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American Paul Whelan Spends More Than 2,000 Days In Russian Prison; Preparing For CNN Debate; Supreme Court Upholds Gun Ban For Domestic Abusers; Democrats Intensify Efforts To Block JFK Jr From Ballots; 3 Dead, 10 Wounded In Arkansas Grocery Store Shooting; Seine River Unsafe For Olympic Swimmers Due To High E. Coli Levels; Harnessing Clean Energy From Iceland's Volcanoes. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired June 22, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:01:48]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Omar Jimenez in Washington.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, detained American Paul Whelan is appealing for the White House to help him come back home. As he marks another milestone in a remote Russian prison camp, he's now been detained for more than 2,000 days -- that's five-and-a-half years.

Whelan was arrested in Moscow back in 2018 on espionage charges he denies. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Now, the State Department says Whelan has been wrongfully-detained and telling CNN, "2,000 days is far too long for Paul to be wrongfully-detained in

Russia. Our hearts go out to Paul and his family, who feel the pain of separation in a way that very few people have experienced.

CNN's Jenny Hansler joins me now, who's been reporting on all of this and has been speaking to Paul Whelan. So Jenny, I guess I know we've talked a little bit about it, but what else has he had to say at this point?

JENNY HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Omar, he is incredibly disheartened and kind of in disbelief at the amount of time he has spent in Russian detention -- five-and-a-half years.

He said that's an incredible amount of time. He pointed to the fact, do you go to college, for example, you go to high school, That's four years. and five-and-a-half years far surpasses that amount of time for these major life milestones.

He is calling on the U.S. government to do their utmost to bring both himself and Evan Gershkovich, the detained "Wall Street Journal" reporter, home.

He says he does feel the U.S. government is taking his case seriously, but he wants them to take it more seriously. He wants them to take what he did describes as decisive action to bring him home.

And I want you to take a listen to what he describes as a decisive action in his mind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL WHELAN, AMERICAN DETAINED IN RUSSIAN PRISON: The U.S. needs to go out and do something, you know. Fill up Guantanamo Bay with Russian officials, arrest Russian spies. So something that makes the Kremlin sit up and take notice and say, ok, yes, right. Now it's time that we're going to get Evan and Paul back and then we want back what you've got of ours and we'll call it a day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANSLER: So his argument here, Omar, is that unless the U.S. government takes this kind of decisive action, they will continue to detain Americans. And we have seen a number of Americans detained by Russia in the past years and months.

Gordon Black, the U.S. soldier, Alsu Kurmasheva, the dual Russian-U.S. journalist, the dual Russian-U.S. ballerina. There have been a number of cases.

Now the U.S. government for their part has put forward what they describe as a substantial and serious proposal to bring being home both Paul and Evan to the Russians.

To this point the Russians have not accepted that proposal. We don't even know if they've actually seriously considered it.

And during all of this trial, Paul is in this remote Russian penal colony about a day's drive from Moscow. And he described the conditions there as just incredibly grim. He works in a clothing factory there, Omar.

This is what else he told me about his time there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHELAN: everything is dusty and dirty and nasty. And, you know, you do everything you can just stay cool and just to stay clean.

[17:04:47]

WHELAN: The food we're served is horrible, and we really do rely on personal purchases to stay healthy. Medical care is nil. There is no dental care at all.

It's, you know, it's the worst environment you can imagine. I mean, it's unbelievable that anyone could even consider this human rights.

It's nothing that you can get used to.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HANSLER: So this is just a really grim place that he has spent, had to spend years and years throughout his course of detention there in Russia.

JIMENEZ: No, I think he said it in plain terms in the conversation you had. You know, just last week, I was talking with a top hostage negotiator, Nobel Peace prize nominee, Mickey Bergen, who I -- Mickey Bergman, who I knew no that you know, as well, I want you to take a listen a little bit of what he said last week on this topic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICKEY BERGMAN, TOP HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR: The Russians are really -- they're professional diplomats, old school diplomacy with them.

They -- they have very clear intent to know exactly what they're going for. Very, very sharp.

And early on when we started working on prisoners, it was Paul Whelan. There was no Trevor Reed taken, there was no Brittney Griner taken, certainly not Evan Gershkovich and others that we have now.

And we figured out and we started talking to them, we realized that the Russians are very big on reciprocity and symmetry. And that is the big thing that drove and t if you look at the bills that were conducted, Trevor Reed for Konstantin Yaroshenko, Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout.

And there were opportunities to bring Paul Whelan. I actually discuss it in my book. I believe he was left behind four times on this. He can still come home and we need to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And I played that because I know that you've spoken to Paul Whelan multiple times, dozens, if about a dozen if I'm not mistaken. But one of the first time around when Brittney Griner was released and he was left behind in that sense.

What has been the evolution of the conversations you've had from maybe from the first time you spoke to him to now?

HANSLER: Well, that's been kind of a through line throughout the conversations Omar, is this sense that he was left behind in a number of these prisoner exchanges.

He didn't come home when Brittney came home. He didn't come home when Trevor Reed came home. And he feels that this is a problem that he has not been included in these negotiations.

Now, the U.S. government says Russia would not include him in these negotiate associations. Mickey makes the point that they're always looking for reciprocity, so they are looking for a spy for an alleged spy, which is what they allege Paul is. He has vehemently denied that. So he's had to adjust to that for sure. JIMENEZ: Yes. Jenny Hansler, really appreciate you being here. Thank

you for bringing us this report and really important perspective -- 2,000 days.

Really appreciate it.

HANSLER: Thanks.

JIMENEZ: All right. We're following other news as well.

Countdown is on for CNN's presidential debate, now just five days away. Incumbent President Joe Biden and his Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump are taking very different approaches to how they prepare for this high-stakes face-off at least as of late.

Sources from Trump's campaign, tell us the former president is taking maybe a less conventional approach, holding private and informal policy discussions with potential VP picks coming up with ways to answer questions about his criminal conviction and skipping mock debates altogether.

In fact, today, he's not even doing debate prep, at least for now. Instead, he's hitting the campaign trail, holding a rally in Philadelphia tonight.

And here he was just a few hours ago, courting Christian conservative voters at an event in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we do not answer to the bureaucrats in Washington. We answered to God in heaven. Who likes to 10 Commandments by the way, going up in the school?

But Christians cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. If Joe Biden gets back in Christianity will not be safe.

We have also achieved what the pro-life movement fought to get for 49 years and we've gotten abortion out of the federal government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, while Trump hits the campaign trail, President Biden is at Camp David with a close team of advisers poring over possible questions, holding mock debates, and focusing on how to best frame Trump as unfit for office.

So a lot to talk about here.

Joining us now to discuss is Betsy McCaughey, former lieutenant governor of New York, and a Trump supporter as well, I should mention. Also with us is former Obama administration official and CNN senior political commentator Van Jones.

All right. Look, we've got the debate in a few days here at this point. The big

the question Van, and I'll start with you is what does President Biden need to do on Thursday?

VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I mean, he's going up against a force of nature. He's going up against a grizzly bear, a hurricane, and a freight train at the same time. So just being able to stand his ground and deliver is a big part of it.

You couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. Nobody here could do it. Donald Trump is a force of nature.

So just to stand toe-to-toe with this guy for an hour-and-a-half however long it is and give as good as he gets is a win.

[17:09:51]

JONES: And you know, Trump has to knock him out. I mean Trump has got to do extraordinarily well because everybody expects him to.

Nobody expects Biden to, so it's really Trump's to mess up in my point of view.

JIMENEZ: And Betsy, I'll ask you the same question. I mean, what does the former president need to do? What are you looking for from him at the CNN debate?

BETSY MCCAUGHEY, FORMER NEW YORK LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Well, I want to compliment Van first because he wrote a terrific piece two days ago, emphasizing what high-stakes this debate is and it probably is one of the most high-stakes debate in presidential history.

I think to make this a fair debate, two things need to be done. I would suggest that the moderators ass both candidates, the same questions. They're both incumbents with records to defend.

And secondly, I would call on Judge Merchan to lift the gag order. So when the topic does turn to President Trump's conviction, he is free to explain why he believes that conviction is unjust, including his views of the judge and of the testimony at the trial because otherwise, it's not just that his rights are being deprived, that he's losing his First Amendment rights. But the voters are losing their right to hear from the candidate fully.

And if it's a close election and Trump loses by a sliver and then his conviction is overturned. Voters aren't going to get a second chance to go to the polls.

JIMENEZ: And I will say, you know, this is happening right before Trump's sentencing, which is scheduled to happen in July.

And he can still talk about the Justice Department at large and about the judge but it's specific people as well. But as you point out, it'll be interesting to see how he threads that line.

Van, a big part of Democrats strategy this November, we have seen and likely we'll see, will focus on abortion. And many activists believe that painting Trump as the reason why Roe v Wade was overturned. In which the anniversaries is in just a few days here and just ahead of the debate is going to be key.

And Trump today at a rally commented on just that. Take a listen real quick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I want to thank the six Supreme Court justices, thanks to these justices We have also achieved what the pro-life movement fought to get four 49 years and we've gotten abortion out of the federal government. Getting it back to the states, puts the question where it belongs with a vote of the people and over time, it will all work out. It's working out right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: So I guess Van, the question is, do you expect abortion politically to hold the same weight that it did in the immediate aftermath of when Dobbs was struck down?

JONES: It definitely will. And I'm happy to see Donald Trump just a hugging that cactus. You keep hugging that cactus, brother. That is the one issue that the American people have been increasingly appalled by the outcome of this.

You know, abstractly, -- oh, yes, I'm against abortion. But then when they hear about people who are going to die if they can't have this procedure, they hear about people being raped, people who've been, you know, victims of incest, who were being forced to have their rapist's kids you go, well, that's not what I wanted.

And so Donald Trump has to hug this cactus. It is the one issue that I think, especially for younger voters, will continue to be a primary motivator.

JIMENEZ: And Betsy, I'll just ask you on the other side of that. I mean, is it wrong for him to tout overturning abortion? Is he hugging a cactus here?

MCCAUGHEY: Well, I don't think he is, but -- and I'm a pro-choice Republican.

But I will say this. "The New York Times" reported just a couple love days ago that Donald Trump's lead among men is widening. But Biden's lead among women is not. It's shrinking and here's why.

As important as abortion rights are to many women, particularly suburban women, they're beginning to notice other things that are very important to them that Donald Trump is more focused on.

Of course inflation, they go to the supermarket and see the price of food, the price of gas.

But the other one is crime related to the border. In Latin America, there is a culture of wanton assault, rape, and murder of women. The United States -- the United Nations has called it femicide and has condemned several Latin American nations for allowing this to occur.

Now, it is being transferred across the southern border. You see rape trees and rape tents all the way along from the Northern Triangle and the Latin American countries to the Mexican border.

And now just in the last week, you've seen several gruesome crimes. The rape of 11-year-old girl walking home from school in Queens, the murder of a 12-year-old girl in Texas, her body found floating down the river and a woman with five children murdered -- all by these migrants.

[17:14:50]

(CROSSTALK)

MCCAUGHEY: Women care about that.

JIMENEZ: I want to step in really quickly. I don't want to take away from the seriousness of those events, obviously. Obviously those are tragedies and I know what you're talking about, the U.N. designating that part of the world as having issues with femicide.

We also see that issue across the world in various regions. And while these crimes are happening I don't know that we've seen them happen at a rate higher than U.S. citizens committing crimes at this point.

That does not take away from the seriousness of what we're talking about. And Van, I use that framing to pose a question to you. It's that obviously immigration and concerns about security -- security at the border are very real for the voting population here.

And I just wonder, how do you think Biden has handled this? And do you think this will hurt him politically, how he's handled it so far to this point?

JONES: Well, right now people who're concerned about immigration trust Trump more than they trust Biden. So right now it's hurting him.

But the reality is that Biden is doing more and doing more in a balanced way despite the Republicans refusing to help him now.

The Republicans' strategy was to scream fire. As we just heard, it's terrible. It's terrible. All sort of horrible stuff is happening.

And then when it's time to pass the bill, refused to pass a bill to do anything about it because they like being able to tell these kind of horror stories.

And by the way, the vast majority of people who are locked up in this country for rape -- of American citizens are American citizens. The vast majority.

The vast majority of people in this country are locked up for murder and all of these crimes against American citizens are American citizens.

And so to paint this -- to say there's a culture. There is not a culture. There are some criminal elements who are running rough shod. There's no culture south of the border that celebrates rape and that's the kind of stuff I hope Republican scream that from the rooftops that the Republican, we got one right here that thinks that Latinos have some passion for crimes against women.

That is the kind of stuff actually pushes people toward Democrats and away from that party.

JIMENEZ: I have to leave it there -- we are out of time.

(CROSSTALK)

MCCAUGHEY: I would refer Van --

JIMENEZ: All right. Quickly go for it.

MCCAUGHEY: to the report of the United Nations on that topic. They are --

JONES: That's not a culture.

(CROSSTALK)

MCCAUGHEY: -- right-wing organization has pointed to these South American and Central American countries as fostering, tolerating --

JONES: You said culture.

MCCAUGHEY: -- a culture that demonizes and victimizes women and young girls --

(CROSSTALK)

JONES: You are misrepresenting that report.

MCCAUGHEY: But we should not be allowing migrants across the border--

(CROSSTALK)

JONES: You are misreferring that report and you are insulting people below the border.

MCCAUGHEY: -- who have a record of abusing women.

JONES: You are insulting people below the border. You're misrepresenting that report. And we can come back, talk about later on to watch it.

JIMENEZ: I'll leave it there. We will come back to that. We'll have you guys back. Well talk it out. But for now --

MCCAUGHEY: Nice to join you.

JIMENEZ: -- I appreciate your perspectives as always, Van Jones, Betsy McCaughey -- thanks for being here.

All right. That may have been a little bit of a preview because the CNN presidential debate is this Thursday, where some of these same issues are going to be discussed.

June 27th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern watch right here on CNN or stream on Max.

Still ahead for us here today, the Supreme Court makes a major ruling on a gun rights case. Justices uphold the law on preventing domestic violence abusers from accessing guns.

Plus is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s third party run for the White House, hurting President Biden Biden's reelection chances. How Democrats are intensifying efforts to block RFK Jr. from ballots.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:18:13]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: All right. Welcome back.

The Supreme Court this week ruled to uphold a federal law making it a crime for domestic abusers to own guns. Now, Friday's 8 to 1 decision revealed that most of the conservatives on the court actually believe in some limitations to the Second Amendment. The only dissent came from Justice Clarence Thomas.

CNN's Paula Reid takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: A massive Supreme Court ruling on the Second Amendment, 8-to-1 the justices finding that the Second Amendment, like any other right does have limits.

Now here Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the majority opinion, said they quote, "had no trouble coming to this conclusion". And he really focused a lot on tradition and the history of the United States saying quote, "Our tradition of firearm regulation allows the government to disarm individuals who present a credible threat to the physical safety of others."

And a good portion of his opinion is spent analyzing the historical context of firearm regulation. And that is significant because two years ago the Supreme Court really expanded the definition of the Second Amendment and left the door open for a lot of additional challenges like this.

And here, the chief justice, he acknowledged that that has caused some confusion among the lower courts about exactly what they meant.

He writes, "Some courts have misunderstood the methodology of our recent Second Amendment cases." Now he says, the reach of the Second Amendment is not limited only to those arms that were in existence at the founding and then goes on to say that, of course, that any regulations or restrictions on gun ownership you don't necessarily need to find a twin regulation from the beginning or the founding of this country. But it has to be something that is relevant and similar.

[17:24:47]

REID: This is significant because during oral arguments in this case, at least one justice noted that domestic violence, which is what is at the core of this case, has not been treated the same way it is now throughout the history of the United States.

Now there was, of course, one dissent here, Justice Clarence Thomas writing for his dissent. "Yet in the interest of ensuring that government can regulate one subset of society today's decision puts at risk the Second Amendment rights of many more. I respectfully dissent."

Now looking forward, it is expected that the Supreme Court will see other challenges related to the Second Amendment because many justices, even though they all joined in to the majority, wrote their own concurrences, putting their own spin on exactly what it is that the majority opinion means and that of course will open the door for other challenges. Looking to really clarify exactly how far the Second Amendment extends.

They can look through this opinion, try to find a concurrence that matches their argument and try to bring their case back before the high court.

Paula Reid CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right.

Thank you, Paula.

Joining me now to discuss the ruling is Harry Litman, a former U.S. attorney and a former deputy assistant attorney general, who is now a legal affairs columnist for "The L.A Times" and the host of "The Talking Feds" podcast.

Harry, good to see you.

All right. I want to start with the Supreme Court ruling itself. Were you surprised at the 8-to-1 ruling here or was that along the lines of what you expected?

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Yes. I wasn't surprised. It would have been lunacy for the court to say, you can -- somebody who's been judged by a court to be a threat to a domestic -- someone he's domestically abused, can't have a gun denied from them.

but the court was in a corner of its own making because they'd said two years ago, you have to find this precise analogue and it just didn't exist in history because of the way we have treated though its been relatively recent to have treated domestic abuse victims that way.

Justice Thomas is the guy who wrote the opinion two years ago and he said, look, this is what we said then and it was consistent. So what they really had to do the other rate was back away from the strict kind of straightjacket they had put themselves in two years ago.

And they all did but in different ways that are going to be very interesting to play out over the next few years.

JIMENEZ: I want to talk about Donald Trump's classified documents case in Florida, because look, this week, Judge Aileen Cannon, she held really an hour's-long hearing on Trump's argument that Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel is unconstitutional and that he doesn't have the authority to bring the case.

Now, Cannon, as a reminder, was appointed by Trump but I think some look at this, the slow-walking, I guess is the word to use, of this case, the delays in this case as a way to delay the trial.

And I'm curious just from your perspective as a former U.S. attorney, how do you see the way that this case has played out so far?

LITMAN: It's hard not to see it that way. It's been slow walking and no walking. Today, the hearing you just referred to Omar as a good case in point. Every court has rejected this theory that she gave a whole day two and she has more of those coming.

And she not only indulges Trump's theories that don't have legal basis. But she then sort of puts things in moth balls and doesn't rule which is really significant because it would be that, that would give the DOJ and opportunity to go to the 11th circuit and not just challenge the ruling, but challenge her staying on the case.

So it really has been -- it's a very open and shut case of all of the four against them at the most and it would have been in the hand of up another judge, I think already a conviction at trial.

So it's been I think a real cost to the country that she's behaved in the way she has presiding over the case.

JIMENEZ: And so I guess then the question is, you don't see the way that this case has been run so far, you don't see any changes or foresee any changes in the future leading into the rest of this year and I guess resolving in any significant way before the election.

LITMAN: Not so long as Judge Cannon remains on the case and she's been careful not to give the DOJ and opportunity to oust her.

However, there's a motion before her now involving a gag order, and if she just doesn't rule on it, as has been her wont, I think the DOJ could say this is serious and its emergent and bring it up to the 11th circuit.

And there are indications that the circuit would be all too happy to recuse her and that her general treatment of the case has been a bit of a black eye for everyone in that circuit.

[17:29:48]

LITMAN: So it would I think -- absent her being removed from the case, it couldn't happen and even if she is we're just about at the time where putting a new judge in, getting that judge up to speed is probably too late for a trial before November.

JIMENEZ: And as a reminder, this is just one of the multiple cases being levied against the former president and in multiple jurisdictions.

But, Harry Litman, really appreciate you bringing the perspective on this one.

LITMAN: Thanks for having me, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right, still ahead, Democrats are ramping up efforts to block RFK Jr from appearing on ballots across the nation. How the third-party run could impact the election.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Democrats are ramping up their efforts to halt and fight back against RFK Jr's bid for the White House.

[17:35:02]

But Donald Trump says, he's not so sure Kennedy's campaign is hurting Biden's reelection chances.

CNN's Eva McKend has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT KENNEDY JR., (I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The DNC has done everything in their power to stop us and they'll continue to do that.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushes to gain ballot access in all 50 states, Democrats are ramping up their efforts to block him by filing legal challenges across the country.

RAMSEY REID, CAMPAIGN MANGER, THIRD-PARTY TEAM, DNC: There are a couple of filings that he put in in Delaware.

MCKEND: More than a dozen attorneys representing the Democratic National Committee are engaged in an aggressive campaign to keep Kennedy off the ballot.

REID: We have a nationwide legal team that goes state-by-state to hold him accountable, to make sure that he's playing by the rules, and that he's following the same set of rules that everyone else is to get on the ballot.

MCKEND: While outside groups like the pro-Biden Clear Choice PAC launches separate legal campaigning against Kennedy.

Democrats alleged the Kennedy campaign misleads voters by concealing Kennedy's name when gathering ballot petition signatures, improperly formed a minor party in North Carolina, and made procedural errors in five states.

And new today, the DNC is asking Delaware officials to block Kennedy's ballot access.

REID: They didn't file it on time. They didn't file basic electors' paperwork.

MCKEND: It's all part of a broader political strategy the Democrats are pushing in hopes of keeping the voters who backed President Biden in 2020 but may consider Kennedy come November.

Kennedy says he will overcome these efforts, which he dismisses as frivolous.

KENNEDY: Every case that we brought to court, we've won easily and will continue to.

MCKEND: Kennedy won in Hawaii after Democrats objected there. He's on the ballot in seven states and has submitted paperwork in over a dozen more.

And they're lawyered up, too, successfully pushing back petition deadlines, including in Utah, where Kennedy has qualified in the Beehive State.

Biden allies maintain they're engaged in a fair fight.

(on camera): What do you make of this argument that Kennedy should be challenged on policy alone? That if you have a policy dispute with him as Democrats, fine, but that keeping him off the ballot is unfair?

MATT BENNET, EVP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, THIRD WAY: What about that is unfair? We are not keeping him off the ballot by force of arms. We're keeping him off the ballot by rule of law.

And the first mission of a third-party candidate campaign is to get your candidate on the ballot. If you think you could do that, well, go ahead and try.

MCKEND (voice-over): Eva McKend, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right. Still ahead, a gunman opens fire at an Arkansas grocery store. Three people are dead and 10 are wounded. We have new details about one of the victims just ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:42:38]

JIMENEZ: All right, just in, were learning the name of one of the people killed in yesterday's mass shooting at an Arkansas grocery store. Three people are dead and 10 others injured.

This is 63-year-old hold Shirley K. Taylor, who was identified moments ago by her daughter.

Shots rang out at the grocery store around 11:30 in the morning local time sending shoppers running for cover.

CNN correspondent, Rafael Romo, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Omar, it was just before noon when the shots rang out. The shooting happened at the Mad Butcher, a supermarket in Fordyce, Arkansas, a town of some 3,700 people located about an hour south of Little Rock.

The first 911 calls came in at 11:38 in the morning. According to officials, law enforcement responded immediately in an exchange of gunfire with the lone suspect, identified at 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey.

Arkansas's public safety secretary, Mike Hagar, said that the suspect was shot and taken into custody Hagar also said that three people were killed and 10 others wounded, including two police officers who were injured in the shootout with the assailant.

He added that both the officers and the suspect are expected to survive. The injuries to the civilians range from non-life threatening to extremely critical.

Witnesses like twin sisters, Amaya and Ashia Doherty, described the terrifying scene at the supermarket.

ASHIA DOHERTY, SHOOTING WITNESS: Was a man shooting. They're shooting everywhere. And my mom was in a store. I was worried. I thought they kill her when she came out and I'm glad she's alive.

AMIYA DOHERTY, SHOOTING WITNESS: And I just prayed and I was really scary. Like, I will never think that will happen in Fordyce like that. That's real scary. And I pray for the man k too, you know, because something had to trigger him to do that.

ROMO: Local officials said the entire community is shocked about the shooting that happened in broad daylight when people were buying their groceries and getting for lunch.

RODERICK ROGERS, FORDYCE CITY COUNCILMAN: This is very devastating. It's been years since we think something like this would happen. There's a lot of families involved as affected. But let's continue to pray for them. ROMO: Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders reacted to the shooting in a post on X saying, "I'm thankful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives. My prayers are with the victims and all those impacted by this horrific incident."

According to authorities, Posey, the suspect, will be charged with three counts of capital murder, with additional charges pending.

[17:45:00]

At least 234 mass shootings have taken place in the United States in 2024, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.

Omar, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: All right. Thank you. Rafael.

Still ahead for us, they provide both incredible images and major safety concerns for those who live nearby. We're going to take you inside the growing effort to harness the violent power of volcanic eruptions.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:17]

JIMENEZ: The Seine River in Paris, France, might be a beautiful tourist attraction -- I would say it is -- but swimming inside of it, maybe not so much.

The river has been banned to swimming in it at least for more than 100 years due to its high levels of e. Coli bacteria.

Now, French officials are scrambling to ensure the water is actually safe enough to swim in before the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. The clock is ticking.

CNN's Derek Van Dam has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The race is on to clean up the crown jewel of the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. We're talking about the River Seine, where this iconic river will host the swimming portion of the triathlon and also the opening ceremonies.

Of course, this is the first time that opening ceremonies in Olympic history have ever taken place outside of an Olympic stadium. So that's saying something. But this isn't a race that's has to do with sports. It actually has to do with cleaning up pollution levels, namely e. Coli, which have been too dangerously high for the athletes to actually swim in the river.

We know that this has a lot to do with the rain that has fallen in France. In fact, anywhere across the country of France, we've had roughly between 120 percent to 200 percent above average rainfall over the past three months.

And of course, that seeps down into the local estuaries, streams and eventually into the River Seine. And that can bring along certain pollutants with it as well.

Now, despite authorities' best efforts, they've thrown $1.5 billion U.S. to help clean the River Seine for the upcoming Olympic games. But there are still reports of dangerously high e. Coli levels.

Now, I asked some of the local residents and tourists on the street -- this is in the Trocadero (ph) leading up to the Eiffel Tower -- whether or not they would swim in the river -- the river themselves.

Have a listen to what they said.

VAN DAM: Some of the swimming events actually occur on the River Seine. Would you swim in that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not a chance.

VAN DAM: So that's a hard pass?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

VAN DAM: Now swimming has been banned on the River Seine for over 100 years.

So it's going to be nothing short of a miracle for the river to be cleaned up enough to where it is considered safe for these athletes to compete.

Well, time will tell. And we're on bated breath whether or not this will happen.

Of course, the clock is ticking and we are quickly approaching the games. So we certainly see that the race is on to clean up the River Seine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: We will see.

Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

Still ahead, we are now just five days away from the first presidential debate of 2024 between President Biden and former President Trump. Both candidates getting ready for the upcoming showdown that will air right here on CNN. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

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[17:57:55]

JIMENEZ: Iceland's highly active volcanoes could one day provide clean energy to hundreds of millions of people. And that's because scientists are finding new ways to harness all that power.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The awesome power of nature on full display in southwest Iceland.

The Reykjanes Peninsula, close to the capital, suffering a string of violent volcanic eruptions in the past years. Iceland's massive activity both a burden and a blessing for those who live here.

The town of Grindavik, close to the eruption site, evacuated. A fissure running right through the streets and the houses.

Klara Halldorsdottir, one of the more than 3,000 residents evacuated last November, says she's had enough and will never move back.

KLARA HALLDORSDOTTIR, FORMER GRINDAVIK RESIDENT: I get goosebumps when I talk about it because it was really, really strange. Just long lines of cars exiting town. It was like in a terrible movie or something.

PLEITGEN: When things appear to get more calm, a few months later, another violent eruption occurs as the Reykjanes Peninsula seems to have entered into a period of high volcanic activity that could last months, years or even centuries, experts say.

Keeping the specialists at Iceland's Meteorological Office tasked with predicting eruptions busy round the clock.

SARA BARSOTTI, ICELANDIC METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE: The GPS station, they're telling us if the ground is changing, it is forming, we are maintaining the geochemical monitoring that is telling us which are the kind of gases that are leaving the volcanoes.

PLEITGEN: While volcanoes often have an impact on life here in Iceland, the Icelanders have found ways to harness the power of our violent earth.

Geothermal power plants, feeding off the heat, providing emission-free energy in abundance and leading companies from around the world to move energy-intensive manufacturing, like aluminum production, to Iceland.

Our team traveled all the way to the northeast of Iceland to the Krafla Geothermal Plant. When drilling a new bore hole here at Krafla, they accidentally hit a

shallow magma chamber and now are working on harnessing the Earth's energy almost directly from the extremely hot magma.