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Two Large Earthquakes Hit Los Angeles, California; Explosion Damages Building on University of Nevada, Reno, Campus; Kamala Harris Surges in Recent Polls; Several 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates Attend Essence Festival in New Orleans; House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Calls for Investigation into Facebook Group of Border Patrol Agents; USA Women's Soccer Team to Play in World Cup Finals. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired July 6, 2019 - 10:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:30] VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. It is Saturday, July 6th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in for Christi Paul, and you're in the CNN Newsroom.

BLACKWELL: Southern California has now gone through two major earthquakes in two days, and they are hoping for some relief now, but the aftershocks, they keep coming, more than 600 so far.

DEAN: So the west coast is now waking up to survey the damage in the morning light. Last night's 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit near Ridgecrest. It was 11 times stronger than the one that struck the day before. And for those on the east coast, take a lack at how terrifying it was to be caught in the middle of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get under the table, get under the table! Oh, my God, oh, my God!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, the front door came open.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's OK. It's OK. Just hold on. Hold on, oh, my God. This is bad, Brian. Oh, my God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So here's the good news, no reports of deaths, no reports of serious injuries, and the epicenter of the quake missed the major cities in the region.

DEAN: But still, thousands are waiting for the return of power and water, and the USGS says this will likely be a billion-dollar disaster. BLACKWELL: Now, we're getting a lot of video in overnight and into

the morning, and we want to show you this we got in recently. This is from a grocery store in Ridgecrest. Ridgecrest is the epicenter of this earthquake. This was taken just seconds after the 7.1 quake hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please evacuate the store!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to go out, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you get hurt?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just scared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is everybody OK? I'm trying to see if anybody is hurt? The air is really thick, dusty. This is a bad one. This must be the one that -- that's got to be at least seven.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another aftershock. Let me see, let me help you if somebody's hurt, all right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm fine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, man. Let me help. Plus, I want to get some video.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's shaking. Shaking again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: You heard the bottles there rattling. One of those aftershocks, hundreds of them. We know that there have been more than the aftershocks. There have been fires that happened in the moments after the earthquake. The causes are not yet clear, but firefighters say they're investigating whether gas line breaks could have started them.

CNN national correspondent Sara Sidner is live at the scene of the latest scene now. And Sara, when we saw you last, there was a plume of smoke that you were watching. Tell us what you've learned, if anything, about that, and where you are right now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are standing outside of a structure that was fully engulfed overnight, but we did manage to go down to the other area about a half mile away where we could see the smoke coming from. It is indeed another person's home. So there are at least three people who are homeless because of this fire, their homes taken by fire.

I was able to talk to the battalion chief who was there, Steve Pendergrass. He said, look, this is unusual. We've now had four fires, three of those are house fires in about 12 to 14 hours, all of them occurring after the -- either the 6.4 or the 7.1 earthquake that has struck here, the epicenter very close to Ridgecrest where we're standing now.

[10:05:17] And so he was clear in saying that this is just very unusual, but they cannot yet say exactly what caused these particular fires. There is a lot of suspicion that it has to do something with gas lines. That often happens when you have the ground shaking, these pipes sometimes break, and those gas lines can be quite dangerous.

But we do want to let you see sort of what happened and give you some sign of what the damage was and what it was like being in this particular quake, a 7.1, a major earthquake.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Residents of Ridgecrest thought they'd experienced the worst of the shaking Thursday. It turned out the largest earthquake to hit southern California in 20 years, a 6.4 magnitude quake, was just a foreshock.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

SIDNER: About 8:20 Friday night, the violent jolt from a 7.1 magnitude quake traumatized the town again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cars just started dancing. The dogs were freaking out. The cattle behind us were going nuts.

SIDNER: It ruptured gas lines, caused fires.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody OK?

SIDNER: Knocked out power. Left some residents scraped and bruised and, at the very least, scared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many of them are sleeping outside tonight. We are offering any services. As noted earlier, we have places for people to shelter here. But many are choosing to just be with their neighbors both in their sidewalks, in their driveways, and some of them are in the streets.

SIDNER: In the nearby city of Bakersfield the shifting earth sent rocks cascading onto a highway and created cracks along the highway.

Across the California border in Las Vegas, the shaking sent a wave of panic in the stands during the NBA Las Vegas Summer League game. And more than 150 miles away in Los Angeles, tens of thousands of L.A. Dodgers' fans felt the familiar yet unnerving jostling from the quake, though the game went on. Near the epicenter, seismologists say there is still a chance that the 7.1 is only a foreshock, but the more likely scenario is strong aftershocks that go on for days.

DR. LUCY JONES, USGS SEISMOLOGIST: Very energetic system, sequence, so there's no reason to think that we can't have more large earthquakes. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: And that is a possibility. We have certainly felt some of those aftershocks. They have been everywhere from a six to a 5.4. But when it comes to whether or not this is the main event, the largest quake that we're going to see, no one really knows. Though it is a very small percentage, somewhere around five to 10 percent, it is possible that that 7.1 is not going to be the major earthquake. But more probable that we're just going to be seeing aftershock after aftershock, some small enough where you don't feel them at all. Some large enough where you certainly feel them depending on where you are and how close you are to the epicenter.

BLACKWELL: Sara Sidner for us there in Ridgecrest. Sara, thank you.

DEAN: Right now the hospital in Ridgecrest is partially shut down. Shortly after that quake rocked the area, staff at the Ridgecrest Regional Hospital had to wheel its patients into the parking lots, some of them still hooked up to their IV stands at that point. CNN's Stephanie Elam is outside that hospital. Stephanie, good morning. What are you learning as you stand outside today?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jessica. That's right. Think about that, if you're in the hospital you have some need, some medical need, and then a 7.1 earthquake hits. So they wanted to get those people out of the building. What they then did is transfer those people away to regional hospitals to get them far from where they are here near the epicenter. They're saying the emergency room, if someone goes into labor, they'll be able to work with them.

They do have some cots set up here in the parking lot. No one is in those cots right now, but they want to be prepared if there were people to come here. But they're saying it probably may be a week before they're fully operational again at this hospital.

Just to paint the picture of what they were dealing with last night, remember, that earthquake happened, the sun was up, but it was on its way down. And then they were dealing with rolling blackouts. It was not power all the way around the area. And we are out in the Mojave Desert. It is dark here. so that's another reason why they needed to get people out. There is no other light, no other resources here, wanting to remove people. But amazingly, when you look at how big this earthquake was, no one has died. There were some minor injuries, but that's really quite phenomenal that there wasn't anything worse here.

[10:10:08] This all speaking to the fact that you don't know when these earthquakes are going to come and how long they're going to be, and so they are prepared for that maybe small response here, but really what they're trying to do is anyone who needs more care, Jessica and Victor, is to get them out of this area and further probably moving them more likely west towards Los Angeles to get them the care that they need.

But still, very much you can feel it, people are very nervous. As soon as we got here, got out of the car, there was a nice sharp jolt of an aftershock. So they're definitely still very much dealing with it here.

DEAN: That anxiety, for sure. Stephanie Elam, thanks so much.

BLACKWELL: So more than 1,000 people without power. A lot of people afraid to stay in their homes, they were at least overnight. For several days they've dealt with these earthquakes now, and the aftershocks as we heard from Stephanie will continue. Coming up, a look inside a store that is staying open despite the heavy damage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Hundreds of homes and businesses are without power because of this most recent earthquake, and a lot of the businesses, as one would expect, are going to be closed today. But there is one business at least that managed to stay open despite the damage.

[10:15:00] DEAN: CNN's Paul Vercammen walks through a liquor store damaged in the earthquake.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm here inside this convenience and liquor store here in Ridgecrest to get a sense of what happened inside some of these buildings. Just stuff knocked down everywhere, bottles off the shelves, broken here. The owner, Anton says in the two days that they've been rocked by this quake inside the store, he believes that they've had more than $100,000 worth of damage. And you can clearly see strong knocking things off shelves, boards down, as we said, shattered glass and bottles everywhere. It's going to be a long time cleaning up.

But to the credit of the people in the store, they've stayed open, and we've seen a steady stream of people coming in here to grab whatever it is they need, included vital things such as water.

Reporting from Ridgecrest, I'm Paul Vercammen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Our thanks to Paul for that. Let's go now to meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. Ivan, it's been a rough couple of days, a rough night for the people who have dealt with the earthquake and slept in their driveways out of fear. What should they expect over the next couple of days?

IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, more earthquakes, and what we talked about is the aftershocks. Since we started NEW DAY this morning, we've had upwards of 500 aftershocks that will continue. Now, not all of them are going to be five, six, or above, right? But still this is going to be a trend that is likely going to continue for not just days but several weeks.

This is what we have here. This is the 6.4 that we had July 4th, and this is the 7.1, only seven miles apart and 34 hours apart, and then you see the rest indicating additional earthquakes, that is aftershocks that have ranged anywhere from two to as high as five- plus, and that will continue the next few days.

I want to break this down for you a little bit, because there's been a lot of questions, some confusion about whether bigger, stronger. So five times bigger, that is correct. And what that means is that the wavelengths and the seismology equipment that we have that monitors these earthquakes, it was five times bigger. But that doesn't really matter. I got to tell you. This is the deal here, 11 times stronger. Why? That's the intensity, that's those shaking, the violent shaking that can certainly happen with some of these quakes, and that is what causes the damage.

By the way, some of the energy released compared to some other lightning bolts here, 563,000, 1.3 billion sticks of dynamite. You're asking, now this is underground, right? So some of that rock, some of the earth's crust is going to attenuate that and protects us at the earth's surface. But still, you get the idea, quite a powerful earthquake, a 7.1. In fact, anything above a seven only happens worldwide about 15 times a year, so this is certainly a unique event.

And look at that, 30,000 people feeling severe shaking, and then of course you get up to L.A., and that's where we have 20 million that felt a light shaking, not just with the July 4th but also with the July 5th.

I'm going to five you two forecasts. The aftershock forecast, which is important, I think we're generally going to get into the thousands. Anything above a three, a lot of these you won't feel, but some between five and six are going to be significant, structures that have been compromised or even just merchants getting their liquor bottles back on the shelves, those are going to continue to come down with anything above a four.

And then there's this, gas lines that will continue to be ruptured if you get that intensity, along power outages, and with temperatures in the 90s and 100s that is going to be sweltering for folks who do not have power, and their AC is going to take a while to kick back in.

So we'll keep you posted on the aftershocks, but as I mentioned those will continue into the hundreds along with this big heat that we have across southern California. Guys?

BLACKWELL: We just got an update, Ivan, during your report there from the USGS now north of 700 aftershocks. And as you said, you expect those to go into the thousands over the next couple of days. Ivan Cabrera, thank you so much.

DEAN: A pair of explosions tore apart buildings on the University of Nevada Reno campus Friday. What authorities say caused those blasts. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: So the damage assessments after this second earthquake, they're happening right now, the 7.1 that happened late yesterday, now the 700 aftershocks that have followed into the morning causing problems as well. DEAN: Last night's 7.1 magnitude earthquake was 11 times stronger

than the one that came the day before, and it knocked out power for thousands, shook stadiums, rattled items off store shelves. Take a look at what it was like to be in the middle of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get under the table, get under the table!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God, oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got it all on video, dude. Oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The center field camera. Moving a lot right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone just stay calm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It continues to --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a very strong earthquake.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- rattle pretty strong here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's 8:21 here on the air, we're experiencing very strong shaking. I think we need to get under the desk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll going to go to right back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll be right back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please evacuate the store!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the pictures on the walls and everything turned over on us. We live on the top floor in an apartment complex, so we was all trying to come out of the home, and we were shaking down the stairs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just noticed that the whole entire steps was actually shaking, and theirs was leaning like almost 90 degrees and almost fell. And I was like you got to get out of here right now, right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is definitely a robust sequence but it's far from unprecedented. It's just on the high side average.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would probably start taking some stuff off the walls if it's not already down in high places. Make sure that you're not sleeping under something that's still hung up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Thankfully there have been no reports of death or serious injuries. The epicenter of that quake missed the major cities in the region, but you can still imagine the anxiety, the fear, thousands now waking up there on the west coast this morning with no water, no power. People slept on the street or in their driveways because they were just so afraid to be inside because of all of these aftershocks, more than 700 at this point.

[10:25:07] The USGS says this will likely be a billion-dollar disaster.

And we're going to return to our coverage of the earthquake in California in just a moment. But first, investigators are trying to work out what caused two explosions that tore through the University of Nevada Reno campus on Friday.

BLACKWELL: So authorities say eight people were injured after what is being called a major utility incident. CNN's Polo Sandoval is following the latest for us. Polo, what more have you learned?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you see those pictures, you see some of the rubble, it really is incredible that there were no serious injuries here yesterday, Victor and Jessica. We can tell you that investigators are still trying to track down a cause here. This building was serving as a home for the summer for some student athletes, also some international students who were participating in summer school classes. There were two explosions that were reported by witnesses. One witness that was nearby told affiliate KRNV it sounded like a loud car crash and then felt something like an earthquake. Here's what another witness told some crews there on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARON HANKINS, WITNESS: Just watching TV and like this boom, it felt like something hit the house is what I thought because some of my stuff fell. So I go outside, and there's people out there, and you just see just a plume of smoke, and then it just spreads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So now they are trying to determine a cause here. I can tell you that so far they do believe that it was a so-called mechanical failure that is what caused this explosion. Still unclear exactly what that means, though. But again, this is what officials are saying at this moment. Classes were canceled yesterday. Employees told to go home. Now the structural assessment, Victor and Jessica, is happening to see if any portions of that building could be used come next week.

DEAN: So we'll find out. All right, Polo Sandoval, thanks so much.

SANDOVAL: You bet.

BLACKWELL: Still to come, Senator Kamala Harris is stepping up her ground game in Iowa. Also, she and several other leading Democratic presidential contenders are speaking at the Essence Festival in New Orleans today. We'll take you there live next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:37] DEAN: Several leading 2020 Democratic candidates will be at this year's 25th annual Essence Festival in New Orleans.

BLACKWELL: CNN senior national correspondent Kyung Lah is there. Kyung, this is an important opportunity for candidates hoping to reach African-American voters. Who are we expecting to hear from today?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are -- we are -- I should back up a second. Still need my coffee this morning.

BLACKWELL: That's all right.

LAH: We are expecting to hear from a number of these 2020 hopefuls. Michael Bennet first scheduled to speak, then Bill de Blasio. You're going to hear from Beto O'Rourke, you're going to hear from Elizabeth Warren. Also scheduled to speak Kamala Harris. This is the largest gathering of black women in the nation. That is what Essence Fest is being billed at.

And as far as Kamala Harris, she is really hoping to make a persuasive pitch. She's enjoying a bounce from that Democratic debate. It's something she hopes will continue here, just like she saw in Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator Kamala Harris!

(APPLAUSE)

LAH: Kamala Harris makes her first swing through Iowa since the Democratic debate, and as she works the crowd, her breakout debate moment with Joe Biden comes up again and again.

SUE AMOSSON, WEST DES MOINES RESIDENT: After the debates, I really confirmed my support for her. I love Joe Biden. I think he's a wonderful guy, but I think we need new ideas. We need new, younger people.

LAH: Thirty new Harris workers started just this week to capitalize on the latest Iowa poll showing her in second place behind Biden and catch up with the organizations being built in the state by rivals Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's quite frankly maybe the only one that can beat the -- in the White House.

LAH: But Chris Tench remains skeptical.

CHRIS TENCH, WEST DES MOINES RESIDENT: I think she needs to pay more attention to Iowa. We're the first caucus, and that's where she needs to be.

LAH: What happens if she continues this way?

TENCH: People will snub her. They'll just think that she doesn't care.

LAH: She's talking about the emphasis Harris has put into Iowa. Harris has made five visits to Iowa, holding fewer events than Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, and Elizabeth Warren, while she and Booker have done the most in South Carolina, where Harris will make her ninth trip this weekend.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, (D-CA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What's up, South Carolina?

LAH: South Carolina remains central to Harris's path to the nomination, but the last Democrat to win the nomination without winning Iowa was Bill Clinton in 1992.

A lifelong Iowan who says she felt you haven't paid enough attention to Iowa. What do you tell a voter like her?

HARRIS: I care deeply about the people of Iowa and the state, which is why we are putting the kind of resources into we're putting in. I don't know how many times I've been here already and will continue to come back.

ROB SAND, (D) IOWA STATE AUDITOR: I think we're going to see polls change throughout. I think people will have their moments.

LAH: Iowa state auditor Rob Sand beat an incumbent to win in 2018. As a caucus state, one-on-one contact is crucial to win, says Sand.

SAND: You've got to show up, and you've got to give them a chance to understand you and see who you are.

HARRIS: We will win this election.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: Something that you want to keep an eye on today as all of these candidates speak one by one after each other is policies, specifically with Elizabeth Warren. She has a number of policies targeting black women. But also keep an eye on Kamala Harris. She has a number of larger policies directed at women, whether that pitch becomes even sharper. Victor, Jessica?

DEAN: Kyung Lah for us there in New Orleans. Kyung, thank you.

DEAN: When we come back, CNN's Sara Sidner is on the scene at the epicenter of this 7.1 magnitude quake that hit California overnight. She just spoke with a fire battalion chief about what their biggest challenges are this morning, and she'll be live with that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Fire crews are staying busy in the town of Ridgecrest, California, the site of that powerful earthquake that hit this week. Two of them, actually.

DEAN: That's right, at least four fires have destroyed buildings in the small town, but there's no word on the exact causes of the fires. Let's go back now to Sara Sidner who's live in Ridgecrest. Sara, you've been there overnight and into the morning. What can you tell us more about these fires?

SIDNER: The most dangerous thing I think right now is the fact that there have been this many fires, and there is always this great concern about whether or not those may have been from ruptured gas lines. That is one thing that investigators are certainly looking into. But first and foremost, they wanted to make sure that the people who lived in those homes are out safe. So far we have been told that there are no major injuries, but we have been able to confirm that three homes have burned, and that means three families are out of a home today. Very difficult news for those families. They had one heck of a night.

I will tell you if you take a look at some of these pictures, this just happened a few minutes ago. This fire erupted. We saw it as we were going on the air, we went over to the scene about a half a mile from where we are. We are standing in front of the house that burned down last night as firefighters try to get that under control. And then several hours later when the sun came up, another fire erupting just a half a mile in a neighborhood just adjacent to this one.

[10:40:01] We are told that the people inside of that home are OK, that they were not injured, but the home is a total loss there.

So we got to have a conversation with one of the battalion chiefs that was out there, and he talked to us a bit about the fact that there have been four fires, and in a town this size, about 27,000 to 28,000 people, it is significant. All of those fires, by the way, happening after either the 6.4 quake or the 7.1 major earthquake that struck here in Ridgecrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BATTALION CHIEF STEVE PENDERGRASS, KERN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: I believe this is their fourth working fire in the last 12 -- yes, probably about 12 to 14 hours. Yes, this is definitely unusual.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: So he said the fourth fire in about 12 to 14 hours. I asked him is that unusual? He said it's absolutely unusual, but he did mention THAT there are no injuries from those fires so far as we know. That is the concern here right now, whether or not gas lines are secure, and that's one thing that they tell residents to go and turn their gas lines off if they can, if they know how to do that. If they smell gas, they should leave the area and then call for help because that can turn into a major disaster.

We know that there have been aftershocks. We have felt aftershocks, especially not long after the event, you could really feel, for example, the cars shaking around. So far in the last hour or two, we have not felt them. That does not mean that they aren't happening. It means that they're probably too small for us to feel, a one, for example, or a two. But these aftershocks can be quite large, up to a six according to seismologists. And there is always that concern that there's a five to 10 percent chance, seismologists say, that that 7.1, which is considered a major earthquake, something we haven't seen here in southern California in more than 20 years, that that may not be the largest one yet. Hopefully it is, but there is a five percent or so chance that it is not. Victor?

BLACKWELL: Hey, Sara, you've been working for 12, 14 hours straight now after this earthquake, hopped on the phone immediately after it started. I think the viewers would be interested in where you were when it hit, because I saw your first live shot.

SIDNER: So yes, Victor, I was trying to have a little fun. Let my hair down, so to speak.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: Just a little.

SIDNER: Just a little bit. You know, the family likes to have a little fun. I went to a Dodger's game, and we were up in the nosebleed seats because that's where the people are, that's where the fun is, and that's where you get a good view of the field. That's how I feel anyway. They were playing the Padres. We were sitting there. All was well. We were in the -- somewhere around the fifth innings, and all of a sudden, we started shaking.

And at first everyone sort of -- in California this is kind of a normal thing. Everyone kind of looks at each other to try to confirm, you get somebody's eye, you're like, did you feel that? And so you start asking people, yes, I think it's a -- and then it went on for quite a few seconds. And so we all knew that there was an earthquake happening. The interesting thing is that Angelino who have been through earthquakes, it was probably somewhere in the four range, it wasn't extreme like the 7.1 that hit here. So far scarier near the epicenter. That one definitely smaller, but you could definitely feel it all the way up in those nosebleed seats and all the way down on the field.

What happened, as soon as it was over, people started to literally laugh because and clap and cheer, and the game just went on. Unfortunately, the Dodgers lost the game, but they played right through it, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes, wow. All right, Sara Sidner, excellent reporting all through the night and into the morning. Thank you so much there from Ridgecrest.

DEAN: The House Homeland Security Committee chairman calling for an investigation after two secret Facebook groups linked to Border Patrol agents were found.

BLACKWELL: Those groups contained vulgar, racist, offensive posts and pictures. CNN also obtained e-mails that show border agents allegedly tried to humiliate a Honduran migrant in their custody. CNN's Natasha Chen joins us live now from El Paso. Natasha, what more are you learning about these groups?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These secret Facebook groups, as you said, we now know of at least two of them. The second one called the Real CBP we learned about when our colleague Nick Valencia got some screen grabs and information of what was being posted, some very demeaning comments toward migrants, toward Asians, toward African-Americans. And memes, a couple of the screen shots we saw, one of the memes was about Representative Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez. Another one was making light of separating migrant families.

And Facebook did tell us they took down some of that content because it violated some of their policies.

[10:45:00] I want to read you a statement from Facebook on that. They said "We believe in giving people a voice, but we also want everyone using Facebook to feel safe. That's why we have community standards and remove anything that violates them." And of course, there is an investigation into these Facebook groups as well as a CBP spokesperson saying that these alleged posts don't reflect the values of the agency.

Now, of course we're also learning about an incident from March 5th through e-mails obtained by our colleague Nick Valencia about a Border Patrol agent who witnessed co-workers giving a handwritten note to a Honduran migrant that read "I like men," and this migrant was made to walk around the facility holding that sign. Through these e-mails we're learning that the witnessing agent feels this is just one of several incidents observed where there's been poor behavior toward the migrants, and apparently this was brought to a senior Border Patrol agent's attention that evening, but nothing was done according to those e-mails. And now Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan has called for an investigation into that incident. Victor and Jessica, back to you.

BLACKWELL: Natasha Chen for us there in El Paso. Thank you so much.

DEAN: Arrogant, overconfident, even classless, these are all words used to describe team USA. How they're responding to criticism ahead of the World Cup final.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00] DEAN: It is the Fourth of July holiday weekend across America, which for many means fireworks, cookouts, and celebrating freedom. This week's CNN Hero is helping refugees who come to America seeking safety and freedom get one step closer to achieving the American dream. Meet Kerry Brodie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY BRODIE, CNN HERO: What we're teaching our students isn't just knife skills, and it isn't just cooking. It's the idea that you are a human and you have value, and that's something that people have tried to strip away from others for such a long time.

What's the dream team cooking up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Samba cake.

BRODIE: Samba cake, awesome.

That experience of watching our students transform, of seeing our students really come into their own inspires me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: To get the full story about Kerry's program and to nominate someone you think should be a CNN Hero, go to CNNheroes.com.

Team USA is one day away from going for back to back World Cup titles.

BLACKWELL: But they just cannot seem to escape the controversy and the criticism. Vince is back.

DEAN: Why?

VINCE CELLINI, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the 13-0 Victory over Thailand and the White House, we're not going to the White House, so there's a lot going on there. But I don't know. It works for them. You could say no women's soccer team has faced more scrutiny/criticism than Team USA has at the Women's World Cup this year. But the team seems to thrive on it. Not afraid to face it head on no matter what it is or who it comes from because they have been there before.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX MORGAN, USWNT CO-CAPTAIN: We understand that the eyes are kind of on us, and it's kind of in a magnified situation. So in that case we've had a will the -- a lot of team conversations about keeping that bubble tight and making sure that everything outside is just noise, and at the end of the day, we're here to do a job, and a job that we've like dreamt of and worked our entire lives for.

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CELLINI: Team USA to play the Netherlands, big underdog in the World Cup crown, for that 11:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow morning.

The news NBA fans have been waiting for, Kawhi Leonard is heading to Los Angeles, but he won't be a Laker. Instead signing a four-year $142 million contract with the Clippers. This according to ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. Leonard had also considered the Lakers and returning to the Raptors after winning a title in Toronto. The Clippers also reportedly trading for Oklahoma City star forward Paul George in exchange for two players, five first round picks, thus giving the Clippers that most precious of things, hope.

Well, we've seen the tennis phenom Cori Coco Gauff at Wimbledon cruising through the first two rounds. And now we know she's a warrior too. She proved that. Down five-two in the second set yesterday, the 15-year-old American faced two match points against Polona Hercog. She battled back, winning both of those pants, went on to capture the second in a tiebreak, and in the third staved off a comeback from Hercog, pulling out an impressive and grueling three-set win. With all this attention, you have to remember she's just 15 and was virtually unknown a week ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COCO GAUFF, TENNIS PLAYER: It's just crazy how like I remember before I played Venus, as you know, when you walk to leave the practice courts there are people waiting, and one little kid asked me for a picture, and then after the next day after I played Venus, everybody was screaming my name. So it's just pretty surreal how life changes in a matter of seconds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CELLINI: Surreal, but this is very real. Look at the crowd going crazy back in Delray Beach, Florida, where her family lives, brothers and grandmother are watching. It was so cool to see them all together and support her. But I tell you what game she has, poise and moxie and certainly talent on top of all that. She's been a fun one to watch.

BLACKWELL: Just a week of dreams to start by winning over her idol Venus Williams in the first round, and now going on against Halep up next.

CELLINI: And this run continues, see how far it can go.

DEAN: She's got a long future.

BLACKWELL: It's fun to watch. It's fun to watch her for the first time doing all of this.

CELLINI: She's electric, that's for sure.

BLACKWELL: Vince, thanks so much.

So Royal watchers, this one is for you.

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BLACKWELL: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's baby boy will be Christened at Windsor Castle today, two months to the day after he was born.

DEAN: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have planned a private ceremony for Archie attended by fewer than 25 people, which means the media will not be allowed in. But the royal couple does plan to share photos after the event. Some of the British press, though, are criticizing the move, pointing out that since taxpayers paid for renovations to the couple's new home, they deserve more access.

BLACKWELL: And just a little time to show you this video from Los Angeles, and we can sympathize here, two news anchors duck for cover during last night's powerful earthquake.

[10:55:02] DEAN: That epicenter of the quake was 125 miles from their studios in the L.A. area, but the power of the tremor was evident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're making sure that nothing is going to come down in the studio here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it is going for quite a bit, everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It continues to rattle pretty strong here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a very strong earthquake.

It's 8:21 here on the air, we're experiencing very strong shaking. I think we need to get under the desk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to go to break. We'll be right back after this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll be right back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: That was very real there.

BLACKWELL: She did the right thing. By getting under the desk. I don't know if I would get under the desk just because I --

DEAN: This is glass, well, plexiglass.

BLACKWELL: That's enough.

DEAN: Hopefully we never have to find out.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

DEAN: Thanks so much for starting your morning with us.

BLACKWELL: Fredricka Whitfield is up next with CNN's continuing coverage of that 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit California overnight. We'll be back tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. eastern for CNN NEW DAY. We'll see you then. Stay with us.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news. FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Fredricka

Whitfield.

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