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Gulf Coast Rip Currents Kill At Least 11 People; Biden: Trickle-Down Economics "Has Failed America"; NBA All-Stars Curry And Thompson Face Off Against NFL's Mahomes And Kelce. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired June 29, 2023 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: I made very clear that the U.S. attorney that was overseeing this that had been appointed by President Trump had all of the resources and all of the ability to bring charges if he wanted to. The whistleblowers -- the two IRS officials are saying they were in a room in a meeting with the U.S. attorney who said he did not have the ability or did not have the freedom -- I'm paraphrasing here -- to actually do just that.

The U.S. attorney has since sent a letter to Congress denying that that's what happened, or putting it in a different way.

In the room --

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: Yes.

MATTINGLY: My sense is that all of these things may be somewhat -- could be somewhat true in the dynamic of things but I want you to try and break down for people --

WILLIAMS: Somewhat true. It's a little bit implausible for me, to be perfectly blunt, that one U.S. attorney said to another U.S. attorney that the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. said to an individual who was put in place by the former president and was overseeing the case, I can't bring that case. Please don't bring that to Washington.

MATTINGLY: So you don't think that's something they would argue (PH)?

WILLIAMS: Well, I think it's a little bit implausible. But at the end of the day, like you said, Phil, we weren't in the rooms and we don't know. And this is the kind of thing that, again, Congress can get to the bottom of.

If there were an actual dispute between various senior officials at the Justice Department it would probably have been brought back to headquarters and someone there, even if not the attorney general -- maybe he would step out of it -- but a senior career official would have been the one to mediate something like that.

But the idea that these mid-ish to senior-level guys were fighting amongst themselves and one singlehandedly quashed an investigation probably would require a little more investigation.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, FORMER FEDERAL AND NEW JERSEY STATE PROSECUTOR: Lawyers do fight. DOJ and lawyers do disagree on what happened. But one thing that's really important to keep in mind here is who the most important player is, and that's David Weiss --

WILLIAMS: Yes.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

HONIG: -- the U.S. attorney for Delaware and longtime DOJ appointee. He served under administrations of both parties -- put in that job -- U.S. attorney of Delaware -- by Donald Trump in 2018 with support of both of Delaware's Democratic U.S. senators.

HARLOW: Right.

HONIG: And then when Joe Biden comes in 2021 new presidents get rid of all 93 U.S. attorneys.

HARLOW: And he didn't.

HONIG: But he left David Weiss in place. Two or -- three total that Joe Biden left in place -- John Durham being one of the other ones and a guy in Chicago who was -- had other corruption cases. Left David Weiss in place. So that's really important when we think about what would the incentives be here.

MATTINGLY: Should Weiss testify?

HONIG: I don't -- I think he should.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

HONIG: I think there's enough legitimate questions that have been raised here that he should get -- he should take an oath and testify.

WILLIAMS: And even if it's not testify at least come in and talk to Congress. It doesn't have to be a public hearing under the klieg lights but certainly answer questions. That's fair game. And that's if our government is working properly that's what Congress should actually be doing.

HARLOW: Yes.

Thank you, guys. It helps a lot. Appreciate it.

MATTINGLY: All right. The streets near Paris erupting with violence and chaos for a second night. Schools and town halls set on fire after police shot and killed a teen during a traffic stop.

HARLOW: Also, Gulf Coast officials this morning warning beachgoers about these deadly rip currents. The safety concerns you need to know. We're live in Fort Myers, Florida.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:36:31]

HARLOW: Well, it has been a second night of violent protests near Paris erupting over the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old driver during a traffic stop. Multiple cars, town halls, schools, and police stations were set on fire last night.

Angry protesters also shot fireworks -- that's some of what you're hearing -- and threw stones at police. French officials say about 150 people were arrested in all of this.

And now, France is mobilizing 40,000 police officers and paramilitary to control the country -- to patrol the country as more protests and unrest are expected. The French interior minister says the move comes after the 9,000 officers they deployed last night weren't enough to quell the widespread violence -- wow.

MATTINGLY: Well, happening right now, you're looking at live pictures from cities across the country. Milwaukee is on the left -- very hazy at his hour. Chicago is on the right. It has been ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world of late. More than 120 million Americans are under alerts for dangerous air quality as thick waves of smoke from Canadian wildfires smothers the nation.

HARLOW: And rip currents on the Gulf Coast have killed at least 11 people in just the last two weeks. That is according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service. The tragic deaths have spanned from Fort Morgan, Alabama to Panama City Beach, Florida.

Our Nick Valencia is live in Fort Myers Beach, Florida this morning. Obviously, this got a lot of attention. We talked about the young former NFL player who was killed in all of this. Now you've got law enforcement officials begging people to pay attention -- serious attention to these warnings.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is urgent, Poppy. And just to give you a sense of how overwhelmed the Florida officials are here along the Gulf Coast, in Panama City Beach, in the span of 10 days, they received 70 calls for distressed swimmers -- over half of them coming on Saturday. It has been a particularly deadly season when it comes to rip currents along the Gulf of Mexico.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (voice-over): Panama City Beach, Florida recording the highest number of rip current beach fatalities in the U.S. this year with seven -- all occurring within June 15 to June 24, according to the National Weather Service data.

DAVE GREENWOOD, ESCAMBIA COUNTY WATER SAFETY CHIEF: Out here it can quickly go from extreme happiness to extreme sadness, and very, very quickly.

VALENCIA (voice-over): No fewer than 11 deaths reported during that period along a stretch of the Gulf of Mexico between Fort Morgan, Alabama and Panama City Beach.

DARYL PAUL, BEACH SAFETY DIRECTOR, PANAMA CITY BEACH FIRE-RESCUE: The safest place to be when you come to the beach is near a lifeguard. And I will always pump that out -- swim near a lifeguard.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Officials urging beachgoers to pay attention to the warnings, especially the high hazard double red flag, which means that the water is closed to the public.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The double red flag -- you won't catch me out here.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford posting his frustration with beachgoers online, calling the deaths unnecessary as first responders risk their own lives pulling people out of the water. And even posting these photos online showing the trenches in the sand caused by the rip currents, saying "You say you're a good swimmer, an experienced swimmer, a competitive swimmer. But you are no match for a rip current."

According to the National Weather Service, rip currents are channeled currents of water that flow away from the shore to deeper water and are present in almost all beaches where waves break. While not all rip currents are dangerous the U.S. averaged 71 rip current fatalities from 2013 to 2022, making them the third-leading cause of weather- related deaths during that time and killing more people than lightning, tornadoes, or hurricanes. The only things more deadly, heat and floods.

[07:40:10]

PAUL: With the influx of people and having a roving patrol, these things can happen. But we still have a guard that's trying to make contact with people -- trying to -- trying to advise them where the rips are.

VALENCIA (voice-over): This comes after former NFL quarter Ryan Mallett died in an apparent drowning off the coast of the Florida Panhandle. And while authorities didn't cite rip currents as the cause of Mallett's death officials warn beachgoers to be aware of their surroundings while in the water.

PAUL: Sometimes, most often, by the time you realize you're in trouble it sometimes is often too late.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: OK, so what do you do if you're caught in a rip current? As hard as it seems to do, you try to relax and swim parallel to the beach and then try to come into the beach at an angle after you're out of the rip current. The one thing, Poppy, that you don't want to do -- you probably already know this -- is try to swim directly back to shore. That's only going to tire you out and lead -- and increase the likelihood of you drowning -- Poppy.

HARLOW: I actually think a lot of people don't know that. I didn't know that. So I'm really glad you told us and put up that graphic that you have to sort of swim zig-zag, right, away from it.

VALENCIA: Yes, that's right.

HARLOW: Nick, thank you --

VALENCIA: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: -- very much -- yes.

MATTINGLY: Well, President Biden introducing Bidenomics, the agenda he says is responsible for the economy's rebound and success. How it differs from Republican policies that Democrats say failed America. That's coming up next with that great group of people.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:45:04]

HARLOW: Bidenomics -- you're hearing that a lot this week. President Biden betting that his vision for the U.S. economy can help him win a second term. His team has dubbed it Bidenomics. The president explained it yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, and the three fundamental changes that we decided to make with the help of Congress, we've been able to do it. First, making smart investments in America. Second, educating and empowering American workers to grow the middle class. And third, promoting competition to lower costs to help small businesses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now, there are about two years of public opinion surveys that show that this is a hill to climb for this White House. If you look right there -- that's June -- it could be a gamble. Sixty-four percent of the public disapproves of the president's handling of the economy, according to a recent AP/NORC poll.

So, what are they doing? Is it going to work?

Joining us now, Christine Romans, our business savant; anchor and chief business correspondent; John Avlon, my Yankees brother at hand; and senior political analyst and anchor Natasha Alford, who I should have talked to in the last panel and we were so nerding out over baseball. I think next time, just throw something at my head. Very, very effective.

HARLOW: First and last word.

MATTINGLY: No, but I --

NATASHA ALFORD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST AND ANCHOR: It was a very inspirational story. Also, a shoutout to Afro-Latinos because -- HARLOW: Yes.

ALFORD: -- that pitcher --

MATTINGLY: He's the first Dominican pitcher to ever throw a perfect game.

ALFORD: The Dominican Republic.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

ALFORD: So, great representation right there.

MATTINGLY: If I -- if I keep talking about baseball you're going to draw me in and come out here in front.

So I want to ask you about this though because move aside the fact that I don't think the president is totally sold on Bidenomics -- the term -- which he seems to repeat. But this point here of they have a very real record to point to from a numbers perspective on growth, on jobs, on specific sectors in the jobs, in the recovery, and the unemployment rate. And yet, you saw the polling we just showed.

Is a messaging campaign going to change the game here?

ALFORD: Yes. I mean, messaging is a priority but whether Bidenomics is the phrase and whether that inspires a sense of confidence or connecting with the everyday American person I'm not sure if that's it.

I think this track record -- 13 million jobs, the infrastructure investments, the CHIPS and Science Act -- I'm not sure if that's translating to everyday people. And I think that people still have this memory that's stuck on inflation, housing -- being difficult to find affordable housing. All of these issues that sort of hit close to home. They're struggling with giving Biden credit for solving those issues.

HARLOW: In particular, you've said you think the Biden administration could improve when it comes to Black Americans --

ALFORD: Yes.

HARLOW: -- and focusing specifically on how this agenda helps and will continue to help them.

ALFORD: Yes. I think it's important to understand that the Black middle class only represents a certain portion of the Black community at large. So, this idea of focusing on the Black middle is important but for the working class families, right? What are you giving them?

And then these promises of addressing racial injustice. People are still wondering what happened with the George Floyd Act, right? Even though that's not necessarily President Biden's fault it's -- people are looking for wins in terms of the big promises that he made and for many people it still falls short. CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, ANCHOR, "EARLY START": The shock of the post-COVID economy and inflation is something that people haven't been able to brush off. And the White House is trying to show, rightly, these once-in-a-generation investments that have been made. You know, bipartisan infrastructure, chips, all these other things that people will feel eventually. But right now, they still -- just still remember inflation of last year and, wrongly or rightly, they've put it right on Biden and --

MATTINGLY: Do they remember it or do they see it when they go to the store? Because four percent is still not awesome.

ROMANS: They still see it. But look, gas prices are down $1.30 from last summer, right? And all last summer it was what's going on with gas prices. What's the White House doing about gas prices? And they have wrestled gas prices -- for a variety of reasons have been wrestled lower again. So he got all the -- he got all the blame and none of the credit.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You the blame and not the credit.

ALFORD: And none of the credit.

ROMANS: And that's just the way it works.

AVLON: And that's sort of the story of this administration with regard to the economy.

ROMANS: Yes.

AVLON: And I think it does have to do with repetition but people blame messaging and I think that kind of misses the point. You -- I think a lot of the investments that have made can be --

MATTINGLY: You're a speechwriter, right? You do messaging.

AVLON: As a former speechwriter I will say yes.

MATTINGLY: Yes. He's getting a little defensive there possibly.

AVLON: It's not that -- you know, there are certain -- it's not just the messaging problem. It's usually about substance and meeting people where they live. That's why economies stick and the inflation is sticky even though it's gone down.

ROMANS: Right.

AVLON: And it's also why these transformational investments they made -- and that's not hyperbole. You look at the impact of the CHIPS Act and infrastructure.

ROMANS: Yes. That's real stuff.

AVLON: That can do more --

ROMANS: Right.

AVLON: -- to rebuild the middle class, which is one of the most urgent things in American economy and politics there is in the long run, but it doesn't necessarily translate to today. So you've got to make that case.

HARLOW: Just the final word, Christine. I thought this was so interesting in this Washington Post op-ed this morning. The shift also has to do with who Biden is. His longstanding alarm over the Democratic Party, his alienation from working in middle-class voters.

You've been on a lot of calls with the White House.

ROMANS: Yes.

[07:50:00]

HARLOW: Is this also about who the president is and trying to understand how can this be that we have, as a party, this disconnect from these folks?

ROMANS: They just keep trying in these White House calls and White House -- they just keep trying to point out that from the very beginning, Joe Biden has been trying to lower prices for all Americans -- working Americans -- and really get back to the kitchen table. You know, not the big tax rates and -- you know, just the kitchen table economics. And they keep trying to make that connection. And so far, the polls have said they haven't made that connection yet.

AVLON: He was running against Reaganomics -- trickle-down economics -- and talking about the middle class going back to the 1980s.

ROMANS: Yes.

MATTINGLY: It's the 80 --

ROMANS: Yes.

MATTINGLY: The consistent thread here.

ROMANS: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Can I ask you --

ALFORD: Being radical doesn't always work.

MATTINGLY: True. They have said from the day they walked into office equity is at the center of our agenda.

ALFORD: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Do you think that they've delivered in part, in whole, some element in 2 1/2 years on that kind of broad idea?

ALFORD: I think it matters what you value, right? If you appreciate the Supreme Court nomination. If you appreciate this record number of judges that are in place. If you pay attention to those things then you would see that yes, there's a promise delivered.

But again, in terms of everyday people's lives, right, some of those appointments -- how does that matter when it comes to changing police culture? When it comes to hiring. When it comes to protecting affirmative action which, right now, is -- could be devastating --

HARLOW: We'll know today.

ALFORD: -- right?

So in terms of everyday people's lives, I think that there are still some promises that haven't been fulfilled.

HARLOW: Thank you, guys, very much.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

HARLOW: Natasha, Christine, John, appreciate it.

MATTINGLY: All right. Tonight, NFL and NBA stars are set to clash in an epic golf match. Who will win on the big green? That's next.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUN DMC, HIP HOP GROUP: Singing "It's Tricky."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honoring hip hop's 50th anniversary. Darryl "DMC" McDaniels will be part of the iconic event. Guess what? He's going to join us live on how impactful his music has been over the years. And John Avlon is playing drums on the desk. We can't wait for that. It's going to be fun.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:55:15]

MATTINGLY: It's the NBA versus the NFL tonight -- not on the court or on the field -- on the greens and fairways. NBA All-Stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are set to face off against Super Bowl champs Patrick Mahomes and Ohio's own Travis Kelce in the charity golf match. The iconic sports duos are pairing up to play in The Match, airing on TNT at 6:30 Eastern.

CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes joins us live from Vegas in the best assignment in this company right now. Andy --

HARLOW: Totally.

MATTINGLY: -- this is going to be a fun match. What's great about the match is not just the golf but the guys are mic'd -- like the back- and-forth trash talk is wonderful. ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Oh, it absolutely it and it brings a whole nother element to The Match when they've got an earpiece in the entire time they're trying to play. But this is the first time ever we're going to have football versus basketball here in The Match and you couldn't ask for better duos, right?

You've got the reigning Super Bowl champs Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce going up against the Splash Brothers -- four-time champ Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Now, Steph and Pat have actually played in The Match before and they lost. So they really want to win this time around.

And I got the chance to talk to all the guys last night. They all agreed that Travis Kelce is definitely going to be able to hit the ball the furthest. Now, where -- if it goes where he wants it to is another question. But I posed the question to them -- yes -- who has got the advantage? Is it the football players or the basketball players?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN CURRY, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS GUARD: Shooters and golf, it's about the same thing, you know. We see -- we see the course and we can visualize shots. But we're just going to have fun.

KLAY THOMPSON, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS GUARD/FORWARD: We had to do the same thing for golfing, you know.

TRAVIS KELCE, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS TIGHT END: Good thing I can't block. I'm a way -- I'm a way better shooter than I am a blocker, so we're going to be up there cashing them in as well, baby. Soft hands on a football field and we've got to be soft around the greens.

SCHOLES: NBA Finals, two minutes left versus a birdie putt to win The Match. What are you more nervous?

THOMSPON: Oh, I would say the NBA Finals. The stakes are a little higher. All that legacy and all that stuff.

SCHOLES: Well, Pat, you said you've never been more nervous than The Match.

PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QUARTERBACK: No, I'll for sure birdie putt.

SCHOLES: Really?

MAHOMES: No chance. You know, you have the chance --

SCHOLES: (INAUDIBLE) Super Bowl.

MAHOMES: You're out there in a two-minute drill. We just go back to what we do. Yes, that's what it is. It's a lot harder than what I'm saying but that's how I feel. But it's -- at the end of the day, I'm not -- I'm not the best golfer. I'm a little streaky putter. We're going to see if I can make that putt in that moment. SCHOLES: All right. What should the fans expect tomorrow?

MAHOMES: I would say good TV. I think it's going to be a good match regardless and we're going to be talking a lot of trash and having a lot of fun, and I'll be drinking a lot of Coors Light. So it's going to be a good time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: So, guys, definitely going to be a lot of fun. But make no mistake, both of these teams really want to win. And that event we were at last night -- Mahomes and Kelce were actually an hour late because they were out here on the course grinding out as much practice as they could before The Match here tonight.

HARLOW: I just want a still frame of your face and your smile looking up at these guys and getting to talk to all of them, Andy. It was totally epic and totally the dream assignment.

MATTINGLY: It is, it is. Andy, awesome work as always.

SCHOLES: Yes.

MATTINGLY: I can't wait to watch this weekend. Thanks so much.

And tonight, the coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on TNT, TruTV, and HLN tonight. You have to watch it.

HARLOW: I can't wait -- and it's before our bedtime, so --

MATTINGLY: Right. You could actually watch.

HARLOW: I can actually watch this one.

All right, it is a huge day in the nation's capital at the Supreme Court. It is opinion day. We're going to talk about the major decisions that could come down today with this group of brainiacs. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL)

[08:00:00]