Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
Democratic House Lawmakers Wrap Up A Closed Door Meeting To Discuss What Comes Next After Biden's Debate Performance; Scientists Say The El Nino Phenomenon Contributed To That Record Heat; Jury Selection Begins In Actor Alec Baldwin's Trial For Involuntary Manslaughter. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired July 09, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:26]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: The world of Democrats today could be make or break. "ONE WORLD" starts right now. A sense of sadness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON (voice-over): A sense of sadness. That's how one Democrat described the feeling inside a closed door meeting on Joe Biden's next step. Also
ahead, it has never, ever, ever -- think about it -- been this hot. We'll break down the rising temperatures felt right across the globe. And later,
it's a role Alec Baldwin never wanted -- defendant. Jury selection in the case against him is officially underway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Live from New York, I'm Paula Newton. A very warm welcome. Zain and Bianna are off today. This is "ONE WORLD". His political career has spanned more
than half a century, most of it in Washington. But Joe Biden is facing a high stakes week that could not only determine his fate, but his
presidential legacy, as well. And it begins today with three critical tests.
Democratic House lawmakers wrapped up a closed door meeting earlier to discuss what comes next. That was after Biden's disastrous debate
performance. One source said there was a sense of sadness. And while there was no consensus about how to move forward, factions of the party planned
to meet throughout the day. But it does appear there remain deep divisions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXWELL FROST (D-FL): There's been this narrative that since the debate, he has not been out. He's been out. The videos I've seen of people
out campaigning has been Joe Biden. On the other hand, I've seen Donald Trump on his (BEEP) riding around a golf cart, disrespecting people.
AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA): Joe Biden is the nominee.
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS 2ND DISTRICT): He's a good man. He has good policies. There's no reason to change.
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL 5TH DISTRICT): He just has to step down because he can't win. And my colleagues need to recognize that a dismissive letter is
not going to change any mind.
UNKNOWN: In your heart of hearts, do you believe Democrats can still win?
UNKNOWN: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Senate Democrats are also meeting today. So far, none of them have directly called for the president to step aside. But some have voiced their
concerns. And then, five hours from now, the president himself will speak as NATO leaders gather in Washington for a landmark three-day summit.
CNN's M.J. Lee is live for us at the White House and has been following all of this. Obviously, curious, you know, to get your sense of the mood at the
White House, especially as those Democrats continue to meet. I mean, as one party strategist told us, party unity is key right now, and it's not sure -
- they're not sure that the president has that.
M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, honestly, Paula, it's really hard to emphasize enough just what a pivotal day today is for
President Biden and his political future. You know, remember, the CNN debate was some 12 days ago, and his disastrous performance there really
has made the Democratic Party spiral into chaos, with everyone sort of questioning, is the president able to serve out the rest of his term, let
alone serve another four years at the White House?
And many of the Democrats that CNN has spoken to in recent days, putting the families -- putting the president's, excuse me, family aside for a
second, they are pointing to Democratic lawmakers and ultimately where they end up landing as being pivotal. And these meetings that you were just
talking about that are taking place in Washington, D.C., today, being potentially sort of instrumental in sealing the president's fate.
Today is the party a lot of Democrats think where -- is the day where the party learns. Is there going to be a full public revolt within the
Democratic Party or is the dam that is currently still holding, is it going to break or is it going to continue to hold? As one top Democrat I spoke
with said, there's only one way that the president is going to abandon his campaign or be forced to abandon his campaign.
And that is, quote, Chuck and Hakeem are going to have to say to Biden, the Congress is turning on you. That's basically the bottom line, this top
Democrat said. They're, of course, referring to Chuck Schumer, who is the top Democrat in the Senate, and Hakeem Jeffries, who is the -- who is the
top Democrat in the House. And within the last 24 hours, it's notable that those two have come out and said they are personally behind President
Biden.
Now, the president, for his part, has really been digging in. We've seen him out there a whole lot more over the last few days, including calling
into donors calls, calling into meetings with Democratic lawmakers.
[12:05:08]
He called into an MSNBC morning show yesterday and wrote a letter to House Democratic lawmakers saying, I am not going anywhere, the voters have
already spoken. And it is time for the party to put this question to rest. I am the party's nominee for president.
Just one other important backdrop that, of course, we should talk about here in Washington, D.C., this week is the U.S. is hosting here the 75th
anniversary summit of NATO. So, not only is this a week when a whole bunch of folks here in Washington, D.C. and, frankly, voters across the country
are tuning into what is happening.
There are also world leaders and diplomats who are all in town asking some of the same questions that Americans are asking about the president's
health and whether he is really fit to serve another four years.
NEWTON: Yes. So many questions this week and a pivotal week indeed for the White House. M.J. Lee for us. Thanks so much. Now, as M.J. was just saying,
topping the agenda at that NATO summit is how to help Ukraine. The U.S. National Security Council's John Kirby spoke to my colleague Kate Baldwin
earlier about Russia's latest deadly attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON: NATO is in Ukraine's future, and there's going to be a path, what we call a bridge to
NATO that the allies will talk about this coming week to include the signing of bilateral security agreements, which has already happened, to
make sure that they have long term defense needs met for whenever and however this war ends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON (voice-over): So, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the meantime, prepares to speak during his visit to Washington, he sent out
these photos of some of Ukraine's children, the most vulnerable victims of war.
Those pictures there are coming on social media. Now, the death toll from Monday's wave of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine has now risen to 39.
Search and rescue teams are still combing through rubble looking for survivors. World leaders and others, meantime, are expressing outrage over
these attacks. A one place that came under bombardment, a children's hospital in Kyiv.
Russia is denying it was responsible, saying the hospital was hit by a stray Ukrainian air defense missile. One Ukrainian mother says she was
stunned by the destruction in front of her.
UNKNOWN (through translator): We didn't expect it. We didn't think that the attack could be exactly on the hospital. It's somehow unexpected. It's good
that we were in the corridor. I thought that the child would go deaf because the door near us flew open from one side and from the other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: CNN's Fred Pleitgen is outside that children's hospital now. And, Fred, I'm sure we can only imagine the terror that those children, the
health care workers, the parents were feeling at that moment. You are there at that site right now. They have been working round the clock on rescue
and recovery. But what does this mean in terms of the conflict itself? I mean, this is civilian infrastructure that came under direct attack.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, civilian infrastructure, Paula. And as you put it, the civilian infrastructure
that's caring for some of the most vulnerable here in this war. Of course, this is not just any children's hospital here in Kyiv. This is the largest
children's hospital in all of Ukraine and, quite frankly, one of the largest in all of Europe.
And if you look behind me, I can actually get out of your way for a second. You can see the destruction and just how massive it is. This is the -- this
is really the main impact site of where that missile hit. And as you can see, it absolutely flattened part of this building. All that's left of it
is really small kernels of debris.
And if you go closer there, we've been doing that through the entire part of the day. You can see that embedded in all of that, Paula, are still a
lot of medical devices. So, obviously, the medical infrastructure here in this country also very much under attack.
But I think one of the things that this that this attack has done for the people here on the ground, and certainly also if you listen to Vladimir
Zelenskyy as he was on his way to D.C. and on the eve of that summit, is in many ways it energized them to fight for more weapons deliveries, even more
than they have already been.
One of the things, of course, that the Ukrainian president has been talking a lot about over the past couple of months is more air defense systems for
Ukraine. And they've been talking specifically, of course, about Patriot air defense systems, which they not only need to keep places like this one
safe, but also, of course, on the front lines as well, where the Russians have been much more effective at using their air force than they have
before.
But, of course, this case in point right here is definitely one that the Ukrainians have been showcasing after it happened. And I can tell you,
Paula, earlier I was speaking to a doctor who was on the site here when the explosion happened. She said she saw a flash. She then felt the explosion,
heard the explosion.
And she described the chaos and the fear that she saw on the ground here from the hospital staff, but, of course, first and foremost, from the
patients who are being treated here, which, of course, are children. And she described how she came up to this building where she has colleagues who
work here and patients whom she knows and just simply not knowing whether or not they were still alive.
[12:10:03]
One of the fortunate things about this particular attack is that this building pretty much all but was evacuated. The death toll here also, two
people killed, dozens of people wounded. But speaking to the doctors on the ground here, as we have been, they believe this could have been much worse,
Paula.
NEWTON: Yeah, that is a sobering assessment of what has happened there on the ground. Fred Pleitgen for us. I really appreciate your reporting.
Ivo Daalder is a former U.S. ambassador to NATO and the current CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. And he joins us now from Washington, as
this NATO summit gets underway. I want to go first to the issue on the ground in Ukraine and then go more to what is facing this NATO summit.
In terms of Ukraine itself, we have seen President Zelenskyy try and move the needle so many times over the last few months.
Do you think, this is where he is going to put down his red line, really juxtapose the hospital and the destruction that we just saw and say, look,
to his allies, you must not shackle Ukraine, either with the kinds of weaponry that you can give to us or with how we use that weaponry?
IVO DAALDER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: No doubt. I mean, this is a macabre message that Vladimir Putin is sending not to -- not just to
Ukraine, but to the world, and in particular to the 32 NATO leaders who are here in Washington. The killings of-- the bombing of a hospital, let alone
a children's hospital, just shows the brutality of this man and this regime. And I think President Zelenskyy who has been an incredibly
effective advocate for his country, will come and demand exactly what you are saying.
One, we need the air defense systems, the Patriot systems. And I actually think there will be good news at the summit, an announcement of more
systems coming to Ukraine in the next few weeks and months. But secondly, we can't fight this horror of Russia, this terrible regime with a hand tied
behind our backs. We need to be able to target Russian systems that are attacking Ukraine directly. We need the intelligence to allow us to do
that.
And frankly, we need the weapons that we have to go after those forces. And I think the argument is going to be strong. And I very much hope that the
President of the United States and others will agree to do that.
NEWTON: Now, this brings the issue of NATO at 75 years and its effectiveness as a deterrent against menacing nations, front and center for
everyone. I want to deal first with the issue of U.S. leadership. Now, we have in front of us a diminished president, arguably. He himself admits
that he doesn't want to put that much on his schedule.
On top of that, the president already had apologized to President Zelenskyy that the military aid was held up for so long in Congress before it
actually came through. In the face of that diminished leadership from the U.S. for now, how should allies be reacting here, especially when you still
have countries like Hungary and Turkey at the table who may not be thrilled about the focus on Russia and NATO being a deterrent effect first and
foremost for its aggression?
DAALDER: Well, first of all, we shouldn't underestimate how important the American contribution to Ukraine is. The aid did finally make it through
and it's true that it was six months late. But without that aid, the situation today inside Ukraine would be far, far different. And we would be
having a conversation about how do we rescue what is left of Ukraine and how do we deal with the large stream of refugees that were coming out.
So, the aid is important. But it is also increasingly clear and it's increasingly clear to European leaders that they need to be able to do more
for their own security, not because the United States demands it, but because they should demand it. And indeed, that is happening.
We see a very large increase in defense spending that has particularly grown in the last three years under President Biden. We moved from six
countries meeting the 2 percent GDP deadline when President Biden in his first year to 23 today. And we have 180 billion dollars being spent each
and every year, more now than when President Biden became came into office.
So, things are changing in the right direction. American leadership remains important. I don't believe that President Biden is incapable of doing so. I
think we will see in these two days that he will continue to be the country and the leader that leaders look to. We have an excellent team in our
foreign and defense ministers to deal with this issue.
And everyone knows that the alternative to Joe Biden and the alternative to an administration dedicated to NATO is a person who would like to withdraw
from NATO, who doesn't see any value in NATO and frankly thinks that he can negotiate with Vladimir Putin.
[12:15:02]
NEWTON: But by your reasoning, then, that makes Biden's efforts going forward and the fact that he must appear and have strength and vigor in the
coming days even more important. I do want to get to your analysis that you've made clear over several years, right, that Donald Trump does not buy
the concept of NATO as a deterrent force against Russia or any other menacing nation for that matter.
What should we expect, do you think, from a second Trump term? What are the allies preparing for and can they really Trump-proof NATO itself?
DAALDER: Well, what the allies are preparing for is the reality that they can no longer depend on the United States, that they can't trust the United
States to be there when they need it. Alliances are first and foremost based on trust, on the idea that an attack against one is an attack against
all and that therefore everyone will come to your defense if you are attacked.
I think Donald Trump has made serious doubts about whether he would do so, and it's those doubts that matter. They matter to the allies and frankly
they matter to Russia and to the threats that we face who might want to probe and see how far they can get away with this lack of respect for the
tradition of our alliances.
And so, I think Europe will start to do more and it is doing more and it has been doing more in order to be less dependent on the United States.
Now, that is a good thing no matter who is the President of the United States. We should encourage the Europeans to do that but we should do it
through persuasion and diplomacy, not through threats to not fulfill our treaty commitments because those threats are counterproductive.
And I think, as we look at the record and compare the record of President Biden to President Trump when it comes to NATO unity, NATO strength, NATO
defense spending, all of which have significantly improved over the last three years even compared to the four years of the Trump presidency.
And that's what the Europeans want. They will want an America that they can trust and if they can't trust it, they will have to figure out a way to use
their considerable economic potential to do more themselves and defend themselves. But that is a world that makes all of us less secure.
NEWTON: It is a reckoning anyway you put it. Ivo Daalder for us, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO. Appreciate your input there. Now, a court in
Moscow has ordered the arrest of Yulia Navalnaya. She is the widow of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. She's accused of participating in an
extremist group. Navalnaya lives outside of Russia, but the arrest warrant means she would be arrested if she were to return to the country for any
reason. Alexei Navalny died in prison back in February.
Okay, coming up for us, widespread damage in Texas after Hurricane Beryl cut a deadly path. Millions are still without power. We show you the
destruction left behind. Plus, after Alec Baldwin goes on trial for involuntary manslaughter, he says he's innocent. But will the jury agree?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:34]
NEWTON: So, the day after, Texas is now tasked with cleaning up after Hurricane Beryl tore a deadly path through the state, killing at least
eight people throughout the region. Beryl unleashed flooding rains and winds that transformed roads into rivers in downtown Houston. Yes, downtown
Houston. You see it there.
The storm ripped through power lines and tossed trees like they were twigs, leaving more than two million people without power at this hour. The
outages could last days, even weeks in some communities. And to make matters worse, yes, a scorching heat wave is hitting Texas. Texas is just
one of many U.S. states where people are suffering amid a punishing heat wave.
Right now, more than 50 million people across the western U.S. are under heat alerts. These are pictures, in fact, from Death Valley, California,
where temperatures have hovered about 125 degrees Fahrenheit. That's every day since July 4th.
We saw record high temperatures for a third day in a row in Las Vegas on Monday, with no immediate relief in sight. Forecasters say many more
Americans will feel the unprecedented heat, with temperature records set to be equaled or broken right across the country this week.
For more on the heat wave, CNN's Stephanie Elam joins us now from Los Angeles. I mean, Stephanie, I don't even know where to begin with this,
because it's not just a one-day record in some of these cities. When I look out to the forecast, it's on. That heat wave is on until Thursday.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and in some places it's going to go into the weekend, and it was already hot last weekend, so there's really
not a lot of relief. If there's any relief, Paula, it's that overnight temperatures have been coming down. Last summer we saw some of those
overnight temperatures staying above a hundred degrees, which is just insane.
But I'm trying to figure out a way to explain what it feels like, because I've been in the heat in and out of it since we've gotten to summer here.
And in Sacramento last week, it almost feels like there's just a whole bunch of blow dryers blasting at you when you go outside. It's just hard to
actually imagine what this feels like all over your body. It is deadly, and we are seeing these records fall all across the region.
You were talking about Las Vegas. I can tell you that this 110 degrees or higher since July 3rd, that will probably stay that way going into Monday.
You're talking about Death Valley being above 125 degrees or more Fahrenheit. That's probably going to continue through Thursday, and that's
been deadly.
We already know that a motorcyclist died in Death Valley last week, and they couldn't even get the helicopter in there to airlift him out because
it was too hot to fly the helicopter. This is how dire these situations are.
Sacramento, as well, the capital of California, they have been at 100 degrees or higher, and that's going to continue through Saturday, as well.
So, we're seeing these records drop as the country here, this part of the world, the West, is dealing with this human-induced climate change, and
we're starting to see these hotter and hotter temperatures, which almost sound improbable that they can continue at this rate for so long.
But as we've heard the National Weather Service call it, they're saying that this is a lethal heat wave that we are in. It's just not something to
play with. You really do have to seek shelter during the day here during this time.
NEWTON: Yeah, this becomes such a problem as well on the West Coast. There are so many cities, even if you look at Seattle, there is no air
conditioning. A lot of people do not have air conditioning. It's not something they're used to.
ELAM: Coastal places too, same thing.
NEWTON: Yes, same thing. I know they're used to those cool breezes. They don't normally need air conditioning, especially not at night. Stephanie
Elam, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much. Now, we just heard Stephanie talking about the situation in the United States.
Well, last month was the 12th in a row in which the world's average temperature was at least 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than in pre-industrial
times. Now, that's the latest alarming news from Copernicus. That is the European Union's climate monitoring service.
Scientists say the El Nino phenomenon contributed to that record heat, but long-term climate change has been the main driver of that temperature rise
over the past year. For more on this latest report, I want to bring in CNN's chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir. Bill, here we are again. Can
you put the findings of Copernicus in context for us, especially given the sweltering heat all over the world?
BILL WEIR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Exactly. People are feeling it now more viscerally around the world. It was about a year ago, all of it, that I
came on and did the story about how the first month ever had tipped past 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming and said at the time, like, this is a
warning.
[12:25:00]
You know, we'll start to get nervous if we stay here for a year. Here we are. A year later, it's now been 12 consecutive months above that level,
now 1.64 degrees Celsius above if you look at what's happening in the last couple of years. Yes, the El Nino trend contributed a bit, but now this is
the result of so much fossil fuel pollution built up in the atmosphere, built up in the oceans as well, holding in all this excess heat.
Anywhere between five and 15 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs. A second is absorbed by the oceans because the energy is so out of balance, the earth
cannot absorb the amount of carbon humanity is now cranking out. Forty billion metric tons last year, that blanket in the sky got that much
bigger, and the heat is just following as a result.
And it was so great to hear you talk about that most folks aren't really prepared for this in regions, especially northern regions around the world,
and we're just now seeing mortality figures starting to jump, but even scientists who specialize in this area say they're vastly undercounted.
Heat is this deadly silent killer, and how we measure it, how we statistically track it, is just now being worked out as things overheat
around the globe.
NEWTON: Yeah, and you have warned us that both governments and people themselves need to adapt. I don't have a lot of time, Bill, but in terms of
actually adapting, we can't stress enough, right, that this is dangerous, especially to seniors and people who are medically vulnerable.
Exactly, and because we have this conception that, okay, a heat wave, I've been through those, these are not your grandparents' heat waves anymore,
they're longer, they're more deadly in these places, and just taking a hike, you know, things that you build your vacation month around or your
week off of work, and think, well, I'm going to enjoy that, you may not be able to if it's just unbearably hot in those regions, how we build, how we
move, how we cool ourselves.
Cooling will be as much of a sort of an urban right in cities as sanitation, you know, and trash pickup and water delivery. Cooling is now
life or death, and we're seeing more officials, heat officers, trying to get their arms around this emerging problem.
NEWTON: And spare a thought for those who do not have electricity or have interruptions without electricity, like so many millions--
WEIR: Exactly.
NEWTON: -- in Texas at this hour. Bill Weir, for us, thank you again.
WEIR: You bet.
NEWTON: Now, stick around. When "ONE WORLD" continues --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TROY REISSMANN, WISCOONSIN VOTER: Last week hurt so much that he's really got to think of the party and the country before he thinks of himself.
NEWTON (voice-over): Voters in a divided community in a divided state weigh in on how Joe Biden's struggles are impacting the presidential race.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:31:18]
NEWTON: And welcome back to "ONE WORLD". I'm Paula Newton. Now, as questions about Joe Biden's future as a presidential candidate have swirled
over the past week or so, the focus has been largely on officials in the nation's capital, as it has been this morning. But the rest of the country,
it's also torn, with many Democrats and independent voters unsure about what comes next.
CNN's John King went to one community in the swing state, remember a swing state of Wisconsin, to find out how voters there are processing the
uncertainty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Cedarburg, Wisconsin, the 4th of July. The city's legendary parade runs two hours, as middle America as it gets.
Locals call Cedarburg a living hallmark movie. Picturesque, polite. Gina Salento was parade grand marshal this year--
GINA SALENTO, PARADE GRAND MARSHALL: All right.
KING (voice-over): -- and carries the keep it civil theme over to her growing pickleball studio.
SALENTO: It just really is a place for people to forget what's going on in the real world, and they can focus on just having fun and getting along.
KING: You think they need a place to forget what's going on in the real world?
SALENTO: They do.
KING: Why?
SALENTO: They do. Because it's extremely, you know, people have these anger issues. It's so polarizing what's going on.
KING: Yes, signs of polarization even here. But anxiety among Democrats is what jumps out now.
T. REISSMANN: I think that's last week hurt so much that he's really got to think of the party and the country before he thinks of himself.
KING (voice-over): Lisa and Troy Reissmann own a moonshine business, are Biden voters, and are still stunned by his debate disaster.
LISA REISSMANN, WISCONSIN VOTER: Quite frankly, I didn't even finish watching. I was really having a hard time watching it.
T. REISSMANN: Yeah, it was definitely scary. The first people that I called were my parents who are really old, and I said, what did you guys think
about that? Because obviously I still know where I'm going to vote, where my vote's going to lie, but they don't, and they were equally as scared.
KING (voice-over): Tiny Cedarburg, population 12,000, is a new battleground community within one of America's most competitive battleground states. Not
long ago, it voted lopsided Republican, but Donald Trump struggles in America's changing suburbs. He won Cedarburg in 2016, but with just 55
percent. Joe Biden won in 2020, just barely, by 19 votes. Biden's voters say a repeat win here suddenly feels less likely.
L. REISSMANN: We just need fresh leadership, new leadership, and somebody who's a little bit more -- I like Joe Biden as a person, you know. I think
he stands for good things, but I'm just not sure he's there anymore to lead the country.
T. REISSMAN: Think of the future, think of our kids and grandkids, and maybe you should step aside only because there's a -- this future doesn't
look too bright with the other side taking over.
King (voice-over): Allen Naparella is a fiscal conservative and social liberal.
ALLEN NAPARELLA, WISCONSIN VOTER: Hi guys, how you doing?
KING (voice-over): Like many here, disgusted with the choices.
NAPARELLA: There's something wrong. Are we going to keep going for the better of two evils? I mean it's -- something's going to change. We need a
logical party. We need an independent party that makes sense.
KING (voice-over): Naparella leans Biden because he can't vote for Trump.
NAPARELLA: It's embarrassing how he speaks to people, how he treats people, how he responds to other countries.
KING: What was going through your mind watching the debate?
NAPARELLA: Watching Biden try to get through his words was just bad -- just bad. Now, yeah, everybody has a bad day. I get it, I get it. But the thing
is, is this was a time that was your time to shine.
KING: Did he look to you like someone who could serve for president for four and a half more years?
NAPARELLA: I don't, I think that was, let me put it this way.
[12:35:00]
I'm voting for the party right now.
KING: Do you think Vice President Harris is qualified to be president?
NAPARELLA: No, I don't think so.
KING: But you might vote for Joe Biden, anyway.
KING (voice-over): Before the debate, Naparella thought Biden could eke out another Wisconsin win. Now, big doubts. Yet he worries switching candidates
might backfire.
NAPARELLA: Who's going to do it? And it's so late in the election process that, you know, Trump will be a shoo-in anyway.
KING (voice-over): Naparella moved here to care for his aging mother. His wines are made in California and sold in small town Cedarburg with a flashy
slogan that draws fewer complaints now than when he first opened shop five years ago.
NAPARELLA: I've seen the demographic change a little bit. So, now you're kind of getting on a, you know, an even keel between conservative and
liberal.
KING (voice-over): Gina Salento calls herself an independent libertarian. A good teacher. Very competitive. A past Trump voter, very unhappy with the
present.
SALENTO: This is the best our country can do? There's certain things I feel just overall sadness for. And to me, the biggest issue is that a house
divided cannot stand. That's just, there's truth to that. And I'm seeing our country erode instead of thrive.
KING (voice-over): Salento can't see herself voting Biden, but won't commit to voting Trump. Proof there, Biden's setbacks aren't automatically points
for Trump. But in politics like pickleball, it helps to set the pace. Nothing interrupts treasured tradition here. But as the election year
calendar turns another page, the mood change in this battleground is stunning. John King, CNN, Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:39:15]
NEWMAN: Jury selection begins today in actor Alec Baldwin's trial for involuntary manslaughter. It's nearly three years since cinematographer
Helena Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of the film "Rust" as Baldwin and others were rehearsing. Prosecutors say the star was negligent in his
handling of the gun. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty. CNN's Josh Campbell has more now from Santa Fe, New Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): October 2021. Alec Baldwin was rehearsing on the set of "Rust" in remote New Mexico. Seemingly just
another day in the life of a megastar with four decades in show business. He's handed a real revolver as a prop and told it's safe. Then an
unexpected gunshot.
[12:40:00]
UNKNOWN: One female shot in the chest.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Hours later, cinematographer Helena Hutchins was dead. Another crew member injured and the film's production in chaos.
Baldwin's involvement in the shooting and alleged safety concerns on set suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Flash forward two and a half years
later.
UNKNOWN: We find the defendant, Hannah Gutierrez, guilty.
CAMPBELL: The movie's armorer is sentenced to prison for involuntary manslaughter. And Baldwin, who's an executive producer on the film, is
facing the same charge. He's pleaded not guilty. And in a 2022 interview with CNN, denied any criminal liability.
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR AND PRODUCER: I never took a gun and pointed at somebody and click the thing.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): He blames armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director David Halls for the live round that was loaded into the
gun. While his attorneys argue the shooting was an accident and Baldwin is not criminally liable.
MARY CARMACK ALTWIES, NEW MEXICO FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Just because it's an accident doesn't mean that it's not criminal.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): The convoluted path to trial has itself all the makings of a Hollywood drama. Months after being charged in 2023, Baldwin's
case was suddenly dropped by New Mexico special prosecutors citing, quote, "new facts".
But the actor was indicted in January with involuntary manslaughter, this time by a grand jury. His attorneys tried and failed at multiple attempts
to get the case dismissed. At one point, alleging improper destruction of evidence, arguing the gun was virtually destroyed by FBI testing.
UNKNOWN: I'd love to do this one again. I'll do it again.
UNKNOWN: Let's do it again.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): The pretrial hearings, thus far, marked by frequent clashes between attorneys from each side.
UNKNOWN: If a prosecutor is listening to testimony that a prosecutor knows is false, a prosecutor has an obligation to correct it.
UNKNOWN: No, no.
UNKNOWN: So, this testimony that he's giving.
UNKNOWN: Stop, stop. Both of you.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Prosecutors also intend to highlight what they say is Baldwin's negligence while overseeing a set allegedly plagued by
dangerous conduct.
ALTWIES: He didn't do any of the things that he was supposed to do to make sure that he was safe or that anyone around him was safe. And then he
pointed the gun at Helena Hutchins and he pulled the trigger.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Beyond Baldwin's approaching legal fate --
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The future of "Rust" is in limbo. There is no distribution partner. There is no release date.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): And beyond this one movie, a larger question remains. Will the deadly accident on the set of "Rust" lead to new laws
regulating safety practices across the film industry?
WAGMEISTER: There's a ton of production in other states like Georgia with Atlanta, also New Mexico and of course New York. So it remains to be seen
just the reach of this terrible tragedy and if these laws will go into effect nationwide.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Josh Campbell, CNN, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Time now for The Exchange. Joining me is attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin. Good to see you, Areva, as this trial opens. You
really have had reservations about this case from the beginning. There's been so much out of the ordinary. Can you give us a reset on where you are
now when you see what's unfolding in New Mexico?
AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Paula, you're right. I have been suspect about these charges because it looks as if this prosecuting team
has really dropped the ball, they've fumbled with respect to their investigation.
We know there have been multiple changes as it relates to the actual prosecutors themselves, dropping of the charges allegedly for lack of
factual evidence, then refiling the indictment allegedly because now there's some new forensic evidence that's been produced by the FBI on the
same gun that presumably, the original investigating team had to begin with.
So, there's just been a lot of mistakes made by this prosecuting team. But one thing we shouldn't overlook or take lightly is the fact that they did
get a conviction on the armorer just recently, several months ago. So, Alec Baldwin does face some real legal jeopardy as this trial begins.
NEWTON: Now, Alec Baldwin did have a victory of sorts just before this. Apparently, the fact that he wasn't a producer on this film shouldn't come
into question. How do you think that'll affect the kind of evidence, in fact, that the jury hears?
MARTIN: Well, that's a major blow to the prosecuting team case because a big part of what they plan to do in this case, Paula, was to show that Alec
Baldwin wasn't just an actor, that he was a producer and that as a producer, he had a responsibility to ensure the safety of this set.
And they wanted to introduce evidence about all of the safety lapses on this set and how Alec Baldwin, as a producer, had an obligation, a
responsibility, a legal responsibility to ensure that safety measures were followed, but he failed to do so. That evidence, according to the judge's
ruling yesterday, will not be admitted and Alec Baldwin will be tried simply as an actor.
NEWTON: And can you help us understand what the prosecutor had said back in 2023, right? She came out and she just said, look, just because this is an
accident does not mean that it's not criminal.
MARTIN: Yes. And essentially what she was saying is that under statutes in New Mexico, you can be charged with involuntary manslaughter, which is what
his charge is.
[12:45:01]
if your conduct is reckless, if you show indifference, if you show a reckless disregard for the safety of others and it results in injury or in
this case death, as it did to Helena Hutchins. So, the prosecuting team, their case has always been, look, Alec Baldwin knew or should have known
that there was a possibility of danger by the way he weighed the gun.
They're also claiming that he pulled the trigger. That's going to be a big issue in this case, Paula, because we know Alec Baldwin has been consistent
in his statements that even though he was handling the gun, that he did not pull the trigger.
NEWTON: You know, throughout all of this and you got to feel for Helena Hutchins' family here, who's got to witness this from the sidelines after
such a tragedy. But no matter the outcome of this trial, do you believe, as Josh alluded to in his report, that things will change when it comes to the
implications on film sets? I mean, live ammunition on a film set? Why would you possibly have live ammunition on a set ever?
AREVA: You know, that's such a great question, Paula. And to this day, we still don't really know definitively how that live ammunition got to that
particular set. And I sure hope there are changes with respect to the laws because no one should die. No one that's working on a film set, either
behind the cameras or in front of the cameras, should have to worry about death because of live ammunition on a set.
I hope this case is a huge wake-up call for this industry to do more to protect the lives of those that work on sets. Again, no plausible
explanation for why there was live ammunition and even why there were so many safety lapses on this particular set.
NEWTON: Yeah, and that's what we will be watching for carefully. Areva Martin, thank you, as always, especially on this case as we try and follow
it. Appreciate it. Now, still to come for us, not long to wait until today's clash of the titans in European football. France versus Spain with
a ticket to the finals on the line. We are live in Munich when we come back. We are live in Munich when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:49:41]
NEWTON: All right, we have a crucial sports update for you. In just the last few minutes, the world's number one men's tennis player is out at
Wimbledon. Jannick Sinner lost his quarterfinal match to Russian rival Daniil Medvedev. That was in five sets. Sinner last won the French Open.
[12:50:00]
Now, in other Wimbledon news, a Ukrainian tennis star wore a black ribbon on the courts at Wimbledon on Monday. CNN's Don Riddell explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: You know, it's hard enough being a top athlete, trying to focus on being your very best in competition, but it's
much, much harder when you also have the weight of the world on your shoulders. At Wimbledon on Monday, the Ukrainian tennis star Elina
Svitolina was in fourth-round action, playing just hours after the Russian army had targeted numerous cities across her home country, including a
devastating missile strike on a children's hospital, killing more than 30 people.
Svitolina played with a black ribbon, and she was just ruthless throughout the match, dispatching her opponent Wang Junyu in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1.
Svitolina has previously used her platform to raise awareness of the plight of her compatriots at war, but in the interview on the court afterwards, it
became clear just how much this particular attack had impacted her.
ELINA SVITOLINA, UKRAINIAN TENNIS PLAYER: You know, it's a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people. So, yes, it was not easy to focus today on
the match, and, you know, since the morning it's very difficult to read the news, and just to go on the court, it's extremely tough. So, I'm happy that
I could play today and get a win.
RIDDELL: Well said, and well played, Elina Svitolina. She added that the victory was, quote, a small light that brought a happy moment for Ukrainian
people. She'll play the 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina next on Wednesday for a place in the semifinals. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Our thanks to Don. Now, the countdown is on, two hours until a huge matchup in the European Football Championship. Fans of Spain and France are
gathered in Munich, ready for their big semifinal. The Spanish are seeking their fourth Euro title. Think about that. And they go into this match as
the only team to win five matches at this tournament, while Les Bleus are looking to be crowned kings of Europe for a third time to add to their
triumphs.
In 1984 and 2000, CNN's Sebastian Shukla, lucky man, covering all the fan frenzy for us. He's outside the stadium in Munich. I mean, look, this is
quite a matchup, especially given how the stark difference between Spain and France and how they got to this point.
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah, well, Paula, you mentioned that Spain, they've won all five games leading up to this point. If they win
tonight, they will become the first team in the European tournament ever to win all six in a row. So, that gives you a sense of the scale of
achievement that Spain, particularly led by these youngsters who play up front for them in Yamal and Nico Williams.
As for today in Munich and in and around the city, I mean, we're here at the stadium now just before kickoff is just over two hours away. The
atmosphere has been growing steadily. It's been very it's been very fun and lighthearted between the two fans. I saw some French fans giving out some
vacuum packed paella boxes to the Spanish fans down in the city center. And the Bavarian weather and their world famous beer has certainly helped the
situation.
It's -- it isn't quite the same atmosphere as it was on the opening day when the Scottish fans were here. But I can only put that down to the fact
that this is business for these two teams. They are well-versed into getting this late into European tournaments and world tournaments.
For tonight, though, what we shall see that kind of remains to be seen. We will see Kylian Mbappe. I think he will play again in that mask. The issue
will be, can France find a way to score a goal in normal time rather than relying on a own goals or a penalty kick? The only goal that they've -- the
only three goals that they've scored to do that, they will have to rely on Mbappe.
For Spain, though, there are changes defensively. They've been the free scoring team up front scoring 11 goals. But missing two of their key
defenders will certainly pose a different problem for them and maybe some opportunities for the French, as well.
So, my mind tells me that this should be going Spain's way and the way that they performed in this tournament. But you cannot rule out how important
defensive performances are here in European football. It's about staying in the game. And the French, you know, they're world champions as well.
[12:55:03]
They are a force to be reckoned with. And Didier Deschamps, their manager, has said very openly, look, if you don't like the style of football that
we're playing, you don't have to watch. But thousands of people are coming to watch.
And this stadium here, this almost mecca of football here in Germany, that stadium will be lit up in a few hours' time. The winners of this round will
go to the final in Berlin on Sunday. It will either be the blue, the white and the red, or it will be the red and the yellow of Spain. Paula.
NEWTON: Seb, you and the fans there have given us an awesome preview. We are ready for this match. We will be tuning in. Sebastian Shukla for us,
again, the best assignment for the day for CNN. Thanks so much. We'll be back to you in a few hours. That does it for this hour of "ONE WORLD". I'm
Paula Newton. I want to thank you for watching. "AMANPOUR" is next.
END
