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Woman, Teens Injured In Back-to-Back Shark Attacks in Florida; Israeli Operation Rescues 4 Hostages, Kills Scores of Palestinians; National Security Adviser: Impact on Ceasefire Deal Unclear; Caitlin Clark Left Off Team USA Roster For Paris Olympics; Trump Promises to End Taxes on Tips If Reelected; Trump, Biden Aim to Sway Key Latin Voting Demographic; 20 Million People Under Heat Alert Across The West. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired June 10, 2024 - 7:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight, a mayday emergency call after an Austrian Airlines flight suffered a significant amount of damage flying through a thunderstorm. Nearly 180 people were on board. The plane's nose was seriously damaged, the top of the cockpit bent and the glass on the windows of the cockpit cracked. The plane did land safely despite the damage.

The catastrophic landslide in Wyoming, a section of the famed Teton Pass pretty much just fell off the side of the mountain. This is a critical route between Wyoming and Idaho, not to mention beautiful. No estimates on when it could reopen.

New warnings, this morning, from North Korea, as tensions with South Korea escalate overnight. North Korea sent balloons filled with trash across the border. That was in response to what it calls psychological warfare by South Korea. South Korea announced it will resume broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda in border regions.

So two shark attacks in Florida just a few miles apart. One woman had to have part of her arm amputated. Just 90 minutes after that first attack, a shark bit two teenage girls in waist deep water. CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest on this. Rafael?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning. And then there was one more. We're talking about three shark attacks in the United States over the weekend. Three people were injured in two incidents in Florida on Friday, and a man died in Hawaii on Saturday.

This is what we know. Authorities say, a 39 year old man died, after what they describe, as a shark encounter off the coast of Maui, the first fatal attack in Hawaii since a snorkeler died there in 2022. The day before, two separate attacks happened in Florida in an area between Destin and Panama City Beach in the span of less than 90 minutes and only about 4 miles apart. According to authorities, a 45 year old woman suffered significant trauma to her midsection and pelvic area, as well as the amputation of her left lower arm.

In the second attack, the victims were two girls between the ages of 15 and 17. The first victim suffered what officials described as significant injuries to one upper and one lower extremity, both requiring the application of tourniquets. The second victim has minor wounds to her right foot. Walton County officials said what happened is both tragic and terrifying, but historically, shark attacks are exceedingly rare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF RYAN CRAWFORD, SOUTH WALTON FIRE DISTRICT: They're highly unusual and it's extremely unusual for two to happen in the same afternoon within 4 miles of one another. As the sheriff mentioned, we're reaching out to speak to subject matter experts as to what may be causing that, whether it's the gulf temperatures, the steering current, whatever that is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And you may remember that on May 28, there was another incident in Galveston Beach where a 19 year old woman was bitten in her left hand by a shark, but survived, as reported by CNN affiliate KPRC.

On Sunday, the south Walton Fire District in Florida issued a warning on X saying the following, we are guests in the Gulf, the post says. We all must accept some amount of risk when entering the water. That does not take away from these two ladies whose lives are changed forever. But looking for someone to blame is not the answer, they said.

Over the weekend, Walton County officials were flying yellow and purple flags for moderate surf hazards and the presence of dangerous marine life after what happened there Friday. John, back to you.

BERMAN: All right. Rafael Romo following this for us. Rafael, thank you very much. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: After eight months in captivity, four Israeli hostages are now back home after a dramatic rescue operation Saturday. And from all of -- everything we've seen, it was overwhelming for the families of the four that were rescued.

Yet there are still believed to be 116 Israeli hostages still being held captive in Gaza today, meaning so many families are still left waiting. And one of those families is the family of Abbey Onn. Abbey is an American citizen who lives in Israel. Five of her family were either killed or taken hostage in the Hamas attacks.

Two of her family, 80 year old Carmela Dan and 13 year old Noya Dan, you see them there, they were killed. 12 year old Erez and his sister, 16 year old Sahar, they were taken hostage and released in November. Their father, Ofer Kalderon, he's still being held in Gaza. And Abbey Onn on joins us now. Abbey, thank you for coming back on.

We've talked so many times now in the last eight months. How does it feel today? Or how did it feel even on Saturday, getting the news that the four hostages were rescued and back safely in Israel?

[07:35:00]

ABBEY ONN, AMERICAN IN ISRAEL: It was super emotional. I -- you know, we were out -- we were outdoors with friends and family and we heard the news and literally everyone around us just started crying.

It's unbelievable almost that it was real. And we thought for a second it was a rumor. And then we got confirmation. And I think we just cried for hours, because as much as we want the 116, for everyone to be home, to know that four families were whole again, it was amazing.

BOLDUAN: It's also now been eight months that Ofer has been held hostage. What is the latest, if anything? Have you heard anything? Is he still believed to be alive?

ONN: He's believed to be alive. We are fighting to bring him home alive. Look, last week was an emotional week. It started off with four hostages being declared dead. Three of them, Amiram Cooper, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger from Nir Oz.

And so it continues to kind of be a living trauma for Sahar and Erez for their mother, for all of our extended family to know that the people that are there are not safe. That every single day, every minute, every hour, it's urgent that we get them out and that we get them home. And seeing those four people, three of whom we've seen in a video alive, to know that they were killed in captivity, only makes this more urgent. And the fight for Ofer more urgent.

BOLDUAN: Do you allow yourself to feel disappointment when your heart also bursts for joy for those families? Just the pain of knowing that Ofer was not among the four this time. How do you deal with those feelings?

ONN: It was this really intense moment because they said, you know, it's Noa Argamani and three men. And I was, like, I just -- you know, my whole body expanded. And I was shocked because men are not the category of people that would be coming out in some sort of agreement. And so it was really, really surprising and.

And ultimately, you feel joy and happiness for anyone that comes out, because it is a nightmare. It is a nightmare of eight months, of 248 days for every single family member, for the hostages, for anyone involved in this conflict. And we just know that if the hostages would be released, that any of the challenges of this conflict would immediately be deflated. And that's our goal, it's to make sure that every single one of them come home and that this conflict ends.

BOLDUAN: You have made the point. I've looked back at our conversations, Abbey, and you've made the point in every conversation that we've had to say that you don't want to see any deaths anymore, whether it be on the side of Israel or amongst the people in Gaza. And how does that feel today?

ONN: Look, everything is devastating and heartbreaking. I have never in my life as an American or someone that's lived in Israel for the last decade, I've never lived through a war on the soil where I reside. And to know what happened here on October 7 and to think about an appropriate response, there's no such thing. But to know that the terror that happened on the 7th or any of the deaths that have happened since are -- they're all unnecessary. There has to be a different way. And I just know the first step toward that solution is bringing the hostages home.

I mean, I mourn every single life. There's no question. And I wish that our leaders, both in Israel and the United States and around the world, would step up even higher than they are now and figure out a way. And this is something that cannot continue. Not for family members, not for the rest of the world, not for the people who are suffering on the ground in Gaza, both the hostages and the Palestinians. It has to end.

BOLDUAN: President Biden's national security advisor was asked what impact he thinks this rescue operation, Saturday, will have on, what we're talking about on the ceasefire negotiations with Hamas. Let me play for you what Jake Sullivan said yesterday, Abbey.

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JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It's really hard to say right now. It's hard to say how Hamas will process this particular operation and what it will do to its determination about whether it will say yes or not. We have not gotten a formal answer from Hamas at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Even before the bigger impact on overall negotiations, I mean, just what does your gut tell you that you think that the rescue operation of these four hostages from the hands of Hamas will mean for Ofer?

[07:40:00]

ONN: I hope, if he hears it, that he feels some sort of hope that his army and his country are fighting for him. But I truly believe that there has to be a negotiated agreement, because this was a dangerous operation for the soldiers, for the hostages, and for anyone in the vicinity. And we don't want to see more death. We want to see the 116 brought home with the minimum amount of death. That's everyone's goal.

They were taken from a party, from their beds, from their homes. These are innocent civilians that should be brought home. And the pressure, in my opinion, needs to be on Hamas to release them, because if that pressure is big enough, then we get to a place where we can negotiate an agreement.

I feel so much joy that these four people are home, but I don't believe that putting our soldiers and hostages and other civilians in harm's way is a -- is the best -- the best step forward.

BOLDUAN: Abbey, thank you so much. I'm so thankful to see you again, and I look forward to the day that we're talking about the return of Ofer. Thank you so much for coming on.

ONN: It's going to happen. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much, John?

BERMAN: All right. New comments this morning from Caitlin Clark, the star WNBA rookie speaking for the first time after learning she is not on the roster of the U.S. Olympic team competing in Paris. CNN's Coy Wire is with us this morning. This was surprising, I think, to people who maybe have just been introduced to the WNBA this year.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, John, there's no doubt about it. There are very strong opinions on both sides of this debate of whether or not Caitlin Clark should have made team USA for women's hoops. Many say it's a missed opportunity. The Indiana Fever Phenom has helped shatter viewership and attendance records, dating all the way back to her Iowa Hawkeye's college days and now in the W.

She's currently top 15 in the WNBA and scoring nearly 17 points per game. She's coming off her best game as a pro, scoring 30 points on Friday. Now, many others are saying that it's completely justifiable that she is not on this projected roster.

Take a look at this roster. Four of the twelve players have no previous Olympic experience. Of those four, each of them are at least two time WNBA All Stars. None of these players on this projected roster are under the age of 26. Clark, still just 22, says that being left off of this roster will only make her better. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAITLIN CLARK, INDIANA FEVER GUARD: Yeah, they called me and let me know. And before everything came out, which was, you know, really respectful of them, and I appreciated that. And they did the same for every girl that made the team or every girl that didn't make the team. You know, there's a lot of players in the Olympics pool, so it wasn't like I was the only one they had to call. They had to make quite a few calls.

Honestly, no disappointment. Like, I think it just gives you something to work for. You know, that's a dream. You know, hopefully one day I can be there. And I think it's just a little more motivation. You remember that. And, you know, hopefully in four years, when four years comes back around, you know, I can be there.

CHRISTIE SIDES, INDIANA FEVER HEAD COACH: She got the call on the bus and she text me to let me know, and, you know, I just tried to keep her spirits. I mean, the thing she said was, hey, coach, they woke a monster, which I thought was awesome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: They woke a monster, John. Love that line. Now the us women are seeking an 8th straight gold at the Olympics dating back to 1996. The Olympics are just 46 days away. And other basketball news. John Berman, Celtics are 2 in 0 in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. I'm convinced he doesn't want to jinx his team, and that's why we're not talking about them this morning.

BERMAN: We will speak nothing of it, but noted. Coy Wire, great to see you this morning. Thanks very much.

A little girl in Illinois will soon receive potentially life changing gifts. Skylania Lenz was born without her left hand. Some prosthetic arms limit her ability to grip things or carry small objects. But the third grader will receive what is called a hero arm. The 3D printed prosthetic limb has fingers that are more mobile and will give Sky a better grip.

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TERISSA CLAUSEN, SKY'S MOM: She can do everything that we can do with two hands. She just figures it out a little bit differently. It gives you the opportunity for independence, right?

SKYLIANA "SKY" LENZ, HERO ARM RECIPIENT: Yep.

CLAUSEN: Independence and being able to do things mostly on your own, even more so than what you do now. Right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The arm will be paid for by the Open Bionics Foundation and community donations. Sky will get it next month.

So temperatures that could hit 125 degrees. Millions of Americans under dangerous heat threats today. And then real solution or wild campaign promise from a convicted felon, those are actual comments, depending on who you ask. Split reaction to a new proposal from Donald Trump.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's never been anything like this happening to our country. They're changing the fabric of our country. They're destroying our country.

Nevada's being turned into a dumping ground, and you are. The whole country is being turned into a, an absolute dumping ground.

The illegal immigrants are turning and they're turning at a level that nobody's ever seen before. They're fighting our families.

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BOLDUAN: That is some of Donald Trump's message to supporters at a Nevada campaign rally yesterday. The Trump campaign has high hopes for the state that Joe Biden won in 2020. From the stage, Trump focused on slamming Biden's new executive action on border security, and he launched his own Latino Americans for Trump Coalition. There's also new CNN reporting that President Joe Biden is considering following his recent border move with a second move on immigration that could protect some undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation.

CNN Steve Contorno, Arlette Saenz both working different angles of this for us. So, Steve, what more did you hear from Donald Trump yesterday?

[07:50:00]

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, it was a continued attack, Kate, on Joe Biden's record. And that has been central to his outreach to Latino voters and Black voters and other voters of color. You know, essentially that your life under a Trump presidency was better than it has been under Joe Biden that is the central case that he is making to voters of every stripe.

And it's coming, even as you hear that, that dark rhetoric about immigration. Trump is promising to deport millions of Americans in one of the largest deportation operations in the country's history if he wins. And yet he is -- his polling suggests that he continues to make headway with Latino, Spanish speaking voters.

You know, four years ago, Joe Biden won Latino voters handily. 65 percent of those voters went for Joe Biden. Trump just got 32 percent. Now you're seeing almost parity not only nationally, but in these battleground states like Nevada.

And Trump also did make a promise that will certainly affect a lot of Latino workers who work in the culinary industry. He made a promise about what he would do with tipped wages if he wins. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: When I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips, people making tips.

We're going to do that right away, first thing in office because it's been a point of contention for years and years and years. And you do a great job of service. You take care of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, the culinary union that represents Nevada workers, a very powerful union, put out a statement blasting this proposal. They said, quote, "Nevada workers are smart enough to know the difference between real solutions and wild campaign promises of a convicted felon." Kate?

BOLDUAN: That's quite a statement coming from the union right there, Steve. Arlette, what are you learning then about this new reporting on another immigration move, potentially by President Biden? ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: OK. Sources have told CNN that the Biden Administration is considering a new step that could potentially offer legal status to undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens.

Officials are looking at an existing authority called parole in place, which would shield certain groups of undocumented immigrants from deportation and allow them to stay in the country and work legally, while some of them would be able to seek citizenship. It's expected that this could impact about 750,000 to 800,000 undocumented immigrants at this moment. And it comes as it could potentially appeal to Latino voters in states like Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia.

But this also comes as the administration is trying to shore up support not just with Latinos, but also progressives and immigration advocates. Many groups expressed frustration with President Biden's executive action last week that essentially shut off the asylum process for undocumented immigration immigrants who are coming to the country illegally when a certain daily threshold is met.

You've heard progressives who said that that is similar to policies that were adopted during the Trump era. And groups like the ACLU have threatened to sue the administration to try to stop this.

Over the weekend, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended the administration's moves. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: But I respectfully disagree with the ACLU. I anticipate they will sue us. We stand by the legality of what we have done. We stand by the value proposition.

It's not only a matter of securing the border, Martha. We have a humanitarian obligation to keep vulnerable people out of the hands of exploitative smugglers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, it all comes as President Biden is really trying to address a politically vexing issue. Increasingly, immigration border security has risen in the list of concerns for voters heading into 2024. If you take a look at polling, many believe that Trump has -- would have better policies than Biden. But at the same time, the president is also trying to shore up with key parts of his constituencies heading into that November election.

BOLDUAN: Arlette, thank you so much. Steve Contorno, thank you as well. John?

BERMAN: All right, with us now, senior spokesperson and adviser to the Biden campaign, Adrienne Elrod. Thank you so much for being with us. This proposal -- reported proposal out there to provide some kind of legal status for the undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. What would that be designed to do? Who would that be designed to help? ADRIENNE ELROD: Yeah. Well, John, I certainly don't want to get into the -- in front of the White House's announcement on this. But what I will say is the following. President Biden has had to take matters into his own hands as President, because Congress failed to act.

The most historic bipartisan piece of legislation that we have seen in front of Congress in over a decade was stopped because MAGA Republicans listened to their leader, Donald Trump, who said, I don't want to give Joe Biden -- President Joe Biden, a win. I don't want to give him a political victory during a 2024 presidential campaign year.

[07:55:00]

So President Biden has had to take matters into his own hands by issuing executive actions that will improve the situation at the border because Congress failed to act. And Congress failed to act again, not because of Democrats, but because of MAGA Republicans.

BERMAN: How does providing a legal status for undocumented spouses of us citizens, how does that help people, help the situation at the border?

ELROD: Well, again, I don't want to get in front of the White House on this. But what I will say is that, it is important that the president show leadership on this, which is what President Biden is doing. You know, you see Donald Trump on the campaign tale, talking about the border, talking about the crisis at the border, blaming Democrats, when really Democrats are the ones, John, who want to get something done.

We're the ones who worked with Republicans across the aisle to negotiate a historic deal that Republicans immediately shot down in Congress. Could have easily passed both chambers, they wouldn't let it pass because Donald Trump said to Speaker Johnson and other Republicans in Congress, I don't want to give Joe Biden to win this cycle.

So President Biden is doing what he can. He's using every lever at his disposal, which, of course, as you know, John, when you are the President of the United States, you can do a lot, but you are somewhat limited in terms of what you can do without Congress acting. So it's very important that President Biden do what he can in the executive branch, but he also hopes that Congress will act.

BERMAN: I want to play some sound from before one of Donald Trump's events in Nevada yesterday, and it's rhetoric from Marjorie Taylor Greene and another Republican supporter. And it's the type of thing that we have heard on the trail recently, which is almost messianic rhetoric concerning Donald Trump. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Oh, President Trump is a convicted felon. Well, you want to know something? The man that I worship is also a convicted felon, and he was murdered on a roman cross. MICHAEL MCDONALD, CHAIR, NEVADA REPUBLICAN PARTY: We're here in Sunset park to worship and bring back the greatest president we've ever known in our generation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So what do you think when you hear rhetoric like that?

ELROD: I don't even know what to think, John. I mean, look, I'm not going to speak for the American people, but I think that rhetoric speaks for itself. And what our focus is, John, on this campaign is to make sure that every single voter understands the contrast, understands what is at stake.

That Donald Trump and his MAGA allies are focused on seeking revenge and retribution. They are running a negative campaign that is not focused on the American people, but is focused on themselves. We are making sure that the American people understand that President Joe Biden is fighting for them. He wants to continue his policies of lowering costs for families, lowering prescription drug costs, you know, continuing his agenda of economic freedom. Whereas, Republicans are focusing on themselves.

And Donald Trump has made it very clear that if he steps back into that White House, he will rule as a dictator on day one. He will seek -- he will use the White House to seek political revenge and retribution on his political enemies. You know, he has said things that -- you know, he's praised the Third Reich. He has used, you know, racist rhetoric at every chance that he has.

President Biden has delivered for the American people 15 million jobs, record unemployment growth. You know, when it comes to the Latinos, in particular, at one point, John, when President Donald Trump was in office, there was 47 percent unemployment among Latinos. Joe Biden has created over 4.8 million jobs for Latinos. We want to make sure that every single voter, all Latino voters, understand what's at stake and what President Biden has delivered for them.

BERMAN: Adrienne Elrod, appreciate you being with us this morning. Thank you. Kate?

BOLDUAN: More than 20 million people from California to Arizona could be seeing triple digit or near triple digit heat. Let's get over to CNN's Derek Van Dam tracking this one for us. Derek, what are you looking at?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Kate. Authorities coming out of Phoenix, Arizona, warning that the high risk of heat stress or heat related illness is present here in the city today if you don't have access to adequate cooling or adequate hydration. As well they've had 14 consecutive days where the mercury in the thermometer has climbed above 100 degrees and we have no relief really.