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Four Killed, 159 Unaccounted For In Deadly Condo Collapse; Justice Department Suing Georgia Over Restrictive Voting Law; World Health Organization Says Delta Variant Is The Most Transmissible; Long-Awaited UFO Report "Inconclusive." Aired 7-8a ET

Aired June 26, 2021 - 07:00   ET

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

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[07:00:38]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and welcome to your NEW DAY. It's Saturday, June 26th. I'm Boris Sanchez live in Surfside, Florida. Search and Rescue crew efforts have not stopped here since a deadly building collapse on Thursday morning.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: And Erica Hill live in New York. Thanks for starting your morning with us this morning. More than 48 hours later, the community of Surfside, of people across the country, still holding on to hope that at any moment, there could be word someone has been found alive beneath that rubble.

BORIS: And hope is the only thing that so many people here have right now. The latest update from the scene, a state of anxious anticipation, 159 people still unaccounted for at least four people dead. Literally a short distance from where I stand, rescue crews have not stopped working. Since this building collapse Thursday morning, they're carefully sifting through debris, frequent fires, bad weather, smoky conditions have been complicating their work.

And there's now not far from here, a wall honoring the missing that's been set up. Of course, adding to the frustration and the uncertainty of the families that are here, the mystery; we still have no idea exactly what brought most of this building down. We are getting some very important context potentially clues as to what may have led to this collapse. The New York Times reporting today but an engineer warned in 2018 of "major structural damage" at the building.

There was no warning of a collapse risk, but managers were urged to make repairs to the building according to that report. That work was actually about to get underway. Experts caution at this point it could take months to know for sure exactly what happened. Right now, the main focus is on finding survivors. And the headline of the local paper here at the Miami Herald: "The Pain Grows: A Search for Miracle in Condo Ruins Continues." Still, though, hope holds out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're still hopeful and we're praying for a miracle. We're hoping that there's, in some type of a pocket, somewhere within the rubble seeking, just waiting for someone to come find them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm holding on to a sliver of hope because I know in my heart somebody there is still alive. And if it's not my aunt or uncle, I hope it's somebody's father, somebody's son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's go to CNN's Rosa Flores who's been on the scene in Surfside since the tragedy began to unfold. Rosa, we're now three days into this rescue mission. What are you seeing as far as what authorities have been doing? There's been some movement overnight and whatever officials saying this morning?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know officials are asking for prayers, prayers from people here in America and around the world. The latest numbers that we have from officials is that 120 people are accounted for, 159 people are unaccounted for, four people have died. The medical examiner here in Miami-Dade County identifying the first individual, the first victim as 54-year-old, Stacey Fang.

Her son was pulled from the rubble. The family issuing a statement to CNN saying, "There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacey, the members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received." The rescue efforts of course ongoing they have not stopped. They have been painstaking and dangerous for the men and women that are sifting through the rubble but they are ongoing.

Officials here tell us that they are using every resource that they have local state federal FEMA is on site. They're using sonar, listening devices, dogs, they are also using cameras, we've seen drones over the rubble. What fire, the fire chief tells us is that they're doing a strategic search. What that means is they are going under the rubble, figuring out where the voids are. Those are the spaces, the crevices where people could be, where life could be.

And so, what, what firefighters have to do is they have to go in there sometimes with 80 pounds of equipment, with saws, they have to shore up that building in order for them to crawl into those spaces, to listen for signs of life. At some points, there is an all stop of all operations to make sure that they can listen for those sounds. Yesterday, official said that they did hear some banging. They haven't heard voices we, we've been asking about that if they have heard voices, they have not heard voices, but they heard banging yesterday, which of course, is a sign of hope. More resources are coming in.

Yesterday we saw more trucks coming in with extra resources. The fire chief saying that they've brought in cranes. I know some people have been asking, well, why didn't they bring the cranes beforehand? They are bringing in -- according to this official, they are bringing in the resources as they need them. Sometimes, they might be on standby because they might not need those resources just yet. But they are there for when the first responders need them.

We've also learned that members of a search and rescue team from Mexico have arrived, Los Topos, they are known worldwide for the efforts that they've done. Just like the Miami Dade fire rescue team goes around the world, this team does as well. And also, a team from Israel. Boris, I was in in the earthquake in 2017, in Mexico City, that team was there as well. So, these are men and women that have traveled the world doing this work. They know what they're doing. It's painstaking. It's dangerous, but they are willing to risk their lives to try to save others. Boris.

[07:06:29]

SANCHEZ: They are heroes. There is no question. We appreciate their work and we hold out the hope with them that they'll be successful in their mission. Rosa Flores, thanks so much. To further this conversation, we want to bring in Commissioner of the Town of Surfside Charles Kesl joins us now. Charles, unfortunately, we have to meet under these circumstances, but we appreciate you sharing part of your weekend with us. The town of Surfside held an emergency commission meeting last night.

CHARLES KESL, COMMISSIONER OF TOWN OF SURFSIDE: Yes.

SANCHEZ: What was the conversation like? What was the plan?

KESL: The conversation was mostly about doing structural analysis of the remaining buildings in town to make sure that everything else is sound, including the, the sister property, which is Champlain Tower North. But seeing that New York Times article, to me that's, that's shocking.

SANCHEZ: Let's give some context for our viewers, this piece, essentially describe the report that CNN is working to confirm right now that there was serious, there were serious issues in the foundation underneath the pool deck of the building, there were columns that were cracked, there were a number of issues. And essentially, the building was told you have to make corrections; there, there have to be fixes to these issues and that work was about to get underway. How did that make you feel reading that?

KESL: Well, this year is the 40-year recertification of that building. So, there have been a lot of engineers in there. They've been working with the town, we've been preparing to receive their document of how to move forward with the next 40 years. I know that that based on what residents had told me there, they have had a $15 million assessment on the owners of the condos in that building in order to prepare for the for the repairs.

And what I didn't know is that they had, had debt possibly based on the New York Times article. No one thinks back in 2018, but you know, between the 40 year re-certifications, a building has to do maintenance, has to do regular maintenance based on what's what the conditions on the ground are. And I hope they kept up with it. Every building has its challenges. I know residents there had pointed out issues with the balcony and the safety of those, those balconies on the building.

And the residents are not shy and they're very active. And there's an active board in the building, especially when the, when the new building went, went up next door 77, I'm sorry, 87 Park. That was just in the last couple of years. And they were really on top of making sure that the engineering was sound. So, it'd be shocking if something was huge that wasn't -- that was neglected when it needed to be taken care of.

SANCHEZ: For context, the report didn't specifically say that something was about to happen. There was no actual warning that danger was, was imminent. I'm curious what your message is to the folks that are standing by not far from where we are wondering, whether their loved ones are still alive.

KESL: Yes. And that's the focus now because we still have to have hope. We have to have hope for the families and, and the other loved ones of the missing. The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is doing a tremendous job in spite of all the obstacles, and it's just painstakingly slow as the other reporter said, it's painstakingly slow. I have spent time with the families and every minute to them is an eternity. And now, we are having regular every six hours you know meetings with them. Just to update them on when on the status of things, but, but it's horrible for them and it's a slow process and it may take much longer but let's all maintain hope that that folks could be alive. I think that's the best thing to do.

[07:10:16]

SANCHEZ: Have they share their frustrations with you? Some of them told my colleague, Nick Valencia, that they were they felt like not enough was being done. Have you heard those concerns? How can address those concerns?

KESL: I've heard those concerns since the first day? And that's an excellent question. I actually moved to, to have meetings every two hours and announcements and I think there should be more advocates and more support with them. I don't know what's there this morning because I've been there. But I was with them yesterday, and the day before, there was a big outpouring initially, that first morning, where there were a lot of advocates and intakes and everything. But then nobody called the call back, and they didn't have a number to call other than the main number which just says no change, or whatever. So, but, but I heard that with them from them and, and I made myself available to them, and kept them appraised of everything that I know so that they can feel more comfortable. And I'm grateful I was able to do that.

SANCHEZ: I'm, I know for a fact that there are a lot of people at home watching that are trying to figure out a way that they can help. CNN is providing resources online, different channels where they can contribute. How can the public help you and the folks that need desperate assistance right now?

KESL: Yes, the outpouring of support and donations has been awesome. We have everything that we need now on site for the victims and the family, and the families of the victims, rather. There's, there's more than enough water supplies really the best is to donate to the American Red Cross, which is doing the coordination efforts here. Of course, a great organization and, and they'll be able to allocate extra money to the next, you know, the next disaster, heaven forbid, because we know something will come in where they'll need the money.

But right now the town of suicide does not need any more supplies, and everyone's been taken care of even with hotel rooms and everything, the name of the neighboring hotels even from Aventura, but as well as in Surfside here, they've all been very generous and donating hotel rooms and food from local restaurants, hot food blankets, there's more than enough supplies. So please give to the American Red Cross.

SANCHEZ: At this point, prayer is probably one of the most helpful things that people can do and consideration for those that are in agony right now. Charles Kesl, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. Let us know what there's more that we can do to help.

KESL: All right. Thank you, sir.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Up next, the race against time families here, hoping for a miracle as the search for survivors continues. We're going to speak to the head of Miami Search and Rescue team for an update on the efforts to find any survivors after just a quick break. Stay with CNN.

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[07:17:03]

SANCHEZ: As the sun rises on another day in Surfside, Florida, we are still counting the hours. We're now past 48 hours, and a desperate search for survivors among the wreckage of the collapse Champlain Tower here in Surfside. Four people have been confirmed, still 159 remain unaccounted for. Hundreds of emergency workers are securing the debris searching for any sign of life. It is a painstaking and slow process amid fires within the ruins and potentially rain on the way.

There was a fear that any sudden movement by these rescue workers could cause another shift and a massive heap of concrete and metal not only endangering themselves, but any survivors that may still be caught underneath. With us to give us some perspective on this effort is Chief Dave Downey, he's the Former Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief. Dave, we're really glad to have your insight and expertise on this. For folks at home that see these images, it's very hard to imagine what it's actually like to be on one of these sites, moving very delicately dealing with the elements dealing with fires, paint a picture of what that process is like for us.

DAVE DOWNEY, FORMER MIAMI-DADE FIRE RESCUE CHIEF: Well, the rescuers now are working around the clock. And while it may look like there's not a lot of activity going on, there has been activity since the collapse has occurred. And what they're doing now is a very deliberate, very methodical search for void spaces and any access that they can find survivors. And so, they're going to be working on top of the, what we would refer to as the pile, they'll be trying to tunnel in where there's areas that they can access from the side or underneath.

And it's an incredibly dangerous position that they're putting themselves at, there's still a part of the building that standing. And it's basically unsupported. And so they're working in what we refer to as a collapse zone the whole time. Making it worse is the debris that's hanging off the building. They've been trying to take time to mitigate what they could so that that can drop on them. But this is a long process. They're working 12-hour shifts. So a crew will be on there for 12 hours, they'll rotate off another crew will be on there for 12 hours. And this is going to continue on while they're in rescue mode.

SANCHEZ: Give us an idea of what it might be like inside a pocket of air where there is a survivor. What is that like? And I'm curious for the rescuers that are there, what are they listening for when they use these devices?

DOWNEY: So, as part of the search process, a lot of times we'll start with the canines with the dogs, they'll alert to any scent of any live victim. And those canines can pick up sense through feet of rubble stories of rubble and if they alert or express interest, then we'll bring in the this specialized search cameras which are fiber optic cameras that can go into these void spaces and look around and also listening devices that even under 12 stories of rubble, could hear a person breathing could hear a heartbeat.

They're very they're very sensitive. Depending on the pocket, you know if there's an open pocket which that allows movement within the pocket, obviously, it's a much more tenable livable area, as opposed to an area that's partially collapsed or if it's survivors partially and trapped. There's still air moving through the structure. So, there is fresh air, but obviously, no water.

SANCHEZ: There is water in the sense that there's going to be rain coming. And with these fires, a lot of water has been poured on the debris field. And that complicates things. It's the rainy season here in Florida, I'm sure you've dealt with similar situations in the past, how does that factor in to the effort?

DOWNEY: That is actually a factor that we train for, that we prepare for. Since the beginning, they've got large dewatering pumps that are pumping the water out of the low areas to make sure that areas stay as tenable as possible? So, as the water drains down, they're pumping this water out into the sewage system? Yes, it's been complicated by the fire. The fire has been a nuisance since the start of this collapse, ad having to put additional water on outside of the rain water that we're dealing with is making it more complicated.

SANCHEZ: Quickly, Dave, what is your message to the families that have been waiting to hear about their loved ones? What would you say to them right now?

DOWNEY: I understand their pain. I want you to know that every person working out there believes that they're still survivors, and they're working hard. They're putting themselves in harm's way, harm's way to locate a survivor. And I've just asked for patience, and I asked for understanding that they're doing everything that they possibly can. We've got a lot of resources, a lot of experience out here, and it's going to take some time. SANCHEZ: Patience at a moment of desperation, it's a difficult thing

to ask for, but it's all that we have right now. Chief Dave Downey, thank you so much. I wish we'd met under different circumstances.

DOWNEY: Thank you for having me.

[07:21:58]

SANCHEZ: Of course. Stay with CNN our coverage continues after a quick break.

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[07:26:14]

SANCHEZ: Back here in Surfside, Florida right now I want to bring in the mayor of Miami-Dade County, Daniella Levine Cava. Mayor, thank you so much for joining us this morning. Right off the bat, there are families of people that are unaccounted for that have expressed frustration. They say that they don't feel that enough is being done, what is your message to them?

DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA, MIAMI-DADE MAYOR: We are working feverishly, we are leaving no stone unturned. We have the best teams in the world working at this site to find their loved ones. I can't imagine being in their position. I know that is terribly, terribly frustrating. I've told them if I could dig, I would dig. This is how -- and that's they've told me I'll go on site. I'll dig Of course, it's not like that.

It's very complicated work. It's very dangerous work. We have structural engineers monitoring every inch to make sure that something doesn't collapse on these first responders. These are folks that were at 9/11, they went to the Haiti earthquake, they are called in for disasters everywhere and they have hope. They are telling us that they are pushing forward because they do believe they could still find people in the rubble alive. So, we are on the search phase, and that is our sole focus.

SANCHEZ: Mayor, I do not want to ask you to speculate, but I do have to ask you about this report in the New York Times that CNN is working to confirm that in 2018, there was an inspection done in the building, and that in the lower part of the pool deck, there were immense cracks that required construction that required fixing. And that work was going to get underway shortly before this collapse took place. Reading that, hearing that, how did it personally make you feel?

CAVA: It's we need all this information. We need all this evidence. And we're going to get to the bottom of what happened at this particular building. Clearly, our buildings need to be structurally sound, we need to have regular reviews. And to the extent that we need to change laws, we will change laws. And we will make sure these things do not happen in the future. For now, we're focused on the families waiting for their loved ones and the search for survivors.

SANCHEZ: And from your perspective, have you gotten the help that you need from every level, state, federal?

CAVA: I have to say I'm so very grateful the outpouring of support has been phenomenal. We have a village here of people helping us right in Little Surfside. The federal government came to our aid immediately. It's unprecedented. The President called me the morning of the disaster to ask me what we needed. And I said we need FEMA. By the next day, we have FEMA. We have the governor, the senators, the state support, the donations from individuals. It's, it's really amazing and overwhelming and wonderful, all the support around the world that we are receiving.

SANCHEZ: And speaking of support, I'm certain that there are viewers at home that are wanting to contribute, how can the public help this morning?

CAVA: Yes, yes. Well, there are several different sites for donating but one is SupportSurfside.org, and people have been generously donating to help the survivors, the family members to get on with their lives.

SANCHEZ: Is there any other message you want to convey to the public or to the families about what's happening here that maybe we haven't fully addressed?

CAVA: So, we have hope, because our first responders on the scene tell us they have hope. So, we ask everyone to trust them, to have patience and to be Pray with, with them and for them and for the survivors.

[07:30:05]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We're standing side by side with you. And if there's anything that we can do to help, please, don't hesitate to let us know.

CAVA: Yes, yes, yes.

SANCHEZ: And any information you get please, pass along.

CAVA: Yes.

SANCHEZ: There are a lot of people that are in pain.

CAVA: Yes. Thank you for telling the world the story.

SANCHEZ: Mayor, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

CAVA: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Stay with CNN. We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.

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[07:35:05]

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With the voting rights bill stalled in Congress, the Justice Department is taking steps to secure U.S. elections after former President Trump's false claims of widespread voter frauds for dozens of state laws that reduce access to the ballot.

The Justice Department, now launching a task force to address the growing threats against election officials. And Attorney General Merrick Garland announcing the department is suing Georgia over its new restrictive voting law.

CNN's Jessica Schneider reports.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The Justice Department is suing the State of Georgia over new voting restrictions enacted by Republicans in that state in the wake of the 2020 election.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The state law imposes several new mandates including new I.D. requirements for absentee ballots, limiting the use of ballot drop boxes, and even making it a crime to approach voters in line to give them food and water.

And the Attorney General Merrick Garland, he's saying that those restrictions amount to denying black people the right to vote, and that's why DOJ is now suing Georgia under the Voting Rights Act.

Georgia, of course, has become ground zero in the battle over voting rights since Republicans there have enacted these new restrictions. And, of course, former President Trump zeroed in on Georgian officials back in January, asking them to find him more votes after he claimed voter fraud in the state.

SCHNEIDER: This lawsuit though could be a long fight for the Biden administration. Both the governor and the secretary of state in Georgia, both of whom are Republicans are promising to defeat this lawsuit with the governor there saying the Biden administration has weaponized the DOJ to carry out its far-left agenda.

Now, the State of Georgia is already phasing lawsuits from several civil rights groups. They also say that these new laws violate federal law.

Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

HILL: Let's bring in now former assistant U.S. attorney and CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig, who is also the author of the upcoming book, Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr broke the prosecutor's code and corrupted the Justice Department.

So, Elie, let's start with the new justice where we're looking at here. As we look at what was announced by Merrick Garland yesterday, they are looking to prove here that Georgia lawmakers really intended to make it harder for non-White voters to cast ballots. How difficult is that going to be the proof?

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. It's an uphill climb for DOJ to prove this. There's really only two ways to combat these restrictive state-level voting laws. One is if Congress passed federal legislation. It's becoming clear that's not going to happen or that's not going to happen anytime soon.

So, now, the other path is DOJ can bring a lawsuit like this. This is a lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act. What DOJ has to show is purposeful discrimination. Now, they're not going to have proof, they don't allege in their complaint that anybody ever said, hey, let's pass these laws so we can disenfranchise minority voters.

Instead, the way they argue it in the lawsuit is, you have to look at the history in Georgia of voter disenfranchisement, and they point specifically to the 2020 election. They say if you look at the 2020 election for president and for the two Senate seats that both went democratic, and they went for Joe Biden in the presidential election, those were decided by very narrow margins largely because of minority- heavy districts.

And they say, there is no evidence of election fraud, so what else could the reason for these new laws be? They argue, therefore, it must be intentionally discriminatory.

HILL: So, this is being argued that it violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. But, the attorney general yesterday specifically mentioned Section Five, saying that it was gutted by the Supreme Court decision in 2013 which would have required certain states or jurisdictions to run new laws.

Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, Ellie, but to run new laws essentially by the DOJ. That doesn't exist anymore. So, how does Section Two -- the fact that they're going at this under Section Two, how does that change things?

HONIG: You're very accurate with your assessment there, Erica. So, there used to be, under Section Five a requirement that DOJ had to review and approve any changes in voter laws.

However, in 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court said, now, we're good. DOJ, you don't have to review these changes anymore because we've sort of moved past discrimination.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg issued a memorable descent where she said, that's like standing in a rainstorm with an umbrella, and then deciding to close the umbrella because you're not getting wet. You're going to get wet again, well, here we are.

What's left is Section 2. This is a Section 2 lawsuit where DOJ has to do its best to prove that the real intent here was to disenfranchise or discriminate against minority voters.

HILL: We heard from Governor Kemp, as Jessica Schneider pointed out, he said, the DOJ is being weaponized, they are vowing to win this fight. Is the DOJ being weaponized?

HONIG: No, I don't think so. I think this falls well within the purview of reasonable legitimate policy options. The prior Justice Department under Donald Trump did not pursue this kind of cases. That was their purview, elections have consequences. If you control the executive branch in the White House, you get to make that policy decision.

[07:40:09]

HONIG: Democrats now control the White House. Merrick Garland is the new attorney general, he has a very strong affirmative team. We saw some of the people lined up behind him or who is his new top advisors. Kristen Clarke, Vanita Gupta, Lisa Monaco, they're very aggressive on seeking out protecting and affirmatively going to court, if necessary, to protect the rights of voters and minority voters.

HILL: And Merrick Garland was asked by Evan Perez -- our colleague Evan Perez whether basically there were more laws -- more states in their sights. And he said they are looking into a lot. So, you know, there could be more coming down the pike.

Real quickly before I let you go, what are the chances that this particular lawsuit is resolved before the next election?

HONIG: Oh, I think it will be resolved before the next election. But we are going to see more lawsuits challenging other state laws. Also, the Supreme Court is coming out with a very important opinion on this within the next couple of weeks, involving an Arizona state law. We're going to get a good sense of where the justices sit very soon.

HILL: And we will be going through all of that with you my friend. Elie Honig, thank you.

HONIG: Thanks, Erica.

(CROSSTALK)

HILL: And just ahead, the new warning on the Delta variant. The World Health Organization now says it's the most transmissible yet, and vaccinations are the best chance at fighting it. An update next.

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[07:45:36]

HILL: The Delta variant first identified in India is expected to become the dominant strain of coronavirus in the United States.

HILL (voice-over): And experts are warning it could cause a resurgence of COVID-19 late this summer or in the early fall.

Now, this variant has been detected in every state except South Dakota. Health officials say it may already account for one in five -- one in every five infections nationwide.

And experts are warning that in states, where vaccine rate -- vaccination rates are lower, there could be outbreaks.

HILL: The World Health Organization says the Delta variant is now the most transmissible coronavirus strain, thus far. It's been spotted in at least 85 countries. And in the U.K., cases of the Delta variant are up 46 percent just over the past week. In Australia, the greater Sydney area is now under a new stay-at-home order, after the city recorded dozens of new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in just the last 24 hours.

So, where does that put us this morning? Joining me to discuss, Dr. Colleen Kelley, an epidemiologist and professor at Emory University School of Medicine.

Doctor, good to have you with us this morning. We look at everything that's happening both in the lower -- states with lower vaccination rates, and the rise in these cases that are being attributed to the Delta variant. And what's your assessment of where we are this morning as a country?

DR. COLLEEN KELLEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, EMORY UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE: Yes, and thanks so much for having me. But you explained it perfectly well. We have an excellent tool to fight the Delta variant and that is vaccination. But there are areas in the country that have not utilized it to its maximum capacity yet.

We need to get as many people as we possibly can vaccinate, because it does look like from data in the United Kingdom that the vaccines are still very effective against this dangerous variant.

So, while it's concerning, it is more transmissible, it may be associated with more severe disease. The vaccines still appear to be our strongest tool to prevent large outbreaks, deaths, and morbidity associated with the Delta variant.

HILL: When we see what's happening in the greater Sydney area, that was just announced, this new stay-at-home order. You know, I think, there's a real sense in this country, it would be very tough to go back to that.

Is that though a possibility that there could be new stay-at-home orders? That there could be perhaps more restrictions put in place, whether it's capacity limits, distancing, masks being brought back?

KELLEY: I agree with you. I think there's probably low tolerance in the United States for a return to, you know, significant restrictions. Some maybe make sense depending on what happens to reinstate, with respect to masking indoors or something like that.

Still though, I think our strongest tool is the -- our vaccines. And if we can get enough folks vaccinated, we may not have to return to those restrictions. We may not see large outbreaks.

Of course, this will vary across the country because different localities have imposed restrictions more significantly than others. So, time will tell what happens.

But, if we use our vaccines, if we get enough people vaccinated, we may not have to return to those restrictions.

(CROSSTALK) HILL: Yes, yes.

KELLEY: In Australia, they don't have the availability of vaccines like we do here in the U.S. A much lower percentage of people in Australia are vaccinated compared to the U.S. And that's a big difference. And that is why restrictions are being re-imposed there because they don't have the availability of the other tools like we do.

HILL: What do you think is missing in the messaging when it comes to vaccinations? We know younger people in particular are really being targeted right now. But we're kind of at the point where if people haven't gotten the vaccine, there are all kinds -- I mean, if a million dollars, and you know, the chance at a car, and a free beer -- I mean, if all of these things are not enough, you know, as we see other countries struggle just to have enough vaccine to vaccinate people, what else?

I mean, what tool do you see out there that is not being used that could effectively encourage more people to get their shot?

KELLEY: Well, I don't think there is a single tool. I think that when we were talking about increasing vaccine confidence, that is a multi- pronged approach.

We also need to increase accessibility so that people can get vaccinated at their workplaces, at their grocery stores, when they're just going about their daily lives. So, they don't have to take that extra effort to seek out vaccination.

[07:50:05]

KELLEY: And then, we have to continue to build confidence. And that is a -- you know, multi-pronged approach where it includes education, includes reassurance, and includes, you know, people around those that are not getting vaccinated, speaking up and saying, I did it, and this is why I did it.

So, there is no simple answer to increasing vaccine confidence, but it is, you know, it is a difficult task, but it is something that we can continue to work on to improve our vaccination rates, especially among young people, in rural America, and in populations that have not decided to get vaccinated yet.

HILL: Dr. Colleen Kelley, great to have you with us this morning. Thank you.

KELLEY: Thank you very much.

HILL: Apple cider vinegar is frequently touted as a cure-all, but is it really? In today's "FOOD AS FUEL", CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard dispels the myths and also tells us the ways apple cider vinegar really can be useful and healthy.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Apple cider vinegar is one of the most popular natural health products out there. But don't believe everything you read.

Never use it, for instance, to whiten your teeth. That's too acidic and will just ruin your enamel, and possibly lead to tooth decay and cavities. It also doesn't work well for acne, lice, or warts.

But, now, for the good news, apple cider vinegar may help lessen the itch of mosquito bites. Who knew?

And it might help you lose a little weight as part of a healthy diet plan. Try it drizzled on salads, and fish, and poultry. And studies show apple cider vinegar can help lower blood sugar levels. A randomized clinical trial showed two spoonfuls of apple cider vinegar and a glass of water twice a day with the lunch and dinner can lower fasting blood glucose levels by 10 points.

If you decide to add apple cider vinegar to your diet, check with your doctor. It can interfere with some medications. Especially drugs for diabetes and some diuretics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:56:35]

HILL: The U.S. intelligence community has finally released its highly anticipated UFO report. They examined 144 instances of unidentified aerial phenomena taking place over decades.

CNN's Oren Lieberman walks us through the findings.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you're looking for a definitive proof of aliens or life outside of Earth, that is not in this report. In fact, the word aliens or extraterrestrials isn't used at all in this report.

The trouble is in terms of an explanation for what the military and the director of national intelligence we're looking at in this report, there aren't many details beyond that.

In fact, the chair of the Senate Intel Committee said it was rather inconclusive what the report found.

Of the 144 different cases that the team looked at that wrote this report, in only one case did they identify with a high level of certainty what it was that was observed, and in that one case, it was a deflated balloon.

But they are confident there was something out there that is physical objects because, in 80 of these cases, that object was picked up on multiple sensors. The report says that there needs to be better data collection, better analysis, and a better understanding of what these objects are to get it from an identified flying object to identified.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The military, the government calls these UAPs, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. In about a dozen of these cases, they note that on the sensors, the object was moving against the wind, implying it had some sort of propulsion or control behind it. But, they say there isn't enough data, there isn't enough information for them to decide what it is.

They are clearly taking this seriously. They say it poses a risk to the safety of flight and may pose a risk and a threat to national security because a number of these observations were made near military ranges.

Now, that makes sense because it is the military ranges where they have the sensors and the detection hardware would pick any of these up. Depending on certainly taking this seriously, as well, formalizing a process and a mission to study these.

LIEBERMANN: Saying that within two weeks of any observation, there should be a report of that observation that could be investigated and analyzed. But, so far, aliens, it is not.

Oren Liebermann, CNN in the Pentagon.

HILL: There you have it.

A quick programming note for you, be sure to tune in to the new CNN film, "LADY BOSS", the story of Jackie Collins. It airs tomorrow on CNN Here is a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKIE COLLINS, FORMER NOVELIST AND ACTRESS: Hi, I'm Jackie Collins. I write novels.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She put female sexuality at the center of the world and people lost their minds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was very shy. I never really asked what she was writing, but she was always scribbling away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wrote about strength and strong women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jackie was the first author to write about women who behaved like men.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He broke ground for all us women.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So if I quickly --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Made her very controversial.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God forbid a woman should be writing about sex.

COLLINS: I'm not claiming to be a literal genius, I'm claiming to be a terrific storyteller.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have a little tea, Jackie.

COLLINS: I probably will, of the wine.

COLLINS: Girls can do anything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Girls can do anything. That was her motto.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was the boss.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was like a character from one of her books.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, we all love that end line, justice for all females.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Good morning, and welcome to your NEW DAY. It's Saturday, June 26th.