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Putin Ramps Up Attacks On Ukrainian Port City; CIA Warns Of Russian False-Flag Attack In Black Sea; CIA Chief: Putin "Trying To Buy Time" On Prigozhin; DOJ Plans Legal Action Against Texas Over Floating Barrier; Michigan Governor Shows Off "Barbie" The Lawmaker. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 21, 2023 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, this was days of very intense attacks against Odessa and the surrounding region.

We were up throughout the course of the evening in Odessa itself waiting to see whether Russia would carry out a fourth day of strikes with drones and missiles.

That strike today coming in the morning hours, some seven cruise missiles of different kinds attacking an infrastructure facility not in Odessa itself where the biggest port is, but in the Odessa region.

Striking that facility, Ukrainian officials say, and destroying around 120 tons of peas and barley.

It is just a continuation, according to Ukraine, of these strikes against grain facilities, ports, all different kinds of infrastructure that Ukraine uses to get food out of the country.

This is an attack, Ukrainian officials say, on not just on Ukraine's economy but on food supply for countries all around the world.

And Ukraine does believe that this is directly connected to Russia pulling out of this grain deal.

Essentially, Russia had said that the grain deal in place the past year was one sided, and they were no longer reaping the benefits of it. They pulled out. And now they are exacting a price on Ukraine.

We are seeing -- we are hearing from the Russian side that they pulled out of the deal in response to the Ukrainian attack on that bridge that connects Russia with Crimea.

But there is a significant question now of what happens next. Russia has said that ships traversing the Black Sea, sailing through the Black Sea towards Ukraine, could be seen as military targets.

And that has led the U.S. to warn that Russia may be setting the scene for a false-flag operation.

Here's what the CIA Director Bill Burns had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BURNS, CIA DIRECTOR: We see some very concerning signs of the Russians considering the kind of false-flag operations that we highlighted in the run-up to the war, as well.

In other words, looking at ways in which they might make attacks against shipping in the Black Sea and then blaming it -- trying to blame it on the Ukrainians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Burns pointing out there, Boris, that, in the past, in the lead up to the war, the U.S. had declassified intelligence essentially to get ahead of potential attacks by Russia, to warn the world that they might be coming, perhaps to preempt Russia and discourage them from carrying out these attacks.

A real stark warning from the Biden administration.

We have also heard, Boris, just from President Zelenskyy just moments ago. He says that there will be a response to these attacks by Russia against the grain infrastructure, the attacks we've seen over the course of the past few days, across the south of Ukraine -- Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Alex Marquardt, reporting live from Kyiv.

And, Brianna, this renewed focus on the Black Sea comes as the Ukrainian counteroffensive has yet to produce the results many had been hoping for.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, that's why Russia, in part, is trying to clobber Ukraine in the south.

Let's break this down with CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Thank you so much for taking us through this here.

What is the strategy here with Russia's southern bombardment?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: One of the big things, Brianna, is really the port of Odessa. When you look at exactly what is happening in Odessa, the major ports here, Odessa, up here in Mykolaiv, all of these areas are critical for Ukraine to export their grain.

What Russia is really trying to do -- notice they have everything here in red. That's Russian-occupied territory. All the coastlines right here.

What they want to do is they want to make this coastline right here completely unusable for Ukraine. That's the Russian strategy, to prevent this kind of thing from happening.

And to also make sure that this route right here doesn't work no matter what -- no matter what actually is done, that they actually can cut this whether or not there's a grain deal.

KEILAR: Yes. In a way, they're saying why would we be making things easier for Russia? They're not re-upping this grain deal that allowed safe passage to Turkey of that grain.

And now with the U.S. warning of these potential false-flag attacks. What do you make of the possibility of that?

LEIGHTON: So false-flag attacks are definitely possible. You look at just the way this which they've struck all of these different target areas. You see how precise the Russians have been about going after these areas. They are really going after the food supply.

And going back on this, one second, one thing to really note about this is the fact that right here, 36 million tons of grain was exported for the last year, July '22 to July of this year. That is about 4.5 percent, almost 5 percent of all the grain in the world.

When you look at that, that's a significant portion. And if that goes away, food prices rise, especially in parts of the world that are very vulnerable, very dependent on Ukrainian grain.

[13:35:06]

When that happens, then Ukraine doesn't get any money and people starve.

KEILAR: Yes. And Russia benefits, right?

LEIGHTON: Russia absolutely benefits.

KEILAR: That's what they're zeroing in on.

LEIGHTON: That's exactly right.

So one of the things that they're doing, of course, is they're moving their forces into these areas. You see the Russian maneuvers in this particular video right here.

But these are the kinds of missiles that they're actually lobbing against Ukrainian targets. Russian naval cruise missiles. They can destroy very precisely areas on the coastal front right there.

And we also have to remember, we have to take them seriously because this is what happened to our drone that was flying over the Black Sea, the same area that we're talking about right now.

The Russians came out after it with their fighters, and they made that drone inoperable by, in essence, going after it with what we call prop wash, in essence, the jet blast from the plane.

KEILAR: They want this to be a very inhospitable area for sure, whether for surveillance or for Ukrainian grain or Ukrainian operations.

I do want to play some sound from the U.S. CIA Director Bill Burns. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: Putin is trying to buy time as he considers what to do with Wagner and what to do with Prigozhin himself. Putin has, in my experience, anyway, the image that he's overreacting to things. So he's trying to settle things.

But I think what he's going to do is separate Prigozhin from what's of value to Putin and Wagner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: How does he do that, do you think? What is the impact of that and that sensitivity to how he handles Yevgeny Prigozhin?

LEIGHTON: Yes, so image is extremely important to Putin, as Director Burns mentioned. That's absolutely correct.

And of course, these people are very close. So there's one aspect of this, you know, that closeness may very well mean that in some ways, they're working together.

But the key thing to really think about here, Brianna, is what this looks like on the battlefield. Let's take the eastern front, if you will, of Ukraine right now.

Bakhmut, this was the area right here where the Wagner Group had the most important role for the Russians. In essence, they were able, almost on their own, to capture Bakhmut. It took them 10 months. But they were able to capture Bakhmut for Russia.

That fact doesn't go unnoticed by anybody in Russia or anywhere else. And so now Wagner and Prigozhin have leverage because they're the only force that did this. Russian regular forces are in there now.

But if the Wagner Group goes away, a lot of these gains that the Russians have along this front may potentially be at risk.

So Putin has to be very careful with how he handles this because he doesn't want to put his gains along this front and along the southern front at risk either.

And that becomes a key element in everything that Putin has to decide and that also means that Prigozhin's fate is not sealed at the moment.

KEILAR: He is walking a fine line.

Colonel, thank you so much as always for taking us through that.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: The Justice Department now planning to take legal action against Texas and its floating border barrier as lawmakers urge President Biden to investigate what they call dangerous and cruel actions towards migrants by the governor, Greg Abbott. [13:38:31]

The eye-opening accusations when we come back on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:43:20]

KEILAR: Now to a developing situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Justice Department telling Texas that it will file legal action against the state's placement of floating barriers in the Rio Grande River.

This is in addition to the DOJ's ongoing assessment of mistreatment of migrants after several reports of that.

CNN now has firsthand accounts from migrants claiming they were treated poorly at the border. Two pregnant women telling CNN that they were denied water by Texas National Guard soldiers when they asked for it.

Democratic lawmakers are now asking President Biden to investigate this.

CNN's Rosa Flores is joining us now from the Texas border town of Eagle Pass.

So, Rosa, tell us what you can about these floating barriers that are there behind you.

ROSA FLORES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, let me show you because, if you take a look, they appear to be about the middle of the river. They're about four feet in diameter. They've got nets going down, and they're anchored to the bottom of this waterway.

And according to the U.S. State Department, the state of Texas did not obtain permits before deploying these border barriers.

And now a top diplomat in Mexico has complained to the United States, saying that this violates two treaties between the two countries. And Mexico is worried that these buoys could actually be on Mexican soil.

Now the U.S. DOJ sending a letter to the state of Texas, giving them notice of possible legal action if those buoys and related structures are not removed.

Now part of that letter says the following, quotes:

"If we do not receive a response by 2:00 p.m. Eastern on July 24th, 2023, indicating your commitment to expeditiously remove the floating barrier and related structures, the United States intends to file legal action."

[13:45:12]

This is the United States giving the state of Texas a deadline of Monday.

Now the property where I'm at right here is owned by Magali Urbina. She's right here with me.

And, Magali, you were telling me that you have asked the state of Texas to remove the concertina wire that's right behind us. There's two layers on your property. How frustrated are with you the state of Texas right now?

MAGALI URBINA, TEXAS LANDOWNER: Very, very frustrated. My husband and I believe that this is trespassing. The state of Texas is trespassing on our property.

And they continue to utilize our property, except they're making the migrants walk to the south end of our property, to our neighbors, then they'll bring them back on our property, use our property to take them up to the highway and process them.

So they're still using our property, and they are trespassing.

FLORES: The U.S. DOJ letter specifically states that the United States is concerned about humanitarian risks. What do you think those risks are of these structures that we're seeing on the border?

URBINA: It's what the -- the whistleblower said in his email complaining about, first, there's the buoys. And now -- if -- where we're at, I'm looking over, now I have to see people trying to cross and possibly drown.

Then try to get through the wire, get cut up, caught up, and there are -- there is concertina wire in the river where the river rose. And you can't see it. And it's just going to be something horrible to look at.

And not only that, it's so hot out here, Rosa, that I've seen people die on the land from heatstroke. Now we have to see women, children, men, defenseless people, human beings. And the concertina wire on top of all of that.

FLORES: So, Brianna, you heard it firsthand from a property owner who has been here while all of this activity has been going on, has asked the state of Texas to remove the concertina wire from her property and the state of Texas has refused to do so.

And now she says the humanitarian risks here are people dying -- Brianna?

KEILAR: All right, Rosa Flores, live for us in Eagle Pass, Texas, with what is really becoming a bit of a standoff there between the state government of Texas and the federal government.

Thank you for that report, Rosa.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer using an interesting tactic. She's leaning into the "Barbie" craze and revealing her life in plastic. We have much more on Governor Barbie when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:52:11]

SANCHEZ: Right now, it is Barbie's world, and we are all just living in it. The movie "Barbie" debuts today. And the buzz on the expected blockbuster is so enthralling, the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, is indulging in pink power.

She's been tweeting out images of a Barbie version of her life. Her staff naming this mini politician of plastic "Little Gretch."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Barbie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Barbie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Barbie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Barbie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Barbie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Barbie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Mattel, the manufacturer that makes Barbie, did not officially back this. But a rep told "The New York Times" that it was, quote, "So fun to know the governor is a fan."

Joining us now is Mattie Kahn. She wrote "The New York Times" piece on Governor Barbie. Maddie also wrote the book "Young and Restless: The Girls Who Sparked America's Revolutions."

Mattie, thanks so much for being with us.

This is obviously a big moment, not just for Barbie but for women who identify with the message that they can be anything, just as the doll is supposed to represent, right?

MATTIE KAHN, CONTRIBUTOR, "THE NEW YORK TIMES" & AUTHOR: Yes, totally. Today is quite a day to discover you have no hot pink in your wardrobe, something that happened to me this morning. But Governor Whitmer does not have that problem.

SANCHEZ: Absolutely. You noted that she is sort of taking her wardrobe as an asset. And in politics often, wardrobe is a double standard. Men don't get judged on what they wear the way women do.

How is she using this moment to highlight her feminine power?

KAHN: Yes, absolutely. I think what we're seeing is actually unique. Because I think what we've been used to is women in politics

downplaying what they're wearing so that, as Governor Whitmer told me for this story, the status quo when she was coming up in politics was, don't draw attention to what you're wearing so people pay attention to what you say.

But she has said, long said that fuchsia is her power color. And so she has used her clothes to communicate how she wants to govern, what her priorities are. She's made reproductive justice a focus for her re-election, her successful re-election, November 2022.

I think this is her way of saying, my clothes are part of my message, I'm going to use them as a billboard and I'm going to use Little Gretch to do the same.

SANCHEZ: What's been the reaction to Little Gretch, this use of culture to have a conversation about politics?

KAHN: You know, her team had said to me, we don't feel you can change policy without talking about culture. And I think that that is reflected in the response to this story.

You know, when I was working on it, I had no idea what the reaction would be. I think sometimes these social media plays can go either way. But I would say the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

And if you just check out her Instagram feed, you'll see that photos of Little Gretch have more engagement than photos of Big Gretch.

[13:55:05]

SANCHEZ: That is fascinating.

Mattie Kahn, we have to leave the conversation there.

But thank you so much for the time today.

We also should note, the movie "Barbie" is produced by a company under Warner Bros./Discovery, which is CNN's parent company.

No word yet if they're going to sponsor Brianna's fabulous outfit today.

KEILAR: Yet this is still what I would have worn, nonetheless, I'll just say.

First Disney, now Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis is going after Bud Light. We're going to tell you how and why ahead, on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)