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Today Marks 100 Days Since Russian Invasion; "Missing: Madeleine McCann" Premieres Tonight at 10 PM ET; AAA: U.S. Hits Record National Average of $4.76/Gallon; Queen Misses Thanksgiving Service After Experiencing "Discomfort". Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired June 03, 2022 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[14:33:09]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Today marks 100 days since Russia began its war in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told lawmakers that 20 percent of Ukrainian territory is under Russian control right now and he says the Donbass region is almost entirely destroyed.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: CNN's senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, is live in Kyiv.
Ben, this new U.K. intel assessment warns that Russia is likely to control all of the Luhansk region in two weeks. Are Ukrainian forces making advancements other places?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, if you see around the area of Kharkiv, in the northeast of the country, they have been able to push Russian forces back. And also, in Kherson, in the southern part of the country, they have made advances as well.
But what we're seeing is clearly the Russians have prioritized the Donbass region and are using their advantage in terms of numerical advantage with artillery to really pound those areas to smithereens.
I was in that area, Severodonetsk, back in April. And back then, they were pounding that city. And it has just intensified since then.
However, this British intelligence assessment -- let's keep in mind that Western intelligence agencies were wrong when it came to their assessment of Ukraine's ability to fight the Russians.
They expected that the Russians might take this city, Kyiv, which is nice and peaceful at the moment, within days, and the entire country within weeks.
But what we've seen is that the Ukrainian forces have been able to inflict severe damage on Russian forces. And it would be premature to predict that they could lose Luhansk area as British intelligence is saying.
[14:35:08] CAMEROTA: OK, Ben Wedeman, thank you very much. It does look peaceful there, which, of course, is misleading.
BLACKWELL: Gas prices are soaring across the country, with one part of the country seeing prices above $8.00 a gallon. We'll ask an expert if we've peaked now or if it's bound to get worse.
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CAMEROTA: Well, gas prices continue to soar across the country. Several states are seeing averages higher than $5 a gallon.
BLACKWELL: According to AAA, the national average is $4.76. That's up more than 50 cents in one month.
Joining us is the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, Patrick De Haan.
Patrick, welcome back.
We need a buddy, with gas as high as it is now.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: What is the projection? I saw you tweeting about how soon it could reach $5 a gallon.
PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Yes, that's right, Victor. I think it's just a couple of weeks away at this point. We had a little bit of calm before the storm. The week ahead of Memorial Day, things slowed down greatly. But they have gotten right back to it.
Prices have accelerated this week. Average gas prices across the country up 18 cents a gallon from last week alone. So we're back to fast and furious.
[14:40:03]
The average now nationally, $4.79 a gallon, so only 21 cents from that $5.00 mark.
CAMEROTA: And, Patrick, given these prices, would you have expected to see drivers change their behavior and scale back on driving, or is that unrealistic?
DE HAAN: Well, Alisyn, I think we're in a very charged environment right now with the economy. The jobs market is very hot. We got another great reading on that. Unemployment numbers are improving. Wages are up.
We're at a point where Americans don't really have to worry about losing a job. And if they do, they can go out and get another one tomorrow.
So where that comes into play with gas prices is it gives incredible confidence to motorists to hit the road, that they can be able to weather the high prices.
Not only that, but, of course, last summer and the summer of 2020, we were affected by COVID with a lot of shutdowns. This summer many things, basically everything has reopened.
So Americans really don't want to lose time again this summer. And gas prices are not entering too much into the equation. Americans are going to go.
BLACKWELL: I think most people understand why the gas prices fluctuate from state to state. But within a city you'll see a disparity of prices. Why is that? At some stations, you'll see around $8 and around $7 in another.
DE HAAN: There can be a lot of reasons. When it comes to high prices, Victor, sometimes I think the high prices are just for P.R.
Now some station owners have said, hey, we're in a rural area and we have a captive audience, we're going to just charge more. Some say it's hard to do business.
But a lot of that, too, could be the volatility in the price of fuel. Yesterday, the wholesale price went up another 15 cents a gallon.
Stations, on average, buy their fuel every two to four days. So that can create an incredible difference between the stations and what stations are paying themselves and that can be reflected at the pump as well.
CAMEROTA: Patrick, in the past, we've talked about some things that drivers could do to save money. I know you've suggested they could slow down. If drivers started going at 55 instead of 65, how much would they save?
DE HAAN: Alisyn, it depends on the vehicle, make and model. But there's a lot to be said there.
Now, it's really hard to do. I tried to do it myself, especially when everyone is zooming by you on their way to the lake for the weekend. But it can save you 20 percent, maybe more than that depending on your vehicle.
Now, I tried to do it myself. Like I said, it's not easy to do. But my fuel efficiency went from 27 to 37 miles a gallon. That's the effective savings of 70 cents a gallon with gas prices being so high.
CAMEROTA: That's really interesting.
BLACKWELL: I was just about to tease you, but I guess it makes sense. It makes sense.
(LAUGHTER)
DE HAAN: It can really add up.
CAMEROTA: It does feel like you're crawling, though, on the highway. BLACKWELL: Yes, it does. It just takes some restraint.
Last one for you here, Patrick. We've had Robert Reich, former labor secretary, and members of Congress, who say that some of the gas price surges is actually oil company gouging.
Is it? Fact check that for us.
DE HAAN: Well, it's like the housing market, right? Your home that you've owned for years is suddenly worth 35 percent, 50 percent more than a year ago. Nothing is different. It's all about the market conditions.
Are you a gouger if you're selling your house at the market price? You're just doing what it is. We live in a capitalist society.
Now, oil companies are profiting, absolutely. But they don't get to set the price. A lot of that is determined by supply and demand. And of course, Americans are still filling up at these high prices.
So I wouldn't say it's gouging, but oil companies certainly do better when prices are higher. But that will incentivize an additional amount of production in the months ahead.
BLACKWELL: Patrick De Haan, with GasBuddy, always good to have you, sir. Thank you.
DE HAAN: Thanks for having me.
[14:43:54]
CAMEROTA: So Queen Elizabeth will again sit out tomorrow's Platinum Jubilee event. But other members of the royal family, including Prince Harry and Meghan, are taking part in the festivities. We'll tell you how they're being received next.
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[14:48:48]
BLACKWELL: It's been 15 years since Madeleine McCann mysteriously disappeared while on vacation with her family in Portugal. Now, new evidence and a prime suspect has emerged.
CAMEROTA: CNN's Randi Kaye has followed this case for years. And she's traveled to Germany to speak to the prosecutor who made the break in the case.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR & CNN CORRESPONDENT: What makes you so certain that Madeleine McCann is dead?
HANS CHRISTIAN WOLTERS, GERMAN PROSECUTOR: We have some evidence for this. We have no forensic evidence but we have other evidence, but I'm not allowed to speak about this in detail at the moment. KAYE: You wouldn't come out and say that Madeleine McCann was dead if
you thought there was a chance that she wasn't, correct?
CHRISTIAN WOLTERS: Yes.
KAYE: So to be clear, the formal suspect in Madeleine McCann's case is a convicted rapist and a known pedophile?
CHRISTIAN WOLTERS: Yes.
KAYE (voice-over): Shockingly, authorities received their first tip on Bruckner back in 2013, but as a witness in the McCann case; not a suspect.
He allegedly lied and told authorities he wasn't in Portugal at the time of the disappearance.
MARK T. HOFMANN, CRIME ANALYST This may have been the biggest mistake in this case. In the letter inviting him for this kind of interview, they explained to him that this was about the Maddie McCann case.
[14:50:01]
And if he's guilty, this gave him all the time in the world to destroy evidence.
KAYE (on camera): When you have this man, who was living about a mile away from the Ocean Club, he has a clear criminal record, why did it take so long?
HOFMANN: Well, that's one of the big questions in this case. Christian B. was hiding in plain sight. So he lived next to the place and he was a known child molester. It should have been possible to identify him earlier.
KAYE (voice-over): Two years after German authorities went public, Bruckner still has not been formally charged. And he denies any involvement in the McCann case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: And Randi Kaye joins us now.
Randi, explain this. So if investigators have him as a suspect, why hasn't he been charged yet? What are they waiting for?
KAYE: They are still waiting, Alisyn, for this very key piece of evidence. What they can tell me now -- we went to Germany. We spoke with the prosecutor.
He told me that they have evidence, cell phone evidence that puts Christian Bruckner's cell phone in the area of the Ocean Club the night Madeleine McCann disappeared in that area. Not at the Ocean Club specifically but in that area.
Now they want to know if Christian Bruckner was there with his cell phone. Of course, it would make sense that he was the one who was in possession of the cell phone.
But they need to talk to the person who called that cell phone. They are looking for that key witness at that time.
And that person would be the only one who could say, I called Christian Bruckner's cell phone, he's the one who answered it, and place him in the area of the Ocean Club when Madeleine McCann disappeared.
They have not found that witness yet. That witness has not come forward yet. And that is what they need to make this charge.
Now, in Germany, there's no statute of limitations for a homicide. They have a lot of time, all the time in the world to charge Christian Bruckner. But of course, they want to get this done as quickly as they can.
BLACKWELL: Fifteen years later, how are her parents doing?
KAYE: Well, Victor, we actually went to the McCann's hometown in Rothley in Leicestershire in the United Kingdom. And they had held a vigil with friends and family in the village square on the 15th anniversary.
And you may recall, they were suspects originally. They were cleared in 2008. But they have really gone silent over the years. They direct people to the findMadeleine.com. Web site or to their Facebook page to communicate their messages.
But of course, they're very thankful that the police in Portugal and Germany and the U.K. are still working on this. And they still hope that people will come forward.
They haven't given up hope that Madeleine may still be found, despite what the prosecutor is saying about her being dead.
CAMEROTA: God, it's just so devastating and the lack of knowing what happened.
Randi Kaye, thank you very much for that reporting.
And everybody should tune in tonight. "MISSING, MADELEINE MCCANN," airs tonight, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
BLACKWELL: We just learned that the survivors and victims, the families of the victims, I should say, of the recent shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde will testify on Capitol Hill next week.
And one teacher in the Robb Elementary School wants information from the manufacturer of the gun the shooter used. We have details ahead.
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[14:57:53]
CAMEROTA: Celebrations for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee continue today. The queen herself did not attend the service after experiencing discomfort at yesterday's events.
But Prince Harry and Meghan, the duchess of Sussex, did. And their attendance was met with mixed reactions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERING)
(BOOING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Hard to really know what that din is, but it sounded like there was cheering and some boos.
It was their first public appearance in the country in more than two years.
BLACKWELL: CNN anchor and royal correspondent, Max Foster, is in London.
Max, we've just learned that the queen will not attend an event tomorrow. What do you know about that?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR & CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't think, quite frankly, we're going to see her at all. I mean, that's the impression I'm getting, not seeing her at all tomorrow.
She was scheduled to go to the races up at Epson. She's an avid race goer. And this was really something that she desperately wanted to do.
And I know that from people I have spoken who are in direct contact with her in that racing world. She wanted to go. She's not going to go to that. She's going to watch that on tv instead.
And I don't think she's going to come to the concert here at Buckingham Palace either tomorrow night because just to get back up to London from Windsor and she has to sit through the concert, which is long.
I think she's decided she has got to be realistic about what she can achieve.
I don't think there are huge concerns about her state of health. I think they're just being very careful about a 96-year-old who probably overexerted herself on the first day of the jubilee celebrations yesterday.
I also know that she's watching TV from Windsor for the service today. It was thanksgiving service to her, and it was a tribute, really, to her public service. Lots of public servants there at the service, but also key roles as well.
The headline ahead of that was obviously the arrival of the duke and duchess of Sussex. We haven't seen them together as a couple at a royal event since they resigned their royal roles. We saw them walking down the long aisle to their seats. We didn't see
them, in fact, with any senior royals.
[14:59:58]
But it was interesting to see them back in the royal fold. I think they do respect the queen. They wanted to be there for her.
Wait to see whether or not they manage to heal the rifts thought with Prince William, and Prince Charles, which is where the tensions are there.
