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CNN This Morning
Millions Under Heat Alerts From California To New England; Heat In Midwest And New England Could Ease This Weekend; New Charges Filed In Mar-a-Lago Documents Case; Justice Department Investigating City Of Memphis And Its Police Department; Biden Change United States Military's Handling Of Serious Crimes; Scientists Issue Dire Warnings As Ocean Temps Rise; Ukraine Using Armed, Remote-Controlled Sea Drones; Birthday Wish Comes True For Toddler With Mail Truck Obsession. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired July 29, 2023 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[07:00:43]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Welcome to the best day of the week. Good morning, it is Saturday, July 29th. I'm Victor Blackwell.
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for spending a part of your morning with us. And here is what we are watching for you.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is unreal. Day, night, never seen anything like it.
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WALKER: Millions across the country are waking up to another day of dangerously high temperatures, but we're finally seeing signs of relief. Our Britley Ritz standing by with a look at where we're finally starting to cool off.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House, and America can't handle that.
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BLACKWELL: That's one of former President Trump's political rivals pouncing on the new charges against him during a GOP dinner in Iowa. We'll break down the latest legal trouble Trump is facing and what we know about the new Mar-a-Lago employee now involved.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As we know, actions can have consequences and that's why we're here today.
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WALKER: The Alabama woman who admitted to staging her own kidnapping is now facing charges. Why police say they felt compelled to bring those charges against her?
BLACKWELL: And all of this record heat, not just impacting cities, marine biologists, they say is causing big problems for our oceans as well. We'll explain, coming up.
We start this hour with that heat wave that's been baking the nation for weeks now. 100 million people are waking up to more heat alerts this morning. The death toll from this heat wave continues to climb.
A 35-year-old woman in Peoria, Illinois, died on Thursday after her power was turned off, leaving her without A.C. Temperatures were 98 degrees there.
WALKER: In Phoenix, sidewalks are so hot that people are getting burns just from touching the surface.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pavement and rocks and asphalt and sidewalks can get to be 170 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just a little bit below the boiling point of water. And we're seeing people who are falling down, can't get up, and getting really bad burns.
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WALKER: In California, the only way to cool off is to take a dip in the pool or the ocean. And that's exactly what this bear in Burbank did.
In the Northeast, people will have to wait until tomorrow for some relief. Officials in Boston and Philadelphia have declared heat health emergencies to make sure people find a way to stay cool. CNN's Danny Freeman has more. Danny?
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Victor and Amra, there's really no way to sugarcoat it. It has been a series of oppressively hot days here in the city of Philadelphia. Temperatures well into the 90s Thursday, Friday, and we're expecting it on Saturday as well. But the feels like temperature, that's really what's been incredible.
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FREEMAN (voice-over): Feeling like well over 100 degrees in the city of Philadelphia. And that's exactly the reason why the city and the surrounding areas, they've issued that heat health emergency. So, what does that mean specifically in the city? Well, we're seeing a lot of cooling centers being open.
The city pointing folks to libraries, to schools, and other public spots where you can escape the heat and get into air conditioning if you don't have the ability to turn on the air conditioner in your own home. The other thing that the City Department of Parks and Recreation is saying, there are a lot of splash pads that are open.
There are also community pools that are open. They're actually pushing people towards those options instead of taking a dip in very, very appealing fountains like the one behind me right here. But of course, the main message from public health is stay inside if you can, and also stay hydrated.
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FREEMAN (on camera): That's what I've been trying to do out here. My method has been I just fill a cup or a water bottle up with ice, and before you know it, this ice has been melting pretty much every day so far. So, I'll enjoy at least some cold water, but I'm sure this won't stay cold for very long. Victor and Amara, back to you.
BLACKWELL: Don't wait too late.
WALKER: Yes, well I have a question for you, because you know, pick your poison. I'm just curious.
BLACKWELL: Sure.
WALKER: Extreme cold or extreme heat, which one would you rather deal with?
BLACKWELL: Cold.
WALKER: Me too.
BLACKWELL: Yes, because at some point I can put more on, I can't take more off.
WALKER: Yes, I agree with you. And I'm just so unproductive in this heat, I literally won't go anywhere unless it's air-conditioned because I just cannot be outside.
BL: Well, listen, there is finally some relief for some people dealing with the heat in Midwestern cities like Chicago. Today temperatures are forecast to only reach the high of about 80.
WALKER: All right, not bad. CNN Meteorologist Britley Ritz joining us now. This is great news for the Midwest, Britley, but what about the Southwest where we are? Will they see temperatures these at all?
[07:05:15]
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, and they're not. In time, they will. We're waiting for this heat dome to slowly move east, but for now, our temperatures are still about five to 10 degrees above normal. Let's take a look at Phoenix, where they're expected to top out at 115 today. Normal is about 106, and guess what? 29 consecutive days where we've had 110-plus degrees.
We're going to add to that today. So, it'll be 30 where our temperatures were, once again, well above 110. All of us across the United States, either at normal or above normal, especially across the South, as you just saw. Dallas, 103; Atlanta, 95 today.
Same for you in D.C. But when we factor in dew points of 70-plus, that's the measurement of moisture near the surface, you get what's called the heat index or the feels-like temperature and it will feel like 103 degrees in D.C. 80-plus possible records expected to be broken through the weekend and we're not just talking about like record high temperatures, we're talking about record warm lows too.
So, the overnight lows that are going to be in like the 80s or 90s. So, we don't get that cooling during the overnight hours. So, then we get even hotter through the afternoon. With that being said, excessive heat alerts are in effect. Excessive heat warnings for Phoenix, back across the central plains, places like St. Louis, D.C. also included.
There's some relief for D.C. Our temperatures are dropping just slightly below normal as we come into Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday. With a few clouds, we'll get some shade too. But make sure we're staying hydrated and taking frequent breaks if we plan on being outdoors for an extended period of time. This is just ridiculous, and it's extremely dangerous. Amara, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Important advice.
WALKER: We're in the Southwest. I just meant, oh, no.
BLACKWELL: Southeast, Amara.
WALKER: We're in the Southeast.
BLACKWELL: Southeast.
WALKER: Mentally, I'm in the Southwest. California girl here just getting everything confused this morning. Thanks, Britley.
BLACKWELL: Britley Ritz, thank you. All right, let's turn to politics now. In these new charges, the former President Donald Trump is facing and the classified documents investigation they do not seem to be changing his campaign strategy.
WALKER: Trump took the stage at a major Republican gathering in Iowa last night as a clear front-runner for his party's nomination. This was the closest he came to referencing his legal jeopardy.
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DONALD TRUMP, 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They've weaponized the Justice Department and the FBI. And by the way, if I weren't running, I would have nobody coming after me. Or if I was losing by a lot, I would have nobody coming after me.
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WALKER: CNN's Paula Reid reports on the former president's growing legal concerns.
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PAULA REID, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former President Donald Trump facing new legal peril. A Florida grand jury returned a superseding indictment, Thursday, adding two charges against Trump for an effort to alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal surveillance footage that is at the heart of the prosecution's case. Trump reacting in a new interview right after the charges dropped.
TRUMP: It shouldn't even be a case.
REID: Prosecutors also added Mar-a-Lago property manager, Carlos de la Vera, to the case, charging him with obstruction and lying to the FBI during a January 2023 interview. The indictment describes how de la Vera told another Mar-a-Lago employee that "the boss wanted the server with the surveillance footage to be deleted." Prosecutors also added one more count against Trump of "willful retention of national defense information" related to a classified document he showed to visitors at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey in 2021. That meeting was recorded by one of his aides.
TRUMP: These are the papers. This was done by the military, given to me. See, as president, I could have declassified it, but now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret. Isn't that interesting?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, we have a problem.
REID: CNN has learned, that document, a presentation concerning military activity in a foreign country was actually returned to the archives in January 2022. Prosecutors will have to prove that document was willfully retained even though it was eventually returned even before Trump received a subpoena. The former president firing back, suggesting he would have Smith fired if he is re-elected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're elected president again, is he somebody you would fire?
TRUMP: Well, I wouldn't keep him. Jack Smith, why would I keep him? He is a wrench.
REID: And in a social media post, "Calling for Smith to be thrown in jail."
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee investigations into Trump after the former president launched his latest bid for the White House.
MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: When I appointed Mr. Smith, I did so because it underscores the Justice Department's commitment to both independence and accountability.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell us what you expect to have in indictment this week?
REID: Smith has said little publicly, recently ignoring questions about another Trump indictment related to January 6th. Trump's lawyers met with Smith and his team, Thursday, ahead of an expected indictment in that case.
[07:10:16]
TRUMP: We're going to walk down to the Capitol.
REID: Amid all the legal peril, concerns too about security at the courts in Atlanta, where Trump may also face charges in the coming weeks. Barricades are going up around the courthouse.
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BLACKWELL (on camera): It's good to have CNN's Chief Legal Analyst and former Federal Prosecutor Laura Coates with us on a Saturday morning. Laura, good to see you.
LAURA COATES, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Nice to see you too. I'm with you all by the way. Extreme cold temperatures is all I want. Thank you very much.
BLACKWELL: And you get a good coat out of it too. All right, let's talk about this document. And Paula, in her story, rose an interesting challenge. I'd like to know how big of a challenge you think it is that these prosecutors will have to prove willful retention of this document, the Iran war document, despite Trump returning it to the National Archives before the search of Mar-a-Lago, before the subpoena.
COATES: You know, you look at this and think about an analogy to this. What if I stole something I had no right to actually take. And then I eventually returned it before you actually knew.
I mean, this is something that you have this limbo, this odd limbo people will look at. But if you had no right in the first instance to retain the document, and you had it nonetheless, and then, according to the allegations, it was either presented or was shown in some way, you add to the significance legally of this.
So, the fact that it was eventually returned even before there was the legal subpoena, they were still the legal requirement never to have taken it. That's going to be the crux of the prosecution's presentation of the evidence.
BLACKWELL: CNN's reporting is that this was, as we know now, back in the custody of the National Archives, as documented in January. However, it was not addressed, or at least discharged, in the June indictment. It came in the indictment just a couple of days ago. So, what explains not addressing this the first time but leaving it for the superseding indictment?
COATES: That's a great question that we've all been scratching our heads over as to why it was not initially. Certainly, there was some indicia that they knew that this had been the document, so why not include it initially? One of the reasons could be that you need to have the corroboration, you need to think about the presentation of evidence, the presumption of innocence in accordance with your ability to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.
In other words, you got to have a witness who might be willing to testify to a particular aspect of this to strengthen your case. It could be that they did not have that witness locked down at that point in time, or there was new additional information that demonstrated that this was now the appropriate time that they could meet that burden of proof.
All this is really contingent on what you can prove. Allegations in the court of public opinion add up to nothing in front of a trial jury. But as you plan out your case strategically, methodically, you're thinking about who will be the witness that I can get that piece of evidence in through?
What will be the hurdles I will have in terms of my ability to present this, what might a judge say about its admissibility, and how can I work with the powers that be who know the intelligence of the document to know that I can actually put forth this evidence in a way that won't unnecessarily delay the trial further than the other existing documents might.
BLACKWELL: Superseding indictment brings an additional co-defendant, Carlos Olivera. He is, according to this indictment, an employee there at Mar-a-Lago who tells a fourth worker, the IT worker there that, "The boss wanted the server deleted," deleting the surveillance video, any evidence that the FBI might want or need. How clear must the message be from Trump? I don't know if I'm asking this the right way.
Could that be an interpretation and there be a bit of some wiggle room for the former president where, I didn't exactly say that, I might have said, man I wish that wasn't there and he interpreted that to mean as he told that to a third party. Explain what they have to prove exactly what Trump said since it's not written anywhere.
COATES: You mean kind of like, hey this is a nice house you got here. Hate to have anything happen to it. That sort of language, it would have a little bit of interpretive value of it. Well, you have to, as the prosecution prove some direct evidence that this was an actual instruction or an order, not just something that was plucked from the air and interpreted by one person.
But there is some (INAUDIBLE) that they would have to prove, and you can use circumstantial evidence in effect. One way to think about circumstantial evidence is, listen, I didn't actually see it snow, but I went to bed last night and the grass was green, I woke up in the morning and it was covered in a blanket of snow. I can infer that, circumstantially, it snowed.
Case in point, there was a conversation alleged in this actual document, the indictment involving the new defendant, that talks about a 24-minute conversation, that talks about going down to talk to the I.T. director and talking about the surveillance footage. Pushback from that director about their ability to actually do anything about that, wanting to speak in private, revisiting with the boss, the President of the United States afterwards. There's all the different notions here that could form some indicia of
that circumstantial evidence. But the strongest, of course, would be an audio recording, an actual testifying witness who was in the room where it happened. And that's why, as we walk towards whatever trial date might be in effect, right now it's May, it could change following an arraignment or otherwise.
[07:15:53]
The three co-defendants now are going to perhaps have differed interests about what they are willing to testify to and how much they want to be united. Clearly, the addition of a third co-defendant presents an opportunity and a window for prosecutors to home in on that very point as to what the direct evidence might be and who's willing to talk.
And finally, Victor, every time you see one of these indictments and you see things like employee number five or employee number four, yet as unnamed people, there's a window where there is likely a witness who has spoken to the government and provided information sufficient to have them confident to bring this charge.
BLACKWELL: On timing that you mentioned, does the additional co- defendant and these additional charges, do they make it less likely that this trial will start before the election?
COATES: I mean, even before this third co-defender was added, the Trump legal team was very, very interested in not having this before the election, mostly because of the reasons you were just talking about -- the politics at play.
I'm sure he's hoping that if he were to secure the RNC nomination, and if he were to become the President of the United States, he would then again be the head of the executive branch and be able to oversee who is the Attorney General of the United States and a lot can change if that's a new person.
But the timing of this is going to likely delay that May 24th date that the judge already said, why? Because you already have issues in terms of -- remember how long it took for Walt Nauta to be arraigned and get that local counsel and have that date and then have their attorneys read in sufficiently to get the security clearance, they need all those things. This is likely to delay, but that's not the most surprising thing.
BLACKWELL: All right. Laura Coates, thank you so much.
WALKER: All right. Coming up, an unarmed black semi-truck driver is attacked by a police canine dog after being pulled over and surrendering. Now, he's speaking out to CNN about the terrifying ordeal. And after years of outcry from survivors and advocates, President Biden signs a historic executive order overhauling how the military prosecutes sexual assaults. Plus, this week, waters off the coast of Southern Florida reached 101 degrees. Talk about warm bath water. Now, researchers are warning of a dire crisis as coral is dying off. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:22:19]
BLACKWELL: The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the city of Memphis and its police department. This comes in the wake of the death of Tyree Nichols. The Civil Rights investigation will look at whether officers engaged in discriminatory policing in the use of force, police and -- police stops, and arrests. Details now from CNN correspondent Nick Valencia.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara, ever since the death of Tyree Nichols, community leaders in Memphis have been very vocal about their desire for the Department of Justice to come in and investigate the Memphis Police Department.
This week, the DOJ announcing that they are going to grant that request, announcing a formal civil rights investigation into the Memphis Police Department based on a full sum review of publicly available information as well as information provided to them, according to the DOJ.
There was no timeline given as far as how long this investigation will take, but the DOJ did say that they plan to release their findings to the public sometime soon. It was in March that a separate office of the DOJ began working providing technical assistance to the Memphis Police Department.
That work will continue in parallel with this investigation, which will look at use of force and stops by the Memphis Police Department to see if the department engaged in any discriminatory policing or if it violated any constitutional rights or federal law.
And it was at the announcement of this investigation by the DOJ that the U.S. Attorney in Memphis said that the city plans to fully cooperate with the feds.
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KEVIN G. RITZ, U.S. ATTORNEY: There cannot be one rule of law for the powerful and another for the powerless. There cannot be one rule of law for the rich and another for the poor. And there cannot be one rule of law for people who look like me and another for people of color. And so, I welcome this opportunity to let the facts lead in what I know will be an ongoing and important discussion about civil rights in our city. Together, we can build a stronger Memphis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: The investigation comes nearly seven months after the brutal beating and death of Tyree Nichols at the hands of police. Five former Memphis police officers have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges as well as other charges related to the incident. Meanwhile, a judge still has not yet ruled on whether or not the public will see upwards of 20 hours of video from that incident that still has not been made public. Amara, Victor? WALKER: Nick Valencia, thank you. "I didn't want to die in the hands of police," that is what an Ohio man told CNN's Isabel Rosales after he was attacked by a police canine.
BLACKWELL: Jadarrius Rose was unarmed and on his knees with his hands in the air when an officer released the dog. The officer has since been fired. Rose says, he's considering suing the Circleville Police Department in Ohio. He says, he feared for his life when officers approached him with guns drawn.
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JADARRIUS ROSE, ATTACKED BY POLICE: I was scared and I didn't know what to do. I was confused. On the reason why they had guns out, well, I was on the phone with 9-1-1 and she was telling me just to listen to what they were saying and follow their instructions. And I did it. And then I was walking towards the state trooper because he was telling me to come to him.
But I still was kind of like, real for it, that they were shooting me because like, in that moment, like, I get a lot of guns pointed at me. And it's like, I don't know if they're going to shoot me. So, I tried to like, zone everybody that had guns out and just focus on the guy that was talking to me.
And then, two police officers from Circleville came, and I was confused on why they was trying to get me to do something different than what the state troopers had already told me to do. So, I just stopped in the middle of that because I didn't know what was going to happen. And I was afraid that something would happen, and it did happen.
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[07:26:18]
WALKER: Well, the incident started when a motor carrier enforcement inspector attempted to pull over Rose for a missing mud flap.
BLACKWELL: Carlee Russell, the woman in Alabama who admitted to faking a kidnapping, is now facing legal trouble. Russell has been charged with making false reports to police.
WALKER: The kidnapping hoax led to a massive search and questions remain about where she was during the time she was missing. Details from CNN's Ryan Young.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Amara. A lot of fascination about this story, especially when it comes to Carlee Russell. And where did this young lady go for several hours? It was 49 hours to be exact of how long she was missing. She was on the side of the road when she called 9-1-1 and said that she saw a toddler on the side of the road.
When police arrived, they found Carlee Russell's car, but they didn't see a sign of her or that toddler. 49 hours later, when she showed up to her parents' home, she had a story about a man with orange hair who had kidnapped her along with a woman who she said she'd never seen before. At some point, she was able to break away from this story that she was telling police, and they were able to discover that what she was saying was a hoax.
Police also went through her social media, and they were able to figure out, also through her phone and her searches, that she had looked up a one-way bus ticket and travel outside the city and the movie, "Taken." Listen to the police chief talking about the charges he decided to place against Carlee Russell.
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CHIEF NICK DERZIS, HOOVER POLICE DEPARTMENT: I know many are shocked and appalled that Ms. Russell is only being charged with two misdemeanors despite all the panic and disruption her actions caused. Let me assure you, I too, share the same frustration. But existing laws only allow the charges that were filed to be filed. I can tell you that I will be contacting our state legislatures on behalf of law enforcement in Montgomery and asking them to look at this law applied to these facts and urge them to add an enhancement to current legislation when somebody falsely reports kidnapping or another violent crime.
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YOUNG: Those charges are false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident. Both ended up being about a thousand-dollar bond. Carlee Russell was arrested and she was released.
At this point, there is talk about whether or not there could be more charges, but because of the way the laws are set up in Alabama, that is not the case as of right now. There's also talk about the economic impact to the police departments that were involved in this. So, a lot of discussion, but what we do know is she was arrested, charged, and bonded out. A weird ending to this entire saga. Guys?
BLACKWELL: All right, Ryan, thank you so much. It's a historic change to the uniform code of military justice. We have details on President Biden's executive order that overhauls how the military prosecutes sexual assault cases and what this means for victims.
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[07:33:00]
WALKER: New rules for the military, President Biden has signed an executive order that creates a historic change in the way the Armed Forces handled major crimes, including murder, child abuse, and sexual assaults.
BLACKWELL: The changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice transfer the power to make decisions outside the chain of command, CNN's Kayla Tausche has more. KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Victor, this executive order is the final step in a judicial overhaul of the military justice system that the White House says is a change that is monumental and the most transformational since the 1950s.
What the executive order does is it establishes a brand-new panel of independent military prosecutors, who would make charging and sentencing decisions for sexual assault and 10 other crimes.
It comes after years of lobbying from lawmakers and victims' advocates, who have long argued that these cases were not taken seriously, or that the victims were subject to retaliation within their chain of command.
For that reason, in mid-2021, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the Pentagon would support a move of these prosecutions outside the chain of command.
He presented a set of options to President Biden to do just that. And lawmakers and later defense spending bills, set those changes in motions with a deadline of this December to do so.
John Kirby, who is the spokesman for the National Security Council tell CNN that what happened in those two years was a lot that it took time to establish a brand-new military justice system to create these offices, to hire for these offices and to secure funding for them, and said that the president is five months ahead of deadline.
The White House expects this new military trial council to be up and running by December. Victor and Amara?
BLACKWELL: Kayla, thank you.
Justice Samuel Alito is pushing back against Congress, he says it has no power over the Supreme Court.
[07:35:04]
In a Wall Street Journal editorial on Friday, he said this: "No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court -- period."
WALKER: This comes as critics call for ethics oversight after a string of questionable decisions about members of the court receiving expensive gifts and a lack of disclosure, including Alito and Clarence Thomas.
Senate Democrats have recently advanced legislation to create a code of ethics.
The ocean water off the coast of Florida has reached hot tub temperatures.
Coming up, the dire warning scientists are issuing as coral reefs and marine life are dying off from the record heat.
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[07:40:03]
WALKER: The record-breaking heatwave that we're seeing isn't just affecting those of us on land. Rising temperatures and climate change are affecting the planet's oceans in dangerous ways.
Scientists say the Gulf Stream, a critical ocean current could collapse within decades and that could trigger catastrophic weather changes across the globe. And the water temperature around Florida has risen above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, threatening the world's third largest coral reef and all the wildlife that depends on it.
Imagine, 100 degrees. I don't think my shower is 100 degrees.
Joining me now is Dr. Cynthia Lewis. She is the director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography's Keys Marine Laboratory.
Really appreciate your time this morning. You know, I was reading that the water off the coast of Florida is on the brink of an ocean heat wave. What does that mean and why should we be so concerned?
CYNTHIA LEWIS, DIRECTOR, KEYS MARINE LABORATORY, FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY: Good morning.
Well, the ocean water out there on our reefs right now has been between 88-90 degrees actually out on the reef. And these reefs are incredibly important.
First, the -- it's the only living barrier reef in the continental United States, and the third largest barrier reef in the world. And as such, it provides a barrier or protection to our coastal communities here in Florida. It's the first line of defense that knocks down the wave energy from storms and hurricanes,
And it reduces wave action, erosion, to our coasts, including our sandy beaches.
We don't want to lose those here in Florida. So, from a protection point of view, the reefs are extremely important.
Also very important is the economic impact that these reefs have it's a multibillion-dollar industry here in the state of Florida. Tourism is certainly big with all of the snorkeling and scuba diving and recreational fishing, as well as the sports fishing.
(CROSSTALK)
WALKER: But, let me --
LEWIS: And then there's the -- all of the commercial fishery, that we have.
WALKER: Yes. If I can jump in there just for a second, because I do want to underscore, you know, what's happening in the oceans as a result of this, you know, record heat in our oceans. And I understand we have the hottest months that are still in front of us. Coral is already dying off. What is your biggest concern in terms of how much more coral death we'll see? And what will be the impact of that on just, you know, all the millions of tiny animals that live off the coral, and, you know, the larger impact on the local ecosystems?
LEWIS: We are very concerned about the reefs right now that we've already lost 90 percent of the living coral on our reefs in recent decades. And we're down to less than five percent living coral over the entire reef situation.
That's the habitat for all these fish and animals that live out on the reef. So, we're very concerned about the loss of it, and what that could mean for the future.
WALKER: So, if we're not going to see relief in the near future, what can be done in terms of slowing this down or speeding up recovery? Are there's options?
LEWIS: Well, we've got many different restoration practitioners that are working feverishly to grow coral, many of them actually out in nurseries out on the reef in the water. And these are in critical danger right at the moment with this heatwave, because they're already seeing bleaching or heat stress on these nurseries.
So, in the last week and a half, everybody has been frantically bringing corals to our lab here at the Keys Marine Lab in Layton, Florida, as one of the places to bring them into a land-base, temperature-controlled nursery, so we can get their temperature down to protect them and preserve them for the remainder of the summer.
WALKER: Yes, and as you mentioned, a huge impact on the local economy, tourism begins to suffer in a huge way because of this. Dr. Cynthia Lewis, thank you.
[07:44:33]
BLACKWELL: Coming up, missile attacks overnight in parts of Ukraine and the very latest on the counter offensive to pushback Russian troops. Were live in Ukraine.
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BLACKWELL: Ukraine and Russia traded artillery fire, Friday night into this morning. Officials and Kherson, say four people were injured early this morning after shells hit near a grain terminal.
A Russian missile hit an apartment building in Dnipro, it damaged multiple buildings, injured nine people.
Along the border in Russia, an alleged Ukrainian missile was shot down and crashed to the ground. Moscow says it will retaliate.
WALKER: Ukrainian troops have now reached one of Russia's long dragon teeth defensive lines along the southern port -- Southern front I should say in the Zaporizhzhia region. That line is three rows deep and hundreds of miles long.
Meantime, CNN's Alex Marquardt got an exclusive look at a new weapon in Ukraine's arsenal, armed and remote-controlled naval drones.
Here is his report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At a secret makeshift, Ukrainian military base, one of the newest pieces of Ukraine's arsenal is lowered into the water. It wars out into the open water under the control of this pilot, who asked we don't show his face, call sign, Shark.
[07:50:02]
This is Ukraine's latest sea or surface drone designed to attack Russia in the Black Sea. They have never been shown to the public before. This model is armed with 300 kilograms or almost 700 pounds of explosive and can hit a target 800 kilometers, 500 miles away.
They're very easy to control, Shark tells us, and they have severely limited the Russian Navy's movements. Ukraine sends its sea drones out hunting, plowing through the waves. If spotted, the Russian ships frantically open fire.
Sometimes, the Russians get lucky and manage to take them out.
Other times, the drones break through the hail of bullets and reach their targets.
Last October, Ukrainian sea drones carried out a stunning attack on the home port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Russian-occupied Crimea. Targeting the flagship, the Admiral Makarov.
This drone can attack, carry out surveillance and reconnaissance, among other operations. It is entirely Ukrainian, designed and produced according to its developer, who also asked for anonymity for security reasons.
MARQUARDT: How effective are the Russian defenses against these drones?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Not effective. The equipment they have on their ships is designed to attack other ships. They can't hit such small drones. These are faster than anything else in the Black Sea.
MARQUARDT (voice over): A stunning pre-dawn attack last week on Russia's Kerch Bridge, shows the havoc they can wreak. The bridge, which is a vital supply line from Russia to Crimea was hit by two drones and left heavily damaged.
In response, Russia said, they launched days of intense strikes on seaside Odesa, alleging that the Ukrainian port city houses the sea drones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Russia's equipment is from the 20th century and ours is from the 21st. There are 100 years between us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: A fascinating look there at Ukraine's defense.
Alex Marquardt, joining us now from Kyiv. Hi, Alex.
Let's talk about these attacks from overnight both Ukrainian and Russian leaders are vowing payback for the missile strikes from Friday. What would that look like?
MARQUARDT: Well, we saw one in Dnipro, which is Ukraine's fourth biggest city in the center of the country, a terrifying attack showing that Russia continues to strike well beyond the frontlines. The city is about 60 miles away from the closest front.
And right in the middle of Friday night, this terrifying strike of missiles landing in the very center of the city. There was damage done to a high-rise residential building, as well as the -- they say, the headquarters of the security services, called the SBU.
We understand from eyewitnesses that there were at least two missiles that struck. Thankfully, both buildings, authorities say, were empty. So, there were nine people who were injured but no one was killed.
We spoke to an eyewitness who said that it was extremely scary that people were screaming and running to find shelter in the basements.
At the same time, just hours earlier, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out missile strikes in southern Russia in the Rostov region.
Two missiles were fired at Southern Russia, they say, taken down by Russian air defenses. The debris did cause some damage to the city of Taganrog.
Buildings were damaged and around nine people also there were injured. The second missile taken down and that debris falling in an open area.
Russia vowing to respond and both sides accusing the other of reining terror down on their citizens. Victor and Amara?
BLACKWELL: Alex Marquardt, with the latest reporting overnight, thank you so much.
Up next, what do you give a 2-year-old who has a thing for mail trucks?
Well, a birthday parade, complete with all the trucks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:58:27] WALKER: A birthday wish has come true for a toddler obsessed with mail trucks.
Colby who just turned 2, got the surprise of his little life earlier this week.
BLACKWELL: His mother says their local mail carrier is her son's hero. And he looks forward to seeing the man in blue every single day.
CNN Jeanne Moos reports on the day he saw a parade just for him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's always nice getting mail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoa!
MOOS (voice over): But a mail truck parade left this this Simsbury Connecticut mom gasping.
JESSICA BERGMAN, MOTHER OF COLBY BERGMAN: So, Colby was very vocal that he wanted to have a mail truck birthday.
MOOS (voice over): Jessica Bergman's son, Colby was turning 2. And he is obsessed with mail trucks and his letter carrier, mailman Mike. So, mom called the local post office, and mailman Mike made it happen.
A mail truck parade also included a fire truck, and even some garbage trucks.
That actually picked up the garbage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is amazing.
MOOS (voice over): And just when you thought it was over, the police chimed in.
MOOS: I mean, is he already talking about being a mailman when he grows up?
BERGMAN: No, I mean, he wants to be a mail truck for Halloween.
MOOS (voice over): As soon as the parade ended, mailman Mike unloaded a gift.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that!
MOOS: Out of his mail truck, a simulated mail truck for Colby.
[08:00:04]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that!
MOOS: The kind a kid can ride on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's just what you needed.
MOOS: Colby even got a certificate.
