Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Top Hamas Military Official Targeted In Israeli Airstrike; Biden In Fiery Campaign, "I'm Not Going Anywhere"; Baldwin Could Have Faced Up To 18 Months In Prison; Dem Revolt Against Biden's Candidacy Mirrors Issues With Young Voters In Battleground State Of Pennsylvania; Top Hamas Military Official Targeted In Israeli Airstrike; Mega Rich Couple Tie The Knot With A-List Guests. Aired 7- 8a ET

Aired July 13, 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]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, welcome to CNN THIS MORNING, Sunday, July 13th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. We begin with breaking news this hour.

An Israeli security official tells CNN that a top Hamas military official, Mohammed Deif, was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza this morning. Now, Deif is the leader of Hamas's Qassam brigades.

BLACKWELL: Now, it comes as Gaza officials say at least 20 are dead, dozens injured in a strike in the Khan Younis area. New video in the CNN now shows the moment of that strike. Gaza officials say, it hit an area where displaced people were sheltering.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us from Jerusalem now with more. What's the latest you're hearing, Jeremy?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli military says that it is still looking into these reports of whether or not Mohammed Deif has indeed been killed in this strike. But an Israeli security official is, indeed, telling me that Mohammed Deif was the target of this enormous Israeli airstrike that took place in the expanded humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi, this area that the Israeli military has designated as a "safer area" for civilians, many of them displaced from other parts of Gaza to head to.

But this morning, around 10.30 a.m. local time, it was the site instead of an enormous Israeli airstrike. The plume of smoke that can be seen in this video as well as the enormous crater are indicative of a very powerful type of munition used by the Israeli military. The crater is quite similar to what I've seen in previous strikes where the Israeli military has dropped those enormous 2,000 pound bombs, although at this stage we do not know exactly what kind of munition the Israeli military used.

So far, the reports of casualties, at least 71 people were killed, nearly 300 people were injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. If indeed, Mohammed Deif, who is the number two official of Hamas in Gaza, the head of Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, if indeed, he was killed in this strike, that would obviously be a very, very significant moment in the nine months of this war.

Mohamed Deif was not only the head, or as of now, is the head of Al- Qassam Brigades, but he is also viewed in many ways as the mastermind of the October 7th terrorist attacks that Hamas carried out. In the past, he has also been responsible for multiple suicide bombings in Israel, ordering at least four suicide attacks in 1996 that killed 65 people in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

But again, as of now, we do not know, nor is the Israeli government or the Israeli military confirming that Mohammed Deif is indeed killed in this strike. But again, if that were to be the case, a very, very significant moment. And of course, we should not lose sight of what appears to be an enormous civilian death toll as well as we are watching the number of people killed in this strike continuing to rise.

WALKER: We saw on the video, Jeremy, in the aftermath of that strike a lot of people, children, women, men just running from the scene there. What more do we know about this particular shelter? How, how many people were seeking shelter there?

DIAMOND: Well, we know that the Al-Mawasi area is kind of a coastal strip of land on the Mediterranean Sea, a sandy area with very little infrastructure, but one that has since been designated by the Israeli military as a "safer area" for displaced Palestinian civilians to go.

And over the course of the last several months, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have moved to that area. The Israeli military, when they began to enter Rafah about two months ago, then expanded that humanitarian area of Al-Mawasi to include an area in the western part of the Khan Younis governorate, and that appears to be where this strike today occurred.

And you can see in the rubble and in the aftermath of this strike that this hit an area that was filled with the tents of displaced Palestinians, and there's no doubt that there were women, children among those who were killed today. We should also note that if, indeed, Mohamed Deif was in this expanded humanitarian zone, he would have been entering an area that was designated as a humanitarian zone.

[07:05:13]

And in doing so, without question, putting at risk the civilians who were around him. And again, we don't know yet whether or not he was even there, whether he was killed in this strike. But certainly, if he was there, there's no question that his presence in a designated humanitarian zone would have been putting countless civilians at risk.

It also needs to be noted that if 71 people were killed for -- as part of this strike killing Mohamed Deif, that also raises questions about the acceptable civilian death toll that the Israeli military is comfortable with here. We know, of course, that the United States has previously taken out people who they view as top terrorists in the world with very little to no civilian casualties. So, that also will be something that is to be examined.

But of course, we are just in the very, very early stages so far of this strike, of the aftermath of this strike. And at this hour, I'm told that Yoav Gallant, the defense minister, is sitting down with Herzi Halevi, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Military. They are all conducting an assessment of what actually happened in this strike, whether or not Mohamed Deif was killed.

But again, if he was, that would be a very significant moment in this war. And it also needs to be said that it comes at a time when these ongoing ceasefire negotiations are happening between Israel and Hamas, the extent to which this could impact those is also something that we'll need to keep a close eye on. But potentially a very significant strike, and without a doubt, a very, very deadly strike with 71 people killed and nearly 300 injured.

WALKER: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. Of course, we'll stay on top of this developing story and bring you more as it happens. President Biden won't be on the campaign trail today, but he will be working behind the scenes to shore up his re-election bid, even as a number of Democratic lawmakers publicly call on him to step aside, and that's growing. In a rally in Michigan last night, Biden was as defiant as ever, vowing to stay in the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I'm a nominee in this party because 14 million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries. You made me the nominee, no one else, not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors. You, the voters, you decided, no one else, and I'm not going anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: President Biden also took direct aim at Donald Trump and sometimes explicit terms, calling him a loser and a convicted criminal, among other things. Now, Mr. Biden is back in Delaware today, where he will be holding virtual calls with groups of congressional Democrats in an effort, an effort that Democrats have been calling for him to do for quite a long time.

BLACKWELL: The calls with current lawmakers to garner support a day after a group of two dozen former Democratic lawmakers published an open letter calling for Biden to release his convention delegates and for the Democratic National Committee to hold an open convention.

This letter said, "While his integrity is still intact, the energy and the stamina the president needs for a campaign and a next term are diminished." CNN's Camila DeChalus joins us now from Rehoboth Beach this morning.

Camila, let's talk about first this rally where the president showed a lot of energy. He pivoted to Donald Trump. What did he say? CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden was

met with a very enthusiastic crowd in Michigan yesterday, and he made two things clear. One is that he's not going anywhere and he's not going to step down from running to be re-elected.

And the second thing is he firmly believes that former President Donald Trump is unfit for office. Now, Victor, Biden also took time during this rally to acknowledge that he has had some slip-ups when it comes to his memory in the last few days at these really public events. But he also made the argument that Trump has had the same issue as well. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I sometimes confuse names. I say that's Charlie instead of Bill. But guess what? Donald Trump has gotten a free pass. He hadn't done a damn thing to a couple days ago. He'd been riding around in his golf course, golf cart, in his course, filling out his scorecard before he picks up his club, rambling about. Take what he's been talking about. Hannibal Lecter, he says, is a nice guy. Trump would rather be electrocuted than eaten by a shark. You know that whole thing, remember that? Poor Donald, he can't even watch TV this week because it's shark week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DECHALUS: Now, Biden also took time during the rally to lay out what he wants to do if he's re-elected for a second term during his first 100 days in office. Some of the things that he wants to do is codify Roe v. Wade, make child tax cuts permanent, raise minimum wage, and ban assault weapons. So, this was a really interesting aspect of him not just laying out what he sets to do if he's reelected, but also reminding voters of what he's done in the last three years of being in office, Victor, Amra.

[07:10:20]

WALKER: And Camila, as President Biden continues his outreach campaign to these key groups of lawmakers, what can we expect from these virtual meetings today?

DECHALUS: Biden's campaign has acknowledged that there is some anxiety among Democrats on Capitol Hill around him running for office and what they really hope to do in these outreach efforts of him holding these calls with several lawmakers is to really make it clear that he hears their concerns, and he wants to take it as an opportunity to vocalize why he's still committed to running to be reelected, and what he's going to set out to do, and how he's going to help the American people if he's re-elected for a second term. Victor, Amara, back to you.

BLACKWELL: Camila DeChalus for us there at Rehoboth Beach, thanks so much. Let's bring in now Axios Political Reporter, Stef Kight, to break it all down for us. Steph, good morning to you. So, let's start with the president's pivot here now. He told a group of supporters at Renaissance High School there in Detroit that it's going to be all about Trump from here on out. Can he make that pivot now? STEF KIGHT, AXIOS POLITICAL REPORTER: That's certainly what the Biden campaign feels like they have to do to have any sort of a chance at winning in November. One of the things that we've been hearing Democrats are most frustrated with is just how long the fallout from President Biden's debate has gone on, how much attention has been paid to the concerns around Biden's health and his age, when they really believe that they need to make this entire conversation about the former president, Donald Trump, in order to help Democrats to top the ticket and down ballot going into November.

But the reality is, this is going to be a difficult pivot to make. Of course, it will be helped by the fact that the Republican convention begins next week, and so that may help try to push the attention back on the former president. But the Biden campaign really has been the topic of conversation for the past two weeks, and the fact that Biden continues to say that he's going to stay in the race, and we continue to hear from more and more Democratic lawmakers calling for him to step aside or at the very least raising concerns, it seems unlikely that they're going to be able to fully avoid the media coverage.

BLACKWELL: Yes, every public appearance, every speech, every interview now is going to be measured against that debate performance. The most recent one, of course, the news conference after the 75th anniversary of NATO. Your latest piece for Axios, you write, surprise, GOP loved Biden's good night, why?

KIGHT: Many of the Republican strategists and top aides that I've spoken to since that news conference say that they felt like Biden actually hit a sweet spot for them, because Biden did decently well. There were one or two significant floods, but overall, he seemed to be able to answer the questions well and had a lot of, you know, in-depth content to talk about when it comes to the foreign policy space. And Republicans think that, that performance will make it harder for Democrats to force Biden to step aside, even as it was not good enough to end all questions around whether he is actually up to the job of president now and for another four years.

And Republicans, that's ideal for them. They think that Biden at the top of the ticket is their best chance at winning the White House in November, but also sweeping the House and the Senate as well. They would rather have a known commodity, Biden, at the top of the ticket, someone who they know what his weaknesses are, rather than a different candidate. They hope to weaken Biden through this conversation, but they not, they don't particularly want to see a different Democratic candidate at the top of the ticket for the presidential race.

They're very comfortable keeping Biden there, and they felt like the press conference kind of spreaded that needle for them.

BLACKWELL: Let's turn to the Republicans. The RNC is just a couple of days away, and we don't know yet who will be former President Trump's running mate. He will announce sometime between now and Monday. Electorally, does it matter?

KIGHT: It's a good question, and it's something that, you know, when I'm talking with sources and other reporters, people kind of have different takes. There is always the chance that a pick could move a few persuadable voters. And it's important to remember that when we're looking at November, there is a very small number of voters who are kind of willing to change their minds.

There are very small populations in just a handful of states who are going to really determine who wins in November. So, there's always the off chance that, you know, picking someone like Marco Rubio may, you know, convince some, you know, Florida voters or Latino voters to vote for Trump who maybe were on the edge, not sure how they wanted to go, same thing for someone like Tim Scott.

Does that help Trump with black voters as we've seen him kind of build more supporters out of that population as well. But at the end of the day, Donald Trump is Donald Trump, and the American people remember his administration. He's not someone that we are trying to define in any way. He's someone that most of America already understands, remembers, knows, and it's hard to see a V.P. pick really changing that.

[07:15:52]

BLACKWELL: Stef Kight, thank you so much. And as I said, RNC just days away. Watch CNN special coverage of the Republican National Convention. Our coverage starts tomorrow night, 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

WALKER: There was real-life drama for actor Alec Baldwin in a New Mexico courtroom. Straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, the moment the judge in Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial tossed out the case. You can see him sobbing there, what it means for the only person serving time in the deadly rush shooting investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:21:03]

BLACKWELL: The Alec Baldwin trial is over after a dramatic turn of events. Look at this, this is Alec Baldwin, this emotional moment. He's breaking down and crying in court after a discovery abruptly ended the involuntary manslaughter case against him just a few days after it started.

WALKER: The judge's sudden dismissal of the case late Friday centered on prosecutors withholding evidence. CNN's Josh Campbell explains the stunning end to the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alec Baldwin in tears after the involuntary manslaughter case against the actor was thrown out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dismissal with prejudice is warranted to ensure the integrity of the judicial system.

CAMPBELL: After the ruling, Baldwin turned to his wife, Hilaria, the two locking in an emotional embrace. The shocking dismissal came at the end of a bizarre series of events in court that saw testimony halted and the jury sent home early in the day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trials are fluid. It's not something we predicted.

CAMPBELL: Then both sides sparred over ammunition that was turned into the Sheriff's office but wasn't included in the case inventory or tested by the prosecution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is critical evidence in the case that was never disclosed to us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your Honor, there have been absolutely no violations of our obligations as prosecutors.

CAMPBELL: Judge Mary Marlo Summer herself handling the ammunition as she questioned the crime scene technician on whether they were similar to those found on the "Rust" set.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're securing the scene.

CAMPBELL: Where Baldwin fired a gun that contained a live round, killing cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. Prosecutors claim they already determined the ammunition had no value to the case.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want to call yourself as a witness?

CAMPBELL: In a moment that turned heads, prosecutor Kari Morrissey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

KARI MORRISSEY, SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: I do.

CAMPBELL: Called herself to the witness stand to defend her actions.

MORRISSEY: I did not intend to mislead the court. My understanding of what was dropped off at the Sheriff's Department is on this computer screen and it looks absolutely nothing like the live rounds from the set of "Rust."

CAMPBELL: But additional ammunition was also turned in and the defense questioned a crime scene technician on whether they could be a match.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Again, I wouldn't use the word match without further analysis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the reason that we don't have further analysis is you all didn't send this to the FBI for further analysis, did you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did not.

CAMPBELL: It was enough for the judge to throw the case out. As she made her ruling, Baldwin's family, including his actor brother Stephen and their sister, huddled in tears behind the defense table. Baldwin left court without speaking to reporters.

MORRISSEY: The importance of the evidence was misconstrued.

CAMPBELL: The prosecutor addressing questions about the certain letdown for the family of the victim, Halyna Hutchins, whose relatives followed the case from their home in war-torn Ukraine.

Did you let the Hutchins family down?

MORRISSEY: No, we didn't. We did everything humanly possible to bring justice to Halyna and to her family, and we're proud of the work that we did. Again, we disagree with the court's decision, but we have to respect it.

CAMPBELL: And the way in which the judge ruled here is critical. She dismissed Alec Baldwin's indictment with prejudice, which means the prosecution cannot retry him. Alec Baldwin is a free man. Josh Campbell, CNN, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: A really remarkable turn of events. Let's bring in CNN Legal Analyst Joey Jackson to discuss. Joey, it's always great to see you. So, the case thrown out because the prosecution withheld the evidence. What was your reaction when you found out about this, and does this happen often?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, it does, Amara, good morning to you. My reaction is it's a very good call, and, you know, cheers to the judicial system. There are certain rules of engagement, and there's something basic. It's called discovery. That's information that's gleaned and gathered by law enforcement at a scene. It needs to be turned over for analysis.

It could have significant impacts on the case, and when it's not, what happens is that the other side is prejudiced. We don't have trials by ambush in this country. We have fair rules and when those rules are violated and the judge finds them to be intentional, the only remedy in this particular case was to dismiss the case.

It doesn't always happen, Amara. There are other instances, the jury is instructed accordingly, evidence is excluded but in this particular case, I think dismissal was warranted and it was the right call.

WALKER: What does this mean for then Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for loading that live round in the gun? Does this impact her?

JACKSON: Significantly. I think what you're going to see is a motion from her attorney giving the indication that when she was on trial, she did not have this information. Clearly it was in the prosecution's control. Clearly, it was brought to the prosecutor's attention. And prosecutors don't get to make a unilateral decision as to whether something's relevant or important in a case.

It's shared and then assessed and analyzed, evaluated by experts. And the event it has value, it comes in. And the event it doesn't, it's really disregarded. But at the end of the day, you don't say, oh, it has no value, it's irrelevant, we're not using it.

So, with respect to that case, there will be a motion made, and it will be up to the judge to determine whether that case should be dismissed as well and, of course, her release after serving, in serving that 18-month sentence.

[07:26:14]

WALKER: And Joey, you were saying that it does happen often where you see cases thrown out because evidence is being withheld. Why would evidence be withheld? I mean, is that something that's intentional typically or sometimes an oversight?

JACKSON: So, to be clear, it's not something that happens, Amara, every day, right? There are instances, however, where it does happen. And what I mean by that is this is not an isolated incident, right? You see in the judicial system where evidence that needs to be shared with all parties, particularly the defendant, whose liberty is at stake.

Your life and your livelihood, your future, your reputation, your ability to support your family, all of that is at stake. And so, there are rules that say you need to turn it over. And some things happen, Amara, and they're unintentional.

But when you have evidence submitted to you, you don't put it in another file, you don't bury it, you don't make a decision as a prosecutor that it doesn't matter, nothing to see here, you make a decision to freely share it, you come before the court, you make a record of it, and when you don't do that, you're sanctioned.

And in this case, the judge has to fashion an appropriate remedy. And the remedy here, because you're in the middle of trial, and the trial involves a gun, and it involves ammunition, and you said nothing about it. So, in this situation, this was fair, and in other instances, it does happen, you know, where the prosecutor does it, and if you act in bad faith and you act intentionally, this is what goes on.

And you need to ensure the integrity of the system. People before the court need to feel respected, safe, and that they get a fair shake. In this case, he wasn't getting that.

WALKER: Joey Jackson, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much. Still to come, how this influencer and others are trying to bring in the youth vote for President Biden in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:32:11]

BLACKWELL: All right, a lot of attention being paid to the battleground state of Pennsylvania. This afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Philadelphia. He's given a keynote address at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote presidential town hall. That's an effort to mobilize Asian and Pacific Islander voters. WALKER: Later today, First Lady Jill Biden is expected to speak at the Italian Sons and Daughters dinner in Pittsburgh, while former President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Butler tonight ahead of the Republican National Convention, which kicks off on Monday.

Now, the revolt among some Democrats in Congress against President Biden's reelection bid is coming after a steady stream of polls, showing a clear and unmistakable defection among young voters who are critical to his 2020 win.

CNN's Danny Freeman spoke to some young voters in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania to hear what they are saying about their enthusiasm for November's election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As President. Joe Biden worked the rope line in Harrisburg, Sunday, trying to fight off questions about his age, a younger face in the crowd was creating content.

KENNY SCREVEN, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: The Biden and Harris --

FREEMAN: Did you ever think that you'd be influencing for a presidential campaign?

SCREVEN: Definitely not.

FREEMAN (voice over): Kenny Screven is a social media influencer in Pennsylvania, one of many the Biden campaign has recently partnered with to try and reach younger voters.

SCREVEN: The things can get much harder if we don't vote.

FREEMAN (voice over): In addition to makeup tutorials and LGBTQ advocacy, Screven now posts about the importance of voting for Biden.

FREEMAN: Do you feel young people are energized right now to vote in this election?

SCREVEN: Truthfully, no. I feel like a lot of people are discouraged. But I think that's where influencers come in. We can really help motivate them, encourage them to vote.

FREEMAN (voice over): In 2020, younger voters overwhelmingly supported President Biden over former President Trump. But recent polls show the two candidates running about even among this key demographic.

JAHNAVI RAO, PRESIDENT, NEW VOTERS: Just Matt and Ariev (PH).

FREEMAN (voice over): 24-year-old Jahnavi Rao runs a group out of Chester County. The goal, to register young voters in crucial swing states and motivate them to vote.

RAO: There are more than enough people in this country who don't want you to vote as a young voter. All we're doing is giving you the tools and the resources so that you can.

FREEMAN (voice over): But resources are one thing. Enthusiasm is another. We asked several young voters on a scale from one to ten, how excited are they to go to the polls in November?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say like a five.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a seven right now -- seven or eight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd say probably a five.

SARANYA SINGH, 18-YEAR-OLD PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I mean, I would put myself at a one, like I'm not excited at all.

FREEMAN (voice over): 18-year-old Saranya Singh said she will 100 percent vote for President Biden because reproductive issues are so important to her. But she worries about the president's appeal to other young voters.

SINGH: A lot of my friends and a lot of people in our age group are really hesitant to vote this year at all because, I mean, Biden is not the ideal Democratic candidate in any way.

[07:35:07]

FREEMAN (voice over): Anish Garimidi is a rising sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania. And while he's also all in for Biden, he is nervous about the lack of enthusiasm, too.

ANISH GARIMIDI, 18-YEAR-OLD PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: The Biden campaign should definitely be seeing that as, like, if the youth vote slips away, like, Pennsylvania slips away.

FREEMAN (voice over): Here, former President Trump's campaign season opening. Though his team did not provide examples of state-specific youth outreach, the campaign points to their recent launch on TikTok as a sign of its youth voter push.

TREVOR TAYLOR, CHAIR, ADAMS COUNTY YOUNG REPUBLICANS: When we talk about, you know, the economic issues, that resonates more with the youth vote. And that's my advice to engage with them. And we are -- we are having success.

FREEMAN (voice over): Trevor Taylor leads the Young Republicans in bright red Adams County. He says the past few weeks have been pivotal.

TAYLOR: Especially seeing Biden's debate performance, I think that the trend is definitely moving towards not only Biden losing support, but Trump gaining support, and momentum.

FREEMAN (voice over): The Biden campaign hopes volunteers, like Lauren Kuntz, will be able to change that momentum.

LAUREN KUNTZ, BIDEN CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEER: I couldn't sit by and not participate in a campaign that's so essential to keeping -- to keeping America how we know it. FREEMAN (voice over): The 26-year-old mom from Lancaster, Pennsylvania started volunteering with the Biden campaign earlier this year, and she understands the youth challenge.

FREEMAN: What's your pitch to younger voters to say, you should be excited about this election?

KUNTZ: I think it's going to be less about the candidate itself and more about the policies that are going to help us as a generation. I mean, it's becoming more expensive to just live. And there are a lot of policies that Biden -- the Biden administration has put in place to make it more affordable, which we should be excited about.

FREEMAN (voice over): Danny Freeman, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right. Danny, thanks.

We'll have more on the breaking news this hour.

The Israeli military says it targeted Hamas' top military official. This was at an air strike in southern Gaza. Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:34]

WALKER: An Israeli security official tells CNN that a top Hamas military official was targeted in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza this morning.

BLACKWELL: Gaza officials say the strike killed at least 71 people in the Khan Younis area of Gaza, wounded nearly 300. New video now in to CNN, it shows the moment of that strike.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Officials in Gaza say the strike hit an area where displaced people were sheltering. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is following these fast-moving developments.

You're in Jerusalem there. Jeremy, what are you learning about the strikes with the latest?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was a massive Israeli airstrike that hit this humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have headed.

An Israeli security official is telling me that this strike was targeting Mohammed Deif, who is the head of Hamas' military wing, known as the Al Qassam Brigades. He is the number two official of Hamas inside the Gaza Strip right after Yahya Sinwar.

He is also considered to be the mastermind, or one of the masterminds of the October 7th terrorist attacks.

Now, this Israeli security official says that the Israeli military is still conducting a damage assessment to see whether or not Deif was, in fact, killed in this strike. But they do say that he was the target of this strike, alongside the head of Hamas' Khan Younis Brigade, a man by the name of Rafa'a Salameh.

But one thing that is clear is that there are also a number of civilians who were killed in this strike. At least 71 people were killed, according to the Palestinian ministry of health, nearly 300 people injured.

And if you look at the imagery that we are seeing, not only of the strike itself, but of the aftermath, you get a sense of the kind of large types of munitions that clearly appear to have been used in this strike.

An enormous plume of smoke emerging from that area and a very, very large crater in the place of the tents of displaced people that once stood in that very same zone. Now, interestingly, Hamas has just put out a statement, and they are denying that Mohammed Deif was targeted or killed in this attack.

They say that the "claims" of targeting leaders are false claims, and they say that these "false claims" are meant to cover up the magnitude of this horrific massacre. If Mohammed Deif was, in fact, there, and if he was killed. This would be a very, very significant moment in this nine-month long war now.

Mohammed Deif was not only a very powerful Hamas official. He was also responsible for four suicide attacks in 1996 that killed 65 people in both Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv.

And again, as the commander of Hamas' military wing, he has been leading the fight against Israeli military forces in Gaza since October 7th. But again, his death has not yet been confirmed. His presence at that area has also not yet been confirmed.

But at this hour, an Israeli security official telling me that he was the target of this airstrike, and now, Israeli military officials are working to confirm whether or not he was killed.

WALKER: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you for your reporting.

Houston is sweltering in the punishing summer heat.

[07:45:00]

And thousands of people are without power with days before they can expect their service to be turned back on. A look at how they are doing. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Hundreds of thousands of Texans are entering their sixth day of suffering through the brutal heat without power and air conditioning. Residents, of course, are frustrated. Many are scrambling to find cooling shelters, food, safe drinking water and healthcare resources.

BLACKWELL: And now, Texas officials are criticizing the slow response from CenterPoint Energy, that's Houston's mains energy provider, to get power back up. CenterPoint says they hope to restore power to an additional 350,000 customers by Sunday, but that still leaves several 100,000 homes and businesses without power into next week.

Extreme heat is hitting other parts of the country too. Many cities are on track to experience their hottest summer ever.

WALKER: CNN's Elisa Raffa is with us now.

So, where else are we expecting to see this extreme heat? It looks like, really, across the country?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we are going to find that extreme heat sliding across the plains and to the East Coast.

[07:50:03]

Here is a look at of what you were mentioning, the hottest summer on record. Look how many cities along the west coast. Top five, top 10 hottest summers on record. East Coast as well. Records from Maine down to Miami. It's just been sweltering, and we're not even in the middle of July.

Here is a look at the heat alerts as we go into the day today, you could see we've got excessive heat warning still for a lot of California, down to Phoenix, Salt Lake City as well.

Advisory starting to stretch into the plains as that heat again starts to move east.

Vegas is really seeing some unprecedented heat. They hit 115 degrees yesterday, which makes it seven days in a row that they have had a temperature of 115 degrees or hotter. Again, unprecedented. That sets an all-time record. They had three days above 118. That also set an all-time record.

Temperatures in Vegas continue to sit above 110 degrees as we go through the next couple of days. Phoenix as well, 110 through Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Temperatures up around 100 and from Fresno and Sacramento as well. That pressure -- high pressure, dome of heat and humidity slides these as we get into the workweek. So, that's going to take some of that heat with it.

That extreme heat risk again, lines, California as we go through the day today. But look at what happens as we go into Monday. Major and extreme heat impacts from Oklahoma City to St Louis, D.C., down to Atlanta.

And then look at all these purples that really flourish on Tuesday, extreme risk of heat sickness, from places like Charlotte to Atlanta, up to D.C. and New York. As those temperatures really start to swelter.

We're looking at temperatures getting up towards 100 degrees again, in D.C. They had 100-degree temperatures just a few weeks ago for the first time in many years. So, again, they look like they at it -- at it again.

Temperatures in the middle in upper 90s in Atlanta, Memphis as well, sweltering just the heat again, moving towards the east coast. But this means that was at least people out west get a little bit of a break. Guys?

WALKER: You know, yesterday? Thank you, Elisa. I didn't leave my house once.

BLACKWELL: I'm not leaving mine today.

WALKER: Yes. We're just going to hunker down and pray that air conditioning is working.

BLACKWELL: In temperatures, not going out.

WALKER: I agree.

BLACKWELL: Hey, it's been called the most extravagant wedding of all time, drawing A-list guest from around the world. A look inside the wedding celebrations of the son of India's richest man.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:56:29]

BLACKWELL: So, weddings among India's wealthy are often a spectacle. This one is far and beyond.

WALKER: Yes, the son of India's richest man finally tied the knot, Friday with the pharmaceutical heiress after seven months of extravagant pr-wedding events. Many of Hollywood's A-list celebrities were on the guest list.

Will Ripley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When the youngest son of Asia's richest man marries the daughter of a pharma tycoon, an event seen as India's wedding of the year in the Bollywood capital of Mumbai, of course, there is a red carpet. And this one is packed with some of the world's biggest stars. Anant Ambani marrying his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant.

ADITYA MOTWANE, WEDDING PLANNER: The big fat Indian wedding. It's just because of the scale of the people that are attending our celebrations.

RIPLEY (voice over): The Ambani wedding, a three-day spectacle of extreme opulence and Indian tradition, says this Mumbai wedding planner.

RIPLEY: Indian weddings are grand scale. The Ambani wedding would be like interstellar scale.

MOTWANE: It is the biggest wedding celebration ever happened on this planet. That is 100 percent.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The lavish celebration of love and luxury began back in March. This weekend's wedding finale kicks off at the Ambani- owned, more than 40,000-capacity GEO World Convention Center before moving to the family's private skyscraper, Antilia.

MOTWANE: It's one of the most beautiful, iconic landmarks, you know, of our country. It's where the family resides. It is a beautiful home for them. It's a home that they have always hosted, you know, people from all across the world, whether it's been presidents, prime ministers, celebrities.

RIPLEY (voice over): The guest list, a who's who of A-listers, rich, powerful, and of course, famous. The global glitterati descending on Mumbai. Celebrating the union of two 29-year-olds who happen to be mind-blowingly wealthy and not afraid to show it.

The couple reportedly paid millions, hiring Justin Bieber and Rihanna for their pre-wedding parties. People around town have mixed feelings.

DEVANSHI ZAVERI, PRESCHOOL TEACHER: Yes, you have wealth, but yes, we get it, you have wealth.

JENICA KOTHARI, BANKER: I think it's fabulous. It's helping the economy. It's helping everyone. So, I think if they have the money, they should spend it.

RIPLEY (voice over): The massive price tag, a drop in the bucket for the Ambani's, with a fortune of well over $100 billion from the family business Reliance Industries, the energy, retail, and media giant.

This weekend's highly conspicuous consumption in stark contrast with widespread poverty across India. Critics call the Ambani's a glaring example of the growing wealth gap in the world's most populous country.

The family trying to fend off critics by throwing charity events, like this month's mass wedding for 50 underprivileged couples near Mumbai.

Will Ripley, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Seven months of pre-wedding events, I would like to (INAUDIBLE) for my birthday.

BLACKWELL: Rihanna is the pre-show?

WALKER: Yes, she -- no, can you imagine?

BLACKWELL: She is the pre-show.

WALKER: That's true.

"FIRST OF ALL WITH VICTOR BLACKWELL" is up next. What do you have coming up?

BLACKWELL: We have a packed show, and it's not all politics. President Biden, though, is turning to black voters to help revive his campaign. Some swing state voters tell us why they are sticking with the president.

Plus, we're talking Project 2025. 900 pages of policy, a conservative wish list for the next Republican president. We look at some of the proposals. Specifically, how it could radically change the way American children are educated?

Also, the story of Dvontaye Mitchell.

[08:00:01]

He died after he was held down by hotel security in Milwaukee. It's being investigated as a homicide. Now, I'm going to speak with his widow.