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Phoenix Hospital: Heat-Related Cases Rising; 35th Annual "Shark Week" Kicks Off This Weekend; White House: AI Companies Commit To Voluntary Safeguards. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired July 21, 2023 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:33:02]

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: This record extreme heat that is plaguing most of the country just won't let up. Roughly 100 million people now are under heat advisories nationwide. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that nearly 2,000 record-high temperatures have already been broken so far this month.

That includes Phoenix, where it's expected to hit triple-digits again. The city has been setting records since Monday. Maricopa County officials report at least 18 heat-associated deaths to date, with nearly 70 more under investigation. Now, doctors are saying that they're seeing the highest increase of patients since the pandemic.

Joining us now is one of those doctors, the chief clinical officer at Valleywise Health, Dr. Michael White. Dr. White, thank you for joining us.

You say you've never seen numbers like this since the COVID pandemic. What is the current situation right now at your hospital?

DR. MICHAEL WHITE, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, VALLEYWISE HEALTH (via Webex by Cisco): You know, certainly throughout Maricopa County and certainly here throughout Phoenix with the extreme heat, we're seeing a number of individuals that are presenting to our emergency departments with heat-related illnesses.

And this is a significant volume of patients coming in with these particular issues affecting all portions of their body, complicating other medical problems. And just more and more people seeking medical care to the point that we are seeing volumes approaching what we did during the last wave of the pandemic.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Who is most at risk in this moment with this type of heat?

WHITE: Certainly, we see those that are most at risk that don't have access to be able to go into environments where they get cooled. So those folks that are unsheltered or homeless are at higher risk just because they don't have that access to be able to get cool. Also, those folks that tend to have to work outside -- so, some of our construction workers. Those folks that are working out in that environment on a daily basis are certainly at risk.

And then we always worry about those that have underlying medical conditions. Those that are very young, that are very old, or have other medical problems such as obesity and diabetes.

[07:35:00]

All of these then can be compounded by heat in these just extreme temperatures that we've been facing.

PHILLIP: The high in Phoenix today I'm told is going to be 115 degrees. It's already 90 degrees right now at four in the morning.

One of the interesting things -- it sounds like people are coming in with actual contact burns. Like, they're touching something and burning themselves.

What are you seeing as it relates to that?

WHITE: So we here at Valleywise Health have the Arizona Burn Center, which is one of the largest burn centers here in the United States. And what we see is with all the concrete -- all of the materials that we use for construction and for our daily lives gets super-heated by the sun. When temperatures reach these 115-120 degrees all of that heat is concentrated in these substances that are in direct sunlight.

So if for some reason somebody is out and they have some propensity to fall or they trip, or for a very unfortunate reason pass out and were to land on this concrete and have exposed skin, what occurs is that exposed skin that comes in contact with that searing hot material and they develop contact burns.

So those patients are presenting here as well not only into our emergency department but we're taking those folks from other emergency departments across the region so they're able to receive the specialized care that we have here with (audio gap).

MATTINGLY: Well, that's fascinating but also a rather scary moment.

PHILLIP: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Dr. Michael White, thank you for your time.

WHITE: Thank you this morning.

PHILLIP: All right. Well, "Shark Week" is here. We will talk to a former elite diver who nearly lost his life in a shark attack but is still all about shark conservation. That's next.

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[07:40:28] MATTINGLY: Well, it's why my two oldest boys won't talk to me. "Shark Week" is back and that's all they care about. It's all most people care about. The 35th edition of the summer spectacle kicks off this Sunday on our sister network Discovery and features a weeklong celebration of one of the most feared and misunderstood creatures on the planet.

Our next guest nearly lost his life in a shark attack back in 2009. Now he's an advocate for conservation. Paul de Gelder traveled to the shark bite capital of the world for a special project. Here's a preview of "FLORIDA SHARK: BLOOD IN THE WATER."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

This is amazing. Look at this. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With decreased visibility, the bull sharks instantly become bolder and start to approach in numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch out on the (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: That's Paul de Gelder right there and I have a lot of questions for him about a lot of things.

PHILLIP: We have -- I have a lot of questions --

MATTINGLY: Yes.

PHILLIP: -- about --

MATTINGLY: Yes. But I want to start with --

PHILLIP: -- that.

MATTINGLY: But you lost a leg and part of your arm and nearly your life in a shark attack. Conservation has now become your thing. You've become such a critical player on this issue. Why?

PAUL DE GELDER, SHARK ATTACK SURVIVOR, "SHARK WEEK" EXPERT: Well, I say it is a transfer of my military service. As an Army paratrooper and then a Navy clearance diver, my role in my job is to stand up and protect people that can't stand up and protect themselves. Now I see my role as speaking up for an animal that doesn't have a voice.

But I have a great platform. I have a message. And I figure if someone like me who has nearly lost their life and lost two limbs to a shark can understand why they're so important and why they need to be saved, then maybe everyone else should be able to as well.

PHILLIP: I don't know that I would ever go back into the water again after something like that happened.

What are we misunderstanding? Are sharks misunderstood?

GELDER: Absolutely, yes. I think a lot of people throughout the years -- you know, "Shark Week" has been going on for 35 years now and so I think a lot of people have come over to our side of the fence. But there's still some misconceptions that people think that these are monsters lurking in the ocean that are going to eat your children and they're just not. They're just sharks living in their home doing sharky stuff.

And we just love going into the ocean because it's fun, it's relaxing. We can have a great time. But we also need to understand that is where they live. That is where they hunt. And we, as the most intelligent species on the planet -- maybe we need to look to ourselves to understand that we need to take actions into our own hands to make sure we stay safe and also we protect the ecosystem.

PHILLIP: Get out of their homes, maybe.

GELDER: Oh, we don't need to get out of their homes. I'm in their home all the time. There was the one time when I hated sharks that I attacked and now I work with them all the time.

MATTINGLY: What happened? Can you tell people your story (INAUDIBLE)?

GELDER: Yes. So I was in an elite branch of the Navy called the Clearance Divers. We do underwater and land-based bomb disposal and maritime tactical operations -- crazy stuff like that. It's an awesome job.

And I was doing a counterterrorism exercise in Sydney Harbor in Australia right by the big Navy base we have there. I was swimming from point A to point B on the surface, on my back, and a 10-foot bull shark came up from underneath me and he grabbed me by the back of my right leg and my right hand, which was by my side, all in the same bite.

(Beeping sound)

I beep occasionally.

And it took me under and it just -- the pain and the terror -- you know, I thought I was going to die. It removed my hamstring and my hand and then I had to swim back to my safety boat with one hand and one leg through a pool of my own blood.

PHILLIP: Wow.

GELDER: I did not think I was going to make it but my teammates were there and their medical training kicked in. They kept me alive until the paramedics arrived and then I was whisked off to emergency surgery. So very, very lucky and blessed to actually still be here breathing today.

PHILLIP: I mean, not only did you make it but you kept your love of the ocean and appreciation for sharks, which I think we're all benefiting from now. Paul de Gelder, thank you so much for being with us.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

GELDER: Thanks for having me.

PHILLIP: And you can catch "FLORIDA SHARK: BLOOD IN THE WATER" on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

[07:45:00]

And up next, a U.S. soldier who crossed into North Korea -- he's now officially considered AWOL.

Plus, escalating tensions between the United States and two rivals are prompting the United States to boost its military presence overseas. John Kirby, from the White House, joins us next.

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MATTINGLY: Well, this morning, the White House announcing a major agreement with some of the world's leading artificial intelligence companies. Some are committing to putting new AI systems through outside testing before they're publicly released. The companies will all be at the White House later today.

And the administration says these commitments will help move toward a, quote, "safe, secure, and transparent development of AI technology."

Well, joining us now is John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesman. John, good to see you.

I want to start on the AI proposals. I know you guys have been working on this issue and all that comes with it for months behind the scenes -- probably even longer. Significant commitments from the biggest companies -- biggest players in this space. But there's no enforcement mechanism here, which I understand from an executive branch perspective.

Does that concern you about the ability for these companies to deliver on the commitments?

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY SPOKESMAN: The president -- in addition to these voluntary commitments, he is committed to working with Congress and he's made it clear that he will work with Congress. In fact, to pursue perhaps an executive order that would help us get towards legislation that will give this -- these commitments and our ability to hold bad actors accountable a lot more teeth.

So this is a -- this is a good step. It's not the first step we've taken as you rightly pointed out, but it's the -- it's a good next step -- these voluntary commitments. But that doesn't mean that the president doesn't want to work with Congress on enforceable legislation, again, to help us hold people accountable for proper behavior in the AI ecosystem.

[07:50:11]

MATTINGLY: Yes, a significant moment. Much more to come on this. I don't there's any question about that.

Kirby, it's been a while since we've talked. I've been away from the White House for a little bit. So I have, like, 15 questions around the globe I would like to ask you about if you don't mind.

And I want to start with what the CIA director said yesterday related to a potential false flag operation in the Black Sea. He said that he had -- there were very concerning --

KIRBY: Yes.

MATTINGLY: -- signs Russia is considering it. I know this is a tactic they've considered throughout the war. But the CIA director saying very concerning signs.

Is he talking about something specifically that you guys are seeing? Do you feel this is imminent?

KIRBY: We do have information that the Russians are potentially going to try to attack ships -- civilian ships in the Black Sea that could be used for carrying grain out of -- out of Ukraine. And we -- the information that we have, Phil, is that they could use sea mines and they could also use more kinetic attacks with, say, unmanned surface vehicles to attack ships at sea.

And we've already seen them now put -- post a video of them detecting and detonating what they're claiming was a Ukrainian mine. This is classic Russia propaganda and a classic opportunity by them to plant, like, a false flag to justify -- which, of course, there would not be any justification, but to justify military against civilian shipping.

MATTINGLY: You know, there are U.S. companies -- international -- multinational companies that have commercial shipping assets in that space.

Is the White House -- is the administration working with those companies for the safety of their commercial ships?

KIRBY: We're certainly doing everything we can to make sure that the civilian shipping companies, certainly U.S.-flagged, understand the risks here now of sailing in the Black Sea. Because it is very clear that the Russians, we have to assume, have every intention of conducting some sort of attack on civilian shipping.

So we are -- we are obviously working with industry and so are our allies and partners with their shipping industries as well, so that everybody understands the risks.

MATTINGLY: I want to ask, a U.S. soldier has now been declared AWOL -- crossed the border into North Korea and was detained. I know there hadn't been any communication from the U.S. side because the North Koreans haven't responded, or allies or conduits.

Has that changed? Do we have any idea of where he may be or what his condition is?

KIRBY: Sadly, no -- not for lack of trying. We're still reaching out and doing the best we can to try to ascertain his whereabouts and his well-being. But sadly, no -- we don't have an update on Private King. We're not going to stop. We want to get him home to his family and home to the United States where he belongs, but we're just not -- we're not coming into any significant information right now about him.

MATTINGLY: Also on North Korea, a U.S. nuclear submarine arrived in South Korea this week -- the first time since the 1980s. This had been telegraphed. You guys had talked about it.

North Korea's defense minister responded, essentially saying that the deployment may fall under their terms for use of nuclear force.

Do you believe that threat is real?

KIRBY: We have to take it seriously. I mean, we -- this is a country that continues to develop a nuclear arsenal. Continues to develop ballistic missiles that have ever-increasing range.

So we don't take those comments lightly. That's why are a) have made it clear to Pyongyang that we're willing to sit down without preconditions to denuclearize the peninsula, and b) to make sure that we have in the region sufficient military capability to protect our South Korean allies and, quite frankly, the 38,000 U.S. troops and families that are on the Korean Peninsula -- and we'll do that.

MATTINGLY: Before I let you go, I've been -- it's been striking to see the deployment of U.S. military assets into the Middle East over the course of the last week or so. You have fighter jets. You have, if I believe correctly, a guided missile destroyer. Obviously, there was a Marine unit that was sent over there as well and it's being deployed over there as well because of Iran's actions in attempting to seize ships, and their maritime actions.

I guess my question is, is this in response to what has already happened or are you seeing information -- do you have information that more seizure attempts are planned or this could escalate? Because this is a serious movement of U.S. assets.

KIRBY: It's actually an attempt to de-escalate by making sure we have an appropriate amount -- and we already do have a lot of military force there -- but even more military force to help protect, in this case, maritime shipping.

To your first question, Phil, it's really a response to the increase we've seen over recent weeks of Iranian attempted or successful attacks on maritime shipping in the Gulf region. That's what this is a response to -- to make sure that we have appropriate military capabilities there in the Gulf region to protect our assets, our allies, our partners, and of course, to protect civilian shipping -- and that's what we're doing.

[07:55:01]

And if we have to add more -- if we have to change that posture given future tendencies by the Iranian regime we'll do that, too.

MATTINGLY: Do you feel like you'll have to have more or do you feel, at this point, what has been sent up to this point is considered enough for the moment?

KIRBY: We're looking at it every day. Right now, we can speak to the deployments we've ordered. I don't know of any future deployments that are in the offing. But we're looking at it every day and if we have to adjust we absolutely will. Hopefully, that won't be the case.

But we can't take it for granted that Iran is going to all of a sudden turn over a new leaf and start to act as a responsible nation in the region. We've got to make sure we can -- we have the sufficient resources and capabilities at hand to thwart any of their security threats there in the region and beyond.

MATTINGLY: All right, John Kirby. Appreciate your time and sharing your expertise, sir. Thanks.

KIRBY: You bet.

PHILLIP: And ahead, more on the news breaking overnight. Russia continuing to weaponize hunger, attacking Ukraine's southern ports and destroying tons of grain. We'll take you live to Ukraine.

MATTINGLY: And 27 years later, are investigators finally closing in on Tupac's killer? What Tupac's brother tells CNN about the ramped-up investigation coming up next.

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