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CNN This Morning

200 Texas Homes Damaged In EF3 Tornado, Cleanup Now Underway; Pennsylvania Governor Hopes To Reopen I-95 Within Two Weeks; Biden Kicks Off Reelection Bid With Philadelphia Rally; Blinken Begins High- Stakes Talks In Beijing; Pope Francis Leads Angelus Prayer After Surgery; Senate Recognizes Role Of Dads In Families; Fantastic Finish For Golf's Third Major; The Growing Field Of Farm Technology; Ohio Woman Refuses To Take Down 10 Foot Tall Decoration. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired June 18, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:02]

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Not since an Ohio woman got stuck upside down and called 911 on her smart watch --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is so embarrassing.

MOOS: -- has gym mishap gotten so much attention, Alyssa even has a favorite joke.

ALYSSA KONKEL, STREAMWOOD RESIDENT: Who takes your pants off faster, your boyfriend or the treadmill?

MOOS: It's not even close.

KONKEL: The treadmill.

MOOS: And if you don't like it, butt out.

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

KONKEL: Everybody has a butt.

MOOS: -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(LAUGHTER)

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: I have not seen that image of that --

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, it's a first time CNN story. And now that I'm watching that, like, yeah, I have thought about that happening. Like if I fall, not that my pants come off, but if I fall, yeah, this treadmill is going to eat my face up.

WALKER: I mean, I'm just afraid of the embarrassment. I think I could run faster than I really can and I pressed the button a little too confidently and I've almost fallen a few times. So --

BLACKWELL: Tie your shoes when you're in a treadmill. It's a lesson.

WALKER: Or wear shoes without shoe laces.

BLACKWELL: All right.

WALKER: CNN this morning continues right now.

(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is June 18th. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. I'm Victor Blackwell.

WALKER: Happy Fathers Day. I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for spending a part of your morning with us.

A lot to talk about this morning. Not about butts.

BLACKWELL: Not about butts.

But I do want to say this, though, do all of the stuff you did for Mother's Day, for Father's Day -- cook the breakfast and give dad the day off. Fathers that never get as much as mom's do on father' days.

WALKER: You're right. In fact, do you know what I'm doing?

BLACKWELL: What are you doing?

WALKER: I'm getting on a flight right after this show.

BLACKWELL: Plane, and leaving.

WALKER: I'm leaving my husband by himself. He's a good man.

BLACKWELL: If he had done that on Mother's Day.

WALKER: Oh, we wouldn't be talking about anymore.

BLACKWELL: Furniture moving.

WALKER: Exactly.

Here's what we're watching this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: I've seen more tornados than I can count. I've never seen the level of decimation to a town as I've seen today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration for communities in Texas devastated by tornados. The mayor of the hard-hit town of Perryton joining us this hour with a look at the recovery efforts. BLACKWELL: President Biden makes his pitch for four more years in the

White House with his first campaign rally of the 2024 presidential race. The message he's sending to voters on why he says he deserves that second term.

WALKER: Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is meeting with his counterparts in Beijing at this hour and what's being called a high stakes, low expectations visit. The purpose of this trip and the issues that Blinken plans to raise.

BLACKWELL: And on this Father's Day, we will introduce the dad caucus on Capitol Hill and their efforts to push legislation to help families.

We're starting this morning with the clean-up in parts of Texas, after that massive EF-3 tornado touched down in Perryton, left a six mile path of destruction in its wake. It's something the state's governor has never seen anything like it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: I've seen more tornados than I can count. I've never seen the level of decimation to a town as I've seen today.

CHIEF NIM KIDD, TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: I was humbled by the citizens of this town. The families that have just lost everything, they were not sitting on the curb waiting for somebody to help them. They were right in the middle of clean-up within hours after the storm passed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: But with the clean-up comes some confusion for many residents. They're wondering why they didn't get a warning from the city to take cover. The tornado sirens that normally ring ahead of a storm stayed silent this time.

CNN's Isabel Rosales found out why they didn't go off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara, Victor, good morning to you.

This is something that I heard from folks all around town, that they never heard a siren. Now we know from the city manager that is because the system failed. There was no electricity and that audible siren never went out. Those who did know that they were in danger is because they had applications on their phone, weather apps to let them know a tornado was possibly coming their way.

Let me show you what is happening here on the ground and really, it is clean-up mode. Everywhere you look in downtown Perryton, you see bulldozers knocked over homes and businesses, 200 of them, 200 homes have been damaged. They need to clear this out before they could begin to rebuild this community. Of course, this tornado was on the ground 11 minutes going across a length of over six miles.

I spoke with 11-year-old Alexa Lugo who took cover inside of a mobile home as the tornado was going overhead.

[08:05:03]

She prayed for the safety of her family. She was fine. Her family was fine, their home was totaled, but at a nearby mobile home, 11-year-old Matthew Ramirez was not.

ALEXA LUGO, TORNADO SURVIVOR: He was very funny. We would joke around and he would always be playing with his friends, playing soccer. He loved soccer. Yeah, and I just remember, like, him being in class, like he would just be laughing for no reason and make his friends laugh. It was funny.

ROSALES: And Ramirez is the youngest victim of this tornado. The death toll standing at three. We know from the Ochiltree General Hospital that they treated 160 people for tornado-related injuries and the hospital that only had 25 beds. So really a remarkable effort here by medical staff -- Victor and Amara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Yeah, really incredible.

Isabel Rosales, thank you very much into.

BLACKWELL: We're joined by the Perryton's mayor, Kerry Symons.

Mayor Simmons, thank you for being with us.

Let's start with just the situation is like there this morning. We know it's still early, but you're assessment at the start of the day?

MAYOR KERRY SYMONS, PERRYTON, TEXAS: Well, we are continuing the clean-up. That is the main thing, trying to get electricity restored to the rest of the city. The state people have been wonderful to us.

We have, I don't know, countless numbers of state agencies are here helping. And, of course, our own employees and a gillion residents and people from, I don't know, states -- several states are here. Good Samaritan got here yesterday.

It's -- we're going to get there. Perryton is strong resilient and we'll overcome this.

WALKER: Mr. Mayor, I know you heard our reporting from Isabel Rosales about the siren system not working. We know electricity played a role. Let's see what the city manager -- your city manager had to say about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LANDIS, PERRYTON, TEXAS CITY MANAGER: We were under a watch at the moment that they went to a warning, our people went -- when they went to activate, we lost power throughout town.

REPORTER: So failed -- the siren system failed?

LANDIS: With loss at electricity at the moment it hit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: So electricity is usually cut off when there is a tornado, right? How do you make sure that this doesn't happen again? That the siren system will work when there is another tornado on the ground?

SYMONS: Well, the weather service has got to issue -- I mean, we're set to issue when it goes from watch to warning, that is when we usually flip the switch and it was all simultaneous and those clouds drop right out of the sky and it was -- they say we had two funnel clouds hit Perryton. So, you know, that is why the app is on phone are so, so important.

BLACKWELL: There are a lot of people, though, Mr. Mayor, you understand, who are not as familiar with technology and don't have access to apps on smartphones. But for those people who are relying on the city to tell them when this type of danger is coming, is there a way, and maybe the answer is there just isn't, because it is powered by electricity, is there is a way to make sure this does not happen again, where electricity, or loss means you can't make people aware this storm is coming?

SYMONS: Well, most people -- I mean, I can't answer that question.

WALKER: Let's talk --

SYMONS: I mean, humans, I mean, if we don't get -- if we turn it on when the watch is -- when we have a watch, it's going to be -- people are going to be in a shelter for hours. I don't know. I don't know what the answer to that question is.

WALKER: Did you -- where were you? Did you rely on your app? What did you do when the storm hit?

SYMONS: Well actually, I was driving into Denver when it happened, and Denver, Colorado. And the moment that I got the call that it hit, we turned around and got home about 2:00 in the morning.

BLACKWELL: So, we've seen that some of your fire trucks were damaged in this storm. Give us a survey of city resources.

[08:10:03]

You talked about trying to make sure you restore power. But do you have the resources, the infrastructure to serve the parts of the city that have not been damaged, to continue to offer full resources to the citizens of Perryton?

SYMONS: We never lost -- we never lost water. We only lost power. And we turned off -- we our own gas system -- natural gas system, so we -- we had to shut that down because main street businesses were destroyed and there were gas leaks all over -- all downtown, and where the houses blew away.

So we shut the gas system down to -- so we're still out of gas. We're hoping to restore parts of that very soon. And electricity is back up.

We did lose our warehouse where we keep all of our big equipment for the city, it was lost in this -- in this tornado. But people in Texas help people in Texas, so we've got fire trucks from other communities as far away as Houston, and we're about 11 hours from Houston. We have equipment from all over the place here, big equipment to move debris that is come in from all over the country.

So we are operating as normally as we can and the rest of the city and we are cleaning up as fast as we can in those areas that were hard hit.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, there is certainly a lot of work to do and as we know, that is not unique to Texas, that whenever there is a storm, we know that the community surrounding often reach out to help.

Mayor Kerry Symons, thank you so much for your time this morning, and, of course, our best for you and those looking to recover after this tornado.

Just two weeks, that's how soon the governor of Pennsylvania expected it will take to get I-95 reopened there. Last Sunday, part of the interstate collapsed when a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline crashed and burst in flames under the highway. All of the demolition has been complete and the rebuilding process has already begun.

WALKER: President Biden got a firsthand look at how the construction going. He took an aerial tour while on his way to a campaign rally Saturday.

And as CNN's Polo Sandoval explains, it is crucial for crews to get this section of the road open as soon as possible.

(BEIGN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Victor, I remember some six years ago, I was in Atlanta covering the repairs of a portion of Interstate 85. That project taken about 43, 44 days to complete. So, it seems now that this I-95 project seems to be moving right along, that's according to Pennsylvania governor who spoke alongside President Biden at a campaign event just yesterday.

Governor Josh Shapiro saying that section of I-95 is expected to reopen in the next two weeks. The governor also praising efforts from union workers, some of them present at that Biden campaign event yesterday. Listen in.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA: There is something special happening in our community, people coming together. Now don't get me wrong, I know that motorists are hurting and business owners are hurting but right now, this community is coming together and lifting up those workers an making sure that they know we are supporting them. SANDOVAL: You know, hard to believe it was just last weekend that

tanker truck was involved in a deadly accident that led to this incredible level of damage. The demolition portion of that project that was completed on Thursday. The state disaster declaration is what allowed officials to dip into not only some federal funds but to also try to go around some of that typical red tape when it comes to these kind of big projects.

So that's has allowed for them to be able to expedite the repairs and they're certainly working with a high level of urgency given the usage of this stretch of interstate. On average, it is one of the busiest highways in the area carrying some 160,000 vehicles a day to Philadelphia -- Amara, Victor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Polo Sandoval, thank you.

President Biden is officially back on the campaign trail.

About 2,000 union members were on hand in Philadelphia for his first rally since announcing his candidacy.

BLACKWELL: The president flipped Pennsylvania in 2020 and told the crowd that labor support will be critical for him to win re-election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If this room didn't show up for work tomorrow, Monday, the whole country would come to a grinding halt. So tell me, tell me who matters more in America?

[08:15:05]

Folks, I'm looking forward to this campaign. I want you to know why. Because you got a story to tell. We've got a story to tell. We've got a record to run on. And most importantly, we're not only changing this country, we're transforming it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN White House reporter Jasmine Wright is with us now.

So, the president's rally in Philadelphia reminded voters of his deep ties to the swing state. He's been there so many times. Philadelphia specifically more than a dozen times by some counts.

Jasmine, get us up to speed on the president's first rally.

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, that is right. The country got a preview or a glimpse of President Biden on the 2024 campaign trail as the campaign continues to take shape. Of course, that location, just as you said, Victor, was very important in Philadelphia. We know that he's returned there time and time again over his political career. But also the crowd in which he spoke to, union members, a cornerstone

of his support, that the White House hopes will help propel the president to a second term in office. And you saw him there, the crowd was engaged and at times chanting four more years. That setting was meant to celebrate the fact that President Biden is enjoying a lot of union backing so early on in this campaign. And AFL/CIO, we know that they throw their support behind him, the earliest time that they've supported a presidential candidate so far.

Now the thrust of President Biden's message yesterday was on the economy, arguing that his vision for the economy is a winning run, trying to battle test that message as one campaign official told me. But also trying to contrast his work with that of Republicans.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Because let me tell you something, Republicans come after what I've done, when they come back, to try to get rid of all of these clean energy investments, they try to stop the plan on infrastructure and try to do these things, guess what? They're coming for your jobs. They're coming for your jobs. They're coming for your future. They're coming for the future we're building for your kids and your grandkids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: Now, Victor and Amara, what was clear, besides the fact was highlighted the contrast between him and the Republicans is that the White House wanted to associate American's view of the economy and the gains that we've seen in the economy from the labor market, jobs market, to President Biden in the actions that he's taken to bring the economy there.

Right now in polling, we know that is not associated by Americans. So that is the tall order for the White House to face over the next few months and the summer as they head more and more into campaign mode -- Victor and Amara.

WALKER: Jasmine Wright, appreciate you as always. Thank you.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in China for meetings meant to tamp town tensions between the U.S. and China. We're live in Beijing with a look at what both sides have to achieve.

BLACKWELL: Plus, the return of Pope Francis. The pontiff leads the angelus prayer at the Vatican just days after being discharged from the hospital after surgery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:22:08]

BLACKWELL: Well, the stakes are high but the administration is keeping the expectations low as Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicks off talks in Beijing. Secretary Blinken is the first secretary of state to travel to China in five years. Now, his visit comes after months of tension between Washington and Beijing.

The State Department says the main goal is to reopen lines of communication.

WALKER: CNN national security correspondent Kylie Atwood is traveling with the Secretary Blinken. She's joining us now live from Beijing.

Good morning, Kylie.

So as we said, officials are downplaying expectations for this visit. What is the hope then on both sides?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, they say there aren't going to be major deliverables out of this trip, but U.S. officials are calling this an incredibly critical series of engagements. The secretary of state for the first time in the Biden administration, there has been into other cabinet official that has visited China during the two and a half years of the Biden administration and as you said, what U.S. officials are looking for is to normalize communications between the U.S. and China. Those communications simply have not been regular and the back drop here is that there has been some incredible tension between the two countries.

Just in recent weeks, we saw two instances where there were close calls due to aggressive Chinese military maneuvers in the South China Sea, both in the air and in the ocean. That was an issue on behalf of the United States. And so, they are looking to re-establish some regular particularly military to military channels.

Now, President Biden said yesterday he is hoping that this visit is able to ease tensions between the two countries and here is what he said about a potential meeting between himself and President Xi later this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I'm hoping that over the next several months, I'll be meeting with Xi again, and talking about legitimate differences that we have, but also how those areas that we could get along.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: And when it comes to the Chinese side, incredibly aggressive tone from the Chinese foreign minister leading into this visit, calling Blinken and telling him over the phone to show respect while he's here, to not interfere in domestic Chinese internal issues. And so, we'll watch to see just how much they could get done, if that is just public rhetoric from China and their productive behind closed doors. Those are things we're waiting to see.

WALKER: All right. We'll watch it with you.

Kylie Atwood, thank you very much.

For the first time since his surgery, Pope Francis led the weekly angelus prayer in Rome this morning. BLACKWELL: The 86-year-old pontiff was released from the hospital on

Friday after abdominal surgery this month. And during the prayer service today, the pope thanked those who prayed for him during his surgery and recovery.

[08:25:05]

Let's bring in Barbara Nadeau live in Rome. So, how was the pope received this morning?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, there was just such an applause for him, when he appeared in the window. So many people concerned about his recovery. He's 86 years old and to see that he got through this surgery which was a three hour procedure, he went through on June 7th in the hospital for ten days and on Friday, he was met with applause leaving the hospital.

You know, this is a man who inspires a lot of people, not just Catholics, non-Catholics alike super happy to see him on his feet again. He's got as a grueling schedule ahead. August, two big trips on the calendar, supposed to go to Portugal for World Youth Day, supposed to go to Mongolia for an apostolic trip.

So, we're assuming his doctors are trying to keep him calm but it is hard to pin down, you know? He's 86 years old but he sure has energy and stamina for someone far younger than his years -- Victor and Amara.

WALKER: All right. Barbie Nadeau, thank you very much.

Still ahead, Father's Fay recognition on Capitol Hill. We're going to highlight a group of dads in the House who are pushing legislation to help families.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:18]

WALKER: Here is a look at your other headline this morning.

At least 17 people have been injured in Baltimore after a city bus collided with two vehicles and then a building early Saturday. Fire department officials say the driver and all 16 passengers were taken to the hospital. But nobody is facing life-threatening injuries.

Police say the MTA bus first hit a Lexus then a Nissan and then finally came to a stop after it crashed into the side of a building. The cause of that is still being investigated.

BLACKWELL: Overnight a Juneteenth celebration in Illinois turned violent. At least 10 people are injured, two critically, after shots were fired just after midnight in the town of Willow Brook. That is just west of Chicago.

Fire department officials say the injuries range from graze wounds to gunshot wounds. The victims have been taken to local hospitals. One thing lawmakers on the Hill agree on, it is raising children and

recognizing the fathers who do it.

WALKER: That's right. Just in time for the weekend, the senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing Fathers' Day and the role dads have in improving life for moms and children.

Jake tapper profiles a group of dads in the House who are pushing legislation to help families.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a common question asked by parents all across the United States. Who is going to watch the baby? And it is one that the Congressional Dads Caucus aims to address head on.

During the House speaker votes back in January, California Congressman Jimmy Gomez was doing two jobs at once, congressman and dad. While Republicans were looking for votes for McCarthy, Gomez was looking for a changing table for his 4-month-old son Hodge.

REP. JIM GOMEZ, (D-CA): During the speaker vote, I just changed him on the floor in the Democratic cloak room and it was fine but, you know, a lot of people don't have access to the Democratic cloak room.

TAPPER: And after this viral moment on the House floor, the Congressional Dads Caucus was born. The caucus says it will push for policies that support working families like expanding paid family leave or making childcare more affordable or increasing the child tax credit.

GOMEZ: I think that the Dads Caucus is creating a dialogue. What is the role of dads in the workplace? What is the role of dads in the house hold? And how do you combat some of those outdated notions that dads shouldn't step up and do their part.

TAPPER: The U.S. and Papua New Guinea and a handful of small island nations are the only ones in the world that do not guarantee paid family leave. Family and Medical Leave Act became law in the U.S. 30 years ago but it does not guarantee paid job protected leave for workers.

Today only one in four workers in the U.S. has access to paid family leave and lower income workers are, not surprisingly, hit the hardest.

The Congressional Dads Caucus now has 30 Democratic members including Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib but it has failed to gain bipartisan support in the House.

REP. JOSH HARDER (D-CA): I've written more bills with Republicans than any Democrat in the country, not by compromising values but by trying to find common ground. And if there is one area of common ground that should exist, it is about caring about our kids and caring about our families. TAPPER: Republicans have long opposed a government funded paid leave

program and Republicans tend to favor tax credits and policies that will not increase spending.

One Republican criticized the Dads Caucus saying quote, "Father's care about keeping their kids safe. They care about putting food on the table for the families and keeping a roof over their heads. They don't just care about liberal policy priorities.

If they wanted this caucus to actually be taken seriously, they would have made it bipartisan like almost every other caucus in the House is."

The Congressional Dads Caucus has also taken issue with the parents' bill of rights, a Republican education bill that requires public schools to share their material with parents. The Dads Caucus argues this takes away from the real problems the families face.

While the Dads Caucus advocates for policies they say will help American families, they're also hoping to add a few more changing tables in the Capitol complex for themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Changing your are daughter on the restroom is not a Republican or Democratic issue, right. It is something that whether you're a Republican dad or a Democratic dad, it is something that we should all be able to push for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right. Jake Tapper, thank you.

And you could catch Jake at the top of the hour on "STATE OF THE UNION" right here on CNN. Jake will be joined by Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie.

Coming up, teaching kids the value of Juneteenth. We'll speak to an artist who launched a podcast to help young people better understand the importance of the holiday.

[08:34:54]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Tomorrow, communities across the country will mark the Juneteenth holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. Well now, "Keyshawn Solves It", a new PBS podcast aims to introduce our nation's newest holiday to young Americans.

WALKER: 10-year-old detective Keyshawn Keys learns about black history and culture while on a mission to save his community's Juneteenth bike parade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is Juneteenth? It is a holiday that celebrates African-Americans' freedom from slavery. It is coming up in a week. Come on, Keyshawn. Join the club. Please, please, please, please.

[08:39:57]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounds cool, Keyshawn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll think about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keyshawn, trying new things can be scary but it can also be fun. Try having a little courage. You might be surprised.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Joining us now is Ed Jenkins, the creator of "Keyshawn Solves It". Welcome to you. Thank you for joining us.

So this podcast isn't necessarily a history lesson, right. I mean Keyshawn uses a set of keys created by one of his ancestors to solve this rash of bike disappearances. How did you come up with the idea?

ED JENKINS, CREATOR, "KEYSHAWN SOLVES": Well, good morning.

You know, really the idea came to me -- really what was happening here after George Floyd and one thing I really was concerned about was how were kids in Minneapolis, how they were experiencing their own self worth and their -- you know, and really how were they feeling about their communities.

And it was really through that and just knowing there is so much positive that is happening in Minneapolis, in north Minneapolis and there is so many wonderful kids and I really thought it would be such a cool idea to really create a story about a kid who is empowered and doing great things in his community.

BLACKWELL: Ed, so when I first heard about this, one of our producers -- I thought do 5 and 9-year-olds listen to a podcast, right.

WALKER: Fair question.

BLACKWELL: Then I listened to it, right. So I listened to the entire birthday mystery episode. I listened to the most recent episode where they're like preparing for the bike parade for Juneteenth tomorrow. They're still looking for the bikes, it is gripping, it is entertaining. I know how it appeals to that age group.

Here is the question. In this landscape of some trying to narrow the scope of history that we teach children, especially young children, talk about the importance of introducing Juneteenth and how do you talk about it to a 5 to 9-year-old?

JENKINS: Well, you know, one thing I think is really valuable in this -- in understanding about Juneteenth is that, you know, the people who first started it, have a lot -- we have a lot to learn from them.

You know, when I recently researched Juneteenth, I was really struck by this idea about, like, how would I feel if this was me, you know? And I just thought, you know, back then, over 150 years ago, you know, they were enslaved and then when the union army came in and freed these people, they were told also that, oh, other states were freed before you, you know, two years before you.

And when I thought about that, I thought, wow, if that was me, I would really have felt, you know, cheated. But history tells us that these people felt joy and that this joy was just so big that they came together as a community and then celebrated and then named the day Juneteenth. You know, it's something that they could remember year after year.

And so I feel like Juneteenth could really share and inspire us when it comes to, you know, certain things to remember, like, you know, they, I think teach me that you could have joy and sadness at the same time.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

JENKINS: Because, you know, the thing about that celebration, it didn't take away their sadness, no. And they knew that they were going to have struggles and more and more struggles ahead. But they still chose joy.

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: It is important to recognize the conflicting feelings, right. Because, you know, they can, you know, work simultaneously.

Ed, are you a father? Do you have children?

JENKINS: I'm sorry?

WALKER: Do you have children?

JENKINS: Yes, I have.

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: Have they listened to your podcast? I mean how do you talk to them about Juneteenth?

JENKINS: Well, you know, from my son who is 3, you know, he is still, you know, learning and he's still, you know, learning about the holiday in a 3-year-old way. Like yesterday we went to a great Juneteenth celebration.

But I think, you know, one thing about this podcast is that I try to interweave different elements about Juneteenth, about the history, about how we celebrate it today.

And there is also this theme that goes throughout the podcast about your gifts and talents.

[08:44:46]

JENKINS: Because as it was shared that Keyshawn, he gets this -- you know, in the early part of the story, he gets a birthday present of the set of ring of skeleton keys that he was given by his family that is actually something that was made by an ancestor 180 years ago.

And these skeletons keys, you know, to me is a metaphor about the gifts that -- and talents that we have because these keys are special. They open up doors still today.

And I believe that every child, you know, has an inherent value of a talent or a gift and that this gift that they have that once they discover what their talent is, they have to (INAUDIBLE) learn about how am I going to use this talent.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: And he and his friends.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: And Keyshawn and Kiki and Miss Yolanda and the family.

I don't know if he could hear me.

Well Ed -- thank you so much. Listen -- listening to the podcast and listening to Keyshawn and Kiki and Miss Yolanda and all the kids -- there is one more episode that comes out tomorrow.

I'm neither 5 nor 9 but I will be listening. Thank you so much. And I hope we see more of Keyshawn. Ed Jenkins, thank you so much.

WALKER: And be sure to tune in tomorrow night for a CNN concert with some of the biggest names in music. Watch "JUNETEENTH: A GLOBAL CELEBRATION FOR FREEDOM". Live coverage starts tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

Right back after this.

[08:46:32]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: The final round of the U.S. Open tees off this afternoon in Los Angeles. And after a wild finish yesterday, it's still wide open.

BLACKWELL: Coy Wire is joining us now. None of the previous winners at the top.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: No. And it's been four first- timers, the previous four U.S. Opens and we might have another first timer.

The stage is set for drama there at the Los Angeles Country Club. And one of those currently in the lead is southern California kid, Rickie Fowler. He's seeking his first major.

He set the two-day scoring record, then on the 13th yesterday, he sinks a 69-foot putt for a birdie. That put him at 11 under. He did bogey the 18th though, finishing at 10 under, and even par on the day.

And that left the door open for 29-year-old Wyndham Clark. Six major appearances. The best he's ever finished is 75th. That's about to change. His birdie on 18 put him even with Fowler.

Now Clark's motto is play big, as in, play for something bigger than yourself. His words from his mom, Lisa, who passed from breast cancer ten years ago. So it will be bittersweet on Father's Day if he can share with his dad, Randall, his first career major win.

Now keep an eye out for Rory McIlroy as well, Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson, three major winners, they are all in contention.

A candidate for MLS' goal of the year from past the mid-field line -- Pablo Ruiz. Yes, please! He put Real Salt Lake on top, unleashing a precision strike from 68 yards out, just over the outstretched arm of D.C. United keeper Tyler Miller. And that was the difference. RSL wins 2-1.

Finally, welcome to the majors, Samad Taylor. Tied at the bottom of the ninth, the Royals rookie hits a single in his Major League debut and it's a walk-off game winner. Kansas City rallies from down six in the seventh to beat the Angels.

Taylor's family, they flew from California to be there for his debut. Look at them going buck wild. His teammates, they gave him a Gatorade shower, everyone except for Bobby Whitt, he sprints all the way out to the outfield to get the ball for Taylor saying he didn't want it to get lost in the scuffle.

Afterwards, Taylor said that he couldn't have dreamed that something like this would happen. Samad grew up 20 minutes from where the Angels play and there he was hitting the game winner in his first debut in the Majors.

WALKER: So special.

BLACKWELL: Big, big moment for him.

WIRE: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Coy.

WIRE: You got it.

WALKER: Happy father's day, Coy.

WIRE: Thank you.

WALKER: All right.

Still ahead, a 12-foot werewolf is causing quite a stir in western Ohio. Neighbors are frustrated that the Halloween decoration is still standing. But the owner says it's more than just a spectacle.

[08:53:22] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: From tractors and trailers to drones and A.I., technology is rapidly changing the field of farming.

Vanessa Yurkevich has today's "Innovate".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CRPDF: The USDA estimates that farming production could cost more than $450 billion this year. Rising costs in fuel and equipment have some farmers turning to drone technology, as a way to cut costs while also providing a better option for the land.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're one less footprint, one less track in the dirt.

We use drones to spray. We're able to precisely spoon feed our fertilizer. We wouldn't be able to do that with any other technology that's available today. Drones definitely save us time and money on the farm.

YURKEVICH: With almost 900 million acres of the farmland in the U.S., agriculture companies like Tyranus (ph) are now using drones, satellite imagery and A.I. to track land conditions and provide growers with more information about their crop's health.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 10 days you can look at the growth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tech is now at a point where we can take drones and leaf-level imagery combined with artificial intelligence to really understand what's happening on the acre. We're looking for things like weed pressure, disease pressure, nutrient deficiencies.

It's game tape for your acre. We're using the best in tech and science to help farmers and communities raise a better crop. And that's good for everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Precision ag technology is intertwined in everything that we do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: She calls it her house mascot. It's a 10-foot-tall werewolf and one Ohio woman says it's here to stay.

BLACKWELL: Mary Simmons put up the nearly 10-foot-tall statue named Phil -- how it got the name, I don't know -- put it up for Halloween. She liked it so much, she never took it down and then the complaints came.

[08:59:52]

WALKER: Sure did. Simmons got a notice from the city to take it down because of an anonymous complaint, but Mary says, nope, not going to do it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY SIMMONS, OWNER OF WEREWOLF DECORATION: I kind of look at it as a security thing. Who wants to break into a house with a 9 1/2-foot werewolf sitting outside of it. I mean, I know I wouldn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Ok.

BLACKWELL: It's a statue. You all need a homeowner's association.

WALKER: Yes, they do. Because the city says it has no plans to enforce a removal. That thing is ugly.

BLACKWELL: Thanks so much for watching this morning.

WALKER: "STATE OF THE UNION" is next. Have a great day, everyone.