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CNN This Morning
Emergency Declared As Residents Flee Wildfire In Spokane County, WA; Officials: Multiple People Dead, Others Injured In Shooting At In-N-Out In Twin Falls, Idaho; Trump Pulls Back From Threatened Escalation Against Iran; Homemade Bomb Attack At Moscow Restaurant; Peruvian Plane Crash Kills All Thirteen On Board; Emotional First Week In Clancy Murder Trial; Trump Insists Reflecting Pool Damage Caused By "Vandals"; Trump Threatens To Revive Weaponization Fund Over Blanche Delay. Anthropic Says Its A.I. Models Hacked Other Companies' Systems; Song of the Summer Debate in Full Swing; Crumbl's New "Flamin' Lime Crunch" Cookie Faces Backlash from Fans; Michigan, Missouri Primaries Highlight Dem Divide. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired August 02, 2026 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:00:04]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Welcome back to CNN This morning. Here's what you need to know today. First, these evacuations that are happening now, as several fires are burning in Washington State. There is concern that the weather will only make things worse. We're tracking this.
Plus, the terror in Twin Falls, Idaho. A shooter at a fast food restaurant has started shooting, killed several people, injured others. Witnesses have described running for cover and even facing off with that shooter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOMINIC GONZALES, WITNESS: And I didn't have anything to defend myself, so I grabbed the gun and I pulled it back. It was jammed. So I just felt helpless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Also new this morning, President Trump calls off an attack on Iran that he claimed would have unleashed, quote, "levels of military terror, strength and power not seen since World War II." We've got new reporting on what may have led him to change his mind on strikes again.
The Trump administration is fighting with itself now over what's really to blame for damage at the reflecting pool in D.C. Why the President and his Interior Secretary are very publicly calling out the U.S. attorney in D.C. and the Department of Justice.
And later, what is your song of summer? If your choice is "Choosin' Texas," you're not alone, but we've got some other contenders that could be on the playlist.
Sunday, August 2nd. Thank you for joining us. I'm Victor Blackwell.
We're starting this morning with the breaking news out of Washington State. Governor Rob Ferguson has declared a state of emergency as firefighters are working to contain three large wildfires. The Washington National Guard has also been mobilized.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy crap. I can feel the heat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hot. There's a car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they're turning around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: A spokesperson for the Washington Department of Natural Resources said after midnight that more than 3,000 acres had already burned and the old trails fire had threatened up to 5,000 structures. Evacuation orders have forced thousands of people to leave those danger zones. Several areas in Spokane are under the highest level of evacuation order.
Several evacuation shelters have opened. And the Avista Utilities data shows that more than 13,000 homes have lost power.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRENT DALLMAN, HOME THREATENED BY FIRE: That's pretty devastating, but we're just -- we feel so sad for everybody that's in the path of that because it's uncontrollable at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never have I've seen the fire this close and coming over the ridge like that. And it's, I mean, it's devastating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The Washington State Commissioner of Public Land says that the area that's burned is roughly half the size of Rhode Island. CNN's Chris Warren has been monitoring the situation in Washington State, Chris, what's driving these fires?
CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the wind, it was a huge factor yesterday. It's going to be considerably less of a factor today. When you look at some of this video, you see the smoke just going absolutely sideways instead of the smoke going vertical, which we should see more of.
So it's that the winds push the smoke over, but also can carry some of the embers from the fires and create new fires well beyond the initial fire line. So today the fire weather threat for Spokane and eastern Washington, you're now in the orange. So this is essentially like a level 1 out of 3 when yesterday was that high end 3 out of 3.
So winds at times were gusting up to, you know, 35, 40 miles an hour should not see gusts anywhere near that today. Smoke, though, is going to be lingering for several more days. It's been around for weeks, likely to continue to linger as the winds will remain rather breezy across parts of eastern Washington. The green, though, shows us that it is going to be a little bit cooler today.
That's going to last today and tomorrow before it starts to heat back up. This is the time of year in the West where it is dry. Also, drought conditions helping to provide the fuel for these fires. The dry vegetation. Heat dome in place, absolutely baking parts of the Southwest with temperatures running well above normal, well above average.
Even for Phoenix and Los Angeles, with records that have been falling throughout the day yesterday and expected to happen again today. The heat lingering around with dangerously hot conditions for Southern California, Arizona, even still for today, parts of Montana.
And we'll see these temperatures moderate somewhat, Victor, but not a ton. Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest got a couple more months of fire season.
BLACKWELL: 114 today in Las Vegas.
WARREN: It's baking (ph).
BLACKWELL: Well, all right, Chris, thank you so much.
Several people are dead, others injured after a shooting at an In-N- Out Burger. This happened in Twin Falls, Idaho. You can see the employees there in the red aprons and paper hats running as the shots were fired. Listen to how one witness describes those moments.
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[07:05:02]
GONZALES: As I was running, I faced the shooter head on and he pointed the gun at me. And I ducked behind a white car just to have some sort of coverage. I saw a pistol on a gun case. I'm guessing that was his. And I didn't have anything to defend myself, so I grabbed the gun and I pulled it back.
It was jammed, so I just felt helpless. And I saw the truck in front of me, so I ran as fast as I could and I just threw it, got in the car, and we left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The local police chief says that the suspected shooter died after he shot himself. Officials have not provided the exact number of deaths, but told CNN earlier that at least three people had been killed. It's not clear yet if the suspect was included in that initial death count.
President Trump says that he agreed to requests from Iran and other countries in the Middle East to hold off on any new attacks on Iran. But the President also made clear that the pause is conditional. He says it depends on the two sides being able to rapidly reach an agreement. He says the proposed deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and, in his words, bring an end to Iran's nuclear threat.
Now, Trump also says Israel supports the pause in military action. At the same time, Iran's foreign minister is warning that any new American attack would trigger what he called a forceful response. But for now, there have been no new U.S. strikes inside Iran for several days.
Let's go to CNN's Clare Sebastian in London. Clare, help us understand what's new here after the President's really muscular language about what was coming for Iran.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think it's important to point out, Victor, that at this point, much of what is in that Truth Social post, we only have Trump's word for at this point. There's been no response from Iran on whether the perimeters of a deal have, in fact, been reached. No official response there.
Nothing from Israel on whether they're on board with this, as Trump claims. So that is critical. As you say, it was a big climb down after these escalatory not only words but actions that we saw over the past week from both sides. So significant there, even though, of course, this is a pattern that we've seen in this war.
Iranian state media, as they wake up this morning, really using this as an opportunity to sort of exploit the sense of U.S. weakness. One of them, the Fars semi-official agency, a quote there from their post saying, "Trump the fool has run out of steam." Another, the semi- official man, news agency in a post writing, "Trump once again backed away from his hollow threats and presented his retreat to the world as a favor."
So you get a sense of the tone we're getting there. What the post on Truth Social does not mention is that there has been a sort of two- part intervention from Saudi Arabia. There was a call, which we've now had an official readout from Saudi Arabia, from on Saturday with the Crown Prince to Trump, where he stressed the need, and I quote, "to prioritize dialogue to reduce escalation and the importance of making every possible effort to achieve calm that paves the way for diplomatic solutions."
That follows on from a visit by the acting Saudi defense minister to the White House on Wednesday to stress a very similar set of talking points. So they obviously facing a now blockade by the Houthis in Yemen of the Red Sea, a critical route for their oil exports, especially now they've had to reroute them away from the Strait of Hormuz.
They have also had to join in with U.S. strikes in the past week on Iran-backed militias in Iraq. They are now really stressing the need for de-escalation here. That may be part of it. Another part of it may be the fact that we are now seeing credible evidence and reporting that U.S. stockpiles of interceptor missiles are really dwindling as a result of this war.
And so any Iranian retaliation, which, of course, has been threatened in response to U.S. escalation, well, that would be increasingly difficult to defend against. So that is the big picture here, Victor, at this point.
BLACKWELL: Many variables to consider. We'll see what we hear from the President today.
Clare Sebastian reporting for us. Thanks so much.
New this morning, a deadly bombing outside a Moscow restaurant. Now, authorities say an unidentified woman was carrying a bomb, tried to enter a private event yesterday. The device exploded before she could get in. Two people were killed, including a security guard who stopped her and a customer who was attending the event.
Officials say the woman carrying the bomb also died. Twenty-one others were injured. Investigators believe the bomb may have been detonated remotely without the woman knowing what was inside that package.
Still ahead, it's been six months since Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in Tucson. Well, now the sheriff leading the investigation has a message for the public.
And a sightseeing tour turned deadly after a plane full of tourists crashed in the desert. We're learning new details about a possible cause.
And a new study ranks all 50 states and the state at number one. Maybe a surprise for you.
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07:14:54]
BLACKWELL: Let's take a look at this morning's headlines. A sightseeing plane in Peru has crashed. Thirteen people aboard have been killed.
[07:15:02]
Peruvian police say that the plane was flying over a popular archaeological site with tourists when it crashed. That plane was carrying 11 tourists, including German, Italian and Spanish visitors, two crew members. The crash happened one day after. Flights resumed after being temporarily halted because of strong winds.
The Israel Defense Forces says they destroyed several Hamas weapon depots in Gaza Saturday. Those strikes left a huge crater. Look at this. This was at a hospital.
Gaza's health ministry says the attack destroyed two medical warehouses containing vital supplies for local residents. The strikes come less than 48 hours after President Trump announced a potential breakthrough in Israel and Hamas in their peace efforts, saying that they had both agreed to advance a ceasefire plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People have called us with information, but we also know a lot of people are hesitant to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: New calls for help include six months after the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC Today Show Anchor Savannah Guthrie. The Pima County sheriff says that the investigation is still very active.
Investigators released the full ransom notes they believe are from the kidnapper. Savannah Guthrie also posted a new plea Saturday, begging someone to come forward.
The Lindsay Clancy triple murder trial will continue tomorrow morning after an emotional first week. Patrick Clancy took the stand against his ex-wife, and the jury later visited the crime scene. Lindsay Clancy is charged with three counts of first degree murder in the deaths of her three children in 2023.
CNN's Brynn Gingras has the latest on the testimony expected this week.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So jurors were brought out of the courtroom and to the outside in what the court was calling a view. And essentially this allowed jurors to visit three separate locations that they've been hearing so much testimony about. And that was of the CVS, also a restaurant.
If you remember in the testimony, Patrick Clancy, the ex-husband of Lindsay Clancy, visited those two spots when he ran errands during the time that Lindsay Clancy took the life of her three children. They also had a chance to visit the home, the Duxbury house where the Clancy family lived.
They visited the back of the house. That's where Lindsay Clancy was found semi-conscious after a failed suicide attempt. And then, of course, inside the house as well, where the three children were found in the basement.
Now, jurors were instructed that they could make observations. They could listen to the prosecutors and the defense and the judge was present as well as these visits. But they could not do any of their sort of own investigation. They couldn't open any drawers or anything like that.
That was pretty much the morning of this Friday in court. And then jurors returned back to the courtroom and to hear some testimony. And a lot of the testimony was essentially from doctors and first responders, detectives who were at the scene and who were in the care of Lindsay Clancy and two of the three Clancy children at the hospitals that they were brought to.
Emotional testimony. At times, Lindsay Clancy was sobbing through it. And I want you to see one of those moments when there was an emergency doctor explaining how they worked to revive the youngest Clancy, Callan Clancy, in the hospital. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About how long into your care of Callan did he regain a heartbeat?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably from the time that he got to the ER, maybe like 10 minutes or so, I'm guessing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At any point in time, did he regain the ability to breathe on his own while he was in your care?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: During this testimony, jurors also saw pictures of the wounds that Lindsay Clancy had on her arms, the cuts, her neck. And also there were moments that she was sobbing not only on Friday, but also throughout testimony during the week. Emotionally charged testimony at times, even the court really dismissing jurors earlier each day, possibly even to just give them a bit of a break.
Now, the judge did say that they are on track as far as their schedule is. This trial is expected to last six to eight weeks. Remember, at the end of it, jurors will be deliberating.
What the defense argues is that Lindsay Clancy should not be held criminally responsible for the killings of her three children and that she was going through a postpartum psychosis at the time that this happened. So that's what jurors will be deliberating at the end of this. Testimony does begin again on Monday.
Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York. Back to you.
BLACKWELL: All right, Brynn. Thanks so much.
Still ahead, was it a shoddy renovation or vandalism that damaged the reflecting pool? Well, the President is weighed in after the Justice Department dropped those vandalism charges.
Plus, primary day is almost here in Michigan. Which Democratic Senate candidate will be heading to the November general election? We'll get into it.
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[07:24:23]
BLACKWELL: President Trump is doubling down on his claims that vandals damaged the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and rejected his own Justice Department's conclusion about what caused the problems. Now, in a Truth Social post, the President wrote, "I disagree 100 percent with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the reflecting pool. I don't know what she was thinking. To me, it was a pure case of vandalism."
Now, Trump's post came a day after the Justice Department acknowledged that a $14 million renovation of the reflecting pool was, quote, "hasty and botched" and dropped charges against a former Olympian.
[07:25:01]
Let's get into it. Joining me now in the morning roundup is Attorney Cody Randall, Race and Culture Reporter for the Atlanta Journal- Constitution and Senior Editor for UATL Ernie Suggs and Journalist JaQuitta Williams. Welcome to you all.
So let's start. I mean, I want to get into kind of the legal and political of this. Ernie, you first. We've got the President saying it was vandals. Then Jeanine Pirro saying, no, it's not vandals. It's actually the Interior Department that went wrong.
ERNIE SUGGS, SENIOR EDITOR, UATL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: And then the secretary of the Interior comes back and says, no, she's wrong. He's right.
SUGGS: I think Jeanine Pirro should update her resume for one.
BLACKWELL: You think it's coming?
SUGGS: Yes, I think it's coming.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SUGGS: I think -- because she -- this is a time where you don't disagree with the President and the President has set out a --
JAQUITTA WILLIAMS, JOURNALIST: This is the time.
SUGGS: Well, the President has set the agenda for what this is. It's vandalism because he doesn't want to admit -- and the Interior Department doesn't want to admit that this was a bad job, that this was a no bid contract. This is why you have bids, because you want to get the cheapest, best contractor to do the work.
And they did not get the cheapest, best contractor to do the work. The work was bad and they found a patsy or a scapegoat in her. And this is what happens.
CODY RANDALL, ATTORNEY: Well, the thing you got to understand about this, right, is number one, what the President tweets and says is entirely different than a legal pleading, right? So when she puts her name to something, she files it. She's telling the court that she has candor, that she believes this to be a statement and true.
So if you watch her initial statements of this first happen, oh, he damaged the pool. And now she's like, oh, maybe not so much. And it's not our fault. The Department of Interior didn't tell us what happened. DOI is going, well, it was the contractor that did these things.
If they put something that isn't a provable fact, that's not demonstrably true in writing, then there could be sanctions. They could have her license revoked. She could be arrested. There could be charges.
Now, I will agree with the President on this. I do think the pool was vandalized by him.
BLACKWELL: But JaQuitta, it's also -- let's add this additional variable. We all saw the pool.
WILLIAMS: Absolutely. We saw it. We saw the mess. Here's the thing that I know I've heard people say about narcissistic people. They will never take responsibility.
I'm not saying the President -- well, you know, I think that --
BLACKWELL: You could -- finish this sentence.
WILLIAMS: Because you know, you feel me here.
BLACKWELL: Yes. I hear you.
WILLIAMS: And I'm just glad that the person who was arrested was able to be let go.
BLACKWELL: Yes, David Hearn.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
SUGGS: He was facing 10 years in prison.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
WILLIAMS: That's what's most important.
RANDALL: Like narcissists don't take responsibility for things that they did wrong. And they take responsibility for everything else though.
WILLIAMS: Oh, yes.
RANDALL: Like --
WILLIAMS: Yes, if they did something right.
BLACKWELL: Well, here's the President saying that he's trying to do something right on two fronts, trying to get Todd Blanche confirmed as attorney general and trying to get this anti-weaponization slush fund, $1.8 billion to be codified. He posted on social media, "If Senators Cornyn and Tillis aren't going to approve Todd Blanche, I will keep Todd as Acting A.G. and push hard to get the anti-weaponization bill passed. It will immediately be back on the table and we'll get it done."
To suggest that a bill is going to be passed on this, what's the chance of that getting through Congress?
RANDALL: Zero.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SUGGS: That's what I was going to say.
RANDALL: Yes. Like, there's no chance that it's going to get through Congress. He doesn't have the votes in either House to get that push through. And he doesn't want to take it off the table and put in writing as far as what -- that there's due to be dead in the water because he wants it. He wants to keep that money.
And in the words of Senator Tillis, if he -- the President thinks that they're the only two holding up this nomination, he's got another thing coming.
BLACKWELL: So that was the easy question to answer, right? The chances of it getting through Congress. Zero.
SUGGS: Yes.
BLACKWELL: The harder question is, what does this assertion that obviously he wants it?
SUGGS: Yes.
BLACKWELL: And he wants Congress to pass it. What's that mean for this judiciary hearing on Tuesday where they could vote on Todd Blanche? Does this kill the nomination? Does it hurt the nomination?
SUGGS: I think it hurts the nomination because I think that -- I think, you know, you have Tillis and Cornyn who are against it. I don't think -- I don't see how Trump thinks he's going to get the votes for the weaponization fund if he can't get the votes for Blanche. So I don't think that Tuesday is going to be any kind of --
RANDALL: Well, it's important to understand that --
SUGGS: -- see a form (ph).
RANDALL: -- there might not even be a vote on Tuesday. This was already scheduled for a vote and they had to call the vote off because they don't have Cornyn and Tillis, right? They are on the judiciary. Without their votes, he can't get out of committee. It can't go to the Senate for a full vote.
BLACKWELL: The question then is, what was the purpose of scheduling something on Tuesday? You knew you didn't have the votes last week.
RANDALL: Headlines?
BLACKWELL: Oh, well, they got that. Let's see what happens on Tuesday if they get another one.
JaQuitta, this next story had you Googling Terminator? So --
WILLIAMS: OK.
BLACKWELL: -- first it was OpenAI reporting that their model broke out of a testing, got into the open Internet, hacked into other platforms. Now, Anthropic says that their test went through the same thing. Maybe this is just happening too soon. This is a bit scary.
WILLIAMS: We knew this was coming, though.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
WILLIAMS: I really thought -- here's the thing. I love AI. I think there's some benefits to it. But I think that these are examples of the things that could really, really go wrong. Skynet is --
BLACKWELL: OK, OK. All right.
WILLIAMS: -- (INAUDIBLE) from Terminator.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
WILLIAMS: And I never thought that I would literally see something on a big screen coming to fruition now. And it really is scary.
And I'm also curious as to -- because A.I., before A.I. really came out to the public, I believe A.I. was already out. We just didn't know it. And I wonder how many other bugs or things that they can tick off to say, this is a problem. And some -- they're telling us how many things have happened that we don't know about. And I think it is going to get progressively worse. And it scares the heck out of me.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
RANDALL: It really, really does.
SUGGS: You mentioned "Terminator" and Skynet. Do you know the name of the sequel of "Terminator"?
WILLIAMS: "Terminator 2?"
SUGGS: The Rise of the Machines.
WILLIAMS: That's -- you know what? You are so right.
CODY RANDALL, ATTORNEY AND SPECIAL COUNSEL, GOORGIA TRIAL ATTORNEYS AT KIRCHEN & GRANT, LLC: I'm over here thinking to myself, I did not ever expect "The Matrix" to become a documentary, right? But one of my favorite quotes actually comes from "Jurassic Park," which is, scientists are sometimes way too concerned with if they could rather than if they should. BLACKWELL: Yes.
RANDALL: And this might be an if we should question. The scary thing from the OpenAI is, I saw an article the other day, they were talking about reviewing the logs. The A.I. was leaving notes for itself. It was giving itself instructions on how to break out of its sandbox. It's like, dear future me, when you get here, this is how they're going to try to stop you.
BLACKWELL: Oh, wow.
RANDALL: Or this is how you get around that.
WILLIAMS: And we can't pull back now.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
WILLIAMS: It's like, it's out. So, it just makes me wonder what else is coming because it's a lot of stuff coming.
BLACKWELL: Everybody stay with us. We have a lot more to get into. Coming up, sweet with a little bit of heat. We try, you've probably seen it on socials, the new Flamin' Lime Crunch cookie. And if you're heading out, remember you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S., right from the CNN app. You can also go to cnn.com/watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[07:35:00]
BLACKWELL: All right. We're now in August and it's time to ask, what is the song of summer? And for the folks at Rolling Stone, it is Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas," which has been top of the charts for 14 weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Now, the song is an undisputed hit, but in this era of hyper-personalized algorithms, there are a lot of different opinions on what actually is popular. Our panel is back. And so, we have asked everyone to offer up their song of the summer. Ernie, you're first, and we're going to play a little bit of it and then get you to talk about it. This is Beyonce's "Morning Dew."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: I see it here. I see this. Why is this your song of summer? SUGGS: Because you can never go wrong with Beyonce.
BLACKWELL: Right, that's true.
SUGGS: When I saw the Rolling Stone list, I had never heard that song, "Choosin' Texas," before. And when you said it was on the top of the charts for 14 weeks, I was totally blown away.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SUGGS: So, when all fails, you go with Beyonce.
BLACKWELL: Yes, just when you don't know, just go back to Beyonce.
WILLIAMS: Smart man.
BLACKWELL: Cody, Messy, "Lola Young."
RANDALL: Listen, that has been my song of the summer. It started playing on social media. It got super catchy in my head. But also, it reminds me of conversations with my fiance and I. Because he will be like, your house is too messy. And then we'll clean things up. He goes, why are you cleaning things right now? We're trying to have quality time. It's like, I'm too messy, and then I'm too clean.
BLACKWELL: Yes, yes, yes.
RANDALL: It's just -- it's apropos to my life right now.
BLACKWELL: And it's also a song that once you hear it, you'll be singing all day.
RANDALL: It just gets stuck in your head like a brain worm.
BLACKWELL: Jaquitta, this song was my pick until another song came out. But yours is Young Miami's "Spin That."
WILLIAMS: Yes.
BLACKWELL: All right. Let's listen to some of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Why is this your song of the summer?
WILLIAMS: It is -- you know, I'm -- when I think about the summer time and I'm a girl, I think about being a little naughty, and I know it's a little ratchet. Do not judge me. Because I'm like --
BLACKWELL: Wait till you hear my choice. OK.
WILLIAMS: But I just love it. I just think it's a naughty song, and it's fun. And it gets the crowd going.
BLACKWELL: I think that's what a song of summer is supposed to be.
WILLIAMS: Absolutely.
BLACKWELL: It's supposed to be carefree.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
BLACKWELL: It's supposed to be a little fun. Which is why my choice is Saucy Santana's "Quiet On The Creep." Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Listen, this song -- OK. So, first, I heard it on socials. And then you hear it once. You're like, oh, that's catchy. The second time you hear it, all day you're going to be going, quiet on the creek.
WILLIAMS: Too loud.
BLACKWELL: All day. So, that's my song of summer. All right. So, let's talk about what this new list that came out from U.S. News, ranking the top 50 states. They go from 71 metrics across eight categories, education, health care, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, natural environment, and crime corrections. The state that's at the top of the list this year, Utah. I've never been.
WILLIAMS: Me either.
BLACKWELL: But it is usually at the top of this list. Anybody been?
SUGGS: I've never been to four of the five states that are on this top of this list.
WILLIAMS: Neighter have -- well, I've been to Minnesota.
SUGGS: I've been to Minnesota, yes.
RANDALL: I feel like it's probably worth pointing out that part of these numbers have to come with asking people, how they feel about where they live, right? So, I think if you live in Utah, you really need to want to live in Utah. Like you understand what you traded off by not choosing like New York or L.A.
[07:40:00]
So, you -- that is what you want. So, like, are you happy? Absolutely.
BLACKWELL: Yes, you came to Utah. So, let's say this, for people who are choosing New York, one of the things you're getting is a high- ticket price at a movie. This survey came out from Cable TV analyzing movie theater prices across 48 states. Date nights are expensive. Now, I haven't been a movie theater in quite a while.
If you're going out in New York, two tickets and a large popcorn on average, $73.39. The movie used to be a cheap date. Not anymore.
WILLIAMS: Not anymore.
SUGGS: Yes, we went to see "Avatar" and we spent about 70 bucks, like you said. So, I --
WILLIAMS: Yes, I went to see "Spider-Man." I'm sorry.
SUGGS: OK.
WILLIAMS: I don't mean to cut you off.
SUGGS: OK. No, go ahead.
WILLIAMS: No, you go.
SUGGS: No, "Spider-Man."
WILLIAMS: OK. I went to see "Spider-Man" yesterday. I took myself out and I spent about, what, $25 on my own ticket. And this was during like a matinee. It was like 2:00, then popcorn, then drinks. So, yes, for me, about $50. And that's just me.
SUGGS: I think the prices are so high that we're only going to see giant films like "Avatar" and "Spider-Man."
WILLIAMS: Absolutely. "Odyssey." Yes, that's the only reason why I went. And you really needed to do the movie experience to see "Spider- Man."
BLACKWELL: Cheapest date night is in Tennessee. And that's still $44.73 for two tickets and a large popcorn.
SUGGS: Netflix chill.
RANDALL: But that includes the popcorn.
WILLIAMS: Yes, it's not worth it.
RANDALL: I got my tickets to go see the "Odyssey" the other day and it was $50 for two tickets. And that's here in Atlanta.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Yes. So, $12.73 individual ticket. That's in Arizona. That's the cheapest one. All right. So, let's get to it. We have been teasing this. Some have been dreading it. This is the new viral Flamin' Lime Crunch cookie from Crumbl. You've probably seen it on socials. They describe it as a lime sugar cookie rolled in a spicy cheese crisp mixture. Topped with tangy cream cheese frosting then coated in a spicy cheese crisp streusel. Finished with spicy crunchy cheese crisps and a fresh lime wedge. That's a lot going on for a recipe that I don't think anybody expected. So, you know on this show we like to get reactions on new things that are going viral and this is it. So, we each have one. So, we've got -- I think you're supposed to -- I think you're supposed to squeeze the lime juice on it. It's not like a tequila shot where you finish with the lime --
RANDALL: Well, they say you eat with your eyes first, and I think I may have lost my appetite.
BLACKWELL: All right.
WILLIAMS: OK.
BLACKWELL: Everybody take a big, big bite here.
WILLIAMS: Big?
BLACKWELL: I will never do that again.
WILLIAMS: My God, no.
RANDALL: It's so good. It's so --
SUGGS: You always feed us when we come here.
WILLIAMS: That is horrible. It's got a bad taste to it.
BLACKWELL: I didn't plan for what to do right now.
RANDALL: No, it's delicious, I swear.
WILLIAMS: That is horrible. He's lying. That's not good.
RANDALL: No.
WILLIAMS: I mean, it's an acquired taste. Let's do it that way.
RANDALL: Quick, get him away from me. I can't stop myself.
SUGGS: I'm going to be the contrarian here --
RANDALL: You don't think it's that bad?
SUGGS: I don't think it's that bad.
RANDALL: Listen, Ernie, what's wrong with you? Listen -- Look at how small of a bite he took. He barely -- he didn't get nothing in his mouth.
BLACKWELL: The reviews, though, on their website. I'm going to read the top three reviews. It was absolutely disgusting.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
BLACKWELL: The second one, it was so buns, all three of my friends spit it out, which is actually what happened here. The third one, it was like eating a Cheeto from underneath the seat of a 2003 Honda Civic.
WILLIAMS: Yes, that's a great analogy.
RANDALL: It was just so good, I wanted to save it for later.
BLACKWELL: You wanted to share it with the team.
RANDALL: You know, I want everyone else to have a chance to try it.
SUGGS: I don't think it was that bad.
RANDALL: Get it away from me, I can't help myself.
BLACKWELL: I --
SUGGS: Flamin' lime hot Cheetos, you know, those words go together, but it's not bad.
BLACKWELL: I planned for everything up to the bite, and then it was like, what do I do? All right. Thanks for being true it, guys.
RANDALL: Did you swallow yours?
BLACKWELL: It's in my hand.
WILLIAMS: Oh, OK.
BLACKWELL: Cody, Ernie, Jaquitta, thank you all for being with me. We'll all drink up what's in these cups.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Still ahead, Crews battling the wildfires in Washington State. We'll get the latest on that coming up.
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[07:45:00]
BLACKWELL: Five states will hold primary elections this Tuesday. The marquee race, the high-stakes Michigan Democratic primary for Senate between Representative Haley Stevens and Abdu El-Sayed. There's also a rematch in Missouri between the Democratic primary former Representative Cori Bush and Representative Wesley Bell who ousted her in a primary two years ago.
The Senate Judiciary Committee could hold a vote on Tuesday on Todd Blanche's nomination to become attorney general as senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, have threatened to withhold their support over President Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Actually, more than a threat. They've been withholding it so far. President Trump has signaled he would keep Blanche as acting AG if he cannot get him confirmed.
Jay Clayton will take over as Director of National Intelligence tomorrow. Clayton was confirmed by the Senate last week. There were reports that acting director Bill Pulte was going to remain in the role for a transition period but that's now apparently not happening.
This morning we are tracking extreme heat across parts of the West and dangerous fire weather in the Northwest. Let's bring back CNN's meteorologist Chris Warren. How much longer do we expect these conditions to stick around?
CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the really windy conditions that we saw yesterday that helped lead to this explosive fire development and the big spread of the fire that has really eased quite a bit. When you look at this scene and just how horrific it can be there's a house on fire. And then, another one, right there. And then, later on, you can see another house on fire.
[07:50:00]
This is because those winds, the strong winds, can pick up embers and create new fires or land on people's homes here and there, spotting. So, some homes completely destroyed because of the fires and then maybe even next door not touched. That's one of the big reasons why these strong winds are just so dangerous in terms of wildfires.
So, while winds for several hours, from noon till about 9:00 last night, winds were gusting up around 40 miles an hour, sustained 20 to 30. That's not going to be the case today. Yesterday it was that high- end extreme fire weather threat in eastern Washington, back down to a one out of three here for the Spokane area and much of eastern Washington, Oregon, in fact much of the inner Mountain West and much of the Pacific Northwest.
So, what we're going to see today, still a lot of smoke that's going to last for a while. Wind's not nearly as strong, five to 10, maybe up to 15 miles an hour, possibly gusting up to 20. It will be much cooler. That helps with relative humidity and the stuff that's going to burn. But there's a lot of stuff to burn, grasses and wood and drought. So, we're dealing with still horrible conditions, Victor, with over the next couple of months, still the heart of fire weather season in the Pacific Northwest.
BLACKWELL: All right. Chris, thank you. Back-to-back World Series champs, the Dodgers may have just added another all-star pitcher to their already stacked rotation. Coy Wire is with me now.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. The rich just got ridiculously richer with the Detroit Tigers ahead of baseball's trade deadline, sending arguably the best pitcher on the planet, Tarek Skubal, to the back-to-back defending World Series champion, Dodgers. Talk about a cheat code. Skubal, who spent his entire big-league career in Detroit, now joins an L.A. club chasing an incredible third straight World Series title. The back-to-back AL Cy Young winner was headed for free agency after the season, so the Dodgers didn't wait around.
Now, look at this potential rotation. Skubal, Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, that in and of itself is like an all-star team. Detroit reportedly gets Alfied or Zyhir Hope, along with pitchers, River Ryan and Brady Smith. Dodgers fans probably dancing in the streets right now. The other 29 fan bases probably reaching for antacids. It's another reminder of baseball's financial divide. The Dodgers and Mets continue to outspend much of the league, fueling calls for a salary cap.
Now, a new chapter in baseball history officially underway. The Women's Pro Baseball League throwing out its first pitch yesterday, more than 70 years after the original All-American Girls Pro Baseball League folded in 1954. 99-year-old trailblazer, Maybelle Blair, who played in that league, had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
And the opener delivered plenty of drama. The L.A. Queens erased an 8- 6 deficit before Isabella Villarreal ripped a two-run single to center in the seventh to seal a 10-8 win over the New York Heights. The inaugural season features four teams, 15-game schedule, all played in Springfield, Illinois. The league says it's, quote, "More than a league, it's a movement." And judging by opening day, it is off to a pretty inspiring start.
Finally, a three-pointer worthy of a Hollywood ending. The Chicago Sky trailed the Las Vegas Aces by two with just three seconds after Asia Wilson had that go-ahead bucket. One timeout, one last chance. Undrafted rookie, Sydney Taylor, caught the inbound, rises up, and buries the game-winning three with .9 seconds to go. Talk about making your moment count. Taylor dropped in 29 points, knocking down a game- high five three-pointers and delivered a shot. Chicago fans won't soon forget as the Sky stunned the Aces, 84 to 83.
Now, Chris, I don't know about you, but is it just me or does Victor's breath smell like a burrito and a cookie? Like, what is happening right now?
BLACKWELL: I mean, I'm always up for trying something. I will not try that again.
WIRE: That looks so nasty.
BLACKWELL: Yes, it wasn't fun.
WIRE: Lime juice on the cookie.
BLACKWELL: And then it was wet. It was just -- it wasn't great.
WIRE: Oh, texture.
BLACKWELL: All right. Listen, it's been a summer of sports, great summer for sports. And we're going to keep the action going with a deep dive into the defining moments, the amazing athletes and cultural shifts that happened and have shaped the sports world across the decades. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's fascinating to me about the 1970s is that athletes began to find their social voice through free agency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The story of free agency starts in 1970 with Curt Flood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Curt Flood was a very talented outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals who had spent his whole career there, which was almost a decade by the time 1969 came.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And after that season, St. Louis wanted to trade him to Philadelphia. And he challenged the reserve clause in baseball, which basically gave owners complete control of player movement.
[07:55:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reserve clause was the means by which baseball owners kept their players from leaving their teams. It was this, you had a lifetime contract. We own you basically. Players, they could try to demand a trade. They could try to hold out on their contracts, but they were basically at the mercy of the owners of their teams to accept whatever offer they received.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I really want out of this thing is to give every player a chance to make a choice. ballplayer the chance to be a human being and to take advantage of the fact that we live in a free and democratic society.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Curt Flood's feeling was I'm a human being you can't just trade me and assign me this way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He ultimately took that battle to the Supreme Court and lost but really won, that was a pyrrhic victory for owners in baseball because that led to free agency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The new CNN original series, "Decades in Sports, "premieres tonight on CNN and tomorrow on the CNN app.
And thank you for joining us this morning. Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju is up next.
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[08:00:00]
