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States Struggle To Use Life-Saving Gun Laws; U.S. Attorney Leading Hunter Biden Investigation Refutes Whistleblower's Politicization Claims; U.N. Fears "Full-Scales Civil War" In Sudan After Airstrike Kills 22; Madonna Shares She's "On The Road To Recovery" After Health Scare; Harry Stiles Hit By Object Hurled On Stage At Concert. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired July 10, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:31:44]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Philadelphia police now believe one of the victims in a mass shooting last week was shot and killed by the suspect nearly two days before his deadly rampage.

Police say the suspect had been displaying abnormal behavior for quite a while before he went on that random shooting spree that killed five people.

Now Pennsylvania is among the states that doesn't have a Red Flag Law, which can help keep guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous people.

But as CNN's chief investigative correspondent, Pamela Brown, explains, some states that already have those laws in place are struggling to use them.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vanessa Salgado's nightmare began last spring in her Albuquerque home.

VANESSA SALGADO, MOTHER AND AUNT OF MURDER VICTIMS: He was molesting my daughter.

BROWN: Salgado learned her live-in boyfriend, Bradley Wallin, had been sexually assaulting her 16-year-old daughter, Alexia, for years. She called the Sheriff's Department.

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: We're going to try to get an emergency restraining order.

BROWN: On the bodycam video, you can hear Alexia telling deputies about an argument.

ALEXIA RAEL, VICTIM: He was telling me that I had been acting, like I had an attitude towards him. I couldn't keep it in and I said, it is because you've sexually assaulted me. Then he got out of his car, and he admitted what he did, told me it

was wrong.

BROWN: Weeks later, Wallin spotted Alexia's car at a shopping center. He shot and killed her and her cousin, Mario Salgado, and then turned the gun on himself.

It was Mother's Day.

SALGADO: No parent wants to lose a child. No parent wants to see their child gone before them.

Honestly, I wish he would have took me and let her live.

BROWN: Vanessa says she told law enforcement Wallin owned guns. The restraining order she filed against him lists two firearms.

SALGADO: And I literally opened up the drawer that had the guns in it and showed the officer.

BROWN (on camera): And did the officer saying anything about whether those guns are going to be taken away?

SALGADO: No.

These two were inseparable.

BROWN (voice-over): What Vanessa didn't know then is that New Mexico passed a Red Flag Law, which allows firearms to be temporarily taken away from those deemed dangerous to themselves or others.

Deputies escorted Wallin as he retrieved his weapons from the home, along with his belongings.

SALGADO: I said I was concerned that he possibly might commit suicide.

BROWN (on camera): So you told law enforcement you were worried he would commit suicide?

SALGADO: Yes, ma'am.

BROWN (voice-over): That alone should have allowed Vanessa or the police to file what is called an Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order or gun restraining order, but she was never told of that option.

SALGADO: I just wish I would have known, so I would have had the right path to protect my daughter and my nephew.

JOHN ALLEN, SHERIFF, BERNALILLO COUNTY, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The system failed on all facets.

BROWN: Sheriff John Allen wasn't in office last year when the murders happened, but he says there was a breakdown in the process.

(on camera): She did convey that he could harm himself. That seems to be an example of when guns should be taken away under this law, right? ALLEN: Correct.

BROWN: So was it a mistake they weren't?

ALLEN: I don't think it was communicated correctly. The information wasn't relayed to the district attorney's office enough. And that could be from our detectives, that could be from family, that could be from witnesses, that could be from victims.

[14:35:07]

BROWN (voice-over): What happened to the Salgado family is a key example of how difficult it can be to implement these life-saving laws in some states.

Records obtained by CNN show New Mexico's Red Flag Law has only been used about 30 times since it took effect in 2020. As a comparison, Florida's similar law has been utilized more than 11,000 times since it was enacted in 2018.

ALLEN: It's difficult for people to understand how to enforce the law. Education and training hasn't gone around the state like it should have.

BROWN (on camera): Of the 21 states that have Red Flag Laws on the books, New Mexico is by far the most gun violent. It's a blue state that is mostly rural, yet it has the third-highest gun mortality rate per capita in the US.

(voice-over): Even with that violence, New Mexico sheriffs petitioned against the passage of the law and created Second Amendment sanctuary counties where it wouldn't be enforced.

A judge weighs every decision. But because Red Flag Laws are relatively new, there tends to be misinformation.

MATT DIETZEL, COMMANDER, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT: It's not law enforcement filing in a vacuum. There is a judge looking at the facts of the case, and then making a determination based on that.

BROWN: Study show Red Flag Laws can work to diffuse potential violence. The key is making sure people know about them.

SALGADO: I just want to have a voice for my kids and what -- the story to be told. And hopefully, it will save another mother who is going through the same thing I'm going through.

(on camera): Red Flag Laws temporarily disarmed more than 660 people in six states who threatened to kill multiple people, according to a recent Johns Hopkins study.

Of course no one is suggesting that all of those people would have gone on to commit murder but experts say, even if a small percentage of those lives were saved, the laws are worth enforcing.

Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: This just into CNN. In a letter obtained by CNN, the prosecutor overseeing the Hunter Biden criminal probe is now refuting claims made by an IRS whistleblower about alleged political interference in that investigation.

CNN's Sara Murray here with us now.

Sara, of course, this attorney was appointed by Trump. Now refuting claims that have, well, cause add firestorm among the right wing. What do we know?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. We've heard a lot from two of these IRS whistleblowers about concerns there was political interference in the Hunter Biden probe.

Among their concerns was that David Weiss allegedly wanted to become a special counsel. Was denied that.

In this letter to Capitol Hill, Weiss says he never asked to be made special counsel.

There are also concerns the whistleblowers raised that had Weiss may not have been able to bring charges against Hunter Biden in the jurisdictions he wanted to.

He again says in this letter, "I was never denied the authority to bring charges in any jurisdiction."

So in this very succinct letter, frankly, Weiss is refuting two of the main complaints we heard from these whistleblowers.

One of the whistleblower's attorneys says, look, it doesn't matter if Weiss wanted to be special counsel or not. What matters is there were Biden political appointees involved in this process who shouldn't have been.

David Weiss was a Trump appointee and, ultimately, it was his decision. And this resulted in Hunter Biden agreeing to plead guilty to two tax-related charges.

SCIUTTO: Has there been any response to the Republicans to whom this letter was addressed. He's saying how you're characterizing this case is simple lie not true.

MURRAY: I'm sure we're going to hear more from Republicans on this matter. Christopher Wray will be testifying later this week before the House Judiciary. I would be surprised if this issue doesn't come up.

It's very clear Republicans want to hear from David Weiss himself, ideally, in testimony on Capitol Hill. Probably not something that will happen before we see Hunter Biden formally enter his plea in court in a couple weeks.

SCIUTTO: For now, those letters speak for themselves. Sara Murray, thanks so much.

Boris?

[14:38:55]

SANCHEZ: Some incredible footage to share with you of rescuers using zip lines to reach people stuck in floodwaters after northern India was hit with record rainfall. We will have the details when we come back.

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[14:43:30]

SANCHEZ: The U.N. is warning that Sudan is on the brink of a "full- scale civil war." This comes after an airstrike this weekend killed at least 22 people.

We've been reporting for months now on the ongoing fighting between rival military factions, violence that has left hundreds dead as nearly three million people have fled Sudan.

Let's go now to CNN's Stephanie Busari, who joins us live.

Stephanie, what's the latest on the ground in Sudan?

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN LAGOS PRODUCER: So it's just not looking like this war is coming to an end anytime soon. Both factions seem to be resisting efforts to bring a long-lasting resolution to this.

The E.U. has intervened. The U.N. has intervened. The African Union has intervened.

We have ceasefires. And in the same breath, these ceasefires answered and both sides blame each other in a frustrating blame game for the Sudanese people who are bearing the brunt of this.

The latest attacks the health ministry showed in a video which was very graphic with bodies covered in blankets, bloody bodies on the floor, and about 22 people, but that figure could be higher.

And the U.N. is expressing concern that civilians are increasingly being targeted in these attacks.

[14:44:57]

Some civilians reporting that their homes -- they've been forced out of their homes by para militaries who are effectively using their houses as battle grounds.

The U.N. has released a statement -- I will read some of that -- where it says it is "worried that there was an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing.

Now, they're worried also that there's no peaceful resolution in sight. And that this could lead to a civil war, which would be catastrophic for a region that is quite strategic and borders many countries.

Some of whom are facing their own challenges, such as Ethiopia, Chad, Libya. And Sudan, for context, is the third-largest African country and has these countries around it. Egypt is a key country where millions of Sudanese have fled to.

And this week, holding a summit to bring these neighbors together to try to find another lasting resolution, a peaceful resolution that will allow urgently needed humanitarian aid and medical assistance to get to those who desperately need it -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: Stephanie Busari, reporting for us in Nigeria, thank you so much.

Jim?

SCIUTTO: Now to some of the other headlines we are watching this hour.

Heavy rains are bringing deadly flooding to parts of northern India. Take a look at this. Rescuers using zip lines to lift trapped survivors over the raging floodwaters there. Incredibly dangerous as the waters rush underneath. Dangerous for the villagers and also the rescuers.

Rescuers say they've saved 27 people so far. The latest floods have been blamed for at least 22 deaths.

The country has seen a stretch of extreme weather. Last month, nearly half a million people were caught in severe flooding, but they've also seen several blistering heat waves.

Also Comedian Sara Silverman and authors, Richard Kedri and Christopher Golden, are suing Meta and OpenAI for copyright infringement. They claim the companies used their books without permission to train their A.I. language models, which replicate human conversation.

The lawsuits seek unspecified monetary damages on behalf of a nationwide class of copyright owners whose works were allegedly inn frigid. Meta and OpenAI have not responded to request for comment.

And another upset on the biggest stage in tennis. Twenty-seven-year- old Christopher Eubanks continues a stunning surge at Wimbledon today. The American beating the world's number-five player, Stefanos Tsitsipas, to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals.

Eubanks openly doubted if he would be able to continue his professional tennis career at all. Even took a job as a commentator on the tennis channel while continuing to play in a few tournaments.

He will now take on the world number-three player, Daniel Medvedev, in a quarter final match.

Lots of good tennis to watch there, Boris. SANCHEZ: Still a shot for us, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Still a chance we can make it.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: So the Material Girl is coming back to the concert stage. We have new details on her health scare and her comeback when we return.

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[14:52:34]

SANCHEZ: Some good news for fans of the Material Girl. Madonna says she's on the road to recovery after a sudden health scare that landed her in the hospital.

CNN entertainment reporter, Chloe Melas, is here with an update.

Chloe, Madonna actually was spotted recently.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yes, she was spotted on the upper east side of Manhattan near her home over the weekend. Some fans snapped some pictures and posted it.

And Madonna taking to Instagram today to tell fans that she is so grateful all of the kind words, the support, the prayers.

But she did say she is unable to kick off her north American tour scheduled to start July 15th in Vancouver. No word on when or where that North American tour will start.

Live Nation came out and said to the ticket holders, hold on to your tickets and they'll be valid for any upcoming dates.

But she said, when she woke up in the hospital, Boris, her first thought, her children. The second, all of her fans and the people that make her tour possible.

So what we do know is that Madonna is going to be kicking off her international leg of the tour in October. So she will be taking the stage soon.

She says, "My focus now is my health and getting stronger and I assure you I'll be back with you as soon as I can."

And again, her health, that's the most important thing. People want the Material Girl, I do, too, to live on for decades to come. A few months won't hurt anyone.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and to keep performing at the high level that she does, right?

And speaking of performing, Chloe, it's happened again, more performers getting pelted with stuff by people in the crowd at shows.

MELAS: Harry Stiles, over the weekend, he was performing in Vienna and an unidentified object hits him in the face, in the eye. You see Harry Stiles go to grab his eye. You see him bend down, he winces in pain, but he continues the show like a pro.

But this is a very dangerous trend that we're seeing. Bebe Rexa had a phone thrown at her recently. Drake, just a few days ago in Chicago, someone else threw a cell phone, hitting him on the wrist. He didn't address the crowd, Drake.

But this is catching the attention of big stars like Adele, who came out during her Vegas concert and she said, don't even think about throwing something.

And you know, this is happening far too often. As people have pointed out, yes, people have thrown things at the stage for countless years. But this is different because it's happening so frequently.

[14:55:06]

You know, like I said, Bebe Rexa. Kelsey Ballarini is someone else. So we just had so many incidents over the last couple of weeks.

And really, it has to stop, Boris, because it is going to change the way that we all see live music. Right? You're going to probably see cell phones being confiscated when you walk into venues. Perhaps nets being put up around the stage, which maybe could obstruct views.

So concert going won't be the same as we know it if people don't stop this random and terrible violence.

SANCHEZ: Yes, maybe more artists will take the approach that Adele has, even if she was joking, and they might get more aggressive with certain fans.

Chloe Melas, thank you so much.

You do not want to mess with Adele, Jim.

SCIUTTO: You do not.

When we come back, President Biden is in Europe to meet with allies at the NATO summit, lots on his plate, including Sweden's entry. And also, it follows his agreement to send Ukraine cluster munitions. We're going to have details coming up.

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