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CNN This Morning
At Least 85 Million Under Heat Alerts Across The U.S.; Suspect Charged In Death Of Three Women Connected To Serial Killings Case; Biden Raised $72 Million In His First Quarter Of Fundraising Since Announcing Reelection Bid; U.S. House Passes Defense Bill Authorizing Record Spending, Senate Debate Next; House Passes Defense Bill With Amendments On Abortion Policy And Transgender Issues; Working Actors Hit Picket Lines Demanding Fair Share. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired July 15, 2023 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:00:25]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: You've been waiting all week to get to the weekend and now we have arrived. Good morning. Welcome to CNN This Morning. It's Saturday, July 15. I'm Victor Blackwell.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rahel Solomon in this morning for Amara Walker. Victor, good to be with you, my friend.
BLACKWELL: It is good to have you.
SOLOMON: Even if remotely.
BLACKWELL: Even if just -- this is between us. It's good to have you on the show.
SOLOMON: Thank you, Victor. Well, coming up scorching hot temperatures and dangerous conditions. Now more than 85 million people are under heat alerts this week, and we'll tell you who will see the worst of it. And the one place where it could reach 130 degrees.
BLACKWELL: Fake counts of pizza box and burner phones, a cold case gets cracked open after more than a decade, how authorities track down a suspect they say is responsible for a string of killings in New York that went unsolved for years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm worried that it's going to go on for a long time. I hope that it's not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now we cannot make a livable wage on what we're earning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: And Hollywood grinds to a halt as actors join writers on the picket line after failing to reach a deal with studios. So how long it could go on and what it could mean for your favorite shows.
BLACKWEL: And the Mega Millions jackpot soars again after a winning ticket. We'll tell you how much could be yours. Plus, Powerball is no slouch either. How much is for grabs there.
An extreme heatwave is expected to intensify this weekend with more than 85 million Americans under heat alerts. Temperatures in Phoenix have reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit every day this month. At forced a lot of businesses and parks to close or adjust their hours. Medical experts warn that conditions could be deadly and urging people to listen to the warnings.
SOLOMON: Yes. National Park websites across the west and southwest are warning hikers about the dangerous heat. The Death Valley website for example, even warning people to quote travel prepared to survive. And a Sacramento Zoo in California that's open to visitors. But we'll close early today and tomorrow due to triple digit temperatures.
BLACKWELL: It's not just here in the U.S., though cities across Europe are also getting hit with severe heat during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. Let's go now to meteorologist Brandon Miller. Obviously, the heat is intense. It's dangerous. When is there going to be some relief anytime soon?
BRANDON MILLER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, they're not anytime soon. You know, we've been talking about this heat dome you see here seemingly for weeks, because it has been weeks going all the way back to the beginning middle of June. And this heat dome is just sort of set there. It hasn't broken down and sort of meandered from east to west basically from Texas to Arizona. But it just hasn't broken. It's stronger at times. It's weaker at times. Right now, definitely stronger.
And I know what you're thinking it's July, it's the desert, it's going to be hot, you know, it's the hottest time of the year. Why do we care? Well, this right here is why we care. These temperatures are above even that hot average, the hottest time of the year, it's always going to be over 100 seeming like you add 10 to 15 degrees. That's how much we are above average to that. That's when that he becomes dangerous.
And it's not everywhere you see a lot of the country is actually average in the north and even the Northeast or even a little below average. Enjoy that guys, the people in the West would certainly love to have that. But this is not going to break anytime soon in the southwest. Again, it's going to meander again.
And what does this turn into it turns into 100 plus record temperatures this weekend stretching all the way from Florida. Don't forget about Florida. They're setting records. We know the oceans are record hot there. But all the way out to the West. Those records are just adding up. And you said it, 85 million Americans. That's one in four. And if you're in the West, it's pretty much four and four in California is getting in it now for the first time all year.
BLACKWELL: All right, so stay inside if you got access to an AC. That's the best -- the best relief. Brandon Miller, thank you so much.
Now people in Arizona have endured scorching temperatures for two weeks in a row.
SOLOMON: CNN Correspondent Lucy Kafanov reports.
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LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Rahel, Victor, good morning. You know it's not breaking news that it gets hot in a desert city like Phoenix or Scottsdale, but what's different about this particular heatwave is just how intense it's been how many consecutive days we've seen of temperatures at 110 degree or degrees or above.
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It is expected to get much higher than that this weekend. And those are dangerous conditions. The other problem is that the temperatures don't really cool down enough at night. And so it makes for a very stifling, and uncomfortable environment.
The City of Phoenix is taking this climate change and the heat issue incredibly seriously. We've spoke to the city's chief heat czar, and he is warning that this heatwave could be deadly. Take a listen.
DAVUD HONDULA, PHOENIX'S FIRST CHIEF HEAT OFFICER: Unfortunately, in our region, and many thousands more all across the United States, heat is fatal. It is something that the public needs to take seriously. And it can impact everybody, nobody is immune.
KAFANOV: And you know, in these extreme temperatures, even small mistakes can be deadly. That's the message we're hearing from the Phoenix Children's Health Hospital. We spoke to one staff member there who was talking about how parents should be on the lookout for heatstroke and heat sickness, but also to remember not to leave their kids in their car, take a listen.
BLANCA VILLASENIOR, SR. INJURY PREVENTION SPECIALIST, PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HEALTH HOSPITAL: Parents think is that it's never going to happen to me. I would never forget my kid and the vehicle. But that is actually one of the biggest mistakes that parents think not believing it can happen. It can happen to anybody.
KAFANOV: That most folks are trying to stay indoors. But there are obviously jobs where you can't avoid it. We're talking about construction workers, mail delivery people. We spent the day with a crew yesterday who was busy running around Phoenix installing air conditioning units, including one emergency call at a women's shelter where that air conditioner unit could mean the difference between life and death. Take a listen.
MARCEL KING, OFFICE MANAGER, ALAN'S AIR: We're slammed we've got calls all today. This was an emergency call. And I'm sure in the weekend we're going to be slammed here because the phone is nonstop.
KAFANOV: And for those who are less fortunate who might not have access to a working air conditioner. Keep in mind that Phoenix does have a very large population of people who are experiencing homelessness. The city has opened up dozens and dozens of cooling and hydration centers for folks to be able to get a little bit of relief. Back to you.
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BLACKWELL: All right, Lucy thanks so much. In Italy, health officials have issued and extreme health risk warning for 15 cities including Rome and Florence
SOLOMON: CNN's Barbie Nadeau joins us now from Rome. Barbie, look people in the Mediterranean, certainly used to the heat but this is excessive. And you know, I wonder if AC is even as common in Italy.
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, you know, I mean, that is one of the biggest problems in Europe that average of 10 just 10 percent of the population in Europe have air conditioning more people than not have it in Italy but certainly not every home has air conditioning here.
And you know, there are so many people here, so many tourists. Rome is, you know, bursting. This is the hottest part of the year always but this year especially has just been relentless. And today's the coolest state is going to be for the next five and it is just absolutely hot.
And you know, we've got a lot of tourists here in Rome from Northern Europe and from the United States that are just shocked by this temperature. We've got a sound from a couple of them let's listen to what they had to say.
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FLO HORAVARD, NORWEGIAN TOURIST: Heat is very intense. And there's a lot of people I hope -- hopefully no one will suffer any illness but it was very intensive. So I think, yes, the sun is very strong ling that. This can be dangerous.
SOHA PANDORA, U.S. TOURIST: The heat is hard but we're going to push through it and you know, don't over I will ever be back so have to take advantage of the day. Stay hydrated, wear a hat and take breaks where you can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NADEAU: And you know, you listen to them they probably plan their vacation for months if not years to come to Rome to enjoy this beautiful city. It'd be very disappointing to have to stay locked inside a hotel room. But the city of Rome has 4,000 public phones for water there's a urging people to continue filling up their plastic bottles and hydrating themselves and doing what they can will cost you a couple $100 to jump into a fountain like the one behind me. But you can do a lot more to keep cool than that.
SOLOMON: Yes, I'm thinking about the Trevi Fountain of course, famously, Barbie, but of course there are fountains for people to actually drink from as well while they're in Rome. Barbie Nadeau, thank you.
Well, joining us now is Dr. Matthew Levy. He's an associate professor of Emergency Medicine and a Disaster Medicine Specialist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Doctor, welcome to the program and thanks for being with us.
So look, it's one thing if it's heat, it's another thing if it's the duration of this heat, which in some parts of the country has lasted weeks, what type of constant stress is that put on someone's body?
DR. MATTHEW LEVY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Oh, good morning, and you hit the nail right in the head. What we're talking about here is this prolonged period of sustained heat, and periods of time where historically the body could adjust to the heat and at least in the evenings have a chance to cool off.
But when there is no break in that heat and the temperatures remain this high, the body systems remain under a state of increased stress, increased physiologic workload and that can be especially challenging for those with chronic health conditions and at the extremes of age and a few other risk factors.
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SOLOMON: And what is happening in your body when you're experiencing this type of prolonged heat walk me through what's actually happening in the risk.
LEVY: Sure, our bodies are remarkably evolved to maintain a constant and optimal state of conditions for ourselves and our organs to do their job to work. And our bodies want to try to adapt and maintain that degree of homeostasis, a degree of balance, if you will, and the bodies have to -- body systems have to work extra hard, the hotter it is, the greater the temperatures are that the body is exposed to.
And that puts additional physiologic demand on the heart, the lungs, the kidneys, other essential organs, that demand then can be amplified, the hotter it gets, as the body is trying to maintain itself. And further that (INAUDIBLE) further worsen one's heat hydration status, and ultimately put them at risk for heat related all this.
SOLOMON: So what's a good rule of thumb as you're trying to assess what's safe to be out in right now in these temperatures?
LEVY: But I really think we have to heed the warnings of our meteorological experts, and of government officials and say that, you know, really think about the risk benefit of what we're doing, have to do, need to do versus wants to do and take those steps to be safe.
I think there are some things that we can modify times of day, duration of activities outside, the essential necessity of doing things outside. And then we have to weigh that out with the potential risk of developing heat related illness. And not only that, but we have to think about the impact of our actions on those around us.
SOLOMON: In terms of assessing how much is too much, what are some warning signs, perhaps in your body that you may want to get inside, you may want to take a drink of water, you may want to sort of intervene before things cross the threshold to become more serious.
LEVY: Yes, so first and foremost, don't ignore your body, right? If you -- if you're feeling like you're thirsty, you probably have already fallen behind on hydration status. So staying hydrated, staying pre-hydrated is one of the most important things you can do to avoid becoming dehydrated.
But as heat illness evolves in the body, things from mild and throbbing headaches, to cramps to body aches, these are all things these are warning signs your body is trying to alert you to the fact that it needs some help, heating those warnings, listening, getting inside at that time, maintaining and increasing your hydration status. Replacing electrolytes as you're losing them are all important steps.
And heat illness can rapidly progress. And I think that's an important point that everyone needs to remember. You could go from not feeling too well to having someone particularly some with an underlying medical condition just entering a condition of life threatening heatstroke very quickly.
SOLOMON: Yes, I think these are great tips especially for folks who may not have an air conditioner or for folks who may have to work outside may have to be outside, important to at least heed the warnings internally. Dr. Matthew Levy, thanks for being on with us this morning.
BLACKWELL: Police in New York State believe they've cracked a decade old serial killings cold case they've arrested a 59-year-old architect for some of the Gilgo Beach murders. Beginning in 2010, authorities found 10 sets of human remains most of them adult women all found a long strip of Long Island's waterfront over several months.
It started with the Gilgo Four. Four women found in the bushes along a quarter mile stretch. Each was found bound with camouflage burlap over a two day period. Now these killings baffled authorities for years but as CNN's Miguel Marquez explains the case was broken open thanks to burner phones, pizza crust and DNA testing.
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RAY TIERNEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY: I'm standing here with my law enforcement partners in the Gilgo Task Force to announce the indictment of defendant Rex Andrew Heuermann.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Sex workers found tied up, their bodies wrapped in camouflage burlap dumped near Gilgo Beach on New York's Long Island.
TIERNEY: When I took office in January of 2022, I made Gilgo a priority. MARQUEZ: The Gilgo Beach murders traumatized and captivated Long Island just east of New York City for more than a decade now. The suspect as unthinkable as the murders themselves.
RICHARD HARMON, RESIDENT: This is a shock all a sudden. 21 years here. I mean I've seen some things. But this is (INAUDIBLE).
MARQUEZ: Rex Heuermann, 59, charged with three murders today. The investigation continuing he faces a possible fourth murder charge. Investigators say they identified Heuermann using DNA from the bodies of the victims and from witness descriptions of him and the car he drove.
Investigators obtained hundreds of search warrants and subpoenas linking Heuermann to temporary burner phones and fake email accounts.
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Investigators allege he used them to communicate with his victims, taunt the family of one of them and search for information related to the investigation into the long unsolved murders.
MAJOR STEPHEN UDICE, NEW YORK STATE POLICE TROOP COMMANDER: We recognize that these crimes may have happened years ago, but that pain continues.
MARQUEZ: Investigators biggest break came when they were surveilling Heuermann at his Midtown Manhattan office. He was eating pizza and discarded it in a public trash can. DNA from the pizza crust say investigators linked Heuermann to the murders.
Heuermann has been charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello and Megan Waterman all sex workers all in their 20s. The investigation is continuing and he has also been named as a suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, in all there were 11 bodies found in and around Gilgo Beach, only three and possibly a fourth now linked to one alleged killer so far.
Investigators say they made the arrest now because they feared Heuermann could strike again.
TIERNEY: One of the reasons why we had to take this case down was we learned that the defendant was using these alternate identities and these alternate instruments that continue to patronize sex workers.
MARQUEZ: Rex Heuermann has pled not guilty and insists through his lawyer that he's innocent. He is an unlikely suspect a husband, father of two and architect working in Manhattan, dealing with Arcane building codes. In February 2022, he was even interviewed about his job for a YouTube show.
REX HEUERMANN, ARCHITECT: Rex Heuermann, an architect. I'm an architectural consultant. I'm a troubleshooter. Born and raised on Long Island.
MARQUEZ: As for the several other victims found near Gilgo Beach many of their family members hope this will lead to answers about their loved ones were the victims as well.
JASMINE ROBINSON, FMAILY REPRESENTATIVE FOR VICTIM JESSICA TAYLOR: I'm hopeful for the future and I'm hopeful that a connection is made.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Miguel Marquez, thank you.
SOLOMON: Well, an escaped inmate who's been on the run for more than a week and Pennsylvania has been spotted walking down and residential street police just released this doorbell video of Michael Burham. Police say he was heading towards the woods. They would not say when this video was taken just that it was from the past couple of days.
BLACKWEL: Burham escaped prison in Warren Pennsylvania last week by climbing through the roof. He was in custody for arson and burglaries, and suspect and homicide in New York. There is now a $22,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Still ahead, a big haul for the Biden-Harris campaign, their reelection campaign raised $72 million last quarter. How that compares to Republicans totals, just ahead. Plus, Hollywood is shut down and striking after say there is no easy fix for the impasse with studios.
SOLOMON: And coming up a little later, nobody did it. Nobody won the big Mega Millions jackpot last night. It is worth $640 million right now. But just how high will it climb before the next ROI (ph)? Stay with us.
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BLACKWELL: President Biden raked in $72 million in his first quarter -- fourth quarter of fundraising since launching his reelection bid that could ease concerns among some Democrats about his fundraising abilities and the slow start to his campaign.
SOLOMON: Biden's fundraising haul is more than any other 2024 contender, but it's also less than the record $86 million that President Obama raised in his first quarter. Let's bring in CNN White House reporter Jasmine Wright. She joins us live.
So Jasmine, what more are we learning about how much money the President raised? And also who donated?
JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHTIE HOSUE REPORTER: Yes, Rahel, well one thing that these numbers will do, as Victor just said is really satisfied some of the donor class we know that we're concerned just about the sluggish pace that they felt that the campaign was kicking off too and also the lack of voter enthusiasm that we've seen in the polls. Now, while 72 million isn't a respectable number, it is not necessarily the showstopping number that will silence all of those concerns.
But you're right, it is more than any other 2024 contender posted in this quarter. Something that certainly pleases this campaign. Now, when we talk about comparisons, getting into those nitty-gritty
numbers, that 86 million that President Obama raised in 2011 in the same quarter, quarter two is a big comparison to the fact that what Biden raise this quarter is less than that. But when you talk to campaign officials, basically the first thing out of their mouth, is the fact that President Obama announced that he was running for office three weeks or running for reelection rather three weeks earlier in that quarter to then-President Biden did saying that President Obama basically had a three-week start.
And that if you prorate it, these campaign officials have told me and my colleagues over the last 24 hours that the Biden campaign actually raised more per day. Still, the fact is that that's happening $2 million is less, and also the fact that now and 2023, individual contributors can contribute about $800 more than they were in 2011. They were able to in 2011.
Now another comparison, if we go down the line is when we talk about individual donors. In 2011, President Obama had about 550,000 individual donors for a quarter two. This time, President Biden has about 400,000. So still a little bit less.
Now, when you talk to campaign officials, they'll talk about two things. First, they'll acknowledge the change in political climate, basically, voter fatigue on both Republican and Democratic sides. And secondly, they'll say that this is a campaign that is just ramping up to get to full steam ahead. They still have a skeletal staff. They don't have a campaign finance director, and they're really just chugging along, not get at the stages that is full capacity for a campaign.
But there are three numbers lastly that I'll just point to, that the Biden administer -- Biden campaign says really are up indicative of the fact that they have room to grow.
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First, as the average grassroot contributor was $39, as you see on their screen, the second that 97 percent of all donations were under 300. And then probably one of the last most important numbers is the fact that 30 percent of their donors were new to their campaign, meaning that they did not donate in 2020, meaning that they can come back to these folks, again, really showing just how much growth capacity this campaign has for the future. Victor.
BLACKWELL: Jasmine Wright for us in Washington. Thank you so much. Let's expand the discussion now and bring in CNN political commentator, Errol Louis. Errol, good morning to you. $72 million dollars is that enough to quell some Democrats anxieties.
ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Victor. I didn't know any Democrats had any serious anxieties. But if they did, this would put it to sleep. This is a lot of money and coming in, he's on track to have something like a quarter billion dollars by around this time next year, going into the convention season. I don't see any real problems with that. And let's keep in mind that as the sitting president, he's got endless
opportunities on any given day or night, he can decide to capture the attention of the entire nation simply by putting out a statement making a statement or inviting the cameras into the Oval Office. And so -- and Joe Biden, of course, will do all of that and more. So we've got somebody who's, I think fully loaded and ready to wage a competitive campaign. Make no mistake about that.
BLACKWELL: All right, let's turn toward the Republican primary now. President Trump, former President Trump skip the most recent event in Iowa, kind of thumbing his nose at Iowa, he says that the governor there is not -- she's biased in some way.
But consider this, the Republican non incumbent eventual nominee has not won the Iowa caucuses since George W. Bush in 2000. We look at the polls, he is far ahead the front runner, does he need to be part of the conversation, you may not need the delegates. But can you afford to sit out Iowa until the primaries start?
LOUIS: Well, he absolutely can't afford too because the other fact of all of this, Victor, is that he's 30 points ahead of his nearest competitor by staying out of the state or by lightly making light appearances. The former president has been visiting Iowa. He just hasn't been going all out. To the extent that he's up 30 points without putting in a lot of effort, why waste time there, better to move on to some states where things might get a little bit sticky.
He also, Victor, cannot afford to get into a scrum in Iowa because he's competing with people who are desperate to move in the polls by any means necessary. He's competing against people who are all fighting over the evangelical base that's very active out in Iowa. And they're all going to be throwing haymakers both at each other, but especially at him to try and carve off one or two or 3 percent of the vote that he has, in order to make the debate stage, in order to get their campaigns going. It makes them a high opportunity target. And I think Trump has just decided it's not worth it to be there and act as that target.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk now about the military funding bill passed by the House is going to hit a wall in the Senate. There are some conservative elements that have been added related to paying for travel for service members who are traveling out of the state to get abortions, Pride flags and the rest. McCarthy reached a deal on the debt ceiling with the White House. Can he afford to deal on this?
LOUIS: Well, he has to deal on this that mean -- and I don't know how much he's going to get out of it to tell you the truth. I mean, it's really an extraordinary act that the Republican leadership of the House decided to well push through these really extreme measures.
I mean, you got to keep in mind, Victor, the military, the men and women in the service, they're not some foreign group. I mean, they're drawn from all 50 states. They're reflective of the nation. And this is a nation that a few decades ago went through multiple revolutions, the civil rights revolution of women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and they're not going to just sort of sit back and watch all of this get rolled back and neither are their representatives.
This is dead on arrival in the Senate. There'll be a lot of hard bargaining but the idea of stripping rights away from active duty service members and their families, it's simply not going to fly. It's very unlikely that this is going to pass.
And you got to keep in mind, they only got it passed by a couple of votes. So, they had to pull out every stop just to get this extreme agenda passed. And I think it's DOA in the Senate, the White House isn't going to give them very much help. I think something more rational is going to come out of all of this. That's more in accord with who and what the military is about.
BLACKWELL: So when you say something more rational is coming and that Speaker McCarthy will have to deal, their course is the most conservative portion of the Republican conference there in the House.
[06:30:04]
They're still dissatisfied with what was the eventual deal over the debt ceiling. What does a potential deal mean for his leadership, for his future on this?
LOUIS: Hey, look, I think in their heart of hearts, even the most extreme elements in the Republican conference in the house understand that. You've got to make sure the military is funded, and this is -- this -- and the actual military is very different from the one that they are trying to portray.
BLACKWELL: Yes --
LOUIS: You know, you have an army that's 37 percent black and Latino. For them to put in a provision, saying that they're going to disband all of the Pentagon's diversity, equity and inclusion programs and fire all of that staff. That just doesn't make any sense. It harms military readiness, the leaders of the Pentagon, many of whom are men and women of color, by the way, have said so in testimony, that diversity is a key strength of this volunteer army and military.
I do think that in the end, the bargain is going to be struck, that will be closer to a rational center, and even the extremists, I think are going to have to go along. They're going to be backed into a corner, not only by Democrats, but by their own Republican leadership.
BLACKWELL: All right, Errol Louis, thanks so much.
LOUIS: Thank you.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CO-ANCHOR, NEW DAY WEEKEND: Right, coming up for us, striking actors hit the picket lines demanding big Hollywood studio execs pay attention to them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Working actors like me and my friends, you know, we're just trying to pay our rent or mortgages and put food on the table. So this will help all of us be able to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: So, what will it take to get both sides back to the bargaining table? We'll have a full report after this break.
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[06:35:00]
SOLOMON: Welcome back. Some of Hollywood's biggest stars stepping out of the studio and onto the picket line. The matrix union representing tens of thousands of actors that's officially on strike this morning, and they join the writers who have already been on strike against the same studios and streaming services since early May.
BLACKWELL: The writers' strike halted production on most movies and scripted television programs, and now with the actors on strike too, almost all production is expected to come to a halt. CNN's Natasha Chen takes us to the picket line.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CHANTING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand up!
CROWD: Fight back!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand up!
CROWD: Fight back!
FRAN DRESCHER, PRESIDENT, SAG-AFTRA: I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us.
NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, actors join writers at odds with major Hollywood studios.
BRITTANY GARMS, SAG-AFTRA MEMBER: I understand that streaming is such an uncharted territory, but all these millionaires are making money, nobody else is seeing any of that money.
CHEN: Workers across the country who support productions from janitors to restaurant owners also face uncertainty.
ROSIE BLOSSER, RESTAURANT OWNER IMPACTED BY STRIKE: It's kind of scary, and I'm trying to figure out like what can I do today to keep it going.
CHEN: A-list actors are voicing their support of the strikes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very much in support of all the unions.
MATT DAMON, ACTOR: If there's money being made and it needs to be allocated in a way that takes care of people who are -- who are on the margins.
CHEN: The cast of "Oppenheimer" walked out of their film premiere.
FLORENCE PUGH, ACTRESS: It's been a really tense few days for a lot of people, not just actors, but everybody in the industry who are going to be affected by this decision.
CHEN: Along with better pay, actors say residuals for past work have dried up in the streaming era.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a whole middle class of writers and actors that is disappearing because they're making it more and more difficult to just make a living.
CHEN: After that, artificial intelligence which actors say threatens their future by replacing them.
DUNCAN CRABTREE-IRELAND, SAG-AFTRA NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CHIEF NEGOTIATOR: They propose that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day's pay and their company should own that scan, their image, their likeness, and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity in any project they want with no consent and no compensation.
CHEN: But studios say, they've offered the highest percent increase in minimum pay in 35 years, and then actors aren't considering the reality of declining revenues in traditional media, nor the challenges of streaming services.
BOB IGER, CEO, DISNEY: There's a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic, and they are adding to a set of challenges that this business is already facing, that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.
DRESCHER: How they plead poverty that they're losing money left and right, when giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs. It is disgusting.
CHEN: We spoke with Fran Drescher after the strike was announced.
DRESCHER: We really believe that they wanted to make a deal, but in fact, now I feel a little duped.
CHEN: How far apart are you?
CRABTREE-IRELAND: Well, I mean, there's a fairly big gap, they can make a deal right this minute if they wanted to do that, and we remain ready and willing to come back to the bargaining tables.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHEN: He also told me the studios told SAG-AFTRA, they would not sit down for talks while a strike was going on. So, we're not sure how long this will extend, and the writers have also not made much progress in the more than two months they've been on strike. This is very much an industry town, and we've heard stories about some times, both spouses in a household working in entertainment in different functions.
And so, these strikes take down both incomes in many cases. In fact, I saw a couple on the picket line, Friday, with a sign that said we just got married, and this is our honeymoon. Victor and Rahel?
BLACKWELL: Natasha Chen for us there, thank you. There are new concerns this morning over a popular sweetener found in thousands of products so many people use so often. The doctor's recommendations and what you need to know after the break.
[06:40:00]
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BLACKWELL: Some potentially worrying news for diet soda drinkers. The World Health Organization has labeled one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners aspartame as, quote, "possibly carcinogenic to humans." That means that it could cause cancer.
SOLOMON: Right, but the FDA and another W.H.O. team of experts has deemed it safe for consumption based on current guidelines. And that's because of the small amounts that are in a typical can of soda or other foods. CNN's Meg Tirrell explains.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So there's a bit of confusing guidance coming out from the W.H.O. because two different committees weighed in on aspartame risk. The first one said that there was limited evidence for the cancer-causing potential of aspartame. Well, the other one didn't change any of the recommendations for the daily- suggested intake of aspartame.
[06:45:00]
So, of course, this is a sweetener that's found in thousands of different items from diet sodas to table-top sweeteners to even breakfast cereals, chewing gums, even things like cough drops and chewable vitamins. So, this is in a lot of different products.
The W.H.O.'s director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Dr. Francesco Branca saying in a statement, that, quote, "while safety is not a major concern of the doses which are commonly used, potential effects have been described and need to be investigated by more and better studies."
And the issue really here is that, all the studies that suggest any potential link really are not strong enough to say that there isn't an actual causative effect of aspartame in terms of cancer risk. And so, what they're trying to do here is to spur better research. But just to put this into some context, they are putting this into a group, which is really the third lowest of four in terms of potential cancer risks to humans.
That group includes other things like Aloe Vera, occupational exposure to dry-cleaning, gasoline engine exhaust, and traditional Asian- pickled vegetables. And to compare that with the list of the highest risk of cancer to humans, that highest group won, includes cigarettes and asbestos. And so, this really is not in that category.
Now, in terms of how much diet soda is actually in the limits recommended by the World Health Organization, if you think about the amount of aspartame in a can of soda, the industry is giving us a suggested limit here of about a 100 milligrams. For a person who is about 180 pounds, they'd have to drink 33 cans of diet soda a day to hit that limit of suggested aspartame intake per day by the W.H.O.'s guidelines, which are not changing as a result of this.
And that's obviously, probably a lot more than most people are consuming. However, of course, that is a weight-based recommendation, so it's lower for children who are smaller. Now, of course, the World Health Organization is not recommending, A, that people drink that much diet, soda or that they switch to regular soda. They said there's a third option, and they would suggest water.
Of course, there's been a strong reaction to this from the beverage industry as well. American beverage, the industry group telling us, quote, "there's a broad consensus in the scientific and regulatory community that aspartame is safe, it's a conclusion reached time and time again by the food safety agencies around the world."
So, of course, there is a lot of sort of consternation coming out of this, but no actual recommendations to change behavior on a large basis. Rahel, Victor?
SOLOMON: All right, Meg, thank you. And there's a quick programming note, join Fareed Zakaria for a special hour on immigration and how states have been dealing with the surge. Make sure to watch immigration breakdown of Fareed Zakaria's special tomorrow night at 8:00 on CNN.
BLACKWELL: If you are a tennis fan, the Wimbledon men's final, this is a dream matchup. The best player on the planet will take on one of the best players of all time, Carolyn Manno joins us to break it down next.
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[06:50:00]
BLACKWELL: It is almost time now to crown the king and queen of the court at Wimbledon.
SOLOMON: Carolyn Manno joins us now from New York. So Carolyn, we are in for a historic men's final tomorrow morning. Break it down for us.
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: We absolutely are, good morning to you both. This is really the match-up that most tennis fans wanted. I think coming into the tournament, I mean, you've got the top player in the world right now in Carlos Alcaraz against the best ever in Novak Djokovic who just continues to cement his legacy, and has another opportunity to do that this weekend.
He's now just one win away from a record-tying eighth Wimbledon title, and his fifth straight after beating Jannik Sinner in straight sets. He is on such a dominant run, you guys, he has not lost a match on center court in a decade, he's won 34 matches in a row at the All England Club, and in fact, Novak Djokovic only lost one Wimbledon final that he's ever reached, and that was 10 years ago when he was beaten by Andy Murray.
So that's the context for you. And at 36 years old, he may become the oldest Wimbledon champion, but in his mind, age is just a number.
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NOVAK DJOKOVIC, TENNIS PLAYER: I feel -- yes, 36 is the new 26, I guess, you know, it feels good.
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I -- yes, I just -- I just feel a lot of -- a lot of motivation, and I'm inspired to play the tennis that I -- that I truly love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANNO: Djokovic will face top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz who took care of business with a dominant straight set win over Daniil Medvedev, it took less than two hours, forget about 36 being the new 26, how about age 20. The Spaniard could become the fourth youngest Wimbledon men's finalist in history, and he's hoping to add to his Grand Slam hall after winning the U.S. Open last year. This will be the second time in a major that Djokovic and Alcaraz have squared off.
Last month, Djokovic beat Alcaraz in the French Open semi-finals .
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CARLOS ALCARAZ, TENNIS PLAYER: Well, it gives you extra, you know, motivation, and I think more special to play, you know, final or against the lion(ph). You know, from our sports, I always say that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. You know, and Novak is one of them. So, it could be great, you know, if I either --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANNO: The women's title will be decided just a few hours from now, six-seeded Ons Jabeur was one set away from winning her first Grand Slam title last year at Wimbledon before losing to the eventual champion, Elena Rybakina. The Tunisian looking to become the first African and Arab woman to win a major.
Jabeur going to face Marketa Vondrousova who became the first unseeded woman to reach the final at the Ali(ph) New Club since Billie Jean King back in 1963. She's 24 years old, she's from the Czech Republic, and she is what you might describe as a tattoo enthusiast with ink running down both of her arms. She says if she wins, guys, her coach is going to add some as well.
[06:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARKETA VONDROUSOVA, TENNIS PLAYER: I have a bet with my coach, and if
I win a Grand Slam, he's going to get one. So I hope I will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANNO: I can't think of a better permanent reminder, that, I guess, a Grand Slam, this is a lot of risk. I mean, this is a high risk-reward game, I don't know, tattoo? Fine, we'll do it.
SOLOMON: I love it, we'll see. Also, Carolyn, I was reading that Jabeur is apparently called the Minister of Happiness because she's known for being so optimistic. She said that looking at the trophy makes her happy. I love it. We'll see if that actually --
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MANNO: She's incredible. Yes, everybody loves her, and after she just nearly won Wimbledon, she actually put a picture of the trophy as the background in her phone, and she's been staring at the Wimbledon trophy for an entire calendar year. So it all come full circle if she's able to get it done.
SOLOMON: We'll see, Carolyn Manno, thank you. All right, coming up for us, here's a question. What would you do -- what could you do with $640 million? Oh, so many things. And no winner on the Friday night mega millions drawing means that there's another chance for you, for me, for Victor Blackwell to grab the big prize. But what are the odds coming up next on CNN THIS MORNING SATURDAY.
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