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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; Uvalde Victims' Families Demand Answers; Monkeypox Outbreak; Japan's Record Heat Wave; Aired 5-6a ET
Aired July 02, 2022 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM --
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PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If, when, the Russians decide to move through and take this territory, it is unlikely the soldiers will see them, not up close.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): As Russia tightness its grip on Eastern Ukraine, CNN is in the trenches to show you what Ukrainian forces are facing.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Plus the World Health Organization is calling for urgent action as monkeypox spreads across Europe. We'll look at how the virus is spreading in the U.S. and the push for vaccines.
And millions of Americans hitting the road this holiday weekend but flight delays and rising gas prices are putting the brakes on many of those hoping for a great escape.
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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 Russia is said to have bombed an island it just abandoned two days ago. Ukraine released this video, saying it shows Russian airstrikes on Snake Island Friday night. They used phosphorus bombs, which CNN can't independently verify.
Russia is trying to destroy the equipment they left behind after leaving the strategic island in the Black Sea. This as a senior U.S. Defense official says Ukraine has used the U.S.-made HIMARS multiple rocket launches to take out Russian targets. At least four of those are in Ukraine with four more on the way. President Zelenskyy is accusing Russia of terrorism following Friday's
residential strikes near Odessa. At least 21 people were killed with 40 others wounded. Zelenskyy said no one should buy Russia's usual spin on attacks like this.
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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: The U.S. officials say Russia may face more attacks from behind the front lines. They say three recent attempts indicate a growing resistance movement in the south.
Back on the front lines, Russia is pressing ahead with its grinding offensive in the east. The city Slovyansk is within striking distance. They are outgunned as they push back against Russian forces. Phil Black has our report.
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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: heavy weapons, artillery, the rocket fire, the big heavy weapons Russia was using to drive Ukrainian forces back steadily, slowly, across this region. [05:05:00]
BLACK (voice-over): 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 Russian courtroom Friday on drug charges that could result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
U.S. embassy officials in Moscow attended the proceedings and at least one was able to speak directly with Griner. Brian Todd has more.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wearing a white T-shirt led hastily in to court in handcuffs, Brittney Griner endures the first hearing of her drug smuggling trial in Russia.
The basketball star was read the charges against her, said she understood the charges but otherwise declined to speak. A top U.S. diplomat who spoke to Griner in the courtroom updated reporters.
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ELIZABETH ROOD, CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, U.S. EMBASSY MOSCOW: She is doing as well as can be expected in these difficult circumstances. And she asked me to convey that she is in good spirits and is keeping up the faith.
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ELIZABETH ROOD, CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, U.S. EMBASSY IN MOSCOW: She is doing as well as can be expected in these difficult circumstances. And she asked me to convey that she is in good spirits and is keeping up the faith.
TODD (voice-over): The prosecution believes Griner had the intent to import cannabis oil into Russia when she was apprehended at a Moscow airport on February 17th. In court today, prosecutors gave more specifics saying Griner was carrying two cartridges, totaling less than a gram of hash oil.
TOM FIRESTONE, FORMER RESIDENT LEGAL ADVISER, U.S. EMBASSY IN MOSCOW: I think in most cases it wouldn't even be prosecuted in the United States.
TODD (voice-over): But in Russia, it carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison if Griner is convicted. The chances of that --
FIRESTONE: We know 99 percent of criminal trials in Russia end up in convictions. So she will almost certainly be convicted. The question is what kind of sentence is she going to get. And that will be a real indicator of the political motives behind that.
TODD (voice-over): An indication that U.S. officials expect Griner to be treated as a political pawn by Vladimir Putin's regime came in May when the State Department classified as being, quote, "wrongfully detained."
It means her case is being handled by a America's top hostage envoy. There's been talk of a possible trade.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: There has been speculation in the Russian media that they might want. His name is Viktor Bout.
TODD: Viktor Bout, nicknamed the merchant of death, a notorious Russian arms dealer. Bout is now serving a long sentence at the U.S. federal penitentiary in Marion, Illinois.
DANIELLE GILBERT, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE: Unfortunately, the only way to often bring Americans home from these kinds of conditions is by making some sort of negotiate swap. And so the Russians have been asking for Viktor Bout's return for a very long time.
TODD (voice-over): While rumors of a possible deal circulate, new questions over the conditions Griner could be facing in detention.
GILBERT: To be in Russian prison as a 6'9 Black LGBTQ American, those are really difficult conditions to imagine that she has been treated fairly.
TODD: The Kremlin holds so many important cards in this case but is typically projecting a disinterested stance. Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov telling reporters the Griner case is not politically motivated, a statement that many in Washington and outside analysts find laughable -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: 0Griner's wife says she hasn't been able to speak directly with her but they have been able to exchange letters. She spoke exclusively with Abby Phillip inside the locker room for the Phoenix Mercury, her team. Here is part of that 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.
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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, in 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 that's 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 1 pm in London.
Evidence suggests potential witness tampering ahead of last Tuesday's blockbuster hearing on Capitol Hill. That dramatic testimony has now put a spotlight on the Secret Service and Donald Trump's behavior on January 6th. We'll have those details just ahead.
Plus the July 4th weekend is off to a rocky start for travelers, with hundreds of flight cancellations and the threat of storms across the country.
I understand we have a new tropical storm, is that right?
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: New at 5:00 am this morning from the National Hurricane Center, a new tropical storm has just formed off the coast of South Carolina.
Couple that with our chances of severe weather across some of the most populated areas along the Eastern Seaboard and we have the potential for major headaches at the airports.
I'll update you for the 4th of July weekend forecast coming up after the break.
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BRUNHUBER: Allegations of witness tampering are getting extra scrutiny on Capitol Hill following Tuesday's explosive January 6th hearing. Sources say Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Mark Meadows, was contacted twice prior to appearing before the committee. And one was allegedly by an unknown person on behalf of Meadows.
And new details are emerging that appear to corroborate some of the sensational details from Hutchinson's testimony about the president's intense anger when security detail refused to take him to the Capitol.
Sources in the Secret Service say versions of that story have been circulating inside the agency ever since. For more on the continuing fallout of Tuesday's bombshell testimony, here is CNN's Ryan Nobles.
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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, 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.
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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 more -- Ryan Nobles, CNN, Capitol Hill.
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BRUNHUBER: The battle over abortion rights in the U.S. is heating up. Legal fights are underway in more than a dozen states over abortion bans and limits. President Biden vows to keep fighting 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: On Thursday, Biden held a meeting with nine Democratic governors on Friday to discuss abortion rights. He also predicted that if the Democrats lose the Senate and the House, then Republicans will ban abortion nationwide, consistent with what the Supreme Court ruled.
The 4th of July holiday weekend has just begun here in the U.S. But for many, travel disruptions are already causing chaos. Delta Air Lines says it's expecting operational challenges over the holiday.
Nearly 400 flights have already been cancelled so far today with hundreds of additional flights delayed; 42 million people are predicted to drive this weekend. CNN's Leyla Santiago has more.
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LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very busy weekend expected for the holiday, Independence Day weekend here in the U.S. The American Automobile Association expecting record breaking numbers.
Right now according to the forecast, they believe 48, nearly 48 million travelers out there, by plane, by car, by other means. But what's really interesting this year is that the there will be 42 million. That's what they expect for the number of folks that plan to take to the road. That is an increase over last year. And that's expected to be record
breaking. Interesting also because of the soaring gas prices. Today we are looking at $4.84 for a national average.
If you look at a year ago, it was at $3.12. Yet despite the soaring prices, when you talk to folks, they tell you, we want to get away and take the break. We're not happy about the gas prices. But we do what we have to do to try to avoid the disruptions, which industry experts say are because of staffing shortages at the airports.
Listen to what some drivers told me today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prices are crazy. Fueling just now, you know, it's like $5 for a gallon. It's just crazy. We thought about where to go, what the distance. Like maybe it shouldn't be car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The two jetskis already cost me about $120. I put at least maybe 40 bucks inside the truck. And the third jetski cost me another $60. So that's already $300 on just fuel.
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SANTIAGO: Again, AAA says about 42 million drivers are expected to hit the road. When it comes to the other travelers, they are expecting 3.5 million to be flying, traveling by plane, and 2.5 million to be traveling by some other means -- Leyla Santiago, CNN, Miami.
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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 and that will have a big impact on the roads and cause more delays and cancellations in the air.
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BRUNHUBER: Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, two brothers killed in the Texas migrant tragedy. Their dream: to start a new life in the U.S.
The heartbroken families of the victims of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, are demanding action from the mayor and want to know why the school district police chief who is also city counselor, still has his job.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody is giving us any answers. It's been over a month. You have no idea how frustrating this is, no idea. And we're sitting here, just listening to empty words.
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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.
It's been more than a month since the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas. Family members of the victims say they're still kept in the dark about the botched police response. Rosa Flores reports.
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VELMA LISA DURAN, IRMA GARCIA'S SISTER: These kids were obliterated. My sister was obliterated. It was a closed casket. I couldn't hug her. I couldn't touch her. I couldn't say my last goodbyes.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Raw emotions turned to heated exchanges at the Uvalde city council meeting Thursday, after Mayor Don McLaughlin told the room filled with family members of the 19 children and two adults killed at Robb Elementary that there was no new information he could share on the investigation into the failed police response.
DURAN: Why is it that children are calling 9-1-1 and you can't tell where these calls are coming from, that y'all didn't get it?
My sister had no -- there's nothing saving her. There was a lot of children that could've been saved.
You keep protecting Pete Arredondo. The school board failed because the minute this happened, they should have fired him.
MAYOR DON MCLAUGHLIN, UVALDE, TEXAS: Ma'am, let me tell you something. I feel your pain. We all do.
DURAN: No, you don't, sir. You don't.
FLORES: The mayor said, he, too, is frustrated, with a lack of transparency in the investigation and read this letter from the Uvalde district attorney, "Any release of records to that incident at this time would interfere with the ongoing investigation."
MCLAUGHLIN: Which means, if we release it, she can take us, each and every one of us, to the grand jury and indict each and every one of us. Boy, I've had one heated argument with a district attorney and basically got told I can go fly a kite.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, she doesn't have a heart.
MCLAUGHLIN: No, she doesn't.
FLORES: CNN has reached out to the Uvalde D.A. about the story but so far hasn't heard back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over and over --
FLORES: Visibly absent from the meeting, recently elected city council member Pete Arredondo.
The head of the Texas Department of Public Safety has identified Arredondo, who is also the school district police chief, as the incident commander and laid the blame on him for the failed police response to the deadly attack.
The school district placed Arredondo on administrative leave. Arredondo told "The Texas Tribune" he didn't consider himself the incident commander.
Thursday was the second council meeting Arredondo missed. According to the city charter, if he misses one more, he could be removed.
MCLAUGHLIN: If he misses a third, I don't think there's anybody up here that will tell you we won't take the action that we need to take.
FLORES: But that's no consolation for the families who want Arredondo ousted.
ANGEL GARZA, AMERIE JO'S FATHER: We want you all to look at this, as a mayor --
MCLAUGHLIN: I'm not -- I'm trying.
GARZA: -- as a city council member. Look at it as a dad, as a parent.
Don't do what you can do as a mayor, go beyond that. I know there is a limit on what you can do. Go beyond that.
What if it was your kid?
You are -- you can't say nothing.
MCLAUGHLIN: OK, you're right.
GARZA: No, you can't. You understand that. So do your part for us. If you can't say something, do something.
FLORES: If Arredondo misses the next city council meeting, which is scheduled for July 12th, he could be voted out by a majority of his city council peers. I reached out to Arredondo's attorney and have not heard back -- Rosa Flores, CNN, San Antonio.
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BRUNHUBER: We are learning one of the men charged in that tragic human smuggling incident in Texas was already under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. That's according to a criminal complaint filed on Wednesday. Officials say he was communicating with this suspect about the
smuggling, the driver of the semi-truck transporting the migrants. The driver allegedly unaware the air conditioning in the truck had stopped working, resulting in the deaths of 53 migrants.
Officials are calling this the deadliest human smuggling incident in U.S. history. If charged, both men could face the death penalty.
For many of those brave enough to make the dangerous trip across the border, it is a chance at a better life. CNN's Rafael Romo has the story of two brothers, killed in that tragedy, who shared the same dream of reaching the U.S.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR: The two brothers shared a dream: they would travel together by land through Central America and Mexico, hoping to reach the United States in less than two months.
"We planned it all as a family so that they could have a better life," their mother says.
"We wanted them to make their dreams come true."
Twenty-three-year-old Alejandro Miguel Andino Caballero and his 18- year-old brother, Fernando Jose Redondo Caballero, were among the 53 migrants found dead in sweltering conditions inside a tractor-trailer this week in San Antonio, Texas.
A Homeland Security investigations agent says this is the deadliest human smuggling incident in U.S. history.
REP. SYLVIA GARCIA (D-TX): It's just horrific that any human being would treat another human being like this. It's just horrific. And the sooner that we can get the investigation top to bottom, to give us more detail, the better off we are.
ROMO (voice-over): The brothers were not traveling alone; 24-year-old Margie Tamara Paz, wife of the older brother, was also found dead in the tractor-trailer; 28-year-old Adela Ramirez was also among the four Honduran nationals who died there.
A friend of hers in her native Cuyamel, Honduras, says she wanted to travel to the United States to be reunited with her family.
"I'm going to leave," she told me, "because the whole family wants to be together, my mother and my two sisters."
Most of the migrants found trapped in the tractor-trailer came from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
ROMO: The Bexar County medical examiner's office, which is processing the bodies of the deceased, has asked for patience. In a statement, it said that a large number of victims and the expectation that most or possibly all are citizens of foreign countries will likely lead to a prolonged process. ROMO (voice-over): Among the 16 survivors is the grandson of
Bonicificia Sanchez, who lives in a rural area in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Asked why her grandson risked his life to get to the United States, "Because we are poor," she said.
"There are no jobs here to make a living. The need is great," an answer that explains why so many continue to seek a dream that, this week, ended in tragedy for dozens of migrants -- Rafael Romo, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: Iran is assessing the damage brought on by earthquakes that shook the south of the country on Saturday. The country's semi- official Fars news agency says at least five people have been killed, 44 others injured.
Iran's Red Crescent Society says emergency teams are conducting rescue operations. According to authorities, 12 villages sustained damage and many homes in one particular village were destroyed.
Cases of monkeypox are rising around the world. Just ahead, I'll talk to a health expert about whether the growing number of infections is a public health emergency. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: U.S. health officials are growing more concerned with the ever increasing number of monkeypox cases. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 460 cases have been reported across 32 states.
The Biden administration also announced additional deliveries of vaccines as part of the nationwide strategy for preventing the disease. And the CDC is reporting more than 5,700 cases worldwide. CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more on that.
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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Cases of monkeypox have tripled in Europe in the past two weeks. Let's take a look at the numbers for monkeypox cases in Europe and globally.
Since mid May, 90 percent of lab-confirmed cases globally have been in Europe. That's 4,500 cases total in Europe. The highest case counts have been in the U.K., Germany and Spain.
Now let's take a look at who is getting monkeypox. In Europe, 99 percent of the cases have been male, mostly gay men, most of them between 21 and 40 years old. There have been some cases among household members and non-sexual contacts and also in children. Hearing about these skyrocketing case counts might make you ask, are
we headed for a COVID-like situation?
And the answer to that, according to public health experts, is no. It's much harder to get monkeypox than to get COVID. For monkeypox, you typically have some kind of skin to skin close contact. It doesn't have to be sexual but close contact or something like sharing towels or sheets.
Experts say we are not headed for a COVID-like situation. But still people need to be careful. We definitely want to keep these case counts down rather than going up -- back to you.
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BRUNHUBER: Joining me now is Dr. Anne Rimoin, a professor in the department of epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Thank you so much for being here with us and especially it's great to have you because you have studied monkeypox specifically for years. So great to take advantage of your expertise in this.
You and I talked a few weeks or so ago about monkeypox. You said we should be, quote, "concerned but not raising a huge alarm."
And we don't need to be worried that we might see a global pandemic like COVID.
With the numbers that we're seeing now, especially in Europe, are you any more concerned now than you were in mid May?
DR. ANNE RIMOIN, EPIDEMIOLOGY PROFESSOR, UCLA FIELDING SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Well, definitely. I think that what we're seeing is a lot more spread than we initially anticipated.
And I think that the events that now we understand served as amplifying events for the globe had so many people, very mobile population that then seeded outbreaks globally.
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RIMOIN: So we really are now seeing a lot more cases than we had initially -- than we had initially thought. We're really seeing that monkeypox is taking advantage of social and sexual networks to transmit very, very quickly and efficiently.
So you know, I think that the more we see this virus spreading in this manner, the more concerned we should be, just because, you know, viruses never stay in one population. They're going to spread wherever they can to vulnerable populations. So it's really important to get in front of this as soon as we can.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Well, on that, the who Has urged action to scale up efforts to prevent it from becoming endemic but stopped short of calling it a public health emergency.
But isn't it already?
Shouldn't they have been quicker to raise the alarm here?
They were accused of being slow to react when COVID emerged. Seems like this may be happening yet again.
RIMOIN: Well, Kim, I think that the key here -- and to be clear, you know, I am -- I was a member of that committee for monkeypox, that I think that what we make decisions on are the data that are available at the time.
And I think that one of the things when it comes to a public health emergency of international concern, you know, it's complicated because there are many, many implications.
The other issue is that I think the process of declaring a public health emergency of international concern, the committee did really highlight the importance of what was happening at the time, laid out all of the things we needed to understand, the gaps in the data, and truly outlined what's needed to know whether or not this is truly an emergency of international concern and made a point that the committee should meet again very soon to re-look at the data and make further recommendations.
BRUNHUBER: Yes.
I was going to ask you, do you know when?
RIMOIN: I don't. I'm not aware.
BRUNHUBER: So here in the U.S. we've had fewer than 500 cases. But the real number could be much higher. Now we always tend to say that about many diseases.
But in this case is there anything about this disease specifically that might suggest their counts are way off and could be circulating a lot more widely than we think?
RIMOIN: Absolutely. I think that the issue here is that we just don't have enough data at this point. We don't have widespread testing. And that's really what we need.
Situational awareness is beginning to help us really understand what's happening here, the scale of this outbreak, the burden of infection. But we also have to remember that even in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I do most of my work, we have been seeing increasing of monkeypox for a very, very long time.
And so I think -- and we don't have the testing available to confirm every single case. The best thing we can do at this point is to scale up testing rapidly and, at the same time, deploy the tools we know work, the vaccines, which will make a difference in terms of stopping spread and having really good messaging. This virus is not the same kind of virus as COVID, as SARS-CoV-2, the
virus responsible for COVID-19. I think it's really important that people understand these are different viruses. We understand a lot more about monkeypox than we did the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
We're starting with the base of knowledge, with some tools that will actually make a difference and know how to be able to do case investigation, contact tracing, quarantine, isolation, all the things that really will make a difference to stop the spread.
BRUNHUBER: Really appreciate your expertise on this subject. Thank you for being here with us.
RIMOIN: My pleasure.
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BRUNHUBER: First it was Big Bird, now it's Elmo. Ted Cruz is upset with Elmo over this ad in the Muppet-promoting COVID-19 vaccine for kids. And he proceeded to tweet that Elmo, quote, "aggressively advocates for vaccinating young kids without scientific evidence."
By the way, we should say Elmo is encouraging kids not to be scared about getting their vaccines. This isn't the first time Cruz has gone after a Sesame Street character. You may remember, in November, Cruz took on Big Bird over advocating for COVID vaccines. Cruz called it, quote, "government propaganda."
Still to come, people in Japan are being asked to ration air conditioning as record-breaking temperatures soar. We'll look at how people are coping. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Parts of Japan are struggling with its worst heat wave on record, with temperatures hitting 104 degrees Fahrenheit for the seventh day in a row. The government is asking people to use less electricity and rationing air conditioning. Blake Essig has the details.
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BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thousands of visitors flocked to this water park in the Tokyo suburbs. A little splash in the pool to cool off from the summer heat. Japan has been battling a sweltering heat wave for more than a week. The capital just experienced its hottest June since recordkeeping began.
NAO KIGAWA, TOKYO RESIDENT (through translator): It got hot suddenly. And it's really tough. I usually keep the air conditioner below 28 degrees Celsius. It's so hot that I don't even want to walk around outside. I feel really terrible.
ESSIG (voice-over): People are doing whatever they can to stay cool. Some carry around a personal fan while others enjoy a bit of ice cream. Offices in Tokyo even went dark for hours to try to conserve electricity, as the grid strains under the demand for mass air conditioning.
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ESSIG (voice-over): Plus an earthquake forced some nuclear power plants to suspend operations back in March, which pushed Japan's power supply to its limits. This as temperatures in the capital hit more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit or around 38 degrees Celsius in recent days.
SHINJI KIGAWA, TOKYO RESIDENT (through translator): If there's a sudden power outage, we are going to have problems in our daily life. If it gets hotter than this, I think it will not just be a warning but a serious alert that the power outage may happen for real.
ESSIG (voice-over): Extreme conditions aren't just affecting humans. Animals at Tokyo zoo are also feeling the heat.
NAOYA OHASHI, ZOO STAFF MEMBER (through translator): We have a veterinarian doing checkups when needed. In some cases we are letting the animals walk freely from their enclosures to the exhibition area, so they can stay in cooler zones.
Also we are taking some animals to a back room, where there is good ventilation.
ESSIG (voice-over): Japan's heat wave is just one of many happening around the world. And scientists warn of more extreme weather due to climate change. Temperatures in Japan are expected to ease by Monday as a tropical storm enters the region. But these cooler temperatures will still be above average -- Blake Essig, CNN, Hong Kong.
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BRUNHUBER: And a programming note before we go on Monday, don't miss CNN's 4th of July concert special, "The Fourth in America," with fireworks from across the country Monday night at 7:00 pm Eastern only here on CNN.
I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks so much for watching me. For viewers in North America "NEW DAY" is next. The rest, it's "Protecting Nature."
