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Deadly Heat Wave Expands; DeSantis Tries Reboot; Oxford School Shooter in Court; Ohtani Hits Record. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired July 28, 2023 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS CERTIFIED METEOROLOGIST: They also call July the hottest month ever recorded. And, hey, look, it's the 28th of July. So, the month hasn't even ended. That's like calling a baseball game in the seventh inning before the game is even done, right?

So, really, really phenomenal heat. This is dangerous heat. We know that heat waves are responsible for more fatalities than both hurricanes and tornadoes combined. So we need to take this heat seriously, especially as it builds into places that haven't had this type of heat in quite a long time. I'm looking at the I-95 corridor. That is the concern today.

We have heat emergencies in place for some of the largest population densities, largest cities, Baltimore, Philadelphia, St. Louis today, Cincinnati. Those areas are really going to feel this excruciating heat. You can see the 30 states encompassed by this heat alert spanning from the West Coast all the way to the East Coast. And you can see how they impact the I-95 corridor as well.

So, heat indices are going to excel over 100 degrees for many locations. And this is putting a strain on our power grid as well. The largest power provider in the U.S. calling for people to conserve their energy, especially as the demand skyrockets from the use of air conditioning, when these temperatures make its way over 100 degrees.

So, a lot at play, but this is dangerous heat and we need to see some relief. That comes in the next couple days.

Back to you, Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, well, looking for to that. A little break ahead.

Derek, appreciate it. Thank you.

VAN DAN: Yes. (INAUDIBLE).

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Republican candidates in Iowa today. A big dinner there tonight. We'll take a look at the new changes Ron DeSantis is making to try to save his campaign.

HILL: Plus, how Tim Scott responded to Ron DeSantis' defense of the new Florida curriculum which suggests enslaved people benefitted from forced labor. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:20]

HILL: Former President Donald Trump heading to Iowa tonight for his first big campaign appearance since facing new charges in the classified documents case. This, of course, comes one day after his biggest competition for the GOP nomination. Ron DeSantis hit the trail in central Iowa after overhauled his campaign.

CNN's Jessica Dean joining us live from Des Moines this morning.

So, any sense that he was able to gain some momentum after this, quote/unquote, reboot, Jessica?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, that's certainly his and his campaign's hope, that they can really push forward and really build a coalition here in Iowa, which they are really zeroing in on after starting in this national campaign. Now they are laser focused on Iowa and other early states. And what we heard from him again and again, stop after stop yesterday, is his pitch to voters is all about electability.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN (voice over): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, rolling into rural Iowa, taking his campaign refresh on the road.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL) AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's very important that you go to the rural counties. And so we're going to hit them all. And this is probably the easiest way to do it.

DEAN: DeSantis back in the Hawkeye state following an overhaul of his two month old campaign. In the last week he laid off more than one- third of his staff citing budget concerns as senior campaign officials pledged a, quote, leaner and more insurgent campaign to take on former President Donald Trump.

During a gathering of donors over the weekend, campaign officials admitted missteps in fundraising and messaging.

DEAN (on camera): You've made some changes to your campaign in the last several days. What do you think that the voters should be taking away from that based on the fact that you're asking them to make you the top executive?

DESANTIS: So, what I would say is, focus on the substance. You know, a lot of this process stuff. Things happen. You know, as the executive, you have a commander's intent. If that commander's intent is not followed, then you have to make sure it's followed.

DEAN (voice over): After pledging a national campaign, DeSantis is now laser focused on early nominating states, such as Iowa, which is set to hold the GOP primary's first caucuses January 15th.

DESANTIS: It's great to be back in the state of Iowa.

DEAN: A recent Fox Business poll shows former President Donald Trump with a commanding lead in the state, garnering 46 percent of the vote from likely caucus goers. DeSantis is in a distant second place with 16 percent.

DESANTIS: The stakes are high. We don't have the opportunity to fritter this one away. And we've got to get the job done.

DEAN: DeSantis' five stop bus tour through rural Iowa, sponsored by Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting him that's raised some $130 million since March and is focused on building out an infrastructure across a number of states to support the campaign.

KEN CUCCINELLI, FOUNDER, NEVER BACK DOWN: We don't feel we like need, you know, Jane Doe at one, two, three main street in Iowa to know everything there is to know by tomorrow. You know, we have six months to help deliver that.

DEAN: And as his campaign resets, DeSantis is zeroing in on his message of electability, making the case he's the only one in the primary who can win in a general election, saying this when asked how he'll convince Trump supporters to support him instead.

DESANTIS: In Florida, he won by three. I won by 20.

We're not getting a mulligan on 2024. You either go, you get the job done, or you don't. And so I will get the job done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: That was really the most explicit comments we heard related to former President Donald Trump, Erica. And, of course, as all of this news swirls with news about former President Trump and his legal troubles, what we weren't hearing out here in Iowa from DeSantis or the voters that I was talking to yesterday was anything about an indictment. DeSantis, of course, was very focused on himself, about pitching himself to voters. The voters we were speaking to really concerned about finding someone who can win in 2024. That's what they want to find and what they're very interested in.

And as you mentioned, almost all of the GOP field converging here in Des Moines later today. They're going to be talking to Iowa Republicans at a big Lincoln - it's called the Lincoln Dinner. It's just a big dinner put on by the Republican Party here.

And former President Donald Trump will be here. And you can expect there will be so much attention on him because of all the news that has come out in the last 24 hours. These other candidates just hoping that they can break through and really make a mark with the voters here.

Erica.

HILL: We will be - we will be watching. Jessica, I appreciate it. Great reporting, as always. HARLOW: John Avlon and Scott Jennings are back. Also joining us, happy

to have chief White House correspondent, senior political correspondent at "The Messenger," Amie Parnes.

Good morning, everyone.

Amy, let's start with you.

I was just thinking, when you said the Lincoln Dinner, how different this Republican Party is to the party of Lincoln.

That aside, so Trump public -- unless he speaks to someone today before the dinner, this is the first time we're going to hear from him aside from Truth Social about this superseding indictment.

AMIE PARNES, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND SENOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE MESSENGER": Yes, huge moment for him. All eyes on him. But also, like, how does he handle, you know, how does he handle the indictment?

[06:40:04]

How does he handle all the other players who will be there, too. This is the first time that he'll be sharing a stage with Ron DeSantis. How does he mention him? Does he go after him? Or does he just spend his entire ten minutes -- that's all each candidate gets - how -- you know, will he just spend the entire time raging about what happened yesterday and into today? That will be the big watch.

HILL: It will be interesting, I'm sure. You know, you've been - you've been in a role where you're advising candidates, political people as they were. There would be some advice to -- as to which road he should take. Whether or not Donald Trump would listen to said advice, separate conversation.

What's your gut? What are we going to hear?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Oh, I think we're going to hear a lot of anger and rage that the same week that the Justice Department, the Biden Justice Department, is trying to give blanket immunity to the president's son, they're trying to throw your favorite president in jail, or even more made-up stuff. I think that's what you're likely to hear out of him. And, guess what, they're going to clap. I mean that's what most of these Republicans in that room are going to believes. It really does put the other candidates in quite an interesting box about whether they should deal with it at all, how they should handle it.

And, of course, Iowa, for him, if he wins Iowa by a substantial margin, I think his campaign believes they could end this race early. And so maintaining that big lead in Iowa and just trying to end it early and not ever get this thing down to a two-person race is the name of the game.

And, by the way, his campaign thinks they've got such a high floor based on what he's built there over the last two caucus cycles that - that he's going to be real tough to beat out there.

HARLOW: I want your reaction to Senator Tim Scott, who has a really high favorability rating nationally and in these key states also black -- the only black Republican senator responding to Ron DeSantis' comments a few days ago about how there was some benefit to the forced labor of slavery.

Here's how Tim Scott responded. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC) AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's - there's no silver lining in freedom - in slavery. The truth is, anything you can learn that -- any benefits that people suggest you had during slavery, you would have had as a free person. And slavery was - was really about separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating. So, I would hope that every person in our country and certainly running for president would appreciate that. And, listen, people have bad days. Sometimes they regret what they say. And we should ask them again to clarify their positions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: There's no silver lining in slavery should be something that doesn't need to be said in 2023. But I'm glad Senator Scott said it the way he said it right there.

Keep in mind where they're all convening tonight in Iowa, the Lincoln Dinner. This was the party founded by Abraham Lincoln and others as an anti-slavery party. And so, you know, whatever tactical decisions they make about Donald Trump, you've got to have moral clarity. And it would be good to remember some words of Abraham Lincoln, like, let us have faith that right makes might.

HILL: It -

AVLON: With malice toward none, with charity for all, things like that, virtues that seem to have been lost in our politics, in particular in this part at this time under Donald Trump.

HARLOW: Sounds like you know a thing or two about Abraham Lincoln. Maybe you've written books.

AVLON: I'm familiar with his work.

HILL: Right. He could probably recommend a couple.

When we - when we look at this, what's - what really (INAUDIBLE) stands out as well in that moment from Tim Scott is not only, you know, what he is saying, right, and - and why we want to hear that from him, but also the fact that he is serving up any silver platter for Ron DeSantis, the chance to try to fix this.

The question is, will he take that opportunity? PARNES: Probably not. I mean in recent days he has doubled down on

this. He has gone on the offense and blamed other people and called Representative Donalds, Kamala Harris. Has made this -- basically turned it into us versus them and, are you joining me or are you with them? And so I don't expect him to. I mean he might be forced into a box and say, look, I - I didn't mean that, and try to walk his way back.

But, I mean, it's out there. And, I mean, what an opening also for Tim Scott.

HILL: Yes.

PARNES: He - he is on the rise. He saw that this guy is a weak link. He went after him. And, you know, what a moment for him going into the Lincoln Dinner. And he's going to capitalize on that as much as possible.

HARLOW: Do you think this Tim Scott momentum continues? What's just interesting is he really, in his political life more recently, has not had significant challenges in terms of really as difficult races as this is.

JENNINGS: Well, I think Tim Scott's got something going on in Iowa. I mean he's a good campaigner. You know, his - his - you know, he has a different marketing plan than virtually every other candidate. He's got a ton of money. I mean plenty of money to run the kind of race you need to run out there.

So, yes, I - I do think he has something going on. It's just -- for him, it's the same problem as DeSantis, as everybody else, half the party wants to do Trump and then the rest of it -

HARLOW: Yes.

JENNINGS: Is divided among a whole bunch of different people. And, can you get it down to a narrower field --

[06:45:03]

HARLOW: That's what Mitt Romney wants.

JENNINGS: And -

HARLOW: Cut it down.

JENNINGS: And - yes, I know. I know. God bless Mitt. He's -- he's right, but how do you get a bunch of rich people to agree on anything? I mean I - I mean I - I mean they're all so smart, you know. They'll - and they'll - and just ask them. And so I - I - I - I think Scott - Scott is - is such a good campaigner that - that he's going to have a chance to have a moment. But, again, fighting for market share in a fragmented field, it's tough.

HILL: Yes.

HARLOW: But - but if he has a moment -

AVLON: Yes.

HARLOW: I think there's something in the fact that he has said that he's going to run a positive campaign. And you contract that with some of the ads that have gone out from DeSantis super PACs, for example.

HILL: Uh-huh.

HARLOW: And it will be interesting to watch how effective that will be.

HILL: Yes, it really will.

JENNINGS: That's exactly right.

HARLOW: Thank you.

HILL: Thank you, guys.

Still to come here, a Michigan - the Michigan school shooter back in court today, on trial to determine whether he's eligible for a life sentence. The chilling audio from the night before that massacre just ahead.

HARLOW: Also, CNN has obtained the 911 calls for Bronny James after he suffered cardiac arrest at that basketball practice. You're going to hear it ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Later this morning, a high schooler in Michigan who pleaded guilty to gunning down his classmates in that deadly massacre will be in court for the second day in a row. Yesterday, the prosecutors showed chilling video and texts and played recordings of Ethan Crumbley detailing his plans to shoot up his school.

HILL: Crumbley killed four students, pleaded guilty to murder, terrorism and other charges.

CNN's Jean Casarez is live in Michigan this morning.

So, Jean, what are we expecting from this hearing?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're going to expect more witnesses. You know, this is the closest that this case will ever get to a trial.

[06:49:55]

And this hearing, which is called a Miller hearing, is actually required by the U.S. Constitution because back in 2012 there was a precedent-setting case, Miller vs. Alabama, and it stated that when you have a juvenile that has committed a crime which under statute is life in prison without the possibility of parole, that that is unconstitutional based on the 8th Amendment of cruel and unusual punishment. And you have to have a hearing to weigh and balance the aggravating and mitigating Miller factors to determine if that juvenile should be afforded, at some point, the possibility of parole. This hearing, it's critical for both sides.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOLLY DARNELL, SHOOTING VICTIM: I heard three very loud - they were physically loud, like I could feel them coming through that door, like the power of it. But they were - it sounded almost like a pop. Like a cap gun.

CASAREZ (voice over): Molly Darnell, a school educator, and one of the surviving victims, took the stand to describe being shot.

DARNELL: I kind of jumped to the right and I felt my left shoulder move back. And it felt like someone had burned me with hot water.

CASAREZ: A mass shooter, in his own words, hours before committing a massacre at his high school in Oxford, Michigan.

LT. TIMOTHY WILLIS, OAKLAND COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: I'm going to open fire on everyone in that hallway. I will try and hit as many people as I can.

CASAREZ: He shot dead four of his classmates that day.

Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Justin Shilling.

Seven others were shot but survived. The shooter pled guilty last October to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first- degree murder, and 19 other counts. Prosecutors showed through his journaling he had planned this for months.

WILLIS: The first victim has to be a pretty girl with a future so she can suffer just like me. Killing myself is too much of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). People will just forget about me and I will have never making an impact in this world. The only way is to shoot up the school.

CASAREZ: The defense says the shooter is not irreparably corrupt.

PAULETTE LOFTIN, OAKLAND COUNTY CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER: My evil has fully taken over in me, and I used to like it. But now I don't want to be evil. I want help, but my parents don't listen to me, so I can't get any help.

KAREN MCDONALD, OAKLAND COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: We must have the courage and strength to listen and view the facts despite how horrifying it may seem. That is what we are called upon to do, and it is the only way to do so with the utmost respect that these victims deserve.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CASAREZ: And the witnesses today will be former classmates of the defendant who were there, who witnessed the shooting and we believe at least one other school administrator.

Poppy. Erica.

HILL: Just chilling, Jean. Appreciate it. Thank you.

HARLOW: Ahead, the special counsel accusing former President Trump of trying to get security video deleted at Mar-a-Lago. We'll break down the new details, including the shushing emoji included in this indictment.

HILL: Plus, Angels' superstar Shohei Ohtani doing something that no player has ever done in the history of baseball. Andy Scholes is going to break it down for us. Quite a day for the record books.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:58:14]

HILL: Just when you maybe thought Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani can't get any better, he goes and does this. A double-header performance for the ages.

Andy Scholes is with us this morning.

This is really something. Is there anything he can't do?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Apparently not, Erica. Good morning to you.

I mean and we should really appreciate just how great Shohei Ohtani is. You know, he's the closest thing we've ever seen to Babe Ruth. And Ohtani's going to be a free agent after this season. Expected to get the biggest deal in U.S. sports history, north of $500 million. And considering that he can do it all, you know, it might be worth it. Just a day after the Angels said they would not be trading Ohtani ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, he had just a career day.

Ohtani starting game one of the double-header against the Tigers. He was amazing on the mound. Striking out eight while throwing a one- hitter. This was the first complete game shutout of his career.

Then in game two, Ohtani hitting not one but two home runs. He now has a Major League leading 38 for the season. Ohtani, the first player ever to throw a shutout in one game of a double-header and homer in the other. And he hit two in that game. The Angels won both of them. Here was manager Phil Nevin afterwards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL NEVIN, LOS ANGELES ANGELS MANAGER: You hate to say that like you expect greatness every day just because - because -- but it's what we get. And it's awesome to watch. But the thing is, is that him performing at this level, when there's so much focus on one person to be great, and continue to be great as he does, only the mental -- mentally strong are able to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. So, again, Ohtani going to be a free agent at - at the end of this season. It will certainly be fascinating to see how the Angels do the rest of the way, guys. And to see who ends up with Ohtani next year if he does not stay with the Angles.

[07:00:03]

The bidding war is going to be wild, as you can imagine, Erica.

HILL: Yes, I can't even imagine how high that will go.

SCHOLES: Yes.

HILL: Maybe.