Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

At Least 4 Dead In Birmingham, AL Mass Shooting; U.S. Urges Americans To Leave Lebanon As Soon As Possible; Israel: Hezbollah Fires 100 Plus Projectiles Into Israel After IDF Strikes; Harris Accepts CNN Debate For October 24, Trump Says That's "Too Late". Mass Shooting in Birmingham, Alabama; Hezbollah Fires 100 Plus Projectiles into Israel; Apalachee HS Students Set to Return to Class; Trump's False Claims Raise Safety Concerns in Springfield. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired September 22, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:13]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN HOST: We have breaking news. Overnight, there's been a mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, and so far, no one is in custody. I'm Danny Freeman.

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: And I'm Amara Walker. This morning, the Birmingham Police Department says at least four people are dead. Several more have been injured as a result of the shooting. Here is what we know so far.

FREEMAN: Police got the call around 11:00 last night in the Five Points South area. For reference, that's about 2 miles away from downtown Birmingham.

WALKER: Police believe multiple shooters opened fire on a group of people in one of the most popular entertainment districts in Birmingham.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

OFFICER TRUMAN FITZGERALD, BIRMINGHAM POLICE: Rest assured, we are going to do everything we possibly can to make sure that we uncover, identify and hunt down who was ever responsible for preying on our people this morning.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

FREEMAN: We want to turn now to CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. Commissioner Ramsey, thank you first off for joining us this morning. But tell us when it comes to this shooting, how unusual is it for a mass casualty event to have police searching for potentially multiple suspects?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Actually, it's not all that unusual. I've seen several cases where you've had more than one individual firing into a crowd. It's unusual in the sense that when we're usually talking about mass shootings, it's one shooter, multiple people dead or injured, what have you. But on the street, when you have these things occur in cities, it's unfortunately just not all that unusual.

WALKER: What's your reaction, Chief, you know, to yet another mass shooting in America, which that's what you're waking up to?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, it's not a surprise and it's not going to stop. I mean, so I think we're over 400 so far this year. When you take a look at actually what's going on around the country, no place is really, you know, immune from having something like this take place.

They're in the early stages of this investigation. So based on probably witnesses, this is -- how they're able to determine, they had more than one shooter. You can also determine just looking at the shell casings. They might have multiple different calibers of shell casings on the ground. It would lead them to believe that it was more than one shooter. So this is at the very early stages. They'll eventually find out who's responsible and respond accordingly.

FREEMAN: Commissioner, we have limited details as you alluded to right now. We don't have a description of the suspects, the weapon or weapons involved. If the victims were all in one location or, frankly, just how large this crime scene may be with all of that, how can police reassure the public that this is a safe area right now?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, they don't have the shooters in custody yet. So you can't 100 percent provide any assurances to the community. But this could have been targeted right now. They don't know if it was targeted. Was it the result of an argument at one of the clubs? You know, that's the kind of information they simply do not have right now.

And as they get more information, they'll put information out that will help put the public at ease. But this is something to be concerned about. I mean, because right now they don't know what they have other than the fact that they've got a lot of people shot. They've got multiple shooters. They are not in custody.

They don't know why it happened. And so people will wake up and they'll be very concerned about what's going on right now. So communication from the Birmingham Police Department is going to be essential to get as much information as they can out to the public. Get the public's help.

Somebody knows what happened. Somebody knows who's responsible. And all I got to do is get your hands on one of these guys. And if they do, then likely he'll lead them to the others.

WALKER: You know, yes, it's early in the investigation but the Birmingham police in this news conference did say that they do not know if the suspects either walked up into the shooting, or this was a drive by. But if there were a lot of people in the area, I mean, don't you think someone would have seen something? RAMSEY: They probably just haven't been able to confirm. But, yes, somebody saw something and whether it was a drive by, whether they got out of a car, walked up and committed the shooting, then went back and got in a vehicle and made their escape. I've seen it happen that way too.

So, the early stages of an investigation is pretty chaotic --

WALKER: Yes.

RAMSEY: -- and a lot of information comes in. Sometimes that information is conflicting. They can have one witness say, oh, they drove up and another one say, I think they walked up. And so until they're able to confirm that, they're not going to put that kind of information out and find out later that they were wrong. So they'll get it out as soon as they confirm it up a bit.

FREEMAN: Commissioner, can you talk to us about -- as far as we understand, this is in a -- an entertainment district, a popular area, and I'm thinking back to your neck of the woods, where a couple of years ago, there was a shooting on South Street in Philadelphia. Similarly, there were a lot of people and a lot of people, including in that case, at least bystanders were hit.

[07:05:17]

Is it very hard to approach this in an investigation sense when it is a populated entertainment type district?

RAMSEY: It was really not that difficult. You'll have a lot of witnesses, you'll have a lot of forensic evidence perhaps that will be there on the scene that they're going to have to collect. But the fact that they have witnesses, the fact that it's an entertainment district means that there's probably a lot of video in that area that they can then recover and take a look at and see if they can figure out exactly what took place.

And so the more people you have, the more resources you need to use in order to interview all the witnesses and do all the things you need to do. But the more witnesses, the better. So you hope it doesn't happen in a crowded area simply because you'll wind up with more innocent people getting shot. It doesn't really add that much though to the complexity of the basic investigation itself other than resources.

WALKER: Yes. Police are asking business owners in the area to look through their surveillance footage and turn it over if it shows anything.

Commissioner Charles Ramsey, really appreciate you getting up early this morning. Thanks so much.

Breaking overnight as well, Israel Defense Forces say more than 100 projectiles were fired into Israel by Hezbollah. This comes after Israel hit about 180 Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon on Saturday. We want to show you the moment a projectile hit the town of Kiryat Bialik in Israel near Haifa. It caused fires and left at least four people injured.

FREEMAN: Now, Israel is responding by striking more Hezbollah targets today, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is delaying his trip to the U.N. General Assembly, which starts Tuesday. U.S. officials, meanwhile, are warning that the possibility of this escalating further is real, and the U.S. embassy in Beirut is urging Americans to leave Lebanon.

Our Ben Wedeman is live in Beirut for us this morning. Ben, things only seem to be escalating. What's the latest?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They definitely are escalating, Danny. Just after midnight here local time, Hezbollah launched the first of three major volleys of medium range missiles in the direction of Israel. Instead, this is in response to the strikes on Lebanon since last Tuesday, the pager strikes, the walkie talkie strikes, and Friday's Israeli airstrike on southern Beirut. They have left almost 100 Lebanese dead and thousands wounded.

Now, they said their target was the Ramat David Israeli Air Base, as well as the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Facility in Haifa. However, it doesn't appear that the missiles reached quite that far, but -- and most of them were intercepted, but we are seeing that there were some direct hits. According to the Israeli medical services, as many as 10 people have been admitted to hospital as a result.

Now, they are -- this is -- Hezbollah used what is -- are being called the Fadi-1 and the Fadi-2 medium range missiles. This is the first time they've used missiles like this before. And these are -- they've reached further into Israel than anything that has been fired since the beginning of hostilities in October.

Now, as far as what's happening on the Lebanese side, the official news agency here is reporting that there have been at least 60 Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon. There have been more than 300 in the last 24 hours. Now, the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon has put out a statement saying that warning that the region is on the brink of what she calls imminent catastrophe, stressing that there is no military solution to this situation that will make either side safe.

Now, in the meantime, the U.S. government has advised, rather, the U.S. embassy here in Lebanon has advised all Americans currently in Lebanon to leave immediately while flights are still available, and others who might be planning to come here, not to come. Danny?

FREEMAN: Ben Wedeman, thank you very much for that report.

Joining me now for more on this is CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kim Dozier. Kim, Israel's recent strikes have targeted Hezbollah's infrastructure and offensive capabilities. We saw that with the pager attacks, we saw that with the walkie talkies, but Hezbollah has still managed to strike inside of Israel. What is your take on these escalating moves?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Hezbollah does have an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles pointed south [07:10:06]

And the Israeli Defense Forces have said that the strikes they've carried out have been at, quote, "rockets or missiles that are primed to fire." So, I think you're going to see an extended period of Hezbollah and Israel trading airstrikes. At this point Hezbollah's command is in disarray because of those pager and walkie talkie strikes that have been blamed on Israel because they took out so many of their top decision makers, but also because they made everyone in the rank and file afraid to use anything electronic. So that slows down communications.

But this -- thus far, these strikes that Hezbollah has been launching into Israel have still been targeted at military targets or a -- that weapons manufacturing site that apparently was targeted, but not hit, they could choose to hit civilian areas, but they're not. So there is another dial that they could ramp up. So far, they're holding fire and Israel's doing the same.

FREEMAN: But I guess, Kim, you know, we were speaking with an expert yesterday about this continuing week of escalation, right, between Israel and Hezbollah. And the person that we spoke with yesterday said that Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing this, or has been doing this, in part, to try and act as a deterrence, basically, to Hezbollah, and yet now we're seeing these volleys, as you're describing. So I'll just ask, how concerned are you about an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah?

DOZIER: Well, there are a couple of factors that keep us from getting into an all-out war situation. The Israeli military is very tired. Doing a 2006 style invasion of southern Lebanon means committing a lot of troops on the ground. And of course, they would be going after a bunch of these hidden weapon sites.

But I've had Israeli officials brief me on the fact that those weapon sites are deep inside villages and towns, populated areas. That is a labor-intensive exercise for troops that are already tired from 10 months on the ground in Gaza. And from Hezbollah's point of view, if they dial that lever up and strike populated areas in Israel, that's sort of -- that's the worst they can do.

And that capability it's believed is being reserved for Iran's use. If Iran gets hit by a massive Israeli strike, then Iran, which supplied much of that weapons and those -- that technology to Hezbollah is supposed to be saying, OK, now you can really unleash everything. That's why I think, you know, it sounds strange for me to say that each side is holding their fire, but each side is for the most part trying to target military targets when it could be a lot worse.

FREEMAN: Last thing came quickly is when you see what's happened over the past 72 hours and the greater part of the last week, how does this escalation in your mind with Hezbollah realistically affect the chances of a hostage deal or a ceasefire when it comes to Gaza?

DOZIER: Well, I think Secretary of State Blinken spoke to that this past week in Cairo. He said, every time it seems like they're close to resolving the situation and getting a ceasefire, something happens. In this case, it was the pagers blowing up. Some have cynically said it seems like Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't want to hand the Biden administration the victory of a ceasefire and many of the Israeli hostages coming home because Netanyahu is waiting for a possible Trump administration win in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

FREEMAN: Kim Dozier, thank you very much for your perspective and analysis this morning. Appreciate it.

WALKER: All right, still to come, Donald Trump is turning down another debate with Kamala Harris. Harris has accepted CNN's invitation for an October 23rd face off, but Trump said this about that.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The problem with another debate is that it's just too late. Voting has already started.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

FREEMAN: Plus, students of Apalachee High School will return to class this week after two teachers and two students were killed in a shooting earlier this month. We'll ask a school safety expert how teachers and family can help students cope.

WALKER: And guess what? It's officially the first day of fall, but summer is not going away. A look at when cool temperatures are expected.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:19:22]

FREEMAN: 44 days out to the election and former President Donald Trump is saying now it's simply too late for another presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris accepted CNN's debate invitation on Saturday as Trump rallied in North Carolina. He told the crowd there it was too late for another debate since early voting is already underway.

WALKER: Now traditionally, the presidential candidates get the last debate word, but that might fall to the VP candidate, says J.D. Vance and Tim Walz are scheduled to have their debate on October 1st. CNN's Steve Contorno details Trump's first visit to the Tar Heel state, since his handpicked candidate for governor got caught up in a porn site scandal.

[07:20:02]

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Danny and Amara, Donald Trump landed in North Carolina on Saturday with the state GOP in crisis over their nominee for governor, Mark Robinson, following that CNN KFile report about what he wrote on a porn site several years ago.

However, Donald Trump did not invite Mark Robinson to his rally. He was not mentioned at all while he was there, which is notable because he has showed up alongside Mark Robinson when he has visited the Tar Hill state in the past. Trump did, however, address his invitation to appear at a CNN debate in October. This is what he said to his crowd when he said he was going to reject that offer.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: Good entertainment value. A lot of people say, oh, do it. It's great entertainment. I've already done two. The problem with another debate is that it's just too late. Voting has already started. She's had her chance to do it with Fox. You know, Fox invited us on and I waited and waited and they turned it down. They turned it down.

But now she wants to do a debate right before the election with CNN because she's losing badly. It's too late to do another. I'd love to in many ways, but it's too late.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CONTORNO: I will point out that in 2016 and in 2020, Donald Trump did participate in October debates. Elsewhere in his speech, it was clear he was very much addressing the women in the crowd and the women voters of this country, who he said are quote, "poor, less healthy, less safe, more depressed, and less optimistic than they were four years ago."

And he also had a message for them about the issue of abortion.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: You will no longer be thinking about abortion because it is now where it always had to be with the states and with the vote of the people.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CONTORNO: The women's vote will be key in this election. Donald Trump only won the Tar Heel state by about one percentage point four years ago. And the gap between him and Kamala Harris among women is larger than it was against him and Joe Biden in 2020. So it's going to be critical for him to try to narrow that gap in the next few weeks.

Amara and Danny?

WALKER: Steve Contorno, appreciate it.

Joining us now is the Chicago Sun-Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet. Lynn, good morning. It's great to see you again.

LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Good morning.

WALKER: Let's talk about this -- talk about a second debate between Trump and Harris. You heard him there. He says it's way too late even though Kamala Harris has agreed to it for October 23rd here in Atlanta at the CNN studios. Is it too late or is Trump perhaps calculating that it's just too big of a risk for him considering he didn't perform so well in that first debate with Harris, according to the polls? SWEET: The first debate in 2020 was September 29, the second was in October. The whole point of a debate is to make it possible for you to be elected president of the United States. It's not for entertainment value or, or any other calculation, doesn't matter who gets the last word. So in the calculation of the candidates, Trump sees no plus for him going again.

Here's the quick irony here. He -- the first debate with President Joe Biden went so well, and Biden did so poorly that it resulted in him dropping out of the reelection bid. So now Trump clearly sees no win here. He also said two things, both that they can't be true. He would have gone -- he makes it pretty clear, on a Fox debate, but he didn't want to go on a debate on CNN. So, you know, that speaks well for itself. That has nothing to do with the date.

WALKER: And you brought this up, but if they don't debate again, the vice presidential candidates, J.D. Vance and Tim Walz will get the last word. And that is unusual, right, because traditionally it's the presidential nominees who get the last word, the last debate word. I mean, do these VP debates matter? And if the VP candidates do get the last word, does it hurt or help either campaign?

SWEET: Well in 2024, I think we just need to toss out the idea of tradition or comparing this to anything that's happened in the past. So if we start afresh here, the -- there is less risk for both Trump and Harris on this vice presidential debate if their running mates don't do well on it, or if it's a draw.

I don't think it's significant that there is not a final debate in terms of determining the presidential campaign, actually, because the Harris campaign, especially with this torrent of cash coming in, has plenty of ways to make their case through paid media.

WALKER: And perhaps it's a plus for Kamala Harris not to have another debate since, you know surveys and polls showed that she won that debate. Let's talk about Trump's speech in North Carolina yesterday and not addressing the elephant in the room. Obviously, Mark Robinson, the Lieutenant Governor's porn site scandal that was unearthed by CNN's KFile.

[07:25:05]

Was that the right strategy for him to ignore the scandal, or should he, you know, get out there in front of it and rescind at least his endorsement of it?

SWEET: Well, again, back to my rule number one, the whole point of either a debate or a campaign rally is to get yourself elected president. There is no good to come of his bringing up Robinson's name, unless he wanted to defend him, and that seems pretty silly to do at this point since Robinson has not raised much of a defense except claiming it was made up, and CNN has a pretty solid story here.

So, what Trump did is just seemingly obvious. There was no plus for him getting anywhere near Robinson. WALKER: But there's a lot of concern that Robinson, you know, could damage Trump's election chances along with some other down ballot Republicans.

SWEET: Absolutely. He is toxic to down ballot Republicans everywhere. He was, you know, he is a in-kind donation to Democrats wherever he appears. He was invited by Republicans in suburban Chicago to come September 29th. Those local Democrats have dined out on it. They might as well list it as an in-kind donation. So whether or not it's a terminative of what happened to North Carolina could be in a sliver election like the one you have there.

WALKER: And lastly, what about these calls for Kamala Harris to do another traditional media interview to sit down with someone and to talk again to the media in her own way. What do you think of her strategy so far?

SWEET: Well, as a journalist, do more interviews. I'm all for it. It's just as an analyst here talking to all your viewers. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. She's doing pretty well talking to the media. She wants to in the way she wants to. But, again, if she sits down, look at what you played, what Trump said at the rally yesterday. Women are not thinking about abortion anymore to everyone out there.

And use your common sense. Are you not, if you're a woman, are you not thinking of abortion anymore? If you're in that very difficult and personal situation, you are allowed to bring common sense to this arena of politics here. And I think that only gives an advantage to Harris if she does more campaigns and she's able to wrestle the conversation to areas she wants it to be. But that's why I think she will be doing more interviews, but they probably will be in the swing states where she needs the support the most.

WALKER: Yes, that would make sense. Lynn Sweet, appreciate you putting on both hats as a journalist and as an analyst this morning. Thank you.

SWEET: And thank you.

WALKER: We'll have a lot more news on the presidential election on Inside Politics with Manu Raju at 8:00 a.m. Eastern and 11:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Also, a quick programming note, "TV On The Edge: Moments That Shaped Our Culture." It premieres tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Be sure to tune in right here on CNN.

FREEMAN: And still to come, after losing their friends and teachers to a tragic shooting at their school, students will be returning Tuesday to Apalachee High School. We'll discuss the psychological impact of the incident with an expert coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00] AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We're following two breaking stories this hour. The first in Alabama, Birmingham, specifically, where police say at least four people are dead and dozens more injured after a mass shooting there overnight.

Here's what we know so far. It all happened. Just after 11:00 last night in the Five Point South area, which is a popular entertainment area, and that's just about two miles away from Downtown Birmingham. Now, police believe multiple shooters opened fire on a group of people. No suspects have been taken into custody. Several law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation, including the FBI.

The other breaking news we're following this morning. Israel's air force is striking Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon so far. They say they've had 290 targets since Saturday. This comes after a barrage of more than 100 projectiles from Southern Lebanon into Northern Israel overnight.

And we warn you, this next video may be disturbing to some. We want to show you the moment a projectile hit the town of Kiryat Bialik in Israel near Haifa, causing fires and leaving at least four people injured. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed his trip to the U.N. General Assembly, which kicks off on Tuesday. He spoke ahead of a government meeting today saying Hezbollah was hit with a set of blows it did not imagine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Over the past few days, we have struck Hezbollah with a series of blows it didn't imagine. If Hezbollah didn't get the message, I assure you, they will get the message. We are determined to return our citizens in the north to their homes safely. No country can tolerate incoming fire against its citizens, incoming fire against its citizens. And we too, the State of Israel, won't tolerate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Switching gears now. On Tuesday, Apalachee High School in Georgia, the scene of the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. this year, will reopen. Students will begin a half day schedule for almost two weeks before resuming full school days. The school district will be providing additional resources like counselors, therapy dogs, and more law enforcement officers on campus. The area of the school where the shooting occurred will remain closed through the end of the school year.

Joining me now is Tom Brandt. He was a school psychologist in Newtown, Connecticut when the Sandy Hook shooting happened. He currently serves on the National Association of School Psychologists School Safety and Crisis Response Committee. Tom, thank you so much for joining us this morning and for talking about such an important yet difficult subject.

[07:35:00]

Let's start here. How difficult is it for a student to walk back into school after something awful like this has happened?

TOM BRANDT, DIRECTOR OF PUPIL SERVICES FOR AMITY REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, CONNECTICUT AND SERVES ON NASP SCHOOL SAFETY AND CRISIS RESPONSE COMMITTEE: Good morning. Thank you for having me. It's extremely difficult. When we think about our students, school is where they spend six and a half to seven and a half hours a day. So, walking through those doors for the first time since this has happened is going to bring up a lot of emotions for them. But in many ways, this really starts their healing process, starting to be around their peers and starting to return to their school.

FREEMAN: It's interesting you say that because we have heard from certainly administrators saying that there has been a clamor to come back to school and to be together. I would imagine specifically for that community aspect. But, Tom, how can parents prepare to send their kids back into the classroom tomorrow -- or rather, I should say, on Tuesday?

BRANDT: Yes, certainly. So, from the parent perspective, it's just letting your child know that, yes, it's going to be different and you're going to have moments when you feel overwhelmed and you're going to have moments when you feel like you want to cry, but you're also going to have moments and it's OK to laugh and to see your friends.

The entire community is experiencing this together. They're coming together as a community. So, they're going to all recover together as a community. So, the parent's ability to feel confident that their son or daughter is returning to a school that has enhanced their safety measures, has the mental health supports, have the therapy dogs available for the students, and importantly the teachers as well.

FREEMAN: Yes, let's talk about that a little bit more, if that's all right. How important and crucial are those mental health resources not just for students, but also for those staff members and teachers walking back into that high school?

BRANDT: Certainly, you know, we saw in the video that was posted by the superintendent and the principal that they were talking not only to their students and their families, but also their teachers. We know that one of the ways schools are reopened is when our teachers and our staff within the building are ready to return. And they've been provided the support and the connections that they need. Once our teachers are ready, then we can welcome our students back.

So, making sure teachers know where they can go for support, who their trusted people are within the building, and even who their community supports are should the day become too much and overwhelming for them.

FREEMAN: Tom, unfortunately, you have seen this process happen I imagine time and time again. Can you just speak to how this day will come where students and staff and teachers have to go back to the school, but what happens the day after?

BRANDT: Sure. You know, unfortunately we did experience that. And the day comes and you meet your friends and you see your colleagues again. But we also know that recovery is not a linear process. That as they go days, weeks out through the return to school process, each day is going to look a little bit different. There may be moments that bring up memories or times that trigger events. So, keeping those mental health supports in the schools for as long as possible.

Also, the ability for the community to develop support systems such as resiliency centers, areas where students, the staff, and the community can access mental health supports, whether it's during the school day or at 10:00 at night when they're just feeling lonely and they want someone to talk to.

FREEMAN: Tom Brandt, I'm very sorry that you have to do your work, but I'm so grateful for the work that you do. Thank you very much for your perspective this morning.

BRANDT: Thank you for having me.

WALKER: Well, Springfield is on edge after Donald Trump and J. D. Vance's lies on migrants eating pets. What the city's mayor has to say about a potential visit by Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:00]

FREEMAN: Despite being told by a top city official that the rumors are, quote, "baseless," the Trump campaign did not back down from false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.

WALKER: And the mayor says, as a result, the city is getting flooded with threats of violence. CNN's Rafael Romo has the story.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Danny, as of Friday, the city of Springfield had received more than 35 threats of violence, including bomb threats stemming from false statements made by Former President Donald Trump during the September 10 debate, this is according to Springfield Mayor Rob Rue. Those threats have prompted evacuations of elementary schools and supermarkets, lockdowns of hospitals, and transition to remote learning at several local colleges.

Now, two of those colleges have announced they plan to resume in- person learning this coming Monday after classes were held remotely as law enforcement investigated threats to their campuses. Clark State College closed its campuses and moved to virtual learning last week. Wittenberg University canceled in-person classes since Monday after receiving two e-mails last weekend, including one containing a bomb threat.

As you can imagine, the levels of fear and anxiety are very high, especially in the Haitian immigrant community as one of its leaders told us on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VILES DORSAINVAIL, OHIO HAITIAN COMMUNITY LEADER: People are still concerned for the life and try to make sure that they control where they are going and still trying to know what will be for the next days.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[07:45:00]

ROMO: Meanwhile, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue is trying everything he can to keep his city moving forward. On Friday, he visited Springfield High School to offer support and encouragement to students, teachers and staff as he prepares for what could be a visit from Former President Donald Trump in the near future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB RUE, MAYOR OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: If a presidential candidate was going to come and bring a message of coming together, trying to work through problems, talk about the real concerns that why we're in the middle of this debate, immigration concerns and immigration reform, that would be great. We would just like to see those words from any presidential candidate that came to our town.

And so, my concern is what we've seen on the national stage. I really wouldn't want that repeated from our community, from -- in our community.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: Meanwhile, the cat at the center of this crisis is alive and well. A CNN producer took these pictures of Miss Sassy Friday in Springfield. The cat's owner, Anna Kilgore, gained national attention earlier this week following a Wall Street Journal story saying Kilgore had filed a police report in August stating that her pet might have been taken by her Haitian neighbors. The cat was discovered safe and sound a few days later. Amara and Danny.

FREEMAN: Rafael Romo, thank you very much. All right. In his playing days, Deion Sanders nickname was Prime Time. Well, last night, Coach Prime's Colorado team showed they still have a knack for the dramatic. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:00]

WALKER: Yes, fall is officially here and with it some relief from the summer heat, hopefully soon, because it's not happening here yet.

FREEMAN: You're so happy about it.

WALKER: Well, no, I'm not because it's not here yet.

FREEMAN: CNN's Allison Chinchar joins us now with the latest forecast of fall.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. And, Amara, I promise it is coming. It's just for some cities, it's going to be a little bit more delayed than others. So, we take a look, this cold front is what's going to be really bringing in a lot of that cooler, more fall like temperatures, if you will.

So, we've already started to see them across portions of the Midwest. Take a look at the 24-hour temperature difference. St. Louis yesterday topping out at 94 degrees, but they will only get to about 79 for today. Similar drop from Chicago all the way down through Oklahoma City.

And then, as we start to spread a little bit further east and especially south, you too will start to see those temperatures coming down. It's just going to be a bit more delayed. Dallas still 94 today, but back down into the 70s by tomorrow. Little Rock, Nashville, all of them also going to see that similar drop. It's just going to be closer to the middle of the upcoming week before we start to see those temperatures drop back down.

Another thing that the southeastern states are keeping an eye on is the tropics. We've got several systems out there, but this one right here, this is the one of most concern, now has a 70 percent chance of developing into a tropical system here in the next several days. And when it does, it's expected to make its way into the Gulf of Mexico.

Now, one of the things is the models that are a little bit different on their timing and in terms of the potential strength, but both of them still have a potential system sliding into the Gulf of Mexico by the middle of this week, and then potentially making landfall towards the end of the week.

Regardless of when or where this system makes a landfall, one of the concerns is all of the moisture that it's going to spread, particularly around areas of the gulf coast of Florida, especially around Alabama and Mississippi. So, all of those entities we'll have to keep a very close eye on this particular system.

The other thing that bodes in the favor of any tropical system that does develop in the Gulf of Mexico is the incredibly warm temperatures in this area. Look at this. Lots of mids and even some upper 80s and a few spots, especially right near the area where it would develop say Monday or Tuesday of this week. The next name on the list, guys, is Helene.

FREEMAN: Allison Chinchar, thank you so much for that. All right. There were some incredible endings in college football yesterday. None were more dramatic though than Coach Prime, Deion Sanders, and Colorado. Amara, what was your take on the college football scene yesterday?

WALKER: Well, as long as we're not talking about my USC Trojans losing to Michigan. I mean, listen, I'm supposed to read this off the prompter if I have to be super honest, I don't even know how my USE Trojans are doing. Tell us.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: When are you not honest? When are you not honest? OK. No need to worry. We're going to focus on another team's heartbreak. You know, Deion Sanders, you guys brought him up. His tenure in Colorado began with a lot of hype last year. It had been quiet so far early in year two until last night, 13 years after leaving for the Pac-12.

The Buffs are back in the Big 12 and needing a miracle, down by seven to Baylor. In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, they get it. A 43-yard hail Mary from Deion's son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, finding LaJohntay Wester in one of the tightest openings you will see for a play like that. Colorado going on to win in overtime 38-31, sending students streaming onto the field in a rain soaked stadium to celebrate Colorado 3 and 1 for a second year in a row.

You probably know Peyton and Eli Manning, meet the next generation in the first family of football. This is Arch, the red shirt freshman at Texas, and their nephew, the son of older brother, Cooper. He delivered last night in his highly anticipated debut, filling in as the Longhorns starting QB. Took a few hits. Wasn't rattled though? Arch finishing with 258 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 51 to three blowout over Louisiana Monroe in front of more than 100,000 fans.

And lastly, for the WNBA playoffs, tip off Sunday with a full day of action, four games with plenty of eyes on star rookie Caitlin Clark, leaving the Fever back to the postseason for the first time in eight years. Indiana plays the Connecticut Sun, who beat them the first three times they met. Although, Indiana did win the last matchup, Clark says they are ready to build on that success.

[07:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAITLIN CLARK, INDIANA FEVER GUARD: I mean, you can't get too tight. Like, that's not going to let you play good basketball. I think that's what brought us a lot of success here in the second half of the season is the fun and energy that we play with. And, you know, a light mood. So, I think it's good that you see everybody, but at the same time, you know, I feel like everybody's approaching this as, you know, this is the playoffs. This is very important to every single person on this team. And obviously, we don't have a ton of playoff experience. (INAUDIBLE) our 35. This is our -- everybody's first, you know, playoff game.

So, that's a different dynamic as well. But maybe that's a good thing. You don't get overwhelmed by the moment and you just approach it as, you know, it's another game and you prepare the exact same way and go out there and compete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Great to see her smiling, guys, as the playoffs begin. Everybody knows it was a very rough entry point for her at the start of the year, but they've been playing great as of late. Couldn't make a little bit of noise in the playoffs, you never know.

WALKER: Amazing to watch her. Carolyn, I should always stay on prompter because here I'm going, tell me about how USC is doing when Colorado was the headline? All right. we got to go. Thanks for watching. Inside Politics with Manu Raju is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:00]