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Biden Leaves Today For High-Stakes NATO Summit; Cluster Munitions Part Of New Ukraine Aid Package; Russia's War On Ukraine Looms Over NATO Summit; Ukraine Seeking A Path To NATO Membership; Federal Court Allows Tennessee's Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors To Take Effect; $9,500 Reward Offered For Escaped Pennsylvania Inmate; Blaze Aboard Massive Ship In New Jersey Contained; At Least 14 Killed After Building Collapse In Brazil; One Dead, Three Injured In Back-To-Back Random Shootings; Chicago Police Investigating Officers For Improper Sexual Relations With Migrants. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired July 09, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:39]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: It's so good to have you with us this morning. Welcome to your Sunday. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is July 9th.

I'm Victor Blackwell. And look who we have with us today, Bianna Golodryga.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: They couldn't separate us for long, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Can't keep us apart.

GOLODRYGA: And it's so good to be back with you. No, they can't. It is so good to be with you all this morning as well. Good to see you.

BLACKWELL: Good morning. So, here's what we've watching for you this morning. President Biden will head overseas later this morning for the NATO Summit. The critical issues on the table and what the White House is hoping to accomplish with this trip.

GOLODRYGA: Also, Congress returns to Capitol Hill this week and one of the most pressing orders of business is finding a compromise to fund the government. The divisions that so far have both chambers still far apart on a resolution.

BLACKWELL: Florida governor Ron DeSantis is behind in the polls but that is not discouraging some of his most vocal supporters. Why they say he is the one to watch as the Republican primary heats up.

GOLODRYGA: And spoiler alert. You are probably still not a millionaire. Sorry to tell you on this Sunday morning. Nobody matched all six numbers in last night's Powerball drawing. Where the jackpot stands now and when you'll get your next shot at the prize.

BLACKWELL: Up first, the war in Ukraine and the future of the NATO alliance. Those issues are top of the agenda as President Biden leaves today on a high-stakes trip to Europe and specifically the NATO Summit.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, busy week for the president ahead. President Biden will play a key role on critical issues facing the alliance. Now, his trip comes just after he signed a new aid package for Ukraine.

CNN White House reporter Priscilla Alvarez joins us live. Priscilla, fill us in on the president's busy agenda and also give us a sense of what's at stake for him and the NATO allies at this summit in Vilnius.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It's a busy agenda and it comes at a critical time. This is a summit that's going to come against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine and that failed coup attempt in Russia last month.

Now, the trip will include three stops. President Biden will head out today first to the United Kingdom where he'll meet with King Charles, the first time they meet face to face since his coronation. And he'll also meet with the British prime minister. Then he will go to Lithuania where he will attend that critical NATO Summit and he'll conclude his trip in Finland.

But look, looming over all of this is going to be the war in Ukraine. And on that front the U.S. made a significant announcement on Friday where it said that it committed to sending cluster munitions to Ukraine. Now, this is a controversial decision by the Biden administration and one that officials say they did not take lightly with President Biden himself saying it was a difficult decision. And the reason why is because these cluster munitions that they are going to be sending in their latest aid package includes scattering bomblets across a large area that could pose a long-term risk to civilians. And it is also a munition that has been banned by over a hundred nations who say it shouldn't be used in modern warfare.

Now, President Biden has already faced pushback within members of his party who called it a serious mistake and one that could have a devastating impact. But the administration says it was a necessary thing that they had to do to help Ukraine make gains in their counteroffensive against Russia. But you can imagine that it is a decision that is going to come up during the course of President Biden's trip, this upcoming week.

In addition to that, this NATO alliance and this summit is going to be critical not only in the war in Ukraine, and also making sure that the alliance is strong as President Biden has repeatedly said, but also in terms of whether or not Ukraine unites and becomes a member of NATO. Now, National Security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Friday that it is unlikely. In fact, it will not happen that Ukraine will come out of this summit being a member, but it is a topic of discussion and one where they could discuss a path forward.

In fact, President Biden also said that it would be premature to have Ukraine join now but they could discuss steps forward during this summit. So, all of that is looming large. All questions about whether Ukraine could eventually join NATO, but also what does long-term assistance look for a war that is now two years in in Ukraine.

[06:05:04]

And so, all of these pressing questions that President Biden will be facing as he heads on this week-long trip.

GOLODRYGA: All right. A critical week ahead. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you.

Let's get some more perspective on the NATO Summit and President Biden's role. Joining us now is CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier, managing editor for the "Military Times." Kim, it's good to see you. So, what does President Biden need to accomplish this week?

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, he needs to keep the NATO alliance together in terms of funding and supporting Ukraine in the war effort. That's always job one going to these summits. But he also needs to do some arm twisting with the Turkish president and Hungary behind the scenes to get Sweden into the alliance.

The impression I have gotten from various diplomats is that Sweden feels that Turkey has already rung several different changes out of their legislature. Sweden has stepped up its laws, its crackdown on Turkish dissonance in that country and this is all they're going to get. Stop the slow rolling and let them in. That's the impression I am getting from Swedish officials.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, and it's interesting because we just saw President Zelenskyy in Ankara meeting with the president of Turkey. And it's notable that it appears President Erdogan is more willing to allow Ukraine into NATO at this point than Sweden itself. Would this be a disappointing or a failed summit if in fact it doesn't end with Sweden joining the alliance?

DOZIER: Look, previous joiners to NATO have taken up to 18 months. So, Turkey could try to get some more concessions. Turkey has been asking for things like F-16 parts, even F-16s. And, of course, the U.S. Congress has been slow rolling some of this stuff over Turkey's human rights record. And this horse trading is going to go on behind closed doors.

The other major issue though, of course, is that Ukraine is going to keep pushing for membership. Membership that it knows it can't get right away because de facto if it joins, that's -- the Article 5 means then every other NATO member would also be in direct war with Russia. But by pushing so hard it could possibly get a path to the status that Finland and Sweden had before they entered into this process for full membership.

Of course, Finland is now a full member. They could become some sort of a partner in the meantime. So, that's another thing that could be negotiated behind closed doors.

And Erdogan, the Turkish leader, knows that he can say I want Ukraine to be a full member and it's not going to happen. So, it's rhetoric that makes him sound like he is cooperative.

GOLODRYGA: What's the likelihood you think that we could see President Zelenskyy making an appearance in Vilnius? I believe he's in Poland right now. He has been known to travel across Europe meeting with allies to continue to rally support. Do you think we could see him at this NATO Summit?

DOZIER: Well, he has made comments that he is not going to attend because Ukraine isn't being granted NATO membership. I don't know what might happen behind closed doors. Again, this is a kind of thing where he's very good at doing the public messaging. And from his perspective going could be a way to confirm the continued support and to tell people about how the counteroffensive is actually going and what they are missing on the battlefield.

Ukrainian forces are facing entrenched Russian force that has mined the areas that the Ukrainians are trying to approach that's just going to spell slow going and this is something that Zelenskyy can spell out to NATO leaders, but it's also something that his officials can say if he really wants to make a point by staying away.

GOLODRYGA: Let me ask you about the cluster munitions that the United States has begrudgingly agreed to provide Ukraine with. And this comes as we are hearing from a number of allies who have banned cluster munitions, including Britain. And President Biden will be making his first stop in the United Kingdom meeting with Rishi Sunak. And the prime minister, who has given many sophisticated weapons, you could argue that some more are even more sophisticated than the United States such as the Storm Shadow missiles, has said he will not be providing cluster munitions for Ukraine. They are banned in the United Kingdom.

Do you think even though the president said that he has spoken with allies about this issue that this could cause a bit of controversy and perhaps distance between him and allies as this summit approaches?

[06:10:08]

DOZIER: I think that the U.K., Germany, France, they all have to say things publicly against cluster munitions because their own populations are against them and they've signed treaties against the use of these weapons. But they understand that on the battlefield Ukraine is constantly suffering what it describes as shell hunger. Not enough shells to fire at the other side.

And the U.S. and Europe have to ramp up production of artillery to feed that shell hunger. That can take a couple of years to build up those factory production lines. So, in the meantime these cluster munitions become a sort of bridging weapon to keep the Ukrainian troops firing at the Russians to keep this counteroffensive going up until the winter kind of slows everything down. So, it is not the preferred solution, but it is a makeshift solution for now.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We know that Russia's reportedly just used cluster munitions as recently as yesterday in yet another indiscriminate attack that has killed at least seven people. Kim Dozier, always good to see you. Thank you so much for your analysis.

And make sure to watch "FAREED ZAKARIA, GPS" later today to see an exclusive one-on-one interview with President Biden. That airs later this morning at 10:00 a.m.

BLACKWELL: Congress returns to Washington this week, but their month- long August recess is just a few weeks away and they have a lot to do. CNN Capitol Hill reporter Annie Grayer joins us now. Annie, good morning to you. List off the top priorities for us when they get back.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Victor, when Congress returns this week, it's going to be crunch time. They have until September 30th to figure out how they are going to fund the government for the next year, and right now the House and Senate are extremely far apart.

And in the House, we have members on the far right who really want to cut spending at levels that no one else in the House and Senate is matching that level. So, what we are going to have to see is Speaker Kevin McCarthy who is not unfamiliar to these dynamics in his slim majority of the Republican conference try to figure out how to keep his members together. But, you know, they have three weeks when they come back this week before they break for an August recess. So, it is really critical to see if they can make any headway in these next couple of weeks.

BLACKWELL: Speaking of trying to make some headway, there are members of his conference who have been trying to push through some impeachment of the president, members of the cabinet, McCarthy felt some of that pressure. Where do those investigations stand?

GRAYER: So, this week FBI director Christopher Wray is going to be testifying in front of the House Judiciary Committee. This is a routine oversight hearing. But Wray is going to be one of a string of Biden administration officials that's going to be coming in front of Congress in the next couple of weeks which is going to put them opposite some of their fiercest opponents in the House who sit on the Judiciary Committee. And this comes right before the July 4th break.

Congress put out testimony from -- it received from an IRS whistleblower who claimed that the Department of Justice had mishandled the criminal case into Hunter Biden and this set off a wave of fury among House Republicans. Even Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has had a pretty measured approach on investigations and impeachments so far suggested that he would be open to pursuing impeachment if these allegations were true.

So, a number of Republicans, Victor, have been itching for impeaching members of Joe Biden's cabinet, and even the president himself, since Republicans took over in January of the House, but now that these investigations are really in full swing we are going to see in the next couple of weeks if they can seize on the momentum that we know they are trying to do.

BLACKWELL: Indeed, we will. Annie Grayer for us there in Washington watching all of it. Thank you so much.

So, we talked about the high-stakes meeting in -- at the NATO Summit. Let's talk about another high-stakes trip with global implications. What Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wants leaders in Beijing to know and what it means for tensions between the U.S. and China.

GOLODRYGA: Plus, police are calling it a random shooting spree. A man on a scooter opens fire in New York leaving one person dead and three others injured. We will have the latest on this ongoing investigation.

Plus, it's the end of an era for women's soccer. Megan Rapinoe announces that she is retiring at the end of the season. We will talk about her incredible legacy both on and off the field.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:19:02]

BLACKWELL: Welcome back. Here's some of the headlines we are following for you this morning. A U.S. appeals court has temporarily reinstated Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. It's the first time a federal court has allowed a ban of this kind to proceed.

Now, the law was originally set to take effect on July 1st. It prohibits health care providers from performing gender-affirming surgeries and administering hormones or puberty blockers to transgender youth. The American Civil Liberties Union called the ruling a heartbreaking development. But the court still has until September 20th to reach a final decision on whether the law will stay in effect while the appeal continues.

GOLODRYGA: A manhunt is underway in northern Pennsylvania for the murder suspect who escaped from the Warren County Jail Thursday night. Officials are offering a reward of nearly $10,000 for any information leading to the arrest of Michael Charles Burham who is considered dangerous and may have obtained a gun during his escape.

[06:20:00]

Burham was being held on arson and burglary charges and is also a self-taught survivalist with military skills.

BLACKWELL: Officials in Newark, New Jersey, say that the cargo ship fire that killed two firefighters is now contained. That fire has been burning since late Wednesday. Fire crews made significant progress in the overnight hours. They were able to contain the blaze on the 11th deck of this huge ship. Officials say all the firefighters who were injured have now been released from the hospital. The cause of the fire still is not known.

GOLODRYGA: And at least 14 people, including four children, were killed after a building collapsed in Brazil on Friday. Officials say search and rescue efforts are now over as no more victims remain missing. But rescue crews continue to search for pets at the location. The children who died were ages 5, 8, 12, and 16. And three people were rescued alive from the building. Incredibly tragic story there.

Well, this morning police in New York are trying to find out why a man went on a deadly and seemingly random shooting spree Saturday. One person was killed and three others were hurt when a gunman on a scooter opened fire at five different locations in Queens and in Brooklyn.

BLACKWELL: All five shootings happened in the span of about 30 minutes. The 25-year-old shooting suspect is now in custody. CNN's Polo Sandoval explains.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bianna and Victor. The indiscriminate nature of this shooting spree is particularly disturbing here as investigators say that the gunman was shooting people randomly not just in Queens but also in Brooklyn, in all five shootings in the Queens neighborhood of Richmond Hill and then at least one in the Cyprus Hills, Brooklyn neighborhood.

The suspect aboard a scooter according to investigators used a 9- millimeter pistol with an extended magazine that you can clearly see in some of these images that were released by investigators. Five people were shot in total. The arrest of the suspect happened less than two hours after the spree started.

He's a Hispanic 25-year-old man who has been previously arrested by the NYPD. Though investigators haven't elaborated on more details regarding that arrest. I want you to hear from one police official about what they know at this point about a possible motive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JOE KENNY, NEW YORK POLICE: It seems that his acts were random. If you look at the demographics and pedigree of the victims, they're all different. At this time video shows that he is not targeting anybody. He's not following anybody. As he is driving on his scooter, he is randomly shooting people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Police went on to say that they have not yet found a serial number on that weapon. So, it's still too soon to say if it's a ghost gun, which is a privately assembled and virtually untraceable weapon, or if that identifying information was simply filed off or modified. But they will certainly be turning to federal investigators for help with that aspect of the investigation.

I want to remind viewers that this is really just the latest shooting of its kind. It was just this past Monday that a masked armed and armored individual opened fire in southwest Philadelphia shooting and killing five people. Bianna, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Polo, thank you for that. There are some shocking allegations coming out of Chicago this morning. Listen to this. Several police officers are being investigated for alleged improper sexual relations with newly arrived migrants.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, hundreds of migrants have been living in city buildings, including Chicago's police stations, for the past several months. They were bussed to the city after crossing the Texas border. CNN's Camila Bernal walks us through the allegations first reported by "The Sun Times." CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Bianna, these are allegations that are currently being investigated so we have to wait for the results of this investigation or wait for more details from authorities. But what we know so far is that these allegations are coming from the tenth district police station. And these are of improper sexual relations between officers and migrants. It's unclear exactly how many officers.

But to understand all of this you have to remember that there are many, many migrants who are currently being housed at police stations in Chicago and this is something that has been criticized by many. This is something that has been covered for months by the "Chicago Sun-Times."

They were actually the first to report these allegations that a lot of the activists that I spoke to told me were not shocked necessarily. They say that they have been working with migrants for months now. And I talked to one of those people that has been there for months helping the migrants day in and day out. Her name is Evelyn Figueroa. And she tells me that it is not a good situation for either the migrants or the police officers. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. EVELYN FIGUEROA, DIRECTOR, PILSEN FOOD PANTRY: Such a harsh setup for the police and for the migrants. This is a complete lose-lose situation.

[06:25:01]

So, unless you have -- unless you have dedicated staff that are going to ensure equity, safety, accountability, it's just -- these types of things are going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And I also spoke to the president of the police union who says there are many officers who go above and beyond to help these migrants, but he says he has a lot of questions and concerns about these allegations. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP

JOHN CATANZARA JR., PRESIDENT, FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE CHICAGO LODGE NO. 7: We don't even know the validity of this complaint, the origin of this complaint. Who made it? Is there any truth to it whatsoever? Anybody can -- it's ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And we also reached out to COPA, which is the independent agency that is investigating these allegations, and they say the allegations are of the highest priority. They also say they act swiftly to address misconduct. Bianna, Victor.

GOLODRYGA: Incredibly disturbing allegations there. Camila, thank you. Well, the world is big enough for the U.S. and for China. That was the message from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Beijing. We will have the latest on her high-stakes trip up next.

[06:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is headed back to the U.S. after wrapping a high stakes economic talks with -- in Beijing with Chinese officials.

BLACKWELL: She called the talks direct, substantive, and productive. The administration is trying to stabilize U.S.-China relations. But there are still major disagreements between the two countries.

CNN's Will Ripley is in Taipei, Taiwan, live for us this morning. Will, what else do we know about these talks?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean the messaging from the United States clearly was positive as it was from the Chinese. Nobody went into these meetings thinking that there was going to be a major breakthrough that they were going to solve, you know, this long list of contentious issues. Whether it be economic issues, or the host of other things. Whether human rights or you know the potential threat on the democracy of Taiwan, China had -- and the United States have a lot of things that they disagree about and they still disagree about those things today.

But what is different this morning than perhaps before all of this began is that there's now, as the U.S. describes it, a very stable line of communication available for U.S. high-level officials to reach out to their counterparts, and regularly talk about some of these things that are creating tension. Because what made so many people nervous, especially in this part of the world in recent years, is that the escalations were getting more and more intense. There were actually more and more dangerous incidents of close calls. And if you didn't have any way to talk to the other side, that could lead to a really dangerous, perhaps deadly miscalculation.

That was the big concern on the part of the U.S. and perhaps Chinese officials, even though they didn't necessarily state publicly. But both sides really went into this with this -- with this mission to try to at least get the infrastructure in place where, if you will, to get talking. And that's what they said they're going to be doing now.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And Yellen's visit is notable because it's the second visit of a high-level U.S. cabinet member following Secretary of State Blinken's visit and meeting with President Xi just a couple of weeks ago. Will, the U.S. recently signed a trade deal with Taiwan, which Beijing opposed. Did Chinese officials make any mention of this during their talks with the treasury secretary?

RIPLEY: Certainly, it was brought up. China registering its strong protest against any official communication, any official -- any official acknowledgment of the democracy of Taiwan, the government that was elected by the people who live here because China's rulers don't see that as a legitimate government. And they say it's only a matter of time before they take back control of this island that they've never actually controlled.

Now, the Chinese also have said that this trade deal with Taiwan, which includes of course, semiconductors, the chips that power our cell phones and our cars, is part of this U.S. attempt at decoupling the U.S. from the Chinese economy. And somehow trying to cut China out of the supply chains. But Yellen really pushed back on that when she was asked about it. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: President Biden and I do not see the relationship between the U.S. and China through the frame of great power conflict. We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive. Both nations have an obligation to responsibly manage this relationship, to find a way to live together and share in global prosperity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: So, for the U.S. and China and the other 193 countries, these are certainly welcome words for many -- you know, a lot of countries really have felt that they were kind of caught in the middle of U.S., China, and they're having to decide which side they're going to take. It seems as if at least for now, they're hoping that some of that pressure will be eased.

BLACKWELL: Will Ripley for us there in Taipei, thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, some have been lifelong Democrats, but now they're backing presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis. CNN sits down with a group of suburban women fighting for the Florida Governor. You'll want to hear what they say won them over.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:38:44]

BLACKWELL: Iowa Republicans will hold the country's first caucus of the presidential election cycle on January 15, 2024. The Central Committee of the Iowa GOP voted unanimously in support of that date and it coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Federal holiday there.

And that leaves other candidates six months to close the gap with front-runner and former President Donald Trump. The announcement comes after months of GOP candidates campaigning heavily in Iowa. A date for the Democratic presidential caucuses, that's not been set yet.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has the support of a small but powerful network, a group of women who first started backing him as he pushed to reopen public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

GOLODRYGA: Well, now that he's a Republican presidential hopeful, he can benefit from their informal network of chat groups right across several states and across the political spectrum. CNN's Elle Reeve recently spoke with some of those women.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA STEINKAMP, TEACHER, DESANTIS SUPPORTER: If DeSantis were to run tomorrow, he would win. And that would be such a hard pillow before I think for many people.

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): 0Back in 2021, Vanessa Steinkamp was the first person who told me she was a fan of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. And that there were more like her.

[06:40:00]

REEVE: When we first spoke to you in 2021, you mentioned that you had this couple of mom friends that you met on Twitter, who are just obsessed with DeSantis. And it just stuck in my mind for years.

STEINKAMP: He would just do stuff and say stuff with this conviction. We're all like, thank you.

REEVE: Did you guys have a nickname for him?

JULIE HAMILL, LAWYER, DESANTIS SUPPORTER: Daddy DeSantis. I mean, it's all joking.

REEVE: Of course.

HAMILL: Because we're like desperate women who had tried everything that we could do in our own power in our own communities, and we weren't getting anywhere.

JENNIFER SEY, AUTHOR, DESANTIS SUPPORTER: He was very vocal starting in the summer of 2020 about the need to open schools in particular.

REEVE (voiceover): During the COVID lockdowns in 2020. These frustrated moms built an informal Twitter network of people angry about closed schools and the difficulty of remote learning. They were from all over the country but saw DeSantis as a model of what they wanted in their cities.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): School is a safe haven.

STEINKAMP: I mean, when I started advocating for kids to go back in person, I was called a granny killer, a teacher killer, selfish on Twitter.

REEVE: On Twitter?

STEINKAMP: Oh my god, they were -- he was awful.

REEVE (voiceover): Steinkamp is a teacher in Dallas and warned early on that lockdowns would hurt kids, especially poor kids.

STEINKAMP: We can't forget our most vulnerable and we've just created the single largest inequality generator in a generation by having some schools open, some schools closed. REEVE (voiceover): On Twitter, Steinkamp connected with Jen Sey, then- Levi's executive who moved her family from San Francisco to Denver in early 2021 so she could send her kids to school in person.

SEY: We quickly sort of found a community online. And I found it really interesting that she was a teacher that was advocating for in- person School. In San Francisco, you could go to a bar or a strip club, but my high school student couldn't go to English class.

REEVE (voiceover): Sey says she was forced out of Levi's in 2022 because of her COVID tweets, which the company told NPR undermined its own health and safety policies and sowed confusion among employees.

SEY: 90 percent of what I wrote about was playgrounds and schools. And there's nothing embarrassing about that now.

REEVE (voiceover): There were several active group chats where the mom shared news about COVID and DeSantis. One grew to more than 80 people, and they traveled to each other's homes. Many had been lifelong Democrats, including Julie Hamill, who has three kids and lives near LA.

REEVE: You voted for Obama.

HAMILL: Yes.

REEVE: Did you vote --

HAMILL: Twice.

REEVE: -- Clinton.

HAMILL: Yes.

REEVE: Did you vote for Biden?

HAMILL: Yes. I have never voted for a Republican presidential candidate. I have always considered myself very socially liberal. But as we became more vocal on Twitter, we were really demonized.

REEVE (voiceover): In 2022, she ran for school board in Palos Verdes, and won.

HAMILL: So, I'm going to fight back.

REEVE (voiceover): And was an active defender of her Twitter friends.

They aren't crazy. Data from the education department shows kids have been hurt by long-term remote learning. Black and brown students more than white.

In August 2020, DeSantis was early to open schools compared to other U.S. states but not the world. Many European countries went back under national policies. In May 2020, for example, a Finland health official cited data that kids didn't play a significant role in spreading the virus. But in the last two years, DeSantis has launched his presidential campaign and focused more on the culture war.

DESANTIS: We will make sure as president we leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history where it belongs.

REEVE (voiceover): The Twitter backlash they experienced made these women more receptive to parts of DeSantis's fight against wokeness. But not all of it.

REEVE: I'm wondering if you think that DeSantis's you know a very public, more woke distracts from the message that you like about him.

SEY: A little bit. I do. Yes.

REEVE: Because -- I mean, like to be honest, I like -- I do feel like it would be really good to have a big public debate about what did we get wrong in COVID like --

SEY: The left doesn't want to have that debate. They're never going to allow that debate. I think there's a lot of -- kind of incendiary tactics being used to smear him. I think there's --

REEVE: He did sign a law that restricts transgender care for adults as well as kids.

SEY: I have greater concerns about the six-week abortion ban.

REEVE: Tell me about that.

SAY: You know, I think if he made it clear that he's a States rights person and that he's not looking to kind of pass a national law in this regard, I would be less concerned.

REEVE (voiceover): Not everyone in their Twitter orbit agrees on his tactics. But these three do think Florida's new six-week abortion ban is bad.

HAMILL: I think that's dangerous. That's something that I cannot get behind. And I don't think that's going to bode well for his presidential campaign. I think that that might be a real impediment to bringing in moderate women.

REEVE (voiceover): None of these women like the idea of a 2024 rematch between Biden and Trump. They're open to voting for DeSantis but are not sold.

REEVE: So, there's been criticism from Republicans that DeSantis is like too online. That his campaign is too influenced by stuff that's popping online, but like, isn't affecting people in real life. So, someone struggling to pay their bills isn't thinking about pronouns. Is it possible that's true?

[06:45:15]

STEINKAMP: Oh, I don't think so. I've been down all over Florida, and you know what they all say? He helped my business open up. He helped my kids go to school. The media just fixates on the culture war pieces.

REEVE: Is it possible that you are too online?

STEINKAMP: Yes. For sure, in the beginning, but not anymore. Do I need to fight with some random online? No.

HAMILL: I would love to be off Twitter but I feel like there are discussions that need to be had. For all the bad that comes with it, there is also a good. And I've connected with all of these like-minded women who are not outright demons. They're moms who have been unseen and unheard.

REEVE (voiceover): Elle Reeve, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Elle, for that reporting.

U.S. Soccer great Megan Rapinoe is getting ready to call it a career. But not before she tries to make history one more time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:22]

GOLODRYGA: Well there was history in the Motor City yesterday. The Detroit Tigers combined to throw the second no-hitter in the Majors this season. The first, Victor, obviously going to the New York Yankees earlier.

BLACKWELL: All right. All right. Coy Wire joining us now. You know, if man stuck around, they made it worth it.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. Because it was not the greatest day weather-wise. But look, the Detroit Tigers, they've been around since 1901. And here they are doing something they have never done before. Throwing a combined no-hitter.

There were three dudes with Matt Manning getting the party started. He's on the bump. Former first-round pick. Just had his foot broken last month. Dealing.

And how about Havy Baez in for the great catch to start the sixth keeping the Blue Jays hitless? Manning, not bad, Havy. Not bad. It was six and two-thirds innings before turning it over to Jason Foley and Alex Lange.

And with two outs in the bottom of the night, Lange would have to keep Vlad Guerrero Jr. from getting the hit. He will be in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star game this week but Lange gets in to ground out here as the Tigers win, two-nothing for just the 20th combined no- hitter in MLB history, first for Detroit.

All right soccer legend Megan Rapinoe announcing her retirement at the end of the year. In 12 days, she's going to be taking the pitch with Team USA as they look to become the first team ever to win three straight World Cups. Rapinoe is today's difference-maker not just for her storied playing career on the pitch but for being one of the most outspoken athlete advocates of her generation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The members of the women's team are heroes. The next step is to pay them like it.

MEGAN RAPINOE, SOCCER PLAYER: There was just like a relentlessness and a refusal to accept anything other than what we felt like we deserve. It's almost like we couldn't lose. I said that a lot. It's like the Federation won, everybody loses. And if we win, everybody wins.

And I think -- I mean, there's something about feeling desperate. That is really powerful, I think and at times we weren't. We have to win this World Cup. Like we, in France, like we've -- there are some older players to talk to about it. We're like --

JULIE FOUDY, SOCCER ANALYST, TNT: Which is a lot of pressure though, is it not?

RAPINOE: It's a lot of pressure but we were like we -- like literally have to win. We have this opportunity to grasp this moment. And I think we just -- you know, the combination of personalities like we knew that and we sort of rose to that occasion.

FOUDY: What does that mean for not just one of the sports but other industries, other silos, women globally who look at this and say, ah, OK, I'm going to do something about my situation?

RAPINOE: Yes. I think that's probably what we're most proud of, is that it's been something that people can see themselves in and gain confidence from. You know, I think we're in a really unique and special situation to be around a bunch of other elite women. That almost never happened.

So, I think people like, almost put themselves in there with us. And they're like -- you know, I've just heard anecdotal stories people like, I wouldn't ask for a raise because of you guys. Because of the team.

We were a part of something so much bigger. And I think other women who don't necessarily have the ability to have a bunch of other women around them saw themselves in us. We were able to use that as motivation and be on our team.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Rapinoe is set to make our 200th International appearance today as Team USA takes on Wales in California at 4:00 p.m. Eastern on TNT. Their final tune-up before the Women's World Cup. Her longtime teammate Alex Morgan said well, now with this news, we have to go when this whole thing.

BLACKWELL: Got to do it. Thank you, Coy.

WIRE: You got it.

BLACKWELL: All right, so you got another chance now to go hit it big with Powerball. Another night no winning ticket. Next, we'll tell you how much is up for grabs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:58:42]

BLACKWELL: You're ready to quit that job and just be done with it. I mean, just kick around the Caribbean for a couple of years or forever. Here's your shot. Powerball. The jackpot now up to about $650 million, the ninth largest ever after nobody won Saturday's drawing.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. The odds aren't in your favor, so don't go quitting your job just yet.

BLACKWELL: Right. Sure.

GOLODRYGA: But if you do win, the winner can spread the payments out over 30 years or take out a full payment of just a little over $328 million. While no one matched all six numbers, including the red Powerball on Saturday, lottery officials say three players in California, Colorado, and Illinois did win one million dollars each. That's not chump change, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes. 328 is the full payout. That's still enough to quit a job. A million --

GOLODRYGA: Even if you get to work with me?

BLACKWELL: I mean, Bianna, as much as I like you, we would see each other socially. I wouldn't be here at seven o'clock in the morning on a Sunday if I had to $328 million.

GOLODRYGA: We'd meet on vacation somewhere on an island.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we would meet on vacation.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, Las Vegas is home to a new mesmerizing attraction that looks out of this world. The MSG sphere. Vegas's newest entertainment venue is getting a lot of attention as well, even though it won't be completed for another three months.

BLACKWELL: So, it's nearly 400 feet tall, more than 500 --

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