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One World with Zain Asher
Hurricane Beryl Barrels Through Caribbean Islands; Israel Military Issues New Evacuation Orders For Parts Of Southern Gaza; Anger And Frustration Build In The Streets Of Kenya; Video Gaming Italian Teenager Will Become The Catholic Church's First Millennial Saint; Carlo Acutis was so renowned for using his computer skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith that he earned the nickname God's Influencer. He died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired July 02, 2024 - 12:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:00:27]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. Bianna Golodryga is off today. You are watching ONE WORLD. All
right, it is a phrase we have heard time and time again from climate scientists. This is the new normal. And if that's the case, I want to show
you a frightening snapshot in real time of what that new reality looks like.
The strongest storm ever to form in the Atlantic this time of year is barreling its way through the Caribbean right now -- Hurricane Beryl, which
has already turned deadly, is expected to hit Jamaica on Wednesday after carving a path of destruction through Granada and Barbados.
Meantime, in California, the thermometer is spiking well above the triple digit Fahrenheit mark, heightening the dangers of wildfires. Some areas of
the state could reach more than 46 degrees Celsius this week.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who has called the climate crisis an existential threat to the world, is set to visit the Emergency Operations Center in
Washington, D.C., for a briefing on the extreme weather at any moment, and he will deliver remarks afterwards. We'll bring you those remarks live. And
we have reporters standing by to cover all of these stories about extreme weather.
We've got Patrick Oppmann, who has more on Hurricane Beryl. We've got Elisa Raffa covering the record-breaking heat we're seeing in part of the western
part of the United States this week. And CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir is standing by for us in New York to give us the big picture, the
global picture.
Patrick, I want to start with you. Let's just talk about the level of destruction we're seeing in Barbados right now. We saw huge amounts of
powerful winds, power lines ripped and fallen, and also the fact that, you know, roofs being ripped off buildings. Just give us -- just set the scene
for us in terms of what we're seeing in Barbados right now.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really heartbreaking because you're seeing people coming and finding boats that they thought
were safe absolutely destroy, you know, people saying they're not sure how the fishing industry in these islands, so vital to people's livelihoods,
will recover. And, of course, people have lost their roofs. Their electricity is out. They are without water. Other islands where the eye
actually made impact are completely flattened.
So, of course, the impacts of climate change are not felt equally. And for people living in the low-lying islands of the Caribbean, it's devastating
to have a storm come along like this so early in the season and to develop so quickly. I think that's what really caught people off guard, didn't have
time to prepare, because on Saturday this was a tropical storm, and then by Sunday it was already a major hurricane.
So, when you are in a low-lying island like this, you are limited to how you can prepare, how well you can prepare, and simply it is just too strong
for many people to get through a storm like this unscathed.
ASHER: And next up is Jamaica. Just talk to us about how Jamaica is bracing itself for this hurricane, as well.
OPPMANN: This is a lot more concerning in many ways because, of course, Jamaica has a much larger population than the islands of the Windward
Islands. You have a much greater tourism infrastructure there. You're going to have more visitors that are going to need to be either sheltered or
evacuated to get out on those remaining flights.
And so, the possibility for damage in Jamaica, where there are, of course, mountains, so you have mudslides and you can have people's homes get washed
off the side of a hill or a mountain, the possibility for even greater destruction is even more pronounced there. And so, people are using the
hours they have remaining before a Hurricane Beryl strikes, a very powerful Category 5 storm at this moment, and they do not have much time left to get
prepared.
ASHER: All right, Patrick Oppmann, standby. Elisa Raffa, let me bring you in, joining us live now from the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta. So, Elisa,
just talk to us a bit more about the sizzling temperatures we're seeing in parts of California and how that really heightens the risk of wildfires
there.
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, I mean, we've got this heat dome that's setting up some alerts for heat. Actually, this heat dome is what
will continue to steer, barrel through the Caribbean. But, I mean, look at some of these heat alerts.
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We've got advisories, even some warnings for parts of Oklahoma down towards Dallas and New Orleans. These temperatures will continue to swelter today.
Look at the heat index as we go into the afternoon. We're talking about that heat index at 111 in Shreveport, 112 in Baton Rouge, 112 in New
Orleans, 108 in Houston.
That's the combination of heat to the afternoon. We're talking about that heat index at 111 in Shreveport, 112 in Baton Rouge, 112 in New Orleans,
108 in Houston. That's the combination of heat and humidity, and it makes it harder for our bodies to deal with the heat when it's that excessive.
California -- look at this. Most of the state here with some excessive heat warnings, from San Francisco down towards L.A., Las Vegas, including some
of the deserts as well where temperatures, again, will be excessive.
We're talking about well into the triple digits, and these are the temperatures, okay, temperatures -- 107 degrees on Tuesday in Fresno,
getting to 112 on Thursday. Bakersfield, as well, up at 113 on Wednesday. Look at Palm Springs in the heart of the desert. We're looking at these
temperatures getting up towards 120 degrees by the end of the week. So, very dangerous heat coming with this.
Now, we do know this heat, particularly in California, was made at least three to four, and in some locations in this deep red you see here, five
times more likely by climate change because our summers are just hotter than they used to be. They are longer. That heat can be more extreme, and
we're seeing the signs of this here in California. Zain?
ASHER: All right, Elisa Raffa, thank you so much. Stand by for us. Let me bring in Krystal Hoyte. She's a multimedia journalist with the Caribbean
Broadcasting Corporation. She joins us live now from Bridgetown in Barbados.
Krystal, thank you so much for being with us. Obviously, this hurricane had a devastating impact on Barbados just in terms of the sheer force of the
winds alone, 160 miles an hour. Just talk to us about the damage you're seeing where you are.
KRYSTAL HOYTE, JOURNALIST, CBC BARBADOS: Well, Zain, I'm here at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex, and I can tell you that there's been millions
of dollars in investment lost here in Barbados as Hurricane Beryl resulted in a surging sea driven by storm force winds and the destruction of a
number of fishing vessels.
In fact, around me, more than 20 of these vessels sunk yesterday morning, and hundreds of boat owners, operators, fisher folk were here even before
the offer was given trying to say salvage what some may see as boats, but really is their livelihood.
ASHER: And we're looking at some of the video now as you're speaking, just looking at what's happening to there you see the boats rocking back and
forth in the water. And just in terms of the sheer flooding, we're also seeing in parts of Bridgetown. Krystal, talk to us about how -- I mean, it
might even be too early to think about this at this point in time, but talk to us about how the islands go about rebuilding at this stage.
HOYTE: Really, we're in the assessment period. Prime Minister Mia O'Malley, after the offer was given, her first spot was here at the
Bridgetown Fisheries Complex to talk to the fisher folk. And then she went over to the cruise terminal where we also see significant damage. Hurricane
Barrel really impacted the south coast of the island.
So, a lot of the area where perhaps tourists would stay. We do have a number of tourists still on the island. Of course, we hosted the ICC 20
World Cup. So, there were quite a few tourists still on island. And in terms of rebuilding, it's still early days because they're doing the
assessment in terms of what damage looks like.
ASHER: And finally, Krystal, just in terms of people's livelihoods, I mean, we've talked a lot about the fishermen, for example. But where do
they go from here in terms of their livelihoods? A lot of people are going to suffer as a result of this hurricane.
HOYTE: Well, I can tell you that right now here in Barbados, I'm here at the fisheries and they're currently lifting some of the vessels out of the
safe harbor, looking to do a bit of repairs to see what can be repaired. But they're also seeing a lot of sunken boats. And that's unfortunate.
ASHER: All right. Krystal Hoyte, live for us there. Thank you. Thank you so much for being with us. All right. I want to bring in CNN's chief climate
correspondent, Bill Weir, who's joining us live now from here in New York.
So, Bill, President Biden is going to be speaking about the climate crisis. And part of what he's going to be talking about is a new initiative to
protect American workers who are exposed to long periods of heat as they work. Actually, just not just outdoors, but indoors, as well. Talk to us
more about what the president is set to announce today.
BILL WEIR, CNN's CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Zain, this is a real distinctive effort to distinguish himself from Republicans who have a very
different take on the climate crisis. Republican legislatures in both Florida and Texas and their governors recently knocked down efforts to
protect outdoor workers and heat waves to give mandatory water breaks, shade breaks when the temperature reaches a certain point.
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President Biden expected to announce today new efforts within the Federal Occupational Safety Commission to come up with new federal nationwide
standards to protect workers. Only three states in the country, California, Oregon and Minnesota, protect indoor workers. And you know that those
warehouses, factories can sometimes be more oppressive than being outside where the air is moving around.
And so, this is all new thinking in the United States. Climate change has been so politicized for so many years. It's so entrenched that just
realizing that we've moved into a new planet. There are forecasts this for Monday in Death Valley, California, of 130 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 54.4
Celsius, I think. That's the temperature at which you make a medium rare steak. And that's the hottest place in the world.
ASHER: Look at this.
WEIR: But that's the canary that let us know, that everyone else is catching up gradually right now. So, between the destructive rapid
intensification of hurricanes that just feed themselves on hot water in the Atlantic to the droughts, to the atmospheric rivers, because the hotter
atmosphere holds a lot more water, people are feeling this right now.
And the major candidate of the Republican Party denies it's even a problem. And this is a chance for Biden to follow up after the infamous debate with
a distinctive choice.
ASHER: So, that's where we're at right now. Hot enough to cook a medium rare steak. That says it all. We have to sort of brace ourselves for the
reality that President Biden may or may not be president for that much longer. So, just talk to us about what a Trump administration is going to
do about climate change.
WEIR: It's interesting. I've asked everyone from Gavin Newsom to Bill Gates that question in recent days. And the consensus is that there's
enough momentum with the Inflation Reduction Act, the most ambitious climate legislation ever really anywhere in the world, was deliberately set
up to distribute most of the money into red states.
Over half of it goes into Republican states, 30 percent to swing states. The blue states that are going to probably vote for Joe Biden get only 20
percent of that. And now, they're starting to see big battery factories in South Carolina, big infrastructure projects out west in these red states,
as well.
So, there's hope that that has enough momentum that it will be really hard to roll that back. President Trump is vowing to undo everything, pull the
United States out of the Paris Climate Accords, which would be devastating to other nations who are looking for American leadership and help
technologically on this.
But the Supreme Court decision yesterday, Zain, the Chevron -- or this week, the Chevron deference, which basically gives judges, federally
appointed judges, more power than experts, scientists and who are out, who spend their lives protecting air and water or public safety. With this new
Supreme Court ruling now gives it to judges.
Donald Trump appointed over 220 judges. One in four are folks who think the way he does about this. And so, at that level, at the state level, as
these court cases, as every big polluter goes to court to try to unshackle themselves from any sort of regulation, those judges could have the most
effect long term in addition to everything else.
ASHER: All right. Bill Weir, live for us there. Thank you so much. Also, thank you to Patrick Oppmann and Elisa Raffa. Thank you.
All right, Israel's military has issued new evacuation orders for parts of southern Gaza, forcing Palestinians, many displaced several times already,
by the way, to flee again. The U.N. says some 250,000 people are on the move.
One of the enclave's last standing hospitals in Khan Younis is transferring its patients, fearing more bloodshed. The IDF previously withdrew its
forces from Khan Younis in April after months of fierce fighting.
Meantime, as the war in Gaza nears nine months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his forces are nearing the end of the stage of
eliminating Hamas in the territory. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us live now from Jerusalem with the latest on these developments. So, Jeremy, just talk
to us a bit more about the Palestinians who have been fleeing southern Gaza on Tuesday in response to these brand new evacuation orders.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, unfortunately, Zain, these are images that we have seen over and over and over again in Gaza, in
particular in southern Gaza. These latest evacuation orders issued yesterday by the Israeli military impact parts of eastern Khan Younis, as
well as eastern Rafah.
An estimated 250,000 people could be impacted by this order, according to the United Nations. And that is what they describe as the massive movement
of people, one where we already know what the impacts of that could be in terms of not only those numbers of people moving at the same time over a
limited period of time.
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And the ways in which that often leaves the most vulnerable people behind or at increased vulnerability, but also the fact that they are then
arriving in areas like the, quote, unquote, "safer zone of Al Mawassi", as designated by the Israeli military, where there are perhaps fewer bombs
being dropped, but simply not enough working infrastructure or resources for the enormous numbers of people that we have seen flood into that zone,
in particular in the wake of the initial evacuation orders for Rafah, that southernmost city in Gaza.
This is also impacting the European hospital, which lies right between Khan Younis and Rafah, which has been a kind of safe haven not only for the
roughly 600 patients there, but also for thousands of Palestinians who have been sheltering in and around that hospital.
That hospital yesterday transferring nearly 600 patients to other hospitals deeper inside of Khan Younis. The Israeli military today saying that while
that hospital did indeed fall within the evacuation zone issued yesterday by the Israeli military, that it was not their intention to force this
hospital's evacuation, saying that this order does not apply to the patients at that hospital.
What followed these evacuation orders was a night of heavy airstrikes in Khan Younis. At least eight people were killed, 32 were injured in Israeli
bombing overnight, according to Nasr Hospital in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said that earlier in the day, about 20 rockets were launched by
Hamas within Khan Younis towards Israeli towns and cities.
The question now is whether those evacuation orders were simply aimed at moving civilians ahead of a stepped up bombing campaign or more likely, as
we have seen in the past, a prelude to a ground offensive by Israeli troops.
As you mentioned, Israeli troops last left Khan Younis in April. We saw that that city was devastated by weeks of ground operations and bombings by
the Israeli military. And so now, the question is, will another Israeli ground force move into Khan Younis once again?
And what, of course, does that signal for the future, the long term future of Gaza, one in which we've seen the Israeli military, the Israeli
government is lacking a long term strategy and instead playing this game of whack-a-mole as Hamas forces quickly return to areas that the Israeli
military withdraws from. Zain?
ASHER: Yeah, and that that begs the question, can Hamas ultimately ever be defeated? Jeremy Diamond, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right,
still to come, the Biden campaign is doing damage control after that dismal debate performance.
We hear from one Democratic lawmaker who thinks the president should stay in the race. Then a call for action. Protesters throughout Kenya demand
accountability and the resignation of President William Ruto. The latest on the demonstrations in Nairobi, just ahead.
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ASHER: Al right, anger and a lot of frustration building in the streets of Kenya.
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ASHER (voice-over): Police fired tear gas at stone throwing protesters after they set fires in Nairobi today. What started out as anti-tax
demonstrations last month has really now morphed into nationwide calls for government accountability. Protesters are demanding President Ruto's
resignation despite the fact that he did actually end up withdrawing the controversial finance bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CNN's Larry Madowo was in the capital on the deadliest day of the protests last week and we want to warn you that his report here does contain very
graphic images, which some people may indeed find hard to watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A prayer for the dead. The family of Ibrahim Kamau say the final goodbyes. His body being taken for
burial. He was only 19. His mother tells us Ibrahim had just graduated from high school and was hoping to go to college. Ibrahim was shot twice in the
neck at a protest in Nairobi.
EDITH WANJIKU KAMAU, SON KILLED IN PROTESTS (through translator): I didn't go that day because I didn't have child care but we always went together
and came back because the protests were peaceful. The first thing I want is justice for Ibrahim and all the kids who died because they all had dreams.
MADOWO (voice-over): Protests broke out across Kenya last month against a proposed finance bill largely driven by young people organizing on social
media. But the deadliest day was June 25th when protesters stormed Parliament in Nairobi. Human rights groups accused police of shooting
dozens of unarmed protesters, including some who were fleeing. No one has accepted or denied responsibility for the killings.
Our crew filmed the shocking scene. Like here, left of your screen, a man running away is shot in the back with a tear gas canister at close range.
These protesters standing over a man who's apparently dead. Police fire a non-lethal round directly at them. Nairobi's police chief seen here
commanded the operation. His officers clearly contravening their own rules for the use of force.
CNN analyzed the deadliest two hours when most of the protesters are believed to have been killed. Keep an eye on the man in white overalls
waving his arms earlier in the day. Twenty-five-year-old Erickson Chalamutisia was supposed to be at the butcher's shop where he worked, his
mother said, but ended up here.
CNN's camera captured him dancing until shots ring out. Police advance towards the protesters. More shots and people run away. Amid the chaos, we
spot Erickson again. He is lifeless on the sidewalk. Around him, other protesters are also on the ground.
As the smoke lifts, one man has been shot in the head. People rush to help, but police keep firing at them. A bag is thrown in the air as the smoke
grenade goes off, but that protester escapes. We were on the scene as this unfolded.
MADOWO: There are three bodies lying on the ground. After we heard live ammunition coming from Parliament, a police truck is on fire. And the
protesters appear to be pushing the police, overwhelming them, getting closer to Parliament.
MADOWO (voice-over): Unknown to us at the time, Erickson's body was being carried away behind me. His white overalls soaked in blood. We obtained his
autopsy report. Erickson was shot in the back and bled to death. Moments later, another injured protester is carried away. But he is lucky, he
survived. That protester is 26-year-old Ian Kaya, who was also hit in the back.
IAN KAYA, PROTESTER: I'm in pain because of the government.
MADOWO (voice-over): He was demonstrating because he's been jobless since he graduated five years ago.
KAYA: Our main mission is to change Kenya, to be a better Kenya.
MADOWO: Do you regret going out to protest?
[12:25:00]
KAYA: I'm not regretting anything, because it's my right.
MADOWO (voice-over): Ian is a keen bodybuilder, but has lost the use of his legs. CNN obtained three autopsy reports of protesters who were
demonstrating around Parliament on the same day. Two died from gunshot wounds. One was shot in the head, the other in the back. One opposition
lawmaker concerned about police brutality in recent days says he will fight to hold those responsible.
YUSUF HASSAN ABDI, KENYAN OPPOSITION MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: We cannot accept this colonial-minded, archaic, trigger-happy police. Something must
change, and we will make sure that the victims of this particular crisis get justice.
MADOWO (voice-over): Families buried their dead. Young men and women vocalizing their anger at a government they feel is not listening to them.
Not helping them create a better future. An oversight body is investigating police conduct during the protests, but many here don't believe they'll
ever see justice.
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MADOWO (on-camera): CNN has reached out to the Kenya police and the Ministry of Interior to ask about the conduct of officers on Tuesday at
that protest outside Parliament, but we have not received a response. President William Ruto said in a T.V. interview on Sunday that the police
did their best under the circumstances, and he maintains that some criminal elements infiltrated peaceful protests.
And that has not gone down well with so many legitimate protesters who say they're not criminals. That young man you saw who was shot in the head in
that piece, David Chege, he was not a criminal. He was a Sunday school teacher. He served in church. The young man, Ian Kaya, who was shot in the
back but survived, he said he does not regret going out there because it's his right. And I asked him what does he want the world to know. He says
Ruto must go.
And that's the same sentiment we heard today on the streets. People were back on the streets of Nairobi and across the country, third straight week
of protests, and many of them no longer care about that finance bill which was withdrawn. For them, it's about the legitimacy of President William
Ruto.
And one of the reasons why they're so angry, Zain, is that 39 people have been killed in these protests so far. But we might never know the exact
number. The police are not keeping a count. They're not reporting any of these numbers. And even though a court has blocked them from using tear gas
or water cannon or live bullets against protesters, we saw today they were violating those rules again, Zane.
ASHER: Larry, thank you so much for that excellent and powerful report. And thank you for giving a voice to those protesters. Larry Madowo, live
for us there. Thank you so much. All right, still to come, the brave new world of Donald Trump's legal problems in the wake of the Supreme Court's
immunity decision. Could even his felony conviction be thrown out?
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[12:31:32]
ASHER: All right, welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher. While the U.S. Supreme Court may be slowing down efforts to hold Donald Trump
responsible for efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the regular citizens accused of helping Trump are increasingly finding themselves in trouble.
Just a short time ago, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani was disbarred by the state of New York. The court punished Giuliani for not acting in good faith
in his legal filings related to the 2020 election. The New York Supreme Court made the ruling against Giuliani, taking away his license to practice
law.
Donald Trump's lawyers are celebrating their big win in the U.S. Supreme Court by saying his presidential immunity should impact all the legal cases
against him, even the trial where Trump was already found guilty. Trump's legal team sent a letter to the judge in the hush money trial, saying that
Trump's 34 felony convictions should be thrown out.
They say some of the testimony and evidence in the case is now tainted by Trump's immunity. Trump is due to be sentenced next week, but just a short
time ago, prosecutors said they would not object to a delay to allow Trump's lawyers to pursue their immunity claim.
Let's bring in CNN's national security reporter, Zachary Cohen, with more on this. Just talk to us a bit more about how the Supreme Court's ruling
that we got yesterday could impact Donald Trump's hush money case retroactively.
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Zain, we're already seeing Donald Trump using this ruling from the Supreme Court to attack his
other criminal cases, including the conviction that he sustained in New York in the hush money trial. And it's already paying dividends for him.
You know, this openness to a delaying of the sentencing by Manhattan D.A., Alvin Bragg, actually would push the sentencing date till after the
Republican National Convention. He was set to be sentenced before that convention, where he will be officially named the Republican nominee for
president. But now, sentencing will happen almost certainly after the convention is held.
And look, Donald Trump plans to apply the same sort of attack to his other criminal cases, as well. We know down in Florida, the Mar-a-Lago classified
documents case, Trump's legal team plans to argue that he had those classified documents at his resort as part of his official duties. That is
what the Supreme Court ruled that he cannot be prosecuted for, that he has immunity from prosecution for. We'll have to see if that argument holds any
weight.
But down in Georgia, we know that that case has been on hold. But if Fani Willis, the district attorney, is able to survive this disqualification
push, the same question about presidential immunity will have to be addressed there, as well. Trump's lawyers have filed a similar motion
arguing that he should have absolute immunity in that case, so the judge may have to grapple with the same questions that we're seeing plague the
D.C. federal case.
And then, of course, you have the case in D.C. And that case is now going to go back to the trial court judge, Judge Tanya Chutkan. But proceedings
in that trial or in that case may not start back up for another month.
We might not see any sort of evidentiary hearing or any sort of proceeding that might, you know, give us some clarity around these questions of what
is an official act and what is an unofficial act that can be prosecuted. But big picture here, all these pending legal cases against Donald Trump,
none of them seem like they're going to trial before the 2024 election, if at all.
ASHER: All right, Zachary Cohen, live for us there. Thank you so much.
Donald Trump has been on the attack since President Joe Biden's poor debate performance here on CNN. Just last week, Trump calling his opponent, quote,
"grossly incompetent" and poking fun at the president's week-long debate prep at Camp David.
[12:35:03]
Meantime, Biden on Monday condemned the Supreme Court's immunity decision. He said the ruling set a "dangerous precedent" and would embolden Trump to
do whatever he wants if he returns to power. Further troubles lie ahead for the president.
There are growing murmurs among some House Democrats that he should really think carefully about his next steps with his re-election campaign in
turmoil. Congressman Mike Quigley says that there's more at stake here than just the presidency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): I think he has to be honest with himself. This is a decision he's going to have to make. He clearly has to understand. I
think what you're getting to here is that his decision not only impacts who's going to serve in the White House the next four years, but who's
going to serve in the Senate, who's going to serve in the House and it will have implications for decades to come. But we have to be honest with
ourselves that it wasn't just a horrible night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Meantime other Democratic lawmakers are doubling down on their support for Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM CLYBURN (D-SC): I'm for Biden-Harris in this campaign.
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): The president has done a really good job and he deserves a second term.
SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): I'm with Joe Biden.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Joe Biden's decision to go forward is a decision that we will all embrace.
GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): I am all in supporting President Biden.
UNKNOWN: I'm not so cynical as to believe that the American people are going to choose a president based on a 90-minute debate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, time now for "The Exchange". Joining me live now is U.S. House Democrat John Garamendi. He doesn't think that President Biden should
bow out of the race. Representative, thank you so much for being with us.
I do want to start by talking about Congressman Mike Quigley's remarks today on CNN where he just simply said, listen, we have to be honest with
ourselves, it wasn't just a horrible night and Biden really has to think carefully about his next steps because this doesn't just affect the
presidency. It affects a lot of down ballot races, as well, for Democrats.
The thing about the way Congressman Mike Quigley broached this issue is he was very respectful, okay? He was very respectful. He was extremely
deferential towards the president but he was honest, right? There were no attempts at gaslighting. He spoke from his heart. What do you make of
Congressman Quigley's remarks and do you agree with him? Does he have a point here?
REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Well, he certainly made it clear that he was concerned about the president's performance and frankly, all across this
nation, anybody that was watching is concerned. However, we ought to keep in that Trump was worse -- far worse. Trump didn't answer the questions. He
didn't respond in any way, shape, or form to the substance of the issues and he lied, I don't know, 30 or 40 times in the process.
What happened here is that Biden's performance overshadowed, in a negative way, Trump's terrible performance. Now, with regard to Mr. Quigley's
concerns about the House and the Senate, I think he's absolutely got it wrong. If there is concern that Trump becomes the president, there will be
a very strong movement throughout the nation, both Democrats and Republicans, to put a halt or to put some sort of a brake on Trump and that
means the House and the Senate.
It may very well turn out that the Senate and the House best argument and a powerful argument that we could put forward is we can't let Trump have both
Houses or one or the other House. So, I think we've got something going for us here in a negative, unfortunate way.
However, I want to go back to what I said a moment ago and that's Trump's performance was horrible not only in his inability to answer or
unwillingness and inability to answer the question but also in his continued propensity to attack and to lie.
ASHER: In terms of President Biden's performance as I'm sure you know, a lot of his answers were halting and at times honestly just didn't really
make any sense. A lot of the time he was quite simply incoherent. A lot of people had been concerned about President Biden's age going into the debate
and after the debate we saw on Thursday they're even more concerned.
What do you say to people who say that, look, if President Biden stays in this race, it only makes it that much more likely that come November,
Donald Trump will be President of the United States?
GARAMENDI: There's a long way to the election. The day after the debate did you see the President in South -- in North Carolina, being very, very
strong, very articulate, and coming on very clear about his capabilities in one of the strongest speeches that I've heard him give since the State of
the Union.
[12:40:09]
Now somebody, oh he's reading off a teleprompter. I know you read off a teleprompter and I do from time to time. It is no easy task to read off a
teleprompter and along the way, make the ad lib remarks which he did. He proved the next day, following the debate, that he's perfectly capable to
stand before an audience, to go at it strong and to hit each issue clearly. We'll see what happens in the days ahead.
I suspect that he will be repeating that over and over. And I know, you and the press, you all want to have a press conference so that you can try to
stump -- stump him. Well. I suspect you'll have that opportunity in one form or another before long. And I am quite certain that Biden will measure
up to the task.
ASHER: I mean I think that what a lot of people are saying that Democrats need to do at this point is to sort of prove that what we saw on Thursday
was a one off, that what we saw was an anomaly. Some people say that the way to go about it is some kind of press conference not to stump him but
just to just to sort of allay concerns about his age given the debate performance last week.
What is the right way? I mean you have Senator Chris Coons saying that he needs to have a lot more unscripted moments. But what do you think is the
right way for President Biden to really prove to voters that what we saw last Thursday will never happen again between now and November?
GAARAMENDI: Well, let's be very, clear here. Debating your opponent is not the task of the President. That's the task of getting elected. The task of
the President doesn't require debating. What it requires is understanding the issues through time, the experience and the wisdom and the honesty.
ASHER: But you want people to have confidence that you can do the job. You want people to have confidence that you can do the job, though.
GARAMENDI: As I said a moment ago, debate is part of an election process. We are in the mid stages of that election process. And in the weeks, months
ahead, I guess 140 days or so, Biden will be out in the public. He will be taking questions. He will be strutting his stuff. And I'm quite sure that
that stuff is going to be positive.
On the other hand, he has an opponent. Now, take a look at his opponent. Right now, all the focus is on Biden. The focus will come back to Trump. He
is a certified liar. He is a manipulator.
He is a person who cannot be trusted in the Oval Office. We've seen that in these four years. It was chaos and we should expect that again. He is a
felon. He has broken the law and found guilty of 34 counts of felon -- felony counts.
Now, the Supreme Court may slow things down. But the fact of the matter is he has been indicted on multiple occasions of breaking the law. That's the
opponent. He -- is Biden up to the task? He certainly has been every day with the exception of the debate. Every day he has performed remarkably
well as president.
Take a look at the legislation that has been passed. Even with this Congress being controlled by the Democrats, we got the job done. The
Democrats did with Biden's leadership. So, let's be very, very clear here.
This is not just about Joe Biden's performance in a debate. It's also about Donald Trump's performance in that debate and his historic performance in
the campaigns where he is a serial liar, where he could never even begin to live up the Boy Scout oath and law. So, it's going to be an interesting
campaign to be sure. But I am quite confident that Biden will perform very well in the days ahead.
ASHER: Just one last question to you, Congressman. I mean, obviously, it is very difficult if you are a Democratic congressman to actually publicly
go out and speak out against a Democratic president. That's a very difficult thing to do. We know that what some Democrats are saying
privately is very different from what they're saying publicly. We also know that a lot of Democratic governors are calling for a meeting with the White
House. Donors, party officials are deeply concerned about the president's performance.
[12:45:00]
But a lot of people are very hesitant to speak out publicly, which is understandable, by the way. My question to you is what happens if these
calls for Biden to step aside grow louder and louder? What is the plan B?
GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, I don't think that's going to happen. I think that Biden, as he did the day after the debate, showed the entire
world, at least those who cared to listen and pay attention, that he's perfectly capable. He had a bad debate. And you've had a cold. I've had a
cold. I know that performing as I am now, and you are, when you have a bad cold, it's just plain tough.
And the debate preparation, he was probably over prepared. However, he showed the next day that he could stand before an audience and deliver a
very powerful message. And I suspect that he'll be able to continue to do that.
So, what about those of us? There are 435 members of Congress, all of us up for election. All of us have a different district. And whether you're a
Democrat or Republican, you will structure your campaign to fit that district. And you'll see people, perhaps Mr. Quigley or others, who will
modify their message, perhaps even not supporting Biden, to fit their district. And that's understandable.
We are representatives. And so, each of the 435 districts are remarkably different. So, I wouldn't give a great deal of concern to one or another,
or maybe a large majority of both Democrats and Republicans modifying their election message to deal with not only the issues that will come about in
the next 140 days, as well as Trump and Biden.
ASHER: All right. U.S. House Democrat John Garamendi, thank you so much, as always, for coming on the show. We appreciate it. Thank you.
GARAMENDI: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. It has happened again. A flight turns terrifying as strong turbulence sends passengers flying, even throwing one man into the
overhead compartment. Can you believe that? Details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:49:51]
ASHER: Al lright, they thought they were going to die. That is how some passengers described their scary experience on board an Air Europa flight.
On Monday, strong turbulence hit as the plane made its way from Madrid to Uruguay, even throwing some passengers into the ceiling.
[12:50:06]
The Boeing 787 made an emergency stop in Brazil. CNN's Pete Muntean has more on this frightening flight that injured dozens of passengers.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The scene is pretty incredible. Interior panels broken off from inside this Boeing 787. One
seat folded like a book. One passenger was even lodged in an overhead bin, according to one of the passengers on board. Air Europa says 30 passengers
in total received what they call minor injuries. But according to reports, Brazilian public health officials say passengers got head, neck and chest
injuries.
The question for investigators will be how this happened since airlines are getting better all the time at forecasting turbulence, it's an invisible
phenomenon to pilots. Onboard radar can detect some of the major causes like thunderstorms, though important to note our CNN weather team says
there were no thunderstorms in the area at the time.
MUNTEAN: There is also mountain wave turbulence, which creates shearing columns of wind. There is wake turbulence, which is created by another
airplane, just like the wake from a boat. Then there is clear air turbulence. The most mysterious, that is the turbulence associated with
none of those telltales. Usually, it's bumpy patches at high altitudes that is more frequent in the wintertime. Remember that Brazil is in the southern
hemisphere and it is winter there right now.
The big takeaway for passengers here is always keep your seatbelt buckled. I know it's hard to do on a 12-hour flight like this one. So, when you're
up and walking around, going to the bathroom, stretching your legs, you have to treat it like a bit of a risk.
We're going into a huge period for international travel right now. But remember, the National Transportation Safety Board says turbulence is the
number one cause of injuries on commercial flights. The good news is the data says U.S. airlines have become pretty good at avoiding it and
passengers are following the rules. The latest data from the FAA says only 17 people suffered serious injuries from turbulence on U.S. flights in
2022. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Good advice there from Pete Muntean. Always buckle your seatbelt even on long flights. All right, we'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:54:51]
ASHER: All right. India's prime minister is sending his condolences to the families of those who were killed in a stampede there. Nearly 100 people,
excuse me, were killed Tuesday in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
[12:55:05]
That's according to a senior government official. Officials there say the stampede happened as people were leaving a religious event. A committee has
been formed to investigate the incident.
A video gaming Italian teenager will become the Catholic church's first millennial saint. Carlo Acutis was so renowned for using his computer
skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith that he earned the nickname God's Influencer. He died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15.
The Pope approved his canonization on Monday. Being recognized as a saint usually takes decades, but this case has moved so swiftly, with the
teenager developing a devoted following across the world. Some say Atticus' story might help the church better connect with younger people.
All right. That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "AMANPOUR" is up next. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END