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Two Top U.K. Ministers Quit In A Blow To Boris Johnson; Russia Shifts Focus To Donetsk After Capturing Key City; Finland And Sweden Move Closer To NATO Membership; July 4th Parade Shooting Suspect Posted Violent Images, Videos On Social Media; Police: Suspect Bought Weapons Legally In Chicago Area. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired July 06, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Could this finally be the end for Boris Johnson? The British prime minister in another fight for his political life after two top cabinet ministers quit.

Plus, bloody battles rage in Ukraine's east. NATO takes another step towards expanding its alliance.

And the escape plan. Investigators say the Illinois parade shooter dressed as a woman in the hope of evading police.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: Two major resignations are rattling the British government and putting further pressure on a prime minister already in a fight for his political future.

In a huge blow to Boris Johnson, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced Tuesday night that they were quitting. Saying they can no longer work for a government hit with a series of scandals.

The latest controversy involves the handling of the deputies chief whips resignation just last week amid claims of misconduct.

At first, Downing Street denied Mr. Johnson knew anything about the previous allegations against Chris Pincher before later admitting that the Prime Minister had been aware.

On Tuesday, he acknowledged that Pincher should have never been appointed to his government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think it was a mistake and I apologize for it. I think in hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do. I apologize to everybody who has been badly affected by it.

And I just want to make absolutely clear that there's no place in this government for anybody who is predatory or who abuses their position of power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: But that apology may have come too late as the prime minister's government saw even more resignations Tuesday. U.K. Solicitor General Alex Chalk said he was stepping down with great sadness, that he cannot defend the indefensible.

And the resignations didn't stop there. CNN's Bianca Nobilo has the details from London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Boris Johnson has faced yet another political battering. It began with the resignation of two heavyweight members of his cabinet. The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak wrote a letter explaining his resignation, saying the public rightly expect the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognize this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I'm resigning.

The Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that the Conservative Party was bigger than one person and that he couldn't in good conscience continue serving Johnson's government.

More resignations then followed including sensationally, one live on air on a British television program. It was the vice chair of the Conservative Party, Bim Afolami.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIM AFOLAMI, VICE CHAIR, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE M.P.: I just don't think the Prime Minister any longer has, not just my support, but he doesn't have, I don't think, the support of the party or indeed the country anymore, and I think for that reason, he should step down.

I think you have to resign. You have to resign because I can't serve under the prime minister.

This spate of resignations was triggered by the prime minister's story changing over whether he was aware of sexual misconduct allegations of someone that he then appointed to a senior position. This prompted frustration and anger amongst his party members already fatigued by months of scandal.

But by acting quickly to reappoint a chancellor and health secretary, it looks like Johnson is trying to shore up his position and that he's showing no signs of wanting to quit yet.

Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: What the U.K. opposition leader says: it's clear Boris Johnson's government is now collapsing. In a statement, Labor Party leader Keir Starmer went on to say "Tory cabinet ministers have known all along who this prime minister is. Backing him when he broke the law. Backing him when he lied repeatedly. In doing so, they've been complicit every step of the way as he disgraced his office and let down his country".

[00:05:07]

KINKADE: Bianca Nobilo spoke earlier with Quentin Peel, an Associate Fellow with the Europe program at Chatham House. She asked him about the pressure piling on Boris Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUENTIN PEEL, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, EUROPE PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: I think he's in a very difficult place because the two who've resigned were probably the two most competent ministers in his government.

And the fact that they have lost confidence in him will seriously undermine his popularity within the party. That's the key to his future.

It's not the fact that he's actually got had some very bad election results. But it's all about him, and the trust he enjoys with the rest of the party. And that I think is all what's being called into question today.

NOBILO: Now, but the amount of scandals that Boris Johnson has created and faced, most prime ministers would have resigned over any of those. Boris Johnson soldiers on. Do you think that he has -- he's slightly detached from the political reality, from the public mood? And actually doesn't realize the parallel that he's in fully? Or do you think that he believes that he's different, and if he just keeps plowing ahead, he can do what no other prime minister could and get through all this?

PEEL: I think it's the latter, I think he does genuinely believe that he's different. I think he also doesn't quite recognize the trouble that he's in.

I mean, this is a man who very much wants to be liked. So, he hates it to think that he's unpopular. But at the same time, he has an extraordinarily thick skin, and doesn't really see when he's made a mess of things.

So, this is why he's undermined his position, because it's not the issue here that really matters, the issue of a minister who was a sexual predator or whatever. It's more the fact that at first, he denied knowing it. Then he admitted knowing it, and he gets the rest of his government to have to sing to his tune. And that's what they're really unhappy about that.

If you like -- I don't want to exaggerate the word lie. But I don't think Boris Johnson really sees the difference between a lie and the truth. It was brilliantly described today by the civil servant, who actually has really put him on the spot, the former head of the Foreign Office, who said he tells the truth with his fingers crossed. That really sums him up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Quentin Peel for his perspective there.

Now, to Ukraine in the grueling battle for the country's Eastern Donbas region.

On Tuesday, Ukraine reported heavy shelling in the city of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region. Reuters is reporting at least two people were killed and seven wounded in the attack.

Shelling was also reported in villages and towns across the region. And the local governor says there's no longer anywhere safe in Donetsk.

Ukraine says heavy fighting is also underway in Luhansk, the other half of the Donbas region. Russia's president declared victory in Luhansk Monday after his troops captured the key city of Lysychansk.

The local officials say fighting continues on the outskirts of the region. Russian backed separatists are accusing Ukraine over another attack in the city of Donetsk, part of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

Officials there say a 10-year-old girl was killed in Tuesday's attack.

Well, as the fighting rages in the east, Ukrainian officials have urged any remaining residents in that region to evacuate. But many either can't or won't, leaving them trapped on the front lines of Russia's brutal war.

CNN's Phil Black reports.

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PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There's no easy, safe way to the most eastern frontlines to the Donbas. Russia has kept the highways, so soldiers, weapons, locals and aid deliveries must all take the back roads.

This Red Cross operation is to Siversk, the small town closest to the region's most intense fighting. The team unloads and very quickly families arrive to load up.

The noise of war, close and loud. No one reacts.

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BLACK: Natalia (PH) is collecting food for her husband and two children. She says they can't leave the town because they fear losing their house and the vegetable garden they rely on to survive. Only a fool isn't scared, she says. But there is no way out. We cannot leave our place.

Lyubov (PH) arrives with her young children. She says they stayed as the Russians approach because she doesn't want to risk being separated from her eldest daughter, who lives in a nearby village.

She says, I called her once. She told me, they are not leaving. Then we lost connection. I don't even know if she's OK.

Lyubov agrees to show us the home where she hopes they can safely wait out the war. It's a walk to the other side of town. But we soon realize that won't be possible.

Their neighborhood is under fire. Incoming artillery from somewhere close. So close you hear the artillery piece fire and the projectiles flash before impact.

The shells fall within the same tight area. Again and again.

We saw all this while only a little further to the east, Russian forces were claiming an important win, taking the city of Lysychansk.

Yes, come to us! Did you go?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

BLACK: The battle for Lysychansk is only a relatively short distance from here. This is likely to be the frontline very soon. But, already, Russia's heavy weapons are falling among these peoples' homes in this town.

It's not safe to stay. But all of these people remain, scared, confused, hoping beyond reason the violence to come will pass them by.

Phil Black, CNN, Siversk, Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, as Russia's war on Ukraine rages on, NATO has taken a major step towards expanding the alliance and boosting its defenses. Members signed an agreement Tuesday that formally starts the process of adding Finland and Sweden to the alliance. NATO Secretary General called it truly historic.

CNN's Nina dos Santos reports.

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NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The 13 members of NATO agreed to sign the so-called protocols of ratification on Tuesday. That means that 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 fledged members yet no, but it does mean that they can attend all the important meetings. They just can't vote at these meetings as 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 this interim sensitive period.

The Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg made clear that this was a win-win and a big moment both for Sweden and Finland, but also for NATO's open door policy.

JENS STOLTENBERG, SECRETARY GENERAL, NATO: 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 a good day for NATO.

DOS SANTOS: What will these two nations bring to the table? Well, substantial armies that are also well stocked and in Sweden's case in particular, promises of much bigger defense spending in the future.

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 know 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.

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DOS SANTOS: 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 these countries was Denmark.

Nina dos Santos, CNN in London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The suspect in the Illinois parade shooting has a history with police. Why officers went to his home twice back in 2019 in the charges he now faces, that story when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KINKADE: Turkish security forces killed a child on Sunday when they're fired on a vehicle carrying dozens of migrants. A Turkish officials says the driver did not obey orders to stop.

A warning, the video we're about to show is disturbing. It shows rescue teams trying to help the child. One report says the victim was a 4-year-old boy from Afghanistan. 12 others were reportedly wounded in the shooting which happened near Turkey's border with Iran. Officials say the vehicle was being used to smuggle migrants, an investigation is underway.

A seventh person has now died in the July 4th parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. The state attorney has announced the suspect in custody is facing seven first degree murder charges and then more charges are expected.

Police have revealed more information about the attack but the one thing that is still not clear is a possible motive.

CNN's Drew Griffin reports.

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CHRISTOPHER COVELLI, DEPUTY CHIEF, LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Afternoon everybody.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Lake County Sheriff's Office reveals two incidents involving the suspect Bobby Crimo. The first in April of 2019, a suicide attempt that was handled by mental health professionals.

COVELLI: The second occurred in September of 2019. A family member reported that Crimo said he was going to kill everyone and Crimo had a collection of knives. The police responded to his residence. The police removed 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from Crimo's home. At that time, there was no probable cause to arrest. There were no complaints that were signed by any of the victims.

GRIFFIN: Police say the suspected shooter pre-planned his attack and getaway for several weeks, leaving his high powered rifle behind, dressing as a woman and slipping away with the retreating crowds. It was that rifle purchased legally and traced back to him that helped police identify the suspect track down his mother's car and make this arrest.

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COVELLI: At this point, we have not developed a motive from him.

GRIFFIN: While police searched for a reason, it turns out there were warning signs posted all across social media. Music videos with dark images depicting violence of school shooting, and a cartoon of a stick figure apparently meant to be the suspect, face down in a pool of blood in a shootout with police.

The actual suspect was arrested without shots fired hours after the shooting. Former classmates tell CNN in high school he was withdrawn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was very quiet. He didn't talk that much. And when he did talk, he seemed very gentle. He didn't seem like aggressive or anything at all.

It was very shocking, especially at somebody I know, very heartbreaking. And I never thought that it could happen in my town or especially somebody that I even know at all.

GRIFFIN: Despite the social media posts, an uncle who lived with the suspect, told CNN and Chicago T.V. station WFLD, his nephew was not violent.

PAUL CRIMO, SUSPECT'S UNCLE: There's been no warning signs as I saw -- as I saw him yesterday evening and I went home, I said hi to him. And then when I came back downstairs, I said bye. He said bye. And that was it. That was normal standards of what I mean. I see no -- nothing that will trigger him for doing this.

GRIFFIN: And the weapon. Do you have any idea where he acquired the weapon?

CRIMO: I'm not sure. I don't know

GRIFFIN: You don't? OK.

GRIFFIN (on camera): Despite what this uncle says we now know of these warning signs, the suicide attempt, the threats on his family, the confiscation of his knife collection by the police, and his disturbing social media posts.

Despite all of that, he was still able to legally purchase weapons, including the rifle police say he used to slaughter seven people.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Highland Park, Illinois. Back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Steve Moore is CNN's Law Enforcement Contributor and a retired FBI supervisory special agent. He joins us from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you. Good to be here, Lynda.

KINKADE: So, we are learning more about the suspect, two times police record to intervene. Once when he threatened to kill his own family back in September 2019.

And yet, three months later, at just 19 years of age, he applied for a firearm owners identification sponsored by his dad that was approved. What do you make of these facts that we're now learning?

MOORE: Well, first of all, it tells me something about the father. I mean, that's just foolishness. Secondarily, it's indicative of where the system is, where the --

where our system of checks and balances with firearms are. How can you three months earlier have the police intervene when you're threatening to kill loved ones and then be able to go out and buy this rifle? It can't be that way.

And so, we are going to have to as a nation have some tripwires, have some red flags somewhere in order to -- in order to make give us at least a fighting chance of stopping these kinds of things.

And the infrastructure doesn't exist. I liken it to after 9/11, we didn't have TSA. But we got it pretty quick.

KINKADE: Yes. And it wasn't just one gun he owned, he owned five guns all bought legally. And his life, this alleged gunman's life was full of red flags. Red flag laws do exist in the state of Illinois, but they're rarely utilized apart from in one particular county.

How could a red flag law effectively stop someone like this alleged gunman from legally buying weapons?

MOORE: It's going to have to be that when you have a call out like that, law enforcement call out, say, just using this as an example that he threatened to kill his family. That's got to go into some kind of database. And that doesn't mean that we're going to use that to adjudicate something and put you in jail. But certainly, that is relevant information for somebody who wants to buy a high powered fast firing long range rifle. I would think.

KINKADE: Yes, I would think too. When we look at what has been done politically, the first bipartisan bill and gun safety in 30 years was signed by the U.S. president just 10 days ago. I want to play a little of what the Republican Senator Mitch McConnell had to say. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): I think yesterday's shooting is another example of what the problem is. The problem is mental health, and these young men who seem to be inspired to commit these atrocities. So I think the bill that we pass targeted the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:25:16]

KINKADE: So, he thinks the bill passed targeted the problem, but clearly didn't prevent this massacre or many other massacres that have happened in recent day. And it's clear, the U.S. doesn't have a bigger mental health problem in other Western countries, but it does have very easy access to high powered weapons.

Clearly, something more has to happen. Other changes are needed. What else do you think can be done?

MOORE: Well, first of all, you know, I don't disagree with him totally. We do have a mental health issue. The problem right now is we're not going to fix that tomorrow. But we can work on access to those weapons in the short term. And so, we have to go at it in both ways.

And in a way, I might argue that the United States has a less robust mental health system than you might find in Europe, still, what was passed the other day is not going to impact things.

I mean, obviously, it wouldn't impact this no matter what, because the gun I believe was already purchased.

But still, we have to go farther with these red flag laws, with these tripwires, whatever we want to call it. We have to have a system in place and an effective and used system.

You know, there's all sorts of laws on the books that nobody ever cares about. Nobody ever looks at. We have to change the mental picture of law enforcement.

I mean, when I was growing up, if you got a DUI -- I was hit by a guy with a DUI, the guy got a big fine.

Nowadays, it's totally different. It changes your life. And it's because law enforcement changed the way they enforced.

And I think we're going to have to have a complete change in how we enforce gun laws as a nation, because we've got the guns, you have to -- you have to use the laws to make gun ownership safe for everyone.

KINKADE: Yes, there has to be better regulation. Steve Moore a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent, thanks so much.

MOORE: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is calling for Congress to stand up to gun makers and reinstate a ban on assault weapons.

She and her husband visited the scene of the parade shooting, meeting with the mayor of Highland Park. Harris says there's no reasons to have weapons of war on the streets of America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We'll deal with what we need to deal with in terms of also as we move forward, all agreeing that we got to be smarter as a country in terms of who has access to what and in particular, assault weapons. And we got to take this stuff seriously as seriously as you are because you have been forced to have to take it seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The County Coroner's Office has identified six of the seven parade shooting victims. They include 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein of Highland Park. A young couple Irina and Kevin McCarthy were also killed. Their 2- year-old son Aiden survived and has been taken care of by family members.

A local synagogue has identified 63-year-old Jacki Sundheim as another one of the victims. Statement says she was a former preschool teacher and events coordinator.

78-year-old Nicholas Toledo was visiting Highland Park from Mexico. He was a father of eight and a grandfather. One granddaughter says he loved fishing, painting and going on walks with his family.

And then, there's 88-year-old Steve Straus, his grandsons tells CNN he was very active. He loves music festivals, the outdoors, and Sunday dinners with his family.

We're going to have much more to come after a short break, including after claiming to hold the coronavirus at bay for more than two years, North Korea reports millions of suspected cases in under two months. The country is faring against the virus after the break.

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KINKADE: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

[00:31:50]

The Chinese city of Xi'an is under partial lockdown after officials discovered a new cluster of COVID cases. A subvariant of the Omicron strain was found in the city that's known to be highly transmissible and good at evading antibodies.

At least 29 infections have been reported so far, with the city conducting mass testing.

And Shanghai is following suit. After months of lockdown, the city has also started another mass testing campaign, after multiple new cases were reported.

Well, it's been nearly two months since North Korea publicly reported its first ever case of COVID-19. For more than two years, Pyongyang didn't acknowledge any coronavirus infections but has since reported more than 4.7 million so-called "fever cases."

The government claims the majority of those patients have fully recovered. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now from Seoul with more on this.

Paula, good to see you. You've been speaking to a doctor who used to treat infectious diseases in North Korea. He's since fled the country. What does he make of the figures coming out of North Korea?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, he says that they are rubber band statistics. He says that is what North Korean citizens know these -- these kind of figures as rubber bands, because they are extremely flexible and elastic with the truth. So he doesn't put any credibility into these numbers, just the very

fact that North Korea at this point is only able to assess fever cases, meaning they simply don't have the capability to confirm whether or not people have COVID-19.

But what we are seeing from North Korea, just Tuesday, just yesterday, they did announce that they thought 99.9 percent of those fever cases have recovered. The infectious diseases doctor I spoke to said don't take any notice of the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Two months into a COVID 19 outbreak, which Kim Jong-un called the greatest turmoil in his country's history, North Korea claims the worst is over. A pandemic that ravaged the rest of the world has claimed just 73 lives so far, according to Pyongyang's figures, a claim universally doubted.

KWON YOUNG-SE, SOUTH KOREA'S UNIFICATION MINISTER (through translator): The COVID-19 situation North Korean state media is reporting is quite different to what other countries have experienced after an outbreak. So I have some questions.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): The world feared an Omicron outbreak amidst an unvaccinated, malnourished population, with primitive healthcare, could be catastrophic.

The U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in North Korea says he's still not able dispel that fear.

TOMAS OEA QUINTANA, U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA: We have some reports about vulnerable people like the elders, some children with nutritional problems, dying due to COVID. But again, it's very difficult to -- to confront that information, at this point.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Choi Jung-hun fled North Korea 11 years ago. He says he worked as a doctor during a measles outbreak in 2006 to diagnose and treat cases, he says he was given just the monitors.

CHOI JUNG-HUN, FORMER NORTH KOREAN DOCTOR (through translator): If we have patients with measles or influenza, all we can do is tell them which medicine they need and how much to take. There's nothing else we can do, because we had no medicine at the hospital.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Kim Jong-un told pharmacies in Pyongyang in May ordering the military to stabilize medical supplies. But defectors say, in reality, patients have to buy their own medicine in local markets, imported or smuggled in from China. Closed borders in recent lockdowns mean there is likely little left.

CHOI (through translator): We were frustrated, because the government funded missile programs, not health care.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Doctor Kee Park is an American neurosurgeon who used to visit North Korea twice a year to work alongside doctors there before the COVID pandemic.

DR. KEE B. PARK, DIRECTOR, KOREA HEALTH POLICY PROJECT, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: They struggled to supply the hospitals with some other things that we take for granted. When they do have some of these supplies, they reuse things until they are unusable.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): He says scalpels were reused until they were blunt but points to recent Chinese customs data from January to April this year, showing Pyongyang imported 1,000 ventilators, more than 10 million masks, and more than 2,000 kilograms of vaccine.

Global Vaccine Alliance, Gavi, said last month they understood North Korea has accepted COVID vaccines from China and started to administer doses.

HANCOCKS: We spoke to one defector who didn't want to be on camera, as her whole family is still in the north. But she said she spoke to them by phone a week after the announcement of the COVID outbreak, and they weren't too concerned about the virus. She says what they were extremely concerned about is the food situation, even going so far as to say it was worse than it had been during the late 1990s, when North Korea suffered a devastating and deadly famine.

QUINTANA: Urging the government of North Korea but also parties involved in the Korean Peninsula, understand that there's a serious risk about starvation of North Korea.

COVID-19 not the only deadly threat in North Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (on camera): Now even Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has admitted that it is a tense food situation and food shortage. And even last year, said to his people that he wanted them to eat less.

Now, we don't know the true scale of the food shortage within the country, but the very fact that the leader himself is acknowledging it shows that things cannot be good -- Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. Interesting reporting. Paula Hancocks, our thanks to you.

Well, still to come, President Biden has received and read Brittney Griner's letter from Russia, amid criticism that his administration is not doing enough to bring her home. We'll have a live report from Washington.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. A massive database containing personal information of as many as one billion Chinese citizens was apparently left unsecured and publicly accessible for more than a year.

[00:40:05]

It was only shut down after an anonymous user on a hacker forum offered to sell the data last week for 10 bitcoin. That's roughly 200,000 U.S. dollars.

The user alleged the database was collected by the Shanghai police and included names, addresses, phone numbers and national I.D. numbers. Cyber-security experts say it could be one of the biggest data leaks in history.

Well, the White House says President Joe Biden has read the handwritten letter he received from WNBA star Brittney Griner, who's incarcerated in Russia.

It comes just days after Griner's wife told CNN she felt the U.S. government was not doing enough to bring Griner home.

CNN's Brian Todd reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Basketball star Brittney Griner sending a handwritten letter to President Biden, delivered to the White House on the Fourth of July. She pleaded for the president to do more to win her release and not to forget about her or the other Americans being held in Russia.

One excerpt reads, quote, "I'm terrified I might be here forever."

STEVE HALL, FORMER CIA HEAD OF RUSSIA OPERATIONS: Anybody who is stuck, especially as an American or any other Westerner who stuck in a western jail is going to -- is going to sense, you know, a very strong sense of desperation and I need to get out of here. And that's perfectly acceptable. It's perfectly understandable. These places are nothing short of horrible.

TODD (voice-over): In other excerpts, Griner tells Biden, quote, "Please do all you can to bring us home. I miss my wife. I miss my family. I miss my teammates. It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now."

One analyst says that this does more than put added pressure on the White House.

HALL: It is in the Russians' interest to have this be as high-profile as possible, because they can drive a harder bargain when they want to try to get a hostage release, because that's what, really, this is. It's a hostage situation.

TODD (voice-over): Griner's being tried in Russia on drug smuggling charges. At her trial, Russian prosecutors said she was carrying less than a gram of cannabis oil when she was apprehended in February.

Griner's letter to President Biden comes just after Griner's wife, Cherelle, in an exclusive interview with CNN, implied not enough was being done.

CHERELLE GRINER, BRITTNEY GRINER'S WIFE: It's really, really difficult. You know, this is not a situation where, you know, the rhetoric is matching the action. I do have to, you know, unfortunately, also push people to make sure

the things that they're telling me is also matching their actions. And so it has been the hardest in the balance, because I can't let up.

TODD (voice-over): The Biden administration responded to Cherelle Griner's interview by saying they're actively engaged in the case, but they're now also being accused of a double standard.

On Monday, Griner's WNBA coach speculated what would happen if NBA star LeBron James was held by the Russians.

VANESSA NYGAARD, HEAD COACH, PHOENIX MERCURY: If it was LeBron, he'd be home, right? 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.

TODD (voice-over): And another WNBA executive made another comparison regarding Griner's case.

JAMES WADE, HEAD COACH AND GENERAL MANAGER, CHICAGO SKY: Why did we have to sign a petition? Like why? Let's pretend like it's Tom Brady. Would we have to sign a petition then?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: I absolutely think those are fair comparisons to make. A woman who is gay, who is black not getting anywhere near the coverage that one of the top male athletes would get.

TODD: The White House says President Biden has read Brittney Griner's letter and that he prioritizes bringing her home.

Griner's wife, Cherelle, has already met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and with national security adviser Jake Sullivan. And she's now pressing for a personal meeting with the president himself.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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KINKADE: Well, thanks so much for joining us for this edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. WORLD SPORT starts after the break. And I'll be back with much more news at the top of the hour.

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