Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Several US Military Bases Across Europe On Heightened Alert Due To Possible Terrorist Threat; Le Pen Urges Her Supporters To Vote In Second Round; Campaign Co-Chairs: Biden Still Best Option To Beat Trump, Aired 3-4p ET

Aired June 30, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:44]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with this breaking news: Several US military bases across Europe are on heightened alert right now due to a potential terrorist threat.

And one of those bases is in Germany, where the US-European command is headquartered. A US official tells CNN that they haven't seen this threat level in at least 10 years.

Joining me right now from the Pentagon is CNN correspondent, Oren Liebermann.

Oren, what's the latest?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, according to two US officials, at least several US military bases in Europe have elevated their threat level to what's known as FPCON Charlie -- Force Protection Condition Charlie. That is the second highest level of alert within the US military, only Force Protection Condition Delta is higher than that.

And according to the US Army, this is what Charlie means. It means that it applies when an incident occurs, or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely.

Now, it is unclear at this point if this is in response to a specific threat against a specific facility or if its more general and the US is looking out for the possibility of an attack against one of a number of US military facilities in Europe.

The US-European Command, when we reached out to them, would not confirm Force Protection Condition Charlie across at least several bases in the European Command theater, but they did say that they are constantly evaluating and will make changes to their Force Protection Condition when necessary and put in additional safety measures. We have seen at least one base announce that publicly, that is the US

Army garrison in Bavaria, which covers several different locations. They have stated on their website that they are at Charlie, so that elevated threat level and they have curtailed or shut off a number of services while this happens. Again, that is all from public statements on their social media.

Now again, were not sure and it is unclear at this point if this is a specific threat, but if you look across Europe, officials in a number of countries, including for example, Germany and France, are already at an elevated threat level, especially with less than a month to go until the Paris Olympics and with the European football championships already having started. The interior minister in Germany said several days ago that they are on the lookout for a number of potential threats including the potential of terrorism.

And then in France, since March, they have been at their highest level of alert, and that continues to today, especially as we close in on the Olympics.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Paris points out that there is an elevated threat level against any large gathering, and certainly the Olympics qualifies as that. Military bases., apparently also taking precautions now.

WHITFIELD: All right, Oren Liebermann, thank you so much. Keep us posted. Appreciate it.

All right and this breaking news out of France. Huge celebrations of the country's far-right party. They now appear set to take the biggest number of seats in France's Parliament after today's first round of elections. The US is watching closely as one of its strongest allies now seems to be making a shift to the far-right.

It would be a stinging defeat for French President Macron who shocked everyone and called a surprise election just a few weeks before Paris is set to host the world for the Summer Olympic Games.

Far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, warned her supporters to show up for next weekend's second round of voting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARINE LE PEN, HEAD OF NATIONAL RALLY PARTY (through translator): We need an absolute majority in order to enact that change that the country is desperately in need of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Max Foster is live at the headquarters of the far- right National Rally Party and Jim Bittermann is outside the prime minister's office.

So Max, to you first. How stunning are these numbers?

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are stunning because Emmanuel Macron's Centrist Party has crashed in support according to the projections to third position. The left have held the middle ground, middle position, but going right to the top is Le Pen's far-right party. It is a far right party and Bardella, who is the leader of that party was speaking just a few moments ago. He is 28-years-old, he is a far-right leader, and he is according to these protections the most likely next prime minister of France.

[15:05:10]

So a far-right leader of a major economy, a reflection of what we saw in the European elections wherein Germany and Italy as well, there was a surge in support for the far right.

We wondered whether it would translate to national elections, it really has. So now, we are in this deadlock potentially where you have Macron in third position and you have a left and a far right fighting for control of parliament is deadlocked effectively in a major economy.

So, it is seismic on any level, it is a disaster for Macron, and it is a trial for Le Pen.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Max, thank you.

And Jim, I mean, what is going on from where you are now? What's the perspective there?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we are waiting to hear from the prime minister. He is supposed to be delivering us a statement somewhere in the next hour or so from his office here.

The fact is that he is not completely out of a job just yet because the projections that we have give the National Rally Party, the extreme right-wing party 230 to 280 seats. In order to have a majority in the parliament, they have got to have 289 seats, which they at the moment, according objections we have do not have.

Now, we've heard in the last hour from the leader of the left-point, the New Popular Front it is called, the left-wing grouping and he said basically that if their candidates are in third position in any of these election districts, they are going to stand aside in order to form a blockade against the right-wing -- extreme right-wing coming to power.

So what is going to happen here in the next week or so is we are going to have to see a lot of horse trading going on as the candidates that are -- there are three candidates who pass the bar of 12.5 percent votes, they're going to have the opportunity to form a coalition, essentially with other candidates in order to stop the right-wing national front and we expect to hear that from Mr. Attal, the prime minister, something similar to that in the next hour or so.

WHITFIELD: And then Jim, what, if anything, can President Macron do between now and next weekend, which is the second round of voting to try to keep his party's power in the National Assembly? BITTERMANN: Well, he has already made a statement and basically he

said that he is hoping there will be some kind of a broad generalized coalition against the extreme right.

But, more than that, there is not a whole lot that he can do. What he is looking forward to is something that the French call Cohabitation, which means a power-sharing basically, and we've seen that before. We saw it with Jacques Chirac back in the 90s, who had to give up part of the power to Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, the left-wing prime minister, and the two of them did not get along on issues.

The president has powers over Defense and over foreign policy, but the prime minister has the purse strings and so the prime minister effectively can shut down and change operations, for instance, in Ukraine, for example.

The president could want one thing in terms of supporting Ukraine, but the prime minister could go to the Parliament and cut off the money. So it could be a very difficult situation in the next three years for President Macron.

WHITFIELD: Very volatile indeed.

All right, thank you, gentlemen. Jim Bittermann and Max Foster, appreciate it.

All right, new today also, top Democratic elected leaders in this country are voicing support for President Biden amid growing calls from other corners for Biden to step away from his re-election campaign.

This weekend, two newspaper editorial boards, "The New York Times" and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" stating Biden should drop out of the race.

CNN correspondent, Priscilla Alvarez is joining us with more on this.

Priscilla, how is Biden's campaign trying to reassure voters?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, there have been multiple calls made over the last 48 hours behind-the-scenes from senior White House officials, top campaign officials, to their allies, to try to reassure them and also to keep the focus on the records of the two candidates that has been largely their response, acknowledging that the debate was not President Biden's best performance, while also underscoring that what he should be judged on is his record as president and the stark contrast that he poses against former President Donald Trump.

Now, the president himself has said much of the same. He had a fundraising blitz over the weekend where he also told donors and conceded that he did not have his best debate performance. But again, that he would "work harder."

So he acknowledged to the concerns and the panic that many have had since Thursday night's debate. [15:10:07]

Now, we have also seen on the airwaves multiple allies coming out in defense of President Biden saying much of the same as well, which is keep your focus on the president's record and also trying to defend what viewers saw. Take a listen to what Jim Clyburn had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): When we look at the past performance of these two men that are the frontrunners in their parties, we get a lot of indication about what their future behavior would be.

So Joe Biden should continue to run on his record. I do believe that we will find him when contrasted with the record of the four years of Trump to be exactly what we need going forward, not just domestically, but internationally as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: So again, that really captures the argument that we are hearing from all corners of Biden's orbit as they try to defend him, but donors are also quite anxious here. There has been a split among donors who are wondering who potential replacements could be for a Democratic nominee, while others say this is a waste of time. It is time to back President Biden and move on from this debate.

Now, the Biden campaign says that they did rake in millions over the weekend as again, as a result of this fundraising blitz, $33 million in total. The majority of that being grassroots donations. They have had a lot of strength in that space and it is often what they point to, to say look, there are first-time donors that are still coming to the Biden campaign and voters who are still backing the president, despite again, these headlines about the president's debate performance and the panic that has set in across the Democratic Party.

WHITFIELD: Also, priscilla, a new CBS/YouGov poll taken after the debate shows a growing number of registered voters who believe Biden should walk away, 72 percent of those polled said Biden should not run for president. That is up nine points from February. Is there a response coming from the White House or the re-election campaign on this?

ALVAREZ: Generally, the posture from White House officials and campaign officials is not to pay too much attention to polls, but overnight, there was a fundraising e-mail from the campaign chair that instead cited their own flash polls, which noted that voters were not swayed much by the debate and that it didn't change the horse race, but it also tried to look ahead and sort of noting that if that changes in the polls, if there is a dip in the polls, that it will be overblown.

So that gives you a sense of where the campaign often is when it comes to polling. They know it is going to be a close race. They know they're going to see some polls that reflect poorly on the campaign and the president, but they often try to dismiss those and just try to keep the focus on what they're seeing in their own internal polling and these flash poll since the debate and just trying to move forward.

But again, Fred, it is clear over the last 48 hours, there is still a lot of work ahead and there is certainly still a lot of defense from all corners.

WHITFIELD: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much.

All right, coming up, a major ruling expected tomorrow from the US Supreme Court. What will it decide regarding former President Trump's claim that he has absolute immunity.

And the warm waters in the Caribbean are helping to strengthen Hurricane Beryl. We are following the track.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:11]

WHITFIELD: All right, we are hours away from a US Supreme Court decision on Donald Trump's claim of absolute immunity. The case stems from Special Counsel Jack Smith's election subversion charges. The former president argued that without immunity, presidents would be fearful of being second guessed by prosecutors after leaving the White House.

It could all come down to whether Trump's actions after the 2020 election were considered official. Joining us right now is Franita Tolson. She is the vice dean at the University of Southern California Law School.

Great to see you, Dean Tolson.

FRANITA TOLSON, VICE DEAN, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LAW SCHOOL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So this is highly consequential. A lot is weighing on the decision that the Supreme Court is going to render.

What are your expectations?

TOLSON: So I have been very cautious about making predictions. I haven't done that since Obamacare, but I will agree with you that the decision is very, very consequential.

I think that the question of whether or not the president is immune for decisions taken in his official capacity, it really pushes us towards a system in which impeachment is the only solution, right? And of course, former President Trump was impeached twice, and that did not -- that was not successful.

So the Supreme Court could find that any official actions taken by the president warrant immunity, or they could find that these were not actions that are official actions, right? These were actions that former President Trump took as a candidate and therefore should not get immunity. So I am not sure how they will decide, but it is very consequential

because it determines basically how presidents can be held accountable moving forward.

WHITFIELD: Sure. And the lower courts already ruled that this president, no president is above the law. They can't -- that they wouldn't enjoy absolute immunity. So now, the High Court is making considerations at the urging of Trump and his attorneys.

[16:20:09]

So might this High Court defer back to the lower court's decision? We've already seen them do that in some cases or does the High Court -- does it feel a responsibility to kind of button up, punctuate what the lower court has done by either honoring it or saying we see it differently?

TOLSON: I mean it could defer to the lower court, but I don't think the Supreme Court necessarily feels compelled or motivated by that.

I did take a look at the Fischer decision from Friday, which dealt with the January 6th defendant where the court held, cannot be charged under a law that imposes a certain level of criminal liability for destroying a record connected with an official proceeding, and I was looking at that decision and trying to figure out how that might affect the immunity decision, right?

Because on some level, you wonder if the court is worried about seeming like they are being two deferential to January 6th defendants and President Trump and all of the things coming out of that particular event. I do think that that (AUDIO GAP) Court's decision maybe not (AUDIO GAP) to the lower court, they need to adhere to what the lower court did.

WHITFIELD: Okay Dean Franita Tolson, we are going to end it there because that signal is a little spotty, but I gotcha for the most part. Excellent. Thank you so much.

All right, we are following breaking news out of France where the political party of President Macron is set to face major losses in the first round of snap parliamentary elections to the far-right parties. Stay with us for the very latest.

Plus, islands in the Caribbean are preparing for an extremely dangerous Category Four hurricane as Beryl grow stronger in the Atlantic.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:21]

WHITFIELD: All right, this breaking news. Hurricane Beryl set a record for being the earliest Category Four in the Atlantic.

This very dangerous storm is now churning towards Barbados and the Leeward Islands. CNN's Elisa Raffa is here with the latest. ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hurricane Beryl continues to gain

strength and intensify. On Saturday, we were talking about a tropical storm, on Sunday, we are talking about a major hurricane.

Look at that eye that has developed in the last 24 hours. It is clear, it is symmetrical and it is a sign of an incredibly strong and destructive storm developing. We could be looking at some catastrophic impacts for the Windward Islands as we go into the workweek.

This is the farthest east that we have had a hurricane in June in the tropical Atlantic. It is the third earliest major hurricane on record in the Atlantic and it is the earliest major hurricane within 100 miles of Barbados and Grenada. Simply put, we do not get storms this strong this early in the season.

Look at the destructive hurricane-force winds that could hit the Windward Islands as we go into the workweek. We are talking about some destructive, catastrophic impacts. Storm surge could be up to six to nine feet in some locations coming in with the intense hurricane force winds.

We will continue to find Beryl head towards Jamaica as we go into the middle of the week, then eventually the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico by Friday.

We are talking about rapid intensification because these ocean temperatures are just so incredibly warm. Middle and upper 80s, that is about three to five degrees above average and much more typical for August. That is why we are talking about a major hurricane about four to six weeks ahead of schedule.

Hurricanes love warm ocean waters. It is their food and their fuel. As our oceans become warmer because of climate change, that is more food and more fuel available for rapid intensification.

We can see strong storms become even stronger at a faster pace and we have seen that trend in recent years.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elisa Raffa, thank you so much.

Hurricane Beryl is triggering emergency preparations already. Beryl is expected to hit Grenada in 24 hours. The government there is set to declare a state of emergency.

A large crowd gathered at the Trinidad and Tobago port waiting to leave the island where all inter-island ferries have been canceled, while in Barbados, people are boarding up and long lines can be seen for gas and groceries. The prime minister is asking all non-essential businesses on the island to close.

Let's go back now to CNN's Patrick Oppmann in Havana. So how are people there preparing?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Cuba along the southern coast, they might feel some of it, but for the most part, this island will be spared the worst of the storm, thankfully. But of course, that is not the case to the east of us in the Windward

Islands. They are making their final preparations.

When you have rapid intensification like this, it means you have less time to prepare. For people living in low-lying areas, the kind of storm surge that we were just hearing about could be fatal. It can mean they could lose her house. It can mean they could be cut off and the difference between a tropical storm, which is what Beryl was yesterday, and a Category Four is just massive.

I think a lot of people that live on islands in the Caribbean say that they know what tropical storms are. They've been through them, they're often not that bad, although they can be deadly. Category Four is just simply an entirely different kind of storm. It is a catastrophic hurricane, most structures cannot stand up to a Category Four Hurricane.

The wind speed right now is about 130 miles an hour. That will rip off roofs, that will cause dangerous storm surges to come in. That could mean that some areas will be without power for days, weeks, perhaps even months.

[15:30:09]

So it is something to avoid however possible. And if you live in a small island in the Caribbean, you simply will not be able to get out of the storm's path unless you get on a plane or unless you get on a ferry right now, you're going to have to hunker down, find someplace safe, someplace high, and hope for the best.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

All right, Patrick Oppmann, thank you so much for that view.

All right, starting tomorrow, California bars and nightclubs must have drug tests available for customers. We will explain why next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:15]

WHITFIELD: All right, we continue to follow breaking news out of France.

President Macron's political party is set to face major losses in the first round of parliamentary elections to the far-right National Rally Party. It is a harsh rebuke of Macron's centrist.

There was huge turnout in these elections. Stay with us for the very latest.

All right, tomorrow is July 1st, and that means new laws go into effect in so many states across the country. In California, a new law starting tomorrow will require bars and nightclubs to offer drug testing kits to customers for free if they suspect their drinks have been spiked with drugs. Joining me right now is CNN correspondent, Camila Bernal. Camila,

explain how this works.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, so imagine this. You're at a bar here in California and you suspect that someone may have spiked your drink.

So now all you have to do is go to a bartender or someone at the bar and you just simply ask for a test kit and they are required to have them now, so you'll be able to find out right away what is going on with your drink and you'll be able to have evidence in case you need it for the future.

Now this new law goes into effect tomorrow. That means all of these bars and nightclubs will have to have them by tomorrow and it will impact about 2,400 establishments here in California and it essentially applies to what is known here in California as Type 48 licenses. That means they sell alcohol and not necessarily food.

And you know, it mentioned it could be free. That's what the law says, but it also allows for other bars or nightclubs to charge for them. But the law does say that it has to be a reasonable price for these test kits.

So hopefully, that means they are inexpensive in a lot of places, or hopefully completely free in others.

Take a listen to some of the reaction from people here in California.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like it is necessary for bars to have it because of those suspicions, and hopefully, no one ever does get drug with drinks, but if they do and they don't know what the feeling is and they are confused, at least they know they can find out what is going on.

I love that idea because obviously, there are so many bars, there are so many people coming in and out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Specifically, women going out and having fun. It is a safety measure that make people feel safe when going out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now, the law does require these establishments here in California to put signage, whether that is in the front, the exit, or in the bathrooms, essentially advertising that they have these tests kits available to people who are at the bar, and the law also says that it could be -- it could be a sticker or it could be a straw, or it could be test strips that essentially easily detect whether or not you have drugs in your drinks.

So again, people here in California are just thankful and say this is going to help them as they go out and enjoy a night here in the state -- Fred. WHITFIELD: So what happens to the bars or nightclubs that don't

advertise or are not equipped with these kits?

BERNAL: Yes, that's a great question and they are going to get punished essentially.

The law says that there are penalties and they can face these and it could impact their license, so it could essentially even mean that their bar could be shut down, down the line if they continue to get these complaints.

So again, if you are someone here in California, you'll be able to ask for it and you should receive them, and if not, you could report it and essentially have this bar or nightclub face some sort of penalties when it comes to their license -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Camila Bernal, thanks so much.

All right, jury deliberations resumed tomorrow morning in the case of a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriend. That is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:41]

WHITFIELD: The jury in the Karen Read murder trial is set to resume deliberations tomorrow morning. It has been more than three days without a verdict in the case. Read is accused of drunkenly backing over her police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe with her car and then leaving the scene.

CNN legal correspondent, Jean Casarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was on Friday, a little bit before the lunch hour that the jury submitted a note to the court saying, despite our exhaustive review of the evidence we have been unable to reach a verdict.

So, the judge told them, go back into the jury room, continue to deliberate.

They did that until about 4:30 on Friday, said they were finished for the week. The judge said, go back home, have a good weekend. We will see you back here on Monday morning.

But there are so many supporters of Karen Read here at the courthouse. They wear pink t-shirts. They have pictures of her. They brought their children, they are out of school. They have pom-poms. They chant the Karen Read should be free. They also always yell out when they see her coming in and out of the courthouse. So the environment is very different from what we normally see at a trial.

But the prosecution is saying this was murder, and they were alleging that Karen Read and her then boyfriend, John O'Keefe were at a party in January of 2022 and that they went to an after-party, which was filled with police officer friends and their spouses.

[15:45:13]

Now, the testimony showed that Karen Read was driving her car, John O'Keefe was in it. When they got to that house. Karen Read didn't get out, but John O'Keefe did and the prosecutors, through their witnesses and in argument are saying that when John O'Keefe got out of the car and got to a certain position behind the car that Karen Read put the car in reverse and forensic testimony showed she went 24 miles per hour, backed into John O'Keefe hitting him and leaving him out in the cold and she drove away.

The defense is saying she did leave. She didn't go into the party because he wasn't feeling healing well, but she didn't hit John O'Keefe. What happened was John O'Keefe went into the house of the after party and there began to be an altercation, a fight.

Beyond that, a large dog in the house started to maul him and it was people in the house that took his body and threw it out in the snow. Well, a blizzard started at that point and his body wasn't discovered until six o'clock the next morning.

But this jury has a lot of issues because the defense is saying that Karen Read was framed, framed by law enforcement, that she is innocent. The prosecution entirely different theory, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, homicide by a vehicle and also alleging that her alcohol level was well beyond the legal limit.

Jean Casarez, CNN Dedham, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:51:40]

WHITFIELD: All right, let's go along for the ride because figuring out where to stay sometimes can be the hardest part about traveling.

But as the town known for being the birthplace of the motel, San Luis Obispo has more than enough options to choose from.

CNN's Victor Blackwell checked out some of the most colorful places to rest your head to find out why the city is number five on our list of the best American towns to visit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Along California's Central Coast lies the town of San Luis Obispo, home to beautiful beaches, sprawling vineyards, and this, the world-famous Madonna Inn.

BLACKWELL (on camera): This room looks like a good time.

BLACKWELL (voice over): Founded in 1958, the Madonna Inn is a sight to behold. Its eccentric decor is the brainchild of couple, Phyllis and Alex Madonna, the construction mogul.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He traveled all over California and he would stay at different places and everyplace was like the same.

So he decided he wanted to create this magical place.

We have 110 different rooms. No two alike.

BLACKWELL (voice over): There is the Yahoo Room, the Just Heaven Suite, and my favorite, the Traveler Suite.

BLACKWELL (on camera): Hello.

BLACKWELL (voice over): The Madonnas did keep a few unifying themes in mind, from cherubs to rocks.

BLACKWELL (on camera): I wonder how much it is to rig one of these up at home.

BLACKWELL (voice over): To the color pink.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So Mr. Madonna loved the color pink. You'll see pink pretty much everywhere.

You know, everybody looks good in pink.

BLACKWELL (on camera): Even the tennis balls are pink.

BLACKWELL (voice over): While it might seem random that a motel like the Madonna Inn found itself in San Luis Obispo, its location makes sense when you consider that the world's first motel was built just three miles away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the 1920s, it was just starting to become more common to have a car. Geographically speaking, we are pretty much exactly halfway between Northern California and Southern California.

The idea was, if you're driving, you're not going to make it in a day. That's where the motel inn came from.

BLACKWELL (voice over): A century later, San Luis Obispo is no longer just a stop along the way, it is a destination of its own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got an amazing local wine seen, a local food scene. It is all backed up by a phenomenal downtown that is just a real pleasure to come through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, sounds like it is time to start booking.

To learn more about San Luis Obispo or other towns on our list, you can visit our website or scan the QR code on the screen.

All right, sharks have been on the planet long before dinosaurs walked the earth, but these apex predators are now under attack by humans.

According to scientists, about 100 million sharks are being killed every year around the world.

CNN anchor, Boris Sanchez takes a deeper look at the conflict between fishermen and conservationists, and he travels to the Bahamas to free dive with an underwater photographer in the next episode of "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we feel like we are in a safe position, we are going to dive down and swim with these animals. So I am going to be taking pictures of you with the tiger sharks in the background.

[15:55:05]

Make sure you're looking all around, above, below, all the sides, because these sharks can come from different angles.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The amount of energy that is spent getting down there, getting close to the shark, keeping up with it, and also keeping your head on a swivel because there were several moments where you're focused on one and a couple of them are behind you or in your peripheral.

So it requires a lot of energy to not only be close to the shark and moving with it, but also to be alert.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is almost the same every time for me. It is that slipping in beneath the water, the world suddenly becomes more silent.

All the things in my mind are pushed to the periphery and I am focused 1,000 percent on these sharks.

It is the most present that I will ever be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And joining us right now, CNN's Boris Sanchez.

Okay, Boris, look, I am a scuba diver and I am a swimmer, but I cannot hold my breath that long underwater.

How did you prepare yourself for this?

SANCHEZ: I've been fortunate to train in free diving for years now and getting my body used to the amount of carbon dioxide that it takes to spend a minute or so, a minute-and-a-half swimming underwater.

Doing this was amazing, Fred.

As you well know, having spent time diving and being in the water, spending time in a space where you can't hear anyone speak, where you are embracing Mother Nature and all her majesty especially with these apex predators, these dinosaurs in the ocean that have been around longer than trees, it is like a meditative experience.

So telling the story was an incredible opportunity and specifically getting into the plight of sharks and highlighting how there is this conflict between them and fishermen folks.

WHITFIELD: Right, and I mean, that really is at the heart of all of this. And here you are, enjoying the majesty, too, of these sharks.

Most people fear sharks and that also is why many of them get killed, too, right, out of fear or there are other motivations, too.

But talk to me about what is learned about the conservation of sharks, how it is possible, how this free diving is also helping to facilitate that appreciation.

SANCHEZ: Absolutely. So I got an opportunity to go free diving with a good friend of mine, Jason Washington known as Cayman Jason, he is a world-class award-winning photographer in the Scuba Diving Hall of Fame.

His contribution to conservation is his ability to shine a new light on these animals. As you noted, there is immense fear when it comes to sharks. A lot of that has to do with the movie "Jaws" and the portrayal of sharks as these blood-thirsty killer animals, these mindless hunters, and they are not that.

They are sophisticated and graceful. They have a politics about them, and they have personality, too. As a matter of fact, when we were free diving with them, we were warned about a shark named, Butt Face and sort of unruly nature the way -- it is a funny name -- the way that it sort of doesn't follow the typical rules, the typical behavior of tiger sharks and when we got down there, we realized it was just kind of an unruly sort of animal, but I never felt scared.

It never threatened anyone. It was really just interested in what we were doing. And you saw in it curiosity, which is something that I don't think people appreciate about these animals, as well as the fact that they are threatened by overfishing worldwide.

One in three shark species is actually at risk of being close to extinction. So it is important to protect them, but also to consider the plight of fishermen, too who say that here in the United States, regulations have allowed their numbers to flourish, but that means more competition and it makes it much more difficult for them to make ends meet and that is what is at the crux of our story.

WHITFIELD: And just a minute ago, we were looking at video while you were talking, we were looking at the video of the woman that you also profile who is taking the hooks out of the mouths or taking the hooks off the sharks in any way that they are immersed in the shark.

So that's amazing. And I mean, because they actually seem like they are really cooperative and they know what she is doing as opposed to feeling threatened by her. How is that?

SANCHEZ: So that's Cristina Zenato. She is an amazing diver and she has contributed to the Bahamas enacting some of the strictest prohibitions on fishing and protections for sharks in the world and she has promoted eco-tourism too as an avenue for the islands to generate a ton of money from tourists that want to see these animals up close.

She makes the argument that these animals have become familiar with her. She has more than a hundred that she has named and she recognizes that they have a certain comfort with her and that allows her to reach into their mouths, the mouth of a shark and remove hooks that the sharks have latched onto as fishermen are in the area.

It is really incredible to watch. You have to tune in at 8:00 PM tonight.

WHITFIELD: I will be along with a few million of our friends who will be tuning in this evening.

Thank you so much, Boris Sanchez. Glad you made it back out okay. Given your free dive, you know.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much, Fred. Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Not gasping for air.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: All right, for more, don't miss a deep dive of the shark wars on "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper. That's tonight, 8:00 PM Eastern and Pacific.

The next hour of the newsroom starts right now.

[16:00:42]