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Iowa Building Collapse; Mass Shooting near Florida Beach; Debt Ceiling Drama; Kyiv Reeling from Latest Russian Barrage. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired May 30, 2023 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Who police are now looking for.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A cruise ship is rocked by huge storms. Water flooding the halls, caught on camera.

This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Later this hour, authorities are expected to give an update on that apartment building that partially collapsed in Davenport, Iowa.

Yesterday more than 24 hours after the building gave way, firefighters rescued a woman trapped in an area still standing. At least nine people were saved after the collapse but there are still people unaccounted for. And the authorities say that the building has to be demolished soon.

Adrienne Broaddus, what are people saying about the demolition?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are standing outside of the building, Rahel, saying save our friends and family, keep the building standing. They are using the voice to appeal to officials, as folks handling the investigation are trying to determine the exact timing of the demolition.

A man said his cousin lived there, he heard from him hours before the collapse. Listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE COLLIER, COUSIN OF MISSING MAN: My cousin said that he had just came home at 5:00 and he was tired and when he get up, he is coming to the family gathering. So like three hours or more after that, the building collapsed.

And we have not seen my cousin, Brandon Covin (ph), since then. His clothes are hanging up in the closet right there, if you can see it. It is still hanging. His clothes are still hanging up where he was sleeping at. And the pillow to his white couch is still hanging up there and, yes,

we believe him to be down in the rubble. And they are trying to tear down the building and I don't believe that is right, until they find the people that's up under the rubble, Ryan Hitchcock (ph) and Brandon Covin (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROADDUS: The city told us that the demolition was expected to begin today. And the city is now walking back that, saying that demolition takes multiple steps, including with the permit process.

However, the folks are outside of that partially collapsed apartment building, which had about 84 units, residential and commercial, and using their megaphones and asking why they are trying to move so quickly, when we know that some people have been still unaccounted for -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: Still so many questions and, Adrienne, we believe we'll be hearing from the officials at 11:30. And we will, of course, take it live and you will be watching as well. Adrienne Broaddus, thank you.

BOLDUAN: Police in Florida are still searching for a suspect following gunfire that erupted on a boardwalk. Nine people were shot, three of them children. Carlos Suarez is there in Hollywood, Florida, where all of this happened.

What is the latest that you are hearing about the search for a suspect now?

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, good morning. So we are expected to get an update from Hollywood police on where their investigation stands. At 11:30 this morning, we know that authorities had detained one person in connection with the shooting and are at least looking for one other person involved with what happened here yesterday.

The broadwalk (sic) behind me has reopened. It was closed for a good part of Monday night after the shooting took place and, in all, nine people shot, including that 1-year-old baby.

Several cameras across the city of Hollywood Beach here captured as the people, out here enjoying the Memorial Day holiday, ran for safety and ran for cover after hearing the gunshots.

There were some videos where you could see them running out onto the beach and some videos put on social media showing that some folks who were treated were right there on the sand.

Hollywood police say they had officers in this area so they could get everyone to the hospital in a relatively short period of time. One witness described what he saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID VAN DYCK, WITNESS: (INAUDIBLE) people run through here and then we have like three more shots down the street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw a young man on the ground, bleeding and they were applying pressure to try to prevent the bleeding. I also saw a lady that was very upset.

[11:05:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she had a wound to her leg.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUAREZ: Again, Kate, come the half hour, we should be getting a little bit more information from Hollywood police. We know that the nine people who were shot, were all taken to a hospital. They are all listed in stable condition, including the 1-year-old baby and, at last check, everyone who was shot out here should be OK.

BOLDUAN: We will stand by for the update coming up soon. Thank you.

BERMAN: The debt ceiling is facing a few obstacles and the fate is uncertain. The House Rules Committee has to send it to the House floor. Months ago, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had to place some members on that committee to secure his speakership.

Nine Republicans and four Democrats; by tradition, the opposition party never votes for the rule and so Republicans would need seven votes for passage.

The problem is, Chip Roy and Ralph Norman are already saying they will vote no. So the key swing vote is Ralph Massie and he has to vote for it. But if it does pass, the House will be voting on it tomorrow, where there are frustrations on both sides.

If a majority vote yes, 218, it would move to the Senate, where is everyone agrees, it could move to a near immediate vote. But unanimous consent and skipped debate means unanimous.

One lawmaker could delay it. Senators Mike Lee and Lindsey Graham have already threatened to delay the vote in the Senate. So with the default deadline on June 5th, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the margin for error to get it passed in time is paper thin.

To Capitol Hill, CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju is there.

I could see you following along. Explosion what most of America knows you have known forever.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, well, thank you, John. This is a pivotal day for the speaker, the House members coming back to Washington and he has made deals in January to secure his speakership.

The question whether the deals will come back to haunt him. There are three members of the Rules Committee who have a critical vote. He had agreed to put them on the committee to stack more conservatives on the panel as part of the dealmaking to secure the speakership.

Two no votes, Chip Roy and Ralph Norman; what is Thomas Massie going to do?

There is some expectation that he will vote yes and, if he does, that would be a big sigh for Republican leaders. And then the bill goes to the next process.

How much backlash will he get from the far right?

They're trying to build the opposition toward the bill. But one of the deals McCarthy cut was to have one member to call for a vote to oust him as Speaker.

Will that change it all?

Tonight, Kevin McCarthy will try to convince his members to come along and support this deal. They will have a conference meeting, the first face-to-face since Joe Biden and Kevin McCarthy cut this deal.

The expectation of the Republican leaders is that they could probably get the majority of the conference behind them. But that means Democrat support, we know folks on the left are angry at the White House for making concessions.

But they were forced to do that to suspend the debt limit up to January 2025. If there are enough center left Democrats to vote this forward -- and the expectation is there are 100 or so.

So that means there could be the votes on the floor tomorrow to approve it in the House. But John, it is a bumpy ride to get there and a bumpier ride in the Senate to get it done by Monday.

BERMAN: As we said, it may get there but there are so many bumps and obstacles along the way to get it done. It is going to be fascinating to watch. Keep us posted, Manu Raju.

BOLDUAN: And now, joining us is Bharat Ramamurti, the deputy director of the National Economic Council at the White House.

It is good to have you back on and thank you for coming in.

[11:10:00]

BOLDUAN: Do you have any concerns that this is not going to make it through the Rules Committee?

BHARAT RAMAMURTI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: Well, look, we always expected certain pockets of opposition to the deal but, overall, it is a good deal, a fair deal and we are confident that it is going to get to the president's desk.

It accomplishes three main things. It takes possibility of default off of the table and that means avoiding a recession. Number two, it protects new investments in clean energy, in semiconductor manufacturing, new infrastructure investments.

Thirdly, it protects Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, all of these important programs that Americans rely on. We believe it is a fair deal and expect it to go to the president's desk.

BOLDUAN: Hearing you list that out is important, because I heard the director of the National Economic Council say there is something in there for everyone. But yet, I want to play how one Republican who negotiated this deal describes this. This is Dusty Johnson who was on CNN this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DUSTY JOHNSON (R-SD): That is kind of the amazing part to me. There were no wins for Democrats and nothing after the passage of this bill that is more liberal or more progressive than it is today. It is a remarkable conservative accomplishment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: What you say to that, Bharat?

RAMAMURTI: Well, we respectfully disagree. Since the president has come into office, the unemployment rate was over 6 percent and now it is 3.4 percent, which is the lowest since 1969.

He has secured investments just hitting the economy. We're trying to preserve those investments and the progress that we have made. We have done it by essentially locking in the wins that we have gotten over two years.

We have to take a step back to realize we are a period of divided government. But overall, the president has an economic vision that's working and this deal allows us to see it through and preserve the victories we've gotten so far.

BOLDUAN: Johnson is saying it is a remarkable conservative accomplishment. You disagree.

Is that a remarkable progressive accomplishment?

Obviously, everyone is going to speak about it and brand it and brand the negotiations however they are going to.

But what legislation is now before the American people?

RAMAMURTI: I would describe it as a good, fair deal, reflecting the realities of divided government, helping to preserve what has been an incredibly strong set of progressive accomplishments over the past 2.5 years.

BOLDUAN: I know that the level of defense spending that the president has asked for, Lindsey Graham says that the 3 percent increase next year in defense spending is not going to fully fund the military and it does not keep up with the rate of inflation.

President Biden was asked about this. And this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Obviously, if there is any existential need for funding, I have no doubt we'd be able to get it because we'd jointly do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: When I heard that, I started to think, if that is really the case, are these spending caps put in place actually real?

I mean, is any of this set in stone?

RAMAMURTI: Well, the reality of spending caps is that they can be overridden is we need it. We saw it in Ukraine, where we needed to support the efforts in Ukraine. We have seen it where we needed it for national disasters or whatever the case may be.

The reality is that you make a plan and you do your best to make it and then deviate as necessary depending on the needs of the country. The president is realistic about that. But again, this defense funding is what the Pentagon thinks is an adequate level of funding going forward. So we're satisfied with that as well.

BOLDUAN: The chair of the progressive caucus said that you all should worried about progressive support.

Are you?

RAMAMURTI: I think this is the capstone to a set of incredible progressive accomplishments over the last two years. I know there is some concern about the SNAP benefits work requirements.

But while the Republicans were pushing for new requirements and restrictions on the benefits, what the president pushed for was expansion of benefits for the homeless and veteran.

[11:15:00]

RAMAMURTI: And on net, changes are an expansion rather than a restriction. So we urge everyone from the most progressive member of the House to the most conservative to look at the deal, consider what it means to the country to avoid a first-ever default on our debt. And presume it will be on the president's desk sooner rather than later.

BOLDUAN: You are not worried then?

RAMAMURTI: Again, we don't expect unanimous support from the House or the Senate. But we expect it to get to the president's desk.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Bharath Ramamurti, thank you.

RAMAMURTI: Thank you.

SOLOMON: Ukraine says it was not involved this morning in the drone attack on Moscow but Vladimir Putin is placing blame squarely on Kyiv for what he is calling terrorist activity.

And opening statements started in the rare federal death penalty trial of the man accused of killing 11 at a Pittsburgh synagogue. We will have the latest coming up.

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[11:20:00]

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SOLOMON: Welcome back.

We are now hearing from the 11-year-old boy shot by police in Mississippi after he called 9-1-1 for help. He is speaking out for the first time.

Aderrien Murry's mother says she asked him to call police. And when the boy stepped outside, an officer shot him in the chest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADERRIEN MURRY, POLICE SHOOTING VICTIM: I came out (INAUDIBLE). It dinged. It did when (INAUDIBLE) shot me, I did this to my chest. And then I ran to my mom. And then, so I was bleeding, bleeding from my mouth. Then I just remember singing a song.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What song were you singing?

MURRY: "No weapon (INAUDIBLE) me shall prosper."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Aderrien said that he use to want to be a police officer but now he says he wants to be a doctor, because they saved his life.

And also an update on a 17-year old who was shot in the head after going to the wrong door last month. He was able to walk yesterday in the Memorial Day event to support The Brain Injury Association of Kansas City. His mother says she walks with him every other day while he recovers.

The man who shot him, Andrew Lester, will be in court Thursday.

Ron DeSantis setting out on a tour of key primary states. He will host his official kickoff event in Clive, Iowa. And then going to New Hampshire on Thursday and South Carolina Friday.

BERMAN: Thank you, Rahel.

Russia is issuing a condemnation of Ukraine for a alleged drone attack over Moscow this morning. Vladimir Putin saying it is "a clear sign of terrorist activity." Ukraine officials say they had no direct involvement. We should note

that Russia is attacking Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities every single day. And so one Moscow resident shared a video of the drone fragments found outside of their home.

And another caught the moment that a drone flew over their apartment building.

The governor of Belgorod reported the most strikes in a single day after days of increasing fire. One district reports more than 150 hits. So these attacks in Russia took place just after hours of Russian barrage attacking Kyiv.

There have been night and day attacks for several days on Kyiv. Frederik Pleitgen is in Kyiv.

It does seem that the intensity of activity has ticked up significantly over the last several days.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I would say that you are right as far as the air attacks are concerned. But stuff going the other direction, there is a distinct uptick there.

Looking at the activity from the Russians in the past couple of days, I would say, the last 36 hours or so, two night ago, there was a big attack by more than 40 cruise missiles by the Russians and by kamikaze drones as well.

The Ukrainians say air defense, especially in Kyiv, took down most of that and a couple of hours later, the Russians attacked with ballistic missiles. The Ukrainians were able to take 11 of 11 down.

I can tell you it was not quiet here Kyiv. For several hours there were the kamikaze drones, the Shaheds, made in Iran but used by the Russians, with the Ukrainians trying to take them down.

There was substantial damage here in the city and also some drone fragments that were taken down fell on motorways. At the same time the Ukrainians, specifically the mayor of Kyiv, whom I spoke to, said they would not be able to keep the skies as clear as they do without the help of the U.S. (INAUDIBLE).

[11:25:00]

PLEITGEN: Listen to what Vitali Klitschko had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VITALI KLITSCHKO, KYIV MAYOR: If we doesn't have our defense, more than air defense from our partners, we have much worse situation in our hometown, more destroy the buildings and more -- it would be more citizens killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: That is Vitali Klitschko, the former boxing champ and the mayor of Kyiv. He was on scene as people in that building, bombed out, one of the main buildings hit. The top floors destroyed. We saw some cleanup efforts there going on.

By and large, though, John, the Ukrainians say that, after this night, they are fairly happy with their performance, because of the 31 Shahed drones that were sent, they took down 29. At the same time, the Russians are quite angry about what happened in Moscow, John.

BERMAN: Frederik Pleitgen, please be safe in what I fear will be another eventful night in Kyiv. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Opening statements are underway in the trial of a man charges will killing 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Danny Freeman is in Pittsburgh.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, within the last few minutes, the opening statements from both the prosecution and the defense wrapped up this morning.

And while they were short, I will say that they were both incredibly intense and it was intense in the courtroom as we listened to the statements by the prosecution especially.

And it sets stage for what we will hear in the courtroom over the next few weeks. Some of the details that prosecution gave, federal prosecutor Sue Sung started opening statements by contrasting how the victims of the shooting started their day that October Saturday in 2018.

And how Mr. Bowers, the defendant in this case, began his day. The victims were spending a normal Saturday morning in the synagogue and welcoming other congregants coming in and worshipping and helping with the prayer books.

All of the while, Bowers was researching Jewish organizations and arming himself with several guns, handguns, a rifle and a shotgun and making his way to the synagogue to kill Jewish worshippers.

And some of the most intense things that we heard from prosecutors is that Mr. Bowers "methodically went through the synagogue, hunting Jewish worshippers."

And what stood out to me is that the prosecution said that there were no stray bullets in this mass shooting, that Mr. Bowers went and targeted each individual person when he shot them.

Also, the prosecution noted that, of the 22 worshippers in the synagogue that morning, only half survived. That brings us into the defense's argument, there was a shootout with the Pittsburgh SWAT team. They convinced Mr. Bowers to come out of a room they got into an altercation with.

One SWAT member asked why he did it after the SWAT team saw the carnage left around them.

And Mr. Bowers said, quote, "All Jews need to die. The Jews are killing our kids."

I bring this up, because then we heard from the defense and Judy Clark, who is a high profile defense attorney who represented other people accused of mass killings, she said, his actions are incomprehensible and inexcusable and no question this was a planned act.

However, she wants the jury to consider this was a rational motive and misguided intent. And she is going to examine that question of why.

BOLDUAN: As you are speaking, we need to remember that these are the beautiful faces, these beautiful lives that were lost, as this trial gets underway. We need to remember these, these beautiful souls. Danny, thank you so much. Rahel.

SOLOMON: OK.

Come up, cruise ship chaos. Thousands of passengers are back on solid ground after sailing through a powerful storm off the East Coast. The boat was rocked by massive waves that flooded the hallways and the decks. What the cruise line is saying.

Also, millions of young Americans are living with obesity but now more children and teens are turning to weight loss surgery. What pediatricians are saying about this trend -- coming up next.

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