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CNN This Morning

Trump Reiterates Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric At Campaign Rally; Lawmakers Resume Talks On Ukraine, Israel Aid; Melania Trump Recalls Her Citizenship Experience In Rare Speech; Biden Campaign, Trump "Parroted Hitler" In Rally Remarks; AAA Forecasts Busy Season Amid Threats Of A Powerful Storm; High Winds and Heavy Rain Sweep Across Florida; IDF, Accidental Killing Of Hostages "A Mistake And A Malfunction"; U.K., Germany Call For "Sustainable Ceasefire"; Netanyahu, Military Pressure Needed To Bring Hostages Back; Alex Hibes Proposes To Pay Sandy Hook Families Less; Solar Energy Hot Rocks Could Spell End Of Fossil Fuels; Experimental Skin Cancer Vaccine, Combined With Immunotherapy Shows Benefits In Trial; Politico: FDA Believes Applesauce Potentially Tainted With Lead On Purpose; Lions Find Rhythm In 42-17 Blowout Vs Broncos; Bengals Rally To Stun Vikings 27-24 In Overtime; Tiger Woods Shares Spotlight With His Teenagers; Gronk Belts His Heart Out At L.A. Bowl. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired December 17, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:41]

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. Good morning and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Sunday, December 17th. I'm Amara Walker.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Good to see you, Amara. And I'm Omar Jimenez in for Victor Blackwell.

Look, we are looking at a lot of things. We're watching a lot of things. But namely, the Biden campaign, they are accusing Donald Trump of parroting Adolf Hitler after the former president made disturbing comments about immigrants at a rally, while senators are working on what could be big immigration changes as they try to reach a deal on Ukraine funding.

WALKER: Plus, severe weather impacts millions at the start of last- minute Christmas shopping and, of course, holiday travel. We'll tell you what you can expect and when.

In Israel the IDF is facing new scrutiny after soldiers accidentally killed Israeli hostages in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledges international pressure but adds, we are in a war for our existence.

JIMENEZ: And could not just rocks, but hot rocks that glow brighter than the sun be the key to helping us end our dependence on fossil fuels? We're going to take a look at the new innovative way to address the climate crisis ahead on CNN THIS MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's right in the box right now is about 1,600 degrees Celsius. So, this is hotter than the melting point of steel and it's just a couple of feet inside that shelf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And we begin this morning with President Biden's campaign calling out Donald Trump for -- quote -- "parroting Adolf Hitler" in comments the former president made at a campaign rally in New Hampshire Saturday. Trump quoted Russian president Vladimir Putin as well calling Biden a threat to democracy, and he double down on anti- immigration rhetoric saying immigrants are -- quote -- "poisoning the blood of our country."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They are poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done. They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world, not just in South America, not just the three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world. They are coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world. They are pouring into our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, those comments come as the Senate and Biden administration continue to negotiate on border policy changes to pass a supplemental funding package for aid to Ukraine and Israel. Now on Saturday, senators wrapped up in person meetings on Capitol Hill saying, while there isn't an agreement yet, they are making progress. And senators are expected to resume negotiations today.

Now, let's go to CNN White House reporter Camila DeChalus. Camila, how is the White House playing into these negotiations?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. There is a lot of urgency on the Biden administration to have Congress get an immigration deal done in order to secure more funding for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. But as a group of bipartisan senators met with Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over the weekend to try to hamper out a deal, in the backdrop you have Trump using anti-immigration rhetoric during his campaign rally.

And Biden, actually, took the time to respond to it saying, "Donald Trump channeled his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong Un, and quoted Vladimir Putin while running for president on a promise to rule as a dictator and threaten American democracy. He is betting he can win this election by scaring and dividing this country. He's wrong."

And so, the reality of the situation is even if the Senate garners enough votes in order to pass that chamber, they will still have to work to convince House Democrats to get onboard with his supplemental request because the White House is making a lot of concessions when it comes to some of the immigration policies they have agreed upon.

And my colleagues and I have talked to several House Democrats who say that they will vote no if it comes to the House and has imposes more stricter immigration laws. And so, that is something that the Biden administration will have to work out along with a group of bipartisan senators as they try to work on a deal.

JIMENEZ: We will see what happens there. Camila DeChalus, thank you so much.

So, joining me now to talk about all of this is CNN political commentator Errol Louis. So, all right.

[06:05:00]

Let's start with some of Trump's comments on immigration. Because for starters he is saying immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country. And I just want to point out, the day before he was saying that his wife, Melania, was applauding immigrants who were becoming U.S. citizens at the National Archives. Take a listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you, who try to become U.S. citizens.

While challenges were numerous, the rewards were well worth the effort. I applaud you for every step you took, every obstacle you overcome, and every sacrifice you made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: So, on one hand, the former first lady is saying this. On the other hand, Trump is saying immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country. And while there is an audience for that type of rhetoric, does that help Biden with the general electorate here?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well look, Donald Trump is not using that kind of rhetoric, Omar, because it doesn't work. He is using it because it does works. And what it works to do is galvanize his base. It works to pull together the different groups in the particular states that he needs to flip from Democratic to Republican if he has any hope of winning the White House.

So, this is somebody who knows exactly what he is doing. He knows after the first time he used that Hitlerian phrase, poisoning the blood, there was a spate of national conversation about it. And after hearing that conversation Donald Trump decided he is going to basically make it part of his stump speech.

And again, you have to assume that he knows what he is up to. He wants to tell people exactly the kind of harshness that he wants to bring to this question notwithstanding, as you point out, the fact that two of his three wives were immigrants themselves.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And, you know, this comes on the heels of the last time he was in New Hampshire he was referring to some of his political rivals as vermin which also, of course, has roots to nazi language as well. So, that's something we will continue to watch for.

But on the Biden presidential front, we have essentially got the fate of Ukraine tied to policy at the U.S. southern border. Republicans insisting that's the only way they will unlock funding for Ukraine and Israel, for example. Do you see foresee Democrats and the Biden administration, who has been involved in the talks here, having to give up something significant just to get a deal for Ukraine through?

LOUIS: Well, absolutely. If the politics weren't enough as we just alluded to on immigration and border policy, the reality is the aid to Ukraine is very important to this White House, very important to American foreign policy, and this is where compromises get made. The administration, in fact, is according to the reporting, is working overtime this weekend to try and figure out ways to crack down, to be harsher, to create some kind of bipartisan consensus around making it harder for people to come here and apply for asylum.

When people come here, they are legal. It is legal to come here and request asylum. The problem is the average -- the backlog is so great that it can take four years before you ever actually come before an immigration judge to resolve the issue and that's what Republicans are really seized on as in effect not having the border part policy.

So, the Biden administration working with the Senate Democrats. They are trying to figure out a way to tweak the laws, change the laws, change the policy, detain more people, turn more people away, give more discretion to some of the border agencies, and make sure that they can have something that they can stand up on the campaign trail and in Congress and say, look, we are taking this seriously, don't hold up Ukraine aid, don't penalize the president as the election draws near. It's a very tricky position for the White House.

JIMENEZ: And we have seen, of course, advocates on many sides pushing for this. Even with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his recent visit was urging Congress to try and put the border issue to the side so that they could continue funding the war effort in Ukraine. And while senators say they are close to a deal and making progress, there is still some disagreements. And Senator Chris Murphy has said it's a very aggressive goal to get a border deal framework, have it translated to legislative text and have voted on by the end of the week. But why is this rushed timeline so crucial here, especially if the House isn't even in session?

LOUIS: Well, there are two things going on, Omar. One is you want to get it done before the first votes start getting cast in Iowa. You know, you want to get it done before the election year if you possibly can. And that's not just optics. That's really just being able to say, look, this is the policy. This is the arrangement. This is what we are asking you to vote on so that voters have some clear sense of what they are doing.

The other issue there though is that for Republicans, in particular, if they get together with House Republicans and they both decide that they are going to sync whatever it is the Biden administration does, you know, it's going to be very, very tough to get anything passed.

[06:10:11]

And so, I think, Senator Schumer, the Senate Democrats, they'd like to have themselves and the White House on the same page maybe try and isolate the House Republicans who have a very slim majority and a lot of dissension in their ranks, as you have reported on quite a bit, and see if you can then come in with a stronger bargaining position in January and say, look, we are on the same page on how to deal with this border. You guys are going to have to come along with you us. So, you know, it's a bit of internal maneuvering but also, of course, playing to the national politics as well.

JIMENEZ: So, essentially, if things go well here in the Senate, you think that pressures things to go at least in a similar vein in the House?

LOUIS: Yes, the House -- look, they've already passed -- I think, it was H.R.2. They passed a pretty harsh immigration bill that includes some of what's under discussion now but also a lot of really punitive poison pills. Things like denying federal funding to non-profit groups that try and provide humanitarian aid to migrants. You know, things like that.

So, it's a non-starter. It's not like they are on the same page. But to take some of that harshness away, to put some pressure on the House to do something to stop using it just as a political cudgel, but actually ask them to sit down and legislate for a change, it will be a much -- more persuasive argument if you can say, look, Senate Democrats and Republicans in the White House figured this out. If you guys in the House can't come along, you know, then once again you are proving that you are not fit to govern and your majority maybe goes away next November.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And, of course, when they come back, we'll have that funding deadline coming up on January 19th, of course, was from the laddered continuing resolution. So, a lot of pressure to start the new year. We are not going to -- we're not going to be stepping into it easily. Errol Louis, I got to leave it there. Thank you so much.

Coming up on "STATE OF THE UNION," can Congress strike a deal on foreign aid before the holidays? And Senator Joe Manchin gives his take. Plus, with less than one month until the Iowa caucuses can anyone beat Trump? Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie hopes its him and he joins Jake to weigh in live this morning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN.

So, AAA is predicting a busy holiday season with over 115 million people planning to leave their homes but a rapidly intensifying storm, absolute classic, might just mess up some travel plans.

WALKER: Right now, Florida is experiencing the storm's first effects with heavy rain and powerful winds. And this storm is expected to advance up the East Coast putting more than 60 million people at risk for flooding. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here at the CNN center. So, where is the threat greatest right now, Allison?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's actually going to be over a very wide expanse, Amara, really in the next 24 to 36 hours. The focus this morning is over the southeast, Florida, Georgia and into the Carolinas.

But this low-pressure system is quickly going to race up the East Coast taking with it those gusty winds and heavy rain. Right now, the heaviest rain is in northern Florida, areas of southeastern Georgia. But that is that is spreading very quickly into areas of the Carolinas.

You still have flood watches in effect for Florida and Georgia. But we are also starting to see those expand pretty much up and down the eastern seaboard because this is where we anticipate all of that rain to go here in the next 24 to 36 hours.

Here's a look. Again, you can see it sliding up the Carolinas into the mid-Atlantic by the time we get towards this evening and then into the northeast for the bulk of the day on Monday. So, if you have some travel plans, maybe in or out of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, whether you are driving or flying, you may want to check on the radar tomorrow morning because it's likely going to be a very soggy start to the day.

And in the Midwest, you've got areas of lake-effect snow starting to slide in. That's going to spread eastward, too. So, stretching from Lake Michigan over to Lake Erie, and eventually in towards Ontario as we get later into the day on Monday.

Here is a look. Widespread totals of about three to five inches of rain expected from South Georgia all the way up into Maine over the next few days. Even though this is a very fast-moving system, normally that doesn't allow for much time for all of this rain to come down, but there is just a significant amount of moisture with this particular system.

Winds have also been a big factor. Several wind gusts up around that 50-mile per hour range, that is going to be expected as this system slides up the East Coast. So, we could have trees and even some power lines come down as well.

WALKER: All right. Allison Chinchar, thank you very much. And still ahead, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under fire over the accidental killings of three Israeli hostages, but he isn't backing down despite international pressure. That's next.

JIMENEZ: Plus, they sit in a box and can glow brighter than the sun. It is not a riddle. It is the story behind a new thermal battery prototype in California that could help end the use of fossil fuels.

[06:15:03]

Plus, could we be one step closer in the fight to cure cancer? We'll explain how scientists are using mRNA for people with high-risk forms of skin cancer. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: A mistake and a malfunction, those words from an IDF spokesperson after Israel's accidental killing of three Israeli hostages. Speaking for the first time since the tragedy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that negotiations for the release of the remaining hostages continue while urging the country to stand by its military saying, Israel is, in his words here, in a war for its existence.

WALKER: Netanyahu also vowed the war would continue despite international pressure growing. Remarks that come as the U.K. and German foreign ministers are calling for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.

[06:20:05]

In a joint op-ed for "The Sunday Times" -- excuse me -- they write, in part, that the sooner that sustainable ceasefire happens, the better, adding that too many civilians have been killed.

Elliott Gotkine is in London. Hi there, Elliot. So, a source tells CNN as we're learning that the director of Israel's Mossad spy agency and the Qatari prime minister have met regarding hostages and negotiations there. Where do things stand?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN REPORTER: Amara, this will perhaps give a little bit of hope to the families who still have loved ones being held captive in Gaza, who were abducted on October the 7th as part of that Hamas massacre in Israel. That will give them hope that something is at least being done.

They want the hostages back now. They want to prioritize bringing the hostages back over the military campaign. But as you were saying in your introduction, the government stance even after the tragic, from their perspective, killing of three Israeli hostages by their own soldiers, their stance remains that it is the military pressure, it is the military campaign which will pressure Hamas to get back to the negotiating table and to do another deal with the hostages.

So, this meeting between the Mossad chief, David Barnea, he has throughout this crisis been Israel's go-to man for the negotiations with the Qatari mediators who then speak to Hamas, he has been the go- to guy. This will give them hope that things are, at least, moving. Because just last week he was meant to go to Doha. That meeting was canceled inexplicably without explanation by the Israeli government. And we heard even from U.S. officials saying, Hamas simply isn't interested in negotiating right now.

So, there is hope that things will start moving and that the Qataris, who need to speak to the Hamas political representatives in Doha, who then speak to the military operatives inside the Gaza Strip that, things will start to happen. But let's not forget that the military fighters, the Hamas fighters inside the Gaza Strip, they are doing the very best to remain undetected and not be killed by the Israelis. They are doing their best to kill them. And so, this makes the negotiations even more fraught than the ones that led to the truce in the first place.

As far as that op-ed by the British and German foreign ministers go, of course, it's interesting to note that they are not calling for this immediate humanitarian ceasefire that the United Nations was calling for just last week. They are calling for the sustainable ceasefire and the way to get that, they say, is for Hamas to lay down its arms. And since there is no sign of that happening, it also seems that this sustainable ceasefire is also unlikely to come about.

But as far as the families or the loved ones in the Gaza Strip go, I think in addition to this tragedy that we saw over the weekend, they are also mindful that Israel has only freed one hostage so far, a female soldier. They have tried several times to free hostages being held by Hamas. Each one has failed. And I think this killing of three Israeli hostages by IDF soldiers will simply add to the trauma that they have been feeling ever since their loved ones were abducted on October the 7th. Omar, Amara.

WALKER: All right. Elliott Gotkine, thank you very much. Jill Dougherty is with us now. She is a CNN contributor and adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Good morning, Jill. Thanks for joining us.

Let's start with the fallout, you know, from the IDF accidentally shooting and killing its own hostages. The IDF chief of staff said that he takes full responsibility and said this in a statement.

A split-second decision could be a life-or-death decision. I think the three hostages did everything possible so that we would understand they moved around shirtless so that we wouldn't suspect them of carrying explosives and they held a white cloth. We should have a full-screen graphic of this, guys. But the tension overcame all of the above.

You know, obviously, this -- these friendly fire deaths underscore just the risks the hostages faces -- face, but it also, you know, underscores the criticism Israel is facing over how it's been carrying out this war. What's your reaction to what happened?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. You know, all of this is very interconnected and complex. Because you have got the war, you have the kinetic war itself, which can get very confusing, as we know. You know, people can die. There can be friendly fire. And now you have this tragic incident. And then you have the political interpretation of what is going on.

So, big picture, you have Israel increasingly being criticized for taking, you could say, in fact, I think President Biden even mentioned pretty, you know, kind of uncontrolled or not moderated attacks on Gaza, and that is creating civilian deaths, which just increases the criticism.

[06:25:00]

And then you have Netanyahu saying, well, we won't get any prisoners out unless we continue to be tough and take the fight to the enemy. So, this is a real problem. And it shows it is happening in the United States where Biden is under pressure to, you know, moderate between the rights for the Palestinians and support for Israel. And you actually have it in, you know, I would say, my part of the world that I follow, which is Russia and Putin standing there trying to take advantage of all of this because he, you know, he's got his own issues on the Middle East, but if there is tension in the West, he can try to maximize that.

WALKER: I do want to get to that in the next -- in the next question. But let's first listen to that sound bite that you referenced from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These were his first public comments since the friendly fire deaths. You will hear him here reiterating his resolve to win this war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Without the military pressure, we would not have succeeded in creating an outline that led to the release of 110 hostages. And only continued military pressure will lead to the releases of all of our hostages. My directive to the negotiating team is based on this pressure, without which we would have nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: You have the families and the people who are demanding that the hostages, you know, are returned home quickly. They are saying that without a ceasefire, the hostages may never come home. But here on the other side you have Prime Minister Netanyahu saying that without continued military pressure, there won't be a release of hostages. What are your thoughts on that?

DOUGHERTY: Well, I think that's the dilemma, you know, that apparently Netanyahu believes -- and he has his own political reasons for saying this, too, that he has to be tough. And that essentially, he has to destroy Hamas and that's the only way to get these prisoners and hostages out.

But obviously, the families that are dealing with this do not want -- they have their families, their members in Gaza potentially under threat of death, as we just saw with three of them being -- apparently inadvertently killed. So, this is really a problem.

I think, you know, hostages come up in the United States as well. Biden is dealing with two people that he would, in essence, think are political hostages in Russia. So, the hostages are very, very difficult politically for a leader to deal with. I am not trying to justify anything that Netanyahu is doing, but it's complex.

WALKER: And back to Ukraine, you know, because, obviously, funding for Ukraine all about -- is at a stalemate, even though Senate negotiators say that they are making progress trying to put some kind of deal together. But there have been some real time impacts on the battlefield. I mean, Putin has become emboldened.

DOUGHERTY: Absolutely. In fact, you know, if you look at what he has done just this past week, he had a press conference. And I think what he is doing right now is he is standing back and he is very, I would say, kind of cocky with a lot of, you know, trying to give the image of a person who essentially is winning.

And so, if he is winning, and that's debatable, then in the United States people who say, we can't afford to help Ukraine anymore because this war is going to go on forever, and that's what Putin is trying do. Maximize that idea that, hey, West, you ought to give up right now, forget it because you will be bled to death, let's say financially, by Ukraine.

And in fact, Putin even had that phrase where he was saying, it's a Russian phrase, but essentially the freebies are over. The West, the United States especially, isn't going to give any more freebies to Ukraine. So, Putin, as usual, is just kind of floating on the top trying to take advantage of any type of divisions.

WALKER: Jill Dougherty, fascinating conversation. Thank you so much.

JIMENEZ: Still ahead for us, just pennies on the dollar. A lot of dollars. That's how much conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is trying to pay the Sandy Hook families who successfully sued him for defamation. We'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:33:40]

JIMENEZ: Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is trying to get out of paying the money owed to the Sandy Hook families who successfully sued him for defamation. Now, if you remember, a judge ordered Jones to pay over a billion dollars, with a B, in damages for repeatedly claiming that the 2012 Newtown School Massacre was a hoax.

WALKER: Eleven years ago, a gunman opened fire inside Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 26 people. 20 of them, just first graders. Now, the Infowars host is asking the families to accept just a fraction of what is owed. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amber and Omar, good morning to you. An attorney representing some of the Sandy Hook families telling CNN that this is the first time that Alex Jones offers up exactly how he would like to be held accountable to all the lies that he spread and also the pain that he caused to those Sandy Hook families after referring to the 2012 shooting at that elementary school as a hoax.

The document is fairly lengthy. It was filed on Friday. We've gone through it and here are a couple of key takeaways in terms of what Jones is offering up as a possible settlement. According to that document, Sandy Hook families as a group and those who choose to settle would be guaranteed at least $5.5 million a year over the next decade. So, it's about $55 million there. Families would also have the possibility of more depending on Jones's income. They'd also receive about 70 percent of the money that Jones makes selling, some of the personal property outside of the bankruptcy terms. In exchange, families would then give up any legal claims against Jones.

[06:35:14]

Now, compare that to what was filed just last month from some of the Sandy Hook families, this is their proposal. Last month, they proposed $8.5 million a year from Jones, also an ownership stake in Jones's company, and also threatened to basically fully liquidate his assets if he did not accept that proposal. Ultimately though, it will be up to a judge to decide come February exactly what the settlement terms will be.

That was just this past Friday that was a deadline for all sides to submit their proposal. We should mention that despite losing in civil court, Jones has remained -- really has not remained quiet. If anything, he's actually been allowed back on X, formerly known as Twitter. In addition to that court filing showing that he has been spending extravagantly. We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars, Amber and Omar.

We should also mention that CNN has reached out to Jones's attorneys for comment. Back to you.

WALKER: All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you.

Still ahead, these rocks can glow brighter than the sun and they could also help end the use of fossil fuels. We'll tell you how a new thermal battery, it's a prototype in California, could be the energy storage of the future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:56]

JIMENEZ: An innovative approach to displacing fossil fuels and avoiding a climate collapse might be as simple as rocks, hot rocks.

WALKER: So, here's what's happening. A clean energy startup has harnessed the power of the sun and wind to make boxes of rocks hot enough to run the world's biggest factories. CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir shows us how this could be the future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): For the first time in human history, the two most affordable forms of energy do not come from burning fossil fuels.

WEIR: Wow.

WEIR (voiceover): But from catching onshore wind or clean, abundant sunlight.

ANDREW PONEC, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, ANTORA ENERGY: Most days in the middle of the day in California, energy is free. Electricity on the wholesale market is worth zero dollars, sometimes even negative dollars, because there's so much solar that's now been installed in California.

WEIR (voiceover): The same thing is happening in the American wind belt. So, while Andrew Ponec was the kind of kid who built solar panels in the garage, he realized that renewables are great for topping off batteries and cars and homes, but the factories which make everything from steel to baby food need a lot of energy all the time.

PONEC: The problem is you can't shut down your factory when the sun goes behind a cloud or the wind stops blowing.

WEIR (voiceover): So, with 80 million dollars in investment from backers including Bill Gates, he started a company called Antora to store clean energy with --

PONEC: This is it.

WEIR (voiceover): -- a box of rocks.

WEIR: I had a hard time explaining to my kids what nuclear fusion is, but this is just a hot rock in a box.

PONEC: Exactly.

WEIR: Heated up either by wind or the sun, right?

PONEC: People sometimes feel like they're insulting us by saying, hey, that sounds really simple. And we say no, that's exactly the point. You know, there's not much more here than a steel box with insulation inside of that and some carbon blocks inside of that. That's it.

WEIR (voiceover): Antora's batteries heat up blocks of carbon like this until they glow like little suns for a full day.

PONEC: What's right in the box right now is about 1600 degrees Celsius. So, this is hotter than the melting point of steel and it's just a couple of feet inside that shell.

WEIR (voiceover): By cracking open the box, Andrew says they can release enough heat to make a factory steam and enough light to generate electricity as it glows into a special kind of solar panel. And while the box is tricky to build, the rocks are cheap and abundant.

PONEC: There's plenty of production of this. Even just one percent of the current production of carbon blocks would be enough to make terawatt hours of batteries, which would be enough to power the United States.

WEIR (voiceover): A competing company called Rondo uses even cheaper bricks in their thermal batteries to create megawatts of power for a single factory without the need for a grid upgrade, which means places with a lot of sun and wind could become magnets for new industry. Both companies were present at COP28 in Dubai where big oil had a big presence. But Andrew came back convinced that clean, simple ideas are the future.

PONEC: The transition is inevitable. It's going to happen. And actually, if you talk behind closed doors to most of the people in the fossil fuel industry, they'll say the same thing. They understand that. But I'm confident that we're going to be able to take that huge tool that we have in solar and wind and displace fossil fuels faster even than most people think.

WEIR: Really?

PONEC: Yes.

WEIR: Why? Why? What gives you that faith?

PONEC: It's really because of the technologies that are coming down the pipe. If you'd asked me five or 10 years ago, I would have said, I'm not sure we have everything we need to decarbonize. But today, if we have the tools we need, we just need to deploy them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: OK, I thought I had seen everything at that point. But now we're heating up rocks and that's supposed to do it? I mean, that that was pretty incredible.

WALKER: Well, a tool of the future. I mean, it sounds like it's a tool for now, right? Because he just said that they have the tools, we're just not deploying them. So, let's hurry up and deploy them.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I mean, tools for now. They've been around, I guess, for a while rocks. And the way they've been using them has been awesome. So, I -- we'll see. Bill Weir, thank you for that report.

Still to come for us, the latest on an investigation into batches of lead-contaminated apple sauce pouches that have led dozens of young children sick. Why investigators now think it may have been intentional.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:49:25]

WALKER: In "HEALTH THIS MORNING," an mRNA vaccine and immunotherapy combo continues to show benefit for people with high-risk forms of melanoma skin cancer. Companies Moderna and Merck say they just got data from a three-year follow-up.

JIMENEZ: Yes, their trial included people with stage three or four melanoma that was fully removed but had a high risk of the cancer coming back. After three years, they found their combo had almost a 50 percent lower risk of recurrence or death compared with those who only got the immunotherapy. And here's the best news. The companies are already starting late-stage trials to see how this combination helps treat other cancers too.

[06:50:04]

Now, we're also following a disturbing development in a separate story as federal officials investigate batches of lead-laced children's snacks.

WALKER: And the Food and Drug Administration tells Politico that several different types of cinnamon applesauce may have been intentionally tainted. CNN's Jacqueline Howard has a story.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: If FDA officials can confirm that these products were contaminated on purpose, that would definitely escalate things. What we do know from an exclusive interview in Politico, FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, Jim Jones, said this. "We're still in the midst of our investigation. But so far, all of the signals we're getting lead to an intentional act on the part of someone in the supply chain. And we're trying to sort of figure that out."

The FDA is conducting an onsite inspection at a facility in Ecuador. And the reason why someone may do this intentionally is possibly because these products are sometimes sold by weight. When you add metal, that can make them heavier. But again, this is an ongoing FDA investigation. So far, as of this week, the FDA has received at least 65 reports of adverse events linked to these contaminated cinnamon apple sauce pouches. All of the reports have been in children under the age of six.

We're talking about products sold under the brands of Wana Bana, Schnucks, and Weis. These products have been voluntarily recalled. But parents out there who might still have some contaminated products in their kitchen supplies, definitely discard them immediately.

We do know that while lead is toxic to anyone at any age, kids are more susceptible. Short-term exposures can cause headache or vomiting. Long term exposure can lead to more serious health problems like developmental delays. And this is a good reminder to make sure your young kids are getting their regular lead screenings. This is for kids around the ages one and two.

And if you think your child has been exposed to one of these contaminated products, definitely call your pediatrician's office.

WALKER: All right, Jacqueline Howard, thank you for that. Still ahead, he is known for scoring touchdowns on the field, but now

the man they call the Gronk is showing off another skill from the sidelines. Well, listen next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:56:45]

WALKER: The Detroit Lions are one win away from going to the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

JIMENEZ: Coy Wire is here with us. Coy, it is a great time to be a football fan in Michigan for now. That's what I always say for sports news, for now.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, a 10 for your excitement. The Michigan Wolverines are number one in student college football playoff, and the Lions just won 10 games for the first time in nearly 10 years. Detroit hosting Russell Wilson. And the Broncos who just won six of the last seven, but Jared Goff and the Lions offense were in rhythm all night long. Goff going off throwing for five touchdowns. Three of them to a rookie. Sam LaPorta becoming the first rookie tight end in 60 years with 700 yards and seven scores.

There was another rookie too, Jahmyr Gibbs. There are other stud busting into the end zone. And Amon St. Brown running over there without a second to lose. And what comes next? Hey, bust some move. Lions fans head over heels and so is St. Brown. Check him out soaring through the air for another score. Lions win 42-17. A win next week in Minnesota and they'll be the NFC North champs for the first time.

Over time stunner in Cincinnati. Bengals down seven with under a minute to go. They need a prayer. Jake Browning throws it up and Tee Higgins answers coming up with an incredible grab. And watch him somehow reached a ball over the goal line while being dragged out of bounds. That forces OT. And in overtime, Browning does it again. Former top-five quarterback prospect in high school undrafted out of college, cut by Minnesota. Now, Joe Burrow back up taking it to the team that he says never should have let him go. Sweet pass to Tyler Boyd between three defenders setting up the game-winning field goal. And the Bengals against all odds are 3 and 0 with Browning as their starter and firmly in control of their playoff destiny.

The gardener has retooled Indy's offense. Gardner Minshew, the former six round pick picking the Steelers apart. After going down 13-0, Indy ripping off the next 30 thanks to a heaping helping of Minshew Magic. Three touchdown passes for the backup Q.B. as the coach slide into the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC, for now at least as Omar would say.

Tiger Woods getting the whole family involved this weekend. The 16- year-old daughter, Sam, caddying her dad for the first time ever at the PNC Championship. And she wasn't the only one showing off driving skills. Tiger's son, Charlie, ripping it on the 13th, 321 yards to the green and he clears it and nearly settles on the green. He's just 14 years old. Team Woods is shooting eight under. The apple does not fall far from the tree on or off the course. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE WOODS, SON OF TIGER WOODS: I mean, I drove the ball really good today. I didn't miss a fair way. We still managed to shoot eight under, so we just suck it buddy. That's summed up right there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Finally, first day of college ball season football and we already have a high note. Rob Gronkowski singing the National Anthem at the L.A. Bowl and he's belting his heart out. We're going to bump up the audio a bit but a warning that your dogs might howl and a window might crack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Ouch. Oh, stop it.

WIRE: There you go. Bring it on, Gronk. That's the way to get our Sunday fun day started. Give that man a solo.

WALKER: I mean -- no. He's got so many talents. Why are you allowing him to set -- that singing is way off-tune. It's painful. Coy, good to see you. Thank you.

WIRE: You too.

WALKER: And the next hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.