over): Johnson said he doesn't believe that explanation.

JOHNSON: Keely went up and over the curb onto the sidewalk area and then pinned my client against the wall of the Burger King. So no, this was no mistake.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Whitney Wild, thank you very much for that reporting.

Well, New Year's Eve level security is in place in New York City today for the usually joyful Israel Day Parade, which has a different tone today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:39:09]

CAMEROTA: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure today as President Biden's plan for a ceasefire in the war with Hamas sparks a split within the Israeli government.

Two far-right lawmakers threaten to topple the government if Netanyahu accepts the deal. But today, a top Netanyahu aide tells Britain's "Sunday Times" that Israel had agreed to the peace proposal saying, "It's not a good deal, but we dearly want the hostages released."

The Biden administration says that if Hamas accepts the ceasefire deal, it expects Israel to do so as well.

And for thousands here in New York today, the Annual Israel Day Parade has taken on a more somber tone than usual as the war between Israel and Hamas nears its ninth month.

The theme for this year's event is One People, One Heart with many of the marchers wearing shirts that say "Bring Them Home," a reference to the hostages still being held.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is there. So Gloria, tell us what you're seeing.

[15:40:10]

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, it was just a few minutes ago that the last float of the parade drove by and I have to tell you, we have seen thousands and thousands to of people walk along Fifth Avenue, which turned into a sea of white and blue throughout the day in a show of pride and solidarity with the state of Israel, a show of Jewish solidarity, Jewish pride, Israeli pride, and some of the politics regarding the conflict that is ongoing. The Israel-Hamas war were really left out of this parade today. That's what some of the family members that I spoke to told me that they don't see this as a day for politics, that today was about bringing attention to the hostages.

The hostages that are still in captivity, bringing attention to those victims and reminding people that they are still here, their loved ones are still here calling for their release. It was both a joyful, but at times somber event. Again, the parade is taking place for the first time since the beginning of the war and after the October 7 events.

This is a parade that has a long history here in New York City. It has been happening since the 1960s, and of course, here in New York City, you have the largest Jewish community outside of Israel.

Take a listen to both the parade organizers talking about the meaning behind today as well as one of the family members of the hostages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK TREYGER, CEO, JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL OF NEW YORK: We are meeting today in the aftermath of the worst attack on Jewish people since the holocaust with antisemitism on the rise, but in true spirit, we might be hurting, but we are not broken.

ORNA NEUTRA, MOTHER OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE, OMER NEUTRA: And on October 7th, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time with this huge crazy attack, and we've been exposed to this terrorist attack ever since and it has been excruciating.

It is almost eight months and we know nothing about his conditions, whether he is alive or not, and we need this to end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Those are members the new Neutra family, which we have heard so much about in recent months. He is from Long Island, a New Yorker, someone who grew up here and happened to be back in Israel when the attacks took place. We have gotten to know his parents and his family all throughout the last several months.

I do want to tell you, Alisyn, despite concerns that there would be counter-protesters or demonstrations throughout the day here, for the most part, this was a very peaceful event. There was a large law enforcement presence here, making sure that everything was under control and like I said, peaceful organized, and for several hours stretching across Fifth Avenue here in like I said, a show of solidarity and a show of Israeli pride -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes, that's so comforting to hear that it went off well.

Gloria, thank you very much.

All right, so tonight, everyone, make sure you get outside and look up at the sky. Six planets will be in alignment and most will be visible to the naked eye. Three, you might need a pair of binoculars or a telescope, but check it out tonight, and you'll be able to see it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:48:10]

CAMEROTA: We have already seen some pretty amazing celestial events this year -- a solar eclipse, solar storms, and now a planetary parade.

Tonight and through the week, six planets will be in alignment in the sky. The line-up includes Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn.

Some of these planets will be visible without binoculars or a telescope.

Joining us now is Karisa Zdanky.

So Karisa, tell us how rare is this?

KARISA ZDANKY, ASTRONOMY PROGRAM MANAGER, TELLUS SCIENCE MUSEUM: So it can be seen everywhere across the US pretty much if you have a good unobscured view of the eastern horizon, you'll be able to see it.

CAMEROTA: And when is the best time to go outside and see this?

ZDANKY: The best time is going to be 15 to 30 minutes right before sunrise. Actually, for the best views of Mars and Saturn, I would even recommend going out a little bit before dawn, so that way you can focus all your attention within that 15 to 20 to 30 minutes before sunrise, trying to get a good view of Jupiter and Mercury.

CAMEROTA: So in other words, right before sunrise, that is better than going out at like 10:00 tonight?

ZDANKY: Yes. Yes, you're not going to see it if you go out at 10:00 PM.

CAMEROTA: Oh, well, that's too bad because I was not looking forward to getting up at 5:00 AM or 4:00 AM, but if you insist, I guess we can set our alarm clocks because, you know, what does this mean the fact that they're aligning like this?

ZDANKY: So planetary alignments in particular are not super rare. They happen several times a year. Some can be better than others, but really it is just all about our perspective of where the planets are in the solar system.

So at this time, we just happen to be in a pretty good position so that the planets are all relatively close to each other from our view.

[15:50:10]

CAMEROTA: But meaning, it is our perspective, or they really are lined up?

ZDANKY: It is our perspective, yes.

So Jupiter and Saturn are obviously farther out, so they're going a lot slower around the sun than Mars and Mercury, so those tend to go a lot faster and will change position more often.

CAMEROTA: I know you're an astronomer, not an astrologist, but do strange things happen when the planets align?

ZDANKY: Not in my experience, no.

CAMEROTA: All right, well, I guess we will be the judge of that.

If we miss it tonight, when is the next time this will happen?

ZDANKY: So the next time to see a good planetary alignment is August 28th. There is also another one in January, January 18th and those are going to be with all the same planets. So the Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn.

CAMEROTA: You're coming to us from the Tellus Science Museum. What are you all doing for this planetary parade tonight?

ZDANKY: Well, personally, I'll probably be waking up just a little bit before sunrise, seeing how it looks. At the museum, we're not doing anything in particular for it.

CAMEROTA: Okay, you're missing an opportunity, Karisa. You need to have a big planetary alignment party, that's my suggestion for you guys.

ZDANKY: Well, thank you. Maybe well do that for the next one.

CAMEROTA: Yes. In August, I recommend that.

All right, Karisa. Thank you very much. I will certainly be, I think I will wake up early to check it out. So, thank you.

ZDANKY: Thank you so much for having me.

CAMEROTA: We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:31] CAMEROTA: If you were watching the program yesterday, you may have been holding your breath along with the rest of us to see if this highly anticipated Boeing Starliner rocket would make its first manned flight to the International Space Station, but NASA and its mission partners scrubbed Saturday's launch just minutes before takeoff because of a computer issue.

So we now know that they will not attempt another launch today, and that the team is evaluating new launch dates, possibly this coming Wednesday or Thursday. We will keep you posted.

So tonight on CNN, natural disasters and the science behind them, the new CNN Original Series, "Violent Earth" with Liev Schreiber brings you up close with wildfires, tornadoes, tsunamis, and more. It starts at 9:00 PM Eastern and Pacific.

Now to the shores of Normandy. CNN spoke with several of the brave US servicemembers about their experiences and what they were fighting for.

It is all part of Jake Tapper's new documentary, "D-Day: Why We Still Fight for Democracy." Here is a preview.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Eighty years ago, Thursday is the anniversary of D-Day, the day the allies attacked Normandy to free France, defeat Germany and restore democracy to Europe. It was a costly fight. More than 400,000 American servicemembers died in World War II, and yet all of these years later, democracy seems somehow more vulnerable than ever, which is why we put together this special "D-Day: Why We Still Fight for Democracy." Here is a clip.

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GEORGE STEITZ, VETERAN: Three other ships went across at the same time. Well, we got about eight miles or five miles out and all of a sudden, shell started coming.

We heard just big crash that blew the second ship right out of the water. Got hit by artillery shells.

We said, "What about those guys?" Nothing we could do.

The water was so cold, hypothermia would set in and kill them in 15 minutes. They're probably all gone and blown up already.

So that was "Welcome to the European theater of operations."

TOLLEY FLETCHER, VETERAN: Halfway into the beach, we started seeing bodies everywhere, floating or semi-floating --

TAPPER (voice over): Navyman Tolley Fletcher was a 19-year-old gunner's mate from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His task, escort the LCIs, the landing crafts ferrying infantry fighters such as Corporal Steitz to shore well.

STEITZ: They said, "We're going to take you in to water up to your knees and they dropped the front of the LCI." Now the ensign says "Go." Nobody moves. The ensign yells, "Go." Nobody moves.

He says, all right "Billy cock the 50." The guy rings back on the 50- caliber machine gun. He says, "We're going to give them 30 seconds. The start shooting from back to front." I'm in the back. You know what I'm doing. Push.

Our first step up to our knees is right here, right up to our shoulders. The next thing we hear is, "Get those rifles up in the air. We can always get new men, but we can't get new rifles."

TAPPER (voice over): Omaha Beach was 300 yards of flat terrain protected with razor wire and land mines. Beyond that deadly terrain, a cliff, and from that high ground, highly trained German machine gunners.

Roughly 2,500 American men died that day on the beaches of Normandy.

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TAPPER: "D-Day: Why We Still Fight for Democracy" airs tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern on "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper. Back to you.

CAMEROTA: Cannot wait to watch that.

Thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Alisyn Camerota. I will see you back here tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM.

And CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jessica Dean right now.