Return to Transcripts main page
CNN This Morning
Harris Delivers Reproductive Rights Message In Atlanta; Biden Hosts Foreign Leaders With Hometown In Delaware; DNA Tests Confirm Body Found In Wooded Area Is Kentucky Interstate Shooting Suspect; Secret Service Admits Failures In Trump Rally Shooting; Mission Specialist Says Diving In The Titan "Was Never Supposed To Be Safe"; Last Apalachee High School Shooting Victim Laid To Rest; Explosives Expert: Plastic Explosives Packed Into Pager Can Cause "Catastrophic" Damage To Body. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired September 21, 2024 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:00:00]
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: -- moments that shaped our culture premieres again tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Good morning and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Saturday September 21st. I'm Danny Freeman in for Victor Blackwell.
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Danny, it's good to be with you.
FREEMAN: Good to be here.
WALKER: Victor is on a beach somewhere. Good for him. I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for being with us. Here's what's happening today.
Former President Donald Trump takes his message to the critical battleground state of North Carolina. The visit comes as a Republican- backed candidate for governor resists calls to drop out of the race after CNN exclusively unearthed lewd comments made on a porn site.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While some members of the advance team were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: Also, the acting head of the Secret Service is vowing to hold agents accountable after what he called a breach of protocol before Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania back in July. The "failures", he says, made it difficult for officers to respond in the aftermath of that shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn't particularly impressed by what I saw and I told them they were very nice people and they seemed well intentioned. I just said it looked to me like a lot of this stuff was not quite ready for prime time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Damaging testimony in the search for answers as to what caused the deadly implosion of the Titan submersible last year. The concerns from those charged with inspecting the vehicle is coming up.
FREEMAN: And students in parts of Georgia walked out of classes to demand action to curb gun violence in the wake of that school shooting in Winder. Their message to administrators and how they're honoring those killed.
WALKER: We begin this morning with the candidates who are laser- focused on battleground states as we are now just six weeks out from the presidential election. Former President Donald Trump is headed to North Carolina today, but Vice President Kamala Harris is taking a breather after going to battleground states of Wisconsin and Georgia on Friday.
Now, sources tell us that she planned her Georgia visit on Friday immediately after hearing of the ProPublica report revealing those two deaths linked to the state's abortion restrictions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: One in three women in America lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban. This includes Georgia and every state in the South except Virginia. Think about that when you compound that with what has been long-standing neglect of women in communities with a lack of the adequate resources they need for health care, prenatal, during their pregnancy, postpartum -- think about that. And these hypocrites want to start talking about this is in the best interest of women and children? Well, where you been? Where have you been when it comes to taking care of the women and children of America?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: These battleground visits are key as new polling shows Trump and Harris are still locked in a dead heat. A New York Times and Siena College poll released this week shows the two are tied at 47 percent nationally among likely voters. But the divide deepens on ad spending. To date, Democrats have outspent Republicans nationally and in swing states.
Since President Joe Biden left the race, Democrats have raised more than $564 million, while Republicans have just raised about $380 million. And Donald Trump's visit to North Carolina will be his first since CNN's "KFILE" uncovered that his pick for governor there had a history of lewd posts on a porn forum.
WALKER: CNN's Diane Gallagher reports Mark Robinson is still moving forward with his campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DIANE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fallout from CNN's bombshell
report about Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson spilling over into a second day.
LT. GOV. MARK ROBINSON (R-NC): I am running for governor.
GALLAGHER: The GOP nominee for North Carolina's governor moving forward with his campaign after the deadline passed for him to withdraw as absentee ballots are sent out to voters Friday. The fresh swirl of controversy follows a CNN "KFILE" investigation that found Robinson made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornographic Web site's message board more than a decade ago, referring to himself as a black Nazi and expressing support for reinstating slavery, among other salacious, lewd and gratuitous statements.
ROBINSON: Thank you so much.
GALLAGHER: Robinson categorically denying the allegations.
ROBINSON: This is not us. These are not our words, and this is not anything that is characteristic of me.
GALLAGHER: But the controversy extending beyond the Tar Heel State's race for governor, with Robinson having received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly praised the conservative firebrand.
DONALD TRUMP, 45TH U.S. PRESIDENT: This is Martin Luther King on steroids, OK?
[07:05:03]
GALLAGHER: The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris highlighting the ties between Trump and Robinson in a new ad Friday.
ROBINSON: We could pass a bill saying you can't have an abortion in North Carolina for any reason.
Abortion in this country is about killing a child because you aren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down.
TRUMP: I've been with him a lot. I've gotten to know him and he's outstanding.
GALLAGHER: The former president is set to hold a rally in the battleground state on Saturday. Sources tell CNN, Robinson has not been invited to the event, despite being a regular presence at Trump's events in the state, including two last month. Some Trump allies are dismissing the potential impact on the former president's campaign.
REP. BYRON DONALDS (R-FL): We're going to be fine in North Carolina. This issue is going to come and go, but the reality of what's happening in our country remains, and that's why Donald Trump is going to win the state of North Carolina.
GALLAGHER: As Democrats in North Carolina seek to turn Robinson's controversy into a challenge for other Republicans.
GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): I think that when people go to the polls, they need to think about these candidates who have supported and encouraged somebody like Mark Robinson and continue to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: the state of North Carolina, taking advantage of this, posting photos that their Republican opponents have taken with Mark Robinson and making sure to tout any sort of endorsement or even kind comments about the Lieutenant Governor.
You know, Danny, Amara, one other thing here, there was a fundraiser that was scheduled for next week that featured the chair of the Republican Governors Association, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, according to sources familiar, that is no longer taking place as Governor Lee will not be traveling to North Carolina.
FREEMAN: Diane Gallagher, thank you very much. All right, let's bring in Axios political reporter, Stef Kight, for analysis on everything that's going on in the political world right now, and there's a lot. Thank you for joining us, Stef. Let's start in North Carolina, though. Listen, Robinson was already down to the polls. His name's still going to be on the ballot, but do you think this will make North Carolina more competitive for this presidential race?
STEF KIGHT, AXIOS POLITICAL REPORTER: I mean, look, we're in a situation where the presidential race on a whole is neck and neck, as we've been discussing, and you look at the North Carolina polls in particular, and Trump and Harris are very close in that state as well.
And what we're seeing again and again in this particular election cycle is that any little thing that impacts even a small number of voters could end up deciding who is president in 2025. And so, look, I don't know at this point whether there's going to be significant impact up and down the ballot because of this, of these reportings, these allegations, this coming out.
It's clear that Trump and his campaign are trying to distance themselves from Robinson right now just as a precaution. But again, any little change, any little impact could still ultimately end up deciding who wins North Carolina and from there the White House.
FREEMAN: Well, and Stef, I want to continue on that note there, because if you're the former president, right, do you actually want to be in North Carolina right after this story? And I'm curious because he will be, right? And do you think he is going to, the former president, going to try to avoid this topic or dive right into it?
KIGHT: I'm sure the people close to the former president are encouraging him to not get into all of this, but as we've seen in the past, he may not be able to help himself. You know, we're definitely watching to see whether he does kind of try to distance himself.
He's used in the past lines like, I don't really know that guy, I have nothing to do with him. So, you know, that's one thing I'm listening for. Does Trump decide to on stage kind of distance himself from a Republican that he has previously endorsed and pointed to as someone that he is a fan of?
FREEMAN: Yes, I find it almost hard to believe that he's going to be in North Carolina and not say something about it. Just again, like you said, from how we've seen the former president behave at rallies with scandal in the past. I want to talk, though, about some of the most recent post-debate polling that just came out this week.
According to a New York Times-Siena College poll published Thursday, the race still a dead heat nationally. But I want to actually, specifically, highlight Pennsylvania -- that's where I live. Harris seems to have a slight lead. You can see right there on your screen of about four points, just barely outside the margin of error.
Stef, are you surprised by that? Because I feel as though the language, specifically around Pennsylvania, has been maybe the closest state out there.
KIGHT: Yes, I mean, this is all going to come down to Pennsylvania, both for the presidency, but also potentially, the Senate, who controls the Senate. That's the state that both campaigns are pouring all of their ad money into. So, you know, any advantage there, even if it's small right now for Harris, it could be critical.
It is a little bit of a shift, a little bit of surprise from when she first officially became the top of the ticket, and when she did not choose Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro, there was some concern that maybe, you know, that would hurt her in Pennsylvania, that she needed that boost, but it seems like she is still making progress in that state.
Again, the polls are shifting, they're going up and down, we still have, you know, weeks left until November, but again, any advantage there, especially outside that margin of error, is an important sign for the Harris campaign.
[07:10:27]
FREEMAN: I want to put some sound from Harris's senior advisor, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, about the candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, doing more interviews. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, FORMER ATLANTA MAYOR: She's done interviews and I know that we would love or you would love to see her sit down every single day with CNN, and do interviews, but it's that she's a very busy person. She's the vice president as well as a candidate, and we heard her today talk about her views on these policies. It may not be in the format that the media would like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: All right, Steph, that was in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. What's your reaction to -- let's put it this way: is that type of answer, the vice president is too busy, enough to stop this conversation about Harris doing more interviews?
KIGHT: No, I don't think it's enough, especially when you compare the number of press interviews that the Harris-Waltz ticket has done compared to the Trump-Vance ticket over the same time period. You know, both campaigns are busy, both are on the road.
J.D. Vance is also a sitting senator still, and they've managed to interact with media, not just friendly media, not just conservative media. They've done real interviews; they've engaged with the press in ways that Harris and Waltz have not.
And so, the pressure is going to continue to grow for Harris and Waltz to really do more to engage with the press, answer questions about their policy positions, answer questions about their policy shifts. Because this is a late campaign, we already are not going to have as much time to get to know Harris and Waltz as presidential, and vice presidential candidates.
And so, this short period of time is even more critical for the American public to have their questions answered.
FREEMAN: All right, last thing, Stef, before we go, after everything that has happened in this crazy election so far, do you think we're going to see a government shutdown thrown in there at the 11th hour?
KIGHT: You know, that's always a possibility these days. It does look like Congress is on track to get things nailed down next week ahead of the October 1st deadline. It's obviously going to come down to the wire a little bit, but one thing's for sure, the House and Senate will want to get home and get campaigning in these last few weeks before the election. So, there is motivation to get this done, get this done on time and get home.
FREEMAN: That's probably the tagline for Congress. It's going to come down to the wire a little bit. Stef Kight, thank you so much for your perspective this morning. Appreciate it.
WALKER: All right. And coming up in the 8:00 hour of CNN THIS MORNING weekend, we're going to talk with the director of elections in a Georgia county who is sounding the alarm about some last minute rule changes and a requirement to hand count ballots in each precinct. Stick around for that.
All right. The president is in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, hosting leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and what is known as the Quad Summit. CNN's Camila DeChalus is in D.C. with what we can expect for Biden's final Quad meeting as president. Camila.
CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, there are a number of things that President Biden wants to achieve during the summit. We are told by White House advisers that the two biggest things that he wants to focus on is China and how aggressive they've become when it comes to the South China Sea, and also how these countries can collaborate when it comes to natural disasters and the response to humanitarian aid. Now, we're also told that Biden wants to add a personal element and focus on something that's really close to home to him, and that is his fight against cancer. They're saying that at the summit, they're going to announce new joint efforts to combat cancer, and this is going to include more investments when it comes to screenings of cervical cancer and really monitoring things in this region.
Now, as you mentioned this is going to take place, this summit is going to take place in Wilmington and that is somewhere that Biden resides when he's away from the White House and we are told that that was a very personal decision for the president. He really wants to show these world leaders just a bit of himself and really show that foreign policy is personal and really give that element to show how this place has shaped him as a public servant.
And while he's having these one-on-one meetings, it's really going to be pivotal that he's going to cement what his priorities are going to be for the U.S. in these final months ahead while he still remains in the Oval Office and what he wants to achieve with the next president moving forward. Amara, Danny, back to you.
WALKER: Camila DeChalus, thank you.
FREEMAN: The Secret Service has announced new findings in the investigation into the July 13th attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. We'll tell you what the agency knew just minutes before the attack.
[07:15:06]
Plus, death row inmate Freddie Owens has died by lethal injection in South Carolina, making it the state's first execution in 13 years. That story as well, just ahead.
Plus, we're learning more about that dangerous expedition at sea that killed five people last June. The investigation and testimonies coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: All right, here are your headlines this morning. Kentucky investigators confirmed that they found the body of the interstate shooting suspect. Police say Joseph Couch died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
[07:20:15]
A manhunt for Couch went on for days after police say he perched atop a cliff and opened fire on random drivers along I-75 earlier this month. Five people were shot. A Kentucky couple joined the search and was live streaming when they found Couch's body deep in the wilderness not far from the shooting site.
South Carolina executed its first inmate in 13 years. Protesters gathered yesterday hours before death row inmate, Freddie Owens, died by lethal injection. Owens was sentenced to death in 1999 for killing a convenience store clerk during a robbery in Greenville, South Carolina. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution and the state's governor chose not to grant Owens' clemency.
The FDA just approved the first flu vaccine for at-home use. Flu mist is a nasal spray manufactured by AstraZeneca and would normally be administered at a doctor's office. Well, now adults can order the vaccine from an online pharmacy and give it to themselves at home. However, it will still require a prescription and won't be available until next year. Danny.
FREEMAN: Nearly a week after the second assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, the Secret Service is admitting failures that led to the first one. Acting Director Ronald Rowe admitted a shocking breach of protocol before Trump was shot at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, back on July 13th. He spoke to reporters yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONALD ROWE, SECRET SERVICE ACTING DIRECTOR: Some members of the advance team were very diligent. There was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols. The mission assurance review has identified deficiencies in the advance planning and its implementation by Secret Service personnel. These employees will be held accountable, and this agency has among the most robust table of penalties in the entirety of the federal government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: CNN's Holmes Librand has a look at what the agency says was a key failure on the day of the shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES LIBRAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Amara and Danny. The acting director of the Secret Service said there was complacency among some agents in the lead up to the July 13th rally where Donald Trump was shot. In announcing new findings by the agency, the head of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, said there were serious failures in the security planning.
One of the key failures included the lack of communication between local and federal officers, both in the days before the rally and in the minutes before Trump was nearly assassinated.
Local officers believed the Secret Service was directly receiving their radio calls, which included warnings of the would-be assassin on the roof of a building. Rowe also praised agents for their quick actions this past weekend during another apparent attempt on Trump's life. Amara, Danny?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: Holmes, thank you very much. All right, just ahead, students staged a school walkout demanding action for stricter gun laws at the Georgia State Capitol this week, following the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School just over two weeks ago.
WALKER: And the final funeral for one of the victims of that shooting was held on Friday. Hundreds of mourners remembering 14-year-old, Christian Angulo. We will have the latest.
Plus, we're learning more about the Titan Submersible Expedition that killed five people after imploding in the sea last June. The investigation, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:28:05]
WALKER: New details are being released about the days leading up to the implosion of the Titan submersible that killed all five people on board in June of 2023. A former OceanGate scientific director said the Titan submersible suffered a malfunction just six days before the mission that led to its implosion.
The previous dive had a platform malfunction and because it took considerable time to fix, the sub returned to the surface and the dive was aborted. Then, an OceanGate mission specialist, Renata Rojas gave a teary-eyed testimony saying she didn't notice any issues with the vessel the day of the dive. She recalled seeing all five passengers smiling the day and great spirits saying they were happy to go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RENATA ROJAS, OCEANGATE MISSION SPECIALIST: Nothing is going to bring our friends back. I hope that this investigation creates an understanding that with exploration, there's risk. And without taking that risk and the exploration, you know, the world will still be flat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Joining me now is retired Coast Guard Captain, Peter Boynton. Captain, thank you so much for your time this morning. I have to say, just listening to just pieces of the testimony, I mean, some of it was jaw-dropping. Nine witnesses called over four days of hearings so far.
We heard a lot about, you know, some malfunctions in previous dives. You heard about safety concerns that were voiced, you know, but nothing much was done about it. The CEO, Stockton Rush's character, the culture at the company OceanGate. What were the biggest takeaways for you?
PETER BOYNTON, RETIRED COAST GUARD CAPTAIN: Good morning. Yes, it was difficult to hear some of the testimony, especially from some of the mission specialists who had been on previous dives.
[07:30:04]
The Coast Guard began the week of hearings with an overview of facts that they have determined so far, background in terms of how the sub was developed, work that was done with the others, testing other dives. And then, of course, through a series of witnesses, former OceanGate employees, the mission specialists like the one we just heard. University of Washington.
I thought one of the most striking things was the final witness this past week was the founder of a different submersible company with a similar name called Triton.
And he went through the development of submersibles that they have done, producing a wide range of them, including the deepest dive submersible that's gone down to depths three times the depths of the Titanic wreck. And his point was that submersibles, including novel designs, can be done with certification. And he really took issue with the notion that it's necessarily has to be high levels of risk.
We heard from the mission specialist that they appreciated and were OK in accepting of risk. This other company has tried to make the case that they have one of the best safety records, 50 years of submersible diving without accidents. So, that was quite a contrast.
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: You know, I also heard, you know, that this particular vessel that eventually imploded -- you can see there at the bottom of the -- of the sea floor, that it wasn't inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
What is the protocol? I mean, was it supposed to be inspected before it went on these kinds of risky dives?
BOYNTON: Well, that's part of what the Coast Guard -- Coast Guard hearings are looking into. But the short answer is yes, there are protocols for submersibles, including deep dive submersibles. The first shallow dive passenger submersible was actually in the U.S. Virgin Islands, all the way back in 1987.
And the Coast Guard came up with specific protocols for submersible passenger vessels as early as 1993. A key element of doing this is what's called a classification society like Lloyd's or DNV, or the American Bureau of Shipping.
And what commercial vessels will do is work with a classification society that outlines. Here are these specifications for different types of vessels, including submersibles.
So, one of the things that the former CEO of OceanGate had asserted was that you can't innovate with those kind of rules. However, under those rules, there have been a series of novel designs developed for submersibles that also have the certification and the classification society blessings.
So, what that does the classification society, the certification is it provides third party overview. If you are developing a submersible, you may think it's a great idea, you may have very good reasons for that. But it is a healthy process to have a third party, qualified entity, really take a critical look and help you understand whether or not improvements are needed. WALKER: Yes, you would think that there would be so many layers of safety before such an expedition. You know, I was also struck by testimony from, I think, it was a former employee of OceanGate, who claimed that he was fired because he didn't sign off on an expedition because he said he was concerned about the integrity of this prototype carbon fiber hall that OceanGate eventually used for this Titanic expedition.
I mean, what did you make of that, and when it comes to the integrity of the hall itself? And also, what do you expect as the outcome, you know, of these hearings? I mean, will there be potential, you know, criminal or civil penalties coming out of this?
BOYNTON: So, that was very striking testimony. I think you might be referring to David Lochridge.
WALKER: Right.
BOYNTON: Lots of very specific examples of concerns he had that finally led to his departure. And it wasn't just him. OceanGate had contracted with the University of Washington and their Applied Physics Lab been -- OceanGate did not complete that contract. I think they only used about a fifth of the time and funding and project that was intended.
And other employees had also tried to voice concerns and their jobs were shifted or they were let go.
[07:35:06]
So, that is a very concerning climate.
In terms of the outcome, they have another week of hearings, then, they are going to process what they have learned in the hearings.
WALKER: Yes.
BOYNTON: They may call additional hearings before they send out their report. And part of their charge is not only to make safety recommendations, but also make recommendations for civil or criminal proceedings.
WALKER: Yes.
BOYNTON: Those would be referred to the Justice Department.
WALKER: A lot of material there. Captain Peter Boynton, thank you for your time.
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Still ahead, the final victim has been laid to rest in the mass shooting at a Georgia High School that killed two students and two teachers. We'll have that story after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:40:25]
FREEMAN: Two weeks after the mass shooting at Apalachee High School here in Georgia, students marched to the state capitol, calling for harsher gun laws and urging the state legislature to pass the Pediatric Health Safe Storage Act. The bill would make it a crime in Georgia to leave a firearm accessible to a child.
WALKER: Also, this week, 14-year-old Christian Angulo was laid to rest. The final funeral for a victim of the September 4th shooting. CNN's Rafael Romo was there.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been yet another very hard day for this community of Winder, Georgia. We are at St Matthew Catholic church where the funeral mass was held Friday.
The remains of 14-year-old student, Christian Gabriel Angulo were then laid to rest at a cemetery about 10 miles north of here.
Angulo's funeral is the last one of the four fatal victims of the September 4 shooting at Apalachee High School. It was standing room only inside the church for a very emotional mass.
Besides the Angulo family, there were many students and teachers from Apalachee High School showing their support. There were also many people from Winder and neighboring towns.
Atlanta Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer officiated the mass, which was held mostly in Spanish, as a sign of respect for Christian Angulo's family and his Mexican heritage.
The parents of 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, the other student who died in the shooting, were also here.
After the mass, we spoke with Armando Martinez, an Apalachee High School student who was very close to Angulo. This is part of what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARMANDO MARTINEZ, FAMILY FRIEND: He was just blessed with that grace of God that made everybody just enlightened whenever he was around. Sad that he was taken from us and the other victims from the mass shooting, but all I can say is that it's going to impact us very hard.
I mean, we are never going to let this -- we are never going to let this go. We are not going to forget it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: Martinez says he also knew Richard Aspinwall well, the 39-year- old assistant coach also died in the shooting. This last funeral happened the same day some students in different parts of the state staged a school walkout for gun safety.
On Thursday, a couple dozen school children from the ages of 5 to 12 attended a state senate committee meeting on gun violence at the Georgia State Capitol.
One of the students told CNN affiliate WSB that their purpose was to tell adults to do something about gun violence. Back here in Winder, students at Apalachee High School face one more challenge, a gradual return to classes is expected to begin on Monday.
The school has been closed since the shooting on September 4.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Winder, Georgia.
WALKER: All right. Rafael, thank you.
Still ahead, the death toll continues to rise in Beirut after an Israeli air strike kills dozens of people, including one of Hezbollah's senior military figures.
What Israel's new strategy is? That reporting is after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:47:44]
WALKER: This week's coordinated explosions of pagers and walkie talkies in Lebanon killed at least 37 people, including children. Also, more than 3,000 people were injured.
FREEMAN: But just how difficult is this kind of tactic to pull off with low tech communication devices, and what kind of damage can it do? Well, CNN correspondent Brian Todd shows what these detonations could do with mannequins.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just a tiny amount of plastic explosives packed into a pager can have a detonation this big.
TODD: This is a person. What happens to the person?
RYAN MORRIS, PRESIDENT, TRIPWIRE SOUTH: It's going to be catastrophic what just took place here to the human body.
TODD (voice over): The impact shown on a mannequin it was clipped to.
MORRIS: It could be fatal over time, bleeding out. Things of that nature.
TODD: And apparently, there were some people that serious facial and eye injuries could this blind you forever.
MORRIS: Yes, absolutely.
TODD (voice over): A walkie talkie is a larger device with more room to hold explosives inside and more material to be sent flying, and it's often held close to the face.
This one caused even more damage, debris strewn widely, pieces of twisted metal launched as far as 100 yards and severe injury to the mannequin.
MORRIS: It would be devastating if it were in your hand or close to your head.
TODD (voice over): These two tests were done at CNN's request in the wake of the explosions recently of pagers and walkie talkies in Lebanon. Said to target Hezbollah members and causing thousands of injuries and dozens of deaths.
Based on photos of the debris of devices in Lebanon, these tests used PETN explosive on a pager of the same branding. And a walkie talkie similar in size to the ones targeted in Lebanon.
CNN is not showing how the explosives might be placed or how they might be detonated.
TODD: Three, two, one.
TODD (voice over): The tests were conducted by Ryan Morris, a former explosive specialist with the Department of Homeland Security, who runs a firm which trains government and military personnel.
Whoever did it, they are pretty skilled.
TODD (voice over): Another explosives expert who examined a walkie talkie similar to the model targeted in Lebanon, said making thousands of bombs was a big and risky undertaking.
MAJ. GEN. MANIK SABHARWAL (RET.), EXPLOSIVE ANALYST: You take a lot of time for the explosive to be put in, for it to be connected to the initiating mechanism, to be connected to the detonator. Chances of it exploding while they are doing all this is also there.
[07:50:03]
TODD (voice over): And the devices are so small.
SABHARWAL: I don't find any empty space in this. It's difficult.
TODD: How hard is it to, I guess, pack an explosive into something this small?
MORRIS: Someone that has any knowledge of this trade cap can do it very easily. It's -- you can secrete explosives in anything.
TODD (voice over): And triggering thousands of them all at once?
MORRIS: If they have all the numbers for the pay -- for the pagers, they just send a massive text to all of them, all those numbers, and they go off the same time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (on camera): How vulnerable is the traveling public to explosives like that? Ryan Morris says airport technology is now really good at detecting tiny trace amounts of explosive material on devices like this one, and the material stays on you.
I got a tiny amount of it on my hands, and Ryan said it would stay with me for a while no matter how many times I wash my hands.
Amara, Danny?
FREEMAN: Brian Todd, thank you very much for that report.
Still ahead, Dodger superstar Shohei Ohtani made baseball history this week, becoming the first player ever with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. We have all that right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:55:36]
FREEMAN: Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani did something that nobody in the history of the sport has done.
The Los Angeles Dodger is the first to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in one season.
WALKER: And he did so while playing against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
CNN's Natasha Chen has more on his historic performance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There is a new 50-50 club, and it's got one member. Dodger superstar Shohei Ohtani, is the first to ever hit more than 50 home runs and steal more than 50 bases in one season. It's a rare feat of power and speed.
SALVADOR REYES, DODGERS FAN: I always wanted to see something special again with the Dodgers. And what we're witnessing right now is the Babe Ruth of this era.
CHEN (voice over): And like Babe Ruth, Ohtani is a two-way talent who can both pitch and hit.
Kazuo Imai is a local tour guide witnessing the incredible wave of Japanese tourists who have flooded Los Angeles, holding tickets to Dodger Stadium.
KAZUO IMAI, TOUR GUIDE: Maybe 80 percent Japanese tourists are coming to see Ohtani.
STAN KASTEN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DODGERS: They have always been supportive of us, but nothing like this.
CHEN (voice over): The team has a dozen new Japanese sponsors this year. Japanese language tours four days a week, stadium food now goes beyond the Dodger dog to the kurobuta pork sausage dog, sushi, chicken katsu, and takoyaki, which are round fritters filled with octopus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: America taste though.
CHEN (voice over): It's America's pastime and there is nothing more American than bringing together a melting pot of people.
REYES: It's a global game now. It is super important. And it's super important that we recognize a foreign-born player who does his interviews in Japanese and we are humbled by it.
We take it in and we say, you know what, this is the way baseball should be played.
CHEN (voice-over): The Ohtani effect has energized L.A.'s Little Tokyo.
At Far Bar, customers get a free Shohei shot every time Ohtani hits a home run.
CHEN: Did you ever think you had to buy this much sake for the season?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not at all.
CHEN (voice over): Gary Lee is the owner of Dodgers Nation, an online fan and news site with a YouTube show. Just looking at clicks he is getting from Japan.
GARY LEE, OWNER, DODGERS NATION: I know our traffic increased 1,250 percent from Japan.
CHEN (voice-over): But he says the most gratifying part is not the number of followers.
LEE: I'm so proud because growing up, I didn't have an Asian-American or Asian person to really look up to. And that's my initial reaction, is just like I'm so happy for this generation of Asian-American kids. They are allowed to dream. Like he broke that barrier to dream.
CHEN (voice over): The larger-than-life role model is now depicted in a 150-foot painting that moves with augmented reality when fans scan a QR code on their phones and raise them to the wall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's time for Dodger baseball.
CHEN (voice over): Artist, Robert Vargas, says he painted this mural to bring everyone together in the city's crossroads of Asian and Latin-American communities.
ROBERT VARGAS, ARTIST: I definitely had a premonition that he was going to do something amazing.
And to see him actually not only meet those expectations but exceed them, is just incredible.
CHEN (voice over): Natasha Chen, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: All right, Natasha, thank you for that.
The spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories has flourished on the alt-right in recent years. But left-wing progressives can also sometimes be susceptible.
FREEMAN: In this Sunday's, "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER", CNN senior correspondent Donnie O'Sullivan looks into it. Here is a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is one thing when you talk about, I just want to -- I want to make sure I understand, when you go into things about China, Russia, Iran, especially China, you omit so much about them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where you from? Where you from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm from Texas, and the things that you omitting --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you been lived in China?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have lived in China. I went to Tsinghua University. You don't say that a hundred -- 600 million people in the country still log on less than $1.40 a day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you have the --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you say those things?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, OK. You're very, very emotional like a woman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I -- yes, because --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jackson quickly realized that he wasn't talking just another fan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. CNN propaganda. CNN propaganda. This guy is a CNN agent. 100 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think CNN is the worst outlet in the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time to get out, buddy --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Danny, Danny --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the Kremlin?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get this guy out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did not answer the question, didn't he? But thank you all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): Put that on CNN!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[08:00:06]
WALKER: Wow. Be sure to tune in. An all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER."
END
