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CNN This Morning

Investigating Trump; Interview with Defense Attorney and Former Federal Prosecutor Shan Wu; 988 Crisis Hotline: What's working, what's not? Tracy Chapman Makes History in Country Music with Number One "Fast Car" Cover; Interview with Black Opry Founder and Director Holly G. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired July 16, 2023 - 07:00   ET

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

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and welcome to CNN This Morning. I'm Rahel Solomon in this morning for Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you. You know, you've been teasing me for two days now about my, I guess, stinginess on the jackpot for these big lotteries.

SOLOMON: You know it.

[07:00:06]

BLACKWELL: You've not said that you would be giving up any money?

SOLOMON: I'm a very generous person, Victor Blackwell, so I would share. I didn't say how much, but I would share a little bit.

BLACKWELL: That is the important part.

All right, good to have you this weekend. Let's talk about this heat. More than 80 million people are facing another day of sweltering temperatures. Is there any relief on the way?

SOLOMON: Also, he was on the run for more than a week. Now an escaped inmate from Pennsylvania is back in custody. We'll tell you how police were able to finally track him down.

BLACKWELL: Four people are shot and killed in Georgia, and now there's a manhunt for the suspect. We'll have the latest on the investigation.

SOLOMON: And just days after the U.S. unveils a new aid package for Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has a stark new warning. CNN has the latest.

Let's start with that dangerous heat and flooding all corners of the U.S. bracing for extreme weather this morning. Triple-digit heat is bearing down on nearly 80 million Americans. Heat alerts are spread out from the Pacific Northwest down to Florida.

BLACKWELL: In Phoenix, daily high temperature records continue to be broken. Yesterday, the city reached 118 degrees. That's the 16th day in a row of temperatures above 110. Another concern is the excessive rain and flash flooding.

Last night, three people were killed after being swept away by floodwaters in Pennsylvania. Today, 55 million people in the Northeast are under flood alerts.

We start with that sweltering heat, though. CNN's Rafael Romo takes us to the Southwest.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Rahel, people here in Las Vegas are going to have to wait a few more days for a respite. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for the city, expected to last until Tuesday evening. And meteorologists here are taking a close look at the climbing temperatures because there's a possibility that the city's official all-time record of 117 degrees could be tied at some time between Sunday and Monday.

(INAUDIBLE) of the country is experiencing extreme heat. More than 85 million people are under heat alerts from the National Weather Service in at least 15 states from Florida to California. Phoenix has topped 110 degrees for 14 consecutive days and is forecast to make that at least 19 by Tuesday, which will be the longest stretch in that city's history.

Earlier, I spoke with a tourist from Canada visiting Las Vegas with her daughter, who told us she had found the right combination of indoor and outdoor recreation to stay safe in this oppressive heat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Going to all the shops in and out. Just walk outside for a bit, get too hot, go in, cool down and repeat.

ROMO: That sounds like a great plan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. It was a spur of the moment trip and just let's go. And she was monitoring the temperature on her phone. She's like, mom, it's going to be hot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Miami has seen a record 34 straight days where the heat index has climbed above 100 degrees, with the last 12 of topping 105 degrees, which is double the previous record of six. Pauls Valley, Oklahoma saw its heat index climb to 126 degrees on Thursday, the highest in 30 years.

Officials for the city of Las Vegas here are reminding residents, and this applies to people in other states, too, that you should never leave pets or people in hot cars, even for just a few minutes, because the temperature inside can increase to dangerous levels very quickly.

Victor and Rahel, back to you.

BLACKWELL: Raphael, thanks so much.

For a check on how long this will last, let's go to meteorologist Brandon Miller. So I expect that it's going to be hot again today, but how deep into the week are these triple-digit temperatures going to last?

BRANDON MILLER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All week, and I think we're going to be talking about them again next weekend, unfortunately. Starting right now, this is the cool part of the day, quote unquote, "cool". 97 degrees in Phoenix is what the temperature is right now. 91 in Las Vegas.

If you're, you know, coming out after a late night in the casino, it's like a heat blast to your face. 91 degrees. 91 again in Palm Springs, and it's only going to get hotter from here through the day. 117 again, the temperature this afternoon expected in Las Vegas, that would again tie that record temperature, hotter than they've ever been.

Phoenix, again, that record ongoing, 116 today. It's going to stay above 110 all week. Again, that record is 18 consecutive days. We're going to hit that on Monday, shattered on Tuesday, and continue it through the week.

It's never been this hot for this long. And here we are, unfortunately, looking to next weekend. This is from the National Weather Service. Their forecast for basically about Friday through Monday of next weekend, above average temperatures again here in the Southwest. The hottest times of the year, and it's going to be above even those hot normals. So that trend continues.

And speaking of a trend continuing, more showers and thunderstorms, exactly what we don't want to see here in the Northeast. If you're in the New York metro area, probably waking up to some thunderstorms out there, and that's not what you want to hear.

[07:05:11]

This area has been hammered by up to 300 percent of their average rainfall over the past 30 days. It was just last Sunday that we saw the flash flooding, the dangerous flash flooding set up in West Point, New York, and then Vermont on Monday. And this is the third one of these elevated threats, level three or level four of the flood threat today.

So, again, another round of storms. These slow moving storms are going to get out of the way for the work week. But today, on Sunday, we're absolutely wanting to follow this for more flash flooding concerns there in the Northeast.

BLACKWELL: Brandon, is there some connection between the flooding in the Northeast and the heat in the south and the Southwest?

MILLER: Yes, there is, Victor. That's a great question. And, you know, there's a couple sort of connective tissues here, sort of the first of which is this high pressure that we've been talking about, the heat dome that's here.

And so that sort of -- has a circulation like that. It brings the hot desert air into the west. It's also bringing the jet stream sort of comes up here and it has to stay here. And so we get -- it's bringing the smoke down from Canada, and then it's bringing rain showers into the Northeast, where we've got the moisture from the Atlantic.

So it's that same pattern. And the other big connective tissue here that we can't ignore is climate change. You look at all these -- I mean, if you're in almost any part of the country, it's like a patchwork quilt of warnings here. Heat, we know heat waves are getting stronger and longer from climate change.

The smoke is coming from Canada, where they're having an unprecedented fire season of fthe records from heat up there. And then here in the Northeast, we know that the floods are also becoming more common because warmer air and warmer water equals more rain and more floods.

Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right. Meteorologist Brandon Miller, watching it for us. Thanks so much.

Well, the U.S. is not the only country baking under weekslong heat wave. Southern Europe countries are sweltering in the intense heat, and there are no signs that it will let up anytime soon there. The Italian Health Ministry has issued a red alert for 16 cities urging people to find shade wherever they can. Temperatures in Italy could go above 118 degrees over the next few days.

SOLOMON: In fact, they got so hot in Greece on Saturday that the Acropolis in Athens was forced to close for the second day in a row. Let's bring in CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau. She joins us now from Rome.

You know, Barbie, it's the summer. This is sort of peak travel season, tourism season for Western Europe. I mean, is it stopping tourists from seeing the sites, this heat?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, absolutely not. If you look behind me, we're here. It's 01:00 in the afternoon. This is the time of the day when authorities say everyone should be taking cover and getting out of the heat and into the shade.

You've just got so many tourists here. These are people lined up to take a tour inside the ancient Roman Coliseum behind me. That coliseum is not covered. It's not air conditioned. So, obviously, no one here is really taking the advice of the health officials, but it's hard to convince them to do so.

So many people come to Italy and other tourist towns in southern Europe to spend their vacation, their expensive holidays. You're not going to cancel. And so the heat is not stopping people, but it's going to get worse. And we're expecting really, for the, you know, more and more difficulty to come. And even people who are used to the heat are finding it hot.

Let's listen to what this one tourist from Washington, D.C. had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARMEN BISHOP, TOURIST FROM U.S.: It was suffocating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

BISHOP: I mean, we are from Washington, D.C., and we get a lot of heat there, but it's not like this. It's like you can't find relief, let me put it that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: And, you know, it's not like a lot of heat. The humidity is so heavy here, and it's not cooling off at night. And it's days and days and days of this heat. And, you know, the new heat wave, the heat wave last week, the heat wave this week, you know, no end in sight.

We're hoping that by the end of next week, maybe it'll get down to normal temperatures, which I have to say are always hot this time of the year. But as you see, the tourists aren't stopping, even though the heat is really almost unbearable.

SOLOMON: Yes, I just looked up what the temperature is expected to be in Washington, D.C. Today, Barbie, it's 87 degrees, which is still hot, but certainly better than 95 degrees in Rome --

NADEAU: Yes.

SOLOMON: -- where you are right now. Barbie Latza Nadeau, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Authorities in Georgia are searching for a man accused of killing four people in a suburb of Atlanta. Officials have released few details about the shooting, but they say the crime scene is spread out over four locations in the same neighborhood.

Authorities have not identified the victims, but they say there are three men and a woman. The suspect is 40-year-old Andre Longmore. He's believed to be armed and dangerous. Now, investigators do not have a motive at this time. The sheriff's office is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to his arrest.

[07:10:01]

SOLOMON: Let's turn to Pennsylvania now because authorities there have recaptured an escaped inmate after a nine-day manhunt.

BLACKWELL: Authorities had warned that the prisoner, Michael Burham, had a military experience and survivalist skills and was dangerous. But despite being on the run for days, Burham did not get very far. Polo Sandoval has the latest.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After about nine days on the run in parts of rural Pennsylvania, the search is now over after an inmate was recaptured by authorities on Saturday afternoon. The man's name Michael Burham, he was recaptured without incident in a wooded area in Warren County, Pennsylvania. The 34-year-old former reservist and survivalist was also a prime suspect in a New York homicide case, as well as a related arson case in western New York.

It was back on July 6 that Burham reportedly used a rope fashioned from bedding to escape out of a window of a recreation room at the facility that he was being held in northwestern Pennsylvania. During the search for the last few days, a search that was conducted by hundreds of states, local, federal officers, they were able to even locate some campsites and various stockpiles that they believe were directly linked to Burham.

However, then Saturday came. I want you to hear directly from Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens describing how a private citizen managed to call in a tip that led to the arrest of this runaway inmate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: He was being pursued by the officers along with K-9s. New York State Police had a bloodhound, and Customs and Border Patrol had a search and patrol dog immediately behind the bloodhound. And so, yes, he was being tracked and pushed by a line of tactical members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: We can also see this incredible image obtained by CNN. You can see those moments immediately following the re-arrest of Michael Burham. Officials saying that he was dirty, wet, tired, and also wearing his prison pants that had been turned inside out. However, officials have not been able to say anything about the conversations that were held with the inmate there on the ground.

There's still a lot to be determined, including where he will eventually be housed, what kind of correctional facility, or at least the name of it, and also what kind of additional charges he may face.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

SOLOMON: Turning now to the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump slamming Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, telling DeSantis to get home to Florida and do his job. Trump took aim at DeSantis during a campaign stop in West Palm Beach, Florida, after skipping events in Iowa last week.

BLACKWELL: DeSantis trails Trump in the polls and is now laying off campaign staffers as his fundraising slows. But he's still, of course, hoping to close the gap with Trump and win the nomination.

CNN National Correspondent Kristen Holmes has the latest from the campaign trail.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Rahel. Well, former President Trump spoke for nearly two hours to a packed house at that Turning Point event. This, of course, coming after he missed that, quote unquote, "cattle call" in Iowa on Friday.

Now, despite missing that event, despite the fact that several of his opponents called him out for that, he actually called out some of his 2024 republican hopeful opponents for not being at this event, particularly, of course, Ron DeSantis. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A gentleman named Ron DeSanctimonious at 14 percent. He's at 14 percent and I don't know why he's not here this couple of days, but he should be here. He should be here representing himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, DeSantis was really the only candidate that Trump went after, which, again, not surprising there he has been fixated on the Florida governor. The other thing I want to note is just what this speech was filled with because it was, as I said, nearly two hours long.

He talked about it as a number of his grievances. He talked about the deep state. He talked about some of his policies that he believes that he will instate when he gets back into office. He talked about Big Pharma as well as touting his Supreme Court recent decisions that they had made.

But it is interesting, as we see here, we know that he is just tired of -- Nevada State Director we know that they're building out this infrastructure and again, spoking -- speaking for two hours in front of this large, energetic crowd. It's just keeping in mind that he is running the third presidential bid and continuing full speed ahead and has an enormous amount of support from the party even as he faces all of these legal pressures and these outside investigations.

Victor and Rahel help. Kristen, thanks.

Still ahead, former President Trump has a court date this week in the federal criminal case against him. We'll have the latest on what to expect.

SOLOMON: Plus, country singer Luke Combs's latest cover dividing some music fans. We'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:19:07]

BLACKWELL: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Tel Aviv area hospital today after doctors gave him the all clear. The Shiva Medical Center also says that he's been fitted with a heart monitor under his skin. His office says that the 73-year-old was admitted Saturday after suffering from suspected dehydration in Tel Aviv amid the intense heat there.

Netanyahu released a video saying to people there that they need to drink more water, especially in this kind of weather. SOLOMON: Now to Russia's war on Ukraine. Ukraine reporting a barrage of Russian strikes on two major cities. Ukrainian authorities claim that Russian missiles hit Kharkiv early this morning. We know at least one person was killed by the shelling here. And they also say that Zaporizhzhia was hit more than 50 times in the past 24 hours.

Let's bring in CNN's Alex Marquardt. He joins us now from Ukraine. Alex, what more are you learning about these strikes?

[07:20:02]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi there, Rahel. Well, you're absolutely right. It was a flurry of strikes overnight both in the northern and southern parts of the country. Zaporizhzhia is close to the southern front, while Kharkiv is quite close to that Russian border.

Let's start in Zaporizhzhia, where, according to local authorities, there were some 52 different strikes all across the region. Around seven people were wounded by rocket strikes in a town that is near to the front line and then closer to the city itself, which is one of the biggest cities in the country, there was a rocket strike. Thankfully, no one was killed in Zaporizhzhia.

But farther north in the Kharkiv region, at least one man, 33 years old, was killed by an artillery strike. There was a rocketing attack on the city, which is Ukraine's second biggest city. Four Russian rockets fired at the city. There was some damage, but thankfully no casualties.

Rahel and Victor, we also heard from President Vladimir Putin today, who was talking about the potential use of American cluster munitions here in Ukraine, he said that it would be a crime. He goes on to claim that Russia has not yet used clusters, but if the Ukrainians decide to that they could respond in kind.

There is well documented evidence that Russia has indeed already used their own cluster munitions since the start of the war, both against soldiers and civilians. For that matter, Ukraine has used them as well. But when the U.S. decided to send their cluster munitions to Ukraine, one of the biggest reasons given was that Russia had already been using them.

There's also a significant ammunition shortage when it comes to artillery ammunition, and this very much is an artillery fight in this counter offensive. What impact these American cluster munitions could have on this offensive? I asked one of the main generals in the southern part of the country. He said it could radically impact the battlefield.

Rahel, Victor?

BLACKWELL: Alex. Marquardt for us there in Ukraine. Thanks so much.

Let's bring in now CNN Military Analyst and former commanding general for Europe and the 7th Army, General Mark Hertling. Thank you for being with us. Let's start where Alex left off here. This warning from Putin suggesting that he would use Russia's cluster munitions if provoked. Well, this entire war is unprovoked, so that doesn't hold water. But why do you think this warning is coming now?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It's not a warning. It's an admission of lies, Victor. Russia has been using cluster munitions since 2014, not just since the February 22 invasion date. There has been proof on film and in, you know, the finding of the unexploded munitions. And in fact, a lot of data has been gathered that the Russian cluster munitions sometimes have a dud rate of between 30 percent and 40 percent.

All of those things are factual. So the instance that Mr. Putin is now saying this is a threat, you know, we will use them if they use them, is just another one of the Russian lies that we've been hearing throughout this campaign.

And yes, they will make a difference. I'm not sure they will make as much of a radical difference as a lot of people are saying. Having once been under cluster munitions and having been wounded by cluster munitions, they are certainly devastating. But as Alex said, it is all part of the fire and counter fire artillery fight that we're seeing now and that we will see for the next several weeks.

BLACKWELL: These overnight attacks on Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, the mayor of Kharkiv says that Russia is likely using S-300 missiles in the attack that are originally designed as antiaircraft weapons. What do you glean from that use of this weapon for what we're seeing overnight?

HERTLING: Well, they have been using S-300s and S-400s that, as you say, are designed for ground to air to knock down aircraft and missiles in a ground to ground fight for some time now, Victor. And I think it's an indicator again that Russia is pulling out all stops. They are using all types of missile systems.

What I found interesting in Alex's reporting is with the data that says over 50 were fired in several provinces, but only a few people were wounded. That tells me that these are being used indiscriminately. It brings back some memories of mine from Iraq where insurgents would use missiles and just fire them toward a location, not hoping to hit anything, but just creating more terror. And that's what Russia has been doing against the civilian population of Ukraine since the start of this campaign.

BLACKWELL: Ukraine's border guard has confirmed that Wagner mercenaries are now in Belarus. They say that Wagner is training the Belarusian troops. I wonder what the concern is from the Ukrainian perspective on that northern border where President Zelenskyy has been in ordering a beefing up, expecting more to come from the other side of the border there with Belarus?

[07:25:07]

HERTLING: Yes, there's been quite a few people who are watching the Wagner movement very closely, Victor. And what I would suggest is not all of the soldiers we've seen fighting in the east, in the Donbas region that have been part of the Prigozhin's Wagner group have moved to Belarus.

In fact, it's a relative percentage of them. And as we've seen over the last couple of days, Mr. Putin has changed his story on that, too. Now, suddenly, these are not legal activities. There's no legal capabilities for these Wagner fighters.

And what we're hearing from open source intel is that Wagner is now determining where is their next strategy. Is it still in Ukraine, which it doesn't appear to be? Is it in training Belarusians, or is it focusing on their actions in Africa, where they've been for several years? But to answer your question is, does this concern the Ukrainians? It did a few weeks ago.

President Zelenskyy gave orders to General Zaluzhny to ensure that there was a defensive capability in that northern border. But given the numbers of Wagner's forces that are there, and given the incapability of the Belarusian soldiers to conduct an attack, I would not think that this is a major issue for the Ukrainians. But they are certainly keeping a watch on that northern front.

BLACKWELL: Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, thank you.

Still ahead, from the campaign trail to the courtroom, details on what to expect from the hearing on classified documents against Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. The first hearing in a historic federal criminal case against Trump is set for this Tuesday. The case stems from Trump's handling of classified documents. The date was pushed to Tuesday after Special Counsel Jack Smith suggested that Trump and his co-defendant, Walt Nauta, were trying to create "Unnecessary delay last week." And it highlights how tense things could get as the case moves forward.

Joining me now is defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Shan Wu. Shan, good morning. Thanks for being with us. So, first, what are you expecting Tuesday? I mean, is this supposed to be more procedural or might we learn something new?

SHAN WU, DEFENSE ATTORNEY AND FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, it's substantive and yet it's procedural. They're going to be talking about how to handle the classified document, which in this kind of a case is pretty complicated. Some of it might even be a sealed to the public, close to the public hearing because of the sensitive nature of what they are talking about. But they'll be figuring out some timetables for that. They'll probably be talking about what exactly has been turned over, the volume. There's already been fighting some in the scene of the documents over just how voluminous the discovery actually is. So, it will be substantively procedural. SOLOMON: Fair enough. In terms of the timetable, this an area of tension, right? Which we expect that, nonetheless, Jack smith wants to go to trial in less than six months. How reasonable is that timeline?

WU: It's a reasonable timeline for Smith to propose, and kudos to him for pushing it forward, but practically, I think that's highly unlikely to happen. It is a complicated case. But, more importantly, delay is a good tactic on the part of the defense attorneys, and it's quite obvious at this point that both Trump and Nauta's lawyers are seeking to delay.

Everything -- it starts small, even how long it took, Nauta could get a lawyer helps about that delay. And they were quite overt with it, saying that they don't even want to set a trial date. I think the judge is going to give them a trial date and is going to move towards it, but it's very, very difficult to see this really getting underway before the presidential election season.

SOLOMON: Well, the reason Trump's team is claiming they want a delay, right, is because of the volume of discovery, which you just pointed out there. And also, questions about whether a fair jury can be seated. On the issue of discovery and the volume of documents, does that defense have some credit? Does that -- does it have some merit that they need more time?

WU: It does -- yes, it does have some merit. It is going to be a voluminous discovery. They are not exactly jumping to a quick start since they only, I think, have just completed the paperwork to get cleared for the security clearances necessary to see it. But there is a fair amount of evidence. I mean, I think the prosecution is pointing out, you know, it's not as much as the defense wants the judge to believe. But it is a voluminous case. It is complex. And I don't think it will be hard for them to get more time to prepare.

And also, whatever the judge's intentions are, and they'll have some questions about whether Cannon would want to speed things along, the judge has to be careful, too, because if you push the defense too hard, you are creating an issue for an appeal in case there is a conviction because they'll say, hey, we weren't ready to go, we kept telling you that.

SOLOMON: That's interesting. So, that's, sort of, a fine line she has to walk here. And then really quickly, on the issue of seating a fair jury, does that have any merit?

WU: I don't think that has any merit. I totally agree with the special counsel's team that said, look, that's why we have a system for jury selection. The judge is involved. The lawyers get to question it. There can be questionnaires that are used. Jury consultants are used. The system is awfully good at putting together an impartial jury. And there are cases where the jury selection can take a really long time because of the degree of vetting that's involved. So, I think there is very good protections there. I don't think that has any merit to say in this case. It's impossible to see a jury and therefore you can't even try them. SOLOMON: Shan, I want to turn really quickly to another case. CNN exclusive that we learned that the secretaries of state -- secretary -- yes, from Pennsylvania, New Mexico, secretaries of state were interviewed as part of the 2020 election probe. What can we glean from this?

WU: I think you can glean that it's inappropriately broad investigation. This was really a multipart effort to overturn the election. Trump's folks were trying in many different ways to do it. So, it shows that Smith is really following all those leads. And it is a national investigation scope. It's very large. And I think you give credit to them doing that.

[07:35:00]

But in terms of speed there, too, I think again it shows that they are realistically aways from making a charging decision. They are still assembling the evidence.

SOLOMON: Shan Wu, great to have you this morning. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Coming up, it's been one year since the creation of the new suicide hotline. It has helped millions, but it's still facing some challenges. Coming up, how health officials are trying to improve it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: All right. A few headlines for you this morning, firefighters are battling four wildfires in Southern California -- Southwestern California, to be specific. And of course, it's happening in the middle of a blistering heat wave.

[07:40:00]

The rabid fire in Riverside County between Los Angeles and San Diego has burned about 7,600 acres, its only five percent contained. While the galivant (ph) fire that began early Saturday morning is zero percent contained, threatening thing about 1,800 structures, and evacuations have begun. Officials say that the Reche Fire in Moreno Valley and the highland fire are both wrapping up now. No homes are in danger.

SOLOMON: Some incredible video there.

All right. United Airline pilots have reached a preliminary agreement after battling for a new contract over the last four years. Union officials say that the new deal gives them up to a 40 percent raise, depending on the type of aircraft they fly. The union says that the deal includes improvements to retirement, benefits, job security and quality of work life. Any new contract will still have to be ratified by the union's 16,000 member pilots.

SOLOMON: Today marks the first anniversary of the National Mental Health Crisis Hotline, 9-8-8. The Biden administration has invested nearly $1 billion on the initiative with much of it going towards building state and local resources.

BLACKWELL: But as it heads now into its second year, the lifeline still has some hurdles to overcome. Here is CNN's Jacquelyn Howard.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Victor and Rahel, this weekend marks the one-year anniversary of 9-8-8's launch. It's the three-digit dialing code to reach the 9-8-8 suicide and crisis lifeline for mental health counseling and resources. And so far, the government says, the crisis number has received nearly 5 million calls, texts and online chat messages.

In its first year, compared with the previous year before its launch, the lifeline saw a 1,135 percent increase in texts answered. It saw a 141 percent jump in chats answered and 46 percent rise in calls answered. And the average speed to answer those calls or texts dropped from two minutes and 39 seconds to 41 seconds. U.S. Health Official Monica Johnson, she is the director of 9-8-8, she describes this as a transformative time in behavioral health care. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONICA JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF 988, SAMHSA OFFICIAL: This is a three- digit number, easy to remember. 9-8-8. You can call it, text it, or chat when you feel like you need support rather that's for depression, sadness, anxiety, whatever it may be. This is the most transformative initiative in behavioral health care that I have seen in my career.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: But there are some challenges. Many people still don't know that they call, text or chat 9-8-8 to reach licensed counselors in the same way you would call 9-1-1 for medical emergencies. And a new survey from the National Alliance on Mental Illness finds that 82 percent of adults are still not familiar with what 9-8-8 is or what it does. But the administrators of 9-8-8 tell me that they plan to launch an awareness campaign about 9-8-8 this fall. And they hope that it will make people who need mental health support more aware of 9-8-8 as a resource.

BLACKWELL: Jacquelyn Howard, thank you. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the world's news network.

BLACKWELL: The iconic song, "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman is back on the charts after country music star Luke Combs released a cover of it. Now, his remake is number one on Billboard's country airplay, and number three on Billboard's hot 100, down from number two just a few weeks. Now, Chapman's version peaked at number six after its release in 1988.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRACY CHAPMAN, SINGER: So, I remember when we were driving, driving in your car. Speed so fast it felt like I was drunk. City lights lay out before us and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder.

LUKE COMBS, SINGER: And I-I had a feeling that I belonged. I-I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So, the success of Comb's rendition makes Chapman the first black female songwriter to top the country Airplay chart. In an exclusive statement to Billboard, Chapman praised Combs and said, I never expect today find myself on the country charts, but I'm honored to be there. I'm happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced "Fast Car."

But the success of the remake is part of a broader and ongoing conversation about culture and diversity in country music. Joining us now is Holly G., she is the founder of the Black Opry. An organization for black country music singers and fans that works to ensure artists of color can have equal opportunities.

Holly G., it's good to have you on the show. There has been a lot of response to what initially I read in "The Washington Post" was this kind of uneasy feeling among some fans because of the success. And this is, I understand it and correct me if I'm wrong, is not a knock against Luke Combs or his artistry or his rendition. This is about, well, would Tracy Chapman have ever found this success?

HOLLY G., FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, BLACK OPRY: Yes. And thank you so much for clearing -- clarifying that. I'm a huge fan of Luke Combs. Nobody has any issue with Luke. The conversation is because what's happening now is an example of a much bigger problem in country music. Dr. Jada Watson (ph), did a study on the country music radio between 2002 and 2020, and there were only 0.6 percent black artists played throughout that time period.

[07:50:00]

And so, the conversation here, the thing we feel uneasy about is that we know that if Tracy would have wanted to, you know, put her music out in the country space, it wouldn't have happened. It still doesn't happen.

BLACKWELL: So, when you say, if she would have put it out, are you talking 1988 or even today, if she'd released this song, the original arrangement or the arrangement that Luke Combs used, it would not have reached where this song is now?

HOLLY G.: I don't think that it would have seen any success even today, and I want to be clear that I'm talking very specifically about the country music industry.

BLACKWELL: Right.

HOLLY G.: I'm very, very aware of all success that the song has had. But in country music, there is a very, very, you know, clear discrimination against people of color and queer people, and even just women in general. There is -- white women have a really hard time getting radio playing country music. And so, when we say we're feeling uneasy and the discomfort around it, it's because we know that the industry can be better and we want to see it be better. And the fact that Luke didn't change very much about that song, it was this successful with it. I think it proves that the art is valid. It's not a question of talent. It's a question of inclusion.

BLACKWELL: So, is this -- how much does this play into or the relevance of Luke Combs is a country artist. And he would, I guess, be someone who would chart on country charts before Tracy Chapman?

HOLLY G.: I think that's a really easy argument to make if you're not paying attention. But if you look at Mickey Guyton, Mickey Guyton was signed to a record deal in 2012, and since that time she has not had radio success. And it's not that she hasn't been successful, she's had grammy nominations, she performed all over the country, she's a super successful artist. But country music is still not embracing her in the most meaningful ways, and for country music, that's the radio.

BLACKWELL: Yes. The same study that you cited found that six solo black women and one group of black women, they have reached the country music charts since 1958. The totally of black women who charted.

HOLLY G.: Yes.

BLACKWELL: And in 2022, LGBTQ+ artists received 0.13 percent of Airplay. What is it about the genre? Because we don't see that in pop. We don't see that in other genres that you see these types of numbers.

HOLLY G.: I think a big part of it is country music is the last genre that is still this much controlled by radio. Every other genre, if you see success on streaming or even on social media, doors are open for you. But the country music industry is so focused on radio, and because of people that work in radio are refusing to acknowledge this problem, their -- it won't be fixed.

The CMAs, the CMTs, the ACMs, all of them have done various -- they've had various efforts in diversity, and we are seeing more representation on the artist side, but the radio is still not budging. And until they budge, we're not going to see nominations within the big country music award shows and we're not going to see other indicators of success for those artists.

BLACKWELL: Yes. What's interesting is that some of the biggest radio stars of this era could not get radio play on country. Beyonce's "Daddy's Lesson" from the "Lemonade" album, it was -- there was a performance there on the CMAs, but it was rejected by the Grammy Country Committee, didn't get much play. And if any artist of this period has the full phalanx of industry support, it's Beyonce. Lil Nas X's, "Old Town Road" was on the country charts and then removed from the country charts because they said it wasn't country enough because of the composition there. That ended up 17 weeks at number one on Billboard Hot 100. Holly G., I know you have gotten a lot of pushback, a lot of really threats because of your highlight of this. It's actually part of the reason why you are going by Holly G. and not your full first and last name. Are you surprised by what the response has been to highlighting this disparity in the genre?

HOLLY G.: I'll be honest, usually, no. But with the Tracy Chapman thing, it does surprise me a little bit because Tracy Chapman was such a revolutionary artist and she stood up for, you know, all the things that I believe in and she was such a pioneer.

And so, the people that are fans of hers that are having an issue with what I'm saying about it must not have been paying attention because we're not attacking Tracy, we're not saying Tracy wasn't successful. We're saying, she actually deserved more. She deserved a spot in country music. And I don't think that she would argue with that either. I don't think that she would ever have a problem with black people standing up for our place -- rightful place in an industry, especially considering that black people created country music.

BLACKWELL: Holly G., with the Black Opry, thank you for your time. You gave me a lot to think about after reading that piece in "The Post". Thanks so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:55:00]

SOLOMON: Nearly $1 billion, that's where the Powerball jackpot sits right now after nobody won last night's drawing. The prize balloons again to an estimated $900 million. Your next shot at it, at Monday's drawing.

BLACKWELL: That's the third largest pot in Powerball history and the seventh largest in U.S. lottery history. No one has won the grand prize since April 19th. It's rolled over now 36 times since then.

SOLOMON: And since it has rolled over to $900 million, Victor has suddenly become much more generous and decided that he will share with his work colleagues if, in fact, he wins.

BLACKWELL: I said if it makes it to $1 billion, so, I don't know about $900 million.

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