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Marine Vet Freed By Russia In Swap Injured In Ukraine; Florida Waters Hit Hot Tub Temperature Levels; Israel Supreme Court Will Not Issue Injunction Against Reasonableness Law. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired July 26, 2023 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: -- from sudden cardiac arrest and were able to return to play.

But I think it's just -- it's too speculative to say at this point what exactly caused this underlying problem. Is it going to be something that is of concern in the future? How are they going to address that? So I think it's early to say.

It's possible. We have heard of players -- even college players -- who then have returned and gone on to play in the NBA. But I think we'll probably have a better answer to that question over the next several days.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Sanjay, I also hope that you can do a little fact-checking for us. I actually -- there's a part of me that doesn't want to elevate --

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I know what you're saying.

HILL: -- this -- Elon Musk --

HARLOW: Yes, but --

HILL: -- questioning whether it could be a risk of myocarditis from a COVID vaccination that could have led to cardiac arrest. I doubt Elon Musk has any information from the doctor or the family about what actually happened here.

Is there any chance based on what we know from science, again, that there would be any sort of a link?

GUPTA: Look, I think this is going to be very low down on the list. I don't think it's an unfair question. But I think in terms of just giving you some context here we do know that myocarditis can occur after vaccination and most likely in adolescent men -- adolescent males. So around his age group.

But when I say rare, we're talking about hundreds of cases out of millions of people. So when you do the math, .007 percent chance of actually developing myocarditis. But keep in mind as well that the vast majority of those cases were pretty mild. Did not -- did not actually lead to any kind of significant medical problem. And if people developed myocarditis it typically was within several days after the second shot of a vaccine.

So is it -- is it a possibility? It's really rare. Cardiomyopathy far more likely than myocarditis. And again, keep in mind there were thousands of cases of sudden cardiac arrest going back to 2015 -- well before vaccinations were out there.

HILL: And also, the virus itself could raise potential issues with your heart -- in some cases, more than a vaccine.

Sanjay, always appreciate it. Good to see you, my friend. Thanks.

GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.

So, the Federal Reserve will wrap up its two-day policy meeting later today and, of course, the big question this morning is will it end with another interest rate hike?

HARLOW: And the Marine veteran who was returned in a Russian prisoner swap injured while fighting in Ukraine. What this means, potentially, for any other Americans detained in Russia.

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[07:35:42]

HARLOW: So later today, we're expecting the Fed to announce another interest rate hike after a pause last month. This would be the 11th increase since March of last year. It would also take the benchmark borrowing rate to its highest level in more than 22 years. And the Fed signaled last month this might not be the last one.

Our chief business correspondent Christine Romans is here with more. What do you think?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, ANCHOR, "EARLY START": Well, 25 basis points -- another rate hike. For everyone watching at home, that means it's going to cost more to borrow money and that's been the tune of the last year -- year and change, right? It will be more on your credit cards, more to buy a new car, more for your mortgage. So that's what we're doing here.

And the Fed is doing this because they're trying to kill inflation. Inflation down to three percent now. It's still too high for the Fed's comfort so we're expecting another rate hike.

I think what's really important is what the Fed chief says about September. Are they still -- there have been so many rate hikes, you guys, I can't even get them all in the same -- on the same bar graph --

HARLOW: Same bar graph.

ROMANS: -- anymore, right? So this has just been a relentless campaign to get inflation under control.

We now have inflation -- finally, consumer inflation is growing more slowly than wages. So for people at home, that means your paychecks aren't -- the gains in your paycheck are being eaten up by what you spend on goods and services. But still, this is still a problem for the Fed.

So I think -- you know, I'm really going to be listening to what the Fed chief says about September and whether they -- there might have to be another rate hike even after this one to really, really slay that inflation dragon.

HARLOW: And the bank deal overnight in California?

ROMANS: Yes. There was this -- yes, Banc of California buying PacWest. This, I think, injects some regional -- some stability into the regional banks. You can see PacWest shares popping there overnight.

But this is what the company says. "The combined company will have the strength and market position to support the banking needs of small and medium-sized businesses in California and to capitalize on the opportunities created for stronger financial institutions in the wake of the recent banking turmoil."

This is not unexpected that you would see some of these. This is not a huge deal when you look at the overall size of a lot of these banks but it shows you that there are still mergers and combinations happening just so that everyone is big enough in these -- this higher interest rate environment to survive.

HILL: All right, thank you -- appreciate it.

ROMANS: Nice to see you, guys.

HILL: You, too.

This morning, Trevor Reed is recovering after being injured while fighting in Ukraine. The former U.S. Marine was, of course, wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly three years before being released in a prisoner swap in April of last year. A source telling CNN he was transported to a hospital in Kyiv and then evacuated to Germany for medical care.

Joining us now from the Pentagon, CNN national security reporter Natasha Bertrand. So, Natasha, what do we know this morning about what he was doing in Ukraine and, sort of, where he was? Do we have much information?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: We still really don't know much, Erica. All we know at this point is that he traveled to Ukraine at some point in the last several weeks to a month and that he was injured there while he was fighting. It is unclear who he was fighting with and when he actually arrived there.

But he was transported to a hospital in Kyiv after he was injured and then he was actually evacuated by an NGO to a military hospital -- an American military hospital in Germany. The U.S. government is stressing, at this point, that they really had

nothing to do with any of this. That Trevor Reed was there fighting of his own volition and that he was not operating on behalf of the U.S. government. The government has emphasized here that this is exactly why they are urging American citizens not to travel to Ukraine at all, let alone, of course, to participate in the fighting.

Now, we know that many Americans and many people around the world who are not a part of the Ukrainian military have traveled there since the start of the war to help Ukrainian forces fight against the Russians.

And Trevor Reed, of course, was held prisoner by the Russians -- wrongfully detained for nearly three years before the Biden administration managed to get him out as part of a prisoner swap.

But still, the U.S. is saying look, this could actually jeopardize, potentially, hostage or ongoing negotiations with the Russians to try to get wrongfully detained Americans out of Russia. And they are saying that these two issues -- Trevor Reed fighting in Ukraine and those ongoing diplomatic negotiations with the Russians -- need to be treated wholly separately because they are not in any way related.

So we'll see how this continues to play out and, of course, hopefully, get more of an update on Trevor Reed's condition at this point, Erica.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. Natasha, appreciate it. Thank you.

[07:40:00]

HARLOW: Well, some parts of the ocean off the coast of Florida are measuring at 100 degrees -- over 100 degrees. That's right. That's about as hot as a hot tub. Our Bill Weir is live in Cartagena, Colombia -- Bill.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, while it feels good to us to plunge into the bathtub-warm Caribbean, it is devastating for almost all forms of marine life. We have a live report on the implications as we head into the two hottest summers yet ahead. Stay with us.

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HARLOW: An intense heat wave continuing to expand from the Plains to the Midwest and the Northeast. Places like right here in New York and also Washington, D.C. are going to approach 100 degrees in the next few days.

Arizona officials reporting at least 570 hospital visits for heat- related illnesses in the last week after continued 110-plus temps in Phoenix for 25 straight days. In Nevada, the Clark County coroner's office says there were at least 16 heat-related deaths. Las Vegas seeing 10 straight days with highs about 110.

Meantime, waters off the coast of Florida -- waters have become as hot as a hot tub. A buoy in the Keys Manatee Bay measured the water temp there over 101 degrees on Monday night. If that reading holds, it's the hottest sea surface temperature ever recorded on the planet. For comparison, hot tubs are usually set between 100 and 102 degrees.

Joining us now from Cartagena, Colombia, CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir. Bill, good morning.

WEIR: Good morning, Poppy.

As pleasant as it might feel if you're a beachgoer dipping into these waters these days it is devastating for marine life. And if you've been sweltering on land you get a sense of what so many different sea creatures have been dealing with, really, for the last couple of decades now. This is the result of all that heat-trapping pollution built up in the atmosphere and now it is coming to the fore in a most undeniable way.

[07:45:06]

This is the Caribbean Sea. We're on the wall city of Cartagena here in Colombia. And Florida is due north that way where those temperatures triple-digits, which is just -- for marine scientists is mind- boggling. They're already seeing some reef communities -- some corals reach 100 percent bleaching, 100 percent mortality. Who knows how much of Florida's reef system can actually survive this?

And that goes well beyond just something pretty to look at if you're a snorkeler or a scuba diver. Reef systems are the cradles of the ocean and that's where so much sea life is born and begins right now. So everybody in that industry -- in the marine, in the fisheries industry -- is bracing because yet, we have another couple of months which are going to be even hotter.

HILL: So, yes -- as you point out, bracing when we think about all of that.

You're there in Cartagena, Colombia. You do get the best assignments.

HARLOW: Yes.

HILL: Sometimes they may be depressing but they're still kind of -- kind of amazing.

What is it that you're -- what is it that you're working on down there?

WEIR: Well, we're doing a documentary for "THE WHOLE STORY" on Whales. On new science about these amazing allies, we have in the climate fight. You can look at some pictures.

We spent some time with a biologist named Natalia Botero-Acosta, who spent years down here taking skin samples -- little biopsy samples of their blubber to check hormones, to check maternity rates, the health of the population to try to understand as they migrate from way down in Antarctica to eat, to come up to these balmy waters to give birth and have calves right now.

And so, we talked about not just her work around the whales at this time but these villages that she works in. These are substance fisher folks here. They depend solely on the sea, both for whale-watching and fishing. And now, we're reaching a triple whammy with this marine heat wave.

Take a listen to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATALIA BOTERO-ACOSTA, BIOLOGIST: The impacts are really broad and really severe, like for fishing, for biodiversity. It's really good fishing for the first half of the year -- maybe March, April, May when they start the migration, but not so much at this time. So if you add on El Nino and climate change, and all these problems on top of that then definitely, something that is uncertain and it's scary for a lot of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Bill, we're also seeing these alarming headlines that in just a few years, by 2025, a key ocean current could end. Why does that matter?

WEIR: Well, this is known as the AMOC or -- and it's a big triangular sort of conveyor belt that moves warm water from down here up to Maine, up to Canada. And it creates so many of the weather systems around the Atlantic. We've seen it weakening as a result of Greenland melting. It has to do with salinity -- how much salt is in the water. Well, there's a lot more freshwater shedding off of the glaciers in the land of Greenland so they're worried that this could break down.

The latest study says it could happen as early as 2025 but as late as 2090. And there's a huge uncertainty as to when we hit that tipping point but all the science points to we're reaching a cliff right now.

And we have a couple of graphics that are much more important in the near-term to think about, both the temperatures in the North Atlantic where you can see the current year is off the charts going up, and then sea ice down at the bottom of the world where it's supposed to be winter. Where sea ice is going down at an equally startling pace right now.

And again, friends, we haven't even gotten into the two hottest months of the year.

HILL: Yes, brace ourselves.

Bill, appreciate it as always. Thank you.

This just in. Israel's Supreme Court saying now it will not issue an injunction to temporarily block this controversial law that strips the court of its oversight power -- oversight over the government. We're going to fill you in on those breaking developments right ahead.

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[07:53:06]

HILL: Well, this just in. Israel's Supreme Court announcing it will not block that newly-passed law that would restrict its power.

CNN's Hadas Gold is joining us now live from Jerusalem with these updates. So, Hadas, what does this mean?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So what this means is that there will not be that emergency injunction -- that emergency freeze on the law that several groups had asked the Supreme Court to do. But they will be hearing seven separate petitions on this law starting in September. This is after the court's recess.

And actually, the Supreme Court president and other senior justices were on a trip to Germany when these petitions were filed and they cut that trip short. It was an official trip. They cut that trip short to rush back to Israel in order to hear these petitions. But what we're hearing right now, no emergency injunction. This means that this will now be heard fully.

This is setting up a major legal battle here because the -- this was an amendment to the basic law in Israel. Israel has no written constitution. The basic laws essentially make up a semi-constitution, as well as Supreme Court precedent. The court will be ruling, essentially, on its own powers. And the Supreme Court has discussed basic laws in the past but it has never ruled to nullify them. So this will be a really fascinating legal battle.

But what this also means now -- this law is now in force. It's official, it is legal, and that means the government can act on it.

Now, one of the -- one of the things that the government may choose to do is to actually -- and this is being rumored right now -- fire the attorney general. The attorney general here is a little different than the U.S. They're more of an independent legal adviser.

But the current attorney general has clashed with the government. She has criticized the judicial overhaul. And she is overseeing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial -- all the charges of which, I should say, he has denied.

But all those things together -- there is some reporting and feelings that might be one of their moves. That would have been much harder to do before this law passed. Now it could be much easier to fire that attorney general -- guys.

HARLOW: Wow. Hadas --

HILL: That's something right there.

HARLOW: -- it really, really is, and a big clash ahead in September. Thank you very much.

[07:55:01]

Behind-the-scenes legal drama playing out as Hunter Biden gets ready to plead guilty in court today.

HILL: Plus, Bronny James out of the ICU after suffering cardiac arrest during basketball practice. Just ahead, we'll speak with one of the doctors who treated Damar Hamlin after his cardiac arrest on the football field earlier this year.

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HARLOW: Good morning, everyone. Top of the hour -- 8:00 a.m. here on the East Coast and 5:00 a.m. out West. We're glad you're with us.

And we begin in a Delaware courtroom this morning where the president's son, Hunter Biden, prepares to plead guilty to tax crimes today. House Republicans are trying to block this contentious plea agreement and we'll break it down with our political and legal analysts.

HILL: Plus, LeBron James' son, Bronny, recovering this morning after collapsing and suffering cardiac arrest during basketball practice. We're going to speak with the cardiologist who treated Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin after his heart stopped on the field.

HARLOW: And the extreme heat wave is spreading across America with more than 100 million people under alerts from coast to coast. It is cooking the ocean, literally -- wiping out coral reefs in the Florida Keys. We'll talk to a shark expert about the unfolding crisis.

[08:00:00]