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The Global Brief with Bianca Nobilo
Fall Of Luhansk, Illinois July 4 Shooting; U.S. Report: Abu Akleh Dead. Aired 5-5:30p ET
Aired July 04, 2022 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:56]
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. And this is THE GLOBAL BRIEF.
Tonight, we look at the new front lines in Ukraine following the fall of Luhansk. Russian President Putin saying he has received proposals from
generals to continue its, quote, offensive operation.
Then, at least six people killed in a July 4th parade shooting in Illinois. The latest on that story is ahead.
And the U.S. concludes that gunfire from the Israeli military was likely responsible for the death of Palestinian American journalist, Shireen Abu
Akleh.
We begin with a new phase of the war in Ukraine as the battlefield shifts after a key Russian victory. Vladimir Putin is congratulating his troops
for capturing the last city that was still under Ukrainian control in the Luhansk region. And he's ordering them to fight on.
Ukraine is defending its decision to withdraw from Lysychansk after weeks of bombardment. The regional government calls the move very painful, but
says that they acted to spare the lives of Ukrainian troops in the face of far superior firepower. Russian forces are now intensifying their assault
on the Donetsk, in an effort to capture the rest of the Donbas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vows that his troops will regain lost territory with the help of Western weapons.
CNN's Phil Black is following the shifting battlefield tonight from Dnipro.
Phil, what do Putin's remarks today indicate to you about where the frontlines could shift next?
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bianca, from Putin's remarks and everything else we've seen on the ground, in the Donbas in recent days,
there is no doubt that Russia remains intent and its goal to capture that broad region. It's made up of two official separate region, Luhansk in
Donetsk, which has much of, and it's looking to get the rest. So, big offensive operations are expected in what remains of Ukrainian-held
Donetsk. In the coming days, we can see Russia to take cities -- as Kramatorsk well.
The loss of Lysychansk is another blow, another city loss, no doubt. But the real significance, I think, is in the nature of how it fell. How it
happened, what it says about the realities on the battlefield in the Donbas, because what it says, at the moment at least is, that Russia is
unstoppable. It has a clear military advantage. It's artillery.
We've saw that, we visited a small town even closer to Russia as advancing lines, that's already within range of its big weapons. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLACK (voice-over): There is no easy, safe way to the most eastern frontlines to the Donbas. Russia has kept the highways, so soldiers,
weapons, locals and aid deliveries must all take the back roads. This Red Cross operation is to Siversk, the small town closest to the region's most
intense fighting. The team unloads and very quickly families arrive to load up.
The noise of war, close and loud. No one reacts.
Natalia is collecting food for her husband and two children. She says they cannot leave the town because they fear losing their house and the
vegetable garden they rely on to survive. Only a fool's in scared, she says. But there is no way out. We can't leave our place.
Lyubov arrives with her young children. She says they stayed as the Russians approach because she doesn't want to risk being separated from her
eldest daughter, who lives in a nearby village.
She says, I called her once. She told me, they are not leaving. Then we lost connection. I don't even know if she is okay.
Lyubov agrees to show us the home where she hopes they can safely wait out the war.
[17:05:02]
It's a walk to the other side of town. We soon realize that won't be possible.
Their neighborhood is under fire. Incoming artillery from somewhere close. So close you hear the artillery peace fire and the projectiles flight
before impact.
The shells fall within the same tight area. Again. And again.
We saw all this while only a little further to the east, the Russian forces were claiming an important win, taking the city of Lysychansk.
Come to us! Did you go? The battle for Lysychansk is a relatively short distance from here. This is likely to be the front line very soon. But,
already, Russia's heavy weapons are falling among these peoples homes in this town. It's not safe to stay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was close. Come on.
BLACK: But all of these people remain, scared, confused, hoping beyond reason the violence to come will pass them by.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACK (on camera): Bianca, what we saw there is a small sample of the firepower that Russia has focused on the front lines of the Donbas in
recent days and weeks. It gives a powerful fight of why the fight is unequal and why Ukraine is desperately trying to hold on, slow things down,
until new powerful modern weapons from its allies arrive on the battlefront -- Bianca.
NOBILO: And, Phil, at the Ukraine recovery conference, which was held by European leaders in Switzerland, Ukraine's prime minister this city's
recovery will cost an estimated $750 billion. And Zelenskyy also had this to say. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: It's a rebuild Ukraine means to restore the principles of life. To restore the space of life, to restore
what makes people human. Of course, it means massive construction. Of course, it means huge funding and colossal investment. Of course, it means
a whole new level of security throughout our country, which will continue to live near Russia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Phil, at this stage of the war, to put it currently, what is the point of countries pledging these millions or billions of dollars to the
recovery fund when, as you mentioned, Ukraine isn't getting the advanced weaponry in the speed and volume it requires right now to defend and
protect its territory from Russia?
BLACK: Indeed, Bianca. That's right. And the time where Russia was still striking targets across the country at will with long range missiles, still
unclear precisely what Vladimir Putin's intentions are. Whether he would be content with conquering the Donbas in the east, or whether he has
aspirations to take much more of the country, as he did initially, including the capital of Kyiv.
All of that would be an environment not conducive to any sort of large restructuring or large rebuilding program. So, the point is it's not clear.
The demand is great because the infrastructure has been shattered to such an extraordinary degree. It's not clear how, when, why to begin spending
this sort of money in such a way where it can practically and usually make a difference to peoples lives -- Bianca.
NOBILO: Phil Black for us in Ukraine, thank you.
In the face of severe divisions, there are hopes of new unity for some in Europe. Thousands rallied in Georgia over the weekend, calling for the
country to join the European Union. It comes after the EU recommended last month that Ukraine and Moldova become candidates for membership. Brussels
put conditions on potential Georgian membership, including electoral and judicial reforms, plus progress on media freedom.
One demonstrator was confident those things can be achieved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BATU KUTELIA, PRO-EU DEMONSTRATOR: As a citizen of Europe and here with my fellow citizens. I believe that our efforts will prevail in -- Georgia will
be part of the EU and NATO.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Police are on the hunt for a suspect after a mass shooting in a wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park. They wrapped up a press conference
moments ago, saying five people were killed at the scene and another person died in hospital. More than two dozen other people were injured in the
incident on a Fourth of July parade, just hours ago.
[17:10:05]
Authorities gave details on the suspect earlier, who they say is armed and dangerous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS O'NEILL, COMMANDER, HIGHLAND PARK POLICE: Highland park police and numerous federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are searching
for the suspect. The suspect is currently described as a male white, approximately 18 to 20 years old, with longer black hair, a small build,
wearing a white or blue t-shirt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Police also say the rifle was found at the scene, the shooter appeared to fire from a roof. A city in Ohio is also on edge this July 4th
over the fateful police shooting of a Black man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROTESTERS: We are done dying!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: These were some of the protests over the weekend, following the killing of Jayland Walker a week ago. The 25-year-old suffered at least 60
gunshot wounds after a car chase in Akron, Ohio. Police say he was unarmed at the time of shooting but officers say he fired a gun from his vehicle
during the chase.
A warning, the body cam footage you are about to see shows the moment that Walker was killed, and it is disturbing.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
NOBILO: A state of emergency has been declared in Akron, which will be under curfew overnight. July 4th fireworks events have been canceled.
According to U.S. officials, and the bullet that killed Palestinian American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, likely came from Israeli defense
force positions.
But the State Department spokesperson said the bullet was so damaged, forensic experts could not reach a definitive answer about its origin. The
Palestinians lent the bullet to the U.S. and under the supervision of an American general, Israeli experts examined it in an Israeli laboratory,
according to the Israeli defense forces.
The U.S. came to its conclusion after going over both the right -- Israeli military and Palestinian Authority investigations.
Hadas Gold tells us what else the U.S. is saying about the journalists death and how Israeli and Palestinian leaders and Abu Akleh's family are
responding to all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bianca, the statement from the U.S. State Department is important because it is the first time the Americans are
staking out any sort of position on who they believe killed Shireen Abu Akleh while she was covering that -- in the West Bank, in May. The State
Department said a ballistic examination of the bullet extracted from her body was inconclusive because the bullet was so badly damaged.
Although they did determine that the gunfire from IDF positions was likely responsible for her death, but they have no reason to believe this was
intentional. Rather, they said it was a result of tragic circumstances during an IDF-led military operation against factions of Palestinian
Islamic jihad. The conclusion that it was likely Israeli fire that killed the well-known journalist is the same as that of multiple independent
investigations, including one conducted by CNN.
But the Americans conclusion is being met with anger by Palestinian authorities, and Abu Akleh's family. The Palestinian Authority attorney
general's office said it was surprised by the statement saying that they believe the statement was good enough to be matched to the gun that was
used. And a spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority presidency called on the U.S. administration to maintain its credibility and hold Israel fully
responsible. Abu Akleh's family said they are incredulous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINA ABU AKLEH, NIECE OF SHIREEN ABU AKLEH: Will continue to call for justice. We will continue to call on the U.S. to carry out a transparent
investigation by an independent body in addition we continue to call on the U.N. and the ICC to carry out an investigation, and hold Israel
accountable, and put an end to this protest impunity that Israel continues to enjoy. We call for justice for Shireen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: The Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that while the IDF has been unable to determine who was responsible for Abu Akleh's death, the
military has determined conclusively that there was no intention to harm her. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, though, still pointed the blame
on Palestinian militants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENNY GANTZ, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine the source of the shooting. As such, with the investigation
will continue. It is important to emphasize that during this operation event, like in many others, hundreds of bullets were fired at IDF troops,
which responded with firepower of their own, only in the direction of the source of the shooting. The first to bear responsibility in such events are
the terrorists who operate within populations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: The Israeli military said any decision to launch a criminal investigation will be made only following the conclusion of its own
operational examination, without specifying when they expect that to be completed -- Bianca.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Hadas Gold for us in Israel.
Danish police have arrested a 22-year-old man suspected of killing three people on Sunday at a shopping mall, in Copenhagen. He will be kept in a
psychiatric facility for 24 days. Full for nationals were also severely wounded. Three of them remain stable, while one patient is in critical
condition. Investigators say the shooting is not a terror attack.
CNN's Isa Soares spoke a short time ago to the Danish Prime Minister Jeppe Kofod.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEPPE KOFOD, DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: It was a tragic event. We were celebrating, in Denmark, summertime, schools, summer, celebrations in the
city, all people going to halls, concerts. Suddenly, a gunman is killing innocent -- killings in a center in Copenhagen. This is really terrible.
And all my thoughts goes to the victims of the families, their friends. So, we will come out of this. What we know is that this guy did it himself. He
has mentally disordered apparently. And there is no act of terrorism.
It's not terrorism, as such. It's good, but it's really a tragedy for that people and four -- in Denmark in a long time. This is really, really bad
for us. But we will overcome it, I'm sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Let's check out the other key stories making international impacts today. Security was tight in Papua New Guinea as voting we can in the
national election. Authorities want to avoid any repeat of the violence that broke out at the last one, five years ago, when more than 200 people
were killed. Voting will take place over the next three weeks, of a nation of around 9 million people.
And thousands in Sydney face a life-threatening emergency as torrential rain pummels Australia's southeastern coast. At least 30,000 people have
been forced to evacuate in New South Wales. Emergency services have confirmed that at least one person has died as a result of these floods.
More wild weather is expected during the next 12 hours, too.
And, coming up on the show, after the break, we look at fear surrounding the sudden loss of abortion access in much of the U.S. and the United
States, through a prism of similar restrictions we see in Ireland.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:20:56]
NOBILO: Women in America are now grappling with restricted reproductive rights after the Supreme Court removed the constitutional right to
abortion. It's a ruling that's echoing all the way to Ireland, which recently legalized abortion, but with considerable restrictions.
CNN's Isa Soares traveled to Dublin and spoke with one woman who says that Ireland is a cautionary tale for wet women in the U.S. could soon face.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Alison is still grieving her boys. Their tiny heartbeat reported and stored inside a teddy.
ALISON LYNCH: I can listen to his little heartbeat anytime.
SOARES: A painful reminder of the lives lost and the pain endured.
LYNCH: Little hand and footprints there that they have taken. I got that.
SOARES: Over the past three years, Allison has conceived twice through IVF with a donor sperm. Her first pregnancy was going smoothly until 25 weeks
in, when she says abnormalities were detected.
LYNCH: That was the moment that, yes, the bottom fell out of my world.
SOARES: Under Irish law, abortion can only be carried out until 12 weeks of pregnancy. After that, it's only legal if the mother's health is in
serious danger, or if to doctors determine the fetus is likely to die before or within 28 days of birth.
LYNCH: They were fairly sure he was going to die. They didn't know when.
SOARES: With no clear diagnosis, Alison could not get an abortion in Ireland, and now had a decision to make.
LYNCH: If he did survive, because of all the brain issues he would have, multiple daily seizures, epileptic cedars, he would have no motor function,
he wouldn't be able to sit up or support himself.
SOARES: So, at 30 weeks pregnant, she decided to travel to England to terminate her pregnancy.
LYNCH: You are essentially deciding how you would like your child to die. Would you like them to die slowly or would you like them to die quickly?
That's the -- what it boils down to, horrific as it sounds.
SOARES: Two years later, still grieving her firstborn, Alison conceives again. But this time she lets the pregnancy run its course. The baby only
lives for an hour.
It has taken more than 35 years to change Ireland's Constitution to legalize abortion. As you just heard from Alison's ordeal there, that
victory has been far from perfect. Even women who desperately want children are facing the most agonizing decisions as to whether continue on with
their pregnancy.
According to the U.K. government, more than 200 women from the Republic of Ireland have traveled to England over the past year for abortions, more
than half of those because of fetal abnormalities, which sometimes can only be detected past that 12-week legal mark. A cautionary tale, perhaps, of
the trauma American women may face as they fight on.
No one knows the fight ahead better than abortion rights campaigner, Ailbhe Smyth, who helped turn the tide for women's rights within historic victory
in a 2018 referendum. A fight she tells me is not over yet.
AILBHE SMYTH, IRISH ABORTION RIGHTS ACTIVIST: You have to keep expanding that law and liberalizing it, hopefully, to the point where someday
abortion will no longer be part of legislation but will be integrated into health care.
SOARES: While she says Ireland is finally on the right path, the United States, she tells me, has taken a wrong turn.
SMYTH: We did think, genuinely, of the U.S. as the land of the free. But that's not the case anymore. To see that being overturned by, frankly, a
bunch of bigoted men, is absolutely disgraceful.
SOARES: I ask Alison for her thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision.
LYNCH: I'm heartbroken for the women of America. It's a backwards step. My heart goes out to them.
[17:25:00]
SOARES: A feeling that perhaps only those who have walked this journey and carried the weight of loss can truly understand.
Isa Soares, CNN, Dublin, Ireland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Incredibly moving an important piece there by my colleague Isa Soares.
And now, we will be seeing much more from her happily. Isa launched her new show just a few hours ago. And it's called Isa Soares tonight. Tune into
that Monday to Friday, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. in London.
Over the weekend, of the LGBTQ community and allies celebrated pride around the world. In some countries, like the U.K. and Germany, it was about
celebrating the progress that's been made. But elsewhere, like Latin America, it is still about fighting for those rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD (translated): Nothing to cure.
PARADE PARTICIPANT (translated): Today we come out because the LGBT community has earned visibility in this country. The march is a great
example of the presence of the LGBT community of how w can raise our voices, be represented, and be seen from the joy and diversity that
characterizes LGBT people.
IVANA, PARADE PARTICIPANT (translated): We are making progress, little by little but we are making progress. We see progress in society, as well as
in the world, but we have a long way to go.
VITILIGA PARADE PARTICPANT (translated): Compared to Europe and the United States, in Venezuela, we have fallen short on the issue of human
rights, but that does not mean that there is no articulated movement working to achieve equal rights before the law.
MARY GAMBIARRA, PARADE PARTICIPANT (translated): We came out of the closet, and we are never going back here. We are here in the centre of
Brazil's executive power to reaffirm our rights. We go to the street, and we will not go back to the closet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Thank you for watching. That was THE GLOBAL BRIEF. And I'll see you again tomorrow.
END
