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Ukraine Steps Up Use Of U.S. Rocket System; Brittney Griner's Wife Describes Challenges Of Russian Detention; January 6 Hearings; U.S. Abortion Ruling; Record Travel Expected For July 4 Weekend; SCOTUS Ruling Prompts Climate Concerns; White House Announces Congressional Medal Of Freedom Recipients. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired July 02, 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 all around the world. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM --
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PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "We don't have gas. We don't have power. We don't have water. But we only want the shooting to stop."
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): We take you to the front lines of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where the sounds of war are a constant reminder of the deadly threat drawing closer to thousands.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): And President Biden is carrying on his climate agenda, despite the Supreme Court ruling that curbs the powers of the Environmental Protection Agency.
And we're live from the Weather Center on what could be a rocky start for travelers this 4th of July holiday weekend across the U.S.
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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 a weapon is starting to gain traction on the battlefield. Ukraine has used the HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to take out Russian command posts and other targets.
Four of those systems are in Ukraine with four more on their way. Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy is accusing Russia of terrorism, following missile strikes on a residential area near Odessa. He says no one should buy Russia's usual spin on attacks like this one. Here he is.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Three missiles hit an ordinary residential building, a nine-story building in which no one hid weapons, military equipment or ammunition, as Russian propagandists and officials always tell about such strikes.
I emphasize, this is a deliberate, purposeful Russian terror, not some mistake or an accidental missile strike.
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BRUNHUBER: U.S. officials say Russia may face more attacks from behind the front lines. Three recent assassination attempts against pro-Russian officials in Kherson, including one that was successful, suggest growing resistance in the south.
We just got this video a short time ago. The commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces says Russian warplanes were targeting Snake Island. This would be a day after the Russian troops left the territory. The official accuses Russia of dropping phosphorus bombs on the island.
On the front lines, Russia is pressing ahead with its grinding offensive in the east. The city of Slovyansk is under heavy weapons fire. As Phil Black reports, Ukrainian defenders are outgunned as they push back against Russian forces.
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BLACK (voice-over): These Ukrainian fighters know it won't be long now. The Russians are getting closer, firing heavy ammunition into this dense forest everyday.
Volodymyr shows us where much bigger rounds have fallen close to their camp. Incoming fire booms steadily nearby as Mykhailo proudly shows us the advanced antitank weapons provided by Western allies. They were hugely effective earlier in the war but they're not the weapons Ukraine needs most for this fight in the east.
"You can hear it," Mykhailo says, "every one of our heavy shots, they make 10 or 20. It's because we lack artillery."
Outgunned by the Russians, outnumbered, too.
"Of course, they're coming," Maksym says, "and there are many more of them than us."
The fight is positioned in this forest a short distance from Russian lines. Are all volunteers who signed up when the war started. For weeks, they've been waiting, ready to carry out one job: to attack any Russian convoys trying their luck on a nearby road.
If, when the Russians decide to move through and take this territory, it is unlikely these soldiers will ever see them. Not up close, they will just feel more of the same: --
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BLACK: -- heavy weapons, artillery, the rocket fire, the big heavy weapons Russia was using to drive Ukrainian forces back steadily, slowly, across this region.
Russia's big weapons don't just fall in the forest. Slovyansk, a key city in the Donbas, now within easy range. Here, Russia artillery destroyed a local business. Six people outside a supermarket were injured when cluster bombs dropped around them.
Bomblets also scattered around this apartment complex, killing a man and a pet, terrifying many more people.
Valentina says the explosions blew debris over her bed. Every night, she tries to block out the noise of war with a pillow.
In Bakhmut, southeast of Slovyansk, explosions even greater in number and power, tearing apart people's homes as they huddle beneath them in basements.
The Russian advance in Bakhmut is only a short drive from this road. Almost every home still has someone living in it, almost every home has felt Russian firepower. But the people here are still reluctant to leave.
Marina feels she has nowhere to go but the strain of staying is unbearable.
She says, "We don't have gas, we don't have power, we don't have water but we only want the shooting to stop."
In the Donbas, Russia's unmatched artillery is an unstoppable force, with loose aim and no concern of civilian suffering. It is steadily overpowering Ukraine's defenses -- Phil Black, CNN, the Donbas, Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: Washington has its own fight with Moscow right now. American basketball star Brittney Griner appeared in a courtroom outside Moscow Friday. She faces drug charges that could result up to 10 years in a Russian prison. Fred Pleitgen has the story.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Brittney Griner handcuffed as she was led into the courtroom. Cameras were not allowed inside the trial where the WNBA star was read the charges of allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into Russia.
Her lawyer saying Griner is in strong spirits.
ALEXANDER BOYKOV, BRITTNEY GRINER'S LAWYER: She's a bit worried. But she is a tough lady. I think she will manage.
PLEITGEN: What do you think are the chances she can get out? That you can get an acquittal?
BOYKOV: I would not comment.
PLEITGEN: Brittney Griner was detained at a Moscow airport on February 17th. Prosecutors today claiming she was carrying two vaping cartridges with a total of about 0.7 grams of cannabis oil inside them, a crime in Russia they can carry a sentence of up to ten years in a prison colony.
The U.S. considers Brittney Griner as being wrongfully detained. The charge d'affaires of the U.S. embassy was inside the courtroom and called on Russia to release Brittney Griner immediately.
ELIZABETH ROOD, CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, U.S. EMBASSY MOSCOW: Wrongful detention is unacceptable wherever it occurs. The United States government, at the very highest levels, is working very hard to bring Ms. Griner, as well as all wrongfully detained U.S. citizens safely home.
PLEITGEN: Brittney Griner's trial starts as tensions between the U.S. and Russia have reached the boiling point, not just over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. is also calling for the immediate release of former Marine Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in Russian prison for alleged espionage.
The U.S. called his conviction politically motivated. The Kremlin rejects that and today also said Britney Griner's trial was not political.
DMITRY PESKOV, PUTIN SPOKESPERSON: You know, I cannot comment on the action of the Russian court. We don't have the right to do that and never do. I can only deal with the facts and the facts say that a prominent athlete was detained in possession of prohibited substances that contain drugs.
PLEITGEN: After about 2.5 hours, Brittney Griner's trial was adjourned for another week and she was led away handcuffed again, as her lawyers and U.S. authorities fight to bring the basketball star home as soon as possible -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
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BRUNHUBER: Griner's wife says she hasn't been able to speak directly with Brittney during this time. But they have been able to exchange letters. Abby Phillip spoke with her outside the locker room of the basketball team. Here's part of their conversation.
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CHERELLE GRINER, BRITTNEY'S WIFE: Honestly, I want people to try and just put themselves in her shoes, you know and just think about the fact that, you know, this is not our typical system.
[04:10:00] GRINER: So BG is not walking into a situation where there is a balance of justice, she's walking into a situation where their judicial system has a 99 percent conviction rate. So in their system, there is no innocent and their system is guilty.
So she's happened to, you know, make decisions, you know, better that's going to preserve her physical and mental health right now.
And so just, you know, be gracious and understanding that, you know, she's happened to navigate something totally different than what an American would have to navigate in a judicial system, in our judicial system here.
To them they are treating her like a princess, basically, you know, because they do things differently. So I'm not trying to bash what they do but I don't agree with it.
But I don't think they're treating her in a way that they could be considered harshly, you know, I think that they think they're treating her as best as, best as a system allow, which should tell you a lot, because I think that that's terrible still.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: But what could the Biden administration do today to demonstrate to you that they're really on it?
GRINER: Well, again, you know, for me, we had about 130 days. And so, the only thing that the Biden administration can do for me is getting my wife back to be very honest and frank with you.
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BRUNHUBER: And you can see more of Abby Phillip's exclusive interview with Cherelle Griner on "INSIDE POLITICS" Sunday, 8 am Eastern or 12 pm GMT.
Earlier CNN spoke with Jill Dougherty, adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She discussed the speculation that some prisoner exchange could bring Griner home.
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JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, she's a significant person. She is a major sports figure. She's, you know, in the public eye. Interestingly, you know, she was going to Russia to play, which is what happens with some female athletes in basketball in the United States.
But she's really kind of -- you know, she's a significant person. And as to what would happen, yes. I mean, the prime person that you would immediately think that the Russians would want to trade her for would be Viktor Bout.
Back in 2002, I interviewed Viktor Bout in the Moscow bureau. And at that point he was a wanted man. And still to this day he is one of the biggest, you know, convicted arms dealers in the world. At that point he was providing weapons to Latin America, Africa, the Middle East.
And he actually came to the bureau.
And interestingly, I went back to look at that script and he said, "I'm a business man."
And in the Russian media today he was described as a Russian business man.
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BRUNHUBER: Thanks to CNN contributor and former Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty there.
Iran is assessing the damage brought on by earthquakes that shook the south of the country on Saturday. The country's semiofficial Fars news agency says five people have been killed and 44 others injured.
The Red Crescent Society says emergency teams have conducted rescue operations; 12 villages sustained damage and many homes in one village were destroyed.
Evidence suggests potential witness tampering ahead of last Tuesday's blockbuster hearing on Capitol Hill. The dramatic testimony has put a spotlight on the Secret Service and all of Trump's behavior on January 6th. Details just ahead.
And from the president on down, Democrats are pushing to protect abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Why the November election could be the ultimate battleground. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Allegations of witness tampering are getting extra scrutiny on Capitol Hill after the January 6th hearing. Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to chief of staff Mark Meadows, was contacted twice prior to appearing before the committee.
One of the messages was allegedly delivered by an unknown person on behalf of her boss, Meadows. A spokesperson for Meadows denies the accusation.
And details are emerging that appear to corroborate the details of Hutchinson's testimony about the president's intense anger when a security detail refused to take him to the Capitol.
Versions of that story have been circulating inside the agency ever since. For more on the fallout of the bombshell testimony, here's CNN's Ryan Nobles. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Witness intimidation has been a serious focus of the January 6th Select Committee.
CNN has learned that both instances, the committee presented as examples of possible witness intimidation during their hearing on Tuesday were directed at their witness Cassidy Hutchinson.
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): He knows you're loyal and you're going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition. I think most Americans know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns.
NOBLES: Sources say the committee believes that pressure was applied on the behest of former chief of staff Mark Meadows, a claim Meadows spokesperson Ben Williamson rejects.
No one from the Meadows camp, himself or otherwise, ever sought to intimidate or shape her conversations with the committee, Williamson said in a statement to CNN.
The accusations of intimidation come at the same time "The New York Times reports that organizations close to Donald Trump have been paying for the legal fees of witnesses before the committee. It's a practice that is not uncommon or illegal.
But according to the committee's former senior investigator, it does raise potential problems.
JOHN WOOD, FORMER JANUARY 6 SELECT COMMITTEE INVESTIGATOR: It does run the risk that they'll be less cooperative than they would be if they had attorneys who that were being paid by the clients; --
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WOOD: -- in other words, the witness themselves.
NOBLES: The committee is also working with Secret Service to schedule another round of depositions for two agents who worked in the Trump administration, at the center of a district dispute over the former president's conduct inside the presidential SUV on January 6.
CNN learning that the accounts of an angry demanding to go to the Capitol over Secret Service objections started circulating among agents in the months after January 6.
CNN has learned that agent Tony Ornato, who was also Trump's deputy chief of staff, has met with the committee on two previous occasions. Some committee members say his versions of events that day were murky.
REP. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-FL): Mr. Ornato did not have as clear a memory from this period of time as I would say Ms. Hutchinson did.
NOBLES: Meanwhile, the work of the committee was front and center last night in Wyoming.
HARRIET HAGEMAN (R), WYOMING CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: The "2,000 Mules" movie is something that I think we have great concern about.
NOBLES: Vice Chair Liz Cheney's opponent, Harriet Hageman, promoting conspiracy theories about the election results, while Cheney accused Hageman of doing Trump's bidding.
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): She knows it wasn't stolen. I think that she can't say that it wasn't stolen because she's completely beholden to Donald Trump. And if he says it wasn't stolen, he will not support her.
NOBLES: The committee is scheduling depositions of the two Secret Service agents over the controversy of what happened in the presidential SUV on January 6th. They said they would be willing to come back in and testify about their recollection of the events on January 6th.
And there's another key figure the committee is trying to come to an agreement on as it relates to testimony and that's Pat Cipollone, the former White House counsel. Cipollone signaled that he would sit for a transcribed deposition. The committee is looking for much more -- Ryan Nobles, CNN, Capitol Hill.
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BRUNHUBER: Legal battles are underway over abortion bans and limits. It's part of the fallout after the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade that gives women legal right to an abortion. President Biden vows to keep fighting for abortion rights but he wants Congress to act.
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JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: But ultimately, Congress is going to have to act to codify the Roe into federal law.
And as I said yesterday, the filibuster should not stand in the way of us being able to do that. For the choice is clear, we either elect federal senators and representatives who will codify Roe where Republicans who elect the House and Senate will try to ban abortions nationwide.
This is not over. It's not over.
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BRUNHUBER: Biden held a meeting with nine Democratic governors to discuss abortion rights. Jeremy Diamond has more on that.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden on Friday sitting down virtually with nine Democratic governors, all of whom are working to reinforce and strengthen abortion rights protections in their states in the wake of that monumental decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe versus Wade.
The president reiterating his administration's commitment to ensuring that women have access to medication abortion, including by mail, and also talking about protecting women's rights to travel from states, where abortion is now outlawed, to states where they can indeed access those abortion services.
But two of those governors, Governor Kathy Hochul of New York and Governor Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, both urging President Biden to go further and do more, allowing abortion services to be accessible to women on federal lands, including federal properties like Veterans Administration buildings or Indian health services' medical facilities.
That's something, though, that the White House has effectively ruled out already. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying earlier this week that, while it's an interesting idea they looked into, ultimately they believe it could prove dangerous, including because of the possibility that some of those doctors could be prosecuted under state law.
So ultimately President Biden reiterating what his administration has already been trying to do and also punting, ultimately, to November. The president making very clear that this is now a political issue, the number one political issue perhaps for Democrats, in terms of a rallying, galvanizing cry that they have, heading into these November midterms.
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DIAMOND: The president reiterated his support for a filibuster carveout that would allow abortion and privacy rights to be enshrined in federal law with just 50 Democratic senators. The problem is that right now two of those Democratic senators oppose such a filibuster carve-out.
And so the president saying he needs two more Democratic senators to be elected in November in order to move forward.
But that is ultimately where the battleground now lays, is in those November midterm elections, as the president also warned that he believes, if Republicans take control of the House and the Senate, that they will try and pass something very different: a ban on abortion nationwide -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
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BRUNHUBER: One of the states being challenged over its abortion laws is Oklahoma. Groups are asking the state supreme court to block a pre- Roe abortion ban that's more than a century old.
On Thursday, a Florida judge ruled that Florida's new anti-abortion law is unconstitutional and violates the privacy provision of the Florida constitution.
The law was banning abortions after 15 weeks and was originally scheduled to go into effect on Friday. A spokesperson for governor Ron DeSantis told CNN the state intends to appeal the ruling.
Airlines are expecting operational challenges this holiday weekend. We'll look at how people are dealing with the travel disruptions.
Plus, the 4th of July holiday are the perfect time for cookouts and fireworks. But the weather might not have gotten that memo. We'll go to the CNN Weather Center for details on the rainy days ahead after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
The 4th of July holiday weekend just begun here in the U.S. But for many, travel disruptions is causing chaos. Delta Air Lines says it's expecting operational challenges over the holiday.
Nearly 400 flights have been canceled today with additional flights delayed. AAA predicts 42 million people will be driving this weekend and over 3.5 million people flying. Pete Muntean has more.
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of passengers are descending on airports along summer storms putting short staffed airlines to their biggest test in years. The TSA screened 2.44 million passengers at U.S. airports on Thursday, just shy of a new pandemic era record.
DAVID PEKOSKE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: It feels much more like 2019 then the prior two years.
MUNTEAN: Though with more problems for passengers, 3.5 percent of all flights this year have been canceled. A 42 percent increase over 2019.
ANGEL ORSINI, PASSENGER: Prepared to go there earliest time as possible.
MUNTEAN: Airlines say they're facing a range of challenges at the carrier and federal government level.
Just this week, airlines pointed to air traffic control delays caused by staffing issues at a key facility in Florida.
So who is really to blame when it comes to these massive cancellations?
PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: The bottom line is airlines that are selling these tickets need to have the crews and staff to backup those skills.
MUNTEAN: In an email to customers, Delta Air Lines CEO is apologizing for cancellations, saying, quote, the environment we're navigating today is unlike anything we've ever faced. Thursday, off-duty Delta pilots organized picket lines at major hubs saying they are overworked.
CAPTAIN JASON AMBROSI, CHAIR, AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION: We've been flying record amounts of overtime in the recovery to help get our passengers safely to their destinations.
MUNTEAN: And its 24/7 command center in Virginia, the FAA says it is
monitoring potential weather delays in cities across the country from forecasted thunderstorms, wind and low clouds.
LAKISHA PRICE, AIR TRAFFIC MANAGER, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: No one wants to be delayed but sometimes that happens. We are always working together intricately to make sure that we mitigate that as much as possible.
MUNTEAN: Almost no major airline is safe from these massive cancellations. Delta is incentivizing passengers to avoid this weekend's travel mess. It's put in place a travel waiver now through July 4th, letting passengers rebook their flights completely free of charge -- Pete Muntean, CNN, Reagan National Airport.
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BRUNHUBER: Labor shortages won't be the only challenge this holiday weekend. Much of the U.S. will see heavy rains and thunderstorms that will have a big impact on the roads and cause more delays and cancellations in the air.
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BRUNHUBER: Aviation's most powerful companies are pitted against each other in an unprecedented legal battle. Qatar Airways is suing Airbus in a dispute over the popular A350 passenger jet. CNN's Richard Quest went to see what sparked the dispute.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST (voice-over): The CEOs of Qatar Airways and Airbus in happier times when Qatar flew the first commercial flight of the A350 in 2015. They were the launch customer for this brand new, big, wide-bodied plane.
AKBAR AL BAKER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, QATAR AIRWAYS: I'm very pleased, you can see that everything is perfect.
QUEST (voice-over): No one on that inaugural flight imagined it would come to this. Grounded planes in Doha and Airbus in Qatar locked in a bitter court dispute worth billions of dollars. The lawsuits centered around this peeling paintwork and the degradation on the surface of the planes. Qatar invited me to see the damage firsthand.
QUEST: The damage on the tail plane looks pretty serious but it's hard for a non-expert to really understand the significance. That's what the trial will be all about.
Is this a design fault that has safety implications?
QUEST (voice-over): Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority says yes. They ordered the grounding of 23 of Qatar's A350s and won't certify any more. Qatar Airways says the degradation extends beyond the paint, potentially exposing the lightning protection layer or impacting the underlying fuselage.
Airbus disagrees, saying there is no impact on the air worthiness of the aircraft. And so far, the E.U. safety regulator concurs. This case goes beyond just these planes. Qatar is refusing to accept any more A350s.
And now Airbus is refusing to deliver to Qatar, the A321 narrow bodies that it's ordered. Billions of dollars' worth of aircraft are caught in the middle. Other airlines have noticed paint problems with the A350s but they continue to accept and fly the plane. Several CEOs telling CNN this is a cosmetic issue.
For Qatar Airways' chief executive Akbar Al Baker, this lawsuit is not only about the A350.
AL BAKER: You know, when you have an aircraft manufacturer that today has the market power that it's using to get this way and trying to send a
message to the others in the industry, that either you will comply with what we tell you or we will do something else. And this is a very dangerous precedent that is now happening.
QUEST (voice-over): The Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury still sees the possibility of an amicable resolution with one of his largest customers.
GUILLAUME FAURY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AIRBUS: We see the planes, having the painting defects not flying where they could be flying. We see the demand now being back. So I think the conditions for coming to an amicable settlement are there and we are working in that direction.
QUEST (voice-over): In the meantime, the court has ruled Airbus can look for other buyers for the A321s once earmarked for Qatar. The fate of yet undelivered 350s is unclear.
QUEST: Some of these A350s have been grounded for more than a year. And whilst Airbus accepts that there is a problem with the paint, the manufacturer fiercely denies that this is a safety issue.
So unless the two sides can reach an agreement, which at the moment seems unlikely, the case is headed for trial and will be decided in London next June by a judge. He will have the final decision on whether there's a design defect that creates a safety issue -- Richard Quest, CNN, Doha, Qatar.
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BRUNHUBER: Environmentalists are concerned about the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling, limiting the government's ability to regulate carbon emissions.
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BRUNHUBER: We'll talk with an expert coming up. Stay with us.
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GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): If you don't believe in climate change, you've got to believe your own eyes. Come to California. The extremes: extreme weather, extreme heat, extreme drought and, of course, the ravages of the wildfires.
The idea that the U.S. Supreme Court moved to take away one of the most significant and historically powerful tools to address the ravages of climate change is incomprehensible.
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BRUNHUBER: That was California governor Gavin Newsom, criticizing Thursday's Supreme Court ruling that handcuffs the Environmental Protection Agency and its ability to regulate emissions.
John Roberts wrote the opinion for the conservative majority with the three liberal justices dissenting. At the heart of the case was a question over the EPA's authority to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, that are a huge contributor to the climate crisis.
About 25 percent of planet warming greenhouse gas emissions come from generating electricity, according to the EPA. And coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, powers about 20 percent of electricity. Those emissions rose for the first time since 2014, an increase that was driven by coal use.
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BRUNHUBER: Joining me is Kristina Dahl, scientist for the energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Thank you for being here with us. The dissenting judges says the decision strips the EPA of the power to, quote, "respond to the most pressing environmental challenge of our time." Is that essentially true?
And what's the biggest harm here specifically?
KRISTINA DAHL, UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS: Absolutely.
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DAHL: What they've done with this decision is sharply curtailed the EPA's options for reducing emissions from power plants. And that's a really big deal, because power plants in the United States are -- represent about 25 percent of the nation's heat-trapping emissions.
If the options are limited for reducing those emissions by regulations from the EPA, that really takes a big bite out of our potential emissions reductions for this decade.
BRUNHUBER: This may not just affect power plants.
It could affect the EPA's ability to regulate pollution more broadly, right?
DAHL: That's right. So this ruling was specifically about emissions from power plants.
But the argument that the court used was that, when it comes to issues that involve major questions about our economy, when it comes to regulations that could affect our economy, the court is now saying that agencies like the EPA need specific authorization from Congress to do sweeping things, like encourage coal-fired power plants to move to cleaner energy sources, like wind and solar.
So the concern here isn't just about power plant emissions but it's also that the court could use a similar argument for current or future EPA regulations on things like emissions from vehicles.
So we're concerned that the court is really taking a major step in limiting the authority of agencies overall, not just when it comes to climate change but to other issues as well.
BRUNHUBER: We know how hard it is for Congress to get anything done. You mentioned emissions for vehicles in the wake of this decision. We saw California's governor talk about the importance of state efforts on climate change.
As you well know, being in California, your state plays a huge role on emissions, for instance.
If the country's biggest state imposes strict rules, as they have, the automakers basically have to follow, because California, by itself, is one of the biggest economies in the world.
So if the EPA is hamstrung like this, how important will the states and California, specifically, be?
DAHL: So state action is more important than ever with this ruling. It's important to note that the court didn't invalidate the EPA's authority to monitor greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA says it will use every tool it can to reduce emissions.
It's likely that whatever plan they come up with will be much, much weaker than it would have been before this ruling. There's that to factor in, too.
But what EPA will put out with a new plan, what the states can do and, critically, what Congress can do right now -- Congress has been stalling on a big reconciliation bill that has billions of dollars of funding for clean energy and climate change initiatives.
The hope is that, with those three tools, the EPA regulations, state action and potential congressional action, that we can still make a difference in terms of our emissions this decade.
BRUNHUBER: Now of course, this is all happening in the context of this energy crisis caused by Russia's war on Ukraine, in which all of the countries, just fresh off making all of the promises at the climate change summit in Glasgow, to solve that energy crisis with fossil fuels, including, in some cases, coal, the momentum right now seems as though it's not just stopped but actually going backwards.
DAHL: Yes. It is really frustrating to see this ramping up of our dependence on oil and gas at this moment. This is critical because as climate change increasingly interferes with global conflict, as global conflicts frequently, more frequently in the future, interfere with our energy supply chains, it's imperative that our leaders learn to walk and chew gum at the same time.
We have to be dealing with these global conflicts. But we can't take our eye off the ball and stop addressing the climate crisis that is unfolding more quickly every second.
So a lot of these initiatives we're seeing right now such as opening up more lands to oil and gas leasing are really fundamentally shortsighted. They're not going to drive down gas prices in the near term and will only further entrench our fossil fuel economy and harm our future.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, many saying this might lead to more activism and certainly might be a voting issue in the midterms here in the U.S. We'll have to leave it there. But thank you so much for your perspective, Kristina Dahl, really appreciate it.
DAHL: Thanks for having me.
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BRUNHUBER: More to come here on CNN, including a look at two world- class athletes set to receive the highest civilian award given in the U.S. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: The White House announced its list of 17 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
On the list, gold medal winning Olympic gymnast and activist Simone Biles, former congress woman and gun reform organizer Gabby Giffords, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who's pushed for equal pay for women and LGBTQ rights, and Denzel Washington, Oscar winner and national spokesperson for the Boys and Girls Club.
And the awards will be given posthumously to several, including John McCain and Steve Jobs.
And an alternative to fireworks this year, drones that can simulate fireworks. They're appealing to dry areas out West. It's pretty amazing to see. A handful of companies that operate drone light shows say they've been completely booked for months.
A programming note before we go. On Monday, don't miss CNN's 4th of July concert special, "The Fourth in America," fireworks from across the country. That starts on Monday night at 7:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.
I'm Kim Brunhuber. Back with more CNN in a moment. Please do stay with us.
