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Biden: U.S. & Allies to Support Ukraine "As Long as It Takes"; Russian forces Abandon Snake Island After Ukrainian Operation; Abortion Fight Plays Out in States After Supreme Court Decision; 1955 Arrest Warrant in Emmett Till Case Found in Court Basement. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired June 30, 2022 - 13:30   ET

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

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ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Today, the NATO summit wrapped up with a larger, stronger alliance and a clear commitment to backing Ukraine in its war against Russia.

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to stick with Ukraine in all the alliance is going to stick with Ukraine as long as it takes.

When the war will end, I hope it ends sooner than later. But for it to end, they have to be in a position where the -- the Ukrainians have all that they can reasonably expect, we can reasonably expect to get to them in order to provide for their physical security and their defenses?

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CABRERA: Joining us now is CNN military analyst, Major General James "Spider" Marks.

Always good to see you, General.

Coming out of the NATO summit, the alliance is stronger. They said we aren't getting weapons fast enough in order to win a victory over Russia right now.

General, what do they need now that they don't have?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, thank you for having me.

Look, what the NATO powers, in the many person powers led by the United States, has really done is created this process of providing military assistance and the associated training to make sure that necessary kit is getting to the right individuals at the right time. So I would argue, I understand President Zelenskyy is really working

desperately and is an amazing leader, and certainly he has challenges, but NATO is stepping up. Short of having Ukraine as a member of NATO, they are stepping up.

It's impressive. It's holding together in a way that many in the world didn't think would happen.

In order for Ukraine to turn the tide operationally -- that's what we're talking about, operationally advantage -- they need to be able to strike deep against Russian targets. Very precisely.

You can't affect the way you fight someone in the near fight unless you can reach out and really force your opponent to have limited capabilities as they come forward. And that's what Ukrainians need to have.

And that is long-range artillery, attack helicopters. Suppression of electronic -- suppression of integrated air defense to get the attack helicopters in there. Those are the kind of capabilities that would give Ukraine the advantage.

An additional piece is they will have to be able to reach into Russia and strike targets in Russia that are in sanctuary.

When the Russian forces are milling around in Russia, they're smoking cigarettes and having a good time and refueling and doing their things they need to do.

They need to know that their heads have to be -- a lot of folks would argue we shouldn't do that. That's an expansion of the war. It's not going to change the dynamics unless that happens.

CABRERA: And of course, then that opens up this gray area about defensive weaponry versus offensive action being taken against Russia specifically. And that is, I know, something that the U.S. has been careful not to be able to enable the Ukrainians to do that.

Let me ask you about a Ukrainian victory on Snake Island. Russian forces left the island in speedboats and now there's imagery confirming forces are gone. Russia says they left as a gesture of good will. Ukraine says they forced them out.

Just a reminder. Snake Island is where the small group of Ukrainian soldiers told Russia to f-off and embodied Ukrainian resistance early in the wall.

How significant is this psychologically and strategically?

MARKS: Well, it's a psychological victory for the Ukrainians, isn't it? You shoot Russia the bird, and then come back at them and take this little island back.

Strategically, it's not significant, but psychologically, it's a victory for the Ukrainians. And the Russia narrative is whatever it's going to be. But the Ukrainians have been persistent and done a magnificent job.

And this is an example of really a fight for sovereignty. They're not going to give up.

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CABRERA: Major General James "Spider" Marks, thank you so much. It's nice to have you here.

New today, a Kentucky judge just ruled abortions can be performed again in that state. This is the latest example of this fast-changing fallout from the Supreme Court's decision. We'll have more on the state of play across the country next.

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CABRERA: Nearly one week after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the president says he backs dropping the Senate filibuster rules to protect abortion and privacy rights. This is a major announcement just before he meets with governors tomorrow to discuss this issue.

But today the state of play across the country is changing and changing fast.

CNN's Erica Hill is here to lay out what's happening now.

There's a lot of confusion and misinformation out there. Give us the lay of the land around the country.

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If we look at the map in terms of where things are right now, the states that you see here in orange, these are states where right now abortions are either banned or have really severe restrictions. Think about something like a six-week ban.

You see the other states that are this sort of peach color, that's where there will likely be a ban or severe restriction coming into play. Maybe these are laws not yet in effect but they're coming. Perhaps things in a legal challenge.

That gives you a sense of how much of the country right now we have where abortions are either banned, severely restricted or about to be. The states Utah and Louisiana, that's related to some rulings from judges.

This is not the last we're going to see about legal changes and challenges.

CABRERA: And now I understand there was a development in Florida. What can you tell us?

HILL: That's a perfect example. Florida is in this ban, and the ban or severe restriction is likely.

That's because H.B.-5, the law in Florida which limits abortions. No abortions after 15 weeks with no exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking was set to go into effect tomorrow.

I was listening to the judge in Florida as he said he is going to issue, rather, a temporary injunction. This is on the heels of a suit that was brought on behalf of Planned Parenthood and other health providers in the state, The Center for Reproductive Rights.

He found they argued that H.B.-5 actually violates the privacy rights and bodily autonomy rights guaranteed in the Florida constitution. He agreed. He said it does violate the rights in the Florida constitution.

He noted that these rights in Florida are specific. They are not in the U.S. Constitution.

And he said it's clearly implicated that a woman's decision on whether to carry a pregnancy up to 24 weeks or violent, currently the law in Florida, that they have that right in the state constitution. He said the written order will not be issued today.

CABRERA: A lot of people thought when the Supreme Court made this ruling, states like Florida, with a Republican governor, with Republican-controlled Congress or local legislature there, that it would go the opposite direction.

Here you have the state rules saying no, pump the brakes. Abortion rights stand here. And it sounds like Kentucky is having a similar situation as well.

HILL: It is similar. What we heard, again, the judge ruling there that this is -- this is a temporary injunction. We're waiting for the written order.

In Kentucky, there was a similar argument that said that the Kentucky laws, which went into effect, so abortions were banned in Kentucky on Friday, as soon as Roe was overturned.

You filed this case saying hold, on a minute, this also violates rights privacy to bodily autonomy.

They also noted self-determination as laid out in two sections of Kentucky's state constitution. There will be a hearing for a temporary injunction in Kentucky on July 6th.

Today, a temporary restraining order granted. That's what the ACLU requested in Kentucky. And the impacts two laws in the state that were passed in 2019. Both of which have gone into effect to basically stop all abortions in the state on Friday.

Here we stand.

CABRERA: OK.

HILL: Expect more changes. There will be.

CABRERA: Exactly. Because this has been turned back over to the states. Thank you so much, Erica Hill.

I want to bring in Areva Martin.

President Biden said today he would support an exception to the filibuster who Congress could codify abortion rights into law. He added he would do everything legally in terms of executive orders to protect the rights.

What is within his power to do right now?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: We know his powers are limited. That's why he, for the first time, has acknowledged that he is willing to support an exception to the filibuster.

Which we know is a problem at this point because unless Manchin and Sinema have changed their minds. They've been adamant about not voting to make an exception to the filibuster even for the protection of women's reproductive freedoms and reproductive autonomy.

[13:45:00]

The president -- we know one of the things that's been floated is making abortions available on federal land and property that the federal government controls.

Strengthening of the FDA's ability to make sure that abortion pills, which are used by more than 50 percent of women who have abortions, making sure that women have access to those abortion pills even in those states that are seeking to ban abortions.

So I wouldn't say the president has nothing in his tool kit, but clearly, he is limited.

And everyone is pretty much in agreement that the way to change what's happening with this activist court is to think about things like expanding the court, which, right now, the votes aren't there.

But these critical elections are coming up in November. Things could change quickly.

CABRERA: And the president hasn't necessarily said he is in support of expanding the court. I don't think he's there. There's a lot of misinformation right now about how far the law goes federally, specifically.

A hospital in Missouri briefly stopped giving Plan B to rape victims. Rape victims. Because even they were confused on what exactly is prohibited. We're talking about a health care facility.

And Plan B, also known as the morning after pill, doesn't end a pregnancy. It's not an abortion pill. It prevents one from occurring.

Can you just help clear up the confusion? Should the overturning of Roe impact contraception? MARTIN: Nothing in that decision should impact contraception, but I

think what you're seeing by the hospital in Missouri is what we are seeing across the country. Chaos and confusion.

Providers are confused. Potential patients are confused. Activists have different interpretations of what this law means. Even state legislators.

And we have seen prosecutors come out in certain red states, but blue cities say they will not enforce laws that have been enacted by the states that criminalize abortions, that make it a crime not just for the provider but for the mother or the woman who is seeking an abortion.

And we also are seeing these state legislators who are saying I they want to say prosecutors go further even prosecuting women or providers in their own states.

They want to reach into other states in case women leave a state where abortions are ban and go to a state where it's legal. Some want to make it illegal to do that.

There's so much confusion about what the overturning of Roe v. Wade means. And I think there's no end in sight in terms of the amount of litigation we are going to see filed by providers, activist groups and women impacted by this decision.

CABRERA: Areva, thank you. I appreciate your expertise and perspective.

The hunt for a yoga teacher accused of killing her boyfriend's ex has come to an end. Where U.S. Marshals found her and how she avoided capture for so long.

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CABRERA: A yoga teacher accused of killing her boyfriend's former love interest has been found over more than a month on the run.

U.S. Marshals announced Caitlin Marie Armstrong was captured in a hostel in Costa Rica. She used a fake passport to board a flight. She was spotted at Newark airport but after that, the trail went cold.

Armstrong's alleged victim was world-class cyclist, Ana Mariah Wilson. And Wilson was just 25 years old.

The family of the - sorry -- this is a new story.

The family of a black teen, whose murder helped inspire the civil rights movement, is now demanding an arrest in in that case nearly 70 years later.

And 14-year-old Emmett Till was abducted, tortured, lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after a white woman accused him of making advances toward her.

Just last week, an unserved warrant for that woman's arrest was found in the basement of a Mississippi courthouse.

CNN's Ryan Young is joining us now.

Ryan, what was this arrest warrant for? And why wasn't it served?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's one of the main questions here about why wasn't it served? So many questions from that family.

But when you think about this, Ana, how hard is a family willing to fight for their loved one? And 70 years later, that family, Emmett Till's family, is still fighting.

And when you think about this, apparently they filed it inside a dusty, dank box, and they opened this box up, and they found this warrant. And now, of course, this family is calling for the arrest of this woman some 70 years later.

But when you think about this, and a family member told our Sara Sidner, I cried, we cried, we hugged.

Debra Watts, Emmett's cousin, told CNN, and if you think about this, this warrant has now been certified so we know it's real.

The big question is, will an arrest be made? When you think about how transformative this moment was, when the pictures were shown of Emmett Till back in 1955, sitting in that casket after he was kidnapped, beaten, tortured and killed, this really changed the civil rights movement for this entire country.

And it was that moment where so many people galvanized and got in the streets and started making change.

But since then, his family has never stopped fighting for justice, and we know there's been open investigations since then but if you think about this, in Greenwood, Mississippi, here's a family in the bottom of the courthouse, in the basement, looking through records, and they find this.

And now, of course, they're still calling for justice at this point. So, we'll have to see how it plays out -- Ana?

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CABRERA: Will the warrant now be served? Do we know?

YOUNG: And that is the major question. We know the woman is living in North Carolina. She's given an interview to say that everything she said back then wasn't true.

And so, with so many arrests happening in other cases years later, one would believe that maybe something would happen. But of course, that is the big question that's hanging out there right now. CABRERA: Ryan Young, thank you for your reporting.

And lastly, just a quick programming note for all of you. Please join us on the Fourth of July for coast-to-coast fireworks. We'll have incredible music from some of the biggest stars. Celebrate "THE FOURTH IN AMERICA" live July 4th starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.

That does it for us today. I'll see you back here tomorrow, same time, same place. As always, until then, find me on Twitter, @AnaCabrera.

The news continues with my friends, Alisyn and Victor, right after this.

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