Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Pro-Russian Court In Ukraine Sentences Three Foreigners To Death; Americans Delivers First Aid Kits To Ukrainian Front Lines; "Unidentified Amarillo Object" Caught On Camera; Pop Star Says He Has Face Paralysis Due To Rare Syndrome. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired June 11, 2022 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST (voice-over): If you are lucky enough to find them, be prepared to pay a little bit extra. Prices are up nearly 10 percent compared to one year ago.
Hot chili sauce fans are in trouble, too. The makers of Sriracha say they expect a major shortage of the popular condiment because of issues like bad chili pepper crops from the spring harvest. May not be available until next fall.
Your next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
(CHANTING)
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: A massive crowd of demonstrators make their way from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Keep marching. It has to become an election issue.
DAVID HOGG, ANTI-GUN ACTIVIST: Our enemies are not left or right. Our common enemy is gun violence.
BROWN: The national average for a gallon of gas setting an all-time record.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Here in California, this is considered a great deal at $6.09 a gallon?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are curtailing a lot of what we are doing. Not taking any even short trips.
BROWN: The capitol riot committee's primetime hearing laying out in detail how the insurrection unfolded.
UNIDENTIFIED MAKLE: The politicians, the pundits who say that January 6th was anything short of a violent insurrection are lying.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The committee is promising many more details that we haven't learned before.
BROWN: Justin Bieber taking a break after getting a rare virus that has paralyzed half his face.
JUSTIN BIEBER, SINGER: I can't smile on this side of my face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN (on camera): I'm Pamela Brown. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A call to action under a ban hear the sums up the high stakes, March for Our Lives. In more than 400 cities across the country today that's rallies demanded that lawmakers confront the explosion of gun violence and mass shootings.
The largest was in Washington where significant gun reform has stalled for years in the Senate.
And right now, Senate negotiator working on a bipartisan package are expressing some optimism for compromise.
Our correspondents are fanned out across the country to cover these urgent demands for tougher gun laws.
Let's begin with Polo Sandoval.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Polo Sandoval, in New York, where, on Saturday, a large group of demonstrators adding their voice to the growing corps outside across the country calling for meaningful gun reformat the national level.
We saw a large group of demonstrators with NYPD clearing the way, marching from Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge and culminating in Manhattan.
In the last several days, New York State lawmakers have taken a step in that specific direction introducing and enacting meaningful gun reform.
I have heard from demonstrators touchdown reflecting on that and calling on federal lawmakers to take similar steps as well.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brian Todd in Washington, where the March for Our Lives rally drew a healthy crowd at the foot of the Washington Monument.
Several inspired speeches by the leaders and those affected by gun violence carried the day here in Washington. A lot of impassioned messages.
We also spoke to many people in the crowd who expressed sheer frustration that more hasn't been done since the Parkland shooting in 2014 that got this movement going. Two of the most impassioned speakers were the sons of Ruth Whitfield.
She's an 896-year-old woman who was among the 10 people killed in the Buffalo shooting.
GARNEL WHITFIELD, MOTHER WAS VICTIM IN BUFFALO MASS SHOOTING: We are here the stand with those who are bold enough to demand sensible gun legislation that will help to reduce the gun violence in our communities.
That will stop the slaughter of our most precious commodity, people, human buildings, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents, kids. In my case, my 86-year-old mother.
TODD: In addition to the passion and personal stories and frustration expressed here, there was a bit of a security scare, which illustrates the tension surrounding this debate on ending gun violence
At one point, someone spooked the crowd into thinking there was a threat. People started rushing in one direction. There was a bit of a stampede for a few seconds. There was a real panic. It lasted only about 10 seconds.
We are told by the park police later that there was no security threat but that someone was disrupting what they called a permitted event. That person was detained and an investigation is ongoing.
NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am Nadia Romero in Parkland, Florida, at the same spot where there was a March for Our Lives more than four years ago, a month after the shooting in Parkland. Here we are again.
I spoke with one shooting survivor who tells me she thought there would have been more change in all of these years.
Take a listen.
SAN KAUFMAN, PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR: I never expected to come back and do mother march. I expected our lawmakers to do their jobs. It is upsetting.
[20:05:08]
But I am hoping they do something. If they continue to have inaction, more and more kids will die.
ROMERO: I also spoke with woman whose husband was the athletic director, who died while charging the gunman trying to protect his students. She says he would be so proud of his former students, many of whom are in college and who are continuing their activism.
She says she hopes activism turns into action by Congress.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Nadia Romero, Polo Sandoval, Brian Todd, thank you all.
As Nadia mentioned, March for Our Lives was born in the shock and the grief of the high school massacre in Parkland Florida in 2018.
David Hogg, a student survivor who cofounded the movement, spoke to me earlier this evening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOGG: The country may seem polarized but I truly believe the most polarized place in the country is our Senate. I think Americans are sick and tired of seeing carnage in our schools and communities on a daily basis.
Ultimately, the average person on the left or right, regardless of whether they entirely agree with me, we can agree we need to save our kids. They failed in Parkland, they failed in Texas and they are going the failure again in the future.
We can't keep letting young again get legal access the A.R.-15s and get on campus.
The shooter at my campus was a criminal but not a master mind. He didn't have deep connections to the black market. He was a 19-year-old who was able to legally access an A.R.-15.
The shooter in Uvalde was 18. So was the shooter in Buffalo. They got a weapon, in my opinion of mass destruction that shouldn't be available as easy as it is right now.
Really, we need to raise the age to 21. I want you to look at your kids -- if you are a parent at home, look at your kids, your best friend, if you don't have kids that person could be next.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: David Hogg also voiced his opinion about the issue of mental health.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOGG: Let's realize that radicalization and becoming a white supremacist is not a mention illness. It is systemic problem in our country that it is going to take all Americans to address. Address the hatred out there.
We can't just address how somebody can get these guns. We have to address why they pick them up in the first place.
It is addressing the two thirds of deaths that are suicides, predominantly men, and addressing the daily trauma that black and Brown communities experience disproportionately from gun violence. There are kids traumatized outside of the schools that need mettle mental health.
I'm saying let's not use it as a scapegoat so that when a student goes to a teacher and says I am depressed they are not put on a national danger list when they are more dangerous to themselves than they are to others. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: He says since the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, the Senate has accomplished one thing. It has gone on recess.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Just into CNN, more than two dozen people believed to be affiliated with while white nationalists arrested today in Idaho. Police say they were in the back of a rental truck with shields and other riot gear.
The capitol riot committee's primetime hearing laying out in detail how the insurrection unfolded and promising more revelations on Monday.
Also ahead tonight, two Americans on the frontlines in Ukraine helping with evacuations and medical aid. They are going the share their story with us.
[20:09:01]
Plus, Justin Bieber revealing a startling medical condition. He says one side of his face is paralyzed. A doctor joins me next to explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We're following breaking news tonight. Police in Idaho arresting more than 30 people, many of them packed into a U-Haul near a pride parade.
All those arrested believed to be affiliated with the white supremacist group Patriot Front and detained for what police are calling conspiracy to riot.
According to the sheriff there, the suspects came from at least 11 states. Images from the scene show the group all dressed in similar throating. They had their face covered up. Police say they were equipped with shields, shin guards, and other riot gear.
And the chief of police saying they looked like a little army. Police credit a citizen who saw the group and brought it to the attention of law enforcement.
Let's bring in national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem.
Juliette, this group had shields, riot gear, at least one smoke grenade. Does it seem like the right move to bust this group, make the arrests before potential trouble started?
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Absolutely. The very least, the fact that they had operational plans -- I am putting that in quotes. We don't know exactly what they had, would have been a disruption -- disrupted essentially what they were trying do.
We don't know what exactly happened at the stop. I think the citizen's complaint would have been enough for the police to full them over. Let me tell you about Patriot Front and what is going on here. This is
an organization formed in 2017 after Charlottesville. They are into display performative white supremacy.
It is odd the talk about it that way but they talk about something called garish patriotism. It is something that -- they want us to be looking at them, look at their uniforms and all of them in a U-Haul, this was goings to be a performative action against a pride parade.
[20:15:02]
So this attention is kind of what they want. And so we should know that in terms of what we are saying about them. We do not know if they were armed at this stage. But that's essentially who they are.
Clear white supremacy, European replacement therapy. They believe all the stuff we are hearing from other white supremacy groups and some of the mainstream media and an organization that clearly was able to pull from a bunch of states to go to -- you know, to Idaho.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: It's an important point you made that oftentimes these groups also do things as a publicity stunt, right, to call more attention to their group. We should be mindful of that.
Juliet stay with us.
I want to bring in Ford Fischer, editor-in-chief of News2Share, who shot this video you're watching.
Ford, walk us through this.
FORD FISCHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, NEWS2SHARE: There were a lot of different groups that came out, many of them armed to counter protest this pride event.
This was the sixth annual pride event. Locals and many from out of town were coming to protest. Patriot Front hadn't coordinated with the other groups.
It took the fortunate by surprise that this U-Haul showed up. Police got a continue before arresting them. The continue was there were about 20 people, they look like a small Army.
When they were apprehended it turned out there were 31 of them. At the press conference the police chief said they would rather arrest 31 of them for a misdemeanor conspiracy charge then to let them do damage and then arrest them afterwards.
They felt they were preventing a tragedy. Two other arrests happened today. But 31 specifically Patriot Front.
BROWN: What was it like there as you shot the video, the arrests were happening? Paint the picture. What was the scene like? FISCHER: Yes, so, it was kinds of challenging I think for law
enforcement because outside of the police line that was being formed. There's a perimeter, and behind them they are unmasking, and one by one zip tying them and arresting them and loading them up.
At the same time, there was the pride event happening. And people with firearms protesting the pride event. It was more complicated than separating two sides.
One group being arrested on one side of the police line and in front of them groups arguing with each other overall. Overall, a number of armed groups were here to counter-protest this event. Over half a mile wide, the park where this was taking place at.
It was complicated for police who had local police, county police, state police and the police chief actually today in this press conference confirmed with me they were in contact with the FBI all day.
BROWN: To be clear, there was no violence, correct?
FISCHER: As far as I saw, there wasn't any violence. They basically seemed to believe there was a conspiracy to commit a riot. The other two arrests they said were basically trespassing.
I had seen basically a street preacher who was yelling at the pride parade and he was told because you are using an amplification device you are being asked to leave and I am told he was later arrested.
But thereof confrontation, people with arms were holding banners saying the people attending the pride parade were groomers.
BROWN: Thank you, Ford.
I want to bring Juliette Kayyem. To react to what we just heard from you Ford.
What do you think?
KAYYEM: This is the nature of the kind of extremism that we are seeing this summer. I think those of us in my field are -- you know, we are a little bit more worried about the summer. We are waiting for some Supreme Court decisions, obviously.
There's the gun debate. The gun fight, there's that you are seeing politically out there. We have an election coming up. The 9/11 committee hearings and people's reaction to them. And you are seeing it in every state.
And social media allows these organizations, even if they are performative, as I said -- this is -- Patriot Front may very well have wanted these arrests because nobody heard of them ten minutes ago and now everyone is going to be talking about them.
But this is sort of the performative nature of a lot of this right- wing organization now. They are taking the selfies. [20:19:59]
Think of January 6th, right? They are taking the selfies. They want to be known. This is part of what they are doing. Now it is part of a fear tactic to make us think they are larger in strength.
And think about the people attending the pride parade. As the gentleman said, these are families, families with two moms or two dads, or just any family that wanted to join to support pride. So, you know, they are terrifying through numbers.
I want to talk about the weapons. We don't know that that's true to Patriot Front. There might have been cases of other weapons. It may be that patriot just wanted this visual of them terrifying LGBTQ families and those that support them.
Because, for them, that's -- that's what they put on number Web site that's how they get recruitment ask. We have to be aware of that. We just don't know about the violence.
You know, I think conspiracy to commit a riot, the police seem to think that they have it now. We will see what the evidence is.
Certainly, I will say in any instance, 31 people who look like a mini army getting into a U-Haul heading to a public event that is a soft target, the police would have every reason to stop them based on suspicion, and then in the conversation or interaction determine who they are.
BROWN: Juliette Kayyem, Ford Fischer, thank you to you for joining us tonight.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM this Sunday. All of these mass shootings have one thing in common, the A.R.-style assault rifle was the weapon of choice. In most states, they are perfectly legal for people to buy, age 18 and over.
CNN's Josh Campbell gives us a sense of their power.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GUNFIRE)
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are known as assault-style weapons and have been used in some of the country's deadliest shootings.
From Uvalde, Tulsa, and El Paso, to Parkland, San Bernardino, and Sandy Hook, the rifle has been the weapon of choice for many of the killers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Line is hot.
CAMPBELL: The Los Angeles Police Department demonstrates an AR-style semiautomatic rifle for us on the department's gun range. SGT. JAMES ZBORAVAN, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: You have a 16-inch
to 20-inch barrel. You have a stock that is shouldered. You're going to be accurate at further distances as opposed to a pistol.
CAMPBELL: Not to mention, like some other weapons, it can a bullet with enough power to pierce soft body armor, something Sergeant James Zboravan knows firsthand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, geez, it's definitely an automatic weapon.
CAMPBELL: He took assault weapons fire during the now infamous 1997 North Hollywood shootout, where two bank robbers wearing body armor fired on police for nearly an hour. Injuring eight people and 12 officers, including Sergeant Zboravan.
ZBORAVAN: You're being hit with pieces of the vehicles we're hiding behind, an asphalt, radiator fluid. It felt like were being stung by beast.
CAMPBELL: That shooting changed 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.
BIR: It's a block of 20 percent gelatin, and it's meant to represent the human tissues, so soft tissue.
CAMPBELL: Watch as Cynthia Bir fires a handgun round at 10,000 feet for second into the gelatin block.
BIR: For this particular round, you'll see the bullet come in on this side, you'll see this temporary cavity happening. So that expansion is what happens in the body and then it collapses down. So that's where your damage comes in.
CAMPBELL: Now watch as the team fires a round from an assault rifle.
BIR: We see a lot more disruption. This round breaks apart, it doesn't exit. So it's 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 to do the videos, and it actually lifted the plastic off the table with the energy.
CAMPBELL: An aftermath 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.
BIR: It basically goes into the body and creates an explosion inside the body.
CAMPBELL: 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 bullet causes irreversible damage.
CAMPBELL: 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: And with high-capacity magazines, suspects can shoot for much longer.
(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 quickly trained to get your weapon reloaded and back up on target.
But for a suspect for example who isn't trained, you can see 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.
[20:25:06]
Those are all precious seconds where victims can be fleeing, the gun can jam, or the suspect could be engaged by law enforcement or bystanders.
(GUNFIRE)
CAMPBELL: Knowing the damage that sustained firepower can do, researchers hope their critical findings lead to awareness.
(on camera): Regardless of where one comes down on the gun control debate, it's indisputable that the assault weapon causes significant damage inside the body.
BIR: Definitely. But this is the reality. This is what's happening.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Now, the Justice Department says handguns have been used in most mass shootings. But the deadliest shooters have opted for the A.R.-15 style rifle.
You can see why. That disastrous demonstration showed the effects this weapons system can have on the body. This weapon designed to be used on soldiers on battlefield is causing unspeakable carnage here at home.
Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BROWN: Some Americans are helping to save lives in Ukraine. They are building and delivering first aid kits. Up next, two of them join me to explain how it is all coming together.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:30:37]
BROWN: A pro-Russian court at a separatist region of Ukraine has sentenced two British nationals and a Moroccan to death. The family of one man, Shaun Pinner, is finding that decision. They claim that he should have had the rights of a prisoner of war according to the Geneva Convention.
Meantime, Ukrainian leaders say Donetsk is where some of the most intense fighting is happening. And tonight, President Zelenskyy praised the troops there. He has said the city's fate could determine the fate of the entire region.
A couple of Americans are teaming up to help Ukrainians on the frontlines, stay safe and stay alive. They are putting together and delivering first aid kits.
Joining me now Burke Bryant, President and CEO of the Humanitarian and Rescue Project, and William McNulty, co-founder of Team Rubicon and the founder of Operation White Stork. Good evening to you both. Great to see you. Thank you for all that you were doing to help those Ukrainians who are suffering in the war in Ukraine.
So if you would, William, just start us off, tell us about Operation White Stork. How did you come up with the idea?
WILLIAM MCNULTY, FOUNDER, OPERATION WHITE STORK: White stork started in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and we are a group of military veterans, medical professionals, and operators who were appalled by Russia's actions during this war increasingly. We believe this amounts to genocide.
BROWN: So tell us a little bit more about these first aid kits, the -- their individual kits, right? Tell us about them. I think you have them right there with you and wondering if the supply chain issues make it difficult at all to get what you needed for these kits.
MCNULTY: Absolutely. So these first aid kits, I'm holding one right here in my hand, they contain everything a soldier needs to save his or her life after a traumatic event. They contain a tourniquet, which is a device that is used to apply pressure to a limb or extremity in order to stop the flow of blood. They contain a number of items specifically designed to stop bleeding and extend a soldier's life in combat.
The supply chain issues have been significant. So much so we've had to source these from several different countries around the world. Because even today, there is a several week backlog on the CAT 7 tourniquets, which is the USA approved tourniquet that is fielded within the United States military.
BROWN: So I want to bring you and Burke. What do you think about these kits? Have they been helpful? Have they saved anyone's life?
BURKE BRYANT, PRESIDENT, HUMANITARIAN AID AND RESCUE PROJECT: Absolutely. These kids, I can honestly say, have saved hundreds of lives. And what they contain inside gives the victim the ability to sustain, in most cases, life long enough to get to a doctor or a surgeon who can then manage the patient from there. When they're used correctly, it's almost like an extra life in a video game, I guess you could say.
BROWN: Wow, that's incredible. So what challenges have you and your team had in getting these first aid kits to the frontlines, Burke?
BRYANT: Yes. You know, we are going on, I think now 97 days inside Ukraine. And in that time, we've been caught between tank battles, we've been hit with heavy artillery sub-munitions, pinned by small arms, fire, and shot at by RPGs.
But every operation is well planned to the absolute best of our ability. And we make sure to account for unseen variables as best we can. So I'm happy to say that we've had 100 percent success rate and with zero casualty, and we'll continue to deliver to save more lives.
BROWN: So you're going to go back over, you're going to deliver these risk your life, given what you just laid out there all that you have been through to get these kids to those who needed. It's just incredible the effort that you're doing.
And I'm curious, given your experience being there during this war. First to you, William, then to you, Burke, over the past 100 or so days? How has the fighting changed? What's different now than at the start of the war that you've seen?
MCNULTY: Well, what's different now is that the railways are increasingly being targeted by the Russians. And that's important because Ukraine over relies on its railway system because it doesn't have this large, complex multi-lane interstate system like the United States does.
[20:35:57]
Most of the roads in Ukraine are single-lane going each way except for in a few cities. So women and children use the railways to evacuate from the East to the West. Ukraine -- the government uses the railways to move humanitarian aid from the West to the East. And so when Russia strikes those trains, it disrupts that humanitarian aid, stops the flow of it, and puts more pressure on organizations like HARP Rescue and White Stork to deliver supplies via that network of single lane and increasingly damaged roads throughout Ukraine.
BROWN: What about you, Burke?
BRYANT: Yes. No, I agree 100 percent with William on that. You know, Russia continues to push hard trying to gain resources as well as land. So, yes, Williams dead on with that. So it's definitely up to -- up to the delivery process that we have running right now. And other organizations for that matter, as well that are doing their best to continue and to save lives and get those supplies delivered where they're needed the most.
BROWN: And, Burke, you plan on going back over to Ukraine, right?
BRYANT: That's correct, yes. We still have our teams there working diligently each day. And I got -- I got a little sick the last time I was there. I had to pull out for a bit. We got stuck in a pretty bad spot. And we ended up breathing and a bunch of phosphorous rounds. And it created an upper respiratory issue that put me in bed for quite a while. But I've recovered now and I plan to get back into Ukraine within the next two to three weeks.
BROWN: That's incredible that you had this issue that was caused there, and you're willing to go back into the thick of it. What about you, William?
MCNULTY: I'm heading back over tomorrow, so --
BROWN: Wow.
MCNULTY: --- direct flight from Chicago, the beautiful Polish city of Chicago.
BROWN: Wow. All right. Anything else you would like to add, Burke, first to you. I mean, it's just incredible, so inspiring what you were doing.
BRYANT: Well, we appreciate that. And, you know, HARP rescue and White Stork couldn't do it without our donors. And we do hope that people can continue to support us. They can do that by going to harprescue.org or operationwhitestork.org or both and making a donation which will allow us to continue saving lives that we are.
BROWN: And, William, final words to you.
MCNULTY: Thank you and I appreciate -- also thanks to our donors, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Tanya Polsky (PH). This is in -- and they agree, a never again moment, if never again, truly means anything if it's not just a platitude, we need the world to stop Russia and Ukraine.
BROWN: And really quickly, what do you say to those who are moving on, right, that the war was happening, people were really focused on it. And then now, obviously, the situation has changed or around 100 days in people's attention is elsewhere.
William, what is your message it to those people?
MCNULTY: My message is, it's increasingly evident that Russia is using precision guided missiles to destroy schools, museums, cultural centers, hospitals, churches. It's increasingly evident that Russia is using rape as policy of this war. And if never again, like I said means anything, we need the world to stay focused on Ukraine. BROWN: All right. William, Burke, thank you so much. And thank you for all you have done for your service to this country and for your service in Ukraine. Thank you.
BRYANT: Thank you.
MCNULTY: Thank you.
BROWN: So what made John Dean decide to testify against Richard Nixon? The Watergate scandal heats up in the CNN Original Series, "Watergate: Blueprint for a Scandal" continues tomorrow night at 9:00 right here on CNN.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday. More than two dozen people believe linked to white nationalists have been arrested in Idaho police say they had shields and they were ready to riot. We're going to have the latest on this up next.
Plus, Justin Bieber telling fans, he has a rare condition that's paralyzed one side of his face. In an Instagram post, the singer said he can't even fully smile. Dr. Saju Mathew joins me to explain Bieber's condition.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:40:57]
BROWN: Pop star, Justin Bieber, says he could not perform at his upcoming shows due to a rare syndrome that cause paralysis on one side of his face. The singer posted a video on his Instagram account to show his fans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN BIEBER, CANADIAN SINGER: As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can't smile on the side of my face. This nostril will not move. So there's full paralysis in the side of my face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Justin Bieber explained that his symptoms are from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare sickness caused by shingles and he says he's going to take a break from performing until he recovers.
Well, primary care physician and public health specialist Dr. Saju. Mathew joins me now. Hi, Dr. Mathew. So, first, what is Ramsay Hunt syndrome? And from what you see in that video is Justin Bieber showing the textbook signs of it.
SAJU MATTHEW, PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST: Yes, he is. Good evening, Pamela. Ramsay Hunt syndrome, as you mentioned, it's actually a very rare neurological condition of the facial nerve, and it's actually caused by the chickenpox virus that most of us get as children.
[20:45:02] The chickenpox heals but the virus stays in the nerve root, and decades later, it can be reactivated either due to a sickness or stress, and it appears as a rash really on the ear. And in the case of Justin Bieber, it's on his right side, it can be really painful. So along with facial paralysis, you get this painful ear lesion. And sometimes the diagnosis is not that straightforward, Pamela, because not all the symptoms present at the same time. It is rare, about five and 100,000 cases. This has to be debilitating for Justin who relies on his hearing ability and facial expressions to do what he does as a musician.
BROWN: Yes. I mean, I think about it like for my job, right? I mean, it's like I would have to have -- I have to use my face. I have to show facial expression. I have to listen, you know, it would be very difficult for a lot of people to have that. How do you tell the difference between if someone has that versus Bell's Palsy? Because I think initially when you hear about facial paralysis, that's maybe what you would think.
MATHEW: Yes, that's right. I actually diagnosed Bell's Palsy that's way more common than Ramsay Hunt. With Bell's Palsy, it's basically a paralysis of one side of the face, but it doesn't have these lesions on the ear. And if you will, the focus on the neck and the ear component.
Quick diagnosis, that is the bottom line, Pamela. You want to make the diagnosis in the first three days. You have about a 70 percent chance of full recovery. But guess what, after one week, it goes down to 30 percent. And, unfortunately, Ramsay Hunt syndrome is way worse than Bell's Palsy.
BROWN: When you say way worse, what do you mean by that?
MATHEW: Well, the fact that a full recovery may not be 100 percent possible, and sometimes patients can actually have permanent hearing loss. And as I mentioned, with the percentage going down with a later and later diagnosis, if you don't start the high dose steroids, and the antiviral, a good number of patients really will not return back to a full capacity.
BROWN: Wow. So I'm wondering who typically gets it? I mean, does anything make you more prone to develop this? If you're young, old people, I mean, help us better understand why someone like Justin Bieber, who was relatively young, would get this.
MATHEW: I was actually shocked when I -- when I heard the diagnosis. I watched the video very closely. And he is absolutely acting as somebody who are behaving as somebody who has that syndrome, he can barely close his eye. He looks like he's had a mini stroke. But Ramsay Hunt typically doesn't affect a younger population. It's actually fairly rare, especially a 28-year-old, healthy person like Justin.
I'm not his physician. I don't know his medical condition. But if I saw Justin in my office, I would look also for any kind of underlying conditions that predispose him to getting this very rare neurological condition. BROWN: All right. Thank you so much, Dr. Saju. Mathew. We appreciate your analysis on this.
MATHEW: You bet. We would update you now on a story from earlier this hour. The FBI is assisting local police in the investigation of 31 people arrested a short time ago for conspiracy to riot near in Idaho Pride Parade. It was near Coeur d'Alene.
And this is new video coming in showing some of the people arrested. Now all those arrested are believed to be affiliated with the white supremacist group Patriot Front, coming from at least 11 states. Police say many of them were packed inside a U-Haul. They were equipped with shields, shin guards, and other riot gear.
And the chief of police says that they looked like a, quote, little army. Police credited a citizen who saw the group and alerted law enforcement.
Well, you were in the CNN NEWSROOM tonight.
And up next, a security camera at a Texas zoo capturing a bizarre image.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL KASHUBA, DIRECTOR, AMARILLO PARKS AND RECREATION: The Unidentified Amarillo Object.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Let the guesses begin from Sonic the Hedgehog to the San Antonio Spurs coyote mascot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Folks are having a field day trying to figure out what it is. Curious to know what you think. CNN's Jeanne Moos has a story when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:50:01]
BROWN: A surveillance camera in Amarillo, Texas captured a weird mysterious image and now city officials want the public to help figure out what it is seen. CNN Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS: The city of Amarillo, Texas is asking folks to guess what is this thing? The image was captured last month at 1:25 A.M. by a cameras set up inside the Amarillo Zoo. Looking out through a perimeter fence. Is it a person with a strange hat who likes to walk at night? City officials asked in a tweet, referring to it as a UAO.
KASHUBA: The Unidentified Amarillo Object.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. MOOS: Let the guesses begin from Fantastic Mr. Fox.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to live in a hole anymore.
MOOS: To Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.
MOOS: The camera is motion activated and sends an alert to zoo officials when it captures something. There were some serious theories.
[20:55:04]
KASHUBA: A raccoon standing on a time legs or potentially a person walking through the park that just happened to get captured in a peculiar way.
MOOS: But the public's guesses were more colorful from Sonic the Hedgehog to the San Antonio Spurs coyote mascot. Someone tweeted the movie Dog Soldiers called and want their werewolf back. Another poster wondered, is this guy on the loose? And of course there were references to Big Foot. Someone thought Little Foot might be more appropriate.
There is no video, just this image one poster went all out to illustrate his theory was a coyote jumping the fence diagrammed with anatomy like ears, tail, et cetera noted if nothing else all these guesses could lead folks howling.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown. "Watergate: Blueprint for a Scandal" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:00:00]
