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Harris, Trump Face Off Tuesday In Their First Presidential Debate; Video: Ukrainians Surrender, Seconds Later, They Are Executed; 25 Million Under Heat Alerts As The Western U.S. Bakes; CA Declares State Of Emergency As Landslide Rip Homes Apart; Aryna Sabalenka Defeats Jessica Pegula In Women's Final Match; Fritz Is First American Man To Reach U.S. Open Final Since 2006. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 07, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:46]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

The first debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump now, just three days away, and the two campaigns are bracing for what could be -- could be a pivotal moment in the race with just two months until election day.

Since Thursday, Harris has been preparing with a small team of advisers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or she has been taking part in mock debates and combing through possible attacks from Trump. She has also been taking breaks. Today, she made a surprise appearance at a spice shop in Pittsburgh, which turned into an emotional moment with voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What is that?

(CHEERS)

HARRIS: What is that about?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think you understand -- in that position, you know.

HARRIS: It's going to be good. We're going to be good. We're going to be fine. We are going to be fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Trump is spending his prep time talking to his base. He held a campaign rally in the battleground, state of Wisconsin a few hours ago. He appeared once again to accuse Vice President Harris of "cover up" with President Biden and suggested changing the 25th Amendment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Finally, I will support modifying the 25th Amendment to make clear that if a vice president lies or engages in a conspiracy to cover up the incapacity of the president of the United States, if you do that with a cover up of the president of the United States, it is grounds for impeachment immediately and removal from office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Let's turn now to our panel, CNN senior political commentator and former special assistant to President George W. Bush, Scott Jennings and CNN senior political commentator and former Obama administration official, Van Jones.

It is always great to have both of you here. Thanks for spending your Saturday evening with us for a few minutes.

Scott, let's start first with you. I want to talk about the debate eight first. We saw the president at his rally today hitting some familiar notes there. What can he do on Tuesday, if you're advising him, what does he do to persuade any persuadable voters that might be left out there?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, he has to come to this debate prepared to prosecute the case that electing Kamala Harris is just having more of the same. I mean, that is his whole campaign here.

If you're unhappy with Biden and you don't think what they have done on the economy is working for you, you can't leave the same people in charge. He has to be able to know the record, know what vote she has cast, know the thing she has said, everything she has done on the Biden administration. He just has to know it cold.

Now, in 2020, when he debated Biden, the first time around, not good. The second time around, he actually was very well-prepared and he was able to sort of be very specific in back-and-forth with Bidens, so I know he can do it, but that's it. He has to -- people have to turn off the TV thinking, yes, I really do want change and Trump is the candidate of change, not Harris.

DEAN: And Van, it is interesting because meantime, Kamala Harris keeps saying, let's turn the page. We're not going back. She has positioned herself in a way as a change candidate. How does she convince people that she is the change that they are looking for? What does a win look like for her?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think first of all, she walks in there representing maybe the broadest coalition of Americans in living memory.

Everybody from AOC to now Dick Cheney is standing behind her --

DEAN: And I do want to talk about that in a second, yes.

JONES: Yes, but imagine walking in there, the leading lights of Donald Trump's party are with her and I think she has got to be able to communicate, yes, you can go into the crazy bin with this guy, I am presidential, I am ready, I calm. I cannot be thrown off by this guy and we are going to move forward.

And I think the reality is, people want to hang a bunch of stuff on her as if she were president of the United States. The vice president of the United States' only job is to watch and see if the president is alive this morning. Anything else she did beyond that is just kind of extra.

And so she is now in a position where she can say that she is going to be the commander-in-chief and she will move in a different direction than Joe Biden.

DEAN: Scott, before I move on to Dick Cheney, would you like to jump in there?

JENNINGS: Well, I mean, normally that is the case. I mean, she has had a very consequential vice presidency.

[18:05:10]

She has cast, I think the most ever tie-breaking votes in the Senate of any vice president, including on Joe Biden's specific economic program, which drove the country into a massive inflation and inflationary spiral which everyone is mad about.

And on top of that sheet, in her own words, last person in the room with Joe Biden when they made a disastrous decision on Afghanistan.

So, I think in some cases you're right, Van, the vice president is relatively inconsequential. She has been a consequential vice president. I think the consequences have been bad. Trump has to be able to make that case at the debate.

JONES: I see it differently, but you probably have other questions.

DEAN: Yes, well, I did just want to -- I did want to get into Dick Cheney's endorsement. I want to play a clip of what Kamala Harris, the vice president said about that endorsement today. Here is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: People are exhausted about the division and the attempts to kind of divide us as Americans and them stepping up to make this public statement, I think is a courageous, but also for people like the folks I was just talking with, it really reinforces for them that we love our country and we have more in common than what separates sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And Scott Vice President Dick Cheney, former Vice President Dick Cheney in his endorsement said: "Trump can never be trusted with power again." Is he wrong?

JENNINGS: Well, I mean, most Republicans would argue that the dangers of Donald Trump are far outstripped by the dangers of a Kamala Harris presidency when you consider just how far to the left she may want to take the country.

I mean, I know she is changing all of her positions now, but no Republicans really believe that she is a moderate. They believe what her initial instincts were when she got into politics. I mean, she is a California Democrat whose instincts were to side with Bernie Sanders on virtually every issue of the day and then run for president on that platform.

And so that's what people -- that's what Republicans believe she is, and they think there are real consequences about the future of the country under a president who would go so far left particular really if Democrats got or retained control of the United States Senate and eliminated the filibuster. This country, our government could take a sharp left turn in a hurry.

And so Vice President Cheney, who I revere, I worked to elect this man, vice president twice. I worked in the White House under Vice President Cheney, I revere him. I respect him.

I think his statement was a little hyperbolic, and I also think most Republicans are going to disagree with him on the conclusion about you know, what's more dangerous for the future. Generally, a center right government, or a very left-wing government?

DEAN: And Van -- well, go ahead.

JONES: I see it very differently. If you are an undecided voter and you're trying to figure out what to do, this is a pretty massive signal.

If Kamala Harris does stuff that you don't like, maybe your tax policy is too aggressive. You can vote her out in four years and fix it. If you put somebody in office who does not respect the rule of law, the Constitution, somebody who led an insurrection, somebody you may not be able to vote out in four years, you can't fix that very easily.

And so, a middle way candidacy is perfect, but if you're in the middle of trying to figure out, well, who is going to have the most survivable set of errors? Donald Trump has already proven that he will use violence, lies, and all kinds of stuff in a way that even Dick Cheney, who is as far right -- he makes Scott Jennings look like a Boy Scout, even Dick Cheney says that Kamala is a safer bet for America.

DEAN: I just -- Van, going off that, endorsements don't always matter like we make a big deal out of them because they are interesting to talk about, but they don't always tangibly move a needle.

But in terms of the context of this one, and I think that is what you were just kind of getting at. The fact that it is Vice President Dick Cheney, if you went back in a time machine and told somebody that this would transpire, they would go, no, absolutely not. Right?

JONES: Yes, and the thing is, by itself, maybe it matters a little bit, maybe it doesn't, but you're making now a case -- you're putting together a bunch of Legos here to say there is a safe choice and there is a risky choice. There is a choice that is within the bounds of our system and there is a choice that is outside the bounds of our system and when you have a convicted crook and an insurrectionist who lies every single day to the point that Dick Cheney, John McCain's kid are jumping from the party that they love to not just say, I am going to stay out of it, to aggressively make the case that we have to go with Kamala Harris.

If you are in the middle and you don't know what to do, it should be a massive signal.

DEAN: And Scott, I am just thinking back to your days working for that administration. Some of those voters who really loved George W. Bush, loved Dick Cheney don't see themselves reflected in the current Republican Party or with Donald Trump. Do you understand that? What do you say to them and what do you think this sort of move, the case that they are building as Van was just talking about says to a voter like that.

[18:10:10]

JENNINGS: There is no question that the parties have changed. I mean, since the George W. Bush days, you have had cohorts of Republicans that have migrated out and some of them have migrated over to the Democratic Party. It is also true that the Democratic Party has changed.

You have had a lot of working class voters, union members, and others who have migrated over to the Republican Party. So you have had some cross pollination, some shifting coalitions. And what I would simply say is that Democrats have called Dick Cheney a war criminal for 20 years, and now all of a sudden, they're clapping like seals to get his endorsement. This does not strike me as people who are interested in listening to your conservative viewpoints. They are hungry for power, they will take Dick Cheney's endorsement today, but believe you me, in their hearts, they wouldn't want to go out to dinner with Dick Cheney, let alone have him have any influence over the next government and I doubt that he would.

DEAN: Van, any last thoughts?

JONES: Well, I mean, the feeling is probably mutual.

I mean, it gives you a sense of what a big threat Donald Trump is, is that you are correct. I don't think Dick Cheney will hang out with us and vice versa. But there will be one day when we stand together and that will be in November to stop Donald Trump from running America.

DEAN: All right, Scott Jennings and Van Jones, always a pleasure. Thank you so much.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

JONES: Thank you.

DEAN: On Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump sharing the stage for that debate that America is waiting for.

You can follow CNN for complete coverage and exclusive analysis before and after that debate. The ABC News Presidential Debate simulcast starts Tuesday at 9:00 PM Eastern on CNN.

Ahead, new video obtained exclusively by CNN appears to show Russian soldiers killing Ukrainian troops in cold blood after they surrendered. Why one Ukrainian official says this is part of a growing pattern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:16:31]

DEAN: Tonight, CNN has obtained exclusive new video appearing to show Ukrainian troops trying to surrender to Russian forces only to be shot and killed seconds later. The video was captured by a Ukrainian drone hovering nearby. And we want to warn you, it is disturbing.

Our Nick Paton Walsh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Now, over the past months we've been seeing partial evidence, hearing increased reporting of this alarming new Russian trend it seems to shoot Ukrainian soldiers after they surrender rather than take them prisoner, but it is rare to capture that particular moment on video part, I think of the almost constant ghoulish presence of drones over the Ukrainian frontline at the moment.

But here is one instance, which prosecutors in Ukraine said today they would be investigating after our report, which they said occurred on the 26th of August, and you should be aware that the video you're about to see is disturbing.

WALSH (voice over): The scene all too common on Ukraine's imperiled eastern front, smoke billowing, a position overrun. Ukrainian troops staggering out, appearing to surrender to advancing Russians.

A brief close up on Ukrainian drone video seen here for the first time shows them on their knees.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: My friend, zoom in, we have to see them.

WALSH: The drone operators ask each other for a better view.

And then seconds later, it is too late.

The three fall to the ground, dust nearby, suggesting gunfire, executed in cold blood, a Ukrainian official familiar with the incident said, despite hoping to be taken prisoner by the Russians.

It is from near the besieged city of Pokrovsk in late August, the source said, the hottest spot on the front now where Russia is persistently advancing and follows a horrific pattern.

Prosecutors say they're investigating a total of 28 cases in which 62 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after surrender on the battlefield.

ANDRIY KOSTIN, PROSECUTOR GENERAL OF UKRAINE: If prisoners of war surrender, if they show that they surrender, if they are without weapons in their hand -- in their hands, than summary execution is the war crime.

WALSH (voice over): It has worsened in the past 10 months, CNN obtaining from Ukrainian intelligence officials a detailed list of 15 incidents. Most backed up by drone video or audio intercepts.

WALSH (on camera): Now, United Nations investigators have scrutinized for many of these killings. And the UN investigative source said to me: "There are many, there is a pattern and the killings are war crimes individually," they said in their opinion and together could amount to crimes against humanity.

WALSH (voice over): And new reporting at the site of some of the fiercest fighting this year in Zaporizhzhia, another Ukrainian drone filmed in May, these images that are upsetting to watch.

Ukrainian soldiers emerge one by one from the dugout. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence said they intercepted the Russian commander's order to execute or zero them and gave us this transcript.

"Take them (bleep) down. (Bleep) zero them, take them. Zero them," the officer says. "Got it, plus," comes the reply.

"Once you zero them, report back," he adds.

Once they're all out, face down, the Russians fire.

Ukrainians we spoke to left asking why? To just terrify them or is it simply sport for the Russians.

PETRO YATSENKO, UKRAINIAN COORDINATION CENTER FOR THE TREATMENT OF POWS: The main reason is to make Russian soldiers believe they -- it's very dangerous to surrender to Ukrainian forces because Ukrainian soldiers will kill them like Russians killing Ukrainian prisoners of war.

This force them not to surrender, but to go forward to their deaths.

[18:20:20]

WALSH (voice over): A horror not always publicized or fully accounted for, yet being felt steadily by Ukrainians as they struggle to hold the eastern line.

WALSH (on camera): Now, the Russian Ministry of Defense declined to comment thus far when we reached out to them. As I say, Ukraine, prosecutors have said they will be investigating this instance and they updated their numbers today saying that 73 Ukrainian serviceman have lost their lives in instances like that and I think that brings them to about 30 incidents.

But this is a dilemma, I think for Ukraine in that there do appear from the conversations we've been having to be more instances like this that are not necessarily always publicized, or investigated.

The dilemma for Ukrainian commanders being, you could potentially damage the morale of your troops, potentially already ebbing in this long war, if you alert them to this possibility, but at the same time, they do deserve a warning given this new increased instance, it seems of Russian brutality, a hard question for Kyiv to answer.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Nick, thank you for that report.

Still ahead, former President Trump holding a weekend rally in Wisconsin as his campaign highlights the state is crucial to a Trump win in November.

Up next, we are going to talk to the head of Wisconsin's Democratic Party about what Vice President Harris needs to do to keep Trump from flipping Wisconsin. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:26:06]

DEAN: Swing-state Wisconsin, nearly always a big focus in presidential campaigns. In 2020, the day went blue for President Joe Biden, it went red in 2016 for former President Donald Trump, and now it is key to winning for both Harris and Trump.

Trump just wrapping up a rally there a few moments ago and joining me now, the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Ben Wikler.

Ben, good to see you. Thanks so much for being here with us.

BEN WIKLER, CHAIRMAN, WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Nice to be with you, Jessica. Thank you.

DEAN: Yes. I just want to start first with we have this new polling of battleground states, our polling showing Harris at 50 percent in Wisconsin to Trumps 44 percent, but I have to tell you, when you talk to Democrats, even still, even if they are confident, they still remain somewhat scarred by what happened in 2016, what the polling said, what ultimately happened.

What -- I know, you're intimately involved in everything that is going on there in the organization, what makes you think Democrats can keep Wisconsin blue this go around?

WIKLER: I think that Wisconsin will be blue for Harris and Walz because we don't take comfort in polling that shows us ahead. In 2020, polls had us way up. We fought and organized every single day like we were one point behind. We call it the margin of effort, not the margin of error. And in the final analysis, we won by six-tenths of a point. So that is how we are treating this election, too and because of that, I think we will come out ahead in the end.

DEAN: It is kind of wild that most likely this election is going to be decided in a handful of states, including yours, by this tiny margin of voters in each of these states. What are you hearing from people? What do they want to talk about when they are coming to you, when they are talking to you about their candidates unprompted? What are they normally talking about in terms of issues?

WIKLER: Well, today, I visited Wausau, Wisconsin, stopped in Mosinee where Trump had his rally, went to Portage, Wisconsin in Columbia County. These are not big communities and talk to a lot of Democrats, what we are hearing from doors, from Independent voters, from voters that are thinking through their choices with both parties, first is about the cost of living. They want a candidate who will stick up for regular people against big special interests. That's what Harris and Walz have done all their lives.

And secondly, they want freedom. They don't want politicians making their personal decisions. And that is one reason they are so concerned about Project 2025 and the idea of politicians doing what we saw in Wisconsin, which is backing an abortion ban. We saw that from Republicans here.

They don't want Donald Trump and JD Vance deciding whether they can access IVF or abortion care if they need it and that is something that we hear, not just from Democrats, but from voters across the political spectrum.

DEAN: And listen, former President Trump is not giving up, you mentioned he had this rally in Wisconsin today. Clearly trying to rally his base, make sure his voters are motivated in going to the polls, as you mentioned, at the last go around really for both times when he has run in '16 and '20, tiny little margins there in Wisconsin.

Our polling and polling across from various different outlets continues to show him doing very well with men, beating Kamala Harris when it comes to male voters. What do you think can be done to grow her support with men? And do you think that that is a place where she could kind of expand her support?

WIKLER: Vice President Harris is making, I think are very smart and effective pitch to men that we are just sort of starting to hear roll out as well as two women, not just around freedom, but around economic opportunity and that means the freedom to start a business and clear out regulatory red tape and help people who are becoming entrepreneurs, who want to build wealth to be able to support their own children and their own families.

Support for people who want to be able to buy a home, help with first- time homebuyers, $25,000.00 when people are buying their first home, so they can live out their own American Dream.

These are things that really make a difference for folks and building millions of additional houses because frankly part of the reason why the cost of homes is so high is there aren't enough of them, so making it easier to cut through red tape and do that. Those are all things that make a lot of sense to people because most Americans, especially in Wisconsin, we deeply value hard work. We honor work and working people.

We know that unions are key to the middle class and unions growing the middle-class. And we know that supporting people who want to be entrepreneurs in their own lives can make a huge difference.

[18:30:23]

Now, Trump talks a big game on this stuff, but when it actually came down to it in Wisconsin, he didn't do anything close to what Harris and Biden have done or what Harris and Walz are planning to do next. So I think that economic pitch makes a big difference alongside the freedom pitch and the clarity that each of us wants to lead our own lives. We don't want the government telling us what to do. We say, mind your own damn business, as Gov. Walz likes to say.

DEAN: And before I let you go, the political reporter, political nerd in me, wants to know just strategically, you know, generally, it's run up the score. If you want your candidate to win, run up the score in the places they do really well, keep the other candidates' margins down in the places they do well, and hopefully you can eke out a win.

What does that look for you guys as the Democratic Party? How are you helping? And tactically, what does that look like? Is it door knocking? Is it organizing? What are you guys doing?

WIKLER: Our - we have a surround sound, all of the above strategy with organizing in this election. And I will say that we have now fair maps in our state legislature. So from the local candidates, like in Wausau, where I was, Yilin Zhang (ph) is running for state assembly; Sarah Keyeski is running for state Senate in Columbia County, where I was, all these local candidates from their own communities, often in fairly rural areas and small towns, representing Democratic values that resonate locally, all the way up the ticket to Harris-Walz and Tammy Baldwin.

We want volunteers out on doors, calling phones, reaching out to friends, going to bars, going to parades, every place where people are gathered and having one-to-one conversations online and offline. All of that matters. And we're asking everyone to go to wisdoms.org (ph), sign up, volunteer. We're out this weekend. We'll be out every week and every weekend until the polls close on November 5th.

DEAN: All right. Ben Wikler, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

WIKLER: Thanks so much for having me.

DEAN: Yep, still to come from Southern California up to Washington State, 25 million Americans up and down the West Coast are under heat alerts as they bake under temperatures 10 to 20 degrees hotter than normal.

Plus, people in an Oceanside community outside Los Angeles will have to endure those temperatures without any air conditioning as landslides damage homes there, splinter roads and are also threatening power lines.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:37:13]

DEAN: Across the West Coast, 25 million Americans are under heat alerts this weekend. Triple-digit temperatures expected from Phoenix to Las Vegas to Los Angeles, which hit a record of 112 degrees downtown yesterday. And the bad news is cooler relief still days away. CNN's Elisa Raffa has more.

Elisa, our friends out West, man, it has been brutal for them.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I mean, we're talking about records well into the triple digits, and we're in the middle of September. You could see the alerts stretch from - you've got some for parts of Washington, and then you have the warnings in effect for Southern California, Los Angeles and a warning through Monday at least.

The records that fell yesterday are just incredible. Temperatures up near 104 degrees for parts of California. Downtown L.A. hit 112, breaking a record from 2020. The airport hit 102 and we even had temperatures as hot as 98 degrees as far north as Washington and Oregon.

As we go through the next couple of days, we're still looking at triple-digit temperatures. Phoenix continues their stretch up near 110, Vegas near 105 through the next couple of days, and even Los Angeles near triple-digit heat through Sunday and through Monday as this really continues.

So Los Angeles hit 112 for the first - I'm sorry, for the third time on record since 1877, so just incredible how rare heat like this is. They were one degree shy of their all-time record of 113 degrees that was set back in September of 2010. Again, forecast to be at that century mark through Monday, and average for this time of year in L.A. is 84 degrees.

So Southern California gets hot, but not this hot this late in the season. Phoenix has been plowing through their records so far at 103 consecutive days at a hundred degrees or hotter, which shatters the previous stretch of 76 days that was set back in 1993. So again, you're just looking at the heat getting more extreme and lasting so much longer.

So when you look at the climate shift index from Climate Central, that tool that tells us what that climate change fingerprint is, you can see all of the dark shading here telling us that, especially here in Southern California, climate change made these temperatures four to five times more likely.

Again, that heat just getting more extreme, lasting later into the season, a little bit of relief coming for these people out west as we go into the work week, Jessica?

DEAN: All right. Elisa Raffa, thanks so much for that.

Well, landslides are cracking homes, buckling roads, leaving hundreds without power. In an oceanfront community about 40 miles outside of Los Angeles, California governor, Gavin Newsom, is now declaring a state of emergency for Rancho Palos Verdes. Local officials say the area has seen slow land movement for years, but it's suddenly sped up and has now become disastrous. And now we're learning 54 additional homes will lose power Monday. CNN's Stephanie Elam explains.

[18:40:04]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's as if the earth is wiping away what's been built upon it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm no geologist, but when you see the road turning into a roller coaster, you know something's wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM (voice over): Here in Rancho Palos Verdes, an affluent community coveted for its expansive Pacific Ocean vistas, the land is sliding dangerously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BABARA FERRARO, RANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: This is unprecedented. No one knows really in a way what to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM (voice over): While the land has always slowly shifted here, local leaders say it's accelerated tremendously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG MONTGOMERY, RESIDENT, RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA: Unbelievable, in the last four months, it's constant. I mean, it's just - what do you do? We're sitting here on a keg of dynamite and we can't go repair anything because the ground continues to move.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM (voice over): So much so, some residents had their natural gas service discontinued in July, with more shutoffs recently added. Then, in the last week, more than 200 homes had their power cut indefinitely as the shifting ground threatens utility lines. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY CHUNG, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON: On August 29th, the fire that occurred near Narcissa Drive, the land movement caused a power line to fall to the ground and ignite a small fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM (voice over): That fire was quickly extinguished, officials say, but the incident exposed the threat posed to basic infrastructure, including water and sewer lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHEE, PIO, LA COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICTS: We are dealing with incomprehensible amounts of earth with unimaginable movement, pulling our infrastructure in ways that it is not designed or intended to move or resist this level of dynamic activity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM (voice over): Allowing officials to funnel resources toward the emergency response, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the city this week, noting the land movement accelerated significantly following the 2023 and '24 severe storm events, with the land now sliding at an average of nine to 12 inches per week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we're all learning that there is no playbook for an emergency like this one. We don't have a step-by-step guide to follow. But what we do know is that many families are struggling, are suffering, are feeling great anxiety about what is happening. They are watching their homes, they're watching their streets crumble around them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM (voice over): And for some residents, the only option is to remain in their damaged homes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG CADWALLADER, RESIDENT, RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA: Everybody must assume that people who live in Rancho Palos Verdes are infinitely wealthy. That's not the case, especially for me. And so I literally don't know where I'm going.

MONTGOMERY: We've lost our ability to live normal lives. I mean, we have plans to go places and we can't go, we have to stay here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (on camera): For some of the residents in these neighborhoods, it's not just their homes that are being impacted, but also their livelihoods as well, which is making the situation even more dire for them. Back to you.

DEAN: Stephanie, thank you.

Ahead, it looks like the Americans will not sweep the U.S. Open finals. We are live from Flushing Meadows with the latest. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:47:57]

DEAN: An American heartbreak at the U.S. Open where Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka has just dashed the Grand Slam hopes of Jessica Pegula. Andy Scholes is joining us now from Flushing Meadows.

What a match, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Oh, Jessica, it was a great match. I mean, Aryna Sabalenka, she came into this one, world number two, the heavy favorite over Jessica Pegula. But this was a really good match. I mean, they had so many long rallies, but in the end, it was just Sabalenka's just relentless power that ended up being too much for Pegula.

She ended up winning this match in straight sets: 7-5, 7-5. And Sabalenka, with the win, that now means she swept the hard sport majors this season. She won the Australian Open back in January. She also won that last year, and she nearly went back-to-back in both of those majors. But in last year's U.S. Open final, Sabalenka, she lost to Coco Gauff.

And in that one, she said that the New York crowd really affected her with everyone cheering for Coco. She vowed not to let that happen again this year, and she certainly didn't. She handled her best game when she needed it the most. She said afterwards, she'd always dreamed about winning the U.S. Open, and now she has it.

And Jessica, she also thanked the New York crowd because she said she did hear those cheers when she did something well, and she fully understood why they were cheering for Pegula here today, because she's the American. She said it would not have been normal for them to be in her corner.

DEAN: It's very understanding. American Taylor Fritz and Italy's Jannik Sinner are facing off tomorrow in the men's finals. What are you expecting from that, Andy?

SCHOLES: Well, Fritz, like Pegula today, it's going to be the American underdog tomorrow with Taylor Fritz going up against world number one, Jannik Sinner. This is Fritz's first-ever Grand Slam final, so he's going to really have to fight those nerves because, like I said, he is going to be the underdog. But, you know, he's got the - all the hopes of the American men behind him because an American man has not won a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick here at the U.S. Open way back in 2003.

[18:50:04]

So the drought has been a long one, more than two decades. We'll see if he's able to do that here tomorrow, but he's going to have to play his best game because Jannik Sinner, like Sabalenka, won the Australian Open. He is an excellent, hard-court player and is going to be a tough one to beat.

But Fritz will have this New York crowd behind him. We'll see if they can really will him to an upset.

DEAN: All right. Andy Scholes for us, thanks so much for the update. We appreciate it.

For more on how things are shaking out at the U.S. Open, let's talk to someone who's been there before on the court and in the competition, tennis hall of famer Pam Shriver ranked among the top 10 women's singles player in the world throughout the 1980s and together with her partner, Martina Navratilova, she won five U.S. Open doubles titles. Among her 100-plus tennis titles, she won 22 major championships and she's now a commentator for ESPN. And she's joining me now from Los Angeles.

It's so nice to have you here with us. I know you have lived and breathed tennis for many, many years. We just heard our colleague Andy Scholes walking us through the women's final today. What did you think about it?

PAM SHRIVER, ESPN TENNIS COMMENTATOR: I thought it was a tremendous ending of the women's championship. I agree with Andy. It was a high- quality match. I loved that Jess Pegula, whose parents own the Buffalo Bills and here we are at the NFL opening weekend, she came from behind and was able to not only recover from a set and three-love down and then take a 5-3 lead in the second. I thought the shot-making was terrific. The strategies were tough.

But Sabalenka's the most powerful player in the world in the women's game. She's won, prior to today, two other hard-court majors. She's been the number one in the world. I think last year she felt when she really was the better player at the start of the match against Coco Gauff but let the crowd, kind of, disrupt her. She really showed the maturity and that she was ready to win the U.S. Open. I thought it was a great championship on the women's side.

DEAN: It was interesting to hear Andy and now you talk about the impact the crowd can have, of course, in any - in most sporting events you can hear the crowds, you know, yelling. And as an athlete, I would assume you have to train yourself to really stay in your own head. That has to be so difficult.

SHRIVER: It's - it can be extremely difficult. The mindset training is very difficult when you're playing against someone from the home country. But let me tell you, I've also seen players from Australia where they have majors in England and France that they couldn't produce under the pressure of trying to win the home major. I thought Jess Pegula and also I've got to give credit to Emma Navarro who made it to the final four, you know, we have four Americans through taking up half of the spots of the semi-finalists. It was the best result on the men's and women's side since 2002 at the U.S. Open, so a lot of bright future ahead for U.S. tennis, especially on the men's side.

As Andy mentioned, it's been a while since Andy Roddick won a major for the U.S. in '03, but it's - really looking promising. And I can't wait to see how Taylor Fritz brings it tomorrow because he's won a big, hard-court tournament in Indian Wells a few years ago which is in Southern California where he resides and I like the way Taylor Fritz is going about his business this tournament.

DEAN: Yes. And he's a - I think he came in as a 12 seed, Jannik is at one seed. So look, it'll be really interesting to see how that all plays out tomorrow. What are you going to be looking for?

SHRIVER: Well, what I'm going to be looking for is a confident start from Taylor Fritz who has one of the biggest first serves and a beautiful forehand. His weapons need to work well against Sinner. I thought Sinner in the semifinals against Jack Draper didn't play his best tennis.

We know Sinner came into the U.S. Open with one of the biggest controversies when he had tested positive back in the spring to a banned substance and was able to explain it to the right entities in the doping world so that he's been allowed to play. So he kind of started the tournament in a very disruptive way but he's shown why he's number one. But I still think Taylor Fritz - he's going to invite the crowd in tomorrow and Taylor Fritz, just like Pegula, starts underdog as Andy just mentioned, but I think Taylor Fritz has an even better chance than Pegula did today to cause the upset tomorrow.

DEAN: And you mentioned just the bright future of American tennis and American tennis players. What do you think it is about this particular moment where we're seeing so many Americans doing really well in the sport?

SHRIVER: Well, first off, I have to give the U.S. Open and the credit to the USTA partially because they help tennis grow throughout this entire country. We know that it's a tremendous lifetime sport. We saw Billie Jean King on the court presenting the trophy. It's been the greatest global professional sport for women for some time. You can play into your 80s and 90s. It's a healthy lifetime sport.

So I think that's part of the energy. People coming out of COVID wanted healthy physical activities and there's nothing better than tennis. As far as the U.S. goes, it's like finally the women have always been there.

[18:55:04]

You know, Venus and Serena Williams carried the women's flag on the U.S. side for 20 years, but we've had Sloane Stephens breakthrough, we've had Sofia Kenin, we've had Madison Keys get to finals of majors. And then, finally to have the men and the women doing well in the same U.S. Open, it's been great. We're just capitalizing on the momentum but everybody go pick up a racket and play.

DEAN: Yes, it is. It's a really fun sport. All right. Pam Shriver, thank you so much for being here with us. We really appreciate your perspective.

SHRIVER: Jess, thanks for having me.

DEAN: Yes. We'll be right back.

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