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Biden and Trump Hit Campaign Trail to Raise Money and Support; Hamas Says it Carried Out Complex Ambush on Israeli Soldiers; CNN Goes Aboard Russian Warship in Havana, 90 Miles from Florida, Multiple People Injured After Shooting at Splash Pad in Rochester Hills, MI; Arrest of Tajik Nationals Renews Concerns of Attack on U.S.; About 30 People Rescued from Upside-Down Amusement Park Ride. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 15, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:35]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome, everyone. You're on the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Omar Jimenez in Washington.

In just two weeks, CNN will host the first presidential debate -- there it is. I was looking at the screen right here, 12 days, two weeks. Boom.

First presidential debate of this election season between President Joe Biden and the former President Donald Trump, and this weekend, the candidates are out on the campaign trail.

After spending the week on the world stage at the G7 Summit, President Biden is trading world leaders for Hollywood leaders.

Biden is in Los Angeles tonight at a fundraiser that is breaking a new record for the Democratic Party. We are going to have more on that in a moment, but tickets range from $250.00 to $500,000.00 with a contest for small dollar donors. They could when tickets to the event and a chance to meet President Biden, former President Obama, and Oscar winners, Julia Roberts and George Clooney. Jimmy Kimmel will moderate a Q&A with Biden and Obama tonight.

CNN White House correspondent, Arlette Saenz joins us now.

All right, Arlette, a big haul for the campaign even before the event starts, but obviously that's not the only thing that they are focused on with the debate not so far away at this point.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Omar. But tonight, Biden campaign officials are saying that this will be the biggest Democratic fundraiser in history. The president heading into the night has already raised $28 million, really tapping into some help from celebrity friends like George Clooney and Julia Roberts as well as his former boss, former President Barack Obama to try to entice people to buy tickets to this event.

Now, the campaign has been working and trying to engage celebrities in different ways to try to help mobilize voters, and whether its fundraising or to get out to the polls in November, but this is also coming at a time when Biden is trying to maintain his cash advantage over former President Donald Trump.

Biden has led Trump in fundraising through most of the year, but recently Trump has really made some significant gains in his own fundraising operation, especially after securing his party's nomination.

Now, tonight's event is really modeled after an event that the Biden campaign did back in March in New York City, when Biden appeared with Obama, as well as former President Bill Clinton. That event raked in $26 million. Tonight's event will eclipse that.

They have been trying to draw in those high dollar donors, but also making those appeals to small-dollar donors as well. There was a contest, as you mentioned to come to this fundraiser, to meet the two presidents and these Hollywood stars. The campaign has also offered another opportunity for people to donate about $20.00 and have a chance to tune in virtually.

So the Biden campaign is really pouring a lot of focus and energy into this fundraiser tonight, as they are hoping to post a very big haul, but also so as campaign officials argue, they believe that this will also be a show of force from the entertainment industry in its support for Biden.

JIMENEZ: Yes, and on top of that, again, expected to be or as we've already seen, record breaking in terms of raising money for the Democratic Party.

We are just two weeks out to that first debate. How is the president balancing, of course, the campaigning with also preparing for the debate itself?

SAENZ: Well, President Biden has spent most of the last two weeks on the world stage meeting with world leaders in both France and Italy, but now that he is back here at home, his debate preparations will start to intensify.

His advisers have said he hasn't had as much time to prepare, though he has gotten started a bit, but tense preparations are really expected to take place in the final days leading into June 27th. The president is expected to spend some time at Camp David huddling with his advisers. They are charting the best way to take on Donald Trump on the debate stage.

And today, CNN actually announced some of the details for how this debate will work, that both Biden and Trump's campaigns have agreed to. This will be a 90-minute debate with two commercial breaks.

The candidates will not be allowed to interact with their campaign staff during those breaks. The two men will be standing at podiums and an important note is that the microphones will be muted when they are not speaking. That was something that Biden's campaign had actually proposed when they suggested having these debates much earlier in the debate season.

[18:05:00]

Of course, this will be round three for President Biden and former President Trump as they faced off two times back in the 2020 race. And so all eyes for the Biden campaign, for the Trump campaign going forward too, will really be honing in on this debate trying to make sure that they put have a strong showing heading into really the first major scene for voters to see Biden and Trump face off face-to-face.

JIMENEZ: And without a crowd, and so it so really just be both of them --

SAENZ: Without a crowd.

JIMENEZ: -- up there and hoping to get some substantive answers from both of them over the course of that.

Arlette Saenz, really appreciate the reporting. Thank you.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is in the key swing state of Michigan today. Earlier, he held a community roundtable in a Detroit church as he tries to raise support them on Black voters, and he just took the stage at a conservative conference with a few possible vice presidential candidates.

CNN correspondent, Eva McKend is in Detroit now.

What can you tell us about some of his efforts today?

EVAN MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Omar, the former president just beginning his remarks here at the Turning Point Action Convention.

Well, he started his Michigan swing at a predominantly Black church, appealing to voters there. Republicans are confident that they can make inroads with these faith-based voters this election cycle and of course, it wouldn't take much for them to chip away from Democrats in order to have some real impact.

But here at this event, Turning Point Action, just such a key strategic partner for the president that is because these are the true believers, these are the die-hards. I see people here proudly wearing shirts with Trump's mugshot on it. There are people here holding up signs with Trump's mugshot that is saying "never surrender."

And the organization itself is planning to spend over a hundred million dollars on get out the vote efforts not only here in Michigan, but in battleground states across the country.

So this is a pivotal coalition that he has to inspire, Omar, if he is going to -- if he is going to sail to victory in November.

JIMENEZ: Yes, we will continue to monitor everything going on there. Evan McKend, appreciate the reporting. Appreciate it. Thank you.

All right, breaking news out of Gaza tonight, Hamas says strikes against Israel "will continue" after what is being described as an incident in Southern Gaza left eight soldiers dead, making it one of the single deadliest events involving Israeli troops since the October 7th attacks.

Now earlier, the militant wing of Hamas claimed it carried out a "complex ambush" against enemy vehicles, but Israel has not said whether the group was responsible for the incidents.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Haifa for us.

Oren the IDF, as we've been talking about this, this afternoon here, just released some preliminary findings from their investigation. What sticks out to you?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: So first, they caution that this incident is still under investigation, but it is clear they are trying to figure out exactly what happened here and it happened very early this morning at about 5:15 in Tal as-Sultan, which is in Northwest Rafah, that's where the IDF has been operating as they have pushed through the southern Gaza City, that for so long for the past few months here has been a refuge for so many who have now had to flee as the IDF has moved in.

The IDF says at 5:15 this morning, an armored personnel carrier with eight soldiers effectively exploded as a result of a side bomb. Now, it is not clear at this point if that bomb was attached in some way or fixed to the vehicle, or if it was a missile or projectile fired at the vehicle.

But the armored personnel carrier itself had explosives already on board that were part of its use as a combat engineering battalion and that is when the IDF says those explosives detonated, either as a result of that side bomb or for some other reason, and that in and of itself is a problem because they are supposed to withstand any force that would cause them to explode.

Still, the IDF says it resulted in what they called a significant explosion, making it difficult not only to locate remains of the eight soldiers, but also parts of the vehicle itself that had exploded.

So that part from the IDF side is still under investigation. The Al- Qassam Brigades, that is the military wing of Hamas, say they laid what they call a complex trap attacking first, a military bulldozer and then when a rescuer extraction unit came, they say they then fired a missile at that armored vehicle and caused it to explode.

At the same time as this is happening, Rafah Civil Defense Unit says but there was significant artillery and airstrikes in this part of Gaza since early this morning, so it is possible they are describing the exact same incident here as this is all under investigation.

Meanwhile, Hamas says they will continue strikes on Israeli forces in Gaza.

JIMENEZ: And of course that is the dynamic we are going to continue to keep an eye out for, as for this moment, we are still learning again some of those preliminary details. [18:10:08]

We've also been following some of the demonstrations that we've been seeing in Tel Aviv for one, that's where a lot of the images we've been following have been coming out of, but certainly not the only place.

But demonstrations that did not come out of nowhere tonight. Just generally, what are the protesters demanding and why has this remained such a persistent and consistent dynamic over recent months?

LIEBERMANN: So generally, there are two parts of this protest. One is calling for a hostage deal and calling for the hostages to be brought home as quickly as possible, and then there is an anti-government protest. Very often, these effectively merged into one larger protest and you see the force of that, tens of thousands easily by the pictures and the images we have seen coming out in Tel Aviv.

You're right to point out, these are not only in Tel Aviv, there were protests in Jerusalem against the government and in many other places; protesters that are angry, frustrated, and frankly furious with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners effectively trying to make their voices heard and seen.

There was bonfires as part of the protests, that was one of the most stunning images. According to police, there was at least one arrest for starting those bonfires.

You see the force and frankly, you see the fury in these, week after week, for a tremendous amount of time, the longevity here is just as stunning as size of the protests, yes, they took a break after October 7th and became part of trying to help the military and the country in that time.

But you now see them returning and I suspect, they will be here week after week calling on the government to resign as they are furious with how this government has handled not only the war to this point, but the negotiations about a hostage deal and the country in general as the war drags on nearing its nine-month mark now.

JIMENEZ: Yes, a lot of dynamics being expressed by some of the folks that we've seen in the street to this point.

Oren Liebermann, really appreciate the reporting as always.

Coming up, CNN has an exclusive look inside Russian warships now docked in Cuba. Russia making a show of force just 90 miles from the US amid growing concerns about the message Putin is trying to send. We will take you on board next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:06]

JIMENEZ: Cubans are coming out to see a group of Russian Navy warships docked in Havana, a striking show of force, really just 90 miles south of the United States.

It is a call back to an old Cold War alliance between Cuba and Russia, an alliance, the countries may lean into as Russia antagonizes the West over its war in Ukraine.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann got to board one of these ships though and has this exclusive look inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Several hundred Cubans wait in the broiling sun tour a Russian warship.

Russian diplomats told me the public would be allowed to visit the Admiral Gorshkov, one of the most modern warships in President Vladimir Putin's Navy, capable of firing hypersonic missiles that travel at more than 6,000 miles per hour.

It is the first of three days the ship will receive visitors, a rare opportunity for people here to see the up-close a frigate belonging to Cuba's Cold War era comrades.

OPPMANN (on camera): We are going to have to get in line and see if we are able to board.

OPPMANN (voice over): After nearly three hours waiting, having my Cuban resident ID card run through a database by police and passing through metal detectors, we are told to board the Gorshkov.

Just next to us is the nuclear nuclear-powered submarine, Kazan, the first of its kind to come to port here. The visit of the four Russian ships, the largest Russian convoy to Cuba in years is not a threat to the US, both Russian in Cuban officials say, but the US is closely tracking the ships and their movements.

A sign in English by the gang plank to the Gorshkov says the ships "main purpose is combat operations against enemy surface ships and submarines." Although none of the vessels were currently carrying nuclear weapons, the Cuban Armed Forces Ministry said.

"Hello," I say in rudimentary Russian to the sailors aboard the Gorshkov. We are only allowed on the main deck and Russian sailors watch our every move.

A deck above us where sophisticated communications equipment is visible, a soldier armed with an assault rifle keeps guard.

OPPMANN (on camera): Cuba, good?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cuba good. Very good. Cuba good.

OPPMANN (voice over): These sailors could be fighting in the war in Ukraine and seem to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the Caribbean.

Sailors show me anti-rocket defense systems and a cannon they say can fired 23 kilometers, nearly 15 miles. After, only the briefest of tours, we are told it is time for us to disembark.

We say our goodbyes to our Russian hosts.

As we leave, this Russian sailor counts us one-by-one to make sure no one stays behind to learn the secrets of a Russian warship stationed just 90 miles from US Coast.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Patrick Oppmann, thank you.

Next, chilling new details tonight about a passenger jet that plunged midflight over the ocean and came within -- are you ready -- 400 feet of hitting the water. What investigators are saying about the incident and the cause. We are going to talk to an expert about it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:24:39]

JIMENEZ: All right, most people don't like turbulence. I think we can establish that.

So imagine being on a flight that suddenly plunged 4,000 feet a second, nearly crashing into the Pacific before pulling up sharply. That's what happened for almost 200 passengers on a Southwest flight in April near Hawaii, according to accompany memo sent to pilots, first reported by Bloomberg News.

[18:25:04]

Mary Schiavo, CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the Department of Transportation joins us now.

Mary, I want to read you part of this memo obtained by Bloomberg because I think it is pretty significant. It says, "A less experienced first officer inadvertently pushed forward on the control column, the pilot then cut the speed causing the airplane to descend soon after a warning system sounded alarms signaling the jet was getting too close to the surface and the captain ordered the first officer to increase thrust. The plane then climbed aggressively at 8,500 feet per minute."

What is your reaction to hearing a little bit of what happened there?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, my first reaction is thank heavens for the ground proximity warning system, which is the warning system went off telling them they were descending too fast, they were too close to the land, and they weren't on there -- and other equipment saying they weren't on their glides slopes anymore.

So the warning equipment did appear to go off, not noticing that you leaned on the control column and this rapid descent. This is greater than your standard descent, it is greater than a normal descent and same with the climb.

The climb was a much greater than a normal climb, which is you know, three airliners can do 2,500 to 3,000 feet per minute is kind of typical. They can do much more if they have to avoid something, but clearly not normal flight.

And because they had been in some bad weather, passengers might have assumed it was turbulence and not the pilots who were causing this.

JIMENEZ: Yes, and look, Mary, 400 feet, that's what we are about here. I mean, put that into perspective for us, especially from an aviation standpoint.

We typically are dealing with thousands and tens of thousands of feet, not just a few hundred. What is that perspective here for aviation?

SCHIAVO: Well at 400 feet, that's almost, you know, thankfully, it is a collision almost without casualties.

In the cockpit, what would have been happening as the ground proximity warning system, it gives you warnings, but when you're that close, it literally yells at you, "Pull up, pull up terrain, terrain." It is very close to a collision.

JIMENEZ: Are you surprised that we are just now learning about this incident, even though it happened back in April?

SCHIAVO: Well, I am surprised, really, for a couple of reasons. One, this is something that has to be reported to the FAA. The FAA may have gotten the report, but didn't tell anyone, but usually we have videos from passengers. We have the information often from the NTSB if they are going to open any kind of an investigation or look into it, they have to have a preliminary within 30 days.

So the fact that no one is learning about it until now is unusual, but the passengers, once again, since they had been in some bad weather, might have thought, oh, it is just a storm and didn't take video, but it does surprise me because we learn everything instantaneously now.

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes, and speaking of, a separate incident on a Southwest plane in May, a Boeing 737 Max 8 experienced a Dutch roll less so for the type of plane in this case, but the crew was able to regain control.

What stands out to you about what happened there? And can you explain what a Dutch roll is?

SCHIAVO: Sure. What stands out to me is the aircraft did this, not the pilot. Now a Dutch roll, it is called the Dutch roll because it is kind of like an ice skater. It leans from one side to the other kind of like that. And you do that in training and you learn to do that in flight training. We had to do it and to recover from it and do it in a controlled fashion.

But the problem here is that apparently the plane did it and commanded and that of course calls into question a couple of things immediately, the 737 Max 8 crashes where the planes dove uncontrolled and then years ago, a 737 rudder hardovers, where the rudder cause the plane to roll over, and in those instances crash into the ground.

So the fact that it was apparently uncommanded is most alarming, an d of course, it should have been reported to the FAA and will require an NTSB investigation as to why this happened.

JIMENEZ: Yes, look, there is also a report this week about questionable titanium parts used to build planes. Boeing says its planes are safe, but also you investigated titanium parts at the DoT. What did you learn during those investigations and why is that even an issue?

SCHIAVO: All right. Well, when I was inspector general, we started the bogus parts investigation effort literally worldwide. It is now a standard part of the Federal Aviation Administration, but we got thousands of bogus parts from all over the world, including fake titanium parts.

Now, the reason that is so important is every important part on airplane has to be improved to manufacturing to components, what it is made with, storage, everything, and in this case, they not only had parts that weren't made with titanium because it has strength, it has certain temperature properties that allow it to function in a high stress, high temperature environment of an aircraft.

And we got bogus, for example, bogus titanium liners from Russia, from China, from Singapore. And we have to get this under control because once it is installed on a plane, it is very difficult to know that you have it, if you had fake paperwork that says it's a legitimate part and it is on a plane, it is going to be very difficult to know that you have it there and it is a ticking time bomb.

[18:30:34]

It could be a big problem if the part does not perform. And just this week, Russia announced that it's going to start manufacturing parts for Boeings and Airbus and other aircraft without any approvals at all, so it can't get parts. So it's going to start manufacturing, flooding the market.

So this is an area that aviation has to watch very, very closely in the next few months and years, because this whole system to keep out bogus parts is what helps and what goes a long way to keep our planes safe and our maintenance safe. Wherever the planes go, it's supposed to be approved and only with genuine parts. And this is going to be a problem if they don't get a handle on it.

JIMENEZ: This is why we bring you in, Mary. You just expanded my whole understanding of what's going on here. Mary Schiavo, really appreciate it.

SCHIAVO: My pleasure.

JIMENEZ: All right. New and growing concerns tonight about the terror group ISIS carrying out some kind of attack after eight people with possible ties to the group are arrested in three major cities. How their apprehension is putting National Security officials into overdrive. We're going to explain coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:36:18]

JIMENEZ: We're following some breaking news just into CNN, several people are injured after a shooting at a splash pad about 30 miles outside of Detroit. This is happening in Rochester Hills, Michigan. We're still working to find out exactly how many people are hurt or if the suspected shooter is in custody. But we're going to bring you more information as needed.

We also are following other stories right now, including terrorism fears are growing among National Security officials after the recent arrest of eight people from Tajikistan with suspected ties to ISIS. Though the group has largely splintered. American authorities say it still poses a very real threat today. CNN's Josh Campbell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Would you say that there's multiple blinking red lights out there?

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: I see blinking lights everywhere I turn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Current and former U.S. counterterrorism officials increasingly sounding the alarm over concerns about threats to the homeland.

Multiple U.S. officials tell CNN eight Tajikistan nationals with possible ties to ISIS those were arrested on immigration charges in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia.

The man had entered the U.S. through the southern border and requested asylum, raising no red flags when initially vetted by immigration officials, but it was the later discovery of their potential ties to an ISIS affiliate that set off a flurry of urgent investigative efforts by FBI agents and analysts coast-to-coast.

No specific attack planning was detected, sources said, but senior U.S. officials decided late last week to arrest the men and begin proceedings to expel them from the country, rather than continuing surveilling them to determine any possible plot.

The FBI investigation continues, sources say, along with a renewed focus on threats from central Asia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN SENIOR INTELLIGENCE REPORTER: And we have seen a number of high-profile attacks and plots, both planned and carried out by Tajik nationals acting on behalf of ISIS-K, several in Europe, as well as in particular, the deadly attack on a concert hall in Moscow earlier this year that killed more than a hundred people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL (voice over): The recent arrests have also renewed concerns about the vulnerability of the U.S. southern border. In 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 169 encounters with non-U.S. citizens identified as potential matches with names on the terrorism watch list, a broad category of individuals who may have only tangential connections to note extremist, but nevertheless remain a matter of grave concern for terrorism experts in this heightened threat environment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER O'LEARY, FORMER FBI COUNTERTERRORISM EXECUTIVE: Terrorist groups are learning and adaptive organizations. They've identified vulnerability that the United States has.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: What we need to do is increase and target our resources so that we stop people from entering illegally or if they present themselves at a border crossing, ensure they never make it in if they are in fact a terror threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL (voice over): While officials say the group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate based in Afghanistan, has dramatically ramped up its online fine propaganda machine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'LEARY: The scope of the problem is really massive. The problem since September 11 continued to metastasize. The enemy has not stopped. They're committed to causing violence and harm to us.

We have to be committed to protecting this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Josh Campbell, CNN Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right. Thank you, Josh, for that reporting.

CNN Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem joins us now.

So, Juliette, why have these arrests set off the alarm bells, so to speak?

KAYYEM: There's two reasons. One is just the overall foreign terrorist threat environment is just higher. We're so focused on domestic terrorism. That is - remains the predominant threat.

[18:39:59]

But along with it, we are just seeing a lot of data, a lot of intelligence, a lot of concerns by law enforcement, including FBI Director Wray, that it is different this summer. It might be related to the Israel-Hamas war. But there's other aspects to it. Elections are going on.

Half of the world's population is voting this year, so there's just a lot of transitions that terror groups take advantage of. The second, of course, is this particular threat coming through the southern border. We know ISIS-K is one of the most violent wings of ISIS. It's hard to put them in comparison. But they definitely took advantage of, it seems, a lawful process, presenting yourself at a border to seek asylum, got in after an initial review, and then a further review targeted them. That's basically a resource issue. And it's also what the Biden administration has been worried about, too, that the asylum claims are being taken advantage of.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And I want to ask a two-part question here, because one, what makes Tajikistan such an area, physically, of concern? And then I think also there's a lot of people that would think, well, we haven't heard much from ISIS recently. Maybe the threat is no longer there or at the very least ...

KAYYEM: Yes.

JIMENEZ: ... lessened. What is the actual picture, in your view?

KAYYEM: Yes. So it has lessened to the extent that it's dispersed. And then that - but that has a consequence, which is it is harder to detect. In other words, you don't have the centralized al-Qaeda pre- 9/11, you know, with bin Laden and his team. You have a much more diverse, geographically, ideologically group that is harder then to - for foreign intelligence entities as well as ours to be able to target whether there's a specific plan.

You know, basically Central Asian countries and Tajiks have been a concern or at least some people within that country have been affiliated with ISIS-K. It's a sort of - it's a troublesome aspect of the governance system there. It borders Afghanistan, where we know ISIS still thrives. And so that's the - we think, oh, it's a Central Asian country. We don't know, we've never heard of it before. But in fact, it is in the center of what's increased threat environment.

The - you know, look, we have heard about ISIS-K. They attacked in Russia, which is hardly a soft target. And there's been other cases throughout Europe that they will be successful, unfortunately, or one worries whether it's just a matter of time. But I will say we don't know about these individuals and specific organization for a specific attack.

But I think what you're seeing, given the overall threat environment, is that there's essentially sort of no ability to escape that kind of surveillance or review and then either be deported or never be let into this country.

JIMENEZ: And I want to touch on that and what you talked about a little bit earlier is there ...

KAYYEM: Yes.

JIMENEZ: ... look, there is a politically sensitive element here, this being ...

KAYYEM: Yes.

JIMENEZ: ... the southern border and some of the issues and difficulties in being able to address who is coming over and at what pace they're coming over, especially in regards to resources that we have. Does that contextualize this threat - this potential threat based on the arrest of these individuals and within the resources at the southern border and how difficult it is ...

KAYYEM: Yes.

JIMENEZ: ... actually to try and stop someone, I guess, from coming in who may want to commit harm?

KAYYEM: Yes. So it's a great question. You're seeing sort of two shifts simultaneously right now. So the first is we used to always believe, think about 9/11, terrorists wanted to come here sort of as lawfully as possible because they want to succeed in getting here to be able to perform the attack. So they're going to come in on student visas or employment visas. That obviously has changed as both the lawful immigration process gets more difficult, but also - and this is the second part, as they see, right, vulnerabilities in our southern border.

That - but we don't know to what extent they're taking advantage of it, but consistent with what the Biden administration has been saying, the numbers are accurate that 20, 30 years ago, most people who came through the southern border simply came unlawfully. They just sort of tried to cross the border and they were caught or not.

Now what you're seeing is this pressure on the asylum system that the Biden administration is trying to correct because everyone is presenting themselves at a border crossing. You cannot process this many people successfully. And I think what you're seeing is sort of this - I hate to say it's an odd success story, but they were allowed in. They probably - they should have gotten a further review. And then that further review being done through the terrorism side of national security then determines that they can't seek any lawful status here and in fact have to leave.

[18:45:02]

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. Juliette Kayyem, I appreciate the perspective as always. Thank you.

KAYYEM: Thank you. JIMENEZ: All right. Coming up next, an amusement park nightmare really, dozens of people stuck upside down. You can see them there. That is not what it's supposed to look like, dangling in midair when their ride suddenly stops. I want to talk to two of those riders about what they endured next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, they just said (INAUDIBLE) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So we were riding a ride. This isn't supposed to be upside down like this. It's been like that for like already two to three minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel bad for them because ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone (INAUDIBLE) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Correct. It is not supposed to be upside down like that. Firefighters had to be called in when about 30 people got stuck on an upside down - got stuck upside down on a ride. This happening Friday at an amusement park in Portland, Oregon.

Now, fire officials say they were ready to start rescuing the riders using ropes before the ride was lowered back to the ground. So joining us now are recent high school graduates Jordan Harding and Daniel Allen who were both on that actual ride.

Daniel, I want to start with you. What was going through your mind once you realized you actually were stuck upside down?

DANIEL ALLEN, STUCK UPSIDE DOWN ON AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE: Well, when I was first on the ride and like you're like - we were like coming - like we had already gone around once and ...

JIMENEZ: Yes.

ALLEN: ... then we went on the second time, and for like a second, you know, like it kind of like is stuck in the air for a minute because it's all like gravity. So it's like - you're like - like when you're like spinning and then it's like goes back down and it felt like it was about to go back down and it wobbled and then you just hear this click and it locked in place like probably like five seconds in and we're like what the heck is going on and I'm like whoa, like, this thing's not moving.

And I'm just - I'm sitting here upside down like my mind is like lost like - I don't even know what I was thinking at first. It was crazy and then once you just hear the entire machine stop and, like, people are, like, looking up and you notice, like, something's - that there's an actual problem once you're, like, sitting there ...

JIMENEZ: Yes.

ALLEN: ... for like 30 seconds, you think, like, they're just going to like maybe turn it back on like a minute and then like a minute will be fine like keep going. Because I mean, I mean - and no one would ever think when they go to an amusement park to go have a fun day you're going to be able sit up in the sky upside down for 30 minutes not knowing, if it's - like, I almost, like, I don't know if I was going to die. Like, I didn't - you don't even know we gotten ...

JIMENEZ: Yes.

ALLEN: ... we were told nothing. We were sitting up there. They're just, like, you're going to be okay. Somebody's coming but like really when you're up there like are we sure we're going to be okay. This entire machine has shut off. The power went out.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

ALLEN: Like we're just hanging upside down and you wonder like what's the fire department going to do. Like, the fire - how are they going to handle this, going to take us, like, with the ladder and, like, strap us all while we're hanging upside down like how are they going to do that.

JIMENEZ: I mean, it's such a ...

ALLEN: (INAUDIBLE) ...

JIMENEZ: I was going to say it's such a crazy situation, I mean just looking at the videos that are coming through, I mean, for everyone.

Jordan, I want to ask you too like how were other people acting on the ride were you all trying to comfort each other because again this was not the way that you imagined this would be going.

JORDAN HARDING, STUCK UPSIDE DOWN ON AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE: No. Yes, at first it's just everyone's kind of in shock, you know, because it is supposed to stop for a few seconds. So at first you're just kind of like closing your eyes you're holding on and you're like okay like it's time to come down now.

And then when it doesn't come down it was silent, like, because everyone's just, like, hello, like, what's going on.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

HARDING: So we're stopped upside down and it's silent for I would say a few minutes. Like for - I remember being, like, Daniel what's going on? What's going on? Because like that's like your initial response is like why are we still upside down. And he like wasn't responding which is a hundred percent valid because I wasn't really actually asking I was just like what's going on, what's going on and ...

JIMENEZ: Yes.

HARDING: I'd say the first three minutes it was completely silent like mostly.

JIMENEZ: Wow.

HARDING: But then once it's like five minutes, it's like okay something's wrong because when I started to actually panic, excuse me - is when they came over the speaker and announced that the park was closing because you don't really think anything of it. You're like okay we're just going to swing back down like it's perfectly distributed so we're just stuck upside down but if the wind blows the right way or whatever we'll just swing back down, you know?

JIMENEZ: Yes.

HARDING: But when they announced that the park is closing is when people started to like actually panic because it's like they're trying to protect people that aren't even on the ride from seeing what's - what could potentially happen to us you know what I mean? That's what I thought. Like that's what you (INAUDIBLE) ...

JIMENEZ: Yes. I mean, people are literally watching you. As you all are going through this experience, people are also on the ground wondering what's actually going to happen.

And Daniel, I want to ask you, like, how did you all feel physically in this situation because I think, you know, when I'm hanging upside down for even just a little bit, you know, you start to feel a little weird in the head. And here you guys are for over half an hour, how are people holding up physically over the course of this?

ALLEN: Well, physically I would say like mine - like the harness is so big it's like all on your chest so already it's like a stopping of breathing - it's hard to breathe. I also have asthma, so I already feel enclosed so you're very trapped physically and the harness is like big all over like on your waist so your waist is like the thing that's pushing against you the entire time and your shoulders.

So like your - my shoulders are still a little like bruised and sore and definitely like - I would say like my waist is like - just like sore like a little like - it was - I was in pain like my entire legs went numb. I was trying to like hold like myself up in the bars.

[18:55:07]

So like my waist could be set off of it and my, like, shoulders. But like when you're holding yourself up so long so like those things don't get so damaged all those nerves right there and the arteries, you're - like your body starts to go like tired and like you're - I'm struggling at breathing and it's already such - just a big problem that I'm dealing with. It was just a lot of stress.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And we've got to go, but I just want - was that your first ride of the day - was that the first ride you all got on?

ALLEN: Yes.

HARDING: Yes.

JIMENEZ: All right. So for your first and last ride for the day, but I'm glad you all are okay. Obviously, a really scary situation that we saw play out on video but you all actually went through it so I appreciate you Jordan Harding and Daniel Allen both of you being here.

ALLEN: Yes, thank you ...

HARDING: Yes, thank you.

ALLEN: ... for having us on.

HARDING: Appreciate it.

JIMENEZ: Of course, of course.

All right, everyone, we're following more news, President Biden and former President Trump are both hitting the trail tonight with Biden using a star-studded event to build up his war chest while Trump strengthens his efforts to win over more black voters. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll explain it all coming up.

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