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Former W.H. Counsel Pat Cipollone Testified For More Than 7 Hours; Biden signs Executive Order In Wake Of Scotus Abortion Ruling; Women's March To Rally For Abortion Rights In D.C.; Biden Signs Executive Order Aimed At Safeguarding Abortion Rights; Elon Musk Says He Wants Out Of His Deal To Buy Twitter; Elon Musk Wants To Terminate His $44 Billion Deal To Buy Twitter. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired July 09, 2022 - 09:00   ET

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

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[09:00:50]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Jessica Dean.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Jessica. Don't adjust your T.V.s. I'm Boris Sanchez.

Michael Smerconish has the weekend off. We hope he's on a beach somewhere enjoying himself.

DEAN: Enjoining himself in the sun somewhere.

SANCHEZ: Wearing sunscreen, hopefully.

DEAN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Happening now in the Newsroom, former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone spending seven hours with the January 6 committee. What we're learning about his testimony and how it could shape future hearings.

DEAN: The Biden administration is celebrating a better than expected jobs report. But economists say that could spell bad news for the effort to tamp down inflation.

SANCHEZ: Plus, deal or no deal, Elon Musk eager to walk away from his bid to buy Twitter. What the company's board has to say about that?

Newsroom starts right now.

DEAN: A very good morning to you. It is Saturday, July 9, and we're so happy to be with you this morning.

SANCHEZ: Yes, great to have you, Jessica.

Up first, a key witness testifying before the January 6 committee for more than seven hours. Three different sources familiar with Pat Cipollone's testimony describing it as very important and extremely helpful. Cipollone, remember, was among the handful of people who spent time with then President Trump as they watched the Capitol riot unfold on television.

DEAN: The committee is trying to determine what Trump was doing and how he reacted to the violence in real time. This interview was behind closed doors, but it was recorded and portions will likely be shown at upcoming hearings. The next one this coming Tuesday will focus on how the violent mob that attacked the Capitol came together and the role of the extremist groups.

SANCHEZ: For more on Pat Cipollone's appearance before the January 6 committee, let's bring in CNN Reporter Marshall Cohen.

Marshall, what can you tell us about what Cipollone did and did not say behind closed doors?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, guys. Great to see you --

DEAN: Hi.

COHEN: -- both here in D.C.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

COHEN: This is a huge moment for the committee, right? Just zoom out for a second, it was not a given that this was going to happen. They interviewed 1000 witnesses over the past year, not him. And these public hearings began this summer. They issued private pleas trying to get him to come in.

They issued a public plea. Liz Cheney went public during one of those previous hearings and named names and said Pat Cipollone you need to come in. So he finally did yesterday. As you mentioned, more than seven hours, nearly eight hours behind closed doors, that's longer than a lot of other witnesses. What did he say? Hopefully we're going to find out soon.

They have another hearing on Tuesday. But we have heard from sources that describe the interview as moving the ball forward on President Trump's dereliction of duty, those critical hours on January 6 when the violence was raging, people were getting killed, people were getting hurt on the Capitol and he just sat in the White House and did not intervene. That's a key focus for the committee.

But you know what, don't listen to me, why don't I tell you what, Representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat on the committee, she was there, this is what she told our colleague, Wolf Blitzer, about the Cipollone deposition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): I will say Mr. Cipollone did appear voluntarily and answer a whole variety of questions. He did not contradict the testimony of other witnesses. And I think we did learn a few things, which we will be rolling out in the hearings to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: As you said, they got it all on tape. It was videotaped deposition. You can imagine they're going to rush those clips to the American people. Their first chance is Tuesday. Next big hearing.

DEAN: All right. You'll be watching, we'll be watching. Marshall Cohen, thanks so much for being here. Good to see you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much, Marshall.

So, the White House is touting President Biden's economic policies after the U.S. labor market added 372,000 jobs in June. That's far exceeding expectations and slightly easing fears of a coming recession. As you can see on your screen, unemployment held steady at 3.6 percent.

DEAN: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh says the Biden administration is pacing itself to avoid an economic slowdown.

[09:05:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTY WALSH, U.S. LABOR SECRETARY: The President is not taking a wait and see approach, but I think literally this is a kind of month-by- month approach to see how we're moving forward. So I don't want to say we're going to be in a recession, because we're doing everything we can to get our economy bring inflationary costs down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: But these gains are still being outpaced by sky high inflation and slowing wage growth. Let's go now to CNN's Rahel Solomon for a breakdown on the latest jobs report.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris, Jessica, if we're heading toward a recession, no one told the job market. Friday's report confirming the labor market remains very strong. The U.S. economy added 372,000 jobs in the month of June, well above expectations, and the unemployment rate held steady at 3.6 percent. Job loss and recessions tend to go hand in hand. And we're not seeing signs just yet of a weakening in the labor market.

But at a time when inflation is at 40-year highs, the report has some economists concern that continued job growth like this makes the Feds job of fighting inflation even harder. Demand for workers has already been incredibly strong. There are about 1.9 job openings for every person looking. So, some companies are raising wages to attract workers.

That's good news, except if we're in a situation where inflation is outpacing wage growth. So essentially, you're making more but can afford less, it's a vicious cycle. The Fed has made clear its focus is bringing down inflation when the Fed raises rates and makes borrowing more expensive and consumers and businesses tend to spend less bringing down demand and ideally prices. The Fed is expected to continue to raise interest rates in the months ahead. Some welcome news for the Fed in this jobs report, wage growth has actually slowed in the past several months, still high, but moderating, suggesting that the overheating in the labor market may be beginning to cool, and that could lead inflation lower.

Learn a lot more on the inflation front when the federal government releases a key inflation report on Wednesday. Boris, Jessica

DEAN: All right. Rahel Solomon for us, thanks so much.

New concerns this morning about another coronavirus surge as the latest CDC data shows nearly a third of Americans live in a county with a high COVID-19 community level.

SANCHEZ: And right now, that includes major parts of the country, including New York, Houston, Las Vegas, and Miami as well. Let's bring in CNN's Polo Sandoval, he's been following all of this for us.

And Polo, the CDC is urging folks to wear masks indoors in these areas.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is beginning to shape up like the summer of some variants, guys, that's because the two key ones that are concerning officials right now Omicron's BA4 and BA5. Not only is there that high transmissibility, but also this vaccine evasive characteristic here that certainly concerning authorities.

Now, we do need to remind viewers, getting vaccinated continues to be the best way to stay out of the hospital or worse. Up in unless, they certainly have seen a significant increase in various parts of the country. About three fourths of those cases, right now are made up of those sub variants.

When you look at those maps, you can really see where they have seen at least a 55 percent increase. About 32 percent of Americans right now living in communities are determined to be high COVID-19 community levels. You're talking about Las Vegas is Clark County, Houston's Harris County are some areas of particular concern, Miami Dade, and here in New York City where we've seen a 14 percent test positivity rate, which is what we have -- the highest that we've seen, perhaps, in recent months here.

So much yesterday, city officials here basically reissuing the recommendation, not a mandate, but simply the recommendation that people in public indoor spaces and in outdoor spaces don't only use masks, but use more of those high quality masks as well. Here, the city also reevaluating the way that it continues to keep residents up to speed on the latest situation, for example, Eric Adams yesterday basically saying that they're phasing out this color coded COVID alert system, they're evaluating what kind of tools will be needed now to sort of adjust with this ongoing fight against the virus here, basically bringing in other experts to see exactly how they would approach this. But nonetheless, when you begin to see these numbers, that's a big area of concern. Good news, though guys, hospitalizations and deaths, those either continue to remain steady or potentially continue to remain low. But again, just a quick reminder that not every single part of the country is out of the woods.

SANCHEZ: Yes, COVID is still out there. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

So, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at protecting access to reproductive health services in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe versus Wade. In his speech yesterday, Biden made clear that the best way to protect the right to abortion is to codify Roe versus Wade into law by voting. In the meantime, Biden's executive order attempts to soften the impact of the Supreme Court's ruling.

DEAN: CNN's Jasmine Wright is joining us now.

And Jasmine, tell us what some of the steps that the administration laid out in this executive order. What have they got here?

[09:10:01]

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN REPORTER: Well, the President laid out some incremental steps really as his administration is trying to find ways to protect access to abortion. And now when laying out those steps yesterday in the Roosevelt Room, the President use a really strong language here. And I want to tell you about it. He said that it was a terrible extreme and totally wrongheaded decision from an out of control. Supreme Court really ratcheting up that rhetoric there.

Now, when it comes to this executive order, the President's head is going to do various amounts of things. And that includes safeguarding access to abortion care and contraceptives, especially as this administration really tries to expand access to medication abortion, they want to protect patient privacy, especially as they warn Americans about using those period tracking apps and the data on it and establish an interagency task force to use every federal tool available to protect access to reproductive health care, among other things.

Now, notably here, Jessica and Boris, what the administration really isn't doing or what they already said that they're doing is laid out this executive order. There are very few things that are new and concrete steps that this administration has laid out in this executive order. And that's because of one thing that the President continues to say over and over again, which is that his ability to do things unilaterally just with a stroke of his pen is limited. Instead, he's saying that change comes from the people, it comes from political change. Take a listen to making this argument yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We need two additional prochoice senators and a prochoice House to codify Roe as federal law. Your vote can make that a reality.

I know it's frustrating and it made a lot of people very angry, but the truth is this, and it's not just me saying it, it's what the court said. When you read the decision, the court has made clear it will not protect the rights of women, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: So obviously a sincere message from the President there. But the reality is here is that it falls short of the urgency of which abortion advocates, liberal Democrats want to see this White House move. Still though, the White House says that every option is on the table when it considers potentially additional steps when trying to keep protections in place for women when they want to access abortions in the country.

SANCHEZ: Yes, the White House limiting the scope of that executive order. Some Democrats wanted them to build abortion clinics on federal land. The White House thinking that would probably wind up in a courtroom somewhere.

WRIGHT: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: Jasmine Wright, thank you so much for the reporting.

DEAN: Thank you, Jasmine.

SANCHEZ: Looking overseas now, the body of slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is back in Tokyo. Abe's body arrived today in his hometown accompanied by his wife after his assassination in the western city of Nara when he was making a campaign speech.

DEAN: Funeral Services will take place Monday and Tuesday. In the meantime police investigating the killing searched the home of the suspected gunman. Police say he has confessed to that shooting.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Tokyo with more on the suspect, including police reports that he made, Paula, multiple types of guns. What else can you tell us?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, there are multiple threads to this. We'll start with the suspect himself, a 41-year-old homeless man -- unemployed man who, police say, attacked the former prime minister at 11:30 in the morning. Now they say that he used a homemade gun. Later that afternoon, Friday afternoon, they went and searched his apartment and found a number, multiple they said, of homemade guns.

They said that they were made of iron pipes which were taped together. There were some with three pipes, some with six, some with five. And they say that -- they believe that he bought many of these parts online in order to create his own gun. Now they also believe that he did use the most powerful of those weapons in order to attack Shinzo Abe.

Now, Abe's body, as you say, is here in Tokyo. This evening, we have been outside his house and we've seen a number of people coming to pay their respects.

But back in Nara, we understand the investigation is still very much underway. The police chief himself has said that he feels responsibility, he takes responsibility for what has happened, saying that there were problems. He cannot deny that there were problems with the security detail for Shinzo Abe on that day and that there is an investigation into that as well.

Now as you say, there will be funeral services. On Monday, there will be a wake for Shinzo Abe. On Tuesday, there will be a memorial service.

We understand from NHK, though, public broadcaster here in Japan, that they could well be just for family and also for close friends of Abe. It's not clear at this point what, or if anything, will be done publicly for Japan and for those around Japan. But we have seen globally that there is shock and there are commiserations and condolences coming from around the world. Flags flying at half-mast, for example, in Washington.

[09:15:07]

And here, the Tokyo Tower behind me, no lights on it this evening to pay tribute to the former prime minister.

DEAN: An outpouring from all around the world. Paula Hancocks, thanks so much for that reporting, we appreciate it.

So ahead this morning, officials in Uvalde pushed back on a damning report that officials could have taken out the shooter and did not. What we're learning from that report? And what kinds of questions investigators looking into the police response may have.

SANCHEZ: Plus, more protests expected today in the nation's capital following the reversal of Roe versus Wade. We'll take you there live after a quick break.

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[09:20:03]

SANCHEZ: The mayor of Uvalde, Texas is pushing back on a damning assessment of the law enforcement response to the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. The report details a moment where Uvalde police officer with a rifle spotted the gunman outside the school. But when he apparently reached out to a supervisor for permission to shoot, they either didn't hear him or didn't respond. The mayor of Uvalde is now disputing that account along with other findings in the report.

So let's dig deeper with CNN Senior Legal Analyst Andrew McCabe. He's the former deputy director at the FBI.

Sir, grateful that you can share part of your --

ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER DEPUTY FBI DIRECTOR: Sure. SANCHEZ: -- weekend with us. I've never seen anything like this.

MCCABE: Yes.

SANCHEZ: An investigation with so many contradictory statements at its core. What is going on in Uvalde?

MCCABE: That's a great question, Boris, and I don't think we know at this point. The only thing we can say is -- the only thing that's been consistent is these layers of misrepresentation followed by shocking revelations of what appears to be really poor handling of the crisis situation, then followed by confusing statements from the mayor and others. So, it's been a really very confusing and frustrating time for us. And you can imagine what that must be like for the families of the victims who are desperately seeking information about what happened to their loved ones.

SANCHEZ: It must be infuriating for them, not only to go through with this, but then also just the lack of answers --

MCCABE: That's right.

SANCHEZ: -- and the lack of clarity. There is a federal probe into what happened in Uvalde, how can federal investigators shed some light on this situation?

MCCABE: Well, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice had been very clear that their investigation is really an effort to find out -- to identify best practices, to find out what happened and what should be done the next time. So they're not looking, at least, on the surface for things like criminal violations and prosecutions.

But I think the federal probe, bringing in investigators who have a lot of experience with crisis situations, with forensic evidence from crisis situations, we have a better chance about getting and actually neutral, objective, holistic view of everything that took place and where the response really fell short.

SANCHEZ: Andrew, while we have you, we want to pivot to the news this week that you were involved --

MCCABE: Yes.

SANCHEZ: -- and apparently the IRS asking a watchdog to look into a choice to conduct, really uncommon rare tax audits of yourself and former FBI Director James Comey during the years when Donald Trump was president. You've called this a good first step. What are you hoping comes of this investigation?

MCCABE: Well, Boris, I mean, the facts that we know, the fact that both Jim Comey and I were subjected to these audits that are conducted, apparently, randomly, or according to the IRS, people are selected completely at random, the odds of that happening are so incredibly remote. And then layer on top of that, what we know about how Jim Comey and I were both treated by the former administration, both obviously targeted by President Trump, it still continues to this day in many of the statements, public statements. I think that gives rise to a very strong indicator that this needs to be investigated.

So what I'm looking for here is a thorough and transparent investigation by the I.G. I think they should conduct that as quickly and as well as they can. But essentially, they need to release the results of that investigation to the public in an effort to rebuild America's trust in the IRS.

SANCHEZ: Former Director Comey implying to the "New York Times" that Trump likely abused the IRS to go after you and his political enemies. Are you on the same page? Do you agree? Do you believe that this comes from the top?

MCCABE: Well, I don't know the answer to that. I think it's absolutely a possibility. I don't like to draw conclusions before the investigation is completed. But again, let's look at what we do know.

We do know that Trump has a long history of abusing the levers of power of abusing our institutions like the Department of Justice and other places to accomplish his own political goals and vendettas and whatever that might be. So, could that have happened here with the IRS? I think it's absolutely a possibility that needs to be looked into.

SANCHEZ: The White House would not say on Thursday if President Biden maintains confidence in the IRS commissioner. He's been serving since 2018. Are you confident that Charles Rettig is doing what needs to be done?

MCCABE: I was discouraged by their initial reaction, the statements from the IRS referring to the whole thing as ludicrous, which obviously it's not ludicrous. But they did make the right referral. The I.G. is now -- has got the matter for investigation. So, let's wait and see how they handle that.

SANCHEZ: Do you have any message for the people that are investigating this? Any potential prosecution that you would like to see if there is wrongdoing found?

MCCABE: You know what, I just feel like we need to understand completely and thoroughly what happened here.

[09:25:00]

I have no doubt that the IRS is populated almost, you know, entirely by loyal, patriotic, dedicated men and women who are -- who have taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution and do their jobs well every day. Could there be some among them who have maybe strayed or made some poor decisions along the way with respect to these two audits, that's possible. That's what we need to find out.

SANCHEZ: Andrew McCabe, we have to leave the conversation there. Appreciate you being with us.

MCCABE: Thanks, Boris. Good to be here.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much, of course. DEAN: Supporters of abortion rights are gathering right now in Washington. And later this morning, they will march to the White House to demand reproductive freedom. More on that when we come back.

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DEAN: Minutes from now protesters will march through Washington, D.C. demanding the Biden administration take action to protect abortion rights.

SANCHEZ: It's part of what organizers are calling a summer of rage after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe vs Wade. Let's take you now to downtown Washington, D.C.

[09:30:00]

And CNN's Brian Todd. Brian, this week President Biden signed that executive order addressing abortion, but organizers that you are hearing from say that it is too little too late.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Boris and Jessica. I'll set the scene for you here as the protesters are starting to gather here in Franklin Square Park with their signs they're checking in over here, then they're going to gather in this area here, and listen to some speakers. And then they're going to take this protest about five blocks from here to the White House where they are planning a sit-in in front of the White House.

You mentioned that it's too little too late in the minds of these abortion-rights protesters. They are frustrated. They are angry, not only with the Supreme Court ruling of two weeks ago, but they're still frustrated with the Biden administration who in their view maybe has not acted quickly enough or strongly enough to counter what the Supreme Court did two weeks ago.

I am here with Rachel O'Leary Carmona. She's the executive director of the Women's March. Rachel, thanks for joining us. You issued a statement yesterday, the Biden executive order, which called for better access to medication, abortion, and emergency contraception, things like that. You, in your statement said waiting two weeks and signing a piece of paper won't cut it. Why won't it cut it in your mind?

RACHEL O'LEARY CARMONA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WOMEN'S MARCH: Well, I think that everything that we love is on the line. And so we are not just talking about right to abortion, we are talking about needed healthcare access. We have already seen the implications of which in states like Ohio, where a woman -- a young woman, a child as young as 10 years old could not get the care that she needed and had to cross state lines. And so we really want to see the Biden administration, the Democrats in general, do everything that they possibly can which we know is not everything but it has to be something.

TODD: What do you think they should do, realistically, what can they do from here? O'LEARY CARMONA: Realistically speaking what we are looking for is an executive order that calls for a whole of government response to this including an order for a public health emergency that can get us the care that we need right now and some levels of specificity around what exactly the E.O. means for everyday women. You know, the kind of information that folks who are just in states needing care, scared, alone, you know, need to know so that they can know that this administration is fighting for us the way that we are fighting ourselves and the way that we fought to elect them.

TODD: Rachel, thank you very much for joining us. Good luck with the event today and we will see you a little bit later. All right.

So you have it there, that's again, too little too late from the Biden administration in the minds of these protesters. We're going to see how the crowd is. They're going to be braving some intermittent rain here as they then take their protest a few blocks to the White House. And again, they are kind of devising strategies as they go here, to counter what the Supreme Court did two weeks ago. They're going to -- you heard Rachel say it, it is going to probably involve a state-by- state strategy as they go. So again, this is an evolving kind of counter campaign to what the Supreme Court did, it kind of starts here today, guys. Back to you.

DEAN: All right. Brian Todd for us live in downtown Washington, D.C., thanks so much.

SANCHEZ: So, Tesla founder Elon Musk has told Twitter he wants out of that $44 billion deal to buy the company.

DEAN: In a regulatory filing released yesterday, a lawyer representing Musk accused Twitter of breaching multiple provisions of the original deal, which was signed back in April. And for more on this, here with us now, is CNN's chief media correspondent Brian Stelter. Brian, good morning to you. What else do we know about Musk's reversal here?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: We know this is setting up a massive legal battle but Musk has lots of lawyers on his side, and Twitter probably has just as many on the other side. You know, it has been several months since Musk agreed to buy Twitter. He was offering a very high price, much higher than any other -- anyone else in the marketplace. And now, there is an incredible amount of uncertainty about the future of Twitter because Musk seems to be trying to back out.

Now with Musk you never quite know what is going on for sure. You've always got to be skeptical, that is why many people were skeptical about this deal when it was first announced. Then now there is skepticism about whether he can get out of the deal, after all, when you agree to buy a company over $44 billion, it is not something you just write down in pencil, you have signed it in pen, you have signed it in ink, you have done a lot of different things to commit to actually going through with the transaction.

He is trying to get out of it by saying that Twitter has broken its side of the deal by not being honest about fake accounts, bots and trolls on the platform. But, you know, Musk had lots of time for what is known as due diligence to go ahead and think about whether to buy the company before he agreed. So, we are going to see if he can get out of it or not.

SANCHEZ: And the question, Brian, is there that portion of the contract, where he could be on the hook for $1 billion, does that still stand, what happens next?

STELTER: That is right, a breakup fee, a $1 billion breakup fee is one possibility, but Twitter is board intend -- is indicating they want to hold him to the $44 billion. They are saying to Musk, show me the money.

Here is -- here is the tweet overnight from Twitter's board chair Bret Taylor. He says -- quote -- "The Twitter Board is committed to closing the transaction on the price and terms agreed upon with Mr. Musk and plans to pursue legal action to enforce the merger agreement. We are confident we will prevail."

[09:35:01]

They basically say, we'll see you in Delaware, we will see you in court, you better fork over the $44 billion. Why is Twitter saying that? Because they don't see any other offers. They don't see any other bidders who would match Musk's price and they don't believe the stock is going to get it back up as high as Musk's is offering.

So the Twitter board they want to cash out. They believe their shareholders want to cash out and they believe Musk has to pay up. This could go on for months but more likely this could go on for years in court unless there is some sort of agreement where Musk pays a lower price and does buy the platform, or does pay that $1 billion breakup fee. But even if he pays that $1 billion breakup fee, there are big questions about the future of this platform, one of the most important communications platforms in the world and no one knows what is going to happen to it.

SANCHEZ: Yes. That valuation caught a lot of people off guard. Nobody thought that someone would pay that much for Twitter.

STELTER: Right.

SANCHEZ: Brian Stelter, as always, thanks so much. We'll be seeing you tomorrow on "RELIABLE SOURCES" starting at 11:00 am. Thanks, Brian.

STELTER: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Russia launched a new attack on Ukraine's second largest city this morning. And after the break we're going to take you there live to Kharkiv where residents are just starting to assess the damage.

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[09:40:16] DEAN: Ukrainian authorities say a missile -- a Russian missile attacking Kharkiv has injured at least four people including a child. Official say that attack targeted a residential part of the city.

SANCHEZ: It comes just as the United States announced close to $1 billion in additional assistance. The State Department also announcing it is sending a humanitarian aid package worth nearly $368 million. The White House already said it was sending $400 million in security assistance.

CNN's senior national security correspondent Alex Marquardt is on the ground in Kharkiv where that shelling attack has displaced several people. Alex, what are you seeing there?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Boris and Jessica. That is right, this city, Ukraine's second biggest city was rocked at 10:00 am by a huge strike in the center of the city. Video and social media showed the massive impact of that Russian missile.

We visited that site. We saw the huge crater in the ground in the courtyard of a residential building. Two floors of that residential building did collapse. Luckily, no one was killed. We understand that at least three people were hospitalized but it just speaks to the daily attacks that this city is under from Russian forces.

Now, Ukrainian troops have managed to push those Russian forces back towards the Russian border but it is -- there is a sense that they may renew their attacks. Now, Ukrainians have been able to take back many of the towns and villages that were occupied by Russian forces. We actually visited one of those villages yesterday. We went out there with postal service workers who were on a very specific and important mission. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT (voice-over): In downtown Kharkiv this team of postal workers is gearing up for a trip to the front lines, a village that, until recently, was occupied by Russians. Their mission is critical. They have cars full of cash to deliver to Ukrainian pensioners who rely on the meager funds to survive.

They drive past fields littered with mines to Vilkhivka where the older residents have already gathered in the small post office pockmark by shrapnel. Only the most vulnerable people stayed here, says the head of today's operation.

MARYNA GULEVSKA, UKRAINIAN POSTAL SERVICE (through translator): During the Russian offensive it was impossible to evacuate these people. We come here because no one else will help them.

MARQUARDT: Bills are counted out, and one by one, they collect around $100 at the counter, their pension for an entire month. Seventy-eight- year-old Stepania Leskiv has come from nearby. We walked back with her, passed a school that was destroyed. Stepania's home also lies in ruin, hit in late March. She bursts into tears at the sight of it. And says the shelling happened right in front of her. The house started burning, I fell down, I managed to crawl out to the road, she said.

STEPANIA LESKIV, RESIDENT (through translator): In 20 -- 30 minutes, everything was burned down.

MARQUARDT: She is staying with a neighbor, but worries what will happen when winter comes. She is a widow whose son died from the Chernobyl disaster. I wish it was over for me, she says.

LESKIV (through translator): When the bombing starts, I don't know where to hide.

MARQUARDT: Russian forces occupying much of this region have been pushed back by Ukrainian troops. Fear is growing they will try to come back soon. These Ukrainian soldiers claim they are ready.

They might be stronger than us in numbers and in weapons, you know that, this soldier says.

OLEG, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER (through translator): But we are much more motivated. We will be fighting until her last bullet, so they don't take our land.

MARQUARDT (on camera): These Ukrainian forces have positioned this rocket launcher here, among the trees to try to hide it on the edge of this field. This is called an Uragan. It's an old Soviet era Ukrainian rocket launcher. It is much more basic with far less range than the handful of American rocket launchers that have just been given to the Ukrainian military.

But this is what these troops have and they tell us that their commanders today have given them the coordinates of a Russian position inside Ukraine to fire on. And in a couple moments they will drive this truck with its rockets a short distance away, and target that Russian position.

(voice-over): The launcher rumbles into the middle of the field, and fires four rockets in quick succession. Black smoke trailing into the sky. We move out, in case there is a response. But, the soldiers' day is just getting started.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: And, Jessica and Boris, those soldiers on the front line telling us what they need is more and more sophisticated weapons from the West in order to stop Russia. The Pentagon says that more is on the way. On Friday, they did announce $400 million more of security assistance and that will include four more of those HIMARS systems.

[09:45:02]

Those are those advanced highly precise longer range rocket systems that will bring the total number of HIMARS donated to Ukraine to 12. Now the Russians claimed that they have destroyed two, that has been denied by both the U.S. and Ukraine. The U.S. also sending 1,000 more artillery shells, that are a new type, they say, and more precise to try to push back the Russians, who are expected to launch a new offense, particularly in the eastern part of the country, in the Donbas region in the near future. Boris, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Alex Marquardt live in Ukraine for us with excellent reporting this morning. Thank you so much, Alex.

Up next, why the Republican governor of Virginia is taking a slightly more measured approach to banning abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:50:20]

DEAN: As Republican-led states across the country quickly moved to restrict abortion access after the overturning of Roe versus Wade --

SANCHEZ: -- Virginia's recently elected Republican governor is trying to carry out a balancing act in a purple state that is divided pretty much right down the middle. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOVERNOR-ELECT GLENN YOUNGKIN (R-VA): So help me God.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Glenn Youngkin took office this year as the country's newest Republican governor, his Virginia victory was hailed by the GOP as a roadmap for the party's success.

YOUNGKIN: First I am pro-life.

ZELENY: He opposed abortion rights but rarely emphasized it focusing instead on economic and education issues. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade most Republican governors across the country moved swiftly to ban or severely restrict abortions. But in Virginia Youngkin is taking a slower, more measured approach.

YOUNGKIN I'm a pro-life governor and I will sign a bill that comes to my desk that protects life and I look forward to that.

ZELENY: The governor supports a law seeking to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother as he tries to balance the demands from strict opponents of abortion rights with the political reality of Democrats controlling the state Senate by one vote.

AMANDA CHASE (R), VIRGINIA STATE SENATE: All eyes will be on Virginia. I think we're the epicenter for the initial decisions that will be made on a lot of the pro-life legislation.

ZELENY: Senator Amanda Chase who challenged Youngkin in the Republican primary last year said she would prefer a bill that goes even further but she knows that is unlikely to find success. So she supports the governor's plan.

(on camera): So even the 15-week bill you think has an uphill?

CHASE: I think it has an uphill battle honestly in a Virginia Senate because of the makeup of the Virginia Senate. Nineteen to 21, 19 Republicans, 21 Democrats.

ZELENY (voice-over): As legal challenges unfold in states across the nation the political debate in Virginia is taking shape with the nuance of a closely divided battleground.

VICTORIA COBB, PRESIDENT, THE FAMILY FOUNDATION OF VIRGINIA: Well, certainly it has taken us decades to get where we are in this moment, to get past the decision of Roe. And so to think that tomorrow we could ban all abortion would be unrealistic but I understand the sentiment.

ZELENY: Victoria Cobb is president of The Family Foundation of Virginia, an influential lobbying group that opposes abortion. She is calling for a patient pragmatism.

COBB: When you're talking about human lives you do what you can when you can rather than put out what you believe and what you want to have happen, you put out what you can actually accomplish.

ZELENY: Youngkin insists common ground can be found.

YOUNGKIN: I believe that this is a moment where the Commonwealth of Virginia can come together.

ZELENY: That's not how Democratic Senate leaders Louise Lucas sees it.

STATE SEN. LOUISE LUCAS (D-VA): The bill is dead on arrival.

ZELENY: Any abortion bill must pass through the Education and Health Committee of which she is the chair and decides what is or is not considered by the full Senate.

LUCAS: I will not agree to anything less than what is codified and code in Virginia right now and that is for 20 weeks. And so if the governor is trying to push a 15-week ban it's not going to get through my committee. I can guarantee you that one.

ZELENY (on camera): You can block this in your committee. You have the power as the chair.

LUCAS: I do.

ZELENY: Senator Lucas tells me she will do everything in her power to make sure Virginia remains, in her words, a safe haven for access to abortion. Of course, Governor Youngkin and Republicans are starting a 15-week ban proposal many would like it to go even further. This means Virginia will be a key test case as a state-by- state patchwork of abortion laws emerges across the country.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Thank you, Jeff. Up next, as you start your weekend you may want to plan a visit to a pool, a lake, something with water. Over 50 million people are under heat alerts today and we're going to tell you how hot it could get and whether any relief is on the way.

But first, a quick reminder not to miss a new CNN original that explores the diverse land, marine and wildlife of Patagonia's desert coast. "PATAGONIA, LIFE ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD" premiers tomorrow night at 9:00 on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:58:58]

SANCHEZ: Today more than 50 million people are under heat alerts. And depending on where you live that could mean triple digit temperatures.

DEAN: Yes. Yikes. Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Tyler Mauldin. Tyler, what should people expect today?

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is already muggy outside. Look at Little Rock, Arkansas. It's almost 9:00 central and they're already sitting at 90 degrees. For most people that is an average afternoon high and we're still early in the morning. So you know that the heat is on for yet another day.

We have more than 50 million people under heat alerts at this time across the country. But the hottest weather is likely to prevail down here across the southern tier of the U.S. where when you combine the humidity in with the actual air temperature it will feel like it's close to 115 degrees.

Yesterday, Wichita Falls hit 110 and that tied an old record. Memphis, Tennessee hit 103, that broke a previous record of 101. So we are dealing with not just dangerous heat but record-breaking heat in some areas. This afternoon we're going to see temperatures get close to 100, again, and the heat index will definitely be above that.

[10:00:03]

Those morning lows will continue to be sultry and we have potential record warm lows all the way through Monday.