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Ukraine Claims More Progress in Kherson; Kyiv Suburbs Begin Cleanup; Canada Providing Lethal Military Aid to Ukraine; China's Aggressive Acts toward Aircraft; March for Our Lives Rallies; Anti- Abortion Clinic Firebombed; Biden Blames Russia for Inflation; Rwanda Prepared for Migrants from U.K.; PGA Tour Suspends LIV Golfers. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired June 12, 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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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ukraine claims that it is taking back some territory that it had lost to Russia. We're live in Kyiv with the latest.
And gun control advocates demand action from Washington.
And Rwanda is preparing to take in some migrants from the U.K.. CNN goes in a hostel that is hosting asylum seekers.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin in Ukraine, where officials are claiming progress in the south as Russian shelling rains down on the east. Ukraine has been pushing forward with its counteroffensive in the Kherson region. And President Zelenskyy says another area has been cleared of Russian troops. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The Ukrainian military gradually liberates the territory of the Kherson region. Today, the village of Tavriisk was added to the list of settlements returned to our state.
There are some successes in the Zaporizhzhya region as well. Fierce street fights continue in Sievierodonetsk. Donbas is holding firm. The losses the occupiers suffered are very heavy. The Russian army as a whole has already about 32,000 dead souls as of today.
What for?
What benefits have you gained from this, Russia?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: But Russian casualties haven't stopped the Kremlin's war. Russian artillery is dismantling buildings used as shelters in Sievierodonetsk. Russia now controls most of the city. The governor says Ukrainian troops are still fighting, regrouping and battling the invaders street by street.
And also a grim picture from Mariupol, confirming the deaths of 2 dozen more children after months of Russian shelling. They say more than 230 minors have been killed since the war began and close to 500 have been wounded.
Ukraine could soon move one step closer to E.U. membership. The European Commission president Ursula van der Leyen was in Kyiv on Saturday and, while there, she visited with soldiers recovering in a local hospital. She also addressed the future of Ukraine's bid to join the E.U. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VAN DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: The commission is currently preparing the recommendations of so-called opinion for the E.U. member states. The discussions today will enable us to finalize our assessment by the end of next week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The recommendation was an early step in a lengthy process. All 27 member states have to agree on granting candidate status. And Ukraine would need to undertake numerous reforms before it could join. Salma Abdelaziz is following it all and joins us live.
Bring us up to speed.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And we need to put this counteroffensive, these gains that President Zelenskyy mentioned in context. This is just one tiny village near Kherson.
By and large Ukrainians are outmanned, outgunned, struggling to hold the line, struggling to hold on to that all important city, Sievierodonetsk, the last third of it, where they are bogged down essentially in fortified positions.
But while Ukraine continues to struggle in the east here in Kyiv and the surrounding areas, people are starting to rebuild. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): This was once someone's home, a place where children played and families gathered. Now this group of volunteers is working hard to restore what was lost.
ANDRIY KOPYLENKO, CO-FOUNDER, DISTRICT 1 ORGANIZATION: I feel that we are really gathering -- ABDELAZIZ: You're unified.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- unified, yes, we are together. And we know that it is our home and all Ukrainians understand that we need to rebuild.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Hundreds signed up to join more than a dozen cleanup operations across Kyiv suburbs, launched by charity group District 1.
DMYTRO NIKITYUK, VOLUNTEER: We are all different, like we have different age, different interests. But we work here together as one.
[04:05:00]
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Colorado native Karl Voll is among those helping out.
KARL VOLL, VOLUNTEER: The building we're in now has been bombed by the Russians. And this has to be covered by the homeowners themselves. So by all these people helping, it is helping to jumpstart that process for them.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): This tiny village of Myla became a front line overnight when Russian forces barreling toward Kyiv fired wildly on apartment blocks in their path. The rounds set the building's roof ablaze and destroyed the upper floors. Civilians were killed, even as they fled.
Resident Maria Popova (ph) witnessed the horror.
"We hid in the basement, we were very scared," she says. "We sat and watched our houses burn."
ABDELAZIZ: Russian troops have withdrawn but the devastation they have left behind is incredible. Homes here were shattered in an instant. But rebuilding life, that will take much longer.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): And those recovery efforts are up to communities.
KOPYLENKO: Army has job soldiers working. And we're working.
ABDELAZIZ: So they have a job on the front lines; you have a job here, too.
KOPYLENKO: Yes, yes.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Popova (ph), 77 years old, was the first to return to the building. Her apartment was largely spared.
"I believe in our army," she tells me. "And there is no place like home. When you are at home, the walls calm you down."
With war never far, just living in Ukraine feels like an act of defiance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ: Now these are very early efforts of course and when you look particularly in the east of the country at the absolute devastation of this indiscriminate shelling that pounds these cities and towns for days at times or weeks, this is again just the beginning of recovery efforts.
Much was lost in so little time and it could take generations to rebuild.
BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much, Salma Abdelaziz, live in Kyiv. Appreciate it.
The impact of Russia's war has been felt across Europe as they grapple with the largest refugee crisis since World War II. According to the U.N., more than 7.3 million border crossings have been reported from Ukraine. More than 3 million have registered for temporary protection as refugees. And those are just the people fleeing the country.
The U.N. reports another 7 million people have been displaced within Ukraine. Ukrainian police recently delivered aid to some residents living near the front lines. This video shows officers handing out boxes of food in a town not far away from the fighting in Sievierodonetsk.
They were able to provide aid to about 800 people but many are still in need of help.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We are very grateful because there is no food, it is very expensive in the shops. We don't have money anymore, we don't have anything.
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BRUNHUBER: If you would like to safely and securely help people in Ukraine who need shelter, food and water, go to cnn.com/impact and you can find several ways to help there.
Russia's war in Ukraine is taking center stage at Asia's key security conference in Singapore. In a virtual address to the conference on Saturday, Ukraine's president said the future rules of the world are being decided right now on the battlefields of his country. Zelenskyy also warned of a global food crisis if Russia isn't defeated.
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ZELENSKYY (through translator): Russia must feel that its belligerent policies will have consequences for itself as well. And if there are no such consequences and if due to Russian blockades we are unable to export our food stocks, which is so sorely missing in global markets, the world will face an acute severe food crisis and famine, famine in many countries of Asia and Africa.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Canada's minister of national defense Anita Anand is joining us now from Singapore.
Minister, thank you so much to making the time. China was obviously a major topic there at the Shangri-La Dialogue. But Ukraine seemed to dominate the conference. You were there when President Zelenskyy again made the case for that support for Ukraine, that it is crucial to preserve the rules based order.
Canada is donating some $100 million in military aid. But President Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for long range artillery and missiles.
Is Canada taking steps to specifically provide what he is asking, maybe sending the more Canadian howitzers for example?
ANITA ANAND, CANADIAN MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE: Thanks for having me on. Certainly the $100 million was the figure prior to the last federal budget.
[04:10:00]
ANAND: Then in the federal budget we committed another $500 million in military aid. We have sent anti-tank weapons, sniper rifles, hand grenades. And we've also sent N-777 howitzers and heavy weaponry.
We will continue to support Ukraine with what it asks for, including 20,000 pieces of ammunition. This is exactly what Ukraine is asking for. I'm very in close touch with Mr. Reznikov and Canada will continue to provide what Ukraine needs.
One prime example is cameras for drones. We have sent multiple cameras being used in battle on the front lines. And we'll continue to respond accordingly as Ukraine presents its needs to us.
BRUNHUBER: Ukrainians have said that they are short specifically on artillery rounds. South Korean media have been reporting that Canada is in talks with South Korea to buy some 100,000 artillery rounds, which you would then provide to Ukraine.
Can you confirm this?
ANAND: I can confirm that, with the $500 million allocated in the last federal budget, Canada will continue to source the military aid that Ukraine needs. We are in talks with a number of suppliers to do just that.
And again, the purpose is to ensure that Canada is supporting Ukraine in its fight for territorial integrity and sovereignty. And as I said, we just announced 20,000 rounds and we are sending that to Ukraine as we speak.
And another contribution that Canada is making is assisting other countries in transporting their aid to Ukraine. We have, with our CC- 130s, transported over 2 million pounds of military aid to Ukraine's front lines.
BRUNHUBER: President Zelenskyy also told your conference that the international community should help Taiwan resist China's aggression and China countered strongly, saying that it will fight to the very end to stop Taiwanese independence.
Is President Zelenskyy right?
Does China have to be confronted before it acts otherwise the international community will be repeating the mistake by not challenging Russia before its invasion of Ukraine?
That is his argument.
ANAND: We believe in an Indo-Pacific region that is based on peace, prosperity, stability and collaboration and cooperation. Those were the principles that I enunciated in my remarks this morning at the Shangri-La Dialogue. And we'll continue to cooperate with our partners and allies in this region.
The importance of collaboration cannot be overstated. This is an era where the world order, as we have seen with Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, is under threat. And we need to continue to work together.
That is why Canada is here with Operation Neon, monitoring the U.N. sanctions against North Korea. That is why we're here with Operation Projection in a naval capacity, participating in the RIMPAC exercises over the next few weeks and ensuring that two frigates HMCS Vancouver and HMCS Winnipeg are here in the region.
Canada's --
(CROSSTALK)
BRUNHUBER: Let me jump in because I do want to ask you this. Canada has been on the end of Chinese aggression recently. It has claimed that its aircraft have been harassed by Chinese jets near North Korea. And Canada is not the only U.S. ally to be targeted. Australia as well.
What is behind this belligerence?
And how did you address this with China at the defense summit?
ANAND: Most definitely the interceptions by the Chinese of our RCAF aircraft are very concerning and provocative. We are concerned about the safety and security of our aircraft and pilots.
And as a result, we have addressed the interceptions through diplomatic means. The reality is that those aircraft were in international airspace and monitoring U.N. sanctions. The reality is that we need to ensure that there is safety and security around these aircraft at all times.
BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you for joining us, Anita Anand. [04:15:00]
BRUNHUBER: Really appreciate it.
ANAND: Thank you so much. Take care.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Next hour, Moscow is expected to officially reopen some of the McDonald's restaurants. They first opened in Russia some 30 years ago. But the war compelled them to quit doing business in the country.
Now the franchise has been sold to new owners and the trademark golden arches, they are gone. And the new logo will look like this. It is said to represent a burger and fries. The new name hasn't been revealed yet.
Just ahead, a Texas community preparing for witness testimony in the Uvalde school shooting investigation.
And activists say it is time for Congress to act. Hundreds of protests across the U.S. demanding lawmakers pass gun reform now. That is ahead. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Calls for tighter gun control measures echoed across the U.S. on Saturday as March for Our Lives rallies took place in hundreds of cities in nearly every state. U.S. senators say they are working to find common ground on bipartisan gun reform legislation.
But recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, have mobilized groups demanding lawmakers take action now. One of the biggest rallies was in Washington, D.C., where significant gun reform has stalled for years in the Senate. Here is CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brian Todd in Washington, where the March for Our Lives rally drew a healthy crowd. Several impassioned speeches carried the day here in Washington, a lot of impassioned messages.
We also spoke to several people in the crowd who expressed frustration that more has not been done to end gun violence since the Parkland shooting in 2018, which got this movement going.
Two of the most impassioned speakers were the sons of Ruth Whitfield. She was an 86-year-old woman who was among the 10 people killed in the Buffalo supermarket shooting on May 14th. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARNELL WHITFIELD, RUTH WHITFIELD'S SON: This nation was born out of violence built by the sweat, blood and tears of our ancestors and propped up by a deep rooted belief in white supremacy.
Well, enough is enough. If you listen closely, you will hear the cries of our fallen loved ones in our churches, our synagogues, our schools and now our grocery stores. All I can say is, if there is to be a great replacement, I say let's not wait. Lower your weapons and let us replace the hate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: And in addition to the passion and personal stories and frustration expressed here, there was a bit of a security scare, which kind of illustrates the tension surrounding this debate on ending gun violence.
At one point, someone spooked the crowd into thinking that 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 but it lasted only about 10 seconds.
What we were told later by the park police was that there was no security threat but that someone was disrupting what they called a permitted event and that that person was detained and that an investigation is ongoing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: David Hogg is survivor of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He's also the co- founder of the March for Our Lives movement.
And he spoke at the rally in the U.S. Capitol on Saturday and said America isn't nearly as divided as Congress on the issue of gun reform. Listen to what he told CNN earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID HOGG, CO-FOUNDER, MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: 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 to fail again in the future.
We can't keep letting young again get legal access the AR-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 AR-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)
BRUNHUBER: Seventeen students and faculty were killed in the Parkland shooting in 2018.
One of the worst mass shootings in the U.S. was at the Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida, exactly six years ago today. Visitors have been paying respects and remembering the 49 people shot and killed. A remembrance ceremony is scheduled for later today at the Pulse interim memorial. And bells will ring at a local church.
A Texas statehouse committee is investigating the Robb Elementary School shooting and next week it will be in Uvalde, hearing from witnesses where the attack happened. But it won't be public. They will be listening to testimony behind closed doors.
Now this comes as the school police chief tries to defend his department's response to the shooter. Camila Bernal has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not only did Pete Arredondo say he did not consider himself to be the incident commander but he also said he assumed someone else had taken that role.
In his interview with "The Texas Tribune," he said he believed his role was that of a front line responder.
He also said he did not issue any orders that day. And yet "The Texas Tribune" is reporting that he told officers to break windows in order to evacuate some of the teachers and students that were there that day.
I want to read a direct quote from that interview.
[04:25:00]
BERNAL: He says, "Not a single responding officer ever hesitated, even for a moment, to put themselves at risk to save the children."
In that interview with "The Texas Tribune," he also gave us more details. He said that the gunman's bullets pierced the classroom door, injured officers and hit the adjacent walls.
He also said they focused on evacuating other children and teachers, said that they struggled to pinpoint the gunman's location and said safety precautions created challenges, things like the door that was locked or even the lights that were off that day.
He said he never considered himself the scene's incident commander. Now there were a lot of questions in terms of his radio. And in that interview, he said he left two radios outside of the school upon arrival.
He said he thought the radios would slow him down because he wanted to have his hands free in case he needed to shoot. He said he was aware some of those radios didn't work in some school buildings. And his attorney even said that officers would have turned those radios off.
As a result, Arredondo was not aware of the 9-1-1 calls being made at the time. Instead, he was trying to open that door. In "The Texas Tribune," he said that each time he tried a key, he was just praying.
Now we reached out to Arredondo and his attorney. And he told CNN that he is not giving any more interviews. In the meantime, though, here in Uvalde, there are families that are still grieving, families that are still planning funerals and memorials almost three weeks after this shooting.
Many people who are coming out here to this makeshift memorial and everybody still with a lot of questions, wondering how this all happened -- Camila Bernal, CNN, Uvalde, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And if you would like to provide financial support or donate blood for victims and communities of mass shootings, you can go to cnn.com/impact.
Much more to come here on CNN. We'll tell you what happened at a private event in Idaho Saturday, where more than 2 dozen suspected white nationalists were arrested.
Plus a clinic in New York state that steers women away from abortions has allegedly been firebombed. We'll look at who could be responsible when we come back.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
More than 2 dozen men bearing insignias from an extremist group were arrested near a pride event in Idaho Saturday. Police say that they arrested 31 people on misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot. Authorities believe that they belong to the group Patriot Front, a white nationalist organization.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF LEE WHITE, COEUR D'ALENE POLICE DEPARTMENT: There were people walking around the event with long guns and handguns and bear spray and all kinds of things like that. Not that that is illegal in Idaho, it's only to the point that when they start using it, that we grow really concerned.
I would gladly arrest 31 individuals who were coming to riot in our city for a misdemeanor rather than have them participate in some sort of seriously disruptive event, which is exactly what they were planning in downtown area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: A local tipster saw the men piling into a U-Haul box truck and reported them, telling authorities, quote, "They looked like a little army." Police also said they were also wearing protective gear and carried military style written plans. The editor-in-chief of the news website News2Share described to CNN what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORD FISCHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, NEWS2SHARE: It was kind of challenging, I think, for law enforcement because, outside of the police line that was being formed, of course, there is this perimeter and behind them they are unmasking and one by one making the arrests, ziptying the individual, people loading them up.
But on the other side of the police line, there were folks who were there, who were participating in the pride event. And there were also folks with firearms who were there to counterprotest the pride event.
I didn't see police from the police line, saying, don't engage, stop that. But it was a little bit more complicated than just separating two sides. You had people being arrested on one side of the police line and then in front of them, groups kind of arguing with each other as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The men will appear in court Monday and authorities say more charges may be coming. The FBI is assisting with the investigation.
An anti-abortion clinic, set up to provide women with alternatives to abortion, has allegedly been firebombed in upstate New York. It happened just hours before the Department of Homeland Security warned of potential violence surrounding the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights. CNN's Randi Kaye has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is all that's left of a women's clinic in Buffalo, New York after someone allegedly firebombed it this week. JIM HARDIN, CEO, COMPASSCARE: All the glass is broken. Many of the doors are going to have to be replaced. First, all the floors. There's, you know, there's flood damage, because of you know, they had to put the fire out.
KAYE (voice-over): Jim Hardin is the CEO of CompassCare. He says their clinic was set on fire Tuesday around 2:30 a.m.
HARDIN: We're not exactly sure how they lit the fires.
KAYE (voice-over): Amherst Police, which is near Buffalo and looking into this case told me they are investigating this as an arson fire. But that's where the mystery begins. Like who did it and why.
Hardin says he believes CompassCare was targeted because of the services they provide. It's an anti-abortion clinic, which offers what Harding calls ethical medical care to women considering abortion.
HARDIN: You'll see a sign over here with graffiti saying Jane was here. That represents Jane's Revenge. It's an abortion terrorist group.
KAYE (voice-over): At a press conference earlier this week, Hardin blamed the damage on a group called Jane's Revenge sort of.
HARDIN: They have said that they would strike again in different parts of the state on the lead up to the potential of Roe versus Wade being overturned. And they have done that here. Apparently, we're not sure exactly who's done it.
KAYE: What makes you think it was this group Jane's Revenge that attacked your facility?
HARDIN: They left their signature calling card number one with their spray painted message on the side of our buildings saying Jane was here.
KAYE (voice-over): Who exactly Jane's Revenge is still unclear. The group if they're a group at all remains anonymous. They've allegedly taken responsibility for a similar attack last month on a conservative organization that lobbies against abortion in Madison, Wisconsin. There a message spray painted on the building's wall read, if abortions aren't safe, then you aren't either.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm standing here in front of a sign that is threatening my life.
[04:35:00]
KAYE (voice-over): Madison Police tweeted that they are aware of a group claiming responsibility for the arson at Wisconsin Family Action and are working with federal partners to determine the veracity of that claim.
And there have been other similar cases. A Florida doctor tweeted about damage to the South Broward Pregnancy Help Center where she volunteers.
The spray painted message reads, "If abortions aren't safe, then neither are you," along with the words, "Jane's Revenge."
And the same threat was also spray painted on this pregnancy center in Maryland. No suspects have been named or arrests made in any of these cases around the country.
Back in Buffalo, Jim Hardin says there were multiple security cameras at his clinic and the video is now in the hands of authorities.
KAYE: Do you know what's on the video surveillance?
HARDIN: I have not personally reviewed the videos tapes.
KAYE: Do you have any proof from law enforcement that it was Jane's Revenge?
Any confirmation?
HARDIN: Law enforcement is by virtue -- by virtue of the nature of terrorism, that it's difficult to kind of hone in on the cells.
KAYE: But just to be clear, at this point, you don't have any answers confirmed on who exactly did this to your facility?
HARDIN: If we did, they'd be arrested.
KAYE: Did you hear specifically from anyone who said they were Jane's Revenge or part of Jane's Revenge?
HARDIN: I can't comment on that right now. I don't want to interfere with the investigation.
KAYE: And the CEO told me that his team has been threatened both online and in person. He said those threats do track with what he called similar threats from the so-called group Jane's Revenge. He said he reported those threats to the FBI and the police.
He said they have been watching their facilities carefully and is that why police responded so quickly to the fire because they had eyes on that clinic. He also told me that there were multiple people spotted in the surveillance video that was taken at the clinic.
He said that he hasn't actually seen that video but it has been given to authorities and he is waiting for more information on that. But still, according to authorities, they are treating this as an arson investigation. And there is no official word that they are investigating or looking into this group, Jane's Revenge -- Randi Kaye, CNN, Buffalo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Gasoline prices in the U.S. passed a new milestone this week. The national average for regular unleaded is now $5 per gallon, an all-time record. More than 20 states, shown there in red, are at $5 or more. And in California, it's a lot more. The average there is $6.43.
President Biden is blaming Russia's war on Ukraine. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Putin's price hike is hitting America hard. Gas prices at the pump, energy and food prices account for half of the monthly price increases since May.
Inflation outside of energy and food, what economists call core inflation, moderated the last two months. Not enough but it moderated. It's come down. And we need it to come down much more quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: As you can imagine, drivers in California are frustrated. Many are being forced to find alternate ways to get around. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're curtailing a lot of what we're doing, not taking any even short trips, like going up north. We love to go up there or down south to San Diego.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's crazy. It went literally went up a dollar I think within a week, went from $5.39 to $6.09 now, I think it is what it is. And we only filled it with a quarter tank and it will probably last us for the rest of the day. If not, we'll have to fill up later on again today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And it is not just gas prices. A new government inflation report shows the steepest inflation spike since 1981. Despite that, U.S. President Joe Biden says that the economy overall is in a position of strength. Here is White House correspondent Arlette Saenz.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden insists that fighting inflation remains his top economic priority, as American families continue to feel the pain of high prices at the gas pump and grocery stores.
The Biden administration had hoped prices would soon begin moderating but the consumer price index released Friday showed that inflation rose at a rate of 8.6 percent the past year, the fastest pace since 1981.
One of the areas that has seen significant growth in prices is gas. Gas has now hit $5 a gallon here in the United States. And the president had a message for Americans who are seeing that sticker shock at the gas pump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BIDEN: It is outrageous what the war in Ukraine is causing. We're trying very hard to make sure that we can -- we've significantly increased the number of barrels of oil that are being pumped out of the reserve we have.
We've got 240,000 barrels as well coming from other nations. We'll keep pushing on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[04:40:00]
SAENZ: While the president is trying to address those economic concerns of Americans, he also made a stop in the state of New Mexico, which has seen historic wildfires across the state.
The president received a briefing on the wildfire response and met with state and local officials to hear the latest updates on what they need and also how they are responding to these fires.
The president pledged that the federal government would provide covering 100 percent of the cost of response to the fires, as the state continues to recover -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The U.K. is preparing to deport migrants to Rwanda. And Prince Charles is reportedly commenting about the controversial program. We'll look at that after the break.
And parts of the U.S. are bracing for a dangerous heat wave. We'll go to the CNN Weather Center for details ahead.
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BRUNHUBER: Rwanda is preparing to take the first batch of migrants deported from the U.K. But the deal has come under fire, including from Prince Charles, who reportedly called the move "appalling." Larry Madowo reports from Rwanda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the final touches at Hope Hostel in Kigali, before the first migrants deported from the U.K. arrive.
MADOWO: This is the new place for the migrants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MADOWO (voice-over): This building that, until recently, housed young survivors of the Rwandan genocide, has a new purpose.
This newly renovated hostel can host up to 100 people, two to a room, and sharing communal bathrooms.
MADOWO: This is one type of room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, this is (INAUDIBLE) with amenities, towels and (INAUDIBLE) baths. We've got a change of sheets.
[04:45:00]
MADOWO (voice-over): This is where the migrants will live under the watchful eye of London authorities. The hostel is functional, not luxurious. But the Rwandan government says the migrants will be free here, not in detention like in the U.K.
MADOWO: The view of Kigali.
MADOWO (voice-over): Officials are also promising health care and support for at least five years or until they're self sufficient.
But the plan has been widely criticized by many refugee rights groups in the U.K., internationally and here in Rwanda. The main opposition party here says, Rwanda shouldn't have to bear the U.K.'s burden.
JEAN-CLAUDE NTEZIMANA, SECRETARY GENERAL, DEMOCRATIC GREEN PARTY OF RWANDA: It's their responsibility.
MADOWO: So you think the U.K. is violating its international obligations by passing that off to Rwanda?
NTEZIMANA: Yes. And you can see why. We are struggling with having enough infrastructure, electricity, water, roads, schools, hospitals. We are not dissimilar care U.K. We have to think twice.
MADOWO (voice-over): Rwanda and the U.K. expect this migrant scheme to disrupt the business of people smugglers. But many international bodies, even the U.K., rank Rwanda poorly under some human rights indicators. Critics also say exiting migrants rich countries don't want is cruel and inhumane.
YOLANDE MAKOLO, SPOKESPERSON, RWANDA GOVERNMENT: It's cruel and it's inhumane, the people are dying in the desert, trying to cross the desert, making these dangerous journeys, drowning in the Mediterranean. We're interested in protecting vulnerable people and this has been our philosophy for the last 30 years.
MADOWO (voice-over): Rwanda has also welcomed refugees and asylum seekers evacuated from Libya, after unsuccessfully trying to cross to Europe. Orientation has started for the latest arrivals at the Gashora Emergency Transit Center.
They're mostly from the Horn of Africa.
MADOWO: How do you compare the conditions in the four years you spent in Libya and here in Rwanda? ZEMEN FESAHA, REFUGEE, GASHORA EMERGENCY TRANSIT CENTER (through translator): It is so difficult to compare because it is like from hell to heaven.
MADOWO: Being at Libya to Rwanda is like coming from hell to heaven?
FESAHA: Yes, yes, yes.
MADOWO (voice-over): Zemen is grateful for the peace and freedom in Rwanda. But it's not his destination of choice. None of the people we spoke to here wanted to stay, even though it's one of the options.
MADOWO: Your final goal is still to go to Europe?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MADOWO (voice-over): Rwanda has become the global market leader in migrant offshoring. After the U.K. scheme, a deal with Denmark is in the works. It's helped clean up Rwanda's image internationally. But some accuse it of trying to paint over a dark reputation -- Larry Madowo, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: Don't expect to see a Justin Bieber concert for a while. A medical condition is sidelining the singer. We'll look at what the problem is and how it is affecting him, stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Sweltering conditions in Spain and it is not even summer there yet. Spain's meteorological agency says the country is having the worst pre-summer heat wave in the past two decades with temperatures rising about 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country.
Weather experts say the scorching days are expected to continue. A cloud of hot air from North Africa is causing the unusual conditions. And it is not just Spain that will see hotter than normal temperatures this summer. Joining me now is Derek Van Dam.
I seem to be having problems with that word. Thankfully you can say it for me. A lot of the country really in the red.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I've been a meteorologist for over 20 years of my life. And saying the word meteorological, I still have to do it phonetically.
You're right, this is serious heat. And we came up with a statistic. There is the one that I'm having trouble with, a statistic to share with you at home: 15 percent of the lower 48, the contiguous United States, is going to experience temperatures above 100 this week.
That puts it into perspective, that is 43 million Americans, thanks to the heat dome trapping the sun's energy, the heat from the sun. And it is advancing eastward now through Texas into the Lower Mississippi Valley and eventually here in the Southeast where the CNN Center is located.
Currently we have over 60 million Americans under heat alerts. We've dropped a lot of that across central California, still warnings for the interior portions. But really the heat expands across Texas, Oklahoma, into Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, even Tennessee and Kentucky.
Just get a sample of some of the records that were broke or tied yesterday. Death Valley, it is a hot place but a staggering 122 degrees. Even Denver, Colorado, triple digit heat for you yesterday, 100 degrees, incredible, Sunday to Wednesday.
Potential to break another 145 high temperatures. Dallas, normally at about 91 this time of year, today they will reach 105. So we're talking 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above where we're sitting normally for the middle of the June.
And people are trying to stay cool as best as they can. If they are outdoors, they don't have access to air conditioning, they are using fans, whatever means possible. And here comes the heat across Southeast.
Of course we have the Gulf of Mexico, so anytime that we get that humidity starting to drive in from the South, it causes problems and heat indices will easily reach 100 here in Atlanta.
BRUNHUBER: Looking forward to that. Thanks so much, Derek Van Dam.
Well, another star golfer has joined the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf series. Patrick Reed says he will play in the next event in Oregon at the end of June. He is in 36th in the world golf rankings.
The PGA tour has suspended more than a dozen golfers for joining the league, claiming that Saudi Arabia are sports washing its reputation on human rights with the LIV tour.
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BRUNHUBER: Charl Schwartzel won the inaugural event and he took home $4.75 million in team events, pretty much what he's earned the last four years on the PGA tour.
And Mo Donegal won the Belmont Stakes. Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike finished in sixth place after not running in the Preakness. And Early Voting didn't race in the Belmont.
Pop singer Justin Bieber says he is taking a break from performing. He is suffering from a condition that makes it almost impossible for him to sing. Listen to this.
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JUSTIN BIEBER, SINGER: It is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear, in my facial nerves. And has caused my face to have paralysis. As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can't smile on this side of my face.
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BRUNHUBER: The star says he has Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. It occurs when a shingles outbreak affects a facial nerve and can possibly cause hearing loss. Bieber has canceled concerts and he says the condition is a sign that he needs to slow down.
That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'll be back in a moment with more news.
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