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U.S. Dominates Vietnam As Quest For 3-Peat Begins; Trump Classified Docs Trial Set For May 2024; Tributes Pour in for Legendary Singer Tony Bennett; VP Kamala Harris Slams New Florida Black History Teaching Standards. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired July 22, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

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[06:00:37]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to CNN this morning. It is Saturday July 22nd. I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for joining us this morning. You've been all around the world. Welcome back.

WALKER: Yes. I have been. It's, you know, you know you love your job and you know that you had a fulfilling vacation when you are looking forward to coming back and I was especially seeing you and sitting next to you for two hours.

BLACKWELL: Oh, that's so nice. Welcome back. We got a lot going on this morning. Here's what we're watching for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA, USA, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, USA.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That pretty much sums it up. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right, for Team USA fans are celebrating after the women's national soccer team scored an easy victory over Vietnam as they chased the Third World Cup title in a row. Carolyn Manno standby for highlights.

WALKER: Former President Trump is set to stand trial in the classified documents case right in the middle of the 2024 presidential race. The reason the judge backed Trump's lawyers request to start the trial after the election.

BLACKWELL: And it is the summer scorcher that will not let up. Dozens more heat records could fall today as cities continue to bake in triple digit heat. Chad Myers is with us with the forecast. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: I love that song. Tributes are pouring in for the legendary Tony Bennett, a look back at his remarkable career just ahead.

BLACKWELL: Plus, soccer superstar Lionel Messi proves he was worth the weight in his Miami debut.

We're starting this morning with the FIFA Women's World Cup. Last night Team USA kicked off its run at a third straight title with a convincing win over Vietnam.

WALKER: CNN's Carolyn Manno joining us now to walk us through all of the action. Carolyn a strong start for team USA but maybe not the dominant performance many expected.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning to you both. This was a solid effort and it left a lot of room for improvement. I mean, I think that's the way to best describe it. The tests are going to get much tougher from here. You know, for this match, it was really never a question of if the back to back champs were going to beat a World Cup debutante to Vietnam, it was really just a matter of how big the goal differential was going to be.

And to your point, Amara, I think a lot of people thought maybe there weren't going to be a few more goals in this one. But the Americans did possess the ball for the majority of the three no win. That's what's really important and it certainly didn't take Sophia Smith long to make an impact in her World Cup debut, driving the ball into the back of the net to score in the 14th minute.

She struck again deep in stoppage time at the end of the first half for her second goal of the game. She's just shy of 23 years old. A lot of people think she's going to be the breakout star of this tournament. She became the second youngest player in U.S. women's team in history to score multiple goals in a World Cup game. Megan Rapinoe is used to that kind of thing. She started her final world cup before retirement on the bench.

But she did come in as a sub in the 61st minute for her 200 cap for team USA becoming the 14th player to reach that milestone for her nation. And then the captain Lindsey Horan adding a goal of her own in the 77th minute to officially put this one away. Afterwards, Smith spoke about rising to this occasion, knowing that there is still a lot more to be done.

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SOPHIA SMITH, 2 GOALS IN WORLD CUP DEBUT: I mean, it's so exciting. Every minute of that game was fun, and the crowd was amazing. And I think it was a good place to start in this tournament. But I know we have so much more to get to. I feel relieved I was a little bit anxious going into the tournament. So it's good to have a game under our belt and to kind of get a feel for it and know what to expect. But we know that the next few games are going to be hard and we're just, you know, we're going to celebrate this for a second but then put our focus into the next game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Quite a debut for Smith especially with all those nerves. Coming up next for the U.S. and Netherlands on Wednesday night their second Group E game and that is a rematch of the 2019 World Cup finals. So as I said things are going to get rough and ready from here. The competition is fierce but a good start for the U.S. woman.

And coming up later in this hour, Messi also making his debut for inter Miami, the global soccer star delivering in a huge way. So we're going to have that for you a little later in our Bleacher Report as well.

WALKER: Yes, a huge way is right, looking forward to that. Carolyn Manno, thank you. We'll see you just a bit.

So a date has been set for the highly anticipated trial of Donald Trump's club supplied documents case. Yesterday, a judge scheduled a start date in May of 2024 deep into the U.S. presidential election campaign. Trump currently leads all Republican candidates.

[06:05:11]

BLACKWELL: Now, if that day holds he will be facing at least four trials on the campaign trail. The former president is also set to appear in court for cases related to fraud and defamation and hush money payments. All of them are scheduled to start before his documents trial. CNN's Paula Reid reports.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Amara and Victor. On Tuesday in federal court, it was clear that the central conflict in this case is about timing. Prosecutors say they want to move this along quickly. They suggested December as a time when they would like to take this before a jury. And they insisted that it doesn't matter if former President Trump is running for the White House again, they said he should be treated like any other busy, important person.

But his defense attorneys took issue with that. They said this is an unusual case. And it would be quote, unfair to take this before a jury before the 2024 election. They insisted it was too early to even set a trial date. So here Judge Aileen Cannon split the difference, putting on the calendar, a May 2024 trial date. But in addition to that date, she also laid out a schedule, all the things, all the deadlines, all the hearings that have to happen between now and when this goes before a jury.

And the Trump team said that they feel confident that they can get this push back until after the election. When you look at that schedule, it's clear how they could make that happen. Just a delay here a hearing postponed for a couple of weeks, filing where they ask for an extension. Those weeks and weeks will add up pushing this closer to the election.

And when you get too close to the election itself, it is expected that the Justice Department would be less likely to want to bring this to trial. Historically, the Justice Department has tried not to take any action that could interfere with the outcome of an election. And if Trump's lawyers wanted to fight it, it would certainly be a constitutional question of first impression, ripe for the Supreme Court. Amara, Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right, Paula Reid, thanks so much.

Joining me now is Dave Aronberg, State Attorney in Palm Beach County, Florida. Dave, good to see you on a Saturday morning. Let's start on this date, May of 2024 for the classified documents case. What do you make one of the -- this, I guess the framing of a compromise between December from the DOJ and essentially anytime after the election from the Trump team.

DAVE ARONBERG, STATE ATTORNEY, PALM BEACH COUNTY: Yes. Good morning, Victor. I think you're seeing Judge Cannon 2.0 here. She got a lot of criticism last year for her rulings that seem to bend over backwards to favor the former president, the person who appointed her. Well, now, I think she is doing something that, you know, gave each side something. Trump wanted a delay, and he wanted it beyond the election. He didn't get that.

But he did get the delay to May 20th. And I think that is a pretty fair date because you do have some complex issues here. You have a federal act called SIPA, which involves clearances and classified documents. And so I think it's a fair date. It is at the end of the primary season. And there's a law around that time.

So having Jack Smith and the Department of Justice has to breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn't postponed until after the election. But mind you, if it had been postponed until after the election, I would bet that they would have appealed to the 11th Circuit. The 11th Circuit would have reversed her and possibly even taken the case away from Judge Cannon. And she clearly was aware of that.

BLACKWELL: As Paula pointed out that there could be further delays. It could get closer to the election. Does this date suggesting -- suggest that it could move beyond the election considering all of the complexities involved in this case?

ARONBERG: Yes, I think this could be a slow bleed for the Department of Justice. The basis for her ruling was that there were voluminous documents. And there are complex issues here. Not politics had she said this is because the former president is the leading candidate for president on the Republican side, I think she would have been reversed. Or at least I think she would have been appealed to the 11th Circuit.

But here she's got the discretion to say this is complex. Now the problem was saying that for the Department of Justice is that allows her discretion to keep postponing it bit by bit piece by piece as opposed to doing it all at once. So that's the worry for Jack Smith. I think their insurance policy here though, is that they're going to indict the former president over January 6th in Washington D.C. And that court I think will move faster. And I think there you will see a trial before you'll see the trial in South Florida.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the latest filing from the Trump team. This one relating to the Georgia investigation asking again, that the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis be disqualified that evidence be removed. They say that she has a conflict of interest and they point to some tweets or retweets of people citing the case. Does this have any merit, the last one was rejected?

[06:10:08]

ARONBERG: It does not have merit. But, you know, it depends on what the courts say. Look, Victor, there's an inherent conflict within our job as a state attorney or district attorney, my counterpart, Fani Willis, has the same job as I. And we run as a member of a political party. That's the inherent tension here.

Because when you run as a member of political party, you open yourself up for accusations of political bias. But as long as you follow the evidence in the law, you're going to be OK. You have to avoid politics inside the office. Once you're running for office, look, it's part of the job. That's the inherent tension here.

So the fact that the former president has exploited her tweets or comments previously, to try to get her off the case is natural. It's his MO, but it's not going to succeed.

BLACKWELL: So this week, the former president said that he received his target letter from Jack Smith, saying he was the target of the January 6th, the investigation was given four days, those four days have now expired. Is it any day now that you would expect a potential indictment or much like after the target letter in the classified documents investigation we might be a couple of weeks out from that, especially since we're still seeing people being called before the grand jury.

ARONBERG: Yes, I think it's within three weeks that was about the same timetable as the first time around Trump, I believe is going to be indicted. He did not take the invitation to testify before the grand jury. And for good reason, because all he would do there is incriminate himself. So his lawyers are right to keep them from the grand jury. I think you will see an indictment shortly probably within the next couple of weeks.

BLACKWELL: Dave Aronberg, thank you so much.

WALKER: The persistent and excessive heat that's been camped out over the Southwest will continue its record breaking streak into this weekend. Phoenix has now had 22 days in a row of 110 plus degree temperatures. Meantime, El Paso has had 36 days in a row of 100 plus degree weather.

And this morning, millions are once again under some sort of heat alert or advisory. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers joining us now with more. Good morning to you, Chad. So will more records be broken today?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. At least two dozen will be broken today. And, you know, we talked about these watches and these warnings and these advisories. Weather Service doesn't put those numbers out. They don't put these boxes out here just because it's going to be normal hot. It has to be a threshold above normal.

And Phoenix you're going to be 12 degrees above where you should be. I know you're supposed to be hot, but you're not supposed to make a run at 120. That's where we're seeing these temperatures across the south. And across the Deep South, the humidity is involved. Baton Rouge you're going to feel like 112 today. Now not the humidity in Vegas and not the humidity in Phoenix, although they would like some because what makes these weather temperatures go away is the monsoon season in the desert southwest.

We start to see the humidity come in. And then every afternoon somewhere around 95 or 99 degrees, and thunder shower pops up, that just hasn't happened. We call that nonsoon instead of monsoon. The heat does move to the east later on this week and into the Great Lakes. Temperatures are going to warm up. Had some pretty heavy rainfall across parts of the Deep South and it's still raining across parts of Mississippi and Alabama.

And there could be some severe weather today. But it's a very minor little area here that we're talking about. What you're going to have to watch out for especially along the Gulf Coast is the amount of precip that could come down especially down here across from New Orleans all the way into Panama City, some very heavy rain down across the Gulf Coast. And some of that will be with, again, the record high temperatures that we don't want any more of. Amara, back to you.

WALKER: No, not at all. And it can get quite dangerous as we've seen. Chad Myers, great to see you this morning. Thank you so much. So we're getting a look at the scale of the damage left behind in the Ukrainian city of Odesa after Russia launched a barrage of attacks this week. Plus, what Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is saying about the slow pace of Ukraine's counter offensive.

BLACKWELL: And remembering a legend, fans and celebrities even former presidents are paying tribute to Tony Bennett, we've got to look at his amazing career.

[06:14:21]

WALKER: Plus, Vice President Kamala Harris takes direct aim at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over new state standards for teaching black history. Her fiery message to Republicans in the state is coming up.

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WALKER: We are following several developments in Russia's war on Ukraine. Six people were killed and eight wounded by Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine. And that is according to regional military officials. And Ukraine says 21 people have been injured by Russian strikes on Odesa over the past five days. BLACKWELL: Russia launched a wave of attacks against the southern port city. The strikes proved to be too much for Ukraine's air defenses its forces destroyed just five of 19 Russian cruise missiles fired overnight, Wednesday and Thursday.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Russia over the attacks in Odesa and elsewhere. And Zelenskyy has an explanation for why Ukraine's counter offensive got off to a slow start. CNN reporter Nada Bashir joins us now live. So what is President Zelenskyy saying about the Ukraine offensive?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, we've heard that assessment of the country offensive is not going as quickly as many would have hoped for weeks now from Ukraine's Western allies, we've have it from Ukrainian officials. Now, President Zelenskyy acknowledging that the counter offensive simply isn't going as quickly, that territorial gains aren't as substantial as many would have anticipated.

And he says, this is because the counter offensive couldn't start as early as they had originally planned because of a lack of ammunition and lack of armament and crucially, a lack of adequate training at the time. However, he does maintain the counter offensive is making good progress despite the setbacks that we have seen over recent days and weeks.

[06:20:06]

And in fact we heard earlier in the week from top U.S. General Mark Milley, who said that the counter offensive while it has gone slower than expected is far from a failure in his words, and that it is simply too early to tell, too early to call at this stage. But of course, there are a numerous attacks ongoing in the Eastern Region setbacks for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a key priority according to President Zelenskyy at this stage now is in his words, neutralizing the Kerch Bridge, the bridge, which connects Russia to Crimea. Take a listen.

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PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): The objective is to reclaim all of Crimea, because it is our sovereign territory and unalienable part of our nation. And the Crimean bridge, this is not just a logistical road. This is the road used to feed the war. understandably. So, understandably, this is our objective. Any objective that is bringing war, not peace has to be neutralized.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, of course, this comes as Russia really doubles down on its bombardment of the eastern Ukrainian region. We've heard from President Zelenskyy reiterating this really the objective here is aiming to disrupt the resupply of ammunitions and armor to Russia troops -- Russian troops on those eastern front lines.

And as you mentioned there, we've seen the bombardment over the last few days really intensify at least six people killed on Friday as Russia launched a spate of attacks on the Donetsk region. Now, of course, for the last five days, we have seen rounds and rounds of attacks on the port city of Odesa. And this is a real concern now, of course, at least 21 people injured, but there's also been significant infrastructural damage to the port infrastructure in Odesa.

And this comes just days after Russia withdrew from the landmark Black Sea Grain Initiative Deal. There is a real fear now from the international community that we will continue to see those attacks on port infrastructure along Ukraine's Black Sea ports. And particularly, of course, this is a concern because of the deep fear that we could see ourselves in another global food security crisis. As we saw this time last year ahead of the signing of the Black Sea Grain Deal.

WALKER: Yes, a lot of concern about the interruption of the grain exports from Ukraine. Appreciate your reporting. Nada Bashir, thank you. Let's get some insight now on the developments there in Ukraine, CNN military analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton joining us this morning. Good morning to you, Colonel.

So we heard Putin on Fridays say that none of the help from the West has been helping in the counter offensive. President's Zelenskyy as you heard, seemingly blaming the West for, you know, having to wait for these weapons to begin the counter offensive. What are your thoughts on why it's not going as well as hoped?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, good morning Amara. In many ways President Zelenskyy is right, the way in which the counter offensive was unveiled and the way it rolled out. It's pretty clear that, you know, number one, there should have been more secrecy. And number two, you know, everything that Zelenskyy mentioned from training, to weapons supplies, to movement of troops, all of that, and it should have been done in a much more concerted fashion in a much more synchronized fashion.

And the fact that it wasn't, you know, really points to the late start. And the fact things are, in essence, slow going. We gave the -- or the Ukrainians gave the Russians six, seven months of extra time and they use that time to dig in. And the fact that they dug in use mines and in essence, created this vast minefield throughout a large portion of Ukraine about the size of Florida, that really creates a real problem for any advancing forces.

And it would be very difficult for any army to get through something like this. So what's remarkable is the fact that the Ukrainians have been able to hold on to this point and make a few advances. They're not very great in terms of territory, but they are certainly not losses of territory.

WALKER: How do you explain what's happening in Odesa and Ukraine struggle to repel this wave of Russian strikes? Is it because Ukraine just doesn't have, you know, a robust amount of air defenses? Is it because the Russians strikes are just coming too fast and too heavy?

LEIGHTON: Well, basically, if the air defense problem, Amara. And the fact is that because of limited resources, only two Patriot missile systems, for example, were delivered to Ukraine. And one came from Germany, the other from the United States. And they were basically used to cover Kyiv which is of course, cold target. So the Russians naturally move their efforts to places where they can make a difference from their point of view, and Odesa is a prime target given the situation with the Black Sea Grain Deal and the fact that the Russians have always wanted to cut Ukraine off from the sea.

[06:25:04]

This is the perfect target for them so at least one extra preferably two extra Patriot batteries, and other systems like MT, IRIS-T, those types of systems could very well be in place in Odesa, and would have been very helpful, happy inside them, no question about it.

WALKER: What kind of impact do you see? I mean, I guess Ukraine has just started firing some of the cluster munitions that were provided by the U.S. And as we know, that was quite controversial. But do you see it changing the dynamic on the battlefield?

LEIGHTON: Maybe in a tactical sense, in localized areas, I don't think they have a large number of cluster munitions, although they were delivered very, very quickly. I -- but the Ukrainians are employing them, they're beginning to employ them. And it remains to be seen exactly how effective they're going to be. But I believe there'll be more effective in a tactical sense, which could mean that there might be localized gains in those areas.

Those cluster munitions came about because of munitions shortages, in standard weapons systems. And that's the problem that Ukraine is going to be dealing with for as long as this conflict last, not only Ukraine's problem, it's also the West problem. And it's a symptom of the lack of an industrial base that can keep pace with this kind of a war. This kind of a war was not expected. And that really is, I think, kind of the problem that we're dealing with right now.

War is all, you know, full of a few surprises here and there. And this is one of them, I think for military planners, both in Ukraine, as well as in the West.

WALKER: Before we go, Colonel, I do want to ask you about Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, and some comments that were made by the CIA Chief William Burns. He was speaking at the Aspen security forum on Thursday. And he basically said that he does predict and expect Putin will seek revenge or Prigozhin will face retribution for his short lived attempted mutiny. What is your sense of that? And what do you think the calculus might be behind Putin?

LEIGHTON: Yes, so I think the, you know, certainly Prigozhin is at risk, there's no question about it. And what Director Burns mentioned is, you know, I think a highly likely scenario. Prigozhin get away with a lot during this. He also showed that Putin was weak in many respects. Putin, in essence, had to make a deal with him. There's a lot that the Wagner group and Prigozhin bring to the table in the form of access to monies, access to all kinds of weapons systems and frankly, fairly good fighting force, at least in the Ukrainian theater. So that becomes something that the Russians need. And when Putin finds the right moment, he is going to find a way in which he can sideline and perhaps do more against Prigozhin. And that of course, would be something that would be very dangerous for Prigozhin and a very dangerous time, I think for Russia at large.

WALKER: Yes. I can't imagine Prigozhin is sleeping well at night in Belarus. Appreciate your time Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you.

[06:28:12]

BLACKWELL: Remembering an icon, the tributes coming in after the passing of music legend Tony Bennett, a look at his incredible career, next.

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[06:30:00]

BLACKWELL: There are so many tributes to the legendary singer Tony Bennett who died Friday at the age of 96. President Joe Biden, Elton John and other stars, they're honoring the crooner best known for singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", with John calling him irreplaceable.

WALKER: And a career spanning eight decades, Bennett won 19 Grammy Awards and a lifetime achievement award. CNN's Stephanie Elam has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(TONY BENNETT SINGING)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A legend on stage, Tony Bennett's career spanned more than 70 years. He was opening up for Pearl Bailey when Bob Hope discovered him in 1949 in a New York City club.

BOB HOPE, LATE AMERICAN COMEDIAN: You know, it's been about 16 years since I discovered you singing in a Greenwich village nightclub. How come this is your first appearance on my television show?

TONY BENNETT, LATE SINGER: Well, I've been waiting for you to make good.

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: Bennett had a string of hits in the '50s, but the best was yet to come. He won his first Grammy Award in 1963 for his song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and performed it on the Judy Garland show.

(TONY BENNETT SINGING)

BENNETT: I left my heart --

ELAM: The crooner's unique voice and timeless style helped him win a total of 19 Grammys and two Emmys throughout his career.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tony Bennett, ladies and gentlemen, maybe the best pop singer in the whole world.

BENNETT: You know, I asked Sinatra, why do you think we stayed around so long? And he said because we stayed with good songs.

ELAM: But the classics weren't always hits. In the '70s, Bennett found himself without a recording contract. He was in debt and battling a drug problem.

BENNETT: I realized that I thought I was doing well with the drugs, and I really wasn't.

ELAM: That's when Bennett's son Danny stepped in as his manager. Bennett resigned with Columbia Records and began to revitalize his career. It was then he discovered a new audience, the "MTV" generation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, it's Tony Bennett.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, good to see you.

BENNETT: I had the Simpsons, and we did a commercial for "MTV", and they liked it so much they gave me an unplugged special and it won album of the year.

(TONY BENNETT SINGING)

ELAM: Bennett went on to collaborate with singers like Amy Winehouse for "Body and Soul", and Lady Gaga for "The Lady Is a Tramp".

(LADY GAGA SINGING)

[06:35:00]

At 85, he became the oldest living artist to hit number one on the billboard 200 chart with his "Duets II" album. Several years later, he toured with Lady Gaga to promote their album, "Cheek to Cheek".

Yet, Bennett's talent went beyond singing. He was an accomplished painter with art work at the Smithsonian.

BENNETT: I have a sound life because I've always known what I wanted to do.

ELAM: The son of a grocer and a seamstress, Bennett married three times and had four children. He and his third wife, Susan, founded The Exploring the Arts Foundation, and opened the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in New York.

BENNETT: Everybody has a dream and hope that something is going to work for them, and then when it happens, it's a great joy.

ELAM: Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016, but with the encouragement of his doctors, kept doing what he loved best -- singing.

(TONY BENNETT SINGING)

He cut his final album, "Love for Sale" with Lady Gaga and performed with her one last time in two sold-out concerts for his 95th birthday.

STEFANI GERMANOTTA, SINGER-SONGWRITER: He's my musical companion. And he's the greatest singer in the whole world.

ELAM: Aired on "CBS", it was a moving tribute to a musical legend.

(TONY BENNETT SINGING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And Victor and Amara, President Biden also remembering Tony Bennett, putting out a statement where he called the crooner an American classic. He went on to say that he and the first lady have been big fans of Tony Bennett for a long time, saying, quote, "not only because of his beautiful voice, but also the joy that he brought to everything that he did." Amara and Victor?

WALKER: Stephanie Elam, thank you very much. Coming up, Vice President Kamala Harris is not holding back. Her message to Florida Republicans over a newly approved set of standards for teaching black history.

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[06:40:00]

BLACKWELL: Vice President Kamala Harris is accusing Florida Republicans of replacing history with lies. Florida's Board of Education approved new standards for teaching black history in Florida public schools.

WALKER: A part of those new standards requires instruction on how slaves may have benefited from being taught certain skills when enslaved. We're joined now by Jasmine Wright. Jasmine, Vice President Harris was in Jacksonville last night, and she got quite fired up when talking about these new standards. What did she say?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Amara, well, she absolutely slammed Florida Republicans including Ron DeSantis, although, she did not mention him by name, really wading head first into these cultural war ticket issues that the Biden administration feels will at least in some part dominate the 2024 election.

So, we heard the vice president call them so-called leaders. She said American leaders with a nod to DeSantis there want to be thought of as these political thought folks, but really what they're doing in this case is pushing propaganda. She said that they're willfully misleading children about the importance of the negative impact of slavery and other historical moments.

Now, the Biden administration has been wading into this idea of book bans for quite some time, using it as a way to galvanize their voters for 2024 as one of these cultural war issues. And that's exactly what we saw Vice President Harris do in Florida when she said that they were really trying to replace reality with lies. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These extremist so-called leaders should model what we know to be the correct and right approach if we really are invested in the well-being of our children. Instead, they dare to push propaganda to our children. This is the United States of America. We're not supposed to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: Now, Victor and Amara, this was put together very quickly. I was told by one White House official that they've added it to her books on Thursday, then we saw her talking about it on Friday, as the White House is trying to show that they can respond to issues like this quickly, but also very seriously.

BLACKWELL: Speaking of response, we're hearing from Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis. What is he saying?

WRIGHT: Yes, well, I think that he relishes any chance to really wade into a tossle with national Democrats, so he really leaned in before we heard the Vice President speak, he called her a liar in a tweet, basically saying that she was misleading exactly what these new standards show. And then afterwards, we saw him take a bit of a different tone, although he still defended these new standards put in place because of a law that he signed a while back.

He kind of basically said -- tried to counter and say, look, it may be positive for people who once were slaves. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I think what they're doing is I think they're probably going to show some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: Now, obviously, we heard him just a few moments after that when he was asked more seriously by a reporter, saying that he didn't actually have anything to do with putting these standards in place, kind of walking back those comments. But it's that statement we heard him talking about, kind of the blacksmith idea which is a little bit ludicrous.

[06:45:00]

It's those types of statements that the White House feels would be able to give them some easy wins when it comes to these culture war issues, that they know really play well with their base. And they feel that the vice president is a -- is a politician that can really bring that forceful voice out, as a former prosecutor, really trying to drum up votes with black voters, women voters, young people across the country.

And I think that we're going to continue to see the vice president and President Biden talking more about this issue as the months go on heading into that 2024 season. Victor --

BLACKWELL: All right --

WRIGHT: Amara --

BLACKWELL: Jasmine Wright for us there at the White House, thank you so much. It's being called "Barbieheimer". Yes, this weekend, folks are going to be going to movie theaters to watch a double feature of two very different films. More on this unique movie experience next. But first, how did investigators solve the decades-long Gilgo Beach murder mystery.

See how a new technology led to the killer or alleged killer on a new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY" with Anderson Cooper tomorrow night at 8:00 on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

WALKER: It could be a blockbuster opening weekend for two highly- anticipated and very different movies -- "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer".

BLACKWELL: Box Office pro, this is a publication that attracts movie ticket sales, projects the two films will bring in a combined $200 million this weekend. That's the first since the pandemic. CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have anything big planned, just a giant blowout party with all the barbies and planned choreography, he never spoke, so we should stop barbie(ph) --

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This weekend, millions will be taking "Barbie" up on her invitation, stopping by theaters for showings of her blockbuster movie and for the epic historical drama "Oppenheimer".

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know if we can be trusted with such a weapon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The barbieheimer sensation right now that's going on, I think back-to-back films just like two completely opposite, fully opposite, so it would be really fun to watch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very colorful, like the promo, Mattel went all out, they smell like a billion dollars. Like it was -- it was lit. You all should go watch it.

TODD: Industry analysts call it the barbieheimer craze. Two major movies debuting on the same weekend. PAUL DERGARABEDIAN, SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST, COMSCORE: This weekend is

one of the most important in Box Office history, and it could be one of the top grossing weekends ever.

TODD: Industry analysts project that "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" could propel the overall take at the Box Office for all tickets sold to over $200 million or even close to $300 million just this weekend. Many movie goers aren't opting for just one of the films.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too many people not only buying tickets for just one or the other, but also buying tickets for both movies.

TODD: It's a Hollywood-style comeback story for the movie theater industry which was devastated by the COVID pandemic.

DERGARABEDIAN: In the year of 2020, when the pandemic essentially shut down theaters in the middle of March, the Box Office basically went to zero.

TODD: The openings come as Hollywood actors and writers are on strike at the same time for the first time in more than 60 years. Analysts say the strikes aren't likely to affect the popularity of either of these two movies, because the actors had previously been able to go out and do publicity campaigns for the films, which they can't do while on strike.

"Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy even did a bit of shilling for "Barbie".

CILLIAN MURPHY, ACTOR: I mean, I'll be going to see "Barbie" a 100 percent because I can't wait to see it.

TODD: So much buzz yet such dissimilar styles and genres for the two movies. "Barbie" released by Warner Brothers Discovery; the parent company of CNN is a light-feel-good comedy.

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the best day ever --

TODD: "Oppenheimer", a brooding narrative on the creation of the atomic bomb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they won't understand it, not until they've used it.

DERGARABEDIAN: It's very odd. I mean, this is -- this is an odd couple like no other.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Industry analysts say "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" aren't just good for each other, they're likely to lift ticket sales for the other big Summer releases like the latest "Mission: Impossible" and "Spiderman" movies and the film "Sound of Freedom". Victor and Amara?

WALKER: Brian Todd, thank you. You know, I have not been to a theater in like ten years.

BLACKWELL: Ten years?

WALKER: Literally. I do not -- I just don't enjoy the theater atmosphere in general, but --

BLACKWELL: Neither do I. What is it for you?

WALKER: Well --

BLACKWELL: I mean, those with "Barbie" --

WALKER: The chomping --

BLACKWELL: The "Oppenheimer" friends --

WALKER: Yes, but the chomping of --

BLACKWELL: The constant eating --

WALKER: Yes, exactly --

BLACKWELL: Yes --

WALKER: The smacking of the lips and also people talking too much and laughing too loud, but I do have a date with my girlfriends next week to walk into a theater and watch "Barbie".

BLACKWELL: Are you going?

WALKER: I'm going!

BLACWELL: OK, all right --

WALKER: Why not? All right, well, still ahead -- I'm going to invite you.

BLACKWELL: I'm sure management --

WALKER: And I'm going to expect that --

BLACKWELL: Loved that we just sat through the whole -- after that whole story --

(LAUGHTER)

We do not like movie theaters.

WALKER: Well --

BLACKWELL: All the eating --

WALKER: Excuse me, it is -- it is. But hey, I'm all about, you know, celebrating with my girlfriends --

BLACKWELL: Yes -- WALKER: And you're invited, but you have to wear pink.

BLACKWELL: Not doing it, but thanks for the invite.

WALKER: Still ahead, a dream debut for a soccer legend.

(WORLD SPORT)

WALKER: We will show you how Lionel Messi stole the show in his first match with Inter Miami. The remarkable highlights just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:00]

BLACKWELL: Messimania in south Florida, arguably the greatest soccer player ever to play the game. Lionel Messi made a long awaited debut and he did not disappoint.

WALKER: He did not disappoint. Carolyn Manno joining us now from New York. Carolyn, tickets were selling for more than a $100,000 for this game? Did the fans get their money's worth?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I guess so, relative, right? Depending on how much cash you actually have. But it was really good. I mean, his debut at Inter-Miami has been one of the most anticipated in recent memory. It did live up to these high expectations and all this hype. I mean, this is seven months after winning the men's World Cup.

The seven-time FIFA player of the year came off the bench and delivered another magical Messi moment. He curled in this magnificent free-kick strike from outside the box in the 94th minute, and that just set this crowd of more than 20,000 people into a complete frenzy. That would turn out to be the game-winner in the 2-1 win over Mexico's Cruz Azul.

He said after the game, he saw the goal, he knew he had to score, and Inter Miami co-owner, David Beckham who was also pretty good player in his own right said he just could not have wished for a better story book debut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BECKHAM, FORMER SOCCER PLAYER & CO-OWNER, INTER MIAMI: As soon as I saw the free kick given, I thought, this is the way it's meant to win. This is such a special night for us, for our families, for everyone that's in the stadium, for you guys. It's such a moment for this country, it's such a moment for this league, and it's a very proud moment for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Elsewhere in baseball, it's another career milestone for Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani. But definitely one he does not want. The Angels superstar giving up four homeruns on the mound last night against the Pirates.