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CNN This Morning

Harris Delivers Remarks On Reproductive Health In Atlanta; Mark Robinson Won't Appear At Trump's North Carolina Rally; At Least 16 Hezbollah Operatives Killed by Israeli Airstrikes; Biden To Host "Quad" Leaders At His Home In Delaware. Israeli Military Says Prominent Hamas Operative Killed in Gaza; Hezbollah Confirms Top Commander Killed in Israeli's Beirut Strike; A Kentucky Sheriff Kills Judge in His Chambers. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired September 21, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

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[06:00:35]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone and good morning. Welcome to CNN This Morning. It is Saturday, September 21 I'm Amara Walker.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Danny Freeman in for Victor Blackwell. Thank you so much for having me with you today.

WALKER: Lovely to have you again.

FREEMAN: Here's what working on for you this morning. Battleground Blitz. Vice President Kamala Harris rails against former President Donald Trump over reproductive rights in the last minute trip to Georgia while Trump heads to North Carolina today, where the Republican backed candidate for governor is resisting calls to resign for lewd comments he made on a porn site.

WALKER: Allies of former President Trump approved a controversial new rule in the battleground state of Georgia that some say could delay election results the changes they are calling for, and why, both Democrats and Republicans say the fight is far from over.

FREEMAN: Plus, Israeli forces hit Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, killing a top target, we're live with the latest on the escalating conflict and rising fears of an all out war ahead.

WALKER: Plus, Shohei Ohtani makes MLB history, and he just keeps going more on his major career milestone ahead on CNN This Morning.

All right, the candidates are laser focused on battleground states as we are now, six weeks out from the presidential election. Former President Donald Trump is headed to North Carolina today. This is his first event there since a bombshell CNN report revealed his pick for governor, Mark Robinson posted inflammatory comments on a porn site years ago. He denies it.

Vice President Kamala Harris is taking a breather today after visiting battleground states of Georgia and Wisconsin.

FREEMAN: These battleground visits are key, as New polling shows Trump and Harris are still locked in a dead heat. A New York Times/Siena College poll released this week shows the two are tied at 47 percent nationally among likely voters, but the divide deepens on ad spending.

To date, Democrats have outspent Republicans nationally and in swing states since President Joe Biden left the race, Democrats have raised more than $564 million while Republicans have raised just about 380 million.

Now, Harris's focus on reproductive rights took her to Atlanta Friday, where she highlighted two recent abortion cases making headlines in Georgia.

WALKER: Yes. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez explains her message to voters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Kamala Harris delivering an impassioned address here in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday on an issue that has been top of mind for her campaign because it's also been top of mind for voters, and that is on reproductive rights.

The Vice President taking a detour to come to the battleground state before heading to Wisconsin, a trip that sources tell me was planned immediately at the direction of the vice president after a media report that revealed that two deaths were linked to the state's abortion restrictions.

Now the remarks by the Vice President were met with a somber audience. There was an emotional heaviness to the room as she spoke about the risks of state abortion restrictions with signs behind her that called them the Trump abortion bans, a phrase that she coined back in Arizona.

Now, the Vice President, going on to say that this election is a fight for, quote, freedom. She also talked about Republicans being hypocrites. Take a listen.

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: One in three women in America lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban. This includes Georgia and every state in the south except Virginia. Think about that when you compound that with what has been long standing neglect of women in communities with a lack of the adequate resources they need for health care, prenatal, during their pregnancy, postpartum. Think about that.

And these hypocrites want to start talking about this is in the best interest of women and children. Well, where you've been. Where you been when it comes to taking care of the women and children of America.

ALVAREZ: Now, at one point during her address, she also said that they -- the audience should say the name of one of the women who was mentioned in this media report dying from a treatable infection.

[06:05:00]

And it was a moment to address the situation at large, and that being what the Vice President her campaign has discussed as the threat against reproductive rights. This is an issue that the vice president and her team are consistently talking about running ads in battleground states, and of course, one that she will continue to be hammering over the course of the next few weeks, hoping that it mobilizes voters to the polls. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Priscilla, thank you very much. Donald Trump is returning to the key battleground state of North Carolina today, it will be his first appearance there since CNN is reporting on offensive posts made by the Trump backed candidate for governor on a porn website years ago.

Now, in the inflammatory post, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson referred to himself as a quote black Nazi and expressed support for reinstating slavery. Robinson denies making these comments.

Trump will hold a rally in Wilmington, and Robinson is not expected to attend, though, Robinson has spoken at Trump's rallies in North Carolina in the past. Trump, for his part, so far, has not given any indication that he intends to pull his endorsement for Robinson for governor.

WALKER: Meanwhile, Kamala Harris's campaign is already tying Mark Robinson to Donald Trump in a new ad released on Friday, just one day after the CNN report on Robinson came out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ROBINSON, NORTH CAROLINA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: abortion in this country, it's about killing a child because you aren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I've been with him a lot. I've gotten to know him, and he's outstanding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump and Mark Robinson, they're both wrong for North Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: The new ad is part of the Harris campaign's $370 million spending on digital and television advertising reservations slated from Labor Day until election day.

Let's get more on all of this with national politics reporter Meg Kinnard with the Associated Press for some analysis. Meg, good morning to you. Let's start with this new TV ad put out by the Harris campaign trying to tie president -- former president Trump to mark Robinson.

First off, Robinson, you know, is claiming that these posts are fake, that they were AI generated, and he's saying that he has no intention of pulling out of this race. Obviously, the Harris camp is hoping that this will hurt Donald Trump's chances in North Carolina. Will it?

MEG KINNARD, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: We shall see. But it is important to note that this is also in addition to what you just said, the first time that the Harris campaign has weighed in directly in a down ballot contest for 2024 they were quick to point that out in releasing this ad, and this shows a couple of things, one the importance of North Carolina in the presidential race, but also the Vice President's campaign, and what they are hoping to do to remind voters across the country, in places starting with North Carolina, of who else is on the ballot and who else Donald Trump has aligned with in these contests that are coming up.

With CNN reporting coming out with the Trump campaign, maybe appearing to distance itself a little bit by not having Mark Robinson at this event today, which I'll be attending in a couple of hours. We'll see how it all plays out on November 5. But those are important things to note when it comes to taking stock of where Democrats are really focusing in the message that they're hoping to drive home with voters of tying Donald Trump to some of these candidates.

WALKER: And as this ad launched, Kamala Harris made this last minute trip to Atlanta on Friday. Sources are telling us, as she planned this visit immediately, it was hastily arranged after hearing this media report that revealed two deaths linked to Georgia's abortion restrictions, and Harris, last night forcefully went after Trump on this issue. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Many of us remember, there's so many leaders here from two years ago when the Dobbs decision came down, we knew this could happen. There is a word preventable, and there is another word predictable. And the reality is, for every story we hear of the suffering under Trump abortion bans, there are so many of the stories we're not hearing, but where suffering is happening every day in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: I mean, this is really an issue, obviously, that Harris is so passionate about, and her quick pivot to Georgia in the wake of those deaths, it really seems to show that she's banking on this issue of abortion to galvanize voters.

KINNARD: It does, and the issue of abortion and reproductive rights has been something that the Vice President, as you know, since the Dobbs decision, has been quick to remind voters of look what's at stake in these elections that are coming up, and let's remember states that have actually had issues related to reproductive rights on the ballot directly to voters not by way of candidates supporting one way or the other.

[06:10:00]

Democrats have had a lot of success in those contests. And when I talk to Democratic voters along the trail, they remind me of that, and also they're pointing out, look, these are things that are important to us as we're going to the polls. It's interesting when I talk to Republican voters, abortion is not really top of mind, at least to the ones I've spoken with that's anecdotal, but I hear a lot about the economy, I hear a lot about immigration, but I don't hear as much about issues related to abortion.

So just my unscientific survey shows you that there are Democratic voters who are really thinking about those things, and maybe it's because candidates like the Vice President are out front talking about them very frequently. Donald Trump does often remind voters, Look, I told you that I would overturn Roe and I did, and I appointed the Supreme Court justices. But you know, necessarily, when voters are telling me what's important to them, that's not really what I'm hearing as much lately as I used to maybe a couple years ago.

WALKER: You know, we're just what 40 some days out from election day, and we're also seeing these election rules and laws, the attempts, at least from Trump allies and Trump himself, trying to get in certain states, some of these rules changed. Here in Georgia, we saw the election board vote to change several rules, including one that would require the hand counting of ballots at each polling place to make sure it matches up with the number of ballots that were tallied by the machines, but also Nebraska Trump and his allies are trying to get, you know, the winner take all system changed, which has been in place for the last 30 years. I mean, clearly there is a clear motive here, Meg.

KINNARD: There are a lot of different things that we have seen the Trump campaign and before was an official campaign the Trump orbit doing to try to make changes in these states where, obviously, states are independent when it comes to the certification of their votes before they go on to the Senate.

But this is just another one of those circumstances where we have seen Trump and his allies in the states really having success in doing some of the things they've been trying to do to make changes to the way elections look. This started in part with state party leadership and with a lot of other state level officials, and what you're seeing with some of these law changes is the culmination of that.

And so it's been a years' long process, but now, as you know, just 40 something days before November 5, it is interesting to note how much influence some of that has had over the past couple of years, and actually coming down to these changes at the state level.

WALKER: Meg Kinnard, they can obviously have really lasting impacts on the election as well. Good to have you this morning. Thank you.

FREEMAN: Still to come, President Biden will host the leaders of Australia, India and Japan at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, for the quad summit today. We'll have details of what's on the table for discussion that's coming up next.

Plus, growing concerns of a wider war in the Middle East after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut left over a dozen people dead, including a high ranking he commander. We'll have a live report. And after more than two years, the case against the man accused of a mass shooting at a Boulder, Colorado grocery store is now in the jury's hands, what they will have to decide, that's coming up ahead.

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[06:17:53]

FREEMAN: Here are your headlines this morning, two colleges in Ohio will resume classes following threats linked to continued lies about Haitian migrants. Starting Monday, students can return to campus at Clark State College and Wittenberg University in Springfield. The schools started receiving threats after former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential running mate began pushing unfounded claims that immigrants in the city are stealing and eating pets. Springfield's Mayor confirmed that he told a Vance campaign staffer on September 9, those claims were baseless.

And Kentucky investigators have confirmed that a body discovered in the woods is the man who shot at people along an interstate a couple of weeks ago. Police say Joseph Couch died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A manhunt for Couch went on for several days after police say he perched atop a cliff and opened fire on random drivers along I-75. Five people were shot. A Kentucky couple started their own search and found Couch's body deep in the wilderness not far the shooting site.

And the House voted Friday to pass a Secret Service protection bill following two assassination attempts on Donald Trump. It passed with an overwhelming unanimous, 405 to zero vote. The bill directs the Secret Service to increased protections for major presidential and vice presidential candidates. It is unclear, though, if it will pass the Senate, because some Democrats argue enhanced security is already in place for Trump.

WALKER: In a sprint to cement his presidential legacy, President Biden is directing his cabinet to speed up efforts to implement his agenda. Yesterday was his first Cabinet meeting with all of his advisers in nearly a year, and it's likely his last.

It was also the first meeting that first lady Jill Biden attended. President Biden began the meeting calling for Congress to work across the aisle to pass a short term funding bill.

In another move to put a stamp on his legacy, President Biden is hosting foreign leaders for the quad summit this weekend, and this will be the first time hosting prime ministers from Australia, India and Japan in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN's Camila DeChalus is following this for.

[06:20:00]

Camila, talk to us about why this meeting with the quad is so significant.

CAMILA DECHALUS: Well, Amara, there are a number of things that President Biden wants to achieve during the summit, and some of the biggest things that White House advisers tell us is that they want to focus on how China is becoming more aggressive when it comes to the South China Sea. They also want to talk about how these countries can come together when it comes to responding with humanitarian aid, or just responding when it comes to natural disasters in different regions.

And we're also told that Biden wants to focus on something very personal to him, and that is new joint efforts to really try to fight cancer, and some of the initiatives that these countries are going to now collaborate and come together to really do more screenings when it comes to cervical cancer, and really have that fight against cancer and other putting more investment towards research.

Now, Amara, as you mentioned, this summit is going to take place in Wilmington, and that was a very personal choice for the president, he wants to really display to these leaders that foreign policy can also be personal, and it's also an element where he wants to show them where the state, where he grew up, this is a very personal town for Biden, this is his hometown, and he really wants to demonstrate that by holding the summit not in DC, but in his hometown of Wilmington, Amara and Danny. Back to you.

WALKER: Says a lot. Camila DeChalus, thank you very much.

FREEMAN: This week, Lebanon was rocked by a wave of exploding devices, followed by airstrikes as Israel's defense minister declares a new era of war. What this means for the growing tensions in that region coming up, next.

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[06:26:00]

WALKER: Hezbollah now says at least 16 of its operatives, including high level commanders, were killed in Israel's airstrike on Beirut. The strike happened Friday, the fourth straight day of Israeli attacks on the Iran-backed militia group in Lebanon.

FREEMAN: It started with the stunning pager and walkie talkie explosions earlier this week. Those explosions injured thousands and killed at least 37 people, including children. Israel called it a new era of the war. CNN international correspondent Jomana Karadsheh joins us now.

Jomana, despite all of that, the U.S. says it has not given up hope for a ceasefire deal. What can you tell us?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Danny, we've been hearing this from the U.S. administration for weeks and months now, and you know, talking about this ceasefire deal, this not only would secure the release of hostages, mean ending the suffering of the people of Gaza who are going through the unimaginable, it also would walk the region back from the brink of a wider conflict that everyone has been so worried about. But the prospects of a deal look very bleak right now. These

negotiations are going nowhere, it seems. And a lot of people that I've been speaking to in the region, some officials in Arab countries, they feel that this is not going to happen any time soon.

And there's also been the question of, why is the U.S. not doing more? The U.S., many believe, has the leverage, has the power to make a deal happen, and they feel that it is not putting all its power and leverage here and trying to make it happen.

And you can see right now, the situation the region in is an extremely dangerous one. You know, we're talking about the developments in Lebanon over the past few days, blow after blow for Hezbollah, obviously, with these unprecedented, shocking attacks, these pager and walkie talkie attacks, but also on Friday, another devastating blow with that strike on that building in southern Beirut suburbs that killed at least 16 members of Hezbollah, including one of their most senior commanders, another top commander and other members and operatives of what is Hezbollah's special operations force.

But at the same time, we're also hearing, in the past couple of hours from the Lebanese health ministry saying that, as many have feared, many civilians are among the casualties as well. This is one of Lebanon's most densely populated areas, and they say that at least seven women and three children aged four, six and 10 are among the dead, and that the operation is still continuing. They're digging through the rubble. They are trying to search for more people.

There are some who are unaccounted for right now, and this is a very tense and terrifying moment for so many people in Lebanon who have gone through so much over the past few years. And the question right now is, where is this all headed? What is Hezbollah going to do next? Because what you have had since October the eighth is this mid level intensity conflict that has for the most part been contained in the border region with these cross border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah, but this has obviously gone to a very has entered a serious, new, dangerous phase.

And the question is, what is Hezbollah going to do, and what is it that Israel is doing right now? Is this Israel warning Hezbollah? Is it trying to use this military pressure to secure its northern region, to secure the return of tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to the north or is this Israel setting the ground work for what many fear could be a new offensive and a major military operation that could be coming?

FREEMAN: Oh, men, well, we shall see and thank you for keeping us abreast of all these most recent developments. Jomana Karadsheh, thank you very much. All right, let's dig deeper and discuss with Jasmine El-Gamal; she's a former Pentagon Middle East adviser.

Jasmine, thank you so much for being with us this morning. I want to talk about just the past couple of days with the killing of Ibrahim Aqil, that's the senior Hezbollah commander, and the pager and walkie- talkie attacks. From your perspective, will we look back on this week as a true turning point in this war in the Middle East? JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FOUNDER & CEO, MINDWORK STRATEGIES & FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER: Thank you so much for having me and good morning. I think that what we're seeing right now actually tells us a lot about where Israel is in its thinking. Benjamin Netanyahu needs a victory, right? He's been in Gaza for the last almost a year now.

There has been no end in sight to the war in Gaza, right? He hasn't been able to kind of pull -- you know, put something up to people in Israel and say, we won this war. In the meantime, Israelis in the north have been displaced. They've been out of their homes for almost a year. The pressure has been mounting.

You have protests every week for almost a year against Netanyahu and this war, he hasn't been able to bring the hostages back. And so, he needs a victory. And so, what we're seeing in Lebanon now, it actually provides a window into his thinking. He's thinking if I can go into Lebanon, if I can scare Hezbollah into backing down, then maybe I can bring people back to their homes in the north, and then I can declare some kind of victory.

I do not believe -- and from everybody that I'm talking to in Israel, I do not believe that Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking war with Hezbollah. I think what we're seeing right now is a sort of mad dash to provide some sort of end to this endless conflict that we've been seeing for the last year. He wants to let Hezbollah know that he is ready for war, but think twice about bringing it to us at home.

FREEMAN: But I guess, do you -- I understand that that's your sense from talking to people what the Prime Minister's strategy may be, but is that likely to -- I mean, we're seeing Iran saying that this is crossed a red line. I mean, is this likely to de-escalate or bring tensions down?

EL-GAMAL: Exactly. You hit the nail right on the head because the next part of that is, that is what he wants. But is that actually what's going to happen? You know, we talk about the -- you know, unintended consequences. And when we look at the Middle East, you know, in the past decades, when we look at sort of, you know, the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, nobody really wanted that, but it ended up happening anyway.

And so, the real danger here is, is not only miscommunication, but miscalculation. What happens when someone goes just a step too far, and Israel so far has been really pushing the boundaries. I mean, people talk about the pager attack for example, being, you know, this extremely targeted attack, but that's not quite true.

I mean, these pagers, according to reports, have been in Lebanon since 2022, the first pager started coming into Lebanon that were compromised in 2022. There was no way for Israel to know who had those pagers, where they were. And so, the plans -- you know, we talk about the best-laid plans, right?

But what happens when the best laid plans go awry? What happens when you do something that just goes over the red line that you didn't even know was there and where it was. And so, what you raised is the most important question, which is the risk, the incredible risks of these kinds of operations.

You know, Israel is pushing and pushing and pushing. And it may be intending to do this as a means of deterrence. But what action is going to actually flip that situation from deterrence into an aggression and a war by Hezbollah and by Iran? Because obviously Hezbollah is extremely humiliated right now.

FREEMAN: Right --

EL-GAMAL: And they're going to have to do something at some point. The question is, what are they going to do?

FREEMAN: Well, and Jasmine, to that point, I mean, we're talking about, you know, some of the people who have vested interests, of course, who are in the region, but the U.N. is also a potential player here. The U.N. Human Rights chief said those specific attacks regarding the pagers and the walkie-talkies, using apparently harmless, portable objects as booby-trapped devices may very well have violated international law.

[06:35:00]

I mean, just quickly, what kind of weight does that have at this stage of the war?

EL-GAMAL: That's a great way to phrase that question because when you say at this stage of the war, it does not hold any weight. Israel is not listening to the U.N. right now, you know, neither the U.N. or the ICC or the ICJ. You know, there are all of these allegations there, all of these accusations and charges being leveled against Israel for how it's been conducting this war over the last year.

And Israel is certainly not paying attention, and frankly, neither is the U.S. as its most potent backer. But I do think that it is important for historical record, for when the war is over and people look back at how this war was waged.

FREEMAN: Right --

EL-GAMAL: I think that is when these things are going to come into play.

FREEMAN: Jasmine El-Gamal, thank you so much for your expertise and your perspective, really appreciate it.

AMARA WALKER, CO-ANCHOR, CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: Georgia's election board has approved a controversial new rule that requires some ballots to be hand-counted. Why critics say this would cause chaos on election day.

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[06:40:00]

FREEMAN: Forty five days before election day in over the objections of key officials in the state, Donald Trump's allies on Georgia's election board passed a new rule that critics say could delay the results of the presidential race. It requires a hand-count of all ballots after polls close on election night.

WALKER: The rule is also receiving a lot of criticism from local elections officials and poll workers, and Georgia's Republican Attorney General is warning that the move is likely unlawful. CNN's Sara Murray has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Three people are all Pit-Bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory. They're fighting.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Those three Republicans on the Georgia State Election Board, who Donald Trump praised at a campaign rally last month, charging ahead with a controversial new rule about hand-counting ballots.

JANELLE KING, MEMBER, GEORGIA STATE ELECTION BOARD: So, this leaves us in a very difficult position. Do we maintain the status quo because it's easier? Or do we make a few adjustments so that we can be better?

MURRAY: But it's not better for many bipartisan election officials across the state who begged the board to pause on new rules ahead of November.

MILTON KIDD, ELECTIONS DIRECTOR FOR DOUGLAS COUNTY, GEORGIA: The idea that you're not going to listen to the individuals that are charged with conducting elections is absurd to me.

MURRAY: State officials from Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to Attorney General Chris Carr issued sharp warnings, thanked several of the dozen rules the board is considering may run afoul of the law.

BRAD RAFFENSPERGER, GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: What you're close to like, in fact, we're really just three weeks before we start early voting, and it's just too late in the cycle.

MURRAY: The new rule doesn't help determine a winner, rather, it requires a hand-count of the number of ballots at polling places on election day. And then comparing the number of ballots cast with the number recorded by voting machines. Critics say it's a recipe for chaos.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I were to hand this stack of paper to three random people in this room, especially at the end of a long voting day and ask them to arrive at the same total number, do we think that's feasible? People doing a hand-count are going to make mistakes, which can then be exploited to spread lies --

MURRAY: Raffensperger says the change could delay reporting results on election night.

RAFFENSPERGER: You start breaking up the ballot boxes after you closed the precinct, you won't be getting those election day votes until maybe 1 O'clock, 2 O'clock or 4 O'clock in the morning, and we just don't believe that's healthy for, you know, the Republic, and we don't think it's healthy for people of Georgia.

MURRAY: The three Trump-backed Republicans passed the rule anyway.

JOHN FERVIER, CHAIRMAN, GEORGIA STATE ELECTION BOARD: The motion passes 3 to 2.

(APPLAUSE)

MURRAY: Even steam-rolling the independent chairman of the five- member board.

FERVIER: If this board votes to implement this rule, I think that we put ourselves in legal jeopardy.

MURRAY (on camera): And this new rule is almost certainly going to face legal challenges. And to that end, Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger put out a statement after the meeting, saying Attorney General Chris Carr has stated that these rules would not withstand a legal challenge, and I have worked every day to strengthen Georgia's election law to ensure our elections remain safe, secure and free.

So, it's just a question at this point of where these legal challenges are going to come from. Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Sara Murray, thank you. Coming up in the 8 O'clock hour of CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND, we weren't going to talk to the director of elections in a Georgia County who is sounding the alarm, quite disappointed about these last-minute rule changes.

FREEMAN: And still to come, a Kentucky sheriff has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a district judge inside of a courthouse. What we know about the incident that's coming up ahead as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:00]

WALKER: A jury is now deliberating in the case of the man accused of killing ten people in a shooting at King's grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, in March of 2021. Twenty five-year-old Ahmad Alissa faces 93 charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and assault. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

FREEMAN: Closing statements ended yesterday, the central question for the jury to consider is at least his mental state at the time of the shooting. His attorneys acknowledged that he committed the crime, but they always argue he was legally insane. And a sheriff from eastern Kentucky accused of fatally shooting a judge is set to be arraigned next week. The judge, 54-year-old Kevin Mullins was the only one who could

preside over the arraignment in Letcher County where the shooting took place. So, it's now being moved.

WALKER: Now, Sheriff Shawn Stines will have to wait until Wednesday for his first court appearance which will take place in Carter County, that's about 100 miles away. CNN's Ryan Young is following the story.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Amara and Danny, this is a baffling case. Letcher County, Kentucky Sheriff Mickey Shawn Stines is accused of murdering Judge Kevin Mullins in his own chambers. Now, CNN has also learned the sheriff was deposed this week in connection with the ongoing federal lawsuit involving a former deputy who coerced a woman to have sex with him on several different occasions in Mullins chambers in 2021.

[06:50:00]

Now, we're not sure if that had anything to do with the argument that led to the shooting, but it was around 3:00 p.m. Thursday when the sheriff entered the courthouse, the two men were in the judge's chambers alone, there was argument that apparently took place, shots were fired and the courthouse was actually put on lockdown and so were nearby schools.

Now, we have a mugshot of Sheriff Stines, who is being held in a Leslie County jail, is believed his first court appearance could be sometime next week, but for the people in this community, they say this killing of Mullins is heartbreaking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT BUTLER, LOCAL PROSECUTOR IN LETCHER COUNTY, KENTUCKY: Tried a case against each other before he was the judge and never had a disagreement outside of that courtroom. We have always got along. I always thought he was hilarious. I always thought he was very witty, he was fun to be around outside of court, and as a brother-in-law, I will never forget how kind he was to my children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Now, Stines was first elected as sheriff back in 2018. We are waiting for more information from investigators about how this played out. This is such a small community. You understand people are concerned about what's going on with their judicial system, we're hoping to get more information of course, when the sheriff has that first court appearance, so we can learn what investigators know so far. Guys?

WALKER: All right, Ryan Young, thank you for that. Shohei Ohtani already made baseball history, but he is not slowing down, not even close. The Dodgers superstar gave the home fans plenty to cheer about fresh off being crowned Mr. 50-50.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:00]

WALKER: Shohei Ohtani's historic moment might have come on the road, but the Dodgers' superstar delivered an incredible encore for the fans back in L.A. on Friday.

FREEMAN: Indeed, Andy Scholes joins us now. Andy, I mean, are we witnessing actually one of the greats of all time in baseball?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I mean, no doubt. And we really just need to stop and appreciate what we are seeing right now from Shohei Ohtani because I mean, there's a great chance that we never see this again in baseball history.

He became the first player ever to get up 50-50 Thursday in Miami, and last night, he was back at Dodgers stadium where he got a huge ovation from the crowd before his first at-bat event, but then in the fifth, what did Ohtani do, he hit another homerun to center field.

This is a two-run shot number 52 on the season, then the seventh inning after a single, Ohtani would steal second with ease. So, now he's created the 52-52 club, Dodgers would go on to win 6 to 4. And CNN's Natasha Chen was at the game last night, she got the chance to speak with Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts, and asked him how many more home runs and steals does he think Ohtani has in him in the final nine days of the season?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE ROBERTS, MANAGER, LOS ANGELES DODGERS: I don't know if I'm going to give him an off day before the post-season because I do think that if I do give him an off-day, I think there's going to be a lot of visiting fans very disappointed, very upset with me.

But I'm going to have those conversations, but I think, you know, where is he at now? Fifty two, 51, something like that. I think 60-60 is sort of on the radar a little bit. We'll see.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is that crazy just to talk about it --

ROBERTS: It is bananas --

CHEN: Just to say it out loud?

ROBERTS: It's bananas. I sound like idiot even saying that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Sixty-sixty, not even saying if you got there. Phillies meanwhile crushing the Mets 12 to 2 to punch a ticket to the postseason for the third year in a row is just the third time in Phillies history they've made three consecutive postseasons, no champagne showers though, just a simple toast.

Their goal is getting back to the World Series and winning at this time after they fell short in 2022 to my Astros by the way. The Braves, they lost to the Mets -- or the Braves lost as well, I should say, to the Mets, remained two games up on them for that final spot in the national Wildcard race.

All right, finally, some of team USA's biggest stars from the Paris Olympics, they're taking their show on the road, Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles and Frederick Richard headlining the Gold Over America tour, it's 30 shows in 30 states from coast to coast over the next month and a half. Our Coy Wire got the chance to talk to Biles and Chiles about what they're most excited about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMONE BILES, AMERICAN GYMNAST: It's such an honor and such a blessing that they come out to support us. But it really is inspiring the next generation, and that's why we do what we do. We have a love and a passion and we want to share that with everyone because we do such a beautiful sport, so, why not share it with everyone?

JORDAN CHILES, AMERICAN GYMNAST: Yes, I think it's really just us having fun and really bring our personalities out. There are a bunch of different personalities on this tour, and I think honestly, especially having the boys now, we give two different atmospheres -- and you know the girls and their prettiness and then the guys who have the ability to bring in that strongness as well. And it's really cool, it's really fun. I enjoy it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, it should be fun. You know, I've met Simone Biles in person, but I've never got to see her compete, which is what -- something I want to do --

WALKER: Are we doing it? Are we going? Yes --

SCHOLES: It's on my bucket list, I want to see -- coming to The Loop(ph) --

WALKER: Biles and Chiles --

SCHOLES: Near the Atlanta area, so --

WALKER: You've got to tell me the dates, I really want to go, this sounds amazing.

SCHOLES: Will be awesome.

WALKER: Let's do it. Thank you, Andy --

SCHOLES: All right.

WALKER: The new CNN original series "TV ON THE EDGE: MOMENTS THAT SHAPED OUR CULTURE", we'll examine the most impactful moments in TV history, exploring how key cultural events influenced a generation of viewers.

FREEMAN: The four-part series premieres tomorrow, here's a preview. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDICE BERGEN, ACTRESS: But I promise I'll never make you wait until --

(LAUGHTER)

BERGEN: Until after the cake to open your birthday presents.

DIANE ENGLISH, CREATOR & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, MURPHY BROWN: We were all together making this show, which was the birth of this child. We made it funny. We made it emotional, and we all felt like, gosh, we did a good job with that. A lot of people in America were watching this and moved to tears, you know, and then literally, the next day our world changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Be sure to tune in, "TV ON THE EDGE: MOMENTS THAT SHAPED OUR CULTURE" premieres again tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.