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King Charles III Kicks Off Trooping The Colour Celebration; Princess Of Wales Attends Trooping The Colour Ceremony; G7 Leaders Confront China On Trade, Helping Russia In Ukraine War; Supreme Court Strike Down Federal Ban On Bump Stocks; Site Of Parkland School Shooting Being Demolished; Soon: Royal Family To Appear On Balcony Of Buckingham Palace. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired June 15, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Saturday, June 15th. I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for joining us. Here's what we're watching this morning, literally, watching live because we've got live pictures for you here of London where King Charles birthday celebration is happening.

This is the Trooping the Colour but so many people are watching for Princess Catherine, Princess of Wales, who is back in the public eye for the first time since she announced nearly six months ago that she's being treated for cancer. We are live at Buckingham Palace.

WALKER: Also, President Biden is on his way to the West Coast this morning after back-to-back overseas trips. More on the star-studded fundraiser on his schedule today and how he is preparing for his first debate with Donald Trump.

BLACKWELL: Demolition has started on part of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. That's the site of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. We're joined by the mother of one of the victims for more on what that moment was like for families.

WALKER: And a major dome of extreme heat. You can see all the red there sending temperatures soaring to near triple-digit territory. The cities that could see record highs and when we will start to see a cool down.

Let's begin in London this morning and in just a few minutes, King Charles III and his royal procession are set to return to Buckingham Palace as the Trooping the Colour ceremony wraps up. Hundreds of officers, soldiers and more took over the streets of London. The King, you see there, is in a carriage, not on horseback, as he continues his cancer treatment.

BLACKWELL: His daughter-in-law, Princess Catherine of Wales, is also battling her own cancer diagnosis. Today marks her first public appearance since Christmas, and she was diagnosed with an unspecified cancer earlier this year and has been recovering out of the public eye. She's posted an update on social media. This happened yesterday. She said she is having good days and bad days, but she is also making good progress.

Let's go now to CNN's Anna Stewart. She is live from Buckingham Palace. So, this is a big moment. The first time we've seen her in public in months. What can you tell us?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And she chose to do it today which is one of the King's birthdays, he has two. This is the official birthday and it's celebrated by this big military ceremony called Trooping the Colour each year. So, that's what you're watching now, those live pictures.

We saw the Royal Family depart from Buckingham Palace around an hour ago. They went to Horse Guard's Parade. They will be due to come back which is great because they've been getting lonely. And then, they will of course go into Buckingham Palace and we'll see the Royal Family on the balcony behind me.

Now, this is a really poignant moment, it's the first time we've seen the Princess of Wales now for months since that shock diagnosis of cancer and while she's been undergoing treatment. Now, yesterday, the statement released by the Princess of Wales came as really quite a surprise, most people had assumed at this stage that she probably wouldn't be able to attend.

So, a birthday surprise for the King, a surprise for the public certainly, and I think it will be a really wonderful moment each year, Trooping the Colour, the King's birthday parade is one of those events on the calendar where you see all of the royal family together on the balcony.

So, the fact that that will now be possible this year will be all the extra special for it.

WALKER: Obviously, Anna, a lot of people are keeping a close eye on Princess Kate, how she looks, how she's doing, what she may do when she's up there on the balcony with her family during this fly-past. I know that the Buckingham Palace hasn't said much about her condition, but what more do we know about her being there today?

STEWART: Well, I can tell you what she's wearing, which I think everyone would like to know. You see that she's wearing a white dress with a dark trim. It is by Jenny Packham and the hat, as ever, is by Philip Treacy. And she's actually wearing a brooch, which is the Irish Guards regimental sort of cat badge. So, that's a nod to the fact that she is the Colonel of the Irish Guards, who are a big part of Trooping the Colour this year.

In terms of how she's doing, we don't know what cancer the Princess has and that she's being treated for. We do know that she's got months left of treatment. She said yesterday, you know, she's not out of the woods yet. What has been really interesting though, both with the Princess and also the King, both of them of course undergoing cancer treatment at this stage, is the communication we've had between them and the public, particularly with the Princess on how she's actually feeling, how she's been coping with this.

[07:05:11]

She said yesterday that she has good days and she has bad days. Clearly, today is a good day, and she feels well enough to be able to do this. Going forwards from here, how often we will see her will really depend on that treatment plan. She will be, we're told, liaising with her medical team to see whether she is able to attend a few more events.

But the decisions might be made quite late in the day as to whether she is able to do that. But it's a huge pleasure to see her and she looks super well, which I'm sure the public will be relieved to see.

WALKER: And let's just clarify, the last in-person Royal public appearance Princess Kate made was in December and it was just a few months ago, three months ago, when she announced her cancer diagnosis. That was in March. Anna Stewart, good to have you. Thank you so much.

And let's go back to these live pictures from the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Many in the crowd looking for a glimpse of Princess Catherine. Later this hour, she is expected to join her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Again, her first public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis.

BLACKWELL: With us now, CNN Royal Historian Kate Williams. Kate, let's start here with, so many people are happy to see Princess Catherine, but this is not a return to royal duties. This is a one-off for this celebration.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: It's a one-off, and I was down there in the crowd watching the parade, the carriage, and what a huge cheer went up when Kate came out with the children. People were just so thrilled to see her. And as you were saying, Amara, we haven't seen her since Christmas.

Her last engagement was Christmas Day, and then we haven't seen her because she has been out of the public eye due to what she's been going through. Her cancer treatment, she gave that very moving statement last night, saying she had good days and bad days, she wasn't out of the woods yet. And we are just thrilled to see her. She's a royal superstar.

It's wonderful to see the King looking so well. It's wonderful to see all the members of the royal family but it's just fantastic to see Kate. And I think it's very important because William's on horseback and Kate's in the carriage with the children, and I think that moment when we see Kate on the balcony waving it's really going to be exciting but it's not a return to work as you were saying.

We will not expect to maybe see her a few times over the summer she said, but I think we won't see her going to full-time duties until probably late in the autumn, maybe early next year.

WALKER: I'm just curious to know because, Kate, you were saying that you were out there with, with the people, what that feeling was like to see Princess Kate for the first time and what people were saying?

WILLIAMS: Oh, well, it was just fantastic and there was huge crowds. It is very rainy here in London. The whole point of the Trooping the Colour being in June, the King's Birthday Parade being in June, even though his birthday is in November, is because it's supposed to be better weather. It was terrible weather, but it couldn't dampen the spirits of the crowd.

They were overwhelmed, and when they saw Kate, because as Max Foster was saying last night, it still might not have happened that she came, because good days and bad days, sometimes she might be overwhelmed with fatigue, and she was there looking fabulous. Those pictures there showing, showing Charlotte looking just so lovely, and Kate coming out in that wonderful dress, that white dress, it looks very 20s to me and it was so important that she was here.

She's the Colonel-in-Chief of the Irish Guards who are trooping their colour today. She was very unhappy that she couldn't come to the rehearsal, so I think she's delighted to be here. The King said he's delighted to have her and the crowd, well they were thrilled.

BLACKWELL: You mentioned this statement where she talks about having good days and bad days and not out of the woods yet. It's not unexpected to hear from someone who's living with cancer, but it struck me as being remarkably personal for a royal to go into this type of emotional description.

WILLIAMS: It's just as you say, this honesty, this openness is unprecedented. We didn't know that the Queen was feeling unwell until really she was very close to sadly passing away. We had no details about the Queen's father, no one knew that he was unwell, but we have this new openness and I think it's an evolution of the royal family.

As a historian, it's very interesting to see this and it's a complete transformation. Now, Kate isn't telling us what kind of cancer she has, she may never do so, it's her private information, but she's telling us how she's feeling, that she feels tired, sometimes she has to rest and sometimes she feels well enough to go to school events with the children.

And that, I think it's because she's been, as she said, she's had all these lovely letters, all these lovely cards and people have been sharing their stories with her, and she, and the King, I think, feel very strongly that they want to be a significant beacon of hope, really, for everyone in the world and there are so many people in the world cancer sufferers, cancer survivors, people who are caring for those with cancer.

It's a disease that touches us all and I think as royal family members, it's a new role for the royal family, but leading through sickness and really showing us a beacon for hope and that photo that they gave out yesterday of her with the tree, it just said to me hope, positivity and Kate really is giving us this insight and I think it's so important and so moving.

[07:10:29] WALKER: You know, a beacon of positivity also for her children. I mean, it struck me when I saw George, and Charlotte, and Louis step out of that carriage to see their mother back at her royal duties just for this, you know, short period of time. It must have been really heartening for them to see mom is back, at least for this event. What about King Charles? Because it is, you know, his celebration. How did he look to you? How is he doing?

WILLIAMS: The King looked great. Again, we haven't seen him in many public engagements. We saw him for D-Day recently, but in general, he's been doing engagements within the palace because of crowds, because of the risk of exposure. And the Queen there and the King standing there reviewing the troops, looking in marvelous spirits and it really was so splendid to see.

And this is the King's Birthday Parade. This tradition goes right back to the 17th century to Charles II when he was restored to the monarchy, and it's become part of the King's birthday celebrations since the 18th century. The King wouldn't miss it and I think he's, as he said, delighted that Kate is there also to support him.

WALKER: It's a remarkable time as two senior members of the royal family are diagnosed with cancer yet they are out in public for this event. Kate Williams, good to have you. Thank you very much. And we do expect to see the entire royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace later this hour. We will bring you that moment when it happens.

Well, Vice President Kamala Harris will announce more than a billion dollars in aid for Ukraine at a peace conference today in Switzerland.

BLACKWELL: The conference begins as the G7 summit ends in Italy. Leaders from the Group of Seven issued a stern warning to China on its trade practices and its support for Russia's war efforts in Ukraine. CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson joins us now from Italy. So, let's start with the summit, the big takeaways, what are they?

NIC ROBERTS, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, they also asked, the G7 leaders also asked China to use its influence over Vladimir Putin to tell him to come to the peace talks, to at least stop the aggression and offensive inside Ukraine. Of course, Putin has offered his own terms for peace at the moment, which is essentially that Ukraine should decide not to want to join NATO and should just cede the territory of all the provinces that Russia has illegally occupied and annexed. That's not going to happen.

And the message for China was, it is your support for Russia, either political and in terms of giving technology support, vital components, microchips and other sorts of things to Russia for its military industrial base which allows it to keep the war going. So, there was a very clear message on the Russia angle for China, but there was a very clear message as you say for Russia's trade practices which are undermining the economies, the workers, the security even of G7 nations, because they have such an influence when they overproduce on supply chains, and, and potentially controlling vital mineral assets around the world. All of these put pressure on, on G7 nations, so that was a very clear

message for China there, but there was a message of support for developing nations there was a clear intent declared to, to find better governance for AI to put it to good use. There were messages there as well for Ukraine of direct support of that $50 billion loan of ongoing military training. So, those were the key takeaways from the G7. And of course, some of that message being taken now by many of those leaders to Lucerne in Switzerland for the peace talks.

WALKER: Nic, good to have you there in Italy. Thank you. We are less than two weeks away from the first presidential debate, which will be hosted right here at CNN. Both candidates are spending the weekend campaigning ahead of the big event.

Donald Trump will be in Michigan, where he is expected to speak at a roundtable event with a few of his V.P. contenders. Then, Trump will speak at the Turning Point Action Conference in Detroit later tonight.

BLACKWELL: President Biden will be in Los Angeles this weekend at a celebrity-packed fundraiser with former President Obama. CNN's Camila DeChalus joins us now from D.C. So, tell us more about this fundraising event that's happening.

[07:15:00]

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Biden has already raised $28 million heading into this event. As you mentioned, former President Barack Obama is expected to attend alongside other A-list celebrities like George Clooney and Julia Roberts. And this is really important. These events are very important for Biden for two reasons, Victor.

One is that they tend to raise a lot of money. Just remember, just back in March, he held a fundraising event in New York City where Obama and former President Bill Clinton attended alongside other celebrities. And in that event alone, he raised $26 million. And so, they see this as a very successful strategy to raise money.

The second reason is Democratic strategists say that when celebrities attend these events it serves as an informal endorsement for Biden, them showing their support. In a way, they hope that, their campaign strategists hope that it would also court some voters to also show up for Biden in the upcoming election. And they say that that could serve as a pivotal role too.

So, these campaign events, and these campaign fundraisers are very important for Biden for multiple reasons. Victor, Amara, back to you.

BLACKWELL: Camila DeChalus, thanks so much. And watch the CNN presidential debate moderated by Dana Bash, Jake Tapper on Thursday, June 27th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Still to come, the Supreme Court has overturned a federal ban on bump stocks, what this could mean for guns in the U.S.

WALKER: Plus, as a demolition of the Parkland High School massacre site begins, the families of the victims are talking about it.

BLACKWELL: And is it hot where you are? Well, if it isn't, it's about to be. This powerful heat dome bringing intense heat to millions of people across the country next week. We'll take a look at the cities that are expected to see the highest temperatures.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:21:35]

BLACKWELL: President Biden is calling on Congress to pass legislation to take action on bump stocks after the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on the devices yesterday. Bump stocks allow a shooter to convert a semi-automatic rifle into a weapon that can fire at a rate of hundreds of rounds a minute.

Vice President Kamala Harris blamed the Supreme Court for rolling back progress with the decision and the director of the ATF said bump stocks pose an unacceptable risk to public safety. Here's CNN's Paula Reid.

PAULA REID, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Amara and Victor. On Friday, the Supreme Court struck down a ban on bump stocks, which enables semi-automatic rifles to fire at speeds comparable to machine guns. And this was a rare regulation to result from a mass shooting in the United States, specifically the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, which left dozens of people dead and hundreds wounded.

Friday's opinion fell along ideological lines with Justice Clarence Thomas writing the majority opinion saying, "We hold that a semi- automatic rifle equipped with a bump stock is not a machine gun because it cannot fire more than one shot by a single function of the trigger, and even if it could, it would not do so automatically."

The three liberal justices joined in a fiery dissent written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who wrote, "When I see a bird that walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck. A bump stock equipped semi-automatic rifle, fires automatically more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. Because I, like Congress, call that a machine gun, I respectfully dissent."

The ATF, which put forth this regulation, has released a statement calling on Congress for a legislative solution, but that seems very unlikely that they would actually be able to pass anything, especially in an election year. Amara, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Paula Reid, thanks so much. Joining me now is Joey Jackson, a CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney and former Prosecutor. Joey, good morning to you. Let's have a bit of a demonstration here. I'm going to play first and listen more than watch to a semi-automatic rifle with no bump stock.

OK, now this is one with a bump stock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Right, even the demonstrator here is surprised. So, a bump stock isn't a single pull. I don't want to oversimplify this. There's a casing, a sleeve in which the butt of the gun sits in and allows the kickback to have the same result, that quick fire off. What is the court here distinguishing between the two and saying that the ATF cannot regulate here?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, Victor, good morning to you. So, the essence of this is as follows. This is a case about how to interpret a statute. And essentially, what the court is saying is that if Congress wants to make these bump stocks, EGLE, right? And classify them as machine guns for semi-automatic purpose. They should do so, but we're not going to do it.

So, interpreting the statute, essence have this distinction between the majority and the dissent. The majority meaning, the six justice, (INAUDIBLE), right? That it is not a machine gun by putting the bump stock, but then you have the minority by Sotomayor saying, yes, it is. And with respect to the demonstration that you just did, Victor, it certainly sounded an awful lot to me like a machine gun, which is why Sotomayor said, it sounds like a duck and looks like a duck, it is a duck.

And so, the distinction with respect to the internal mechanisms, you can argue day and night as the majority does. Oh, the internal mechanisms doesn't make it a machine gun with a bump stop. What Sotomayor is saying is it certainly does. It does the same thing. It facilitates more shots. So, what are we doing here?

And so, again, briefly, the majority is saying that if you want to do that and make it a machine gun, let Congress do it. We're not going to do so, even if the essence of the human pull makes it such that it facilitates more shots. It's really tortured logic in my view, and it's the majority protecting gun ownership, gun possession, and gun use.

[07:26:12]

BLACKWELL: So, does this impact state bans on bump stocks that have been passed through those state legislatures?

JACKSON: It will influence everything. The reality is, as we know, is that the Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter with respect to what's lawful and what's not. And when you look and examine what the Supreme Court did here, in essence, Victor, it's really tortured logic. And let me just say this to you very briefly.

Let's just say, for example, that you had Congress say you cannot have race cars on highways because the intent being that they're dangerous and people would die. You then, Victor, have a normal car, not a race car, but there's a device in which you would install it for the motor. It would make it just as fast as a race car, just as dangerous as a race car.

Guess what? Victor doesn't own a race car, he owns a normal car, but isn't the functionality the same? Isn't the intent to save people's lives the same? So, why then, because it's not called a race car, should Victor be able to drive a normal car, which does what a race car does on a highway? And so, that's what this is.

The reality is that we can wax poetic about it's not a machine gun, but if it's doing the same thing and has the same functionality with respect to a machine gun, that's exactly what it is. And so, to your question, once a Supreme Court speaks, it will address and affect and involve every person in this country because they are the ultimate arbiter of what's lawful and what's not.

BLACKWELL: Yes. So, it's interesting because there, I went on the ATF Web site this morning and Glock switches, which are essentially give you the same result for a pistol. The ATF says that the switch is classified as a machine gun under federal law and they're available. So, the Glock switches are illegal, but people print them, these 3D printers. Does this ruling suggest that that regulation might be vulnerable to if a case reaches this makeup of the court?

JACKSON: So, I really think it does. That's a very good reading of it. Because what in essence they're doing, that is the Supreme Court, is saying that listen, again, ATF, right, it's really a case about what federal entities can do. And what the Supreme Court is doing is saying you ATF do not have the lawful authority to make a distinction and determination as to what a machine gun is in this definition.

No matter what it does, that is the bump stock, to facilitate the rapid fire of weapons. That's a function of Congress. You don't. ATF, have that authority. We're not going to give you that authority. And the minority against Sotomayor is saying, but what are you talking about? The effect of this bump stock is making weapons more dangerous. It's taking lives. It's putting bullets out there more rapidly.

Don't tell me about the functionality of the gun itself. Talk to me about how humans use the gun. And if the bump stock allows for the gun to be facilitated in rapid fire succession, is that not a machine gun? So, I would argue to your point, Victor, that anything and everything that is not specifically within the definition of machine gun is subject for fair game.

And so, at the end of the day, everything has a context. And if the context is danger, the context is rapid fire, the context is the reason Congress did it is to make it, right, is to make it more safe, then hey, they should have interpreted that way. They didn't. Here's where we are.

BLACKWELL: Joey Jackson, thank you.

WALKER: Still to come, the Parkland School building where a mass shooting unfolded six years ago is being demolished. We're going to talk with the mother of one victim and what all this means for her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [07:34:18]

WALKER: Demolition crews in Parkland Florida have begun tearing down a building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. 14 students and three faculty members were killed on Valentine's Day in 2018. The gunman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Until now, nothing could be done to the building because it was being used as evidence in the murder trial. Now, there are mixed feelings in the community about what to do with the space.

Joining me now is Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter was killed at Parkland. She is now the chair of the Broward County School Board. Lori, good morning to you. Thank you so much for joining us on this day. You were there to watch the 1200 building be demolished.

[07:35:02]

Your 14-year-old daughter was murdered in that building. Tell me what did you feel in your heart when you saw this happening?

LORI ALHADEFF, CHAIR, BROWARD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD: Yesterday was very painful, knowing that the place where my daughter, Alyssa was murdered, shot eight times in her English classroom. But I know that it's necessary for that building to come down.

And yesterday, with the crane, taking chunks out of the building is the staff for this process for the building to come down happen.

WALKER: I've read that you said that this is part of the healing process. How so?

ALHADEFF: So, it's really been a roller coaster of pain. Six years ago, Alyssa was murdered in that building. And every step of the way, is a part of my healing process for me and my family.

WALKER: Yes.

ALHADEFF: And for that building to come down. And then, for there to be a space -- a usable space for students to remember the legacy of the 17 that were murdered on Valentine's Day.

WALKER: What will be put in its place? I understand the Broward County School Board hasn't decided yet on what will happen.

ALHADEFF: So, we're instilling conversations with the staff and the 17 families. But we're thinking about an MSD-17 legacy field, where it could be a usable space for the band JROTC, or students, P-students (PH) to go there to do their activities, and then also a teachable space. But to have the 17 very focus there and to honor them, and you know for forever, to keep their legacy alive. So, we never forget what happened on that horrific day six years ago.

WALKER: Alyssa left behind you, she left behind her father, two younger brothers, who go to the school. They have had to walk by this 1200 building. How are your sons doing? What has the last few years been like? And also, you know, knowing that this building is being demolished?

ALHADEFF: So, it's very painful for them, but we know that with the building being demolished, that it's one more step in their healing process. And they have gotten a golden doodle dog which has helped them, and we just want to keep Alyssa's memory alive, honor Alyssa, live for Alyssa.

WALKER: Before I let you go, I do want to mention that you founded the nonprofit, Make Our School Safe, which is -- promotes school safety. I do want to ask you, you know, as a mother, what do you think about when you think and remember your beautiful daughter, Alyssa?

ALHADEFF: So, I just remember her laugh, her smile, her zest for life. And we just love Alyssa so much. And now, I'm Alyssa's voice with Make Our School Safe.

WALKER: Lori Alhadeff, we really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so much.

ALHADEFF: Thank you.

WALKER: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:43:09]

WALKER: All right. We want to show you live pictures out of London right now. We are standing by to see the royal family come out onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace. They are participating in the Trooping the Colour ceremony, which celebrates King Charles' birthday.

The Princess of Wales Catherine, arrived at Buckingham Palace earlier this morning, marking the first public appearance since the news of her cancer diagnosis back in March.

BLACKWELL: A dangerous heat dome over the southeast today, a taste of what is in store for a lot of the country in the coming week.

WALKER: Temperatures are set to skyrocket if they haven't already. And millions will be impacted. Allison Chinchar, meteorologist Allison Chinchar, here with that.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I got these for you -- you knew it's (INAUDIBLE)

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: Oh, my God, I just did as that.

CHINCHAR: You knew it was (INAUDIBLE). Yes, you did.

BLACKWELL: That I looked at the earrings, and I was like, oh, that's nice. I did not know that they are what? CHINCHAR: Thermometers.

BLACKWELL: Thermometers? OK.

WALKER: That's so cute.

BLACKWELL: All right.

CHINCHAR: Yes. Set the very warm, yes. Again, you are -- (INAUDIBLE) it was hot, all you have to do --

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: And she is wearing red. So, look at your sartorial choices.

CHINCHAR: Yes, all you had to do is step outside.

The key thing with this next heat wave is it's going to spread into a lot of places. It's not just going to be limited to one. So, for right now we really focus in on the south. But just in the next two days, it's going to spread into the Midwest, the Great Lakes and eventually into the Northeast. So, you're talking a lot of people, millions of people looking at those temperatures well above average.

Here you can start to see more of that red color spreading on Sunday, then we start to get some of the purple that's the extreme heat wrist that's the highest level you can possibly get. Then, it starts to spread eastward on Tuesday.

So, a lot of these areas going to start to see those numbers begin to tick back up. And again, we're not just talking five maybe 10 degrees above average. A lot of these areas are going to be record breaking.

Look at this, 190 temperature record is possible. And it starts in the south. So, for today, records could be places like Atlanta, Macon, Charleston, South Carolina, even Galveston. Then, by Sunday and Monday it starts to spread into the Midwest and into the northeast.

[07:45:01]

Take for example, Chicago, 86 today. So, about five degrees above average. Back up to 97 almost triple digits by the time we get to Monday.

Washington, D.C., New York, those temperatures are also going to start to rise. Look at New York City specifically. Not to bad today, right on average. But then, we're talking about low 90s, by the time we get towards the back half of the upcoming week.

BLACKWELL: Wow.

WALKER: Brutal. Allison, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Thank you.

WALKER: All right. Let's go back now to London, to like -- take a look at the live pictures of Buckingham Palace. The Trooping the Colour parade is underway as King Charles celebrates his birthday.

We want to show you Princess Catherine, when she arrived for the festivities this morning, stepping out of that carriage with her children first. And then, you will see her coming out in her beautiful white dress.

We will be seeing her and the rest of her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in just a few moments from now, and we will bring you that live when it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:27]

BLACKWELL: Oh, some of that classic London weather now. For the end of the Trooping the Colour, the royal family moments away from appearing on Buckingham Palace's balcony, as part of the ceremony. The tradition dates back to 1760 and celebrates King Charles's official birthday. Though, his actual birthday is November 14th.

WALKER: The Princess of Wales, Catherine arrived at Buckingham Palace earlier this morning, marking the first public appearance since news of her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Kate Williams is with us now. Good to have you back.

First, as we are watching, I think video. This is from earlier of Princess Catherine and the children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, their first appearance this morning. Just tell us there is this second ceremony because, typically, the weather in June is expected to be better than whenever the monarch's birthday might actually be.

WILLIAMS: Yes, looking at those wonderful pictures there of Kate and the children climbing out of the carriage. And now, we've got the pictures of all those umbrellas outside Buckingham Palace, because the whole principle of this double birthday, the King's Trooping the Colour. It's the King's birthday parade, the King's birthday party, but just as you were saying the King's birthday is actually in November. And therefore, the birthday parade always happens in the summer, because that's when we're supposed to be having the good weather.

But we are having terrible weather today. So, we might as well just move it to November. But even though we've had this awful weather, this ceremony that, as you were saying, dates back to George III, 1760, the idea that we celebrate the monarch's birthday, with the Household Cavalry, the household regiments trooping their colour to date, the Irish guards, the guards of which Kate is colonel in chief, that the crowds were so happy and delighted.

I was down there in the park. No matter how much rain came, you couldn't dampen those spirits. They were just thrilled to see the King and Kate out there doing a Royal Engagement.

WALKER: Anna Stewart is also joining us. So, Anna, walk us through what we will see in the next few minutes. You know, including the royal family out on the balcony and also the flypast.

STEWART: Well, what you're going to see and what you're going to hear, because you may have just captured the sound of a gun going off. And there is another. There is a 41-gun salute from Green Park, taking place right now by the king's war horse troop cavalry.

So, you can hear those taking off. There'll be five -- well, 41, it's going to take a while.

And then, we will see members of the royal family, senior members of the royal family gathering on that balcony, for that famous balcony shot. And you're looking now at pictures of the public starting to jostle into position, because this area outside Buckingham Palace was closed off for the procession -- for the Royal procession down the mound.

Now, it is open. So, they are able to get right up to the Gates of Buckingham Palace. And for royal fans, they come here, hours and hours before all this kicks off. They have been here pre-dawn, the weather, as you can probably see hasn't been great. There has been thunder, there has been kind of slightly biblical rain, so, there drenched at this stage. But it does appear to be cheering up ever so slightly.

The balcony scene is really important to this whole ceremony. This is the moment where you see the members of the royal family together as a unit. And I think as you compare year to year, who's on that balcony, really tells a story of the evolution of the royal family. With Queen Elizabeth II, it was often quite a large crowd on that balcony, you would see up to 40 or actually I think, more than 40 in 2016, people are gathering.

This is a slim down monarchy. Of course, it's Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex also left the fold of the royal family, they are not going to be there, so, it's slimmed down even more, which is why it is so fantastic for the royal family, for the princess of Wales is able to attend today.

I hope you are enjoying the booming sound of the 41-gun salute, which is actually quite easy to mistake for thunder today.

BLACKWELL: Well, I don't know how many were into this 41.

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: True.

BLACKWELL: But there is enough time between them that we'll have them for quite a while, I expect. 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses, 400 musicians for the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

Kate, back to you.

[07:55:01]

You were out with the crowds and I guess I could put it in afterward. How does the number compare to past years, because so many people have come to see Princess Catherine, of course, but the weather is a hindrance as well.

WILLIAMS: Yes, the weather is terrible, but the crowds were very big. They are just as big as I saw last year for the Kings Trooping the Colour parade. And indeed, for the final ones of Her Majesty, the Queen's final ones as well.

The crowds really know it's going to be such a brilliant show, and we've had terrible weather for so many great worthy engagements for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, for the Queen's 90th birthday.

So, we're used to being down by Green Park, down by Buckingham Palace, being a bit wet. And it was just beautiful this morning. All the flags out, all the cheering crowds. And I think many of them had long planned to come anyway. But the news we got last night that Kate was going to come when I think many of us thought that she wouldn't perhaps be up to it. That was a really wonderful boost.

And the king said he was delighted to see her, and the crowds were absolutely thrilled. And that moment when we see the royal family, we're just looking at the balcony here. It's empty, but it's all ready for them. The moment when we see the royal family out on the balcony, watching the really fantastic RAF flypast, the -- this amazing flypast done by the Royal Air Force, that will be such that will be -- that will be on the photo, on the front page of every newspaper tomorrow.

Kate, looking up at the flypast and probably let's face it, little Prince Louis, just 6, making a few faces and putting us (INAUDIBLE) as he is.

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: Yes. I'm always looking forward to that. Yes. Just see what kind of facial expressions or shenanigans he may be up to.

And just Kate, let me just follow up, because, you know, a lot of people are watching for Kate Middleton -- excuse me, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, just to see how she looks and appears right? Because we don't know much about her cancer diagnosis. She stated in her statement last night that she's not out of the woods yet.

You were there on the ground with the people. Just tell us what the conversations are sounding like, despite this being the official birthday for King Charles, who has also been diagnosed with cancer.

WILLIAMS: King Charles has also been diagnosed with cancer and we don't see him on horseback this year. He was in the carriage last year he was on horseback. It is customary that that's usually what the monarch does. So, that change was made that he would be in a carriage.

And we haven't seen him doing many royal engagements because he has been, of course, sheltering, you are -- immune compromised when you're going through cancer treatment.

But to see Kate there, I mean, the crowds were there for the king, the crowds were there for Kate, she is a royal superstar. And people have been very worried about her, because it's clear that as she said in her statement, it's been tough good days and bad days. She is not out of the woods yet. Today is not a return to work. It should not be seen as such -- we probably maybe won't see her until the autumn or perhaps even early next year going back to full time royal duties.

So, everyone I was speaking to, there were some real royal fans. There were some tourists, there were visitors, they were all families, there were all these children, and they were all saying, you know, how happy they are to see the king, to see Princess Kate. And just -- it feels like the royal family are getting back to normal. That's what someone said to me. We were like they are getting back to normal.

And so many people in the world, they are touched by cancer. And to have two members of the royal family being so open about it. There were people in the crowd, who were saying to me, no, I've been through chemotherapy, and it's so important and moving to me to see Kate talking about it and honestly say how tough it can be.

BLACKWELL: Anna, you mentioned the slim down monarchy, some of that a conscious choice. Also, we know that Prince Andrew is not engaged in those senior duties. Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan will not be there. They have pulled themselves out of some of those roles.

Who should we expect to see here today? And why? Beyond, of course, the names we've already mentioned.

STEWART: Yes. So, you'll expect, of course to see the king, the queen, the prince and princess of Wales and their children. You'll also see princess royal, Princess Anne, who was a part of that procession and ride on horseback, who is in royal's uniform?

You'll see typically, Lawrence, you'll see the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Edinburgh, that's Prince Edward. I mean, all the names of course switched around rather in the last couple of years.

And I believe their daughter, Lady Louise Windsor will probably be on that balcony too. Often, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent are also there, more elderly members of the royal family.

But all, and of course, not as many.

And here, you can see the doors are opening. Let's listen in.

Huge cheers from the crowds there. So, we see the king and the queen.

[08:00:01]

You can see the Princess of Wales, all lining up, looking at the crowds of people there to celebrate. Crowds of fans, also, some protesters, holding flags, saying, down with the crown, and not my king, in rather large letters.