Return to Transcripts main page

At This Hour

Three Killed, 11 Hurt In Philadelphia Shooting, Gunmen At Large; U.S. Supreme Court Expected To Rule On Second Amendment Case; Soon: British PM Boris Johnson Faces No-Confidence Vote. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired June 06, 2022 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:16]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. Here's what we're watching at this hour. A bloody weekend in America, at least 10 shootings leave 15 people dead adding to the pressure on senators to agree to do something, anything to help prevent gun violence.

Vote of no confidence, Britain's Prime Minister could find himself out of a job tonight as he faces of revolt in his own party.

And no end to rising prices, the cost of gas keeps going up. A member of President Biden's own party says that he needs to do more to fight inflation. That member of Congress is our guest.

And thank you so much for being here, everyone. Let's start with another deadly weekend in America. Since Friday, there have been 10 mass shootings across the country. No area immune from the violence, of course, the shootings happened at high school graduation parties in South Carolina and Texas.

At a funeral outside of church in Kentucky, multiple shooters then firing into a crowd on a busy street in Philadelphia, killing three people. And in Tennessee shots rang out at a nightclub. All told 15 people were killed, dozens more hurt in these mass shootings.

The Gun Violence Archive now says that there have been 246 mass shootings in the United States this year. The math not fully calculating the pain, 33 of those that we're talking about here just since the Uvalde School massacre nearly two weeks ago. CNN's polo Sandoval is live in Philadelphia, starting us off at this hour, another city in pain, another investigation into deadly gun violence now underway. Polo, what are you learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Kate, unlike those calculated and planned massacres that we've seen recently in Buffalo, in Texas, in Oklahoma, this one that took place in a very popular entertainment district in Philadelphia just started as a street scuffle, but it very quickly escalated and shots were fired sending hundreds of revelers here on the street, running for safety. When everything was said and done. There were three people that were confirmed dead, 11 injured.

The police commissioner saying that, though they believe that one of the three dead was apparently involved in that initial scuffle, there were still many innocent parties, many innocent bystanders who were either injured or killed and that leaving a lasting effect on their families and also on the injured here. What we know about the investigation is that there were Philadelphia police officers nearby that had been watching for the potential for something like this to happen.

In fact, they've open fire and they believed that they wounded one of the individuals that was involved in that shooting. They are currently trying to track them down right now. And they believe that there are still more suspects involved. So far, they've been able to recover two of the five weapons that they believe were used here as they continue to try to just deal with this level of violence that we've seen, not just here in Philadelphia, but throughout much of the country.

In fact, Chattanooga, Tennessee, a very similar shooting to played out but this one inside of a nightclub that left three dead and as many as 14 injured. The mayor of Chattanooga, Tim Kelly, has had to speak not only about this mass shooting, but another one that happened last week, the mayor growing increasingly frustrated, in fact joined a group of mayors that are calling for gun legislation, but also the mayor, Mayor Kelly is you're about to hear also continues to be a supporter of legal gun ownership. Take listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR TIM KELLY (I), CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE: Over the last 10 days, we've had, you know, three killed here and something like 23 injured. So it's a terrible situation. But we hope to have some suspects in custody soon. I'm a gun owner. I've been a hunter since I was a child. This is not something that, you know, I'm not trying to take away anybody's Second Amendment rights. But I think we can agree that there are our common sense approaches here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The remarks from Mayor Kelly, very similar to what we've heard here in Philadelphia, amid that steep increase in gun violence. Kate, and look when you have well over 250 mass shootings just this year. That is more than there have been calendar days. So as you can imagine that call for meaningful gun reform coming to, headed to Washington is certainly something that we're seeing on the ground here and throughout much of the country. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right, Polo, thank you very much. Let's go to Texas now, though to focus there. A top prosecutor and Uvalde, Texas not still not answering questions, not providing any new information publicly into what happened in the police response to the mass murder at Robb Elementary School nearly two weeks ago, as we mentioned.

And the families of the 19 students and two teachers killed. They do deserve answers as they continue, their focus continues to be on now burying their children and burying their loved ones. CNN's Rosa Flores is live in Uvalde for us at this hour. Rosa, what are you hearing there today?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Kate, is the problem here is that we have not received an update from the lead investigating agency in days, that's the Texas Department of Public Safety. I reached out again to them today and I asked specifically, not just overall but about Texas State Troopers what time the Texas State Troopers Arrived, were Texas State Troopers outside in the hall when children were calling asking for help, asking for the police to bust in and stop this threat. They did not answer our questions yet again.

[11:05:29]

They actually referred us to the Uvalde District Attorney's Office. I checked in with the District Attorney's Office, they're not asking -- answering questions. They haven't answered questions in days. But here's the bottom line, 21 people are dead, including 19 children. The shooter in this case was inside the school for more than an hour and it took a federal law enforcement, a federal law enforcement officer to go into the school and stop this thread.

So the number of questions about this investigation keeps growing. The memorial that you see behind me also keeps growing. I talked to a few people from town today. And I can tell you that there is just so much grief and so much pain still in this community. People that I talked to as soon as I started talking to them, their eyes swelled with tears. Today, more visitations, more funerals. There's weeks of this. Today, the visitation for 10-year-old Xavier Lopez, his mother described him as being funny and having a great smile.

And there's also the funeral scheduled for nine-year-old Eliahna, she went by Ellie, Garcia. She loved the movie, "Encanto." She wanted to be a cheerleader and loved basketball. And she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. And Kate, I want to leave you with this. We've learned that there are four people still in the hospital. That's nearly two weeks. Four people are still in the hospital, three adults and one 10-year-old girl was in serious condition. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Rosa, thank you very much for that update. Let's go to Wisconsin now where a retired judge was murdered in his home and what police are now calling a targeted attack. Official say that the suspect had a hit list of prominent politicians including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as well as two governors. CNN's Nadia Romero is live in Wisconsin with this. Nadia, what more are you learning about this man?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, we know that the suspect, 56-year-old Douglas Uhde has a criminal history in Wisconsin dating back to at least 2002 when he was convicted of armed burglary and firearm charges. And he would have crossed paths with former Judge John Roemer in the courtroom back in 2005.

And you can see behind me, there still a police car and barricades on the road. You go down that road and you'll go right to the house of the Roemer family where this incident took place Friday morning. But it's not just John Roemer who was a target on this hit list. Authorities tell us that also was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and the governor of this state of Wisconsin, Tony Evers.

And we heard from Tony Evers, saying that this was shocking for him and that he was saddened to hear about this small town judge who had dedicated his life to serving his community being killed. Now, this has been an issue not just recently, but for quite a while now from judges saying that they want more protection that they feel unsafe. And it was back in 2020. When a U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, was targeted herself, her son was murdered, her husband injured. Listen to her talk about what needs to be done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE ESTHER SALAS, U.S. DISTRICT COURT: If you would have asked me before July 19th, 2020, when my son was murdered in our foyer, it was always something that was in the back of my mind. Now, I dare say it's something that's forefront for all judges, and we want to do our jobs. We want to make the tough calls. We shouldn't have to give, you know, do our jobs and give up our lives or the lives of our family members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: So Judge Salas is pushing for legislation that would make the addresses of judges not available to the public to help with privacy there. Kate, this is an ongoing issue for judges all across the country. But this investigation continues. Kate?

BOLDUAN: It sure does. Thank you very much for that. So with all of this, that we're talking about this morning, there is cautious hope in Washington, Senators on both sides of the aisle expressing some optimism that a deal on gun safety measures could be within reach. But the reforms being discussed they do fall short of what President Biden called for in his primetime address last week. CNN's Lauren Fox is tracking this once again for us on the Hill. Lauren, what are you hearing from lawmakers now?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, lawmakers returning to Washington today after a week long recess, Kate. And this is the true test. Will they come up with compromise language in the Senate, that small bipartisan group that has been working throughout the last 10 days or so to find a middle ground on guns? Like you said, this is not going to be the sweeping package that the President laid out. It's not even going to be the sweeping package that House Democrats are working toward in their own chamber. Instead, this is much narrower.

[11:10:14]

But Chris Murphy, the top Democrat who's negotiating that package, said yesterday, he was more confident than ever, they would get a deal, the true test coming today, when Republicans return whether they can get those 10 Republican votes. Now, there's also a question in the House of Representatives, what they are going to be able to do, there is an effort to try to bring to the floor, an assault weapons ban. I'm told by sources that they are still trying to get the votes on the Democratic side for that.

Again, though, that piece of legislation is not going to pass the Senate but a big week in the house. There's also going to be testimony on Wednesday in the House Oversight Committee from victims of gun violence, Democrats hoping to change the tone and tenor of this debate, bringing back to focus the people and the lives that are at stake. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right, Lauren, thank you very much. Joining me now for more on all of this is CNN law enforcement analyst Anthony Barksdale. He's the former acting police commissioner for the city of Baltimore and also with us, CNN chief legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. Anthony, let me start with you. And let me play a little bit of what the Philadelphia police commissioner said after the deadly weekend there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELLE OUTLAW, PHILADELPHIA POLICE COMMISSIONER: It's unacceptable. It's beyond unacceptable. And we're still using every resource available to get to the bottom of what occurred, not just out there last night, but behind this gun violence in the city, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And she can be speaking for police commissioners really across the country at this point. I mean there's no one answer and no one opinion on this very clearly among law enforcement. But what do you think or would you suggest would help law enforcement on the local level better protect our communities facing this violence?

ANTHONY BARKSDALE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, law enforcement right now has to take a look at exactly what they're doing to reduce violence. But there's a key partnership in many of these cities that is broken. And that's the relationship, the partnership between police departments and their prosecutors. We have to get prosecutors and law enforcement on the same page.

They are a team, they are absolutely necessary to violence reduction. And this doesn't -- it's not only including the state level, the local levels, but the federal levels, check those partnerships. Are the police bringing quality cases and for prosecution, or the prosecutors prosecuting the cases in getting the best penalties that they can for those found guilty? So they have to look in the mirror. They have to. And say, are we doing the very best?

KOTB: Well, I mean when you talk about kind of federal partnerships, Anthony, I do want to play something a little bit more of what the mayor of Chattanooga essentially is saying a little bit of what you're talking about. He says that he's doing everything he can, he needs federal help. Let me play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY: Law enforcement again, is pretty a unified in their approach to finding common sense ways to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals and the mentally ill I think everybody agrees on that. The question is how?

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: And one of those things that people if you will seem do you agree on a red flag laws? How well do they work, Anthony?

BARKSDALE: Red flag laws can be extremely effective. Look, life, things change in life. So someone purchases a weapon, a gun may be healthy, mentally healthy at first, and then life happens. And if things happen, then that person may not, may become a danger if they hold on to a weapon, you're talking possible suicide, suicide by cop shooting at innocent people. So red flag laws when properly implemented, when followed up, are helpful to reducing violence.

BOLDUAN: You know, Jeffrey, in looking at Uvalde one thing in terms of, it's not necessarily a solution, right, but it is an action that is -- that we're seeing that they're heading towards the first steps towards a possible lawsuit in really two instances against the manufacturer of the gun that was used in that mass murder.

If the parents of one of the children who was killed as well as a teacher at the school taking kind of separate actions against Daniel Defense is the name of the company looking into their marketing practices is how they describe it. If this is heading towards that, what does it look like? What is this road look like?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Very difficult for the possible plaintiffs because the gun lobby has mobilized for years to make these lawsuits virtually impossible. Under federal law, under many state laws, there are laws on the books that say you can't sue gun manufacturers for crimes committed with guns.

[11:15:09]

The one time that there was a major settlement was after Sandy Hook. The Remington Company paid $73 million to the families of those kids who were killed. But that was under Connecticut law. And Connecticut is not a gun state. And there were laws that the families could use to force a settlement. Texas, very pro gun state. That lawsuit, if it happens is going to be a very uphill proposition.

BOLDUAN: Even in Connecticut, that was a very long road before they got to -- before they reach that settlement.

TOOBIN: Very difficult.

BOLDUAN: There's also -- we're also waiting for a Supreme Court decision on a major Second Amendment -- on a major Second Amendment case, it's a dispute on New York strict requirements and process to be able to carry a concealed weapon outside of the home. Depending on the decision that comes from the justices, what are the ripple effects that this decision could have kind of on this whole broader discussion that we're talking about in terms of gun safety?

TOOBIN: It could be enormous because, you know, the Second Amendment absolutist are very much in charge in parts of the federal judiciary. I mean, in California, there was a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, two Donald Trump judges, Donald Trump appointed judges said that California law that said 18 year olds couldn't buy assault weapons that violated the Second Amendment.

Buffalo and Texas, both were 18 year olds who bought assault weapons. And, you know, that so even that law was declared unconstitutional. So if the Supreme Court, as many people expect, expands the definition of the Second Amendment, in terms of how much it prohibits gun control, it may render moot and impossible, a lot of the efforts that states and even perhaps the federal government are talking about to try to limit gun violence.

BOLDUAN: Wow, that's really interesting. It's good to see Jeffrey, thank you. Anthony, thank you as well, I really appreciate it.

Coming up for us, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson facing likely the biggest vote of his political life, a no confidence vote that could oust him from power, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:21:34]

BOLDUAN: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a no confidence vote this afternoon. That could mean the end of his time in office, lawmakers in parliament will soon decide whether Johnson should keep his job or lose it largely over what's become known as the party gates scandals. CNN's Bianca Nobilo is live in London with more on this. Bianca, quite a moment this is turning out to be.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly. It's a moment of acute political danger for the Prime Minister Kate. In fact, the hardest moment he's ever faced as prime minister and he's had many scandals more than I can count right here. And that's because tonight, the MPs of his own party will get the chance to vote whether or not to keep him or oust him. He needs 180 of his 360 MPs to vote for him to stay.

Now it's likely he will win that that's because about 170 of those lawmakers are on the government payroll in some capacity. But even if he wins if it's not decisive, he is going to be wounded as prime minister with a lot less authority and power to come on the roll. Most Prime Ministers aren't able to hang on very long after they win a confidence vote.

But for his part, the government has said tonight's a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on delivering on people's priorities. The Prime Minister welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs.

And Kate, as you mentioned, a lot of this is following on from the so called party gate, scandal during the pandemic with the Prime Minister was viewed to be hypocritical and deeply hurtful to those who made sacrifices weren't with their loved ones when they were in hospital while those in the buildings behind me were actually partying and breaking rules. So we'll see if he can stagger on after this vote tonight, Kate, but it is a Prime Minister much damaged and probably not able to recover long term.

BOLDUAN: Staggering on is not the way any politicians career wants to be described, that's for sure, right? It's good to see you, Bianca, thank you very much. We'll, see what happens today.

Also developing this morning, Mexico's president just announced that he will be skipping President Biden Summit of the Americas this week, because several other countries from the region did not get invites. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live at the White House with this one for us. Jeremy, what's going on here?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, this is a significant diplomatic snub from the Mexican president to the President of the United States. And it's one that the U.S. has been weeks trying to avoid and that now risks undermining or at least drawing attention away from the stated policy goals of the summit issues from migration to trade, economic security, and climate change.

The Mexican president announcing he won't attend because of the exclusion of several other countries. And today, a senior administration official is indeed confirming that the U.S. officially will not be inviting three countries, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, saying in a statement, quote, the U.S. continues to maintain reservations regarding the lack of democratic space and the human rights situations in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. As a result, they say that they those countries will not be invited to participate.

Now as I said U.S. officials have spent weeks trying to find some kind of agreement with Mexico and several other countries that have been threatening a boycott here. Even just last week, a National Security Council officials said on the record that President Biden very personally wanted the Mexican president to attend this summit in person. Instead, Mexico will be sending its foreign minister and the U.S. and Mexico have also agreed to put on the books a visit by the Mexican president here to the White House next month.

But again, a significant diplomatic snob and one that could potentially draw attention away from these important goals that the White House is trying aim to achieve at a moment when they're trying to reassert U.S. leadership in this region right now. Kate?

[11:25:06]

BOLDUAN: Thank you Jeremy.

Coming up for us, President Biden he says there's a limit to what he can do to lower the price of gas and food. But a member of his own party says that the President can do more. Congressman Ro Khanna joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)