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U.S. Capitol Insurrection unveiled for primetime American TV; Trump Organization Investigation; Guns in America; Supreme Court Threat; Rising Gas Prices in the U.S.; Severe Weather in the United States; Police Looks for Motive After Berlin Car Crash. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired June 09, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The important stage of the investigation into the January 6th Insurrection. Are they going to be able to prove that there was some coordination or connection between the extremist groups that physically stormed the capitol and the power centers in the White House?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To people with money, to people who fund political campaigns, the guns are more important than children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These weapons of war cause war wounds that are whirlwinds, the things you see on movies.

JENNIFER GRANHOLM, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: By the end of this year, we will see prices dropping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is frustrating, it is not ideal. And I think, you know, things are complicated in the world right now.

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ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is "CNN Newsroom with Max Foster."

It is Thursday, June the 8. And today, House Committee investigating the riots at the U.S. Capitol will start revealing what it has learned behind closed doors over the last 11 months. This multimedia review of the attack will be unveiled for a primetime American television audience for the very first time.

The bipartisan panel will show how huge crowds supporting the former U.S. president ransacked the capitol on January 6th of last year and they will try to convict Donald Trump in the Court of Public Opinion, saying, he is responsible for major abuses of power and one of the most traumatic days in U.S. history.

Among the key witnesses, a capitol police officer who was hurt by rioters and suffered a major brain injury and yet, she still prevented many of them from entering the building. We'll also hear from a documentarian whose crew captured the movements around the capitol earlier that day and the very first moments of violence.

CNN's Ryan Nobles lays out what the panel hopes all this will achieve.

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RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The January 6th Select Committee is certainly concerned that lot of American's opinions about what happened here on January 6th have already been decided, that there isn't a lot of convincing left to do, but they still feel that they have an obligation to uncover everything that led up to that day, including all the violence and chaos that happened in this building behind me and then, all of the different things that were happening leading up to January 6th that brought the big crowds here, made them angry, and led to that riot.

And to that end, they believe that this first hearing that will take place on Thursday night in primetime, will be covered by all the major news networks, needs to be a story, a narrative that can be told through a multimedia presentation that will keep viewers' attention, allow them to see bit by bit, point by point and connect all of these dots as to exactly what happened leading up to January 6th and on the day itself.

And to that end, they have brought in former president of ABC News to help with the production of this television and multimedia event to help meet that goal of trying to connect with the America people.

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FOSTER: We'll see if that moves the needle though. So far, the committee has compiled around 135,000 documents and conducted more than 1,000 witness interviews. Some of them with Former Trump administration officials. This is all just part of the avalanche of new information that has been unearthed since Trump's impeachment trial.

But the committee's work isn't over. A federal judge has decided members should get access to a large batch of e-mails from right-wing attorney John Eastman that are tied to his efforts to overturn the election results on behalf Trump. The judge ruled the e-mails could be evidence of the planning of a crime.

The committee is also going after the testimony of these five members of Congress who are so far refusing to comply with subpoenas. They include House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who initially condemned the insurrection and called for accountability in recently revealed audio from January of last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R), MINORITY LEADER: I know there is doing to be some dark days and then it's going to get really dark. But the one thing I will tell you, we should take this moment, change course to improve, but more importantly, we've got to be united with what the Democrats are going to do in the future. We cannot just sweep this under the rug. We need to know why it happened, who did it and people need to be held accountable for it. And I'm committed to make sure that happens.

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FOSTER: Well, since then, McCarthy has contradicted himself and called the January 6th investigation illegitimate. Now, during the hearing, we're expecting one of the big buzz words to be conspiracy. The panel will argue there are indeed -- there was indeed a plan to create chaos and this was not just a peaceful protest that got a little rowdy. CNN's Pamela Brown picks up that story.

[04:05:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): After a nearly yearlong investigation, the January 6th Committee is preparing to share their findings with the American people. And they are zeroing in on one man, Former President Trump.

JAMIE RASKIN, JANUARY 6TH SELECT COMMITTEE: I think that Donald Trump and the White House were at the center of these events, that is the only way really of making sense of them all.

BROWN (voiceover): From the beginning, the investigation has focused on the unprecedented efforts by Trump and his allies to try to stop the transfer of power to President Joe Biden. While Trump was impeached by the House just days after the riot for inciting the pro- Trump insurrectionists, the Committee says it's uncovered more since then.

RASKIN: The Select Committee has found evidence about a lot more than incitement here.

BROWN (voiceover): The Committee has interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses behind closed doors, including Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, Former Attorney General Bill Barr and obtained more than 135,000 documents.

LIZ CHENEY, VICE CHAIR, JANUARY 6TH SELECT COMMITTEE: We must also know what happened every minute of that day in the White House. Every phone call, every conversation, every meeting, leading up to, during and after the attack.

BROWN (voiceover): The Committee is clearly signaling to the Justice Department which holds the power to charge Trump with a crime related to January 6th.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe there was a conspiracy?

CHENEY: I do. It is extremely broad. It is extremely well organized. It is really chilling.

BROWN (voiceover): Just this week, a federal judge again flagged possible evidence of a crime, that same judge issued a landmark ruling earlier this year finding it was more likely than not that Trump and a conservative lawyer committed a crime in strategizing to overturn the election. Trump has not been charged with a crime and has denied any wrongdoing. He continues to downplay his involvement in the deadly insurrection while bashing the Committee's work as another "witch hunt."

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: January 6th, what a lot of crap. It's another con job, just like Russia, Russia, Russia.

BROWN (voiceover): But for 187 minutes, Committee members say Trump was derelict in his duty, watching TV and seemingly pleased supporters were fighting for him, even as Republicans pleaded for Trump to intervene and text messages to his White House chief of staff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a roadmap. And I would have to say at this point, I think Mark Meadows is the MVP for the Committee.

BROWN (voiceover): Denver Riggleman advised the Committee, helping to decode Meadows' texts among the more than 2,300 messages obtained by CNN. Donald Trump Jr. texting, he's got to condemn this shit. ASAP. Meadows responding, I am pushing it hard. I agree. But it took Trump over three hours to release this recorded video.

TRUMP: So go home. We love you. You're very special.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you look at the totally of the evidence, it is pretty apparent that at some points, President Trump knew what was going on.

BROWN (on camera): Well, the hearings are not only expected to explore efforts to overturn the election results but also the role of far-right extremist groups. One month after the election, Trump tweeted about the protest in D.C. on January 6th. The following day, the Proud Boys begin to plan for the rally, knowing they might have to break the law to stop the certification of votes, that is according to a plea agreement from one member of the Proud Boys who is now cooperating with the federal investigation.

The DOJ escalating that criminal case this week, charging several leaders with seditious conspiracy.

Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

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FOSTER: So, be sure to tune into CNN for live coverage of the January 6th Committee hearings. It starts at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday in Washington. That is 7:00 in the morning on Friday in Hong Kong, only here on CNN.

Former President Donald Trump and his children, Ivanka and Donald Jr. could soon be testifying under oath. Their legal teams have reached an agreement to sit for depositions with a New York attorney general's office, which is currently pursuing a civil investigation into the accuracy of the Trump organization's financial statements. The depositions are to begin on July 15th. The deadline had been today, but the Trumps were given time to prepare. The delay will also give them time to appeal the ruling, requiring that they give depositions.

Now, gun reform took center stage in the U.S. Congress on Wednesday as lawmakers voted to pass a sweeping package of gun control legislation.

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REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): On this vote, the yeas are 223, the nays are 204. The bill is passed.

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FOSTER: And that is how the Protecting our Kids Act cleared the House of Representatives. Among other things, the legislation would raise the minimum age for buying most semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21. Despite the passage, the reform is pretty much dead in the water though, that's because it is unlikely to overcome staunch opposition from Senate Republicans.

[04:10:00]

Now, the House vote comes as the nation reals from a string of deadly mass shootings, including the recent rampage at the school in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Some survivors and parents who lost loved ones there shared their stories with lawmakers as CNN's Phil Mattingly reports, one witness was a fourth grader who saw her teacher and classmates being killed.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you feel safe at school? Why not?

MIAH CERRILLO, STUDENT, ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Because I don't want it to happen again.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The searing words of Miah Cerrillo.

CERRILLO: When I went to the (INAUDIBLE), he shot my friend that was next to me. And I thought that he was going to come back to the room. So, I grabbed the blood and I put it all over me.

MATTINGLY (voiceover): A haunting pain in the voices of Kimberly and Felix Rubio.

KIMBERLY RUBIO, MOTHER OF UVALDE SHOOTING VICTIM: I can still see her walking with us towards the exit. And the reel that keeps scrolling across my memory, she turns her head and smiles back at us to acknowledge my promise. And then, we left. I left my daughter at that school and that decision will haunt me for the rest of my life.

MATTINGLY (voiceover): The visceral detail from Dr. Roy Guerrero. DR. ROY GUERRERO, UVALDE PEDIATRICIAN: Two children whose bodies had been pulverized by bullets fired at them decapitated, whose flesh had been ripped apart, that the only clue at their identities was a blood splattered cartoon clothes still clinging to them, clinging for life and finding none.

MATTINGLY (voiceover): A fourth grade survivor, the parents of a murdered child, a pediatrician, the voices of Uvalde, Texas, pleading for action in Washington.

RUBIO: Somewhere out there, there is a mom listening to our testimony thinking, I can't even imagine their pain. Not knowing that our reality will one day be hers unless we act now.

MATTINGLY (voiceover): As bipartisan senators engaged in yet another day of intensive talks, weighing a narrow agreement that would include incentives for state red flag laws, opening juvenile records to background checks and funding for mental health programs. It's a deal if it comes together that would fall short of the explicit requests of the witnesses.

RUBDIO: We think a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.

MATTINGLY (voiceover): But it presents the most significant opportunity for change. White House officials and lawmakers say that they have seen in years. A recognition of the horror reflected in the words of Miah Cerrillo's father.

MIGUEL CERRILLO, MIAH CERILLO'S FATHER: I lost my baby girl. She is not the same little girl that I used to play with and run with and do everything.

MATTINGLY (voiceover): And the response from those who have witnessed the carnage firsthand.

DR. GUERRERO: Making sure our children are safe from guns, that is the job of our politicians and leaders. In this case, you are the doctors and our country is the patient. We are bleeding out and you are not there. My oath as a doctor means that I signed up to save lives. I do my job. And I guess it turns out that I am here to plead, to beg, to please, please do yours.

MATTINGLY (on camera): And in talking to White House officials over the course of the day, there is genuine, if cautious optimism, that something can get actually get done. Now, to be clear, it will be everything President Biden laid out. And keep in mind, at this moment in time, the president is actually on the West Coast for the Summit of the Americas, but that plays into the White House strategy to some degree. Give lawmakers space. Allow the senators to reach their own deal. A recognition that the president will obviously have to sign anything that they agree on, but they don't want to do anything to unsettle a very delicate set of negotiations.

Now, if it falls short of what the president lays out, White House officials may clear one thing, as one official told me earlier, you cannot overstate the significance of getting something, anything, done after more than a decade of a blockade due to Republican opposition. They just want to get something across the finish line.

Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.

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FOSTER: President Biden took his message on gun control to a late- night television Wednesday, with an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Kimmel asked the president why he hasn't taken more executive actions on gun violence. Have a listen.

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JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST: Can't you issue an executive order? Trump passed those out like Halloween candy.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: The answer -- well, I did.

KIMMEL: Isn't that something that could happen?

BIDEN: Well, I have issued executive orders within the power of the presidency to be able to deal with these -- everything having do with guns, gun ownership, whether or not you have to have a waiting -- all the things within my power. than ship, whether or not you have to have a waiting -- all the things within my power. But what I don't want to do, and I'm not being fastidious, I don't want to emulate Trump's abuse of the constitution and the constitutional authority.

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FOSTER: Mr. Biden added that using questionable tactics like the Republicans, in his words, not playing square, will put U.S. democracy in jeopardy.

[04:15:00]

Now, a California man faces attempted murder charges after he showed up outside the home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Court documents indicate the man said he wanted to kill Kavanaugh because he was upset about the leak of the Roe v. Wade opinion on abortion and the school shooting in Texas. The FBI says he had a knife, a pistol with ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer and other items. President Biden condemned the man's actions in the strongest terms.

About a third of U.S. states are now reporting a surge in gasoline prices past $5 a gallon. According to AAA, the national average is $4.97, an increase of 25 cents from a week ago and nearly, $2 higher than a year ago. The U.S. energy secretary says increased production should help bring prices down, but not right away. Listen to this.

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JENNIFER GRANHOLM, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: By the end of this year, we will see prices dropping as a result of that incremental increase in production in the United States and globally as well. But the bottom line is, it is still going to be expensive and we are continuing to ask the oil and gas companies to prioritize production so that we can stabilize this mismatch between supply and demand.

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FOSTER: Of course, the cost of gasoline is closely tied to the global oil market and the prognosis there is not good. U.S. crude has hit its highest close in three months at more than $122 a barrel. Benchmark, brent crude was even higher. Analysts at Goldman Sachs are predicting oil will reach $140 a barrel in the third quarter.

Now, some U.S. lawmakers push for restrictions on the weapon of choice at many mass shooters, while many other lawmakers push back. Next, CNN goes to a gun range to show you the raw power of assault-style rifles.

Plus, the U.S. Midwest can't get a break from severe and dangerous weather. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam explains.

Hi, Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. A tornado struck a city in Ohio yesterday. I'll show you what that looked like. Plus, give you an idea who needs to keep an eye to the sky today right up after the break.

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[04:20:00]

FOSTER: Violent weather has again hit parts of the U.S. with a possible tornado spotted in Tipp City, Ohio there. The woman who shot this video says several homes in the neighborhood were damaged. A nearby distribution center took a direct hit. That entire corner of the massive building sheared off. Unbelievable scenes.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us from Atlanta with more on that.

Hi, Derek.

VAN DAM: Yes. Can imagine, Max, just actually seeing that in the distance from your own house? I mean, that would be terrifying moments, to say the least. Fortunately, there have not been any reports of injuries from this particular tornado. But as you showed a moment ago, the distribution center had sustained some damage from this apparent tornado, which has now been confirmed by the National Weather Service.

By the way, there were two tornadoes across yesterday occurring the Midwest. There were, more importantly, 148 wind reports that caused damage as well. Several reports of hail. A lot of this happened across the Midwest into the mid-Mississippi River Valley and stretching across mid-Atlantic as well.

Today, our severe weather threat is across the Central U.S., the Central and Southern Plains. This is the area we need to keep an eye to the sky, North Platte to Garden City, Oklahoma City. So, basically, we're talking Nebraska to Kansas, all of Oklahoma, even the Texas Panhandle, that is a slight risk according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The threats today include the severe wind gusts, large hail and a couple tornadoes can't be ruled out as well. And don't forget about that marginal risk across the deep south, right along the coastal areas of Florida and Louisiana, that is an area that could produce a few stronger thunderstorms later today.

There is a look at thunderstorms rolling through the afternoon. And then, once again on Friday, we have a slight risk of severe storms. So, this is a multiday severe weather setup. On Friday, the start of the weekend, our slight risk extends from Arkansas all the way to the Gulf Coast states, including New Orleans and Pensacola, that is the area that we need to be paying close attention to.

Over the next three days, some of these slow-moving thunderstorms could produce rainfall totals in excess of one to three inches, so that could cause some localized flooding. The other big weather story we're talking about is the excessive heat over the Western U.S. Over 80 reports or potential high temperature records broken or shattered or tied from this heat dome that's going to form. It's basically going to trap all the heat from the sun as it builds and continues to strengthen over the next coming days.

A lot of this heat will be confined to the desert southwest, but many of it will be impacting Las Vegas into Phoenix, so high population densities and it will eventually move its way into Texas as well. Max.

FOSTER: OK. Thank you very much to Meteorologist Derek Van Dam there in Atlanta.

Now, police are still looking for the motive after a driver plowed a car into a crowd of pedestrians in Berlin. One person was killed in Wednesday's crash and 17 others were injured, including six people who are still fighting for their lives.

CNN's Nada Bashir joins us from the scene in Berlin.

Nada, they have the suspect -- you know, they've had the suspect ever since this happened, really, haven't they. So, why don't we know more by this point?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, Max, the police investigation is still very much ongoing. As you mentioned there, they did apprehend the suspect at the scene, who is actually apprehended by passersby. A 29-year-old German-Armenian man was identified as the driver. He was handed over to police shortly after the incident and was taken for medical examination before facing police questioning. But that investigation is still ongoing.

But we are learning a little bit more about the suspect in question. In fact, this morning, just in the last hour or so, we heard from Berlin's mayor, Franziska Giffey, she spoke to local radio and described the suspect as being severely mentally impaired. And also, spoke the police investigation. She said that the statements that he had given to the police at times seemed confused. So, that may give us some pointers as to where, perhaps, the police are looking with regards for the cause of the incident.

[04:25:00]

But I have to stress out, the police haven't, at this stage, defined the cause. They are still trying to determine, as part of this investigation, whether or not this was an accident or was a deliberate act. Take a listen.

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THILO CABLITZ, BERLIN POLICE SPOKESPERSON (through translator): To reconstruct the event, we are obviously looking if this was an intentional act or a traffic accident that might have occurred due to a medical emergency. We are currently trying to clear this up, which is why so many colleagues are working here right now to collect evidence to reliably determine if it is one or the other.

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BASHIR: Now, we are expecting to hear more from police today. But at this stage, they are still trying to determine the facts of this investigation. But, of course, as you mentioned there, this was a tragic incident, at least 17 people injured, some of them with life- threatening injuries and, of course, one person confirmed dead. Max.

FOSTER: OK. Nada, in Berlin, thank you.

Returning to the gun control debate in the U.S., we now want to give you an idea about the sheer power of the weapons at the center of this issue. Semi-automatic weapons have been used by multiple mass shooters. And in most states, they are perfectly legal to buy for people age 18 and over. But as Josh Campbell reports, they take firepower to a whole new level.

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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): They are known as assault-style weapons and have been used in some of the country's deadliest shootings. From Uvalde, Tulsa, in El Paso, to Parkland, San Bernardino and Sandy Hook, the high-powered assault rifle has been the weapon of choice for many of the killers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Line is hot.

CAMPBELL (voiceover): The Los Angeles Police Department demonstrates an AR-style semi-automatic rifle for us on the department's gun range.

SGT. JAMES ZBORAVAN, LOS ANGELES POLICE: You have a 16-inch to 20- inch barrel, you have a stock that is shouldered, you're going to be accurate at farther distances as opposed to a pistol.

CAMPBELL (voiceover): Not to mention like some other weapons, it can fire a bullet with enough power to pierce soft body armor. Something this Sergeant James Zboravan knows firsthand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Jesus. It's definitely an automatic weapon. CAMPBELL (voiceover): He took assault weapons fire during the now infamous 1997 north Hollywood shoot-out, where two bank robbers wearing body armor fired on police for nearly an hour, injuring eight people and 12 officers, including Sergeant Sevoravan (ph).

SGT. ZBORAVAN: You are being hit with pieces of the vehicles we were hiding behind, asphalt, radiator fluid. Felt like we're being stunned by bees.

CAMPBELL (on camera): The shooting change policy, prompting the LAPD and other departments to upgrade their own weaponry to counter the increasingly powerful guns used by assailants. That firepower from weapons is studied inside a ballistics lab at Wayne State University where researchers simulate a bullet's impact on the human body.

CYNTHIA BIR, PROFESSOR, WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY: It's a block of 20 percent gelatin and it is meant to represent the human tissues. So, soft tissues.

CAMPBELL (voiceover): Watch as Cynthia Bir team fires a handgun round at 1,000 feet per second into the gelatin block.

BIR: For this particular round, you will see the bullet come in on this side, you see this temporary cavity here happening. So, that expansion is what happens in the body and then, it collapses down. So, that's where you damage comes in.

CAMPBELL (voiceover): Now, watch as the team fires a round from an assault rifle.

BIR: We see a lot of more disruption. This round actually breaks apart, it doesn't exit. So, it is about 3,000 feet per second, and all of that energy goes into the soft tissue. We have a piece of plastic here to reflect do the videos. And it actually lifted the plastic up off the table with the energy.

CAMPBELL (voiceover): An after-math photo of the handgun round shows a relatively straight line through the tissue, exiting the other side. But not so with the round from an AR-15.

BIT: It basically goes into the body and creates an explosion inside the body.

CAMPBELL (voiceover): Trauma surgeons say the wound from an assault rifle can be catastrophic.

DR. CHETHAN SATHYA, PEDIATRIC TRAUMA SURGEON: And the worst part is in a child, all the vital organs are that much closer together. So, each of those bullets causes, you know, irreversible damage.

CAMPBELL (voiceover): In Uvalde, Texas, families were asked for DNA swabs to help the authorities identify their children.

BIR: As a mom it really affects me, right? Because I cannot imagine having a child endure this.

CAMPBELL (voiceover): And with high-capacity magazines, suspects can shoot for much longer.

CAMPBELL (on camera): Now, the discussion about high-capacity magazines largely centers on reducing the amount of time that a suspect can fire without having to reload. As a former FBI agent, we were trained to quickly get your weapon reloaded and back up on target. But for a suspect, for example, who isn't trained, you can see using this training weapon, that is a process, it involves removing the empty magazine, obtaining a fresh round of ammunition, loading it into the weapon, charging the weapon, getting it back up on target. Those are all precious seconds where victims can be fleeing. The gun can jam or the suspect could be engaged by lawmaker or bystanders.

CAMPBELL (voiceover): Knowing the damage that sustain firepower can do, researchers hope their critical findings lead to awareness.

CAMPBELL (on camera): Regardless of where one comes down on the gun control debate, it is indisputable that the assault weapon causes significant damage inside the body.

BIR: Definitely. But this is the reality. This is what is happening.

CAMPBELL: Now, the Justice Department says handguns have been used in most mass shootings

[04:29:00]