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ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES

Elsa Now A Hurricane Before Landfall In Florida; Interview With Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL); C.D.C. Says Delta Variant Now Makes Up More Than Half Of Coronavirus Cases In The U.S.; Death Toll Climbs To 36, And 109 Still Unaccounted For; CNN Projects Eric Adams Will Win Dem. Primary For NYC Mayor; Police Search For Suspect After Golf Pro Killed. Two Others Found Dead At Georgia Country Club; Sha'Carri Richardson Excluded From 4x100M Relay, Left Off U.S. Olympic Team After Positive Drug Test. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired July 6, 2021 - 20:00   ET

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

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fear these people feel is real. We saw a woman cry real tears at the thought that her child was being taught to be ashamed for being white.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Wow. It's incredible. But reports like yours make such a difference. And Elie, thank you so much.

REEVE: Thank you.

BURNETT: And thanks very much to all of you for joining us. "AC360" starts now.

[20:00:24]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Good evening. We begin with breaking news tonight, and word just moments ago that the storm named Elsa is now a hurricane. With that I want to go straight to CNN meteorologist, Tom Sater.

Tom, what's the latest on this storm?

TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Anderson, within the last hour, Hurricane aircrafts have taken off to investigate Elsa. Now, it hasn't even arrived here. It's just arriving now. So, even without their valuable information and their data, the National Hurricane Center went ahead and increased this value of Elsa from tropical storm to a Category One Hurricane based on the information coming from the radar out of Tampa.

And we agree, we know what's going to happen at some time this evening, and it will make landfall most likely as a Category One. More on that in a minute.

We've got a lot of activity still down at the south, that's going to follow suit. So, our rain amounts are going to increase. We're going to see five to 10, maybe isolated, 15 now. The very first hurricane warning issued today for the West Coast since Hurricane Michael three years ago in 2018, and for good reason, we're looking at landfall right around sunrise up in the Big Bend. The last time we had a July hurricane for the West Coast of Florida was 134 years ago. That's how rare it is in July, it was 1886.

When you look at the storm surge, big concerns now because now that we have a Category One, everything from this parallel northward is under the gun as far as a surge of at least three, four, even five feet.

When you look at the radar, we've got a lot of lightning around the core, so, that's another indication that things have really been firing up and that core is intensifying.

Now, the crews at Surfside are pretty much in the clear. They may have another passing shower or two overnight tonight, but their rough weather was earlier today when a feeder band moved in. So, good news for them.

Now, concerns are from around areas of Venice, up toward Tampa Bay. Notice the tornado watch. That's in effect until 11 o'clock, and most likely, they'll increase that and take it further to the north as this tracks further to north.

Now watch. Here we are, current time period, heavy band still moving into Marco Island. At 3:00 a.m., it is almost directly west from Tampa Bay. The surge will really start to increase about an hour to an hour and a half before that and continue at this area.

But once it moves a little north, let's say four o'clock into five o'clock, the winds wrapping back around are going to continue to pull that water into every -- into areas of Tampa Bay. So, Clearwater is going to have its closest impact with this, very big concerns with a strong wind gust, and Key West we had gusts up to 70 miles per hour or stronger. So, that's enough for damage.

Once it makes its way again through areas of South Georgia and the Carolinas, it'll be downgraded to a depression, and then by Friday morning, it's back off the coast again as a tropical storm.

So again, we still have the risk of loss of life and property. Do not take this, you know, just joking matter here because it was a tropical storm. You're not going to tell the difference between the intensity of a strong tropical storm or a Hurricane Category One. Again, very rare in July, first one here, there is going to be many because the season really is taking off with quite a punch. Nothing that we really wanted to see just yet, and that's where we are.

COOPER: Yes, Tom Sater. Yes, appreciate it, Tom. Thanks.

We're going to have a live report from Florida a bit later in the program. We begin though with the insurrection.

Six months to the day, that's how long since we witnessed the worst attack on our democracy by Americans since the Civil War. Now, think about that for a moment as you look at new video released just today from the Justice Department showing a mob of Trump supporters attacking officers guarding the Senate chamber, six months to the day.

Prosecutors say the defendant in the red MAGA hat climbed scaffolding around the Capitol to get in the building while carrying a baton. This was one of a string of videos released today. His case, one of more than 500 now being prosecuted.

Here's another clip. We're just going to let this one run raw so you are reminded of the chaos and the violence of that day, which is important because some lawmakers as you know, they want you to believe that what you're seeing didn't really happen.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

COOPER: Six months to the day. Six months since the Sicknick family lost their son, Brian. Six months since more than 140 officers were beaten, pepper sprayed, choked, Tasered, and maimed in what was an attempt to overturn the election.

Now, you would think it would also have been a wake-up call, just like the 9/11 attacks were 20 years ago this September. Can you imagine anyone of any consequence back then trying to downplay what happened? Or say we should just put it all behind us, or worse yet, actually argue on the culprits' behalf as the former President did this weekend.

[20:05:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Who shot Ashli Babbitt? It's got to be released. And how come so many people are still in jail over January 6?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Ashli Babbitt is the woman who was shot dead as she tried to break into the Speaker's lobby as lawmakers were being escorted to safety.

Today, six months later to the day, Republican Congressman Paul Gosar put out a statement echoing the former President's call for the officer who shot her to be named. That officer by the way has already been cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

He has also been receiving death threats according to his attorneys. Now, trying to expose him for doing his job is how Congressman Gosar is marking this day.

And six months to the day, other people who stood up to the former President and his lies have also gotten death threats. Not only that, also the family of one person who stood up for the truth got them as well.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's wife, Tricia, telling Reuters she received a series of threatening texts as recently as April. "You and your family will be killed very slowly," one of those read. Another warned of a quote, "unfortunate accident" the family would have. Still another read, quote, "We plan for the death of you and your family every day."

Now, don't forget that six months later to the day, the handful of Republican lawmakers who stood up for the truth have basically been cast aside by their party.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney stood up for the truth and was stripped of her leadership position and six months to the day, it's the lie that won't die. Quoting reporting today in "The Washington Post," quote: "Of the nearly 700 Republicans who filed the initial paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run next year for either the U.S. Senate or the House representative, at least a third have embraced Trump's false claims about his defeat."

Late this evening, President Biden weighed in with a statement reading in part: "Not even during the Civil War did insurrectionists breach our Capitol, the citadel of our democracy, but six months ago today, insurrectionists did."

The President went on to call it a sad reminder that there is nothing guaranteed about our democracy.

Joining us, Republican lawmaker who does not believe in the big lie, Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

Congressman, thanks for being with us. Do you think your Republican colleagues even watch those videos? I mean or try to stay up to speed on various investigations?

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): No, I don't think so. I think they purposely avoid it. I mean, I think the vast majority, if not all of them, my colleagues believe that this was a Trump-incited insurrection. But when you're in a tribe, and you know, if you say something truthful, that gets you kicked out of the tribe, you keep your head down, and you stay in the tribe.

I don't think they believe it, but if you watch the videos, you get that tinge of guilt. And it's much easier to just paper over that tinge of guilt, hope that this organically just kind of fixes the glitch and nobody is willing to step up. It's disappointing, of course.

It's sad, and I think what's even more sad, Anderson, is not that, you know, so many people that aren't acknowledging the truth, it's that there are millions of people, base voters, Republican voters, many in my district that believe the big lie, and it's not really their fault, although everybody is responsible for what you believe and doing research.

But all the leaders they trust are sitting here telling them it's a big lie, and everything that they see on CNN or everything you read in the paper is a lie, and it's just a cover up. That's what I think the biggest tragedy is, as much, you know, not to mention what it's doing to our Republic.

COOPER: You know, the -- I mean, we are so polarized now as a nation in terms of the information we're willing to believe or accept, or the facts we're willing to see. I mean, if those videos were police on the Capitol being attacked by Muslims or Black Lives Matter protesters, the very people who deny what actually happened would be arguing the exact opposite thing. They would be outraged. They would be using this and they would be talking about this every

day and launch -- wanting to launch investigations. It just sad that we're in this time when because the people who call themselves patriots who attacked police, who attacked the Capitol, this is what we're now dealing with.

KINZINGER: Well, the other thing is, you know, what are they doing to the term "patriot"? I mean, to be called a patriot used to be a great thing. Now, I feel like it puts you in the league with insurrectionists.

And you know darn well, that if this was BLM, or if this was actually Antifa, or if this was Muslims that did this, you know, if the equivalent of Ashli Babbitt had been shot because by the way, when she breached that door, she put every lawmaker that was present at risk, and frankly, if she hadn't been shot, as sad as it is that she was, that she was misled to that point, had she not, you easily could have seen more people breach and more deaths.

And I tell you, I guarantee you Paul Gosar would be the one defending the action of that officer, instead of calling that officer who in my mind is a hero, a murderer, and this is why I think it's so important for us just to have conversation again. And it's going to take, you know, my friends on the left being willing to reach out and not constantly pointing and saying, you didn't do enough then, you didn't --

And restoring that conversation, that's why I started Country First, which is country1st.com, by the way, to just say, learn to talk to each other again, because we're not going to be able to yell our way out of this and we need to take those that are lying to the American people and we need to make sure they never win an election again.

[20:15:37]

COOPER: What is it like being one of the only people in your party willing to actually speak out about what happened on January 6th, stand up to the big lie publicly? I mean, you alluded previously to the threat your stance may pose to your career. I know, you'll say that's not really, you know, what concerns you. Things are more important than that.

But I mean, does it frustrate you at all that, you know, this could get you voted out of Congress?

KINZINGER: Look, it makes me sad. Sad, because I know this is true. And all my colleagues know this is true. It's confusing, because I thought so many of the people I know like Kevin McCarthy had a red line that they just wouldn't cross, that there would be no payoff worth crossing that line.

It feels isolating, but I'm going to tell you, seriously, it actually is very peaceful. Because I know I can say what's true. I know that even if I'm standing alone with Liz Cheney and a few others, like those that voted with me to impeach and you know, some of the senators, I know that history will judge it correctly and I know that it's a very important thing.

There's never been a moment in Congress, Anderson, no matter any vote I've taken, any speech I've given that has ever, to me been more cut and dry, and clear and more of demanding desire and need, even to stand alone to tell that truth. Because I really believe and I'm not -- I'm not being emotional or dramatic, I believe that the future of this country and the Republic rests on telling people the truth.

And until we accept that, there is real damage done to not just America, but America's reputation with these Putin-type tactics that are happening.

COOPER: I want to ask you about Afghanistan. We talked about this the last time you were on, not only did you deserve there in the Air Force, you are also currently serving the Air National Guard as Lieutenant Colonel.

I know you've said you disagree with President Biden on his decision to withdraw U.S. forces, the decision obviously has been made. Are you surprised? I assume you're not surprised at what's happening there. The Taliban is obviously capturing new territory. We're seeing, you know, Afghan troops giving up in some places, and obviously a lot of Afghan Forces soldiers, police have been killed fighting the Taliban. But is this just -- I mean, how bad do you think it's going to get?

KINZINGER: I think this is going to be atrocious. I think it's going to be bad. I think it's -- you guys are going to be covering terrible scenes out of Afghanistan.

The Afghan Army has collapsed. And by the way, they were doing 99 percent of the fighting. When we were there, we were just using that base basically to stiffen their spine and do counterterrorism. I just hope we can get the translators out right now. That's the only sense of maybe light we can have out of this dark moment.

COOPER: Congressman Adam Kinzinger, I really appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.

KINZINGER: Anytime.

COOPER: Coming up next, Dr. Anthony Fauci joins us talk about breaking news on COVID and just how quickly that new delta variant has spread across the United States and other countries around the world.

And later, live reporting from Surfside on the search even as rough weather brushes the area.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:17:48]

COOPER: A warning today from President Biden on COVID, despite cases and deaths being down 90 percent since January, the latest form of the virus should be taken very seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In today's briefing, we

discussed how the delta variant is already responsible for half of all cases in many parts of this country. It is more easily transmissible, potentially more dangerous, and it should be because of reconsideration, and look, let me put it another way, it seems to me it should cause everybody to think twice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: The President's warning comes in the wake of word from the Israeli government that as the delta variant has spread there, the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine has fallen.

Joining us now, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the President's chief medical adviser.

So Dr. Fauci, the C.D.C. announced that the delta variant makes up more than half the coronavirus cases in the U.S., new infections are up in 10 states. Can you just put this in perspective? I mean, amid the dire warnings, the delta variant is doubling about every two weeks. What concerns you the most?

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Well, what concerns me, Anderson, are the people who are not vaccinated. Clearly, the vaccines that we use in this country do quite well against the delta variant, particularly with regard to protecting against serious advanced disease requiring hospitalization.

There have been a number of studies that show, you know, variable degrees of protection against initial infection, but when it comes to serious consequences, the vaccines that we use are really quite effective in preventing advancement to severe disease.

For that reason alone, as the President had alluded to just a moment ago in the clip that you played, people really need to reconsider those who don't want to get vaccinated.

We have a situation in the United States, Anderson, where we have more vaccine than we need. I mean, we have vaccines for everyone and anyone who needs it. And there are places in the world where people would do anything to get vaccine and yet, we have a substantial proportion of people in very specific regions of the country who just do not want to get vaccinated despite the fact that we have a significant threat as you mentioned in the piece from a virus that has a greater degree of capability of spreading from person to person, no doubt about that. We've seen that in multiple countries, and actually can cause more severe disease.

So, if ever there was a reason to get vaccinated, this is it.

[20:20:26]

COOPER: The Israeli government released a statement yesterday saying that it found a drop in protection from the Pfizer vaccine and linked the drop to the spread of the delta variant of the virus. Now according to the statement, the Pfizer vaccine provided 64 percent protection against all infections, including asymptomatic infection, and mild disease, 93 percent efficacy in preventing severe disease and hospitalizations as you indicated earlier.

Obviously, 93 is still a high number. But I mean, how -- when I saw this headline, I got very concerned, then once you read it more, it's basically saying, there's not people being hospitalized and dying from the delta variant who have been vaccinated in Israel. But some are still, but the efficacy dropped, you can -- you're more likely to get infected with the delta variant, even if you've been vaccinated, it'll just be mild. Is that correct?

FAUCI: Yes. Well, according to the announcement from the Israelis, what you said, Anderson is correct. The data is sparse. We are all trying very hard to get more specific and granular data about that.

You know, the Israelis know what they're doing. We're not doubting that. But we want to make sure exactly what the circumstances were of that drop from 94 percent of protection against asymptomatic infection down to 64. Is that a reflection, that they are more aggressively testing everybody and anybody who has come into contact with a person who has an asymptomatic infection? I don't know.

We need to know that right now. We need to watch it very carefully. But we need to get more granular and specific data from the Israelis.

COOPER: Last year, every time that there was a holiday or a long weekend, the number of new infections went up. I know that T.S.A. is reporting more than 10 million people passed through airports this past weekend. Do you have a sense yet of what the case numbers may look like?

FAUCI: No, no, not yet, Anderson. That's going to probably take a couple of weeks, at least before we find that out. I mean, very clearly, as I've said before, the risk is significant if you are not vaccinated. If you are vaccinated, you dramatically diminish your risk of getting infected in the first place, and extraordinarily, dramatically diminish the risk of your getting severe disease.

So again, just to -- I don't want to seem like a broken record, Anderson, but it is what it is, and that is what's happening that if we do get surges, they're going to be regional among those areas of the country where the level of vaccination is low. We still have some areas of the country where the percent of vaccinated people is like 30 percent, which is very, very low.

We've got to get it up above that. Otherwise, people in those unprotected locations are going to wind up having a higher degree of risk of infection, and you're going to see more infections and more hospitalizations. And unfortunately, in some cases, maybe even increase in deaths.

COOPER: And even people who are currently getting infected who haven't been vaccinated, they're -- even if they have mild cases, they are still at risk for, you know, what you call the long haul symptoms or by long term COVID symptoms.

FAUCI: Right, long COVID. Oh, absolutely. I'm glad you brought that up, Anderson, because that's one of the things that people really don't have a good appreciation of. If you get infected and a lot of young people, understandably, but unfortunately, feel that way, they say, well, you know, I don't want to get vaccinated, if I get infected, the chances are that I'll have only mild or no symptoms at all.

They're correct. Statistically, the likelihood of them getting severe disease is much less than an elderly person or a person who has an underlying condition. But what we are starting to see now more of are people who get very mild infection, who have this long COVID which is a persistence of symptoms, sometimes debilitating, that can go on for many, many weeks.

So even though you clear the acute infection, you have things like profound fatigue, muscle aches, temperature dysregulation, and lack of ability to concentrate. It's something that needs to be taken seriously, and that's the reason why we alert young people, don't think you're exempt from serious issues, including something that you may not have even thought of, namely long COVID after you clear the infection.

COOPER: No. Again, the key -- vaccinating -- getting vaccinated. Dr. Anthony Fauci, appreciate it. Thank you.

FAUCI: Good to be with your, Anderson. Thank you.

COOPER: We're going to go to live to Florida for more of our breaking news there. Elsa now a Category One Hurricane how residents are preparing and how else it may affect the search for victims in Surfside, Florida.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:29:00]

COOPER: Our breaking news again, Elsa, now a Category One Hurricane as it moves up Florida's Gulf Coast. We're going to get a live report on the storm in a moment. But first, obviously, Elsa is a major concern for the search and rescue mission in Surfside, Florida on the opposite coast where officials a short time ago said four more victims have been located bringing the total to 36, with 109 people unaccounted for.

Three more victims now identified as well. Rosa Flores joins us now from Surfside. Just a few moments ago there, she was given access to the site of the search and rescue mission. What kind of -- what's the scene like?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Anderson, you can feel the urgency while you're on the ground because you're surrounded by heavy machinery and also by first responders, and you can also feel the pain. I mean, just the thought that under the pile of debris, there could

still be either people alive or people buried under the rubble. So many lives that have been cut short and dreams that have been cut short.

I want to take you through these pictures that we took from the ground, but I also want to warn our viewers because I know that so many families around the country and the world quite frankly know people who lived in this building.

[20:30:13]

And I want to take you through it, we were across the street. So the first portion of the debris pile that we see is actually part of the controlled demolition. That is what is called the alpha portion of the search grid. Beyond that, where you see the heavy machinery where you see the cranes shooting up into the sky, that's the portion of the original collapse. We know that about 200 brave men and women are working on that pile of debris at any given time. They're following voids, they're trying to find survivors.

And then for the first time from the ground, we were actually able to see some of the sophistication that is being used to make sure that these brave men and women are safe. In the neighboring buildings, we could see that that some of the support staff that some of the support teams are monitoring the actual collapse area, we can see it on both sides. The other thing that we were able to see up close were also the dangers that these men and women are facing, just by looking at some of that debris, the giant pieces of concrete and the mangled rebar, as well.

And Anderson, we were also able to see pieces of debris across the street where we were standing. You know, one of the things that really stood out to me was a piece of what appeared to be either a blind or a wallpaper. And I couldn't help but thinking, you know, anybody who could recognize this, it could be, you know, from somebody belonged to somebody's mom, or somebody whose grandmother, it was a floral pattern.

So just think of just so many things that crossed your mind as we've covered this story. And just as the humanity of this, just so many people that either have lost loved ones there are hoping that their loved ones were still missing are still alive. Anderson.

COOPER: So on the original collapsed section of the area that now that they are looking through, are they using heavy equipment? Or are they are they still kind of going slowly with individuals hoping to find somebody still maybe alive.

FLORES: It's both. According to one of the captains that I talked to who was on the scene, he says that they still go very methodically through the grid pattern, and they shore up any areas that they can, they support that system, they put in the cameras in any voids or holes to try to get further view. They also are using canines, once they clear the area, Anderson that they know that they can move the bigger pieces of concrete, that's when they bring the big machinery in.

And this captain explain this because he wanted to make sure that that's not confused with a, you know, using heavy equipment and just moving the pieces of debris without first looking for survivors and first looking for signs of life that is still happening. They're still delayering, there's 12 floors that they have to delay or through. They're going floor by floor peeling those layers, Anderson still looking for survivors.

COOPER: Yes. Rosa Flores, I appreciate it. Thank you.

Perspective now on the mission there from Lieutenant Yuval Klein is with the Israeli Defense Forces Search and Rescue Delegation.

Lieutenant Klein, thank you very much for being with us and for the work that you've been doing. How has the operation been going at this at this stage? How do you see this part of the operation?

LT. YUVAL KLEIN, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SEARCH & RESCUE DELEGATION: Hi, thank you for -- thank you for having me here. The operation we've been here for 12 days. It's a very tough job. We're looking for the missing people, beloved people of the families of the missing people. It's very tough.

We're collaborating with the American Emergency Forces, very brave, good people. Work is processing very well. It took us some time to gather the data and the information. But now as the building, the other part has been demolished. We're working very fast going through the site and I think it's going in a very good pace.

COOPER: One of the things early on was that there were -- there was hope that there may be voids or spaces in the rubble, where someone might be. Obviously there was a lot of pancaking of floors. It was late at night people were in their beds, have you found many void spaces?

KLEIN: To be honest, not at all, not so many voids, almost no voids at all. The pancake as you said is very, very stacked, stacked concrete. This is something we have seen in the past, in several places, no voids, sorry to tell you.

[20:35:15]

COOPER: You've obviously been speaking with families who have loved ones in the building. And one of the things that I know you're doing is trying to get details of the apartments. And can you just talk a little bit about why that's, that's so important, things like where the bed was, how they slept, what was in the apartment, the color of a carpet, things like that? Why does that help?

KLEIN: Right. So we're talking about a very, very large sites, very high stacked concrete, thousands of square meters. And if we start searching in a blind way, it can take up to weeks to start piling off the concrete and finding the beloved ones. What we do is we use a technique, we questioned the families very, very thoroughly, very specifically, we gather information, we gather specific data from them.

So we took the apartment plan of the building, we showed it to them, we asked them on every detail, what does the apartment look like? Where is the master bedroom? Where is the regular bedroom, what kind of distinct objects were in the room, maybe you have a mirror with a golden ring around it or a statue. Some people had bikes in their apartments. Any distinctive object that could help us give us science where we are when we're digging and searching.

And once we have these data, ask the people themselves also birthmarks, tattoos, what they look like. Jewelry, pendants, anything, even the direction where their head is on the bed. Once we have that, we take the plan of the building, and we look at the site itself and we can maximize the efforts, make them more accurate, more specific. We can aim the digging and make it faster to find the beloved ones.

COOPER: Yes. Well, it's extraordinary what you do and how you do it and the expertise that you bring to this. And there's a lot of families obviously around the world who are very grateful Lieutenant. Yuval Klein, thank you so much.

We're going to mourn the impact of the hurricane with Randi Kaye, who joins us from Clearwater Beach, Florida, on the west coast of Florida in your Tampa right now. Randi, what are you seeing where you are?

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, we are just getting just as you just talked to us. We are just getting the first bits of rain here, coming across, right here in Clearwater Beach. It's Clearwater harbor here behind me. And I don't know if you can see that. But there's still a couple of boats that are tied up out there.

Hopefully they're tied up nice and tightly because you can see from these palm trees, and now the rain, the storm is certainly picking up, the wind is picking up. We're expecting about 50 to 70 mile per hour wind gusts here. There are hurricane warnings here in Pinellas County, and 34 other counties in the state of Florida. Also, there are tornado warnings.

But the real concern at least right now is the rain. First of all, we're expecting about four to six inches here. And also the storm surge because the impact of the storm the greatest impact is expected overnight from about midnight until 8:00 a.m. And there -- they expect that the storm surge will then coincide with the high tide which is supposed to hit around 3:00 a.m. and that would really then push a lot of the water into Tampa Bay into the Tampa area and also into parts of Clearwater here.

But Anderson, as the rain now is finally starting to come in, we've been waiting for it all day long. It's been staying closer to the center of the storm but now it is starting to hit us. But I should just note that the last time a major hurricane hit the Tampa Bay area granted this is not a major hurricane. It's a Cat One right now and it's not expected to hit right here but it is worth noting. It was 100 years ago, 1921. Anderson.

COOPER: Yes. Randi Kaye, appreciate you being there. Thank you. Just ahead, CNN has made a call in the race for the Democratic nomination for mayor in New York City. That news when we continue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:42:34]

COOPER: Well just moments ago, CNN called the race for the Democratic nomination for New York City Mayor. CNN projects Brooklyn Borough president and former police officer Eric Adams has won, what was a hard fought sometimes tense contest that swung and part of the issue of crime.

Joining us now, our CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten. And Harry, so CNN projects Eric Adams wins the primary. Take us through the vote totals if you would.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes. Look, this was a long confusing process. And we'll go through it for you. Look here, we had the initial preferences, right, which was essentially who were people's first choice as Eric Adams lead in this total on election night.

He's still like, even when all the absentees came in look at that he was at nearly 31 percent of the vote. Maya Wiley, at 21 percent, Kathryn Garcia just a shade south of 20 percent. But remember, Anderson, we spoke about this. This was the first election in which New York City primary voters were going to get to us rank choice voting. And what happened when we put in that rank choice voting and everyone who weren't the top two candidates, after all rounds were done. You had their votes reallocated.

What was the result? Well, this was the result. Look at this, Eric Adams wins by a single percentage point less than 10,000 votes that he was able to defeat Kathryn Garcia by, but you know, a little less than 10,000 votes is good enough. And that's why we're projecting exactly what we are.

COOPER: So much of this election has centered on crime in the city, which has been violent crime, which has been a rising concern, obviously in cities nationwide. How much of that do you think factored into the win for Adams who obviously, I believe retired as a police captain?

ENTEN: Yes, you know, when it's less than 10,000 votes, a lot of things can make a big difference. Right. And Eric Adams didn't just retire as a police captain, but also really focused in on crime in this campaign. In fact, when he's a state senator, he had this video up, where he was finding all this stuff in his children's bedrooms, and he was trying to instruct us parents had a look.

And if you look at the polling, right, what do we see? What do we see? What we saw was that when you looked at whether or not folks wanted more cops on the subways, 69 percent of Democratic primary voters agreed with that. This is really the first New York City Democratic primary that I can really recall that was determined by crime since probably 1977, when the incumbent ABeam was defeated.

That's so long ago that my father was first basically put into the judgeship by ABeam. Both of those guys are gone, but crime is still a pretty big issue, at least in Democratic primary voter's minds and you see them the results with Eric Adams barely squeezing by here.

[20:45:01]

COOPER: Yes, I mean so people aren't used to seeing this kind of these levels of crime in New York City over the last couple of decades. I understand the board of elections, which has been criticized for watching how they rolled out results over the past couple of weeks. They had a timing issue today, right?

ENTEN: They had it. Oh, yes. I would say they had a timing issue Anderson. I mean, look at this tweet that they that they put up, you know, this was earlier on. This is insane. We promised today's release is more a brunch, special versus club hours.

Well, I appreciate the humor, you know, I like a joke as much as anybody else. But, you know, I'm not a fancy man, Anderson, I don't really eat brunch. But my understanding is brunch probably runs maybe to one or two o'clock in the afternoon. These results were not hoisted up until the early evening hours.

So, you know, the board of elections. They've been terrible throughout the entire process. And even today, when they were basically cleaning it up, they were still terrible. And they got their meals confused. Maybe they thought it was linner or something. I don't know.

COOPER: I got to say, I'm not a person who brunches either, and I never understand, Is it like, early in the morning? Is that before lunch? Or is it after lunch? You seem to indicate it's after lunch? I don't know. Can you walk us through it just in layman's terms, this whole saga? I mean, because again, it's been bungled from the beginning, hasn't it? I mean, it -- they miscounted the votes.

ENTEN: Yes. And by the way, I have no idea when brunches. You know, I'm just going to eat dinner. That's going to be my one meal of the day and I ordered it, it's tripping chicken. I hope it arrives soon at my apartment.

Look, here's the situation. The situation is this, right? We had Election Day on June 22nd. You might recall it. I remember I believe I was on your program with the former speaker, the City Council --

COOPER: Yes.

ENTEN: -- Christine Quinn. And then what happens? Then on June 29th, they were supposed and there was initial results released on June 22nd. On June 29th, they were supposed to release the rank choice results without the absentees. Well, they did that, but they also included 135,000 test ballots. Oh my god, just clean out the machine. This is not, you know, you're supposed to be doing this for a living. That you had one job and they couldn't do that. Then you finally get the results right with the rank choice voting without that's absentees on June 30th. They corrected it. And then you jump forward to July today. July 6th, the New York City Board of Elections promises their rank choice with absentee is close to brunch time. But again, as we were talking about they released it in early evening. So closer to linner or dinner time and I'm very much looking forward to my (INAUDIBLE).

COOPER: Yes. I look forward to your dinner as well.

ENTEN: Thank you, Anderson. That's (INAUDIBLE) --

COOPER: Harry Enten, appreciate it.

Coming up, an update for -- an update from Georgia on the murder of a golf pro and two others found dead at a country club outside of Atlanta. That's next.

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[20:51:40]

COOPER: Authorities are still searching for the suspect who shot to death a golf pro and left to others dead in a pickup truck at a country club outside Atlanta. Our Gary Tuchman has been following the story as the new developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A killer remains on the loose. And grief and flight remain prevalent emotions at the Pinetree Country Club in Cobb County, Georgia. The bodies of two men were found on the bed of this pickup truck that was driven onto the 10th green of the clubs golf course.

But before the discovery is made of those victims who have been shot, Gene Siller the club's director of golf, the resident golf pro went to see why there was a truck on the green. He was shot in the head and killed. Police declaring, it does not appear he was in any way targeted, but rather was killed because he witnessed an active crime taking place.

Brian Katrek was a friend of Gene Siller and a member of the club.

BRIAN KATREK, FRIEND OF GENE SILLER: I think the reaction of the members right now is still one of pre profound shock.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Cobb County Police say the identity of the suspect is still unknown. One of the first two victims has been identified as the owner of the truck. The other victim has not been identified.

KATREK: The fact that this happened in the in the fashion that it did, you know, we could have lost Gene, we could have lost any of our friends in a number of ways that day and just as quick a fashion. TUCHMAN (voice-over): Tire tracks remain and that 10th green, which has become a memorial the Gene Siller, a husband and father of two small boys. The Country Club says his wife Ashley and other family members paid their respects at that Memorial on Monday.

Rand Eberhard is a pastor, who was also Gene Siller's friend.

RAND EBERHARD, FRIEND OF GENE SILLER: Gene was it was a guy that built community through hard work, through patience, through service, through selflessness. Those kind of characteristics are easy to follow and it's a big void that is left in our community.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): As horrifying and as violent as these crimes are. And with the gunman still on the loose, it's notable police are not asking nearby residents to take any out of the ordinary precautions. Current information reveals there is not an active threat to the public at large. And there was not a directed threat to residents of the neighborhood. So police know that, do they have an idea of what led to the killings of the first two victims? All they will say is that it's too early to speculate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Gary joins us now. So Gary, I mean, do we know why police are indicating there's no threat to the community?

TUCHMAN: Police aren't telling us Anderson, but an obvious hypothesis here is that the gunman somehow knew the first two men he shot and then targeted them. And that may be why police are not very concerned about people in the neighborhood. And it's important to stress that police also pointed out he just heard that this third man that golf pro Mr. Siller was not targeted. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Also, a lot of our viewers might be wondering, what the heck was this truck doing on the golf course? Why did that happen? That's bizarre. We don't know the answer to that. There's some speculation that he was trying to cut through the golf course to get away from something. But we don't know.

And finally, Anderson, the Country Club itself. It's been closed. It's reopening tomorrow. The golfers they're being told they can golf holes one to nine. And then we get the 10 that's going to remain closed. That's the memorial. They can pay their respects at 10 and then continue their 18 holes by going to hole 11. Anderson.

COOPER: Gary Tuchman, appreciate it. Thank you.

Up next, what the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team said tonight about the status of stars sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson.

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[20:59:06]

COOPER: You may remember that star sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson has been ruled ineligible for the women's 100-meter dash the Tokyo Olympics because of drug test discovered the presence of a chemical found in marijuana. Within the last few hours U.S. Track and Field roster was announced for the entire game. Richardson was not on the list, meaning she also will not be able to compete in the 4x100 meter relay.

The track and field governing body said in a statement it was quote, incredibly sympathetic to Richardson, but it also said this quote, so while our heartfelt understanding lies with Sha'Carri, we must also maintain fairness for all of the athletes who attempted to realize their dreams by securing a place on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team.

Richardson told NBC News last week that she used marijuana after learning that her biological mother had died.

That's it for us. The news continues. Want to hand her over to Chris for "CUOMO PRIME TIME." Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: That situation stinks, stinks for her, but it stinks for the country to have arguably you're best not on the team for something that's not a performance enhancing drug.

[21:00:05]

Rules matter. Standards matter.