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National Gas Price Average Nears $5 Per Gallon; Dr. Gupta Details The "Cavitation" Guns Have On Human Bodies; Pediatrician Describes "Carnage" Of The Uvalde School Shooting; Interview With Rep. Mike Burgess (R-TX); 1,000-Plus Ukrainian Soldiers Transported To Russia, State Media Says; Russian Military: "Significant Loses" For Ukraine In Donbas; Gymnasts Seek $1B-Plus From FBI Over Botched Larry Nassar Abuse Probe. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired June 08, 2022 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And we're getting some comments out of the Middle East today at a conference that could signal more pain. The energy minister of the UAE saying that prices are nowhere near the peak. Who wants to hear that?
That's been supported, however, by some American banks. Goldman Sachs saying that we could see prices hit about $140 a barrel potentially.
And as prices rise at the pump, some are noticing that profits for some of these oil companies have risen as well.
Take a look. Exxon having one of its best days trading at record highs. It's trading closer to above 100. The last time that really happened was about 2014. It has been a very long time since we have seen those type of numbers for Exxon.
Not, however, just Exxon. It's Chevron, it's Occidental Petroleum.
And it has some wondering, are these companies profiting off of Americans at the pump? Treasury Secretary Yellen was asked about this. She said, look, she believes the bulk of inflation is supply and demand.
And one industry consultant told me yesterday, these companies are not necessarily setting the dial at the pump, but they are benefitting from it.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Yes, we certainly have heard from some Democrats who disagree with that.
Let me stay with Treasury Secretary Yellen, who was on the Hill today maybe with some good news.
SOLOMON: Yes, in terms of tariffs, there have been calls for the White House to reconsider Trump-era tariffs that some believe are increasing or keeping prices as high as they have been.
She said today -- the first time we're hearing her give as much detail as she did -- within the coming weeks, there could be a reconfiguration of the tariffs on China.
Meaning that we could see some price pressures start to reduce in terms of things that are imported from China.
We know that not all Trump-era tariffs are on the table, but that could provide some short-term relief within the short-term, which would be welcome.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: For sure.
BLACKWELL: Any relief.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
Rahel Solomon, thank you very much.
Well, a pediatrician from Uvalde, Texas, gave a heartbreaking and gruesome description of the carnage in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School shooting.
The details about what the common weapon used in these mass shootings does to the human body. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:36:46]
CAMEROTA: The American College of Surgeons calls gun violence a public health crisis. These are the doctors who are forced to deal with the damage that a weapon like an A.R.-15 can cause.
Brain surgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has a new essay on CNN.com where he recounts one of the most memorable moments from med school.
His professor took his class to a gun range to illustrate the havoc that a rifle like an A.R.-15 can cause on a watermelon.
BLACKWELL: Sanjay writes this:
"I saw the watermelon shudder as it was struck, and then immediately saw a significant amount of red tissue fly out of the back side. Upon inspection, the first thing I noticed was how much bigger the exit wound was compared to the entrance."
"And after opening the watermelon, the purpose of the demonstration became clear. Instead of a predictable linear track, the watermelon looked like it had been cored out, and what was left was shredded."
"He explained that this was a phenomenon known as cavitation, which is just what it sounds like. The bullet doesn't simply travel through the body, but it creates a big cavity inside it."
And a Uvalde pediatrician described something similar for members of Congress today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROY GUERRERO, PEDIATRICIAN, UVALDE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: What I did find is something no prayer will ever relieve. Two children whose bodies had been pulverized by bullets fired at them, decapitated, whose flesh had been ripped apart.
That the only clue as to their identities was blood-splattered cartoon clothes still clinging to them, clinging for life and finding none.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Joining us now is Congressman Michael Burgess, a Republican representing north Texas.
Congressman, thank you so much for being here.
I was really looking forward to talking to you because you were a doctor for three decades.
And I'm just wondering, hearing the testimony from that poor pediatrician and what he had to see, does that change your thoughts at all on how to keep weapons like that out of the hands of teenagers?
REP. MICHAEL BURGESS (R-TX): Well, it certainly speaks to keeping violence out of our schools and houses of worship.
I would just point out I still am a physician. I am licensed in the state of Texas. I'm not actively practicing because this job is too time consuming.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
BURGESS: But honestly, I had a symposium on emergency preparedness back in the district six or eight weeks ago, and one of the topics was school safety. And it's important to me because I have family members who teach in schools, teach in middle schools.
Obviously, our hearts go out to the people who have been so devastated down in Uvalde.
But one of the things, that my takeaways from that was the chief of the police, of the Independent School District, said he and his superintendent made the decision about six or eight years ago that they were not going to go to 20 funerals in their district.
So they had taken, some people might call them extraordinary measures to protect their schools, but I would consider those commonsense measures.
CAMEROTA: Such as?
BURGESS: And that's one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you today was because I think those are so important.
Having --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Yes, just tell me what they did.
BURGESS: The police force, on not just a school resource officer, but an actual force. So the chief was actually located in the Independent School District facilities themselves, which gave him ample time to get to know his students.
[14:40:10]
And, look, we all know who the troublemakers were back in high school, right? To give a chance for interdiction.
He also --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Hold on, let me just --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Hold on. Hold on one second. Let me just stop you --
(CROSSTALK)
BURGESS: Let me just go through the four points really quickly.
CAMEROTA: Quickly, yes.
BURGESS: I know it's controversial, but he did arm his personnel --
(CROSSTALK)
BURGESS: -- training programs, teachers, custodians, aides.
He also had the ability for any employee to lockdown the system on their say so. They didn't have to get it approved. It was just done.
And then the big one, of course, is behavioral intervention guidelines and having a school psychologist on site. So that they were able to deal with kids who were exhibiting signs of crisis long before they ever got to the point of acting out.
Look, that may not be --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: So, Congressman --
(CROSSTALK)
BURGESS: -- right in every institution --
CAMEROTA: I understand.
BURGESS: -- but it's working for them. CAMEROTA: OK, so it's working at that one school, and that's
interesting, I think.
But here's where I get confused. You talk about behavioral intervention, but you don't talk about keeping guns out of the hands of -- as you say, everybody knew the troubled kid in high school. That's the lethal nexus.
So in other words, I've read the bill that you've -- the legislation that you've proposed, the behavioral intervention guidelines about how schools can establish behavioral intervention.
But it doesn't talk about, after you identify that kid, keeping the gun out of that kid's hands. So do you support Red Flag laws?
BURGESS: Well, look, Red Flag laws is certainly what we're dealing with on the floor of the House today.
The lack of due process really it makes this a nonstarter, which is why I really wish the House would have behaved a little bit more like the Senate in this. The Senate was open to hearing from both sides.
CAMEROTA: Right.
BURGESS: The House was not. Nancy Pelosi just simply wanted her bill to come to the floor.
CAMEROTA: But just hold on, Congressman.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: Why is it a nonstarter?
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: If you want to identify the troublemaker --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: -- why wouldn't you flag them and keep them from getting weapons?
BURGESS: Here's the thing. You might be able to have some interventional guidelines that would lead you in that direction.
But the way the laws are written that we'll be voting on today or the way the bills are written that we'll be voting on today completely abrogate due process.
And, look, we're talking about a constitutional right. It is the Second Amendment after all.
And this is where the constituents --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: But it's not absolute, Congressman.
BURGESS: Well --
CAMEROTA: It's not absolute. But, I mean, the Second Amendment is not absolute.
In other words, I'm only quoting --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: I'm only quoting Justice Antonin Scalia, who says it's not unlimited or absolute.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: So you can't just have any weapon.
BURGESS: Nothing is absolute.
But, look, if there was a serious discussion on the House side, I think you would see Republicans enter into that discussion. You're seeing that on the Senate.
And here's the problem. The House is doing a series of bills today and tomorrow that is actually going to make the Senate's job harder.
And the Senate actually does seem like they're getting -- you mentioned it earlier in your broadcast. The Senate seems like they're making some effort --
CAMEROTA: Yes. I --
BURGESS: -- to come to a conclusion here.
CAMEROTA: I hope so. I hope so, Congressman.
But instead of talking about process, I just want to talk about, sort of so I understand, talking about everything you're talking about, about the troubled kid but not talking about guns, to me, is like Mothers Against Drunk Driving talking about everything except the car.
It's the combination. You can't let the troubled teenager get a gun. Why would -- answer me this -- an 18-year-old need an A.R.-15?
BURGESS: Well, look, that is a discussion that perhaps we could have had. But on the House side, the way the legislation is constructed.
Thomas Massey, in the Rules Committee yesterday, pointed out that he suggested that maybe if we were willing to reconsider the age of Selective Service registration that he might have -- he might be willing to have that discussion.
But was no --
CAMEROTA: Are you willing to --
BURGESS: There was no effort --
CAMEROTA: I'm just asking your opinion. Are you willing to raise the age to 21?
BURGESS: I think this is one of those areas that deserves more study. We know for a fact -- we know for a fact that there are people who do feel that way.
But on the other hand, when you look at --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: But what about you, Congressman? I mean, why can't you answer that? How do you feel about that?
BURGESS: Me, personally? I don't think that's a direction that is reasonable to go. The Ninth Circuit has already ruled against that.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: But why does an 18-year-old need access to an A.R.-15?
BURGESS: Let's have -- let's have the discussion. I'm willing to do that. But again, on the House side, all of that debate was simply foreclosed. We weren't going to do it.
[14:45:00]
CAMEROTA: I hear what you're saying, Congressman. But you know, people are ready for action. I think we've been talking a lot. We've been talking for decades, and people are ready for action.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: But, Congressman --
BURGESS: Which is why I had the seminar six weeks ago in my district. This is important to me. I have family members who teach in middle school. This is important to me.
CAMEROTA: Yes, and I -- and I have kids who go to school.
I would just remind you that one of the teachers who watched his 11 students get shot in Uvalde said no training, no training ever prepares you for what happens when a gunman comes in like that.
And they all had training, and they all got under their desk, and then they were all killed. I'm just quoting him, and that was his take after all of the school shooting trainings.
BURGESS: And our police chief said he made the decision he was not going to go to 20 funerals. And he was willing to do what he thought was necessary to protect his schools.
CAMEROTA: OK.
BURGESS: And it stood the test of time so far.
CAMEROTA: Congressman, Michael Burgess, thank you. We appreciate your perspective.
BURGESS: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Russia's military claims Ukraine is losing significant ground in the east. But Ukrainian forces are still fighting. Our Sam Kiley is just back from Ukraine. He's with us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:58]
BLACKWELL: It's been more than three months since Russia launched its unprovoked war on Ukraine. And today, Russian state media reports more than a thousand Ukrainian servicemen who recently surrendered in Mariupol will be transported to Russia for investigation.
CAMEROTA: CNN's Sam Kiley joins us with more.
Sam, great to have you here.
Investigation, that doesn't sound good. What does it really mean?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the real danger is particularly for the Azov brigade, which has been identified by the Russians as a so-called terrorist organization.
Therefore, not acknowledged to be part of the Ukrainian armed forces, not covered by Geneva Conventions, and potentially subjected -- and this could be a gray area -- possibly to capital punishment.
None of this falls under anything we would recognize as Ukrainian, Russian or international law.
The Azov Brigade was and has been part of the Ukrainian armed forces for more than about seven or eight years now. And on top of that, of course, they are completely integrated into the whole combat operation there.
But if you look at the treatment of people accused of being mercenaries, who are also -- two Brits and another foreigner who are currently being held inside the Donbass, inside the Russian-held areas of the Donbass, they're being accused of capital crimes potentially.
Being accused of murder because they're so-called mercenaries. Again, they were paid-up members of the Ukrainian armed forces. And in one case of the Brits, actually, a Ukrainian-British national.
So all of this, though, is drifting towards something potentially very, very ugly from the Russians.
The flipside of that, of course, is that the Ukrainian have gotten a lot of Russian prisoners. And in the end, there is the hope -- we have seen prisoner exchanges before. The hope would be that the Red Cross can get involved and prevent
this.
I think this is more of a bargaining statement, if you like, coming from the Russians. But it is sinister they're being moved into Russian territory.
BLACKWELL: Sam, help us discern the truth from Russian propaganda. The Ministry of Defense is claiming that, in the Donbass region, the Ukrainians are suffering major losses. Is that true or a line of propaganda?
KILEY: Well, I think both sides -- I don't believe either side in any war when they start talking about losses in the ranks of their enemy.
So we take it with a pinch of salt anything the Ukrainians say about 20,000 Russian dead.
We don't know how many Ukrainian dead are. Except President Zelenskyy have said 50 to 100 people are dying on the eastern front. By that, he means the front sort of around Kramatorsk. He's not talking about the southern front.
So that is, even in the admission of the Ukrainian death toll, very substantial.
And on top of that, there's beginning to be independent confirmation. And clearly, I've seen it on the ground, the level of artillery exchanges, the amount of ordinance being thrown around.
I have spoken to soldiers off the record. They do talk about seeing 100 men killed in 20 minutes during an assault.
It is old-fashioned trench warfare at times. And the losses on both sides, I think, are much more substantial than either side is going to admit.
BLACKWELL: Sam Kiley, good to see you in person, have you --
CAMEROTA: Thanks.
BLACKWELL: -- in studio.
Thank you.
CAMEROTA: All right, dozens of gymnasts have filed a billion dollar claim against the FBI for its botched handling of the Larry Nassar investigation. We have details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:57:41]
CAMEROTA: More than 90 sexual abuse victims of disgraced doctor, Larry Nassar, are preparing to sue the FBI for more than a billion dollars for mishandling the sexual abuse investigation. BLACKWELL: Olympians Simone Biles and Aly Raisman are part of the
group. They have already filed an administrative claim.
CNN's Jean Casarez is her to explain.
Explain what happened here.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the Federal Tort Claims Act.
And what is it, they're really giving notice to the FBI: You knew what Larry Nassar was doing to us. You found out in 2015. You didn't do anything. You allowed young women, young girls to continue to be abused by him. And that's not fair, and we are asking you for justice, really.
And they have declined prosecution two times now, the Department of Justice. So this really is their last resort, monetary damages.
Now, the timeline on all of this goes back to 2015, because that is when Maggie Nichols, who was a world champion -- and they were all of the ranch in Texas, they were trained for the Olympics.
And Maggie told a friend of hers what Larry Nassar was doing to her. And her coach found out, and that's when it started to go places.
The FBI was told in 2015. And according to the office of inspector general report from 2021, the FBI in Indianapolis did interviews. They took few notes. They did no formalized the interviews at all.
They put them in a drawer. And they did not tell the appropriate people what Larry Nassar was doing. The Department of Justice declined to prosecute.
And it was last fall when some of the Olympians and world athletes asked and were accepted by the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify as to what happened to them, and to ask for justice.
Listen to Simone Biles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[14:59:39]
SIMONE BILES, U.S. OLYMPIC GYMNAST: I don't want another young gymnast, Olympic athlete or any individual to experience the horror that I and hundreds of others have endured before, during, and continuing to this day in the wake of the Larry Nassar abuse.
To be clear -- I'm sorry --
UNIDENTIFIED CONGRESSMAN: Take your time.
