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Families And Community Grieving After 19 Children, Two Teachers Killed; Texas Official: Waiting To Storm Classroom Was "The Wrong Decision; Husband Of Teacher Killed In Texas Shooting Dies Two Days Later; VP Harris Attends Funeral For Buffalo Shooting Victim; NRA Holds Convention In Texas Days After Shooting; Granholm: U.S. Must Increase Supply & Move To Clean Energy. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired May 28, 2022 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:26]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone, and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Jessica Dean, Frederica Whitfield is off today.

Right now, heartbroken parents in Uvalde, Texas are demanding answers and accountability after a gunman murdered 19 of their children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School.

President Biden is calling on Americans to make America safer as he prepares to travel to Uvalde to honor the victims tomorrow. Authorities are facing scrutiny over conflicting information as well as the response time, we now know the gunman was not confronted by police before entering the school.

And more than an hour passed, between the first 911 call and when that shooter was killed. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz pressed authorities for answers on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN'S CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER (on camera): You say there were 19 officers gathered in the hallway or somewhere, what efforts were made to try and break through that door, you say it was locked? What efforts were the officers making to try and break through either that door or another door, to get inside that classroom?

COL. STEVEN MCCRAW, DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: None at that time.

PROKUPECZ: Why? Why?

MCCRAW: The on-scene commander at the time believed that it had transitioned from an active shooter to a barricaded subject.

PROKUPECZ: Sir, you have people who are alive, children who are calling 911, saying, please send the police. They are alive in that classroom, there are lives that are at risk. That's not protocol is it. MCCRAW: Hey, we're well aware of that.

PROKUPECZ: Right. But, why was this decision made not to go in and rescue these children?

MCCRAW: Again, you know, the on-scene commander considered it a barricaded subject and that there was time, and there were no more children at risk.

Obviously, obviously, you know, based upon the information we have. There were children in that classroom that were at risk. And it was, in fact, still an active shooter situation and not a barricaded subject.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: The incident commander has been identified as Uvalde School District Police Chief Pedro Pete Arredondo. Arredondo made two brief statements to the press on the day of the shooting, and is not spoken since.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he's "livid" about being misled about the police response in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Abbott refused to discuss whether or not Arredondo should keep his job.

CNN's Boris Sanchez joins me now from Uvalde, where the community is grieving the loss of those 19 children and two teachers. Boris, it's trauma that will never ever go away. How are people doing there this morning?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Jessica, many people I speak to are still in shock. They're having a hard time processing that something so horrific could happen in their idyllic small community.

Nobody ever imagined that this would happen. And now people that you talk to are having a hard time figuring out next steps. Remember, this happened just two days before the start of summer break.

And instead of planning for summer school or camps or vacations, parents are now having to plan for the funerals of third and fourth graders. The community here has come out in force to show support from a distance

Right off camera beside me. There have been dozens of people that have come streaming in throughout the day to pay their respects again, from a distance. The memorial is right in front of the elementary school behind us. And folks here are clearly emotional.

As a matter of fact, just a few moments ago, we watched this scene as two crews of bikers from different parts of Texas came together, a sizable group of them. At one point they took off their hats and said a prayer. And it is something to witness people, men, and women that are known for their ruggedness, that are known for their toughness, break down, and become emotional, thinking about those who were lost.

Simultaneously, there is enormous anger and frustration because of the discrepancies between what this community has heard from officials initially about what happened and as the days have passed.

[12:05:00]

SANCHEZ: Officials in Texas still trying to correct the record, because there are new details that have come out that have prompted questions about what went wrong in the police response to the shooting..

Let's bring in CNN's Jason Carroll. He's here in Uvalde. He's been here, essentially, since this happened. Bring us up to speed with the latest on the investigation and what you're hearing from family members who are processing this tragedy.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, it still comes down to that timeline, doesn't it? And that key moment during the timeline, and the question of why they waited? Why they waited to breach that door.

The governor called it inexcusable mistake. They have called it a mistake. It was a tragic mistake. And at this point, you have a number of parents some of whom we've spoken to who say they were looking for some sort of accountability.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCCRAW: That was a wrong decision, period.

CARROLL (voice-over): A damning new admission from Texas authorities. The incident commander made the decision not to immediately enter the classroom where the gunman was hiding.

MCCRAW: A decision was made that this was a barricaded subject. Situation there was time to retrieve the keys and wait for a tactical team with the equipment to go ahead and breach the door, and take on the subject at that point.

CARROLL: Officials explained how the shooter got into the school.

MCCRAW: Where we knew the shooter entered, Ramos was propped open by a teacher.

CARROLL: Investigators clarifying the timeline as police arrived.

MCCRAW: The three initial police officers that arrived went directly to the door and to receive grazing wounds at that time from the suspect, while the door was closed.

11:37, There was more gunfire, another 16 rounds was fired, 11:37. One in 11:37, and 16 seconds, 11:38, and 40, 11:44. And 11:51, a police sergeant, a new FB agent started arrive.

At 12:03, you know, officers get continued to arrive in the hallway. And there were as many as 19 officers at that time in that hallway.

CARROLL: Officers did not enter the room until a janitor provided keys. MCCRAW: They breached the door using keys that they're able to get from the janitor. Because both doors were locked. Though both of the classrooms that he shot into were locked. When officers arrived

They killed the suspect, at that time.

CARROLL: In that crucial time, survivors inside both classrooms, made desperate calls to 911.

MCCRAW: She identified herself, whispered, she's in room 112.

And 12:10, she called back. In room 12, advisor multiple dead. 12:13, again, she called on the phone. Again at 12:16, she's called back and said there's eight to nine students alive.

Minutes later, a student called.

MCCRAW: Student child callback. He was told to stay on the line and be very quiet. She told 911 that he shot the door. At approximately 12:43 and 12:47, she asked 911 to please send the police now.

Alfred Garza says his daughter Amerie may have been one of those students who tried to call 911. She was killed during the shooting.

ALFRED GARZA, PARENT OF DECEASED STUDENT: Something's got to be done now. You know, what are we going? Where do we go from here? You know.

You were wrong. What do we do now? You know, it's my question. What are we going to do now?

CARROLL: The accountability you were talking about.

GARZA: Right. The accountability, you know. Somebody has got to -- somebody's got to be responsible.

CARROLL: Warning signs missed.

MCCRAW: The Ramos asked a sister to help him buy a gun. She flatly refused. That was in September of 21.

CARROLL: With social media group chats, and post as far back as last February, offering red flags.

MCCRAW: Yes, the Instagram of four group chat. And it was discussed that Ramos being a school shooter. That was on February 28 of 2022. On March 14, and there's Instagram posting by the subject in quotations, 10 more days.

A user replied, are you going to shoot up school or something? The subject replied, no. And stop asking dumb questions and you'll see.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (on camera): Well, the governor says he expects new laws to be enacted to address what happened here at the school. He also says both the FBI and the Texas Rangers are investigating and we'll be investigating all of the law enforcement officials who responded to the shooting out here. And I just have to say from what the parents are telling us, they are going to be keeping an eye on the governor, on all of those in law enforcement when it comes to accountability, and they're going to be expecting these people to keep their word.

[12:10:07]

SANCHEZ: It must be infuriating for those parents, and we've heard their frustration. It's also appalling that the governor himself, Greg Abbott would acknowledge that he was misled about what happened here.

We hope that they are soon to get answers. Jason Carroll, thank you so much.

CARROLL: You bet.

SANCHEZ: We've been working to bring you the stories of those lost here and Uvalde. And one of those stories is just especially heart wrenching. For children are now without their parents after their mother was killed in the shooting here. She was a teacher.

Irma Garcia, she, as far as her family is concerned, lost the love of her life, when their dad Joe Garcia suffered a fatal medical emergency just days after she was shot and killed.

She was one of the teachers killed in the massacre, her husband, Joe Garcia, suffering a fatal heart attack.

I got a chance to speak with the family's priest about the couple yesterday. He actually consoled the children soon after Joe passed. Listen to what he shared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FATHER EDUARDO MORALES, PRIEST, SACRED HHEART CATHOLIIC CHURCH: There were a couple that we knew we needed anything done, we could call them, and they would be always willing to be of service that send their children to religious education every year.

And so, they were just not a family that came to mass on Sunday, they were a family that we're also active members of the church. We have to be there for all these families.

And, and then, part of that I'm also hoping that we not forget the families because this will come to an end. But they still need for us to be there for them. So, you know, I would imagine that you know, in a few days, things will be back to whatever normal means, you know, the media will be gone, family members will be gone, and suddenly the families are going to find themselves alone.

You know, and so, I -- you know, I've been telling parishioners, you know, we need to stay in touch with these families, we need to be calling them, we need to be there for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ (voice-over): Father Morales blessed the siblings at a service, Thursday night, hours after Joe Garcia passed away. Telling them, "Your mother and father will always find a way to take care of you."

SANCHEZ (on camera): Meantime, Texas officials are also trying to clear up confusion about another key detail after they initially said that there was a school resource officer here on campus who immediately engaged with the gunman. Authorities now say that he was actually not on the scene. He was not here when the gunman arrived and opened fire on campus.

Brian Todd has that angle of the story for us.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among several disturbing accounts from a Texas law enforcement official regarding the response by officers to the Uvalde shooting, and admission that the resource officer for Robb Elementary School, not only didn't engage the shooter as was originally claimed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCRAW: That officer was not on scene not on campus, but had heard the 911 call with a man with a gun, drove immediately to the area, spared to what he thought was the man with a gun to the back of the school what turned out to be a teacher and not the suspect.

In doing so, he drove right by the suspect who was hunkered down behind the vehicle, where he began shooting at the school.

TODD: A misstep that analysts say could be attributed to the confusion in the first moments of any mass shooting.

But now new attention is being focused on the roles of school resource officers. Local police whose biggest jobs are to be on campuses of elementary, middle and high schools across America to protect students from shootings like this.

JAGDISH KHUBCHANDANI, PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH, NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY: There are no studies to show that they have been effective in preventing damage or minimizing the damage, and that's the sad part of it.

TODD: Professor Jagdish Khubchandani of New Mexico State University co-wrote a 2019 study on measures taken to prevent school violence. He says in many cases, training for these officers is inconsistent or outright insufficient.

And often, he says school officers are simply tasks to cover too much ground.

KHUBCHANDANI: They have to be in the exact place, exact time, exact time, exact moment in front of the shooter to confront them, and minimize the damage. But that does not happen. It's not practically possible for (INAUDIBLE) to be in front of a shooter every time a shooter comes in. And shooters do plan a lot. So, they don't really want to confront people as well.

And in one infamous case, a resource officer was accused of hiding from a shooter. Parkland, Florida February 2018. Broward County Sheriff's deputy Scott Peterson, resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was widely criticized for staying outside for 45 minutes and not going inside to confront a gunman who killed 17 people.

Peterson deny the accusations, saying he thought the shots were coming from outside. The National Association of School Resource Officers acknowledges there were failures at Parkland, but rejects the idea that the 1000s of officers on school campuses don't make a difference.

[12:15:10]

MAC HARDY, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS: As far as do make a difference, they stop X all the time from becoming a disaster. And you know, a massacre like occurred in Uvalde.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Mack Hardy from the Association of School Resource Officers says his group is pushing for more uniform training of those officers, and is pushing for those who assign officers to schools, not to assign officers who may be a year away from retirement and want to cruise through that final year, and not to assign officers who may have had trouble with the patrols on their regular beats. They acknowledged it's too often that officers like that are placed in schools.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

SANCHEZ: Thanks to Brian for that report. And as you just heard across the country, school resource officers play a critical role in student's lives. They are the first line of defense in any crisis situation, and they have to be ready to act quickly for the students that they support.

I want to bring in Officer Richard Craig for a deeper discussion on this. He is the Lead Officer at Avon Schools Police Department in Indiana. He was actually named School Resource Officer of the Year for Region Five by the National Association of School Resource Officers.

Officer Craig, we appreciate you being with us to lend your perspective. Do you feel that you're prepared to act in a situation like what happened here in Uvalde, or even in Parkland, Florida at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School?

OFFICER RICHARD CRAIG, LEAD OFFICER, AVON SCHOOLS POLICE DEPARTMENT IN INDIANA: You hope that an incident like that never occurs. I mean, we're talking about the unspeakable, but you do have to be prepared for the what if, and I say it each and every day, and that's where my head is at that. I am -- I am constantly as I'm walking through the halls of the school building, you know, building relationships with students.

That's my -- the ultimate reason I'm there is to protect them, to keep them safe, and so, that they go home safely at the end of the day.

So, I am prepared to run towards any threat that comes towards the way of my students. Absolutely.

SANCHEZ: Officer, it's obvious that you take your role as an SRO very seriously. What do you want parents to know about the work you do, how you view what you do for their children? I imagine there's a lot of parents out there hearing about some of what happened here at the school, and they may have some concerns.

CRAIG: Absolutely. And the thing is the role of an SRO, if it's done properly, NASRO, the National Association of School Resource Officers, that follows a triad model, and that, pardon me. That's been a mentor counsellor, teacher, law enforcement is really --- the should be the smallest part of the job.

I'm not there to arrest kids, I'm not there, you know, a lot of parents say, man, I didn't know the school was that bad. They have officers here. That -- that's absolutely you know, that -- that's couldn't be farther from the truth.

The information in the relationship building is absolutely key. And the person I become, and with the relationships that I build with my students, the information, that pipeline of information that I get, there's not a lot that goes on in my school building that I don't know about.

And that is because of the relationships that I have with my students. They want to be safe. My students know that I'm willing to lay my life down for them.

However, they don't want to make me do so if they can avoid it. So, if there is something that is, you know, there's a red flag from a student or another student has talking about, you know, possibly shooting up a school building or something of that nature. I'm, you know, they know that they can come to me and talk to me about that, and they do frequently.

The -- being an SRO ---

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: That trust that you speak of -- go ahead, sir.

CRAIG: Go ahead, Boris.

SANCHEZ: I was just going to ask because you're talking about being aware of red flags, and the trust that you have to build with students, for them to come to you and share something that concerns them?

How do you distinguish between what may just be a rowdy teenager saying things to get a rise out of people and something that has to be taken more seriously?

CRAIG: Absolutely. I mean, and that's, that's where you have to take the time to investigate. You have to take the time to find out more information. I can't just say you know, make that determination, say, oh, he's probably just a kid being a kid. I'm sure they didn't mean anything about that.

[12:19:59]

CRAIG: That's not up to me to make that determination on the surface. You have to do some more date. And that kind -- that that is a partnership between the SRO and the school. Depending on what policies the school has in place, counsellors, involvement from counsellors, the mental health, unless you're in a school building each and every day, which the majority of adults, I don't believe that are.

There is a number of children that are struggling with mental health issues, whether -- you know, and there are many that are in crisis. And these are very, you know, some children that are very young, we are there also to provide those resources to get them some help. To line the parents up with some resources so they can get their children's some help.

We don't want this for their child any more than the parents do.

SANCHEZ: Officer Craig, there is something a unique aspect to what you do that I wanted to ask you about because it's pertinent in this context.

CRAIG: Yes, sir.

SANCHEZ: You've said that you want to meet students where they are. That's led you to social media and TikTok. Your account actually has 120,000 followers over a million likes.

It stands out to me that there were signs that the shooter in this case posted on social media, and that, perhaps, if investigators or community members could have been more engaged and seen these red flags, if they had been alerted to them, something may have been done to prevent this tragedy.

Would you recommend for other SROs, who may feel too old or unfamiliar with these online platforms to dive deeper into them and perhaps are members of the school administration to do the same?

CRAIG: Boris, I personally I do. And this is just my personal viewpoint and that. And I'm in my 40s, Boris. I'm not young, I'm very, as the kids say, you know, some of my content is kind of cringey. But they appreciate the fact that I'm at least on there. I do it to make my own kids uncomfortable. And I do it to see what my kids at school are doing.

However, social media is one of those things that police departments across the country have, you know, it's sometimes a hot button topic. And different police departments have different policy against social media, depending on what you know, what their chief stances or sheriff stances on social media.

And a lot of agencies have opted to stay away from it, to keep their officers away from it because it can cause a tremendous headache or heartache for an officer or an agency if it's not utilized properly.

And I'm really, you know, I'm not out there trying to, you know, put my daily -- my daily life on there. But I'm on there to try to connect with my students. And also, to be an open line of communication with my kids, because they might not want to speak to me during the school day, there may be a student that either didn't have the opportunity to speak to me, or maybe they didn't want to be seen talking to the police. That this is part of what I tried to do to bridge that gap between young people and law enforcement.

But more so than that, you know, it's just another -- that's another avenue I can use to, you know, if kids see something, they want to say something, they can -- they can contact me on social media as well.

SANCHEZ: And was open lines of communication are so critical, especially in a retrospect during situations like this. You often hear from people who said there were signs that something was going to happen.

Yes. And perhaps keeping those lines of communication open, could prevent future atrocities.

Officer Richard Craig, we appreciate your perspective so much. Thanks for being with us.

CRAIG: Boris, thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

SANCHEZ: Of course, of course.

Hey, so we have plenty more coming up from Uvalde. But just to head.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): There is intense Russian shelling that continues in eastern Ukraine, while the leaders of Germany and France are pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to an immediate ceasefire.

CNN will take you to Kyiv after a quick break next.

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[12:28:26]

DEAN: The French president and German chancellor held a call with Vladimir Putin today and press the Russian president to open negotiations with Ukraine, and for an immediate ceasefire.

That call coming as Russian shelling continues in southwest, Ukraine. CNN's Melissa Bell is in Kyiv.

Melissa, do we expect this call to have any impact with Putin?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): No, and I think that the idea from the point of view of the Elysee Palace or the French very clearly and particularly but the Europeans more broadly, since this was a Franco-German effort to reach out to Putin this time has very clearly been these last few weeks.

It is better to have some dialogue than no dialogue, but no real expectation that they're going to be able to sway the direction that things are headed here in Ukraine, or indeed, to force him to any kind of negotiating table at all.

What they did use a phone call, though, to do was to try and put pressure on the Russian president to end the Russian blockade of Odesa, with of course, the impact that those blocked grain exports are having Ukraine's substantial grain exports are having for the whole world, Jessica.

DEAN: And we know a key city in the embattled Luhansk region is not cut off by Russian forces. That's according to a Ukrainian official. But the official says intense Russian shelling is underway. What else can you tell us about that?

BELL: That's right.

[12:29:53]

The town that you mentioned there, Severodonetsk has been the center of fierce fighting and a real push between the Russian forces trying to push their advantage and Ukrainian resistance over the course of the last couple of weeks. It has some 15,000 civilians still trapped inside. And of course, that fighting has a very real impact on those civilians.

But that latest news from Ukraine that it has not, in fact, fallen to Russia is interesting, because actually, the advantage has tended to be these last few days, on the Russian side, they have made incremental, nonetheless significant gains as they try and push ahead that advantage. And I think that's why you're seeing those calls from Ukraine's for more help, more weaponry, they want the United States, in particular to help them with some of those long range rocket systems that they believe could give them an advantage on the field for the time being.

Washington has said that it will consider the request, though, they would not necessarily accept it. And I was speaking to sources in Ukrainian military intelligence saying, shortly, you know, at this stage, the Javelin anti-tank missile systems that have been received, the stinger anti-aircraft missile systems that have proven so effective in Ukraine's counter offensive over the course of the last few months, are making a difference.

And of course, we saw last week for the first time in use, their switchblade targeted drones, which really allow from the 25 mile distance, Ukrainian forces now to be able to target those Russian tanks that have proved so formidable and so costly, not just to Ukrainian forces, but of course over the course the last few weeks, Ukrainian civilians. And he made the point, he said look, we are a country of 14 million people. We have opposite us a country of 140 million people. In the end, they are going to get the advantage. And I think that's what we've been seeing a real turning point over the course of the last 48 hours or so, we're on the ground, and in particular, on that front line, Russian forces making gains that are looking extremely worrying to Kyiv, Jessica.

DEAN: Melissa Bell in Kyiv for us. Thanks so much for that update.

Right now Vice President Kamala Harris, America's first black vice president is attending the funeral of a black woman shot and killed by a white supremacist. We go live to Buffalo, that's next.

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[12:36:36]

DEAN: This weekend, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on opposite sides of the country honoring victims from two different mass shootings. Biden will go to Uvalde, Texas tomorrow to meet with victims' families reeling from the elementary school massacre there. And in Buffalo, New York, a funeral for one of the victims of the grocery store mass shooting began the last hour. Let's bring in CNN's Joe Johns for the latest. Joe, you are there on the ground in Buffalo. Tell us more about today's events.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, this is a memorial service for Ruth Whitfield. She's the 86-year-old woman who was killed in the Tops grocery store, well known in this community as the mother of a former fire commissioner.

Now, we're really getting a sense, of course, of how much support the administration is trying to give to the city of Buffalo. Not only did the President come here just a few days after that shooting rampage, now we have the Vice President and her husband Doug Emhoff sitting in the front of the church as this memorial service proceeds.

But we also got just before the Vice President and her husband were ushered in, a real sense of some of the political and legal implications of the shooting on the city and perhaps the country at large. This family, the Whitfield family, has engaged the Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump to represent them to see what they can do about this.

And he made it clear in a five or 10 minute speech right at the very beginning, again, before the Vice President came in, his feelings about the need for accountability in some of these gun control matters we've heard so much about. And he talked a lot about bringing accountability to the people who manufacture the guns, who distributed the guns, even the people who radicalized the shooter who walked into that store, who had already indicated his intent was to kill as many black people as possible.

So Benjamin Crump talking a little about the implications and how they want to proceed legally, though, he didn't give a lot of specifics. And the service has just gotten started. We'll see how long it lasts. Back to you.

DEAN: Joe Johns in Buffalo for us, thanks so much.

[12:39:10]

Still ahead this afternoon, thousands of gun owners are meeting in Houston for the National Rifle Association's annual meeting. But they're being met by calls for stronger gun control. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Across the country, thousands of gun owners are gathering to defend the laws that made it possible for the gunman in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas to purchase their weapons. But they are being met by calls for stronger gun safety laws. Hundreds rallied outside the NRA's convention in Houston where a child-size casket was carried by protesters after 19 children were gunned down in Uvalde. Let's go now to Houston in CNN's Camila Bernal. Camilla, several guest speakers have pulled out of that NRA convention after the Uvalde shooting. Tell us more about that.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, and these are speakers that not necessarily not supporting the NRA. They say they still support the NRA, but just did not feel like it was the right time to hold this meeting. Among them, at least four musicians and some politicians, say for example, Senator John Cornyn. He cancelled his in person appearance, but didn't mention the shooting and instead said it was a scheduling conflict.

Governor Greg Abbott, he was also supposed to be here in person. He'd send a video message and stayed in Uvalde to handle all of that there. In terms of the former President Donald Trump, he made it a point to say look, I am not disappointing my supporters and I am showing up. He specifically told the NRA members I am here.

[12:45:16]

And while he was here, he read the names of all of the victims from the Uvalde shooting. And he focused on other things like saying that what needs to happen is that there needs to be only one entrance at schools. And at that entrance, you should have an armed security guard or police officer. He also said you should arm some teachers. Here's a little bit more of his message yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And now familiar parade of cynical politician seeking to exploit the tears of sobbing families to increase their own power and take away our constitutional rights. Every time a disturbed or demented person commit such a hideous crime, there's always a grotesque effort by some in our society to use the suffering of others to advance their own extreme political agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERNAL: And right outside of the convention, it was a completely different scene. We had hundreds of protesters who were out here yesterday demanding change, really out here to show their sadness, their frustration, their anger, and asking their politicians to do something to essentially look into gun control legislation and act. And come to the table with whoever needs to come to the table so that something can change here in Texas and really across the country.

Among the speakers yesterday was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, who is also pushing for more gun legislation. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETO O'ROURKE (D-TX), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: The time for us to stop Uvalde, who's right after Sandy Hook. The time for us to stop Uvalde, who's right after Parkland. The time for us to stop Uvalde, who's right after Santa Fe High School. The time for us to stop the next mass shooting in this country is right now, right here today with every single one of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And things are relatively quiet today. We did see a few protesters right outside of the convention. But we expect things to remain calm through tomorrow when the convention ends. Jessica?

DEAN: Camila Bernal, thanks so much.

Still ahead today, as millions hit the road from Memorial Day weekend, high gas prices may have some changing their plans. And let's take a live look now at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery right outside of our nation's Capitol. Today, members of the public are allowed to lay flowers before the sacred memorial site in tribute to our country's unidentified fallen heroes. We'll be right back.

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[12:52:36]

DEAN: As millions hit the road this weekend for Memorial Day, gas prices are at an all-time high leaving Americans with sticker shock and it's not going away anytime soon. AAA reporting the national average today is $4.60 a gallon, $1.56 more than it was this time last year. CNN's Matt Egan has more on why the prices continue to climb.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Jessica, if you're hitting the road this holiday weekend, brace yourself. The national average for regular gas is about 50 percent higher than last Memorial Day weekend. Even the Biden administration concedes the gas prices are at quote, outrageous levels. But we were invited by the White House to join a rare tour of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the government's emergency stockpile and its biggest weapon against high gas prices. The President authorized a record setting release earlier this year. And after the tour, I asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm if record high gas prices mean that this weapon is really more of a band aid.

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JENNIFER GRANHOLM (D), ENERGY SECRETARY: It is the biggest tool that the President has, which is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The events globally have so much power over the price per barrel. Ultimately, what we need to do is to see an increase in supply to make up for those lost Russian barrels. And that's why we're doing everything we can inside the United States and asking other countries to do the same.

EGAN: President Biden, he ran on the most aggressive climate agenda of anyone who's ever been elected to the White House. Isn't it awkward, though, that now he's draining oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?

GRANHOLM: He's responding to the current situation. You know, he knows and he's obsessed with the fact that gas prices are so high and people are hurting. And this is a global issue. So what can he do? So you can exhort the oil and gas industry to increase supply and you have to at the same time accelerate our movement to clean energy. You can walk and chew gum, you can do both. But the fact that we are paying these outrageous prices, almost is an exclamation point on the fact that we need to move to clean energy so that we are not in this position in the future.

EGAN: You mentioned Russia.

GRANHOLM: Yes.

EGAN: Will Russia ever be trusted again as a reliable energy partner?

GRANHOLM: I wouldn't trust them. I can't -- I don't know the answer to that. They -- it's up to them. They have to prove that they are a reliable partner. And they're certainly not doing that now.

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EGAN: Are they weaponizing energy?

GRANHOLM: They certainly are. Absolutely, they are weaponizing energy which is another reason why as a nation we should move to energy sources that cannot be weaponized.

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EGAN: For now, we remain very much reliant on fossil fuels and subject to the whims of the global oil market. It's about 30 percent more expensive to fill up your tank today than it was the day before Russia invaded Ukraine. And that means sticker shock for the 35 million people, AAA estimates are traveling by car this weekend. Jessica?

DEAN: All right. Matt Egan, thanks so much.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right after this break.

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