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Biden, Trump Prepares for Thursday's CNN Presidential Debate; Judge Dismisses Trespass Charges vs. 30 Arrested Columbia University Students; Civil Liberties to Challenge Constitutionality of Louisiana's Ten Commandments Law; Icelandic Scientists Working Hard to Harness the Power from One of the Volcano's Hot Magma; MLB Pays Tribute to Willie Mays. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired June 21, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are getting ready for their first debate of the 2024 election season. We'll tell you how they're preparing for the face-off here in Atlanta.

U.S. officials tell CNN they're worried that Israel's Iron Dome defense system could be overwhelmed if hostilities with Hezbollah boil over into a full-scale war.

And controversial new law in Louisiana requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms. Civil liberties groups are already calling it unconstitutional.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: While we're less than a week away from the high-stakes debate between U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump happening right here on CNN. Now ahead of that showdown, Trump is looking to his VP hopefuls and other allies for help with messaging. But his advisers say he doesn't need the kind of preparation that Biden needs.

Meanwhile, Biden is looking at several days of intense prep. After months of suggesting Americans have ignored the 2024 race, the Biden camp sees this debate as a fresh start and a chance to show just how different the two candidates are in front of a new audience.

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MITCH LANDRIEU, BIDEN CAMPAIGN NATIONAL CO-CHAIR: So the president is going to ask Donald Trump questions. He's going to want to know why he appointed three justices that eviscerated Roe versus Wade and put women's lives in danger. He's going to ask Donald Trump why he threatened democracy in this country and help with the insurrection and now wants to pardon those folks.

He's going to talk to him about why he continues to seek revenge and retribution and try to give his friends, his billionaire friends, another tax break and why he hurt the country so badly when he was president. You can expect our president to speak about those issues with Donald Trump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now, Alayna Treene tells us what Trump is and isn't doing to prepare. But first, here's CNN's Kayla Tausche with more on how Biden is getting ready.

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KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden huddling with aides at Camp David, the mountainside Maryland retreat north of the White House, where he'll be hunkered down for the next several days preparing for the momentous debate that awaits him next week.

President Biden and his team are expected to go through binders of potential questions, punches, counter punches, topics and refine the material to culminate in a 90-minute mock debate where CNN has learned that the president's personal attorney, Bob Bauer, is likely to stand in as President Trump in that mock debate, as he did four years ago.

Now, as for the messaging, the Biden team plans to highlight the remarks that Trump has made in the past that it sees as incendiary, but believes that voters may have missed proving in their words that Trump is a danger to democracy and highlighting the high stakes that await voters in November.

Among the comments that the campaign plans to raise are Trump's comments that he plans to be a dictator on day one to highlight the choice that they see voters needing to make.

As for the setup on stage, President Biden's team won the coin toss and they got the choice of whether to choose the podium position or whether they wanted to choose who made the closing argument. President Biden chose stage right. So President Trump will have the final word.

Kayla Tausche, CNN, the White House.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, former President Donald Trump's debate prep looks very different from that of President Joe Biden's. Unlike Biden, who is participating in mock debates, Donald Trump has no plans to engage in that type of debate role playing. Even though in the past we know that he's had people like Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie stand in and play his opponents. And really, Donald Trump's team has tried to downplay the amount of preparation that the former president needs.

However, in my conversations with them, they also say that, of course, he needs to do his homework. Now, some of that has looked like Donald Trump participating in what I was told was more than a dozen what they dubbed policy discussions with his potential vice presidential contenders, senators, policy experts, as well as people from his former administration, people including Kellyanne Conway, Rick Grinnell, Stephen Miller.

Now, in one of those sessions earlier this month, he huddled with J.D. Vance, a top contender for his running mate. They met at Mar-a-Lago and they try to sharpen his messaging on the economy and inflation. Another session happened last week with Senators Marco Rubio and Eric Schmidt here in Washington, D.C.

[03:05:09]

And there they talked about the future of American democracy, as well as Donald Trump's rhetoric around his handling of the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

Now, it's not just policy discussions that are happening in these meetings. I'm told they're also talking about his rhetoric. We know that Donald Trump in the past has been very aggressive during debates. In 2020, he barely let Joe Biden get a word in in one of the debates and saw his poll numbers fall after that. So I'm told that some of the discussion has been about reining in that aggression.

And another thing I just want to point your attention to is, you know, the expectation setting. So for months now, Donald Trump and his team have really painted Joe Biden as this weak and feeble candidate who has issues with mental and physical activity. But that has really set the bar low for the president. And so now they're trying to manage those expectations. Listen to what Donald Trump said at his rally in Wisconsin.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Is anybody going to watch the debate? He's going to be so pumped up. He's going to be pumped up. You know, all that stuff that was missing about a month ago from the White House. I'll probably be negotiating with three people, but that's OK. I've done that before. I'll be debating three people instead of one, instead of one half of a person.

TREENE: Now, I want to be very clear that there is no evidence that Joe Biden has ever taken a performance enhancing drug or has plans to. But this is some of the rhetoric Donald Trump is using to try and maybe raise the expectations for how Joe Biden will perform.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Washington, D.C.

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BRUNHUBER: And tune in to see the CNN presidential debate right here, of course, on CNN, coming up on June 27th at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, and then we'll replay the debate in its entirety a few different times. And you can catch it on June 28th at 7 a.m. London time, 2 in the afternoon in Hong Kong or 12 hours later at 7 in the evening in London or 10 p.m. in Abu Dhabi. The "New York Times" reports two federal judges in South Florida urged

the judge in Donald Trump's classified documents case to hand it off to another judge. Now, this happened when the case was first assigned to Eileen Cannon last year. Despite the suggestions, Judge Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, ignored the recommendations. She's faced scrutiny over her handling of the case. Cannon indefinitely postponed the trial last month, citing issues with the evidence that couldn't be worked out before the case was set to go before a jury.

The U.S. federal appeals court has rejected a bid by Steve Bannon to delay the start of his prison sentence. The former Trump adviser is scheduled to report to a low security prison camp in Connecticut on July 1st. A jury convicted Bannon for contempt of Congress nearly two years ago after he failed to comply with a subpoena for testimony. His attorneys are expected to ask the Supreme Court to intervene. Bannon is also facing criminal charges in New York for a fraud scheme to raise money for U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The Northern Hemisphere marked the summer solstice on Thursday, and the summer heat is making its mark across much of the U.S. In New England, several daily high temperature records were set again on Thursday with cities in New Hampshire, Connecticut and Maine nearing the triple digits, well above the typical monthly average of around 80 degrees. Temperatures are expected to cool off a bit in northern New England today, but the rest of the Northeast is in for a doozy here as the dangerous heat wave shifts to New York and farther down the eastern seaboard.

And in New Mexico, President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state after wildfires destroyed close to 1,500 structures and burned more than 23,000 acres. Now at last check, the South Fork and Salt fires are zero percent contained. New Mexico's governor call it one of the most devastating fires in the state's history.

Now, that relief will be much needed for recovery in New Mexico's Ruidoso area, where Ed Lavendera reports that fires are still burning and there's been some rain, but that's not always a good thing.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fire officials here in New Mexico say that in the last 24 hours, there's been enough rainfall in the mountainous area where these wildfires have been raging since Monday to begin and helping the process of slowing the spread of these wildfires.

Firefighters, we are told, have been working on the edges on the northern and eastern side of the wildfires in the mountains you see behind me. They're really kind of focusing on the areas that are closest to homes that have not been burned and also vital infrastructure.

And so they're creating fire lines to help prevent the spread of this wildfire. But there has been good news in terms of the amount of rainfall that has fallen. But it also comes with a side of bad news, because a lot of that rainfall has fallen on areas that were already scorched by these fires. And that is just burned land.

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So that has created mudslides and also flash flooding, which creates very treacherous and dangerous situations with the debris that flows downstream through these canyons and these mountainous sides. So that becomes a very dangerous situation. And that's why their evacuation orders are still in place.

Thousands of people, more than 8,000, that have evacuated the Ruidoso area since Monday are really not able to come back to their homes to begin assessing the damage. And we have another reminder that this continues to be a tragic story. There are now two confirmed deaths. Both of those victims were people trying to escape from the wildfires as they were quickly spreading into the Ruidoso area earlier this week.

So that tragedy continues to unfold here as residents desperately waiting for news that hopefully here in the next -- coming -- in the next coming days, they'll be able to return back to their homes so they begin assessing the damage and what kind of reality they will have here going forward.

Ed Lavendera, CNN, near Ruidoso, New Mexico.

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BRUNHUBER: A New York judge has dismissed criminal trespass charges against 30 people who were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University in April. Dozens were accused of unlawfully entering the school's Hamilton Hall and barricading themselves inside before officials called the police.

Prosecutors say they were unable to identify some of the defendants from what they called extremely limited video of the incident. Columbia University has declined to comment on the court proceedings. The district attorney says 15 other defendants still face charges are scheduled to be back in court next month.

All right, now to the Middle East, where fears are growing that the fighting in Gaza may not be Israel's only major concern. U.S. officials tell CNN they're worried Israel's Iron Dome air defense system could be overwhelmed in a full scale war with Hezbollah.

Attacks from the Lebanese militant group backed by Iran have been on the rise in recent weeks, and the IDF has responded with airstrikes. U.S. officials say Israel's plans to shift resources from Gaza to the north and a land and air incursion into Lebanon is increasingly likely.

All right, I want to bring in CNN's Nada Bashir, who's following developments from London. So Nada, explain what's behind these fears that Israel's air defense system could be overwhelmed.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Kim, this is a very different situation to what we're seeing in Gaza. We've heard in the past from Israeli officials saying that they can, quote, "copy and paste what is taking place in Gaza in Lebanon if Hezbollah continues to target Israeli territory." But, of course, important to remember that the U.N. and many international partners consider Israel to be an occupying force in the war in Gaza. Gaza is a small strip of land that has been under a blockade for nearly 20 years.

Lebanon is a sovereign nation. And while the confrontations that we've been seeing over the last few months have been directly between the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in the south of Lebanon and the Israeli military, we've heard from the Lebanese government in the past saying that they will not stand idly by if Israel threatens to push the Lebanese state into an all-out war.

And then, of course, important to remember that Hamas and Hezbollah are not the same. Hezbollah is politically and militarily far more sophisticated. It has a far more powerful and much larger military arsenal than Hamas. We're talking about drones and short-range rockets, which we've seen used across the border over the last few months, but also, of course, longer-range missiles that could target deeper into Israeli territory.

And the fear amongst many in the international community, including the United States, is that Israel would not necessarily be prepared for that sort of military arsenal. You heard the warnings there from military officials in the U.S., U.S. officials, rather, saying that Israel's Iron Dome air defense system could be overwhelmed. We've heard from the State Department now pushing for a cessation of these violent tensions that we're seeing. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: The best way to unlock the possibility of a resolution along the Israel-Lebanese border would be achieving a ceasefire in Gaza. And we continue to actively pursue a ceasefire in Gaza, primarily to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and to secure the return of hostages. But a very important side effect, we assess, would be making it much easier to achieve a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution along the Israel-Lebanon border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: In Gaza, it's bringing peace to the situation in the border between Lebanon and Israel has been something that Hezbollah has noted repeatedly now over the course of this eight months of the war in Gaza. Hezbollah has continuously characterized its actions along the border as being in direct response to Israel's continued attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah officials have said that they do not want to see an all-out war between the group and Israel, not least between Lebanon and Israel overall, but that they would continue to target Israeli territory so long as Israel continues to target the Gaza Strip.

[03:14:59] The Israeli military, meanwhile, says it believes it has infinitely more capable weapons and arsenal than Hezbollah and that it has several forces now engaged with the Iran-backed group in Lebanon.

BRUNHUBER: Now, Nada, with the need for aid in Gaza desperate as always, the U.S.-built pier now operational again. What's the latest there?

BASHIR: Well, that's right. It was temporarily taken out of operation over fears around potential damage because of high seas in the region. We have seen, of course, the pier being taken out of operation on multiple occasions now. But U.S. officials, the U.S. Central Command, have confirmed that it is back in operation. We saw an aid delivery on Thursday.

According to the Central Command, a significant, the highest daily number of aid coming into the Gaza Strip was recorded on Thursday. So, of course, this is providing some much needed respite. But the message we continue to hear from aid organizations is that there needs to be a continued focus on these land crossings into Gaza as the most effective way of getting aid in.

At this stage, we are still, according to aid organizations, seeing obstructions and delays at these land crossings with not enough aid as needed getting into the Gaza Strip. And of course, U.S. officials have repeatedly reiterated that this pier is a temporary measure. It's unclear when it will be officially taken out of operation. But again, so much more needed for the people of Gaza.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely right. Nada Bashir in London. Thanks so much.

Ukraine may have shorter wait times to receive advanced U.S. air defenses. Still ahead, Kyiv moves up on the U.S. priority list to receive weapons like these.

Plus, a dual U.S. Russian citizen goes on trial in Russia. Why she's facing up to 20 years in prison for donating $50 to a charity? That coming up. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Moscow is reporting a barrage of Ukrainian drone attacks in occupied Crimea and southern Russia. Officials say a refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region was damaged overnight when at least one person was killed. Six other people reported injured. Russia claims it destroyed more than 80 Ukrainian drones and six unmanned boats.

Meanwhile, Ukraine will become Washington's top priority for receiving advanced U.S. air defenses. That's from multiple U.S. sources, which say Kyiv will start getting those weapons ahead of other countries on the waiting list. Romania has also announced it will send a patriot system to Ukraine. Here's the reaction from Ukraine's president.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Romania's decision to transfer one more patriot system to Ukraine is a truly strong move. It will increase security throughout our region and for all our neighbors, for Moldova, the Baltic States and Romania. We have the ability to overcome Russian imperial ambitions and thus restore stability and confidence throughout our Europe. We are currently working with our team on the delivery of several more patriots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Former U.S. President Donald Trump is shutting the door on the idea of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine if he's reelected. The Biden administration has also made it clear that U.S. troop deployment isn't an option. Trump is yet to spell out his specific policy on Ukraine. But during a podcast interview on Thursday, he was pressed about putting U.S. boots on the ground. Here he is.

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DAVID SACKS, HOST, ALL IN PODCAST: Can you guarantee that no matter what, you're not going to put American boots on the ground in Ukraine? Is that something you can say definitively?

TRUMP: I would guarantee it. I wouldn't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The treason trial of an American-Russian dual citizen got underway on Thursday and is set to resume on August 7th in the eastern Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Amateur ballerina Ksenia Karolina could get up to 20 years in prison in Russia for reportedly donating a little more than $50 to a Ukrainian charity in the U.S.

As Matthew Chance reports, she is one of a growing number of American detainees being used as bargaining chips by the Kremlin.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Yet another U.S. citizen on trial in Russia. This is Ksenia Karolina from Los Angeles, now in a glass cage in Yekaterinburg.

A dual Russian citizen, the 33-year-old was arrested on treason charges earlier this year while visiting family. In the U.S., she is a beautician and amateur ballerina accused of donating just over $50 to a Ukrainian charity.

Her boyfriend, Chris Van Heerden, issuing a new statement obtained by CNN calling for her immediate release.

It's hard to believe Ksenia has been in Russia and unable to return to the U.S. for over six months, he wrote. She is an innocent young woman with a whole life ahead of her. Her friends and supporters are hopeful that the Russian court will see that prosecuting her is a mistake and send her home to Los Angeles.

But Russia is now holding a growing number of U.S. citizens in jail, like "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich, whose trial for espionage is set to start next week. The 32-year-old journalist denies allegations he was gathering information on a Russian tank factory for the CIA.

Paul Whelan, a 54-year-old former U.S. Marine, serving 16 years in a Russian prison.

What U.S. officials say were trumped up spying charges.

And Alsu Kurmasheva, a jeweled U.S. citizen working for Radio Free Europe, accused of failing to register as a foreign agent. Critics accused the Kremlin of collecting Americans as bargaining chips to trade.

Not every detained American is accused of spying. Schoolteacher Mark Fogle was sentenced in 2022 to 14 years hard labor for bringing medical marijuana into the country.

And Gordon Black, a 34-year-old staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, was recently sentenced to nearly four years here for stealing money and assaulting a woman believed to be his Russian girlfriend.

There have been prisoner swaps before, like the U.S. basketball star Brittany Greiner convicted for carrying cannabis oil into Russia, then exchanged for a convicted Russian arms dealer in a U.S. jail.

[03:25:09]

But the prisoner the Kremlin most wants now is this man, Vadim Krasikov, an FSB agent convicted of killing a Chechen dissident in a public park in Berlin. But Germany is reluctant to bargain a convicted Russian assassin for the American prisoners the Kremlin may be willing to trade.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Vladimir Putin has wrapped up his trip to North Korea and Vietnam, but not before taking one more shot at the West. The Russian president accuses NATO of creating a threat for Russia in Asia.

During a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Putin said the two countries have a mutual interest in building up security in the Asia- Pacific region and they would settle disputes peacefully. Here he is.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We see what's happening in Asia, right? The bloc system is being cobbled together in Asia. NATO is already moving there as a permanent place of residence. This of course creates a threat for all countries in the region, including the Russian Federation. We are obliged to respond to this, and we will do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Before he left Hanoi, the Russian leader also delivered a warning to South Korea. He says it would be, quote, a very big mistake for Seoul to supply weapons to Ukraine.

The first debate of the U.S. presidential race is only days away. So which candidate will get the last word? We'll have more on that ahead.

Plus, a legal battle is brewing in the U.S. state of Louisiana over a controversial new law that requires all classrooms in public schools to display a copy of the Ten Commandments. That after the break. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

We are now days away from the high-stakes U.S. presidential debate here on CNN between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Now, following a coin toss, the Biden campaign chose the right podium position, but it's the former president who will get the final word when he delivers the last closing statement.

Biden is looking at several days of intense prep ahead of the showdown. Trump's advisers say he doesn't require the type of preparation that Biden will need. Meanwhile, candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn't qualify for the CNN debate, but Trump says he hopes Kennedy can debate someday.

Well, it looks like the U.S. courts may have to decide whether a display of the Ten Commandments in all Louisiana classrooms is constitutional. Four civil liberties groups plan to file a lawsuit to challenge the new law signed by the governor of Louisiana this week. CNN's Isabel Rosales has the details.

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GOV. JEFF LANDRY (R-LA): That is a big bill. This is great.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Louisiana public schools now require to display the Ten Commandments in all classrooms, a first in the nation. Republican Governor Jeff Landry calling it one of his favorite bills before signing it into law.

LANDRY: This is one of the bills that got the press over here. I think so. Because if you want to respect the rule of law, you got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.

ROSALES (voice-over): The new law requiring a poster size display of the commandments by the start of 2025 in every school that received state funding from kindergarten through university level with the commandments as the central focus in large, easily readable font. The law also specifies the exact abbreviated language that must be printed on classroom displays, which will be paid for through donations.

REP. DODIE HORTON (R-LA): And what a great day it is in Louisiana. It's like hope is in the air everywhere.

ROSALES (voice-over): State Representative Dodie Horton, the Republican author of the bill, dismissing concerns from Democratic opponents, insisting the commandments are rooted in legal history and that the bill would return a moral code to classrooms. But critics argue mandating the religious text be displayed in schools would violate the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says that Congress can make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

JACOB NEWSOM, LOUISIANA HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER: I was raised to follow the Ten Commandments. And I think regardless of how you feel about the Ten Commandments, nobody would dismiss the fact that they are a pretty good set of rules. However, it is a clear violation of separation of church and state to enforce this.

ROSALES (voice-over): Another Louisiana educator fiercely against the new law says she teaches students of all faiths.

TIA LEBRUN, LOUISIANA EDUCATOR: I'm very opposed to it. And it's not anything to do with disliking religion. It's just that there are different religions that exist in our communities. I've taught Jehovah's Witnesses. I've taught Muslim students. I have really great Muslim teacher friends who are going to now have to display Christianity as the accepted or promoted religion in our state.

ROSALES (voice-over): Four civil liberties groups, including the ACLU, vowed to sue, saying public schools are not Sunday schools. In a joint statement, the groups argue the new law will turn students into a captive audience for school sponsored religious messages.

ALANAH ODOMS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACLU OF LOUISIANA: You may have heard the saying, so goes the South, so goes the nation. I want folks to pay very close attention to what this governor is doing. I think if he is, in fact, successful, you will see this kind of religious indoctrination happening across the American South.

ROSALES: Opponents of this new Louisiana law, they're pointing to the state of Kentucky, which tried a similar Ten Commandments directive, which ultimately the Supreme Court of the Constitution. Well, that was back in 1980. And this is a very different Supreme Court that some say is friendlier toward religious rights. We'll have to see how all of this legal challenge plays out in court.

Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: All right, when we come back, activists armed with orange paint desecrate Stonehenge just before crowds arrive to celebrate the summer solstice.

And as the world searches for clean energy sources, some scientists are looking far beneath the Earth's surface in one of the most volcanic areas on the planet. Of all that and more when you come back, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, with Russian attacks on the increase, it's not just humans who are in danger in Ukraine. Two beluga whales in an aquarium in Kharkiv were coming under threats as bombs fell closer and closer. As CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reports, it triggered an extraordinary rescue operation.

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Miranda and Plombir, two very playful beluga whales from Ukraine's Nemo Dolphinarium in Kharkiv.

Their smiling faces are much-needed respite for a country at war, in a city where Putin's troops are fast approaching. The front lines drawing closer and closer to the aquarium and supplies needed to care for the animals becoming scarce.

A multinational team scrambled an extremely complicated and high-risk marine mammal rescue operation. Its mission? Transport these gentle giants nearly 2,500 miles across Europe to Spain, a trip that would take over 34 hours.

It started with a 12-hour drive and a truck through an active war zone, the team comforting Miranda and Plombir on the bumpy ride. That was followed by European border control checks into Moldova, a special plane equipped with its own crane to safely lift the precious cargo on board, and finally, a chartered flight. A trauma team was at the ready throughout.

The organizations involved in the effort telling CNN about the unprecedented nature of this operation.

DENNIS CHRISTEN, SR. DIRECTOR OF ZOOLOGICAL OPERATIONS/MAMMALS AND BIRDS, GEORGIA AQUARIUM: It took a lot of navigating some unfamiliar territory. It's not a facility we worked out of. It's definitely not an airport that typically handles this sort of situation. The equipment that they have to be able to load a dynamic animal load that weighs that much into large cargo aircraft doesn't exist. So we had to make some pretty innovative, sort of come up with innovative solutions to deal with those things.

[03:40:00]

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Their final destination, Valencia, Spain, where their caregivers are set to stay with Miranda and Plombir until they settle into their new home, the Oceanografic de Valencia facility, which is already home to another pair of belugas, even warming the temperature of their water to make it more comfortable for their new arrivals.

CHRISTEN: So anytime you're moving an animal from a home that it's comfortable, it's adapted to a new condition, there's a lot that we have to take into consideration to really acclimate those animals. And we're watching them all day today and through the night. And so it's exciting to see how well they're doing.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The two celebrating their new waters with a spurt of excitement and a spark of curiosity as they begin to make new friends.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And Daniel Garcia Parraga is the director of the zoological operations at the whale's new home, the Oceanographic Aquarium in Valencia, Spain. I spoke to him last hour. He outlined the dangers and difficulties in putting together such a huge relocation effort. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL GARCIA PARAGA, DIRECTOR OF ZOOLOGICAL OPERATIONS, OCEANOGRAFIC AQUARIUM: Basically, we didn't have that much information. What we managed to receive is that the animals were in extremely warm water for them, like 26 degrees Celsius. I think it's equivalent to 77 Fahrenheit, but for Arctic animals, it's pretty warm.

At some points, they were on a half diet because they need to restrict the food because sometimes they were sparsing the supplies. The bombing noise was actually getting the whales very nervous when that was occurring. So it's something that certainly affects a lot of people.

You don't have to have the bombs over your head, but actually the impact, even they were like one kilometer or 800 meters from the aquarium, was really hard for the animals to tolerate. So they were in a very complicated situation, besides that the caregivers, also the Kharkiv Dolphinarium was reduced because many of the trainers had to go to the front lines.

So basically, the animals were in a quite critical situation, though still stable. We found that based on some preliminary results that we managed to obtain from there, were clinically healthy enough to tolerate the transport.

So we decided to go ahead before it was too late. I would say the situation at this moment was not absolutely critical, but the problem is if we wait and the situation is too critical, there is no margin to operate.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's fascinating. I never thought about that, the sound and vibrations of the bombing affecting these animals as well. Now, what was accomplished there? I mean, it's being hailed as the most complex marine mammal rescue ever undertaken. I mean, you were there for part of that journey. Take us through why it was so complex.

PARAGA: Well, it was extremely complex and we really knew what it was going to be because there were so many uncertainties. We didn't have the clinical, all the clinical data of the animals before transport. That's something that we always try to have.

We didn't have the information about the containers. The whales are typically transported with a lot of water and we need to be sure that this water will stand in the containers for the whole trip, for the whales and for our safety. At the end, we have to put those containers in a plane and if those containers fail and leak the water inside the plane, it's really, really dangerous. And it certainly, if we lose the water during the transport, we will certainly lose the animals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: More than 45,000 people in Bangladesh have been forced to leave their homes because of monsoon flooding. Low lying areas are hardest hit, of course, and hundreds of shelters have been set up to cope. Around 1.8 million people have been adversely affected in one district alone, with more than 1600 villages experiencing high water.

Hundreds of people have died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia due to extreme heat. Saudi officials, if thousands more have been treated for heatstroke, temperatures reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit or 49 degrees Celsius. Authorities from Jordan, Iran, Tunisia and Pakistan have released statements on the death of their citizens. Dozens from each country have died due to the heat during the gathering.

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FAHAD SAHEED, CLIMATE SCIENTIST AT CLIMATE ANALYTICS: You also have to consider that the people are very religiously motivated. They don't consider because for some of them it is once in a lifetime affair. So they don't care whether it is during the summertime or during the wintertime. You know, if they get a chance, they go for it.

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BRUNHUBER: The Hajj is one of the biggest religious gatherings in the world and the largest annual event in Saudi Arabia. An estimated 1.8 million people participated in the Hajj this year, which concluded on Wednesday.

Iceland's volcanoes can be deadly, destructive and strangely beautiful, but they can also be green. Icelandic scientists are working to harness the intense energy stored beneath the earth's surface, energy which is completely clean. CNN's Fred Pleitgen explains. [03:45:07]

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The awesome power of nature on full display in southwest Iceland, the Reykjanes Peninsula, close to the capital, suffering a string of violent volcanic eruptions in the past years.

Iceland's massive activity, both a burden and a blessing for those who live here.

The town Grindavik, close to the eruption site, evacuated, a fissure running right through the streets and the houses.

Klara Halldorsdottir, one of the more than 3,000 residents evacuated last November, says she's had enough and will never move back.

KLARA HALLDORSDOTTIR, EVACUATED RESIDENT: I get goosebumps when I talk about it because it was really, really strange. Just long lines of cars exiting town. It was like in a terrible movie or something.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): When things appear to get more calm a few months later, another violent eruption occurs as the Reykjanes Peninsula seems to have entered into a period of high volcanic activity that could last months, years or even centuries, experts say.

Keeping the specialists at Iceland's Meteorological Office tasked with predicting eruptions busy round the clock.

SARA BARSOTTI, ICELANDIC METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE: The GPS station that telling us if the ground is changing, it is deforming. We are maintaining the geochemical monitoring that is telling us which are the kind of gasses that are leaving the volcanoes.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): While volcanoes often have an impact on life here in Iceland, the Icelanders have found ways to harness the power of our violent earth.

Geothermal power plants feeding off the heat, providing emission free energy in abundance and leading companies from around the world to move energy intensive manufacturing like aluminum production to Iceland.

Our team traveled all the way to the northeast of Iceland to the Krafla geothermal plant.

When drilling a new borehole here at Krafla, they accidentally hit a shallow magma chamber and now are working on harnessing the earth's energy almost directly from the extremely hot magma.

The project's director says this technology could provide clean energy for hundreds of millions of people.

HJALTI PALL INGOLFSSON, KRAFLA MAGMA TESTBED: We have a very big part of humanity living close to a volcano. And if we are able to harness the volcano directly, reducing the risk by -- by lowering the pressure and lowering the -- the tension in the -- in the volcano, then, of course, we have a win-win situation.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Using the earth's natural energy without burning fossil fuels, the scientists acknowledge there is still a long way to go and a lot to be learned. But they also believe the potential energy supply could be virtually limitless and totally clean.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

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BRUNHUBER: The paint that activists sprayed onto Britain's most famous prehistoric structure has been removed. Officials say Stonehenge suffered no visible damage. Video posted by the group Just Stop Oil on Wednesday showed two activists spraying the landmark using fire extinguishers. The group wants the incoming British government to sign a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

Police arrested two activists. Now, the action took place ahead of the crowds that typically gather at the site for the summer solstice, which this year was yesterday. Climate activists have been staging increasingly high profile protests. On Thursday, activists from the group sprayed two private jets on the runway where Taylor Swift's plane is suspected to have landed. The pop star is in London on her Eras tour.

Well, he was known as the greatest all round baseball player. Willie Mays died this year, died this week, rather at the age of 93. How Major League Baseball is paying tribute. That's next.

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BRUNHUBER: One of sports fiercest rivalries is breaking records well before tipoff. Retailers say ticket prices for this Sunday's rematch between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are the highest ever for a WNBA game, with the most expensive going for more than $9,000. Reese's Chicago Sky are facing off against Clark's Indiana Fever for the third time this season.

Now, according to CBS, last Sunday's match between the two teams was the most watched WNBA game on any U.S. network in 23 years. Clark, Reese and other high profile players are credited with helping the league post its highest attended opening month in 26 years.

U.S. swimming champion Simone Manuel has qualified for her third Olympics. Manuel was emotional on Wednesday night at qualifying trials. She described it as a healing night, an incredible comeback after she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome in 2021. And that's a condition punctuated by overwhelming exhaustion, anxiety and depression. Manuel earned a spot on the four by 100 meter relay team in Paris after finishing fourth in the 100 meter freestyle. She became the first black American woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.

Well, two days after baseball legend Willie Mays died, Major League Baseball honored him at the oldest professional baseball park in America. Mays used to roam the outfield here as part of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. And Ryan Young has more.

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RYAN YOUNG, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When you think the history of baseball, you think about some of the most magnificent players that have played sports in our country. And look, a lot of that's happened here at Rickwood Field. This is the oldest baseball stadium left in the country. It was built in the early 1910s.

And when you add that together, you understand the rich history. When you put that together with the Negro League, you can still see the bus flat black barons behind me. There's been a lot of conversation about this, especially with the passing of Willie Mays and Major League Baseball, putting an emphasis on having this game and the and being able to talk about how much the Negro Leagues meant to the stadium.

And not only that, but to this area. So now that conversation is being had. Stats are being added. And even the little fans of the future are able to come out here and enjoy the game.

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MICHAEL MAYS, WILLIE MAYS' SON: So we had this whole positive, high energy thing going about it. And then, you know, Mr. Mays does the mic drop. So, you know, now we're under his watch. And, you know, Ben, we got to do the right thing. We know what he wants. He's not trying to have people hang their heads.

SAM ALLEN, FORMER NEGRO LEAGUE PLAYER: Well, every game we played was special. Yeah, every and you played to win and we played the type of ball we played. It's the type of ball that they play today.

YOUNG: A lot of the fans are telling us that Major League Baseball had a hit with this. The city of Birmingham had an economic impact that they are happy with. We talked to some of the vendors who say this has been a boom for them.

And on top of all that, being able to pay tribute to Willie Mays after his passing just a few days ago, gave some of these fans a chance to reconnect with the sport they love. So many grown people talking about shedding tears over someone they love since being a kid.

Ryan Young, CNN, Birmingham, Alabama.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, the Copa America kicked off Thursday here in Atlanta, Georgia, with title holders Argentina taking on Canada. Now the tournament is being played outside of South America for only the second time in its 108 year history with the U.S. hosting. In the opening match Argentina came out on top with a two nil win, thanks to goals by Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez. Now there was a moment of concern when Lionel Messi went down late in the match, but he got up to his feet quickly, apparently uninjured.

Ski season is officially underway in Chile. Eager skiers are enjoying the fresh snow on slopes close to the capital, Santiago. Winter brought heavy snow storms to Chile, boosting ski resorts affected by drought in recent years. Now, the snowpack will also provide irrigation water for crops later in the year. But for now, skiers are the ones enjoying the fresh powder. Ski season in Chile runs from late June to early October.

All right. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber, in Atlanta. The news continues with Eleni Giokos in Dubai.

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