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Biden & Trump to Face Off in CNN Debate on June 27; Israel Minister to Meet with U.S. Officials in Washington; Hajj Pilgrims Describe Conditions as Death Toll Mounts; FDA Authorizes First Menthol E-Cigarettes. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired June 23, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:37]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Less than a week until the first debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and they're each taking a very different approach to prepping, we'll have a look at their strategies.

American pilgrims among the dead in Mecca, as thousands face record heat temperatures during the annual Hajj. We'll hear from a traveler who spent days in the sweltering heat.

Plus, four menthol vaping products are set to hit the shelves following a controversial decision from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, why some groups are concerned about the risk for young people.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Well, we're four days away from the CNN Presidential Debate, while U.S. President Joe Biden continues to prepare, his challenger Donald Trump hit the campaign trail on Saturday with back- to-back events. The Republican addressed Thursday's showdown at his campaign stop in Philadelphia before teasing his V.P. pick. He said he'll announce the name at the Republican National Convention next month.

Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We have a lot of people coming. There's a lot of interest, tremendous interest in the debate. And, you know, when you say prep, I think this is prepping. These people know better than anybody what they want, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you decided with your vice president pick?

TRUMP: In my mind, yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do they know?

TRUMP: No, nobody knows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: In the meantime, it's mock debates and briefing binders for the president as he huddles with advisers at Camp David. Here's CNN's Kevin Liptak with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Biden has now spent two full days at Camp David in this intensive preparation for the first presidential debate on Thursday. The way officials describe this going is it will begin with some informal discussions among his aides, looking through these binders that his team has prepared that sort of crystallize the policy differences between himself and former President Trump. It has some potential questions, some potential answers.

His team will sort of bat those around, discuss potential retorts, zingers, responses to what they fully expect will be a barrage of attacks from Trump over the course of this debate, both on President Biden's policy, but also on his fitness for office and even on his family. And certainly they want to be ready for anything that Trump throws in their direction.

Eventually, this preparation will culminate in mock debates, you know, these 90-minute sessions behind a podium as if the debate were really happening. And it has been interesting that we have heard from Bob Bauer. He's the president's personal attorney who actually played Trump in these mock debates back in 2020. He has described getting into that character in preparation for these practice sessions.

Listen to what he said.

BOB BAUER, JOE BIDEN'S PERSONAL LAWYER: Whenever you do this, you want to strike a balance between trying to approximate the experience, but it's not an opportunity for theatrics. That's a distraction. So you want to find some balance between recreating the experience and not attempting to, if you will, audition for Saturday Night Live.

LIPTAK: So you hear Bob Bauer there describing less of an impersonation, more of a character study as they work to get Biden prepared for whatever may come his way from Trump. Now, Bauer is just one of quite a large team of advisers who will be at Camp David this week participating in the preparatory sessions. It's all being led by Ron Klain, who is President Biden's former Chief of Staff. But perhaps more importantly, he is the most seasoned Democratic debate coach. He has done this for President Obama. He did it for Hillary Clinton as well.

And he is coming into this sort of with the frame of reference, historical reference for how these debate preparations will go. The President also has senior members of his team who have been with him for a long time, people like Mike Donilon, Anita Dunn, the messaging gurus at the White House and campaign. He has policy advisers like Bruce Reed and Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, and then senior members from his campaign, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Cedric Richmond, people who have been with the President for a while, but also some new faces like Quentin Fulks, Michael Tyler, Rob Flaherty, trying to bring as much perspective to this debate preparation as they can.

[05:05:12]

Now, ordinarily, presidents, when they're at Camp David, like to get outside a little bit. The weather this weekend there is very hot, high of 98 degrees on Saturday. So I think those preparations will likely be transpiring indoors, but certainly very intensive for the next several days.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now, during the 90-minute debate, microphones will be muted, except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak, while no pre-written notes will be allowed. Trump and Biden will be given a pen, paper and a bottle of water.

Earlier, CNN spoke with one presidential debate expert about how these rules shape the dynamics of this matchup, where there's no live audience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN SCHROEDER, AUTHOR, "PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES: RISKY BUSINESS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL": I think the visuals of this debate will look pretty familiar and incomparable to past debates. But I think it gives Biden, certainly, he's the one that didn't want the live audience, it gives him a kind of a comfort factor in knowing that he doesn't have to worry about, you know, Trump enthusiasts sort of interrupting or being too boisterous for his liking.

But yeah, definitely the mic being off when the person -- when that person is not speaking, that's something new. And, of course, that's an outgrowth of the 2020 debates, when Trump really was speaking over the moderators, over Biden. And so it's an attempt to really control that.

They both have negative perceptions that they're going to attempt to overcome in the debate. And, you know, each one is going to try to bring those negative perceptions about the other to the forefront during the program. But, you know, it's really a great opportunity. It's really a great chance before tens of millions of viewers to kind of give people a chance to look at you freshly and a chance to look at you in a new light. And particularly those voters who don't pay regular daily attention to politics. That's who this debate is really aimed at.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And tune in to the Presidential Debate right here on CNN on Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern time. And we'll replay the candidates face off in its entirety a couple of times. You can watch it on Friday, June 28th at 7 a.m. London time, 2:00 in the afternoon in Hong Kong, or 12 hours later at 7:00 in the evening in London or 10 p.m. in Abu Dhabi.

52 people were killed or are missing after Israeli strikes near Gaza City on Saturday. Now, those numbers come from the Hamas-controlled Gaza government media office. This here is the aftermath of a strike on a residential block in the Al-Shati refugee camp.

The Israeli military says its jets struck Hamas military infrastructure in the area. A rescue worker told CNN the airstrike felt like an earthquake.

Protesters were on the streets of various Israeli cities on Saturday. In Tel Aviv, the demonstrators called for a hostage deal and early elections. Many want Benjamin Netanyahu removed from power.

In Tel Aviv's hostage square, thousands gathered to mark hostage Naama Levy's 20th birthday. She's one of more than 100 people Hamas abducted on October 7th and is still holding.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is reiterating the importance of Israel's relations with the U.S. He's about to travel to Washington to meet with senior officials.

CNN's Elliott Gotkine joins us now from London with more.

So, Elliott, Israel's Defense Minister heads to Washington in the context of not just the war on Hamas, but also with the conflict with Hezbollah heating up.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Very much so, Kim. Plenty for him to discuss in what's going to be a packed agenda. He's got meetings set up with his U.S. counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and also Amos Hochstein, who is the U.S. special envoy to the region and who's been in Israel and Lebanon this week to try to de-escalate tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

Now, before he boarded the plane last night Israel time, he addressed reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOAV GALLANT, ISRAEL MINISTER OF DEFENSE (through translator): During these meetings, I plan to discuss developments on the southern and northern fronts in Gaza and Lebanon. These discussions are particularly important and impactful at this time. We are prepared for any action that may be required in Gaza, Lebanon, and in additional areas.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GOTKINE: So, I think, overall, there are really three things that are going to be on Gallant's agenda. First, of course, the war in Gaza and perhaps moving to the next phase of the war between Israel and Hamas in the enclave. They'll also be discussing, as you say, rising tensions where things have been heating up, literally and metaphorically, militarily, between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran- backed militia in southern Lebanon.

[05:10:02]

There have been daily strikes between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah started firing on Israel on October the 8th, the day after the Hamas- led terrorist attacks inside Israel, to show its support for Hamas.

Now, there was a week-long lull when there was that truce between Israel and Hamas. But so long as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is continuing, Hezbollah says that it will continue this kind of low-level conflict with Israel.

But there are, of course, very real risks of all-out war. Indeed, Yoav Gallant himself has warned that were all-out war to break out, that Lebanon would effectively be bombed back to, in his words, the Stone Age. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah just this week, saying that nowhere in Israel would be safe in the event of an outright war, indeed threatening also Cyprus, from his point of view, Cyprus support -- if Cyprus were to support Israel by use of its airports or other facilities in the event of war.

And you even got the U.N. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, warning that just one rash move, in his words, from Israel or Hezbollah could result, in his words, in catastrophe, so very much trying to de- escalate tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

And I suppose the third item, which Gallant didn't refer to, is the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel. Now, earlier this week, we had the very rare occurrence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu putting out a video in English publicly criticizing the United States for what he described effectively as its less-than-full-throated support for Israel and its war with Gaza.

There's also been mention, of course, of this freeze of one weapons shipment. The U.S. responded by saying it was kind of disappointed with what Netanyahu said and didn't really know what he was talking about. What Netanyahu may be calculating is not really playing to his base in Israel here, but effectively playing to the U.S. base, because he may, in his eyes, feel that President Trump is likely to be re- elected in November and he'll be able to resume his bromance with Donald Trump, who had almost unwavering support for Israel during his last presidency. So he may take the view that offending the Biden administration isn't going to have any negative repercussions and, in fact, may actually have positive ones if it endears him further to a future President Donald Trump.

Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right, thanks so much. Elliott Gotkine in London, appreciate that.

And new controversy from the West Bank. The Israeli military says its troops drove a vehicle with a wounded Palestinian man tied to its hood. Now, you can see the video from the Red Cross -- from the Palestinian Red Crescent, rather. The group's crews say they were prevented from providing first aid to the man.

In a statement, the IDF says the wounded man was a suspect apprehended after an exchange of fire. The Israelis say the troops who did this violated orders and standard operating procedure. The man's current condition and identity is unknown.

Lawyers for a rapper sentenced to death in Iran are hailing what they call a victory for human rights. Toomaj Salehi uses his music and platform to criticize the Iranian regime. He was jailed for supporting protests that erupted after Mahsa Amini's death in police custody in 2022.

Iranian media report he was released, but then rearrested for, quote, "making false claims and spreading lies." Salehi was sentenced to death last month, but Iran's top court says that decision went too far. The rapper's case will now go back to a lower court for resentencing.

Well, the sweltering heat isn't letting up in the U.S. Just ahead, a latest forecast and who might finally get some relief.

Plus, hundreds die from extreme heat at this year's Hajj pilgrimage. What witnesses tell CNN about what happened at one of the world's largest religious gatherings. That's all ahead. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: While dangerous heatwave continues to bring record-breaking temperatures across the U.S., on Saturday, Washington, D.C., hit triple digits for the first time in eight years. And there's no sign of the heat letting up. The National Weather Service said temperatures in the upper 90s and even triple digits will be possible in the nation's capital this week.

More than 100 million people in the U.S., including those in major cities like New York and Philadelphia, are under heat alerts through the weekend. And large portions of the U.S. could experience record high temperatures this week.

CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa has the latest forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, a lot of the U.S. is going to be sweltering in heat as we go through the next couple of days. More than 80% of the lower 48, that's 250 million people, are looking at high temperatures over 90 degrees. We're looking at hundreds of records falling. More than 250 records

could fall. Both daytime highs and overnight lows. And it looks like we'll find even more records on the overnight as we really just get no relief even at night.

Temperatures on Sunday will swelter middle and upper 90s, 97 degrees in Little Rock. Triple digits possible in Oklahoma City. 99 in Dallas. 98 in Atlanta. 96 in Raleigh.

Temperatures in middle and upper 90s going up the I-95 corridor. 98 degrees, the forecast for Washington, D.C. It looks like we'll get up near 100 again on Sunday for places like Philly, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia. A lot of these places have not seen 100-degree temperatures in years.

As you take a look at the next couple of days after that, notice by Monday and Tuesday, temperatures do start to come down a little bit. Some middle and upper 80s. We'll find a cold front come through that will briefly bring some relief. Notice, though, some low 90s already sneaking in there by Tuesday.

So the heat risk will be major again from New York to D.C. down the I- 95 corridor into the Carolinas on Sunday. Then as we go into the work week, that heat dome will continue to linger and build. We'll find extreme impacts across a lot of the South.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Those are the death toll amounts from the scorching heat at this year's Hajj pilgrimage. Witnesses are describing what they say was poor infrastructure and organization at the event. They tell CNN there wasn't enough water, shade or medical support to protect them as temperatures climbed past 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

They also say worshippers lost consciousness and fell ill. CNN has reached out to Saudi authorities regarding the reportedly inadequate response and has yet to hear back.

[05:20:06]

The daughter of two Americans who died while on the pilgrimage both of her parents likely succumbed to the brutal heat. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADIA WURIE, BOTH PARENTS DIED DURING HAJJ PILGRIMAGE: Someone from the U.S. embassy did advise that natural causes could have been due to a heat stroke, which based on the temperature, people were saying it was over 110 degrees. There are millions of people. They have to walk long hours. So it was more than likely a heat stroke for both of my parents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: More than 500 people have been confirmed dead, while there are fears the death toll is well above a thousand. And joining me now is Zirrar Ali, a writer and photographer who went

on the Hajj pilgrimage with his 70-year-old father this year.

Thank you so much for joining us here. So first, just your reactions on the tragedy that happened. I mean, it was a lifetime dream for so many people. They saved up their whole lives for the opportunity, and far too many ended in tragedy. You were there. Share with us your experience of what that was like.

ZIRRAR ALI, WRITER AND PHOTOGRAPHER: Absolutely. Thank you for having me. I think it absolutely is a tragedy. It's something that I planned for my entire lifetime with my father.

And to see so many people unwell, to see so many people unconscious, it was shocking, and it absolutely impacts your spiritual journey. And I think what at the time was difficult to tell was if people were just resting, passed out, or actually dead.

And now that I've come back from my trip, and I'm reading the news, and I'm hearing exactly what's happened, it's definitely taken a toll on my mental state to see something that should have been a very special journey for so many have turned into a, you know, a grieving process. So it's been very difficult.

BRUNHUBER: I'm so sorry to hear that. I can't imagine what that would be like. I mean, you say you actually saw people who were either passed out or dead as you were walking by. Is that right?

ALI: Yeah, it's -- there wasn't enough places to rest, to find shade. And so, you know, you see people just sleeping under, you know, light lamps where there's a bit of shade, or under a tree, or even in trucks. And you just cannot tell.

And I was speaking to one of my friends today who's -- who told me that his -- his cousin passed away, and he laid dead for several hours before he was picked up by the ambulances. So it's not easy to tell when someone in that heat is sleeping, resting, or actually has passed out, or just died. And to see that with your own eyes, it's a very distressing visual, especially when there's so many people. Yeah.

BRUNHUBER: I mean, you spoke of ambulances there. One of the problems seems to be that there weren't enough medics to help all of the people who needed medical attention. Is that what you saw as well?

ALI: Yeah, absolutely. I think before I went, I had this idea that this is a very organized pilgrimage. Of course, it happens every year. So the organizers would have anticipated the heat, would have anticipated the numbers, and there would have been sufficient water and medics on site.

I did see medics in several places. But what I was shocked by was how unengaged the medics were. And so when I would see people passed out, I would see the medics, and I would just see absolutely nobody stepping in to help. It was almost given that there are so many people, we cannot help everybody, so we will not help anybody. And so I'm sure they did help many people. But in my experience, I saw medics, you know, away from the scenes and sitting in the ambulances and people taking care of themselves.

One touching thing that I noticed was that a lot of people were helping each other. So the pilgrims with water, with anything, any ways of cooling each other, were fanning each other or giving food or sugar, depending on what the person needed.

And so it really came down to us taking care of each other, which is part of the spiritual journey itself. But we expected medical support, and we didn't get that.

BRUNHUBER: I mean, you yourself completed the Hajj despite the heat, your father as well. But I mean, I guess we all experienced the heat very differently. I mean, just -- just, what did it feel like for you, that oppressive heat?

ALI: It's very difficult to tell. We don't get that kind of heat in Europe. And it's a dry heat, so it's very difficult to gauge exactly how hot it is. And so you don't actually end up feeling very thirsty. You think you're fine. And I think that's what -- that's where the heat stroke hits you. You don't drink enough water or enough hydrolytes, and you feel dizzy and confused.

I mean, I'm healthy, young, fit, and there were moments where I actually feared for my life. And I can't imagine what it must have been like for my father. So he's on a wheelchair, and so my main motive was to protect him at all costs. And so that itself was very, very difficult. And of course, I saw people who were aged, elderly, who had nobody to push them on a wheelchair, and they were walking.

[05:25:06]

And so I think without having that someone to take care of you, it's a very, very dangerous pilgrimage, as I've learned. And it's something that I'm telling people now, that if you do decide to go, it's something that we should have been warned about, prepared for, and we didn't get that support or warning from anybody before we went.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, well, let's talk about the future. I mean, the problem of the so-called illegal two operators. I mean, many of those who died were unregistered pilgrims, which meant they weren't able to access things like cooling facilities, air-conditioned tents, and so on.

Obviously, this is something they need to crack down on. I mean, the situation year on year is just likely to get worse. I know a Saudi study found that temperatures have gone up in Saudi Arabia and Mecca specifically, even faster than other places in the Northern Hemisphere. So with all of that, what more do you think authorities could have done and should do in the future to try and, you know, stop this from happening again?

ALI: Yeah, I think -- I think on the unregistered pilgrims, I think it's an unfair criticism. I think if you look at the history of the Hajj pilgrimage, it has never been the way it is run today. You always have people come who are not registered.

And this is a new front -- this is a new concept of being registered itself. So people are always going to come. You cannot neglect pilgrims because they've not registered. They didn't come through the official channels. Because, of course, I know people who came through the official channels. They still didn't get the support they needed. They didn't get food, water, shelter when they needed it.

I am a registered pilgrim. When I went, I didn't have accommodation for myself in some places. And so I considered sleeping outside. So this is not a question of unregistered versus registered. I think the problem is insufficient care for anybody and everybody.

And so as things get hotter and pilgrims continue to grow in numbers, which is what I think the organizers want, they want to increase some pilgrims, you have to take care of pilgrims regardless of their status. And when you're outside on the streets, it's in shambles. There's absolutely no cooling systems installed. They have some, but it does not provide enough cooling. And instead, what I saw were volunteers using hose pipes to cool pilgrims walking. And that's, you know, that's fine for a small street party.

But you cannot expect that for a pilgrimage which has 2 million-plus pilgrims every single year. So they have the means. They know what the issues are. And they need to invest in it. I mean, as simple as that.

Just one thing I'll add, to give them credit, a couple of years ago, we had issues with crowding and stampedes and people died. They've taken care of that. So it shows they have the means. They know when the issues are. They know how to fix them.

So I'm hoping in the future, now they've seen what the heat looks like, what it does to people, they address this, and we don't see a repeat of this in the future.

BRUNHUBER: Listen, you make some great points there. Really appreciate you sharing your very painful experiences. I wish you the best.

Writer and photographer Zirrar Ali in London. Thank you so much.

ALI: Thank you for having me.

BRUNHUBER: All right. When we come back, CNN's Presidential Debate is fast approaching. While Joe Biden crams with briefing books and practice sessions, Donald Trump makes waves on the campaign trail. That is next. Stay with us.

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[05:31:38]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

We are four days away from the first presidential debate of 2024 and it happens right here on CNN. While U.S. President Joe Biden continues to practice and cram with his advisers, his challenger Donald Trump hit the campaign trail on Saturday with back-to-back events. Before a rally in Philadelphia, Trump addressed Christian conservatives in Washington.

There he urged voters to guard their votes and made arguably dehumanizing remarks about migrants and fighting in a martial arts style. Meanwhile, the presidential candidate says he has picked his running mate. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you decided with your vice president pick?

TRUMP: In my mind, yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do they know?

TRUMP: No, nobody knows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: He has said he will announce his VP choice at the Republican National Convention next month.

Well, the economy is likely to be a big factor in the debate, but some are concerned that neither candidate is addressing one major issue. Right now, the U.S. national debt stands at a little under $35 trillion.

That comes out to more than $103,000 for every man, woman, and child in the country. Meanwhile, it's becoming tougher and tougher for Americans to carry on with their spending spree. Years of elevated inflation and the highest interest rates in almost a quarter century are wearing out the U.S. consumer.

Earlier, I spoke with Ryan Patel, Senior Fellow at Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. I asked him how worried should Americans be about the national debt. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: I've got to address the first thing about how to handle the debt, right? It's the national debt requires a bipartisan cooperation. So that's kind of why the consumers don't really see it because we've seen both parties having come together. You mentioned both Biden and Trump not really addressing it because they really can't do it alone.

I think when it comes to the average American, you know, if the debt continues to increase and the U.S. economy doesn't keep up with it, right? The whole point is that you make money, you spend money, right? You spend money to make investments, but if it slows down and there's a gap, then it puts economic pressures that are not being addressed and it leads to economic downturn. The consumer spending would reduce and it would lead to these kind of cycles where there's decrease in business revenue and interest rates are not helping.

And so it does play into the fact if the GDP of the U.S. can't keep up with that. And I think that's where, you know, why the focus probably on the conversation, Kim, is how to boost the economy where you can still have that type of debt.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, you mentioned I mean it's a bipartisan issue but neither party talking about it. I mean it seems, you know, so long ago now that we'd see heated debates over the debt. I mean you had those Republican, especially debt hawks, really fighting over the issue.

It doesn't -- doesn't seem to be anything that either party is really talking about. Do you think it'll come up during the -- the presidential debate?

PATEL: I don't think I'll come up with the presidential debate, but you know when it will come up, Kim? You and I talked about it every time we get to the budget deadline. Every time there's a deadline, we start talking about it because both parties try to do it, right?

There was the last one was the statutory cap and how much they can borrow, so there's a limit. Congress passed. Then you think of most of 2017, Trump's tax cut will expire around 2025.

[05:35:02]

So what does that mean? The conversation has to come. Do I hope that this conversation comes in the debate, Kim? I absolutely do, but it's a lot more multifaceted to -- for both of them to talk about it because it really needs both parties to come together because they both, as Congress, need to either increase the cap, and you and I know then the government shuts down if they don't really get to that cap because there's no money.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, unlikely that people are able to come together. It's so hard in Washington as we've seen. So speaking of debt, Americans themselves usually carry a huge amount of debt, but it seems as though they might be set to curb their spending this summer. Why is that?

PATEL: Yeah, I think we've seen the numbers. When you think of the CPI index, the big purchases are still -- they were there six months ago, but they're starting to slow down. I also think that shelter and housing and that rise of cost is rising, so people are choosing what they have, and there has been a drop in savings as well.

So when you put all that together, people start to kind of realize where should they put their money, although, you know, there's some other instances where travel's still up. So people are still spending money, but they're using their money in different aspects, and that hurts the big purchases where the U.S. economy and consumer spending, two-thirds of where the GDP comes from, it hurts that degree. So I think people are starting to feel that, and also interest rates are high, Kim.

So if you're carrying a credit card debt, it adds up really, really quickly. So people choose, hopefully, not wanting to take out more debt when the interest rate is this high.

BRUNHUBER: So is that a good thing, do you think, cutting personal debt and cutting overspending, or should we sort of see it as a cloud on the economic horizon?

PATEL: Well, there's two questions there. One, as a personal -- as a personal, you know, you obviously want to have more income and have less debt, but the second part of that question, which I think you're asking me, is that does make an impact on businesses, because businesses are waiting on a sign. Do they use the cash? Do they invest it? Do they hire? Do they grow?

This all plays an effect if there's not that stability of where the money should be going, and that, Kim, is the kind of crystal ball, why the Fed is so important, of saying, well, there's only going to be one Fed increase this year, so that keeps me, interest rates are going to be still higher. And what does that growth look like, then, Kim, next year? Does it grow faster, or is it still slowly and steady? And that does make an impact when it comes to the markets, the people, and you and me.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, all right. So listen, you talked about the crystal ball, big picture, what kind of economy are we looking at, then, as we sort of round the corner to the elections? I mean, polls show that economy is the number one issue for voters, and to some extent, how the economy is doing may decide the presidency.

PATEL: Well, I think the numbers will, the facts will be behind it, that the economy will be growing. But Kim, there's a second piece to this. How are people feeling when they vote, right? Do they see prices raising? Do those kind of things, even though the economy could be doing well, but because certain ecosystems can't feel it, you know, what have you done for me lately? That will be the big question coming into November, unfortunately.

So regardless of what you've done the last couple years, it's going to be how are you feeling at that moment, and we're starting to feel some of that tension coming through the summer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And tune in to see the CNN Presidential Debate right here, of course, on CNN coming up June 27 at 9 p.m. Eastern, and we'll replay the debate in its entirety a couple of different times. You can watch it at 7 a.m. London, 2 p.m. Hong Kong, or 12 hours later at 7 p.m. in London, or 10 pm in Abu Dhabi.

A disturbing crime outside Dallas, Texas, where a woman is accused of making racist statements and trying to kill a toddler. Police charged Elizabeth Wolf with attempted capital murder and injury to a child after they say she tried to drown a three-year-old at an apartment complex swimming pool.

According to a press relief, Wolf had been asking the mother where she was from. Wolf then tried grabbing the woman's six-year-old son who got away before grabbing her three-year-old daughter and forcing her underwater.

Police say Wolf made racially insensitive comments about the mother not being an American. Both children have been cleared by medical personnel.

Police in Arkansas say a fourth person has died after a mass shooting in a grocery store on Friday. Nine others were wounded, including two police officers in the small town of Fordyce. The daughter of 63-year- old Shirley Kay Taylor says their family is completely lost after her death. She told CNN that Taylor was a great person and the hardest working woman she knew.

The alleged gunman was injured in a shootout with police and taken into custody. Prosecutors say he's set to appear in court on Monday.

All right, still to come, anti-tobacco groups in the U.S. are outraged after a major decision from the FDA approves a new kind of electronic cigarette. We'll break it down next. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: For the first time ever, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized four menthol products for electronic cigarettes. Until now, only tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products were cleared by the agency. Anti-tobacco groups are slamming the decision, calling it, quote, "a blow to public health."

The FDA says evidence shows that the vapes made by NJOY could help adult smokers switch to a less harmful product, but the agency adds this doesn't mean they're safe or FDA approved. According to the agency's own statistics, teens and young adults are more likely to use flavored e-cigarettes than adults.

For more context, I want to bring in Dr. Divay Chandra in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And he's the Director of the Electronic Cigarette Research Initiative and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Thank you so much for joining us. So, the case that the FDA made to authorize this, that offering more options for smokers who are trying to get off cigarettes could be extremely beneficial. Is there research to back that up?

DR. DIVAY CHANDRA, DIRECTOR, ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE RESEARCH INITIATIVE: So, you know, the way the FDA makes these decisions is based on applications that are submitted by the manufacturer.

Now, you and I don't have access to all of that information, but they say that they are following the science, they're looking at the data, and they have done a scientific review, and they feel convinced that the net effect will be beneficial. They do acknowledge that there may be young adults who may be more likely to use menthol flavored products. So they say they're aware of the risks, but they say in total, you know, this approval will be beneficial. So that's their -- that's their stand on this issue.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I'm wondering if you're convinced. I mean, many experts argue no nicotine products are good, that the government's just basically adding something else that's harmful, which you know well from your research, right? You compiled a database of harm that's been done by e-cigarettes.

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CHANDRA: Yes. So, you know, I think to understand this question, we have to look at both sides of the debate, right? So the -- the people who support, you know, making electronic cigarettes available to the general public say, look, you know, 500,000 people in the U.S. die every year prematurely from conventional cigarettes. You know, we need to do something about this.

So the idea is that we provide these individuals with this quote- unquote, "safer cigarette," which is the electronic cigarette. We wean them away from combustion cigarettes or traditional cigarettes, and thereby, you know, we reduce mortality from tobacco, right? And in order to do this, you need to make these products widely available.

So that's kind of one side of the lobby. You know, the other side of the lobby says, well, you know, if you make these products widely available, you know, kids who are in high school, you know, there's a vape shop, there's the societal pressure, you know, nicotine is very addictive. We are just going to propagate nicotine addiction.

And these individuals will vape for decades, you know, and we have no idea what's going to happen to their lungs. So those are the two sides of the aisle. You know, like you had summarized very nicely earlier, approving tobacco-flavored products has been quite palatable because, you know, traditional cigarettes are tobacco-flavored, right? And tobacco flavor does not appeal to youth. Menthol is slightly different. So that's why, you know, the controversy is occurring.

BRUNHUBER: So what does happen to the lungs then? You know, we're aware of all the pictures and so on. We're all shown in school a lung that's, you know, if you're a smoker. But what about vaping?

CHANDRA: Yes. So, you know, the data on vaping is more limited because it's a newer device. But I think most experts agree that there is -- there's conclusive evidence that compared to not vaping, vaping is harmful, OK, particularly in terms of asthma symptoms, also in terms of susceptibility of the lungs to infection like pneumonia.

So I think, you know, everybody will agree or 90% of people will agree that it is conclusive that vaping is harmful.

The only justification for releasing these products is that maybe people who are using something even more harmful, you know, which is traditional cigarettes will be weaned away from the traditional cigarettes and will use electronic cigarettes. So, you know, it's this harm -- this concept of harm reduction. You know, you're reducing harm from traditional cigarettes. So clearly they are harmful. But as a society will be, you know, have

net benefit from these products becoming available. I think time will tell. It's very controversial.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Time will tell. Researchers like you probably will -- will be looking into all of this. So we'll -- we'll have to see. I really appreciate having your expertise on this, Dr. Divay Chandra in Pennsylvania. Thank you so much.

CHANDRA: Happy to be here. Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Several crew members of the ship, the Dali, have left the U.S. for home after being stuck on the vessel for nearly three months. That's according to the ship's management company. You may remember the Dali lost power in Baltimore Harbor in March and crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six construction workers.

There were 20 Indian nationals and one person from Sri Lanka in the crew, and they had to stay on board during the investigation. The Dali is set to leave Baltimore on Monday for Norfolk, Virginia, and get extensive repairs. An official said the remaining crew members will be moved to hotels or apartments. It's not clear how much longer they'll have to stay in the U.S.

And we'll be right back.

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BRUNHUBER: All right turn to sports, EURO 2024 in Germany, Portugal is the third country to punch a ticket to the knockout stage and the round of 16. CNN Sports Correspondent Carolyn Manno is with me now.

And Carolyn, the man still unbelievably at the center of it all, despite his age, Cristiano Ronaldo.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: You're right. There's no doubt that he is one of the all-time greats. At 39 years old, to still command so much attention from opponents is just a testament to how he remains at the top of this game. Not only does he get attention from opposing teams, of course, but also fans. This is a youngster running onto the pitch just before kickoff to try and snap a selfie. Ronaldo kindly obliging there, but after that it was all business.

Portugal already up 1-0, less than a half hour in. When the Turkish defender making a terrible mistake, never checking to see if his keeper's ready. He wasn't. And then early in the second half, Ronaldo still goalless, but more than happy to share the wealth. Bruno Fernandes tallying his eighth career assist at the Euros. The most all-time as Portugal get the 3-0 win.

Looking ahead, Sunday is decision day for Group A. Germany are already in the last 16. And if Switzerland draw the hosts, it would also secure their spot in the knockouts. It's been a really fun tournament so far. Across the Atlantic, Mexico kicking off its Copa America campaign in

Houston with a 1-0 win over Jamaica. But they suffered an even greater loss. Their captain, Edson Alvarez, going down in agony early in the first half, grabbing his left leg. The West Ham man was in tears as he was helped off the pitch, leaving many to wonder whether his tournament is over less than 30 minutes after it began.

Mexico coach Jaime Lozano saying the team will re-evaluate him in a couple of days, but that he's not willing to risk further injury. Tough scenes there.

Meantime, another day, another shocking upset at the T20 Men's World Cup. Afghanistan with a stunning 21-run victory over the previously undefeated Australia. Their first ever win against the cricket powerhouse, giving the Afghans a real shot here at making the semifinals with one match left in the Super 8s, while also casting doubt over the Aussies' chance at the final four. Incredible.

And Sha'Carri Richardson is one of the most electric personalities on the track. And now the 2023 World Champion has qualified for this summer's Olympic Games. The Dallas native winning the women's 100- meter event at the U.S. Olympic Trials Saturday night. She also, by the way, ran a season-best 10.71 seconds, which is the fastest time in the world so far this year.

[05:55:04]

And this is the latest chapter in a very redemptive story for Richardson, who missed a chance to compete in the Tokyo Games after testing positive for marijuana after those trials. She later acknowledged she was using the drug to help cope with the passing of her biological mother. And after last night's win, she went up into the stands to find and embrace her grandmother who raised her.

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SHA'CARRI RICHARDSON, TEAM USA SPRINTER: I feel honored. I feel everything, every chapter I've been through in my life designed to prepare me for this moment, to stand next to these amazing women that I'm standing here with, that I have the pleasure of training with. And it's a full-circle moment, but I'm very appreciative. And I cannot wait to go to Paris and represent.

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MANNO: Richardson training partners and fellow Americans Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry also heading to Paris. Kim, you saw them there. Really impressive performance from all three of them. And for Richardson, now she begins to write this latest chapter as she has qualified and is heading to Paris.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, a chapter and a great story. I really appreciate that, Carolyn Manno. Thank you so much.

Prince William celebrated his 42nd birthday with a pop royalty at Taylor Swift's show Friday night. The prince was spotted busting a move there. So, in this clip captured by one concertgoer, William seen letting loose in the stands, dancing along to the hit Shake It Off, shaking his stuff there. After the show, the megastar snapped a selfie backstage with William and two of his children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The royals also posed for a selfie with Swift and her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce. This was the first of eight shows Swift is performing at Wembley Stadium.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

For viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next. For those of you watching overseas, it's "Quest's World Of Wonder."

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