Return to Transcripts main page

New Day Sunday

Migrant Rescues Increase At U.S.-Mexico Border; Back To Back Heat Waves Bake Central And Eastern U.S.; Western Drought Creating Fierce Competition For Scarce Resource; CDC Voted Unanimously To Recommend Moderna, Pfizer COVID Vaccines For Children Under Five; Officials Pressured By Trump To Overturn 2020 Election Set To Testify; Georgia Elections Officials, Arizona House Speaker To Testify Before Panel; Trump Pressed Georgia Secretary Of State To Find 11,780 Votes; Explosions Rock Kyiv Area As Air Defenses Engage Targets; Zelenskyy Visits War-Torn Odessa, Meets With Regional Leaders; White House Reiterates Biden Intends To Run For Re-Election; White House Insists Recession Is Not Inevitable. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired June 19, 2022 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:20]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Buenos dias. Good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. I'm Boris Sanchez.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kristin Fisher in for Christi Paul. The CDC signs off on COVID vaccines for kids as young as six months old. The key points that drove that decision and when vaccinations can begin.

SANCHEZ: Plus, election officials that former President Trump personally pressured to overturn the last election are set to testify publicly this week. What we can expect to hear from them and what the January 6th committee plans to focus on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any effect on the fishery especially up here, I mean, that's people's livelihoods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And so people get pretty upset.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISHER: The impact demand for water from the Colorado River could have on those who depend on it for their livelihoods if left unchecked amid the worst drought in 1,200 years.

SANCHEZ: And the scorching summer temperatures refusing to let up across the country. Where it's expected to feel like 110 degrees this week.

Good morning. We are thrilled that you are starting your Sunday and your week with us. It is Sunday, June 19, Juneteenth. Happy Father's Day as well.

FISHER: Yes, I have to say happy Father's Day to my dad and husband while I have the chance. Good to be with you, Boris.

So the White House is saying that shots can begin as early as this week now that CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has officially signed off on both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages six months to five years old. And this marks, of course, a major milestone for millions of parents who have waited anxiously to get protection for their children.

SANCHEZ: Roughly 17 million kids are eligible for the vaccines which will mostly be administered at the offices of pediatricians and pharmacies nationwide. CNN's Miguel Marquez has more on these vaccines.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristin, Boris, it is official. And this is the last big tranche of Americans who were, until now, unable to get vaccinated. Almost 20 million under fives are out there and now able to be vaccinated against COVID-19. It is not clear, though, how many parents are going to take them up on that option to get them vaccinated, at least immediately.

Look, the panel that recommended this spoke and discussed this for several hours on Friday and then several hours on Saturday, and then two unanimous votes to allow both those vaccines to be distributed and administered to under fives. A few things that they keyed on during those discussion. One, that the vaccine is effective in under fives in preventing severe illness, that the vaccination is better than previous infection.

A lot of parents saying, oh, my child had COVID some time ago so he's probably or she's probably inoculated against it in the future or won't have a very bad case of it in the future. They found that it is still better for them to be vaccinated and it ensures especially as the COVID-19 virus is changing that much better to be vaccinated than to rely on a previous infection.

And while there are side effects, just like for me or for you whenever we got this vaccine, there are side effects, they believe that they are manageable. They will also watch very carefully as this rolls out. And then they discussed a lot about the practicality of both distributing and administering all these vaccines as they get out around the country so that practitioners know how to use them and to give them to younger people because it is a slightly different regime.

The two different vaccines that they voted unanimously to approve the Moderna vaccine is a two-shot regimen. The Pfizer vaccine is three shots. And now that they have approved it, they were already being ordered up by some states and already on the way to certain locations, so we could see shots in arms in the next couple of days. Boris, Kristin.

SANCHEZ: Miguel, thank you so much. So they resisted pressure from Donald Trump to help him overturn the 2020 election results. Now state officials are going to share their stories with the nation before the committee investigating the January 6th insurrection. A member of that committee Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren tells CNN these officials put the rule of law ahead of politics.

[06:05:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA), MEMBER OF JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE: These individuals are Republicans. They voted for Trump. They are, you know, supported him. But they wouldn't do illegal things that he asked them to do. So we expect to hear in some detail about the pressure that was placed on them and why they were true to the law instead of the pressure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISHER: CNN congressional reporter Daniella Diaz joins us live. Daniella, why does the committee want to hear from these individuals in particular?

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Kristin, I think Zoe Lofgren, who sits on this panel, puts it perfectly. These were Republicans who supported Trump and refused to bow to his intimidation to try to work in their states to overturn the 2020 election results. They represent, of course, battleground states that Trump needed to win the 2020 election. And one of them being Rusty Bowers, who is the -- a Republican and Arizona state House speaker. We plan to hear from him directly. Bowers will join Georgia election -- Georgia's election officials -- Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Gabe Sterling, who is his deputy. They also plan to testify.

Now Bowers supported Trump's re-election bid in 2020, but he refused to bow to intimidation and attempts to get him to back efforts in the legislature to decertify Biden's election in Arizona. And he previously described how Trump's -- how Trump and then President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani called him after the 2020 election to convince him to somehow involve the legislature in the state's certification process before sending its presidential electors to Congress.

We're also going to hear, as I said, from Raffensperger, who, of course, if you remember, was part of that now infamous January 2021 call where Trump pressured him to -- quote -- "find the votes" so that he could win Georgia, Kristin and Boris. So it's going to be very, very interesting to hear from these three on the panel tomorrow as they tell their stories of what they went through, of course, during the 2020 election and the pressure they received from Trump.

FISHER: Yes, Daniella Diaz, thank you so much. So let's take a closer look at what we've learned so far from the select committee hearings and what we can expect in the week ahead. Garrett Graff is a contributing and a contributing editor for WIRED. You know, Garrett, good morning. The committee has held three hearings so far. You say that what we've learned is far more disturbing than even you expected. How so? GARRETT GRAFF, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think what we have seen is that this was a plan, and this has been the committee's argument since the start of the hearings, that this was a plan that was more carefully considered. It was multifaceted, and it was consistent. And it was also a plan by the president to try to overturn the legitimate certified election results that he was told was wrong, that he was told consistently was illegal, that there was no standing for the officials to try to do the things that he wanted them to do, and that, nevertheless, he persisted.

FISHER: As we look ahead to next week, another big week for this committee, Georgia's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger is one of the election officials set to testify before the committee on Tuesday. And you'll remember he's the official that Donald Trump pressured to find enough voters to overturn Joe Biden's victory. Remember this?

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FISHER: So, Garrett, how damaging is that, and how critical is Raffensperger's testimony?

GRAFF: I think one of the things to remember in the context of this whole wild series of events that unfold between November and January 6, and ultimately January 20th, is that that telephone call with the Georgia secretary of state on its own would be one of the most remarkable and corrupt election interference efforts that we have ever seen in modern American political history. And, of course, it was dwarfed just days later by the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol as protesters tried to disturb and stop the certification of the Electoral College. But that telephone call on its own was a remarkably corrupt and remarkably direct effort by the president to try to overturn the legitimacy of the election.

FISHER: Yes, I think that's been one of the interesting things about this hearing is just, you know, how much material they have, that call being one of them.

[06:10:05]

Garrett, last week we heard so much about Trump's effort to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election and, you know, ultimately Pence refused to go along and he is being praised for that. But do you think that he deserves credit for simply doing the right thing, for simply following the law?

GRAFF: I think he deserves at least partial credit for doing the right thing. But one of the things that did come clear in that hearing on Thursday was the extent to which Mike Pence did the right thing only after making a very concerted and wide-ranging study to make sure that there wasn't an argument for him to do the wrong thing. That he entertained the idea that he could interfere in the election. He studied it. He asked his predecessors whether he could. And only after, effectively, every single person in his orbit told him that he needed to hold strong and that there was no basis for him as vice president to interfere with the certification of the Electoral College did he hold strong.

Now, of course, he has been unwilling to testify before the committee. They clearly would like him to do so, would like him to talk more about those efforts and his experience on January 6, because one thing that the committee made clear was just how close we came to a much bigger constitutional disaster and real violence on Capitol Hill as the protesters, angry at Mike Pence, storm the Capitol and came within, according to the committee, about 40 feet of finding the vice president himself.

FISHER: Yes, just dangerously close. Garrett, one more thing before I let you go. You've just written a book "Watergate: A New History." And this is the 50th anniversary of that scandal. So what lessons do you think that we still need to learn about half a century later?

GRAFF: So I think one of the things that has really stood out to me in watching these hearings is that when you look back at Watergate how much it took to protect and preserve American democracy. It took all of the institutions in Washington, the media, the FBI, the Justice Department, the House, the Senate, the courts, and what a critical role Congress itself plays in protecting democracy. And that what we are seeing right now is the committee doing some of that important work, but we still don't know where we are in the arc of the story of January 6th.

We don't know as a country whether we will look back on this as a turning point for the country or a warning that got ignored. And Judge Luttig on Thursday told the committee clearly and plainly that Donald Trump and his allies are out there saying that they will steal the next election. And I think we need to take that warning seriously, and I hope that Congress takes its responsibility to protect American democracy just as seriously as the Watergate committees did in the House and the Senate in 1973 and '74.

FISHER: All great points. We have got several hours of these hearings to go. Garrett Graff, thank you so much.

GRAFF: Always a pleasure.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead this hour, Ukraine's president vowing that he's not giving up even an inch of territory to the Russians just as new explosions rock the country's capital. We'll take you live to Kyiv for the very latest.

Plus, why one political analyst says that Democrats should not dismiss a second term for President Biden. That's still ahead on NEW DAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:17:51] SANCHEZ: New this morning, Ukraine's capital was rattled earlier today by a series of explosions. Military officials say that air defenses were able to engage enemy target and that so far, fortunately, there have been no casualties.

FISHER: Yes. The attack on Kyiv happened while Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was making a rare trip outside the capital paying a visit to the war damaged city of Odessa where he met with regional leaders and toured a hospital treating injured troops. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is live in Kyiv, Ukraine. Salma, could you hear the explosions this morning?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Well, what we did hear was the air raid siren sounds which are not rare. But what is rare is that there is actually air defense systems that were used this time, Ukrainian air defense systems that intercepted Russian missiles. And the last time that Kyiv was targeted was about June 5th. So it's a rare occurrence but it's a reminder, yet again, of Russia's capability to hit the capital long after their retreat.

And, as you mentioned, it comes a day after President Zelenskyy made his first visit to the southern and front line visiting two cities that have been targeted by Russia's attempts to take control of the Black Sea. Mykolaiv was the first stop. That's a place where army barracks were targeted early on in the conflict by Russian warplanes and dozens of soldiers were killed or wounded.

You saw President Zelenskyy there dressed in military type clothing walking and seeing the destruction in civilian neighborhoods. And it's really a continuation of his strategy. He's been an ever-present leader, a source of morale for his countrymen and that's what he wanted to carry with him is that message of solidarity for those on the front lines.

He handed out medals to soldiers and told them, take care of Ukraine, it's all we have. And then he moved on to Odessa. And that's a city that has become ever more important as Russian forces have occupied so much of that southern coast along the Black Sea. So it's Odessa really that gives port access for Ukraine now. But they also say Russian warships are blockading them, forcing them -- not allowing them to export grain and other important things.

So it's really a visit to boost morale again on the front lines and to remind for President Zelenskyy, his soldiers that, yes, they are outmanned, they are outgunned.

[06:20:03]

But he said, we have a greater will to live than they have a number of Russian missiles.

SANCHEZ: And, Salma, as you noted, control of the Black Sea from the beginning we have known is one of the Kremlin's goals in this invasion. There's so much import and export that's critical to Ukraine's survival that runs through that body of water. Where does Russia's effort to stop Ukraine from accessing the Black Sea stand right now?

ABDELAZIZ: Well, the Black Sea in and of itself has become a flash point, a place where conflict has spread. Much of the Ukrainian Navy was destroyed in 2014 during the Crimea conflict. But even though they are outmanned, outgunned, again, on the sea they have been able to inflict damage.

Just a couple of days ago Ukrainian officials say they sunk a Russian tugboat that was providing supplies to Russian warships. There was that all-important victory in April when Ukrainian forces sunk a major naval ship -- a Russian warship. So it's a flash point. And you heard that in Zelenskyy's message, we must secure our waters, we must be able to take control of the Black Sea.

FISHER: Great point. Salma Abdelaziz, live in Kyiv, Ukraine, for us. Salma, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Salma.

So the 2022 midterm elections are still months away but in Washington there is already speculation about the next presidential election. President Biden faces sinking poll numbers as some members in his own party are calling for another Democrat to run for the White House. His administration confirming last week that Biden does intend to run again as former President Donald Trump eyes his own potential campaign announcement soon.

Let's discuss with CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer. Julian, always appreciate you getting up bright and early for us. You wrote an op-ed for CNN.com this week arguing that Democrats should not write off a second Biden term yet. You say that debates over whether he should run again -- quote -- "only weaken Biden's standing, diminishing his political capital in Washington and making it more difficult for him to act as a strong leader in the coming years." Where do you see opportunities for Democrats to capitalize on the incumbent president's strengths?

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first, the incumbent president is always in a better position than any other person in the party to run for re-election. Incumbency brings great power. It's unclear who Democrats have at this point, who would be more formidable in this particular election.

Second, he has a record that he can run on from his legislation, the American Rescue Plan and infrastructure to the way he has maintained NATO that I think is often taken for granted because he's in difficult times. And then I would just add presidents recover from difficult second years and bad midterm. President Obama did it in 2010.

And finally, when presidents don't run for re-election such as Johnson in 1968 or Harry Truman in 1952 it doesn't always benefit the party. It often makes them weaker and gives an opportunity for the opposition to win.

SANCHEZ: I want to dig deeper on something you just alluded to, people taking Biden's achievements for granted. He did pass a massive COVID relief package, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the response to the war in Eastern Europe are major wins. But, you know, Americans are facing crushing inflation and record breaking gas prices. So I'm wondering how much do you think the accomplishments outweigh the complaints of voters in November, not just in the midterms but potentially years from now in 2024?

ZELIZER: Look, the bad economic times cannot be ignored. If there is no improvement in 2023 or 2024 those can easily overwhelm the accomplishments. It could set up the possibility for Republicans to do pretty well in 2024. And in the long term bad economies really can be defining.

I mean, President George H.W. Bush in 1992 went from the person who was successful in Operation Desert Storm to the person who couldn't handle the recession and he went on to become a one-term president as did President Carter in 1980. So the condition of the economy in the next couple of years will be extremely important to the temperature of the electorate.

SANCHEZ: Julian, you mentioned the R-word or recession. Some economists believe that we're already in one. The White House is insisting that a recession is not inevitable. Is that the right messaging from the White House?

ZELIZER: Well, obviously they can't ignore the threat and I think it's wrong just to say that Americans are not suffering but that's not what they're saying. The point is, "How deep are the economic problems and can recovery happen in the next year?"

[06:25:04]

We're in an unusual moment this post pandemic situation. And it's not even post pandemic but economically is something we haven't really been through. So it's fair for the administration if they can do it to try to walk the electorate through why this might not be your normal recession and there's ways for improvement to happen more quickly than at other times.

SANCHEZ: I want to ask you about President Biden's potential 2024 opponent. It's seems like a foregone conclusion that former President Donald Trump is going to run again. And CNN is reporting that he's weighing announcing a 2024 presidential bid even before the midterm elections. What are the pros and cons of announcing before versus after the midterms, Julian?

ZELIZER: Well, before a lot of people are paying attention to politics if the former president is relatively confident the midterms will go poorly, it sets up a narrative. He announces Democrats do poorly in the midterms, Biden is blamed and he can then accelerate his campaign very quickly. Waiting until after as you just see how everything settles and that's when you begin the story telling.

I think in the end that's not going to be the decisive factor, the before or after. But I do think the midterms could easily provide a boost to the former president in a re-election bid.

SANCHEZ: Julian Zelizer, always grateful to get your expertise and your insight on these matters. Thanks for joining us.

FISHER: In just one week eight people died trying to cross this river. And now border patrol agents in Texas are undergoing new training to save lives.

[06:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: An update now to a tragic story we first told you about yesterday. Philadelphia fire officials have released the name of that firefighter that was killed in a building collapse yesterday morning.

FISHER: Yes. He is Lieutenant Sean Williamson, 51 years old, and a 27- year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department. The mayor of Philadelphia saying in a statement, for 27 years he dedicated his life to protecting the people of our city. The building collapsed after a fire early Saturday morning. Six people were trapped in the building. Five were rescued and taken to the hospital. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Meanwhile, officials at the Southern Border say they're on high alert as crossings reach record levels. Sweltering desert heat and roaring canal waters are making a dangerous journey even more treacherous.

SANCHEZ: Authorities say they have seen eight people killed in just one week. CNN is Priscilla Alvarez shows us how they are responding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): In these warring waters, first responders trained for the worst. Migrants who have been swept away while trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

KRIS MENENDEZ, CAPTAIN, EL PASO FIRE DEPARTMENT WATER RESCUE TEAM: They get pushed underneath, they get pushed out. And so, you know, it could mean life or death.

ALVAREZ: Already, authorities say there have been eight deaths here in the span of a week, signaling a grim outlook for the summer as migrants journey to the border in extreme conditions. The canal here intended to get water to farmers poses a unique danger with higher water levels and a fast-moving current.

MENENDEZ: What we're going to do now is what we call live bait.

ALVAREZ: Chris Menendez, captain of the El Paso Fire Department Water Rescue Team is bracing for more rescues and potential drownings.

MENENDEZ: We can throw a rope, throw them a ring, and they can rescue themselves off of that device. But a lot of times that's not the case. We've come in when it's too late, they're deceased.

ALVAREZ: Rescues already outpaced last fiscal year. Since October, there has been more than 14,000 searches and rescues along the southwest border according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That's compared to over 12,800 in fiscal year 2021. Border officials are on high alert, issuing warnings about the sweltering desert heat and crossing dangerous waters.

ALVAREZ (on camera): Migrants will also try to climb over the border wall and fall in the process in the El Paso sector. There have been over 229 injuries since October from those falls. Agents will try to render aid or take migrants to the hospital if necessary.

DYLAN CORBETT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HOPE BORDER INSTITUTE: A lot of the people who are at the shelter had been --

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Dylan Corbett, head of the Hope Border Institute in El Paso says built-up pressure and insecurity has driven migrants to make risky decisions.

CORBETT: It's an index really of desperation, an index of pain, and index of frustration of not being able to access a settlement of water.

ALVAREZ: A Trump-era pandemic restriction is still in effect on the border, allowing officials to turn away migrants. That hasn't dissuaded people and 1,000s continue to wait in Mexico.

RUBEN GARCIA, DIRECTOR, ANNUNCIATION HOUSE: Had to come last week, the whole place was full.

ALVAREZ: Ruben Garcia runs a network of shelters here taking in migrants.

GARCIA: Over the past several months, the numbers have consistently been at 3,000 per week -- 3,000 per week. So, there were nights where we had close to 400 people sleeping here.

ALVAREZ: Southern border cities are adjusting to the reality that migration flows won't slow down. El Paso is now considering a processing center to alleviate stress shelters.

ALVAREZ (on camera): So, what does this say about where we're going?

RICARDO SAMANIEGO, JUDGE, EL PASO COUNTY: I really believe that this is the new world that we're going to be experiencing and it's not going to be a temporary situation.

ALVAREZ (on camera): U.S. Customs and Border Protection stop migrants nearly 240,000 times last month. That is a number that has gone up month by month, and it raises serious concerns among authorities as the temperatures climb into the triple digits. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[06:35:01]

SANCHEZ: Priscilla thank you for that report. You are definitely feeling the heat if you've been outside lately. More than 15 million people under heat alerts this morning and the scorching summer is only getting hotter. At some places, you're going to feel like 110 degrees this week. We'll tell you where you can expect it in your forecast next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FISHER: Triple-digit temperatures and severe storms are expected across the country as we head into a new week with nearly 15 million people under heat alerts today.

[06:40:06]

SANCHEZ: Well, let's get you to the CNN Weather Center and meteorologist Allison Chinchar. Allison, when can we expect relief because it's just been heatwave after heatwave?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Yes, I mean, long term maybe fall, autumn, by the time that comes around. In the short term, it's likely going to be another week before we really see this next wave begin to break itself back down.

Today, high temperature and Fargo, 101. Minneapolis likely to top out at 93. Even Kansas City topping out at 91. St. Louis, a high of only 87, but all of that heat is going to start to spread its way across the country. Even the areas in the Mountain West where it's been below average, you're going to start to see those temperatures receding and getting back to above average too in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Look at these temperatures. Again, you're talking 96 in Chicago for Monday, up to triple digits by Tuesday. Atlanta also climbing into triple digits by the time we get to Wednesday. Raleigh going from 84 on Monday up to 97 by Wednesday.

Now, that heat is also helping to fuel some showers and thunderstorms that we have across area of the Northern Plains. We have the potential for some strong to severe thunderstorms including damaging winds and large hail, lots of cloud-to-ground lightning as well. The main focus will be across North Dakota and Montana but it will stretch farther south into the panhandle of Oklahoma and Texas.

And also monsoon season starting to kick up in the southwest, so we do expect some showers and thunderstorms today across New Mexico as well as Arizona.

SANCHEZ: Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

Speaking of unbearable heat, when water levels in Utah's Flaming Gorge Dam start to dip, the water then gets too warm for trout to survive.

FISHER: And that's one reason why residents get upset when the government releases water from it. CNN's Bill Weir has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): For those who love to chase trout, this stretch of the Green River provides some of the best fly fishing on the planet. STEPHEN LYTLE, FISHING GUIDE, GREEN RIVER: It's phenomenal. I mean, you get people from all over the world coming to fish this. There's guides from New Zealand. People come from South America. Eric Clapton spin up here.

WEIR: Is that right?

LYTLE: Tiger Woods, I mean, it's -- if you're a fly fisherman, this is one of the places to hit.

WEIR: Hey, buddy. Oh, the rainbow. Here we go.

Oh, yes, that's pretty.

A big reason why is Utah's Flaming Gorge Dam, because it's one of the few dams able to control the temperature of the gin-clear water flowing downstream.

Wow, these guys are (INAUDIBLE).

Not too hot, not too cold, creating a Goldilocks zone for bugs, trout, and people who also flocked to the reservoir behind the dam and keep the economy alive. So, you'd understand if locals get upset at the sight of this. The Federal Bureau of Reclamation released enough raging water this spring to drop Flaming Gorge reservoir by up to 12 feet. A desperate move to help things downstream on the Colorado where Lake Powell is down 170 feet and could evaporate into a dead pool with not enough water for hydropower or the 40 million people who drink, farm, and ranch this system from Denver to LA.

LYTLE: There's a lot of people who just get angry. And it's their water. It's their kind of geographic possession. And so they don't like it going down to desert cities that also need it.

WEIR: Because the lower Flaming Gorge gets, the warmer it gets, and no more Goldilocks trout.

LYTLE: And then, any effect on the fishery, especially up here, I mean, that's people's livelihoods.

WEIR: Yes, yes.

LYTLE: And so, people get pretty upset.

WEIR: I can imagine.

Whiskey is for drinking, water for fighting, right? Isn't that the ---

LYTLE: Yes, that's the phrase.

WEIR: That's the phrase.

Long considered rivals of the fishing guides are the rafting guides who love high flow for more exciting rides and more customers.

BRUCE LAVOIE, OARS RAFTING: Sometimes we're on the sides of the fisherman, and sometimes we're not.

WEIR: But everyone agrees that for the West to survive, the most important two words today are water conservation.

I mean, I always try to remind myself that these water molecules are going to end up in a hot tub in Hollywood or watering a putting green in Palm Springs. And we're all part of the system. How do you think people understand that these days?

LAVOIE: So, yes, that's great. I don't think we do. I come from Connecticut. I grew up on the east coast where water law is totally different. Here, it's first in line, first in right. It's treated like a mineral.

WEIR: Some farmers in Arizona are some of the last in line, forced to let fields go fallow as allocations are cut. And this week, the Bureau of Reclamation warned members of the Senate are the need to cut up to four million acre-feet in 2023. That's more than 1.3 trillion gallons, or almost as much as California is allotted in a year.

[06:45:17]

LAVOIE: John Wesley Powell, who ran this river in 1869, he's he stated it to the federal government. There's not enough water to support the way we have developed.

WEIR: The first guy down in the Colorado tried to warn us that his would happened right now.

LAVOIE: Absolutely. And now, it is. Like, there's this assumption that it's always going to be there. And I don't think people will change until it changes.

WEIR: Until it's not there.

But as long as there's fun to be had and water to drink, it's easy to ignore the villains warning and Mad Max Fury Road. Do not become addicted to water. It will take hold of you, and you will resent its absence. Bill Weir CNN, Vernal, Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FISHER: Bill Weir, thank you so much for that report. So, a blowout of historic proportions in hockey. The Colorado Avalanche overwhelmed the Tampa Bay last night, moving one step closer to lifting the Stanley Cup.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The Colorado Avalanche now just two wins away from taking home the Stanley Cup pummeling the Tampa Bay Lightning last night seven to zilch.

FISHER: Andy Scholes is with us live. Andy, I mean, the game was over almost as soon as it started, right? ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I mean, there was just no stop in Colorado last night. I mean, they pounced on the Lightning and then they just never let their foot off the gas. Valeri Nichushkin breaking the ice less than three minutes in with this goal, and then Colorado just kept pouring it on. They scored three goals in the first, two goals in the second, and then two more in the third.

Avalanche winning a landslide seven to nothing, the second-biggest blowout in the Stanley Cup final in the past 100 years. Colorado has been unstoppable in the playoffs 14 and two tying the best start to a postseason NHL history. Avalanche now up 2-0 in the series. The lightning dream of a threepeat now on thin ice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALE MAKAR, DEFENSEMAN, COLORADO AVALANCHE: Obviously we had some -- we had some good goals and stuff like that, but at the end of the day. we know next game is going to -- they're going to bring their best and it's always the next game the hardest.

STEVEN STAMKOS, CENTER, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: Listen, people are going to be watching this game tonight and probably think the series is over. But our group is -- we're very resilient group. We're going to go back home -- we were in this position last round, so whether it's one-nothing or seven-nothing or 10-nothing, I mean, it's a loss and in the playoffs and you got to move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: The U.S. Open is set the begin in a couple of hours. Yesterday, a wild day in the tough conditions at Brookline. Hole number, one Scottie Scheffler holing out from the fairway for an eagle at eight, a game of two shot lead but struggled badly on the back nine, had a double bogey and three more bogey. Scheffler two shots back heading into today.

And Will has finally beat the tournament. Will Zalatoris breaks through. 25-year-old from Dallas lost in the playoff with the PGA Championship. He's finishing the top 10 five times and second twice in majors. Zalatoris is tied with England's Matt Fitzpatrick at four- under on the loaded leaderboard heading into this final round. Defending U.S. Open champ Jon Rahm, one shot back. Rory Mcilroy also still lurking tree shots of the league.

All right, it's Baseball. A special moment at Wrigley Field yesterday. Cubs catcher Willson, Contreras, and his little brother William who plays for the Braves hugging at home plate before Willson's first at bat. They're the first brothers to start behind the plate in a Major League game since 2014. Wilson calling it a dream of theirs since they were kids growing up in Venezuela. William had two hits. Willson had three. Cubs ended up winning that game six to three.

And finally, twins at Diamond Back. David Peralta hits a hard foul ball into the stands. Check out this amazing catch from this fan. Full-extension, bare hand, it doesn't spill a drip -- a trip of that water that he was holding. He was even shocked that he made that catch, guys. And Boris, what do you think? If that ball coming at you, you're making that grab?

SANCHEZ: Oh, no question. I'll catch you with my mouth, Andy. Come on.

FISHER: That kid caught it by his fingers. That was incredible.

SCHOLES: It's been an amazing season in terms of fans catching foul balls. I'll tell you what, it maybe the best ever.

SANCHEZ: Andy Scholes, thank you so much.

FISHER: Yes, thanks, Andy.

So, tonight, CNN is hosting its inaugural Juneteenth concert.

SANCHEZ: A slate of black artists and musicians are going to take the stage in Los Angeles to celebrate and highlight the ongoing fight for equality. The show is also going to include presenters like director and choreographer Debbie Allen. And she actually spoke out yesterday about the importance of the celebration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBBIE ALLEN, DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER: This celebration tomorrow is a big deal because it's a global celebration of freedom, which is something the world is still fighting for. I mean, you know, slavery and the African diaspora is something the world knows about. But it's still something that has to be recognized, acknowledged, celebrated.

Young people today are growing up with a lot of challenges. There's gun violence. They're hearing about war all over the world. But they hadn't had the quite the challenge that we grew up with, with segregation and racism. Although it seems like it's back on the rise in America in particular, and the divisiveness.

So, I think what I'm trying to do at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy is raise a generation of young people who have humanity, who care about the arts and care about the world and care about their fellow citizens. So, I think the Juneteenth Celebration is going to get ingrained in their hearts right now, so they understand what it's about.

[06:55:35]

SANCHEZ: A powerful way to ease your Sunday scaries. You won't want to miss tonight's concert, A Global Celebration For Freedom all beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. New Day is back in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:00]