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46 Migrants Found Dead In Back Of Tractor Trailer In San Antonio; More Than A Dozen Killed In Russian Attack On Ukraine Mall; Former Meadows Aide To Testify In Surprise January 6 Committee Hearing; Russian Court Sets Trial Date For WNBA Star Brittney Griner. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 28, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:23]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm John Vause, thanks for being with us. Ahead here on CNN Newsroom, a human tragedy in the back of a truck. Texas police find the bodies of dozens of migrants stacked in a tractor trailer.
Searching for survivors in the rubble of a war crime. Why would Russia target a shopping mall in central Ukraine? And from red state, blue states down to abortion and anti-abortion, across the U.S., a bewildering patchwork of new laws and regulations now coming into effect, leading to confusion, angst, fear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: We begin with a developing story from San Antonio, Texas where police have found 46 migrants dead the back of a semi-truck a deadly and tragic end to what appears to be another case of human smuggling along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The city's police chief says officers were alerted Monday evening after someone was heard crying for help from the trailer. It's not known how long the migrants that mix the men and women as well as children had been inside that truck before they were found by police.
At this time of the day, temperatures reach close to 40 degrees Celsius, 103 degrees Fahrenheit, at least 16 survived and are being treated now in hospital, more from the San Antonio city officials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON NIRENBERG, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS MAYOR: So the plight of migrants seeking refuge is always a humanitarian crisis. But tonight we are dealing with a horrific human tragedy. So I would urge you all to think compassionately and pray for the deceased. The ailing. The families. And we hope that those responsible for putting these people in such humane conditions are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. CHIEF CHARLES HOOD, SAN ANTONIO FIRE DEPARTMENT: The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, no signs of water in the vehicle that was a refrigerated tractor trailer. But there was no visible working AC unit on that rig.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The head of U.S. Homeland Security has promised to hold those responsible for this tragedy accountable. By now three police are in police custody but their exact involvement remains unclear.
Emergency crews continue to search for those who may have survived a Russian airstrike on a shopping mall in central Ukraine. Right now it's confirmed that 15 people did not and that death toll is expected to rise.
According to Ukrainian military officials around 4:00 p.m. local time, a case 23-missile fired from a long range Russian bomber hit the Mall of the city of Kremenchuk, is not known how many were inside the mall. Ukraine's president says up to 1,000 people were there before the air raid siren sounded and many escaped.
Kremenchuk is a long way from the frontlines of page 23 missiles are designed to use against ships that came as world leaders gathered for a G-7 summit they strongly condemned the air strike. French President Emmanuel Macron saying it was an abomination. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the attack showed the depths of cruelty and barbarism of Vladimir Putin's. Ukraine's president said that this was a calculated attack by a totally insane terrorist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today's Russian strike at a shopping mall in Kremenchuk is one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history, a peaceful city, an ordinary shopping mall with women children, ordinary civilians inside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Rescuers are using heavy equipment to try and move the debris in this search for survivors and local administrators say they don't know how many could be buried under the rubble.
CNN is covering the story from multiple angles. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz standing by in Kyiv for the latest there, but first, let's go to CNN's Frederik Pleitgen live in Germany. Where, you know, there's been this NATO Summit, there's been a G-7 summit, there's been a lot of talk a lot of condemnation of this airstrike. But what can they actually do?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think one of the things that the U.S. says that it plans to do, at least in the not too distant future is possibly give the Ukrainians a missile defense system that at least it could use in parts of the country to try and prevent some of those missiles from hitting them targets inside Ukraine.
[01:05:02]
It's certainly something that the Ukrainians have been asking for in general, John, what the Ukrainians have been asking for is better air defense system that of course would help it against the Russian Air Force, but against possibly also missile attacks like the one that that was seen there in Kremenchuk.
And of course, one of the things that we have to also see is that there has been a pattern of Russian missile strikes, especially over the past couple of days, which coincides not only with the G-7 summit here, but also coincides with the Ukrainians getting some longer range rocket artillery systems on their side.
And of course, the Russians had threatened that they would hit as they put it, decision making centers if the Ukrainians would get longer range weapons. So there are some weapons that are in the arsenal of NATO countries that they could give to the Ukrainians. Clearly, there's some of that is already in the works. The Germans also talking about giving some longer range weapons.
But in the end, John of what the G-7 nations have said here is that they obviously want to keep the pressure up on Russia, financially, but also militarily as well by continuing to support but to provide military support for the Ukrainians also in the long run, John.
VAUSE: Fred, thank you. Fred Pleitgen live for us there once again in Germany, we appreciate that. Let's get down to Kyiv. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz also live this hour. So Salma, this city is a long way from the frontlines of this conflict. But it's not far away from a major oil refinery plant, I think. And there's some speculation that maybe that was the target. But these key strategic missiles are incredibly inaccurate. And that's how this all played out. What do we know?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: I think what's really important to note here is just the scope, the scale the width of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, able to strike anywhere at any time. We saw strikes over the weekend in Kyiv, in Kharkiv, this attack on the mall. So you can just see this sense across Ukraine that President Putin is able to hit any target he wants.
Now, it's unclear, again, as you said, what was the target with this shopping mall. But what is clear, John, is all of those weapons that are coming into the country that military aid, it's not enough yet. The tide right now is absolutely in Russia's favor. Ukraine is losing territory, and it's losing troops. That's why we went to a training exercise with territorial defense.
This is essentially a volunteer force, ordinary citizens who stepped up after the start of the Russian invasion, but they're being used on the front lines. I want you to take a look at what we found when we went to this exercise.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): When Russia invaded his country, Yuri Filatov quickly went from ordinary civilian to soldier in training. YURI FILATOV, MEMBER OF THE TERRITORIAL DEFENSE Day when it all starts, I packed my family send it to the west of the country and roughly 26th of February I joined Territorial Defense.
ABDELAZIZ: At an undisclosed location, these members of the territorial defense are learning to fight. Once a local volunteer militia, it is now a branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces authorized for deployment to combat zones.
FILATOV: We all came here to protect our homes, our families,
ABDELAZIZ: Anyone can join. And with the country starved for fighters, anyone can end up on the battlefield. They were in IT, they're drivers, teachers, they know nothing about military affairs, he says, that's why we decided to create this training program.
100 to 200 Ukrainian soldiers are dying every day, officials say.
(on camera): These men are not professional warriors. Their commanders admit they don't have enough training. Still, they could be used on the frontlines.
JACKY, INTERNATIONAL LEGION OF UKRAINE: Hey, I'm Jacky.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Among the instructors here is Jack. He's from California. He says he served in the U.S. military for eight years.
JACKY: So I'm here with these men to help train their instructors so that they can train their men and gain the experience as quickly as possible.
ABDELAZIZ: There are other American volunteers fighting for Ukraine. Two of them, Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh are detained by Russian backed separatists in Donetsk, a third American Grady Kurpasi is missing. Jacky says he's had his own close call.
JACKY: That was shot. Conducting operations with the Legion in Kyiv back in March, on through the wrist and into my liver. It was pretty touch and go. I know my doctors told me they weren't sure if I was going to live or not.
ABDELAZIZ: He shows me why he believes he is needed here.
JACKY: American weapons big one is this guy right here. M2 50 caliber Browning machine gun.
ABDELAZIZ (on camera): So if you weren't here, would they be able to use this weapon or?
JACKY: Actually one of the problems before I got here is they were not able to use this weapon system.
ABDELAZIZ: Wow.
JACKY: Volunteers like me. Luckily, we're here to kind of fill some holes, but it's not a good system. ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Facing a superior military power determined to crush Ukraine, these men say they have no choice but to fight back.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
[01:10:00]
ABDELAZIZ: Now, thousands of Ukrainians stepped up raise their hand joined the Territorial Defense after Russia invaded on February 24. But again, it's that lack of training. It's that lack of experience that has so many worried. Those who are dying on the front lines are often the most experienced of Ukraine's military, Special Forces, those who have the knowledge, those who have the years of training.
And so this is not a like for like replacement. And at a time when Ukraine is struggling to hold the line, particularly in places like the Donbas, this paints a very worrying picture for how they can continue to sustain this battle against a much more powerful military might, John.
VAUSE: Salma, thank you. Salma Abdelaziz live for us there in Kyiv. Appreciate it. Thank you.
Joining us this hour for Washington is Josh Rogin, a CNN political analyst and columnist for the Washington Post show. Thanks for being here.
JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Great to be with you.
VAUSE: OK, so NATO Secretary General, he was clear in condemning Russia for the missile strike on a shopping mall. He went on to insist the alliance is united and committed to ongoing support for Ukraine like this. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS SOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: At the summit, sorry, we will agree a strengthened a comprehensive assistance package for Ukraine. This will include substantial deliveries of support in areas like secure communications, anti-drone systems and fuel. Over the longer term, we will help Ukraine transition from Soviet era military equipment to modern NATO equipment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's not exactly the kind of assistance the Ukrainians have been asking for. Not exactly the kind of stuff which will stop the Russian army from making gains in the east, which they are doing right now. And not exactly the kind of military assistance which would defend civilian targets from a Russian airstrike. So what's going on here?
ROGIN: Well, that's absolutely right, President Zelenskyy videoed into the G-7 meeting and reportedly asked for more air defenses and more protection for civilians and more advanced weaponry than is currently being offered a higher quality and a higher quantity. And he then he urged that time is of the essence, a long term transition does nothing in the next few months, which will be the crucial months for repelling the latest Russian attacks.
And what's going on here is that in order to preserve the unity amongst these Western nations, there's a cap on what some of them are willing to provide. And especially in Europe, there's a fatigue in providing this assistance and in the cost that European governments are paying.
And in the United States, there's a calculation about which weapons might be provocative and which weapons might be not provocative, which a lot of people in the United States think is a foolish way to go about it, because in a war, everything's provocative.
VAUSE: Jen Stoltenberg also announced it's almost eightfold increase in the number of NATO troops at high readiness. Currently, it stands at about 40,000 troops. It's a combination of land, sea, and air assets. Stoltenberg says this will increase to more than 300,000, which is a big, big number, when you wait on the headline, at least. He said, this is a direct result of the increased threat from Russia. But there weren't a lot of details here on how this would actually work. What level of readiness these troops would be at, even when this actually takes effect. It's all very, very vague.
ROGIN: Right. There are a lot of things that were vague about the announcements made in Germany of the G-7 this weekend, how does the U.S. plan to impose a cap on the price of Russian oil which is traded on the world market to a large degree, very vague. How are we going to enforce a proposed ban on importing gold? And will that really hurt the Russian economy considering that lots of other people want to buy gold, very vague. And when it comes to the positioning of U.S. and NATO troops closer to the Russian border, that seems like an easy thing to do. But it's very hard in practice, and it takes a long time.
VAUSE: You know, this is all part of NATO's new strategic concept for the last one was published back in 2010. Not only back then there was this goal, we want to see a true strategic relational or partnership rather between NATO and Russia, and we will act accordingly.
Now there is a new approach to Moscow and for the first time China gets a mention and not in a good way. Again, here's NATO Secretary General, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOLTENBERG: I expect it roll make clear that allies consider Russia as the most significant and direct threat to our security. It will address China for the first time and the challenges that Beijing poses to our security interests and values.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So beyond stating what is blindingly obvious, does this actually mean anything in a practical way?
ROGIN: Well, it's a slow but steady shift that only is meaningful if it's backed by real resources and real programs and that we haven't seen that yet, so it could be meaningful, but not just as words on the page.
[01:15:04]
And, you know, with NATO, it's been searching for a mission ever since the end of the Cold War, and now they've reverted back to their original mission, which is to confront Russian aggression. But at the same time, they've already taken on all of these other missions, counterterrorism, cyber warfare, and now the challenge of a rising China. Well, that's a lot.
And so when you have a an alliance that's a focus on everything, there's a risk that you're actually focused on nothing. And while Russia is that clearly the short term threat, China is clearly the long term challenge.
And NATO is not a meant to be an alliance that is meant to confront China economically and ideologically and technologically. And that's really what the China challenge is all about. Data was limited military alliances for a limited purpose. And I think as they keep revising all of these strategic concepts and these papers that people actually get more confused than anything else, and that's a problem that an asset.
VAUSE: Interesting points finish on Josh. Thank you for that. Good to see you. Josh Rogin there in Washington.
ROGIN: Any time.
VAUSE: Still to come, U.S. lawmakers investigating the January 6 attack have caught a last minute public hearing for Tuesday. Details on the surprise witness who's expected to testify that in a moment.
Also head she's been locked up in a Russian jail for months. Now American basketball player Brittney Griner set to go on trial as the Biden administration faces growing pressure to bring her home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back. The U.S. House committee investigating the January 6 attack has announced its surprise hearing at Tuesday. The panel has not revealed the reason why but sources tell CNN they expect to hear testimony from a key witness. CNN's Ryan Nobles has details.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The January 6 Select Committee is ready to hear publicly from a very important member of the Trump White House who has the potential to reveal a lot of information that we have not heard up until this point.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to the former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, has agreed to testify in a public setting and will do so in a hearing set to take place on Tuesday afternoon on Capitol Hill. Now, Hutchinson is somebody that we've already heard from part of her taped closed door depositions had been played as part of the January 6 Select Committee hearings.
But the fact that she's willing to testify publicly and the fact that the committee has rushed to add a hearing that was not previously scheduled shows that Hutchinson may have new information to reveal that could be an important part of this investigation.
You remember that last week the committee had said that they were ready to take a break that they'd taken in a lot of new information that they wanted to process that information and they weren't planning on any more hearings until the middle of July. Well, that all changed on Monday afternoon where they announced that they had plans to hear from another witness and review new information.
[01:20:00]
Now the committee did not reveal Hutchinson's name in part because there were security concerns related to her appearance and in fact the committee has had plans to change the hearing room to a certain degree on Tuesday to make sure that she remains safe.
However, the information was revealed originally reported by Punchbowl News and then confirmed by CNN, Cassidy Hutchinson will appear before the January 6 Select Committee on Tuesday. Ryan Nobles, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
VAUSE: You can watch the entire hearing plus in depth analysis right here on CNN that starts at 1:00 p.m. in Washington, that's 6:00 p.m. in London, 1:00 a.m. in Hong Kong.
American basketball star player Brittney Griner will go on trial later this week in Russia. The WNBA star has been held since February on drug smuggling charges. There's concern though Moscow may try to use Griner as well as other detained Americans, as political pawns been Russia's war on Ukraine. Details now from CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brittany do you have anything to say?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In handcuffs, flanked by hurried guards and black vests, Brittney Griner is escorted into court and learns her detention has been extended by six months, and that her trial on drug smuggling charges will begin this Friday.
KURT VOLKER, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL REP. FOR UKRAINE NEGOTIATION: The justice system, if you can call it that in Russia has nothing to do with justice at all. It is an instrument of the Putin regime's political power. And so they have made a decision to keep her detained. And they want to do this probably in order to put pressure on the Biden administration.
TODD: The American basketball star has been detained for more than four months in Russia after being arrested at a Moscow airport. She was carrying what Russian authorities said was cannabis oil in her luggage. They accused Griner of smuggling narcotics punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The U.S. government has classified her as wrongfully detained meaning her case is now the focus of the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for hostage affairs. CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan says even if Griner's trial is a sham, it could bring a positive development.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: They have to go through this Russians can save face they can convict her and then they can say OK, now what do we get in return? So as sad as that is and as strange and bizarre as it sounds, this actually means the entire situation as tragic as it is, is moving forward.
TODD: One scenario that is always coming up in public discussions now is the possibility of the Russians treating Griner or fellow American Paul Whelan or both for Viktor Bout. He's a notorious arms dealer known as the Merchant of Death, now serving a long sentence at the U.S. Federal Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois.
VOLKER: He's a genuine criminal. He is a notorious figure. He has supplied arms to some of the worst conflicts in the world. And so there's no comparison between the two.
TODD: Asked by CNN whether a trade for Bout is possible, Secretary of State Antony Blinken sidestepped it.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I've got no higher priority than making sure that Americans who are being illegally detained in one way or another around the world come home and that includes Paul Whelan, that includes Brittney Griner.
TODD: Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post writer who was held in Iran for nearly a year and a half believes there's a good chance that both Griner and Paul Whelan have spent significant time in solitary confinement while in Russian custody.
(on camera): So their mental health could be suffering?
JASON REZAIAN, WASHINGTON POST OPINION WRITER, HELD IN IRAN 544 DAYS: their mental health is definitely suffering as is the mental health of all of these other Americans who are being held against their will simply because they are citizens the United States of America.
TODD: A U.S. official tells CNN the U.S. Embassy in Moscow will send an American diplomat to Brittney Griner's hearing on Friday when her trial begins. A State Department spokesman reiterated that Griner is wrongfully detained and says the U.S. will continue to press for her release. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
VAUSE: After a short break, much more on that developing story in the U.S. state of Texas. 46 migrants are dead in the back of a semi-truck. We'll hear from a reporter on the scene following the story in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:26:22]
VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN Newsroom and more our top story this hour. U.S. authorities are investigating the deaths of 46 migrants found in the back of a semi- truck in southern Texas. At least 12 adults and four children were found alive and taken to local hospitals.
San Antonio police chief says officers were alerted Monday evening when someone was hurt crying for help from the trailer.
The National Weather Service's temperatures outside topped 38 degrees Celsius over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Joining me now on the line is Arelis Hernandez, a correspondent for The Washington Post, who covers the U.S. border with Mexico, as well as immigration.
Arelis, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. There is some reporting that the bodies were found both inside the truck and outside not far from the truck, which we've seen indicate that the trailer doors I guess were open. So presumably those inside may have been able to leave. What is your understanding of how this all played out?
ARELIS HERNANDEZ, THE WASHINGTON POST CORRESPONDENT: Based on photographic evidence, because we weren't actually allowed to get too close to seem there was at least one body about 20 yards from the drawers that were open. So it looks like someone had managed to at least get out but had collapsed right there and died.
As far as the other people inside who are found alive that 16 people, including four pediatric patients are what who were described as teenagers. Those folks were just two weeks from the heat to have been able to, in the words of police, extricate themselves from the trailer.
VAUSE: So hold up, what, 62 people were inside what was a refrigerated trailer. But that air conditioning system wasn't working. There was no water inside for more than you know, by conditions inside the truck, and how long they may have been there?
HERNANDEZ: Well, as you said, at the top of the segment, it's been extremely hot and unusually above normal here in San Antonio. And in a similar case, back in 2017, temperatures inside the truck without water, without immunity can rise as high as 173 degrees Fahrenheit, which I'm not sure is what it is in Celsius. But you can imagine based on other incidents like this, that it would have been close to 200 degrees inside of a trailer like that.
VAUSE: So we've had situations like this before, you just mentioned one of them. So it's a fairly safe assumption that this is part of the human smuggling attempt, which ended in tragedy, right?
HERNANDEZ: That's exactly right. Where this truck was located was not far from Interstate 35, which is a major transit point from the border to that reaches all the way up to the northern border. And so this is something we see quite a bit. The number of people who were in this trailer that had died or who expired as a result of what happened is pretty unusual for San Antonio, for Texas things the biggest tragedy that we've seen of this kind here, but the smuggling itself is pretty common to this particular corridor that runs from the border north to San Antonio in other cities.
VAUSE: Also told that three people are in police custody. Do we know precisely what role they may have played or allegedly played?
HERNANDEZ: We don't know yet. They're in custody as far as we know. They haven't been charged and that's part of the federal investigation is underway.
[01:30:06]
But what Chief McManus of San Antonio police said that this two people apparently were apprehended, not exactly at the scene of the truck but somewhere nearby. They had deployed dogs, K-9 at the time and so it looks like they got them and detained them somewhere near there.
VAUSE: And what have officials said about the actual moment of discovery when they opened those doors and found, you know, 46 dead people?
HERNANDEZ: Chief Charles basically said it's the last thing you expect to see, right. To open the doors of the trailer and just see bodies stacked on top of one another. You know, you touch them and they are hot to the touch. They have to check for signs of life for all these different kinds of people, you know, separate them out.
And they're going to take DNA and try to identify and repatriate these individuals. It is the last thing that, you know, firefighters or emergency personnel would expect as a result. Some of them are being (INAUDIBLE) to sort of behavioral health resources to try and cope with that.
VAUSE: Yes. It is truly horrific on so many different levels. Arelis Hernandez, thank you so much. We appreciate the update. We appreciate the reporting. Thank you.
HERNANDEZ: Thank you.
VAUSE: American women are now grappling with a new reality after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe versus Wade. Across the country, a patchwork of laws is causing confusion as multiple states move to ban abortion, while others are taking action to safeguard reproductive rights.
CNN's Miguel Marquez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A nation divided, that divide growing deeper. The consequence of the Supreme Court historic and sweeping decision, reversing nearly 50 years of abortion rights and legal precedents. EMILY WALES, INTERIM PRESIDENT/CEO, PLANNED PARENTHOOD, GREAT PLAINS:
We have to communicate very loudly, that this is government interference at the most extreme. It is the government literally standing between you and your doctor and saying you cannot get this health care.
MARQUEZ: Mississippi certified its abortion ban, except in cases of rape or if the mother's life is in danger, the latest state to restrict abortion.
Right now at least nine states have effectively banned abortions since Friday's ruling. Another five states are expected to limit abortion services in days or weeks. At least 13 states have laws in the books that could go into effect or are contemplating everything from bans to substantial restrictions on abortion services.
21 states and Washington D.C. protect abortion services. That has some conservatives calling for a national ban. Former vice president Mike Pence, who may run for president in 2024, said in a statement, "Having been given this second chance for life, we must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land."
The fight already expanding to FDA-approved prescription drugs that can induce an abortion. Could they be sent from a state where abortion is legal to one where it is not?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I brought a bill that would ban telemedicine abortions.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who may run for president in 2024 and whose state already banned nearly all abortions, says she would prosecute doctors who prescribe or dispense abortion inducing drugs, not the women who use them.
Those supporting abortion rights see the drug as a possible last best hope for some women in states that have ended or restricted access to abortion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it means distributing abortion pills illegally, then we distribute abortion pills illegally.
MARQUEZ: And clinics and states where abortion remains legal already seeing an increase in demand for those seeking services.
DR. LEROY CARHART, BELLEVUE HEALTH CLINIC, NEBRASKA: We have gone from seeing an average of 30 patients a week, two now maybe 30 patients a day.
MARQUEZ: Protesters angered by the decision took to the streets nationwide, at times taking over roads and highways, scuffling with police. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa a truck pushed through a group of abortion rights protesters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The light was red and the truck got impatient for whatever reason and charged into the crowd. MARQUEZ: In Los Angeles, "Full House" actress Jody Sweetin was pushed
to the ground by LAPD as abortion rights protesters attempted to block a major freeway there.
Miguel Marquez, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris says she was shocked by this ruling. She also admitted she never thought that two of Donald Trump's Supreme Court choices would preserve the abortion law.
She spoke about that with CNN's Dana Bash in an exclusive interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN HOST: You were a senator when now Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh testified about many issues, including obviously Roe at their confirmation hearings. Now Justice Gorsuch said it had been reaffirmed many times. Kavanaugh called it precedent on precedent.
[01:34:56]
BASH: At that particular hearing you were there. Some senators say that they intentionally misled the public and the Congress. What do you think?
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I never believed them. I didn't believe them. That is why I voted against them.
BASH: Do you think that there is anything to be done now? I mean there is no -- they were under oath.
HARRIS: I think that listen, it was clear to me when I was sitting in that the chair as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that they were not -- that they were very likely to do what they just did. That was my perspective, that was my opinion and that is why I voted like I did.
BASH: Big picture, do you worry about two Americas now because of the patchwork of different states having different laws now that Roe v. Wade is no longer law of the land?
HARRIS: I don't believe that we have two Americas. I believe that when you look at an issue, for example, like abortion and Roe, the majority of Americans support the right of a woman to make decisions about her body.
When you look at something like the issue -- the need for reasonable gun safety laws, the majority of people, including one of the numbers I've seen, the majority of gun owners agree we should have reasonable gun safety laws.
So I do not buy in to the idea that we have two Americas. What does concern me is that, the rhetoric that you see among certain elected officials is actually not representative of where the people actually are. And we need to listen to where the people actually are.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Harris also warns that more rights are at risk after Justice Clarence Thomas called on the Supreme Court to reconsider rulings related to contraception, as well as same-sex marriage.
And days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the Israeli government has moved in the opposite direction, making access to abortion easier.
CNN's Hadas Gold has details now reporting in from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Israelis changing its regulations to make it easier for women to access abortion. For decades, women have been able to get abortions in Israel but they had to fill out an application and go in person before an abortion committee at various hospitals.
This committee would be made up of two doctors and a social worker and all abortions, no matter at what stage, had to be performed at a hospital or in an equivalent facility.
Now, under these new regulations, women will be able to apply for an abortion online. The health minister also said that invasive questions will be removed, and there will be no need to appear in person before an abortion committee. Although, that committee will still need to approve the abortion.
In addition, women will be able to seek pharmacological abortions just from their regular doctors.
Here is how Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz describe this new regulations.
NITZAN HOROWITZ, HEALTH MINISTER (through translator): The U.S. Supreme Court's move to deny a woman's right to needs to have the right of abortion is a dark move. Oppressing women and becoming the leader of the free and liberal world, 100 years backward.
Even here, the situation is not ideal. But we are in different places. And, today we are taking big steps in the right direction.
GOLD: Now, spokespeople for the minister of health did say that these reforms have been in the works for several weeks, if not months. They said that these regulations had not been changed in decades. And it was high time for them to be reformed.
But it is hard to not see the connection between the Supreme Court ruling and this announcement made today. Many ministers, many members of the Israeli parliament was specifically connecting what happened in the United States with these reforms that will make it easier for women in Israel to seek access to abortions. The new regulations will come into full effect in three months. Hadas Gold, CNN -- Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, the U.S. was one of 56 countries in the world where women could legally request an abortion. In the European Union, most countries allow abortions within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. In Poland thought, abortions have been banned except in cases of rape or incest or the life of the mother is at risk.
Nicaragua and El Salvador, abortions are illegal under any circumstance. And in El Salvador, prison sentences can stretch up to 40 years.
Joining us this hour from Santiago in Chile is Ana Cristina Gonzalez Velez, an advocate for reproductive rights and one of the leaders of a movement which succeeded in decriminalizing abortion in Colombia. Thank you so much time for taking the time to be with us.
ANA CRISTINA GONZALEZ VELEZ, CAUSA JUSTA MOVEMENT: Thank you for you for inviting me to this program.
[01:39:47]
VAUSE: You're welcome.
Now, in just the past 18 months or so, we've seen a lot of headlines like this. Argentina Senate approves historic bill to legalize abortion. Mexico's Supreme Court rules criminalizing abortion is unconstitutional. Colombia becomes the latest Latin American country to partially decriminalized abortion.
And that is where you come in on all of this. So just looking at your experience in Colombia, what was behind the legal ruling in February which made abortion no longer a criminal act?
VELEZ: Well, we've worked for many years, maybe decades to make these real in our country. As maybe you know, Colombia one of the few countries in the region that totally banned abortion up to 2006. After that, we got our first constitutional decision that decriminalized of abortion under three circumstances. and after maybe 15 years of trying to implement these decisions and make that decision real for women's lives, we started a new process under the Causa Justa Movement and we managed to decriminalize abortion or to repeal abortion frame from the Penal Code after 24 weeks. So it has been a decade of work.
And lastly, the last two years, we created and build strategy, very comprehensive strategy. And we presented a claim into the constitutional court that was the claim that ended up with the decision that you had mentioned.
VAUSE: Abortion on request is only available in six Latin American countries. Last year lawmakers in Honduras voted to include a total abortion ban which has been in effect since 1985, to include it in the constitution. So it is a mixed picture across the region, right. Not all countries are heading in the same direction as Colombia.
VELEZ: Absolutely. We have Central America, where most countries totally banned abortion, under very critical situations of governments and institutions persecuting women, even women that have spontaneous abortion.
But what we have seen in our region is that the feminist movement is growing, that our strategies are much more stronger. We are on the streets, but we are also helping and building arguments to move forward the conversation about these very important idea of repealing abortion crimes from the Penal Code.
VAUSE: Those people who are in favor of women's reproductive rights, protested outside the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina where this green wave of protests began in favor of abortion.
Here is one of the protest leaders, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This U.S. court ruling returns our gender rights back decades. What is being fought today is for the lives of our fellow sisters, who decided to have an abortion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So with regards to the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, how do you see that impacting what's happening in Latin America.
VELEZ: I really think that when it is about abortion, you cannot take anything for granted. We all know that these are issues that are always under, you know, fight and attention. And the conservatives do not agree with our freedom.
So I think that maybe the U.S. can also learn a lot about the mobilization and the strategies and the arguments and the framings that we have developed in this region.
I'm sure that the most conservative people, some partisan people would try to use these decisions to overturn some of our advances or to create. You know, they will use politically in the worst sense what happened in the United States.
But they we know that we are mobilized and we know that we are ready even to share with Americans our strategies, arguments and framing.
VAUSE: Ana, thank you so much for being with us. We'll leave it there. Ana Cristina Gonzalez Velez, thank you so much.
VELEZ: Thank you so much for you.
VAUSE: Ghislaine Maxwell will be sentenced for her role in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in the coming hours. Coming up, her transformation from society queen to now convicted sex trafficker.
[01:44:15]
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VAUSE: The British House of Commons has just passed a bill which aims to overrule parts of the post Brexit deal signed by the U.K. and the European Union two years ago. Monday's vote on changes to the northern island protocol move forward despite opposition from the E.U. The bill looks to remove checks on goods moving between the U.K. and Northern Ireland. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the U.K. is trying to fix the balance of the Belfast good Friday agreement which created a power sharing government that is stuck in political paralysis at the moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: You've Got barriers, unnecessary barriers to trade, from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. All we are saying is that you can get rid of those whilst not in any way endangering the E.U.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The bill will need to clear a number of hurdles before it actually becomes law.
Ghislaine Maxwell, the one-time girlfriend of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein will be sentenced in the coming hours for her role and his sex trafficking ring. She was found guilty back in December of recruiting young women to be abused by Epstein, a dramatic downfall for a woman who was once a society queen.
CNN's Max Foster has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted in December. Found guilty on five counts, including trafficking underage girls for the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell's defense argued she was made a scapegoat following his death. How did this privileged and highly educated woman becoming sex trafficker for a pedophile ring?
Born on Christmas Day in 1961, she grew up in this vast estate in the ideal Oxfordshire countryside, the youngest daughter of a disgraced British businessman Robert Maxwell. Media mogul and football club owner, Maxwell Dalcinia (ph) was a huge figure in British public life.
JOHN SWEENEY, ACTOR: Butler's and privilege, limousine, helicopters. Fancy holidays on yachts.
She goes to oxford, to become friends with everyone who is anybody in London. Prince Andrew, the second sum of the Queen of England. FOSTER: When Robert maxwell died, falling overboard the luxury yacht
he named after Ghislaine, his death revealed huge discrepancies in his company's finances.
FOSTER: The gathering of Robert Maxwell's family was completed with the arrival of the daughter after whom, he had named his faithful yacht. His daughters reputation was left in tatters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I also want to thank all the many hundreds of people who have sent messages of support.
Foster: Ghislaine adored her father, but the tragedy in side of the tragedy is that going Ghislaine herself was a victim I think of terrible psychological abuse by her father.
FOSTER: Enticed by the Big Apple, Maxwell restarted life as a society queen in the United States. A witty and gregarious connector with a royal rolodex. The perfect veneer of respectability for a predator like Jeffrey Epstein.
A 14-year-old girl does not get into a car with a man like Jeffrey Epstein, but she might if she meets somebody who she thinks is Mary Poppins. Lovely English accent, lovely mannered, charming, gracious beautiful. He needed her as cover for his pedophilia.
[01:49:54]
FOSTER: Epstein allowed Maxwell access to the wealth and status she lost when her father died. The two pursued a relationship that lasted decades.
STRAUSS: Maxwell was among Epstein's closest associates and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old.
In 2006, police raided Epstein's mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. In 2008, Epstein was convicted on counts related to the sexual abuse for the child.
In 2011, a photo emerges of Prince Andrew with his hand around the waist of a Julia Roberts (INAUDIBLE). Giuffre says she was 17 when she was forced to have sex with him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I met through his girlfriend back in 1999.
FOSTER: Queen Elizabeth's second son gave a now infamous interview to the BBC in 2019. He denied any wrongdoing. And sought to distance himself from Epstein.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Officials say multi millionaire Jeffrey Epstein has taken his own life.
Foster: When Epstein was found hanged in his jail cell in 2019 following an apparent suicide, Attention turned those whose closest coconspirator.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today was symbolically a huge day for survivors everywhere. Especially survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, who like myself were denied their day of birth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will be sitting in the same room Ghislaine, finally after all these years.
FOSTER: Maxwell failed in her bid to overturn the guilty verdict. Despite the wealth and power once afforded to her at age 60, she faces spending the rest of her life behind bars.
Max Foster, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still to come, as the depths of a pandemic fade into memory, China takes its zero COVID policy to extremes, sometimes even defying science. Stories ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
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VAUSE: China's president Xi Jinping continues to enforce the zero COVID policy was ill, despite the fact this policy has been shown by the rest of the world, shunned by scientists, even Sean by North Korea.
In fact government centers in Beijing have removed any trace of the north video because at odds with Beijing's which was at odds with Beijing policy. A sign of the times perhaps.
CNN's Selina Wang has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a North Korean public health video censored in China. As Pyongyang battles an explosion in COVID cases, this state video explains that most omicron patients will have mild symptoms, only serious ones need to go to the hospital. That is common knowledge.
But here in China, the government continues to shut down entire cities over one COVID case, all positive cases and close contacts are sent to government quarantine.
Authorities quickly scrubbed the North Korean video and news of the country lifting its COVID lockdown from Chinese Internet. But that is not stopping many in China from praising the Hermit Kingdom for being more scientific than China.
[01:54:45
WANG: One post said suddenly I realized we are the most pathetic. The Chinese city bordering North Korea has been under lockdown for more than a month. Videos online show China CDC workers placing what appeared to be rows of air monitoring machines along the Yalu (ph) river that separates the two countries. Those machines are testing the air from North Korea for COVID.
State media even ordered residents to stay away from the river and close their windows on windy days. They fear the wind blowing in from North Korea might spread the virus, despite no scientific evidence.
Local governments have not responded to CNN's questions about the warnings or air monitoring machines. Just days after Shanghai exited its brutal two-month lockdown, many are being sealed back into their homes.
This Shanghai community is protesting the endless cycle. "We are being illegally imprisoned, the man with the loudspeaker says. Police arrested the man and pushed him into the police car. As residents shout, "why arrest people, freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law.
One resident even shows his middle finger to authorities refusing to back down. CNN reached out to multiple Shanghai police departments, who all declined to comment.
And for those of us not fenced up, we are also constantly COVID testing, and maybe not at least every 72 hours to enter any public venue, that is the rule across all major cities in China and they can be a hassle, often waiting in long lines this this.
And it is not just people that are relentlessly COVID tested. Videos of stray cats, dogs, male packages, seafood, sewage, even newborn infants being COVID tested have gone viral. That is despite international health officials saying the risk of transmission from animals and surfaces is extremely low. Yet COVID workers continue to disinfect everything in sight -- streets, the open air, even each other.
PROF. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, CENTER FOR INFETIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY: This is more hygiene theater, it is not based on any science, the risk of transmission from services is at best theoretical, not even measurable at this point. it is useless, meaningless and distracting from the real source. Zero COVID policy simply will not work.
WANG: The government claims zero COVID is the only way to save peoples lives, even though many of their policies run contrary to scientific evidence. And that is because China's supreme leader has tied his leadership to zero COVID, so politics trumps science and logic.
Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Five more years, maybe.
And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm John Vause. The news continues on CNN with Nick Watt right after this. See you tomorrow.
[01:57:40]
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