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Laura Kavanagh is Interviewed about the Crane Collapse in NYC; Second Quarter GDP Grows; Millions of Americans under Heat Alerts; Florida Waters Set Potential World Record; Tense World Cup Match. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 27, 2023 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:30:55]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: That video, which we showed you yesterday morning not long after it had happened, the dramatic crane collapse here in New York City, well, we can update it for you this morning. We, of course, were covering it live here on CNN THIS MORNING.

We have now learned that 12 people in total were injured, three firefighters among them. All of those injuries, non-life threatening.

And we have, too, obtained another video which shows how construction workers were reacting during that collapse.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The crane's dropping. The crane's dropping.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God, the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) crane fell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) throw that into the truck (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, come on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should we get out? I don't know, is it going to keep falling off and -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Fire officials say the fire erupted while the crane operator was lifting about 16 tons of concrete. The operator noticed the fire in the crane's engine, tried to extinguish it but was overwhelmed by the flames. Did manage to escape safely. An inspection by the New York City Department of Buildings found the crane and the impacted buildings were, quote, structurally stable after that collapse.

Joining us now with the very latest on that investigation, the commissioner of the New York Fire Department, Laura Kavanagh.

Good to have you with us this morning, Commissioner.

Any further information on what caused that fire?

COMMISSIONER LAURA KAVANAGH, NEW YORK FIRE DEPARTMENT: So, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. And we're working closely with the Department of Buildings to determine what the cause was and prevent anything like that from happening in the future.

But I just have to say, you know, as the video you just show - saw, you know, you really saw how close of a call this was. It's sort of a miracle that there wasn't more injuries either to our members or to the construction workers. So, you know, thanks to quick action by everybody involved, including our members, we were very lucky that there were no injuries and this is just, you know, an example of how complex, you know, emergency response is in a growing, modern city where you've got, you know, a fire 50 stories up that we're putting out from the building next door, the same time that you have a collapse and you have patients being treated in the street by EMS. So, really incredible work.

HILL: It is incredible work. And I think so many people breathing that sigh of relief with you that it was only, not that they're not important, only 12 people who were injured, and that they were all non-life threatening.

We look at that, too, though, and in a city like New York, these cranes are everywhere. You see them all the time walking down the street, certainly in this area where that happened.

"The New York Times" reporting this morning that the company that owns that crane has actually been involved in a number of high-profile accidents. One in 2008 resulting in death of two construction workers.

How concerned should New Yorkers be this morning as they are walking amongst these cranes?

KAVANAGH: So, you know, absolutely the city is investigating this. And anybody who has any liability or any fault here, you know, will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I think, you know, the city of New York has a lot of construction, as you mentioned, as New Yorkers are all very conscious of it. But, you know, most of that is done safely. But we, you know, have to make sure that we are constantly on top of this new construction and the challenges that it confronts for us. So, we'll definitely be working with our partners in government to make sure that each and every one of these sites is up to code and operating safely.

HILL: Right. And just really quickly for you, because I do know we have another topic, do you have a sense of when that investigation will be complete in terms of the cause of the fire?

KAVANAGH: We don't yet but certainly we'll keep you apprised and be in touch as soon as we know.

HILL: OK.

So, you're actually in Maryland, as folks can see if they're reading that little locator on the screen there, because you are set to testify today. And you're testifying to the Consumer Protection Safety Commission specifically about the risk of fires from e-bikes and e- scooters. Lithium batteries, you say, are the second leading cause of fire deaths in New York City after electrical fires. What's going on here to make them explode like that out of the blue?

[08:35:06]

KAVANAGH: Yes, it is really scary. And these really are explosions. That's exactly the right word. You know, they don't catch on fire the way we traditionally see in most fires. And these are in people's homes. You know, so they really have a ticking time bomb in their homes. And that's why we're here talking to the federal government.

You know, we have passed lots of laws. Locally, we've done lots of enforcement. But what we see is unregulated devices keep flooding into the country and the city. And what really requires federal intervention to ensure that all of these devices are up to the same standards that, frankly, a lot of other devices that we have in our homes, like our phones, are regulated, and you aren't seeing these issues with those devices anymore.

So, we really want to make sure not only that consumers know if they already have this device how dangerous it is so they can assess whether or not they want to have that in their home, but also to make sure that these devices in the future are safe, that they, you know, are regulated and that people don't have to worry about them bursting into flames.

HILL: We're out of - we're almost out of time, but a quick yes or no, you said whether they -- if they want to decide whether to have them in their homes. Would you advise somebody to keep an e-bike or an e- scooter in their apartment or in their garage?

KAVANAGH: I would advise them to keep it outside if they do have one in their homes. I'd advise them to take a look at it and see whether it's UL certified. And, you know, if it's not required for their livelihood, I would caution people, until these are fully regulated, not to keep one in their home. HILL: Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, appreciate your time this morning.

Thank you.

KAVANAGH: Of course. Thank you so much.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: That was really helpful information.

Meantime, new this morning, we have learned that Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is in St. Petersburg, Russia. That is the same city as Vladimir Putin, the man he tried to depose in an armed rebellion just last month. Prigozhin was spotted meeting with an African dignitary on the sidelines of the Russia Africa Summit. This is the first time that Prigozhin has been seen in public inside of Russia since he led that armed mutiny. Prigozhin had only been seen in public on July 19th when he seemingly was inside Belarus.

HILL: This morning, Secretary of State Antony Blinken joining the voices of international condemnation after an apparent military coupe in the African nation of Niger. A group of military officers claimed to have taken over the country, ousted the president, Mohamed Bazoum, a key partner of the U.S. in fighting insurgency. This election two years ago was historic for the central African nation.

Meantime, protests have erupted in the capital today. Niger's foreign minister has called the soldier's actions an attempted coup. He said he's spoken to the president, who has not been harmed. The Pentagon says there are about 800 U.S. troops stationed in Niger.

HARLOW: President Biden about to meet with mayors at the forefront of this brutal heat wave as 150 million Americans, or 45 percent of this country, are under heat alerts today.

HILL: And this just in, the second quarter GDP report is out. Our business team crunching the numbers. We'll have them for you.

Stick around.

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HARLOW: So, how much did the economy grow in the second quarter? We know now.

Our chief business correspondent Christine Romans is here.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: There is no slowdown here. I mean the U.S. economy picking up steam in the second quarter, 2.4 percent economic growth. That's stronger than the first quarter, which was stronger than we had expected. Economists have been expecting, you guys, 1.8 percent. So this is really overshooting what they had been expecting.

HILL: Yes.

ROMANS: And it's driven by a lot of things. You know, business investment, housing investment, but also consumer spending. The consumer --

HILL: Taylor Swift. Beyonce.

ROMANS: I know. Here we go. The "Barbie" movie again.

HARLOW: (INAUDIBLE) "Barbie."

ROMANS: It's all - I mean when people want to do something, or buy something, they're still doing it. Their consumer finances are still better than they were before the pandemic, although they have been drawing down their savings from those pandemic years. So, this is - this is another strong number.

HILL: Way to keep bringing the consistent good news.

HARLOW: Yes.

HILL: So, appreciate you.

Also, though, gas prices. I mean I've noticed they've started to go up a little bit.

ROMANS: Yes.

HARLOW: Yes.

HILL: But you say part of that may also be related to this incessant heat.

ROMANS: Yes, there's a couple of things happening here. This is still well below last year. Last year at this time we were hitting record highs, right? $4.30 last year at this time. Today they're $3.71. They've been jumping overnight. Some of these jumps have been pretty big.

One of the reasons is the incessant heat means these refineries have to -- are going offline for maintenance.

HILL: Wow.

ROMANS: They can't run, you know, full throttle when it's 115 with the heat index, just like people can't work full throttle outside or on factory floors when it's so, so hot. So that's one of the reasons.

The other reason is Russia backed out of this grain deal. And so you had a rise in all kinds of commodity prices, corn, wheat, barley prices. All these prices have been going up. And sometimes you tend to see commodities move together. But mostly this heat thing has some of these refineries either slowing down or offline for maintenance. And that means they're not processing as much gasoline.

HILL: Yes.

HARLOW: Jeez. Another reason.

ROMANS: I know. HARLOW: To get it in check when it comes to climate change.

ROMANS: It's really an interesting - and interesting, you know, paradigm, isn't it, right?

HARLOW: Totally.

HILL: And how connected it all is.

HARLOW: Yes.

ROMANS: Yes. It all is connected.

HARLOW: Thank you.

HILL: Thanks.

Well, speaking of this brutal heat wave which continues to smother the United States, we have some new developments this morning. We're now looking at 150 million Americans under heat alerts today. That's like 45 percent of the U.S. population.

Also, an emergency alert has been declared for the nation's largest power grid. In terms of that impact, we're talking about electricity for 65 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C.

Also new this morning, we've learned President Biden is set to meet with the mayors of Phoenix and San Antonio to talk about soaring temperatures and also to announce some new measures to protect workers from the extreme temperatures.

The threat here, it is very real. In Yuma County, Arizona, this 25- year-old farm worker, a father of two, lost consciousness while working and later died. Neighboring Maricopa County says 25 people so far have died as a result of this heat. And that county, of course, includes Phoenix. Temperatures in Phoenix reaching 118 degrees yesterday.

Meteorologist Eric Van Dam is leave in Key Biscayne, Florida, today.

[08:45:01]

Gabe Cohen also covering this heat wave for us.

Gabe, let's start with you there in the nation's capital.

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and so, Erica, right now it is starting to heat up here in Washington. It feels close to 90 degrees at the moment. But bear in mind we have had cloud coverage, a little bit of a breeze all morning. That number is going to rise quickly and it's going to rise dramatically in the hours ahead. And today or tomorrow here in Washington we could hit 100 degrees for the first time in seven years. And with the humidity, it's going to feel a lot worse than that. We're talking about a heat index close to 110 degrees today, tomorrow, even into Saturday. Really no relief for people here in Washington, D.C., until Sunday. And so as part of this, as part of the proactive measures to try to mitigate the impacts, the mayor here has declared this hot weather emergency. And they're taking several steps. They're extending hours for things like spray parks and swimming pools. They've launched, activated their cooling centers. And they're also adding five public buses that they have rented as mobile cooling centers that they're going to be placing around the district, really designed to help some of the most vulnerable people in Washington, people who are living on the street, seniors, lower-income families who might not have access to air-conditioning.

We saw yesterday they are already taking proactive -- making proactive welfare checks, going around handing out waters, ice, and trying to get information to people as to how to stay safe.

Take a listen. Here's what emergency management -- their message was to people across the district.

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CHRISTOPHER RODRIGUEZ, DIRECTOR, DC HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: We're very concerned. And those health risks, and mitigating them, are paramount. So, we want people to stay hydrated. We want people to make sure that if they don't need to be outside doing strenuous activities, that they're not. We want you to check in on your neighbors.

This is an unprecedented event. This is something that you should not take lightly.

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COHEN: And the cost to cool your home this summer is expected to be up 12 percent roughly because of -- largely because of this heat wave. We're talking about record prices, Erica.

So, again, it's not just people who don't have access to air who might be using these cooling centers. It is people who might be struggling to make ends meet and they just can't afford to blast air-conditioning in their home for three straight days.

HARLOW: Yes, for sure.

And, Derek, to you. The specific reason you are in Florida, and it's not because of how hot it is on land, it's because of how hot the water is, and the damage to the ocean.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS CERTIFIED BROADCAST METEOROLOGIST: Yes, from heat waves on land to heat waves in our oceans. We are here in Biscayne Key -- Key Biscayne, I should say, as a follow-up on this ecological disaster that's literally unfolding before our eyes, namely the dying of our coral reefs. Remember, coral reefs are so paramount in protecting a natural barrier, per se, for the Florida coastline, from storm surge and hurricanes, but they also provide billions of dollars in tourism for people and the state as well. Now, unfortunately, they continue to bleach and die because of the

abnormally warm water temperatures. The Coral Restoration Foundation found 100 percent coral mortality in some of the coral reefs in the southern Florida Keys.

Now, 90 percent of excess greenhouse warmth is actually absorbed within our oceans. And it was ever so apparent this week with our water temperatures skyrocketing to near global record temperatures. We had a reading of 101 degrees in Manatee Bay earlier this week. That has since cooled off because we've had rain. But that's a real problem because that allows for a complete shutdown of our ecological -- fragile ecosystems, namely the corals, but it's also changing fish behaviors, including sharks as well. They're searching for cooler water. It's just incredible what this warmth really does to the planet.

HILL: All right, Derek Van Dam, Gabe Cohen, appreciate it. Thank you both.

HARLOW: This just in, the grand jury hearing evidence from the special counsel's probe into alleged efforts by former President Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. They're now meeting again at a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C.

CNN reporters just saw jurors and a prosecutor working for special counsel Jack Smith enter the courthouse this morning. That grand jury normally meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but they haven't been seen inside the federal courthouse since last week.

HILL: Well, it was a big game last night for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, ending in a tie with the Netherlands. So, how is the team's popularity being felt across the country?

Harry Enten joining us with this morning's number.

HARLOW: Goal!

HILL: Goal!

HARLOW: Very good.

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[08:53:20]

HILL: The highly anticipated rematch between the U.S. and the Netherlands did not disappoint. Plenty of excitement there. The Netherlands striking first to put the U.S. women in their first World Cup goal deficit since 2011. The reigning champs, though, they weren't going to give up that easily. Answering the Dutch goal with one of their own in the 62nd minute to tie the game. So that draw actually leaves the U.S. in first place in their group. Still the favorite to lift the World Cup trophy for an historic third consecutive time.

What do the numbers tell us? CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten is here. So, Harry, this was, you know, a pretty hard-fought tie for the women.

Julie Foudy told us earlier that she really hadn't seen the best out of them yet. It's coming. It's coming. And they are still the favorites.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: They are still the favorites. So, this morning's number is four, because that's how many U.S. women's World Cup titles there have been since they started play back in 1991. They do much better than the men. That's why I love watching the women. They actually win. The men have never won anything since 1930.

Now, in terms of the odds for this particular year, the U.S. is the favorite, right? Their chance of winning is 29 percent. But, look, Spain's pretty close behind at 22 percent, Germany at 13 percent. So, the plurality favorite, but there's still a better chance that somebody else might win.

HARLOW: Women's soccer gaining popularity around the world. Just look at the fans there right now. But how does it stack up against others?

ENTEN: Yes, so, take a look at the average viewership, U.S. average viewership. And 17 million tuned in to the 2019 women's World Cup finals. That beat at 12 million the 2023 NBA finals and beat the 2022 MLB World Series at 12 million.

And one other nugget that I want to point out is, how much of a big deal the success of women's soccer has been for girls playing the game.

[08:55:02]

The change since 1991 among high school girls, look at this growth, up 207 percent.

HARLOW: Wow.

ENTEN: More girls playing soccer. All sports for girls, just 71 percent. So, soccer has seen tremendous growth.

HARLOW: Love that.

ENTEN: And I think the women's success has been a large part of that.

HILL: Yes. They've got some great role models to look up to.

HARLOW: For sure.

HILL: Harry, thank you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

HARLOW: All right, time for your "Morning Moment."

A California FedEx driver turned good Samaritan, rescuing a man from a fiery car wreck. Look at this. Officials say the car burst into flames after veering off the road and hitting a guardrail. When Jonathan Rohrbach saw the accident, he immediately jumped into action, dragging the man away from the burning car just seconds before a series of explosions. And then he called 911 and staying with the man until first responders arrived.

HILL: So, Rohrbach says he doesn't see himself as a hero. Says he was just doing the right thing.

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JONATHAN ROHRBACH: The first thing that runs through your head is, there might be somebody inside and I need to get them out.

If I was hurt or, you know, my family were hurt or anybody, you know, if it looks like there's some way that you might need to help somebody, why not stop and help them.

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HILL: Officials say the cause of the crash is under investigation. The victim is expected to survive.

HARLOW: Wow.

HILL: Love that.

HARLOW: Good, good moment.

HILL: Absolutely.

All right.

HARLOW: Thank you for being with us today.

HILL: "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts after this break.

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