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Manhunt Underway For Kentucky Highway Shooting Suspect; Trump Campaigns As Harris Preps For Debate; Trump Calls For Modifying 25th Amendment To Impeach Vice Presidents; Harris Accepts Terms Of Debate, But Objects To Muted Mics; Harris Thanks Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney For Endorsement; Trump Says He Would Shut Down Government Over Border Issues; More Than 90,000 Fans At Georgia Bulldogs' Game Observe Moment Of Silence; Teen Suspect's Mother Called Georgia School Prior To Shooting Spree. Trial Begins Tomorrow For Three Former Officers Charged In Tyre Nichols' Murder; Three Israeli Guards Killed In Shooting At West Bank-Jordan Crossing; Family Blames Israel For American's Death In West Bank; Landslides In CA City Threaten Power Lines, Rips Homes Apart; Heat, Wind And Dry Conditions Fueling Wildfires In CA. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired September 08, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:38]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: We start with breaking news in Kentucky, where right now police are searching for an armed and dangerous man, they say is behind a shooting along the interstate that left several people injured.

Good Sunday morning. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Amara Walker. Let's get you caught up on the very latest.

The shooting happened yesterday in a rural area of Laurel County, Kentucky, about 80 miles south of Lexington. Investigators have named this man, his name is Joseph Couch, as a person of interest. But their search has been hampered by the rugged terrain in the area.

BLACKWELL: Deputies say nine vehicles were shot into and the crime scene covered both the north and southbound lanes of the interstate. All five victims were taken to the hospital. They are said to be in stable condition.

One woman who was driving from New York to Tennessee, she described the shock of realizing someone had fired shots at her vehicle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA DINOTO, SHOOTING WITNESS: We just heard this deafening, loud sound, and it sounded like -- like a rock went through my back window. And our ears were ringing and we just looked at each other and we were like, was that a gunshot? And then we're like, that can't be a gunshot, you know, because we're driving down the highway.

And there was a white truck that was next to us in the right-hand lane and all of the sudden he slowed down and pulled off to the shoulder. And we thought maybe it was -- his tire had blown out or something, but it was much louder than a tire blowing out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Chief Charles Ramsey is now joining us. I mean, it's a frightening situation. You're driving down a highway and you're being shot at. I mean, what do you make of this situation in terms of how this must have played out? A suspect shooting from a car, from a -- from a static location. What are your thoughts?

CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, first of all, we were very fortunate no one was killed in this particular incident. It is a frightening experience. You know, how you feel when a rock hits your windshield, when you're on the highway? Imagine if it's a bullet that strikes your vehicle while you're driving.

I don't know if he was stationary or moving at the time. It could be either one. It could have been on an overpass taking a shot. It could have been in a vehicle. We'll get more information as the day moves forward.

But right now, there is a man hunt. Apparently, they have a -- an area that they're concerned about, that they probably have already cordoned off to the best of their ability to begin a search as soon as daylight hits.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about that search. This has been described, and we can see through some of the video, it is heavily wooded. It is rugged terrain. How does that influence how this search is conducted?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, listen it just presents all kinds of problems. You can literally be two or three feet away from a person who's hiding in heavy brush and not see him.

And if this person has experience, in terms of hunting and things like that, it's going to make it even more difficult to be able to really thoroughly grid search that particular area. So, they're going to have to bring in a lot of resources, dogs, helicopters, all kinds of resources in order to do as thorough a search as they possibly can.

WALKER: How do law enforcement already have a person of interest and a photo of someone that they're looking for especially in such a situation where people were driving? How do you, you know, pinpoint a person of interest like this?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, if he was in a vehicle, for an example, someone may have grabbed the license tag and they ran the tag and then they came up with a name, address, things of that nature.

Again, we don't know if he was mobile. Was he at an overpass, what the situation was? But somebody knew who the individual was or at least had a strong suspicion as to who the individual was and passed it on to law enforcement.

Again, we'll find out more as time goes on. But the fact that they're able to identify a person of interest this quickly is a good sign.

BLACKWELL: So, this happened in Laurel County, Kentucky, and this person of interest is from Woodbine. Between the location of the shootings and Woodbine is the town of London. And the mayor of London says, despite the sheriff, Laurel County saying that this person is armed dangerous, that people in London there is no threat of danger.

[06:05:08]

Is he able to confidently say that now knowing that his town is between this person of interest's home and the site of the shooting, would you go that far at this point?

RAMSEY: I wouldn't go that far. I mean, until you have a person in handcuffs and you know you have the person that you're looking for, then you really can't say that. The best thing is for people to be cautious, to shelter in place.

There was also information to be very careful. You're in an area of the country where, you know, you have a high percentage of people who own firearms. To be very careful if you hear something outside, just don't blindly shoot. It could be law enforcement. Those kinds of things.

But right now, until you get him in custody, then you have to be very careful about telling people there's nothing to worry about because people need to have their guard up until we know exactly where this person is. Unless they have an idea exactly, pinpoint exactly, but it doesn't sound like that's the case.

WALKER: A frightening situation for the people in the area as police continues to search for this person of interest. Chief Charles Ramsey, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

It is a critical timeline in the race for the White House. This morning, we are now 58 days out from the presidential election. And in two days, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will face off in their first ever debate.

BLACKWELL: The vice president spent Saturday in Pennsylvania, where she's buckling down for debate preparation. And Trump held a rally in Wisconsin.

Now, he made some digs at the Harris campaign. Accused her of a cover up regarding President Biden's fitness for office. But Harris took those comments in stride during a surprise visit at a local store in Pittsburgh. She took a moment to speak with some supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Come here. What is it about? What is that about? What is that about?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think you understand. I'm pretty sure you know.

HARRIS: Oh, it's going to be good. We're going to be good. We're going to be fine. We're going to be fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And this morning, we're getting a better look at Harris' plans post-debate. She'll waste no time, get back on the campaign trail with her running mate, Tim Walz, and their spouses, a battleground blitz, as they're calling it, dubbing it the New |Way Forward tour.

WALKER: CNN's Eva McKend is joining us now. Good morning, Eva. So, what else are we learning?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, both. The vice president remains hunkered down here in Pittsburgh preparing for the debate. But the campaign already has their eyes towards the rest of the week building out that week for her.

She's going to be campaigning here in Pennsylvania and then also in North Carolina. While Governor Walz, they'll deploy him to Michigan and Wisconsin. And their respective spouses will be out on the campaign trail as well, fanned across the country. It will coincide with a new TV ad that focuses on lowering costs.

They are characterizing this, billing this as a New Way Forward. Republicans, have called that out. It has faced some scrutiny this idea of a new way forward. They argue that the vice president can't credibly make that argument given that she is currently in the administration.

But we have seen Vice President Harris depart from President Biden on some key issues. Like for instance, on economic policy, differing with him on the capital gains rate there. But listen the vice president remains here preparing for Tuesday. We don't know if we will see her again. She, of course, made that impromptu stop yesterday at a spice shop that's very much on brand for the president. We know that she really loves to cook.

Don't know if we'll see her again today. But ultimately, that was the goal of the campaign that -- to well positioned her for Tuesday. Also to be in a battleground state so she could get that critical face time with voters. Victor, Amara.

BLACKWELL: Eva McKend, there in Pittsburgh, thanks so much.

WALKER: Donald Trump called for modifying the 25th Amendment to allow Congress to impeach a vice president for covering up for a president's incapacity, and he said this at a rally in Wisconsin Saturday. Now, Trump and his allies have repeatedly and without any evidence, accused Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats of covering up the state of Biden's health and mental fitness following Biden's disastrous debate performance.

CNN's Alayna Treene is in Wisconsin with more. ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Amara and Victor, Donald Trump spoke for nearly two hours in Mosinee, Wisconsin, on Saturday. And look, this is a very important battleground state for the Trump campaign. They recognize that Wisconsin is key to their pathway to achieving or securing, I should say, 270 electoral votes come November. And it's even more important now that Kamala Harris is the one at the top of the Democratic ticket.

[06:10:00]

I can tell you before Joe Biden ended their campaign, Trump's team was more confident about their chances here. However, recent polling has shown that Harris is actually doing slightly better than Donald Trump here in this state. She has been making up ground. And so, you're going to see a lot more of Donald Trump in Wisconsin, I'm told, over the next two months.

Now, one big thing that he talked about a lot on Saturday, as well, was the economy. We know that the economy is the number one issue for most Americans ahead of November, but it's also an issue where Donald Trump is polling better than Harris.

And we heard this comes after, of course, his big speech last week where he addressed the economic club of New York and walked through, for the first time, hit the specifics of his economic policy. He did that again on Saturday.

But one thing as well that he -- I want to -- I think is very noteworthy is we actually heard something new from him on Saturday as well, where he brought up for the first that if he was elected, he would look into changing the 25th Amendment. I want you to take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Finally, I will support modifying the 25th Amendment to make clear that if a vice president lies or engages in a conspiracy to cover up the incapacity of the president of the United States -- if you do that with a cover- up of the president of the United States, it's grounds for impeachment immediately and removal from office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, there you heard him say it is grounds for impeachment or the immediate removal from office. Of course, this is playing into his rhetoric around how Kamala Harris has been maybe covering up for Joe Biden. Of course, there is no evidence to support that, but it is something that of course plays very well with his base. It was playing well with his crowd on Saturday.

And look, a lot of what you heard in that speech is what you're going to hear on Tuesday when he faces off with Kamala Harris on the debate stage. When I talked to Donald Trump's campaign about his preparation, they say these types of events, his rallies, the townhalls such as the "Fox News" town hall he did last week with Sean Hannity, that is his version of preparing.

But of course, even though they have an aversion to the word preparation, they say he likes to do informal (ph) policy sessions. He is preparing behind the scenes. He has been meeting with advisers, meeting with outside allies, all in an effort to hone his focus on the key issues for Tuesday. And I think you're going to hear a lot of what you heard on Saturday on that debate stage next week. Amara, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Alayna Treene, thanks so much. Joining us now for analysis, "Punchbowl News" congressional reporter, Max Cohen. Max, good morning to you.

We're going to start brand new with you with a fresh poll here, from "New York Times-Siena College," that shows -- let's put it up, no clear leader. Donald Trump at 48 percent, Kamala Harris at 47, well within the 2.8-point margin of error here.

After the first debate, we saw how consequential that was for President Biden. Just punctuate for us with no bump out of each candidate's convention how crucial, critical the debate, Tuesday night is for these campaigns.

MAX COHEN, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Yes, I mean, as you just mentioned, this race is incredibly close. And big events like debates can be defining factors in the presidential campaign. Just ask Joe Biden about that, right?

So, I think what Americans are going to be looking for is, number one, this is Vice President Harris' first ever presidential debate, one-on- one against the Republican contender. It's a big moment for her. Her team is very high in her chances, but they're also frustrated that we're going to have these mics muted rule. They were hoping the mics would be unmuted and they can portray Donald Trump as someone who is interrupting her and even as an unhinged person as they wanted to say.

Trump, on another hand, this is a big moment for him too. As you just heard from Alayna, he really wants to focus on the fact that Harris, quote, "covered up" for Biden's deficiencies. That's his way of saying in my mind that he wants to be running against Joe Biden. He sees Joe Biden is easier opponent and he hasn't quite figured out how to attack Kamala Harris in this moment in time. So, for both candidates, a lot of opportunities to show the American people what this new race is and we're looking, as you mentioned, a very tight race.

BLACKWELL: Yes. The constant mention of now the 25th Amendment and President Biden, he is still lamenting the president's withdraw from the race.

Let's talk now about this moment. We heard from Eva McKend, the moment, the hug that the vice president shared with a voter in Pittsburgh. She also talked about the endorsement from former Vice President Dick Cheney and from former congresswoman Dick (ph) Cheney. Let's play what she said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: I'm honored to have their endorsement. And I think that what they, both as leaders who are well-respected, are making an important statement that it's OK and if not important to put country above party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:15:09]

BLACKWELL: Now, the poll show that the likely Republican votes for the vice president will be a small percentage. But in some swing states, they could be really consequential. What's the Harris outreach to those potentially persuadable Republicans?

COHEN: Just look at the Democratic National Convention, right? We had Adam Kinzinger delivering a primetime speech. We also had a number of Republican supporting Vice President Harris, notably lieutenant governor -- former lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan of Georgia, a key swing state.

The Harris campaign knows this is all about the margins. As you just said, most Republicans, the vast majority of Republicans, over 95 percent, will be supporting Donald Trump. That's because they're Republicans.

But there is this key sliver of maybe anti-Trump vote, never Trump vote, that could swing Harris. And all it takes is a couple of thousand in swing states the "New York Times-Siena" poll just laid it out. This is going to be an insanely close election.

So, if Harris can ship where the margins and get people who really respect Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney to vote for her that could be all the difference. And the same token, however, I think Donald Trump's campaign is trying to make a similar outreach. How successful that might be, who knows, but look, they're having Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, both former Democrats, brought into the fray. So, they're all trying to make the play at the margins here.

BLACKWELL: You are the congressional reporter for "Punchbowl." House and Senate are back in session tomorrow after a six-week recess. Former President Trump wants congressional Republicans to shut down the government unless they pass this SAVE Act that would establish new election rules. And of course, he wants a border legislation too. Listen to the former president on what Republicans should do. This is with Monica Crowley on her podcast.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

TRUMP: They ought to focus on borders, you know the House bill that was passed, that's the real bill that should be passed, but, you know, the original one, and not this horrible one that was foisted upon us by some people that had a bad day.

But they ought to focus on borders, and elections, and if you can't get the borders right, and if you can't get the elections right, they ought to close it up. Just close it up and let it sit. I would shut down the government in a heartbeat if they don't get it, and if they don't get it in the bill.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, members didn't have to deal with this because he said it during the recess, but they've got to pass a budget. There has been a CR introduced now. I wonder, after watching what happened to the immigration bill is this front of mind for House Republicans and Senate Republicans?

COHEN: Yes, a lot of house Republicans that we've heard from over recess just know this is honestly political posturing. There is no chance the White House and the Democratically controlled Senate approves the short-term funding bill that Speaker Mike Johnson introduced late last week, which has this Election Integrity Act that Trump was talking about, which says non-citizens cannot vote in federal elections.

Democrats say correctly, this is already the case. It already is illegal if you're not a citizen of the United States to vote in a federal election. So, this is going nowhere. I think we're going to see this posturing is often how it goes in the first couple of weeks when we have these spending battles.

I see this more as a way of Speaker Johnson and House Republicans saying, hey, look Donald Trump, we have your back and when the going gets tough, honestly, when we need a passive bill to keep the government open no one -- no House Republican in a tough race wants to be in Washington talking about a government shutdown when they can be back in their district in October campaigning to save their political careers. So, I don't see this going anywhere.

BLACKWELL: They also don't want Donald Trump targeting them on social media. So, we, of course, will watch Max Cohen and "Punchbowl." Thanks so much.

And tune in to CNN for complete coverage and exclusive analysis before and after the debate. The "ABC News Presidential Debate" will be simulcast Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

WALKER: All right. Still to come, about 20 months after Tyre Nichols' beating death, a trial of three of the five police officers allegedly involved in the incident begins tomorrow. We will discuss what to expect in court on day one.

Plus, three people were killed at the Allenby Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan earlier today. We'll tell you what we know about the shooting. And a stadium of more than 90,000 football fans in Georgia stood up for a moment of silence for the Apalachee High School shooting victims. We'll have the latest on the shooting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:24:18] WALKER: The Georgia Bulldogs acknowledged the community's profound sense of loss and grief over the lives impacted by the Apalachee High School mass shooting.

BLACKWELL: Just before kickoff, in the game against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, the team observed a moment of silence, 12 seconds, more than 90,000 fans stood in silence. They honored the two students and the two teachers who were killed, but also the first responders, faculty and students trying to cope in the aftermath of that shooting.

There's new information this morning regarding that shooting that left those four people dead last week. CNN has confirmed that the 14-year- old suspect, his mother allegedly called the school just before her son allegedly went on that rampage.

WALKER: This was first reported by the "Washington Post."

[06:25:02]

The paper spoke with the 14-year-old's aunt who said the teen's mother allegedly called the school about a, quote, "extreme emergency." So, as investigators sort out, who knew what and when, CNN's Rafael Romo brings us more on the community's efforts to heal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Residents, teachers, current and former students, police, people from neighboring towns and even from outside Georgia, all of these people and others have stopped here at Apalachee High School in Winder to pay their respects.

And also on Saturday, a group of bikers showed up. They brought flowers, they placed in the impromptu memorial setup around the flag flying at half-mast in honor of the deceased. Then they all made a big circle holding hands, and a minister said a prayer.

Several men had previously carried a giant wooden cross into the circle. It's all an effort to tell this community that they are not alone in this moment of crisis, that they are loved and supported. Let's take a listen to what one of those people have to say.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a biker community, that's what we do. We rally around our neighbors. Our kids go to school in the school system. We want to be here to support, you know, all the kids, families, first responders. Just to show up, you know, for them in this time.

ROMO (voice-over): When we first arrived here, there were dozens of flowers around the memorial. Now, it's probably in the hundreds. Earlier I spoke with a couple of former students who told us the reasons they felt they needed to be here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just crazy that anything like this could happen in like our town. Like there's no space for gun violence. And so, this happening at all is like it's just shocking. Our school doesn't stand for this and we don't -- we don't accept gun violence in the school. Like there's no space for that. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Winder (ph) is a loving community. We're a small number (ph) all are like -- because this just shouldn't have happened. I really feel (ph) for everyone. Like, you know, going to this school. You know, we went to school with no worry in the world.

ROMO: There was supposed to be a football game here Friday night, but the game was canceled. And for the time being, classes are suspended as well here at Apalachee High School. Although other Barrow County schools will resume classes on Tuesday. A community recovery center is set to open here in Barrow County on Monday to support those affected by the shooting.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Winder, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right. Rafael, thank you. Still to come, the family of Tyre Nichols is hoping for justice as the trial for his beating death begins tomorrow. We'll talk about what to look for as this trial begins next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:05]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Three Memphis police officers will stand trial on federal charges related to the death of Tyre Nichols on Monday.

Former police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith have all pleaded not guilty to civil rights violations, conspiracy to tamper with evidence, and obstruction of justice. Now, two other officers involved in the case accepted plea deals in the federal case, and the trial is expected to last about four weeks.

Now, Tyre Nichols died on January 10, 2023, just three days after five police officers brutally beat him while attempting to arrest him.

Joining me now is CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. Joey, good morning to you.

Tell me how you think this trial of these three officers will play out given that there have been plea deals and the other two officers have agreed to cooperate and potentially testify in these trials.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Amara, good morning to you. The answer very directly and objectively is not very well for them. And the reason I say that is certainly everyone's presumed innocent until proven guilty. That is the centerpiece of our system.

At the end of the day, though, it's about evidence. And we know as we look at them there, that is those who are accused in a standing trial, that there's very compelling evidence in the case. There'll be video that is introduced to the jury that will allow them to see and judge for themselves with respect to the conduct. The real defense would be if they were justified in any way in doing it. And when you look at people who are beating him to the point where there's not resistance that would justify the strikes, where they're celebrating it, where they're engaging in force in terms of kicking and punching and pepper spraying and tasing that far exceeds the proportionality of any threat he was posing, it presents an uphill battle. In addition to that, Amara, we're going to see video that the public hasn't seen.

And so, if you believe that you've been repelled, right, as a 13th juror, so to speak, and you're evaluating the evidence we have seen, imagine the additional evidence.

So again, you know, certainly there'll be, the defense attorneys will be protecting their clients as it should be, but I think the evidence is compelling and overwhelming and that's what I expect to see and play out.

WALKER: Right, I mean, surveillance video evidence, there's also body cam footage, there's audio. What could the defense be then potentially?

JACKSON: So, the defense was attempting to admit evidence that would suggest that Mr. Nichols had drugs in the car, suggesting that he had stolen credit cards in the car. That though would be red herring. They were attempting to introduce and are attempting to have the judge permit that with respect to explaining why Tyre Nichols would evade justice, why he would act in the manner that he did. Even assuming, however, that there would be a ruling as it relates to that, how then if you focus on that or talk to the jury or are permitted to do that, would that in essence justify the strikes?

[06:35:05]

And so, at the end of the day as defense lawyers, what you want to do is talk about how reasonable your client acted and how somebody else potentially in your client's shoes would have had to done something similarly in the absence of being having the ability to do that. And it's very difficult.

And then how do you explain covering it up with respect to omissions in your report, with regard to misleading information in your report, with regard to celebrating what you did, with respect to the activities and fist pumping at the scene? It's just compelling as we look there at the counts, right, which are difficult to overcome, willfully depriving him of his rights, willfully disregarding his medical condition. He's -- he's really in a tough state, Amara, and you're doing nothing about it. You have a duty as a law enforcement officer, conspiring with each other, right, to tamper with the evidence and not give the full evidence. And that leads to obstruction of justice.

So, it's a -- it's an uphill battle. And that's why we've seen two of the five take plea deals already.

WALKER: Right.

JACKSON: Potentially, these could too.

WALKER: Has it ever been made clear why these police officers stopped Tyre Nichols on that day in January of 2023 while he was driving home from work?

JACKSON: Yes, you know, Amara, that's such a great question. And, you know, the reality of that question will either play out in the courtroom or it won't, because certainly the police's indication has been reckless driving, that he was driving recklessly.

The argument by prosecutors is that simply a pretext, that there was no real underlying ability or reason why he would have been stopped. And even if there was an adequate, specific reason to your question, does it then justify, even if you do evade?

And so, you know, again, everyone has a right to be defended. The two other officers, as you noted at the outset of the segment, Amara, you know, look, there'll be evidence that's presented, not only what we see, but the other officers may testify with regard to what they said.

So, it's going to be a tough case, I think, for the defense.

WALKER: Yes, their legal troubles don't end there, right? I mean, they're also facing state charges and also a lawsuit from Nichols' family.

Joey Jackson, we're going to leave it there. Great to see you this morning. Thank you.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Venezuela's opposition presidential candidate has fled the country. He's seeking asylum in Spain. Edmundo Gonzalez has been in hiding since the opposition disputed July's election results.

The country's electoral authority stacked with Nicolas Maduro's allies declared Maduro the winner. But several foreign governments consider Gonzalez the legitimate winner, which led to a deadly protest and warrant for his arrest.

Tomorrow, there are the funerals for the two brothers who were, their deaths rocked the hockey community.

Services for John and Matthew Gaudreau will be held at a church in suburban Philadelphia. John Gaudreau paid for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the team is planning to stream the service on their website. The brothers were hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver on the eve of their sister's wedding on August 29th.

The driver charged with killing them is in jail.

And today marks a new chapter for Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin. When he takes the field against the Arizona Cardinals, this will be his first official NFL starts in suffering a cardiac arrest during a game in January of last year.

Hamlin told reporters this return is truly a blessing. Coming up, details of the deadly shooting at a border stop in Israel between Jordan and Israel. We'll tell you what we know about the incident.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:43:12]

BLACKWELL: Three Israeli security guards are dead after an attack at a crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank. The shooting happened at the Allenby Crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge border crossing.

WALKER: Israeli security officials say a terrorist opened fire on workers at the crossing and was neutralized. As Israeli officials -- an Israeli official says the gunman was a Jordanian driver.

Joining us now is Elliott Gotkine.

Elliott, what more do we know?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Amara, what we know is that this incident took place just under four hours ago, so about 10 a.m. local time, so broad daylight. And according to the manager of this terminal, one Alex Chen, the Jordanian truck driver was at the terminal. He got out of his vehicle, approached security guards, and then shot the three of them dead at close range. And he himself was then killed by another security guard.

So right now, we've got the three land border crossings between Israel and the Israeli occupied West Bank being closed temporarily. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described this attack as being carried out by, in his words, a despicable terrorist.

And he seemed to be likening the attack on and the killing of these three Israelis today to the killing of the six Israeli hostages by Hamas in Gaza last week. The Jordanians, for their part, have opened an investigation. They say they will investigate to get to the bottom of what precisely happened in this incident. But as I say, the three land border crossings for now are closed.

In other news that we've been following, we've of course been looking at the killing of the U.S. citizen in the Israeli occupied West Bank on Friday morning. Now, the family of this 26-year-old woman have blamed the Israelis. They have said that it was, in their words, an unlawful killing. They've called for an independent investigation saying that they simply don't trust the Israelis to get to the bottom of things. An investigation the Israelis say they will carry out and the U.S has asked Israel to carry it out -- carry out an investigation as well.

[06:45:21]

The Israelis taking a slightly cautious approach, neither accepting the blame, but neither denying that they were responsible. They say that they responded with fire towards the main instigator a violent activity who hurled rockets at who hurled rocks, excuse me, at the forces and posed a threat to them.

I should note that the international solidarity movement for which the U.S. citizen was volunteering say that their activists were not throwing rocks or stones at Israeli forces. The IDF continuing saying that they're looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area.

So, we'd expect some clarity on whether Israel accepts the blame or responsibility for this in the coming hours or days.

I want to leave you with perhaps a slightly brighter note, which indeed, according to UNICEF is a rare bright spot in Gaza. We've been talking the last week or so about the plans to vaccinate under tens in the Gaza Strip with polio vaccinations after the first case in 25 years was discovered. They seem to be going ahead as scheduled and they're planning to have done the first dose of this vaccination by in the next three days or so.

Victor, Amara.

BLACKWELL: Elliott Gotkine for us in London. Thanks so much.

WALKER: All right. Still to come, more evacuation orders for hundreds of people out West as a wildfire pushes through Southern California.

Our Allison Chinchar has the details after the break.

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[06:51:18]

WALKER: Landslides are wreaking havoc on a community in Southern California.

BLACKWELL: The land is moving so fast that authorities have had to turn off gas and electricity to homes indefinitely. CNN's Stephanie Elam is in Rancho Palos Verdes with details on this state of emergency.

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STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's as if the earth is wiping away what's been built upon it.

TIM STEWART, RESIDENT: I'm no geologist, but when you see the road turning into a roller coaster, you know something's wrong.

ELAM (voice-over): Here in Rancho Palos Verdes, an affluent community coveted for its expansive Pacific Ocean vistas, the land is sliding, dangerously.

BARBARA FERRARO, RANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY, COUNCIL MEMBER: This is unprecedented. No one knows really in a way what to do.

ELAM (voice-over): While the land has always slowly shifted here, local leaders say it's accelerated tremendously. GREG MONTGOMERY, RESIDENT: Unbelievable. In the last four months, it's constant. I mean, it's just, what do you do? We're sitting here on a keg of dynamite and we can't go repair anything because the ground continues to move.

ELAM (voice-over): So much so, some residents had their natural gas service discontinued in July, with more shutoffs recently added. Then, in the last week, more than 200 homes had their power cut indefinitely as the shifting ground threatens utility lines.

LARRY CHUNG, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON: On August 29th, the fire that occurred near Narcisa Drive, the land movement caused a power line to fall to the ground and ignite a small fire.

ELAM (voice-over): That fire was quickly extinguished, officials say, but the incident exposed the threat posed to basic infrastructure, including water and sewer lines.

MICHAEL CHEE, PIO, LA COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICTS: We are dealing with incomprehensible amounts of earth with unimaginable movement, pulling our infrastructure in ways that it is not designed or intended to move, or resist this level of dynamic activity.

ELAM (voice-over): Allowing officials to funnel resources toward the emergency response, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the city this week, noting the land movement accelerated significantly following the 2023 and '24 severe storm events, with the land now sliding at an average of 9 to 12 inches per week.

JANICE HAHN, LA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: I think we're all learning that there is no playbook for an emergency like this one. We don't have a step-by-step guide to follow, but what we do know is that many families are struggling, are suffering, are feeling great anxiety about what is happening. They are watching their homes, they're watching their streets crumble around them.

ELAM (voice-over): And for some residents, the only option is to remain in their damaged homes.

CRAIG CADWALLADER, RESIDENT: Everybody must assume that people who live in Rancho Palos Verdes are infinitely wealthy. That's not the case, especially for me, and so I literally don't know where I'm going.

MONTGOMERY: We've lost our ability to live normal lives. I mean, we have plans to go places and we can't go. We have to stay here.

ELAM: For some of the residents in these neighborhoods. It's not just their homes that are being impacted, but also their livelihoods as well, which is making the situation even more dire for them.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Stephanie Elam, thank you. Excessive heat is fueling fire in San Bernardino County, California. The governor has declared a state of emergency as the line fire there explodes in size. It's burned more than 17, 000 acres. Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses are threatened by the fire.

[06:55:03]

Let's go now to Allison Chinchar with more heat concerns out West. It's not just the temperatures, but obviously the threat of these fires.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on-camera): Yes, that's right. So yes, we take a look at where the heat is because we've got this section down here across portions of Southern California, also areas of Arizona, looking at some of those heat advisories. We're talking at least 25 million people under these heat alerts.

Now we started to see that reprieve from the heat in the Pacific Northwest, those areas of the Northwestern tier of the country yesterday, we will finally start to see that break in the heat for -- the rest of the West, but it's going to take a little bit more time.

Take, for example, Sacramento, San Jose and Los Angeles. Look at how the temperature drops as we get down to Tuesday of this week.

So, it is coming. We just have a few more days to go. Places like Las Vegas and Palm Springs. It will hold off until Wednesday before we see those temperatures coming back down.

The other concern, yes, these are red flag warnings in effect for areas of California and also Nevada. The low humidity, but also those wind gusts up around 30 to 40 miles per hour could be a concern not only for any potential new fires, but the fires that already exist, helping to spread those much quicker than you would if you didn't have the winds and also the concerns of the heat guys for all those firefighters out there battling the flames.

WALKER: All right, Allison Chinchar. Thank you.

And coming up next hour, the suspect in the Kentucky shooting is still on the run. We're going to have more on what authorities are doing to track him down.

Stay with us.

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