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Gunman Sent Chilling Text Messages Before Shooting; Investigators Release Details On Gunman's Rampage; Gun Background Check Bills Stalled In U.S. Congress. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired May 26, 2022 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:05]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.
We begin with the tragedy in a small Texas community and an entire country in mourning. The investigation into Tuesday's deadly school shooting is raising new questions about why it happened, why it keeps happening in the U.S. and how law enforcement responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (voice over): Residents of Uvalde, Texas are holding vigils for the 19 children and two teachers gunned down inside Robb Elementary School by an 18-year-old high school dropout. And people are leaving flowers and balloons at a makeshift memorial outside the school in the largely Latino community, not far from the border with Mexico. And we are learning the names of some of the victims, mostly nine and 10- year-old children.
The justice of the peace in Uvalde says some of the bodies are being released to funeral homes as families make their arrangements. More now on the investigation from CNN's Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): 11:21 a.m. the timestamp from a text message the gunmen sent saying he's just shot his grandmother.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): The gunman was 18 years old and reportedly a high school dropout. Reportedly, there has been no criminal history identified yet. There was no known mental health history of the gunman.
CARROLL: Soon after that text message to a girl Ramos met online another one saying he was going to shoot up an elementary school.
His grandmother fighting for her life contacted police after leaving his grandmother's home. The gunman crashed her truck in a ditch. 11:30 a.m. authorities say a 911 call came in reporting the crash and a man leaving the vehicle walking toward the school with body armor and a long rifle.
STEVE MCCRAW, DIRECTOR, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: He went towards the west side of the campus, which is a backdoor.
The subject was able to make it into the -- into the school, as the governor reported. He went down a hallway, turned right, then turned left, and there were two classrooms that were adjoining. And that's where the carnage began.
CARROLL: Then roughly an hour goes by.
ABBOTT: Border patrol consolidated ISD officers, police, sheriffs and DPS officers converged on that classroom and a border patrol officer killed the gunman.
CARROLL: It's around 1:00 p.m. when the gunman is shot and killed. At least 19 children and two adults killed only two days before the end of the school year.
Families throughout the community heartbroken directly impacting even the officials responding to the scene.
ABBOTT: In addition to the students and the faculty, there were three officers who were injured who were all remain in good condition. One deputy sheriff lost a daughter in that school.
Jason Carroll, CNN Uvalde, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Joining us now from Uvalde in Texas is CNN's Chris Nguyen. So Chris, a candlelight vigil was held in Uvalde Wednesday night. How is the community coping with this immense loss?
CHRIS NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, this is a close knit community all trying to process their collective grief. The town is roughly 90 minutes west of San Antonio, the population is about 16,000 people. So it is not a stretch to say that people likely knew someone who was directly impacted by this unthinkable tragedy. You talked about that candlelight vigil. In addition, we've seen many people stopped by the school throughout the day to pay their respects to the fallen, leaving behind flowers, balloons and stuffed animals at the welcome sign behind me here in front of the school.
Some residents not wanting to be alone, as they try to process the pain. Rosemary?
CHURCH: And Chris, members of the community are also stepping up to help families of the victims. What can you share about those efforts?
[02:30:10]
NGUYEN: Well, as the community tries to move forward, some of the funeral homes in the area have already agreed to pay for all of the funeral costs for the victims in this tragedy. A blood drive was held yesterday. And we also learned that a memorial fund has been set up to help support the victim's families, Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right, Chris. Many thanks for joining us there. Appreciate it.
Well, joining me now is Cheryl Dorsey. She's a retired Los Angeles police sergeant and author of the book Black and Blue: Creation of a Social Advocate. Thank you so much for being with us.
CHERYL DORSEY, RETIRED LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT SERGEANT: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, there are of course, still many unanswered questions. One of them is how law enforcement responded in the initial stages here with some suggestions that if the gunman had been stopped from entering the school lives would have been saved. What do you say to that?
DORSEY: Well, I mean, that's certainly a possibility. We can't blame law enforcement for the fact that this person was able to gain access to the school site, and ultimately a classroom. This is a small police department. I've heard reported that there are only about six officers on this agency. And so, what would you have them do? And how do you prepare for the unthinkable something that no one would fathom could happen on an elementary school campus.
And so, now that we're here, rather than possibly point fingers and blame others, let's think about what we need to do going forward substantively to make sure that this never happens again.
CHURCH: That is a very good point. And of course, the biggest unanswered question is the motive. Why an 18-year-old would do the unthinkable and kill all these children and their teachers? What could the possible motive be here do you think?
DORSEY: it's hard for me to get in the mind of anyone who would take the lives of 10-year olds while they were in the classroom. And so, you know, what I -- what I would like to know is what role if any, did the family play. I mean, this is an 18-year-old alleged drop out from high school, no doubt incorrigible, no doubt a problem in the home, certainly, there had to have been red flags. Listen, I'm a parent, I've got four sons.
And you can't conduct yourself and have the kind of weaponry in my home without me knowing it. And so what were those red flags that the family knew about the problems and the angst that he had with his grandmother that would cause him to shoot her in her face? Certainly, someone should have seen something, said something to help prevent him from being able to possess these weapons in the first place.
CHURCH: And the other big issue is what needs to be done to stop these school shootings from happening again in this country. A country that stands very divided on the issue of gun control. What is your view on this? What needs to be the first step here? Because it's hard to think that the country is in a position, certainly with a weak conservative stand on this issue to put universal background checks in place. So, what would be a first step here do you think? DORSEY: Well, I think it would be helpful if maybe in these background checks, we can add just one more steps, it's time to be inconvenienced, if you will. Don't make it so easy for someone to purchase a weapon. I think there should be a place where someone can gather information about possible red flags, family members who may have a concern that doesn't rise to the level of criminality, but would cause a background investigator in the midst of a gun application to have a conversation with this person.
That'd be so ready to relinquish a handgun to them. And so, I think that might be a good place to start. And listen, we don't want to turn our schools into prisons, but I say lock them down. No one should be able to roam freely on a school campus for an hour as it's reported. In this case, without being detected and questioned. So, lock the campuses down, lock the classrooms down and let's try to think about what to do after that.
But certainly, if you can't enter a classroom, you can't barricade yourself and kill the children that are contained within.
CHURCH: And we do know that this gunman had taken some pictures of his weapons, he had put them on Instagram. What would you say to people watching certainly here in the United States where there is this problem with guns? What should people be doing when they see those sorts of signals out on various social media platforms?
[02:10:01]
DORSEY: Well, there are certain liberties that people just don't want to give up. And listen I don't want to put the onus on social media and those who partake in that because you don't know, number one, if the person who's on social media is even using their real name, you may not know where they are. This isn't the first time that I've seen an instance where a person has reported real time what they were about to do and ended in a fatality of a family member.
And so, while social media has a role to play in this, I don't think it starts with them. I think it starts in the home. I think it starts with the parents. I think we need to be more involved and engaged in what our children are doing, and more importantly, what are they bringing up possessing in our homes?
CHURCH: Yes, very important point. Cheryl Dorsey, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.
DORSEY: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, gun control legislation is stalled in the U.S. Congress. And that's not likely to change anytime soon. Why so many Republicans are refusing to budge on gun reforms. We're back with that in just a moment.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): We don't have more mental illness than any other nation in the world. There's no evidence that there are more mentally ill people here than in Europe.
[02:15:07]
MURPHY: The difference is when people have homicidal thoughts in the United States of America, they can walk down the street to a Wal-Mart and get a assault weapon easier than they can buy a cat or a dog.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Democratic Senator Chris Murphy there railing at the lack of restrictions on gun sales here in the United States. Fellow Democrats like Texas candidate for governor, Beto O'Rourke share that sense of frustration. He interrupted Texas Republicans during a news conference on Wednesday and they reacted with outrage, watch their exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETO O'ROURKE, TEXAS DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE: The time the next shooting is right now and you are doing nothing. You're offering us nothing. You said this was not predictable, this is totally when you choose not to do anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, you're out of line. Sir, you're out of line. Sir, you are out of line.
(CROSSTALK)
O'ROURKE: -- to stop this from happening again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of here.
MAYOR DON MCLAUGHLIN, UVALDE, TEXAS: I can't believe you're a sick son of a bitch that would come to deal like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not the place to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, back in Washington, Republican senators insisted background checks wouldn't have prevented the tragedy in Texas. Nor would a ban on A.R.-style rifles, according to them. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What about getting rid of A.R.-15.? Why are the semi-automatic rifles necessary?
SEN. MARC RUBIO (R-FL): If people want to talk about banning specific guns, they should propose that but it wouldn't prevent these shootings. The shooting would --
(CROSSTALK)
RAJU: The banning as a -- a weapon like that?
RUBIO: I mean, they could commit the crime with a different weapon that performs exactly the same just wouldn't fit the definition in the law. But it wouldn't prevent this crime.
RAJU: Why do people actually need an A.R.-15?
SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): Well, I think, you know, we have in our constitution the, you know, our Second Amendment rights, and I'm not interested in taking away rights for law abiding citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Well, I want to bring in CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein who is a senior editor at The Atlantic. Ron, thank you so much for joining us for this critical discussion. Of course, political differences on the gun issue run very deep in this country and in the U.S. Congress. But there are some lone voices calling for change within the Republican Party. Adam Kinzinger is one of them. So, let's just listen to what he's saying about gun control, bring that up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): When you look at particularly this shooting -- the shooting before it, there's this epidemic of young men between the age of 18 and 21 that are doing these kinds of things. I think one of the easiest things we can do to begin to do something is to say you got to be 21 to buy a rifle in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Ron, let's look at that specifically, that suggestion from Kinzinger, preventing 18 to 21-year-old men from purchasing rifles in this country. They tend to be the ones who do these shootings. It's not much to make a change like that. But it is a start. Could that get possible bipartisan support as a first step or is there just too much division for even that small step to be taken?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, as you say, it is a pretty small step against the magnitude of what we have been dealing with for many years now in the U.S. And I am skeptical that even that could get much traction in the Republican Party because of the success of the NRA at portraying any step as the first on a slippery slope toward gun confiscation.
You know, public opinion is divided on the question of whether controlling guns would really solve the problem of these mass shootings. But it is very unified that nonetheless, it wants to take a lot of the steps that gun control advocates support 90 -- up to 90 percent in polls, Rosemary, support the universal background checks, Over 60 percent consistently support the assault weapon ban and a ban on high capacity magazines.
And by the way, a majority of Republicans who don't own guns agree with all of those positions. According to polling last year from the Pew Research Center. The only group in society that opposes steps like this are Republicans who also own guns, and yet they have a complete stranglehold on the elected officials in the GOP at this point.
WALLACE: Yes. You touched on some measures there. Let's just go through them. So, universal background checks more workable red flag laws, a ban on assault weapons preventing the mentally ill from having access to guns. Do you ever see a time in this country when most politicians will eventually say enough is enough and find a way to prevent these mass school shootings from happening by putting gun control measures in place or is the U.S. too divided on the issue to ever get to that point?
[02:20:08]
BROWNSTEIN: I think the U.S. is too divided to ever get to that point. But that doesn't mean it can never act. I mean, we have the politic -- I've been covering the politics of gun control since the late 1980s in the U.S. And they have transformed. It's hard to imagine today. But when they passed the Brady Bill establishing the background check system for buying guns. 54 House Republicans voted for it when they -- when they when they passed the ban on assault weapons in 1994 that Joe Biden helps tear through the Senate.
Thirty-eight House Republicans voted for it. Lots of rural Democrats voted against it. But here we are, you know, 30 years later, almost 30 years later. And the political sorting that has happened in the U.S. has made the Republican Party more dependent than ever on rural small town communities and on the most culturally conservative white voters who equate any pragmatic steps toward controlling access to guns as disrespecting their way of life and their values.
And that's why, you know, and if you look at the states where gun ownership is highest, where that gun culture is deepest, they tend to be smaller, rural, preponderantly white states that are now dominated by Republicans. And what that means is that I think, as I wrote today, on The Atlantic that as long as you have the filibuster, you cannot translate this majority support for a whole series of measures into, you know, passable legislation.
I mean, this really is -- it's not the only example, climate, abortion, immigration also have the same dynamics. But it may be the most powerful and pointed example of how we are having an ongoing crisis of majority rule in the U.S. where majority opinion is being stymied by the structures in our system that allow a minority of smaller states that simply are not in the mainstream of how America is changing in the 21st century to have a veto over national policy.
CHURCH: You know, I do want to focus too on some of the things that were said by the conservatives, they're in defense of that not doing anything. Senator Rubio saying banning assault weapons wouldn't have stopped this crime. I mean, that's just ridiculous. I mean, if he's suggesting that a knife, another weapon or a gun, as opposed to an assault weapon, would have done the same -- resulted in the same way.
That's just a ridiculous thing for a politician to say, isn't it? I mean, people don't believe this.
BROWNSTEIN: Well, he's not even really trying to make a serious argument. I mean, he is basically, you know, it's a verdict first sentence after -- sentence first verdict afterwards, as I said, in Alice in Wonderland. He knows because of his constituency, he has to get to a position of opposing any action. And he's kind of grasping for any argument that would allow him to do that. I mean, the fallacy and all of this is that the steps that conservatives say would solve the problem do not preclude you from taking the steps that Democrats say would solve the problem.
There's no reason why you can't have more armed guards in schools, more mental health treatment, and also have more red flag laws and a ban on assault weapons. You can make this as hard as possible for someone to achieve, if that's the word, or to -- or to desecrate this level of violence in a -- in a society. You can do everything and even then you may not stop every person who was determined to, you know, wreak this level of carnage on their community but you would make it harder for them.
And there really is no reason, you know, the idea that -- well, it's a mental health problem, not a gun problem, obviously, it's both and obviously, you can do both, if you're willing to do so. But the Republican Party has been pushed into a corner by its own constituents and by the organized power of the NRA, that any action is a kind of -- as I say, a step on a slippery slope toward confiscation and a sign of disrespect culturally for their voters, when in fact, the majority of Republicans who don't own guns also support most of the things we're talking about.
CHURCH: And just very quickly, Ron, one of the victims of the Parkland shooting suggested that President Biden sign an executive order on some or all of these gun control measures. Is that viable or too politically dangerous with the midterms on the horizon?
BROWNSTEIN: I don't even think -- I think that's not even the right frame. I mean, with this Supreme Court that the Republican appointed majority of the Supreme Court is about to hand down a ruling that will roll back restrictions on gun ownership and carrying in blue states, there's no chance that this Republican Supreme Court would allow him to exercise that kind of unilateral power.
I mean, the fact is in the places that the kind of voters and the kinds of places that are open to Democrats that have not moved kind of behind the fox curtain in our polarized and separating society wouldn't be responsive to more aggressive actions from Democrats. They don't have the votes to do it in the Senate.
[02:25:07]
BROWNSTEIN: And by the way, this is another reason along with voting, along with abortion, why I believe that Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema will be the last two Democratic senators ever who oppose ending the filibuster to pass these kinds of measures. The problem is, if they use unified control -- they lose unified control this fall in 2022, our history for the last 40 years says it may take them as long as another decade to get it back and to have another chance to do the kinds of things that the filibuster is preventing them from doing today. CHURCH: Yes. The rest of the world watches on just in horror, as this country stands divided on this issue and so many. Ron Brownstein, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
CHURCH: And still to come but we remember the victims whose lives were cut far too short in Uvalde, Texas, including Amerie Jo Garza, just 10 years old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you looking at this girl (INAUDIBLE) oh, my baby. I miss you, my baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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[02:30:00]
CHURCH: Irma Garcia was one of the two teachers shot dead at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday. A wife and mother to four children. She is described as sweet, kind, loving, and fun. Garcia's nephew told "The Washington Post" that Irma died shielding her students from gunfire. Her life and the lives of 20 others were senselessly cut short by a teenager with a gun.
19 of the victims were children. Third and fourth-graders. Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez was just 10 years old. Her family says she was in the same classroom as her cousin who was also shot and killed. The name of her cousin was -- has not been released as yet. Eliahana "Elijah" Cruz Torres was also 10 years old. Her family telling CNN, "Our baby gained her wings." Nine-year-old Eliana "Ellie" Garcia was the second oldest of five sisters. Her grandparents say, she loved cheerleading and basketball. And dreamed of becoming a teacher. 10- year-old Nevaeh Bravo is also among the victims. Her cousin says, she put a smile on everyone's face. And Tess Marie Mata was a fourth- grader who loved TikTok dances, Ariana Grande, and the Houston Asteroids. The 10-year-old was saving up money so her whole family could go to Disney World.
All innocent victims. All gone far too soon. CNN's Lucy Kafanov has more on those tragically killed in Tuesday's shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): They are the faces of the future, lost to a nation's violent present. Jose Flores Junior, a fourth grader full of energy, his father said, ready to play till the night. Uziyah Garcia a 10-year-old who loved football and video games. Lexi Rubio, a little girl who wanted to go to law school, just like her mother.
KIMBERLY RUBIO, LEXI RUBIO'S MOTHER: My baby --
KAFANOV (voiceover): Lexi Rubio's family overcome as they recall her sweetness and to plea that her life has impact.
FELIX RUBIO, LEXI RUBIO'S MOTHER: All I can hope is that she is just not a number.
KAFANOV (voiceover): Lexi is one of 19 children that were all gunned down in a fourth-grade classroom whose parents held onto hope that they'd hold their little girl once again.
Amerie Jo Garza's father, Angel, wrote on Facebook, it's been seven hours and I still haven't heard anything on my love. Please, help me find my daughter. This morning, the heartbreaking update. She's been found. My little love is now flying high with the angels above, Garza wrote. Please don't take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them. I love you, Amerie Jo.
10-year-old Xavier Lopez had a smile his mother says she'll never forget. He was among the honor roll students who attended an awards ceremony the morning of the shooting.
HAL HARRELL, UVALDE SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT: And as I look at their pictures, you can just tell by their angelic smile that they were loved, that they loved coming to school, and they were just precious individuals.
KAFANOV (voiceover): The community also morning two teachers. Eva Mireles, 44 years old, loved running, biking, and being with their family. Undoubtedly, her family says, she died protecting others.
AMBER YBARRA, EVA MIRELES' COUSIN: She was a by vivacious soul. She spread laughter and joy everywhere she went.
HARRELL: These two teachers, I would say, are the cornerstones of that campus to some great agree. They are two beautiful souls.
[02:35:00]
KAFANOV (voiceover): Mireles' daughter, writing an open letter to her mother. I am so happy that people know your name. And that they know what a hero looks like. I want to thank you mom for being such an inspiration to me. I will forever be proud to be your daughter. My sweet mommy, I will see you again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV (on camera): Thursday was supposed to be the last day of school. But the families in our story are now planning funerals instead of summer vacations. Others are anxiously awaiting news about their injured loved ones. We are outside of University Hospital here in San Antonio where four patients were airlifted on Tuesday evening. Three little girls and one 66-year-old woman who is the shooter's grandmother. Authorities say he shot her in the face before fleeing, heading towards that school.
We know that two of the girls, a nine and a 10-year-old are listed in good condition or at least we're on Wednesday afternoon. The 66-year- old and another 10-year-old were admitted in critical condition, downgraded to serious, but still fighting for their lives. Lucy Kafanov, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.
CHURCH: As lucy just mentioned, Amerie Jo Garza was among the 19 children killed on Tuesday. She was just 10 years old. Earlier, her father told CNN's Anderson Cooper, the devastating way he had learned that his little girl was never coming home. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGEL GARZA, DAUGHTER KILLED IN SHOOTING, AMERIE JO'S FATHER: I'm a med aid. So, when I arrived on the scene, they still have kids inside. They started bringing the kids out. And I was aiding assistance. One little girl was just covered in blood, head to toe, like I thought she was injured. I asked her, what was wrong. And she said she is OK. She was hysterical, saying that they shot her best friend, that they killed her best friend and she is not breathing, and then she was trying to call the cops. And I asked the little girl the name, and she's -- and she told me -- she said Amerie.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: That's how you learned?
GARZA: She was so sweet, Mr. Cooper. She was the sweetest little girl who did nothing wrong. She listened to her mom and dad. And she always brushed her teeth. She did -- she was creative. She made things for us. She never got in trouble in school, like -- I just want to know which she did. To be a victim.
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[02:40:00]
CHURCH: Well, sources tell CNN, a former White House staffer testified to the January 6th committee that then President Donald Trump suggested he approved when rioters who stormed the Capitol chanted hang Mike Pence.
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CROWD: Hang Mike Pence. Hang Mike Pence. Hang Mike Pence.
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CHURCH: An aide to Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also testified that Trump complained about Pence being rushed to safety while the president supporters breached the Capitol. In other developments, Republican lawmaker Jim Jordan is questioning the constitutionality of a subpoena issue to him by the House Select Committee. In a new letter obtained by CNN, he is also demanding the committee provide him with all of the materials it plans on using to question him ahead of any deposition.
And with just two weeks to go until the committee holds its first public hearings. A three-judge panel says, the lawmakers will have to wait to get documents from the Republican National Committee. House investigators are looking into how the RNC used the uproar over the election dispute for its fundraising. Oklahoma's governor signed into law one of America's strictest abortion bans on Wednesday the new law bans abortions from the fertilization stage, with exceptions for medical emergencies, rape, sexual assault, and incest. Republican Governor Kevin Stitt says, "From the moment life begins at conception, is when we have a responsibility as human beings to do everything we can to protect that baby's life." The law is a clear rebuke of the landmark Roe versus Wade case and abortion rights. Advocates are vowing to mount a legal challenge to it.
Ukraine is now slamming of Russia for making it easier for Ukrainians in some occupied regions to obtain Russian citizenship. On Wednesday, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, signed a decree streamlining the process for issuing passports. He was also seen in video released by the Kremlin making a rare visit to a military hospital. Mr. Putin wearing a medical gown, spoke with soldiers wounded in Ukraine, this as the fighting on the ground grinds on.
Ukraine reports an intense offensive by Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine. As they attempt to seize the key town of Lyman in the Donetsk region. In the Luhansk region, Ukraine says there's been fierce battles around the City of Severodonetsk --
[02:45:00]
-- which with one military official saying, shelling has increased exponentially. And in the Kharkiv Region, officials say two people were killed and seven injured by Russian shelling in the town of Balakliya on the frontlines.
And CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments and joins us now live from London. So, Clare, let's start with food security. Because Russia was attempting to blackmail the International Community. Saying, it will unblock Ukrainian sea ports if some sanctions against it are lifted, which clearly won't happen. So, what are the consequences if Russia doesn't lift its blockage of Ukrainian crop exports?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Rosemary, I think it's a potential global catastrophe. The Ukrainian foreign minister said that the prospect was of a multi-year food crisis if these ports are not unblocked. He said it because it would disrupt the whole agricultural cycle. Not only the current, sort of, storage facilities filled with grain that can't be exported but also the harvest that's being planted at the moment.
Assume a dire warning from the World Food Programme, the head of the World Food Programme has said that 49 million people in 43 countries were already on the brink of famine. This could tip some of them over the edge. They have warned that we are already seeing food price- related riots in a number of countries, Indonesia, Peru, Sri Lanka. All of that could intensify.
And there is an international effort underway to try to find a solution to export these grains, to unblock the Black Sea ports through which most of Ukraine's grain was traditionally exported. But Russia does not seem to be incentified here to help. There has been evidence -- CNN has uncovered evidence that Russia has been stealing some grain and trying to export it for its own gain.
Secondly, Russia, in itself, is an exporter of grain. And it is actually benefiting from the higher prices caused by this disruption. And the fact that its wheat is now in more demand because of the blockade on Ukrainian wheat. And the other consequence is that if there was any mood for negotiation before we saw this unfolding food crisis, this has made even more remote, frankly.
The -- you know, Russia's foreign minister -- deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday that, you know, the food issue demanded a complex approach. He said, linked to the lifting of sanctions restrictions on Russian export and financial transactions. That, of course, has what has angered the Ukrainian side. And the hope, especially, in Ukraine is that this won't lead to a lifting of sanctions. rather an intensifying of sanctions, especially from the European side.
CHURCH: All right. Clare Sebastian joining us live from London, many thanks for that.
Well, we have been reporting for months about parties at Number 10 in violation of Britain's strict COVID lockdowns. But the latest official inquiry makes Downing Street sound like a drunken frat house. The prime minister initially told parliament, there were no such illegal gatherings. But the report by Senior Civil Servants Sue Gray found numerous instances of excessive drinking, brawls, and mistreatment of cleaning and security staff. And e-mails of Number 10 staff is gloating about getting away with it. Despite the reports damning findings, Mr. Johnson says he's not quitting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I overwhelmingly feel it is my job to get on and deliver. And no matter how bitter and painful the conclusions of this may be. And they are. And no matter how humbling they are, I've -- I -- I've got to keep moving forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: In the wake of the report, the most recent British polling shows 65 percent of Britons think the prime minister should resign.
Well, still to come, leaders around the world are reaching out as the U.S. grieves following a school shooting. Their words of support when we return.
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CHURCH: Well, leaders around the world are sharing their condolences and sending best wishes to those affected by the Texas shooting. CNN's Randi Kaye has our report.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): In the midst of a war, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, took time to offer his sympathy
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I would like to express my condolences to all of the relatives and family members of the children who were killed in an awful shooting in Texas.
KAYE (voiceover): In his own condolence message, French President, Emmanuel Macron, tweeted this, children and teachers were murdered in a cowardly attack in their Texas school. Adding, we share the shock and grief of the American people. And the rage of those who are fighting to end violence. Also on Twitter, Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, wrote my heart breaks. I'm thinking of the parents, the families, the friends, the classmates, and the coworkers whose lives have been forever changed. Canadians are mourning with you, and are here for you. UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the country's Labor Leader, also weighed in on the shooting at Robb Elementary.
JOHNSON: Our thoughts are with all of those affected by this horrific attack.
KEIR STARMER, LEADER OF THE LABOUR PARTY, UNITED KINGDOM: It's an unspeakable tragedy, and our hearts are with the American people.
CROWD: Hear, hear.
KAYE (voiceover): London's mayor expressed his grief, too. Tweeting, he is utterly heartbroken. My prayers are with the families of those lost and the community, he said. Adding, London stands with Uvalde, and all those campaigning to enact laws to end these senseless and devastating attacks. This was New Zealand's Prime Minister on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert".
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JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: When I watch from afar and see events such as those today, I think of them not as a politician I see them just as a mother and I'm so sorry for what's happened here.
KAYE (voiceover): Germany's chancellor tweeted his thoughts are with the bereaved. Calling it, an inconceivable massacre for which hardly any words can be found. Israeli's Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, tweeted, Israel mourns together with the American people. And Mexico's President, sent a big hug to the families of the victims along with his condolences, pain, and solidarity. And from the Vatican, the Holy Father.
POPE FRANCIS, HEAD OF CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): I am heartbroken by the massacre at the elementary school in Texas. I pray for the children and the adults who were killed and for their families. Let us all make a commitment so that tragedies like this cannot happen again.
KAYE (voiceover): Randi Kaye, CNN.
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CHURCH: And let's make sure we do that. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Rosemary Church. Our coverage of the elementary school shooting in Texas continues after a short break.
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ANDREA VENA, CHIEF CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY: I'm Andrea Vena. I'm the chief climate and sustainability officer at the European Space Agency. The great responsibility that ESA has to be responsible is linked by much to the fact that since decades our programs are contributing to the understanding of climate change. Our satellites are contributing to the climate variables that are used by scholars and scientists --
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