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Former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone Speaks for Seven Hours with House January 6th Committee; Community of Highland Park, Illinois, Recovering from Deadly July Fourth Shooting; Congress to Return to First Session after Supreme Court Overturns Roe Versus Wade; American Organizes Donations of Ambulances to Ukraine after Witnessing Devastation of Russian Invasion; Water Level in Utah's Great Salt Lake Reaches Lowest Level on Record. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired July 09, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And the heat index will definitely be above that. Those morning lows will continue to be sultry, and we have potential record warm lows all the way through Monday. You can see temperatures here will be in the 70s, maybe the 80s during the morning hours for the next 72 hours, and the hot temperatures stay hot during the afternoon hours. It's not until probably early next week, guys, that we actually see a cooldown in some portions of the southeast.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Shout out to my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. They're 90 degrees and 9:00 a.m. their time.

(LAUGHTER)

DEAN: Tyler -- blessed -- thanks so much. We appreciate it.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It is July 9th, Saturday. Welcome to your weekend. Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world and welcome to Jessica Dean.

DEAN: Hi, thanks for having me. I am Jessica Dean. And we're going to tell you right now what's happening in the Newsroom.

Former White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, spending seven hours with the January 6th committee. What we're learning about his testimony and how it could shape future hearings.

SANCHEZ: Plus, the community of Highland Park, Illinois, still coming to grips with the deadly July Fourth shooting. How they are planning to move forward and, quote, reclaim the area where the attack happened.

DEAN: Also, WNBA star Brittney Griner pleading guilty in a Russian court. How that could impact her case and why experts say that was a smart move.

Newsroom starts right now. SANCHEZ: Up first, a key witness testifying before the January 6th

committee for more than seven hours yesterday. Three different sources familiar with Pat Cipollone's testimony describes it as very important and extremely helpful. Cipollone, remember, was among the handful of people who spent time with then President Trump as he watched the capitol riot unfold on TV.

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 is coming up on Tuesday, and it will focus on how the violent mob that attacked the Capitol and came together and the role of extremist groups.

SANCHEZ: For more on Pat Cipollone's appearance before the January 6th Committee, let's go to CNN reporter Marshall Cohen. Marshall, what can you tell us about what Cipollone did and did not say to the committee?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Before I get into that, let me just zoom out and just say this is a breakthrough for the committee. They were purchasing for this all year, publicly, privately. The fact that Pat Cipollone walked into the Capitol, gave a deposition on camera when he had been resisting it for so long, that's notable. And you've heard a little bit from some of the members that have already come out and said that it was fruitful.

What could he talk about? So much. So much he was a witness for. He was there when Trump's allies were trying to play around with the idea of naming a conspiracy theorist as a special counsel to investigate fraud that they knew didn't happen. Pat Cipollone was there with Donald Trump was not doing much to stop the violence on January 6th. And he was, according to testimony of others, Cipollone was begging and pleading with people we need to get Trump to do something. Hours passed, and he didn't.

So things like that, state of mind, dereliction of duty, that is what the committee has been zeroing in on. You can imagine, come Tuesday with the next public hearing they will definitely be chomping at the bit to show the world these clips of what Cipollone testified to just yesterday for, as you said, more than seven hours.

DEAN: And, Marshall, we mentioned that Tuesday is going to focus on these extremist groups, and they are really trying to connect the dots here on the extremist groups, what kind of contact did they have if any with the president and his inner circle, that sort of thing. Is that what you are expecting to hear more of on Tuesday?

COHEN: Absolutely. The Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, these are two far right extremist groups. You can hardly go a few days without learning something new and frightening about what they did in the run-up to January 6th and on January 6th. And the committee is trying to connect the dots. They're trying to forge links between these extremist groups and the Trump White House.

And there are some links to be found. People like Roger Stone, people like Michael Flynn, they deny all wrongdoing with regard to January 6th, but they can't deny the fact that they had connections to these groups. Now, if they were planning for violence, if they had knowledge of violence, that is the key question that the committee wants to illuminate, and I guess we will just have to find out on Tuesday.

DEAN: We will keep an eye on it, you'll be watching on Tuesday. Marshall Cohen, thanks so much.

COHEN: Thanks, guys.

DEAN: And we are learning more about Pat Cipollone's testimony from a member of the January 6th Committee. Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren says Cipollone, quote, did not contradict the testimony of other witnesses, but, she says, quote, not contradicting isn't the same as confirming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ZOE LOFGREN, (D-CA) HOUSE SELECT JANUARY 6TH COMMITTEE: He could say so and so was wrong, which he did not say. There were things he may not be present for or, in some cases couldn't recall with precision. My sense was that he, as I say, did appear voluntarily. I think he was candid with the committee. He was careful in his answers. And I believe that he was honest in his answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Lofgren says the committee did get new information from Cipollone and that will be presented at upcoming hearings.

Defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Shan Wu is here now to help us take a closer look at the committee's case. Shan, it's great to see you. Thanks for being here. We just heard from the committee member Zoe Lofgren, a congresswoman, not contradicting something isn't the same as confirming it. But what do you make of that?

SHAN WU, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It was a very lawyerly answer.

(LAUGHTER)

DEAN: As a lawyer.

WU: I think what that means is that there may not have been statements like that's exactly what I said, that's exactly what I heard. But I don't know if he actually declined to contradict her, but I would think that part of its value because it is so circumscribed by the privilege issues would be in cooperating what other witnesses have testified to. Of course, his biggest value is if he himself was in communication with Trump directly, but I think that was probably compartmentalized off.

SANCHEZ: So what would you ask him?

WU: I would ask him, what did you mean by every crime imaginable?

(LAUGHTER) WU: Because that's what I would be dying to hear from him. And I think that would be very interesting, because that's not privileged. He is expressing concern about himself and what he might be exposed to. And that's a green light to ask questions about that.

DEAN: And yes, that's what -- someone we were talking to earlier this morning, I thought was interesting, they said something similar, which is the idea of why was he saying every crime imaginable in the sense that what did he know about who they were talking, what did he know about the position they were in, that there is a lot of context that you can glean from that.

WU: Absolutely. For the White House counsel to make that remark really says a lot about what they're aware of and what they're worried about. And I think that is the area that the very skilled questioners from the January 6th committee would be probing, to understand his mindset, what made you so worried about this. And you can get a lot of information about that without having to say, well, I told the president this and the president told me that.

SANCHEZ: But we also, as we just discussed with Marshall, know that the next hearing is going to detail some of the extremist groups that were involved in January 6th. And these new details coming out about Oath Keepers, some of them bringing explosives into the area of the nation's capital, training with military tactics, very alarming stuff. How does that impact the committee's case and potential something that DOJ might do?

WU: That's very alarming, and I think it really ups the pressure and scrutiny on what did Trump's inner circle know. We already have learned now that the president was aware, the former president was aware that there are armed people in the crowd. He didn't care about them coming in. If they make this kind of connection that that inner circle knew about this kind of violence and preparation being planned, that really makes a very, very strong case for the seditious conspiracy. And I think that it would force the DOJ to really have to take some action on that.

I think the other thing to keep in mind is that there could be state charges for this. This was apparently directed at state election officials, so there's additional exposure there, again, for Trump and his inner circle as well as the actual extremist groups.

DEAN: And we know that the Oath Keepers leader, Stewart Rhodes, says that he would testify publicly to the committee. That's according to his lawyer. Do you think the panel will take him up on that? Should the panel take him up on that?

WU: No, not with those conditions.

(LAUGHTER)

WU: It sounds like he is just looking for a platform to make speeches. I am not sure what his lawyer is thinking. The guy is under a criminal charge. Why would you want him to testify publicly? But I think he's just looking for a platform, and I don't think they should take him up on it.

DEAN: Get attention, yes.

SANCHEZ: The other person we're expecting to hear from on Tuesday, potentially Pat Cipollone but likely Sarah Matthews, former press aide at the White House who resigned on January 6th. What do you anticipate she is going to get asked about?

WU: I think she will able be very valuable. She will be asked about, again, what is the mind-frame that's going on, what's the mindset? What did the White House think, what did they know about, how did it affect their messaging? And she is particularly valuable because we know she has a conscience. That's why she resigned. So there could be very good details coming from her.

[10:10:04]

DEAN: All right, Shan Wu, thanks so much.

WU: Good to see you.

DEAN: It's always great to see you. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us.

As residence in Highland Park, Illinois, try to come to grips with the tragedy there, families of the victims are now burying their loved ones. Seven people died, dozens more injured in that horrific shooting during a Fourth of July parade.

SANCHEZ: Police say the shooter confessed to carrying out the attack. He is charged of seven counts of first-degree murder. He is being held without bond. Prosecutors say more charges are expected. CNN's Camila Bernal joins us live from Highland Park. Camila, we are learning more about the suspect's home life and specifically a period where police were called to his family home more than one dozen times.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Boris, Jessica, good morning. Yes, we know that officers were regularly called to the shooter's home over domestic disputes, many of them involving his parents. But there were some of these calls that involved the shooter himself. He made threats, including suicide. And look, there are a lot of questions over his father's involvement, because we know he did sponsor his son's gun license. He says he didn't do anything wrong, but all of this while the community continues to try to understand and to heal.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BERNAL: As a way to heal, Steve Tilken visits this makeshift memorial, takes pictures, and talks.

STEVE TILKEN, HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING WITNESS: I just want to confront this demon of carnage, if you want to call it that. And for me to do it, I have to come here.

BERNAL: He has lived in Highland Park for 26 years and on July Fourth went to the parade with his wife and grandchildren.

TILKEN: We were 50 feet from the shooter, and the easiest targets possible. And why we weren't shot I can't figure out.

BERNAL: He heard the shots and ran. Then saw the injuries and one of the dead. Here he is on surveillance video.

TILKEN: I just cannot wrap my head around what had just happened, and I kept trying to figure it out and I guess I'm still trying to figure out what makes somebody this evil.

BERNAL: It's the question this entire community is trying to answer.

ALY PEDOWITZ, HIGHLAND PARK BUSINESS OWNER: For the first two days I would say, am I still sleeping? Is this a nightmare? Wake me up, because it cannot feel real. And you go through these waves where you are numb for a little bit, and then you get angry, and then you feel guilty, and then overwhelming sadness, and then you go back to feeling numb, and like, this isn't what happened.

BERNAL: Aly Pedowitz co-owned seven businesses in the middle of the crime scene. All her stores are closed.

PEDOWITZ: Before this all happened, our street was meant to be a place that provided a safe and fun-loving space for families, for kids.

BERNAL: Healing for her, she says, will come and she is allowed to reopen.

PEDOWITZ: We will be able to reclaim it is this place where we can be together and be happy and heal together and just support one another.

BERNAL: And little by little, in a business, in a neighborhood, and in a makeshift memorial, members of this community showing their strength.

TILKEN: I will heal. I will absolutely heal.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BERNAL: And Aly the business owner telling me that they told her that she will be allowed to go back into her stores here behind me later on today. She doesn't know, though, when they will be allowed to open, but when she does, she says she wants to try to have a soft opening and invite people to maybe decorate some of the windows. She says this could be a way to come together and heal. Boris, Jessica?

SANCHEZ: Part of the long road back to recovery. Camila Bernal from Highland Park, thank you so much.

Lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill next week for the first time since that landmark decision to overturn Roe versus Wade and the deadly mass shooting in Illinois. How those two things could ship their plans and messaging as we head into the midterm elections.

DEAN: Plus, what we know about the shocking assassination of Japan's former prime minister, Shinzo Abe. That's still to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:18:30]

SANCHEZ: The Senate returns to Capitol Hill on Monday after a two-week recess, and they have plenty on the agenda.

DEAN: That's right. A lot has happened since they've been there. This is going to be the first time lawmakers have been back at work since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and since the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, left seven dead and dozens injured on the Fourth of July.

CNN congressional reporter Daniella Diaz is joining us now. Daniella, what do we expect is going to be the first thing that they focus on?

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Jessica, really, really busy agenda once they return after this two-week recess. It will be, as you said, the first time that the Senate is back since that Supreme Court ruling struck down Roe v. Wade. So the filibuster is the thing we're expecting them to start discussing again, whether the more progressive Democrats want to convince those two Democratic moderates that do not want to get rid of the filibuster, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who are staunch opponents of nuking it, whether they can convince them to change their minds.

Now, of course, they both put out statements during this recess that they still believed that those Senate rules are important to keep. Remember, with the filibuster they need at least 60 votes to pass legislation, meaning against 10 Republicans because of that 50-50 split in the Senate. So that is a renewed thing that we expect to happen this week, that renewed conversation.

We also know that the priority for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is to continue discussing that climate and energy spending package that they want to pass using, of course, budget reconciliation, meaning along party lines.

[10:20:03]

He needs to strike a deal with Senator Joe Manchin, who, of course, if you remember, in December torpedoed the Build Back Better plan to see if he could agree on some of these provisions that they want to include in this tax and spending bill, and they want to try to vote on that in July before August recess. So that is another thing that we will see in the Senate.

DEAN: That's ambitious to try to get that done, for sure, to try to get that package through. All right, Daniella Diaz, thanks so much, good to see you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

Up next, how climate change is threatening bodies of water like Utah's Great Salt Lake, and what can be done to raise water levels.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:25:08]

SANCHEZ: This morning, Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, was rocked by a Russian missile strike in a residential area. At least four people are reported injured, including a young child.

DEAN: That attack obliterated a two-story building and left a giant crater in the ground. Several people have now been displaced. And the shelling comes just at the U.S. announced over three-quarters of a billion dollars in additional assistance. The State Department said today it's sending a humanitarian aid package worth nearly $368 million. The White House already said it was sending $400 million in security assistance. That package will include four mobile artillery rocket systems.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the country will not give up territory for peace with Russia. And as the war in Ukraine rages on, a seven-year-old's simple question, how can we help, might be the key to solving a major shortage in Ukraine right now.

SANCHEZ: With a fleet of ambulances under Russian control, this Illinois man is working to deliver a new set of ambulances to the war- torn country. CNN's Dianne Gallagher has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At a warehouse just outside the city limits of Chicago, the answers to the question, how can I help? are being prepared for a 5,000-mile journey to Ukraine. It's a journey that Chris Mason has just completed. As devastating images from the first week in the Russian invasion of Ukraine flooded screens, like most Americans, Manson says he simply watched in horror, that is until his seven-year-old daughter asked a life-changing question, repeatedly. How can we help?

CHRIS MANSON, AMBULANCE DONOR TO UKRAINE: I wanted to be able to tell my daughter I was going to try to do something. So I kind of got this crazy idea to go ahead, and said, I'm sure they need ambulances. I see they are getting blown up.

GALLAGHER: According to Ukrainian officials, as the war rages on ambulances are in short supply, with entire fleets stuck in territory currently occupied by Russian forces, and hundreds of others destroyed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pattern here is that health workers at hospitals themselves appear to be being deliberately targeted.

GALLAGHER: For Manson, who works in the government assistance at a Catholic health system in Peoria, Illinois, getting the first ambulance was surprisingly as simple as making a call to a local provider.

MANSON: And the first words out of his mouth were, will you need gas or diesel? He didn't hesitate.

GALLAGHER: Getting it to Ukraine was another question. But Ellen Lopatkina, Ukraine American logistics specialists, who also runs this warehouse now full of donations, had the answers.

ELLEN LOPATKINA, NORTIA LOGISTICS, INC.: A lot of moving parts were in motion at that time. And it so happened that we were able to get the first few on the plane. And once the first one came in and we successfully delivered that to Ukraine, the next one came in and the next one.

GALLAGHER: Getting to Europe by air or sea, Manson, a man who previously has no connection to Ukraine, has now twice visited the country behind the wheel of a midwestern American ambulance.

YEVEGENIY DROBOT, DEPUTY COUNSUL GENERAL OF UKRAINE IN CHICAGO: It was a simple gesture of how I can help.

GALLAGHER: So far Manson says he has rounded up a dozen donated ambulances.

MANSON: Fire Departments in Iowa, you've got hospitals in Ohio, you've got private ambulance companies in North Dakota and Minnesota, El Paso, Illinois.

GALLAGHER: The ones Manson gets are usually older, but they still run well. Each one is packed with desperately needed medical equipment and basic supplies.

OLGA MAIHUTIAK, UKRAINIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA, ILLINOIS CHAPTER: They have ventilators, they have cardiac monitors, and also they are always stuffed with wound care supplies.

GALLAGHER: And often includes messages from the donors to the Ukrainian people.

DROBOT: Ambulance, like Chris is a great guy. He's an ambulance guy. And then on the stands you like an ambulance guy.

GALLAGHER: According to Ukrainian officials some three percent of all the ambulances donated to the country from all around the world have come from Chris Manson's efforts.

MANSON: As long as there is a need, we will continue to keep working to get them and to get over there. And God willing, the war ends soon.

GALLAGHER: Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SANCHEZ: Dianne Gallagher, thank you.

Stunning images out of Utah's Great Salt Lake as water levels fall to the lowest ever on record. Now experts warn it could have a devastating impact on the climate and the economy. An important discussion when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Drought conditions persisting across the American west have helped pushed the water level in Utah's Great Salt Lake to the lowest level ever recorded. This week the U.S. geological survey measured an average surface elevation of 4,190.1 feet at the southern end of the lake. Utah's Department of Natural Resources says the lake is in trouble and it could have a significant effect on the local economy.

DEAN: Those are just incredible images there. If the lake continues to dry up, it could cost the area of more than $2 billion every year, 6,500 people could lose their jobs, and that is just one example of the widespread effects that the climate crisis is having.

And joining us now is Ken Graham, Director of the Natural Weather Service. Ken, it's great to have you with us. We know that this is the second time in less than a year that the Great Salt Lake has registered a record low. Why does this keep happening? Clearly, this has big implications. Why does this keep happening?

KEN GRAHAM, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: Those images are just drastic. It's just a drastic image to look at. What a drought. The drought keeps on persisting. It's just not getting the rainfall. If you're not getting the rainfall, you're not getting the snow to fill those lakes. And the last two years record lows. And it's not just the Great Salt Lake. We'll looking at Lake Mead, Lake Powell. It's just an incredible drought over the west, even the last, just this year 35,000 fires.

[10:35:05]

So it's not just drought. We've got wildfires. The impacts are significant.

SANCHEZ: And the ramifications are enormous, because it affects people's wages, it affects the economy. You're going to have migration. It is going to be a nightmare out west. So what can people do to try to fix this problem?

GRAHAM: In NOAA and we at the Weather Service, we are looking at this old, saying that we've been using a weather ready nation, but a climate ready nation. We're really looking at how to be ready for this and really be resilient to this, because even if you get some monsoon storms, you're going to get some rain. You're going to see some short periods of rainfall, but that doesn't really have much to do with the long-term amount of rain. So it's going to get dry again. We are stuck in these patterns where what you're getting is a drought in the west, and what's causing that is increasing the activity of hurricanes in the Atlantic. It's all connected. So people just have to be ready. There is no end in sight getting more rainfall in these areas.

DEAN: That's what I was going to ask you, is there any indication that this pattern ever gets broken, or is this just what we're going to see, it sounds like that's what you're saying, for the foreseeable future, this is it? GRAHAM: We at the Weather Service are issuing these outlooks. If you

get the monsoon season, you got some of the storms that occur, you're going to get some rain. But then it is going to dry up again when you get into the wintertime, so really not seeing this pattern being broke anytime soon.

SANCHEZ: In order to really address this problem of climate change, there needs to be a partnership between local governments, between the private sector, between the federal government. We would need to see a level of bipartisanship that we haven't really seen in previous years. So I'm wondering your message to the public about the urgency of this situation, how much focus is required on this issue right now, because it appears it's already at our front door.

GRAHAM: We are all about those impact at the Weather Service. We're the ones that issue the outlooks. We're putting out the heat advisories. And we have to pay attention to this. It's a growing concern. This is a significant drought. You see the images of the lakes and you think about the heat that we've looked at. It's interesting. If you look at the 20 warmest years, 19 of those were after the year 2000. If you really look at the stats, and it causes you a little pause there, right. We already talked about the stats, 35,000 fires. And we actually deploy incident meteorologist to those fires, and we are way ahead of what we would normally be in those deployments. So people have to be ready for this. We are getting ready for it, and you can see the increased risk with time.

DEAN: It is so concerning. And we were just talking about the weather in our last hours. A huge part of the country is under these heat advisories, which it is summer, and in parts of the country that is very normal. But it seems to me that we are seeing more and more places that don't typically see temperatures like this, or if they do see hot temperatures, they are really, really high. Are we seeing more of that and we used to?

GRAHAM: Very consistent with the change in climate. So if you think about heatwaves, you think about fires, you're seeing those more often. You're seeing those really stronger, and you're seeing those over a larger area. So if you think about how that works, everything that we're seeing is pretty consistent with what we see with a change of climate.

SANCHEZ: So we are in hurricane season. Any predictions about what the rest of the season is going to look like? It's still a long way from November.

GRAHAM: We've got three names so far, and really the peak occurs in mid-August to mid-October. So we can't let our guard down because we have these lol that is fairly normal for July. We can't let our guard down, because the peak is on the way so everybody needs to make sure they have got their preparedness efforts and everything ready to go when we hit that peak.

DEAN: We just keep getting these weather events in addition to, again, normal hurricane season. What about winter weather? It's a strange thing to think about in the middle of July. (LAUGHTER)

DEAN: But just in terms of how this is all connected, you are talking about less rain, that means less -- all these sorts of things. What can we anticipate in terms of winter weather moving down the road, and is that connected to what we are seeing now, too?

GRAHAM: Especially in the west. If you think about it, if you have a dry pattern, you can't put a lot of that snowpack on those mountains, and you depend on that snowpack because when you get to the summer time, the spring and the summer, you get that snow to melt and helps fill those reservoirs. And we are not seeing that. So if you have a dry pattern you can't put the snow on the mountains. So not only you don't get rain, not only you have so much heat to get more evaporation and you're not getting the snowmelt. It is a chain reaction of events that occurs with these big droughts.

SANCHEZ: Are as far as practical things, Ken, that people can do at home to try to lessen the carbon footprint, to try to lessen the speed at which the climate is changing, what can they do?

GRAHAM: Just be aware. I think a lot of it is just lowering that carbon footprint, but the other part is safety. We talk so much about that in the Weather Service. We work close with our federal partners and also the state and the local, just with these heatwaves, you have got to be careful.

And here is a stat. You think about the leading cause of fatalities when it comes to whether, of course think about tornadoes, you think about hurricanes, you think about floods. It's heat. The data is very clear. It's heat.

[10:40:00]

So we have to be prepared for the heatwaves. Light-colored clothing, stay hydrated, review all those preparedness, all those aspects of preparedness when it comes to the heat, because that's the leading cause of fatalities when it comes to whether.

DEAN: That's very interest. All right, everybody be careful out there this weekend. Ken Graham, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

GRAHAM: Thanks.

DEAN: Coming up. Why would WNBA star Brittney Griner decide to plead guilty to drug charges in Russia? And will it help her get a shorter sentence? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty this week in a trial in Russian court on accusations of drug smuggling.

[10:45:01] She's been held in Russia since February after allegedly carrying hash oil in her luggage. Her lawyers say the alleged smuggling was unintentional and done out of negligence. They hope the Russian court, which could punish Griner with up to 10 years in prison, will be lenient. This comes as the Biden administration faces growing pressure to bring Griner and other detained Americans home.

Joining us now to share her expertise on this matter is Danielle Gilbert. She's a Rosenwald fellow in U.S. foreign policy and international security at Dartmouth College. Danielle, thank you so much for joining us this morning. Why do you think Brittney Griner made the decision to plead guilty?

DANIELLE GILBERT, ROSENWALD FELLOW, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE: So the most important thing to know about Griner's guilty plea in court is that it does not change how the U.S. government treats her case, nor their intention to bring her home. The U.S. government still considers Griner to be wrongfully detained, in effect that she is being held hostage by the Russian government.

But I can see three possible reasons why Griner might have pled guilty yesterday. The first is what her lawyer said, that it was unintentional and that she wanted to be honest about a small and honest mistake that she made.

The other two are more strategic. The second reason might be that by entering a guilty plea that she could expect a shorter sentence or better treatment in Russian prison. And the third reason is that it might be a requirement for the negotiations that will eventually, hopefully, bring her home.

SANCHEZ: And exactly how does this work behind the scenes when it comes to diplomatic efforts to get her home? Is the White House making calls to the embassy? Take us into those conversations.

GILBERT: Sure. So in naming Griner as wrongfully detained, that is an official legal designation by the State Department which puts her case in an office called the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. He's essentially the U.S. government's chief hostage negotiator, and his name is Roger Carstens. He and his office will be working with Russian counterparts, with third party intermediaries, backchanneling behind the scenes to figure out what it will take for the United States to get her back as quickly and as safely as possible.

And unfortunately, that often means making concessions. So when Americans are wrongfully detained in this manner oversees, often the United States has to give up prisoners in a prisoner exchange.

SANCHEZ: And Griner wrote in her letter to President Biden that she is scared of being forced to remain in Russia indefinitely. Potential she is facing 10 years. How likely, in your eyes, is that to happen?

GILBERT: So the Russian government has charged Brittney Griner with international drug smuggling, an enormous offense which could carry 10 years in a penal colony as punishment. That's obviously extremely disproportionate to the 0.7 grams of hash oil that she pled to having in her suitcase, something that would likely be maybe a misdemeanor in the United States. And so the Russian government is very intentionally making this threat of punishment as large as possible to push the White House to make the concessions that the Russians want.

SANCHEZ: And how does Paul Whelan play into this? He's another American that is detained in Russia. If there is a prisoner swap, do you see him potentially being a part of that?

GILBERT: Sure. So Paul Whelan is American who was also wrongfully detained in Russia in 2018. He has been serving his sentence in a labor camp since that time. And negotiations have been going on behind the scenes for his return both with the White House and with an outside organization called the Richardson Center run by former ambassador and former governor Bill Richardson. So Bill Richardson is working on Paul Whelan's case, as well as Brittney Griner's case. I hope that the two of them come home together. They are obviously very different cases and carry different kinds of crimes associated with them, but I would imagine that the U.S. government is doing everything it can behind the scenes to make sure that we get every American citizen home as quickly as possible.

SANCHEZ: And CNN has confirmed that President Biden actually spoke with Paul's sister Elizabeth just yesterday, offering support, saying the government is doing all that I can to bring him home. Quickly, Brittney Griner's next court hearing is next Tuesday. What are you expecting to see there?

GILBERT: So unlike the United States when someone pleads guilty, that that can shorten the length of the trial, the trial will still continue to drag out in Russia.

[10:50:00]

The prosecution and the judge will still go through all of the motions, and so we expect this to last possibly weeks into the future.

SANCHEZ: Danielle Gilbert, we have to leave the conversation there. Appreciate you time sharing part of your weekend with us, thanks.

DEAN: New this morning, Sri Lanka's prime minister has agreed to resign. That announcement coming after demonstrators broke into the official home of Sri Lanka's president, calling for him to resign over the country's worsening economic crisis. Officials say more than 100,000 protesters surrounded that building with video showing people breaking through police barriers, and as you see there, swimming in the resident's pool.

Let's go now to CNN's Vedika Sud who is live in New Delhi. Vedika, do we know where the president is? Do we know if he is safe?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Jessica, we don't know where the president of Sri Lanka is at the moment. That is news that the officials are not ready to give out at this point in time. But what we do know, Jessica, is that he was not at the presidential palace when more than 100,000 of these protesters would converge outside the presidential palace and the secretariat, stormed into his residence. You have seen those visuals. These are unprecedented protests we are seeing. People from all over Sri Lanka converged Saturday morning, and they have been protesting against the president of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa. They want him out. They blame him and his family for the economic mismanagement of the country because of which there is a massive crunch when it comes to foreign exchange reserves. There's a massive crunch when it comes to fuel. There's a massive crunch when it comes to food and power. The power cuts which go on for about five hours a day.

There have been these serpentine lines of people standing just for a few liters of fuel that hasn't been coming their way because that is now limited just for essential services. We do know over a dozen people have died over the last few months waiting in those lines for fuel.

Now, what you are seeing inside the palace is a complete takeover by these people. They are very clear, this is a very, very popular chant against Gotabaya Rajapaksa, asking him to go, and they say "Go, Gota, go" in that chant, and you can hear that reverberating through Colombo at this point in time.

The police, they tried to control the crowds. They did fire teargas. But that crowd was just so massive, Boris and Jessica, that it was very difficult really to push back, because of which they broke the barricades, they entered the presidential palace, and like you said, they even took a dip in the pool.

So as of now, what we do know is that inflation is over 54 percent. The furor is that this could go over 70 percent in the days and months to come. There is a political crisis, and these protesters are very clear, enough is enough. We have seen more than we can. We need to survive the crisis. You are just pinning us down economically, and we won't have this anymore.

And yes, Sri Lanka is in talks with the International Monetary Fund, but first they really need to get a debt restructuring program in order to get the bailout package from the IMF. But this political uncertainty even with the prime minister offering to resign is going to be making it more difficult for the IMF to cough up a bailout package for Sri Lanka. Jessica and Boris?

DEAN: Just incredible images. Vedika Sud live for us, thanks so much for that reporting. We appreciate it.

The body of slain former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is back in Tokyo. Abe's body arrived in his hometown accompanied by his wife following his assassination in the western city of Nara while he was making a campaign speech. Hundreds of people lined the streets, as you see there, to witness the procession. Funeral services will take place Monday and Tuesday. In the meantime, police investigating the killing stormed the home of the suspected gunmen who they say confessed to that assassination. The police chief where Abe was murdered admits, quote, there were problems with his security detail. Officials also say the suspect killed Abe with a homemade gun and that he had several more types of weapons made with pipes. SANCHEZ: Thank you so much for joining us today. Don't go anywhere,

though. There is still much more ahead in the next hour of CNN Newsroom. Great to be with you today, Jessica.

DEAN: Thanks. You too, Boris. And before we go, we want to share a preview of the new season of "United Shades of America" with W. Kamau Bell. It appears tomorrow night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

W. KAMAU BELL, HOST, "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA": Are you ready?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, I came ready.

BELL: On the new season of "United Shades of America," I'm back on the road and back in the conversation.

I think you've had an a-wokening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have.

BELL: I feel good about this.

How would you define woke?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that a question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sort of afraid to ask it now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We often look at athletes as machines, not humans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All my nightmares are happening right now.

[10:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can either accept a narrative, or you can get to know somebody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I'm telling you my lived experience, acknowledge and believe me even if you have never lived that experience.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are lucky to live here, but there's a whole other side of the story.

BELL: Does that mean at the core of it, land back, we want the whole country back?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a big question.

(LAUGHTER)

BELL: I'm here to ask the big questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea is not that we're never going to have fire here again. But when we do, it won't be hot enough to kill all these trees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First time lighting a fire and not getting yelled at by my mom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is kind of cool.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The new season of "United Shades of America" with W. Kamau Bell premiers tomorrow night at 10:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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