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Suspect Charged In Death Of 3 Women Connected To Serial Killings Case; New York Man Charged In Connection To Serial Killings; At Least 85 Million Under Heat Alerts Across The U.S.; Police Release New Video Of Escaped Inmate Search Intensifies. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired July 15, 2023 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:00:00]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: If you're feeling lucky, and really if you're not, just try it. The Mega Millions jackpot has grown again, now to $640 million, the seventh largest after no winner in Friday's drawing. But some people took home a million dollars each, that's nice: California, North Carolina, South Carolina, where those winners were, after they got the first five numbers but did not get the Mega Ball. The drawing is Tuesday.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so if things don't go your way with that drawing, we know that it didn't. There's another whopper being offered today. The Powerball prize, now estimated at a cool $875 million. It is the third largest in history and the pot hasn't been won since April 19th.
BLACKWELL: I mean, I love the idea that a few people won a million dollars each, but can you imagine getting all five numbers and then not the Powerball and missing out on more than a half billion dollars?
SOLOMON: Oh, brutal. I know, it's almost like, is it better to have loved and lost or to never have loved at all?
BLACKWELL: No, I'm going to take that million-dollar love. I'll take it. It'd be great to have more, but I'll take the million.
SOLOMON: Fair.
BLACKWELL: Next hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.
SOLOMON: And a good morning to you and welcome to CNN This Morning. I'm Rahel Solomon in for Amara Walker.
BLACKWELL: Rahel, it is good to have you. I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for joining us this morning. Here's what we're watching for you this morning. A string of killings in New York went unsolved for more than a decade. Well now, a father of two is charged in that case. We'll tell you how investigators track down their suspect.
SOLOMON: Also, a dangerous heat wave hits millions of people across the country, and now medical experts are warning the conditions this weekend could be deadly. We'll tell you how hot it's going to get. BLACKWELL: Plus, federal prosecutors zero in on more battleground
states as part of the investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, we'll have exclusive details about who they've spoken with.
SOLOMON: Well, it's a set of murders that have really baffled authorities for over a decade and now police have finally made an arrest. New York architect, Rex Heuermann has been charged in connection to three of the Gilgo Beach murders.
BLACKWELL: The case dates back to 2010. That's when authorities started discovering human remains along the shoreline in Long Island. Over several months, they recovered 10 bodies, most of them women. CNN's Miguel Marquez walks us through how investigators broke this case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY TIERNEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: 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 CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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 shot, like I said, of 29 years here. I mean, I've seen some things, but this is wicked.
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 e-mail accounts. 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.
MAJ. 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 Brainerd-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.
[07:05:33]
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, an 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, SUSPECT: Rex Heuermann, I'm 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 they victims as well?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm hopeful for the future, and I'm hopeful that a connection is made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: I want to give you a sense of what's happening outside the Heuermann home and has been going on all day. Just an enormous number of police investigators from many different jurisdictions. They've been going into the home and pulling out evidence all day. Investigators also say he became increasingly brazen during all of this.
He was using burner phones to search information about the investigation itself, they say. That was causing them concern. They also said that he taunted one of the victims, Melissa Barthelemy, a relative, used a burner phone to call this relative and tell that person that he had sexually assaulted and killed their relative. The next court hearing for Mr. Heuermann is on August 1st. Victor, Rahel.
BLACKWELL: All right, Miguel Marquez for us there. Let's bring in CNN National Security Analyst and former Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Juliette Kayyem. Juliette, I want to dig in on a few of these elements. The technology, the search histories here. The investigators say that Heuermann searched more than 200 times for updates on this investigation. Also, for what they described as torture porn. These search histories have been crucial in recent cases, but this one stands out with just a number of searches related to this case. JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes. Yes, this case is interesting. First, I want to commend the prosecutor, not simply for opening up the case, but for valuing the lives of sex workers. We've seen throughout the United States that sometimes some lives are taken more seriously than others; and this is just an important closure for those families as well.
And what's interesting here is you had essentially cold cases where technology then caught up to the investigation, or the investigation, I should say, caught up to technology, and they were able to use not just genetic and DNA testing, but the review of the searches then becomes the key point. Who else is going to be Googling what's happening with the investigation a hundred times, right?
Who else is going to be, how can they, how can a prosecutor monitor burner phones, except for someone who is nervous that that's what's being done with him. So, in some ways he had been the hunted. I mean, he had been the hunter 10 years ago and now was well aware that he was the hunted and that's why the prosecutors closed in.
BLACKWELL: You mentioned DNA. There were hairs found near three of the victims back in 2010. They were believed to have been the hairs of Heuermann's wife, but they were so degraded 13 years ago that they couldn't render any significant conclusions. But as you said, the technology progressed and they were able to make some links. Talk about the DNA element here, and if that is enough to get a conviction.
KAYYEM: It wouldn't be enough. I mean, and this is what's important. It's not that the DNA is so conclusive that, OK, now you're going to have a conviction. What the prosecutors have now and what they're disclosing is that at least for three of the cases, we have a whole bunch that have not been resolved yet, is that the conclusiveness of enough of the DNA, right, that it is within the circle of the family and is tied to the defendant, coupled with all sorts of other activity, the activity he's doing in present time because he's nervous about the investigation, but also, remember, there is an eyewitness about a pickup truck, which they then link to him.
There's, there's his, you know, the viewing of porn or hard porn would not in and of itself bring a conviction, but if it goes to a motivation about why he's doing it, it will help the prosecution. So, all of the totality, some of it old, some of it new, some of it new only because we have new technology is what closes these cases.
[07:10:15]
And this is where, you know, investigations that have gone cold, whether they're criminal investigations, national security investigations, any of them then become reopened. If you have prosecutors and prosecutor's offices willing to take them forward, this prosecutor made it sort of his cause to give closure to the families and obviously also to the community.
BLACKWELL: There was a witness who said that the suspect drove a green pickup truck. And we know that according to investigators, Heuermann drove his brother's green pickup truck occasionally. There was an additional victim, Maureen Brainerd-Barnes, that he is a suspect in that death and disappears, but not charged in that. But investigators say, "Then investigation is expected to be resolved soon." What do you glean from that framing of his connection and what do they need to do now to potentially charge him with that death?
KAYYEM: Right. OK, so they're probably lacking one key piece of evidence sort of linking him to the, to this particular victim, but they had to go in. What was clear just from the chronology that we're reading in the news reports is he was becoming more and more likely either to do something again or to try to escape. He was well aware that they were at least sort of in, within his orbit, or he was within their orbit. So, they had to close it then. These other cases can be reopened.
Remember, there are an additional half a dozen victims. Some woman, there is also a child whose body was found in this area. All of them are open cases, and that's what's key right now, is sort of making sure that they have the defendant, they can, they can increase the charges over time. And this is the benefit of science, technology, and the searches that can be done.
BLACKWELL: And commitment, as you pointed out at the top. Commitment to this case. Juliette Kayyem, thank you so much.
SOLOMON: Well, a dangerous heat wave that's already lasted weeks is getting worse this weekend. If you can believe it can get worse, 85 million Americans are under heat alerts after a heat dome expanded into California. Temperatures in Phoenix, for example, have reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit every single day this month and that has forced many businesses and parks to either close or at least adjust their hours. Medical experts warn the conditions could be deadly and are urging people to listen to the warnings. CNN's Ed Lavendera reports now from Dallas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 90 million people across the country are feeling the suffocation of an extreme heat wave. Widespread temperatures well over 100 degrees and heat index temperatures topping 110 degrees in many places.
The heat, unrelenting, like the popping sounds of pickleball on this Dallas court, and at least one player looking for an escape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm getting out of town. I won't be back until August. It's because of the heat. I mean, Minnesota is the place to be right now, so I'm going up there.
LAVANDERA: The American Southwest has seen 34 straight days of heat alerts, and while some might dismiss this as just another summer, the author of the book, "The Heat Will Kill You First", warns people underestimate the dangerous heat.
JEFF GOODELL, AUTHOR: What I've learned is that we radically misunderstand the risks of extreme heat. We think that heat means a good day to go to the pool or go to the beach, and we don't understand how dangerous it is.
LAVANDERA: When elephants at the Dallas Zoo need relief to fight through the heat wave, it's a sign the humans need to beware as well. The zoo is shifting its hours to open earlier and monitoring animals not accustomed to these extreme temperatures.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mostly just being lethargic was a good indicator of whether they're too hot. Hosing them down, most of their animals do appreciate a good hose down.
LAVANDERA: ERCOT, the agency managing the Texas power grid, says the state set an unofficial record for peak energy use on Thursday, but also says the grid has enough power to handle the increased demand. But for millions of people who work outside, it's impossible to escape the punishing heat. For package delivery drivers.
SHEA SQUALLS, UPS DRIVER: You have to prepare yourself each and every day, that (INAUDIBLE) stores at home. You store it. And as you wake up in the morning, you're still hydrating.
LAVANDERA: And farm workers and landscaping crews out in the field.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it gets very hot, we'll actually pull our crews and we'll not allow them to work that day.
LAVANDERA: And for children, like Cameron Johnson trying to enjoy summer vacation, well, this is no fun.
[07:15:02]
CAMERON JOHNSON, STUDENT: It feels like if hot sauce could be felt without you having to taste it. Like, and it got poured on my back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: And we find ourselves in the scorching misery of summer right now with no relief in sight. And forecasts for this weekend are really dire for the Southwest part of the United States where temperatures are supposed to be in heat indexes, supposedly well over 110 degrees in many places. In Death Valley, California, it will be the hottest place on earth. It's possible that temperatures there reach 130 degrees this weekend. That has only been recorded five times since records have been kept for more than 110 years. Victor and Rahel.
BLACKWELL: All right, Ed, thank you. That little boy said it's like hot sauce on your back. I'm looking at your back.
SOLOMON: That got my attention for sure.
BLACKWELL: It got your attention, right? That's it, you don't have to taste it. It's like pouring hot sauce on your back. And I got a preview of your map, Brandon, Brandon Miller, Meteorologist joining us now.
BRANDON MILLER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. BLACKWELL: It's going to be hot sauce on backs, what, for the rest of
the week?
MILLER: It is.
BLACKWELL: It is a ton of hot sauce. And you know what struck me in that piece as well, the people playing pickleball. Oh, I was tired just looking at them. And I know what you're thinking, maybe you're waking up, you know, it's 6:15 in Dallas right now, you're thinking, I'm going to get out, we're going to get out, sun's up early, we're going to go, we're going to beat the heat. It's already too late.
Go back to bed, enjoy the morning inside in the air conditioning because it's already 85 degrees with a heat index over 90. That is not morning pickleball weather. This afternoon, 107, and the temperatures stay this way, why? And again, this is, this feels like temperatures. Now, don't get too carried away, but feels like is what matters, right?
And the reason it feels like this, again, that's the heat index, that's what your body feels like because of heat and humidity. It's because of this right here, the Gulf of Mexico. The temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico right now are hotter than they have ever been at this time of the year. And all that hot moisture is just moving in and making, you know, just baking. And it makes you feel so uncomfortable.
The air you can wear, as we call it. And it's this heat dome. And it's been here for weeks. And it's sort of meandering from Texas over to Arizona. You heard Ed say, you know, 35 days, we've had these heat alerts in place in this Southwest. And you know this weekend the heat dome is going to be more over the west here excessive heat warnings up and down, California.
We know Las Vegas Phoenix you're going to continue with this record stretch of more than 110. You're going to blow that out of the water and get more close to 120. And so, this is just going to continue all weekend. The weekend is the peak for now, but unfortunately, it's not going anywhere after that. Monday stays hot and this heat dome is just going to slide back to Texas and even going six to ten days into the future. So, we're talking next weekend.
Victor, Rahel, if you look at this map, it looks a lot like the map we just saw for this weekend. Above average temperatures for most of the country. Those of you in the Midwest and the Northeast, enjoy it. I know it's wet, you're getting a lot of rain, but it beats the heat.
SOLOMON: Above average, forever now known as hot sauce on your back.
BLACKWELL: Hot sauce on your backs.
SOLOMON: Thank you very much.
MILLER: Hot sauce, hot sauce on your back.
SOLOMON: Oh boy, Brandon Miller, thank you so much. All right, coming up next for us, the ever-widening Justice Department investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Several prosecutors talking with two key state election officials, what that says about the last days of the Trump presidency. We have a live report just ahead.
BLACKWELL: Plus, police in Pennsylvania hope newly released video will lead them to an escaped inmate with so-called survivalist skills.
[07:19:03]
A look inside their manhunt ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. An Alabama woman has mysteriously vanished after calling 9-1-1 to report a toddler walking along the freeway. Police say, 25-year-old, Carly Nicole Russell, told the dispatcher what she saw, then stopped to check on the child, but then she disappeared. Her car, her phone were found at the scene, but no sign of her or the child.
And officials also say they haven't received any reports of a missing child. They are now offering a $25,000 reward for information. Russell is 5-feet-4-inches. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black pants, and white Nike shoes.
Pennsylvania State Police, meantime, have released new doorbell camera footage as the manhunt for escaped inmate Michael Burham now stretches into a second week.
BLACKWELL: Police also say that he appears to be limping in that video, so he could be injured. CNN's Brian Todd has the video and the latest on the search.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: Check the area around their homes.
[07:24:04]
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A compelling new piece of evidence tonight in the manhunt for escaped inmate, Michael Burham, in Northern Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania State Police released this doorbell camera video, saying this is Burham walking past a home in an area just south of the city of Warren.
BIVENS: We consider this to be a confirmed sighting for a variety of reasons.
TODD: Police say this video was recorded in the last few days, just after 5:00 a.m.
BIVENS: He is no doubt becoming more desperate and will attempt to acquire the things he needs to survive.
TODD: Police now say they believe Burham has an injury to an ankle or a leg. They say the video indicates he is probably limping.
BIVENS: We believe that he did potentially have an injury during the escape.
TODD: This comes one day after police showed us this photo saying they're confident this bag and tarp full of clothes, food, and other items belong to Burham. They said it was found in of the city of Warren in the woods. Police also called on Burham to turn himself in.
BIVENS: Don't do anything foolish that gets anyone else hurt. Don't get yourself hurt. We are going to capture you.
TODD: Burham is considered armed and dangerous and is wanted in several alleged cases including the shooting death of a 34-year-old woman, a carjacking and kidnapping of an elderly couple, and setting his ex's car on fire. Police say he escaped Warren County Prison last Thursday night through a hole in the cage surrounding the prison's rooftop gym, rappelling down using bed sheets tied together.
Burham eluded law enforcement earlier this year before his arrest when it took two weeks to capture him. This dash camera video shows when law enforcement caught him back in May in South Carolina. As for this manhunt, Warren residents say they're taking every precaution necessary to remain safe.
JAN GARRETT, LIVES IN WARREN, PENNSYLVANIA: Until he is captured, I'm going to be sitting here armed, because I have the right to bear arms, and my wife and I both have permits.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Even though Michael Burham is considered armed, dangerous, and as police now say, desperate, Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police says he's not recommending that the many hikers and campers in this area cancel their planned outdoor activities in the coming days. Even though Burham is a survivalist, Lieutenant Colonel Bivens says he's got members of his own search teams who themselves specialize in surviving in and in navigating remote wilderness areas. Victor, Rahel.
BLACKWELL: Ryan Todd, thank you so much. Up next, special prosecutor's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election is going in a new direction. CNN has learned that two additional state election officials are being questioned by prosecutors. We have a full report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:30:18]
BLACKWELLhas learned exclusively that special counsel Jack Smith's team has met with more top officials from states crucial to former President Trump's attempt to cling to power after the 2020 election.
SOLOMON: Federal prosecutors have interviewed the secretaries of state from Pennsylvania and New Mexico, and they're just the latest in what's becoming a growing list of state officials whose cooperation with the Special Counsel is becoming public.
CNN's Paula Reid reports.
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Rahel.
Well, CNN has learned that the secretaries of state in both Pennsylvania and New Mexico have spoken with special counsel investigators in recent months.
Now, those are two of the seven states where the former president and his allies will really focus on trying to overturn President Biden's victory.
Now, we know in the interview with the now Pennsylvania secretary of state, he was asked about his time as the Philadelphia city commissioner, on specifically the impact of misinformation about widespread voter fraud, and what impact that had on the election and on election workers?
Now, that is significant, because we know and official in another one of those seven states, in Michigan, was also asked about misinformation or the impact on election workers threats that they faced.
So, this does appear to be something that the Special Counsel is really zeroing in on in recent months. Now, the Special Counsel appears to be in the final stage of its investigation, but we know they are still talking to witnesses. They are still gathering evidence, and at this point, it's unclear when they will make their final charging decisions.
Rahel, Victor?
SOLOMON: Well, turning to 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls are courting evangelical voters as Donald Trump's rivals really try to gain some ground here. Trump, meantime is in a fight with the Governor of Iowa.
BLACKWELL: CNN's Jessica Dean has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, signing her state's six-week abortion ban into law on stage during the Family Leadership Summit, Friday, which gathered evangelical voters in Des Moines.
GOV. KIM REYNOLDS (R-IA): I could not imagine a more appropriate place to sign this bill.
DEAN: It was an issue, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis embraced during his remarks to the conservative audience.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will be a pro-life president. So, I mean, of course, I want to sign a pro-life legislation.
We need to develop a culture of life in this country.
DEAN: But he stopped short of committing to a federal six-week abortion ban, like the one he signed in Florida.
DESANTIS: I will be somebody who will use the bully pulpit to support governors like Kim Reynolds.
-- is a critical issue. And it's one I'm happy to have done.
DEAN: One conspicuous absence on Friday, former President Donald Trump, who skipped the event but will travel to Iowa next week.
REYNOLDS: Thank you so much.
DEAN: Governor Reynolds, popular among conservatives in the state has pledged to remain neutral in the state's caucuses. But has appeared at several events with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Earlier this week, Trump attacked her for not endorsing him. Writing on Truth Social in part, "I opened up the governor position for Kim Reynolds, and when she fell behind, I endorsed her.
In response, DeSantis called Reynolds, "a strong leader who knows how to ignore the chirping and get it done."
While Haley touted the Iowa Governor as a "conservative rockstar."
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Isn't it good to be in a nation where you are free to praise the Lord?
DEAN: Trump's rivals who continue to lag behind Trump in the polls, hoping to use his absence Friday as a moment to stand out to voters.
Former Vice President Mike Pence calling Trump's words on January 6th, "reckless".
MIKE PENCE (R), PRESIEDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Whatever his intentions in that moment, it endangered me and my family and everyone that was at the Capitol that day. I believe history will hold him accountable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: And what you just heard there from former Vice President Mike Pence is about as explicitly as anyone went after former President Donald Trump on that stage.
For the most part, the candidates really stuck to talking about themselves and their positions on issues and going after Democrats and President Biden. Victor and Rahel?
SOLOMON: All right. Coming up next for us, the latest from Ukraine as troops advance on towns that was captured by Russia early in the war.
[07:34:38]
Plus, how Washington's offer of cluster munitions could be key to keeps future battleground success? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. And now to the war in Ukraine, Russian drone strikes hitting the city of Zaporizhzhia overnight. That's according to local officials.
We're also getting word from Ukraine border guards that Wagner troops are in Belarus. Border guards there continue to monitor the situation to try and understand the location, the number, and the purpose of the mercenaries.
Joining me now to discuss is Jim Townsend. He is a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy.
Jim, thanks for being with us.
First, I mean, what do you make of these reports of Wagner being in Belarus?
JIM TOWNSEND, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, EUROPEAN AND NATO POLICY: Well, we've heard so many reports about where the Wagner folks go. It's -- I'm glad we're starting to hear that they're beginning to, at least, go to one place that we can predict.
But like you said, what they are going to do in Belarus, we just don't know. And we don't know where their bosses either, Prigozhin. Where is he?
And is this the formation now of coming together of his forces to go off and do something?
[07:40:04]
I think that's what makes everyone nervous.
SOLOMON: Yes, I want to get to Prigozhin in just a moment because that's just been a really bizarre element of everything that's happening in Ukraine.
But this, of course, was a huge week for the NATO Summit. NATO telling Ukraine that it's not a matter of if, it is a matter of when it can join NATO.
My colleague, Wolf Blitzer spoke to Secretary Lloyd Austin about this issue. Here is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. LLOYD AUSTIN (RET), UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I have no doubt that, that will happen. And we heard just about every -- heard all the countries in the room, say as much, and I think that was reassuring to their President Zelensky. But there are other things that have to happen as well, you know, judicial reform, you know, things that make sure that the democracy is in good shape. And so, those things will take place over time.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: How much time do you think it will take after the war? Let's assume the war ends, God willing it will end someday. How much time will it take for NATO to join -- for NATO to welcome Ukraine as a full member?
AUSTIN: I won't speculate on that. Wolf, I will just say that all the countries that I've witnessed are interested in moving as quickly as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: So, Jim, those, of course, are not sort of new measures in joining NATO. Right? I mean, traditional reform, anti-corruption measures. What's your reaction to what you just heard from the Secretary?
TOWNSEND: Well, I think the Secretary laid out very well, what the president's problems are. And corruption is something he didn't mention. But I think that's the number one thing that really concerns Washington and some of the other capitals as well as the corruption has been tough to root out of Ukraine.
NATO wants to help. That was part of the package deal that was talked about at the summit. And that's going to take a while and you never root it out completely. It's an always an ongoing thing. But at some point, the alliance will have to agree that they reached a point where bring them into the alliance as a member. It has -- it matches the reform efforts that they've made.
And I hope that comes sooner rather than later.
SOLOMON: Jim, you mentioned Prigozhin. You know, Putin made some comments in a Russian media outlet that sort of putting forth a different name that could lead -- that should lead Wagner.
We know why Wagner was very important to Russia, certainly in the war. But you could even argue around the world with their operations in Africa and such.
That said, do you think Putin can keep Wagner, but not keep Prigozhin?
SOLOMON: Well, that's a great question, because Prigozhin is very popular among his troops. He's popular also among a lot of the Russian people and some of the Russian soldiers.
He's had a taste now of power and fame. And he's quite the political animal. So, I think Prigozhin is there. If there's going to be a pretender to the throne, that Putin pushes forward, it's going to be a catfight between those two, because Prigozhin is not about to give up his perch, and his -- and his soldiers. And a lot of the Russian people don't want him to give it up either. SOLOMON: This will be interesting to watch, nonetheless. And lastly, Jim, what do you think about what appears to be Russia growing more and more isolated?
I'm thinking about Turkey, for example, which, of course, has been walking this line between Russia and the West, what we saw with Turkey this week.
But also, India, right? India has benefited from cheaper Russian oil. I think, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, right now is in France, the guest of honor at Bastille Day celebrations. He was just the guest of honor at the White House.
I mean, does it appear to you that Russia is becoming more and more isolated?
TOWNSEND: Well, it's a very interesting point. And I think definitely they're becoming more isolated, and Putin himself is. And I think the events the past couple of weekends ago of that rebellion that seem to have been pinched out after about a day or so that has increased the isolation.
Because India, China, other players realize that they don't want to get to embrace by Putin, because if something happens to Putin, they're going to go down too.
So, they're playing a double game here. India and others. And they -- I think, if you think about Modi, he must have really appreciate sitting at the Bastille Day ceremonies coming to the White House. He's being courted by the West. He likes that. He doesn't want to lose that.
To be courted by the West, he's going to have to move towards the middle of it, and not so close to Russia. And that adds that idea of isolation. So, you know, it's a chessboard here, the pieces are moving around.
And increasingly, I think you're absolutely right. There's some isolation going on, both with Russia and especially with Putin.
Jim, it's a fascinating point about India because it comes at a time when it's the most populous nation that is new development for India and so many things are happening.
Jim Townsend, wonderful to have you today. Thank you.
BLACKWELL: No winner in the Mega Millions drawing, means more money in the pot. $640 million right now and rising ahead of Tuesday's drawing.
[07:45:01]
So, let's say your play, you win, maybe not $640. Let's say you get a million dollars. You get all five and not that final number. What does one do with all that cash?
Financial expert Michelle Singletary will be along with some advice. Good to see her on a Saturday morning.
But first, yard work. Listen, if you don't win the lottery, you got to do it yourself. Right? It's a chore, but they are benefits for your health.
In this week's "STAYING WELL", we explore the exercise benefits of gardening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA ROGERS, GARDENER: Gardening is a good workout for me. Every morning, I walk around the entire garden.
Have to lean in a lot, and stretch, and to harvest things, because I grow so many things together. There is a lot of you know, stretching, and moving, and reaching in, and grabbing.
I've got radish, tomatoes, all kinds of peppers. Cucumbers, multiple squashes and zucchinis, and beans -- green beans.
Whatever we harvest that week, we eat.
DR. ALICE CHEN, Gardening is a great form of exercise because it really allows you to use the large muscle groups, which are the central foundation of core strengthening.
Gardening can offer a very great workout. You can burn anywhere between 200 and 800 calories an hour, which is just as good as any form of exercise.
Breeding and pruning and mulching, and squatting, all those exercises are really excellent forms of using your muscle groups.
ROGERS: I'm also carrying dirt around. When I have to pull my lettuces out, I got a five-gallon bucket of dirt that I carry around and I definitely feel that in my core, which is nice.
CHEN: And I think that's the nice thing about gardening is that there's no time limit to it. You know you're not limited to court time or gym time.
ROGERS: I love watching it grow. There is a sense of satisfaction.
And anytime I harvest something it's very satisfying.
ANNOUNCER: "STAYING WELL", is brought to you by Rinvoq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:51:14]
BLACKWELL: Jackpot for tonight's Powerball is now at $875 million. And, of course, there is the big $640 million jackpot for grabs that's Tuesday in the Mega Millions. Now, what do you do if you get all that money. Here discuss is Michelle Singletary. She is a personal finance columnist with The Washington Post. Also, the author of "What to Do with Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide".
Michelle, good to see you again. As tight as you are with money, you're not playing either these lotteries, are you?
MICHELLE SINGLETARY, PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: I'm not telling you if I bought a ticket or not.
But if my problem disappears next week, you'll know.
BLACKWELL: I will know. I will know.
All right. So, I think I have the answer to that question. But, so, we're going to talk about what to do if you win. But these rules you're about to give us some guidance that also applies if you receive a big inheritance or some legal settlement, anyway, you come into a huge influx of cash, right?
SINGLETARY: That's correct. You know, the lotteries don't favor the masses, you're probably not going to win. But if you do win a windfall, they are -- the three Ps, I call them, pause, park it, and plan.
And so, the pause is even if you win that big jackpot. First of all, don't tell nobody don't tell your mama, maybe your hubby, but your wife like nobody else.
But you want to pause and just take some time before you do anything with that money. So, if you get a settlement or large amount of money from like, say, your tax refund, just wait a bit before you do something, because you don't want to make a mistake and do something wrong with the money.
BLACKWELL: So, do you -- go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
SINGLETARY: Then next, you want to park it.
Go ahead. Sorry.
BLACKWELL: No, you finish. These are your piece. Go ahead.
SINGLETARY: OK. Let me finish my piece, you know, I worked on my piece.
So, you want to park it. Even that big amount of money, you park it into an interest-bearing account. So, that you can find a financial planner or someone who can help you figure out where to put that money, long term, and then plan.
Come up with a financial plan before you spend a dime. I know people like, I'm going to run out and buy a car, I'm going to buy a house. You want to make sure that you have a plan for that money.
Maybe you need to build an emergency fund, put money in for your kids' college fund. You know, help other people. And listen, add charity to that windfall if you can afford it.
So, the three Ps: pause, park it, plan, when you win any lump sum of money.
BLACKWELL: And then you got additional pay for professional help, put philanthropy in perspective, and of course, at the end party.
Now, for the people we want to take care of, right? If we want to take care of someone, is it best to just write them a check and say this is all you get for me for the rest of your life? The lump sum them out. Or do you put them all as beneficiaries of the interest, of a trust, or something more complicated like that?
SINGLETARY: That is such a great question. I think that you don't give them a lump sum of money, particularly if they're not good with handling money, because you know, the folks in your life who not good with money.
Oftentimes, we find that when people get a lump sum of money, because they don't sort of think of it long term, they tend to blow that money.
So, my husband and I, we've helped a lot of relatives. So, we'll say what do you need, and like if we are paying, you know, relative lost their job, and so, we're going to help pay the rent. We pay the landlord ourselves.
So, if you've got nieces or nephews or children and family members that you want to have to go college, wait until they get into college, then pay the college the money, rather than give them the lump sum.
Now, there are some people in your life, like me, that you could give a lump sum, I'm going to handle it. But I think, generally, you do follow the same plan. If you're going to give other people money.
[07:55:01]
You pause, park it, plan.
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SINGLETARY: And I think that's the best way to help people.
And don't tell them. Just see what they need in their life. And then, meet that need.
(CROSSTALK) BLACKWELL: And then --
SINGLETARY: I think that's the best way to help folks.
BLACKWELL: And then take care of it. I mean, these are all fantastic problems to have. We'll see if anyone we know hits that jackpot.
Michelle Singletary, thank you so much for setting us up if we beat the odds and win one of these.
(CROSSTALK)
SINGLETARY: You're welcome. In case that you win, I'm on -- I'm on the top of your list, right? I'm only -- I'm saying. (INAUDIBLE).
BLACKWELL: I will certainly call you for some advice. I don't know if you get into zeros, but I will reach out.
Thank you, Michelle.
SINGLETARY: Oh, thank you.
SOLOMON: Is the honesty for me, Victor Blackwell. All right. Great interview there.
BLACKWELL: The real of top, just they real.
SOLOMON: Thank you, Victor Blackwell. I guess I know where I stand. Because of Michelle's -- I get any zeros. I guess I know where I stand.
BLACKWELL: You know.
SOLOMON: But that's a conversation for another day.
All right. Coming up. The next episode of the CNN original series, "SEE IT LOUD: THE HISTORY OF BLACK TELEVISION", airs this weekend. And here is a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIMMIE WALKER, COMEDIAN, ACTOR: Dick Gregory in the 50s and early 60s was making $10,000 a week and he gave all that up to march Martin Luther King.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dick Gregory has been dubbed the father of black political comedy.
MONIQUE, COMEDIAN, THE QUEENS OF COMEDY: And Moms Mabley was the mother of Black female committees.
MOMS MABLEY, FORMER AMERICAN COMEDIAN: Is that where will you find another man like me? I've seen in the graveyard.
LONI LOVE, COMEDIAN, HOST, AND AUTOR: She was one of the first Black female comments ever. The Harriet Tubman comedy. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: "SEE IT LOUD" airs tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
In the meantime, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
