Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
Russia: 5 Ukrainians Drones Downed Near Moscow; Putin Reassures Allies At 1st Summit Since Revolt; Supreme Court To Weigh If Domestic Abusers Can Own Guns; Wrong Turn Costs Elite Runner Win, Prize Money; Toxic Algae Blooms Are Poisoning Seal Lions At CA Beaches. Aired 2:30- 3p ET
Aired July 04, 2023 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:10]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Another alleged drone attack inside of Russia. The Kremlin saying that Russian defenses shot down four Ukrainian drones that they took out electronically near Moscow.
This is video that shows smoke in the sky after one of the intercepts here. Kyiv has not commented on these incidents.
Across the border, Ukrainian officials reported dozens of injured civilians after a series of Russian strikes throughout the country.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is in eastern Ukraine for us.
Ben, what is the security situation following these drone incidents in Russia?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you look at the surface, everything is back to normal. The airport where a variety of flights were diverted is back in operation.
These were four drones that didn't cause any damage, didn't cause any harm to civilians.
But keep in mind, back in May, when there was a similar incident that, of course, the Russians blamed on the Ukrainians in which the Russians even alleged that there was an attempt to assassinate President Putin, there was a lot of criticism to Russian defense authorities that they had allowed these drones to get so close to power in Russia.
And given that President Putin is already a little off balance at the moment as a result of the Wagner mutiny, he's probably ever more concerned about his personal security after this incident and, of course, the mutiny itself -- Brianna?
KEILAR: And today, Vladimir Putin made his first appearance on the world stage since fending off this attempted insurrection. What did he say?
WEDEMAN: He was speaking via video link to a virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, of which Russia, China, Pakistan, India, and soon Iran will be members.
Now he thanked his fellow leaders in the organization for their support, he said, for the legitimate government of Russia.
Then he made a rather interesting statement about his conviction that the people of Russia are firmly behind him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): The Russian people are consolidated as never before. The solidarity and high responsibility for the fate of the fatherland was clearly demonstrated by Russian political circles and the entire society by coming out as a united front against the attempted armed rebellion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: But what we saw, Brianna, was it didn't seem to be a united front. There didn't seem to be any resistance, when early last Saturday -- two Saturdays ago in the morning in Rostov-on-Don, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries actually took over the headquarters of the southern military region of Russia, which coordinates military activities in Ukraine.
There wasn't any resistance in that city. And as the Wagner mercenaries got within about 150 miles of Moscow, there was some resistance by some parts of the Russian security services.
But by and large, we did not see a lot of -- an outpouring of opposition to Wagner. In fact, when he decided to call off the mutiny and he left the headquarters of the southern military district in Rostov-on-Don, we saw this video of a cheering crowd, people taking selfies with him.
So this doesn't really convey a message that the people of Russia are so firmly behind the government in the Kremlin -- Brianna?
KEILAR: No, it does not.
Ben Wedeman, live in eastern Ukraine, thank you.
Jim?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Coming up next, Texas police chase down a truck speeding down the highway that ended up having undocumented migrants on board. We're going to have more on that story coming up.
[14:34:15]
And one wrong turn cost this runner first place. We're going to have her story, how it happened just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Now to the battle over guns in America. The U.S. Supreme Court is looking to tackle a major Second Amendment case in its next term. This centers on a federal law prohibiting anyone who is subject to a domestic violence restraining order from having a gun.
An appeals court ruled that law is unconstitutional based on the Supreme Court's landmark ruling last year expanding gun rights nationwide.
CNN security correspondent, Josh Campbell, has been tracking the details on this.
Josh, there is real concern that this case could up-end gun laws.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No, absolutely. And that landmark Supreme Court case that you mentioned from last year, Boris, what it essentially did was rule that any modern-day gun law, in order for it to be constitutional, it has to have had some type of historical equivalent.
What the lower court said was, because domestic abuse was not against the law at the founding of the nation, the current law that prohibits domestic abusers from owning guns is unconstitutional.
As you mentioned, the high court will be taking this up.
To talk about the real-world impact, I sat down with a survivor of domestic abuse. She is currently on the run from her abuser. We are protecting her identity for her own safety.
[14:40:00]
But she talked about the real-world stakes here and says that she fears for fellow victims of abuse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His anger was not controllable.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): For many victims of domestic violence, every day of life is hell on Earth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It can be as something as simple as me putting doing my makeup. It would be a breakdown and the fights will start.
CAMPBELL: We spoke with a young mother who doesn't want to be identified because she is now in hiding after fleeing years of abuse that took a potentially deadly turn.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He started intimidating me with his guns, and I fled. That was the breaking point.
CAMPBELL (on camera): The guns?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The guns, yes.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): She sought a restraining order, but proving her case was tough. A judge initially refused to grant one and denied her immediate sole custody of her child.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know I'm no good dead, so I had to leave her.
CAMPBELL: It's OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had to leave her. I had to leave her. I had to allow her to go back there.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): After repeated attempts, she got custody and a restraining order. Forcing the man, she accused of abuse, to relinquish his guns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The hope is, them removing their guns or have them turn in their guns, you know, will keep you safe.
CAMPBELL: That sense of safety was shattered, she says, after a new controversial federal court ruling that let certain people accused of domestic violence keep their guns.
JENNIFER MASCIA, CNN GUNS IN AMERICA CONTRIBUTOR: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas looked at the case of a man who was challenging the federal law that bans guns for people who are subject to restraining orders.
CAMPBELL: The court covering Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi ruled that law was unconstitutional. Calling it an outlier that our ancestors would never have accepted. Language that the Supreme Court also used in a New York ruling last summer.
MASCIA: This is strictly because domestic violence was not considered a crime by the founders. Was it a law back then? Does it have roots in our American history and tradition? If it wasn't, then it doesn't have to stand.
CARMEN MCDONALD, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIM ADVOCATE, LOS ANGELES CENTER FOR LAW AND JUSTICE: This is devastating.
CAMPBELL: The ruling has stunned domestic violence victim advocates like Carmen McDonald with the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice.
MCDONALD: It's not even logical. Two hundred and thirty years ago, women didn't have the right to vote. Slavery was legal. Domestic violence laws weren't even on the book. Marital rape was legal.
CAMPBELL: U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland blasted the circuit court ruling, petitioning the Supreme Court to decide on the case.
DOJ telling the high court, "More than a million acts of domestic violence occur in the United States every year, and the presence of a firearm increases the chance that violence will escalate to homicide."
On Friday, the Supreme Court announced they will review the controversial case next term.
Some gun safety experts say the danger pose by abusers with guns could split the court's solid conservative majority.
MASCIA: The Supreme Court, at some point, may draw a line. They have indicated some of the conservative justices, that they are willing to do that.
CAMPBELL: As the nation waits to see what the justices will do, the abuse victim we met has a grim prediction that the court allows abusers to keep their guns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a lot of blood that's going to be on their hands by doing that. A lot of blood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPBELL: Now one final point. A very powerful story there obviously. But one final point that this abuse victim wanted us to tell the public is, based on her own experience, and so many of these cases where you have an abuser with a gun who is threatening someone, it's not just a romantic partner who is threatened.
In so many cases, she says, across the country. There are also children involved who are living in these situations, as well -- Boris?
SANCHEZ: Josh Campbell, thank you for that report.
Jim?
SCIUTTO: Now some of other headlines we're watching this hour.
And on the topic of guns no less, a special opening pitch during the Milwaukee Brewers game against the Chicago Cubs yesterday.
Mass shooting survivor, Cooper Roberts, he threw the ball alongside his family. He was paralyzed after a gunman fired into a crowd during Fourth of July celebrations in Highland Park, Illinois, just a year ago.
Roberts says he loves the Brewers. He threw the ball to his favorite player of all, Christian Yelich. That's quite a moment.
Also, newly released police dash cam video of -- from Texas shows a chaotic chase between a state trooper and a semi-truck.
Officers say the driver reached speeds of 85 miles per hour, drove on the wrong side of the highway. Troopers arrested the driver, and then apprehended some 12 undocumented migrants on board.
And no longer a thing of science fiction. The FAA just certified for testing a fully electric flying car. They're finally here.
The California startup behind the vehicle says it can carry up to two people. The company plans to sell each one for -- wait for it -- $300,000.
[14:45:05]
But the vehicle still needs approval from the National Highway Transportation -- Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A little too expensive for my blood, Brianna.
KEILAR: A little too adventurous for mine, perhaps, Jim.
All right, so there is major controversy in a popular Fourth of July race. The Annual Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta that we're talking about this morning.
Last year's champion, Senbere Teferi, was just seconds away from nabbing a repeat win when she mistakenly followed the lead bike as it turned away from the finish line, and she went off course. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: And Teferi is trying to get herself to the finish line. Look at the moves back and forth - and Teferi is now --
ANNOUNCER: Oh, no!
(CROSSTALK)
ANNOUNCER: She took a right turn! It looks like she went off-course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So she ended up finishing third. This was four seconds -- you see she managed to come back and try to come behind the first and second-place finishers.
But this -- these four seconds behind the first-place finisher, that cost her $7,000 in prize money, which is, of course, an expensive couple of strides. And quite a disappointment not to win a race that she obviously could have.
The race director of the Peachtree Road Race is with us now, Rich Kenah.
Rich, what a disappointment for Teferi here. What went wrong? Why did she go off course here?
RICH KENAH, RACE DIRECTOR, ANNUAL PEACHTREE ROAD RACE: Yes. Big disappointment. And we're very sorry for her. She was the defending champion.
And with about 150 meters to go in the heat of battle, if you will, there were just a moment of lapse as I look at the video, in judgment, if you will. So she saw a police motorcycle turning off to the right.
And when you're in that kind of a battle competitively, I think your instincts take over, and she took that right-hand turn. And she came off course and just didn't have enough time to recover, to get back to first place.
KEILAR: OK. So is that normal? Should that police motorcycle have turned the way it did? Does that normally happen where there is a motorcycle in front of the runners at approximately that distance ahead of them turning? And is there normally that opening in those gates? Is that what it was
last year when she won?
KENAH: Yes, same exact plan that we have -- we had last year. We're in the 54th running of the Peachtree. As I said, some -- won the race last year.
And we go through a fair amount of conversation, we have something called a technical meeting the night before to explain the course. But we -- the organizer had to take some responsibility.
And as I look at that video, you can certainly understand sort of in that moment why she made the right-hand turn.
So we look for perfection. I know she looks for perfection. She's the defending champion. She wanted to break the course record. I'm disappointed that she was unable to defend her title this year.
Hopefully, she'll come back next year and will make sure she understand exactly where that finish line is. The frustrating part is she could see the finish line, less than 150 meters away from it.
KEILAR: Yes. You can see the woman who ended up winning, amazing performance nonetheless by her.
She considers running after Teferi, and perhaps because she sees the person who is there with the race, the volunteer sort of saying, no, you're going the wrong way, maybe she deciding this is the right way to the finish.
She did say, as you mentioned the meeting night before, they didn't show us that well yesterday where the finish was. That's her quote. What's -- I know you've probably heard that. What's your reaction to her saying that?
KENAH: Well, I can certainly understand her disappointment. And in the heat of that moment --
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: No, that's the winner. Rich -- Rich, just to be clear, that's the winner who said that.
KENAH: Oh. Understood. I -- I have not had a conversation with the athletes at this point.
And what I guess I need to do is to spend some time looking at this video. I've looked at it about 15 times.
And to be honest with you, that volunteer was trying to direct a motorcycle off the course, and the athlete and the other athletes behind her in a different direction.
So I can certainly understand that confusion at that point. I think it needs to all -- to own the fact that we need to do better.
KEILAR: All right. Rich Kenah, thank you so much for joining us.
[14:50:01]
It's just heartbreaking to watch her veer off course there. What an incredible performance she had and still had in the end, finishing third.
We appreciate your time.
KENAH: Thanks.
KEILAR: Jim?
SCIUTTO: Well, officials in California are issuing a new warning and it has to do with fireworks -- nothing to do with fireworks or rip currents, but sea lions. Specifically what they're calling poisoned sea lions. You'll want to hear the details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Poisoned sea lions. As people head out to the beach on this Fourth of July holiday, Los Angeles County Public Health officials are warning people to stay away from what they're calling poisoned sea lions.
CNN's Nick Watt is live from Redondo Beach, California.
Nick, I mean, is the danger to the sea lions or to the people who approach the sea lions or both?
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A bit of both, but mainly to the people. And what officials are worried about is it is a perfect beach day. The sun is out, a little onshore breeze, the Fourth of July. And there are many sick sea lions.
We saw a rescue of two from just here. The Marine Mammal Care Center come and put them in their truck. They take them to the center where they try to flush the toxins out of them.
But that center is getting full. This has been such a spate of sea lions getting sick.
Why is this happening? Well, perhaps it is an upswell of cold water full of nutrients. Perhaps it's algae. The fish eat the algae, then the sea lions and dolphins eat those fish.
[14:55:05]
And the toxins get into their brains. It causes seizures, lesions, and confusion. They forget how to hunt and they either drown out there or beach themselves.
Now I swim in this bay pretty much every morning and usually the sea lions are very chill. Then, we noticed the algae a few weeks later swimming. Then one sea lion circled the group I usually swim with and actually bit one woman on the arm. She wasn't badly hurt. And then, a couple of days later, I saw a dead sea loin floating. So that's the issue.
We can tell beachgoers to stay away, we can tell people not to eat shellfish, but we can't tell the sea lions not to eat the fish.
Once they've been rescued, we've got to keep them out of the water until the algae is gone. It could be a week, could be two, could be more -- Jim?
SCIUTTO: Those poor little guys. We were watching.
Just quickly, is the algae a threat to people swimming in that water as well?
WATT: I mean, you have to ingest a lot of it. Basically, just don't catch your own shellfish and eat it. If you do, you can get sick -- diarrhea, vomiting and perhaps even death.
But humans are not the real issue here. It's the sea lions. They say, we can't tell them not to eat the fish. So that's the problem.
And the dolphins, they are dying in pretty stunning numbers and in numbers that we have not seen for quite some time -- Jim?
SCIUTTO: Goodness. Let's hope they find a way out for them and take care of them.
Nick Watt, in Redondo Beach, California, for us, thank you so much.
Boris?
SANCHEZ: Still to come on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, celebrating the Fourth of July. We're going to be joined by the Air Force band live right here in studio.
And you should restock on your cold beer because you can join me and Dana Bash and a few others tonight for a spectacular fireworks and musical performances. CNN's "THE FOURTH IN AMERICA" airs live tonight at 7:00 p.m.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
