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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Addresses Asia's Top Security Summit; Russia's War On Ukraine; January 6 Hearings; U.S. Gas Hits $5+ Gallon; Uvalde School Shooting; Triple-Digit Temps Across The U.S. Next Week. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired June 11, 2022 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching this here in the United States, Canada and all around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, fierce battles over one city in Eastern Ukraine. President Zelenskyy appeals for help at Asia's premier defense conference. We're live in Kyiv and Singapore on Ukraine's attempts to hold on to power.
Plus, a warning that next year's grain harvest could be cut in half because of the war. We will look at the strategies for exporting this desperately needed crop.
And U.S. gas prices have just hit a record high. Details on how President Biden is responding to this inflation.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin with the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, which is being fought over street by street. Just a short time ago, a Ukrainian governor said that most of the city is under Russian control but he says Ukrainians are still putting up resistance.
Russian officials say negotiations are underway about hundreds of civilians believed to be sheltering in a local chemical plant.
In Mariupol, the city's mayor says Russia isn't even trying to give proper burials to civilians killed during its bombardment of the city. He says Russian forces have torn down 1,300 high rise apartment buildings, even though there were dozens of bodies buried under each.
The mayor says those remains are now being dumped in a landfill, along with rubble from the buildings. Ukraine is condemning what it calls a sham trial of three foreign fighters who fought in its military. They've been sentenced to death in a pro Russian separatist region which considers them mercenaries. But Ukraine says they are legitimate, military members protected by the Geneva Conventions.
In the past hour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took his message to a top security summit in Asia. He virtually addressed the dialogue, which is underway in Singapore. Zelenskyy said Ukraine will definitely prevail against Russia and the world must draw the line for Moscow. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We must stop Russia. We must stop the war which this state has started against my stage, trying to bring the world back in the old times, where the freedom of peoples and peoples' lives were of no significance at all.
We must break the ability of Russia and any other country in the world to block, seize and destroy the freedom of navigation. If it's about sanctions, then we need sanctions. If it's about symmetrical measures to limit the servicing of Russian ships in ports, then we need those measures.
Russia must feel that its belligerent policies will have consequences for itself as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN correspondents are covering the conflict from every angle. Salma Abdelaziz is in Kyiv. And Oren Liebermann is in Singapore.
First, to Salma in Kyiv, we just got word from Ukraine's prosecutor general's office that they learned about the deaths of another 24 children in Mariupol due to Russian shelling, compounding the growing tragedy in that city and the country.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. These estimates, according to President Zelenskyy, are absolutely not complete. They are extremely low. Take for example Mariupol, of course, where these children were killed.
This is a city that we understand, according to Ukrainian officials, that Russian forces are clearing the rubble without even extracting the bodies, without pulling the dead from under that rubble, giving them the dignity of burial and the opportunity to be identified by their families.
Ukrainian officials, rather, estimate 22,000 people, 22,000 residents were killed in Mariupol alone. These are very early estimates, early figures. It's a reflection, Kim, of what this war is, the type of war that it is.
It is an artillery war; at times it is indiscriminate shelling that are striking at civilian neighborhoods. These are battles. Take Sievierodonetsk, which is the flashpoint city. These are battles happening right in the middle of communities, in the heart of where people live, with no regard for their safety or their well-being.
We know Mariupol, for example was a place where, even as people sheltered, there were the word for children written on buildings to try to protect themselves from Russian warplanes.
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ABDELAZIZ: They were still struck. So the devastation caused by this conflict which continues to grind on is appalling.
The worry and the fear here for Ukrainian officials is that Russia can continue this conflict at pace, they say, for another year and Ukrainian forces now are outmanned, outgunned, they are running out of artillery pieces in places like Sievierodonetsk. One official says that everything now depends on Western support, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: On that note, Oren, Zelenskyy spoke at the summit where you are in Singapore, virtually, obviously. Tell us what he had to say and why he chose to speak to that audience in particular.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Kim, Ukraine has hung over this conference, this might be Asia's premier defense conference. But Ukraine is not only the largest story in the world but has been for the last 108 days.
But everyone here acknowledges that there is a parallel between Ukraine and Russia's invasion of its smaller neighbor and what might be a possibility in Taiwan as the U.S. warns that China may be or is using rhetoric that suggests they might be willing to change the status quo of Taiwan with perhaps in the future an invasion of Taiwan.
For those reasons, Ukraine has been an issue that has come up over and over again. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of course, knows his audience here. He realizes it's not just a conference in Singapore. This is also where many of the heads of the militaries and military officials have come together here.
He knew exactly who he was talking to. And as we've seen him do so often, he at least to some extent, tailored his message to this audience, in fact, quoting the first prime minister of Singapore as he spoke. Here's part of what he had to say just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russian propaganda is assiduous and spreading in many countries, the defamation campaign that Russia's war against Ukraine is ostensibly something about NATO, about the role of the United States, about the intention of the West to somehow advance in Europe.
But in reality, Russia's war against Ukraine is not only about Europe. It is about globally important things. Russian leadership strives to discard all of the achievements of the historical development of humankind, particularly the system of international law, which we have today.
And it wants to come back to the life of the 19th century or even before that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: When the head of the conference introduced Zelenskyy, he said most all the other speakers here have to speak in person. They don't allow virtual speakers. But because of the importance of the moment and, of course, the importance of the speaker, he was allowed to address this conference virtually.
BRUNHUBER: Oren, pivoting from Ukraine but staying at that conference, the U.S. Defense Secretary had strong words about China and Taiwan. Take us through that.
LIEBERMANN: So right when he began speaking, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin talked about the international order, which we heard Zelenskyy mention. He talked about the importance of sovereignty, the importance of following an international rules based order, such that larger countries, more powerful countries can't simply dictate the fate, the destiny or the future of a smaller neighbor here.
It wasn't just in reference to Russia in Ukraine, it was a reference to China in Taiwan. A short time later, Austin directly referenced China, saying the U.S. stands by the One China policy, is not in favor of Taiwanese independence but it also has the right and the ability to arm Taiwan with defensive weapons and to give them training to use those weapons in case someone -- of course, China in this case -- tries to change the status quo of Taiwan by the use of force.
And he said that there is a sort of increasing evidence, a body of circumstances and situations, where China has become more aggressive in the region. We have seen some of that regionally with Chinese fighter jets operating in the region in the last few weeks.
He expressed concern that this is essentially China showing that there might be a willingness there to change the status quo when it comes to Taiwan, something the U.S. has made clear not only through Austin but also President Biden, will be unacceptable to the U.S. and its allies.
BRUNHUBER: All right, thank you.
And going back to Salma, looking more broadly at the conflict there in Ukraine, most of the momentum, as you alluded to earlier, really seems to be on Russia's side right now.
ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely, Kim. Of course, this is a superior military power. Ukraine's defense of its territory, of its land, its resistance, of course, has been applauded by the international community, by its allies and the Western world.
But that was bolstered by support, by the shipment of weapons by the West, by help from the countries that stand with Ukraine. That help has to continue to flow. That is President Zelenskyy's message. Without, it Ukraine stands to be outmanned and outgunned.
[05:10:00] ABDELAZIZ: You have an estimate here from Ukrainian officials that to every one artillery piece that Ukraine has, Russia has 10-15 artillery pieces. They are losing up to 100 soldiers a day on the ground. That's again according to President Zelenskyy, many more wounded.
All of this country's resources are stretched along the eastern front. Russia, again, has the ability to continue that pace for a year, that's according to Ukrainian officials themselves.
And what Russian forces are doing now is already solidifying the gains that they have made in the Donbas region, in Mariupol and Kherson. They are already connecting that land bridge from Russia down into Crimea. They are already using and accessing those ports in Mariupol and Berdyansk after they demine them.
They are pushing flow of water through a canal into Crimea. For Ukraine to be able to claw back or even just defend what is left in these regions, that is going to require a lot of help, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. Salma Abdelaziz in Kyiv, Oren Liebermann in Singapore, thank you to you both.
Germany's agriculture minister has joined other European leaders in accusing Russia of using food as a weapon of war in Ukraine.
Russia's blockade of the port at Odessa, seen here in better times, has left Ukraine unable to ship some 22 million tons of grain. That has raised global food prices and could cause a catastrophic food shortage,
Turkey is working with Russia and Ukraine on a plan to restart grain exports but no deal has been reached. The U.N.-backed plan would open a safe corridor but among the key issues, how to safeguard it and how to clear Russian mines placed off Ukrainian coasts.
The Ukrainian agriculture official says that next year's harvest could be reduced by as much as 40 percent because of the war. Ukraine has lost about a quarter of its arable land. Ukraine produces nearly 10 percent of the world's wheat and barley, 16 percent of the world's corn, more than 40 percent of the world's sunflower oil.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
Andriy Zagorodnyuk is a former Ukrainian defense minister and currently chairman of the Center for Defense Strategies and a distinguished fellow at The Atlantic Council. He joins us live from Kyiv, via Skype.
Thank you so much for being here with us. As we've just heard, there are the implications for Ukraine and the world if Russia continues to block Ukrainian grain. It can't be overstated. I want to go through the options.
First of all, negotiating with Moscow, it hasn't worked so far.
Is it at all realistic, given how effective using food as a weapon has been for Putin?
ANDRIY ZAGORODNYUK, FORMER UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: I don't think it is realistic to be honest. I think Russia, of course, will be saying that they are all for negotiations. They will be delaying as they did before, taking their time and then essentially demanding removal of the sanctions.
But it will still be blocked in the adjacent areas of the Black Sea. So it seems like it is working for them. So they don't have any indications that they are ready to stop.
BRUNHUBER: So if diplomacy won't work, what about military means?
Most of the focus during this war has been on the land battle.
Are there weapons that could help bolster Ukraine's naval defense or naval offense, I guess, in the sense of more anti missile systems, mine sweeping equipment and so, on that could help turn the tide here?
ZAGORODNYUK: Absolutely, first of all we can use their antiship missiles to clear the sea from the presence of Russian boats, at least to deter. The problem is that they can do also with the ships from other countries. They can attack using missiles from Crimea or their ships.
And they can attack the grain vessels and obviously discourage them from moving to Ukraine, particularly the insurance companies from insuring these vessels.
So we need to establish a safe corridor. In order to establish that safe corridor, in addition to the antiship vessels, we need to have some patrol boats that would be protecting those vessels.
But in this case, we have a so-called convention, an international law which was signed in 1935, which provides Turkey an unlimited power of allowing or not allowing or blocking the non-Black Sea nation's navy ships' access.
So Turkey essentially controls which non-Black Sea countries' ships there are there. If the U.S., U.K. or any other country wants to send ships, they can be there only for a very short period of time. So we need Turkish involvement in this or we need to establish patrolling from air, like policing, the protection from the sky.
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ZAGORODNYUK: Obviously, the protection could be provided by the air force, in which case they don't need anybody's permission. They can just station somewhere in the Europe, Eastern Europe, NATO countries. So these options are on the table right now. But each of them is obviously difficult.
BRUNHUBER: Well, the difficulty, let's go with the last option there, is who exactly will be enforcing this?
If we're talking about NATO doing this, what happens if it might lead to a serious escalation with Moscow?
ZAGORODNYUK: That is the question.
Is Moscow really capable for the escalation?
Because right now, Moscow is applying all their efforts, as was just said in your previous program, to the Donbas invasion, essentially the operation in Donbas. But that is pretty much all they can do.
I think the risk for escalation is overestimated already. They don't have much forces to invest. More importantly, they have absolutely no strategic interest in fighting with the NATO.
NATO has incredibly more firepower and combat power than Russia, as we can see right now. So to be honest, I don't think that the fear of escalation, I don't think the fear of Russia is something which would stop global community from trying to stop the global food crisis.
BRUNHUBER: Considering that President Biden doesn't even want to sell or give Ukraine weapons that might possibly hit Russia, getting involved in actually patrolling and having troops out in the seas that might come into firefights with Russians, I don't know whether there would be the appetite for that.
ZAGORODNYUK: To be honest, I think that international military intelligence community has to reassess actual threats of Russia's escalation. I don't think that that is really real and that NATO should fear Russia.
BRUNHUBER: Finally, we have a little bit of time left and I did want to get your big picture about the conflict. We've heard from Ukraine's military intelligence that Russia can keep the war going for another year. Meanwhile Ukrainian troops are running out of ammunition; the momentum seems to be shifting toward Russia.
How much longer can Ukraine hold out?
ZAGORODNYUK: Ukraine can hold out for months, of course. The problem is, the question is that Russia is focusing all their might. And we need to understand what is happening.
So Ukrainian army was always much smaller than the Russian army, particularly with equipment and with funding and capabilities. The fact that most of the international assistance is still being waited, for example, the launch rocket systems, they haven't arrived yet.
And also they were announced only a very small quantity so far. So yes, some equipment is arriving but not to the extent that has been expected. Now we have this gap, when the Ukrainian munition is expiring or exhausting. The international is still not arriving at a full scale.
Russia is using that. But also they put all their might in one direction. Everything is put in one place, particularly the city of Sievierodonetsk. Of course, we will see serious fighting and serious assault from Russia. But we shouldn't overestimate the ability to fight against Russians.
We can win. Ukraine actually will win. However we need to complete those plans with our ally countries and actually get the equipment which we have been promised.
BRUNHUBER: Ukraine can win, that was the message from President Zelenskyy again today. Really appreciate your expertise on this, Andriy Zagorodnyuk in Kyiv, thank you so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And if you would like to safely and securely help people in Ukraine who may need shelter, food, water, please go to cnn.com/impact. You can find several ways you can help.
Congressional investigators have begun making the case that January 6 was a failed coup by Donald Trump. Monday's hearing promises more details about what happened at the White House that day. We'll have the latest from Washington.
Plus, we will hear how the new details of Trump's central role in the riot is being viewed overseas. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: There's plenty of anticipation this weekend about Monday's hearing on the January 6 riot and what new revelations might come out of it. Thursday's opening hearing produced a trove of details that hadn't made public before.
The narrative presented a damning indictment of Donald Trump as the instigator. The select committee investigating the riot has planned six more hearings this month to lay out the evidence of Trump's central role. The latest now from CNN's Ryan Nobles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The January 6 select committee has begun to make its case that Donald Trump is to blame for what happened on January 6. Using the words of Trump's closest allies, like attorney general Bill Barr.
WILLIAM BARR, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bullshit.
NOBLES (voice-over): And family members.
IVANKA TRUMP, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: I respect attorney general Barr. So I accepted what he said was said. NOBLES (voice-over): To lay the groundwork that Trump knew he lost
the election but told the supporters he won anyway.
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NOBLES (voice-over): The former president pushing back taking to his new social media platform to claim his daughter had, quote, "long since checked out" and was, "in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr."
Meanwhile the committee is forging ahead. The committee planning for seven public hearings in all. The second scheduled for Monday the 13th and the third on Wednesday, with a fourth to be held on Thursday the 16th.
Vice chair Cheney teasing out the themes each hearing will hit on. She says hearing two will show Trump's massive efforts to spread false and fraudulent information about the election.
The third will focus on how the former president, quote, "corruptly planned to replace the attorney general," then a hearing devoted to what the committee says was Trump's idea to get then vice president Pence to refuse to count electoral votes for Biden.
Trump claiming he never endorsed his supporters chanting "Hang Mike Pence," calling it a, quote, "made-up story."
After that, testimony that Cheney says describes how Trump corruptly pressured state legislatures to hand him the presidency. And finally, hearings six and seven, zeroing in on how Trump summoned a violent mob to the Capitol that led to a deadly riot.
All with the aim of convincing the American people of a conspiracy to overturn the election, directed by Trump.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), CHAIR, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: It's a pretty simple story of a president who lost, who couldn't stand losing.
NOBLES (voice-over): Republicans like congress man Jim Jordan, who is the focus of the investigation, attempting to downplay the committee's work.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): This was a partisan production put on by the former head of ABC News. I don't think we learned anything new.
NOBLES (voice-over): And committee chair Bennie Thompson telling CNN the committee has a lot more to share.
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D), CHAIR, U.S. HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON JANUARY 6 ATTACK: Yes, we have a number of witnesses who have come forward, that people have not talked to before. They will document a lot of what was going on in the Trump orbit while all of this was occurring.
NOBLES (voice-over): And the impact of the violence on January 6 still being felt today.
CAROLINE EDWARDS, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER: That day, it was just hours of hand to hand combat, hours of dealing with things that were way beyond any law enforcement officer has ever trained for.
NOBLES (voice-over): And as the committee continues to make its case, President Biden is endorsing their work and encouraging Americans to pay attention.
BIDEN: It's important for the American people to understand what's truly happened. And I will tell you what, there was a lot going on.
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BRUNHUBER: That was Ryan Nobles.
Donald Trump was quick to disavow his daughter's testimony, saying she had, quote, "checked out" and hadn't studied the election. The committee chairman, Bennie Thompson, wasn't buying it, here he is.
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REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D), CHAIR, U.S. HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON JANUARY 6 ATTACK: We have proof about Ivanka's participation with her daddy on a regular basis about what was going on.
On January 6th, she was there in the White House.
And so what or who better could have access to what was going on than one's own daughter?
And for him to somehow insinuate that his daughter had checked out is disingenuous on his part as a father. Daughters normally know what their fathers are doing, especially when there is a close relationship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: It's estimated more than 20 million people watched the live coverage of the hearing here in the U.S.
But what about the rest of the world and what do they make of it?
To get a sense of the global response, I checked in earlier with Thomas Gift from University College London. Here he is.
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THOMAS GIFT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: I do think that this feels somewhat like a replay of prior events.
You know, individuals abroad, including here in the U.K., have seen this before. They've seen a lot of the footage before. I think, to some extent, maybe they're looking for a bombshell. And they're not getting it. They're going to be disappointed. At the same time, I do think that the hearings are giving more high
resolution details about certain aspects of January 6, about how Trump truly seemed intent on doing nothing to stop the riot, how the probable role of the far-right militant groups in executing a premeditated plan, how members of Trump's inner circle ultimately appeared to reject his false election claims.
All that, certainly, is garnering interest.
BRUNHUBER: So you think it might enforce (sic) what they already thought of U.S., rather than change perception of America and the country's standing in the world?
GIFT: I think that is fair. I think the notion that other Western countries look to the U.S. as a model, even before January 6, was maybe somewhat overstated and tinted by a lens of self styled American exceptionalism.
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GIFT: But there's no doubt that the Capitol insurrection really took the veneer off and exposed an underside to the country's political system that hadn't been fully understood, especially abroad.
I think it has disabused a lot of other Western states of the idea that they are immune from these problems. If it can happen in the U.S., a country with a long-standing reputation for competitive elections, for peaceful transfer of power, that it can essentially happen anywhere.
So certainly one thing to hear about the dangers of unbridled populism, strongman type leaders wreaking havoc across authoritarian states and hybrid regimes. It's another thing for it to happen in the U.S. I think that was shocking for those abroad.
The fact that it happened so viscerally, with such force, it has to be a wakeup call for parts of Europe that have already witnessed the rise of far-right extremism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And if you would like to tune into future hearings, here's the schedule. All the listings are for the Eastern time zones, as you can see there. We will be back at it Monday. Keep in mind the schedule is in flux and subject to change.
All right, still ahead, U.S. inflation is climbing at its fastest pace in decades. How President Biden is vowing to tame the soaring costs for consumers. But gas prices are making that task difficult as the country hits another record high at the pump. We will have more on that after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.
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BRUNHUBER: U.S. gas prices have just hit a national average of more than $5 a gallon for the first time, a record high. It comes a day after the government reported the highest inflation rate in decades and that set stocks plummeting.
The Dow closed 880 points, the Nasdaq tumbled more than 400 points, the S&P was down nearly 3 percent.
Now the dismal inflation report shows that, with midterm elections approaching, prices are rising the fastest rate since 1981, 8.6 percent since last May. The cost of groceries has jumped nearly 12 percent, air fares are up almost 38 percent, fuel prices have skyrocketed more than 106 percent.
As those prices go up, so does the pain for everyday consumers. President Biden is assuring Americans that he is doing everything he can to tame inflation. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I understand Americans are anxious, they're anxious with good reason.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Biden staring down a massive political liability.
BIDEN: Make no mistake about it, I understand inflation is a real challenge to American families.
COLLINS (voice-over): New data shows consumer prices soared last month, sending inflation climbing 8.6 percent from last year, the highest since 1981. Biden delivering the bad news today after predicting six months ago that the inflation crisis had hit its peak.
BIDEN: I think you will see a change sooner -- than quicker than -- more rapidly than it will take than most people think.
COLLINS (voice-over): Prices are now higher for everything from food, rent to used cars, as Biden officials say that taming inflation is their highest priority.
CECILIA ROUSE, CHAIR, WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL OF ECONOMICS: We are open to ideas. Again, some of them require working with Congress. The president is focused on lowering costs for families.
COLLINS (voice-over): But those same officials say that the bulk of the response will fall to the Federal Reserve, as Friday's numbers only offer more reason for the central bank to continue raising interest rates. ROUSE: It's part of his plan. I know this doesn't sound like a plan
but, first and foremost, he respects the independence of the Federal Reserve.
COLLINS (voice-over): The troubling figures could spell doom for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections this November, as Biden lashed out at Republicans, shipping conglomerates, Russian president Putin and oil companies today.
BIDEN: Exxon made more money than God this year.
COLLINS (voice-over): A new poll shows that only 28 percent of U.S. adults approve of Biden's handling of the economy.
COLLINS: Obviously when you have a concern about higher gas prices, it raises questions about whether or not people will try to limit their summer travel plans. One move that the travel industry is welcoming is the CDC's decision to lift that negative test requirement for travelers coming into the United States by plane.
They are lifting that for the first time since January 2021. They say that they will reevaluate in 90 days, make sure there's no troublesome new variants that have emerged.
But they believe that right now is the time to lift that restriction. They say that it will go into effect at midnight on Sunday -- Kaitlan Collins, CNN, traveling with the president in Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: International air travelers soon won't have to show COVID tests before entering the United States. The move goes into effect on Sunday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is saying that testing is no longer necessary based on the science and data. It will reassess the decision in 90 days.
Meanwhile Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine has been found to be safer and effective for America's youngest children, that's according to new documents posted by the Food and Drug Administration.
The vaccine was found to produce a favorable immune response for kids from six months to under six years old. The FDA will now meet to decide if it should authorize the vaccine for that age group.
And the CDC is keeping a close eye on the outbreak of another virus, monkeypox. It is now reporting 45 probable or confirmed cases in 15 states and the District of Columbia. The virus doesn't seem to be spreading in one particular area of the country, according to a CDC official. Most cases in the U.S. are in people who may have been exposed during international travel.
The CDC has reported more than 1,300 confirmed cases in 31 countries, where the virus isn't endemic.
All right, coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, disturbing questions about the police response to the Texas school shooting. The parents of one child tell us what their wounded 10-year-old son is going through right now.
Plus, hundreds of March for Our Lives rallies are planned across the United States today, as protesters demand lawmakers finally take action on gun reform. We will have those stories and more after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: We are getting some new and some would say puzzling details about the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school. In his first extensive interview, the Uvalde school district police chief is now saying that he did not take his police radios with him into the school.
He was not aware of the 9-1-1 calls coming from inside the classroom and never considered himself the incident commander. He told "The Texas Tribune," quote, I did not issue any orders. I called for assistance and asked for an extraction tool to open the door."
Meanwhile those affected by the mass shooting are doing their best to cope with the scars left by the tragedy. CNN's Omar Jimenez talked to the parents of a student, who survived. They say he is just not the same.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the chaotic moments after the shooting, they grabbed their injured 10-year-old son, Gilberto Mata, through a bus window as students were being evacuated.
MICHAEL MARTINEZ, GILBERTO'S PARENT: Me and my brother and I were trying to get out of the window because he came to the back of the window, get out of the window and he just he hopped out.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): He was then rushed to the hospital, a bullet and ricocheted into his leg. Not long beforehand. He was in class when according to his FBI interview transcript summarize by his attorney, the gunman walked in with what Mata described as creepy music blaring from his phone and said it's time to die. You guys are mine.
His two teachers, Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles were killed many of his classmates too, including his best friend, Jailah Silguero. According to his family, he would always tell Silguero's mom, he would protect Jailah.
CORINA CAMACHO, GILBERTO'S PARENT: We had told her I'll protect her. That day and he told her I'm sorry. I couldn't protect her.
JIMENEZ: Did he see her get killed his best friend?
He watched his best friend get killed right in front of him.
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JIMENEZ (voice-over): Silguero is among the 21 faces now living on in memorials and then the hearts of this community. Camacho and Martinez say their son has visited the memorial sites a different person than who he was before the shooting.
MARTINEZ: He don't like big crowds no more. He used to be like, let's go do this. Go, go do this.
CAMACHO: It makes me so mad. Or makes me sad too.
JIMENEZ: (INAUDIBLE).
CAMACHO: Because it's not him. I just miss him like dancing around, picking on his little brother. Yes.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's part of why they're now exploring legal action, potential civil suits against law enforcement, the school district or even Daniel Defense the manufacturer of the gun used in the attack.
STEPHANIE SHERMAN, ATTORNEY FOR GILBERTO MATA: Yes, this is the right to bear arms. But we also live in a society. We have a pattern and practice of 18 year olds during mass shootings. Yes, I believe I can make a products liability argument that you make a dangerous product and put it into the wrong hands just like anything else.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Martinez and Camacho now face a difficult question with their son.
JIMENEZ: How is he ever going to be able to walk into a school again?
MARTINEZ: I don't know. I don't know if --
CAMACHO: Honestly we (INAUDIBLE) what we're going to do but.
MARTINEZ: He's enough to face his fears. He's never going to put it behind them. They put a grown ass man they go to war they have PTSD can't even handle it. And I imagined what the little mind like that, a young mind what he has to go through.
I'm never -- I'm never going to know, she's never going to know, you're never going to know and what he's what he's really going through.
JIMENEZ: It is going to be a long journey for the boy who embodies what so many in this community are dealing with. It is not just about what happened more than two weeks ago at this point; it is about the feelings that have persisted day in and day out.
I should also mention we have reached out to Daniel Defense multiple times but have not heard back. They posted a statement to their website, calling the shooting "an evil act" -- Omar Jimenez, CNN, Uvalde, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. Senate has wrapped up this week without reaching a deal on gun legislation. Lawmakers have been racing but have yet to come to a consensus.
Sources tell CNN that negotiators are working to finalize a statement on the progress they have made. Chris Murphy is optimistic that a deal will be announced soon. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT), MEMBER, FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: That is the work that we are engaged in right now, trying to find if the art of compromise is possible.
My hope is that we will be able to deliver good news to you, transformative news to you soon, because this country needs it, this country needs to know that Washington is listening to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Hundreds of March for Our Lives rallies are planned in nearly all 50 U.S. states today to demand action on gun control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): A student-led movement after the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018. X Gonzales is a founder of the attack and co-founder of March for Our Lives.
They spoke with my colleague, John Berman, about why Congress may finally pass gun safety legislation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
X GONZALEZ, CO-FOUNDER, MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: Honestly, I do. I think that, first of all, we have a different president now. And we have a very different organization of elected officials in terms of political leanings.
And I think that the leaf has turned a little bit in the more positive direction, people are much more open to listening about the facts and are not as keen to make political jabs and score political points against each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: In Washington, D.C., New York and Parkland, Florida, more than 400 cities where the March for Our Lives protests will be held later today, parts of the U.S. are bracing for record-breaking hot weather. We'll go live to the CNN Weather Center for the details ahead. Please do stay with us.
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[05:50:00]
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BRUNHUBER: A dangerous heat wave is affecting millions of people across the U.S. Southwest from California to Texas. Temperatures in several states are reaching the triple digits Fahrenheit this weekend. Experts say dozens of cities could break daily records of the next few days. Joining me now is Derek Van Dam.
Derek, 60 million people under heat alerts across the country, right?
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That is right. And when you step outside it is all about the heat index. That is what it feels like in your parent skin texture as you step outdoors. It is going to be oppressive in places like Texas.
I bring that up because reading one of the discussions at the National Weather Service, a producer and I were talking about this. It is talked about heat values over 110 degrees. That is what it is going to feel like when you go outside. That is nasty; 70 percent of the lower 48, that is the contiguous United States, will have temperatures over 90 degrees next week.
And, if that is not impressive enough for you, over 15 percent of the population will have triple digit heat. That is why we have heat advisories and excessive heat warnings in place.
Places like Houston, Texas, already getting in on the excessive heat. Look at these individuals, trying to do whatever they can to keep themselves cool through the course of the day.
Some impressive numbers coming out of California yesterday. We know Death Valley is hot but we have 123. That is hotter than normal for this time of year. In fact, it broke a daily record high temperature.
Same for Phoenix, Las Vegas, Austin and San Antonio. We have a potential to break over 140 record temperatures for Saturday through the middle of the work week next week. And it is not just the high temperatures; low temperatures are problematic as well. When they do not drop below 80 or 85 degrees, you have serious problems.
[05:55:00]
VAN DAM: Your body expects to regulate its heat in the middle of the night. It expects to cool down. When you do not have that opportunity, it can lead to potential heat exhaustion and heat illness as well.
Look at this heat dome, we saw it migrate from the western parts of the U.S. through the central and southern parts and it will eventually work its way toward the northeastern parts of the states. You can see that in the temperature trends across Texas. And look at how they start to go up for many locations through the
week. And then more of the same for Atlanta. Your normal high temperature should be 87 but by Monday it will reach 95.
You factor in the humidity levels, it will easily feel like 100 degrees outside. That is not nice. Coming from Atlanta, myself, I do not like to see those temperatures.
Kim, how about you?
BRUNHUBER: The hotter the better for me but I know it can be serious for many people. I do not want to make too light of it. Certainly I will be floating in the pool this weekend.
VAN DAM: You are from Canada, that is why.
BRUNHUBER: That is right, I enjoy it when I can get it. Derek, thank you so much, I appreciate it.
And news just coming into CNN, European Commission president Ursula van der Leyen is back in Kyiv. She tweeted this a short time ago, she will meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the Ukraine's E.U. membership progress.
She ended her tweet in Ukrainian with the promise, "Europe is with you."
That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber, for viewers in North America "NEW DAY" is next. For other viewers around the world is "CONNECTING AFRICA."
