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Spike in Shark Attacks Has Beachgoers on Alert; Greek PM Calls for No Vote Against Austerity Measures; Authorities on High Alert for July 4; Fallout Over Donald Trump's Controversial Comments. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 4, 2015 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST, NEWSROOM: And this shocking video of a 10-month-old baby girl drifting out to sea by herself. Her parents apparently forgot they placed her in a crib. The parents said they weren't even aware their daughter had drifted about a half mile from the Turkish coast. The coast guard was able to rescue the baby and return her to her parents.

All right, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for being with me today. Much more of the NEWSROOM right after this.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Poppy Harlow joining you live from New York. And we begin with the latest fallout over the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's controversial comments that immigrants from Latin America are quote "killers and rapists."

2012, presidential candidate Mitt Romney telling CNN today those remarks from his fellow Republican are hurting the GOP.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Donald Trump's comments on Mexicans hurt the Republican Party?

MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, I think he made a severe error in saying what he did about Mexican-Americans and, you know, it's unfortunate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think the candidates should speak up about that?

ROMNEY: I think a number of them have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Well, Trump is not backing down. In fact, he is citing the shooting of Kate Steinley as proof that he says he was right. She was shot Wednesday as she walked along a pier in a popular tourist area of San Francisco. Police there in San Francisco saying that an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who has been deported five times pulled the trigger. Trump told FOX this morning the shooting backs up his comments. He then went after opponent Senator Marco Rubio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have many cases like this. Nobody wants to talk about it. It seems like I'm sort of the whipping post because I bring it up. And I don't understand, whether you're liberal, whether you are conservative, whether your are Republican, Democrat, why wouldn't you talk about a problem? There's tremendous crime. And it is the, you know, illegal immigration is just incredible.

As far as Rubio, he's very weak on immigration. And I've been saying that a long time about him. He is weak on immigration. I respect Ted Cruz for the view that he's got. I mean, he was really out there and strong on it. And I shouldn't say this because I assume he's an opponent, but the fact is he was very brave in coming out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: CNN politics senior digital correspondent Chris Moody with me. He spent some time recently with Trump. He's here to break it all down.

I mean, let's begin with that. We heard Romney today telling us Trump's hurting the party with these comments. This is after the RNC chairman Reince Priebus came out and told "the Washington Post" that his comments are quote "not helpful." What can the party do about this? What should the party do about this?

CHRIS MOODY, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN POLITICS: Well, in the aftermath of the 2012 election, Republicans realized that they're really going to have to find a different way to discuss issues like immigration. And a lot of them got a lot of training and the Republicans spent millions of dollars on outreach to Latino voters.

HARLOW: Ten million.

MOODY: Ten million and that's just the RNC. The Koch Brothers network is spending a lot of money as well doing this outreach all over the country on behalf of conservatives. And then Donald Trump comes along and start saying all the things they've been telling Republicans not to say. Now, that's not necessarily to say they have a difference in policy, but they want to talk about it in a way that doesn't alienate people, certain voters that they want to bring in. But you know, voters are incredibly important. And so, Donald Trump is really -- I think giving a lot of the candidates a problem.

HARLOW: What can they do? Because we saw, you know, big Hollywood star America Ferrera come out this week and an open letter to Donald Trump saying look, you have now galvanized the Latino vote more than we even can by stomping on the street and doing all the work to get them to the polls because they will vote against you for these comments. What can the party do?

MOODY: The strategy at first was to just ignore Donald Trump, let him fade away. Well, he certainly has not. He's actually sucked a lot of the oxygen out of the room and he's getting so much of this press coverage, that people are saying well, if that's the Republican view on immigration or about Latinos, well I want nothing to do with it.

And now, you're seeing candidates and members of the conservative movement and the GOP saying condemning him, saying this is not how we talk about people, but we can talk about issues a different way.

HARLOW: George Pataki came out this week and was really a leader in terms of his party, a Republican candidate for the White House, saying we all need to speak up and condemn what Trump has said. Trump was asked about that this morning on a FOX News interview and he called Pataki quote "failed governor." He said he is quote "zero in the polls."

What do you make of that strategy, really? And he blasted Senator Marco Rubio as well. What do you make of that strategy of going hard at your opponents in the primary?

MOODY: I mean, this is what Trump does. We did a story when he first announced to presidency. How many people he has called a loser, and it's a lot of people to say the least. Every time you attack Trump, you give him basically more power because you add fuel to the fire and that's why they didn't want to say anything at first. But at some point, they realize we have to actually come out and condemn this.

What I think is, though, very interesting is when Trump was in Chicago last week, he was asked about immigrants who are living in the country illegally and what to do with them. And he said give them a path, a path to legality. And so it's very interesting, him making all of these comments. And I followed him with him about it just a couple days later in New Hampshire, and he kind of ignored the question and wouldn't answer it.

[15:05:23] HARLOW: But when do you -- as Trump, when do you have to come up with policy solutions rather than saying everything in this country is broken?

MOODY: Well, that's the great question, right? How long does this last? And what we've been seeing over the past week is several businesses with high dollar contracts with Donald Trump, cutting those off. And once it really starts hurting his bottom line, the question is, how long does he allow that to continue or will he stay in?

HARLOW: He's admitted it's really, really hurting his business side of the Trump empire.

Thank you so much, Chris. More on this with Chris in the next hour. Appreciate it.

Now turning to the terror warning, putting authorities from coast to coast on high alert this Fourth of July weekend. An FBI bulletin urging police to be extra vigilant in areas where large crowds will gather, saying these celebrations could become targets for possible ISIS inspired plots. In response, states nationwide are ramping up security, bringing in extra officers along with police snipers and spotters. Even U.S. diplomatic posts around the world are being asked to double check their security measures.

Let's go live to CNN's Boris Sanchez. He's at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge there in New York. That is where we are going to see a lot of people gathering tonight for the fireworks celebration there on there on the east river.

I live in the area and I saw a lot more police officers out this morning. Just alert. What are you seeing and what are they doing to keep everyone safe?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's still pretty early, Poppy. We've seen several officers out here setting up roadblocks. What we've seen more of are NYPD and coast guard boats as well as NYPD helicopters kind of rotating in this area over the past few hours.

As you said, millions of Americans are going to get together tonight to enjoy fireworks and have a festive Fourth of July. So law enforcement is focusing on travel hubs, monuments and places like the Brooklyn bridge park where people are going to get together tonight.

Yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing that he's beefing up patrols and security at the city's emergency operations center. We also know that officers are placing snipers and spotters in key strategic locations around town to keep an eye on crowds looking for any suspicious activity.

Aside from that, they have scanned for explosives and radioactive devices at sea, on land, and from the air and there are 7,000 surveillance cameras in New York City monitoring, looking for anything that seems out of place. Officers tell us they're ready for any kind of attack, and people that we've spoken to say they are happy that these officers are there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED KOHNEN, NEW YORK RESIDENT: Anywhere we go, we do see the heightened police presence, but it's nothing that's ever startling. And it's actually good to see. But very much expected. You know, whether it's the Fourth of July or New Year's or any other holidays here. It's what's expected.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you feel safe tonight?

KOHNEN: Absolutely. Whether on the Manhattan side, the Brooklyn side, or any side, absolutely trust the police, trust the systems that we have in place here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The governor also asking New Yorkers to be vigilant, Poppy, and to report any behavior that seems suspicious to law enforcement right away.

HARLOW: Absolutely. Boris Sanchez, thank you very much.

Let's discuss more of this with our panel. Jonathan Gilliam, former police officer, also former special agent with the FBI. Also with us, John Matthews, executive director of the community safing institute.

Guys, thank you for being here.

Jonathan, let me begin with you. When you talk about the past few weeks and all of the focus that has been on this, we even heard Mike Morell, the former deputy director of the CIA really issuing a very, very strong warning this week. Is it overblown at all the amount of concern given no specific threat has been made?

JONATHAN GILLIAM, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: I don't think so. And I'll tell you why. Because where this intelligence is coming from is different groups all over the world, sources, chatter that you see online, and it's not just American intelligence services. All intelligence services come together. That's where this information comes from. So it's clear that the chatter is up.

That's been very significant when we look back at attacks that have happened and we look at the chatter. 9/11, for instance, they did have chatter before that happened. So it is significant. And I think I would rather see them amp it up like this so that everybody is aware, than I would them just let it go.

HARLOW: Tom to you, how do you think ISIS has changed the game, just in the way that they recruit and inspire online? Tom Fuentes, one of our analysts here at CNN, has said look, it's different now because they don't have to be directly ordered to carry something out on a certain date on a certain target. So that may limit or eliminate the chatter that the authorities are able to track. They may just be inspired and carry it out when they feel so inclined. Do you think that has significantly changed the game for law enforcement?

[15:10:20] JOHN MATTHEWS, AUTHOR, MASS SHOOTINGS, SIX STEPS TO SURVIVAL: I think it significantly changes the game for us. You have more of these lone Wolf style attacks. And like you said, ISIS can put it out to the internet and say listen, you're going to be rewarded if you conduct these attacks around the country. Now you have not groups that are organized, where there's a lot of organized chatter that we can pick up on, but these lone wolves that are acting on their own. And let me tell you, we saw in Tunisia last week the damage that two individuals with machine guns can do on a crowded public beach.

HARLOW: Yes, absolutely. Other things that you think the public can do in terms of being vigilant? I mean, I was thinking about, you know, my young niece and nephew. I wouldn't want to tell them, they're so young, look out for these things. But as a parent, how do you talk to your kids, taking them to these big celebrations about being vigilant?

GILLIAM: That is an excellent question and one that nobody's really covered. It's very simple. You know, when you go to bed at night, your niece and nephew, when they go to bed at night, their parents tell them, you know, make sure their door is locked, make sure their window is closed. They don't get hyper-paranoid because of that. The parents know the reality of what may happen if they don't do that. They also tell them, you know, if anything strange, come get me in the middle of the night. It's that simple. The kid knows how to react. It is the same thing there. You know, you can tell your children that

listen, if you see somebody set a bag down, that's not right. Let me know that and I'm going to tell, you know, the authorities about that. If somebody, you know, you know, tries to grab you or if you see somebody carrying something that scares you or makes, you know, let me know.

That's all you really have to tell your children. And you have to make sure, just like you're aware where your children are at all times, you have to make sure that you're aware of your surroundings as well.

HARLOW: Absolutely. Maybe, I've read a lot of experts said a meeting place for you and your family, with your young kids should anything out of the ordinary happen.

Jonathan Gilliam, thank you very much. To you, John Matthews as well. We'll speak with you a little bit later in the show about what people should know if they are going out to this Fourth of July festivities.

MATTHEWS: Thanks.

HARLOW: Up next, the author of this upcoming book, a former prison guard at Rikers Island sharing her experiences, causing some to ask the question, where is the problem, is it with the inmates or with some of these guards? We'll talk to her, Robin Miller with me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:55] HARLOW: Well, a letter that escapee Richard Matt reportedly wrote to his daughter just before he broke out of prison says quite a lot in hindsight. He wrote quote "I always promised you I would see you on the outside. I'm a man of my word."

Well, what we do know is that his daughter reported that to authorities and that she says she knew nothing about his escape. But he did escape, and as we know, he has not seen his daughter since then. Police shot and killed Matt and later captured his fellow fugitive David Sweat.

But there are questions about why prison officials didn't see that letter before Matt mailed it and if they could have seen it, would have it made a difference? We're going to talk about that and a whole lot more with Robin Miller. She's a former New York City corrections officer from Rikers Island. She just penned a book titled "sex, drugs, thugs: the untold truth behind New York jail corruption." It comes out in September.

Thank you for being with me.

ROBIN MILLER, AUTHOR, SEX, DRUGS, THUGS: You're welcome. Thank you for having me.

HARLOW: My pleasure. Let's talk about this. Because you've said you're not shocked at all by what happened at Clinton correctional in Dannemora. You actually said the inmates quote "analyze us all day and know who is vulnerable." How did you experience that?

MILLER: You have to understand something. Inmates have nothing else to do but watch us. They study us. They just -- they listen to us. They listen to us talk about each other. They listen to the captains. They know the whole setup. Day in and day out, they watch, they observe, and they plan. The inmate is always planning their escape. The conditions in the jail are so bad that they want to get out. So on a daily basis, they're constantly planning how they're going to break out.

HARLOW: What we have learned is that the New York state prison policy is that they don't read outgoing inmates' mail unless a superintendent deems that that person is a risk. So now we know according to the Buffalo News that Richard Matt sent this letter to his daughter days before he escaped, saying I'll see you on the outside, I always said that I would. Do you think that is a policy that needs to change? Or is that something you would expect to hear from sort of someone who is desperate?

MILLER: That's false. They read all the outgoing mail?

HARLOW: That's not. Our Jean Casarez reported with us yesterday, that is not the policy right now, right now, within the New York City prison system. That they don't read all the outgoing mail.

MILLER: They didn't read Matt's outgoing mail because he was in the honor block. But I know personally, because my nephew is incarcerated and they read all his outgoing mail.

HARLOW: So you wonder how someone got into the honor block who had killed two people and escaped from prison before. What does that say about the system?

MILLER: Well, the system is broken. The system needs to be fixed.

HARLOW: Let's talk about some of your experiences. You have said that in your 20 years in the system, working in the system, your colleagues were tougher to deal with than the inmates, that there is a thin line between inmate and officer. What do you mean? Why was it tougher with your peers?

MILLER: Well, when it came to the inmates, the inmates would listen to me. As long as you respect them, and you demand respect, and you draw a line in the sand, they will do -- and as long as you do your job, they'll do whatever you ask them to do.

My colleagues, on the other hand, they didn't do what they were supposed to do. Its care, custody, and control. That's what we were hired for. And the thing that I've been thinking about a lot is that you say to yourself, what is a corrections officer? We're hired in our 20s. We're still kids ourselves. So you've given us a badge, you've given us a gun, and you've given us a bunch of people to watch, grown folks to basically babysit, and we're just coming out of high school. So they're coming in, and to me, it's a high school setting. And what I experienced is as soon as the female officer comes to a jail, especially a male jail, there are male officers try to hit on them. They're going to date them. Everybody's like, they're fresh meat. When they can't have their way, they get an attitude. And then they basically blacklist you in the jail. And then they get the females to stop talking to you. And it becomes a big part of isolation. So I had to deal with coming to work every day dealing with a bunch of co-workers, with the gossip. It's like any other job.

[15:20:24] HARLOW: So you don't want to generalize this whole industry, right?

MILLER: No, it's not everybody.

HARLOW: Final question before I let you go. How do you change things then? You had so much time in the system. You're writing a book about it now. How do you think it's changed?

MILLER: It has to start with the administration. It has to start with the academy. They have to stop telling these people in the academy that the inmates are the enemy. They have to start there. They have to have the bosses do their jobs. The officers are not doing their jobs. They're not in care, custody, and control. They're not watching these prisoners. They're more concerned with the co- workers instead of doing their job.

And Albany has to get involved. And the mayor has to get involved. When the complaint start coming, they have to act. I cover all of that and the solutions. I have solutions to exactly how do we fix this broken system to make it work. Because what's going to happen is you're going to have more escapes, and you're going to have officers getting killed in the line of duty behind this.

HARLOW: And you've said if you give them, the inmates, an inch, they will take a mile. They will take you for whatever you've got.

MILLER: Yes.

HARLOW: Thank you, Robin Miller. Fascinating book coming out.

MILLER: And they can go to robinkMiller.com and pre-order the book. It's coming out in September.

HARLOW: Thank you very much for being with us.

MILLER: Thank you.

HARLOW: Nieto meet you. I appreciate it. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[15:25:58] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Tucked away in the hill town of Darjeeling, a place synonymous for tee one plantation stands from the rest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to (INAUDIBLE), the first tea factory in the world. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Founded in 1859 by G.C. Banerjee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) commends the journey (ph). The fourth generation here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On hundred and fifty six years later, (INAUDIBLE) has launched the family business into a multi-million- dollar brand. It's one of the fewest states in the country that has remained solely in Indian hands. His tea runs in high demand, producing 110 tons annually, 80 percent of which is exported around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's magical, mystical (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So unique that one of (INAUDIBLE) teas sold for $1,850 per kilogram last year to a Japanese client, marking it as the most expensive Indian tea. And to ensure the highest quality of this Darjeeling specialty is preserved, precision is everything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Production from here, everything is challenging because if you go wrong in one place, you go wrong in every place.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the final test of quality takes a trained palette.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not quite. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Made in India for breakfast anywhere in the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Well, voters in Greece will decide tomorrow what to do about the crippling debt crisis in their country. The situation is so dire that supplies in food and medicine are starting to run low. Banks remain closed following the abrupt halt of bailout money to that country earlier this week.

Take a look at this picture. This really says it all. An elderly man in Greece collapsing on the ground after being turned away from four separate banks. Tomorrow, voters will decide whether to accept those harsh austerity measures or to go it alone on their own without an international bailout.

Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras calling for a no vote against the austerity measures. He says a yes vote is quote "a campaign for terror."

Isa Soares is live in Athens with the latest tonight.

Isa, when you look at it, you've got about 10, 12 percent of the population undecided. People there really feel like they're fighting for much more than this vote. This is about the heart and soul of the future of Greece politically and economically, isn't it?

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Good afternoon to you, Poppy. That's exactly what it's about. You hit the nail on the head there. For people, it's not just about austerity. Seventy five percent of Greeks want to be part of Europe. They want to stay in the Eurozone. So that's not in question. But, you know, I've been in the yes camp. I've been in the no camp. I've heard from both sides of the story and they say the same thing. They just don't want more austerity. They're very clear on that.

The economy, they've suffered five years of austerity. The economy shrank 25 percent, Poppy, 50 percent youth unemployment, 26 percent of unemployment in general. So people here are tired. They've seen their wages, their pensions being cut, salaries being cut. And what they're basically saying is that this, more austerity just won't help the economy grow. They need debt (INAUDIBLE).

HARLOW: Right. What's been the likelihood of a what's has been termed as a Greek exit from the Eurozone and just more broadly what that would mean for some of these other European countries? Because frankly, Greece may be in worse shape, but you've got some other countries in Europe that have very high unemployment and are deeply in debt. They are also nearing the brink.

SOARES: Absolutely. I think that's why so many people are very worried. You know, Greek, anything is possible at this stage as we have seen not many people are expecting to get a referendum here in Greece in the first place because negotiations were going so well.

But now, you know, now their concerns that it may go that way if it goes in no vote. Europe does want to stick with Greece. (INAUDIBLE) Greece to stay in the Eurozone. But, really, is up to Greece to see how far they're willing to go when it comes to the negotiations on Monday.

But you're quite right, Poppy. The concerns now, start looking at countries like Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Spain. And we all have also being bailed out, its concerns that might be ripple effect. We've already seen yields in those countries rise last week or so on fears that it might have a ripple effect because what Europe has many -- analysts have been saying it takes one to actually leave, and then many, the whole concept of the euro project, that could fall to its knees, Poppy.

HARLOW: That is the central question, can that Eurozone, the common currency and the unity trade agreements persist.

Isa Soares, thank you very, very much. Appreciate it. We'll have much more on that live vote from Greece for you happening tomorrow. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:59] HARLOW: Americans across the country being asked to be extra vigilant this Fourth of July following a warning from security officials of any potential for possible terror attacks.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty joining us from the national mall in Washington, D.C., where, Sunlen, I heard something like 600,000 people are expected for the fireworks tonight. What are they doing on the ground there? Because this isn't pegged to a specific credible threat. This is just an overall heightened concern, right?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Poppy. And because of the overall heightened concern, there seems to be a heavy police presence down here on the national mall. Behind me is one of nine security check points that people must go through to get inside the perimeter in order to watch those down by the monuments and the mall. But of course, there is an extra level of anxiety, an extra level of vigilance coming from local police here, of course knowing that there is that terror warning coming from the intelligence community, pointing to the possibility of a threat this weekend.

But as you can see, there are a lot of people out today. Hundreds of thousands are expected. We talked to a lot of people and there really was a mixed bag. Something that they were concern about. Others saying that they were a little concerned, but just enough to stay away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:35:15] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So now we've gone through so much. The scare with the Navy yard and everything. So you know, when you hear these things, you are like, you know, what's going on, what's happening? So there is concern there. But I'd rather just have a sense of security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a little concern there. And my wife is very concerned. But she thought about cancelling. Then I told her, you know, you put your faith in God and he'll take care of you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am a little more aware of my surroundings. But I'm sure like I definitely trust that security will, you know, prevent anything from happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Now, there are special patrols going on at the landmarks that lie in the national mall. In addition behind the scene, there's also a team here in D.C. that's monitoring online websites, social media websites, looking out, Poppy, for any watch records that may be of concern -- Poppy.

HARLOW: All right, Sunlen Serfaty at the national mall for us. Thank you, have a great Fourth tonight, Sunlen.

Let's talk about this more again with John Matthews, he is a former Dallas police officer, author of "mass shootings: six steps to survival."

It's scary, John, to even have to think about this, but you do. Especially people going out with their whole family. You're in a crowd, you've got your kids with you, et cetera. Should something happen, anything out of the ordinary, what are the steps that you can take in advance to be prepared with you and your family? MATTHEW: Well, first thing, to be prepared, talk to your family

before you get to the event. Let them know that if something happens, we want you to stay with mom and dad. We want you to listen. And this is what we're going to do. We're going to look to get out of the situation, so we may grab your arm, we may pick you up, we are going to run away from the threat to try to keep you safe.

But visit with your family before you get to the event, Poppy, to let them know so that they won't be scared when something happens. If they hear a lot firework and they're scared, you can say no, it's all right, you're right here with us. If anything bad is going to happen, we're going to do it together.

HARLOW: Yes. It can be a tough conversation to have as a parent, but an important one. John Matthews, have a great Fourth. Thank you very much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:53] HARLOW: A spike in shark attacks in north and South Carolina has beach goers on alert this holiday weekend. Eleven people have been bitten this year so far off the coast of north and South Carolina. That is nearly double the average for that area. North Carolina's governor asking experts to try to figure out are there any patterns in these attacks? Why is this happening?

Nick Valencia has the tough assignment of being on the beach this Fourth of July. He is in Wrightsville beach, North Carolina.

Look, a lot of folks are out there. It is a beautiful day. Some officials thought, look, the beaches should have been closed. They didn't do that. Are the people where you are going in the water?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the jurisdiction of these shores is up to the national parks service and they decided not to close it. The only people that can say whether or not those folks are allowed to go into the ocean is the coast guard. And so far, we haven't really seen it. We are joined now, though, by some tourists here who came all the way from Virginia, right?

Come on over here. Squeeze on in, guys. So you guys heard the news. You heard about the shark attacks and yet you still decided to come here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, yes. I mean, we come here every year. I have been here for the past six years. No worries about shark attacks. Hasn't been any problem. So, you know, we're still not seeing anything the past couple of days we've been out here. We've still been going in the water. Having a good time.

VALENCIA: And you said you're going in the water, too, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Better chance of being struck by lightning.

VALENCIA: That's what we've been reporting all day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what you said. I don't know. But that's what I believe.

VALENCIA: So you guys are enjoying your time out here? Have you talked to anyone who can concerned when you think about, about potential for this happening? Because it is serious, you know, 11 attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is serious. I think families with little children are probably more concern. But I think as you're older, you have a little bit more confidence in what you're doing out there. And I think it's just a matter of being cautious. But I think it's beautiful. You have to enjoy it. You can't let nature has a way of coming in, but you just have to be cognizant of the whole area and I think it's quite beautiful.

VALENCIA: Thank you, guys. You're great. College of William and Mary alums shout out for you guys. Thank you, guys, very much to join us.

So you see, there is some sort of mixed reaction a little bit. We talked to actually a little girl earlier who was going in the water who said she had a healthy fear of whether or not she was going to go in the water. But for the most part, healthy fear is well said, but the most part here, the general concern is, Poppy, is people are not concerned at all. They're happy to be out here - Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes. And a few tips, right? Don't in at dawn or dusk. Don't wear your bling in. That can attract the sharks. And stay away from the piers.

Nick Valencia, thank you. Appreciate it.

Switching gears here. Coming up next, a shocking number of American families relying on food stamps. One in five children in this country lives on food stamps right now. We're going to take a look at why this is happening, next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You take back a lot of things from war that you didn't think you were going to bring back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was just angry at everyone. Didn't want to do anything with anybody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It can be kind of hard. You just get kind of anxious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You top feeling, basically.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All three of my deployments were intense. There was no time to cope. I decided to hike the Appalachian, because it had been a dream of mine growing up. I saw it as a personal challenge, but about two thirds of the way I realized I was processing all these experiences that I had put away, and I knew that there were other combat veterans that needed to do that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're seeing on the back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It provides vets ran with all the equipment they need to complete a hike. It is just like a deployment except instead of going to fight a war, your mission is to be a civilian again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just being in the woods out here, and there's nothing to do but think.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's internal quiet, and some of the problems that you're dealing with get hammered away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just being around other military is worth more than words can say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many years you got in now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifteen years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our veterans also receive trail town support along the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, how are you?

[15:45:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good. How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see how much they care. It helps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We help veterans prepare for the next chapter of their life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're learning to take it as it comes and move on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looking for that sense of calm, every step I take I think I'm going in that direction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:49:14] HARLOW: All right, in today's "American Opportunities" segment, we turn to a crisis happening right now across this country. One in five American children rely on food stamps. It has gotten worse in the past five years. So if the economy is getting so much better, why is this happening? Our Special Report airs at 4:30 p.m. eastern time today. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW (voice-over): The largest economy on earth. The land of opportunity. And yet too many children are going hungry in America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a big problem in this country. I'm telling you, a lot of kids come to school hungry. And it affects everything. You're not going to be productive if you're are hungry.

HARLOW: The United States has one of the highest child poverty rates in the industrialized world. One in five children here now rely on food stamps. And right here in Bridgeport, Connecticut, it is double that, 40 percent.

[15:50:03] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The desperation in a city like Bridgeport is intense.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Children get up in the morning, many of them don't have food.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their grades and their ability to focus on that when they're not having adequate nutrition.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to live in a society where we take care of our children. I think most Americans would agree with that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like my neighborhood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is always going to be me in a low-income labor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has to stop somewhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an important part of our culture to feel like we are giving our children a chance to be successful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) to get this a chance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is their reality. We should step into their shoes so we can understand them. That's why we need to go there and see what's going on.

HARLOW: So we did. We followed a family as their children ate breakfast and lunch in school for free, as 19 million other children do nationwide. We saw how these lunches are made with limited resources and strict guidelines. We went shopping with their single mom on a food stamp budget where healthy food is hard to come by or afford. We had dinner with them at home. It's all happening in one of the wealthiest counties in the country, in one of the wealthiest states, Connecticut. This is the story of how we feed our most vulnerable children for only a few dollars a day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What kind of society is this? Is this America?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Our Special Report, "Feeding America's most vulnerable children" coming up in just about half an hour right here on CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:20] HARLOW: All right. Senior digital correspondent for CNN politics Chris Moody is back with me. You have sort of turned into the national treasure hunter in honor of the fourth of July. We have a very special piece you went digging for something.

MOODY: Well, I found that there was a handprint on the declaration of independence, one of the nation's most important documents. This has been known for a long time. But I never found out why. Who put their hand on the declaration of independence? So we went down to the lab at the U.S. national archives to try to investigate and find the answer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOODY: Who put a handprint on the declaration of independence?

The declaration of independence is one of the nation's most beloved documents and at some point in history, someone put their handprint on it and never 'fessed up to it. To try to unlock the mystery, we started at the conservation lab at the U.S. national archives. I have no idea what I'm doing.

ALICE KAMPS, CURATOR, NATIONAL ARCHIVES: During the revolutionary war period it traveled with Congress as they moved from town to town along the east coast.

MOODY: We're talking with the curator and conservator here that is going to try to help us find clues to unlock this mystery. Do we know how it got there?

MARY LYNN RITZENTHALE, CONSERVATOR, NATIONAL ARCHIVE: In 1888 the declaration was in Philadelphia in a frame shop being reframed. The story goes the person involved in doing the reframing had printer's ink on their hand which would have been likely in a print shop that we don't know for sure.

MOODY: You are one of the few living people that has handled the declaration.

RITZENTHALE: That is correct, I suspect. Yes.

MOODY: Was it you?

RITZENTHALE: It was not me. I would feel very sad if it were me.

MOODY: I saw a documentary called national treasure about when this was stolen. Do you think Nicolas Cage might have done it?

RITZENTHALE: Well, I know he has really supernatural powers, I don't think they extend that far.

MOODY: So that documentary, National Treasure, is alive.

RITZENTHALE: Yes.

MOODY: I knew it.

So off we went to the old patent office, now the national portrait gallery. Maybe we could find clues inside. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At one point this space was the largest room in

America. We were the patent office in 1840. This is where the declaration was displayed.

MOODY: Walk me through how it got here.

DAVID WARD, HISTORIAN, NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY: Yes. It is actually incredible. After 1776 when it was signed, it's amazing that it wasn't destroyed. It moved with the Congress, whenever the capitol moved. It was in places like Princeton, New Jersey, and Annapolis, and we kind of traveled with Charles Thompson, it was the secretary of the continental congress.

MOODY: Do you have any idea what it was like in here?

WARD: Yes. It was terrible. The declaration was being moved around, put in this burlap bag. It's rolled - and they rolled it up all the time which you're not supposed to do. It was exposed to light. It was exposed to smoke.

MOODY: Who put their handprint on the declaration of independence? Do you have any leads?

WARD: No, I do not. (INAUDIBLE). The most anonymous of the founders, if he in fact put his hand down on it when he signed (INAUDIBLE).

MOODY: You know what would make this investigation a lot better?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

MOODY: Street cello music.

Behind me is the library of Congress where the document was before and after World War II. Was it here where the handprint was put on the declaration of independence? We'll never know. Because they won't let us in. Nothing. What are you trying to tell us, Thomas Jefferson? Could it be that the answer to our question has been in our pants this entire time? Was it this guy, George Washington? Benjamin Franklin? Thomas Jefferson? What about you, lesser known founders? Is it you, Samuel Adams? After our investigation, we have come up with one conclusion. Couldn't have been you, Ben Franklin?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: I love that piece. Was it your hand?

MOODY: I will never tell. But the mystery continues, obviously. But until then, let's just blame Nicholas Cage.

HARLOW: Let's just, that documentary, right?

MOODY: The documentary, National Treasure. I saw his hands on it many times. So, clearly, that is evidence that Nick Cage put his hand for another declaration of independence.

HARLOW: Clearly, indeed.

Chris Moody, always great to have you. Thank you.

Stick around for a much more serious topic straight ahead.