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Holiday Travel; January 6th Hearings; Spotlight On Courageous Women; Texas Supreme Court Reverses Injunction Of Abortion Ban; Russia Claims To Take Key City In Donbas Region; Police Release Body Cam Video of Jayland Walker's Deadly Shooting; Several People Shot At A Mall In Copenhagen, One Person Arrested; CDC Recommends Indoor Masking For One In Three People In The U.S. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired July 03, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[13:59:46]

JIM ERVIN, VOLUNTEER RESEARCH, U.C. DAVIS OTOLITH GEOCHEMISTRY AND FISH ECOLOGY LAB: People might not want to visualize this, but I think they're barfing. I think they're flying and they're -- I can't take it anymore. I have to release. I would imagine.

But yes, they're feasting so much, they -- yes, there's more fish than they know what to do with.

AMANDA DEL CASTILLO, REPORTER, KGO-TV: As more is done to determine what led to the mass die-off, experts say don't panic. This has happened several times over the last few decades.

ERVIN: My biggest words of assurance, I guess, is that, you know, anchovy population boom and bust. We're in a boom year, and things like that, they drive into the shore, and they -- and unfortunately, they do themselves in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: What wild pictures. Our thanks to Amanda del Castillo for her report for CNN affiliate KGO.

Hi, everyone. And thanks so much you for joining me on this Sunday, July 3rd. I'm Jessica Dean in for Fredricka Whitfield.

And it is another day of headaches at America's airports. Delays and cancellations are racking up once again for travelers this holiday weekend. So far today more than 250 flights have been cancelled, another 1900 have been delayed.

And there's not much relief on the roads. AAA saying more Americans are taking road trips this weekend than at any point during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

So people are out and about and CNN's Nadia Romero is checking in on the situation from the world's busiest airport in Atlanta. Nadia, how are things going today, and how does it compare to what you've been seeing over the weekend? NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've got a secret for

you, Jessica, that we're going to share with everybody. This is the perfect time to travel. In the middle of a holiday weekend, in the middle of the day.

Look behind me. You don't want to wait in lines. You're not a very patient person? This is the time to come to the airport. So you see people are just walking their way through the main security check point. This isn't clear, this isn't precheck. This is general boarding, and look how empty it is at the busiest airport.

This is a far cry from what we saw yesterday. And what we saw definitely on Friday. Let's take a look at the numbers. So this is July 2nd over the past couple years. So back on July 2nd of the July 4th weekend on 2020, we only saw about 467,000 passengers making their way through TSA security check points. That was a really low number because it was the pandemic.

Dramatic increase though just last year. 1.9 million passengers making their way through TSA and then up again yesterday -- 2.16 million passengers. But the highest number that we've seen was on Friday. And that was a 2.5 million people making their way through TSA security check points on Friday to begin their holiday weekend. That was the highest point since before the pandemic since February 2020.

So this won't last long, though. I was talking with folks who work here. They say ok, give us another hour or so. And our wait time will go from four minutes to 25 minutes like that. So it happens very quickly.

But there's this little quiet time right in the early afternoon. So we talked with people earlier who have been stuck in Atlanta, stuck in the airport for hours. One man was on his way to Las Vegas. His flight was cancelled so many times he actually just cancelled his flight and cancelled his ticket, bought another ticket with another airline for a very high price just to try to get back to Vegas. He still ended up spending the night in Atlanta and spending 11 hours at the airport.

I just spoke with another couple. They said it was our fault. We slept in, we missed our flight. They were supposed to take an 8:00 a.m. flight this morning.

Because there have been so many people traveling, they can't get a flight, Jessica until tomorrow at 8:30 p.m., because all of their other flights have been oversold.

So that's just how busy it is. Even though right now would be a good time to get through the security checkpoint.

DEAN: Yes. That's the secret right now. But yes, it's tough Nadia. So full on those flights right now. Thanks so much.

And this holiday weekend much of the U.S. will see chances of rain through tomorrow which could add to the travel chaos or disrupt outdoor celebrations. Heavy rainfall may develop over parts of the Midwest with a severe storm threat there tomorrow. Plus we're seeing some critical fire conditions continuing in the southwest and Alaska.

Meteorologist Tom Sater is here with the latest forecast. Tom, how are things shaping up?

TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, right now Jessica, it looks pretty good. I mean you cannot ask for more than this when you look at the airlines and the places where there at the airports.

Notice the scale here. You do not want red. Of course, that's a major delay even orange is moderate. But we've got just volume delay right now. 30 minutes in Vegas, they're calling in a mechanical outage down in areas of around Orlando only (INAUDIBLE) even though there's scattered storms.

Sure, a good part of the country may have a popup shower, but it's not that bad. Areas of green here make this look much worse than it really is. Monsoon showers in the southwest. We need the rain there. But it's really widely scattered.

Your best chance of getting more of an isolated shower or downpour is going to be the southeastern U.S. But again, there are popup storms.

[14:04:51]

SATER: Who's going to get them? It's hard to say. The humidity is so high that if you look at some of the radar pictures I mean when they develop, they develop over one area. They just don't move much so they just rain themselves out. That's different up in areas of the northeast.

Now, yesterday yes. We had a few storms with some winds, with some damage, creating delays around LaGuardia down toward Newark. But that system is offshore. We've got no problems with any flight weather delays up in areas of the northeast. Maybe Charlotte, maybe Raleigh a little bit later on.

If you notice in areas of around Atlanta, the storms are starting to get organized. But again, it's like throwing a dart. It has to really be over Hartsfield to create some problems and right now it's possible a little bit this afternoon there could be one.

But overall, this is not bad. Obviously we've got some storms. It's summer, yes, it's peak season. Now the real threat are stronger storms that will affect regional flights. That's in areas of Montana into the Dakotas, down in toward Nebraska.

We're going to watch that system kind of create some mainly problems for those that are traveling by vehicle to some of the state parks really. I mean it's not a big issue. These pilots can fly around these cloud tops.

The heat is on and around the periphery of that heat dome is where you have the greater chance of getting some stronger storms. And even tomorrow then, you'll see a level two. I mean it's not a three, four, or five. But it does move toward the Chicago area.

So tomorrow, if you're flying in and out of around O'Hare, we could have some issues.

Now, fireworks displays another issue here. The best chance for storms, really Atlanta over toward New Orleans. Clear skies.

You know, Minneapolis, that's that area of concern for tomorrow out west. Hopefully no one will set their neighborhood on fire. We learned lessons last year that they did allow some fireworks. We're in a megadrought. It's not the time to be having these fireworks displays especially in neighborhoods.

Now, there will be some controlled areas, but trust me, they're going to have all the resources they need for a rogue flare here and there.

But a lot of clearing really for those areas that are ready for festivities for the Fourth of July. Again, areas southeast probably the best chance of seeing some thunderstorms.

But right now, all systems go, Jennifer (sic). I can't ask for more than this weather-wise.

And really across the country, it's not been a big deal. You know, the airlines like to throw out weather as a problem. Get on your phone, you know. Check out your destination, where you're going. Look at the weather at the airport. Not always is it weather but, you know, take it or leave it. That's travel in the U.S.

DEAN: Yes. Look for yourself right? Tom Sater, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

And make sure to tune in to CNN tomorrow night as we celebrate "THE FOURTH IN AMERICA" with music from some of the biggest stars. And what's a Fourth of July celebration without fireworks? We'll have that too.

Catch it all tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

In the aftermath of the latest explosive hearing on the January 6th insurrection, the vice chair of the committee, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, now says the panel could make multiple criminal referrals including for former President Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): Ultimately, the Justice Department will decide that. I think we may well as a committee have a view on that. If you just think about it from the perspective of what kind of man knows that a mob is armed and sends the mob to attack the capitol?

And further incites that mob when his own vice president is under threat, when the congress is under threat? It's -- it's just very chilling. And I think certainly we will continue to present to the American people what we found.

The Justice Department doesn't have to wait for the committee to make a criminal referral. And there could be more than one criminal referral. (END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Meantime, Congressman Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican member of the panel says Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony last week has inspired other witnesses to reach out to the committee with new information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Congressman, since Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony, have new witnesses come forward to want to speak up?

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): Yes. Again, I don't want to get into who or any of those details, and it's not even just Cassidy. By the way, she's been inspiring for a lot of people.

It's -- this happens every day. Every day we get new people that come forward and say hey, I didn't think maybe this piece of a story that I knew was important. But now that you guys are -- like I do see this plays in here.

But yes, I mean, look, she is going to go down in history as -- I mean people can forget the names of every one of us on the committee, they will not forget her name. And by the way, she doesn't want that. She doesn't want to be out in the public spotlight, but she has a commitment to truth.

BASH: Will we hear from witnesses that you did not know about, the stories you did not hear, because of the hearing so far?

KINZINGER: Yes. Yes. There will be -- there is -- there will be way more information, and stay tuned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Cassidy Hutchinson's explosive testimony this week, just the latest example of the bravery American women have shown in the face of violence and lies.

[14:09:42]

DEAN: In a CNN.com piece this week, my colleague Stephen Collinson (ph) writes quote, "A quintet of courageous American women are defending American democracy in its darkest hour and effectively delivering a warning about the rage and tyranny that may await if Donald Trump gets into the White House after 2024.

A young, ex-West Wing aide, a Capitol Hill police officer, two former Georgia election workers, and a Republican scion who chose truth over her party are writing their names in history as they star in the House Select Committee's probe into the January 6th insurrection and lay bare the ex-president's thuggery."

Here to talk more about this is former Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer. She served four terms as senator from California. She's also the author of the book, "The Art Of Tough: Fearlessly Facing Politics and Life".

Senator great to see you. Thanks so much for making time for us on this Sunday.

First, I just want to get your reaction to the courage we've seen from these women who have taken a stand to protect democracy.

BARBARA BOXER, FORMER DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM CALIFORNIA: I'm so grateful to them. I can't even tell you. Forget about the fact that I served in the senate for so long and I revere that place even though it certainly wasn't perfect.

But when I saw what happened, when I saw it being defaced, it was like an out of body experience. And the women you're showing on the screen now are so courageous.

And courage is catching. People realize they have to do the right thing. And I hope they do. Men, women, all of us as Americans, we have to save our freedom. This is the 4th of July. This is the holiday where we celebrate it.

Freedom is a hard-won thing. And there's a song. I won't sing it. Don't worry. But the words are you have to fight for it, day and night for it. And every generation has got to do it again.

Freedom is not guaranteed or assured. It depends on who is in power. That's what we're learning.

DEAN: And you said courage is courageous (SIC) . We're hearing from Adam Kinzinger. They're getting more people coming forward after watching (INAUDIBLE) testimony.

We also know that Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney has slammed Donald Trump recently in a speech. She was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library this week warning that the former president was what she called a domestic threat. And she also issued this call to duty to young women across the country. We can listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENEY: I want to speak to every young girl watching tonight. The power is yours and so is the responsibility. There are no bystanders in a constitutional republic.

These days for the most part, men are running the world. And it is really not going that well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And she got a lot of applause there at the Reagan Library, we heard there. Senator, do you believe this is a moment when young girls will hear the call to serve and make their voices heard?

BOXER: Yes. Over history there have been moments in time whether it was the suffragette movement and then later the women's movement, and on and on. And when I ran for the senate in 1992, there's a photo behind me. It says "Strangers in Senate". That was another book I wrote, we said women get involved.

Now, I just have to say this. I have never said women are better. I have always said women are equal. And when we're treated as equals, there are enough of us to step up and do the right thing, and you're seeing that.

You're seeing this incredible courage of Congresswoman Cheney. It's incredible what she's doing. And the women who were the election workers.

Because here's the deal. When I wrote my book, "The Art Of Tough", I pointed out something very important. If you know something that's really important that can change things for the better, you've got to step out and work. And let other people know. Do not be afraid.

And what happens when you do that, people are going to try and shut you down. I can tell you my own experience when I worked for certain issues that weren't popular. Oh, my gosh. They said everything. But the fact is what's the difference? You have to have the strength within you.

You know, whether you're a newspaper reporter, whether you're someone in office or whether you're working in a factory, let's say they have a contract with the federal government and you notice there's fraud, waste, and abuse, we have a bill called the Whistle Blower Protection Act that I wrote in a bipartisan way in the 80s to protect people who have this courage to do the right thing.

DEAN: And you talked about your other book, "Strangers in the Senate: Politics and the New Revolution of Women in America" in 1993 you wrote that. Many of the same issues -- many of the same issues are facing women in politics today. Did you think nearly 30 years later you'd be having these similar conversations?

[14:15:03]

BOXER: Not really. Because change doesn't come easy. It's hard. And people who are losing the power want to get it back.

You could just see Donald Trump. Look what he's doing. He lost the power. He essentially, in my opinion, incited an insurrection to get it back. So when men -- and not all men, a lot of good men are on our side -- but when men are losing power, they want to get it back. So they'll say things, and they used to say things, and they still say women are too emotional.

Well, did you look at Cassidy Hutchinson? She was far from emotional. She was strong. She was tough. But they're going to try and do everything. Donald Trump already said some awful things about her which I won't repeat because he's afraid of her.

So no, I'm not naive about this. Change is very hard. Look at the civil rights movement. I lived through that, too. We thought it was going to be ok, and we still fight racism.

So it's a constant battle for what's right. And I love that Congresswoman Cheney is telling young women, and I would expand it to men of good will, please know nothing is guaranteed.

Look at the Supreme Court. Look at Roe v. Wade. We thought we had those rights for 50 years, but many of us were warning it may not be forever. So the lesson of all of this is it's up to each of us to find the strength within, the courage.

And when you step out there, it feels good, because you're not afraid. And you can take whatever comes. And you can be a role model. So yes, it's really something.

I want to just say I also want to thank Nancy Pelosi for having the courage to go forward with that committee even though she was threatened about it. And she had the courage to put Liz Cheney on it. (INAUDIBLE) Believe me, at the time people thought oh, is she doing the right thing? She did the right thing. So she's up there in my mind.

DEAN: And Cheney and Kinzinger going against their leadership and taking that on as well.

BOXER: Yes.

DEAN: Senator Barbara Boxer, thanks so much for making time for us. We appreciate it.

BOXER: Thanks.

DEAN: And much more ahead in the NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

[14:17:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: The Texas Supreme Court has now cleared the way for the civil enforcement of a nearly 100-year-old abortion ban to take effect. They reversed a lower court order that temporarily blocked the law. That meant that for a short time abortions up to six weeks were allowed. But that is not the case anymore.

For more on this, let's bring in Camila Bernal. And Camila, Texas just one of many states where this abortion fight is now playing out in the courts.

Walks us through what's happening around in the country?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well look, it's a little confusing, Jessica because every state is doing things differently. Some of these so-called trigger laws, well they went into effect immediately while others really are taking time.

But the restrictive abortion laws are in effect or will be very soon in some of these states. They include Arkansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Mississippi. And then abortion bans in Wyoming, North Dakota, Idaho, Tennessee, Texas -- they are still pending, waiting action by state officials and then in more than a dozen states, there are legal fights underway over abortion bans and extreme limits on the procedure.

Some of those states include Oklahoma, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Utah. And then finally in addition to the trigger laws as you mentioned, there are a number of states that have dissolved injunctions blocking the enforcement of restrictive abortion laws. That includes as you mentioned, Texas, Alabama, Ohio, and South Carolina.

And just to go into Texas a little bit, on Friday the state Supreme Court partially granted the request by the attorney general to say the lower courts blocking a 1925 abortion ban. And that court order allows for civil enforcement of the ban.

And then all of this of course, in contrast to other states like here in California, Washington state, Minnesota and Colorado where the right to an abortion is protected.

I spoke to a woman who is from Arkansas but she lives here in California. She had an abortion and says she does not regret it. But now says she's worried about her family in other states.

Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLA ESMOND, ABORTION RIGHTS SUPPORTER: I thought of the young girls in my family who are 16 -- 15, 16 -- the teenagers in my family who still live in Texas, they still live in Arkansas and my family. I thought of them, and I reminded myself that I have not failed them until I give up.

And I decided to keep fighting. And I'm going to keep fighting because it matters and it's important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And we've been in touch with activists here who say that they, too, will keep fighting for women in other states. And all of this while these states prepare for an influx of women seeking abortions here, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Camila Bernal for us. Thanks so much.

And this just in to CNN. Several people have been shot at a mall in Copenhagen, Denmark.

An awful and chaotic scene there. No word yet on the condition of the victims. Police say they have arrested one person in connection with that shooting. No other details were provided. Authorities saying they have a massive presence at that mall.

We'll of course, continue to bring you updates as we get them. We'll be right back.

[14:24:47]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) DEAN: Russian military officials say they've taken control of a key city in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine as fighting intensifies in that area. A takeover would move Russia closer to full control of the Donbas region.

CNN correspondent Scott McLean joins us now live from Kyiv. Scott, what can you tell us about the fighting in Donbas right now?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Jessica, yes. So the Russians say that they have liberated the entire Luhansk region, saying that they have managed to capture the city of Lysychansk (ph). This is the last major city in that region. Beyond that, there's only a few minor settlements before you reach the administrative border or boundary which they say that they've managed to reach.

[14:29:54]

MCLEAN: But they're not stopping there. There has been shelling reported in Slovyansk (ph) another city in the Donetsk region to the west of Lysychansk. Also missile strikes in Kramatorsk nearby as well.

The Ukrainians at first resisted, conceding they had, in fact, withdrawn. But about two hours ago or so, they said yes, they did have to withdraw from the city. They said they could have kept fighting but wanted to preserve their man power and the lives of their soldiers, and that's why they needed to pull back.

They say that it's simple. They were outgunned and outmanned. The president says that their weak spot is the fact that they do not have enough weaponry at the front lines. Of course, plenty of western countries have pledged and delivered weapons systems to Ukraine. The president says it is simply not getting there fast enough.

In fact, the statement from the Ukrainians earlier said the steel will and patriotism are not enough for success. Material and technical resources are needed. Also earlier this morning, the Russians say that the Ukrainians fired missile strikes inside of Russia at a residential area. The Russians say those missiles were struck down and hit a residential area. They're accusing the Ukrainians of deliberately targeting civilians.

Now, the Ukrainians like many other explosions in the Belgorod region and other parts of Russia are not directly claiming respondent. But an adviser to the president put out a cryptic message earlier today where he suggested sort of that perhaps the Russian weapons misfired and they hit their own settlements or he suggested that was mandatory karma because evil has consequences and you always have to pay the bills -- Jessica.

DEAN: Scott McLean in Ukraine for us, thanks for that reporting.

Moments ago, police in Akron, Ohio released bodycam video and gave an update in the deadly police shooting of Jayland Walker. We'll bring the latest to you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:35:55]

DEAN: Just moments ago, police in Akron, Ohio, released bodycam video and gave an update in the deadly police shooting of Jayland Walker. The 25-year-old black was killed on Monday after a traffic stop turned into a police chase.

CNN's Polo Sandoval was at the press briefing. He joins us now live.

Polo, tell us what you learned.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Jessica, up to this point, we had not seen the moments leading up to and during the shooting, the Monday shooting of Jayland Walker.

What I can tell you, though, after being in that room and seeing that video for the very first time, it is certainly upsetting footage. It is disturbing footage. But the police department recognizing it's imperative that the community get a firsthand look of what took place in the early hours of Monday morning.

What we know at this point is that it was Akron police officers that tried to carry out a traffic stop, and Jayland Walker was believed to be behind the wheel of a Buick when he fled. That vehicle high speed pursuit eventually turned into a foot pursuit. And that's when Akron police say Walker, wearing a ski mask, jumped out of his vehicle unarmed, which at this point, officers, at least there's no indication that those officers knew that he was unarmed.

But I do want you to actually see and hear the video firsthand and in it, again, before I toss to it, it's important to keep in mind, this is video shot in the early morning hours of Monday when police tried to carry out a traffic stop, and they saw a single muzzle flash coming from the driver's seat of the vehicle that Walker was apparently driving. So here's what was just released by investigators.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

SANDOVAL: And those last few seconds, Jessica, are the big question here right now. The response. The barrage of bullets police officers responded with when according to the police chief, they assumed that he was taking a firing position. That's according to the eight officers and what they told investigators on the scene immediately after the shots were fired.

The police chief himself, just a few moments ago, also breaking down a timeline of what happened moments leading up to the shooting and during the shooting itself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF STEPHEN MYLETT, AKRON, OHIO POLICE DEPARTMENT: We do not know the exact number of rounds that were fired. Again, this is something that BCI will discover in the examination of evidence. However, based on the video, I anticipate that number to be high. A lot of rounds were fired. And I will not be surprised if the number

at the end of the investigation is consistent with the number that has been circulating in the media, but right now we just don't know. While BCI needs to confirm the numb of times Mr. Walker was shot, the ME's report indicates over 60 wounds to Mr. Walker's body.

However, they are still working to determine entrance and exit wounds, and this investigation on their end will take time. It will take time for them to determine how many times Mr. Walker was actually shot, and that work to make that determination is the responsibility of the medical examiner.

As you could see in the video, there was a gun recovered from Mr. Walker's vehicle. At the time of the shooting, he was unarmed.

[14:40:02]

Lastly, after the shooting ends, Akron police officers went to Mr. Walker and diligently provided first aid to save his life. One officer on a bodycam footage can be heard saying he still has a pulse.

As the officers were getting ready to put him into a police car to get him as quickly as possible to the hospital, Akron fire and medics arrived on scene. They took over aid, and unfortunately, Mr. Walker tragically passed at the scene.

I'm going to say this. When an officer makes the most critical decision in his or her life as a police officer, it doesn't matter where in the country this happens. When they make the most critical decision to point their firearm at another human being and pull the trigger, they've got to be ready to explain why they did what they did. They need to be able to articulate what specific threats they were facing, and that goes for every round that goes down the barrel of their gun. And they need to be held to account.

Right now, as you point out, we're in the early stages of the investigation. The officers have not been able to provide a statement yet. I am reserving any sort of judgment until we hear from them.

Just last night, I spoke with the union president and he told me that the officers are fully cooperating with the investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Akron's police chief addressing what is perhaps the biggest question on the ground here which is why so many officers firing so many shots. The police chief did say that their officers are trained to identify a threat, and then to use their firearms until that threat is gone.

And so, this is certainly -- this at least speaks to the question being asked here on the ground. In terms of what Mr. Walker's family attorney has been addressing is the fact that he was unarmed. That the one weapon that was located at the scene that was not in the hands of officers was one that was found in the vehicle that Jayland Walker jumped out of when that vehicle pursuit turned into a foot pursuit. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY DICELLO, ATTORNEY FOR JAYLAND WALKER'S FAMILY: But I want to thank the chief for one thing he said. At the time he was shot more than 90 or 60 or whatever the unbelievable number will be, he was unarmed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So now that you have the latest on the investigation and right now what the Walker family has to say about where we are, there's also the community that's caught in the middle. Both the city and also the Walkers themselves have asked for any demonstrations to remain peaceful. That's what we've seen the last several days in the city of Akron.

However, with this video out in the public now, there has been concern that it could potentially lead to widespread demonstrations which is certainly, again, not something we've seen. We've seen small groups of passionate and peaceful demonstrators outside of police headquarters here in Akron.

And as we found out earlier this week, even the Fourth of July festival, Jessica, that was scheduled to take place over the weekend, that was cancelled. The city mayor here in Akron saying that the time is not right for a city-led celebration, and there are many people who we've heard from in the community who would agree with that.

DEAN: Polo Sandoval for us in Akron, Ohio, with the latest there. Thank you so much.

And here now to talk more about this, Cheryl Dorsey, a retired LAPD police sergeant and author of "Black and Blue: The Creation of a Social Advocate".

Sergeant, thanks so much for being with us and welcome to the show. We know police say Walker was not armed at the time of the shooting. Police also say a shot was fired from his vehicle earlier during the pursuit. Let's -- let's look at that.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

DEAN: Sergeant, walk us through that. Walk us through that situation kind of as you see it.

CHERYL DORSEY, RETIRED LAPD SERGEANT: Well, certainly the fact that there was a shot fired from the vehicle during the car chase is going to play an important and critical role in my belief in terms of the officer's perception. You know, this person jumped out of the vehicle and is now on foot, so the perception reasonably could be that this person is still armed. And so while firing one or two shots at a perceived armed suspect might be okay, 65 is clearly excessive.

[14:45:11]

I'm encouraged that the police chief said each of the officers are going to have to articulate and explain every round that came down the barrel of their gun. I don't know if it was a matter of contagious gunfire and their believing that the other rounds are coming from Mr. Walker. This is all going to come out in their internal investigation.

DEAN: And what, if anything, knowing what we have now, the investigation as you mentioned, is very much ongoing. But what, if anything, do you believe police should have done differently here?

DORSEY: Well, you know, it's always imperative in my mind that you have a tactical plan. I think poor tactics lead to poor shootings. I don't know if the officers -- I mean, listen, I don't know how long the car chase was going on, but any good officer would want to have a conversation with your partner in the event of something going sideways during the course of your shift.

What do we do if we get into a shooting situation? Who is going to be the designated shooter? So that you don't have a contagious gunfire situation.

Obviously, there were many officers on foot during that foot pursuit. There should have been a plan as to who is going to fire if that becomes necessary. There's no reason in the world if there's ten officers chasing on foot that all ten fire.

We use deadly force to eliminate a threat, and not to punish someone because they didn't stop or because they may have fired a round at you earlier. So it could be a problematic, but I think a jury might side on the err of -- with the officers, the suspect had a gun.

DEAN: And we know the investigation is being handled by an independent entity. What are you hoping to see from this investigation? What do you think is going to be important to zero in on?

DORSEY: Well, it's going to be important to understand the officer's perception, because that's key. That's critical. That's everything. That will determine whether or not criminal charges are going to be filed.

And listen, you know, they have a union there that I'm sure is strong and going to be very involved and engaged in making sure these officers do, air quote, articulate, why they fired as many rounds as they did. Each officer is going to have to speak to the number of rounds that came down the barrel of their individual gun.

Collectively, 60 is ridiculous. But if one officer fired two and another 17, then they're going to have some explaining to do.

DEAN: All right. Cheryl Dorsey, thank you for your analysis here. We certainly appreciate you joining us.

DORSEY: Thank you.

DEAN: Uh-huh.

We'll be right back.

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[14:50:10]

DEAN: Several people have been shot at a mall in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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DEAN: Just terrifying and chaotic video from the scene. No word yet on the condition of the victims. Police do say they have arrested one person in connection with the shooting.

And on the phone with us now, Susanne Gargiulo, a reporter in Copenhagen.

Susanne, what do we know at this time?

SUSANNE GARGIULO, REPORTER (via telephone): Hi, there. Yes, so far, we know very little, actually, but the police are just now having a presser and confirming shoots have been fired. Several people have been shot. One person has, as you note, been arrested on site.

They're telling us it's not clear if he's a single shooter or there's more in there. We have been watching some really disturbing footage of people running out single file from the mall. I will say it's not unlike images in mass shootings from the U.S., except this is really, really an unusual situation here.

One eyewitness said on national news that they were hiding in back rooms when police -- they heard police calling out for them. At which point they were let out single file. They heard several big bangs, which were most likely gunshots. People were panicking and we've just been watching them run out of the shopping center.

At least one person is seen in images being brought out on a stretcher. And at the moment, there's reports there are three people being treated for gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital.

The situation right now is heavy police presence. There's helicopters overhead, heavily armed police. As we say, we don't know if there's anymore shooters around. They're telling people that are inside the mall to stay put wherever they are, and they're telling everyone else to not get near the mall, obviously. And they have blocked off all roads. They have stopped trains.

So in brief, this is very much an ongoing situation. Highly unusual for Copenhagen. So this is as much as we know at the moment.

DEAN: Right. All right.

Susanne Gargiulo, thank you so much. Again, a scene we see so often in America, but very rare to see out of Copenhagen, Denmark. Thanks so much for that update. We appreciate it.

The CDC says a third of Americans live in a county with a high community level of COVID. That's up last week from one in five people. And official case counts are far from reflecting true transmission levels as at home testing continues to increase.

For more on this, we want to bring in Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. He's a CNN contributor, epidemiologist and a former Detroit health commissioner.

Doctor, great to see you. Thanks so much.

Walk us through why there's such a discrepancy right now.

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we've decommissioned a lot of our infrastructure around testing which got recorded in the official roles. What's happening is that's being replaced by rapid testing and official counts of COVID. So, we have a real discrepancy.

And meanwhile, we have a virus that's extremely efficient at evolving to find those of us who are still susceptible, and we're learning a lot more about our immune response, which we know wanes within three months of either a booster or an infection. And so, we've got this perfect storm. Cases are slowly climbing.

DEAN: Yeah. And we know that funding is a major issue here. Congress has not provided and voted through any additional COVID funding. The Biden administration says they need that to prepare for the next variant, for testing, for all these things.

It doesn't look like that's going to happen right now today in Congress. What happens if they don't approve that funding?

EL-SAYED: Well, that's really worrying, because this is a seasonal disease. And it's worst in the fall. We don't have that many months left until the fall. And we're watching as BA.4 and BA.5 are spreading. And the worry is we may run out of funding to fund yet another booster which may be an omicron specific booster.

The testing that we need to make sure that folks can get the testing if they've been exposed and the lastly, the medications that have been so effective at knocking back infections and reducing hospitalization and death rates. If we don't have the money to pay for these things, it's not all free. Congress needs to get its act together to get this done.

DEAN: All right. We'll see if they do. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, thanks so much for joining us today. We appreciate it.

EL-SAYED: Thank you.

DEAN: President Biden has announced this year's recipients of the Medal of Freedom. And among them will be Sandra Lindsey. She's a New York critical care nurse who served on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Lindsey was also the first American to receive the COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials and has worked as an advocate for vaccines and mental health support for health care workers.

[14:55:01] Other recipients include Olympian Simone Biles, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Gold Star father Khizr Khan, and actor Denzel Washington. The medals will be handed out at a White House ceremony July 7th.

And I want to thank you so much for joining me today. Again, I'm Jessica Dean in for Fredricka Whitfield.

CNN NEWSROOM continues after the break.

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DEAN: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean.