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CNN This Morning

Police Recapture Michael Burham After 9 Days On The Run; Heat Wave Intensifies In U.S., Millions Under Heat Alerts; Defense Bill Faces Uncertain Future In Senate; Djokovic, Alcaraz Set To Meet In Men's Final; FIFA Women's World Cup Begins Thursday; Leaked Documents Reveal Putin's Secret Train; DOJ Launches Investigation Into Fulton County Jail; Record Heat Raises New Concerns For Coral Reefs; Tom Cruise Surprises Fans At Screening For New Movie. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired July 16, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:06]

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

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: You haven't gotten that generous yet.

BLACKWELL: Not there yet.

SOLOMON: Fair enough.

All right. Coming up a little bit later tonight, iconic comedy and variety shows are the focused of the next episode of the CNN original series "SEE IT LOUD," a history of Black television. And some of the shows that have the biggest names in comedy didn't get to share in the wealth that they helped create.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI LEROI, WRITER, PRODUCER, THE CHRIS ROCK SHOW: We love to talk about the successes of the Dave, $60 million, Chris was $50 million, and that's amazing. Red Fox died broke and he had one of the biggest shows on television. Look at the ratings. It's 60 million people. It's absurd that he would die broke.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He died with nothing. You know, Eddie Murphy paid the funeral costs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's important not to forget about the great people that came before us when signing these huge deals, because there are a lot of people who gave their all to the craft and died with nothing financially to show for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Don't miss the new episode as premieres tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

(MUSIC)

BLACKWELL: Good morning. And welcome to the second best day of the week, Sunday.

CNN THIS MORNING is with you this morning. I'm Victor Blackwell.

SOLOMON: And I'm Rahel Solomon, in this morning for Amara Walker.

Victor, my friend, good to be with you.

Well, coming up this morning, after more than a week on the run, a Pennsylvania inmate has been captured. We would tell you how authorities tracked him down.

BLACKWELL: From scorching hot temperatures to flood alerts for millions of people, severe weather is sweeping across the country. We'll have your latest forecast.

SOLOMON: And on the brink of history, it is being billed as a battle between generations. How Novak Djokovic is hoping to make history at Wimbledon.

BLACKWELL: And all of those warm temperatures are having a major impact on Florida's coral reef. Why scientists are warning soaring heat in the ocean could have a devastating impact.

We begin this morning in Pennsylvania, where authorities have recaptured an escaped inmate after a nine-day manhunt.

SOLOMON: Authorities have warned that the prisoner, Michael Burham, had military experience and survivalist skills and was dangerous. But despite being on the run for days, he didn't get very far.

Polo Sandoval has the latest and how it all unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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 survivalist was 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 6th 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 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 local some camp sites 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 run away inmate.

LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: He was being pursued by the officers along with canines. New York state police had a bloodhound and customs and border patrol had a search and patrol dog immediately behind the bloodhound. So, yes, he was being tracked and pushed by a line of tactical members.

SANDOVAL: You can also see this incredible image obtained by CNN. You can see those moments immediately following the re-arrest of Michael Burnham. Officials say 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. At what correctional facility and what kind of additional charges he may face.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Authorities in Georgia are searching for a man accused of killing four people in a suburb of Atlanta. The suspect, 40-year-old Andre Longmore is believed to be armed and dangerous.

SOLOMON: Officials have released few details about the shooting, but they say that the crime scene spread out over four locations in the same neighborhood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Looks like there's some relationship between at least one of the victims and this individual. I don't think this was a random act at all. Simply because they were able to ID him so quickly tells me that, you know, someone knew this person, knew he had an issue with someone or what have you.

[08:05:11]

But just because it's four scenes doesn't mean it's four houses or four locations. You know, a crime scene could be anything from finding shell casings or other types of evidence to actually a location where bodies were found. So, we'll get more information, I'm sure, as the day goes on around this particular case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: At this point, authorities have not identified the victims, but they do say that they are three men and a woman. Investigators also don't have a motive at this time. The sheriff's office is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to Longmore's arrest.

Turning to the severe weather. Over a dozen states all across the U.S. will continue to sizzle in the sun today. Excessive heat will remain a fixture in the forecast for more than 80 million people from the Pacific Northwest down to Florida. Today expected to be the hottest day in years for some cities. More than 100 temperature records are possible through Monday.

BLACKWELL: The city of las Vegas is expected to challenge its all-time high temperature of 117 degrees. The high heat has prompted a city- wide effort to collect thousands of bottles of water for Vegas' homeless population.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBY QUINN, CHIEF COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICER, HELP OF SOUTHERN NEVADA: It's life and death. I mean, there's no joking about that. That is literally, this water will save a life. They are literally baking on the streets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Here's CNN's Mike Valerio.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Temperatures throughout the southwest are soaring into the triple digits. In Death Valley, California, the high could top 130 degrees. The National Parks Service warning hikers not to hiker after 10:00 a.m. and, quote, travel prepared to survive.

NICHOLE ANDLER, DEATH VALLEY PARK RANGER: It can be a little painful and I personally sometimes, when I feel that sun, I think about it, if it feels like it's going right through straight my skin and deep inside to my bones.

VALERIO: In Austin, Texas, misting tents are being deployed to try to keep people cool.

MAYOR KIRK WATSON, AUSTIN, TEXAS: This is, in fact, a dangerous time, and that's why we want to get these warnings out.

VALERIO: In Pasadena, the head coach at the high school checks the turf to make sure it's not too hot for players to practice.

DILAN CLARK, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL: This is our heat stress tracker. This actually helps us out daily.

VALERIO: It's hit at least 110 degrees in Phoenix, Arizona, every day this month and the heat streak is expected to continue through at least Wednesday.

BRANDON MILLER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's the hottest time of the year in the hottest places of the country, but even with that, these temperatures are 5, 10, even 15 degrees above average. And that's why it's a problem.

KAMERON JOHNSON, TEXAS RESIDENT: It feels like if hot sauce could be felt without you having to taste it. Like, and it got poured on my back.

(END VIDEOTAPE) VALERIO (on camera): While the southwest is seeing the worst of the heat wave this weekend, forecasters say temperatures will get even hotter across the south central and the southeast in the coming days.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Valencia, California.

SOLOMON: Now, we are now joined by CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.

Brandon, so when can people expect to experience some relief in any way?

MILLER: Yeah, Rahel, and it's not just the people in the West with the heat, people all over the country are suffering the impacts of this heat dome. The heat dome we've been talking about for weeks on end. I'm going to draw you a little picture here.

This is the high pressure. This is the heat dome. It's centered here kind of over the four corners. And from that high pressure, you get winds coming from the south that are getting hot, dry air, baking the southwest, even during the hottest times of the year, making it 5, 10, 15 degrees hotter. And on the north side of that, you get cooler winds, coming down from Canada.

Now, the unfortunate part there, they are bringing smoke from the unprecedented California wildfires and blanketing parts of the Upper Midwest and the Northern Plains with smoke. This morning, we have about 60 million people under air quality alerts for that smoke. You also have, as this colder air and these fronts meet the moisture coming from the Atlantic Ocean, those are bringing repeated rounds of flooding to the Northeast. And that's exactly what we're seeing this morning.

So, in the West, temperatures again, Las Vegas, looking at an all-time record temperature high today of 117 degrees. Never been hotter. Phoenix, that streak of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or greater continues all the way through the week and going to smash that record there.

And again, next week, we're looking above-average temperatures in the same region, the same sort of thing. The high pressure is here. The hot air comes this way, the cold air comes this way, so no relief, and no relief for those in the Northeast as well, another round of rain and storms this morning.

In New York City, you've heard some thunder boomers this morning on a Sunday morning, and more rain exactly where we don't want to see it here into interior New England. They've seen 200 to 300 percent of their average rainfall.

[08:10:01]

And here in Vermont, where we saw the devastating floods last week. More rain right now, flash flood warnings in effect for part of these regions, and, again, flash flood threat level 3 of 4 throughout the day today. It moves out for your Monday, but for today, we're watching for more floods.

SOLOMON: It's the last thing the state of Vermont needs.

Brandon Miller, thank you.

BLACKWELL: A vote on a defense spending bill turns into a partisan showdown on Capitol Hill. The House passed the bill after Republican hardliners added amendments against abortion, diversity and transgender care. That infuriated Democrats. So what happens now?

Democratic Senator Jack Reed who is the chair of the Armed Services Committee there in the Senate joins us now.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for being with us.

Let's start here with what came out of the House. They ended diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and staff at the Department of Defense if this becomes law, and reimbursement for expenses, including travel for military members, abortions, ban hormone treatments for transgender service members.

The Senate will continue its work on its version of the NDAA this week. What happens next? And can you vote for a compromise version if any of those stay in the bill?

SEN. JACK REED (D-RI): Well, the Senate will take up the bill on the floor next week and the following week. We will have votes on many of these topics. I don't think the Senate will support the legislation that's been promulgated by the House. Again, I think it just does no serve the welfare of troops, nor the professionalism of the forces we need.

Then we'll go into negotiations with the House and we have to wait and see what the final version of the resolution is before we can draw a conclusion.

BLACKWELL: But could you vote for an NDAA with any of those three clauses or amendments that I just detailed?

REED: It would be very challenging. The full issue of diversity, equality, inclusion is central to the functioning of the military. And it's been categorized as something that's out of control. And in reality, it's a small component of the training that an NDAA would seize. And it is part of recognizing that a diverse service, that we see the United States has, is the best type of service, that we have a more professional, more skilled army, because we can call on the talents of all of our citizens.

But we also have to have a means in which to allow individuals to become accustomed and some are not accustomed when it comes to service to other people, their cultures, their approaches, et cetera. And to do this, the whole point is to create one professional force, where dedication to duty and dedication to your fellow soldiers is the prevailing mandate. And we do that very well.

With respect to the Dobbs position, it is legal. In fact, the Bureau of Prison, the federal bureau of prison provides transportation course for individual requirements and reproductive surgery. And that's been held legal.

So we're not talking about something that's illegal. And we're talking about after Dobbs, something that is absolutely essential for the welfare of female soldiers.

BLACKWELL: In the same context --

(CROSSTALK)

REED: So these are all -- yes?

BLACKWELL: I apologize for jumping in there. I expected there was a break.

In the same context, Senator Tommy Tuberville, he has, as you know, held up the promotions and nominations of hundreds of high-ranking military officers. He is -- he wants a vote of the Department of Defense's position, their policy on allowing service members to use official travel and to be reimbursed for some things if they're traveling for an abortion from a state where it is not legal.

He says that this holdup of more than 200 appointments or nominations or promotions is not hurting readiness from the marine commandant on down, what do you say?

REED: It is hurting readiness considerably. It is causing confusion in the upper ranks. It is distorting the ability of the Department of Defense to assign individuals. It's affecting families who have to prepare for new schools, new housing arrangements.

[08:15:03]

It is very disruptive. And with every day, becomes more disruptive. Take, for example, the nominee for the new chief of staff of the army. He is currently the vice chief of staff. Even if we would vote him through on a special vote, he still would not have a deputy vice chair. So he would have to improvise all the duties of the vice chair.

And one of the most important duties is serving on the JROC, which is all of the vice chairs of the services who determine what are the requirements of the future? What do we need in terms of equipment, et cetera. And you can't have sort of a fill-in. You know, just somebody who's there for some number of days. This is a serious, serious responsibility. You could go through all of these holes and discover ways that it is adversely affecting the military.

And you don't have to take my word for it. Seven secretaries of defense, from administrations both Republican and Democrats, condemn this and pointed out that it is disrupting the readiness of the military. Secretary Austin, General Milley, they, too have come forward and said this very clearly.

It's -- you know, if you don't -- if you believe that Senator Tuberville knows more about military readiness than seven secretaries of defense -- well, I'm sorry, you're mistaken. BLACKWELL: Are there some that you think that should get that roll

call vote, the voice vote, as you name the army chief of staff, the marine commandant or acting, at this moment, that you think deserve that time dedicated on the Senate floor?

REED: Every officer on this list, the 251 that are on the list and then the very senior general officers that have come to the committee deserve to be confirmed. Not through sort of long-term voting.

But as we've done traditionally, which is, unless there is a specific professional objection based on the character or conduct of the individual, it's done by unanimous consent. It's done promptly. That's the way it should be done. We don't want to have a couple of votes, the senior people that still leave 250 or more individuals in limbo.

And what --

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: So I want to be clear about this, so as long as Tuberville is holding this up, it will be all by unanimous consent or none?

REED: Well, we're in a situation where there could be a decision, if it's critical, and I think it's getting critical, but my decision right now is we have to get all of these people confirmed. And what he's talking about, just give me a vote, is not give me a vote in the sense of, bring the names down, I want to be able to vote on them.

He wants the whole panoply of forum (INAUDIBLE) et cetera, the congressional researchers estimates that would take 668 hours, which translates into 27 days of Senate work. That's all day long, seven days a week.

BLACKWELL: Yeah.

REED: And if we just work eight hours a day, that's something like 84 days, which would mean, we can't do the national defense bill. We can't do the appropriations bill. We will paralyze the entire government.

BLACKWELL: It is certainly holding up the entire government. And the Republicans and Democrats now are coming out a little more vocally than they have been in the past several weeks over this.

Senator Jack Reed, we've got to wrap it there, but I thank for your time, chairman of the Senate Armed Services. Thank you, sir.

SOLOMON: All right. Still ahead for us, it's a new era for major league soccer. Lionel Messi has officially joined Inter Miami.

Plus, two titans of tennis get ready to face off this morning. Novak Djokovic chasing his 24th grand slam title at Wimbledon. All that stands in his way is the best player in the world right now, Carlos Alcaraz.

BLACKWELL: And we're getting inside look at the secret way that Russia's president prefers to move about the country on rails and in luxury.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:23:41]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

Some big star power is heading to U.S. soccer.

All right. Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, has officially signed with Major League Soccer's Inter Miami. Now, while he teased the signing last month, it is now official. He is set to be with the team through 2025.

In a statement, Messi said he was very excited for this next step in his career.

Joining me now is U.S. sports analyst and "USA Today" sports columnist, Christine Brennan.

Christine, good morning. Great to have you today. A lot to talk about.

Let's start with Messi. What does this mean for U.S. soccer?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Certainly for men's soccer, it's another shot in the arm, Rahel, another thought that the men's game in the United States is starting to make moves to be closer what they hope to some day achieve, many, many years ago, which is to be best in the world and have the best leagues in the world. Right now the U.S. men do not have that.

So every now and then, when we saw David Beckham come, and, of course, he's the owner of the Miami team, so no surprise, as he has talked about, wanting to build up the star power in men's soccer, the MLS in the United States. No surprise, it's David Beckham, the owner, bringing in Lionel Messi, 36 years old.

[08:25:03]

He's not 22. You know, he is definitely someone who is on the other end of the greatness, and yet his name is nothing but headlines. And I think that's the real draw here. And even for a couple of great years of Messi, that's a wonderful thing for the MLS and men's soccer in the United States.

SOLOMON: Yeah, I mean, as you say, he certainly brings the star power. What else in terms of athleticism is he going to bring to this team?

BRENNAN: Well, I think because he's one of the best to ever player, he will elevate us, as the great athletes usually do on a team in any sport, he will elevate the play. It remains to be seen if he can be someone who brings new eyeballs to men's soccer. I think he will right away, but will those people buy tickets. That's the key here. For the men's soccer to become what the women's soccer has, obviously, women's world cup this week, huge week, you've got to have the best in the world. As football season starts, at of American sport fans go to their college football, and so you need to draw them away.

Messi, the headlines of Messi, that's a start. But, yes, I think it's a really good thing and we'll see how it goes and hopefully he'll be playing well and scoring a lot of goals for those fans who want to watch that and see him play.

SOLOMON: And, look, I want to talk about women's soccer in just a moment, but first let's turn to tennis. I mean, 30 minutes from now, lots of players will be watching their screens. Novak Djokovic hoping to make history in Wimbledon.

In order to do it, though, he's going to have to take on the top player in the world right now, 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, starting in 30 minutes, Christine, how do you expect this to go.

BRENNAN: Well, over the last year or so, Novak Djokovic has really reasserted himself over fights with various governments because he refused to be vaccinated and was not allowed to play in tournaments, which to me was just mind numbing, but he did that. And now he's back and because his two compatriots, as one of the greatest -- maybe the greatest era in men's tennis, Roger Federer has retired. And of course, you have Rafael Nadal is injured and has had surgery. It's kind of there for Djokovic among the older guys, he's 36 years old like Messi, actually.

So now comes along a 20-year-old who's ranked top, best in the world, won the U.S. open when Djokovic was not allowed to play because of the vaccine rules last year, so a one-time grand slam winner against a 23 grand slam winner.

The question always for Carlos is, can he hold up? He is so exciting, so majestic, just fantastic to watch. The question is, you know, his body, as he throws himself around, Djokovic could just wear him down over time. So we'll see. The master, the veteran against the young kid.

SOLOMON: Do you think Alcaraz mentally, does he meet the moment?

BRENNAN: Well, we'll certainly see, won't we? I think athletically, he certainly does. The ability to rise with the great shot, the beautiful play, the awe-inspiring performance, it's all there. Now, he's a 20- year-old, right? So now the question is with all of these young athletes and how do they handle it mentally?

And Djokovic is a -- quite a formidable opponent. Djokovic knows how to play all of those games, the mental games, the physical games. So I think that Alcaraz could have that day, and if he does, it will be signaling a new era, because if he beats Djokovic, it's almost as if the page turns, the watershed moment and now we're into the era of Carlos as opposed to the era of the big three over the last two decades.

SOLOMON: Yeah I think little bit a fascinating matchup.

As Wimbledon comes to a close, though, as you pointed out earlier, the Women's World Cup starts this week. The women's team coming off back- to-back world titles here. How do you think they'll perform this year? What are you watching?

BRENNAN: It does start this week, and New Zealand and Australia, the U.S. women play Vietnam Friday night, Eastern Time, to start off the defense of their two-time titles, as you said.

A lot of pressure on the U.S. team. And it's a younger team, but with some older players and veterans, Megan Rapinoe has announced, as you know, that this is her last tournament. She's going to retire after this.

There's a few other big names. Alex Morgan, of course, is certainly the star of the team. But they'll also have a lot of young faces. And that's in keeping with the incredible support system and the incredible number of women, girls and women in this country who play soccer and grow up playing soccer, millions and millions.

[08:29:40]

The U.S. is favored. The U.S. should win, but we know the world is getting better every single year. England is excellent. There's so many other countries, obviously, that have been there over the years, Japan, Norway, et cetera.

Watch out for those European nations. Watch out for some of others. And any slip-up and the U.S. is out, just like, for example, at the Olympics a few years ago. So it is not an easy task, but if they play well, they should be able to pull it off.

SOLOMON: Certainly an eventful few days and weeks moving forward for sports fans both at Wimbledon and moving forward.

Christine Brennan, great to have you today. Thank you.

And we'll be right back.

BRENNAN: My pleasure. Thank you Rahel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: We're getting a remarkable look inside at the secretive way that Russia's president prefers to move about his vast country on the rails and in luxury.

SOLOMON: Documents shared with CNN reveal that Vladimir Putin travels on an armored train complete with a gym, a spa, and even a Turkish steam bath.

CNN's Matthew Chance has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A rare glimpse inside Putin's secret train, with leaked documents shown to CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a special train for the president.

[08:34:54]

CHANCE: -- revealing how the Kremlin leader travels amid increasingly tight security and luxury.

ABBAS GALLYAMOV, FORMER SPEECHWRITER FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN: He's surrounded by enemies and psychologically, he wants to feel protected.

CHANCE: From outside, Train Number 1, as it's dubbed in Russia, seems ordinary. Its heavily armored carriages purposely disguised with regular Russian railways paintwork and grime.

State media was once allowed inside, recording President Putin meeting transport officials in a sumptuous board room. The train's other 20 or so carriages, some updated as recently as last year but remained a closely guarded secret, until now.

Zircon Service is a Russian company that builds what it calls elite wagons for its clients, specializing in luxury designs for private and state corporations -- and of course, the Kremlin.

Among the trove of documents including blueprints, letters and images, obtained exclusively by the Russian Investigative Dossier Center and shared with CNN, is one from Zircon Service dated August 2018, notifying the Kremlin of a test run for what it calls the sports health wagon that's been ordered.

Accompanying photos show what the Dossier Center says is Putin's private gym on board the train. As recently as last year, the Kremlin was looking to upgrade the gym with American equipment to replace the Italian machines originally installed.

A former member of Putin's personal protection service, who says he fitted the train's secure communications equipment before defecting from Russia, told the Dossier Center the Kremlin leader started traveling by train more regularly in the build-up to the invasion of Ukraine last year.

GLEB KARAKULOV, FORMER ENGINEER, RUSSIAN FEDERAL PROTESTIVE SERVICE: Planes can always be detected. While there are so many trains and there's no real way to track them. So, this was just for secrecy so nobody knew his movements.

CHANCE: But discretion for the Russian president doesn't mean discomfort. Leaked plans for the train also show a luxurious spa on board, including a Turkish steam bath. And according to the Dossier Center, a fully equipped cosmetology suite with a massage table and high-end beauty equipment including a radio frequency machine used to enhance the tautness of human skin.

Now the Kremlin disputes the Dossier Center's findings, telling CNN that President Putin neither owns nor uses a railway car like the one described.

But in the aftermath of a recent armed rebellion here in Russia, in which Putin's authority was threatened the focus on his isolated existence is higher than ever. And the idea of Putin being pampered as he travels incognito by armored train underlines how strangely cloistered the Kremlin leader has become, even paranoid and besieged, according to his former speech writer.

Why is it, do you think, that Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin has spent such large sums of money, planning and constructing this armored presidential train?

GALLYAMOV: He is losing the war. He is losing in politics. He is losing in popularity. He is getting more and more enemies, committing more and more crimes.

He cannot build political walls, so he wants to build the walls of concrete and armor and physical defense.

CHANCE: There are signs that's an image the Kremlin knows it should show. Recent weeks have seen Putin more publicly engaged than he has been for years.

But in his increasingly hostile world, the security and luxury of Train Number 1 may be sanctuary indeed.

Matthew Chance, CNN -- Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Fascinating piece there.

Well still ahead, the Justice Department is launching an investigation into a Fulton County jail in Atlanta. We'll tell you why after the break.

[08:39:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

The Justice Department investigating the Fulton County jail in Metro Atlanta. The decision follows the death of a pre-trial inmate found in filthy conditions.

BLACKWELL: Investigators will also look at whether authorities discriminated against inmates with mental health issues. The sheriff's office says it is fully cooperating with the DOJ investigation.

CNN correspondent Nick Valencia has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Rahel, the Department of Justice announcement of their investigation into the Fulton County jail was praised by civil rights activists across the state of Georgia, including the family of Lashawn. It was last year that the 35-year-old died while being held as a pre-

trial detainee inside the Fulton County jail. He was there three months before ultimately being discovered inside of his cell, covered in filth and lice.

At the press conference, announcing the investigation, the assistant U.S. attorney for the DOJ's civil rights division, Kristin Clarke, said that people held in jails and prisons should not have to surrender their constitutional freedoms at the jailhouse door.

[08:44:47]

KRISTIN CLARKE, U.S. ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Addressing conditions of confinement in our country requires focus on the conditions that exist inside our jails.

Detention or incarceration in jail should not include exposure to unconstitutional living conditions that place lives in jeopardy or risk of serious harm from assaults. Jail facilities must provide constitutional and humane conditions in which all people can live safely while they go through the criminal process.

VALENCIA: Thompson was held in the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County jail because according to his attorney, he suffered from mental health illness. It was after Thompson's death that the DOJ said evidence emerged that the majority of those living in the same unit as Thompson were malnourished and were being denied basic human care.

This investigation is being done in conjunction with the U.S. attorney's office in the northern district of Georgia and will also look at whether or not the sheriff's office or the county discriminate against those with psychiatric disabilities held in the Fulton County jail.

The Fulton County sheriff's office said that they will fully cooperate with the DOJ's investigation -- Victor, Rahel?

SOLOMON: Nick Valencia, thank you.

And this 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, A FAREED ZAKARIA SPECIAL" tonight only at CNN.

BLACKWELL: Still ahead, scientists are warning that record-hot temperatures along Florida's coast could trigger one of the state's worst coral bleaching events. More on that, next.

[08:46:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: A record marine heat wave off the Florida coast has sent water temperatures soaring to new highs. And now, scientists are warning of a severe coral bleaching event. SOLOMON: Yes, the water temperatures in some areas are registering 97

degrees Fahrenheit. It's yet another example of the impacts of a human caused climate crisis.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam takes a closer look at what this all means.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: A heatwave off the coast of Florida is sending water temperatures to unprecedented highs. While that's not a problem for some swimmers, it is a major concern for coral reefs.

Corals thrive with ocean temperatures in the mid-80s but lately, they have been soaring into the 90s.

Where in the world are they measuring these off-the-chart ocean temperatures?

Including this NOAA censor one research scientist showed me near Miami. It has broken its daily record the past four days in a row.

South Florida's abnormally warm water could put area corals on the verge of extinction.

DR. ANDREW BAKER, PROFESSOR, MARINE BIOLOGY & ECOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI ROSENSTIEL SCHOOL: You can tell right now it's --

VAN DAM: Dr. Andrew Baker is a professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School.

BAKER: The heatwave is more or less throughout the Caribbean at this point. Certain parts of the Caribbean like Belize are already bleaching and bleaching pretty severely. And Florida is where Belize was about a month ago.

VAN DAM: This is a healthy brown piece of coral. If it was to bleach, it would turn all white and could potentially die. That is what scientists are concerned about if this marine heatwave continues to build.

Losing coral could be costly. Coral reefs generate billions of dollars for Florida's economy through activities like fishing and tourism, which wouldn't be possible without reefs to protect the species that rely on them.

KEN NEIDERMEIR, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, REEF RENEWAL USA: We've been looking at several ways to make corals more thermally (ph) tolerant.

VAN DAM: Engineering coral that can withstand even a 5-degree temperature increase in our oceans will mitigate the effects of stronger marine heatwaves that are expected in the future.

Corals are one of the most sensitive ecosystems to the effects of climate change. Without them, we could lose a natural defense system as healthy corals help protect our coastlines during hurricanes. NEIDERMEIR: And so reef restoration efforts that are ongoing right now are really taking steps to plan for climate change to try to make sure that we restore reefs to be suitable for future environments and not the victims of it.

VAN DAM: Ken Neidermeir is the technical director at Reef Renewal USA. He works to restore coral reefs in the Florida Keys and is hopeful about the future.

NEIDERMEIR: There are corals that can live in hotter water. We just have to find them and try to repopulate with them.

VAN DAM: After one year, Dr. Baker's research is hitting its initial milestones, already seeing results with corals surviving in slightly warmer temperatures.

BAKER: We've had a few pilot experiments out there on the reefs that we've manipulated to try to make corals more thermally tolerant. And this will be a natural test of that.

VAN DAM: Not ready to throw the towel in just yet. Optimism amid record-breaking weather patterns with no immediate signs of cooling off.

Derek Van Dam, CNN -- Miami.

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SOLOMON: And still ahead for us, some lucky fans got a big surprise from actor Tom Cruise at a screening for his new movie. We'll show you their reaction, coming up next.

[08:53:53]

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SOLOMON: Welcome back.

Nearly $1 billion. That is 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: Third largest pot in Powerball history, seventh largest in U.S. lottery history. No one has won the grand prize since April 19th, and it has rolled over 36 times since then.

SOLOMON: Just in case you were wondering at home, because you might, Victor Blackwell does not plan to share if he wins, at least with his colleagues.

BLACKWELL: Again, I'm willing to share. I'm willing to share, but the floor is $1 billion.

SOLOMON: Ok.

Also, a huge surprise for fans when actor Tom Cruise showed up at several premieres, not one, but several premieres for his latest "Mission Impossible" movie, "Dead Reckoning Part I".

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TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: We're excited to show it to you. We're really excited. We worked a long time and very excited to be able to have this opportunity.

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BLACKWELL: So that's in D.C. He showed up in Miami and Atlanta and Toronto, too. The seventh installment -- I'm surprised there have been seven -- seventh installment of the MI series is expected to cruise to a $78 million five-day debut.

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[08:59:56]

BLACKWELL: I love when they show up. I really do. To thank the viewers and to thank the audiences. I think it's really appreciated.

SOLOMON: Yes, for sure. And I think that we should probably say that appearance of those appearances were before the strike, which of course, is a huge news this week, before the SAG-AFTRA strike.

But yes, I think certainly for fans of Tom Cruise, it's not too bad when he shows up in person himself.

BLACKWELL: Always good.

All right. Well, thank you so much for joining us. Rahel, good to have you this weekend.

SOLOMON: Likewise. It's been good to be here.

And "STATE OF THE UNION" is coming up next.

Have a great day.