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Thousands Protest Ahead of Judicial Overhaul Vote in Israel; Drones Attack Moscow after Russian Strikes on Odessa; Forecasters Warn Scorching Heat Wave is Moving East; DOJ to Texas: Respond Today About Floating Barrier or Face Suit; U.N. Command: Talks Underway with North Korea about Detained U.S. Soldier; 'Barbie' Takes Home Major Box Office Win. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired July 24, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:13]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good Monday morning, everyone. We are so glad you're with us. I'm so glad to have Erica Hill by my side. Good morning.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Nice to be with you and nice to have you back.

HARLOW: I know.

HILL: A well-deserved break.

HARLOW: Two weeks off.

HILL: Yes.

HARLOW: Well, sometimes break -- work is a break after you're away for two weeks with little kids.

HILL: True.

HARLOW: We had a good time. Thank you for being with me this week. We appreciate it.

And we have a lot of news to get to. Big breaking news really around the globe and here at home, and CNN is on scene for all of it. Here are the "Five Things to Know" for this Monday, July 24, 2023. Thousands of protesters right now outside of Israel's Supreme Court as the country's Parliament is set to vote next hour on the first part of a historic judicial overhaul. This would severely limit the Supreme Court's power there to put any check on the government's actions. Our Hadas Gold is live in Jerusalem.

HILL: Russia says Ukrainian drones hit two buildings in Moscow, while the Ukrainian port region of Odessa gets bombarded again. Alex Marquardt has a live look at the damage.

HARLOW: And a legal fight over buoys at the border. The Justice Department threatening to sue over them, and today's the deadline for the state of Texas to respond. Concerns have been rising over those buoys and razor wire that has been slicing into migrants. Rosa Flores is live on the border with those new details in that fight.

HILL: The historic heat wave here in the U.S. that just won't quit. More than 35 million Americans waking up to advisories this morning. Stephanie Elam is live in Las Vegas where, at 3 a.m., it is already well over 90 degrees.

HARLOW: And it is not just here in the U.S. Wildfires in Greece forcing thousands to evacuate as that country endures what could become its longest heat wave ever recorded. Sam Kiley there on the latest on the firefight.

Five big stories. We have them covered like only CNN can. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

We do begin in Jerusalem, because happening right now thousands of protesters are on the streets there, hundreds of businesses closed. Look at those images. Look at that. That is right now on what could be one of the most consequential days in the history of Israel.

Lawmakers are getting ready to vote as soon as next hour on part of the government's plan to curb the power of the country's Supreme Court.

HILL: President Biden is warning Israel's government against moving ahead with the judicial overhaul saying overnight it doesn't make sense. The focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus.

The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says the changes would correct judicial overreach.

CNN's Hadas Gold is live in Jerusalem for us this morning. So as of this morning, those pictures really are something, as Poppy pointed out. Where do things stand? Any sign that these protests are actually having any impact?

HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the debates are wrapping up right now inside the Israeli Parliament. Votes are expected to take place soon outside.

The heat is boiling, and so are the protesters, who have chained themselves to each other right outside the Knesset, right outside the Parliament, trying to block the entrances there.

Israeli police using things like water cannons to try and disperse them. They say they will not back down this overhaul is off the table.

Even the pressure from President Joe Biden, though, doesn't seem to be moving anything. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still pushing ahead with the first major legislation of his massive judicial overhaul plan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOLD (voice-over): The protests have grown more intense, even after six months, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing ahead with legislation to weaken the power of Israel's courts, getting its first real vote in Parliament on Monday after a marathon 26-hour debate.

Lawmakers will vote on a bill that would strip the Supreme Court of the power to stop government actions if it deems them unreasonable. The court, one of the only checks on government power in Israel, a country with no written Constitution.

Netanyahu has dismissed the cries of those who say the bill puts the country on a path to dictatorship, saying it's necessary to rein in what he calls an elitist and out-of-touch Supreme Court that has overstepped its authority, not an attack on democracy, he says.

But many Israelis disagree. Twenty-nine weeks of protests on the streets, former Israeli presidents, Supreme Court justices, and leaders of Israel's high-tech industry joining the demonstrations.

President Biden even sending out loud and clear warnings from Washington.

And, in a country seemingly always on the edge of the next security conflict, thousands of military reservists pledging that, if the law passes, they will no longer heed the call to serve, including more than 1,100 elite Air Force officers from fighter pilots to drone operators.

[06:05:13]

A development worrying enough that Israel's top military officer told the entire Israel Defense Forces in an open letter on Sunday that, quote, "No service members have the right to say that they will no longer serve."

Adding to the drama, Prime Minister Netanyahu himself, urgently admitted to the hospital the night before debates started, going under sedation to have a pacemaker fitted to control an irregular heartbeat.

He released a video Sunday, said he feels great after questions swirled about how forthright he's been about his health.

But with the bill looking likely to pass on Monday and other bills chipping away at the independence of the courts and the pipeline, many Israelis are asking, what about the health of the Israeli judiciary?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLD (on camera): Now even if this bill passes today, it will likely immediately face legal challenges, which will ironically place it in front of the Supreme Court.

Now, if the Supreme Court declares this unreasonable law is itself unreasonable, well, that could plunge Israel into an even bigger judicial crisis -- Poppy and Erica.

HARLOW: Wow. That is remarkable, to think that it is the Supreme Court that is being tested here that will have to rule on this and what happens after that.

Hadas, thank you for the reporting.

HILL: New this morning, Ukraine is now taking credit for a drone attack on Moscow overnight. Russia's military says two drones crashed into buildings after being disabled with electronic warfare. Now one of them was brought down near a Russian defense ministry complex.

No injuries have been reported, but if you look here, you can see windows there on the top of that high-rise were blown out.

A wave of drones also attacked Russian-occupied Crimea. A top Ukrainian official says the strikes are proof that Russia's air defenses are less and less capable of protecting its skies.

HARLOW: Also a video posted on social media shows one of the drones buzzing through the Russian capital. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, vowed to retaliate after a week of relentless and deadly Russian strikes on the city of Odessa. Far away from the front lines, we should note.

Our colleague, Alex Marquardt, is live inside a historic cathedral in Odessa that was badly damaged.

Alex, we're glad you're there. What are you seeing? What are you learning?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Erica and Poppy.

Well, President Zelenskyy had vowed to make the Russians feel the retaliation. So whether those strikes on Crimea and Moscow overnight are in response to what we've seen here, that is a major question.

But it has been a week of regular attacks, almost daily attacks by Russia, some of the most severe coming just yesterday on this historic center where I am in the middle of Odessa. It's a UNESCO heritage site.

And we are in the building that was perhaps most damaged, the Cathedral of Transfiguration. The cathedral authorities asking us to wear these helmets, because there is so much damage that could then fall down.

But I want to show you what has happened. This is the most damaged part of the cathedral, this corner up here in the top right. This is where we are told a missile or a rocket came plunging through the ceiling, crashing down at least two floors, we're told.

Just look at this. Incredible levels of damage. And then I mean, ask my cameraman, Scott McQuinney (ph), to just spin around. You can see here in the floor, this marble floor, how powerful the blast was. Shrapnel digging out pockets of that marble.

It is just incredible to see the ceilings of this cathedral blown off. It's as if there is no ceiling at all. The daylight, the sun coming right through there.

And then over here is the knave, and the altar. And when you look up at the altar here, you can see that it is blown to the side. Those pillars leaning to the side. It's only standing up because it is leaning against the wall there.

And if Scotty (ph) pans up to that beautiful dome, all of the windows have been blown out because of this blast. The frescos have come off the wall. The chandeliers have fallen down. Those golden ceilings are falling down.

This is what remains of the knave of the cathedral. This would normally be filled with pews. People come here for services and for prayers. Now it is covered in this -- this smokey, acrid dust that really scratches your throat and your nose. You can see how -- how thick it is.

Damage done to -- to the walls here. You can see, that is from the blast of -- of this strike. This church, this cathedral has a long history. It was destroyed in 1936 by Stalin when he was in power. It was rebuilt when Ukraine became independent.

Now, once again, under attack and severely damaged -- Poppy, Erica.

HILL: Wow. I mean, it is -- it is incredible to see and have you walk us through all that damage. And Russia still is denying that it targeted that church, correct?

MARQUARDT: They are. I mean, they've been going after more relevant sites, if you will. Grain storage sites, food storage sites that Ukraine believes those attacks are directly linked to Russia pulling out of this grain deal.

[06:10:08]

Of course, this has nothing to do with the conflict. Russia is saying they didn't target this historic downtown; they didn't target this church. They blame Ukrainian air defenses.

Of course, Poppy and Erica, that argument is completely irrelevant, because had it not been for Russia's strikes on this city, there would be no need for air defenses. There would be no need for Ukraine to defend itself.

So this city continues to come under withering attack by Russia, and this is why President Zelenskyy has said that what is needed now is what he calls a full-fledged sky shield, more defenses from the U.S. and other Western allies to protect Odessa and other cities all across this country -- guys.

HILL: Alex Marquardt, live there in Odessa for us this morning. Thank you.

HARLOW: An unrelenting heat wave. You have no doubt been feeling it, scorching the Southwest for weeks. Now it's spreading. The National Weather Service warning people the extreme temperatures

will expand East throughout this week to the Midwest, then the East Coast and the Northeast.

Tens of millions of Americans are already facing these heat alerts including in Phoenix, where temperatures have hit at least 110 degrees for 24 straight days.

Our Stephanie Elam is live in Las Vegas this morning. It is very early there, just after 3 a.m. How hot is it?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to my calculations here, Poppy, it's 89 degrees at 3 a.m. in the morning.

HARLOW: Balmy.

ELAM: That would be a hot day, in and of itself. I'm just very -- you could go for a nice swim, and you'd be cooling off. It's actually -- you know, a little perspiration out here right now.

But what you're seeing is the temperatures in the West are 15 degrees above normal. And we're starting to see some of these records that have been around for a long time starting to fall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (voice-over): A heat wave bearing down across the globe with little relief in sight. Millions of Americans are under heat alerts.

And now wildfires are ablaze, creating more challenges for some communities in the Pacific Northwest.

Residents in parts of Maricopa County in Arizona were told by local authorities to evacuate as firefighters battled the Diamond Fire while facing scorching hot temperatures.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The heat has been unrelenting in our community.

ELAM (voice-over): In Phoenix, Sunday marked 24 consecutive days of at least 110-degree temperatures.

And in Las Vegas, the city has seen ten consecutive days of temperatures at or above 110 degrees, tying the longest streak of days with those high temperatures.

In parts of Arizona, the heat is so brutal, emergency rooms are filling up with people being treated for heat-related illnesses.

Dr. Frank LoVecchio shows us the ice bed used to treat some of the worst patients.

DR. FRANK LOVECCHIO, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: We try to throw a little bit of ice, you know, on here, on the bottom, get a little bit on the bottom. And then when they get their body on here, we like to throw it all above them. So what's going to happen is the only thing showing is going to be their head, OK? That in an ideal world. We also like to throw water on there.

This has been shown to drop their body temperature a degree almost every five minutes, if done properly.

ELAM (voice-over): It's not just heat stroke. The director of the Arizona Burn Center says people are getting burned on the pavement, accounting for half the patients in the Valleywise ICU.

DR. KEVIN FOSTER, ARIZONA BURN CENTER DIRECTOR, VALLEYWISE HEALTH: The pavement is so hot it only takes a fraction of a second to get a pretty deep burn. And to lay on a hot pavement or a hot surface for ten minutes, 20 minutes, a half an hour, an hour, that's full thickness burn. The skin is completely destroyed.

ELAM (voice-over): Phoenix's mayor explains how they are battling the heat.

MAYOR KATE GALLEGO (D), PHOENIX: We have mobile cooling units that can go to an emergency site like a fire. We even have tactics where we can go out with IVs that have been cooled, and that can cool people from the inside, which can save lives.

Another program we have that's very popular is our Cool Pavement program. So we are really just looking at how we design the city.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (on camera): And they have been really working to help out the unhoused population there in Phoenix.

And also the other thing to keep in mind, people may be collapsing because of heatstroke. And that's when they're coming in contact with that super-hot cement and asphalt. And that's where they're seeing these burns.

But what we're seeing here in the West is going to start to move its way East. And you should see temperatures rising to about 20 degrees above normal. In Montana, you may see temperatures above 100 degrees, Poppy.

HARLOW: It feels like, sadly, the new normal.

HILL: Yes, it does.

HARLOW: Stephanie, thank you for the reporting from Las Vegas.

HILL: Texas is facing a crucial deadline today as the Justice Department demands the removal of a floating barrier at the border. We're going to take you there live as the showdown comes to a head.

HARLOW: Also new this morning, talks are under way with North Korea's army over the U.S. soldier who fled into that country. We have the latest developments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:18:29]

HARLOW: Welcome back to CNN this morning.

Texas officials have until today to enter into negotiations over removing these floating barriers that they've installed in the Rio Grande, or the Biden administration says it will sue. The barriers are meant to deter migrants.

The Justice Department, though, says they not only raise humanitarian concerns, but they are dangerous and illegal.

Our Rosa Flores is covering all of this. She's live in Eagle Pass, Texas, near the border this morning.

Good morning to you. Governor Abbott seems dug in. He believes they have the authority to do this. So what will happen today?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me show you, because the state of Texas has several layers of border barrier. You can see there are two sets of concertina wire.

Now the fact that it's dark and you might not be able to see it, that's one of the issues that critics raise. And that's why they call these traps for migrants.

Beyond that, in the middle of the river, you'll -- you'll see the border buoys. These are 4 feet in diameter, and according to the U.S. State Department.

The state of Texas deployed these buoys without consulting with the U.S. federal government and without obtaining permits. And Mexico's top diplomat complained to the United States, saying that these buoys violate two international treaties, and Mexico's concerned that these buoys could be on Mexican territory.

Now there are more than 80 U.S. Democratic lawmakers who complained to President Biden. They sent him a letter last week, saying that he should investigate and also that they should file legal action.

Well, late last week, the U.S. DOJ indeed sent a letter to the state of Texas, threatening to sue, saying that these buoys were deployed unlawfully, that they raise humanitarian, public safety, and environmental concerns.

[06:20:09]

And the U.S. DOJ gave the state of Texas a deadline. Here's what that letter said in in part: quote, "If we do not receive a response by 2 p.m. Eastern Time on July 24, 2023, indicating your commitment to expeditiously remove the floating barrier and related structures, the United States intends to file legal action."

Well, Governor Greg Abbott fighting back on Twitter, saying, quote, "Texas has the sovereign authority to defend our border under the U.S. Constitution and the Texas constitution." This was a thread by the governor on Twitter, in which he blames the

Biden administration for the problems on the border. And then he ends with this, Poppy saying, quote, "We will see you in court, Mr. President."

So does that mean that these buoys are not going to be removed without a court fight? We'll have to see, Poppy.

HARLOW: We will have to see.

Rosa, just before you go, we -- DPS -- Texas DPS has released images of injuries that migrants have sustained, cuts from wire that some of those migrants have said is underwater.

Are they taking legal issue also with those wire barriers behind you, or is it just the buoys?

FLORES: You know, it's unclear based on this letter from the U.S. DOJ, because the U.S. DOJ specifically states the floating border barriers and, quote, "related structures." So could those related structures also be some of that concertina wire?

And I wish that this was daylight, Poppy, because we could probably show you some of that concertina wire is actually underwater. And that's one of the critics -- that's one of the things that critics say is, quote, "those death traps."

I mean, if we pan over, if you could pan, Ken, just in the dark, you really can't see the second layer of concertina wire, for example. And that is what critics are saying and these Democratic lawmakers are also highlighting, is that these turn into death traps if they are not lit up.

And so the owner of the property where we are this morning has asked the state of Texas to remove this wire from her property, and she says that the state of Texas refuses to do so. Now would she take legal action? She tells me that she could.

HARLOW: We will follow all of it. Rosa, thank you for that reporting.

A little bit later in the program, we'll be joined by Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez. This is in his district. We'll get his reaction and his thoughts on this happening there -- Erica.

HILL: New this morning, the U.N. Command says conversations have started with North Korea about U.S. Army Private Travis King. King, of course, crossed into the country last week and hasn't been seen or heard from since.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. ANDREW HARRISON, DEPUTY COMMANDER, U.S.-LED UNITED NATIONS COMMAND: The conversation has commenced with the KPA through the mechanisms of the armistice agreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is at the White House this morning. So Priscilla, initial conversations. These need to happen. When and how would the White House be involved, if at all?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Erica, we don't know if the White House is involved in the conversation that you heard there, but it would be the start of trying to get some information about Travis King.

Recall, he crossed into North Korea last Tuesday, and we have not publicly seen or heard from him. And North Korea has not acknowledged that he is in their custody. So there has been no information so far about him and his condition.

Now the United Nations Command is a multinational military force that includes the U.S., and it controls the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area, which King, along with others, was touring last week.

But again, we have not heard from the White House yet whether the U.S. is involved in that conversation that the U.N. Command is referring to.

Now we do know that U.S. officials have been trying to get in touch with North Korea and talking to their allies to get some information about this U.S. national.

But on Friday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that they have no update yet, though he maintained that they would continue to try.

Now this is bringing a lot of concerns here back at home. Just over the weekend, Republican Representative Mike McCaul said that he was concerned about the potential price the U.S. may have to pay to have King come home.

We don't know anything about his condition yet, nor whether there would be a price for him to come home. A lot of these still open questions. We've asked the White House for more information, and we're waiting for their response -- Erica.

HILL: All right. And we know you'll stay on it. Priscilla, thank you.

HARLOW: Twitter's icon -- icon, the little bird, flying the coop. The changes -- the changes Elon Musk is making now.

HILL: "Barbenheimer" shattering box office expectations, but as we perhaps all knew, in the end, it's a Barbie world. We'll tell you why, next.

HARLOW: Did you see it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:28:54]

HARLOW: In a record-breaking box-office blowout, "Barbenheimer" weekend lived up to the huge expectations. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" both opened on Friday, but one movie clearly took home the crown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGOT ROBBIE, ACTRESS: Hi, Barbie.

EMMA MACKEY, ACTRESS: Hi, Barbie.

ISSA RAE, ACTRESS: Hi, Barbie.

ROBBIE: Hi, Barbie.

SIMU LIU, ACTOR: Hi, Barbie.

RYAN GOSLING, ACTOR: Ugh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: "Barbie" had the biggest opening weekend of any movie this year. The two films exceeded expectations. The total box office for all movies this weekend was more than $300 million in North America alone.

Our Vanessa Yurkevich is here.

Both movies blew away expectations. Both of you got to see -- you've both seen "Barbie," right?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm the only one on Earth who hasn't seen it yet.

HARLOW: I haven't either. We can go together.

HILL: I'll go again with you girls.

YURKEVICH: You loved it.

HILL: I did love it.

HARLOW: You loved it.

YURKEVICH: So when you talk about blockbuster movies, these are it. You have the fanfare. You have the millions of ticket sales. You have sold-out theaters.

And this is what theater owners want to see, especially after another blockbuster, "Mission: Impossible," the weekend before, did not perform so well.

"Barbieheimer" seems to be the golden ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARI NEF, ACTRESS: This is the best day ever.

ROBBIE: It is the best day ever.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): "Barbie" painted the world pink, and this weekend, fans came out in droves.

AMERICA FERRERA, ACTRESS: Barbie, in the real world?

[06:30:00]