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Sources: Former WI Judge Killed in Plot Against Govt. Official; 9-Year-Old Texas School Shooting Victim Released from Hospital; Study: School Shooting Drills Increased Stress, Anxiety and Depression; Photographer Reveals Insight into U.S. Gun Culture; Jan. 6 Committee To Hold Public Hearings Thursday In Prime Time; South Korean Military: North Korea Fired Possible Ballistic Missile; U.K. Celebrates Queen Elizabeth's 70-Year Reign. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired June 04, 2022 - 20:00   ET

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


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[20:00:20]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST (voice-over): Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was on a hit list, along with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Another example of antigovernment grievances coming about with real violence attached to them. Someone ran out of Judge Roemer's home and called 911. That person reporting that someone had broken inside and fired off two rounds.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This does appear to be a targeted act. And the individual, the suspect appears to have had other targets as well. It appears to be related to the judicial system.

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BROWN: Students and teachers will not be returning to Robb Elementary.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The incident commander did not have radio communication and I don't know as to why.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is very hard to believe that with his own people on the ground right there, he could not get a more accurate account of what happened.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those rainfall totals have been staggering. Eleven inches Miami.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue used a high rescue vehicle to help people stuck in their homes and cars. (MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Everybody is here to celebrate the queen. It really is a momentous occasion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a party in London. It's going to be something people talk about for years to come.

BROWN (on camera): I am Pamela Brown, in Washington. You are in CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday.

Well authorities in Wisconsin -- authorities in Wisconsin have identified a suspect in what they're calling the targeted killing of a former judge.

The state Department of Justice says Douglas K. Uhde shot and killed Judge John Roemer Friday at Roemer's home. Uhde is also accused of making a hit list of high-level government officials.

CNN's Whitney Wild joins me now.

So what more do we know about this suspect?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: After looking through his court records, it appears that he has a pretty lengthy criminal history. Some of that includes a 2002 conviction for several charges, including firearms charges.

Part of those proceeding went in front of John Roemer, the man police say Douglas Uhde killed.

Sources tell CNN that the suspect had a list of targets. And officials say this was somehow -- again, they had believed that this was related to the justice system.

Police say it all began around 6:30 Friday morning when someone ran out of Judge's Roemer's home and called 911 saying there was someone armed inside, saying that that person had fired two shots.

Throughout the morning, police tried to negotiate with that suspect but negotiations broke down.

Around 10:15 a.m., Friday, tactical teams were finally able to get inside that home where they found the 68-year-old John Roemer dead. And Douglas Uhde, the 56-year-old suspect, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Federal officials had been warning for months about antigovernment sentiment and warning about this heightened threat environment.

So this case fits into this greater framework, Pamela, that we've been talking about where federal officials are very concerned that people will take these antigovernment grievances, use them as justification to commit acts of violence.

It is especially alarming because of what we see and what federal officials warned about is these antigovernment grievances against these soft targets.

So a person like Judge Roemer, who was highly visible but not someone who would necessarily have a lot of professional security around them, which makes them a soft target.

So this case certainly is alarming and one that law enforcement all across the country is watching.

BROWN: Absolutely, and for good reason.

Thank you so much, Whitney. We appreciate it.

And Wisconsin's governor and Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, were on a hit list. Police say the suspect, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitner office confirms, that she was also on that list.

Her office released this statement about the incident.

Quote, "Yesterday, our office was notified by law enforcement officials that Governor Whitmer's name appeared on the Wisconsin gunman's list. While the news reports are deeply troubling, we will not comment further on an ongoing criminal investigation."

"Governor Whitmer has demonstrated repeatedly that she is touch and she will not be bullied or intimidated from doing her job and working across the aisle to get things done for the people of Michigan."

CNN's national security, intelligence, and terrorism analyst, Juliette Kayyem, joined me earlier to talk about this case.

And she said, plain and simple, that the suspect had an assassination list. And that violence speaks to the larger issue of a threat environment in the U.S.

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JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: We know that law enforcement said that he's been a member or has been a member of militia, we also know he has an assassination list. I mean, it's as clear as that.

Which includes political and judicial figure. Some we know, like Governor Whitner, who admitted it. Others like this judge who most of us have never heard of before.

[20:05:00]

And the third piece, which is interesting, is that they are saying that it's related to a judicial proceeding.

We don't know what if that judicial proceeding involved the militia man or if it involved something more generic. He doesn't like some political case than came out of the judiciary and targeted the judge first.

So that is the specifics of this case. But the larger issue is that he was rightfully saying is that you have a threat environment that have been warning of this kind of behavior, that the extension of politics is now violent, right?

In other words, our inability to resolve politics in a way that it, obviously should resolve politics, is extending into violence.

And it's noteworthy that they are saying that he's part of a militia and that the list was political figures.

It doesn't get more obvious than that in terms of an assassination list.

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BROWN: Wisconsin's supreme court chief justice said Judge Roemer dedicated much of his career to public service and the law.

Before taking the bench in 2004, he had served as an assistant district attorney and as an assistant state public defender.

And now to Uvalde, Texas, where funerals are being held this weekend for three of the 19 fourth graders killed in this country's latest mass school shooting.

Amid this heartbreak comes welcome news from a San Antonio hospital that a 9-year-old little girl wounded in that attack has finally been sent home.

CNN's Nick Valencia is in Uvalde.

Nick, it's been 11 days since that shooting. What is the latest in that community?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The release of the 9-year-old is one of the only bright spots for this broken community.

We know at least two victims remain hospitalized, including the 66- year-old grandmother of the shooter, who he shot in the face before carrying out his attack.

And attack that we're getting insight into because of a "New York Times" report. They obtained a transcript of a 911 call from a frightened 10-yar-old, a fourth grader who was calling 911, begging for help.

I want to read part of this call, what she had to say:

"There is a lot of bodies. I don't want to die. My teacher is dead. My teacher is dead. Please send help. Send help for my teacher. She is shot but still alive."

A lot of remaining questions here are unanswered, including Peter Arredondo and what his explanation is for his inactions that day.

And according to "The Times," he didn't even have his radio on him that day, even though he was the incident commander. Now, we know it's not uncommon for police in these types of situations to occasionally use their cell phone.

But this is just yet another example for this community of the inaction and failure of that day of the police department that seems more, you know, concerned with covering for themselves than giving answers to this community that desperately deserves it -- Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Nick Valencia, thank you so much.

And with this latest school shooting, school districts across the country are against facing increased pressure to prepare for a possible active shooter.

Most do that through active shooters lockdown drills like this one in Missouri.

But there's little research that shows these drills work. Plus, a study by Every Town for Gun Safety and Georgia Tech finds the drills leave an increase in stress, anxiety and depression.

I want to discuss this with Peren Tiermann, at only age 15, and who has already experienced active shooter drills firsthand and now serves as a volunteer leader with Students Demand Action in Oregon.

Thanks so much for coming on.

So you're 15-years-old. How old were you when you took part in your first active shooter drill? And what was that experience like for you.

PEREN TIERMANN, OREGON VOLUNTEER LEADER, STUDENTS DEMAND ACTION: I'm actually 17 now.

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BROWN: Oh, sorry. Got your name wrong -- I mean, I got your age wrong.

TIERMANN: All good. And I -- the first active shooter drill that I recall is from elementary school, probably around third grade.

I remember that an announcement came over the loudspeaker there's an intruder in the building, locks, lights, out of sight.

BROWN: And what was that like? Like, what went through your mind? What was that like for you?

TIERMANN: I remember that our teacher went to the door immediately looking for people running through the halls, trying to find a safe classroom, trying the lock the door and tell us to be quiet, absolutely quiet, the quietest we'd ever been.

And that all of us were scared, huddled into the corner. And I know that we no longer have to go through such vivid simulations of these drills in my district, but it was very scary.

BROWN: Yes, I imagine so. More than 40 states right now require schools to conduct active shooter drills. Oregon, where you are, is one of them.

There was a 2020 study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office that found half of all school shootings were committed by current or former students.

Also meaning that the student will know how students and teachers will act and hide when a shooting occurs.

[20:10:00]

What is your reaction to that?

TIERMANN: Well, there is little proof that active shooter drills actually save lives. But we do know that they're traumatizing a generation. That's why people are taking to the streets to tall calling it for action instead of these lockdown drills.

We have asking that students walk out on Tuesday to call for action that actually protects us from lawmakers. And we ask that people join us by texting, walkout64433.

And ask your legislators, once again, don't look away. We need action that actually protects us instead of relying on active shooter drills to protect us from an instance that the student may already know.

BROWN: I am curious what you say to -- I interviewed someone earlier on the show who did a lot of research on active shooter drills and is a proponent of them because he argues that this is just the reality that students live in now, sadly, in America.

That the reality is that school shootings happen. And they happen more frequently than they should.

What do you say to the argument that you might as well prepare for something that could happen, even if it is a long shot, which could happen? And that, you know, at least in the short term, right?

I understand you want longer-term solutions, but in the short term?

TIERMANN: It may be a reality but that doesn't mean that our active shooter drills needs to be traumatizing for students. We can ensure our students know it is, in fact, a drill.

We can ensure that we have notice and we have adequate mental health support onsite for students and teachers who have to perform these active shooter drills. And making sure that they are developmentally appropriate.

And that's what I've been advocating for in my community to make sure that our drills are trauma informed.

BROWN: Explain that a little bit more, the difference between the active shooter drills and trauma informed active shooter drills. TIERMANN: Yes. So when I was younger, we used to huddle in the corner.

We didn't know whether there actually was an intruder in the building or if it's a drill. But now we are asking that our principle let students know.

We talked to our administration regularly about when drills may happen. And we're prepared to go through the drills just as a drill in the event there could be an intruder of some wind.

And know that we'll be safe as long as we lock the door and sit quietly, rather than huddling in a corner, afraid for our lives.

BROWN: All right Peren, thank you very much for joining the show. 17- year-old Peren Tiermann, thank you.

TIERMANN: Thank you.

BROWN: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. And still ahead, I am going to speak to a viral photographer who spent years documenting America's gun control.

And meantime, Miami-Dade County telling beach goers to stay out of the water after a sewage plant overflowed.

And fighter jet thriller "Maverick" still bringing in the big bucks at the box office.

We'll be right back. Stay with us.

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[20:17:17]

BROWN: Miamcyi's late-night party scene was interrupted by a tropical weather system. One person in a stranded car jumped through the sunroof into the waist-deep water. About 100 vehicles were stranded overnight after nearly a foot of rain fell in 24 hours.

And check out this flooded Miami Dade County neighborhood. The mayor said people there are safe but added this is a warning ahead of a busy hurricane season. And the nasty weather is impacting the area's famous beaches. Tonight, Miami Dade County issued a no swim advisory after a waste water treatment facility overflowed. Beaches will reopen when there's two days of clear testing.

And turning now to the investigation into the January 6 Capitol Attack. Former Trump White House Adviser, Peter Navarro, says he wants to represent himself after a federal grand jury indicted him for contempt of Congress. Navarro railed in court against what he called the hardball tactics of his arrest yesterday and their report (ph). And it came on the day of a possible setback from the House committee investigating the insurrection.

CNN Crime and Justice Reporter, Katelyn Polantz, joins me now. So Navarro was facing charges for his refusal to cooperate. What do we know about that? KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well right now, Pam, Congress is two for four, so they're having a half success rate in holding people in contempt of Congress successfully. So Peter Navarro is one of two people who has been indicted for refusing to turn over documents to the select committee or refusing to testify. Congress has asked for two other people to be prosecuted: Dan Scavino and Mark Meadows. Those are closer advisers to the president than Navarro and Steve Bannon, the other person prosecuted.

The Justice Department this past week said that they are not going to be prosecuting Scavino and Meadows from the White House, but Navarro has been out there talking about what he knew of Trump world around the election, this effort to overturn the election. He even called it something called the Green Bay Sweep.

And so, the Justice Department is wrapping up these criminal contempt referrals with the House that the House had sent to them right before the House heads into public testimony, and Navarro now is in court facing charges just like Bannon.

BROWN: All right. Katelyn Polantz, thanks for bringing us the latest on this. We appreciate it.

Well there are more guns than people in the United States. One photographer has a fascinating look into America's gun culture. What he learned travelling the country and taking pictures of people with their guns. He joins me live up next.

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BROWN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. Taking a live look here at our nation's capital. 79 degrees. It's been a beautiful day here so far. 8:24 p.m. Eastern Time. All right, we're going to turn first to this 2017 study that found there are 393 million privately owned guns in the United States. That's 120 guns for every 100 Americans, and the majority of these guns are actually owned by a minority of people. So who are these collectors, and why do they have so many?

Italian photographer, Gabriele Galimberti, travelled the U.S. taking pictures of Americans with their weapons, and he published a book called "The Ameriguns." His photos provide insight into American gun culture and how engrained these weapons are in our society. Gabriele joins me now. Thanks so much for coming on the show. So what was your inspiration for this project? [20:25:00]

GABRIELE GALIMBERTI, "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC" PHOTOGRAPHER & AUTHOR: You know, actually it was mostly by curiousioty when I started this project. I was three years ago working for "National Geographic" on a completely different story. I was photographing collector of dinosaurs.

But one day, I had a few hours off and I decided to went inside a gunshot just out of curiosity. Because I have been traveling in the U.S. for more than 15 years now. But I simply realized that I never went in a gun shop, even when there's so many around the country.

Going inside, I basically discovered a world that I was not imagining because I was thinking that they would sell simply guns. But they were selling machine guns and rifles and bazookas.

So I started speaking with a client, one of the customers, and I asked him if he was buying his first gun. And he said, of course not, I have more than 60.

I immediately said, "Can I take a picture of your guns." And that was the first picture that I took for the project.

And basically, it was to understand about a topic that's probably a lot in the news, especially recently. It is something I didn't know anything about. And so I simply decided to discover a bit more about this topic.

BROWN: So tell us a little bit more about what surprised you most when working on this project? You meet so many different people

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BROWN: -- from different backgrounds.

GALIMBERTI: Yes, I think the thing that surprised me the most are numbers. Even if I photograph people, but I feel like I basically photograph numbers.

My photos are a bit like infographic. Because as you were telling, in the U.S., there are more guns than people.

There are more than 400 million guns registered. And the owners are a bit more than 90 million people. So the numbers are telling that these people are a lot more than one.

And, you now, my passion has always been to photograph people at home with the things they like to have. So I made a project on children and toys and foods and medicines.

And this time, I said I want for focus on this relationship that Americans have with guns. And so, yes, I decided to photograph these numbers basically.

BROWN: I want to pull up a couple of photos. We have been showing some of them. I want you to explain about them to our viewers.

I want to first start with this one. It was your idea to line up this person's guns in the shape of the United States.

What more did you learn from the people you spoke to about their connections between guns and American patriotism?

Because you are coming at this uniquely, because you are Italian. I know you are in Italy right now. You presumably live there. Obviously, different culture.

So tell us a little bit more about what you learned through the connect of guns and American patriotism?

GALIMBERTI: Yes, what I learned is basically I think that the relationship that I photographed is basically a love relationship. That's something that I said often in the interviews.

Because the people that I met ,and especially in the past few days, I gave a lot of interviews. People are trying to make me say bad thing about the subject that I photographed.

But I can't say anything bad about them. They are normal people. They love guns. And they have many guns because they can buy guns.

And so I learned it is not really a matter of weird people having many guns. It is really a cultural thing that many Americans have these -- I think it is really a love relationship with guns.

BROWN: What do the guns represent to some of the people that you met?

GALIMBERTI: Yes, there are many things that it represents. Of course, the first feeling that I have towards guns is to have something that can protect them. So it's self-protection.

But It is also an object that can be used for fun. It is objects that they can use because they are stylish and they want to have these guns bus they are cool.

[20:29:57]

And they work for the gun industry having, you know, profiles on Instagram where they promote uses of guns every day. And so the feelings and the reasons why they want to have guns are many. It's not only one. I mean, at least this is what I learned meeting 45 people, so I basically photographed, you know, 45 people, so I cannot speak for everyone. I can just tell you what I learned from the ones that opened the door to me.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Yes, this is so fascinating. And that's why I wanted to have you on just to learn a little bit more about your work and the stories behind these pictures, these photographs that you took. Gabriele, thank you so much.

GALIMBERTI: Thank you very much.

BROWN: All of the photos and more can be seen in Gabriele's book, "The Ameriguns."

Well, the Capitol insurrection investigation is going primetime just days from now the January 6 committee will hold public hearings. Congressman David Cicilline joins me next to discuss the big promises some committee members are making about the hearings.

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[20:35:46]

BROWN: Well, we could learn a whole lot more about the links former President Donald Trump was willing to go to stay in power. The House Committee investigating the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot will take its first public hearings and nearly a year to primetime this coming Thursday. And committee members are making some big promises about what to expect.

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REP. JAMES RASKIN (D-MD): I believe that the evidence is so overwhelming of his central role in these events that everybody will understand. They decided to mobilize that extraordinary and coercive campaign against Mike Pence and then to incite a violent insurrection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Joining me now is Democratic Congressman David Cicilline. He was one of the managers during Trump's second impeachment trial, which was a result of the insurrection. Congressman, thanks for coming on. Do you actually think we're going to learn anything new from these hearings? Or are they just for show?

REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D-RI): No, no. Look, I think the January 6 Committee has been doing really important work. They have been at this investigation for about a year. This has been a bipartisan and very thorough investigation. And they have collected a lot of evidence. They've interviewed or deposed over a thousand witnesses. They've collected over 135,000 documents. So they've collected a lot of evidence.

And I think what they will do beginning on Thursday is begin to present to the American people, all of the facts and circumstances surrounding an effort to keep Donald Trump in office, although he lost the election, overturn the will of the electors, and I think put to rest this notion of remembering the very beginning, people said, oh, these folks just got excited.

I think what we're going to learn is that this was planned and finance and executed by the former president and his top aides, people at the highest levels of his administration. And I think the American people are going to pay very close attention, and insist that we do everything we can to make certain this never happens again in the United States of America.

BROWN: Will there be new evidence to support that bold proclamation that you just made? Will we actually see new evidence laid out?

CICILLINE: Well, I mean, we I think we will see evidence. The committee has -- you know, there has been a number of reports already about some of the text messages and other communications between members of the Trump administration that I think are very damning, that was evidence that was not available during the impeachment trial.

So there will be, I think, substantial evidence that really demonstrates the coordination and the planning and the effort, despite the fact that they understood that Donald Trump lost the election. And even once the insurrection began, and the violence began, there was there were ongoing efforts to persuade the former president to stop the violence and call on folks to go home, and he refused to do it.

So I think this is going to be a very important presentation. You know, this is our democracy. This was the greatest assault on American democracy in my lifetime. The world is watching to see how we respond to this. And we have to make certain that every single person who is involved in this in any way is fully accountable.

No one in the United States is above the law, and that includes the former president. So this process is very important. And I think the American people are going to learn as facts about the planning and execution of this that will be very disturbing.

BROWN: Speaking of the law, we learned yesterday that the DOJ will not charge former White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, or Trump aide, Dan Scavino, with contempt of Congress for evading the committee. Even though another Trump aide, Peter Navarro, was indicted. What do you think about this? Do you still have confidence in Attorney General Merrick Garland to handle this the way you think it should be handled?

CICILLINE: Yes, I mean, this is the second witness who has refused to comply with a subpoena, who has now been indicted by a federal grand jury. It's not clear to me why the other two individuals were not indicted. I don't know the facts and circumstances of what determination was made or how it was made, so it's a little puzzling.

[20:40:03]

But I have confidence that the Attorney General, when the referral is made, the Department of Justice will make judgments that they think are appropriate based on all the facts and circumstances. We have an Attorney General now who's leading the department independently the way it's supposed to be run. And he's not behaving like he's a lawyer for the president of the United States, but for the American people, so that's gratifying.

But I think it's very important that it'd be very clear that if you are served with a subpoena to produce documents or appear before Congress, you are required to comply. And if we don't have the ability to compel attendance of witnesses or production of documents, we will not have the ability to do the oversight that the Constitution requires us to do. So this is an important victory for the rule of law and for congressional oversight.

BROWN: All right. I want to switch topics now and turn to gun safety. We know that you have been a key part of the group pushing for gun control legislation through Congress. There has been talk of Republicans being unusually open to compromise on this issue. Have you found that to be true? And what do you realistically hope to see come from this current push on Capitol Hill?

CICILLINE: Well, I'm -- sad to say that the hearing we had last week, which we marked up protecting America's kids act, which includes a ban on high-capacity magazines, ban on ghost guns, requirements for safe storage, and a number of other important provisions to reduce gun violence in this country. We not only didn't receive a single Republican vote, but throughout the hearing, they demonstrated that they were unwilling in any way to entertain any responsible gun safety measures. So I'm disappointed. I will pass that in the -- in the House. I don't know that we'll get any Republicans but we have a gun violence epidemic in this country. We have got to do something. And we have two bills that are already in the Senate to strengthen criminal background checks that we passed a long time ago, and to close the Charleston Loophole. So someone who hasn't gotten their background check back can't buy a gun, just because three days have gone by.

And those bills ought to be passed and sent to the president's desk immediately. They're supported by 90 percent of the American people. These are wildly popular. We're also going to send the bill we passed out of committee to the floor over to the Senate. And I hope they will take up our legislation.

But, you know, you look at the carnage we are seeing. We've had over 27 school shootings this year alone, over 200 mass shootings. The stories are so heartbreaking. Kids are afraid to go to school because they're afraid they're not going to remain alive. And we have got to take action. And I'm begging my Republican colleagues to join us in this effort, stand up to the gun lobby, and do something to protect the American people from this gun violence.

BROWN: And as you know, there -- the big gap is the solution to this, the approach to take to make kids safer in school, to make people safer when they go to the grocery store, that gap is still very much there.

I want to point out, you mentioned in the hearing, you had this fiery moment during this congressional debate on gun control this week, when one of your Republican colleagues argued that federal red flag laws are unconstitutional. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CICILLINE: You know, didn't have due process, you know, didn't have their constitutional right to life respected. The kids at Parkland, and Sandy Hook, and Uvalde, and Buffalo, and the list goes on and on. So spare me the (BLEEP) about constitutional right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Obviously an emotional moment there when you think about these little kids being killed. But do you see the point that determining when someone is unstable enough to lose a constitutional right is a tough job for the federal government to undertake?

CICILLINE: Yes. No, I don't see the point at all. A red flag laws require a judicial proceeding. So there's a judge that will make a determination based on evidence that's presented under oath. And if that judicial officer determines that a person is a danger to themselves or danger to others, such that they shouldn't have a firearm, they'll make a determination and that person has the ability to contest it. That is a very reasonable restriction. They were arguing that no matter how dangerous you are, no matter how mentally ill you might be, no matter how much you've expressed an intention to slaughter someone that you should have unfettered access to a gun, you should be able to go to a gun store and buy any gun you want. That's insanity.

And so red flag laws work. They just say, if you are a danger to yourself or others, there's a temporary pause with due process that prevents you from buying a gun. That will save lives. And the former president, that bill was introduced by Lindsey Graham and the United States Senate, it was bipartisan. This is supported by over 85 percent of the American people and our colleagues wouldn't even concede that keeping guns out of the hands of people who are dangerous, either to themselves or others was reasonable.

And, you know, they're talking about the constitutional rights and the Second Amendment, they never mentioned the children who have been slaughtered and the innocent people have been killed who are deprived of all their rights, their rights to life, liberty, habitus, who had no due process, they were just killed. And there was never a mention of that and no constitutional right is absolute. Even the First Amendment isn't. You can't yell fire in a crowded theater.

[20:45:22]

So this claim that you -- that the Second Amendment is absolute, and you can't have any restrictions. It's just not true. The Supreme Court has said so in the Heller decision. So these are members of Congress that are standing up for the gun lobby and mimicking the arguments of the gun lobby and refusing to protect their own constituents by passing common sense gun safety legislation.

BROWN: That is true about no constitutional amendment is absolute for enforcement has several exceptions to free speech. Congressman David Cicilline, thank you.

CICILLINE: Thanks for having me.

BROWN: Well, just in to CNN. South Korea's military claims North Korea has fired what could be a ballistic missile. Japan's government also reported that Pyongyang launched possible ballistic missiles. It's the regime's 17th missile launch of the year.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now from -- by the phone from Seoul, South Korea. So what have you learned, Paula?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, we're still getting information in from authorities. At this point, it is believed to be a possible ballistic missile, according to Japan's Prime Minister's Office. Now, of course, this is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions to use this kind of technology.

But you mentioned, Pamela. This is the 17th launch that we have seen this year alone. It just shows how intense North Korea is this year, in particular to try and improve its weapons capabilities. Now the previous launch was just as the U.S. President Joe Biden's took off from Seoul and Tokyo. He was in the region and shortly after he left, there were then three missiles launched by North Korea, one of them according to U.S. officials and South Korea, presumed to be an ICBM at intercontinental ballistic missile.

So what we've been seeing from Pyongyang in recent months is a number of these tests have actually seem to be failing. Now, of course, what that means is that they are trying potentially new technology. They are trying to accomplish new things when it comes to their missile or weapons capability. And of course, that is of great concern to many of the officials, both here in the region and also in Washington.

We have heard also from many officials that North Korea, at this point, is showing absolutely no interest in any kind of dialogue, any kind of engagement with South Korea and the United States. It is just intent on its weapons program. And Kim Jong-un himself, the leader, just last year in January 2011, pointed out what he wanted to do over the next five years, his wish list if you were. Pamela.

All right. Paula Hancocks. Thank you. We'll be right back.

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[20:50:29]

BROWN: Well, there is one more day left in Queen Elizabeth's four-day Platinum Jubilee. It is a celebration of her historic 70 years on the throne. CNN's Max Foster reports from Buckingham Palace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a mesmerizing evening of music and displays and speeches, most poignantly from the Queen's son and heir, Prince Charles.

CHARLES, PRICE OF WALES: Your Majesty, mommy. Your family now stands four generations. You are head of state and you are also a mother. My Papa would have enjoyed the show and joined us wholeheartedly in celebrating all you continue to do for your country and your people.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

So if we cheer loudly enough, she might just hear us. So let's all join together.

(CHEERS)

FOSTER: The Queen watched on TV at home in Windsor unable to get here because of the discomfort she felt on Thursday, but she did make a brief appearance with Paddington Bear.

PADDINGTON BEAR: Perhaps, he would like a marmalade sandwich. I always keep one for emergencies.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II, QUEEN OF UNITED KINGDOM: So do I. I keep mine in here for later.

(MUSIC)

FOSTER: Prince Harry and Megan were absent after celebrating their daughter Lilibet's first birthday at home at a U.K. Home in Windsor.

CHARLES: You pledged to serve your whole life. You continue to deliver. That is why we are here. That is what we celebrate tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's brilliant, absolutely fantastic. It's just non-stop fun and joy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got quite emotional when Charles was speaking. It was really -- it's really nice.

[20:55:03]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terrific. Once in a lifetime. Once in a lifetime, beautiful.

FOSTER: The royal family will be back here at Buckingham Palace on Sunday for the final day of Jubilee celebrations. There's due to be a pageant, street parties up and down the U.K., depending on the weather. Hopes are also high for another balcony appearance from the queen, but they're taking it one day at a time, so we'll have to wait to see whether we see her again.

Max Foster, CNN Buckingham Palace, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Long live the Queen. Well, Top Gun sequel, Maverick, is barely losing any cruising altitude during its second weekend. The blockbuster is expected to make another $85 million by the end of today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, aviators. This is your captain speaking.

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BROWN: Maverick dropped only 33 percent from its opening weekend, a huge win compared to other hits like Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness which dropped 67 percent at second weekend.

Well, Major League Baseball should take some pointers from this little leaguer. Look at 3-year-old, Jasper Myers, rolling into home base in an intense T-ball game. This video went viral Jasper's mother yelling for him to run, but he has his own strategy. After a few somersaults, Jasper crosses home plate and still manages to score.

This unique base running out to steam advance to the championships where they finished second, oh, my gosh that mother. Jasper's mother says she never knows what to expect out of them. As a mom of a 3-year- old, I totally get that.

Well, thank you so much for joining me this evening. I'm Pamela Brown and I'll see you again tomorrow night starting at 6:00 Eastern.

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