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British Prime Minister Under Pressure After Two Top Ministers Resign; Death Toll Rises to Seven, Suspect Charged with Murder; Autopsy Reveals New Details in Jayland Walker Case; Ukraine: Heavy Shelling Reported Across Donetsk Region; Two Million Tons of Grain Harvested in Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhia; Ukrainian Medic Speaks Out After Surviving Russian Captivity. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 06, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

THOM BROOKS, PROF. OF LAW AND GOVERNMENT, DURHAM UNIVERSITY: The press that's been supportive of Boris Johnson and the conservative veteran, has completely turned against him and is easy to see why. Because in situation after situation, whether it be about breaking the COVID rules, whether it be about what to do with upheld allegations against members of the government. It's been -- but every time Boris Johnson does one thing after another. (INAUDIBLE) utter breakdown of trust. Less than 8 percent of the British public trust anything the Prime Minister says. (INAUDIBLE) it's hard to get much worse than that.

And it makes it bad for the government. It makes it bad (INAUDIBLE) and if there was ever a situation requiring a (INAUDIBLE) rollout or (INAUDIBLE) lockdown, trust in the government is at an all-time low. And it's sometimes also terrible for the country trying to renegotiate the Brexit treaty, the EU and (INAUDIBLE) it is critical if you have a leader that no one trusts. (INAUDIBLE) hard to see the (INAUDIBLE). Boris Johnson yesterday (INAUDIBLE).

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Thom Brooks, thanks for joining us not a great line, but thanks for your insight. And thanks for joining us as we follow this story throughout the day.

Authorities in Highland Park, meanwhile, Illinois have charged the suspect in the Fourth of July parade shooting with seven counts of first-degree murder. Seven families now facing the unimaginable task of making funeral arrangements for their loved ones while others are holding vigils at local hospitals hoping their family members will pull through. More now from CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Nicholas Toledo's family says they're broken and numb. The 78-year-old grandfather attended the Highland Park Fourth of July parade with his family. It was supposed to be a day of fun. Instead, it ended as a horrific nightmare. Investigators say the gunman fired more than 70 rounds from a rooftop into the crowd lining the parade route. Jacki Sundheim was struck and killed by the gunfire. North Shore Congregation Israel says Sundheim had worked as a preschool teacher and events coordinator at the synagogue.

In all, the gunman killed seven people with a high powered rifle. One authority say was similar to an AR-15 but declining to provide other details about it. Lake County officials identified four other victims as 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein, 88-year-old Stephen Strauss. Irina and Kevin McCarthy were also killed in the shooting.

Their two-year-old son Aiden was found alive in the aftermath. He's now being cared for by the couple's family. 39 other people at the parade suffered gunshot injury.

DR. DAVID BAUM, TREATED SHOOTING VICTIMS: The people who are gone were blown out by that gunfire.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Dr. David Baum helped treat some of those victims in the aftermath of the shooting as police say the gunman was blending into the crowd and escaping the mayhem.

BAUM: The horrific scene of some of the bodies is unspeakable for the average person. The bodies were literally -- some of the bodies were -- there was an evisceration injury from the power of this gun and the bullets.

LAVANDERA: Dr. Wendy Binstock Rush was a parade spectator. She saw a man with injuries and tried to save him.

DR. WENDY BINSTOCK RUSH, TREATED SHOOTING VICTIMS: People were holding pressure on an abdominal wound that he was profusely bleeding from. The paramedics had what we call an Ambu Bag which is a mask attached to a bag which I could then breathe for the patient, but unfortunately, he had lost way too much blood and his injuries were too severe and he did perish at the hospital.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): During the barrage of gunfire, Barbara Medina was marching in the parade. She ran away from the scene with her seven-year-old daughter in the stampede of people running she tripped and fell. She knew instantly her arm was broken.

BARBARA MEDINA, WOUNDED IN JULY 4TH PARADE SHOOTING: I thought it was gunshots, but I didn't want to believe it. And then it almost -- I was trying to convince myself, no, it's got to be like a drum roll from the band up ahead of us. It's -- it was just like a prrrrr kind of noise. And then all of a sudden everybody started running from Central Street coming around the corner to where we were and that's when I realized, you know, we had to run and get out of there.

LAVANDERA: About 39 other victims of the shooting needed hospital attention. The good news is that the vast majority of those people have already been treated and released. But we're told by hospital officials that at least nine other people are still receiving medical care in at least three different hospitals in the area, one of those includes a 69-year-old man who we are told is in critical condition.

[04:35:02]

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Highland Park, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: In Ohio the body of Jayland Walker who was shot by Akron police dozens of times arrived at the medical examiner's office in handcuffs. That's according in to the autopsy report. The report also reveals the gunshot wound spanned the length of his body from his ankles to his cheeks. Authorities say the 25-year-old black man was killed whilst trying to flee an attempted traffic stop last week. Body cam video shows the police chasing after him. Officials say he was shot after he appears to reach for his waistband, then turn towards officers. He was unarmed at the time. But investigators say a gun was later found in his car. An attorney for Walker's family says that he was sickened after watching the body cam footage and he will seek justice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY DICELLO, JAYLAND WALKER FAMILY ATTORNEY: We had no such threats to these officers. Not one time. You can't find one frame of film where my client's gun is pointed at any officer ever. And having a weapon in the presence of police officers even if, and that is a big if, but even if that is what it was, is not a crime. And by the way, the conversation really needs to stay where it belongs. When he leaves his car, is unarmed and the chief admitted it in his press conference on Sunday. He was unarmed -- and I'm going to echo exactly what the chief said.

Each one of those bullets, and there were over 90 of them, have to be accounted for and have to be shown to be meaningfully shot because each one of them was dealing with a threat. And I need to say this because folks didn't see what I saw, and I don't like saying it, but you know what, his body moved as it laid on the ground as they continued to shoot it. So, I promise you, I will get to the bottom of this and I promise you we are not going to rest with their excuses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Eight officers are on paid leave pending the outcome of that investigation.

Now still ahead, officials in eastern Ukraine are urging residents to evacuate now as Russian forces set their sights on a new target. We're live from Kyiv after the break.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Russia is stepping up attack on eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region the next target in its push to seize the entire Donbas. Ukrainian officials say at least two people were killed and seven wounded amid heavy shelling in Sloviansk on Tuesday. The local governor says there's no longer anywhere safe in Donetsk. Heavy fighting is also under way in Luhansk, the other half of the Donbas. Russia declared victory there on Monday after capturing the key city of Lysychansk. But local officials say fighting continues on the outskirts there.

An estimated 2 million tons of grain meanwhile are being harvested in the Russian controlled parts of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. That's according to the military head of the Russian occupied areas. He also noted that 70 percent of last year's grain harvest from the Russian- controlled areas has already been sold. Our Clare Sebastian is standing by with details on that. But first we are going to go to Scott McLean who's live in Kyiv for us. And, Scott, it does feel as though the Russians have the momentum in that region they're focused on.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It absolutely does. But look, the Ukrainians are not exactly sitting on their hands either. The Russian- backed separatists in that area say that there was Ukrainian artillery strikes that hit the city of Donetsk in an area where it had some parts stores and auto dealerships. And there were subsequent explosions seen in several videos that emerge from that area. Suggesting that there may have been ammunition store there, which suggests that this is a legitimate military target. But the separatists said that there was also a 10-year-old girl killed, something that CNN is not in a position to confirm.

On the other side of the frontlines, the Ukrainians have once again accused the Russians of targeting civilian areas in Sloviansk, calling it pure terrorism after there were strikes on a central market and some other residential areas as well. The local governor has been calling on people to evacuate that area. But as we saw in Lysychansk where thousands and thousands people stayed behind, some people simply will not be convinced until it is too late. The thought of packing up everything you own and leaving your house is a pretty daunting task for a lot of people.

If there is good news, it's that according to the local governor the Russians are being hampered in their efforts to move forward. And so, they are not progressing as quickly as perhaps they would like because they are taking in his words heavy losses. Now CNN is not in a position to confirm any kind of deaths on the Russian side, but there has been commentary even from pro-Russian commentators saying that the fight for Lysychansk was far too costly when it came to human lives -- Max.

FOSTER: OK. Scott in Kyiv, thank you. And Clare, we're getting a better sense of how the grain is being cleaned out effectively from Ukraine and used by Russia as a resource.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Max, they're certainly building up a picture here of what Russia may be trying to do with Ukrainian grain particularly in the areas that it's occupied. This was the Russian-installed head of the military administration in the occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia region, a very agriculturally rich region. He says not only that are they harvesting right now about 2 million tons of grain which will be more than last year's harvest, but he says also that about 70 percent of last year's harvest has already been sold. We don't know exactly who it's been sold to. He said that that was facilitated by the authorities in Crimea. So, sort of mysterious where that has all gone.

But the bigger problem of course for the world is that even though perhaps some is being sold by Russia, not enough grain is getting out of Ukraine. Russia is still blockading the Black Sea ports through which 90 percent of Ukraine's grain and its sunflower oil used to be export exported. Alternative routes are being explored by the international community but they are slow and cumbersome. And so, we're seeing efforts stepped up.

The Turkish President said in a press conference yesterday that he is stepping up meetings frequency. They're trying to broker talks between Ukraine and Russia through the United Nations. He hopes to have some kind of deal in the next 7 to 10 days. And we know as well today, Max, that the G-20 meeting of foreign ministers will take up this issue when they meet in Indonesia.

Time is running out. These are the harvest months. And President Zelenskyy warned on Tuesday that if something isn't resolved here that 60 million tons of Ukrainian grain will end up in jeopardy and trying to be stored if they can't export what's already in storage -- Max.

[04:45:00]

FOSTER: OK, Clare, thank you -- also Scott.

Meanwhile, a Ukraine medic who was captured by Russian forces months ago is finally free and she is speaking out for the first time about her harrowing experience as a prisoner of war. CNN's Alex Marquardt has this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): In this Russian propaganda film, Yuliia Paevska is marched, hooded and handcuffed into a dark interrogation room. The hood yanked off harsh light blinding her.

YULIIA PAEVSKA, "TAIRA", VOLUNTEER PARAMEDIC: (Speaking Foreign Language).

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Paevska, who is Ukrainian, goes by the nickname Taira, and is a famous medic known across Ukraine. Until very recently, she was a prisoner of war, held by Russian and pro-Russian forces made to appear in the propaganda film which accuses her of harvesting organs and compares her to Hitler. After three months in captivity, Taira, who we met today with her husband was freed in a prisoner exchange. But in her first sit down interview since then, it's clear the wounds are still fresh.

PAEVSKA (through translation text): There was physical abuse and psychological pressure. The extreme psychological pressure did not stop for a minute all these three months. Constantly you are told that you are a fascist, a Nazi. MARQUARDT: It sounds like torture.

PAEVSKA: It was, a physical also.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Taira says she was deprived of food for days, beaten and threatened with a death penalty.

PAEVSKA (through translation text): They kept interrogating, but at some point, they realized that they would not get anything out of me. They threw me into solitary confinement into a dungeon without a mattress, on a metal bunk.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): When the war started in February, she headed to the brutal fight in Mariupol, capturing dramatic video on a body camera she wore. In March, as the Russians closed in, the memory card was smuggled out by journalists in a tampon. Then at a checkpoint, Taira was recognized and taken prisoner.

PAEVSKA (through translation text): I asked to be allowed to make a call, call my husband. They said you watched too many American films. There will be no call.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): She says she was told lies about Russian battlefield successes and used against her will as a character for Russian media to claim that their forces are fighting neo-Nazis.

PAEVSKA (through translation text): They are absolute victims of propaganda, of a ruthless propaganda that completely destroys their ability to think critically. If it were not for this, this conflict would not exist at all, I am absolutely sure of it.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): It may be some time before Taira returns to the frontlines. She also wants to train for next year's Invictus Games for wounded veterans as the reality sets in that this will be a long war.

PAEVSKA (through translation text): This is an absolutely ruthless regime that wants to dominate the world. They told me that the whole world only had to submit to Greater Russia and "this is your destiny. You have to accept, just stop resisting."

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Alex Marquardt, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come, a fast moving wildfire tearing through Northern California and it could threaten many homes.

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've got an update regarding the fire burning just to the east of Sacramento, California. An update on that as well as the heat prevailing across the south central United States. Those details coming up in the next few minutes.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOSTER: A wildfire burning in Northern California has scorched nearly

4,000 acres which is more than 1,500 hectares. The Electra fire just started on Monday, but officials say it's already threatening more than 1,200 homes and a crucial power grid. Evacuations and power outages are under way. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is tracking the fire and other weather headlines for you.

MAGINNIS: Max, we've gotten an update regarding the fire burning to the east of Sacramento, already 3,900 acres have burned, only 5 percent contained. There are hundreds of firefighter as well as equipment battling this blaze. We didn't know the origin of this fire but it wouldn't be surprising if it were related to the widespread drought across United States of the West. 76 percent in some sort of drought conditions with 38 percent under extreme or exceptional.

All right, we've got exceptionally hot temperatures across the south- central United States. Very little relief coming up for the next five days as temperatures soar into the triple digits and the heat index values, that's the heat and humidity, soar as well. Possibly over 111 degrees.

Some pretty big thunderstorms rumbling around across the Ohio River Valley and we'll see a little bit of monsoonal moisture across the Southwest. But this dome of heat is going to be baking about 60 million people under some sort of excessive heat advisory all the way from Dallas to Oklahoma City to Memphis and into Birmingham, Alabama. Now the overnight lows are not going to be cooling off that much either, so that's not enough time for the body to really recuperate from the excessively hot temperatures.

All right, look at these temperatures coming up for the afternoon. Oklahoma city, 102 degrees. And for Dallas, 104. Over towards Memphis, 102 degrees with the thunderstorms across the Ohio River Valley. We'll keep you updated on the fire situation to the east of Sacramento. Back to you -- Max.

FOSTER: Also, an update on the markets for you here in the U.S. The Dow is down nearly 700 points in early trading on Tuesday. It recovered later in the day closing flat.

[04:55:00]

The Nasdaq was up by 1.75 percent and the S&P 500 edged up slightly. Fears of recession are at the forefront of investors' minds right now. We are just hours away from the opening bell on Wall Street. Here's a look at what U.S. futures look like. The Dow and Nasdaq and S&P all in the red.

Fast food chain Subway is making major changes to its menu after years of falling sales in the United States. The sandwich shop has streamlined its offerings to cut down on the wait in line in the company's 21,000 U.S. restaurants. The new menu includes 12 sandwiches including new versions of old favorites. An outside research firm says Subway sales slumped in 2021 to just over $9 billion, down from a peak of more than $12 billion in 2013. Now Universal Pictures latest film "Minions: The Rise of Gru" is

making headlines but not just because of its box office record. Movie theaters and patrons are reacting to a new viral trend on TikTok dubbed the "Gentleminions."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GENTLEMINIONS VIDEO)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The social media platform has been flooded with videos of young men dressed in formal wear going to see the film. Though it isn't a harm -- it isn't a harmless trend on in every case though. Because there are reports of some theaters turning away these funny dressed gentlemen after complaints of rowdy crowds trash theaters and requests for ticket refunds from those unable to enjoy the film. Universal seemingly isn't too bothered though with the unusual attire choice.

Tweeting quote: we see you and we love you to those participating.

I want to just bring you an update of all the chaos in U.K. politics. We just heard that another minister has resigned. The Schools Minister Robin Walker. Saying, the government has been overshadowed by mistakes and questions about integrity. That very much reflect what is other ministers are saying on their way out. 13 members of government we think are now out. Not so much a wave of resignations, as an absolute tidal wave. We'll keep you up-to-date.

Thanks for joining me on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster outside 10 Downing Street. We'll bring you the latest on Boris Johnson's political crisis through the day. But "EARLY START" is next with Christine Romans right here on CNN.

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