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Colombia Hit with Devastating Earthquake; Trump Boarded Secret Flight in Turkey Amid Iran Threat; Trump Promotes Debunked Theory Linking Vaccines to Autism; Rapper Tupac Shakur's Killing Goes to Trial After 30 Years; Italian Spa Town Appoints AI Councilor. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 11, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Christina McFarlane in London.
Shocking details from the U.S. president's trip to the NATO summit. Donald Trump secretly slipped out of Turkey last month on an alternate military
plane. This amid security concerns prompted by an Iranian threat.
Hundreds of people are still trapped under the rubble in Colombia following a once-in-a-decade earthquake.
And President Trump signed an executive order on Monday aimed at reshaping the federal government's approach towards childhood vaccines.
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MACFARLANE: Well, we begin with the devastating impact of a once-in-a- decade earthquake in Colombia. A short time ago, at least 175 people were confirmed to have died in the 7.4-magnitude quake, which struck around 24
hours ago.
You're looking here at rescue workers, who are racing against time to find people trapped under the rubble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Video emerging on social media is giving us just a glimpse here of Monday's horrific scenes.
Colombia's new president, who only took office just days ago, has declared a state of national disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: David Culver is on the scene for us in Pereira, Colombia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You've got dozens of rescuers but also just folks who are living in this community. On top of
this one, what was an apartment building and, according to a couple that I was just talking to, they were hearing yelling through the night.
And so that's now had them urgently trying to figure out how to get to the individuals that they believe are still trapped inside this apartment
building. You have a lot of onlookers, too. This is their community and they're just taking this in, really distraught, but also a bit in shock.
I mean, there's almost a daze when you look at folks who are walking around Pereira, where we are, one of the, if not the hardest-hit communities after
this earthquake. And we arrived late in the evening, around 10 pm. And, at that point, all flights getting to this area were canceled.
And so we were in the capital, Bogota, drove eight hours through the night. And it's through mountainous, windy roads. And passing us at high speeds
were emergency services, were added resources coming from the capital, trying to get here as quickly as possible to assist in this.
And you can even see they've got cranes running here. They've got a Red Cross truck behind it but they've been bringing fuel tanker trucks to keep
it going so that they don't have to move and they don't have to slow down the operation.
I've also just noticed they just went past over there but they've now just brought in search dogs to assist in this. This is probably the third or
fourth location we've been to in just the past 45 minutes or so.
And the reason is, every time we go to a location, some of the locals will come up to us and they say, if you think this devastation is bad, you need
to go here. If you think this is bad, you need to go here.
So they're just pointing us to all different parts of the city where they have realized a lot of it is just inoperable and destruction is everywhere.
I mean, it's rubble that lines the streets.
This is actually an entire street right here that is now just under layers and layers of concrete and steel. And so right now, it does look like
they've paused and we've seen this kind of on-and-off in the past little bit, where they've held off and moved away from a certain spot and then
tried to direct resources to that location.
And you can see some of the folks will move off as though they don't want to get in the way.
(OFF MIKE COMMENTS)
CULVER: OK, they're still directing people to a certain location there. I mean, this is now constant for the folks here in Pereira.
And as of now, it just seems increasingly frustrating for them to try to figure out what's going to come next.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: International leaders are promising to bolster aid to Colombia. Let's speak to Catalina Vargas.
[10:05:00]
She is the critical -- about the critical challenges ahead. She's Colombia's country director at the humanitarian agency CARE International.
Thank you so much for joining us. We were just seeing from our correspondent there on the ground in Pereira that the state of the damage
that has been inflicted on that town in particular.
Can you talk to us more about what your organization are doing on the ground right now, what they are seeing first-hand?
CATALINA VARGAS, COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR COLOMBIA, CARE INTERNATIONAL: First of all, thank you for inviting me today to talk about this massive
earthquake.
As you mentioned, the most critical in the past day (INAUDIBLE) care team are currently in the field, assessing what are the needs because, for sure,
we are receiving all the information from urban areas.
But we are concerned about rural areas where, because of the infrastructure that has been damaged and for sure electricity is not -- has been also cut
off. So our field teams are right now traveling to the areas affected to assess what are the other gaps that are not being covered or (INAUDIBLE)
because people have not arrived there.
So the (INAUDIBLE) to identify what are the main gaps, identify the different needs for women, affected children, other handicapped people but
also elderly.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Catalina, your connection is a little bit -- a little bit difficult with us but we'll continue for now. You talk there about
identifying the gaps that are, you know, needed to fill.
Do the Colombian government and aid organizations, as you see it, have the capacity and the infrastructure to manage disaster of this scale?
Have we still got you, Catalina, can you hear me?
VARGAS: Yes, yes, I can hear you. And -- yes, in Colombia, we have a strong --
(AUDIO GAP)
VARGAS: -- support the humanitarian response that require national coordination but also international attention, because we know those kind
of disasters, when we learn about Venezuela situation, is that multiple efforts will require to ensure the first response but also the early
recovery.
Because for sure, we will require support for the infrastructure but also to ensure protection for family that will be now displaced, in shelters,
waiting for a response in the -- in the coming days.
MACFARLANE: And Choco is, of course, one of the hardest hit areas and, you know, where there's a more remote, more rural part of the country.
How difficult is it to reach communities there, given the topography of the land and how mountainous it is?
VARGAS: This is a mountain area. So that's why I was mentioning, for instance, all of the information that we have are for the main cities
because five departments in the country has been affected.
So we are projecting that the numbers will be increasing the coming days. So some of the roads are interrupted -- are not getting access but also
some of the airports are closed because of the affectation (ph).
So our main concern is how we can access those rural areas where, as you mentioned, because of the topography of the country, the access is not
easy. So we require to be attention to go there and our field (INAUDIBLE) identify and talk to the people and also map what are the gaps for care by
other organizations in the field.
MACFARLANE: OK. Catalina, thank you very much for giving us your perspective on this, all the way there from Venezuela. I mean, you're,
that's not lost on us as well. I think we're going to leave it there for now. Thank you.
And turn to our David Culver, who is actually on the scene for us in Pereira. We saw him a short while ago.
And this is, of course, one of Colombia's hardest hit cities. David, just tell us again what you -- describe what you're seeing there, the operation
that we can see going on behind you there.
CULVER: And it paused briefly there, Christina. But you can see they've resumed. It was eerily quiet about two or three minutes ago. And what they
did is they brought on other rescuers, who then brought a K-9 up there for search and rescue to continue.
And it was silent, the crowd around -- let me just see; we're going to pan carefully, Christina, because our signal has been very shaky, as folks have
just gotten cell signal back here.
[10:10:04]
So they're rushing, obviously, to tell their loved ones that they're OK and obviously to take in what's happening in their community.
But they have been totally quiet in the past few minutes as they were continuing their search and hoping that potentially they were going to hear
what is believed to be a young girl and an older woman, according to one neighbor, still inside this rubble.
And they have now resumed. And you've got folks who, yes, are first responders. You've got folks who are wearing proper uniforms and then you
have people who are just community members who are stepping in.
I saw a few people who are wearing motorcycle helmets because they have no other head protection, some just wearing baseball caps, others even in
flip-flops, just trying to move things and do what they can.
And that's what they're doing now with these buckets. But they also have larger equipment that is in place, like this crane. We've seen this in
several of the different city blocks. I'm seeing more pull up actually.
And basically what they've been doing is they've been bringing tanks of gasoline to these locations so that they can keep going for 24/7 and they
don't have to stop. And they've been doing that, Christina.
I mean, this earthquake hit more than 24 hours ago now, just over. And throughout the night, several of the folks who are out here now say they
were also here. They could hear screaming and voices that have subsided from within the rubble. Now the only noise you hear are the directions
being relayed from on top of the rubble, just like that.
They're trying to guide folks around for added assistance and whatever they may be calling for.
But this is one location of many in this city. And as you mentioned, it's one of, if not the hardest hit. And when we were coming in, I mean, it's an
eight-hour drive from Bogota. And because flights weren't going. I'll let you see as first responders are now moving in here to help.
Flights were going because the infrastructure at the airport couldn't take them coming in last night. So we decided to drive. And on the road with us
were several other first responders, who had added resources that were being trucked in and moving through very curvy, windy, mountainous roads at
high speeds to get here urgently.
You got that sense of urgency. And people now keeping clear as much as they can but also wanting to watch as this is their community. I mean, people
are looking on here, saying they know people who live here, who work here. And yet this is now the aftermath that they're taking in.
MACFARLANE: And, you know, as we watch this with you, David, in real time, we can see that urgency there on the streets, not least because we all know
that the first 48 hours following an earthquake is crucial in order to get people out alive.
We know that a state of emergency has been declared.
Is that going to help efforts, especially in terms of getting to more remote areas where you are, in the city of Pereira?
CULVER: It seems that, at least, you know, in our being able to come through as quickly as we were able to and the roads were cleared, pathways
were cleared so that they could bring those resources, so that's a testament to already efforts being made at a national level to try to make
it so that it's a smooth entry into the hardest-hit points.
Now what I will say that kind of surprised me, Christina, is on the outskirts of Pereira, for example, I was struggling to see where the damage
was. It's not until you come into the center, to the highly populated areas.
Perhaps to infrastructure that predates even the 1999 earthquake here, which had a lot of folks rethinking certain infrastructure requirements and
limitations that need to be put in place and protections so as to prevent this type of destruction.
But it's not until you come into the city center that you really get to feel just the level of destruction and you and you start to see it. I mean,
it's, as I'm looking around my feet here, I mean, it's everywhere.
People have been clearing out the destruction from their shops, even if their building is still standing, inside of the windows, the facade
significantly damaged, if not destroyed.
MACFARLANE: All right. David, really important to have you there on the ground in Pereira as those rescue efforts continue behind you there. We
will continue to check in with you. Thank you very much, though, for now.
And we are getting new details on a security scare that forced an abrupt change of plans last month for the U.S. president, behind the scenes at
least. Apparently, Iranian threats to president Trump prompted him to secretly switch planes after the NATO summit in Turkiye.
One of the reporters behind "The Post" story shared more details on the extent of the secret operation.
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DAN LAMOTHE, NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": For weeks now, the American public talking about the two Air Force One jets, the
newer one from Qatar.
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And the older one from the last couple decades of operations. And in reality, the president was on either plane.
You had the newer jet from Qatar that landed with a relatively nondescript call sign a couple hours in advance in Britain. The C-32 simply did not
show up in flight tracker data at all, at least in the publicly available information we had.
And the Air Force One jet landed with the Air Force One call sign despite the president not being aboard. That was a serious shell game of sorts that
occurred there, you know, to keep the president safe.
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MACFARLANE: Well, CNN's Kevin Liptak has been following this from the White House.
And, Kevin, as we pore over the details of this, I just want to play you some sound from the president during that trip. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The U.S. leader, me, I'm on every list. I saw things this morning. I'm on every single one of their lists. I'm number one on the kill list for
Iran. They're lovely people. I'm number one. It's out all over the place. I'm their number one because they're scum. I'm number one on their list.
Before you. But if I go, you go right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: So Kevin, in the context of that, what do you make of what the president was saying there, what he was telling us?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think clearly, you know, two of those clips were before this deception with the plane. And one
clip was on his way home by the time he had gotten back on the Qatar- donated Air Force One.
And I think it just underscores that this threat of Iranian assassination was very much on his mind, in part, because, what we know now, which was
this elaborate deception that officials had been hurrying to put together while he was on the ground there in Turkiye, to switch planes, to
essentially act as a shell game, to avoid Iranian assassination.
And I think that just underscores, one, how real the threat was, at least in the view of American officials, but also how concerned they were about
the capabilities that Iran may potentially possess to target, really, the world's most secure aircraft while it was flying in a totally separate
country.
And so some very real concerns that were clearly seeping through when you heard the president, throughout the course of that day. And even looking
back now, just in retrospect, it does seem as if there were some signs that this was underway.
You know, for example, when reporters got on that old Air Force One, the blue and white Air Force One, they were all asked to lower their window
shades.
Which would have prevented them from seeing the catering truck that we understand the president was bundled into and moved from that plane to a
smaller plane that was positioned nearby on the tarmac for the president to fly away to the U.K.
We also noticed that, once the president got to the U.K. or once the old Air Force One got to the U.K., it took an unusual amount of time for
reporters to get off the plane and positioned on the tarmac.
And that would have been enough time for the president to get back on the plane, only to walk back off again in view of the cameras to keep up the
subterfuge. And so it is, I think, a very unusual, really kind of an extraordinary step that underscores the threats that are emanating from
Iran.
It is rare for a president to do this kind of thing, even after 9/11, George W. Bush kept reporters on Air Force One as he was flying around the
country to what at the time was an undisclosed location.
There was another instance in 2000 when Bill Clinton was in Pakistan. And he used an unmarked plane to fly into the country but the deception was
given up immediately because the cameras caught him coming off of that plane.
What's different this time is the White House had been keeping it a secret, including from the people who were actually on the plane and acting as
unwitting decoys for that initial flight.
So really a rare situation.
What the White House has said -- and this is a statement from the communications director, Stephen Cheung, quote, "As the president has said
recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats" --
Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, well, it does appear like every detail was thought about, doesn't it. Kevin, appreciate the update there. Thank you.
And I will be back with more news in just a moment. Stay with us.
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MACFARLANE: Now in the Middle East, we're hearing of an incident in the Gulf of Oman. Maritime security sources say a container ship is believed to
have been hit by a missile off the coast of Pakistan. No word on who launched the strike.
This comes as any hopes of a breakthrough between the U.S. and Iran appear increasingly distant. Both sides are now demanding compensation before the
Strait of Hormuz can reopen. And as the stalemate over the strait drags on, president Trump has another worry.
CNN's Stephen Collinson writes that plunging presidential approval ratings have Republicans looking with dread toward the U.S. midterm elections.
Stephen has a lot to cover and joins us now from Washington.
Good to see you, Stephen. Look, before we get deeper into that and into Iran, I just quickly wanted to get your take on president Trump's secretly
switching planes in Turkiye amid security concerns, because we all know, back at the time, the president posted on Truth Social.
And I just want to tell our viewers what the quote was at the time, that "1,000 missiles are locked and loaded and aimed at Iran, should the Iranian
government act on its threat to assassinate or attempt to assassinate a sitting President of the United States of America."
So Stephen, in retrospect, I mean, how much do you think this could have been fueling the president's decisions with Iran?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's difficult to tell what's in president Trump's mind.
But obviously, his emotions often spill out across his social media channel. So I think it's fair to say that there certainly is some level
that this is driving Trump's decision making, as well as his massive frustration about the very difficult position that he's in with Iran.
I think this Air Force One story has a lot of levels that we're going to get to over the next few days, not least because it appears that the White
House deliberately misled reporters. And it took a long time for it to come out.
And it came out in a report in "The Washington Post." I think two real questions are raised here.
The first is, you know, the fact that the White House showed the president getting on the supposed Air Force One Boeing 747. And then he got off. That
clearly made everyone on that plane more of a target, because any adversary would believe that he's on the plane.
And one thing that is not getting talked about much yet but the fact that the president can't even travel to a NATO country, Turkiye, right now
because of the war in Iran and its regional spread, says something about a war he launched that he said was over after a few days and is still going
on six months -- or in six months.
MACFARLANE: Yes, I mean, those are certainly sober, important questions to ask at this moment.
To the -- to Iran itself and its dealings with Iran, I mean, a week ago, the Trump administration said the deal to open the Strait of Hormuz was
imminent. Then we saw Iran retaliating by dictating terms with, you know, that list of maximalist conditions.
How much do you think Iran are in the driving seat here and deliberately, perhaps, overplaying their hand, to press their advantage at a time of
political vulnerability for Donald Trump?
[10:25:00]
COLLINSON: Well, Iran has a very valuable tool right now and that's the ability to dial up political and economic pressure on him less than 12
weeks before a crucial election, the midterm elections for Congress, which could have an extraordinary impact on the rest of Donald Trump's term if
Democrats manage to win one or both chambers of Congress.
So the president has navigated himself into a position of great weakness here. I think the happy talk last week that, oh, well, we're going to get a
deal another couple of days, once again, perhaps, was the administration trying to mitigate the impact of rising oil prices as they were then in the
markets.
But also another occasion where it's been obvious that they have misread what is going on in Iran, the strategic reality of this war and the
situation in the Middle East. And that is something that both explains the position they're in now and has been consistent throughout the entire war.
MACFARLANE: And it doesn't feel very much like Donald Trump is listening to the electorate right now.
I mean, how much longer can he afford, do you think, to let energy prices sour, voter perceptions of the economy, given, obviously, the midterms fast
approaching?
COLLINSON: Yes, one of the reasons why it's difficult to see him sticking to this new line that, well, we're going to bring Iran economically to its
knees, is because the prospect of high gas prices running up to the midterms could be so politically damaging to Republicans.
So it wouldn't, I think, at all be a surprise to see the president either revert to some kind of military action, not that that has been successful
in changing Iran's mind, or to try and, again, create the impression that there is active diplomacy going on.
Perhaps at some point he gets to a point of fatalism ,where he believes that he's not going to do very well in the midterms with the Republicans.
We've seen some signs of that. He's said that Republicans and voters more generally are not angry with him but they're angry with the lawmakers from
the GOP in Congress.
Perhaps he gets to that point and he presses on regardless. But it's a very difficult position for a lot of these Republicans, that people are very
angry about higher gas prices as well as the impact on groceries and other prices that this war has had as well as Trump's trade war.
So it's a very dicey political situation. And I think you're likely to see in the coming weeks more pressure from Republicans to try and get these
prices down. But how he does that, he's stuck in this strategic box in Iran. He's been trying for months to get out of this war. It's difficult to
see how he can fashion an exit in the coming weeks.
MACFARLANE: Yes, we're still very much in stalemate, it seems there, on that front. Stephen, always great to have your analysis. Thank you.
Ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Damascus. Today's ruling convicts him of war crimes
and crimes against humanity during Syria's 14-year conflict that left a staggering half a million people dead.
Assad fled to Russia after insurgents marched into Damascus in December 2024.
Russia and Ukraine are trading more attacks and civilians continue to be caught in the fighting, Ukrainian officials say Russian strikes killed six
people and injured 19 others in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhya.
In Kyiv, a Russian missile strike damaged a children's hospital, leaving craters outside the facility. Officials say patients and medical staff had
taken shelter and were not hurt. The attacks come as Ukraine steps up its drone strikes on warehouses operated by Russia's largest online retailer.
I'll be back with more in just a moment, so do stay with CONNECT THE WORLD.
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Christina Macfarlane. Here are your headlines this hour.
A race against time in Colombia as rescue workers search for anyone alive after Monday's 7.4 magnitude quake. At least 213 people have now been
reported dead so far, with hundreds of others injured or missing.
Iranian threats to U.S. president Donald Trump prompted him to secretly switch planes in Turkiye last month. According to a U.S. official,
President Trump boarded Air Force One, then slipped off using an airport catering vehicle and transferred to a smaller plane.
Billions of people in the U.S. are in the path of severe thunderstorms. Forecasters warn the storms are already triggering significant flash
flooding in parts of the Midwest and central Appalachians and more heavy rain is on the way.
Now medical groups are pushing back and doctors are saying more kids could get sick after president Donald Trump signed a new executive order aimed at
overhauling U.S. vaccine policy.
The wide-ranging changes in the order go against broad scientific consensus by paring down the number of routine shots, reformulating them and spacing
them out. In his announcement, Mr. Trump also made numerous false or misleading claims about vaccines and autism.
Joining us to discuss now is Dr. Carlos del Rio. He is a professor of medicine, global health and epidemiology at Emory University in Georgia.
Doctor, thank you so much for joining us. I first just wanted to get your medical view on how potentially dangerous this executive order is that was
passed in the Oval Office yesterday.
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DEAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Thank you, Christina. I think it's very dangerous because it
confuses parents.
It's going to lead to people questioning the current vaccine schedule, which is well tested, approved, recommended scientifically and ultimately
is going to hurt kids because kids are the ones that are not going to get the vaccines they need to prevent serious diseases.
So at the end of the day, it's bad for individual kids' health and it's bad for public health.
MACFARLANE: And you'll know, of course, that the idea of a link between vaccines and autism has been debunked many times.
But we heard secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. yesterday saying that this -- and this is a quote, "this is what gold standard science means."
I mean, to your knowledge, has there been any new science that would contradict what studies have already told us on this?
DEL RIO: No, there isn't. And as you said, this is not -- this has clearly been shown to not be the case.
Autism is not linked to vaccines. We need to find the cause of autism. We need to do more research. But what the secretary calls gold standard
science is science that agrees with him. If the science doesn't agree with him, then he calls it fake science.
And, of course, you know, the science is -- the scientific process is one in which you test something and you either accept it or you say this is not
true. And this has been done over and over for autism and vaccines. And we need to get over this. And we really need to realize what is causing
autism. And we need to understand it better.
And I think what is concerning to a lot of parents will be this plan to split up the MMR vaccine, which is currently delivered as a three-in-one
shot. But the plan is to now to move to single shots, so three separate shots.
I mean, the U.S. are currently in the midst of a record measles epidemic.
[10:35:03]
I think the most cases in more than a quarter of a century.
If this happens, when this happens, how much worse could that get as a result of this?
DEL RIO: Well, we need to start by saying there is no vaccine currently available in the market that split the three components of the MMR vaccine.
So it's a little bit like saying, you know, we're going to do something X but the X doesn't exist.
So the executive order is not -- what are they going to mandate, that, you know, drug companies create this vaccine as three different components?
At the end of the day, these vaccines come together for a reason. And the reason is it's easier to administer one shot rather than three shots. But
more importantly, also, the volume is a big difference. The president said, well, kids are getting a large volume when they get the MMR vaccine.
That's not true. The volume of an MMR vaccine is 0.5 milliliters. If you split it up, kids are going to get a bigger volume. Kids are going to get
three visits, kids are going to get three shots.
So at this point in time, despite an executive order, there's absolutely no way to split this vaccine. And there's really no scientific reason to do
so. So I suspect the pharmaceutical companies are not going to do it.
MACFARLANE: Hmm. That's an interesting point. I mean, the argument being put forward here is that this would give parents more choice.
But in what's going to be the reality, is it going to result in more missed vaccines and more expense for parents?
DEL RIO: Absolutely. It's going to be more expensive and it's going to keep -- be -- create more needs for visits. And at the end of the day, as I
said, it's going to decrease the number of kids that get immunized. And let's put the example of measles.
In order to stop a measles outbreak, you need about 97 percent of the population immunized. So if you get down to 90 percent, 92 percent, you
don't have enough coverage to prevent an outbreak from happening. So you really need to use every single opportunity you have during a childhood
visit to vaccinate those kids.
And the reality is, if you don't vaccinate kids, you're going to have outbreaks. You're going to have sick kids. You're going to have expenses
that aren't necessary.
MACFARLANE: Yes, it comes back to herd immunity, something we, of course, all learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And look, on that point, we saw overnight the Republican senators releasing a number of text messages yesterday, discussing the safety of the COVID-19
vaccine and pregnancy as it relates to Anthony Fauci's actions on this.
Look, from what I could see, none of those texts appeared to flag any real medical concerns beyond simply monitoring.
Is there any justification in your mind for going back and scrutinizing that connection?
DEL RIO: There's absolutely none. And in fact, one of the biggest risks that a pregnant woman had is to actually have COVID and get sick with
COVID. So whatever we could do to prevent a pregnant woman from getting COVID was important.
And I can tell you that both my daughter and my daughter-in-law were pregnant during COVID and they both received their COVID vaccines. And that
was important for her -- them and was important for me that they be vaccinated.
So I have no concerns about pregnant women getting the COVID vaccine or the flu vaccine, for that matter. And in fact, it is not only recommended, it
is the right thing for them and is the right thing for their babies.
MACFARLANE: All right. We'll leave it there. Dr. Carlos del Rio, thank you so much for giving us your expert medical opinion on all of this. Thank
you.
Now a mother accused of murdering her three children is in court as her psychiatrist and other medical professionals testify over her mental state.
We'll have the latest in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial.
And nearly 30 years after the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, jury selection is now underway for the first and only person to ever stand trial
for his death.
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MACFARLANE: The trial of Lindsay Clancy, the former nurse accused of killing her three children, is picking up for its 11th day. On Monday, a
psychiatrist who treated Clancy was grilled on the multiple medications she had prescribed the mother of three, as she grappled with anxiety,
depression and insomnia.
Dr. Jennifer Tufts spoke to Clancy 14 times in the five months between September 2022 and January 2023 via telemedicine, not in person. Well,
Clancy has pleaded not guilty to murder and her defense are arguing that a severe postpartum condition affected her mental state. CNN's Jean Casarez
has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actual medical providers of Lindsay Clancy continue to take the stand. We believe this morning will be cross-
examination of a nurse practitioner. She was the last witness yesterday.
But it was that cross-examination of Jennifer Tufts, really the primary psychiatrist for Lindsay Clancy, on cross-examination, just as we thought,
it was extremely aggressive.
Kevin Reddington began by saying, "You were a doctor for just one month before you treated a very serious case with Lindsay Clancy."
He then focused on the telehealth visits that every single one of the 14 visits were telehealth, the camera.
And why didn't you treat her in person?
You couldn't see her body movements. You couldn't really see her demeanor. And this is a mental health issue. She said that she didn't think it was
necessary.
He then went on, "Why didn't you have her write in a diary?
"Why didn't you do a blood test?
"Why didn't you contact her parents?
"And why didn't you contact her husband?"
Well, Jennifer Tufts said that she's an adult, number one. A blood test should be done by a primary care physician. I did not need to do that.
But then it came to the point about the medications and the medications she was on. And Lindsay Clancy had gone to a lot of providers on her own. She
wasn't directed to do that. And all these medications started building up.
Right before a November 2, 2022, appointment, here is what Reddington asked and the response by Jennifer Tufts about Lindsay Clancy's condition.
KEVIN REDDINGTON, LINDSAY CLANCY'S ATTORNEY: At this point, prior to the next appointment, which was November 2nd, she had gotten significantly
worse, even after all this medication that you had been prescribing, right?
Did you make a note that she was telling you that she had depression and that she was crying, had more anxiety, insomnia had increased, brain fog
and worrying about suicide?
JENNIFER TUFTS, LINDSAY CLANCY'S PSYCHIATRIST: In the couple weeks after starting those medicines, I don't recall that the symptoms were
significantly exacerbated.
CASAREZ: And the prosecution's case in chief continues today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Now jury selection resumes today in the murder trial of Duane Davis, the man accused of orchestrating the killing of Tupac Shakur nearly
30 years ago. Davis is the first and only person ever charged in the rapper's fatal shooting. He has pleaded not guilty.
He has remained -- this has remained one of the most high-profile unsolved mysteries for decades. But prosecutors say the defendant's own words may be
just the evidence they need to prove him guilty. CNN's Nick Watt has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Keffe, Metro Police. Come over here.
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Keffe D was arrested three years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what they got you for, man?
[10:45:00]
DUANE DAVIS, SUSPECT IN TUPAC SHAKUR'S MURDER: Biggest case in Las Vegas history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes?
WATT (voice-over): The shooting, the killing of Tupac Shakur at a stoplight in Vegas late one night after a Mike Tyson fight nearly 30 years
ago.
Here's what prosecutors will argue detailed by a homicide detective just after Duane Davis, Keffe D's arrest.
LT. JASON JOHANSSON, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: As we all know, Tupac Shakur was a artist who was signed with Death Row Records and
that Death Row Records and its CEO, Marion "Suge" Knight, were closely affiliated with the Mob Piru criminal street gangs.
And that they had an ongoing feud with the South Side Compton Crips. Duane Davis was the leader and shot caller of the South Side Compton Crips.
WATT (voice-over): Members of both gangs were, say police, at the Tyson fight in the MGM Grand that night and afterwards in the lobby, Tupac,
Knight and others spotted Keffe D's nephew, Orlando Anderson and beat him up.
JOHANSSON: Duane Davis began to devise a plan to obtain a firearm and retaliate against Suge Knight and Mr. Shakur.
WATT (voice-over): Anderson, his uncle Keffe D and two other men allegedly got into a white Cadillac and followed Knight and Tupac, who were in a
black BMW en route to a club. Unclear exactly who pulled the trigger, some have said it was Anderson.
Keffe D is the only man who was in that white Cadillac who is still alive. He's now 63. He was, they say, the shot caller. And under Nevada law, he
can still be charged with murder.
JOHANSSON: Within the first few months of the investigation. Our detectives knew most of the information. I just briefed you on. However, we
never had the necessary evidence to bring this case forward.
WATT (voice-over): His own words, say investigators, were Keffe D's undoing.
JOHANSSON: Specifically, Duane Davis' own admissions to his involvement in this homicide investigation that he provided to numerous different media
outlets.
WATT (voice-over): "Them jumping on my nephew gave us the ultimate green light to do something to their (INAUDIBLE)."
And in the documentary "Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders," Keffe D describes the moment he says he handed Anderson, whom he calls
Lane, a gun, while riding in that Cadillac.
DAVIS: I gave it to Dre. And Dre was like, no, no. And Lane was like, dude, popped the dudes.
WATT (voice-over): But in July, Keffe D denied being involved in the killing, telling a Las Vegas news station he wasn't even in Nevada when
Tupac was shot.
DAVIS: I ain't worried, though. I didn't do (INAUDIBLE). So.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I mean, that's what courts for, right?
WATT: Latest we hear from court, they have seated now seven jurors. Jury selection is what's going on right now. They need to seat 12 plus four
alternates. The actual trial itself, we're told, could take four or five weeks.
Now during the jury selection, it's been clear that the defense is going to lean heavily on the fact that there might not be that much physical or
forensic evidence left after 30 years.
They're pointing out that, remember, people didn't have cell phones back in those days, filming everything. There weren't the surveillance cameras. The
defense really trying to paint this as a potentially uphill battle for the prosecution to finally convict somebody of Tupac Shakur's murder -- Nick
Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Remains a compelling case.
All right. Still to come, scientists say climate change is driving extreme heat as the U.S. records its hottest month ever. We have a closer look at
this ahead.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
MACFARLANE: Now July was the hottest month ever recorded in the U.S. according to records, as U.S. weather and climate agency NOAA outlines
average temperatures across the lower 48 states were more than three degrees above the 20th century average.
And more than 600 monthly heat records were set as heat domes gripped much of the country. Scientists blame climate change for making extreme heat
more frequent and intense. CNN's Bill Weir, our chief climate correspondent, is here and he's been tracking these record temperatures for
us all summer.
So Bill, what more can you tell us about this trend?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, this is July, typically the hottest month across most of the country. But this is the
hottest month in any part of the calendar ever in 132 years of record keeping in the United States.
And the result of that, obviously, the deadly heat dome that parked over the East Coast for the 4th of July, the fires we're seeing out in the
Pacific Northwest and up in Canada as well, the drought on the Colorado River has the biggest reservoirs in the country at historic lows as a
result of this.
And I mean, it's really simple. We learn about this in 6th grade Earth Science class, that the more fossil fuels blanket the Earth, the more the
sun's energy is trapped, the higher these temperatures are going to go. And the real grim reality is this could be one of the coolest Julys of the rest
of our lives.
MACFARLANE: I mean, that is quite a sobering thought. And the U.S., of course, not the only country where we're seeing this. Europe is also
experiencing extreme heat waves on our end. Where I am in London, I think I Met -- the Met office have just said this could be set for the hottest
year, the hottest summer here on record.
What is prompting the heat here?
Is it a similar picture to the U.S.?
WEIR: Similar, although Europe is heating twice as fast as the rest of the world because of its proximity to the Arctic. The Arctic, all that ice,
that floating ice, that is like planet Earth's big windshield reflector, to send a lot of that energy back.
That's shrinking and shrinking and shrinking. So the closer populations up north are experiencing this heat as well. And you're seeing it in the river
levels.
Have you seen the Danube and the Rhine?
These European river cruises, one of those ships got actually stranded on the Danube. The marinas along there. A lot of this used for shipping, just
pathetically low. And even in the watery Netherlands, which is a country built out of water, is suffering this drought as well.
All of this is connected. And the more gigatons of fossil fuel that is burned, it's just only going to exacerbate the problem. So this is not just
the new normal. It's going to get much worse, according to the science.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And I mean, look, it's a -- it's a pretty sober picture all around.
But other than stopping our prolific burning of fossil fuels, is there anything that can be done to mitigate this?
Is there a reverse option at all?
WEIR: No. No, no, I mean, that's it. It's not just less fossil fuels, it's if all fossil fuels will stop and Earth systems could recover in a century
that follows that.
But in the meantime, the best you can do is just adapt and protect the family with these new facts, this new set of physics. Europe, only 20
percent of homes have air conditioning. It's like 75 percent in North America.
So geography is destiny in this -- in this climate crisis. And knowledge is power. So the best we can do is try to protect ourselves from what's
coming.
MACFARLANE: Yes. At the end of the day, climate change is pretty black and white, isn't it?
WEIR: Yes.
MACFARLANE: Bill, thank you. Appreciate it.
Major divisions are opening up between tech titans in Silicon Valley. On Monday, the head of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, published an essay arguing for
free, open source AI models and against government regulation. He argues these are crucial steps to retaining a competitive edge over China in the
AI race.
But others, companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, say a lack of restrictions could be dangerous and even carry an existential risk.
Now an ancient spa town in Italy has an unusual new council member, a town appointed Eva Statiella, who is an AI personality, to work alongside
elected officials. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Hermione. Meet Eva Statiella, an AI-generated council member.
[10:55:00]
That's the first of her kind, according to the town's mayor. The ancient Italian town of Acqui Terme says they made history in June by swearing her
in.
Part gimmick, part attempt to normalize the concept of AI for a skeptical population, Eva's job is to assist elected officials in artificial
intelligence and with digital transition, says the town's mayor.
It's a nod to Pope Leo's encyclical on AI he released earlier this year, where he said that AI should only assist and never replace human authority.
The mayor insists decisions will remain firmly in the hands of men and women at the council and that Eva cannot make political decisions or assign
administrative acts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The first safeguard is that no sensitive data relating to residents can be disclosed. That's guaranteed
because Eva operates on an independent server.
NADEAU (voice-over): But some residents are concerned over privacy and the shaping of public life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): In my opinion, it is a complete joke. It serves no purpose at all.
NADEAU (voice-over): The mayor says he hopes Eva's work will free up councilors to concentrate on tasks that allow them to be more creative.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: I suspect we'll be seeing more of this across towns to follow.
That's it, though, for a busy hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you so much for joining us. Do stay with us. "ONE WORLD" is up after this break.
END
