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New Day Sunday

At Least Eight Killed In Mass Shootings Across The U.S. Since Friday; Biden To Meet With NATO, E.U. Ahead Of One-On-One With Putin; Chinese State Media: At Least 12 Dead, 138 Injured In Gas Explosion; Unruly Passenger An Off-Duty Delta Flight Attendant; CDC: Suicide Attempts By Teenage Girls Rose Sharply During Pandemic; Vote That Could Oust Netanyahu As PM Expected In Coming Hours. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired June 13, 2021 - 07:00   ET

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


AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: I would be quite embarrassed, right?

[07:00:02]

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Cutthroat. OK, Boris, yes, yes, yes.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Carolyn, thank you so much.

MANNO: Sure.

SANCHEZ: Stay with us. NEW DAY continues right now.

(MUSIC)

SANCHEZ: Good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. I'm Boris Sanchez.

WALKER: And I'm Amara Walker in today for Christi Paul.

We are tracking a violent weekend that has left at least eight people dead and more than half a dozen mass shootings across the country, and we're learning that some of the victims are children.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Plus, President Biden is wrapping up is his visit to G7 today, setting the stage for his face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. More on the preparations and what we expect to hear from both leaders.

WALKER: And new details in the case of that Delta flight forced to make an emergency landing because of an unruly passenger, and it turns out that passenger works for the airline.

SANCHEZ: Plus, one final fight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing a vote that could remove him from power. He is signaling he will not go down without a fight.

(MUSIC)

WALKER: Good morning, everyone. It is Sunday, June 13th. Thank you so much for starting your morning with us.

Hi, Boris.

I'm still stuck on the fact that you drink something cold in the morning, and not warm.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: I mean, it's got a lot of sugar in it. Look, honestly, if it's not cafecito. I don't drink coffee. So, apple juice isn't a bad replacement.

WALKER: I get it.

SANCHEZ: I appreciate the concern.

WALKER: It's hard to find a real cafecito, especially in Georgia, right, or actually in D.C., where you are.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, that's a good point, that's a good point.

I wish we had better news to start out with this weekend. It has been another weekend of senseless gun violence across the United States. At least eight people have died in mass shootings since Friday night.

For some context, the way that CNN defines a mass shooting is an incident in which at least four people, at least four people are shot. Since Friday, as you can see on this map, the violence has spread across six states from Georgia to Washington state, nearly 50 people injured.

WALKER: Two of the youngest victims are in Cincinnati, and that is where police say two children ages 6 and 8 are in critical condition after someone began shooting outside a convenience store. A neighbor says that is a store that children frequently go to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They leave a rec center and go get some snacks. They take that walk all the time, all the time. I said, where are you going? I'm going to the store, Mr. Riley (ph), I'm going to the store. All right, be careful crossing that street, be careful, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: An 18 and 19-year-old were also shot but they have non-life- threatening injuries. At least two suspects were spotted leaving the scene.

Also, police in Austin -- Austin, Texas, have arrested one suspect in a mass shooting that wounded at least 14 people and Austin's mayor says police are close to identifying a second suspect.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, CNN's Ed Lavandera has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Boris and Amara, this is Sixth Street in downtown Austin, the iconic entertainment district, and this is where the shooting erupted in the early morning hours of Saturday. According to Austin police, there was an altercation between two suspects when the gunfire erupted. Fourteen different people wounded.

Austin police say they don't believe that any of those victims were specifically targeted, that this erupted as an altercation between two different people. But the exact details of how many people fired gunshots and who was responsible for all that is still not clear at this point.

We are told investigators are going through the area trying to find surveillance camera footage from the entertainment area here from various bars and musical venues, trying to track down as much information and video evidence that they can compile to lead them to the suspects.

We are told that one of the suspects has been identified and arrested. The mayor of Austin says Austin police are close and zeroing in on the second suspect but the exact cause of all of this is still not clear. What we do know, 14 people wounded, no one was killed, but this is just the latest mass shooting in a series of shootings that we've seen across the country in the United States -- Boris and Amara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.

Just yesterday, the city of Orlando remembered the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting.

The bells at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando ringing 49 times to mark each life taken in this mass shooting back in June of 2016.

WALKER: President Biden says he will sign a bill making the site a national memorial, but for the survivors and the victim's families, it's not enough. They want America to break that cycle of gun violence.

[07:05:04]

Natasha Chen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Boris, five years later, those 49 people have not been forgotten, their names, their faces and their stories are all across this wall, this interim memorial now hosted by the One Pulse Foundation.

They held a memorial event Saturday night featuring speakers like the Orlando mayor, the Orange County mayor, deputy chief of police and owner of the Pulse nightclub who told us she has seen how gun violence has really not improved over the past five years. She feels that people are not bridging their differences, and somehow resorting to gun violence to solve their problems.

There were survivors. There were family members of victims who attended the memorial.

Here's a bit of what they saw on stage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So let me just say to this entire community, where I was born and raised, let me just say to all of you, thank you for not letting hate win. Thank you for letting love win in this community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mercedez Marisol Flores. Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan. Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega.

CHEN: And now, underneath this Pulse sign, there are panels where people can write messages, here it says, you will be loved always, and tell the people that you love that you love them every single day.

So, a lot of heartbreaking messages here, showing just how much of an impact this may not just on the Orlando, the LGBTQ community but really the country as a whole.

Amara and Boris, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Natasha Chen, thank you.

All right. Let's turn to the final day of the G7 summit in England.

Today, one White House official describes President Joe Biden's series of meeting as diplomatic speed dating as he tries to get the U.S. and allies back on the same page.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, the gathering of the world's most prosperous democracies is wrapping up with a session on climate that followed a discussion on open societies. In just a few hours, the president set to hold a press conference before heading to Windsor Castle for an audience with Queen Elizabeth.

Biden will become the 12th sitting U.S. president to meet with the queen during her reign. He then travels to Belgium for summits with NATO and the European Union and Brussels, setting the stage for a one on one meeting with Russian's Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday.

WALKER: CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Falmouth, England, covering the final day of the G7 summit.

Hi, there, Arlette.

So, we're waiting for the leaders to release a final communique sometime today. Any word yet on areas of an agreement after these three days of meetings?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara and Boris, President Biden came here to the G7 with a goal of trying to present a united front with America's allies. And while there were areas of agreement on things like fighting the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, the world leaders did not shy away from airing their differences, specifically when it comes to countering China.

President Biden in his meetings yesterday related to China was pushing many of the European leaders to take a more forceful stance in calling out some of China's authoritarian practices, including those forced labor practices.

Now one big question is whether China, any reference to them or action they might have agreed to take against China, whether that will be included in the official communique that's released a little bit later today. This will be the official statement from the G7 leaders, but we know that there were some differences between the United States, Britain and Canada on one side, and then European leaders like Merkel and also the Italian prime minister and the head of the E.U. wanting to keep a little bit of closer ties with China, when it comes to those trade relationships that they have.

But the president kicked off today here in Cornwall attending mass. He is not one to miss a Catholic mass, while he is traveling out on the road, and then he made his way over to the G7 summit for the final day of meetings that included discussions on open societies and also climate.

And so far, the president has really been welcomed back onto the world stage for the first time as president. He's been welcomed warmly by these world leaders.

Take a look at this moment that President Biden had with the French president yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: And I think that it is great to have a U.S. president part of the club and very willing to cooperate.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNTIED STATES: The United States, I've said before, we're back. The U.S. is back. We feel very, very strongly about the cohesion of NATO, and I for one think that the European Union is an incredibly strong and vibrant entity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:10:11]

SAENZ: So, President Biden is hoping his message that America is back has got an cross to allies and he'll continue to push that as he heads to the NATO and E.U. summit in Brussels in the next two days.

But, later today, the president will cap off his trip here to the United Kingdom by having that private meeting with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. President Biden is the 12th sitting president that she has met with during her reign. He actually saw her on Friday night, they shared some pleasantries, at one of the G7 gatherings later in the day, but this will be the first time that President Biden and his wife, the first lady, will be headed to Windsor Castle.

In just a few hours, we will also hear from President Biden at his first official press conference on this overseas trip where we'll get an overview of how he felt that his first foray onto the world stage as president has gone and also how exactly he's thinking heading into that meeting with Russia's president on Wednesday.

SANCHEZ: Arlette Saenz, we appreciate you setting that up for us. Thanks so much.

President Biden's trip abroad to rally the world's democracies will culminate in a showdown this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He recently said the relationship has reached its lower point in years.

Preparations are under way right now in Switzerland where the pair are set to sit down for some high stakes discussions on Wednesday.

Joining us now to discuss the meeting is former CNN Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty. Jill is now an adjunct professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Jill, always a pleasure to have you on. We appreciate your expertise.

These are not the first high stakes talks between U.S. and Russian leaders that you have covered. You've reported on multiple administrations. This administration has said they're not seeking a reset with Russia, a policy that Biden himself promoted and saw failed in the Obama years.

What lessons do you think he's going to draw from his predecessors and his own time in the White House dealing with Russia?

JILL DOUGHERTY, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: You know, Boris, he knows the field, let's put it that way. He's already met with President Putin when Biden was vice president and so both men are very experienced. Biden has been in politics for a very long time. Putin in office for about 20 years, 21 years.

So there's no mystery there, but I think you have the public display of two men coming together, which is actually always quite dramatic, and then you have behind the scenes, what can they draw from that realistically to move forward?

Now, on some of it, it will be contentious, and then on other areas, they may look to try to cooperate but I think essentially, there's not going to be any breakthrough decision, but essentially to keep the relationship on track and to put some guardrails around it.

SANCHEZ: And when you say guardrails, it's interesting to me that Biden announced yesterday the White House announced yesterday that he would be having a solo press conference. You could read into that and say that the U.S. doesn't want to elevate Vladimir Putin and put him on the same stage as the president of the United States.

Is that part of setting boundaries for the relationship? DOUGHERTY: You know, I think there are probably a number of reasons,

but remember what happened with President Trump, when he was standing next to Vladimir Putin, and said "I trust Russia. I trust President Putin more than I do my intelligence agencies" about interfering with American elections.

So the visuals, you know, the optics as they say would be a little too comparative, and then also, President Putin is actually very skilled in bringing things up in a very subtle way, and scoring points, and I think it's just something that Biden at this point probably doesn't need, and gives him an opportunity to talk about what he wants to and also President Putin can do the same, without kind of interference and a show with the other guy.

SANCHEZ: Yes, so some have raised concerns whether the summit should even be happening. CNN has reported the U.S. ambassador to Russia privately told lawmakers he's worried Biden might repeat the mistakes of predecessors offering concessions to the Kremlin without getting much of anything in return.

Biden made clear he wants to raise a number of contentious topics, like cyber attacks, human rights violation.

Ultimately, though, is there ground to be gained from having this meeting? Is it worth sitting down with someone like Vladimir Putin, given all that we've seen happen before?

[07:15:01]

DOUGHERTY: I think -- I would argue that you really should, because right now, this relationship, as we've been saying, is extremely tense and extremely fraught and one of the problems is, neither side is really talking to the other. You have some talks behind the scenes but essentially, I think this is kind of a clear the air talk straight probably from both leaders to the other about things that are very dangerous, and could kind of spin out of control if they are not brought up.

Cyber is a very good example. There are two things. There's government interference, things that we've seen with the election, but there are also these hackers, and the ransomware people who could be condoned or let's say harbored by Russia, which is not official states action but they're there and the Russian government, the U.S. alleges, isn't doing anything about it.

So you could simply talk about that pretty directly and then direct your officials below you to get going and do something about that.

You know, also whenever you get Russia and the United States together, there's definitely the strategic security element, and remember, they both came together extended the new START agreement, the arms control agreement for five years.

Five years will be over very quickly and the question is, what's next? And they're extremely dangerous, sophisticated weapons, some nuclear, some not even nuclear but frightening weapons that are being developed on both sides. So they really have to figure out what do you do? What comes next after START?

SANCHEZ: Yes, an excellent question and an issue that I'm sure will be raised in their conversation. Jill Dougherty as always, we appreciate your time. Thank you.

DOUGHERTY: Thanks.

WALKER: Focused on the environment, hundreds of protesters paddled out in Cornwall yesterday.

They're calling on G7 ministers to prioritize the health of the Earth's oceans, surfboards, paddleboards and kayaks, as you see there, carried demonstrators of all ages and their messages, including "Act Now." The group Surfers Against Sewage organized the protest.

As President Biden wraps up his visit to the G7 summit, it appears much of his domestic agenda has stalled, and that will be part of the conversation later this morning when Dana Bash welcomes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary Tony Blinken, and Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on "STATE OF THE UNION". That's at 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

We're following a developing story out of China, a massive explosion left several dead, more than 100 rescuers are now trying to locate any survivors. We're going to have the latest ahead.

SANCHEZ: Plus, Israel's longest serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, could be voted out of office in just a few hours. How Netanyahu is signaling he will not go quietly, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:19]

WALKER: Chinese authorities are still searching for victims after a gas explosion killed at least 12 people and injured 138.

SANCHEZ: Yes, this explosion was devastating, happened in the early morning hours in Shiyan, a central Chinese city and it left the surrounding area. Just look at that, total ruin. So far, state officials say almost 150 people were found in the wreckage.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong.

Do we have any idea of what may have caused this explosion?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, that investigation is still under way. A massive gas explosion ripped through this residential area in the central Chinese province of Hubei earlier this day, taking the lives of at least 12 people, 150 people have been found, most of them injured, 37 severely injured. This took place 6:30 a.m. local time in the central Chinese city of Shiyan, and local officials there say that many people remain trapped in the rubble and the debris.

A rescue operation is currently under way. We know 173 rescue personnel as well as six sniffer dogs are on the scene. Video of this massive and devastating blast, the aftermath of it has been circulating widely on Chinese media this day, painting a really stark and harrowing picture of this instant, of what happened.

You know, just imagine a neighborhood, a placid, residential area waking up to start a new day and in an instant, 6:30 a.m. local time transformed into this smoldering, charred landscape. It prompted one social media user in China on the platform to write this, quote, I really can't imagine it. My home is just 100, 200 meters way from the explosion. I can't imagine that the place night has night has become a ruin. The video, the photos are shocking.

Now, sadly, China is no stranger to deadly explosions like this, every time it happens, it raises questions about safety standards in the country. Earlier this year in January, one person was killed at a factory explosion.

In August of last year, six people were killed in a chemical plant explosion. In 2015, more than 100 people were killed in a series of chemical blasts in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. As for today's explosion caused by a gas leak, the exact cause, though, still unknown at this moment.

Investigation is under way, at least 12 people dead in the city of Shiyan.

Back to you.

WALKER: I'm glad you point that out. That is quite a disturbing trend of explosions in China.

Kristie Lu Stout, I appreciate your reporting. Good to see you. Thanks so much.

[07:25:01]

STOUT: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Back to the United States now.

We're learning new details after a wild incident in the air on a Delta flight when a man tried to break into the cockpit of a plane. Passengers and crew getting into a scuffle, having to subdue him to the ground to stop him.

WALKER: CNN's Polo Sandoval joining us with an update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's going to be up to authorities what led up to scary moments aboard a Delta Airlines flight on Friday in which one of the airline's own flight attendants is believed to have been responsible for an altercation on board.

A Delta spokesperson told me yesterday that that flight attendant was actually off duty, was not actually working the flight but instead was among those passengers aboard Flight 1730 which left Los Angeles bound for Atlanta.

Some cell phone video capturing the scene here. Witness aboard the flight tells CNN two hours before landing the off-duty Delta employee made his way to the front of the aircraft reportedly started using the plane's P.A. system. The flight crew tried to address the situation and take away the P.A., that's when various witnesses say that he attacked two flight attendants which we now know were not injured during the altercations.

CNN spoke yesterday to Ben Curlee who was aboard the flight. This is what he remembers hearing.

BENJAMIN CURLEE, PASSENGER: The perpetrator was this on the intercom and was telling passengers to return to their seat because oxygen masks were going to be required of them and that created quite a stir amongst everyone around us, became tense.

SANDOVAL: Several of Curlee's passengers sprang into action, helping subdue this individual while the plane made an unscheduled and safe landing in Oklahoma City.

Delta Airlines released a statement, writing: Thanks to the crew and passengers of Delta Flight 1730 who assisted in detaining an unruly passenger as the flight diverted to Oklahoma City. The aircraft landed without incident and the passenger was removed by law enforcement.

Now, that was still unclear exactly what this individual is possibly thinking. All that is still under investigation right now as the FBI looks into this. But really, this is just the latest in a growing list that's been tracked by the Federal Aviation Administration regarding in-flight incidents with unruly passengers.

So far tracked at least 2,900 of those this year alone, about 2,200 because of passengers who refused to wear a mask, which is part of that federal mask mandate in place because of the pandemic.

Amara and Boris, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Polo Sandoval, thank you so much for that.

Look, the pandemic has affected everyone's mental health. But data shows it's been especially hard on teenaged girls. ER visits for suicide attempts in that age group are up more than 50 percent.

Coming up, we'll tell you what signs parents should look out for and when you should seek help.

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:31:56]

WALKER: Medical experts across the country have noticed an alarming trend, more teenaged girls attempting suicide during the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control looked at reports of attempted suicides at emergency rooms across the country between 2019 and 2021. And they found that suspected suicide attempts increased nearly 51 percent for girls aged 12 to 17. The increase was nearly 4 percent for boys of the same age.

So here to help us understand what's going on it is Gaan Akers. He is a clinical -- she, I'm sorry, is a clinical education manager for Hillside, which is a mental health nonprofit that works for children and adolescents.

Gaan, thank you so much for joining me this morning.

It really is astounding to hear these statistics from the CDC study. And, look, it's no secret the pandemic really had a detrimental effect on so many of us and our mental health.

But when you hear ER visits for suicide attempts going up by 51 percent among girls between the age of 12 and 17, can you explain what's going on here, why specifically girls?

GAAN AKERS, CLINICAL EDUCATION MANAGER, HILLSIDE ATLANTA: Yes. So, first, we know already prior to the pandemic that excessive use of social media is correlated to increase anxiety and depression especially affects girls. And with the pandemic, you know, with the increase in isolation, I think one of the main ways in which teenaged girls are connecting is mostly through social media. And so, that could be one of the many reasons in which is contributing to the rise.

One of the other things that we also have seen is that oftentimes instead of seeking help early on, even though kids are already struggling during the pandemic, at the beginning of the pandemic, I think most parents or most people have delayed a lot of medical care thinking oh, the lockdown will be over pretty soon.

So instead of trying to start going to therapy online or trying to seek professional help online, they might have delayed that, which exacerbated a lot of the symptoms. And so, by the time they're really needing help, they're in much more acute symptoms and situations.

WALKER: Two very important points you raise, the first one about social media. So, young girls going on social media, a lot of us going on social media to make these connections during the pandemic. So, what's the relation here with this age group of 12 to 17 being on social media, does it make them feel more isolated? Is that what they're feeling, and this is why we're seeing a spike in attempted suicides?

[07:35:01]

AKERS: So, the data is not 100 percent clear. We know that there's a correlation, you know, and the prior to the pandemic that excessive use of social media is linked to increase in anxiety and depression more so and it could be part of it is comparing life with other people since oftentimes people only post highlight reels on their social media. There is a possibility of increase in social media bullying, like

online bullying. There's just a lot of isolation in the sense that even though you feel like you're connecting to someone, it's still a very superficial connection and that could be part of it as well.

WALKER: Yes, that virtual connection is not a real connection. We as humans we learn through the pandemic we need to be seeing and feeling each other and being there face to face.

The key word here, though, is attempted suicides. So I guess if there is any good news, some of these or many of these attempts were not successful, is that because so many parents now were home during the pandemic and they were able to be there before the kids actually took their own lives?

AKERS: Yes, so one of the good news, like you said, is that the actual completed suicide rate in 2020 was actually half at least in Georgia based on the GBI information, you know, in 20 -- from 2019, it's down by half and part of that is that kids even though they're in the home, and even though they might be suffering more in terms of suicidal ideation or depression, they are under more supervision and they have less access to means which they can self-harm so the constant supervision, the constant contact with family members, oftentimes will stop the suicidal ideation from becoming completed actions.

WALKER: So what can parents or guardians family members do to prevent their loved ones, children from getting to this point?

AKERS: So the first thing, you know, I always asked for parents who really listen, check in with your kids, and see how they're doing, create a space in which they can feel safe to talk about how they are feeling without judgment, without parents trying to problem-solve right away but really listen to what they're feeling, help them make sense of some of those feelings. It's really important to keep an eye on any big changes in their routine.

If all of the sudden they are sleeping so much more or so much less, that big change in sleep pattern, big change in appetite are really good signs to kind of notice that something might not be right, especially with teenagers, sometimes depression doesn't look like what we think depression should look like, just like sadness and tearfulness.

We see a lot of times kids stop caring, that apathy, not caring about the things they used to enjoy, increasing isolation and also irritability, instead of just feeling sad, oftentimes they're becoming more irritable. And so things to keep an eye on as red flags for signs of increased depression and anxiety as well.

WALKER: Such an important conversation. Gaan Akers, I appreciate you joining us this morning. Thanks for your time.

AKERS: Thanks so much.

WALKER: And please remember that help is always available day or night, if you or a loved one would like to speak with someone, you can call the number on the screen, 1-800-273-TALK.

SANCHEZ: An important reminder.

So, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we're going to take you live to Jerusalem, where a new Israeli coalition to put an end to Benjamin Netanyahu's grip on power potentially opening a new chapter in Israeli history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:44:09]

WALKER: These could be Benjamin Netanyahu's final hours as Israeli prime minister, and that is if a new diverse coalition government gets the final go-ahead from a confidence vote in the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, the proposed new government is set to have right wing leader Naftali Bennett as its prime minister. But the coalition's razor thin majority leaves zero room for error.

Let's get to CNN's Hadas Gold who is live in Jerusalem.

Hadas, walk us through what we're going to see happen today.

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, you could feel a sense of history in the making here in the corners of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.

We actually just saw the new government coalition, the leaders of all those parties just leaving their final meeting before the parliament session is set to get under way, and there were smiles. There was this positive atmosphere.

They're giving the sense they will for sure have the votes to bring this new government into power.

[07:45:00]

Let me walk you through what the next hours will look like. In just over an hour, that parliament session will get under way and the prime minister designate, Naftali Bennett, will speak followed by his coalition partner, the centrist leader Yair Lapid. Then, Benjamin Netanyahu will be given the opportunity to speak, followed by the leaders of the other parties. Then, there will be a debate and vote on a new speaker of the parliament and then only after that will we get the confidence vote.

That means we could be about four or five hours before that confidence vote and if the confidence vote passes, then the new government is immediately sworn in, bringing an end to Benjamin Netanyahu's run as the longest serving prime minister of Israel.

We're getting a preview of what this new government will look like especially in the attitude towards the United States. Naftali Bennett's spokesperson telling us that in his speech in the Knesset, he will be positive and cooperative towards the Biden administration. He will thank President Joe Biden's support for the United States' support of Israel during the 11-day conflict with the Hamas-led militants in Gaza.

But he will say that they will be opposed to an Iran nuclear deal. Even though there is a new government, some things will definitely stay the same -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: And still a lot of questions to answer as to what Benjamin Netanyahu is going to moving forward in the future. Hadas Gold, thanks so much for bringing us those details.

WALKER: And there's much more ahead on NEW DAY.

But, first, a quick programming note for you. Be sure to tune in tonight for the season finale of "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA". W. Kamau Bell sits down with people from the black trans gender community in Dallas.

Here is a quick preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's why we don't trust the law. The law doesn't protect us in that way.

W. KAMAU BELL, CNN HOST, UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA: Diamond Styles (ph) is the executive director of Black Trans Women Inc., a national nonprofit that is focused on advocacy and positive visibility.

Ava Tara Smith Carrington (ph) is an attorney focusing on systemic trans discrimination.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you are a black trans person and you apply for a job and get it, and you experience discrimination, you're just kind of like out of luck. Okay, you lost income. Let's talk about housing discrimination.

BELL: There are currently 21 states with no housing anti- discrimination laws to protect trans people from being unfairly evicted or denied housing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could go to a shelter but some places you're not guaranteed access to the shelter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been to that, where I couldn't go to a women's shelter, I couldn't go to a men's shelter and I couldn't go to a LGBT shelter because I was HIV positive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: Yes. Watch "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA" at 10:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:51:56]

SANCHEZ: Look at that an underground steam pipe exploding in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday, bursting through a manhole shooting hot steam and debris into the air. Fortunately, officials were able to successfully stop traffic and shut down the pipe. No one was hurt. They still don't know however what caused it to burst.

More than half the western part of the country is facing extreme and exceptional drought conditions right now. The U.S. drought monitor says the percentages are at their highest point in two decades.

WALKER: Many of the hardest-hit areas have no sign of rain coming their way in the upcoming week and authorities in California say they've never seen anything like this.

CNN's Paul Vercammen with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara, Boris, this is extremely rare, the chief of the Angeles National Forest moving the fire threat level to very high, this does not happen this early in June. It's usually reserved for after the Fourth of July.

But in this forest and throughout parts of California, because of the drought, the moisture in the vegetation has been completely flushed out, if you will, so the chief is saying this is a problem throughout the West, as this drought is making the fire season dangerous very early.

CHIEF ROBERT GARCIA, ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST: As you look up and down the state of California as an example but across the west, and we monitor the drought monitor, we've just seen it move into exceptional drought through about 80 percent of California, which is hugely alarming. That's water storage, right? That's vegetation. That's snowpack and all those factors.

Now behind me, you can see road closures -- this is where the Bobcat Fire menaced the foothill communities in Los Angeles County for months on end. It started last September and before it was done, it had burned 115,000 acres.

The chief of the forest is telling everyone to be prepared. He emphasizes we do not have enough fire engines to put in anybody's driveway. So it's incumbent upon homeowners to make sure they clear that brush and vegetation around their homes and be super vigilant.

Reporting from Sierra Madre, I'm Paul Vercammen. Now, back to you -- Boris, Amara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Yeah, extraordinary stuff. Thank you so much, Paul.

All right. Now, here's some "Good Stuff" for you this Sunday. A Virginia dad dumped 80,000 pennies on his ex-wife's front yard as a final child support payment, but his daughter turned his act of anger into an act of kindness.

Eighteen-year-old Avery Sanford says her father rented a trailer to drop the pennies at her house. She and her mom donated all of the money, though, to a domestic abuse shelter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AVERY SANFORD, DAUGHTER: It is really hurtful and damaging to your kids when you do things like that, and it doesn't matter how old your kids are. It doesn't matter if they're a young child or an adult.

[07:55:00]

The actions of your parents will always kind of have some effect on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Not really the most mature way for him to handle that.

WALKER: Yeah.

SANCHEZ: But because Avery's local TV news station did a story about the pennies, the shelter they donated to has since been overwhelmed with donations. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY MAUPAI, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: Our online donation page just blew up and we've gotten over $47,000 worth of donations from locally, nationally, internationally as far as England and beyond, people from all around the world are uplifting this young person and saying you know what? This is amazing what you've done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: That's a lovely ending. I just don't know where, Boris, you get 80,000 -- it must have taken him months to -- or where do you get all these pennies?

SANCHEZ: I have no idea, no clue. But talk about, you know, making, paving the path, making lemons -- making lemonade out of lemons --

WALKER: Great stuff, yeah.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, great stuff.

WALKER: That's our time. Thanks for starting your morning with us.

SANCHEZ: "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" starts in just a few minutes.