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At Least Eight U.S. Mass Shootings Since Friday Night; Mass Shooting In Philadelphia Left Three Dead, 11 Injured; Targeted Attack Against A Former Wisconsin Judge; Uvalde Officials Avoiding Questions About School Massacre; Interview With Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) About The January 6th Hearings And Gun Safety Legislation; Russian Troops Push To Gain Full Control Of Donbas Region; Summer Vacationers Can't Escape Rising Inflation. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 05, 2022 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:23]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. The soft stories for you on this Sunday. Another violent and deadly weekend in America. At least eight mass shootings just since Friday night from small towns to big cities. Plus the investigation goes primetime as the January 6th Select Committee prepares to make its case to the American people. Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler is joining me coming up on the show. And Vladimir Putin with a few warning out for the United States if it gives Ukraine long range missiles.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, as the U.S. grapples with big issues that impact everyone, gas prices, the economy and the pandemic, gun violence continues unabated. It is a problem that is uniquely American.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): As one community buries 19 children after the horrific massacre in Uvalde, Texas, in the last few hours and days, more killings. The numbers are staggering. At least eight mass shootings since Friday and according to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 240 mass shootings this year.

Sunday morning in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

MAYOR TIM KELLY, CHATTANOOGA TENNESSEE: I'm tired standing in front of you talking about guns and bodies.

BROWN: Three people killed in and at least 17 others injured near a downtown nightclub. Police say some victims hit by bullets and others by fleeing cars.

KELLY: There are families whose lives have been shattered forever because once again we had people deciding to resolve their issues with violence.

BROWN: Another overnight shooting at a bar. This one out west. Two people dead and two more injured in Mesa, Arizona. Saturday night at least three people were killed and 11 others injured after a shooting in Philadelphia. Police say several active shooters fired into a crowd.

COMMISSIONER DANIELLE OUTLAW, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: We're absolutely devastated. Devastated by this incident. And we mourn the lives lost and the dozens and dozens of lives affected by this tragedy.

BROWN: A drive-by shooting at a graduation party in South Carolina left one woman dead and seven people injured, including a child. Police said they recovered roughly 60 shell casings from the scene so far. And there's more. A strip mall shooting early Saturday morning left one person dead. Phoenix police said the victim is a 14-year-old girl.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A group of people just started running like every different direction and I, myself, was like hiding behind cars because the shots kept getting closer and closer.

BROWN: And in small town, Wisconsin, a former judge targeted at his home and fatally shot. Authorities say the suspect had a hit list of high-level government officials. All of this as the nation waits for Washington to do something about this uniquely American epidemic.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For God's sake, how much more carnage are we willing to accept? How many more innocent American lives must be taken before we say enough? Enough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And CNN has resources across the globe. But these mass shootings are coming so frequently, it's hard to cover all of them. Something even Congressman Ted Deutch notices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TED DEUTCH (D-FL): Can we just take a step back for a second and acknowledge that there literally are not enough CNN reporters and production crews to go to every place in America that had a shooting over the weekend. That's where we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Yes. That's a fact. Our reporters are spread out nationwide. Polo Sandoval starts us off in Philadelphia.

So, Polo, look, a big shooting there in Philadelphia. City officials had some strong reactions. What did they say?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There really is a sense of normalcy that's been restored here in Philadelphia's South Street neighborhood, Pamela. This is an entertainment district. They would typically be bustling with activity on a Saturday night. And that's exactly what was happening last night when this shootout broke out.

We heard from police basically describing what led up to that shootout. They claimed the lives of three people and left 11 people wounded. We understand this was an altercation between several individuals and from one moment to another, then those shots rang out. Philadelphia PD, at least two uniformed officers that were actually on patrol here last night, were able respond not only to care for the wounded but also even engaged that actual suspect.

[18:05:00]

Police believe that they wounded him. That caused him to drop that pistol and then he fled, so investigators at this hour are still trying to track him down. They've already recovered two what they believe to be five firearms used in that shooting. And now three people are dead. Two men, one woman and 11 people wounded. Their ages ranging from 17 to 69. The police commissioner saying that many of them were simply innocent bystanders in all of this also.

But what I heard today when the police commissioner was speaking was certainly a certain level lot of frustration as Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw fears that the rates of these kinds of shootings is expected to potentially match the record that the city saw last year or even exceeded it. And that is something that the top cop in the city describes as unacceptable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OUTLAW: These incidents have an exponential effect on our community. And it not only impacts individual that's been directly victimized but it victimizes their loved ones, their families and their neighbors, neighborhoods all over the world.

It's unacceptable. It's beyond unacceptable. And we're still using every resource available to get to the bottom of what occurred not just out there last night but behind this gun violence in this city, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So in terms of the short term, Commissioner Outlaw saying that she will be deploying those resources out into the community, expecting that this will an extremely busy summer. But ultimately, she can only do so much with the resources she has, Pamela. She, too, like so many other city leaders here in the city of Philadelphia also hoping that there will be a legislative solution to the crisis that's been experienced here and really throughout much of the country.

BROWN: Yes. It's just so sad. Last night I did a piece on just how frequent shootings are. And I said we couldn't keep up with the script because shooting after shooting kept happening. And then after that, this shooting happened. Elsewhere in the country, shootings happened. It's just constant.

Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

And a targeted attack, a hit list and the shooting death of a former judge are all part of investigation in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, that is about 80 miles north of Madison.

CNN's Nadia Romero is there.

Nadia, is there a connection between the judge and the suspect?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pamela. If you look at court documents, you can see the suspect, 56-year-old Douglas Uhde, was in the same courtroom as former Judge John Roemer back in 2005 because of charges. He was convicted of burglary -- of armed burglary and firearm charges. So we know they crossed paths at least back in 2005.

But the judge isn't the only person that was on that hit list. It also included Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and the governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers. Take a listen to him talk about this long-time judge being killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TONY EVERS (D), WISCONSIN: I know a former judge was killed, that in itself is -- it makes me feel ill that somebody who devoted his life or a good share of his life being a jurist in the state in, you know, rural Wisconsin, and that's hard work, to be targeted like that. It makes me, frankly, sick to my stomach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And it almost feels like a broken record when we say this now but we're seeing these shootings happening in unexpected places. This is such a small community. You have to drive more than two miles to the town over just to get to the grocery store. Everyone here seems to know each other. Everyone I've spoken with, Pamela, says they know the Roemer family. They are shocked this has happened. Now the suspect is not facing charges and law enforcement says the public is not in danger. But that doesn't mean people here aren't rattled -- Pamela.

BROWN: Yes. It seems like no matter where you are in America, you're not immune for shootings like this happening. Just yesterday my hometown in Lexington, Kentucky, there's a shooting outside a funeral. One person killed there. And that small town in Wisconsin clearly the town rattled by this latest shooting there.

Nadia Romero, thank you so much.

And a young survivor from Uvalde and the parents of a child who was killed in the massacre will be on Capitol Hill this week. And they're going to appear at House meeting on gun violence. As they prepare to tell their tragic stories, officials in Uvalde are still avoiding questions.

CNN's Nick Valencia joins me. Nick, two weeks later, there are still so many questions.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's like you said, Pamela, they're not only not answering questions, they're just avoiding them altogether. Texas Department of Public Safety, they stopped answering media questions earlier this week. And they put it in the hand of the district attorney here, Christina Busbee. But when I reached her by phone earlier, she hung up on me. She just said, I'm not commenting.

So at this point it doesn't seem that we're going to get answers any time soon. It is definitely frustrating here for community members that are broken and left fractured from what happened here last week. I spoke earlier to a city councilman here, Rogelio Munoz, who held the position that's now being held by Peter Arredondo, the disgraced school district police chief, here.

[18:10:08]

And he says, yes, there were so many mistakes, human error that happened here. But he thinks that the local police are being thrown under the bus by the Texas Department of Public Safety. This is what he had to say to me and part of our conversation by phone.

"Ask yourself, DPS responded fairly quickly, too. And you have a local police force with four or five people. Don't you think that there is a hierarchy of command that happens when more experienced people show up? Arredondo made mistakes that day. But he is not the only one."

And here we are, nearly two weeks since the shooting and police have yet to offer a full explanation of their inaction that day. Tomorrow DHS Secretary Mayorkas is expected to visit Uvalde and it's on Wednesday that we are expecting to hear from victims not just of Uvalde massacre but also what happened in Buffalo. The effort there is going to try to be to highlight the human cost here of the gun violence epidemic in this country -- Pamela.

BROWN: Yes. Thank you, Nick. And just because we're not getting any answers now doesn't mean we're not going to stay on this story until the very end, until we get those answers.

VALENCIA: Sure.

BROWN: Nick, I know you're going to stay on top of it. Thank you so much.

And up next on this Sunday night, primetime politics. The committee investigating the insurrection sets out to showcase new evidence from the January 6th riot and to ask why Donald Trump didn't try to stop it. House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler is with us live up next.

Also ahead tonight, Vladimir Putin warned Russia will strike new targets if the U.S. gives Ukraine new long-range missiles. As we learned a cruise missile might have flown, quote, "critically low" over a nuclear power plant.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:49]

BROWN: The congressional investigation into the January 6th attack enters a new phase this week. The House committee hopes to grab the public's attention by televising the hearing in primetime. The seven Democrats and two Republicans are expected to unveil new evidence and witness testimony about the deadly insurrection and what led up to it.

And joining me now Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler of New York. He is chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Thank you for coming on. So we have a lot to talk about tonight. We're going to talk about guns in just a moment. But first I want to start with looking ahead to the January 6th Committee. Democrats are saying the committee has some pretty damming evidence this time around. But that obviously carries the risk of over selling and under delivering. What are you expecting?

REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): Well, I'm expecting the January 6th Committee, which has overwhelming evidence, to start showing the evidence to the American people in primetime Thursday night. The evidence of a criminal conspiracy, a seditious criminal conspiracy, by former President Trump and people around him, and telling the story. You know, we've got the right-wing media like FOX and Newsmax has been telling a false story.

But the evidence is overwhelming and I expect the commission to show that evidence. It won't be done in one day because they interviewed about 800 witnesses I think. And a lot of that will have to come out -- will come out in public.

BROWN: Yes. So last night I spoke with one of your fellow members of the Judiciary Committee, Congressman Davis Cicilline, and he says the significance of these hearings and the revelations that come out of it extend beyond our borders. Here's what he's told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D-RI): Once the insurrection began and the violence began, 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Do you agree that the world is watching?

NADLER: Oh, I think the world is watching. I think the world is watching because the world saw the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. They saw the mob screaming, hang Mike Pence. They saw the erection of the gallows outside the Capitol. They saw the mob storm the Capitol. They saw Capitol police injured. I think that the world is very interested in what's happening to American democracy.

BROWN: Well, this morning on CNN, we heard from former Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman who worked as a technical adviser for the January 6th Committee. He does not expect a smoking gun but he does expect the committee to present some damaging evidence against Donald Trump and his enablers. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENVER RIGGLEMAN (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: I think when you look at the totality of the evidence, and some of these are my personal opinions, right? When you look at the totality of the evidence, it's pretty apparent that at some point President Trump knew what was going on obviously, right.

I mean, if you're having meetings within the White House, if you're having individuals that you're paying out there, you know, doing lawsuits, you know, the 64, 65 lawsuits, if you're pushing this sort of lie even on Twitter and social media, which is very important which I think the committee is going to concentrate on, if you look at what's happening in the message that's being pushed by President Trump himself on social media and other individuals, you start to see this pipeline of information that's very damaging and is pushing things like Stop the Steal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So do you know anything in Thursday's hearing or the handful of other hearings expected this month will actually change minds? We should note that you were one of the architects, obviously, of the two impeachment proceedings against Trump. And you know firsthand what it looks like to lay out evidence but also to lay it out in a way that could grab the public's attention to put it all together?

NADLER: Well, I think that the -- I don't know when you mean when you said that Congressman Riggleman said it wasn't a slam dunk. It seemed to me --

BROWN: He said there was no smoking gun evidence in terms of some shining piece of evidence to put the clear link with Donald Trump and the insurrection.

[18:20:04]

NADLER: Well, I agree in that sense. It's not one piece of evidence.

BROWN: Yes. That's what he said.

NADLER: It's the totality of the evidence, which I think is very damning. The totality of the evidence that even that's publicly known at this point. Never mind the evidence that the commission hasn't publicized yet. It makes a very, very convincing case that the president of the United States conspired against American democracy, conspired to steal an election. Conspired to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after he lost that election. And I can think of nothing more damaging to American democracy. It even is worse than Watergate.

BROWN: Will anything change, though, in this challenge to him? Or is this going to be political theater? How -- ultimately, how do you think the public is going to respond to what is laid out in these hearings?

NADLER: Well, nothing is unanimous in the public, obviously. But I think a lot of people are going to have their eyes opened by seeing all this evidence. I think a large number of people will watch the hearings and they'll see the evidence and see how convincing it is, and I think it will, I don't know about change minds, but make up a lot of minds. I think people who are absolutely convinced that Donald Trump, his garden can do no wrong, they're probably not going to listen to the hearings.

But anyone who listens with a halfway opened mind I think is going to be very convinced of the threat to American democracy represented by the former president.

BROWN: And as you know, the Republican leadership has been opposed to this committee since the very beginning. But of course Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, two Republicans on this committee.

On Thursday, looking ahead to Thursday, do you think the committee will be more focused on the legalities for possible criminal referral to --

NADLER: I'm sorry, do I think what?

BROWN: OK. Do you think that the committee will be more focused on the legalities for possibly criminal referral to the Justice Department or the political aspects here because, of course, Trump --

NADLER: Well, I think -- I think that the --

BROWN: Yes.

NADLER: The committee is an agency of Congress. They recommended contempt proceedings, the Congress voted contempt proceedings or that the House I should say voted contempt proceedings against four people. The Justice Department in the last few days announcing a criminal indictment, punitive arrow on Steve Bannon.

BROWN: Two of the four.

NADLER: It has not announced the criminal indictments of Mark Meadows and one other person, and it may be because they are cooperating. I mean, we don't know why they didn't -- they didn't recommend that. But I presume it's because they're cooperating in some ways that the Justice Departments feels is sufficient.

BROWN: Right. It was Dan Scavino and Mark Meadows. But you're the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. As we heard earlier today Adam Schiff said he thought it was puzzling that they didn't indict those other two. Do you think that was the right decision?

NADLER: Well, I don't know if it was the right decision because I don't know all the evidence.

BROWN: Based on what you know. I mean, Adam Schiff said it's puzzling. What do you think?

NADLER: It's puzzling only in the sense if you don't know the reason. It's not -- to me it's not puzzling in the sense of the Justice Department should have done it, and they didn't and why didn't they. I assumed they had good reason not to. It may be that the -- remember that Scavino and Meadows are cooperating. It may be that they gave enough evidence. It may be that the Justice Department doesn't feel that it has sufficient evidence to convict a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that they're willfully withholding evidence. It's got to be willful, remember.

BROWN: Right. And let me just ask you because again you were the architect of -- one of the architects I should say of the two impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. In neither case was he convicted in the Senate. And then of course you were on the forefront of the Russia probe on Capitol Hill. You know, going back to just public perception, there were a lot of Americans who were frankly just skeptical after all of that.

And what do you say to those Americans who are, frankly, after seeing the Democrats time and time again, in their view, go after Donald Trump, what do you say to them?

NADLER: Well, I think that, you know, on the second impeachment of Trump, the first time in American history that members of the -- that senators in the president's own party voted to convict him. In no prior impeachment whether of President Clinton or Johnson back in the 19th Century did a member of the president's own party vote to convict him. Here, there were such votes and that is very impressive and very damming.

[18:25:04]

It shows, I mean, the pressures of party loyalty to a president are incredible in the fact that you got some votes from the president's own party in the Senate is very damming.

BROWN: Right. And I see your point on that, members of the president's own party doing that. But taken as a whole, as you well know, there are a lot of Americans who see Democrats' efforts as just once again trying to take down Donald Trump. How do you convince them that, no, that is not what we're trying to do here, this is really about democracy, there is a bigger purpose here? How do you convince those skeptical Americans?

NADLER: Well, some people aren't going to be convinced. They aren't convincible. Others, that's one of the purposes of the committee, of the January 6th Committee hearings, to reveal the evidence in a systematic way. And people whose minds is it all opened I think will be convinced because evidence as I said is very damming. There are people obviously who are never going to be convinced because they worship Donald Trump and they probably won't even listen to the hearing.

BROWN: All right. Congressman, please stay with us. We're going to talk about what Congress is doing to address the gun violence epidemic when we come back.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:33]

BROWN: Welcome back. 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time here in Washington, taking a live look at Capitol Hill. 77 degrees outside, not too bad.

Well, as you well know, if you've been watching the news at all or perhaps if you live in one of these cities, the nation's gun violence has ratcheted up this weekend. There have been at least nine mass shootings across the country and at least 243 mass shootings so far this year. Despite the shameful level of death and carnage, the issue of gun reform is mostly stalled on Capitol Hill.

I want to bring back in Congressman Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Congressman, on Thursday, your committee approved a wide-ranging package of gun reform legislation called the Protecting Our Kids Act. It would raise the age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21, establish a new federal offense for large capacity magazines, incentivize safe firearm storage, regulate how guns are stored, and build on a ban of ghost guns and bump stocks. It's expected to pass the House and die in the Senate. So what was accomplished?

NADLER: Well, we passed this legislation. It will pass the House on Wednesday. And I can't speak for the Senate. Let me say, by the way, these -- this legislation passed the committee 25 to 19. Absolute party line vote. And the Republicans were saying, and I assume they'll say in the Senate, that this violates Second Amendment rights. The right to have firearms.

Well, no right is absolute. Even Justice Scalia who wrote the Heller decision on the Supreme Court on the Second Amendment said no rights are absolute. We have the rights to free speech. But it doesn't mean you can falsely yell fire in a crowded theater. It doesn't mean you can falsely report a crime to the police. By the same token, Second Amendment rights are not absolute either. We are entitled to make reasonable legislation to protect the public safety. Only in the United States do have you these mass shootings in any great number.

BROWN: Right.

NADLER: Now the Republicans say, well, it's a question of mental health. First of all, they don't vote more money for mental health. But that aside, that's a slander on the American people. The American people aren't 400 percent more mentally ill than people in other countries. The difference is the power of the NRA in the Republican Party.

Now what the Senate is going to do? I hope they will begin to reform and at least pass some of this. If they pass some of it, we'll take what they do and we'll pass it in their form. But I hope for the sake of the American people, they pass at least something.

BROWN: But what do you think realistically can pass? I mean, why push bills if they're not going to pass the Senate, right? I mean, I know your point is they could take some of it. What do you think they'll actually -- they could actually take? Because this is a crisis in America. There is a gun violence epidemic.

It is -- just this past weekend, it is so in your face what a big problem this is. Both sides are approaching this with different solutions. What could actually pass in the Senate that the House is working on?

NADLER: Well, I'm not sure what could pass in the Senate. But some things it seemed very mild to me at least that maybe the Senate will pass are raising the age of being able to buy a semiautomatic weapon from 18 to 21. Why? Because the statistics show that a very large attraction of crimes committed with semiautomatic weapons are done by 18 to 20-year-olds.

The red flag law, commonsense legislation that says that if someone knows and someone who he knows, someone in his family, a friend, is acting irrationally, seems to be mentally ill, he can report that to a judge and the judge can on a temporary basis prevent that person from having semiautomatic weapons with a hearing, whether the person can get those rights back shortly.

Those things would go a long way and I would hope that the Senate would recognize, even the Republicans would recognize that they don't violate anybody's rights whatsoever.

BROWN: We saw just how contentious this issue is and partisan at the House hearing on Thursday from you, from Representative Cicilline.

[18:35:02]

It got very emotional at times. And I'm just wondering, again, because ultimately you have to get Republicans on board for this to pass or anything to pass Congress on gun reform or to prevent future mass shootings, whether it's a wholistic approach in mental health and gun reform and so forth. So have you talked to Republicans? Have you gotten a sense of what can be compromised on? You know it just seems like --

NADLER: Well, the --

BROWN: Go ahead.

NADLER: I talk to Republicans in our committee and they're not prepared to compromise on anything. Not even the most simple things. Ultimately this is a democracy.

BROWN: So what are you going to do about that?

NADLER: Ultimately -- well.

BROWN: If they're unwilling to compromise on anything what are you doing to --

NADLER: Ultimately this is a democracy. And if the Republicans block commonsense gun legislation, the American people know that we're having all these mass shootings because of this, then we have an election coming up and if the Democrats retain control of the House, and we get two more Democratic senators, we can get rid of the filibuster with those votes and we can pass all the intelligent gun legislation and a lot of other things.

BROWN: Do you actually think that's going to happen in the midterms for the Democrats?

NADLER: But I'd say two more Democratic senators -- say again?

BROWN: Do you actually think the Democrats are going to retain control of the majority in the midterms?

NADLER: Well, I think -- I think that the political situation has changed drastically. Number one is the gun issue. This is an issue that's felt very deeply now. And number two, assuming the Supreme Court does what the leaked opinion by Justice Scalia says it will do. And we'll know that by the end of this month because the Supreme Court announces its decisions in June. If it does that, then you have the American people, I think there's going to be a tremendous reaction especially by women against the loss of rights they've had for half a century, which is say the right to an abortion.

I think between those two things, the gun violence that the Republicans refuse to do anything about and the abortion, I think you can very well see a very good Democratic vote in November.

BROWN: And also there are other issues, though, that matter to voters, inflation, the state of the economy and so forth which as we know President Biden --

NADLER: Well, I think all issues --

BROWN: He's very focused on it.

NADLER: I think all issues add up. And I think these are the two game changers. I mean, people have been saying for quite a while, look, the president's popularity is down, it's, what, 42 percent, whatever it is, and therefore the president's party normally loses seats in his first midterms and so forth. And that's true.

BROWN: Yes.

NADLER: But I think that these are two game changers.

BROWN: Let me just ask you quickly because you said that basically the Republicans in your committee, they're not budging, they're not doing anything, although I will say Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania did indicate this morning on the Senate side that there appears to be more of an openness to do something. But the bottom line is we've seen these shootings happen over and over again, and Congress do absolutely nothing, and finger pointing happening. We've seen this play over and over again.

States that have more success, as you well know, at tightening gun laws. Last week, New York lawmakers passed reforms, including raising the age to buy a semiautomatic rifle to 21 and revising New York's red flag laws. If Congress can't pass reforms, do you think these changes need to happen on the state level? Is that where you see this going?

NADLER: Well, I think some of them will happen on the state level. But they're not going to be terribly useful in a state level. Yes, New York, for example, will pass -- has had very strong gun laws, and now has even -- I assume the governor will sign it -- will have stronger laws. But most of the guns used in mayhem in New York come from other places. They're sold legally somewhere else. They come up the I-95 corridor to New York.

Same thing is true with the guns in Chicago. These guns are bought legally, some in the United States, brought illegally into New York or Chicago or whatever, and state laws are not much utility because they can't operate in another state.

BROWN: Yes. I think it was something like 60 percent of the crimes, the gun violence in Chicago came from out of state, the guns came from out of state, bought legally and then brought there. So that certainly is another issue with all of this.

Congressman Jerry Nadler, I appreciate you coming on and sharing your thoughts.

NADLER: Thank you.

BROWN: And still ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, Russia strikes at military targets in Kyiv as Vladimir Putin warns of more to come if Ukraine gets long-range missiles. Plus what we know about this Russian missile flying dangerously close to a nuclear plant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:44:22]

BROWN: Moments ago, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he visited troops today in some of the most heavily bombarded frontline positions in the east. Meantime, Ukraine's nuclear power station operator says the Russians, quote, "threatened the world with a new nuclear catastrophe," as a Russian cruise missile flew critically low over a nuclear plant in the south.

More now from CNN's Mathew Chance.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pam, the fighting in Ukraine continues to be the most ferocious in the east of the country where Russian troops are pounding Ukrainian positions in several locations, pushing to gain full control of the Donbas region, which Moscow if course says is its priority.

[18:45:02]

Streets in the city of Severodonetsk are apparently changing hands rapidly, according to Ukrainian military officials, with conflicting reports to coming us of Ukrainian and Russian forces gaining the upper hand. And of course Kyiv, the capital, has again come under attack with five

Russian cruise missiles. Slamming into the city. Hitting at least one military target, according to Ukrainian officials, but also destroying a train repair workshop.

The Russian president, meanwhile, has criticized the United States for agreeing to supply Ukraine with long-range artillery, telling Kremlin- controlled media that that move was intended to prolong the armed conflict. Also vowing that Russia will respond by striking unspecified facilities that he said have not been targeted yet.

Pam, back to you.

BROWN: Thank you so much, Mathew Chance.

Well, people around the country are balancing vacation with inflation. How that balancing act is affects summer fun spots and families up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBECCA KENT, PARK VISITOR: The one year we were coming up here. I think we made it up here 26 times in the summer.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think you're going to dial it back a little bit?

KENT: Not 26.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:55]

BROWN: And it's summer vacation time. And for many Americans that means a family road trip. Even with record inflation and gas prices tens of millions of Americans traveled last weekend for Memorial Day. Most of them by car.

In the northeast, tourists are heading for the Knoebels Amusement Resort in rural Pennsylvania. But can't escape the rising cost of doing business.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN KNOEBEL, CO-OWNER, KNOEBLE'S AMUSEMENT RESORT: We got a steam powered carousel and a food stand and a couple of games of chance. And little by little, we're now 60 rides.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Since 1926, Knoebel's Amusement Resort in rural Central Pennsylvania has been a summer tourist destination.

KNOEBEL: See the train slowing down, so there should be some squirrels over here.

YURKEVICH (on-camera): Little chipmunks. Oh, little chipmunks.

KNOEBEL: Have a little chipmunk. Yes.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): The park is free to enter and rides like the Pioneer train are pay as you go. But even prices at this family run park surrounded by idyllic farmland aren't exempt from high inflation.

KNOEBEL: The rising cost of everything from gasoline to chicken to rolls, electricity. We had to increase our prices.

YURKEVICH: Inflation is gripping the nation's pocketbook with prices at a four-decade high, a pain point for President Biden as most Americans are sour on the economy. Still an estimated 39 million Americans were expected to travel Memorial Day weekend, most by car, up from last year.

TIMOTHY DOWHOWER, MARKETING DIRECTOR, SUSQUEHANNA RIVER VALLEY VISITORS BUREAU: When I hear inflation, that's where we're going to spend our ad dollars more locally. So that's where we're going to be focusing on the backyard tourists. The locals will spend more reaching people within a two-to-three-hour range.

YURKEVICH: People like Rebecca Kent, who usually makes a day trip from Philadelphia. She says gas prices won't cut her summer plans. They'll just be scaled back.

KENT: The one year we were coming up here, I think we made it up here 26 times in the summer.

YURKEVICH (on-camera): Do you think you're going to dial it back a little bit?

KENT: Not 26, but probably pretty close to a dozen or more.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Valerie Bloom says she's being mindful of higher prices elsewhere like groceries so she can still give her kids a great summer, meaningful after two years of COVID.

VALERIE BLOOM, PARK VISITOR: What are you going to do? I mean, like, you got to live, you got to have, yes, have fun, it's summertime.

YURKEVICH: But more customers means the need for more workers. Despite rising wages, labor shortages persist with a near record 11.4 million open jobs in the U.S. And inflation is hitting employees here, too. So the park is launching a cost-effective shuttle to save employees gas money and ensure the park is staffed.

KNOEBEL: So it's more money in the employees' pockets.

YURKEVICH: In smaller communities, places like this are economic drivers, supporting other businesses in town.

KIMBERLY COOPER, MANAGER, DOLLAR GENERAL STORE: For our success here in town is pretty critical of our sales will go up once they start. YURKEVICH: And despite also having to raise prices in store, Kimberly

Cooper says the crowds are still coming and buying.

COOPER: It doesn't seem to have made a difference here so far this year.

YURKEVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Elysburg, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Just in to CNN the U.S. and South Korea have launched eight surface to surface missiles as a response to North Korea's missile launch Saturday. We're going to have much more next hour with a live report from Seoul.

Meantime, Queen Elizabeth today noted when it comes to how to mark 70 years as your queen, there is no guidebook to follow. Coming up, how the U.K. marked the final day of her Platinum Jubilee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:59:30]

BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. The top stories on this Sunday.

Primetime investigation. The House Select Committee on the January 6th attack gets set to lay it all out to the American public. So what should we expect? Plus, chaos in Philadelphia. Police say multiple shooters opened fire in a crowded area. And it's a surprise appearance by Queen Elizabeth at the end of her Platinum Jubilee.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Just in to CNN, South Korean and U.S. forces launched eight surface to surface missiles a short time ago.