Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Prosecutor: Parade Suspect By Choice "Admitted To What He Had Done"; Soon: Biden To Announce Protections For Workers' Pensions; Biden Comments On Police Killing Of Jayland Walker. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired July 06, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: And what they're doing here is responding to a very specific threat from powerful spyware vendors, shadowy companies that make hacking tools that can target an iPhone without anyone clicking on them or an Android phone for that matter. And in this case, they're trying to say to journalists, human rights workers, and others who may be targets of this spyware to say, hey, you can set your phone to it's sort of a downgraded manner where it's not so susceptible, this kind of hacking, Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Okay. Sean Lyngaas, thank you very much.

It's the top of the hour on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Alisyn Camerota.

The gunman in the Highland Park mass shooting admitted to opening fire on the Fourth of July parade. That's according to the Lake County State's Attorney, who was in the courtroom with the suspect today. A judge denied bail for the 21 year old who's now charged with seven counts of first degree murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN RINEHART, LAKE COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY: Well, his statement was voluntary. He was questioned in the Highland Park Police Department. He was read his Miranda warnings, offered attorneys, et cetera. He went into details about what he had done. He admitted to what he had done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: The County Sheriff's Office also revealed that there were red flags about the shooter well before Monday's mass killing. In April of 2019, police were called about a suicide attempt of his. Five months later, a relative contacted police after the suspect threatened to quote kill everyone in the family. But still he was able to obtain the Illinois equivalent of a gun license in 2020. Today, the prosecutor tried to explain it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RINEHART: There was never a fire arm restraining order. That's what I have used the term red flag. That type of order has never been - Mr. Crimo has never been involved in that type of order. That is an order where primarily family members and other individuals can go to a court and ask that somebody have their firearms taken and not be allowed to purchase firearms. I need to be very clear, that did not happen in Mr. Crimo's case, but a lot of the questions had been about the Illinois State Police internal process.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, can we ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: CNN Security Correspondent Josh Campbell is outside of the courthouse. So Josh, you were at that news conference that we just showed, what did we learn?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We learned a lot from officials, both the prosecutor as well as the local law enforcement official here at the agency running this investigation, and just a short time before that cross - press conference, the suspect had his first appearance in this courthouse behind me. He was appearing via Zoom. I was in there watching.

I'll have to tell you, Alisyn, it was simply chilling watching his face as the charges were read, the prosecutor naming each of the seven victims who were killed in this parade shooting and the suspect stood there emotionless. He was unfazed as the name - names of these victims were being laid out that we're learning from prosecutors that the suspect confessed to his crimes. He went to this parade on the day of July Fourth and climbed onto a roof of a building.

Prosecutor said he had a high powered assault rifle that he used to scan the crowd eventually opening fire and just stunning to hear these details. He reloaded this high capacity magazine twice, firing a 30- round magazine, another 30-round magazine going through nearly all of the ammunition in the third magazine before he decided to flee.

Now, it was while he was fleeing authorities say that he dropped the bag. Inside they later found that weapon. That's how they quickly identify who the shooter was this weapon was registered in his name. As you mentioned, Alisyn, a lot of questions on how he was actually able to obtain that weapon as we've been reporting. There was this previous contact with law enforcement, his family was concerned about him potentially harming himself or harming other people.

Nevertheless, he was able to obtain this state firearms license with the sponsorship of his father because he was underage and obtain those weapons. The one high-powered assault rifle that was allegedly used in this attack.

Finally, Alisyn, one additional chilling detail that we heard about from prosecutors during that that press conference is that after the shooting as the suspect was on the run, he contemplated conducting another mass shooting, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEPUTY CHIEF CHRISTOPHER COVELLI, LAKE COUNTY, IL MAJOR CRIME TAKE FORCE: Investigators did develop some information that it appears when he drove to Madison, he was driving around. However, he did see a celebration that was occurring in Madison and he seriously contemplated using the firearm he had in his vehicle to commit another shooting in Madison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL; Police said he had an additional 60 rounds on him inside that vehicle. So obviously just very chilling there to think that there could have been a second attack. Obviously, the shooter only - he knows why he didn't open fire. He fled back here to Illinois, where he was eventually arrested without incident.

But a lot of details that we're learning about the timeframe before or during after the shooting, of course, one big question is that motive. We've been bordering on this very disturbing online presence that he had.

[15:05:02]

Authorities tell us that they're continuing to dig through that. Thus far, they have filed these seven first degree murder charges. Prosecutors say they are expecting additional charges in the coming days, Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: It just gets more and more disturbing with every new detail that we learn. Josh Campbell, thank you very much.

And we now know the names of all seven people killed at the Highland Park parade. The victims include grandfathers; Stephen Straus, Nicolas Toledo and Eduardo Uvaldo. Educator; Jacquelyn Sundheim. And the parents of a two and a half year old boy, the son of Irina McCarthy and Kevin McCarthy named Aiden was found walking the street alone before a couple took him into their care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG RING, STAYED WITH TODDLER ON SCENE AFTER PARENTS KILLED: When we pulled in, the cops look like they were getting ready for war. I'll never forget I pulled up and I said this is not our kid. It's not his blood. He's okay. What should we do? And the cops said, "We can't be babysitters now. Can you take care of him?" We said, "Of course."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: A neighbor then recognized Aiden and got him back to his grandparents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADRIENNE ROSENBLATT, CONNECTED ORPHANED BOY TO GRANDPARENTS: He didn't know. I don't know how they're going to tell him. How do you tell an 18 month old boy that mommy and daddy are in heaven now?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Aiden's grandfather told local newspapers that Aiden's father shielded the child from the gunfire and the grandfather told the Chicago Tribune, quote, "When I picked him up, he said, 'Are mommy and daddy coming soon?' He doesn't understand." A GoFundMe for Aiden has now surpassed $2 million.

And we're also learning about the final gut wrenching moments for Katherine Goldstein pictured here in the center of this photo. Her daughter told NBC News that she was beside her mother when she was gunned down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIE GOLDSTEIN, MOTHER KATHERINE WAS KILLED IN PARADE SHOOTING: I looked up and I saw the shooter shooting down at the kids. And I told her that it was a shooter and that she had to run. So I started running with her and we were next to each other and he shot her in the chest and she fell down. And I knew she was dead, so I just told her that I loved her. But I couldn't stop because he was still shooting everyone next to me. She was just a good mom. And I got 22 years with her. And I got to have 22 years the best mom in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Joining us now is Lily Wathen. Her grandfather was shot at the parade. Lily, thanks so much for being here. I know these are really hard days for your family. How's your grandfather doing?

LILY WATHEN, GRANDFATHER SHOT AT JULY 5 PARADE: He's doing okay, so thank God. We're so lucky that the bullet didn't hit anywhere major. It hit like his shoulder just a couple inches from his lungs, so he'll be okay, he'll make a full recovery.

CAMEROTA: And as I was - as I understand it, he - your grandparents, both were there to watch you march in the parade. And so what have they told you about what happened?

WATHEN: So they were sitting right in front of Walker Brothers, which is right across from where the shooter was shooting down at. They were there. We go sit there every single year of my life we've gone to this parade and they wanted to be there specifically so that when I pass by in the parade, I would be able to find them there, so that's why they were sitting where they were right across from the shooter.

CAMEROTA: I mean, we have heard from so many doctors that most people can't survive this. I mean, these weapons of war are designed to obliterate their targets. And so how did your grandfather survive?

WATHEN: We think that it's possible the bullet may have hit the ground and then ricocheted back up at him. Because what - from what we've heard, the doctor said that it's shrapnel in his shoulder. It's these fragments of a bullet. So it - we don't think he was directly hit, because if it had directly hit him, obviously, it would have gone through. It would have caused so much more damage, so he really truly got so lucky.

CAMEROTA: So Lily, I mean, you were just saying that this is such a special parade such a special moment in Highland Park. And so what are your thoughts now? I mean, will you go to a parade again? How do you think this has changed the community? WATHEN: I think it's really shaken a lot of people up. It's hard to

say how we'll be in a year but for right now definitely it's scary to even think about going back, I think. It was supposed to be - it was my aunt's 50th birthday, so it was really going to be special and now it's terrible to look back and that's what we think of. When we think of the Fourth of July we think of my aunt's birthday and we think of this horrible tragedy.

CAMEROTA: Yes, understood. As so many of us will now. Lily Wathen, thank you very much. I'm so glad that your grandfather is doing okay.

WATHEN: Thank you so much.

CAMEROTA: Well, the Highland Park community gathered last night paying their respects to the victims of Monday's mass shooting. With us now is clinical counselor Tony Iacubino. His practice is just a few blocks from the site of the shooting and he specializes in trauma response.

[15:10:01]

Tony, thanks so much for being here. Where do you even begin? I mean I know you're a specialist in trauma, but I can't imagine how you're dealing with the wave of trauma that is now in Highland Park. Where do you start?

TONY IACUBINO, CLINICAL COUNSELOR LICENSED IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS: Yes, that's a - it is a complex question, especially being a clinician who practices within the very vicinity. It's impossible to do simultaneously, but a big part of that is checking in with oneself and I include myself in that analysis is to truly try to get oriented, grounded and tried to understand and sort out your purpose.

I was at a similar parade in Lake Bluff, that's just a couple towns over when I got the news and I had to really sort it out in my head, what were my priorities. I'm with my eight year old daughter and my wife and my friends. My instinct was to fly over as fast as I could to Highland Park to be of some assistance.

On the other hand, I didn't want to abandon my family and I wanted to be there for my daughter, especially, not because I thought she was unsafe, but I wanted her to feel safe. So there's all levels of processing that goes on and I think the first - the starting point is to check in with oneself and assess self care and the care of the people immediately around you.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I understand. Although I think that people who have experienced trauma often don't know exactly the impact on it - on them yet, but I understand that you've had some emergency sessions already with people who were at the parade. And so what are they - how are they processing it? I mean, what are they telling you about what they're feeling?

IACUBINO: Yes. I mean, it's not that big of a town, so everybody knows someone. And a couple of the cases are more difficult, because they had risk factors for post traumatic stress disorder to begin with, including history of PTSD. And, of course, the stronger the connections they had to any of the victims, the more acute their reactions were.

So my role is to really - in this - at this stage of the process to help them process because our brains could not adequately process all of this new information that is so emotionally charged. And that's the challenge with PTSD is just processing the incident, which takes time and assistance. And we need to - individuals - rarely can an individual manage on his or her own, so you see the evidence of the community pulling together and that is absolutely needed as it is instinctual for people to do.

CAMEROTA: Yes, understood. I mean, everybody's going to need support. Tony Iacubino, thank you very much for what you're doing for the community and sharing it with us.

This just in, Richmond police are hailing a hero citizen who they say averted a mass shooting planned for the Fourth of July there. The tipster overheard a conversation and notified police on July 1 and then the city's police force worked with Homeland Security and the FBI. And two suspects were subsequently arrested, charged and are now being held without bail.

President Biden is going to speak at any moment about his strategy to manage an economy that may be on the brink of a recession. Also, he's going to announce the final part of the American Rescue Act, so what that means for everyone.

Plus, after public pleas from Congresswoman Liz Cheney, former Trump White House Counsel Pat Cipollone has agreed to sit down with the January 6 Committee. We have all the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:34]

CAMEROTA: The President any moment now is going to speak on the economy and the sticker shock that's hammering Americans. He's also expected to announce new protections for workers and their pensions. CNN Jeremy Diamond is in Cleveland where the President is preparing to take the stage, what's happening, Jeremy?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. As you can hear the crowd behind me are very union heavy crowd, very supportive of President Biden preparing to welcome him on stage where we are expecting President Biden to talk about this new program, a special financial assistance program from the American rescue plan that is expected to help protect the pensions of 2 million to 3 million of workers who are on these multi employer pension plans. And you can hear the President is coming on stage now. I'm going to send it back to you, Alisyn, as we hear the President arrive onstage.

CAMEROTA: Now, as Jeremy just said, he's in Cleveland. He's going to be talking about his economic agenda as soon as he finishes kissing babies and shaking hands, which he's doing right now. He's at the Max Hayes High School. And as you heard Jeremy say, it's a very union heavy crowd there. He's being met with rousing applause and chants and he's going to talk about basically the final rule for the American rescue plan's special financial assistance that will protect millions of workers were told in these multi employer pension plans.

[15:20:08]

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, Cleveland.

CAMEROTA: Here's the President.

BIDEN: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to the orchestra. Thank you very much.

Well, let me start off by saying - I'd get in trouble with my mother, were she here, if I didn't say, "Excuse my back when I'm speaking." I apologize. Number one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) ...

BIDEN: You have my ...

Hello, Cleveland. Before I begin, though, I want to make one serious comment about the shooting and the death of Jayland Walker. The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division; the FBI Field Office in Akron, Ohio; and the local U.S. Attorney's Office are closely monitoring and reviewing what happened.

The FBI continues to coordinate with state and local partners to provide resources and specialized skill. If the evidence reveals potential violations of federal criminal statutes, the Justice Department will take the appropriate action. And I just want you to know what's going to happen.

And now for today's program. Thank you, Bill, for that introduction and for the welcome on behalf of the Ironworkers Local 17 here in Cleveland.

Ironworkers were with me the first time I ran, as a 29-year-old kid, for the Senate. And you're all crazy.

I remember you got a guy named Tommy Schranck who was the president of a Local in Delaware. And he said, "Let's go out and meet some of the guys and women."

We went out to a construction site. We went up a makeshift elevator. We went up 13 floors. They're sitting on 18-inch beams, eating their lunch. I'm thinking to myself, "My God, these guys are supporting me." But they're the guys I grew up with.

The people you heard speak earlier today and I apologize, I'm going to repeat some of what they said. But we all come from the neighborhood. We all come from - no, I mean it. I was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which was a union town, mostly coalmine union town, a lot more.

My great-grandfather was a - worked in the mines, was a mining engineer. And everybody there - there was only one word you heard most often in my family. Not a joke. Most important word wasn't "unions," it was "dignity." "Dignity." Everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity.

My dad - then we moved to a little town - when coal died, we moved to a town called Claymont, Delaware, just across the line in - from Pennsylvania, where the Delaware River bends.

And you used to have over 6,000 steelworkers - were steel. It's all gone now. All of it, gone. Used to be a company town, literally. The hills were all company stores, company buildings. But it's gone. And the union movement began to just crumble in Delaware and in Claymont.

And my dad never belonged to a union, but I say this at the front end: My dad was a salesperson. And he came down from Scranton when coal died. He wasn't a coalminer, but he worked in sales up there.

And I'll never forget: We lived in a - we lived in a three-bedroom, split-level home, like a lot of suburban areas developing in the early '50s and mid-'50s. And there were, I think, 38, 40 homes. And they were - and we had four kids in the family and a grandpop living with us and mom and dad.

And the walls were thin. And my dad - one night, I could tell he was really restless. I could hear him and sort of a - not banging, but leaning up against the wall in the room - my room.

Next morning, I asked my dad had an expression. He said, "Joey, you never complain and never explain. Just get up. Just get up."

And I was wondering what was wrong. And I asked my mom. She said, "The company says no pensions. No pensions."

And so, a lot of you come from families like mine - a lot of the people who stood behind me. Richie Neal from the State of Massachusetts. He is, as my uncle would say - Richie is - he is union from belt buckle to shoe sole, man.

And - but all the folks you heard speak today care about it, because we know what it's like to be deprived of your dignity. We know what it's like to have a father or a mother have to put their head down when they know they can't afford a thing for their kid that they need, whether it's a prescription or whether it's just plain being able to go off to school.

[15:25:06]

And the point I want to make is this: We all understand this. And when I ran for office this time - and I've been a union supporter for my whole career. But I made a promise. I mean it sincerely, and Marty knows this. I guaranteed, when the - when the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed and - back in the '30s - and Roosevelt came along, it didn't say unions were okay. It says we should "encourage" unions. Encourage unions.

Because when unions do well, everybody does well. Everybody does well. Not a joke. Not a joke.

So here's the deal. The deal is quite simple. When I ran, I was criticized for the basis upon which I ran. I said I'm running for three reasons. One, to restore the soul of America - the decency and honor of this country. And, two, to rebuild the backbone of the country. The backbone of the country are the working women and men, the middle class. And there's a middle class for one reason: American unions. That's the only reason there's a middle class. Not a joke. That's a fact. Not a joke.

And when the middle class does well, everybody does well - people have a way up, and the wealthy still do very well.

And so, folks, the third reason I ran was to unify the country - to unify it. That's been the harder part of it right now. No, I'm serious. Because we've become so divided - so divided in this. But one thing we were divided on when we ran - and I want to thank Mayor Bibb for the passport into the city.

But we were divided on the question we're celebrating today.

And, folks, how about actually having a union guy as Secretary of Labor? Isn't that something? Thank you, Marty.

And I know we have a fantastic Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Cleveland's own Marcia Fudge. She's - she wished she was going to be here.

I'm also honored to be here with Sen. Sherrod Brown, a great champion of working folks. He really is. He really is.

And thank you also for the incredible Democratic members of Congress here. Marcy Kaptur - God love you, Marcy. You are the best. She does it all - unions and foreign policy. And for - and you think I'm joking. I'm not joking. She really knows more about foreign policy. She's forgotten more than most members of Congress know.

And, Shontel Brown, just remember me when you're president, okay? All right? Congratulations.

Look, and Richie Neal is not only a strong, strong union supporter and been a great supporter of this legislation, but he's chairman of the most powerful committee in the United States Congress, the House Ways and Means Committee - the guys with the money. The guys with money. And he's led on labored issue - labor issues for decades.

While they couldn't be here, I also want to thank Sen. Tim Ryan - future Sen. Tim Ryan - and Sen. Patty Murray of the State of Washington for their incredible work on this legislation.

With everyone's leadership and with their votes and, most of all, with the unrelenting commitment of labor and all of you, this historic day is made possible. And it really is historic.

This was $90 billion, okay? But it's small in comparison to the bailouts of businesses and major corporations and banks. And, folks, I'm here today to talk about the issue that affects every

single American and their retirement. People around the country wake up every day wondering whether they've saved enough to provide for themselves and their families before they stop working - work at a job that provides basic dignity, a good middle-class job you can raise a family on, a job that provides a dignified retirement and will give you peace of mind.

Think of all the people - and many of you went to bed at night putting your head on the pillow and saying, "Am I going to be all right? Is my family going to be all right? Is my wife or my husband or my child, are they going to be okay?"

It's a dignified retirement with your spouse in the home in your community you worked and lived for your whole life. But the reality is for so many people: The goalposts keep moving. That's probably Trump calling me. I hear that sound there.

[15:30:00]

Unfortunately, this happens to people who need it most: working people in this country. A lot of politicians like to talk about how they're going to do something about it.