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Officer Killed Responding To Shooting Near CDC In Atlanta; Source: Police Think Shooter Believed He Was Sick From Covid Vaccine; Pre. Trump Says He'll Meet With Putin In Alaska Next Week. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired August 09, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rose, the fallen officer, someone dedicated to serving and protecting people. There were very kind words said by DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson about his death, and as you can imagine, hitting the department hard.

According to police, after being shot, Officer Rose was taken to nearby Emory University Hospital, where he died of his injuries. He joined the department in September 2024. After the shooting, there was chaos and confusion here in and around the CDC campus for several hours with people on lockdown in offices and businesses in the area.

There were also, imagine this is about 92 children who were in a daycare here on campus near the shooting. But they were all safe and were later reunited with their families. Now back to you.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: Rafa, any idea on what happens next in this investigation? I imagine they'll be talking to people, checking cameras as they piece together everything here and also probably looking at the shooter's social media accounts as well.

ROMO: Yes, all those very good points. And so far, we don't have the identification of the shooter, Isabel. And so authorities are going to be looking at not only his identity but also what motive he might have had.

We have heard from a law enforcement, from a CNN law enforcement source that he had some sort of illness or believed he had some sort of illness, and he was blaming the CDC and specifically the COVID-19 vaccine for whatever he was going through. But again, that information is going to come up in the next few days as the Atlanta police and other agencies at the state and federal levels conduct their investigation. Isabel.

ROSALES: Rafael, thank you so much for your time. Well, President Donald Trump is eager to deliver one of his biggest campaign promises, ending Russia's war on Ukraine. He says he'll meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. And now we may have an idea as to the terms that could be discussed.

He told reporters yesterday it could involve a land swap. But Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is already turning down that idea. He says he is ready to work with Trump, but says his people will not give up their land. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh. He joins us now from Kiev.

Nick, good morning to you. I want to start with is frankly any deal involving trading territories even possible when you hear such a strong statement from Zelensky?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, trading is very different to ceding. And President Trump held out the idea of a swap. It's hard to know what exactly Russia would give back to Ukraine that it's occupied. There are slivers of land along their border to the north and northeast in Sunni and respectively, which they might return.

Hard to see where else they might think was in their favor, given they have staked a claim to pretty much all of Ukraine, depending on which maximalist demand you're hearing from the Kremlin. But the suggestion from a European official I spoke to is that one of the permutations being offered is that perhaps Ukraine withdraws from the remaining parts of Donetsk and the small parts of Luhansk that it does yet to control.

Some of those towns are under threat of Russian encirclement. Some of those towns are very much still occupied by Ukraine, held by Ukraine and its civilians. So a very difficult ask, one which President Zelensky has already said is a non-starter.

This has always been their position, but it essentially puts Kiev into a very messy six days now ahead of the Alaska summit on Friday. They're going to face pressure for whatever zygotic deal is being put together by Moscow and Washington without them. They may even find some of the European allies trying to get them close to some sort of agreement without knowing here two things, that ceding land is politically very toxic for Zelensky. It's going to be very hard for him to push it through. And indeed, Trump already suggested that he's going to need Zelenskyy to lean on his parliament and political elite to potentially make a deal happen.

And secondly, too, the real payback for Ukraine in all of this is a ceasefire. It gives up land essentially to stop the fighting. Well, they've been here before and they've seen Russia agree to ceasefires in the past, over the last 10 years now, plus of this war, and break those and continue fighting. So the bigger fear here will be that whatever concessions Ukraine ultimately has to stomach, and you know, its opening position of no land being ceded is also comparable to the similar opening position from the Russians here about getting land for essentially stopping fighting. It's going to find a huge degree of mistrust here about whether this is simply an opportunity for Russia to regroup.

For the Kremlin side, though, this is unadulterated great news. Summit in Alaska. It's the first invitation for Putin to the United States in a decade, essentially since his invasion of Ukraine began. It is a bilateral meeting without Ukraine about Ukraine, a total contradiction to Western policy for the past three years of this war. They're going to be hatching a plan without Kiev being in the room, initially. Maybe that will follow.

[08:05:17]

But ultimately, Putin here has a track record of bringing Trump closer to his narrative when the two men meet or speak. And I think that's what many are fearing here, too. And regardless, however badly this diplomacy ends up, whatever little it may yield or whether it does eventually come forth with, it buys Putin time that he needs to continue his military offensive in the east that's gaining ground, seeing success, and ultimately may change the reality on the ground they're talking about during these negotiations, as they're talking. Isabelle.

ROSALES: Nick, when we first started to hear about this summit coming together, we heard that Putin called the UAE as a possible location for the summit as, quote, "perfect". We knew Europe probably was not going to happen considering the ICC arrest warrant in place. But I think Alaska caught people by surprise. What do you think is the significance of these talks happening on U.S. soil?

WALSH: I mean, it's a significant formal invitation to a world leader. It's a sign of respect. It's a rehabilitation on the global stage to invite a man who's been a pariah to for since he invaded this country to U.S. Territory.

Alaska, particularly significant, you might cynically argue, part of a land deal that was hugely in America's favor when they bought it from Russia in 1867, $7.2 million then. Now you might say, well, this could be home to another extraordinary land deal of the century, but this time in Vladimir Putin's favor. If the terms being floated now in end up coming to realization.

It's a midway point between two countries, and it's certainly a sign that they are choosing a destination here, pretty much as far away from the war as you could possibly imagine where they can begin this bilateral conversation about the fate of another country that's not even there. It'll have many Ukrainians deeply concerned.

We've heard the beginning of those concerns today from President Zelensky, and I'm sure there are European allies of Ukraine and of the United States, or already hitting the phones to President Trump trying to say, look, you can't just give Putin what he wants. That won't end the war. That will just encourage him. Isabel?

ROSALES: Yeah, perhaps we saw a teaser from Russia's statements mentioning the Arctic so many times. Obviously, both countries have a clear line in sight of wanting dominance there in the Arctic. So perhaps that's what Putin will come offering up in terms of negotiations. We'll have to see. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you.

Well, dangerously high temperatures fueling a fire lingering out over in the West. We've seen those images of what's happening in California, and it seems like, Allison, we're not going to get a break quite yet.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. And it's not just California. They've had fires in Colorado. I mean, we have fires elsewhere. And that heat is just making it incredibly difficult for those firefighters that are trying to battle all of the blazes. The heat is not really going to go anywhere, at least not for the next few days. And it's not just in the Southwest.

Yes, we still have those heat alerts down there, and they've been there pretty much all this week. But we're also starting to see them spread other places, areas of Oregon and Washington State now having some of those extreme heat alerts. And we still have some across the central portion of the country, especially the Southern Plains, Texas, Oklahoma, areas of Arkansas, because that's where we're going to start to see those temperatures spread.

In the short term, though, you take those incredibly hot temperatures, you mix them with very dry conditions. You're talking low humidities in the sand, single digits in some spots, and gusty winds 20-25 mph. That may not sound like much, but it is in dry conditions to take even the smallest ember and create a new fire or spread ongoing fire. So you have those red flag warnings in effect as well.

Phoenix again, finally, we will start to see those temperatures dipping back down. But it's not going to be until the end of next week before we finally start to see those temperatures dropping back below where they should be. It's going to be the opposite in the eastern half of the country.

Now, in the short term, you've got a little bit of a cooldown in the Midwest because of these rain showers here that are going to sit tight for a few days. But after that, those temperatures are going to start to jump back up. Take a look at New York City, for example. Average high is 84 degrees.

We will spend every single one of the next seven days above that and really not even peaking until the middle of the upcoming week where you're looking at temperatures 10 degrees above average. Now for a place like Kansas City, again, it's going to stay cool, as we mentioned, because of those short term rain chances, especially Sunday and Monday. But after that, then you start to see those temperatures going back up as well, getting above normal by the time we get to the end of the week. And they're likely going to stay that way even as we head into next weekend, because you're going to start to see more sunshine added to the mix and fewer rain chances.

In the short term, though, the reason for that cooldown is going to be this. We've got a stationary front that's just not going to move all that much over the next few days. Because of that, it has the potential to drop a tremendous amount of rain over the next two to three days.

[08:10:08]

Widespread rainfall totals, especially in the red area you see here. That includes Des Moines and even Madison, Wisconsin. You're talking about three to five inches. But there could be some places that could see even more than that all the way through the end of Monday. The only hope is that it does spread out over the next three days and we don't get all of that rain, at least in a very short period of time.

Here's a look at the radar. Again, you can see already some ongoing showers later on this morning. Those will continue into the afternoon. They do start to move out temporarily overnight tonight. But then we get another wave that begins to arrive tomorrow. And yet again, the same thing will take place on Monday.

So you're going to be looking at multiple days of rain here over the same spots, especially those targeted points of Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and even into the western portion of Illinois. So that's going to be something we kind of have to keep a close eye on in the coming days, especially by late Sunday and Monday, as that rain starts to accumulate of how much flooding potential we may have.

Here again, notice all of the orange and the red color you see here on the map. This is where we're going to see some of the heaviest rain showers that we have. Again, really focused over some of these spots.

The other concern, too, Isabel, is that some of these areas have already had a lot of rain the last few weeks. So that ground is going to be saturated. Now you're adding more rain on top of it.

This is going to be a big concern for some of these areas that maybe under normal circumstances 2 or 3 inches wouldn't do all that much, but they will going forward over the next few days.

ROSALES: Excessive rainfall in parts of the country, heat in the other part. And I'm sure we'll be talking about hurricanes here shortly more next season.

CHINCHAR: Yes.

ROSALES: Give you a couple more minutes.

CHINCHAR: A couple more minutes. We'll talk about the end of the.

ROSALES: Sounds like a teaser. All right. Thank you.

Well, Israel's move to take over Gaza City is well underway at this hour, but the international community is speaking out against it. We'll break down more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:16:36]

ROSALES: Welcome back. This morning, there is growing global condemnation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to take control of Gaza City. A new satellite image shows Israel's military is already building up its forces near the border of Gaza City, just a day after Israel's security cabinet approved the takeover plan.

Joining me now to discuss is Max Boot. He is a senior fellow with the Council of Foreign Relations and a columnist for the Washington Post. Good morning to you, sir. MAX BOOT: SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Good morning.

ROSALES: Well, it doesn't appear that Netanyahu has much support at home or internationally to conduct this operation. Even the IDF's Chief of Staff is warning Netanyahu in a meeting, according to a source at a full takeover of Gaza would trap the military within the enclave and put the remaining hostages at risk. So why is he pushing forward on this?

BOOT: I think the primary impetus is coming from Netanyahu's own cabinet because this is what the hardliners, the far right, and the Israeli government they are demanding this as the price of continuing to support Netanyahu. And of course, without their support, he would fall from power. But this is a deeply misguided idea to send the IDF deep into the warrens of Gaza City with no plan for getting them out.

There is no exit strategy. There is no end game. This is simply a recipe for an endless guerrilla war, which is exactly what Hamas wants. That's why the IDF leadership themselves they don't want to do this because they know this is going to trap their forces in this quagmire without any obvious way to leave. But Netanyahu is basically willing to sacrifice the lives of Palestinians as well as IDF soldiers to stay in power.

It's deeply dismaying, and it's something that the United States should be speaking up about instead, I think President Trump is basically giving Netanyahu an implicit green light to go ahead.

ROSALES: And talking about Trump. He's taking a more hands-off approach, saying it's quote, "up to Israel", whether to occupy the entire Gaza Strip. What does that reveal about the U.S.'s role in this conflict going forward?

BOOT: I think it's pretty clear that Netanyahu has the upper hand in the Trump. Netanyahu relationship you saw earlier with the bombing of Iran where Trump tried to dissuade Netanyahu. Netanyahu went ahead, and then Trump decided to join in. And I think now in Gaza, Trump has certainly expressed some unease about the starvation going on in Gaza. He's expressed concern about ending the war. But at the end of the day, he is not going to stop Netanyahu from doing what Netanyahu wants to do.

And this is what Netanyahu wants to do it again, I think primarily for political imperatives, even though Israel is going to pay a heavy price not only on the ground but also in lost international support.

I mean, just this week you had Germany, one of Israel's staunchest supporters, saying they will stop exporting weapons to Israel that could be used in Gaza. That's an indication of the international backlash that this ill-conceived plan to take over Gaza City is sparking around the world.

ROSALES: Do you think that other countries will follow suit? I think that was a real eye-opening moment to see Germany, one of the staunchest supporters of Israel, saying no more. We're not sending you equipment or arms if you're going to continue with this operation. We're not sending you equipment or arms if you're going to continue with this operation. Do you think other countries will follow suit?

[08:20:13]

BOOT: Well, absolutely, but I mean I think it's really the U.S. is the major player. Germany is the number two arms supplier, but the US Is number one by a large margin of President Trump were to say, hey, we're not going to send more weapons to Israel unless you guys start to pull back in the Gaza Strip, make a deal with Hamas and implement a strategy for a long term governance plan with Arab support. I think that kind of pressure from the U.S. would be meaningful. But President Trump is not willing to use the levers that he has on Netanyahu.

And so Netanyahu basically feels free to ignore what the international community is saying and to go ahead with this ill conceived plan which unfortunately will lead to more suffering and could very possibly lead to the deaths of the remaining 20 Israeli hostages.

ROSALES: And real quick here, we're running out of time. But Max, you tell me the IDF, it already controls 75% of Gaza. How significant is taking Gaza City in terms of actually changing the trajectory of this war?

BOOT: Well, I don't think it's going to change the trajectory of the war. I don't think it's going to lead to the destruction of Hamas. I don't think it's going to achieve any of Israel's objectives. But it will enmesh Israeli troops in more difficult block by block fighting, and it will put more of, in fact all of Gaza's population under Israeli control and it will endanger the lives of Israeli hostages. I mean, more than the actual strategy for getting into Gaza, what I'm concerned about, there is no strategy for getting out. I mean, it's been a long time since this war started on October 7, 2023. And in that whole time, Netanyahu has still not come up with a post-war plan. What is Israel's objective? And if you don't have an objective, you're guaranteed to fail.

If you don't know what, how you're a realistic achievement that you're trying to get to, you're not going to get there. And I think that the consensus of the IDF is that the objective that Netanyahu has put out there, which is liberating all the hostages by force and destroying every remnant of Hamas. That's not a realistic military objective. They've already achieved their, the realistic objective which is to prevent Hamas from carrying out another October 7th attack.

ROSALES: Yeah. And you've heard so much of the international community warning that this is going to take a human toll, a greater human toll, not just for Palestinians, but for these Israeli hostages. And as we heard from the IDF chief, even his own soldiers, he's worried about there as well. Max Boot, thank you so much for joining us.

BOOT: Thank you.

ROSALES: Signing bonuses and student loan repayment. That's the promise coming from ICE and its new recruitment efforts. But not everyone is in support of these new tactics. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [08:27:28]

ROSALES: ICE is ramping up their recruitment with officers to pay off debt and give out bonuses. The department is under pressure to quickly hire 10,000 new agents. Part of the effort is targeting local law enforcement. And while that's not right there, that's not going over well with leaders who call it, quote, poaching.

With me is Jonathan Thompson, who is the executive director and CEO of the National Sheriff's Association. Thank you so much for joining us.

I want to read part of the email sent to local sheriff deputies in some states. Here it goes.

JONATHAN THOMPSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO, NATIONAL SHERIFF'S ASSOCIATION: Thank you.

ROSALES: Your experience in state or local law enforcement brings invaluable insight and skills to this mission, qualities we need now more than ever. ICE is actively recruiting officers like you, who are committed to serving with integrity, professionalism and a deep sense of duty.

Jonathan, you call this inappropriate for a partner organization? Why is that?

THOMPSON: Well, thank you for having me. You know, it's just one of those things where you just would not want to try and steal your brother's girlfriend just to have a date. So we're a little bit frustrated, to say the least.

But, you know, I think as this is, as we've gotten more distance between that memo and where we are today, I think there's a sense that there are other ways to get to where they need to be at ICE and how they need to get there.

So we're working with them. We're trying to figure out how they can do their jobs and how our sheriffs can do their jobs. That's the most important things.

ROSALES: And I mean, we even had Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the spokesperson of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, saying, "We have partnered with I no other state to help ICE do its job of illegal immigration enforcement. ICE is actively trying to use our partnership to recruit our personnel. That is wrong. And we have expressed our concerns to ICE leadership."

So that's a pretty strong statement from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and also from Grady Judd over at Polk County. All of us in the Tampa Bay area both of them are Republicans. What have you heard from law enforcement agencies who have perhaps reached out to your association?

THOMPSON: Well, I've spoken to both of those sheriffs in the past about similar situations. So we are, as I said, we're frustrated. I think it's hard to fathom how difficult the recruiting and retention problems facing law enforcement across this country are with many agencies looking at anywhere from 25 to 40 percent vacancy rates. This came to us as a bit of a surprise that you'd go to your partners to start recruiting for them.

[08:30:11]

And so, we've made it very clear. You need to look holistically. You can't -- you can't use our training meetings as a -- as a source for your recruitment programs. Let's -- let's figure out how do we get the job done that the President's asking for help with in this nation and trying to figure out how do we get you guys the resources of which they have greater financial resources than anybody, right? So, that's kind of the trick here.

You know, the -- the most important takeaway though here is that, you know, ICE has a very large job to do. It's -- it's not something that can be done without the help of state and local law enforcement. And they're looking to find that force multiplier where they can and where they -- where they need help. And we've got sheriffs that are willing to help in those cases, and by all means, they'll do so.

But, you know, it's -- it's important that everybody realize that this isn't just a retention problem at the local level. It's a retention problem or a recruitment problem at the national level as well.

ROSALES: And -- and I'm sorry if I didn't catch this at the beginning, but did you -- did you personally reach out to ICE? Were they receptive to what you were saying?

THOMPSON: I've -- I've spoken to a number of folks at the very senior levels in the White House. They called to express their disappointment as well in this -- this action. So, we'll -- we're going to move on. And I think that's what the country has to do in a lot of things. We've got a lot of high-priority issues and problems facing this nation, so we're going to -- we're going to do so. But they know of our displeasure in very, very clear terms.

ROSALES: I don't mean to beat this over the head continuously here, but that e-mail blast did go out. And when you're seeing $50,000 as a sign-in bonus, there's no way a local sheriff's office or police department can possibly compete with that. Are you at all worried that the damage is already done, especially as you mentioned, I believe it was 25 percent to 40 percent vacancy rates that are happening at the local level?

THOMPSON: Yes, it's a lot of money. There's no two ways about it. But I think, the -- the -- go back to something we said earlier, and that is that we've all got priorities in our -- in our -- our country, and sheriffs have priorities at the local level. Now, no one wants to stand in the way of a -- of a deputy or an officer in a police department trying to improve their position, getting -- doing better, moving up the ladder.

But at the same time, let's -- let's be cognizant and remember that you can't just rob Peter to pay Paul. And in this case, Paul happens to be a very well-heeled Paul. They've got financial resources, they've got federal benefits. So let's -- let's all keep focused on the main prior -- primary focused on or primary objective here, which is to recruit the best, get them trained, which takes an awful lot of time, get them licensed and get them certified to do the job that's at hand.

ROSALES: Yes. And -- and don't upset local sheriffs or police chiefs, especially in the Sunshine State that leads the way in the number of 287 ICE partnerships across the nation. Thank you so much, Jonathan Thompson. Thank you. Really appreciate your time.

THOMPSON: You bet. Thank you as well.

ROSALES: Thank you.

[08:33:18]

Well, still ahead, the new CNN original series, American Prince, takes a look at the life of JFK Jr. We've got a sneak peek coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSALES: The Texas House of Representatives will reconvene Monday and try once again to reach a quorum as Republicans continue their push to advance efforts to redraw the state's congressional maps. Meantime, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he is filing a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court to remove some of the lawmakers who continue to be absent.

And officials have now suspended direct deposit for those who have not shown up. Sherrell Hubbard has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. DUSTIN BURROWS (R-TX), HOUSE SPEAKER: There being 95 members present, a quorum is not present.

SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On Friday, some House Democrats did not appear for the special session at the Texas state capitol, preventing a Republican-led plan to redraw congressional maps. The political tug of war has been going on all week since Texas state House Democrats fled the state to prevent a vote on the controversial redistricting maps, which could lead to Republicans gaining several seats in Congress.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you approve this map, it will be one more nail in the coffin of democracy.

HUBBARD (voice-over): Thursday, a state Senate committee voted to advance a new proposed congressional district map to the full Senate, despite opposition from the public. Some of those opposed to the new maps say it is gerrymandering and based on the racial makeup of its communities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This map may have been drawn race-blind, but it is in fact going to hurt communities of color. HUBBARD (voice-over): The governor of Texas has called for the removal of all absentee Democrats from office. There have been threats of arrest and restrictions on pay to compel Democrats to return to the state. And Texas' House Speaker threatening suspension of direct deposit Friday.

BURROWS: Those checks must now be picked up in person, on Capitol grounds, effective immediately.

HUBBARD (voice-over): No word on when these House Democrats will return to Texas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't we try to win elections based upon policy and issues, rather than engaging in these ridiculous -- ridiculous redistricting games?

[08:40:05]

HUBBARD (voice-over): I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: Thousands of people are evacuating because of a wildfire in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles. CNN's Nick Watt explains what communities are under threat and how firefighters are responding. Nick?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Isabel, this is just one of a number of active fires in California right now. We are in fire season. Long, dry summer, hot temperatures, as we always get, July, August, in September, maybe October as well. That is when this place is at the most risk.

Now, I'm going to give you a little bit of a look at the anatomy of this fire, the Canyon Fire. So firefighters are trying to save that community down there, Hasley Canyon. The way they do it, Mike, if you pan around a little bit more, you'll see pink stuff there. That is dropped from the air. That is false check. That's a flame retardant. They're trying to create a barrier around the fire.

If you look a little bit, you can see those guys and men and women wearing orange there with chainsaws, with hoes, with shovels, actually physically cutting a line around the fire. Meantime, they also drop from the air. I can hear a helicopter coming in now, one of the water droppers, and they will hit hot spots.

You know, we've also got these guys here, you see. So within this area, which is already burned, there are little embers. There's little bits of smoke. You don't want to leave any of that because that can get reignited by the wind, picked up and moved elsewhere and start a spot fire somewhere else. So there are hundreds of people on the ground here working. Their priority, life and property. That's what they want to save.

So hillsides burned. They try and contain them to save properties like that. Now, this one, 25 percent contained as of midday Friday. That is pretty good. We were told that they had done a lot of work overnight trying to contain it, that the day would show how well they had done that work.

And it looks like they did a pretty good job because this fire is looking for now to be under control. But the temperatures here are still very high. There's no rain in the forecast. Humidity is low. The wind, talking 20-mile an hour gusts today, apparently. So certainly not out of the woods for fire season in Southern California, not yet out of the woods for this particular fire. Isabel?

ROSALES: Yes, protecting life and property. Very important work. Nick, thank you.

Well, the new CNN original series, American Prince: JFK Jr. follows the story of John F. Kennedy Jr. It follows him through the early years marked by his father's assassination to his iconic love story. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Carolyn.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a nation with no royal family, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette were prince and princess.

STEVE GILLON, BIOGRAPHER: Each of them had their own charisma and their own charm, but you put them together and there was like a multiplier effect.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): With images like these saluting his father's casket at age three, John Jr. grew up as America's son.

GILLON: He just hated being called John, John. And he would always say he'd mutter under his breath, you know, one John is sufficient.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): But Kennedy accepted his public life while Bessette preferred to stay private, creating an aura of mystery and public fascination.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She'd married like arguably like the most famous man in the world at that time. She refused to bend to the will of the press.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Carole Radziwill spent years in the couple's inner circle. She was married to Kennedy's cousin and best friend Anthony, whose mother, Lee Radziwill, was Jackie O.'s younger sister. She says Bessette was the opposite of her public image.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think what people take away from the photos is that she sort of seemed like a caged, scared person. And she just wasn't. She was very strong, very confident.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Bessette left a job at Calvin Klein after she met Kennedy, but never actually sought the role she's still known for. Fashion icon. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She didn't fuss over her fashion. She lived her life with style. Style for her was not like what she was wearing.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Her effortless chic style is embraced today. When fans saw early photos from an upcoming FX series on John and Carolyn, they erupted online, claiming the looks appeared more fast fashion than Bessette's classic elegance.

Producer Ryan Murphy told Variety Carolyn Bessette is clearly a religion of her own, insisting these were merely test shots.

JOHN F. KENNEDY JR., ATTORNEY: Ladies and gentlemen, meet George.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): In 1999, Kennedy's magazine "George" was failing. His best friend and cousin Anthony was dying of cancer. And his marriage to Carolyn was strained.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All I can say is there's no talk of divorce or breaking up. They were going to a wedding together that Friday.

[08:45:03]

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): But then the world stopped as John and Carolyn's single-engine plane crashed off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. America's royal couple was gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was the protector of all of us. She protected me. She was John's protector.

GILLON: Had John lived, he would have run for office.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Just months before his death, Gillon says Kennedy spoke of what might have been, embracing his family roots and a life in politics.

GILLON: He said what people need is hope. They need to know that tomorrow is going to be better than today. And it was a long pause. And he looked at me and he said, I can do that. I think I can do that.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: The new CNN original series American Prince: JFK Jr., premieres tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN. We'll be right back.

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[08:50:21]

ROSALES: Welcome back. This morning, we have our eyes on the tropics as hurricane season is starting to ramp up. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins us with more on that. We've entered peak season, right? August the 11th, usually by that point. ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we are certainly headed into it this week. And again, the models look very close to that. We take a look. This is the one we're concerned about, this orange one that has newly developed. Now, the system itself has just come off the coast of Africa. But where it's expected to go is to slide across portions of the central Atlantic and head in towards the Caribbean area.

That's where it's going to be the key to keep an eye on it, because where does it go from there? Now, when you look at the models, they don't really do all that much in the next few days. But here you can start to see by Friday and as we head into Saturday, then it starts to edge much closer to actually land, not only some Caribbean islands, but also maybe perhaps nearing the United States. So we'll have to keep a close eye on this.

But it's exactly where we would normally see storms this time of year. This is typical for August. Again, notice where that orange and red color is right down through there. This is where we normally see that development. And that is what is expected of this particular storm. Once we get to, say, Monday and Tuesday of the upcoming week, it's going to hit a much more favorable environment.

So the potential for it to actually become the next name storm starts to increase in those coming days. Now, one thing also to note, too, is that for a lot of these, it's going to be heading into some very warm waters, waters that are above average, even for this time of year. A lot of these areas are in the low to mid 80s.

And that is fuel for these kind of storms, especially when you start getting into the development here along the Caribbean and into the Gulf, where it's a little bit more shallow water. You tend to have that great development if it gets named, guys. The next name on the list is Erin.

ROSALES: Hey, the waters are warm. We're in season. It feels like it's only a matter of time. Allison Chinchar, thank you.

Well, an NFL preseason game ended early after a scary injury. Andy is here with more on what happened during that game.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Isabel, you know, these type of injuries always just so terrifying. And you can imagine for the players out there on the field after seeing what happened, they just don't want to continue playing afterwards.

And that's why the Lions and Falcons, they decided to just call their preseason game after Morice Norris was injured last night. It happened here in the fourth quarter. Norris, who's a rookie trying to make the team goes for the tackle, but his head just bounces off running back Nathan Carter.

Norris was attended to for about 20 minutes on the field. His players from both teams joined hands. He was taken off the field in an ambulance and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Now, the Lions in a statement said Norris is in stable condition and has feeling and movement in all his extremities. Now, after Norris was taken off the field, the Falcons, they snapped the ball. But then both teams just stood there and let the clock run. They then got together to pray for Norris. Shortly after that, an official announced the game was being suspended. And the Lions head coach, Dan Campbell and Falcons coach Raheem Morris made the call to stop playing. And here was Campbell afterwards on how Norris is doing.

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DAN CAMPBELL, DETROIT LIONS HEAD COACH: He's breathing, he's talking. It's good. He's got some movement. So and now they're running more tests. It's a little different and, you know, it puts things in perspective. And man, it's a violent game and we love it. And when something like this happens, the silver lining is, man, the brotherhood. I mean, to see all -- all those guys, you know, from that team, our team kind of come together and everybody's thinking about another player just means a lot.

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SCHOLES: All right, elsewhere in the NFL last night, Shedeur Sanders making the start for the Browns and he played great. The fifth round pick led the Browns on three scoring drives, throwing for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders said after the Browns 30 to 10 win, he wasn't nervous at all and knows he's ready for the moment.

Could Sanders actually be the Browns starter this season? Well, it's likely going to be 40-year-old Joe Flacco, but that was certainly an impressive start for the rookie.

And finally, the Patriots unveiling Tom Brady's statue outside of Foxborough last night. Oh, no, we don't have the Tom Brady video. But I tell you what, it's -- it's a 12-foot statue that looks pretty good. Do we have Brady's jokes about the Jets? No, I guess we don't have the -- we don't have Brady. He -- he made a jab at the Jets.

Oh, hey, there we go. There's the Brady statue. That's outside of Foxborough Stadium. Brady was there and he had jokes all night during his speech. Take a listen.

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TOM BRADY, 7-TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMP: To think that a kid from California might someday travel here to this plaza. Stop, gaze at this work of art and say, who the hell is that guy?

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[08:55:08]

SCHOLES: And he also said at one point that Jets fans, when they're getting blown out, can leave Foxborough and throw -- throw their beers at his statue.

ROSALES: Oh, my gosh. You know, it's not the most flattering. It reminded me of that prank against Ronaldo. SCHOLES: Oh, that.

ROSALES: Do you remember?

SCHOLES: Yes, yes.

ROSALES: Do you remember that statue?

SCHOLES: Yes. Dwayne Wade one wasn't a prank. It doesn't look anything like Dwayne Wade. The actual one looks pretty good. I like that it's 12-feet tall.

ROSALES: Never memorialize me. Thank you very much.

All right, listen to this. So ugly, she's absolutely adorable. The world's ugliest dog has been crowned and she is ready to say hello.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think about (inaudible)? She's -- she's like, she wants to take a nap.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ready to take a nap. She's very happy and she loves you all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: It's not ugly at all. This is Petunia. She's hairless, though. She's a hairless French bulldog. This contest has been going on for nearly 50 years, honoring dogs of all kinds. Also, it brings awareness to adoption. What do you guys think? She's not ugly.

SCHOLES: I had a Basset Hound named Petunia as a kid.

ROSALES: Petunia, what a cutie patootie, Petunia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very cute. I've seen uglier, so.

ROSALES: I want a hairless cat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Oh, those are so cute.

ROSALES: Thank you guys for joining us. Have a good one.

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