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Six People Died in July 4th Illinois Mass Shooting; Suspect Abandoned His Weapon; Parade Attendees Ran for Their Safety; A Sad Address for July 4th Holiday; Russia Celebrates Victory in Eastern Ukraine; President Zelenskyy Looking Ahead for Ukraine's Future; ; Sweden and Finland Now at the Doorstep of NATO; Shooting Suspect Held in Custody by Danish Authorities; Brittney Griner Pleads to go Home; Sports Teams Reacting to Rampant Shootings; U.S. States Facing Hot Temperatures. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 05, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

We are following the latest on the shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. At least six people are dead, more than two dozen wounded. And the suspect is in police custody. The shooting started just after 10 a.m. local time after people lined the parade route along Central Avenue in the suburb north of Chicago.

The crowd went running as the rapid-fire shots rang out. We have video from the scene but we have to warn you it is disturbing.

Investigators recovered firearm evidence from the rooftop of a nearby building. They believe the gunman climbed an unsecured ladder in an alley and opened fire from the roof. Police say the gun was a high- powered rifle. And the attack appears to be random and intentional. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois pledged to do whatever she can to help the community recover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): The last time I heard a weapon with that capacity firing that rapidly on a Fourth of July was Iraq. It was not United States of America. We can and we should and we will do better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The suspect was arrested without incident a few hours later identified as Robert Crimo III. Police have not said anything about a motive. But Crimo had posted ominous music videos online under the name awake the rapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHRIS COVELLI, CHIEF, LAKE COUNTY MAJOR CRIME TASK FORCE: This

individual is believed to have been responsible for what happened and the investigation will continue. Charges have not been approved yet at this time. And we're a long way from that. There's still a long investigation and there are a lot of efforts that are going to continue tonight.

CHURCH: More now from CNN's Adrienne Broaddus.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And investigators say it was a north Chicago police officer who found that 22-year-old investigators believe who is responsible for this crime scene behind me. That officer called for backup, there was a short vehicle pursuit. Investigators say they took that 22-year-old into custody without incident.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, we did hear from people who were attending the parade including one woman who sheltered behind a dumpster. Listen in?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOE PAWELCZAK, WITNESS: I saw people shot and killed around me. And a lot of people hiding. A man went at one point to find his son and he asked he to watch his kids. So, we were all hiding together and the kids, they're like really little kids. They're like, what's going on. I'm like, it's just fireworks. You know, people get silly with fireworks. And I just stayed with them for about half an hour while the guy was out looking for his older son.

BROADDUS: She also shared that father before taking off to look for his other son put his children inside of the dumpster for protection. Meanwhile, six people were shot and killed. Five of them died on scene here. A dozen of others injured. The motive is still unclear.

Adrienne Broaddus, CNN, Highland Park, Illinois.

CHURCH: And earlier Highland Park police identified the suspect as being 22 years old. But a later FBI bulletin reported he was 21. CNN has reached out to authorities for more information.

Well, many of those attending the parade fled as shots were fired, leaving behind chairs, blankets and strollers, anything that would slow their escape. Witnesses described those terrifying moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY BLOOM, WITNESS: It was very early in the parade so the firetrucks and the EMS are at beginning of the parade had gone by. And then open floats were coming by. And then we heard a pop, pop, pop.

[03:05:08]

And I think everybody just thought maybe there's something with the float. They're doing something on the float. And then it just opened up, just a rain of gunshots. Just so quickly for quite a while. At least it seemed. And then, and yes, and then everybody just got up and turned and ran.

MILES ZAREMSKI, WITNESS: I'd say I heard maybe and I'm guessing about 30 pops. And there was a pause in between a set of pops and then a second set of pops. And then the crowd that was on either side of the central started rushing a stampede like going west which is against me. I was not knocked down. And then I went up and I saw blood on the sidewalk. I saw bloody bodies that looked deceased. I even saw what looked to be a young child, a boy being cuddled by his parents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now from Highland Park, Illinois is Lynn Sweet, Washington bureau chief for the Chicago Sun Times. Good to have you with us.

LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN TIMES: Sorry to join you on this very sad and tragic day.

CHURCH: Absolutely. And thankfully the suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the deadly mass shooting at the July 4th parade in suburban Chicago. You were there when it happened. What all did you see?

SWEET: Well, I was at the start of the parade route about a few blocks from where the shooting happened. But as the floats were starting to go down the route, I saw dozens and dozens of people just running towards me. Clearly something was wrong and I said what happened and some people were going to hide in the underground garage.

Is it a shooter? Where at that point normally what happened wasn't quite known until I made my way forward to the scene. And sad to say I saw bodies. I saw wounded. I saw blood. And I saw dozens of -- dozens of people fleeing the scene. I saw something too that remains sort of frozen in my mind. How people left so suddenly.

There were just numbers of baby carriages left on the street, number of chairs that people had brought out for this July 4th parade, usually a celebration. There's knapsacks and other stuff that people bring out when they think they're just having a day of celebration at a parade in a small-town suburb.

CHURCH: Yes. And of course, now all of that has become part of this investigation. And those investigators will of course be questioning the suspect to try to determine a motive. You have been to this parade many times before and of course have family members in the area. What possible reason would anyone have to carry out such a horrendous attack on the community?

SWEET: Well, the person of interest which is what the police authorities are calling the person who is apprehended a few miles north of the suburb as his car he was driving north. I don't want to guess the motives. He is a person who comes from the community. His family is pretty well known throughout the community as local merchants.

So, I don't want to speculate the motive until we know a lot more. And until we also -- I think we at the Sun Times as perhaps other news we are digging into the background of the person of interest and we will just know more very soon.

We are as I'm sure you can suspect have been looking at social media. This person of interest has been using and other ways he has been communicating that might give some clues as to who this person is that still may be different than the exact motive for the shooting.

CHURCH: And how have your family members and others in the community there been dealing with the shocking attack?

SWEET: Well, people were dealing with it by sheltering in place. This was the result of a rapid-fire weapon. There was a rat-tat-tat of bullets that happened so suddenly that, as I said, everybody just went fleeing. This was a crime scene the police told everyone to disperse which they did. So the immediate reaction is people just to get away from this parade and go to a safe place and shelter in place.

[03:09:55]

CHURCH: And Lynn, what does this country need to do right now to protect Americans from the constant mass shootings on these sorts of soft targets perpetrated many times by young, white men who have access to assault rifles.

SWEET: So, this tragedy is coming on the heels of shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. This did spark a bipartisan agreement in Congress specifically in the Senate to have to pass a measure that President Biden signed into law to begin with having more mental health services for people who might be at risk and dealing with so called ghost guns.

So, I think for the moment, right now I'm not sitting here saying you could have prevented this. Except to note that what we know is, was used here was a rapid-fire weapon that had high, high-capacity magazines. I mean, people who are listening don't know, that's saying it's a bunch of bullets in the case. And if you don't have high- capacity magazines available, then this shooter didn't use them, then you would not have been able to kill six and wound dozen more in the seconds that it took him to do it.

CHURCH: It is a sad day for America, yet another one, of course. Lynn Sweet, thank you so much as always. I appreciate it.

SWEET: Thank you.

CHURCH: And still to come, the latest mass shooting in the U.S. puts the spotlight back on gun legislation. We will hear from one lawmaker about the recently passed bill. That's just ahead.

[03:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR NANCY ROTERING (D), HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS: Our community like so many before us is devastated. It's impossible to imagine the pain of this kind of tragedy until you are confronted with it, gun violence, a mass shooting such as this cast a much wider net of agony that what the public is typically exposed to. It's a crisis that devastates entire families and communities in a single moment and we know it's going to take a long, long time if ever to heal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The mayor of Highland Park, Illinois lamenting the mass shooting at an Independence Day parade that killed at least six people. The intense manhunt for the suspect is over. Police say Robert Crimo led officers on a brief chase before being stopped near Lake Forest in Illinois. He was then taken into custody without incident.

Crimo's uncle told CNN his nephew is a quiet lonely person. But that he saw no warning signs to suggest he'd do something like this. But we have since learned Crimo posted online music videos that featured ominous sounding lyrics and animated scenes of gun violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COVELLI: Very sad situation where it sounds like spectators were targeted and even those that were marching through that parade was approximately three quarters of the way through when the shooting occurred, so very random, very intentional and a very sad day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And U.S. President Joe Biden says he was shocked by the shooting and vowed to keep fighting what he called the epidemic of gun violence. He also held a moment of silence for the victims and their families as the White House marked Independence Day.

CNN's Phil Mattingly has more now from Washington.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden like every other American had what he expected to be a celebration of the nation, July 4th celebration, shattered. Once again in his administration, an administration who has seen so many mass shootings -- so many mass shootings that actually led to the most substantive gun reform law in more than 30 years, a bipartisan law the president signed into law just a couple of weeks ago now experiencing another one.

The president getting on the phone with the Illinois governor, with the mayor of Highland Park pledging federal resources and surging federal law enforcement for that manhunt. He acknowledged the shooting in his July 4 remarks for picnic of service members on the south lawn. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Before I left for Europe, I signed a law the first real gun safety law in 30 years.

(APPLAUSE) BIDEN: Things will get better still but not without more hard work together. You all heard what happened today. You all heard what happened today. But each day we're reminded there's nothing guaranteed about our democracy. Nothing guaranteed about our way of life. We have to fight for it. Defend it. And earn it by voting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: The president also held a moment of silence for those killed and injured during the shooting. Later during the musical performance, again, the picnic that the celebration the 4th of July continuing here at the White House. But so is the sorrow and the recognition that this just keeps happening.

The president in his statement acknowledging that more needs to be done. Certainly, that accomplishment already on gun safety. But when it comes to gun violence, it's such a pervasive problem in the country. The president making clear that what they have done so far isn't enough.

Phi Mattingly, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: Lawmakers from Illinois are also reacting to the mass shooting in their state. That includes Senator Dick Durbin who visited Highland Park just hours after the attack on the 4th of July parade. Here's part of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): There are people around this country who are poised to do terrible things if we do not intervene and try to change their lives. Some of them we know as children who need that kind of a helping hand. I don't know the circumstances with this gentleman and I can't say anything about him, but that is one of the things we just did with this gun bill.

[03:20:04]

The gun bill that we passed in the Senate. The bipartisan gun bill addresses many of the aspects of these mass shooters. And some of that involves mental health counselling, trauma counselling. We've got to reach out at an early age to turn these lives around. Once we see the clear indicators. What will happen in this circumstance with this particular individual, I don't know. I just don't know his story. But I will tell you that that part of the bill is important for the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And while Senator Durbin touted the recently passed gun legislation, he also said there were things the bill didn't address like a ban on assault weapons.

Akron, Ohio is under a curfew right now after weekend protests over the fatal police shooting of Jayland Walker, an unarmed black man. Police say the majority of protesters were peaceful. But the mayor says there was significant property damage after nightfall. About 50 people were arrested for failing to comply with the curfew.

All this comes just hours after officials released police bodycam footage showing the final moments of walker's life. Akron's police chief says eight officers involved in the case are on paid administrative leave while an independent investigation takes place.

Well, still to come, Russia celebrating a key victory in eastern Ukraine but does it mark a turning point for the larger war? Those details after the break.

[03:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, back now to our top story this hour, the deadly shooting at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. At least six people were killed and more than two dozen injured when shots rang out in the Chicago suburb.

Police believe the gunfire came from a rooftop of a business as the parade was under way. The suspect identified as Robert Crimo III, was arrested after an intense manhunt. Authorities say he was spotted by a north Chicago officer, then taken into custody after a brief car chase. Police say a high-powered rifle was used in the attack which they describe as random and intentional.

Russian forces appear to be setting their sights on a new target after a critical victory in eastern Ukraine. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his troops for capturing the last Ukrainian stronghold in the Luhansk region. Ukraine says the battle is now shifting to the Donetsk region as Russia seeks so capture the entire Donbas.

But other areas are coming under attack as well. Ukraine is reporting a Russian missile strike in central Ukraine, dozens of miles from the Donbas. This as Russian backed separatists accuse Ukraine of attacking the city of Donetsk, part of the self-proclaimed Donetsk people's republic.

Officials there say at least three people were killed and dozens more wounded in the attack. Video posted to social media appears to show some of the aftermath but CNN cannot independently verify its authenticity.

As the fighting continues, Ukraine is already looking towards its post-war future, unveiling a $750 billion reconstruction plan during a conference in Switzerland. In a virtual address, Ukraine's president said rebuilding his country is a common task for the democratic world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): To rebuild Ukraine means to restore the principles of life, to restore the space of life, to restore what makes people human. Of course, it means massive construction. Of course, it means huge funding and colossal investments. Of course, it means a whole new level of security throughout our country which will continue to live near Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, more now we want to bring in CNN's Clare Sebastian who joins us live from London. Good to see you, Clare.

So, Russia's president is celebrating his win in the Luhansk region. But this has been a long time coming. And it isn't over yet. So, what does this signal and what's the latest?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary. That's exactly it. Russia is definitely banking this victory as they see it in Luhansk. You know, we saw this, sort of, public meeting between President Putin and his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu where he congratulated the troops.

But as you say, it's not over yet. This is only part of what Russia stated goal is in terms of taking over the Donbas. Take a listen to what President Putin had to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The unit set apart in the active military operation and achieved success and victory on the Luhansk direction will decidedly have to rest, grow that combat capabilities. Other units including the east and west formations will have to continue their mission according to the previously suggested plan, according to one purpose. And hope all will continue to succeed just as Luhansk units have been successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, like it's clearly plausible that after weeks of this brutal grinding war of attrition that we've seen in Ukraine, the troops that were involved in the battle in the Luhansk region would need to rest. But we're not sure, you know, how much of perhaps operational pause that might be.

And clearly the expectation is that Russia is now going to move to try to complete its mission in the Donbas and take control of the Donetsk region. We're already seeing an uptick in shelling in the key population centers there of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

And not just there, Rosemary, there are missile strikes in areas across the country. Just this morning, as you said in Dnipropetrovsk in the sort of eastern central part of Ukraine, seven missiles were fired according to the local governor there. Six were shot down but one did hit some houses although no one was injured.

And you know, that comes after a spate of recent strikes we've seen in areas like Mykolaiv. It was just a week ago that Kyiv was struck. We saw that attack on the mall in Kremenchuk and various other deadly attacks. So, Russia is continuing to attack across the country while focusing of course on the Donbas.

And Ukraine isn't letting up either. They are regrouping after withdrawing from Luhansk preparing to defend Donetsk. And clearly, not letting up when it comes to trying to liberate other areas as well. Rosemary?

[03:30:00]

CHURCH: All right. All right, Clare Sebastian joining us live from London, many thanks.

Well, Earlier I spoke with Yuri Zak, an adviser to Ukraine's defense minister with Russia likely to step up its efforts to capture the wider Donbas region, I asked him how Ukraine plans to respond.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YURIY SAK, ADVISER TO UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: I would like to emphasize that at the beginning of this aggressive war, Russia was saying that they will conquer the whole of Ukraine in a couple days. And it took them seven weeks to basically fight for Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, the cities in the Luhansk region.

And this battle for these two cities which are very close to each other, and if you look at the map, they literally constitute districts of one city. Right? So, seven weeks of heavy fighting and the military objective of the Ukrainian armed forces has been in this operation, first of all, to exhaust the enemy, to incur as much loss upon the enemy as possible and to sustain as few losses as possible for ourselves.

Of course, from the very beginning of the battle for these two cities, the Ukrainian army knew that we were out gunned and we were out manned. But nevertheless, for seven long weeks we have been resisting this invasion and now when the time came our military command has made a decision, a tactical decision to withdraw temporarily from the cities and to regroup and to fortify our defenses on other preprepared defense lines.

And so, from this perspective Russia has not achieved its military objective which from the very beginning was to encircle and destroy Ukrainian army in that region.

CHURCH: So, do you feel that Russia has restructured its goal here from the whole of Ukraine to just the eastern part? Is that your sense?

SAK: I wouldn't go as far as to suggest that Russia gave up their willing to invade and conquer the whole of Ukraine and maybe go even further west because we're hearing all the time this threat from the Russian leadership with respect to other western countries, Poland, the Baltic states, and Moldova.

And this is why we continue to say that Ukraine is here fighting for the European values of democracy and freedom. We are fighting to protect not just our land but as well European continent over all.

So, from this perspective of course it is difficult to believe that Russia gave up their goals. At the same time, Ukrainian army does not allow Russia to realize their military objectives. So, they have to make due with what they can, and we believe that we have exhausted them so much that hopefully the offensive potential has decreased now.

But like you have been saying in your report earlier, the attacks continue and the next target of the Russian aggressor is likely to be the rest of the Donetsk region. Cities such as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk which are already suffering from heavy artillery shelling from missile strikes and Ukrainian army is preparing to protect those cities now.

CHURCH: So, what does Ukraine need to push Russia back or is there an evidentiality here that Russia will end up controlling the entire Donbas region. Because in the end this is really it's taken all this time for Russia to experience some success. And it is in the east, isn't it?

SAK: It's incremental success. Yes, real certain gains. But we also have to say that the Ukrainian army at the same time has certain success in other parts of the temporary occupied territories of our country. In the south of Ukraine, for example, in the Kherson region we have also been able to liberate the Snake Island in the Black Sea region.

We are also having certain success in areas around the second largest city Kharkiv. So, from this perspective, some places we are losing ground and some places we are counter attacking already with the help of the military support that we are receiving. And we are gaining ground. We are de-occupying cities.

Now, of course we need more heavy weaponry and we need to receive it faster. And this is something, you know, we are afraid we sound repetitive because we repeat these claims every day. We repeat this request every day. But this is something that everybody should understand.

Ukrainian army is highly motivated, highly professional and capable of stopping this war spreading further west in Europe. But at the same time, we can only do that if we get the tools, if we get the heavy weaponry that we request.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Yuriy Sak there, an adviser to Ukraine's defense minister talking to me earlier.

[03:35:00]

Well, Sweden and Finland are on the cusp of joining NATO. In the coming hours both countries will sign the NATO accession protocols to formally join the alliance. It must then be ratified by all 30 NATO countries.

On Monday, Sweden and Finland completed a major part of the membership process by confirming their ability and willingness to meet the political, legal and military obligations of the NATO.

And CNN's Nina dos Santos joins us now live from London. Great to see you, Nina.

So, ironically, one of the reasons Russian President Putin went to war with Ukraine was because of the threat that he was feeling from an encroaching NATO. Now of course his actions have led to the expansion of NATO. What will this mean for Russia and of course NATO members?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, immediately it's going to be a really, really big change, particularly in the Baltic region. Remember that just last week I was reporting from close to Kaliningrad that enclave of Russia right at the heart of E.U. NATO territory on the Baltic Seas separated from the rest of Russia, that particular part of Russia that's heavily militarized.

That will find itself now in a complete NATO area. Because these are two countries that are going to bring with them on the one hand Finland a huge border with Russia, 830 miles long. That's 1,300 kilometers plus. They are going to have to police that and the northeast.

But then there's the rest of the Baltic Sea as well which is also the territory of Sweden and its famous fleet of fighter jets. So, these are two countries that will bring with them not just a large number of troops. Finland, for instance, has an army that's close to a quarter of a million strong. Sweden ditto, but weaponry as well.

And Finland buys a lot of that weaponry from places like the United States, Sweden itself has some of its own homemade defense capabilities that are actually making a big difference on the battlefield in Ukraine. So, this is, from a hardware point of view, important from a geopolitical point of view, it's going to strengthen northern Europe.

And how long will it take, Rosemary, we're going to see a signing ceremony later on today. And even though in the past it has taken six months to a year for other NATO states to join, these are two countries that can make a big difference very quickly. So that could well be expedited. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Nina dos Santos joining us live from London, many thanks.

Well, nearly two months after Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead the U.S. has finally weighed in on how the Palestinian American journalist was killed and who's to blame. That story and more when we return.

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, gun violence has shaken people in Denmark in the wake of a rare shooting in Copenhagen. A 22-year-old Danish man is being held in a psychiatric facility for 24 days as police say he is suspected of killing three people and wounding several others at a shopping mall on Sunday. Social media footage shows people fleeing the mall and heavily armed law enforcement on the scene. One witness says it was chaos. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAXIMILIAN VON RENTELN, WITNESS: I mean, people didn't really know where they were running. They just even when they were outside of the mall they were running in different directions. And trying to find different routes and jumping over fences. It was quite chaotic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Authorities say the suspect was known to people in the psychiatric field. They added there is no indication he was acting with others, nor was it an act of terror. But the investigation is ongoing.

And you're watching CNN Newsroom. For our international viewers World Sport is coming up next. And for our viewers in North America, stay tuned for more news just ahead.

[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: New details are emerging about the suspect in the 4th of July mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois just outside Chicago. Robert Crimo is now in custody but has yet to be charged. Investigators are combing through his social media. They say a significant amount of digital evidence already points in his direction. We have since learned he posted violent imagery.

Authorities say the gunman used a high-powered rifle to fire on the parade crowd from the rooftop of a nearby business. At least six people were killed. And about two dozen were wounded. The victims have not yet been identified.

Professional sports teams from around Chicago are sharing their reactions to the tragedy online. White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks had this to say about the shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIAM HENDRIKS, PITCHER, CHICAGO WHITE SOX: I don't think enough is being done. I think there's two sides and that sides need to meet someone in the middle and figure this out. Because too many people are dying and it's not excuse to be like, on that side or that side. That's not an excuse. At some point things need to -- things need to get done or else -- I mean, it's getting to the point where civilization as you know it maybe end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The city's other Major League baseball team, the Cubs said in part, quote, "we are heartbroken and grief-stricken at the senseless violence in Highland Park. In another statement, the Red Stars women's soccer club said they, quote, "mourn the lives lost to another senseless mass shooting." The Bulls basketball team claims a special connection to Highland

Park. The team says many of its players and staff are from the area. Part of the statement reads, quote, "this situation is one that we have been in too many times. The Chicago Bulls are committed to change and using the resources in our power to make a difference."

Well, WNBA star Brittney Griner is pleading with U.S. President Biden to help free her from Russian detention. A letter handwritten by Griner was delivered to the White House Monday morning reading in part, as I sit here in a Russian prison alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family and friends, Olympic jersey or any accomplishments. I'm terrified I might be here forever.

Griner's supporters including the head coach for her team the Phoenix Mercury says her letter to the White House is just heartbreaking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANESSA NYGAARD, HEAD COACH, PHOENIX MERCURY: It made me cry. You know, just hearing her words, talking about her father being a Vietnam vet, her new perspective on freedom, her wanting to be with her family and teammates and not knowing if she'll ever be free again on our day of freedom hearing those words from such a beloved person. Yes, it's great. And it's great that she was able to get that message to us. And hopefully some people are paying attention to it. Of course, the Biden administration and our State Department putting at the front there the messaging would be amazing for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport back in February about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Authorities claim Griner had cannabis oil in her luggage. She went on trial on Friday on drug smuggling charges and is facing up to 10 years in prison. Supporters say Griner has been wrongfully detained.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NYGAARD: If it was (Inaudible) he'd be home, right? Yes. It does. It's a statement about the value of women. It's the statement about the value of a black person. It's the statement about the value of a gay person, all of those things. And we know it. And so that's what hurts a little more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Brittney Griner played basketball in Russia during the WNBA's off season. In her letter Griner begged Mr. Biden not to forget about her and the other American detainees.

[03:50:01]

Well, the U.S. says Israeli military gunfire was likely responsible for the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. But the State Department says a forensic examination of the fatal bullet could not reach a definitive conclusion. CNN's Hadas Gold is in Jerusalem. She joins us now live. So Hadas, how

is the Palestinian authority responding to this and of course Shireen Abu Akleh's family?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, first of all, this is so important from the Americans because it's the first time the U.S. has taken any sort of position on what they believe happened on the day that Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed while she was covering that Israeli military raid in the West Bank in Jenin.

Now in their statement they said that the ballistic examination they were unable to determine which gunfire that shot because the bullet has been badly damaged. However, they did surmise that based of -- based off of their investigation that they convene that (Inaudible) likely responsible. They have no reason to believe that this was intentional --

CHURCH: All right. Some audio issues there. We'll see if we can address that and get back to Hadas Gold.

Well, more than 50 million Americans across 18 states are suffering under heat advisories today. The combination of high temperatures and humidity is raising the danger of heat related illnesses. Hot weather and drought are also causing this wildfire to spread at a dangerous rate near Sacramento, California. It has prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders.

And meteorologist Gene Norman joins me now from the CNN weather center. And more and more of course you are reporting on these extreme conditions. What is the latest?

GENE NORMAN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Exactly right, Rosemary. This latest wildfire in California spread very, very quickly. It started just after 7 o'clock Pacific Time and just within a couple of hours had grown tremendously as firefighters continue to try to get the upper hand. But dry conditions across the western United States and especially in and around California are making these kinds of situations very, very easy to develop because the dry conditions are allowing those fires to spread quickly.

As of the current time, Cal Fire is reporting that this fire called the Electra Fire has grown to nearly 1,000 acres and it is zero percent contained. Hopefully they'll be able to get a little bit of the upper hand in the next couple of hours, and maybe the next couple of days. We'll see.

But as I mentioned earlier, notice how much of the western United States is under drought. Those darker red colors mean that it's either extreme or exceptional drought. That's 38 percent of the west is under those dry conditions. And unfortunately, near that fire, the Electra Fire there isn't chance of rain in the next couple of days.

And take a wider perspective of the fire situation. We have 53 large active fires burning nearly two and a half million acres across mainly the west United States. However, at the current time the 53, it contains 38 fires in Alaska. We don't talk much about Alaska but they've been having some problems with recent lightning strikes and of course, they have had drought conditions as well. That's one of the reasons they're dealing with that.

Back to the lower 48. We've got hot temperatures. That's what we're expecting over the next couple of days especially in the middle of the country. Large area of high pressure keeping the middle baking and these temperatures mean that we've got the combination of heat and humidity that make it dangerous.

The heat index between 100 and 111 degrees and just within the past hour, we've seen an expansion of the excessive heat warning. It was previously just for the St. Louis metro area. And now it has expanded westward into sections of southwest Missouri and we have portions of West Virginia under the heat advisory.

Now these are above normal temperatures will continue to mainly be in the middle of the country and that's where high temperatures will be in the triple digits for St. Louis, getting close to that for Memphis, Dallas over that mark as well.

Good news at least people who are on the periphery of this area of high pressure with the heat, they are going to see a drop. Chicago going from 92 today down to 80 on Wednesday. Columbus and Raleigh and Atlanta do stay a little bit above normal but not the excessive heat for the middle of the country.

So, Rosemary, it's not a good situation for people in the middle but again, the heat is on and it's going to stay on for at least the next couple of days.

CHURCH: Just extraordinary, isn't it? Gene Norman joining us from the CNN weather center, many thanks.

Well, the U.S. threw a coast-to-coast party on Monday to celebrate the country's Independence Day, the 4th of July. This was the spectacular fireworks display in Washington, D.C. held at the National Mall.

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President Biden and members of his family were able to watch the show from the White House balcony. In Texas, massive crowds gathered in north Austin near the new Q2 Stadium for a concert and fireworks display. Country music star Willy Nelson has been performing at this event and bringing other artists to the show since the 1970s. And in Nashville, Tennessee organizers of the show claim it was the biggest fireworks display in the city's history. Months of planning went into making it look so good.

Well, minion mania has taken over the Box Office. The movie "The Minions: The Rise of Gru" the latest animated film in the Despicable Me series set a 4th of July Box Office record raking in estimated $125 million in the United States over the holiday weekend. The pint size overall wearing minions must be walking tall of course. Media experts say the high-ticket sales mean that families are returning to the theaters after the pandemic if the movie is right.

Well, other recent animated films like Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear" flopped at the Box Office. Just a little point there to add.

Thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Be sure to connect with me on Twitter at Rosemary CNN. Have yourself a wonderful day. CNN Newsroom continues next with Max Foster.

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