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Baby Formula Imports Ramping Up; Office Return; Kremlin Criticizes Military Aid To Ukraine; Uvalde School Police Chief Speaks Out. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired June 01, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:03]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello, and thank you for being with us. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

Will charges be brought? Moments ago, the Uvalde. County district attorney telling CNN that she will review a report of the deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary and then decide if criminal charges will follow.

That news comes as we are now hearing for the first time from the man who led the response that day. He made the call to not go into the classroom and confront the shooter immediately. Here's how Pete Arredondo, Uvalde county incident commander, the Uvalde School District incident commander, I should say, answered questions from CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: We wanted to talk to you about your decision and what the DPS director said.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How it's going?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to meet you.

PROKUPECZ: Want to talk to you and what...

(CROSSTALK)

PETE ARREDONDO, UVALDE, TEXAS, CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICE CHIEF: Sure.

(CROSSTALK)

ARREDONDO: All right, and we will.

But just to let you all know, and I just spoke with...

(CROSSTALK) PROKUPECZ: I know you did.

(CROSSTALK)

PROKUPECZ: No, no, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no.

ARREDONDO: Just so you all know -- just so you all know, obviously, we're not going to release anything.

We have people in our community being buried. So we're going to be respectful.

PROKUPECZ: I just want your reaction to Director McCraw saying that you were responsible for the decision to go into that room. How do you explain yourself to the parents?

ARREDONDO: We're going to be respectful to the family.

PROKUPECZ: I understand that. But you have an opportunity to explain yourself to parents.

(CROSSTALK)

ARREDONDO: Oh, and sure. and we're going to -- and just you know, we're going to that eventually, obviously.

PROKUPECZ: When?

ARREDONDO: And whenever this is done and let the families quit grieving, then we will do that, obviously.

And just so everybody...

(CROSSTALK)

PROKUPECZ: You understand how the families feel.

ARREDONDO: And just so everybody knows, we have been in contact with DPS every day, just so you all know, every day.

PROKUPECZ: They say you're not. They say that you're not cooperating.

ARREDONDO: I have been on the phone with them every day.

PROKUPECZ: But they say you're not cooperating. So, take just two seconds.

(CROSSTALK)

ARREDONDO: Just so you know, we have been talking to them every day.

(CROSSTALK)

PROKUPECZ: But what is your reaction to... ARREDONDO: I appreciate you. You all have a good day.

PROKUPECZ: What is your reaction, sir?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: As you saw, few answers, as pain in this community grows, while more victims are buried, more agonizing details about this investigation are emerging.

We're going to break them all down for you.

Let's get right to CNN Shimon Prokupecz, who you just saw there speaking with the police chief.

And, Shimon, what more can you tell us about that interaction?

PROKUPECZ: Right.

So we have been looking for him really all week, and certainly since Friday, when the state investigators came out and said that he was the incident commander and ultimately the decision-maker, of course, on when officers finally went in to take the gunman down.

And so we have been looking for him. Finally, today, we spotted him at his House and then on his way to the office. And that's where we confronted him and asked him some questions. And you can see clearly there not wanting to answer the main question here as to his decision- making and, quite honestly, just hiding behind the fact that so many people hear are grieving.

And also interestingly enough, Ana, he's talking about well, we're going to release information at the appropriate time, essentially. But here's what's been going on here. As we all know, the police have been releasing information, and a lot of it has been wrong. And a lot of it, they have had to correct.

And so we wanted to give him that opportunity there to say why he made the decision he made, obviously not wanting to answer any of those questions.Also despite him saying that he's been cooperating with state investigators, the state investigators said that they have been trying to reach him, and that he's not responded to them.

So they're certainly under the impression that he's not cooperating in the investigation on, Ana.

CABRERA: Shimon, let's walk through what has been shifting over the past few days, because I know you tried to speak with a school district official as well about that door the gunman entered to get into the school. We were initially told that door was propped open.

Now we're told the door was closed, but unlocked. What's the school district saying about this?

PROKUPECZ: Yes. So, remember, on Friday, the state investigators came out and said that they had information that the door was left open by a teacher, and they then explained how the door was left open. Yesterday, a lawyer, a lawyer for this teacher came forward and said that there was new information indicating that the teacher closed the door, and that it didn't lock.

And then, sometime after that, the state investigators put out a statement saying that, yes, we now have this information that indicates that the door was closed. It just didn't lock.

So outside the school today, outside the school district office where we spoke to the police chief, the school spokesperson came out to tell us that we would be getting some sort of statement, which we did. But I asked her specifically, will you be addressing the door issue? And she just walked away.

So, again, a lot of people here are not answering very key questions. They're putting information out there that isn't entirely accurate. They're changing stories. And so, really, for this community, and for many of the family members, getting answers as to exactly what happened, who's to blame, what more should they know, it's so key.

[13:05:02]

And officials, we're told, could possibly have a report here on Friday with some additional information.

CABRERA: Right.

And so hopefully we will have a more complete picture, at least by then, just in a couple of days.

Shimon Prokupecz, thank you.

Let's stay in Uvalde and bring in CNN's Nick Valencia now.

Nick, how is the community, how are the people you're speaking to responding to these changing stories, these new turns in the investigation?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, they're sick to their stomach.

They come here to this memorial with their anguish and their grief. You see grown men brought to tears. And in some cases, you see school shooting survivors who come here, not just as survivors, but also grieving the loss of some of their best friends.

And some of them I have spoken to have turned their anger towards Pete Arredondo, the controversial figure here, for the decisions that he made that day. Some have gone so far as to say that they're insulted that he was sworn in yesterday as a member of the City Council.

And it was earlier that I spoke to residents to get the reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VALENCIA: The guy that made that decision is now going to serve on the City Council. What do you think about that?

BECKY BENAVIDES, UVALDE RESIDENT: No, I don't approve it. I don't think it's right. I don't think it's right at all. We just never expected for anything to ever happen in Uvalde.

I mean, our -- we keep our kids safe here. And when I grew up, it was -- we never had any problems.

VALENCIA: Why isn't it right, you think?

BENAVIDES: Well, because of -- I guess because of the actions that he did -- that he did not do for the children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: I spoke to one mother of a school shooting survivor off- camera who spoke to me in Spanish, saying that her daughter hasn't been able to leave the house since that day.

She also said they were watching a movie last night, and somewhere during the movie that there was gunshots fired and it startled her daughter's so much that it brought her to tears. She said that the decisions of the officers that day, every single one of them, she said, were -- quote -- "incorrect."

And she blamed Pete Arredondo his decision for costing lives that day -- Ana.

CABRERA: And there are more funerals happening today, speaking of those victims who lost their lives.

What can you share with us about those being honored and remembered today?

VALENCIA: Yes, the grief here is again front and center.

Those funerals will celebrate the lives of Irma Garcia, the 48-year- old teacher who taught in the district for 23 years, and is being hailed here as a hero of sorts for dying while protecting her students. Her husband also, Joe Garcia, who died, the family thinks, of a broken heart just days after his wife was shot and killed, their funeral will be held today.

There's also the funeral of the 10-year-old boy Jose Flores Jr., whose father was holding out hope, Ana, that he was potentially alive, going to the hospital, and then being taken to the room and a chaplain. He said, at that point, he knew the news was not good. Those lives will be celebrated today.

And there's also a handful of visitations and rosaries as well -- Ana.

CABRERA: Oh, looking at Jose, the big brother there with his siblings, just so heartbreaking.

Thank you, Nick Valencia, for your reporting.

So, what now? Let's talk about where things stand on gun reform legislation. We know negotiations continue and, in a matter of hours, a group of bipartisan senators are set to talk virtually. They're not in D.C. right now. And this is supposed to include more lawmakers than the four who met virtually yesterday.

That meeting involved two Democrats, Chris Murphy and Kyrsten Sinema, and two Republicans, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. And we were told they discussed red flag law incentives, mental health, safe firearm storage, school safety, and background checks. We're told all of that remains on the table.

But here's the deal. Getting enough Republicans on board for any of these issues to pass in bill form is still a big hurdle. So, as federal action lags, states are stepping in, New York today announcing a slew of new bills to tighten gun laws. The state suffered its own horrific crime last month, the racist mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo.

And I want to bring in CNN's Athena Jones now with more details on what New York is doing.

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, New York, there's a package of 10 bills that are expected to pass the Democratic- controlled state legislature introduced by the governor, Kathy Hochul, and the leaders of the state legislature.

Among other things, these bills would raise the age to 21 to buy a semiautomatic rifle. It would require a license for that kind of weapon. And you wouldn't be able to get that license unless you're at least 21 years old.

It will require new pistols to have what's called micro-stamping technology. So imagine like a gun's fingerprint on each bullet. So each time it's fired, that bullet would carry that specific gun's fingerprint. It would also ban civilians from buying body armor, like bullet-resistant vests, and expand red flag laws.

So, it would expand the list of people who can file for a special kind of protection order that allows courts to temporarily seize someone's weapons if they're deemed dangerous to themselves or potentially dangerous to others.

[13:10:03]

But the governor, as you mentioned, is aware of the fact that the federal action is lagging. but she is still pushing for that action, saying in a statement: "New York already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. But, clearly, we need to make them even stronger. As New York once again leads, we continue to urge the federal government to seize this opportunity and pass meaningful national gun violence prevention laws."

That's because you can have these laws -- these guns and gun parts coming in from out of state, as in the case of the Buffalo shooting, things like magazine rounds that carry more than 10 round -- magazines that carry more than 10 rounds. Those have been illegal in New York since 1984. But they're coming in from other states.

CABRERA: Right.

JONES: This is why national action is needed.

CABRERA: Yes, there's no barrier stopping the bad guys from going from state to state either. Thank you so much, Athena Jones, for laying that out for all of us.

Turning now to Russia's war on Ukraine. The Kremlin says the latest package of U.S. security aid for Ukraine is -- quote -- "adding fuel to the fire." The upcoming shipment is worth $700 million. This is now the 11th package from the Biden White House. And it includes the most powerful and advanced rocket systems to date.

CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon, and Melissa Bell is in Southeastern Ukraine.

Barbara, what makes this new package different?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is those rockets, Ana.

These are rockets that can go about 50 miles with precision and speed. That is important. They are aimed at trying to push back against Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine. But one of the critical things here is that they're going to be accompanied by radar, so that's part of the package as well.

Those radars will allow Ukrainian crews to quickly countertarget, if you will. When the Russians fire at them, those radars will be able to quickly locate Russian firing locations and send their rockets back against the Russians.

The idea here is to try and give the Ukrainian forces a bit of breathing room, try and get them to be able to push back against Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine, so they can strengthen their own position if and when they can get to the negotiating table with the Russians.

President Biden writing in an op-ed about why he selected these items for the package. And he said, in part -- and let me read it -- pardon me -- "We have moved quickly to send Ukraine a significant amount of weaponry and ammunition, so it can fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table. That's why I have decided we will provide Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems."

And you can see the president's statement go on there. They are hoping to get all of this into Ukraine as fast as possible.

CABRERA: OK. Barbara Starr, thank you for your reporting.

Let's go to Ukraine. Our Melissa Bell is there. And I'm hoping, Melissa, you can further explain how these new

weapons, these rocket systems are going to make a difference when it comes to Ukraine's abilities to target Russian forces.

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are precisely the weapons that Kyiv has been asking for, Ana, because when you look at that line that it's trying to defend and has found it increasingly difficult to defend these last few days, not only in Severodonetsk, because we have seen falling even as I speak to -- into hands.

Ukrainians consider -- continue to defend the city. But it does appear that the balance of power has fallen to the Russian side. And I think that is something Ukrainian sources have been telling us over the course of the last few days that, all along that line, they are feeling the pressure from Russian advances.

Here where I'm standing for instance, in Zaporizhzhia, is a perfect example, just behind me, the Dnieper River. The Russian positions are about 30 miles from here. And what we have seen over the course of the last few days is a relentless advance of artillery, shelling towns and villages to the south of here.

And from here in Zaporizhzhia, there's very little that Ukrainian forces can do about that.

They can shell the positions themselves. We have heard a lot of outgoing -- the sound of outgoing artillery fire, but it is the ability that these weapons will bring not simply in terms of range, that 49-mile range, crucial in an area like this one, but, as Barbara was just saying, the technology that will allow those rocket systems, but also the munitions that are being provided, to guide themselves towards those artillery positions that have been used to such devastating effect by Russia over the course of the invasion, and that continue to president a massive challenge in towns like Zaporizhzhia.

So it is that pressure that Ukrainian forces have been coming under, that that whole Ukrainian line has been coming under and where it's been feeling that difference, it has been feeling that pressure, it's been feeling its vulnerability. Hence, you have heard these growing desperate pleas for that weaponry.

And it was important that the distinction was made in terms of range, but it is really the high-tech quality of that weaponry that Kyiv was asking for.

CABRERA: And it's hard to believe that this war started in February. Here we are in June. The battle rages on.

[13:15:02]

Thank you so much, Melissa Bell, for your reporting.

More companies are calling employees back into the office. But that is costing workers much more than before. We're going to break down the numbers for you. Plus, what is up with all the flight cancellations lately? And are COVID tests for international travelers about to end? We will discuss.

And we know shipments of baby formula are coming into the country. But how soon will parents see the shelves fill back up? The administration is holding a key meeting next hour. We're on it.

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CABRERA: The pinch on your pocketbook stings a little bit more today.

AAA says the national law average for regular gasoline has hit a record high again, $4.67 a gallon. You can see prices jumped a nickel just since yesterday. They're up 48 cents just over the last month.

[13:20:12]

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen now addressing inflation with a stunning admission here on CNN. She said she was wrong when she said last year that inflation would not be a long-term threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I think I was wrong then about the path that inflation would take.

As I mentioned, there have been unanticipated and large shocks to the economy that have boosted energy and food prices and supply bottlenecks that have affected our economy badly that I didn't -- at the time didn't fully understand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And inflation looms large for the millions of Americans leaving behind remote work and heading back into the office. I know you are feeling it, probably, if you're among them.

CNN business correspondent Rahel Solomon is here to crunch some of the numbers for us.

Rahel, the new term here is lunchflation. And it is no joke.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is no joke. It is a real. Look, and you just talked about the cost of gas. Not only is it costing you more to get to work. It's costing you more to be at work. Let's start with the cost of lunch, right, this according to the latest CPI report.

The cost of dining out, 7.2 percent higher than last year, meaning that the cost of your salads will cost more. The cost of your coffee will cost more. And we're hearing from companies like Starbucks and Sweetgreen, not just them, but even more, who say that they are passing these cost hikes on to consumers. Oh, and by the way, some are saying that more could be on the way.

But even if you take a step back, before you get in your car to head to work, the cost of getting dressed in the morning, that is going up.

CABRERA: Yes, no more yoga pants and, like, sweatshirts. People have to look professional.

(CROSSTALK)

SOLOMON: Yes, that's frowned upon in the office, right?

So as you get back to stores to try to buy beautiful dresses like you're wearing today, that's costing you more. When you look at sort of the cost of raw material, by some estimates, going up 25 to 30 percent, which is why we're hearing from companies like Macy's that reported last week saying that, look, sales are stronger, partially because people are returning to shop for work clothes.

And when you take a look at child care, if you're a parent, of course, you have to find someone to take care of your young kiddo. That's costing you a lot more to. By some estimates, in 2020, it was closer to about $10,000 annually, 2022, $14,000. All of this on, Ana, and we haven't even talked about the cost of shelter going up. That's getting more expensive too.

This is why economists that I speak to, Diane Swonk, a prominent economist, says she's concerned, because, even though inflation impacts everyone, the people who can afford it least are the ones who are burned by inflation. It's becoming very expensive coming to work.

CABRERA: And it's compounding, as you just laid out there. Every aspect of it ends more expensive right now.

So that's one of the reasons a lot of people are fighting having to go back to work and they're saying, I can do my job from home. I have proved it over the last couple of years. Some companies, we're seeing, are saying you don't have a choice.

Elon Musk just came out drawing a hard line today.

SOLOMON: Yes, take a look at this e-mail reported by one blog that follows the company very closely.

Elon Musk reportedly telling his employees at Tesla, subject line, "Remote work is no longer acceptable," saying in part: "Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum,' emphasizing, "and I mean minimum, of 40 hours per week, or depart Tesla. This is less than we asked a factory workers, then sending in a follow up e-mail.

"To be super clear, make no mistake. If you don't show up, we will assume you have resigned."

So there are companies taking a very hard line in terms of being back in the office. We should say, however, that other companies, some of the banks, in fact, have sort of made similar requests in the past and have had to walk that back, because COVID obviously is still a major concern. And there are some estimates that show that the majority of workers

don't want to come back to the office full-time. So it is a real issue. When you think about the inflationary pressures that workers are dealing with, you can understand in part why.

CABRERA: And we know that employers are having to compete now for certain employees. And so they may have incentive to give them more flexibility.

SOLOMON: Exactly. It's a tight job market.

CABRERA: Thank you so much, Rahel, for that recording.

Turning now to the baby formula shortage that's still impacting so many people right now. Today, United Airlines became the first major carrier to fly formula to the U.S. from overseas for free. And in just about an hour, President Biden is set to meet with formula manufacturers to talk about ramping up domestic production and accelerating imports.

CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now.

Elizabeth, we're hearing about the shipments coming, but when will parents see that formula on store shelves?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it's going to be a while.

These shipments for the most part have not happened yet. And even the ones that have happened, we don't know if those products are on store shelves yet.

[13:25:03]

Let's sort of tick through, Ana, what these products are and where they're going. So, 38 000 cans of a Gerber Good Start product were sent to a major us retailer this past weekend. That's according to Nestle.

But we don't know if it's landed on shelves yet. We did notice that that product is on the Walmart Web site, and we saw it there available for purchase. Not clear how much there is, or if it's available all across the country.

Now, looking to the future, 1.25 million cans of Bubs Australia -- that's an infant formula -- will be heading to the U.S. starting next week. And two million cans of Kendamil -- that's the United Airlines shipment you were talking about -- will be coming from the U.K. also starting next week.

But that's in the future. And it needs to get here and then it needs to get distributed. This is a big country. None of these things happen very quickly. You mentioned the meeting with the White House with five executives from formula companies.

I spoke with one of them earlier today. She's Kristy Carr, and she's with Bubs Australia.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTY CARR, CEO, BUBS AUSTRALIA: Really, this is everybody's focus in everything that industry and government and the retailers are doing to pull all of these new initiatives together to assist American families during this crisis.

It's all about speed to market. That has been our sole focus to be able to sort of support American families during these difficult times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, while all of this is, of course, good, a couple of thoughts.

One, lots of questions about why other countries are having to help the U.S. feed our own babies, lots of questions about how that happened and how do we prevent that from happening again, and also lots of questions. This stuff gets shipped here, but it's been a week since the Nestle shipment and we're not hearing reports of it on store shelves.

We're hoping it appears there soon -- Ana.

CABRERA: Yes, thank you so much, Elizabeth Cohen.

And after tossing out the face masks, are COVID testing requirements the next to go? A major push from airlines -- right after this.

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