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CNN This Morning

Deadly Flooding in Northeast While Record-Breaking Heat Wave Continues to Scorch South and Southwest; New Pressure on Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as Campaign Filing Reveals He's Spending Fundraising Dollars Quickly; Investigator Says Gilgo Beach Murder Suspect Charged in Three Deaths May Have Killed More People. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired July 17, 2023 - 07:00   ET

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

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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone, from Washington, D.C. Poppy is off this week. Abby Phillip is here. And Carlos Alcaraz almost broke his Wimbledon trophy with us.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: Not my fault.

MATTINGLY: But he did not. We escaped that. So, we're going to move on to news, including the five things you need to know for this Monday, July 17th, 2023.

Breaking this morning, Ukraine attacks a crucial bridge connecting Russia to Crimean Peninsula. Rail traffic is still moving but road traffic has stopped. Ukrainian intelligence officials say the damage will hurt Russia's ability to move supplies for its war in Ukraine.

PHILLIP: And the airlines trying to get back on track today after another brutal weekend, more than 1,700 flights canceled yesterday, the FAA blaming it on storms -- severe storms. The Philadelphia suburbs also hit especially hard. Officials say at least five people died in flashfloods.

A top investigator in the Gilgo Beach serial killings case describing the suspect charged with murdering three women as, quote, a demon. He also tells CNN investigation remains active and they continue to gather evidence and they have more human remains to analyze.

MATTINGLY: And happening today, Senator Joe Manchin set to speak at a no-labels town hall event in New Hampshire. That visit stoking significant speculation about a potential third party run.

PHILLIP: And if you are feeling lucky, the Powerball Jackpot has now grown to $900 million. It is the third largest Powerball prize in history. The drawing is set for tonight.

And CNN This Morning starts right now.

MATTINGLY: And we have significant news to get to in Ukraine. We're going to be dealing with that in a short while.

But, first, it was a brutal weekend of extreme weather across the nation, deadly flooding striking the northeast while a record-breaking heat wave continues to scorch the south and southwest. And the threat isn't over yet. Around 80 million people are under heat alerts today as an unrelenting heat wave intensifies across the south and southwest.

PHILLIP: And more than 13 million Americans are still under flood watches in the northeast after another wave of torrential downpours. At least five people are dead and two children are missing in the suburbs of Philadelphia after they were swept away by the floodwaters.

Over in Connecticut, the governor said that the amount of rain there was biblical and he warned that the storms, like this one, they are happening more and more frequently.

Danny freeman is in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for us. So, Danny, that baby and toddler, they are still missing. What's the latest there?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Truly a baby and a toddler, a nine-month-old and a two-year-old, still missing at this point, and first responders have been working through the weekend and will continue today to try and find these two who are still missing.

An incredibly challenging weekend for this Bucks County community, we're right now at Upper Makefield Township, where not too far from Route 532, where the bulk of this intense flooding incident happened. Initially over the weekend, the reports that we got were that seven people were missing. Ultimately, we learned that five were pronounced dead and then those two left are those two children they were looking for.

But, Abby, I just want to say that, really, no family has been impacted as much as one particular family of six that was trapped in this flooding. They were actually visiting from Charleston, South Carolina. There was a mother, a father, a grandmother and three children. Well, the father was able to get out of the vehicle as the flooding started to occur and was able to rescue his four-year-old son. The grandmother of this family was also able to survive. But yesterday, we learned that the mother of this family, she had died in this terrible incident and then also we're looking for that nine- month-old and two-year-old as well.

I want you to take a listen to what Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro had to say yesterday at a press conference yesterday afternoon.

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GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): In short, all hands are on deck for the commonwealth to work together with our local partners. We have your backs and we will be here as long as it takes to make sure Bucks County gets back up on its feet.

(END VIDEO CLIP) FREEMAN: Now, Abby, first responders really emphasized that this flooding happened so quickly on Saturday evening that, really, no drivers had a chance to get out of there, the cars that were stuck, basically, were already there. No cars drove into the flooding, according to first responders, and that water got as much four or five feet deep at one point. It destroyed part of the road there. That's what led these cars to go into the creek.

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First responders were able, though, I should say, to rescue eight people from their cars and then two others from the creek, but, again, still searching at this time for those two children. Abby?

PHILLIP: Just so devastating for that family. Danny Freeman, thanks for that update.

MATTINGLY: Well, severe storms, forced ground stops at major airports across the northeast, airlines right now trying to bounce back after more than 11,000 flight delays and cancelations.

CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean is tracking the situation this morning. Pete, let people know what's up.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: I'm looking at FlightAware right now, and I'm tracking a flight of my own. My girlfriend is trying to get back from Scotland. Her flight is delayed already 3 hours. So, we'll see as this day goes on today.

MATTINGLY: As you say, personal anecdotal review of things or can you extrapolate that out into --

MUNTEAN: You want a reporter who's invested in the story. Just check FlightAware, 280 cancelations so far today, 850 delays. Compare this to what we saw yesterday, 1,750 flights canceled. That puts it in the top five for cancelations this summer, 9,800 flights delayed. When you put it into context, 40 percent of all flights scheduled in the U.S. yesterday were delayed. That makes it the top four delays this summer. Pretty incredible, the average delay, an hour and 10 minutes.

The worst airports yesterday, no surprise, we've been seeing this at the top of the list over and over again, Newark, JFK, LaGuardia. There were ground stops there in New York yesterday. And the FAA is especially hard hit right now just because of the shortage of air traffic controllers there, making the airspace especially crowded. But we also saw ground stops in Philadelphia. This even trickled down into D.C.

I want you to listen now to United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. He puts a pretty blunt warning on all of this. He says with climate change comes more extreme weather and then we will see even more and more cancelations and delays. United had its own meltdown the last week of June, but he says this time, no airline is safe. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SCOTT KIRBY, CEO, UNITED AIRLINES: Irregular operations. Events are, you know, going to be more likely to occur as the climate warms, more heat in the atmosphere. Thermodynamics 101, we're going to have more thunderstorms.

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MUNTEAN: The FAA is already warning of ground stops today in New York, also in Central and South Florida. So, we'll see as the day goes on, these thunderstorms build, it makes a big downfall of things as the day drags, especially in the afternoon.

So, we'll see as this day goes. We could see more and more delays today, but, hopefully, and at least right now, the numbers are still pretty low.

MATTINGLY: Okay, still low. We're thinking about you and your girlfriend, but also --

PHILLIP: I hope she makes it home.

MATTINGLY: Pete, thanks, buddy.

PHILLIP: And over to Ukraine now, new overnight, two significant developments in Russia's war on Ukraine. Ukraine is now taking responsibility for an attack on the only bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean Peninsula. The full extent of the damage is unknown, but Ukraine says it will cause logistical issues for Russian forces who do use that bridge as a major hub for transporting resources into the territory.

Now this comes as we learn that Russia is pulling out of this crucial deal that allows Ukraine to safely export grain to the rest of the world.

MATTINGLY: And joining us now is CNN Military Analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. I want to kind of start for people who don't necessarily understand both symbolic and, I think, tangible significance of this moment, what does this attack show you?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: So, the big thing about this, Phil, is that this is the connection, this is the most symbolic connection that Russia has to Crimea. They built this back when Russia had annexed Crimea. Putin opened it himself. He was part of the dedication ceremony. And this is the place where all the Russian military forces get their resupply from almost all of their resupply comes this way, some of it comes this way. But for the most part, this is the area that is really important for the Russian resupply effort for the entire war in Ukraine, especially the southern front.

MATTINGLY: So, do you feel like this will have a tangible impact in terms of logistics and resupply?

LEIGHTON: Absolutely, it will have a significant impact. And one of the big things about this is this is the only link between Crimea and Russia that actually exists. It does supply, as I mentioned, all the military supplies, the fuel, the goods, all the things they need. All the Russian forces get this. It is also the longest bridge in Europe. It's over 10 miles long for the road portion, over 11 miles long for the rail portion. And it does both, of course, rail and road traffic.

Now, when you look at the damage right here, you can see that this would be a major cause of delays. That split right there makes it impossible for road traffic to continue. And the big thing here with this, Phil, is that if they can't get this operational, it's going to really stop the war effort for the Russians. They're going to have a heck of a time maintaining their position in the southern front.

MATTINGLY: It's also interesting, I think, in the terms of the timing, right? We knew that there was a deadline for the long standing grain deal, which I think is critical, really, for the entire world's food supply, which was supposed to expire.

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Russia has already said they are pulling out even before the expiration. Do you think that timing is connected and what does that mean more broadly?

LEIGHTON: It does. I think it is connected. And what it means broadly is that all of this is going to really have a problem when it comes to stabilizing global food supplies.

With this expiring today and the Russians not renewing it, we can expect prices to go up not only in parts of the world, like Africa or Asia or even Europe, but also here in the United States, because the global food supply is completely interconnected and that's going to have a major impact on everything that happens here.

MATTINGLY: All right, two very significant stories in Ukraine from today. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Phil.

PHILLIP: And on the political front, new pressure on the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign. The governor's campaign spokesperson confirming that some staffers have been cut for, quote, nimble and candidate- driven campaign.

Now, this is coming as financial disclosures show some warning signs for DeSantis. Although he raised an impressive $20 million in the second quarter, he has burned through $8 million of it since entering the race. Plus, less than 15 percent of his contributions have come from small donors.

Now, according to a report from Hannah Knowles at The Washington Post, more than seven weeks in skepticism about the Florida governor's 2024 bid has grown. And some people who have advised and supported DeSantis have raised private concerns about his message and the effectiveness and insularity of his campaign operation. The doubts extend to long, friendly Fox News, and its owner, the conservative media magnate, Rupert Murdoch. Well, now, the Florida governor appears to be shaking up his media strategy. He'll be interviewed by our own Jake Tapper tomorrow right here on CNN in a rare interview for DeSantis, who usually only speaks to Fox and other friendly conservative outlets.

And joining us now is that reporter from The Washington Post, Hannah Knowles, also with us, Senior Contributor at Axios Margaret Talev. Ladies, thank you both for joining us.

So, Hannah, a great piece in The Post really detailing what's going on here. And the concerns are getting louder and louder from people who really, really, really want to support DeSantis.

HANNAH KNOWLES, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yes, absolutely. And I think this is something we've seen spilling into public view for a while, but now it's really reaching a fever pitch, and now with the staff cuts and the financial disclosures this weekend, it's sort of there's this growing sense that he just needs to do something different. And I think people disagree about what exactly that is, what exactly he could have done differently to chip away at Trump's massive lead.

MATTINGLY: I think that's the question I had in reading your piece and I think more broadly is a lot of people have a lot of ideas. That is not a rarity in terms of people having thoughts on campaigns that they support, usually people not in the inner circle. Does it seem like they are starting to lock into a new strategy or a shift that they can drive towards to try and change those dynamics?

KNOWLES: I think it's a mixed bag, right? It's like when I talk to people close to the campaign, people who talk to the campaign last week, it was like, okay, they're staying the course. They're trying to tune out the daily news cycle. I'm not detecting panic, but like I don't think it was ever in the plan to cut staffers like seven weeks in, right? And so we might be hitting that tipping point here, clearly, as you mentioned, going on CNN, that is a big shift in strategy.

PHILLIP: Yes. I mean, he's more than welcome on CNN, as are all of the candidates. But this is a candidate in Ron DeSantis who has been so public about this idea that he doesn't have to do those things.

I do, though, want to just, on the other side of things, just play his perspective. This is what he said yesterday in response to some of these critiques of his campaign.

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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I think would be political malpractice to be running for president fixated on national rather than Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina. So, that's what we've done. You can make up ground and we are making up ground in all those states.

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PHILLIP: And, look, I've heard that before, too. You and I have covered many a campaign. It is true, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina matter a lot. But at this stage, so does the narrative around your campaign.

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. And from the Governor DeSantis' perspective, and those of his aides and his supporters, they see the indictment of Donald Trump as a big part of the explanation for this trend, that people in the Republican Party, the base, rallied around Trump, that it's actually boosted Trump's popularity in terms of a primary.

But DeSantis has some other problems as well. It's not just about Trump's enduring popularity or inside the base. It's also about DeSantis' connection or ability to connect with voters. And we're seeing this not just in the base, but Axios does swing voter focus groups, those swing voters, saying the more they see of DeSantis, the less he likes them.

There is a backlash to the famous video that DeSantis actually embraced the anti-LGBTQ add some concern inside the Republican camps that he has run too far to the right, that the strategy of trying to capture the Trumpiest part of the Trump base may hurt him in a general if he gets there.

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So, there's a lot of strategic considerations here.

MATTINGLY: Hannah, when you talk to folks kind of in and around the campaign, I think that there has to be a very acute concern that people decide that DeSantis isn't the guy to take out Trump. They've got to start looking elsewhere. I think you've heard some murmurs of that, particularly amongst the big donor crowd, which, again, isn't driving everything, and they pretty much exist to gossip and think everything is terrible times. But how acute is that threat or the potential for that in terms of concerns inside the campaign right now?

KNOWLES: Well, I think you saw in a memo that the campaign put out. I mean, they gave particular attention to Tim Scott. And so as much as they try to say it's a two-man race, right, like they clearly are looking at some of these lower polling contenders and thinking, wow, especially if one of these people has a moment at the debate, that could really threaten our standing right now because we're in second place but others are creeping up.

MATTINGLY: And do you think that's because they have evidence of it or because they're just speculating and concerned? Like are they seeing donors leave? Are they seeing people come to them and say, like, we're leaving you for Scott, or is it just --

KNOWLES: I mean, I've definitely spoken to donors who are taking another look at Tim Scott. They're taking another look at the rest of the --

TALEV: And Rupert Murdoch's reported an interest in Tim Scott as well, right? I mean, that's a big part of it. It's -- PHILLIP: So, yes, exactly to your point. I mean, I was reading Politico this morning. They have a quote from a donor who says that Tim Scott is the guy who's running, who's got some personality and charisma. His delivery is terrific. So, in some ways, some of these donors are looking at Tim Scott as this just totally very different person, a very optimistic message from Tim Scott. And when you look at a lot of DeSantis' ads, they are kind of dark.

TALEV: Yes. Well, dark worked in 2016, right? I mean, they had to work for Donald Trump at the time. But right now, DeSantis' challenge is not only could he win a general election, it is can he overtake Donald Trump as an alternative? And if there is going to be a Republican who does that, is that person going to have a bleaker, darker vision of America than Donald Trump will or will they take the -- would it be a more optimistic track?

The interest in Tim Scott, look, it's still early. I know we keep saying that, but we're talking about six months away from the first vote. But none of this bodes well for this group of other candidates, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, obviously Chris Christie, like this other group that's been trying to break out of the pack in the latest iteration, this has now become a three-way race. It's the Donald Trump-Ron DeSantis-Tim Scott race. So, it's six months out.

PHILLIP: If you're a Tim Scott, it helps to have a super PAC and wealthy donors who already back you at this early stage. All the other candidates, some of them need to work on that. Margaret and Hannah, both of you, thank you very much.

And an exclusive interview on CNN, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, he will join Jake Tapper tomorrow for a one-on-one campaign interview on the trail. That will be at 04:00 P.M. Eastern Time.

MATTINGLY: Coming up ahead, a leading House Democrat now walking back comments that members of her own party are calling anti-Semitic and dangerous.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm an architectural consultant. I'm a troubleshooter born and raised on Long Island.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Been working in Manhattan since 1987.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: That is the man who has now been charged with a string of murders that terrorized the Long Island community for more than a decade. How investigators closed in on him, and how many more victims could there be.

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PHILLIP: A suspected serial killer captured in New York, but a top investigator on the case tells CNN there could be more victims we don't know about yet.

Police arrested Rex Heuermann on Thursday in connection with the Gilgo Beach murders. Investigators say that he killed at least three women and is the top suspect in a fourth. All of their bodies found near each other more than ten years ago.

Here is what the Suffolk County district attorney, Raymond Tierney, told us earlier this morning.

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RAYMOND TIERNEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: You're talking about something that is 13 years in the making. So, when you talk about the unbelievable amount of material that was there prior to me assuming office in January '22, and then you also have over 300 search warrants and judicial requests. So, there is a tremendous amount of information which obviously the defense is going to want to look at.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: CNN's Brynn Gingras is in Massapequa Park on Long Island this morning. Brynn, what else did investigators say about this case?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Abby, I mean, you can just look here at the scene. It's still ongoing, investigators still here at the house of Rex Heuermann all through the weekend. They were taking out evidence that's going to be part of what investigators comb through as they continue to search for clues in this case.

As you just heard the district attorney say, 300 search warrants and subpoenas were done for this case just prior to his arrest. So, you can imagine there is more that is still happening. And they're also getting a flood of calls into the tip line.

As you guys said, Heuermann is connected to three of those murders that happened a decade ago. The district attorney saying to you guys this morning that they're very close to then charging him with that fourth murder of those four women known as the Gilgo Four, but he would not give sort of a timeline as to when that happens.

Of course, a big key here is going to be that DNA that they got on the pizza crust that Heuermann discarded in Manhattan. They're trying to see how he possibly could be connected to other murders as well. And the top investigator of this task force telling us it's very possible there are more victims.

I want you to hear more from that top investigator who talked to CNN.

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ANTHONY CARTER, SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER: We're going to continue the investigation. The task force is going to continue to work.

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We're not shutting down the task force. There are still things that we have to do. There are still human remains that have to be investigated further in Gilgo.

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GINGRAS: Of course, those human remains also found in a timeline that stretched more than a decade in areas around Gilgo Beach and others in this area of New York.

A part of this investigation is also including talking to witnesses. We understand that Heuermann's wife and children are also cooperating with this investigation. And you heard from the district attorney earlier this morning. He said a key witness in this case is going to be someone who actually I.D.ed Heuermann as part of one of the women who disappeared and then was found dead.

So, that is, again, something that is going to be key to this case. But the investigation, as you just heard, is far from over, guys, here on Long Island.

PHILLIP: Brynn Gingras, thank you very much.

MATTINGLY: Well, Democratic Presidential Candidate RFK Jr. falsely claiming COVID was designed to spare Jews and Chinese people. We'll ask a Democratic lawmaker to respond to whatever that is, next.

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