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Biden to Visit South Korea and Japan on First Asia Trip Amid North Korea Tensions; Russia's War on Ukraine; GOP Lawmaker Investigated for U.S. Capitol Tour; U.S. Abortion Laws; Australians To Vote Amid Political Headwinds For Morrison; Source: 15 People Joined Suspect's "Discord" Private Chat; Female Journalists Ordered To Cover Their Faces On Air. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 20, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause.

Ahead this hour, Joe Biden begins his first official trip to Asia as U.S. president as concern amounts of a potential North Korean missile test during the visit.

Money talks and a $40 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine says Washington is in for the long haul.

And the committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol wants to know if a Republican lawmaker's tour of the building was legit or was it a reconnaissance mission.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with John Vause.

VAUSE: Right now, U.S. President Joe Biden is on his way to South Korea on his very first Asia trip as president. He will also be visiting Japan, and there, will meet with leaders of India and Austria as well.

White House officials say the Asia trip comes later in Biden's presidency that he may have liked, but the president plans, in his words, to -- quote -- "affirm the importance of our Indo-Pacific alliances."

CNN's Kevin Liptak and CNN's Paula Hancocks will be covering the story live for us from Seoul. Kevin, we will begin with you. Joe Biden has been focusing much on the war in Ukraine over these past few months. This is an attempt to, what, prove they can talk and chew gum -- walk and talk and chew gum at the same time?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, it's really meant to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to these key alliances in East Asia with South Korea and Japan and sort of demonstrate that he -- that President Biden still has this focus on Asia despite all of the time and attention that he has been spending on the war in Ukraine.

You really saw that play out as sort of in the near term today when the president, in the morning, he met with the leaders of Sweden and Finland. They are trying to join NATO.

And immediately after, he pivoted and turned to Asia, really. He took that flight, he is still on it now, on his way to Asia, and it is really sort of demonstrative of his -- of broader foreign policy.

Even as these other foreign crises have popped up around the globe, the president really does want to spend a lot of time focusing on this continent both because of the security concerns that exist here, North Korea stepping up their provocations, but also this attempt to counter China both economically, militarily. China is sort of ratcheting up tensions in Taiwan, the South China Sea on the India-China border. All these areas of concern for allies in this region.

And the president wants to show appearance, show that the United States is committed to its alliances. So, you will see that when the president touches down here. He will first go to a Samsung plant that manufactures these critical technologies, semiconductors, microchips that are essential to machines in the United States like cars. There has been a shortage of those because some Chinese plants have shut down because of COVID.

The president really wants to sort of show that the United States supply chains can exist outside of China. And so, he will talk about other allies producing those microchips and producing them in the United States. And so, this economic message that the president is bringing here to Asia.

But, of course, the security concerns are also looming. U.S. officials say that North Korea could be preparing for an underground nuclear test or a long-range ballistic missile test. That would certainly demonstrate the urgent concerns that are posed by North Korea while the president is here on the peninsula. U.S. officials say they're prepared for that, but it would certainly underscore why the U.S. commitment to this area is so critical.

Japan and South Korea are both looking for deterrent steps from the United States, and that is something that will certainly come up in the president's talks while he is here in Asia, John.

VAUSE: Kevin, thank you. Let's go now to Paula Hancocks, our Seoul correspondent there. I guess, you know, President Biden will be meeting with this new incoming South Korean president. The question here is, where do they both stand when it comes to North Korea? Is there much common ground?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there doesn't appear to be, John, a common ground at this point. If you consider the current president, the new president of South Korea, Yoon Seok-youl, he has a different North Korean policy to his predecessor, Moon Jae- in, who really put everything on engagement and was pushing for better ties with North Korea.

What we are seeing -- and of course, this is a man, I should point out, that doesn't have much political experience.

[02:05:02]

HANCOCKS: He was a former prosecutor. So, we really are learning as he goes along, as exactly what his policy is going to be. But he has said that he is willing to engage with North Korea, but he has also had a more hawkish stance when it comes to North Korea.

A similar situation from Washington, really. We've heard from the White House that they have reached out to North Korea. They are willing to talk to them, to engage, to negotiate, but there has been nothing in return.

So, what we could really expect from the two leaders is that North Korea will clearly be very high up on the agenda not just because, as Kevin mentioned, that the U.S. and also South Korean officials have pointed out they think an ICBM test may be imminent, potentially a seventh nuclear test, but also the fact that North Korea has just a week ago admitted to having a COVID outbreak within the country.

Now, we don't know how serious it is. The indications that we are getting suggest that with an unvaccinated population, with a fragile best health care system, shows that it is a very serious situation.

We know that the president, Yoon Seok-youl, has offered aid to North Korea. He has offered masks, vaccines, medications, testing kits, which, it appears, North Korea does not have much of when it comes to testing. And certainly, the White House has said that they are willing to help as well.

So, it does appear as though there are many similarities in the way that the U.S. and South Korean leaders would like to deal with North Korea. But, of course, it is all very well talking about North Korea. It's all very well having it high up on the agenda. If Pyongyang does decide to carry out what both sides call a provocation, then that is going to overshadow everything else. John?

VAUSE: Paula, thank you. We appreciate that. Paula Hancocks is also live for us there in Seoul.

To New York now, and Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA North Korea analyst who served in both the W. Bush and Obama administrations and is currently the director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center. Thank you for being with us.

SUE MI TERRY, SENIOR FELLOW FOR KOREA CHAIR, CSIS: Thanks for having me on.

VAUSE: Okay. So, we will get to the diplomacy in the moment. But CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is reporting U.S. intelligence assesses that North Korea may now be getting ready to fuel an intercontinental ballistic missile, one of the key final stages in preparing for a test launch, according to a U.S. official familiar with the latest information.

In the past, it was always speculation that North Korea might conduct a nuclear or missile test while a sitting U.S. president was in the region. They never really follow through on that. Will this time be different? And if it is, will that shape U.S. policy towards Pyongyang in a different way?

TERRY: I will not be surprised if North Korea launches an ICMB or even test tactical nuclear weapons. North Korea has a history of testing and conducting provocations at least around the South Korean president's inauguration. The last conservative president, Park Geun- hye, before she came into office, three weeks before, North Korea launched a nuclear test.

Now, it is different with U.S. president being in the region. But at this point in time, I think external situation is actually good for North Korea, even though internal situation (INAUDIBLE) humanitarian crisis unfolding in North Korea.

I say this because what would be a retaliation from the international community? There wouldn't be one. China and Russia couldn't even condemn an ICBM launch, the last one, when North Korea conducted an ICBM test.

So, because China and Russia are not going to come on board for additional sanctions and the U.S. is not going to really do much of -- you know, there is not going to be a lethal action or any kind of serious consequence for the regime (ph), I think he could conduct a major provocation like an ICBM or a tactical nuclear weapon test.

VAUSE: We are going to wait and see. I guess that is the only thing we can do at this point. On the diplomatic front, it seems this presidential trip, it is all about demonstrating the ability of being able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

Michael J. Green, who has your old job at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN there is nervousness about whether the U.S. can handle two major contingencies. Can we handle Ukraine and if Taiwan were suddenly a crisis? Do we have the bandwidth?

This always seems to happen in a way an incoming president promises a pivot (ph) to Asia or America is back (ph) and then something happens in the Middle East or this instance, the war in Ukraine. So, how does that complicate this Asia trip for Biden and does the U.S. have the bandwidth, you know, for two complicated issues at once?

TERRY: The Biden administration, of course, says it can handle multiple crises, that it can chew and walk -- walk and chew gum at the same time, but the reality is there are so many principles, right? There are so many policy meetings that one could have on a given day.

And so, when you have a major crisis like Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the reality is that you are shorthanded, you are distracted, and you have limited bandwidth.

[02:10:03]

TERRY: So, when it comes to North Korea, it is just not going to be that much of a high priority, and particularly since North Korean crisis is one that we really have no answer. We have been working on this problem for the last several decades.

I think the Biden administration is going to be distracted and the priority is not just -- it is just not going to be there. It is just not going to be on North Korea.

VAUSE: Well, one of the focuses would be -- it would seem -- would be on China and trying to counter China's influence in the region. And also, in a way, India, too, trying to bring India into the Ukraine tent, if you like, trying to get India on board with probably taming (ph) the war in Ukraine, right?

TERRY: Yes. I mean, the main focus would be countering China, it is trying to work with allies like getting India on board, also getting Korea and Japan to repair their relationship that has really soured over the last several years. So, it is really alliance building, getting all the allies on board, and countering China. That will be the main priority for the Biden administration in Asia.

VAUSE: One thing that Biden has actually proven over the course of the last 16 months or so is that he does have this ability to go and mend fences, to rebuild coalitions, to reengage allies that were left behind during the Trump administration. That is a skill which he will need, I guess, when he is in Asia. That is something which I think is much more appreciated within the Asian community, within the Asian countries than it is elsewhere around the world, in some ways.

TERRY: Absolutely. During the Trump administration, the alliance relationship with South Korea and Japan to a degree suffered. President Trump, for example, demanded that our allies in Asia pay up for partnerships -- increase of partnership, for hosting or having our troops in the region. For example, President Trump demanded 500 (INAUDIBLE) increase on South Koreans (INAUDIBLE) the bill of U.S. forces being in Korea.

So, there was some strain. There was -- but I think this is what the Biden administration, what President Biden is going to focus on repairing that relationship, on building and expanding an existing alliance.

So, we will see. It is Biden's first meeting with South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl. They are kind of (INAUDIBLE) and they have certain backgrounds that is kind of more low-key. We will see. Maybe they will also have a good chemistry. They also ideologically more aligned in some ways.

So, on issues like North Korea and China, they could see eye to eye on these issues. So hopefully, President Biden will have a good trip and will come back with, you know, alliances even stronger with South Korea and Japan.

VAUSE: We will see. Sue Mi Terry, thank you so much for being with us.

TERRY: Thank you.

VAUSE: The biggest and by no mention not the last aid package for Ukraine has been overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. Congress, a rare and notable achievement given the deep division between Republican and Democrat lawmakers.

On Thursday, the $40 billion aid package for both military and humanitarian assistance passed the Senate, but not without opposition. Eleven Republicans voted against the bill in defiance of Senate minority leader, Republican Mitch McConnell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Anyone concerned about the cost of supporting a Ukrainian victory should consider the much larger cost should Ukraine lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law once he arrives in South Korea.

Just as the Senate approved that $40 billion -- now, wait, there's more. The Biden administration announcing another security package worth $100 billion.

The flow of money to Ukraine comes at a critical moment. Ukraine's top military commander claims his troops have broken the Russian sieges at Kharkiv and Mykolaiv and says Ukrainian forces are now pressing on towards Kherson.

Elsewhere, Russian shelling and airstrikes reportedly killed at least a dozen people on Thursday in the strategic city of Severodonetsk. Ukraine's military says that a Russian advance on the neighboring city of Sloviansk has pushed back and the Russians are suffering heavy losses.

Russia claims more than 1,700 Ukrainian troops have now surrendered at the Azovstal steel factory in Mariupol. CNN cannot verify that claim. And for now, an unknown number of Ukrainian soldiers, including senior commanders, apparently are holding out at the steel works.

When Kharkiv came under heavy Russian shelling during the early days of the war, thousands headed to the safety of the city's subway. There, many have stayed. But in recent days, Ukrainian fighters have forced the Russians to pull back, meaning increased security and an order from the city mayor, it is time to leave the underground and restart rail services.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): The noise is maybe further away from Kharkiv and its distant fields of villages.

[02:15:00] PATON WALSH (voice-over): But part of the city still stays hidden underground, in a subway near apocalyptic dark warrens (ph). They came down to shelter just for the night, but that was two months ago. Homes now destroyed, but the fear of the bombs remaining. Most have nowhere to go.

UNKNOWN (on-screen translation): I'm cold. Cold for two days.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Officials have asked people to leave soon and stopped people sleeping at least in the trains which they have to get moving again.

Ludmila keeps her place tidy and welcoming, but is alone here. Her flat bombed twice.

LUDMILA, KHARKIV RESIDENT (on-screen translation): I am alone, but I like it like that. They are throwing us out. Against our will. The war isn't over, but they ask us to leave. How? Tell me how. I have a room nearby. Am I supposed to be there in the bombing? No one is listening to us.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): In the damp, cold coffin with food in one bucket, urine in another. This is the desperation Russia's war on Ukraine wanted to inflict.

Luba sat between her family and people whose name she doesn't even know.

LUBA, KHARKIV RESIDENT (on-screen translation): Every day was scary. Every day. I don't know that guy. He's a stranger to me.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Even if Ukraine wins, this is still where it hurts. In the loss of presumptions about the most ordinary parts of life. Viktor Tsai (ph), his mother says, sheltering in a game of two pirate ships attacking each other.

OKSANA, VIKTOR'S MOTHER (on-screen translation): We stayed in the apartment until the end. We slept in the corridor, hid in the toilet. It was destroyed when we were here.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): We see some deciding to leave already. Yet still, the framework of permanence sets in and the outside sunnier days turn noisy at night.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kharkiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Coming up here on CNN, the January 6 Select Committee now zeroing-in on the tour of U.S. Capitol Building given by Republican member of Congress just one day before the deadly insurrection. We will have his response after the break.

Also ahead, Oklahoma just passed one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S. We will have details in a moment.

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[02:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: In the U.S. Congress, there is usually nothing suspicious about an elected representative giving a guided tour of the Capitol. But when the tour takes place a day before insurgents loyal to then- President Donald Trump storm the Capitol, that seems to raise a few questions, which the January 6 House Select Committee wants answered.

CNN's Ryan Nobles has details, reporting from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The January 6 Select Committee once again has in its sights a Republican member of Congress, looking for more information that they believe is a key part of their investigation.

This time, it is Congressman Barry Loudermilk of Georgia. They want to know more about a tour that Loudermilk gave on January 5th, the day before the insurrection at the Capitol.

This tracks back to an accusation that was made by Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill in the days after January 6th where she alleged that she saw members of Congress, Republican members of Congress, giving tours of the Capitol, and described those tours as reconnaissance tours. Now, Sherrill has never provided any evidence to back up that claim and Republicans have been very critical of her calling them out.

And Loudermilk for the first time has been identified as someone who potentially may have been given one of those tours. Now, Loudermilk pushed back on this accusation today.

In a statement, he said, as a constituent family with young children meeting with their member of Congress in the House Office Buildings is not a suspicious group or a -- quote -- "reconnaissance tour." The family never entered the Capitol building. The Select Committee is once again pushing a verifiably false narrative that Republicans conducted reconnaissance tours on January 5th.

Republicans are now asking for the Capitol police to release the video in question here. It is something that Republicans asked for several weeks as well. Capitol police say they do not have the authorization to do so. But it is clear this video is in the possession of the January 6 Select Committee. The question is, do they make it a part of their public hearings, and then, will they also provide more evidence to suggest that there may have been something questionable about this tour and if not as innocent as Loudermilk claims it to be?

There are still many unanswered questions as it relates to this development but it has become another important part of the commit tee's investigation.

Ryan Nobles, CNN, on Capitol Hill. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Pennsylvanian officials have been counting ballots all day, but the state's republican primary race remains too close to call.

Right now, the Trump-endorsed TV personality, Mehmet Oz, has a slim lead over former hedge fund executive Dave McCormick. He says that counting should continue for another day or maybe another day or two, and then he told a local radio station that if the margin will be so small, an automatic recount will be triggered.

Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Oklahoma have just passed one of the country's strictest abortion bills, essentially banning all abortions after fertilization.

CNN's Camila Bernal explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This bill prohibits abortion at any stage of the pregnancy and we do expect the governor to sign it, but the way that the bill describes the pregnancy is key.

So, I want to read the exact wording of that bill, which says that a pregnancy is the female reproductive condition that A, begins with fertilization, B, occurs when the woman is carrying the developing human offspring, and C, is calculated from the first day of the woman's last menstrual period.

[02:24:57]

BERNAL: Now, not only does this essentially ban all abortions in the state of Oklahoma, but it also allows any private citizen to sue an abortion provider who knowingly performs or induces an abortion.

Now, we know the governor previously has supported all of these similar bands passed in the state of Oklahoma. He said that his state protects life. He also said they are going to focus on helping the mothers and says that churches and nonprofits should focus on adoptions. And so, we expect this to essentially be the reality in Oklahoma in the coming days.

On the other hand, you have Planned Parenthood who is saying this is a dark day. They say, look, this is not just another ban, but this is a first. They say it is a reversal of history. They say they are going to continue fighting just as they fought for previous efforts and legislation that has been passed in Oklahoma in hopes of banning abortion.

The other thing is that they are planning for the future. They say that they expect the abortions that were planned for this week to go on as scheduled, but they are already making plans to cancel those abortions that were scheduled for next week.

Bottom line is that this is likely to become an issue that is defined by state lines. Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still to come, Australia prime minister fighting to hold on to his job in federal election on Saturday. But among usual issues of cost of living as well as the response to the COVID pandemic, there is also the China factor. More on that when we come back.

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[02:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up to 31 minutes past the hour. Welcome back, everybody. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Australian voters head to the polls Saturday in a very close federal election. Prime Minister Scott Morrison faces political headwinds over his response to COVID, as well as natural disasters. That benefited the opposition Labor Party which narrowly leads in some opinion polls and could see a return to power after nine years. For more, CNN's Anna Coren joins us now live from Hong Kong. OK, so not only is a COVID but there's also the soaring cost of living out of control, housing prices, and also the China factor.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the China factor is real. But, John, as a rule, oppositions don't win elections, governments lose them, and that could well be the case in Australia tomorrow. According to the polls, as you mentioned, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will struggle to reach that majority to secure another three years in government but it's not going to be a landslide for Anthony Albanese in the Labor Party. Many political commentators are expecting a hung Parliament's giving the independents the balance of power.

Now, why is it like this? Because Australians are completely disillusioned and underwhelmed with the two dominant parties and their leaders, Morrison and Albanese, who've been on the campaign trail now for the past six weeks, are deeply unpopular. They both lack charisma and vision for the country. And the feeling among voters, John, is that Australians deserve better.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COREN (voiceover): On the eve of the federal election, many Australians are complaining they don't have much of a choice.

TARYN IRELAND, VOTER: It's kind of hard in a two-party system went like maybe the government's doing anything and it's a bit like what do -- we know he worked for.

COREN: Anthony Albanese, the leader of the centre-left Labor Party has been accused of making himself a small target as he attempts to dislodge Scott Morrison and the conservative-liberal National Coalition, which has been in power for almost a decade. The man nicknamed Elbow has leaned into many of the policies of a prime minister, who has his integrity constantly called into questions. But as the public worries about hits to their lifestyle and their livelihoods --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely cost of living, climate change, and housing.

COREN: The perceived threat of China hands over the vote.

JOHN LEE, FORMER FOREIGN MINISTRY ADVISER: Do you face the first election in my adult lifetime that China and foreign policy has been a major issue? China is a concern because China has announced itself as a concern.

COREN: With the relationship at a historic low, both parties in Canberra have looked to score political points by beating up on Beijing.

KIERAN GILBERT, HOST, SKY NEWS: Why would you take China's site?

SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Well, let's get soluble.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: That's an outrageous slur from the Prime Minister.

COREN: The announcement of a security pact between China and the Solomon Islands has shaken Australia, which fears a Chinese military base less than 2000 kilometers off its coast. Sharing that concern, the White House deployed a top Asia envoy to the Solomons to try to kill the deal without much success. So how much of what China does can be controlled by Australia and does it matter who gets elected on Saturday?

LEE: The opposition Labor Party has tried to ensure that there's very little difference between themselves and a government in China. And in fact, you have a situation now where both sides are making the claim that they will be tougher on China.

COREN: Dr. John Lee is a former adviser to Julie Bishop, who served as Australia's Foreign Minister between 2013 and 2018.

LEE: Structurally, China is in the region. It wants a base there. It could be difficult to stop the Chinese from getting a base in the Solomons.

[02:35:00]

COREN: Nevertheless, one of the first tasks of Australia's post- election leader will be to take his place at the meeting of the QUAD in Tokyo next week, when either Morrison or Albanese will join U.S. President Joe Biden, India's Narendra Modi, and Japan's Fumio Kishida. All in lockstep over the perceived threat posed by China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: But, John, whoever wins will certainly have to deal with some serious issues other than China that are facing Australia such as rising inflation, interest rate hikes, stagnant wages, and the risk of the housing market bubble bursting. Many predicting tough times ahead, no matter who is in the launch, John.

VAUSE: A housing bubble has been primed to burst for a while, but still hasn't. We'll see what happens. Anna, thank you. CNN's Anna Coren, live for us in Hong Kong.

Coming up here, a Boeing capsule with no crew is on its way to the International Space Station. Why this flight is meant to challenge SpaceX for out-of-the-world travel?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 4, 3, 2, 1, and lift off. Starliner is headed back to space on the shoulders of Atlas, powered by a workforce dedicated to its success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Liftoff from Cape Canaveral in Florida just a few hours ago, the Boeing capsule had no crew on board as it makes its way to the International Space Station. The plane has have to dock and then returned to Earth just a few days later. Boeing is trying to show NASA that the Starliner spacecraft is ready for primetime and can carry astronauts after years of setbacks. Boeing is in competition with Elon Musk's SpaceX for business with NASA.

Well, that time for a short break, WORLD SPORT is up next on CNN International, and for viewers in North America, I'll be back with CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.

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[02:45:00]

VAUSE: The suspect in Saturday's mass shooting in Buffalo, New York reportedly gave a heads up about his plan to at least 15 people. A source says they were part of a private chatter and communications app, Discord. The suspect started the chat before the shooting spree which have 10 people dead and wounded three others. Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): New details about who the suspected Buffalo gunman revealed his plans to beforehand. 15 people accepted his online invitation to view the diary he kept which spelled out his plans and preparations in detail. That's according to a person with knowledge of the probe by Discord, an online chat service. The invitation header read. "Happening: this is not a drill." The Washington Post reported. It was sent 30 minutes before the attack

and linked to an alleged live stream of his attack on Twitch as well as to six months-worth of racist notes and details about surveying the store, drawing a map, and taking note of how many black customers were there. It is not clear if authorities are seeking to contact each of those users.

JONATHAN LACEY, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: The FBI will be investigating the identities of these individuals, trying to identify them, and to either speak to them or investigate them further.

TODD: Evidence collection at the site of the shooting is now complete, the FBI said on Thursday, but the probe continues.

STEPHEN BELONGIA, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, BUFFALO: There are interviews to be done. There are -- there are information and data to be gathered from social media and other internet companies. There are analyses that need to be done on the evidence that was collected.

TODD: The suspect appearing in court on Thursday under heavy security, handcuffed in an orange jumpsuit. In addition to a first-degree murder charge Saturday to which he has pleaded not guilty, he has now been indicted by a grand jury. As he is taken out of the courtroom, an onlooker calls him a coward.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, you're a coward.

TODD: The suspect claimed in a diatribe posted online that he got one of the guns, a Savage rifle from his father for Christmas in 2020. A savage box can be seen in this family photo posted on Facebook. A Savage rifle was not used in the Tops' shooting, but one was found in the suspect's car. The hateful rant said the government planned to use the Savage rifle along with a shotgun to kill more black people in the neighborhood as he drove away from the Tops Supermarket.

JEFFREY PEACE, SHOOTING VICTIM'S CO-WORKER: They get him home.

TODD: Jeffrey Peace is an administrator at the State Tabernacle Church. He was a fellow Deacon there with deceased shooting victim Heyward Patterson for several years. I asked piece about how the man who was so loved and trusted in the church community would have responded to his killer.

The gunman was clearly full of hatred. Do you think that Deacon Patterson might forgive this man if he were able to?

PEACE: The Bible tells us to forgive. You know, it tells us to forgive. I can't speak. He's gone. He's gone. But if surviving, yes. I would say yes. I would have to say yes. And we're going to have to forgive the gunman because we're here to tell you to get that out of there. He's going to live there forever. And you don't want that.

TODD: When we asked an FBI official what the evidence here at the scene told them about the shooter's movements, he declined to comment, but he did talk about the high-powered capability of the shooter's AR- 15 assault rifle. He said its rounds could penetrate walls, could penetrate store shelves, and could ricochet off just about anything. He said there is significant damage inside the store. Brian Todd, CNN, Buffalo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, suspects in the deadly California church shooting on Sunday allegedly wrote to a Taiwan-based paper just before the incident. CCHL (PH) David Chou is accused of fatally shooting one man and wounding five others at a service in Orange County on Sunday. Chou allegedly sent seven stacks of handwritten diatribes in a flash drive to the World Journal, a Taiwan-based news outlet that caters to North America's ethnic Chinese community. The paper has not reported the details of what was written and it's handed everything to the police.

Less than a year after the Taliban seize control of Afghanistan, the country is unrecognizable. And with each passing day, more rights and freedoms are being stripped away from Afghan women and girls. Just this week, the (INAUDIBLE) group ordered all female TV presenters to cover their faces while on air. Now, many journalists, many women just fear what's to come. CNN's Christiane Amanpour has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voiceover): For the past five months, Khatera Ahmadi has been anchoring the morning news on TOLO TV, but this might be the last time she can show her face on air.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking a foreign language.

AMANPOUR: The morning editorial meeting starts with a worried discussion about mandatory masking.

[02:50:00]

AMANPOUR: Station director, Khpolwak Sapai, says he'd even considered just shutting down and leaving but then he thought female staff who want to carry on anchoring with a mask can while those who don't will get other jobs behind the scenes.

KHPOLWAK SAPAI, DIRECTOR, TOLONEWS: We will live the last decision to them. They will make their own decision.

AMANPOUR: And it's a tough decision for these women who braved the new Taliban regime to stay on the air who's already adjusted their headscarves to hide their hair, and who now fear is steep slide back to the Middle Ages. Khatera says she's so stressed she couldn't even present her program properly.

KHATERA, TOLONEWS ANCHOR: Speaking a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not clear. Even if we appear with the burqa, maybe they will say that women's voices are forbidden. They want women to be removed from the stream. They are afraid of an educated woman.

KHATERA: Speaking a foreign language. AMANPOUR: Across town, the Taliban government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid was attending a meeting with local journalists to mark the slightly delayed World Press Freedom Day. We stopped him on the way in. You have said they have to wear a face mask if they're on television, women. Why?

ZABIULLAH MUJAHID, TALIBAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON: Speaking a foreign language.

AMANPOUR: It's advisory from the Ministry, he says.

MUJAHID: Speaking a foreign language.

AMANPOUR: But what does that mean? Is it compulsory?

MUJAHID: Speaking a foreign language.

AMANPOUR: If it is said, they should wear it. It will be implemented as it is in our religion too, says Mujahid. It is good if it's implemented.

Afghan women are afraid that this is the beginning of your efforts to erase them from the workspace. They're afraid that if they wear the mask, the next thing you will say is their voice cannot be heard publicly. What is your response to that?

MUJAHID: Speaking a foreign language.

AMANPOUR: Like during COVID, he says, masks were mandatory. Women would only be wearing hijab or masks and they will continue their work.

He seems to say that if women wear this they can go to work. But the dress code, edicts, like saying female university students must now wear black, not colored headscarves is an escalating war of nerves. And everyone fears where this will lead. Back at TOLOnews, these female anchors are distraught.

TAHMINA, ANCHOR, TOLONEWS: Speaking a foreign language.

AMANPOUR: What should we do? Cries Tahmina. We don't know. We were ready to fight to the last to perform our work, but they don't allow us.

HEELA, ANCHOR, TOLONEWS: Speaking a foreign language.

AMANPOUR: Women have been taken hostage says Heela. Women can't get themselves educated or work. Like me who's worked on screen for years and couldn't leave Afghanistan due to the fear of the Taliban, I can't go on screen again.

HEELA: Speaking a foreign language.

AMANPOUR: Since the Taliban takeover, the stations employed even more women than before because they need a safe space. And as for the actual journalism, Tolonews is Afghanistan's leading independent news channel. But, Director Sapai says they'll all quit the day the Taliban pressures them to tailor their coverage or lie to a public that's come to trust the truth they've been delivering for over 20 years. He saved the session so far, recruiting a whole new staff after most employees fled the Taliban's arrival.

SAPAI: And from the management level, I've stood alone. And I was considered -- I was only thinking that how to keep the screen alive, not to go dark.

AMANPOUR: The challenge now is keeping it from going dark. Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Dozens of cases of monkeypox are being detected worldwide. Infections have now been recorded in Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, symptoms include fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes as well. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control is monitoring six people for possible infections. It's believed they sat near an infected traveler while on a flight from Nigeria to the UK in early May. And while U.S. health experts are urging calm, the Surgeon General is also stressing vigilance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: This is a virus that is rare in humans, but when it does come up, it's a serious one that we should investigate. At this time, we don't want people to worry at this point. Again, these numbers are still small. We want them to be aware of the symptoms. And if they have any concerns, to reach out to their doctor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The CDC says that six people being monitored are healthy, showing no symptoms, and are considered to be at low risk. In previous outbreaks, about 1 percent of those who had monkeypox actually died. The first batch of baby formula, that be airlifted from overseas supplies to try and address a nationwide shortage in the United States. The White House came to an agreement with Nestle to transfer the equivalent of 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of formula. Officials say the first plane is expected to take off from Switzerland in days.

[02:55:00]

VAUSE: Meantime, the Senate has approved a bill that will help improve access to baby formula for low-income families and the House passed another bill that would provide $28 million in emergency funding to the Food and Drug Administration to help with the current as well as future shortages. That bill is now waiting for Senate approval.

Children aged five to 11 are now eligible for a COVID booster shot in the U.S. just as the number of pediatric patients begins to surge. On Thursday, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control approved the extra shot. It will be a Pfizer vaccine, the only one approved as a booster for kids. The CDC says the additional dose should be given at least five months after the first two shots.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. CNN NEWSROOM continues with my colleague, Kim Brunhuber after a very short break. Have a great weekend.

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