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Russia Launches Drone Attack On Ukrainian Capital; CIA Director Says Ukraine Provides Opportunity To Recruit Russians; Supreme Court Blocks Biden's Loan Forgiveness Program; Spurs Officially Sign French Phenom Victor Wembanyama; Agent: Trail Blazers Star Damian Lillard Request Trade; Nascar Fans Rev Up For Chicago Street Race; Mass Shooting In Baltimore Leaves Two Dead, 28 Injured; Record-High Temperatures, Severe Storms Expected In Parts Of U.S.; Millions Traveling For Fourth Of July Weekend; United Still Recovering From Delays And Cancellations; Trump Holds First Campaign Rally Since Federal Indictment; Interior Ministry, More Than 700 Detained In Fifth Night Of Violent Demonstrations Across France. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired July 02, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:27]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Sunday, July 2nd. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Amara Walker. We begin with breaking news this morning. At least two people have been killed, 28 more injured in a mass shooting in Baltimore. Police say the victims were attending a block party in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Baltimore when shots were fired.

BLACKWELL: Officers found a woman deceased on the scene. Another person was also killed in that shooting. There are no details yet about possible suspects. But detectives and the mayor say they are determined to find the person or persons responsible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ACTING COMMISSIONER RICH WORLEY, BALTIMORE POLICE: Just after 12:30 a.m. this morning officers received numerous calls for a shooting at 800 Gretna Court. When officers arrived, we located multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. We located one female adult deceased on the scene. Nine additional victims were transported from the location to area hospitals. Additionally, we had 20 other victims walk into hospitals throughout the region.

Our detectives are currently working an extensive crime scene. The two deceased victims we have are both adults. We had three other victims who are in critical condition. Our hearts and prayers are going out to the families, sending out to the families and friends of these victims as well as the community and our entire city.

MAYOR BRANDON M. SCOTT (D), BALTIMORE: This morning, all of Baltimore is grieving the lives that we lost here. And our hearts are with all those who are still recovering as a result of this mass shooting. As you heard, this investigation is ongoing and our homicide detectives will continue to work until they find out what happened here.

But what we do know this morning, this was a reckless, cowardly act that happened here and that has permanently altered many lives and cost two people their lives. And I want those who are responsible to hear me -- to hear me very clearly. We will not stop until we find you and we will find you. Until then, I hope with every single breath that you take that you think about the lives that you took and you think about the lives that you impacted here tonight.

We are also asking that anyone that knows anything about what happened here, anything about this mass shooting, to come forward with any piece of information. Treat this as if it were your family and how you would want people to treat it if you were mourning, if this was your neighborhood, if this was an event in your community that this happened at. We want you to treat it that way because that's how we have treat each other as Baltimoreans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Joining us now CNN national security analyst and former assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Juliette Kayyem. Juliette, good morning to you. About five and a half hours on since this shooting as we learned from Baltimore police there, what does the investigation look like now as they are determining if they are looking for one or potentially more shooters?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, it's going to focus on essentially the witnesses. This is what you heard from the police officer just now begging people to come forward. We don't know how many shooters there were, was there one original shooter and then others had guns and brought guns into whatever kind of incident this was. And that people -- the number of survivors, which is good news so far, we only have two confirmed dead, as well as others who were there are going to be the best witnesses and the best evidence to determine who is responsible for this.

Just as you heard from the police officers, as I said, he is begging people to come forward. There may be fear. There may be concerns about retribution. And so, he wants people to feel safe in coming forward with the information they may have.

WALKER: You know, what is striking, Juliette, is the large number of victims, 28 people who were injured, two dead, three who are in critical condition. It's really early. We don't have that many details right now. But is there anything you can gather from the sheer number of people who were injured in this in terms of the nature of the attack and perhaps, you know, a potential type of gun that may have been used?

KAYYEM: Right. So, this is, of course, based on our unfortunate experience with incidents like this. So, there's a couple of things that we do know. One is that it was a block party. So, it's outdoors. It gives people the ability to run, so they are not sort of forced in a room as we have seen sort of with classrooms.

[06:05:01]

So, that may explain why there are injuries but not deaths because people may have been actually running away, they would have had time to depart or grab children or whatever it is and get out of the way. The second is, of course, that many bullets with significantly fewer deaths does suggest that it was not the kind of fast-paced weapon semiautomatic and AR-15 and may have been one or multiple pistols or other -- or hand guns that would be responsible for it. This is based just on our collective understanding of how this work. I think the fact that it was outdoors probably gave people a chance to get out of the way.

BLACKWELL: Something that our viewers certainly should remember is that early on after mass shootings like this these numbers will fluctuate, is that some of these unfortunately the three critical, hopefully, they will survive. These numbers could change. And then we're specifically using 28 injured because I spoke with Baltimore police this morning, they are not saying that all 28 were shot. So, there could be some ricochets, some shrapnel in legs. But also, Juliette, speak to this --

KAYYEM: And also --

BLACKWELL: Go ahead. Go ahead.

KAYYEM: No, Victor. That is such a great point. It's also, maybe crowd crush. So, a lot of people get injured -- you have a massive amount of people, they are hearing pops. People are running everywhere. You know, and if there is children and young people there, so you do look at crowd crush issues and others that may be responsible for some injuries. That's exactly right.

BLACKWELL: And I was going to add that the possibility that when they are looking for shooters, some of these injured may also be people who initiated this and were shot in return fire by potentially people who were there on scene who were armed.

KAYYEM: Right. That is the more witnesses you have also the more confusing the story will be because there is -- everyone's experience of what they are seeing is only a piece of a large -- this is a lot of people, as you are saying, Victor. And it's nighttime. It's outdoors. It's not like some confined classroom where you can have a sense of sort of what happened in the room.

And so, you're going to have multiple witnesses and witness accounts. You are exactly right. So, the carefulness of the Baltimore police is we're always careful is right now we know that there is two dead. We don't know what the other victims are experiencing, including those who are critically injured, and then who those victims are in terms of their positioning in what just was clearly just a very, very scary chaotic incident for those who look like they were just trying to enjoy a long weekend.

WALKER: Yes. You both are absolutely right though in terms of the 28 injured. Obviously, not all gunshot wounds. In fact, I think when police arrived, they said at 12:30 that they found one woman dead and nine people with gunshot wounds. So, that's the number now. But, of course, like Victor is saying, those numbers will likely fluctuate. We're going to leave the conversation there as this news continues to unfold. Juliette Kayyem, appreciate it. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Dangerous heat is settling over a lot of the U.S. just ahead of fourth of July celebrations. Merciless triple-digit temperatures on tap for millions of people across the country. Some spots could reach 120 degrees.

WALKER: Yikes. In the Midwest nearly 250,000 people are still without power after damaging thunderstorms struck yesterday and more bad weather is expected today. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar joining us now. Hi, Allison. So, let's start with these severe storms.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and I think the thing is is it's in a lot of the same places that we had yesterday. So, for a lot of folks waking up this morning this is a sense of deja vu here. We've got more storms yet again across the Ohio River valley to start off the day today and the Tennessee valley and they are going continue to make their way off to the northeast.

Now, we do have some additional showers and thunderstorms across portions of the northeast itself and those will continue into the afternoon. Also, that third section that's down across portions of southern Texas. So, a lot of areas here to talk about. And also, the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms.

You have got all of these areas here off in this eastern zone that could have the potential for damaging winds, large hail and we can't rule out an isolated tornado or two possible. You're talking Washington, D.C., Nashville, Atlanta, Memphis, all of these areas. And it's multiple rounds, too.

Once again, we have got this first round that's taking shape this morning. That will continue to slide through and then a secondary wave begins to push in this afternoon and into the evening hours. So, even though it may be raining this morning, don't think that that means it's done for the day and you'll be in the clear for the rest of it if you are going through multiple rounds.

The heat is also going to be a concern, especially across the southeastern tier of the U.S. as well as out in the western portion of the country. In the south, it's the combination of that heat as well as the humidity. So, for today Houston you are going to feel like 105 at that peak heating of the day.

[06:10:03]

Monroe, New Orleans, Mobile, also several other locations where that feels-like temperature is going to get back into those triple digits. Out to the west it's the temperature itself. The air temperature that is likely to reach into those triple digits and some of them pretty significantly. Las Vegas getting into the 110s. Same thing for Palm Springs. Even Bakersfield, California, topping out at 110. And we are looking at over 30 cities that have the potential to break records in the coming days.

WALKER: It's hot out there. Allison Chinchar, thank you.

The TSA has just broken its all-time travel record screening the most passengers since the agency started and that happened during a hectic holiday weekend. Passengers flying out for the fourth of July have been hit with long lines and thousands of delays and cancellations.

BLACKWELL: And there are more disruptions this morning. According to FlightAware, more than 450 flights in the U.S. have already been delayed today, 260 canceled. CNN's Gloria Pazmino shows us how airlines and travelers are coping.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Amara, it is already shaping up to be a record-breaking weekend. The Transportation Security Administration tells us they have already screened 2.8 million passengers. That is the highest number since the agency was created in 2001 and the number is expected to increase. The agency estimates they will screen 17 million passengers by the time the holiday weekend is over.

Now, here at Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the busiest in the county, we have been speaking to passengers who came here expecting to run into some problems particularly after last week when there were so many disruptions and cancellation across the different airports. Passengers came prepared expecting to run into some trouble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I actually think the weather is more of a problem than anything else. I think if you fly certain airlines everything seems to run smoothly but the weather has been more of a problem than anything. Do you agree with that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are seasoned travelers, right? We know how to deal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero problems whatsoever. I've seen a bunch of stuff on social media of people in airports for days. But, no, I got lucky.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, while travelers are trying to take things in stride, United Airlines has been under intense scrutiny. This is a United hub and this was one of the airports that was severely affected as a result of the disruptions last week. United is still trying to recover.

As of Friday, they were still dealing with cancellations. More than 200 and over 1,300 delays. Now, the United CEO, Scott Kirby, sent a letter to his employees calling the week the most operationally challenging weeks I've ever experienced in my entire career. And meantime, he is vowing to work with the FAA to improve conditions for passengers and for employees following last week's meltdown and from what we can see here so far it looks like what is going to be a record-breaking weekend is off to a pretty good start. Victor, Amara.

WALKER: Gloria Pazmino, thank you. Back on the campaign trail. Former President Trump holding his first campaign rally since being indicted on federal charges yesterday vowing retribution if re-elected to the White House.

BLACKWELL: Plus, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he fears losing bipartisan support from the U.S. because of what he calls dangerous messages from some Republicans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:17:30]

BLACKWELL: Former President Trump held his first campaign rally since being indicted on federal charges.

WALKER: Thousands of his supporters flocked to the event in rural South Carolina yesterday where Trump slammed the justice department. CNN's Alayna Treene has the details.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Good morning, Victor and Amara. I am in Pickens, South Carolina, where former President Donald Trump spoke to a crowd of his supporters at a rally on Saturday. And it's important to note that this is his first presidential rally since the news of his federal indictment and learning of the federal charges against him in the classified documents case.

And he spent a lot of time during that speech talking about these charges. He continued to repeat that he denied any wrongdoing. He also argued that others were not being prosecuted for doing the same thing that he did, and that he was entitled to taking those documents with him. Of course, prosecutors argue that he had some of the most sensitive documents in his possession and that his refusal to turn them over amounts to obstruction. So, he spent a lot of time on that.

The other thing I want to point out, though, is he also spent a lot of time focusing on his 2024 agenda. Things like immigration, crime, drugs and fentanyl in America, the economy and railed repeatedly against President Biden and argued that they need -- he needs to take the country back from his power.

And so, I think focusing on 2024 is something that a lot of his senior advisors have told me that they want him to do. They want him to talk about the future. They want him to talk about the policies that he would implement if he were re-elected to being president.

And so, I think we are going to continue to see a lot of these types of rallies throughout the summer. He is not slowing down despite the legal charges that he is facing and he has committed to this very aggressive campaign schedule over the next few months. Victor, Amara, back to you. WALKER: Thank you so much, Alayna. There is also new evidence of former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A source tells CNN that Trump called then-Arizona governor Doug Ducey pressuring him to find fraud that did not exist in an attempt to overturn his loss in that state.

BLACKWELL: Sources say that Trump also pushed then-Vice President Mike Pence to help him in this pressure campaign. Tim Parlatore, Trump's former attorney, told CNN yesterday that these new allegations are not shocking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM PARLATORE, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: So that doesn't sound too surprising to me. I mean, that was really the effort throughout that time was to go to the states and try and get them to do investigations to find fraud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:20:01]

BLACKWELL: CNN's Jeremy Herb has more on this.

JEREMY HERB, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Sources telling CNN new details about President Trump's efforts to pressure then-Arizona governor Doug Ducey after the 2020 election. President Trump had a phone call with the Governor Ducey that we previously knew about but Governor Ducey had not shared details about what President Trump told him.

Now, sources tell CNN that President Trump pressured the governor to try to find enough fraud in the state to overturn the election in Arizona. Sources also tell CNN new details that President Trump tried to enlist his vice president Mike Pence in this effort. Vice President Pence he called Governor Ducey several times after the 2020 election to discuss the election, but a source tells CNN that Vice President Pence did not follow through with the request to pressure the governor.

This all comes as Special Counsel Jack Smith is ramping up his investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including some of those efforts by the president and his allies to reach out to state officials. Now, the governor's spokesperson he downplayed the significance of this call to us saying in a statement to CNN, frankly, nothing here is new nor is it news to anyone following this issue the last two years. Governor Ducey defended the results of Arizona's 2020 election. He certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward. None were ever brought forward.

Now, the spokesman also told CNN that the special counsel's office has not reached out to Governor Ducey to set up an interview and to talk about this call. The special counsel did interview this week another state official Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger about the call he had with President Trump in 2021 about finding enough votes for the president to win the election in that state. Jeremy Herb, CNN, New York.

BLACKWELL: Coming up, the mayor of a Paris suburb says someone tried to assassinate his family overnight and it happened during these days of protests in France over the police shooting of a teenage boy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:26:15]

BLACKWELL: Let's get you more now on the breaking news this morning. At least two people dead and 28 others injured after a shooting overnight in Baltimore.

WALKER: CNN's Isabel Rosales joining us now here in the studio. So, it's early, Isabel, but what are we learning about this investigation?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And we are starting to get those details just coming in. We know that Baltimore police officers are still there at the scene, obviously, canvassing. Those 911 calls came in just after midnight. And we are seeing from video on the ground investigators again looking through that area. Broken glass, alcohol cans, debris, trash.

This all happening in south Baltimore. This is a Brooklyn Homes neighborhood. This is a working-class neighborhood just east of Baltimore/Washington International Airport.

Here's what we know about the victims so far. Twenty-eight people have been injured. Nine of them rushed to hospitals. Three in critical condition. Two people have been killed. One woman found dead there at the scene and another adult has also died.

Now, Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott he has called the shooting reckless and cowardly. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT: This is an absolute tragedy that did not have to happen. It again highlights the impacts and the need to deal with the over proliferation of illegal guns on our streets and the ability for those who should not have them.

We will not stop until we find those cowards who decided to just shoot dozens of people, causing two people to lose their lives. And we are going to be here until we find them, until we hold them accountable, until they are held accountable for the actions that they took because we cannot rest until they do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And it's important to note that this happened outside during a block party, perhaps giving folks a chance to run away and escape from the shooting. Very little right now known about the suspect. In fact, not anything at all. We know that police right now they are going through video -- cellphone videos. It's going to be important talking to witnesses to gather and piece together what exactly happened and, hopefully, point to who is responsible.

WALKER: All right. Isabel Rosales, appreciate your reporting.

BLACKWELL: Thank you.

WALKER: Thank you very much. And next hour the mayor of Baltimore will join us to, hopefully, give us more details about this developing story.

Areas across France are reeling from more violent protests. France's interior ministry says 719 people were detained in a fifth night of protests. Officials say 45 police officers were injured and 577 vehicles were set on fire.

BLACKWELL: There have been these demonstrations across France after the police shooting death of a 17-year-old during a traffic stop. In Marseille riot police fired tear gas in a clash with demonstrators. The mayor of another Paris suburb says his home was attacked early today in what he calls an assassination attempt. He says the attackers rammed their car into his house in an attempt to set the house on fire.

CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins us now live from Paris. Another night. Hundreds more of detentions. Give us an update on the situation.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, Victor, Amara, what a difference a few hours makes. Just a few hours ago, overnight, we were watching the police, an intense amount of police -- riot police chasing through the streets here, cat and mouse on the side streets coming off this central Parisian avenue, the Champs- Elysees. Now, it's packed full of tourists and Parisians out enjoying the day. But it was an entirely different picture last night.

That said, across the country the level of the violence was down. If you look at the figures, 871 fires set across the country, official statistics. Yesterday that was about 2,500 the previous night.

[06:30:02]

The night before that, it was close to 3900. So, it looks as if the level of violence is coming down, but in part because there's such an intense police presence last night. The police on the streets here were not allowing the protesters to gather anywhere. They managed to overturn one vehicle, set it and a bike, a rental bike on fire. The incident at the mayor's house in one of the Paris suburbs, really I think for many people, crystallizes just how violent some elements in the crowd can be because this incident didn't happen out of nothing.

They've been trying to target the mayor's office, the town hall, but they couldn't get in there. They couldn't damage that. So, what did they do? It wasn't random. They went off to his house and tried to target his house, and his wife and two children, a five-year-old and a seven-year-old, two of them, the wife and one of the children, were injured, escaping the house. And that's why the prosecutor is also calling that an attempted murder.

The police have taken a very, very tough approach. They reinforce with elite riot police officers in the central city of Lyon and in Marseille to try to keep a lid on the violence. And perhaps that's why the number of incidents are down, but I think everyone in this country will take heart that the last couple of nights, it does seem to be easing off.

Come night, fall tonight. The street again could look entirely different. For now, it's a great place for tourists.

BLACKWELL: That is amazing how much things change from night to day. Nic Robertson there for us. Thank you so much.

WALKER: In Ukraine, Russia launched an air attack on the capital, Kyiv, overnight using Iranian-made drones. The city's military administration says Kyiv's air defense is destroyed all the drones. Three homes were damaged by falling debris from the strike.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is concerned that bipartisan support for Ukraine from the U.S. may be waning. Zelenskyy points to what he calls dangerous messages from some Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT UKRAINE (through translator): The most important thing for Ukraine is not to lose bipartisan support because the U.S. is a real leader in the support for Ukraine. They are the most powerful in the world in terms of weapons and financial support. And that's well understood by all of us. We cannot lose that.

There are dangerous signals from some members of the Republican Party. We will have to deal with it somehow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Joining us now is Jim Townsend. He is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO policy. Thank you so much for joining us. First off, how do you react to President Zelenskyy's comments and his concerns? I mean, should he be concerned about losing bipartisan support, especially as he is looking to 2024?

JIM TOWNSEND, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, he should be worried. That's his job is to try to keep the U.S. along beside him and to make sure that there is a bipartisan spirit. And I think the events over the last weekend has solidified more than before the feeling in the Congress and in the United States that we need to be supporting Ukraine. But we -- but Zelenskyy can't let his guard down. He's got to keep his eye on the ball and to make sure that he is pressing his case, not just in Washington, but across Europe too.

WALKER: I do want to ask you about the counter-offensive that has been underway by Ukraine for a couple of weeks now. And Zelenskyy did concede recently that progress has been "slower than desired." Why do you -- why is Ukraine's counter-offensive, you know, off to a slow start even with new weapons that it's received from the West?

TOWNSEND: Well, the Russian defenses are very strong right now. They are dug in. It is multi-layered defenses where they have particularly large swaths of mines, anti-taint mines, other obstacles that make it slow going. And so, Ukraine has not committed those forces that have been trained and equipped by the West, they haven't been committed to the battle yet.

They've got volunteers, Ukraine troops that have volunteered to go in and begin to find the weak spots in that Russian line that they can exploit later with artillery, with HIMARS, to let those more trained and Western equipped forces to do a breakthrough. But it's going to take time. It's not going to be a Hollywood-style offensive. This is pick and shovel work, and it's bloody, and it's going to take some time.

WALKER: So, what then is exactly the objective of this counter- offensive? Is it to push the Russian front line far south as possible? Is that where they're focusing?

TOWNSEND: Well, they're going to try to break the Russian presence into by driving to the Sea of Azov, if they can. Certainly, in the first stage of this offensive, they're going to be trying to set up this attempt to split the Russians in two. How far they get, we don't know. But the plan is that ultimately, to get the Russians out of Ukraine.

But right now they're going to try to split that Russian presence in two, but it's going to be hard going. And we might not see a lot of success until a month or so.

[06:35:22]

WALKER: Are you seeing any indications that the Wagner rebellion, the rebellion led by the leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has had any impact on the field, on the battlefields?

TOWNSEND: Well, it certainly has impacted the Russian troop morale for sure. It's already been weak among the Russian soldiers, who many who don't want to be there. And now that they've seen this chaos going on in their chain of command and in the Kremlin, it makes it even more difficult for them to sit there and face this onslaught from Ukraine when it occurs.

But certainly, the command and control element of it, beginning with Putin and the Kremlin and all the way down to the soldiers in the field, that's been disrupted as they investigate and look into who in the military, might have known about this insurgency, who can be trusted, who is someone that needs to be pulled out of line and punished in some way. So, there is turmoil in the command and control side of this offensive, and that is bad for anyone.

WALKER: I'm curious to know your thoughts on the CIA Director William Burns' comments recently. He traveled to Ukraine. He met with Zelensky. Obviously, this was before the Wagner rebellion happened. He said that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the CIA because of the disaffection with the war amongst the Russians. Do you agree with that statement?

TOWNSEND: Absolutely. The CIA Director is one of the best we've had. He's well-known in Washington, and I think this kind of insight is correct. A time of disaffection in the capital city or in the military where some of the individuals might say that to protect their country, they've got to end this war, and they feel to end the war, they need to perhaps give some information to the West in one way or another. I think that's exactly where we are right now.

And the U.S. intelligence, as well as that of the West, has been pretty good anyway. If you remember, we had a pretty good idea of the -- of this Russian invasion last year anyway. And I think our intel has been top throughout this particular phase of the invasion. So, this only adds to our ability to gather information.

WALKER: All right, well, let's see if Ukraine is able to take advantage of some of these opportunities. Jim Townsend, I appreciate you. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Just ahead, how to pay back your loans, when to start, how much? The questions millions of Americans are asking after the Supreme Court struck down President Biden's debt forgiveness plan. We'll talk about the steps you can take to get back on track, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

WALKER: And a look at some of the headlines we are following this morning. More migrants are arriving in California after being bussed from Texas. The bus carrying 41 migrants, including 11 children, arrived in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. The city's mayor says several organizations were mobilized to make sure the migrants have the help they need. The state of Texas has bust more than 23,000 migrants to other cities across the nation.

BLACKWELL: America's tallest and longest giga coaster is closed this morning after a crack was found in a support pillar. Look at this. This was taken mid-ride, and you could see the car carrying passengers comes around the pillar, splits shakes a little. This is the Fury 325 ride at Carowinds in North Carolina. That ride tops heights of 325 feet, reaches 95 miles per hour.

WALKER: A massive fentanyl seizure in California. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers say they stopped the attempted smuggling of nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills. The bust happened at the cargo facility at the Otay Mesa border crossing in San Diego after authorities noticed anomalies within a shipment of sinks. The estimated value, more than $2.5 million.

BLACKWELL: This morning, the Biden administration is pursuing a new action to help the student debt after the Supreme Court struck down the president's student loan forgiveness program. The decision blocks millions of borrowers from receiving up to $20,000 in federal debt relief just months before loan payments are set to restart in October. But after a three-year payment freeze, there are a lot of people who are not prepared to add another bill into the budget.

Here to share some recommendations on handling those student loans is Betsy Mayotte. She is the president and the founder of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors. All right, so, let's start here with what the President announced on Friday. First, good morning to you, and thank you for being with us. I want to start with this 12-month on- ramp program. And as described by the White House, financially vulnerable borrowers who miss monthly payments during this period are not considered delinquent, reported to credit bureaus, placed in default to refer to debt collection agencies. Does one have to qualify to be one of those financially vulnerable, or should a person with loans here, I've got another year that I don't have to start making those payments?

BETSY MAYOTTE, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, INSTITUTE OF STUDENT LOAN ADVISORS: Yes, there's no qualifications for it. There's no income criteria or otherwise. If your loans have been eligible for the COVID pause, and you can't afford to make your payments of any kind during that first 12-month, you won't see a negative impact on your credit report. However, interest is going to start accruing again on September 1, so it's different from the pause where no interest was accruing. So, you will have -- still have that interest building up during that period.

[06:45:17]

BLACKWELL: The repayment plan announced Friday offers lower payment options for at least some. Is everyone eligible for those, and how do you recalibrate those monthly payments?

MAYOTTE: So, the vast majority of federal student loan borrowers are going to be eligible for the new repayment plan that people are calling the save plan. Now, whether that plan ends up giving you a lower payment will depend on what your income is, especially in relation to how much you owe in student loans. So, for example, someone that owes, say, 50,000 in student loans, and they made say 80,000 a year, they should see their payments go down as a result of this new plan.

However, someone that owes, say, 20,000 in student loans and they make $100,000, they likely will not see a reduction in their monthly payment as a result of this plan.

BLACKWELL: And that's something that will be automatic. There's no website one has to go to request for the adjustment?

MAYOTTE: Actually, in this situation, you do have to apply. If you're not already on the plan that's currently called repay, you will have to apply for this new version of the plan, which it's very easy to do. After July 30, you'll be able to do it at the Department of Education's website, studentaid.gov, or directly through your loan servicer. BLACKWELL: OK, so that's good to know. The President also has not

given up on canceling or forgiving some student loan debt. They're now going to go through this Higher Education Act of 1965, the first attempt was through the Heroes Act. I wonder if the president has maybe a better shot at getting that through two borrowers through this law instead of the Heroes Act.

MAYOTTE: Yes, I was delighted to hear that he's taking a second shot at this through a process called negotiated rulemaking. In this situation, the way they're going about it is they're going to alter some federal regulations under a section of the Higher Education Act. Whether there's going to be additional legal challenges for this remains to be seen, but I'm hopeful that this might actually be able to take effect.

BLACKWELL: All right, Betty Mayotte, thank you. I know these are some questions that people who have those tens of thousands of dollars, and for some, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars of student loans really want to know when, what, how much. Thanks so much.

And be sure to mark your calendars for Tuesday. Join me as CNN's July 4th special returns with an all-star lineup. Celebrate with Spectacular fireworks, the biggest musical performances around with CNN's The fourth in America live Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. We'll be right back.

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WALKER: French phenom Victor Wembanyama is officially part of the San Antonio's Spurs now.

BLACKWELL: Carolyn Manno joins us now from New York. Carolyn, when will we see him on the court?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys. Yes, it's a great question. He said he spent more time with the media than actually practicing the game that he just signed to play. The hype around the 19-year-old top overall pick has been so overwhelming and it's just going to grow to a fever pitch. He's expected to finally get on the court for the first time next week at Las Vegas Summer League.

But before that can happen, he did have to take care of the business of all of this as in actually signing at that brand new contract with the Spurs. Terms of the deal not disclosed but it was previously reported by Forbes that Wemby was expected to earn around $12.2 million in his rookie season. It remains to be seen how much action he'll actually see in Vegas considering his season in France just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago. But he says he's really excited about what's coming next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA, CENTER, SAN ANTONIO SPURS: I'm glad this is over now and I can focus on basketball. I don't know what the rules yet, you know, how many minutes I'm going to play, but I'm now going to have a big role and it's going to be intense. And, you know, I can't wait to try to do to wear that first -- the Spurs jersey for the first time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Meantime, it looks like Damian Lillard will be putting on a different jersey next season. Agent Aaron Goodwin confirming to CNN that the seven-time all-star has requested a trade. Lillard spent 11 seasons in Portland. He ranks first in Blazer's history in both points and three pointers, second in assists. According to Goodwin, Lillard hoping to take his talents to South Beach and play with the Miami Heat. That's the preferred destination, but we will see.

And watch this, guys. IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud walking away unharmed from this terrifying wreck during practice on Saturday. His car rolled seven times through the gravel before coming to rest on its side. The 2019 Indy 500 winner said his breaks had failed while he was going about 180 miles per hour. Pagenaud evaluated and released by doctors. But look at that video. He was not cleared to compete in qualifying.

And finally, rush hour traffic will take on a whole new meaning on the streets of Chicago this afternoon. The Windy City is set to host its first-ever street race in NASCAR Cup Series history. Denny Hamlin going to start from pole position. The 2.2-mile course through Grant Park is set against the backdrop of Lake Michigan and the city skyline. Some have questioned the massive downtown disruption in the city of Chicago, but NASCAR hoping that this race will help grow the sport a little bit. And I can understand why. It is going to be a bit of a disruption, but ticket prices are way up and that's obviously what NASCAR is hoping for. So, hopefully, it'll be a good time and fun to watch.

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WALKER: I love that skyline there. Carolyn Manno, thank you.

And here's something for you adventurous ears. A restaurant in San Francisco has added lab-grown meat to its menu. Bar Crenn is now serving chicken made from cultivated animal cells.

BLACKWELL: So, the cultivated chicken tempura will be served with a burnt chili aioli and garnished with greens and edible flowers. This is the only meat that is sold at the restaurant. Would you eat it?

WALKER: I don't even know what cultivated animal cells are. What is that like? I don't get it.

BLACKWELL: They take the cells and then grow a chicken breast in a -- in a lab.

WALKER: I don't know.

BLACKWELL: I feel like we're all going to resist it initially. And then eventually, it will be everywhere. And we'll just kind of like, all right, give me the, you know, Bunsen burner chicken and you know --

WALKER: You start. You start, you tell me, and I'll give it a couple of years and see if you grow a third arm or something.

BLACKWELL: Well, sure. Yes. We'll have much more news ahead on CNN THIS MORNING. Stay with us.

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