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Google Will Start Deleting History for Abortion Clinic Visits; Study: Repeated COVID Infections Raise Risk of Long-Term Effects; Brittney Griner Writes Letter to Biden Pleading for Help; NATO Begins Process of Ratifying Membership of Sweden and Finland into Alliance; New Details on Victims of July 4th Parade Shooting. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 05, 2022 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": You have to be careful not to be too broad or too generalized in this look at the data. Because Google doesn't tell you how many people are searching for terms in any given city or state.

But they do provide helpful overarching data to show what searches are rising and falling. So we know searches for abortion pills spiked in the United States in the past 30 days, including when the ruling came out.

In the past week, the top searches with the top states where the searches are happening are Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, states where abortions have been banned.

Searches for, "Can I get an abortion," have also been on the rise in some of the states.

Notably, the searches have come off the highs. There was a big spike when the Supreme Court ruled for searches about abortion pills. People trying to find out if they had access to pills, to have medication, abortions.

The searches have come back down now to a more normal level. I think what was happening in June, Ana, is people were trying to find out about options potentially in the future.

If they live in one of the states where there are bans, they want to know the options in the future. That might explain why the term "abortion pills, when do they expire," it might explain why that term has also been growing.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: And a lot of pressure on companies to take a stand since this ruling. Brian, it took a little bit of time for Google to make this statement and this new policy going into effect.

Do you know, are they among the companies that are paying for employees to travel for abortion services?

STELTER: Yes. Certainly, the tech companies, as well as major media companies, big banks, have made those kinds of decisions, those statements to increase health care offerings.

We have not seen companies, like Walmart and Target, you know, make the same sorts of moves. We've seen kind of more white-collar professions make the moves. And less so in other careers and areas, other jobs. I think that's going to be an interesting dividing line in the months and years to come.

And all of this, of course, talk about technology and the use of Google, the use of period tracking apps, the use of Google searches to know what people are looking for in red states.

We're seeing this incredible moment where religious views, where views that date back centuries are coming up against new technology, and technology that's ever-advancing.

It's almost a clash between old views and new technology. And that's going to continue to play out.

CABRERA: Brian Stelter, thank you very much.

New warnings about the lasting health effects of COVID. A just- released study finds that catching COVID-19 a second or third time can raise your chances of new health problems and can also contribute to long-lasting health issues.

These findings come at a time when more infectious subvariants of Omicron are circulating.

I want to bring in health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, joining us from Atlanta.

Jacqueline, what more can you tell us about these findings?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Ana, I can tell you with more variants, specifically subvariants of Omicron circulating, more of us are vulnerable for reinfection.

And first, take a look at the variants that are circulating in the U.S. The Omicron subvariant BA.5 causes more than half of infections across the country.

So those numbers were a previous estimate of proportions. And you see here the subvariant, BA-2.12.1, BA.5.

But now the CDC just released new numbers this morning, Ana. And BA.5 now accounts for 53.6 percent of infections, more than half. And that's the dominant variant right now.

And so if we think about, well, what is the concern with reinfections, research suggests that we should see reinfections in the same way we see initial infections.

Because any new infection, with each new infection, there's a new opportunity for various complications and lasting health problems.

Those include cardiovascular problems, pulmonary issues, which impact the lungs, as well as blood clotting. Those are three of the risks there along with others.

And, Ana, this research really does shed light on how COVID is still here, and we should still see reinfections as a concern.

CABRERA: And, Jacqueline, we're also learning new numbers, new data showing how deadly COVID has become here in the U.S. Fill us in.

HOWARD: That's right. These new numbers look at the leading causes of death last year, specifically from January through October of 2021.

And among the adults, ages 45 to 54, as you see here on this chart, COVID-19 was the leading cause of death, followed by heart disease, cancer, accidents and liver disease.

And overall, these estimates show that, for all people in the U.S., COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death last year.

So again, this just puts things back in perspective when it comes to this disease.

CABRERA: Jacqueline Howard, in Atlanta, thank you.

[13:34:44]

They're more than victims. What we're learning about the six people who died in Highland Park. That's next.

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CABRERA: We are hearing directly from WNBA star, Brittany Griner, pleading for help in a letter to the White House from her Russian jail cell.

She tells President Biden that she is terrified that she may be held captive there forever.

Griner's coach believes things would have been different if this were a superstar male athlete being held in Russia.

[13:40:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANESSA NYGAARD, PHOENIX MERCURY HEAD COACH: If it was male athlete, yes. It does. It's a statement about the value of women. It's a statement about the value of a black person. It's a statement about the value of a gay person. All those things. And we know it. And so that's what hurts a little more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN Rosa Flores joins us now.

Rosa, what more can you tell us about Griner's letter and what the Biden administration is doing to bring her home? ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Ana, I think it's important

to set the scene here. Because Brittney Griner has been in a jail cell in Russia for months.

She has been in this jail cell, and her detention has been extended over and over. And right now, she's going on trial for the -- for possession of narcotics.

And so when you think about what she's going through alone in this jail cell, with her thoughts flooding, not being able to be with her family, that's the backdrop of this letter.

Now, the full letter was not issued publicly, but we have some excerpts. And here is what that letter says, in part:

Quote, "I realize you are dealing so much, and this is to President Biden, but please don't forget about me and the other American detainees."

She goes on to say she voted for Biden and believes in him.

And then, quote, "I miss my wife. I miss any family. I miss my teammates. It kills me to know they're suffering so much right now. I'm grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home."

The White House has reiterated that they believe that Griner was wrongfully detained.

And there's a statement issued by the Biden administration saying the following.

Quote, "President Biden has been clear about the need to see all U.S. nationals who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Brittney Griner. The U.S. government continues to work aggressively using every available means to bring her home."

And just like that statement says, Brittney Griner has not been the only one that's had this type of fate in Russia.

There are multiple families who have gone through these excruciating moments, Ana, where they have to be vocal. They have to have rallies, do interviews, bring attention in the media to make sure that their loved ones are not forgotten.

And that's exactly what we're seeing right now with Brittney Griner's family. Her wife, doing an interview with CNN last week, pointing out that they want to make sure that they humanize Brittney Griner, that Brittney Griner is humanity.

And just a fact that she's a human being is brought forth to the White House so that President Biden cares, so that this country can do something to bring her home.

CABRERA: We know so many of the families are trying to get Biden's attention. They want a meeting with him. They saw what happened with Trevor Reed and believe they might have had something to do with the meeting parents had with the president directly.

But it's obviously a very challenging situation for all people involved.

Rosa Flores, we'll keep Brittney Griner and her family and those other Americans detained abroad in our hearts and minds.

Meantime, a big change is about to take place in the NATO alliance. Sweden and Finland are getting ready to join the group.

As Nina Dos Santos explains, it also redraws Europe's security map along the border with Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN EUROPE EDITOR: The 30 members of NATO agreed to sign the protocols of ratification on Tuesday. That means the next set of paperwork is done and dusted for Sweden and Finland to officially become invitees to the bloc.

This doesn't mean that they are fully pledged members yet. But it does mean they can attend the important meetings. They just can't vote at the meetings yet.

They will not benefit from the collective Article 5 security protections. But they have been offered some security guarantees by some key NATO members, like the United Kingdom, in the interim sensitive period.

The secretary-general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, made clear there was a win-win and a big moment both for Sweden and Finland, but also for NATO's open-door policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: This marks the start of the ratification process. NATO's door remains open to European democracies who are ready to and willing to contribute to our shared security. This is a good day for Finland and Sweden and NATO.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: What will the two nations bring to the table? Well, potentially armies. And, in Sweden's case, in particular, promises of much bigger defense spending in the future.

[13:45:02]

Sweden has its own sophisticated homegrown defense industry focusing on fighter jets and also submarines. It also makes all sorts of military hardware that's making a difference in the battlefield in Ukraine.

Finland also acquires a lot of important munitions and fighter jets from the United States. These are two countries that, for a long time, since the 1990s, have

been engaged in joint exercises with NATO. So they now how to work with NATO.

However, Finland will bring with it an 830-mile-long border with Russia that will need to be policed as soon as possible. And Sweden will probably play a bigger role in defending the Arctic and also the Baltic Sea.

This is a radical redrawing of northern Europe's security map, essentially making the Baltic region not just a NATO area but also now an E.U. area as well.

It could take between six months and a year for these countries to become fully fledged members of NATO, perhaps even less.

The first nation, just hours after the signing process on Tuesday, to ratify the membership of the countries was Denmark.

Nina Dos Santos, CNN, in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Thank you, Nina.

Today, President Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to four U.S. Army soldiers, honoring them for their heroism during the Vietnam War. Today's awards upgrade previous honors these veterans has received these for their acts of valor more than 50 years ago.

President Biden presented the nation's highest military honor to Specialist Five Dwight Birdwell, Specialist Five Dennis Fujii, and Major John Duffy. Staff Sergeant Edward Kaneshiro was awarded posthumously.

Now highlighting their battlefield service, the president said all four, quote, "went far and above the call of duty." We salute them.

We'll be right back.

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[13:51:16]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE SEN. JULIE MORRISON (D-IL): I honestly didn't think much of it. I thought it was probably firecrackers that somebody was setting off. And then a couple women ran back past me, screaming and crying, saying, there's a shooter.

And we did sort of, as the other gentleman just said, we just kind of froze. It just didn't seem real. And then a wave of people were rushing back towards us, running away from the parade. ZOE PAWELCZAK, WITNESSED HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING: Grabbed my dad, and

we ran. And suddenly, everyone was running behind us. And people were just shot behind us.

And they let us go back to get our car keys and everything. And right where we were, there was a girl just dead. Another man was shot in the ear, blood all over his face.

ABBY BROSIO, WITNESSED HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING (via telephone): And I remember looking around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. And I, in fact, looked up at the neighboring business across the street and saw the shooter on the roof. And I just -- I screamed that it was a shooter.

And I got my daughter, and we ran into my husband's store, and I yelled for my son and my mother and father-in-law. And we all were able to get in safely, as my husband helped a whole bunch of other patrons get away from the danger.

JEFF LEON, WITNESSES HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING (via telephone): It sounded like a string of firecrackers going off inside of a big metal trash bin. And at first, that's what I thought it was, 20, 30, maybe.

And then I looked up to my right, and I saw the police starting to act, and I saw people falling. And my wife and I took off.

We were at the parade because our 14-year-old twin boys were marching with the high school football team. And we knew they hadn't yet made their way up the parade route.

The football coaches had wisely hustled the kids even further south and gotten them behind a commercial building. We found them. And then they called their friend, whose house we're at, and they said, please do come over, and that's where they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And now, we are beginning to learn more about the victims of the horrific shooting there in Highland Park, Illinois. Six innocent people killed. More than 30 others also shot.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is outside a hospital in Highland Park.

Ed, tell us more about the injured first. Let's start there.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the aftermath of the shooting yesterday, there were 39 people, according to hospital representatives, that were taken to three different hospitals here in the Highland Park area.

We understand that nine of those 39 still remain hospitalized. And eight of those nine that are still in the hospital suffered gunshot wounds.

And we are told that of those people still in the hospital this afternoon, one of them is in -- is still in critical condition. So, it is really something that so many people were able to escape

from this scene with wounds and be able to get out of the hospital as quickly as they have.

But the condition and the situation for at least nine of those victims remains a very serious concern for many of the residents here in this area.

CABRERA: And tell us what we now know about the people who died, those who lost their lives, six of them.

LAVANDERA: Yes, six victims in all. So far, we have confirmed the identities of two of those victims.

One of them is Nicolas Toledo. His family describes him as creative, adventurous, funny, a loving father of eight people and a grandfather to many more. He was in the crowd there where the gunman opened fire.

[13:55:01]

His family has started a GoFundMe page for him to help them through the expenses of all of this.

And we also have learned that Jackie Sundheim, who belonged to a local synagogue here. Her synagogue, the North Shore Congregation Israel, announced her death.

And they described her as someone who was a long-time member of the church, a staff member, and someone who worked as a pre-school teacher and an events coordinator at that synagogue -- Ana?

CABRERA: All right, Ed Lavandera, we'll keep on working to lift up those lost lives and honor their memories.

Thank you for your reporting.

That's going to do it for us today. I'll see you tomorrow, same time, same place. Thanks for spending part of your day with us. You can always find me on Twitter, @AnaCabrera.

Until then, the news continues right after this.

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