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Talks Occur With North Korea About U.S. Soldier; Gilgo Beach Murder Investigation Continues; Texas Governor Refusing to Remove Razor Wire Floating Barriers Along Border; Russia Strikes Ukrainian Landmark. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired July 24, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's true. And he's going to this big Iowa dinner on Friday.

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Right.

HOLMES: He will be one of the big speakers there, along with many of the other 2024 candidates. And, on Saturday, he has a big rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, so two things to keep an eye on.

But I do want to point out one thing. Tomorrow, he is going to Louisiana for a fund-raiser, so something to watch out closely. That's where he will be.

BASH: OK, Kristen, thank you so much for that reporting.

Thank you for joining INSIDE POLITICS.

"CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts" right now.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: History now in ruins Russian. Russian strikes damage a landmark cathedral in Odesa, as Ukraine struggles to fend off repeated Russian attacks.

Plus, fresh Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil, Ukraine claiming responsibility for drone strikes that hit Moscow overnight. We are following the latest.

And Texas defies the Justice Department. Governor Greg Abbott is now refusing to comply with the DOJ's request to remove floating razor wire border barriers on the Rio Grande. Where that legal battle goes from here.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, Pyongyang taking the call. Nearly a week after a U.S. soldier willingly runs across the DMZ, the U.N. Command says they're now in talks with North Korea to bring him home.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SCIUTTO: Retaliation inside Russia, Ukraine taking credit for overnight drone attacks on Moscow and Crimea, of course, Russian-held territory in Ukraine.

The Kremlin says that Russian defense is shot down at least two drones that hit a pair of buildings in central Moscow, this as Ukraine is blaming Russia for taking out another grain silo at one of its ports, causing another sudden jolt in global wheat prices.

In Odesa, even centuries-old cultural sites are not off-limits, as Russian airstrikes hit an historic cathedral over the weekend. Look at that damage.

CNN's Alex Marquardt saw the destruction firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The Transfiguration Cathedral -- church officials have asked us to put these helmets on because of all the work that's going on, all the debris that is falling from the roof.

I want to show you this corner of the church. This is where there is the most destruction. This is where we are told that the missile or rocket came plunging through the roof, going down at least two stories. It is attacks like these on civilian infrastructure, on buildings that, frankly, have nothing to do with this conflict that now has President Zelenskyy calling for more air defense support from Western allies, for what he calls a full-fledged air shield for Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: CNN's Nic Robertson is following the latest.

Nic, speaking of the Ukrainian attacks inside Russian territory, not the first that they have claimed responsibility for, this to a building in Moscow, do we know specifically what this striker was targeting there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: We don't know what it was targeting, but it appears to have had a Ministry of Defense building belonging to the GRU, the -- Russia's military intelligence headquarters.

And, potentially, this building was connected with some of Russia's cyber-offensive activity. That's at least the way that the Ukrainians seem to indicate it. And this is -- from the location that's been heard and evidence has been in the public domain about what this location is linked with, it does seem to be getting at Russia's military intelligence assets.

And for the Ukrainians, this would be a potentially obvious target. In Crimea, the strike there appears to potentially hit an anode dump, although, again, like Moscow, the Russians are saying, actually, they were able to take down, disable electronically or with -- intercept with other missiles to take down these attacking drones.

But there was a large area around an area close to the Crimean border with the rest of Ukraine that the Russians have had to evacuate, which tends to indicate the potential for overspill from the -- from the strike, and, therefore, the likelihood possibility that this was another ammo dump that was hit.

SCIUTTO: Russia is promising to retaliate. Of course, hard to imagine what that means, given that they launched the war on Ukraine here a year-and-a-half ago.

But in response to attacks on Russian territory by Ukraine in the past, what does that tell us about what Russia might do here?

ROBERTSON: It might decide to launch bigger and longer-lasting salvos.

I think it's significant at the moment that we're seeing both Ukraine and Russia reach longer and deeper with drones. Russia over the weekend -- or just before the weekend -- pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal and has subsequently been targeting the grain silos that have been a way for Ukraine to export grain to the world.

[13:05:17]

As you said, the price is being driven up by the strike on the Danube River today, which is different to Odesa port. The Danube River has really been Ukraine's backup route for getting grain out of the country down that river network to European allies.

Now that has been targeted, and the potential stakes there are absolutely massive. The Danube River is a couple of hundreds' yards wide, so, the place that was struck today, literally a couple of 100 yards from Romania, so no surprise Secretary of State Antony Blinken called his Romanian counterpart, talked about security, talked about solidarity.

This is about as close as Russia has come so far to actually hitting inside NATO territory.

SCIUTTO: And that's been a deep concern since the start of this war about the possibility of escalation, horizontal escalation, as they call it.

Nic Robertson in London, thanks so much -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Let's get some expert analysis now from retired Brigadier General Steve Anderson.

General, thanks so much for being with us.

Let's start with a map of the region, because this is essentially a tit for tat with drone strikes, some in Moscow, some here near the border of Crimea.

BRIG. GEN. STEVE ANDERSON (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Yes, the hits just keep on coming, Boris, for Vladimir Putin.

I mean, to be able to hit all the way up here into Moscow, hundreds of miles into Russian territory, I mean, what message does that send about the air defense systems of Moscow. I mean, that means -- that attack struck within two miles of the Kremlin, right in the middle of their Ministry of Defense. So it's a huge, huge blow, I think, to Vladimir Putin strategically.

Now, operationally, the hit down here at this ammo dump, that is huge, because it's right -- remember, they hit the Kerch Bridge here last week. And this is right on the same logistics line into the southern part of the Donbass. And that's incredibly important. So what that is showing is that the Ukrainians now have a deep-strike capability.

They're not doing very well on the counteroffensive. But if they can continue to set conditions by taking out logistics hubs, like this ammo dump, and command-and-control headquarters, that's a huge win for the Ukrainians.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it does strike me that, in the attack on Moscow, Ukraine actually took credit for it, which is something that they had not done previously. What does that signify to you?

ANDERSON: Well, I think that shows that the counteroffensive isn't going very well, and they're trying to get some good news to the Ukrainian people. That's really what it means.

So now they're taking credit for this and for the ammo dump. And they -- hopefully, they will continue to turn things around. But, right now, the counteroffensive is just not going like they want, and they need some good news for the Ukrainian people to keep them focused on the fight.

SANCHEZ: Yes, on the other side, the damage in Odesa, specifically to this grain store, Russia's destroyed some 60,000 tons of grain since they got out of the Black Sea grain deal. What do you make of this tactic, using food as a weapon, essentially?

ANDERSON: Well, there's really only three levers that Vladimir Putin can pull. He can pull the nuclear lever. And, of course, we don't want them to do that. And oil is something he has an influence of the international community.

And the third is food. And what he's trying to do is just make it painful as possible. He's trying to take out Odesa. Odesa is a seaport vital to moving that the grain all the way down to Istanbul. As we just had reported, two other ports were hit very close to Romania.

Those ports have to do with access to the Danube, which is the backup. It's very, very difficult to move grain cheaply. You don't want to do it in a truck or train. You want to do it in a ship or a barge. And if Vladimir Putin knows, he can make it very, very painful Ukrainians to move their grain if he can take out all that port infrastructure.

SANCHEZ: In response to this attack and others, President Zelenskyy has essentially argued that the West should further empower Ukraine and bolster its air defenses.

We have a list of weapons here, beginning with this chopper. Walk us through what you think Ukraine needs in order to do that.

ANDERSON: Well, they need a lot of help. Right now, there's two Patriot systems up in Kyiv that are working very, very well.

But, unfortunately, they just don't have enough air defense artillery. Now, they just approved, the Biden administration, four of these systems, but that's going to take six to nine months.

What I'm seeing right here is Patriots. We have 1,100 of these launcher systems. So we could we could send over at least 150 or 200 systems...

SANCHEZ: Wow.

ANDERSON: ... I think to totally overwhelm, to just do what President Zelenskyy wants to do. He makes complete air coverage of the entire country.

The other thing I would tell you is the C-RAMs. The Patriots are good at taking out missiles. But the C-RAM is good is hitting anything bigger than a soccer ball. I used these systems when I was in Afghanistan. They're unbelievable. They will hit anything. And that's what you need against these Iranian drones, or the smaller ones.

You got to have the C-RAM capability. So I say we got 53 systems, the United States Army, right now. Let's send as many as we can over there to help them out, because they're not being used right now. They came out of Afghanistan in Iraq.

[13:10:05]

As far as I'm concerned, we need to put them to work in Ukraine.

SANCHEZ: Now we will see what the White House does.

General Steve Anderson, always great to get your perspective on these matters.

Thanks so much.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes, really slow going there for Ukrainian forces.

Well, here in the U.S. a major border fight gearing up to be a battle now in federal court. Texas Governor Greg Abbott just sent a defiant letter to President Biden over the state's beefed-up border measures, vowing -- quote -- "Texas will see you in court."

The Justice Department had given state officials until 2:00 p.m. Eastern today to commit to removing this 1,000-foot floating razor wire barrier in the Rio Grande. The DOJ claims -- the DOJ claims it violates federal law, raises humanitarian concerns, presents serious risks to public safety and environment. CNN's Rosa Flores is in Eagle Pass Texas. Priscilla Alvarez at the

White House.

Rosa first begin with you. You're standing on the border. They're very close to that floating barrier. Can you tell us why the DOJ is so concerned about this particular border measure?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let me show you, because this is what Texas defiance looks like on the Rio Grande.

You can take a look. The buoys are still there. There is construction equipment out here, but don't be fooled. This equipment is not here to remove this border barrier. They must be doing some sort of maintenance on the buoys.

But this is what the Rio Grande looks like right now, as the U.S. DOJ has asked the state of Texas to remove this border barrier. These buoys are four feet in diameter, and they are anchored to the bottom of the waterway.

Now this is a very popular crossing, because the water levels are so low. In fact, if you look closely, you will even see the anchors that are supposed to be anchoring this set of buoys. You see both, the buoys and the anchors, because the water is so low.

Now, this has turned into an international incident, of course, because the Rio Grande is the international boundary between Mexico and the United States. And Mexico's top diplomat complained to the United States, to Washington about these buoys, because the state of Texas, according to the State Department, didn't consult with the federal government before deploying the buoys.

They didn't obtain permits before deploying the buoys. And, Jim, Mexico is concerned that these buoys could be on Mexican territory. So this is what defiance looks like on the Rio Grande, U.S. DOJ threatening to sue, Texas digging in its bootheels and leaving the buoys on the river -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: And notable it's an international incident, not just a state-federal government incident.

So, Priscilla, the DOJ, what's been its response to this and what's the plan going forward?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, the response will likely come in a lawsuit.

That was the threat that the Justice Department had made to the Texas governor late last week, when it said that, if they did not remove those floating barriers, then they would take them to court. So we're waiting to see when the Justice Department files that lawsuit.

But the big picture here is that this is an escalation in a feud between President Biden and Texas Governor Greg Abbott on a very delicate political issue, that being the handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Now, Abbott has been a fierce critic of Biden on this front, and he launched his own border operation in 2021.

And over the course of the last few years, I have been talking to sources about how the administration was viewing this, and there was growing concern about the actions that Texas was taking on the Texas- Mexico border because of the risks it poses to migrants, but also to their own federal agents.

So, in a statement from the White House, the spokesperson said that: "Governor Abbott's dangerous and unlawful actions are undermining our effective border enforcement plan and making it hard for CBP to do their jobs of securing the border. The governor's actions are cruel and putting both migrants and border agents in danger."

But the bottom line here, Jim, is that more than two years after Abbott launched that border operation, the Biden administration is acting, and we expect to see a lawsuit from the Justice Department very soon against these floating barriers.

SCIUTTO: What's notable there is differing interpretations of presidential powers at the border, depending on the party of the president in power.

Priscilla Alvarez at the White House, Rosa Flores at the border, thanks so much -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: After days of silence, we're learning North Korea and the United States are now talking about the Army private who ran across the DMZ. We will take you live for an update from the Pentagon next.

And the investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders literally deepening, officials digging up the suspect's backyard. We will have the latest on that just ahead.

And, bye-bye, birdie, Elon Musk replacing the iconic Twitter bluebird with an X.

You're watching CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We're back in just moments.

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[13:19:01]

SCIUTTO: Happening right now: digging for clues, literally, a search there with a backhoe on the home of Rex Heuermann, the primary suspect in Long Island's Gilgo Beach killing.

CNN affiliate News 12 Long Island reports investigators are using search dogs, excavating tools, including that backhoe, ground-breaking -- ground-penetrating radar, rather, to find any information in his backyard. They have already searched the basement, plan to scour the attic and garage next, this investigation not just in New York, though, spans across three other states.

The sheriff described Heuermann as being stoic during police interviews.

CNN's Jean Casarez joins us now. She has been following this.

Jean, detailed operation. Our John Miller says they're drowning in clues. Can you -- do we have a sense of what they're looking for in and around his property?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think anything that can aid in this prosecution and the furtherance of that task force endeavor here.

[13:20:00]

There was just an impromptu press conference outside. And the commissioner, with law enforcement, said that this is a total investigation of the property, of the house, that they have collected numerous items at this point inside the house.

You remember, that's potential evidence. It's got to go through testing now. But front and center today is outside that home. You're looking at pictures right there of the backyard. And if you can see, there is a hole that they have dug right there. And it was confirmed that they have a ground-penetrating radar at the back of that house right now, as well as the backhoe.

Want you to listen to the reasons why they're doing this from Commissioner Rodney Harrison, the Suffolk County police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODNEY HARRISON, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK, POLICE COMMISSIONER: It is a different type of technology, but it will help us be able to identify anything in that backyard that we need to take into our possession.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now, of course, the ground penetrating radar is to see if there is anything forensically relevant that they can find down inside the Earth.

And, remember, this spans so many years. They are looking at every nook and cranny. Now, we have learned through a law enforcement source that they have finished inside the house the search, but they have to do the attic and they have to do the garage. And the commissioner said on the record of that press conference that they believe a couple more days. Maybe it could extend more of this week.

But they don't want to leave anything undone because they know how important this is.

SCIUTTO: Now, of course, his home there on Long Island, bodies found on a beach on Long Island. Tell us what's happening in South Carolina. He owned property there.

Are there -- is there a specific reason why they're looking there? Or is this abundance of caution?

CASAREZ: No, there appears to be one specific reason. First of all, it's Chester County, four large parcels of land.

Now, in the presser, he just said that they went out there to find this green Chevrolet Avalanche, which a witness had actually described early on. They didn't piece it together. They weren't able to until a couple of years ago. But that was on the property of either Rex Heuermann or his brother that lives right there also on one of the parcels.

But now we have learned that there was a young woman that went missing several years ago about 20 miles away from this property. They are looking at that disappearance with due diligence to see if there are any interactions at all. Obviously, in Las Vegas, he owned or owns at least one townhouse. He and his wife had two at one point.

And they are looking at any unsolved cold cases and narrowing the focus in also, because these young women, they did engage in sex work. And so they're looking at those unsolved homicides, because, many times, they are forgotten and they're not looked into.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

CASAREZ: And they want justice for these young women wherever they may be.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

CASAREZ: And he has pleaded not guilty.

SCIUTTO: Well, the possibility, it seems, from police perspective, that there were other crimes.

We will continue to watch for details.

Jean Casarez, following it from New York, thanks so much -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: The deputy commander of the United Nations says that conversations have started between the United States and North Korea over the fate of U.S. Army Private Travis King.

He's the soldier who crossed into the DMZ last week and has not been heard from since. King is considered AWOL. And he's believed to be the first U.S. soldier to cross into North Korea since 1982.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. ANDREW HARRISON, DEPUTY COMMANDER, U.N. COMMAND KOREA: The first is, the primary concern for us is Private King's welfare.

And a conversation has commenced with the KPA through the mechanisms of the armistice agreement. And I won't and I can't say anything that could prejudice that process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN's Natasha Bertrand is at the Pentagon for us following the latest details. So, Natasha, what do we know about these talks? Do we have any updates

on the health of the Army private?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Boris, so we're told that this was really less of a conversation between U.N. Command and North Korean officials and more of an acknowledgement of receipt of the U.S.' and the U.N.'s outreach to the North Koreans more than anything else.

So it was not very much a substantive conversation. It was actually more of essentially just making sure that hot line that that exists between the U.N. Command and the North Koreans still functions. Of course, the U.S. and the U.N. Command have been reaching out repeatedly to the North Koreans to try to get a sense of Travis King's whereabouts, his condition, whether or not he is alive or dead.

But we are told that the conversation really was not that extensive and it was more just an acknowledgement by the North Koreans that they acknowledged that the U.S. and the U.N. Command's outreach there.

Now, we still don't know just how Travis King is doing. Of course, he did bolt into North Korea last week after being about to be transported back to the United States to face disciplinary action by the U.S. military over a sole charges that he had faced in South Korea.

[13:25:04]

He then sprinted across the demarcation line into North Korea. It is still unclear why exactly he did that, although the Army secretary has speculated publicly that it might have been because of those ramifications he was facing back in the United States.

But, look, the U.S. has not had any contact with North Koreans since the Biden administration came into office. They have repeatedly reached out to the North Koreans trying to get some kind of engagement from them. So the fact that they did acknowledge the receipt from the U.N. Command have questions about Travis King's whereabouts, his health, his safety. That is an encouraging and positive sign, according to U.S. officials.

But, still, no substantive conversations have really begun, we're told, about the status of Travis King -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: A significant first step, perhaps one, hopefully, of more to come on.

Natasha Bertrand, thanks so much for the reporting -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: All right, so how serious is the heat wave in -- right now? So hot in Arizona that people are going to the hospital with burns from the ground. We're going to details on that.

And Alabama has defied a Supreme Court order for a new congressional map there. It sets the stage for yet another major showdown.

Stay with us.

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