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Ukrainians Give Up Fight In Mariupol Plant, The City's Last Stronghold; Mayor Byron Brown (D-Buffalo) Gives Update On Mass Shooting; Crystal Peoples-Stokes, (D), New York Assemblywoman, Discuses Buffalo Mass Shooting, Biden Visit To Victims And Families; Biden Calls Baby Formula Shortage "Top Priority," Outlines New Steps; FDA Authorizes Pfizer Vaccine Booster For Kids 5 To 11. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired May 17, 2022 - 14:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:33]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: The last Ukrainian holdouts in the besieged southern city of Mariupol have surrendered. New video shows seven buses with Ukrainian soldiers leaving the city's Azovstal Steel Plant this morning.

More than 260 fighters have been evacuated after ending their combat mission. Ukraine is now working on a prisoner exchange with Russia for some of the most severely injured soldiers.

Far from the frontlines, in the west of the country, local military officials say Russian missiles targeted railway infrastructure and a military base, hitting close to the border with Poland, a NATO ally, of course.

Meantime, Finland and Sweden said they plan to hand in their applications to join the alliance on Wednesday.

CNN military analyst, retired Army Major General Spider Marks, joining me now.

Good to see you this afternoon.

Let's start in Mariupol, if we could, because if we look at what has been left behind, Russia basically leveling this city. But it is still a key location as we know. What does losing Mariupol mean for Ukraine?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Erica, thanks for having me.

Yes, the issue, primarily, when I look at what happened with Ukrainians in Mariupol, first of all, they were -- if reports are accurate, they were ordered to surrender, which tells you the level and the will to resist on the part of the Ukrainians is quite incredible, isn't it?

They are demanding to stay. They want to continue to fight. They've realized -- and I think the Zelenskyy government understands entirely -- that Mariupol has now turned into a wasteland.

The Russian tactics are brutal. They're despicable. We've seen this for weeks and weeks and weeks.

So, the desire to just completely level Mariupol is a strategic advantage on the part of Russia, only because they can now hang a flag and say, this, whatever this is now, remains -- or is now in the hands of the Russians.

So it doesn't -- I think, inevitably, the Ukrainians understood that this was probably a losing fight. But it demonstrated this incredible will.

And the Russians, as we've indicated for weeks, they're not going anywhere. They're going to continue to fight in ways that we don't understand as warfare, using long-term artillery tactics, indiscriminate fire.

This is despicable stuff. It's not -- (AUDIO PROBLEM).

HILL: You know, based on something you just said, I want to get your take on what we heard, these really remarkable statements from Russian military analysts, a former colonel.

You talked about the level and the will of those Ukrainian soldiers to resist, right, that they had to be told to surrender.

So, he specifically noted, on Russian TV, the Ukrainian troops were more professional, that they were more engaged, more dedicated to this fight.

And then he also said this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKHAIL KHODARENOK, RETIRED RUSSIAN GENERAL (through translation): Let's not wave about rockets in Finland's direction. This just looks ridiculous.

The biggest flaw in our military and political situation is that we are in total geopolitical solitude and the whole world is against us, even if we don't want to admit it. And we need a way out of this situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: "We need a way out of this situation." For him to be so blunt, basically the whole world is against us. Who do you think that message is really for?

MARKS: Oh, clearly, it's for Putin. It's remarkable, isn't it, that number one, he made the message. It was delivered in some way. I'm curious now as to what his status is.

I mean, it's quite phenomenal. But it clearly is to Putin and his oligarchs and his leadership, his military leadership, to step up, let's be professional.

[14:35:01]

They haven't demonstrated it yet, but maybe there's an inkling, maybe there's a scintilla of hope that there might be a --

(CROSSTALK)

HILL: I'm going to have to stop you there, general. Sorry to interrupt you.

But I want to take you straight to Buffalo where the mayor is giving an update. Let's listen in.

MAYOR BYRON BROWN (D), BUFFALO, NEW YORK: -- to meet with the families of the victims of this terrible attack on the Buffalo community that injured -- that shot 13 people and killed 10.

The president was very compassionate. The president spent an extended amount of time with the families, which was very good to see. Really giving families one-on-one time to be able to talk to him and the first lady.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What were some of the things the family members said to the president?

BROWN: The president and first lady met with the families one-on-one, so it was just the president, first lady, and the families. So, those of us that traveled with the president were not in those individual meetings with families.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What were the topics? What's the schedule?

BROWN: Talking to the CEO of Tops, John Persons, they would like to open the store as quickly as possible. They understand the importance of the store to the community.

Right now, there's still an investigation going on inside of the store. As soon as that is concluded, Tops will then begin to do the work that they have to do to reopen.

In the meantime, they will be providing assistance and getting customers that don't have access to vehicles to other Tops supermarkets in their network, recognizing that people really rely on this store for their groceries and also to fill their prescriptions.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) -- medical examiner. When do you expect that process -- (INAUDIBLE)

BROWN: I think that process is probably going to start to move more quickly.

It is my understanding that the first of the funerals is going to be this Saturday, so that process is moving.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTON) BROWN: I don't have the name right now as we speak.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can you describe what it was like over the memorial with the president and other politicians. It was a very somber moment.

BROWN: It was a somber moment. It was an emotional moment. We added flowers to the already significant outpouring of support. The number of flowers, candles, and other items that were there show the tremendous impact that this horrible act has had on the community.

Saw a real resolve in the president to make a difference, to try to bring to an end mass shootings in this country. They happen horribly for different reasons. This one motivated by racial hatred.

But over the last several years, there have been hundreds of mass shootings in the United States in America, Buffalo being one of the most recent and one of the most deadly.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mayor, what did you and the president speak -- how was that conversation?

BROWN: I had the opportunity to speak to the president a number of times during his visit, on the tarmac, at the memorial site here, outside of Tops, and at the community center.

The president certainly talked about gun control. He talked about his concern for the families here. There was talk about what could be done to end these mass shootings.

The president seemed very moved by what he saw here in this community. And I really felt a strong sense of resolve and commitment in the president to try to bring change as it relates to these kinds of situations.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: We talked to some people who said tragedies like this happen and then politicians come here and they say things but then nothing ever changes.

What's your feeling about that? You just touched on this.

BROWN: When it relates -- as it relates to gun control in this country, change has been very elusive.

There are those in Washington who have put the needs and the desires of the gun manufacturers ahead of the lives of Americans. That has to stop.

And I think the president will not forget. I think he was moved by what he saw. I think he has a sense of resolve.

[14:40:07]

Many of us -- some of us that were able to travel with the president live in this zip code. Every day I wake up, I leave this zip code to go to Buffalo city hall and other parts of this community. Every night that I come back home to lay my head down on the pillow, I

come back to this zip code.

So, I will never forget. I can't forget. This is my community. This is where I come every day, and this is why I work so hard to make a difference.

So, I won't forget, and I won't let others forget what happened here in Buffalo, New York, what happened to my friends, what happened to my neighbors, what happened to my community.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. Mayor, the more we learn about the alleged shooter and the planning and the months that he spent becoming radicalized and consuming all this -- what the president's called poison, what's your reaction to that? It just seems like we keep learning more and more about this individual.

BROWN: The radicalization of this individual, the level of hatred in the heart and head of this individual is stunning. It's staggering to know that that kind of hate, that kind of evil, that kind of premeditated evil exists in our nation, exists in the state of New York.

I think much more has to be done about social media and hate speech on social media. Hate speech that comes out over our air waves.

The president touched on that. The president spoke about that. And I am hopeful that more will be done to prevent the proliferation of hate on social media.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I know that President Biden has had the chance to speak directly with you.

But what did you make of his comments to the people of the United States and the people of the community of Buffalo and just what he had to say today at the community center?

BROWN: Well, the president said a lot of things. He talked about the fallacy of replacement theory, how nonsensical that is. He called it out.

He called out white supremacy and talked about the evil of that.

He certainly talked about guns and something being done about assault weapons and assault weapons falling into the wrong hands in our country.

And those messages to the American people are critically important. I think the president's resolve -- I saw him steel himself during this visit to get something done. I felt it. I think it's powerful. And I think it's real.

But what was even more powerful to me in this time and in this moment was the moments that the president spent with the families of the victims of this racially motivated, heinous attack on this community. And the president didn't hurry through those meetings, didn't rush

through the people that were hurting and in pain and spent a lot of time individually with families, which I think shows his compassion and his commitment to change.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you gotten an opportunity to talk to the officers who were some of the first responders? How are they doing? What has your message been to them?

BROWN: I have spoken to some of the police officers and firefighters who were first responders to this scene. I thanked them for their bravery. I thank them for their heroic actions, for running into this danger as others had to hide and had to run for their lives.

If not for the swift response of the Buffalo Police Department, more lives would have been lost on that Saturday afternoon.

If not for the heroic actions of security officer and retired Buffalo Police Officer Aaron Salter engaging the shooter and exchanging gunfire with the shooter that ultimately took his life, more people would probably have gotten killed inside the store.

So, our police officers, our firefighters that responded to the scene are heroes. It was a horrific scene.

[14:45:04]

The damage done with the assault weapons, taking 10 lives was like a war zone. And certainly, as human beings, I'm sure that has an impact on our police officers and our firefighters.

We have encouraged our police and our firefighters who have responded to seek counseling if they need it. To not feel like there's any weakness or anything wrong in talking to somebody about the pain that they feel. Because they feel pain. They feel anger. And they feel hurt as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anyone else?

BROWN: Thank you, everyone.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: All right, that's Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, who's served this community for more than 25 years. He says that he will not let this country forget about what happened to his neighbors, to his friends, to his community.

Also spoke about President Biden and his visit here today. President Biden, first lady, Jill Biden, he said spent private time, one-on-one, without the other local leaders, without others, with the families of those victims, the 10 people killed here on Saturday.

And the president said -- the mayor says that he believes the president has a strong sense of resolve to bring about the change that he discussed in remarks today and spoke specifically about the degree of hate that spread on social media and on the air waves. We know that this suspected shooter, in that 180-page racist

statement, talked about the Great Replacement Theory, that being the fuel of this attack.

Now, CNN obtained a photo of two of the rifles that investigators say they took from the man accused of killing those 10 people here at this store in Buffalo on Saturday. The weapons are seen from inside the suspect's car. They were not used in the shootings.

Writings are all over the guns, including the words "white lives matter." Law enforcement source said that the guns had other notations that reflect the racist beliefs of the suspect.

CNN's Brian Todd is in Conklin, New York, the hometown of the accused gunman.

And, Brian, I understand you just spoke with the local D.A. What'd he tell you?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Victor. We spoke to a local D.A. of Broome County, Michael Korchak.

This is about the incident in June of last year where the suspect, Payton, was flagged by school officials after he made an online threat associated with a school project, threatening to commit a murder- suicide.

He later claimed that he said he was joking. But that threat alerted school officials, who alerted state police, who picked him up and took him in for a mental health examination where he was evaluated for a short time and then released.

I asked the D.A., Mr. Korchak, what was missing, what was missing -- you know, was anything missing that should have been flagged during that evaluation or right after?

Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL KORCHAK, BROOME COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: At the time, you had a 17-year-old individual who made a threat but not to a specific individual, not to a specific place.

The school went through their protocol and called the police, got the state police involved. The New York State Police, spoke with him, transported him to a local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. He was cleared and released.

TODD: Do you believe that his -- knowing what you know, that his parents should have done more to flag his behavior and stop something like this from occurring?

KORCHAK: That's something that will come out through the investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: And Michael Korchak did not rule out charging the parents. When I asked him if the parents could be charged, he said he couldn't comment on that. But he said they are investigating his relationship with the parents.

Also not leaving off the table of charging someone at the school or investigating someone at the school for their roles in all this.

But it still stands that, after that mental health evaluation, after he was evaluated and released, he was able to purchase at least two guns legally -- Victor?

BLACKWELL: Brian Todd, thank you for the new reporting.

Joining me now, New York State Assembly Member Crystal Peoples-Stokes. Buffalo is in her district.

Unfortunately, I think we just lost that shot. Hopefully, we can get her back up to talk about what we heard here from the mayor and the visit from the president.

We'll see if we can -- we've got her? OK, all right.

Assemblywoman, thank you. We're working through some technical issues here. We'll try to get through this conversation.

First, let me start with the visit from the president and the first lady. What did that mean? What value did that bring to this community?

CRYSTAL PEOPLES-STOKES, (D), NEW YORK ASSEMBLYWOMAN: I think it was significant. I think it brings to the people hope. I mean, he's the president of the United States.

[14:50:07]

For him to come here it says that for the families who lost their loved ones, the 10 families that I love you and I respect you, and I came here to support you in your time of sorrow.

And he says the same thing to all the citizens of the great city of Buffalo that the president is concerned about what we're going through and he came to see how we were doing, and I think that's commendable.

BLACKWELL: The president talked about legislative changes he wants in Washington. We know realistically that's unlikely to happen, especially in a midterm election.

But you're calling for legislative changes here in New York. Now, New York has some of the stronger gun safety laws in the country. What specifically do you want to change?

PEOPLES-STOKES: Well, I think we do have the strongest gun laws in the country. And quite frankly, I'm proud of those laws, and other states would be smart to mirror us. But until they do, I think there's another thing that we can do, and

that would be to prohibit citizens from having access to armor gear. This gentleman had armored gear from head to toe. The only thing you could visibly see on him was his eyes.

Unless you're going to war, you do not need to have on that kind of bullet-proofed armored equipment.

BLACKWELL: But that equipment only protects the life of, let's say, in this case, the attacker. It does nothing to save the lives of those who were his victims.

So what if that legislation even passes, what would that solve? Who would that protect?

PEOPLES-STOKES: Well, by the way, the officer, the retired officer who was on duty protecting the store as a security guard, he shot that guy at least two, maybe three times. None of it penetrated him because he was totally, fully armed in armor. His whole body was in armor.

So maybe he wouldn't have killed so many people.

BLACKWELL: OK. Let me ask you, there's something you said several times, and I don't know if anyone's ever followed up on it. I've got the opportunity.

You said since the shooting that you want to make sure that, in this case, law enforcement, you said that law enforcement hasn't been specific enough.

What does that mean in you saying that you want to make sure that in this case law enforcement is specific enough?

PEOPLES-STOKES: Well, actually, that's not what I said. I quoted a line from Common. And it essentially says that "justice for all" is not specific enough and isn't in America.

I mean -- AUDIO PROBLEM)

BLACKWELL: All right. So that shot, unfortunately, we're having some challenges with.

Our thanks to Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes.

Erica, I'll send it back to you.

HILL: All right, Victor, we'll take it from here. Thank you.

As we keep an eye on the formula shortage here in the United States, could there be a potential light at the end of the tunnel for parents? Nestle making a big move to alleviate that shortage here in the U.S.

This, as President Biden announces other new steps to solve the crisis. We're going to bring you up to speed on the very latest, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:57:04]

HILL: Today, President Biden said the national baby formula shortage is a "top priority" and laid out what his administration is doing to address it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, we took another important step with the FDA, the Federal Drug Administration, announcing guidance that will allow major manufacturers to safely import formula that is not currently being produced in the U.S. market.

The FDA will closely monitor the product quality and safety.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Nestle is also rushing baby formula into the U.S. from outside of the country to help or try to help ease the shortage here.

CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, joining me now.

Elizabeth, we know that the FDA and Abbott came to the agreement of reopening the plant in Michigan.

The White House, though, was thin on details of timing. I tried to get details this morning from Brian Deese. Couldn't really get any in terms of a timeline.

What have you learned about when parents can expect to see some of this new formula be available to them?

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Erica, Abbott is also being pretty vague about their timeline. And we pressed them and pressed them and we're just not getting any details.

But It is many weeks at least. This is a multistep process.

Let's get a closer look at this agreement. So the FDA and Abbott, they find a consent decree, or I say that they have come up with a consent decree, that gives a pathway to reopen the shuttered manufacturing plant, a pathway to reopen.

It will be six to eight weeks before the products from the plant, once it does open, are on store shelves. And that's at least. It could very well be quite a bit longer than that.

Also the FDA has announced they have new flexibility on importing formula from outside the U.S.

I think a lot of people don't know this, but requirements for baby formulate are different in the U.S. than they are in other countries. Until now, we haven't seen a lot of importation. There are different rules.

What they're saying now is, you know what, we're going to use the term again, kind of create a pathway so we can more easily get imports in.

It's not going to be super quick. We are in this for a while -- Erica?

HILL: Yes, we certainly are. We'll continue to press them on both fronts.

I want to get an update for folks. The FDA giving emergency use authorization for Pfizer's vaccine for a booster for kids ages 5 to 11.

A number of studies have found the effectiveness of the two doses do wane substantially for kids. They waned during the Omicron surge.

Is the boost going to be the same smaller dose? And if so, do we know how effective it will be?

COHEN: Yes, we do know that it should be quite effective.

So these children ages 5 to 11 started getting vaccinated at the end of October. We're getting to that four-to-six-month's time when some of them really should be boosted.

[14:59:57]

So let's take a look at what's involved here. So it is that lower dose, and it's five months plus after the second shot.

What we saw with adults, or anyone over age 12, that the risk of death went down 20 times with a booster.