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Polls Close In Historic French Election As Far Right Makes Bid For Power; U.S. Military Bases In Europe On Heightened Alert; Key Allies Back Biden Reelection Run After Debate; Macron On Course To Lose Big To Far-Right Party In First Round Of French Parliamentary Elections; Hurricane Beryl Now An Extremely Dangerous Category 4 Hurricane; Noah Lyles Shines In Olympic Track And Field Trials. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 30, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:39]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Decision Day. The U.S. Supreme Court poised to rule tomorrow on whether former President Donald Trump should be shielded from criminal liability.

Plus, soothing the nerves. Democratic-elected official out in force today, firming up their support for the president and insisting Biden should stay in the race.

And breaking news, Hurricane Beryl now and extremely dangerous category 4 storm. The latest on the track and how its already breaking records.

Hello, everyone. And thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We've also got breaking news from France, where moments ago polls closed in the first round of historic parliamentary elections. The U.S. Is watching closely as one of its closest allies in Europe could see a dramatic shift to the far right.

President Emmanuel Macron shocking everyone when he threw the country into a snap election, just weeks before Paris is set to host the world for the Summer Olympic Games. Macron is gambling that a surprise vote will hold off a growing challenge from right-wing nationalist parties after they handed him a humiliating defeat in recent European elections.

CNN's Max Foster is live at the headquarters of the far-right National Rally Party and Jim Bittermann is outside the headquarters of President Macron's Renaissance Party.

So Jim, let me go to you first. French election officials say they're seeing the highest voter turnout in recent memory. So what's the readout?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in fact Fred, it is an exceptional election in every single way you can think of. The turnout was high, the amount of time that candidates had to campaign was very short indeed. The way President Macron exploded the traditional parties here.

And in fact, what's been happening here is exceptional as well. The results -- just to get back to the results for we know for the breaking news is that the National Rally Party came in with about 34.5 percent of the vote. They are -- it could get up to 280 seats in the National Assembly, the part of the parliament here. That's not quite enough to be a majority.

They in fact had started off coming in with a lot less than that about half of that. They've doubled the vote total, at least the number of seats that they have in the parliament.

But the exceptional thing here is that we thought and we were told that this is going to be where the prime minister was going to come out and speak. But just 15 minutes ago, we were told no. In fact, he's not going to speak here.

He's going to be moving over to the other side of the river, to his offices on Rue Matignon.

Anyway, it's been a very exceptional election and exceptional measures and we'll see what happens next round because in fact, what's going to happen between now and the next round is a question of horse-trading that's going to go on between the various candidates that had been elected.

Or in some -- in some of the districts, there'll be three candidates that will have crossed the finish line and those three candidates can start bargaining among themselves to see if one wants to step up for the others so you come down with two candidates at next week's election, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so Jim, is it considered a real defeat or loss from Macron because you just mentioned the National Party while they picked up seats are not likely to get the majority. So what does this mean for Macron?

BITTERMANN: Well, in fact it looks like it's going to be another hung parliament which is to say Macron is not going to be able to govern very easily for the next -- in the last three years of his presidency.

He called a special election hoping in fact that by throwing the cards up in the air, that maybe he would get some kind of a working relationship.

Now, with the number of seats as they've come down by the projections that we have right now, it does not look like it's going to be in his favor.

Looks like it's going to be a hung parliament. It's going to be what the French call (INAUDIBLE), which is to say governing with both sides of the political spectrum.

[14:04:50]

BITTERMANN: And it's a very awkward situation usually leads to gridlock. We've seen that before once or twice in French history, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jim Bittermann, thank you so much.

All right. Max Foster, you're at the National Rally Party headquarters. So what's the mood there? How are they deciphering this?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: So this is the headquarters of Marine Le Pen, who's obviously the doyenne of the party, and that group is in a different part of France and we're hearing Saskya, our producer telling us that actually there's a huge amount of celebration going on there right now.

You can't really underestimate what's happened here, Fredricka.

Emmanuel Macron, the centrist, has seen his vote potentially collapse. You've seen the left hold firm, and you've seen a surge not just in the right but in the far right. And you could have a situation where France, a key U.S. ally, a key ally to most western nations, had ending up with a 28-year-old far-right prime minister.

And it's a situation where the prime minister would have a huge amount of domestic control and there's this split as Jim was describing between what the presidency will run, the foreign policy, a lot of defense, and actually what's going to be run by the prime minister who forms the government?

So this is an extraordinary moment.

And when you talk about a hung parliament, you're talking about paralysis in the French system, one of the major economies in the world, a paralyzed parliament with three groupings that literally cannot work together.

So when Jim talks about what happens next being vital, you've got a situation where you're going to go into the next round of elections, you've got three major groups and they're going to have to decide what they're going to do.

Are they going to allow a split vote again? Or is Macron going to throw his support behind the left so they can take on the right? Or is the left going to throw support behind Macron?

It's an extraordinary situation and a big moment in geopolitics actually.

WHITFIELD: Max, is there any expectation that we might hear from some leadership representing the National Rally Party or even Le Pen if she kind of, you know, she is the head of that movement.

FOSTER: Well, because she's celebrating and I think she's penciled into a speech and in a few minutes, I think we'll expect to hear that. Then we're going to come here to here from the leader of the party. So we'll see potentially the next prime minister speaking ahead of the actual result.

These are just projections across. It's just the first round but because the figures are so stark, there's a trend there. And all of the different projections were pretty similar. So it looks pretty strong interest.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. It's very fascinating and complex. Max Foster, Jim Bittermann -- thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

And we'll be getting back to you there.

Meantime, let's get more analysis from the perspective of David Andelman. He's a CNN opinion columnist. He was also a foreign correspondent for CBS News, where he spent seven years reporting from Paris. And he's also the creator of "Andelman Unleashed".

All right. Good to see you as always. So I mean, wasn't this a gamble for Macron in the very beginning to have this snap election? And so now, early -- an early idea of the consequences. Was this the payoff that he was looking for? Was this his goal?

(CROSSTALKING)

DAVID ANDELMAN, CNN OPINION COLUMNIST: Thanks. Great to be with you, Fred, as usual.

You know, so this is -- it really was a gamble on his part. There's a great commentator who has been a friend of mine actually for 50 years now, Allan Duhamel (ph). He's on BFM Television. Just a little while ago, I was listening to him.

He said he's now 84-years-old and he said in his political life, going back more than half a century, he has never known a campaign this short and this sharply divided.

And it's right when BFM came on the air about two hours ago with the announcement that we know what would happen they said in two hours, we will know if we will be seeing a France of the left, of the right or absolutely "ingouvernable" (ph) ungovernable.

And my fear is that we might be in that position going forward. Look 34 percent for the far-right for Marine Le Pen's party that is not unlike a lot of the numbers that they put out in the first round going back to her father, who I first covered back around 1983 when he was just getting that whole movement beginning.

So you know, 34 percent in the first round does not translate to a majority in the second round. Far from it. So it'll be very interesting to see how these seats parse out. In my circumscription they call it -- my assemblyman space in Paris, (INAUDIBLE), In the second, it was 12 candidates on the ballot in the first round, 12. At the most there will be three probably two in the second round.

[14:09:46] ANDELMAN: All bets are off and (INAUDIBLE) France will be like that. So it's really difficult to really call this right now but if it turns out like it is now, France could very well be ungovernable and Macron does not have the right to call a new election for parliament for one year. And the word is that he's already actually out planning for that election a year from now where France will have a chance to see just how bad things are.

WHITFIELD: So we're stuck with this for now. So while you're -- you and I are talking David, Marine Le Pen, who is in northern France, is speaking to an audience there and of course, we're going to --

(CROSSTALKING)

ANDELMAN: I'm watching it.

WHITFIELD: -- the monitor what she's saying, and perhaps I can add to the conversation.

Oh, I'm being told that the mood there -- there's a huge celebration. People have been erupting in cheers, and you can see some of the, I guess, hands or flags waving right now in the forefront.

But when we get some real specificity of other things that she might be saying. We'll try to convey that as well.

So you know, David, Jim described that we're looking at perhaps potentially at least for the next year, this hung parliament. Obviously this can't be what Macron was looking for. But since this was a gamble for, from the very start I mean, there are certainly a lot of people who are wondering if he was trying to make some other statement here by offering this snap election.

What more is being said about out his real motivation here? Whether this would somewhere -- some way down the line help solidify his leadership. Certainly he didn't -- he wasn't looking for a result that would undermine it.

ANDELMAN: Right, absolutely. You know, a couple of weeks ago, I wrote on my CNN column that Macron is very smart. He's a very wily person and he really understand history -- especially that history of France.

And he could very well have been looking back to the time when Mitterrand, Francois Mitterrand, the first socialist president in modern France when he was elected. He brought four communists into the cabinet. The communists to Mitterrand was like the national front to Macron, way far out to the left and really kind of flaky.

And he brought them into the -- into parliament, they were a complete disaster and several years later they were gone and the communist party of France never again regained any of its force after that.

I think it's not impossible that as you know Macron is saying let's give the Front Nationale, the National Front -- let's give them a chance to run this thing and see how well they do. They've never won anything -- run anything in their lives. So he may very well be saying, this is my chance as Mitterrand once

told me. I hold my friends close and my enemies closer.

WHITFIELD: So possibly philosophy as you're saying, in other words Macron letting them show, demonstrate what they can do.

His thinking in perhaps they might fail and then enough said, back to perhaps his popularity.

ANDELMAN: He's hoping. He's hoping things --

(CROSSTALKING)

WHITFIELD: Yes. It's an interesting psychology and a heck of a gamble. We'll see how it all shapes up against -- again the first round completed. We'll see what happens next.

David Andelman, always a pleasure. Thank you so much.

ANDELMAN: Likewise, thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right.

We've got other breaking news as well. Several U.S. military bases across Europe are on heightened alert right now due to a potential terrorist threat. One of those bases is in Germany, where the U.S.- European command is headquartered. A U.S. official tells CNN they haven't seen this threat level in at least ten years.

Joining me right now from the Pentagon is CNN correspondent Oren Liebermann.

Oren, what's the latest? And you know, we're given this breaking news right up against the announcement of these French parliamentary elections. But there's no indication that these two are -- or there's a correlation here. So help us understand why this heightened threat is happening.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: No, no. I certainly wouldn't connect this announcement or rather this decision here to the French elections.

But in a second, we will get to the broader state of security across Europe, including in France. According to two U.S. officials, several U.S. military facilities in Europe have raised their threat level to what's known as Charlie FPCON or Force Protection Condition Charlie.

That includes, as you pointed out Stuttgart, but it also, we have learned, includes the army garrison in Bavaria, and that is clearly stated on their Web site.

According to one of the officials we have spoken with, they have not seen this level of concern or this level of threat in at least a decade.

Now, what does it mean for army facilities or rather military facilities to be at Force Protection Condition Charlie? Well, according to the U.S. Army, I'll quote here, "It applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely."

So that's at least what it means to have Force Protection Condition Charlie. We will certainly see what more we can learn.

[14:14:48]

LIEBERMANN: We have not gotten an indication that there's a specific threat of a specific attack against one facility. Instead, there is certainly a higher level of concern or threat level across Europe.

And you certainly see that for example, in France, which is set to host the Olympics in less than a month from today, and in Germany where you see not only the bases here going to Charlie, but also the ongoing European championships for football or soccer.

So you see, and you've seen politicians in both of these countries warn of an elevated threat. You have seen France raise its threat level, going back to March, so the concern certainly is there, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I see. All right. Oren Liebermann we'll check back with you. Thank you so much.

All right. Back in this country as calls for President Biden to step aside and end his reelection campaign, key allies are voicing their support for the president. Hear from them next.

Plus more breaking news. The first hurricane of the season strengthening to an extremely dangerous Category 4.

[14:15:54]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: If there was panic immediately following the presidential debate, there is now a collective push this Sunday by Democratic- elected leaders to support Biden's continued pursuit for a second term.

There is mounting skepticism, however, among wealthy Democratic donors about Biden's viability as a candidate. But today elected Democratic leaders had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): I can tell you that there have been more than a few Sundays when I wish I had preached a better sermon. But after the sermon was over, it was my job to embody the message, to show up for the people that I serve.

And that's what Joe Biden has been doing. His entire life, his entire life of public service and over the last four years he's been showing up for the American people.

He has been showing up for seniors as they've been dealing with the rising cost of prescription drugs and having to choose between buying food and buying medicine in the wealthiest nation on the planet.

REP. JIM CLYBURN (D-SC): When we look at the past performance are these two men that are the front runners in their parties, we get a lot of indication about what their future behavior would be.

So Joe Biden should continue to run on his record. I do believe that we will find him in contrast it with the record or the four years of Trump to be exactly what we need going forward, not just domestically, but internationally as well.

NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Let us not make a judgment about a presidency on one debate. Let's talk about what it means to people in their lives.

And that's why you're not seeing much change in the polls on this. The difference between Joe Biden and the former president is so clear. If you are a woman and you care about your reproductive freedom and your health and women, do. You see a complete difference between enforce a woman's right to choose on the part of Joe Biden and a ban on abortion with the other guy.

GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD): Joe Biden, is our nominee. Joe Biden is our leader. And Joe Biden has earned and Joe Biden deserves the confidence, the respect, and frankly, the partnership that we now have to provide to him.

And so I will be in Chicago. I will proudly be supporting the president in Chicago. I will work through November to make sure he gets reelected.

So yes, I do think that President Biden has earned the respect of Democrats and Joe Biden is going to be our leader going forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I'm joined now by CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and White House reporter for "The Wall Street Journal", Sabrina Siddiqui. Good to see you both.

Priscilla, White House correspondent, Biden is back at Camp David today with his family, not to plan for the next debate that he says he will do in September, but for a prescheduled family photo shoot.

So even with that, you know, is his campaign, I guess, clearly in damage control or recalibration right now?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, there has been multiple calls happening behind the scenes over the last few days with -- from White House officials, campaign officials to allies across the spectrum, because there has been quite a bit of panic and concern following the president's lackluster performance on the debate stage Thursday night. And generally the message has been that they should be focused, the

allies and voters should be focused on the president's record. And trying to draw the stark contrast between that and that of his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.

But in the fundraisers that the president has had over the last 48 hours, he too, has had to concede the fact that he did have a rough debate on Thursday night, and he has told donors over the last 48 hours that he is going to quote, "work harder for them", and again, acknowledging that it wasn't his best performance.

But donors have told CNN that they too are still very concerned and they sort of fall into multiple buckets.

There are those who are trying to find who could be the next nominee versus others who say that's a nonstarter, is that they have to stay focused on the plan here, which is to get President Biden reelected.

[14:24:56]

ALVAREZ: So certainly the panic has not subsided entirely despite the fact that we have seen multiple allies hit the airwaves like you played there earlier trying to defend the president's record.

And the Biden campaign coming out and saying that they also raised $33 million since Thursday, a lot of that is grassroots. The majority of that is grassroots donations. And so that is what they're pointing to, to move on from this and say, look, we still have first-time donors and we still have voters who are contributing to this campaign.

But clearly -- clearly they're still having to do quite a bit of damage control today on Sunday.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well Sabrina, you know, we just heard Maryland Governor Wes Moore say he will continue to be out front advocating for Biden. So do you see more visibility for surrogates who are both vibrant and versed on Biden's vision.

SABRINA SIDDIQUI, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": I think that's certainly what the campaign is hoping for. And to Priscilla's point, senior White House officials, as well as top campaign aides have really just spent the last 48 hours making a lot of outreach in private to Democratic lawmakers, to donors, to other surrogates to really try and reassure them that this is a moment to still rally behind the president and to shift focus from the concerns over his debate performance, which they acknowledge was bad to the broader task at hand for the Democratic Party, which is to defeat former President Trump.

And when you talk to aide, certainly in our reporting, they do feel like that first 24 hours or so after the debate was pretty critical. You know, you had a lot of Democratic lawmakers and donors in private text chains (ph) during the debate and after the debate, questioning whether he should still be on top of the ticket.

And some Democratic lawmakers on the record saying that maybe there is a conversation that needs to be had, but they feel like Biden's team there hasn't been a major revolt in public from party officials.

And so, you know, I do see that they feel like they are getting past some of the initial panic. But when we've talked to donors, as well as other lawmakers they're looking for -- toward a new round of post- debate polling to really see what the longer-term damage from the debate will be.

And I think that if President Biden tanks in the polls, you know, the campaign is pointing to some of the initial snap polls or the immediate polls done after the debate.

But if you see a bigger drop-off and pulling in the coming week or two because of the debate. Then I think you will absolutely see a new or renewed wave panic and probably more tough questions for the president over his future and viability as a candidate.

WHITFIELD: So Priscilla I wonder what kind of response is coming from the White House or the reelection campaign, you know, right now when they see this Sunday this, you know, united front among elected Democratic leaders.

But then the contrast of that, take a look at some of these publication editorial boards from the "Atlanta Journal Constitution", "New York Times" who are Were saying Biden should drop out. How does the reelection campaign pushed back with that.

ALVAREZ: Well, they're trying again to move on, that's really the strategy here is to leave a debate behind and put the focus again on the two records of these two candidates.

To Sabrina's point though, with the polling in particular, it's that they're already trying to get ahead of that. There was a fundraising email put out but last night that said, look, if the polls drop, it's going to first be exaggerated by the media.

So in some ways they know what's coming or could come. And so they want to get ahead of that already. In fact, in another email, President Biden acknowledging that people might be getting messages from quote "panicked friends and family". And here are some talking points about the president's record to front that.

Now, as far as the editorial boards that were also seeing campaign and campaign advisors including Keisha Lance Bottoms, say look, there's a lot of reasons a candidate should drop out. And then pointing straight to former President Donald Trump and his attempts to overthrow the election. So everyone clearly on defense.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Ladies, thank you so much. Priscilla Alvarez and Sabrina Siddiqui.

All right. more breaking news right here on CNN.

French President Emmanuel Macron on course to lose big to the far- right party in the first round of parliamentary elections.

We'll go live to Paris next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:33:38]

WHITFIELD: All right. We're following breaking news here on CNN.

French President Emmanuel Macron on course to lose some seats to the far right party in the first of two-weekend rounds of voting in the French parliamentary elections.

CNN's Max Foster is live at the headquarters of the far-right national rally party, of which seems to be quite exuberant from these early results.

FOSTER: Yeah, we've got Jordan Bardella, who's the leader of that party, the next most likely prime minister of France, currently speaking behind me, just 28-years-old brought up and grown up under suburbs of Paris, pretty popular, impressive figure and his party has done extraordinarily well in this first round of elections.

They came out on top according to the projections. The left held there a second position effectively and Macron's moderate party, the centrist party, has completely collapsed. So we've got Mr. Bardella now talking about a crushing defeats for Macron, we heard the same from Marine Le Pen earlier on. He's also a key figure in the party, of course, talking about democracy, having spoken, and how the end of Macron's era is inevitable and important for France.

But what we have now is extraordinary situation with this 28-year-old, a far-right leader, could be running one of the major economies in the world, a reflection on how the far right has surged across Europe in recent times, reflected in the recent parliamentary elections as well.

[14:35:08]

If this actually follows through, we see for most parliamentary elections that actually is going to translate international government different leadership and a key ally for the United States, of course, Fredricka, is a big moment. I think, not just for France, but for the entire West.

WHITFIELD: How would, you know, President Macron been working with this new prime minister? So he's president, he'll stay president for longer because he's not being voted on right now, you'll have a situation where the president is from a different party, a completely different group, a different ideology from the prime minister, prime minister does have a lot of current control over domestic affairs. The prison focuses on international affairs, but they're going after find some way of working together. But we can't imagine if you look at all of the rhetoric, in recent weeks and months.

So, Macron has got to make a decision now. They can go into the second round. In the second round, there'll be three names potentially on paper from the left and the right and from Macron's party. Does he continue to split the vote in seats where the left could win? So they're going happy some discussions between Macron's party and the

left to try to keep your right out. That is a possibility, but there's a huge amount of bad will between the left and Macron's party as well. I think what we can say is that were going through a period of massive political chaos actually, in France, because it's going to be a hung parliament and they're going to have to find some sort of way of working together on these groups. Just hadn't proved that they can.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Potentially tumultuous times.

All right. Max Foster in Paris, thank you so much. We'll check back with you.

All right. Back in this country, never before have we seen a category four hurricane this early in the hurricane season. We're just 30 days in to this hurricane season, but Beryl is getting stronger. We're tracking this powerful hurricane.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:41:42]

WHITFIELD: All right. Breaking news now from the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Beryl is a category for this is a earliest a storm this strong has ever been recorded in the Atlantic. And now the government of Grenada says it will declare a state of emergency effective Sunday, 7:00 p.m. in anticipation of Beryl, which is expected to hit the island in the next 24 hours. And the islands of Trinidad and Tobago are canceling inter island fairies as well. This is developing quickly.

And we're watching Beryl from the CNN center with Elisa Raffa. And from the ground, Patrick Oppmann is in Havana.

So, first to you, Elisa, yes, this is -- this alarming just looking at the graphics and hearing the number category four.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. And it rapidly intensified at this time yesterday, it was still a tropical storm and I put this loop on that was only 12 hours ago, not much organization. Now look at that eye, how crisp, how clear, how symmetric that tells us that it is rapidly intensifying becoming this dangerous, devastating or potentially devastating storm, a category four storm right now when 130 mile per hour winds sitting about 310 miles east and southeast of Barbados.

This is the farthest east that we have ever had a hurricane in the Atlantic. It is the early as we have ever had a category four hurricane, the first category four in the month of June, ever, the earliest major hurricane within 100 miles of Barbados and Grenada. So, just incredible to see this, this early in the season.

Here's the track it maintains category for strength as it heads to the Windward Islands. We've got some hurricane warnings in effect there, and then it keeps its major status as it cuts across the Caribbean Sea, places like Jamaica could see some of these are hurricane-force winds and you can see all the tropical storm-force winds they could arrive even on the overnight tonight for some of these islands and they'll really have to watch out for that.

The reason why we're talking about rapid intensification is because these ocean temperatures are incredibly warmer, talking middle and upper 80s, three to five degrees above average bridge. This is more typical for late august and early September. That is fuel for hurricanes and that]s what's letting it rapidly intensify as our oceans continue to get warmer because of climate change. This is more fuel for stronger hurricanes and you can see that trend in recent years becoming extremely stronger, faster -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Thank you so much. Of course, it's going to be critical over the next few hours to watch its path. Thank you, Elisa.

All right. Patrick Oppmann now in Havana.

How are people in the Caribbean overall preparing?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what you were just talking about really makes it even more of a dangerous storm because that rapid intensification means if people have less time to prepare to go from a tropical storm to category four hurricane, it's terrifying. And for people who live in low lying islands where you're not able to get out of the hurricanes path.

The best thing you can do is just find shelter. It becomes even more difficult when he talked about a storm like a category four hurricane, that will bring with it catastrophic damage. That is a term the National Hurricane Center uses four category four and higher storms.

And that simply means that even if you are indoors, even if you are in a place that has survived other storms over the past, it may not be enough. You really need to be in a concrete structure like a school, like some kind of bunker type of facility that's constructed to withstand this kind of storm because so many places, particularly when you're on low lying coastal areas, simply cannot put up with the wind damage that can be caused by category four hurricane.

And of course, the storm surge, which is most dangerous part of hurricanes. So people are getting ready. And the question is whether or not they have enough time to do so.

WHITFIELD: All right. Patrick Oppmann, thank you so much. Elisa Raffa as well, we'll keep checking back with you throughout the afternoon.

All right. Every year from June to November, millions of people find themselves in the crosshairs of these massive and often deadly storms. This week's episode of the CNN original series, "VIOLENT EARTH", focuses on some of the most impactful hurricanes to date.

CNN's Chad Myers shows us what we can expect as we wade into the hurricane season.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We knew is going to be rough but I wasn't expecting all this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The house is flooded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden, the house flooded. It just started going deeper and deeper. And by the time, we were walking out, we were mid-thigh.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Those who have lived through a hurricane that has undergone rapid intensification are often shocked by its speed and strength.

Rapid intensification is when a storm's maximum-sustained wind speed increases by 35 miles per hour in 24 hours or less. And it could be a significant part of the 2024 hurricane season, with both record warm ocean temperatures and a developing La Nina.

ROBBIE BERG, METEOROLOGIST, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: It means essentially that one day you could look at a storm, it could be a tropical storm, maybe a category one hurricane. Then you wake up the next morning and it's up to category four or five.

MICHAEL BRENNAN, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICAN CENTER: The strongest hurricanes that have ever hit the United States, the high-end category four or a category five were all been tropical storms or less three days before landfall.

MYERS: One example of dramatic rapid intensification, Hurricane Ian, in 2022, which took more than 100 lives across Florida and the southeast.

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been here since 1965 and this is the worst hurricane that I've ever been through.

BERG: I was working a midnight shift. When I got on shift, it was a category one or two hurricane. By the end of the shift, we had the aircraft in there and it had exploded up to category four.

MYERS (on camera): There's going to be some huge waves with this.

I was working in the morning shift that day and clearly saw the storm intensify overnight. I also warned of a slightly shifting track to the right of the center of that cone. The time to evacuate was quickly closing. And I knew this was going to be bad.

BERG: We tell people don't just check the forecast on one day and wait a whole another 24 hours to check it again. You really do have to stay up to date when you live in a hurricane-prone area.

MYERS: And 2024 has the potential to be a devastating hurricane season. NOAA has issued an above-normal Atlantic hurricane forecast, with up to 25 named storms, eight to 13 potential hurricanes and four to seven of those becoming major hurricanes.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: (AUDIO GAP) Myers, thank you so much.

And tune in to the all new episode of "VIOLENT EARTH WITH LIEV SCHREIBER" that airs tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.

All right. It's a pretty big weekend. If you are trying to go to Paris representing the U.S. team gymnastics, more on them next.

Plus, breaking news here at CNN, the party of French President Emmanuel Macron is on course to lose the first round of parliamentary elections, an update next.

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[14:53:05]

WHITFIELD: All right, the final countdown is on to the Summer Olympic Games as Team USA is coming into focus during qualifying trials. And it includes some heartbreaking defeats along the way.

Andy Scholz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Fredricka, Noah Lyles, is the reigning fastest man in the world, and he will now head to Paris at the chance to become the first American man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win the Olympic double, which is winning both the 100 meter and 200 meters, something Usain Bolt hit it three different Olympic games. Now, last night, the 200 meter final allows coming from behind to beat Kenny Bednarek. This was a record time, 19.53 seconds, breaking Michael Johnsons, U.S. (VIDEO GAP) going for the double in Paris.

Now, the women's 200 meter final, Sha'Carri Richardson was looking to qualify and go for the double in Paris as well. But she would come up short finishing four. So she's harry will only be running 100 and doing relays in Paris.

Gabby Thomas, who won bronze in the 200 in Tokyo, she's finished first in this one, booking her tickets to the game.

GABBY THOMAS, TEAM USA SPRINTER: This is incredible. I knew I needed to get today done, and this is the first step and there was no gold medal in Paris without making the team today. So I'm just ecstatic to be alongside everyone in the finals, just such an amazing race.

SCHOLES: The men's gymnastic trials meanwhile, wrapping up in Minneapolis and Frederick Richard becoming the youngest man to win the men's all around at the trials since 1972. The 20-year-old will be the U.S. men's team that is trying to earn its first medal since 2008.

And, Richard, who's a TikTok star, he said the crowd helped him secure the Olympic bid.

FREDERICK RICHARD, TEAM USA GYMNAST: I've started off with a lot of weight. You know, this is what decides everything. But then there's thousands and thousands of people just rooting for me in the crowds, thank you guys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we're going to talk about your family first. How did you even get the bib up to your parents? The 43?

RICHARD: I didn't -- I guess my coach did it. I didn't even realize they got it so far.

[14:55:01]

But I mean, they are responsible for everything for creating me and now they have -- yeah, I mean, now we have an Olympian almost as a son. So --

SCHOLES: Now, the women's side, Simone Biles, looking to lock-up her third Olympics bid. She leads by two-and-a-half points right now going into today's final.

Shilese Jones meanwhile though, has been ruled out for the rest of the competition and will not be going to Paris. She injured her knee on the vault on Friday. Jones, who is medaled at the last two world's, it's just the latest blow to the team. Skye Blakely and Kayla DiCello both ruptured their Achilles and we'll also unfortunately miss the Olympics.

And, Fredricka, your heart just has to go out to those three and any athlete who gets hurt at this point is after years of training and being ready for this moment and then have that chance taken from you. It's just so tough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: It is tough.

Andy Scholes, thank you so much. I hurt for them.

All right. We continue to follow our breaking news, several U.S. military bases in Europe had been put on heightened alert amid a possible terrorist threat.

Stay with us.

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