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Steve Bannon Says He's Willing To Testify; Raging Wildfire Consumes 1,600 Acres Of Yosemite National Park; Highland Park Community Calls For Healing After Mass Shooting; Biden Preparing For Middle East Trip; Abe Assassination Suspect Reveals His Plan; Hopes For Brittney Griner And Paul Whelan's Release Lead Bill Richardson To Visit Russia; Russia's War on Ukraine; Increasing COVID Cases In Major U.S. Regions. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired July 10, 2022 - 14:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:40]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. We begin this hour with several major new developments in the January 6th investigation. Steve Bannon, one of Donald Trump's closest allies and his former adviser, now says he is willing to testify under oath before the House Select Committee after the former president said he was waiving claims of executive privilege for him.

The reversal comes as Bannon is set to go on trial for criminal contempt charges for refusing to comply with the committee's subpoena and just days before the select committee is set to hold more public hearings on the insurrection.

For more now, let's bring in CNN's Marshall Cohen. Marshall, good to see you again. So does it appear likely that Bannon will indeed now testify before the panel?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Hey Fred, it's not clear yet if this is actually going to happen. But as you said, it's a big change of Bannon's posture from where he had been over the last several months. You know, he had refused to testify. He refused to hand over any documents. He claimed that there was executive privilege.

But now, he says that Donald Trump has sent him a letter waiving those claims. But I just want to be very clear. The Justice Department does not think that those are very legitimate claims because Steve Bannon was not in the executive branch. He had left the White House in 2017. That's what led to him getting indicted for refusing to comply with the subpoena.

So now, Donald Trump says that he is waiving those claims, which opens the door to Steve Bannon to go to the committee and offer to testify.

But here is the rub. He said that he wants to do it publicly. That is not really how the committee has been operating. They tried to bring in witnesses behind closed doors. So it is not yet clear, you know, how this is going to shake out. They're going to have to have some negotiations and talks.

But there has been some reaction today from some of the members of the committee responding to this news from Bannon. So take a listen to this clip of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California. She was on earlier today with our colleague, Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): We got the letter around midnight from his lawyers, saying that he would testify. And we have wanted him to testify. I expect that we will be hearing from him and there are many questions that we have for him.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Would it be a public hearing or would it be behind closed doors?

LOFGREN: Ordinarily, we do depositions. You know, this goes on for hour after hour after hour. We want to get all our questions answered and you cannot do that in a live format.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Right. So the committee and Bannon are not in the same place right now. They're going to have to negotiate and work this out.

But, you know, you can't ignore what is looming for Steve Bannon. He is supposed to go on trial this week. This could be an attempt to stave off that trial and maybe sort of find some sort of accommodation with the committee. But time is of the essence. So the jury selection begins next week here in D.C., Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Clock is ticking. Marshall Cohen, thank you so much.

All right. Joining me right now to talk more about all of this, Harry Litman. He is a former U.S. attorney and a former deputy assistant attorney general. Harry, so good to see you.

So Bannon, he was not a White House adviser on January 6th and there are serious legal doubts that he could use executive privilege as an excuse not to testify. But now, we hear Zoe Lofgren talk about this letter received on behalf of Bannon, saying that he wants to set some conditions. He is willing to talk because at first, he was refusing the subpoena. So how does any of this change the scope of things?

HARRY LITMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: My best guess is not at all. I think it is a ploy and it won't happen. First, as you say, it is totally connected with the trial. He wants to be able to say it is sort of ham-handed. Oh now that the president has waived, I can talk.

That would suggest that back then when he was refusing, he was doing nothing wrong because he was shielded by Trump. Of course, he never had the slightest claim, even leaving aside that Trump was not empowered to make it. That is for starters. [14:04:53]

LITMAN: But for second as Lofgren was just saying. This is a really careful committee and they have gone, even as they've read blockbusters out, they've gone on the principle of first, do no harm. You could never ever put a guy like this on without knowing exactly what he is going to say.

Even Cassidy Hutchinson had four depositions behind the scenes. They're going to insist on that. I think negotiations will break down and it really is not a bona fide offer. My prediction is this does not actually happen.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And why would they change the process now? Deposition, on tape first and that has been the circumstance of all of the witness testimony before going live to the public.

So while Bannon -- you know, let's remind people, he was not a member of the Trump administration on January 6th. However he was actively spreading false conspiracies about the 2020 election being stolen from Trump. And actually had this to say on his podcast one day before the Capitol riot. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP ADVISER: All hell is going to break lose tomorrow. Just understand this, all hell is going to break lose tomorrow. It is not going to happen like you think it is going to happen, ok? It's going to be quite extraordinarily different.

And all I can say is, strap in. The war room -- a posse, you have made this happen and tomorrow it's game day. So strap in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ok. That was his prediction, game day. And we saw what unfolded on January 6. And now based on Justice Department filings, even worse was being planned in terms of explosives, and alleged death list, all of that.

So now, knowing all of that, if the committee has an opportunity to talk with Bannon, what are the questions?

LITMAN: Yes. He's got some explaining to do but he is the perfect person, Fredricka. So far, we have had a lot of stuff on the ground with the marauders, a lot in the White House. He would be part of a sort of bridge conspiracy, the people who were at the war room say on the fifth plan, and Giuliani in particular.

He actually could marry up the Three Percenters and Oath Keepers with Trump, and obviously he is knowing things in advance. So that points to there being a plan.

There's a lot of stuff he could say if he is a cooperative and normal witness. Instead though, he is someone who is almost the definition of a squirrelly witness who will go south. Your questions would be, how did you know that, Mr. Bannon. Whom had you talked to? Did you have any conversations with Stuart Rhodes. Did you pass those on to the president? Et cetera, et cetera.

He is the perfect guy to establish knowledge of what the marauders were going to do on the part of Meadows and Trump.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I love how you said on the conditions of if he were a cooperative and normal witness then dot-dot-dot.

LITMAN: Correct.

WHITFIELD: Ok. So former White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, we know he just spent nearly eight hours talking to the committee under oath on Friday. And today members of the committee suggested that video clips of that testimony will play a role in this week's hearings, including Thursday's prime time upcoming hearing, where they do expect to focus on what Trump did and did not do during the insurrection. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOFGREN: We will have some excerpts of Mr. Cipollone's testimony. He was able to provide information on basically all of the critical issues that we are looking at and including the president's, what I would call, dereliction of duty on the day of January 6th.

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): The rest of the country knew there was an insurrection. The president obviously had to have known there was an insurrection. So where was he, what was he doing?

It's a very important hearing. Pay attention because I think it goes to the heart of what is the oath of a leader? You have an oath to defend the constitution of the United States --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Both of those committee members referencing dereliction of duty, oath to the constitution. What do you see as the significance of those references?

LITMAN: You know, they play it very close to the vest, Fredricka because they want to get the networks to give a prime time hearing on Thursday, the supposed blockbuster hearing of what Trump knew and when he knew it. But I think what they are letting out is he has some really strong stuff making it plain beyond any question that he told Trump this was all going to be unlawful.

He is also a witness to some of the craziest statements that were made. A few of them -- and this goes back to what we were just talking about. They didn't ask him about because he told them, or his lawyers did, in advance he can't corroborate and they don't want that bad sound bite. Another reason they don't want Bannon.

But I think his clips are going to figure in every hearing from here on in. They've also teased us by saying he gives them some new things and this, again, is what they are trying to kind of play close to the vest so everybody tunes in.

[14:09:57]

LITMAN: I think it's going to be some pretty blockbuster revelations along the lines of what we've heard so far. He next only to Meadows knows that he has the goods on Trump.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I think many are on the edge of their seat. I mean we heard the same kind of prelude to, you know, Cassidy Hutchinson and the payoff was there.

LITMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: We heard a lot of new stuff. Likely, to be the same this week Tuesday and Thursday.

All right. Harry Litman, good to see you. Thanks so much.

LITMAN: Likewise. Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, a fast-moving wildfire in Yosemite National Park has doubled in acreage in just the last 24 hours. And officials warn the fire is expected to keep growing.

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[14:14:46]

WHITFIELD: All right. Fast-moving flames are ripping through one of the most popular tourist spots in the U.S., Yosemite National Park. California's Washburn fire, doubling in size in just the last 24 hours burning nearly 1,600 acres and putting a southern section of the park and neighboring community under a mandatory evacuation.

Flames are now threatening the park's famous Mariposa Grove where more than 500 majestic sequoia trees have been growing for thousands of years.

A sprinkler system has actually been installed around one of the most photographed of these trees, the towering grisly giant in hopes of keeping it safe from the flames. The greatest challenge right now for firefighters? Record heat.

Let's go to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers in the Weather Center, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Fred, it is going to be another day out there with temperatures above 100 degrees, low humidity and a little bit of wind. These fire fighters are getting no break whatsoever. Now, this fire is almost 1,600 acres and growing quite rapidly. It is very hot.

All the stress is put on the firefighters. All of the dead trees in the area, also burning the underbrush here.

Look at this, Fresno will be 107 tomorrow. A little bit is higher in the mountains, maybe go 103. But try to be fighting a fire at that type of temperature. There is the rainfall off to the east. The monsoon coming into Arizona and New Mexico over the next couple of days but certainly no rain for California.

61 major fires in nine separate states. But here is the number that we need to focus on. 4.6 million -- almost 4.7 million acres burned already in 2022. Now the average for this date over the last 10 years is 2.2 million. We are double -- double the number of acres that have already burned across the country and that is including Alaska because there are also some major destructive fires burning in Alaska right now. No end in sight to this fire season, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh my God. And no one can afford for it to get any worse. Chad Myers, thank you so much.

So officials in Highland Park, Illinois are calling on residents to come together to heal after the deadly shooting at a July 4th parade nearly one week ago. Seven people were killed, dozens more wounded in the massacre. And in the days since, mourners are struggling to come to grips with that senseless tragedy that hit their close knit community.

CNN's Camila Bernal is live for us in Highland Park. Camila, what is the scene like today?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey Fred, good afternoon. So as you can see here behind me, the street is now open. There are so many people out and about today -- families, people just coming to walk their dogs, to walk up and down the street.

But it's very difficult for a lot of people to be here. And that's because as you can see there behind me, that is the building where that shooter was when he opened fire into this street.

For others though, it is helpful to be out here. I want to also show you a growing memorial. There's another makeshift memorial. So many people that are coming out here and I've just seen people who are hugging each other, asking each other how they are doing, if they are ok.

And frankly so many people that I've talked to have told me, I am not ok. I talked to one mother who was here on the Fourth and she says she is not healing. She says she is evolving. And she told me, "I am not healing because the injury doesn't go away." She says she is now more motivated to speak out and to demand change.

Change that the governor of Illinois wants to see. He pointed to three things. The first being a ban on assault weapons.

The second thing he pointed to was high-capacity magazines. He said no one should be able to have 90 bullets at the ready.

And then the third thing was, a change in red flag laws. Here is what he told Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): The challenge is that for red flag laws to work, family members had to step forward and sign an affidavit, go to court, do something, to make an affirmative action so that those red flag laws would actually go into effect. They did not.

So there were warning signs. There's no doubt about it, but nothing that reached the, you know, probable cause or preponderance of the evidence required for there to be a red flag.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now all of this coming after we all found out that there were many calls to police, to the home of the shooter. Many of them were domestic disputes between the parents, but some did include the shooter, threats of killing people, of suicide, police confiscated knives.

The governor is also saying though that in terms of motive, there is a symbol of white supremacy in the evidence but said he doesn't know if there is a specific group that was targeted. So Fred, still a lot of questions when it comes to the motive.

WHITFIELD: All right. Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

[14:19:47]

WHITFIELD: All right. The Milwaukee Brewers paid a special tribute to eight-year-old Cooper Roberts, who was paralyzed during that mass shooting in Highland Park. The Brewers hanging a jersey with the number 22 and his last name in their dugout.

Manager Craig Counsell (ph) says it's the least his team can do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG COUNSELL, MANAGER, MILWAUKEE BREWERS: We are happy he's a Brewers fan and we want to recognize that. And let their family know that we are thinking of him. We can imagine -- (INAUDIBLE) to go through something like that -- unimaginable.

We are doing such a small thing, but hopefully we can maybe make one part of the day for him a little bit better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And the team says the jersey will hang there all weekend in a tribute to their special fan.

All right. Coming up, President Joe Biden defending his visit -- his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia in just a few days before he is set to travel to the Middle East. What does the trip mean for his administration moving forward? We will discuss.

[14:20:51]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

This weekend President Biden is preparing for an important trip to the Middle East. The president will visit Israel, the West Bank, and make a controversial stop in Saudi Arabia.

Biden once vowed he would make that nation, Saudi Arabia, a pariah, following the killing of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But now he is defending his upcoming visit.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is traveling with the president this weekend. The first stop right now, Delaware. So Jeremy, what is the president saying?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well listen, Fred, President Biden is expected to leave this week for the Middle East. He's going to be visiting as you said, Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia where he is expected to meet with the prime minister of Israel, the president of Palestinian Authority.

But it is his meetings in Saudi Arabia that are stirring the most controversy. And that is because of comments that President Biden made on the campaign trail in 2020 when he said that he would make Saudi Arabia a pariah state for its state-sponsored killing -- state-carried out killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Resident Biden in office released that CIA report that concluded that the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman actually approved of that killing and yet President Biden is expected to come face-to-face with the Crown Prince, as well as the king of Saudi Arabia.

The president in his op-ed is acknowledging the fact that many people might disapprove of his visit to the region but he insists that it is about strengthening strategic partnerships in the region, despite any disagreements over these human rights issues.

The president writing quote, "As president, it is my job to keep our country strong and secure. To do these things, we have to engage directly with countries that can impact those outcomes. Saudi Arabia is one of them. And when I meet with the Saudi leaders on Friday, my aim will be to strengthen a strategic partnership going forward that's based on mutual interest and responsibilities, while holding true to fundamental American values."

Of course, the war in Ukraine has really raised the stakes for these meetings that the president is having in particular, because of the security concerns but also oil prices that have gone up so much.

And that's certainly expected to be one of the items that President Biden is going to be discussing with Saudi leaders as well as the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The president is also making a note in this op-ed that he is looking to change, the changes that he's made in U.S. policy from the previous administration, saying he has reversed the quote, "blank check policy" as it relates to Saudi Arabia, that his predecessor -- that he says his predecessor had.

But a lot of issues to be discussed on the table. And again, the potential for controversy as the president comes face-to-face with Saudi leaders.

WHITFIELD: And Jeremy, President Biden is also responding, while he's there in Delaware, to the Women's March that we watched yesterday right here on our air coming from Washington, D.C. What was the president's message today?

DIAMOND: Yes listen, President Biden acknowledging the fact that those protests are still occurring and he even encouraged them to continue. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: It is critically important. We can do a lot of things to accommodate the rights of women in the meantime. But fundamentally, the only thing we can do to change this is if we have a national law that reinstates Roe v Wade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And President Biden also said that he is -- he has directed some officials in his administration to take a look at this idea of declaring a public health emergency, something that many of those abortion rights activists have been calling for.

But so far, the White House has been cool to that idea and making clear, as the president just did, that it's up to voters to elect more pro-choice Democrats so that they can ultimately codify the right to abortion into law, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond in Delaware, thank you so much for that.

All right. Let's talk more about the president's upcoming trip. Joining us right now CNN global affairs analyst and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Aaron David Miller. Good to see you.

AARON DAVID MILLER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: It's good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic.

So, the White House, you know, knows that visiting with Saudi Arabia is controversial. President Biden even writing an op-ed, as Jeremy reminded us to defend on why he is going, saying in this op-ed in the "Washington Post" it is a vital time for the region and it will advance important American interests.

Why is it important that the president established this, make that state before heading to Saudi Arabia?

[14:30:00] MILLER: Well, first of all, Fred, I think the president is conflicted about this visit. Certainly, conflicted about any sit down with Mohammed Bin Salman, the punitive -- crown prince punitive king amid rule Saudi Arabia for 50 years.

I suspect that the President is looking forward to this meeting as much as I would look forward to having a root canal operation. When confronted with the possibilities that he would go, he angrily responded, according to "Politico", the presidency has to stand for something. So, Mr. Biden made some, I thought, appropriate remarks during the campaign about a ruthless and oppressive authoritarian MBS, Mohammed Bin Salman, who is an extraordinary reformer, no doubt.

So, unlike Lehman Brothers, there is -- I think there is a strong constituency in the administration believes that the U.S. side of relationship is simply too big to fail. And the President, I think, hopes to achieve three sorts of gains on this trip. One, some, sort of, aside of assurances from the Saudi's that over time, they will ramp up production. And the reality is, whatever they do is going to be modest. It's not going to result in any immediate or even median term alleviation of what you and I are paying for gas.

Number two, it's clear that the Israelis and the Saudi's are moving closer to one another. There may or may not be an announcement. But the President believes that that's an important gain, certainly, it is for Israel and Saudi Arabia.

And then finally, I think there -- this gerund (ph) which looms over the entire trip. And here again, the Israelis and the Gulf States are moving closer together under the watchful eye of SENCA of the United States. And there may be an announcement on a regional air defense integration system.

So, yes, there are possibilities and prospects, here. I'm just hoping the President will resoundingly, privately, but publicly.

WHITFIELD: All right.

MILLER: The fate of several Americans who are being detained or imprisoned by the crown prince.

WHITFIELD: Yes, so you helped to spell out the stated goals of the White House in this trip to Saudi Arabia. But this is what the crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, said himself about Biden's upcoming visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, SAUDI CROWN PRINCE (through translator): We are all working to promote our interests with all countries of the world to serve us and serve them. Also, the matters that we disagree about are less than 10 percent. We are working to find solutions to them in order to determine the danger in our two countries. USA is, without a doubt, a strategic partner of Saudi Arabia. The partnership started 80 years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. He calls the strategic, you know, partner of the U.S., something that is important, just as you just stated. The White House says, it's very important. How vital is this ongoing relationship, whether it be a meeting that happens face-to- face involving the U.S. president or from abroad?

MILLER: Look, Fred, the origins of this trip lay in an imitation from the former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the President to visit in April. I don't think the President, frankly, would be going to Saudi Arabia right now if it weren't for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And the dysfunction that we're moving one out of every 10 barrels of oil that the Russians produced has created a tremendous demand problem, which is outstripping supply.

So, look, yes, the U.S.-Saudi relationship is important, no doubt. But it has to be based on a measure of reciprocity. You know, over the last several years, certainly under Mr. Biden's predecessor, we've seen Saudi actions and behaviors in so many areas. To be reckless and quite ruthless.

So, look, yes. If the relationship is reciprocal, it's not a one-way street, Saudi's managed to move in Yemen, help us on oil prices, facilitate cooperation with the Israelis, and above all, start to bring -- have some measure of coincidence between American values and Saudi values. Which I doubt, frankly, is going to happen. Yes, it's worth the trip. It's just I think Mr. Biden needs to keep his expectations and his stop very low.

WHITFIELD: And you actually had an op-ed that appears today on cnn.com where you write -- and here's kind of your recommendation to the White House, right? You know, Biden should tread carefully in both Israel and Saudi Arabia and not give binding assurances that could result in escalatory cycle drawing the U.S. into an unwanted war with Iran. Because again, another stated goal from the White House is that the President wants to advocate to resume that Iran nuclear deal. That's largely why he is meeting in Israel, right? So, you believe that the White House should be proceeding with caution.

MILLER: I do. Because you have a president, right now, that is burdened by tremendous domestic challenges and is likely Democratic Parties, like him, to get hammered in the midterms.

[14:35:00]

You have a President's foreign-policy right now that is dealing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, alliance management, and rising China. The last thing the administration needs right now is to pursue policy in the Middle East that, frankly, are not successful and bogged it down.

And Iran is a critically important issue. If there is no return to the Iran nuclear agreement, I suspect tensions between Israel and Iran will enlarge. And there's a real danger, I think, here that the United States could be drawn into a military conflict in his region. And Mr. Biden said it at the last line of the op-ed that was drafted for him, that he is the first president to go, in which American combat forces -- American forces are not deployed in combat, in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he wants to keep it that way. I think that's his exact word.

So, I think Biden has a very realistic view, Fred, of what he can accomplish in this region. I also think that the region is looking at the Biden presidency and wondering, yes, America is back for now but for how long? And in two specific cases, the Saudi Crown Prince who felt more comfortable with Mr. Trump.

And another Israeli politician who is now back in the game with elections scheduled for November 1st, Benjamin Netanyahu. Both, Netanyahu Mohammed Bin Salman would be much more comfortable, it seems to me, with Donald Trump or his avatar as president of the United States. And I think that's a consideration that is informing the region's view of this visit. America is back, but for how long?

WHITFIELD: Yes. Aaron David Miller, thank you. I found that last line you were making reference to in the Presidents op-ed. He says next week, I will be the first president to visit the Middle East since 9/11, without U.S. troops engaged in a combat mission there. It's my aim to keep it that way.

All right. Your memory is superb.

MILLER: Wise words. Very wise -- very wise words.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right. Aaron David Miller, thank you so much. Good to see you.

All right. Straight ahead, still to come, the suspect in the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, tells police he initially intended to kill him using explosives. We'll have a live report from Tokyo after the break.

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[14:40:00]

All right. New today, a new effort is underway to free two Americans held captive in Russia. Sources tell CNN that former New Mexico Governor and Diplomat, Bill Richardson, will travel to Moscow in the coming weeks to discuss the release of WNBA star, Brittney Griner, and former marine, Paul Whelan.

The U.S. government considers both Griner and Whelan to be wrongfully detained. Richardson has a long track record of helping to free Americans held abroad, including, most recently, playing a role in Trevor Reed's release from Russia last April.

All right. In Ukraine, Russian forces are increasing strikes in several residential areas. Ukrainian officials say 15 bodies have been recovered after a strike on an apartment building in the Donetsk region. Meanwhile, three civilians, including a child, were hospitalized after this attack in Kharkiv, where a two-story building was destroyed. CNN's Alex Marquardt joining us live now from Kharkiv. What more can you tell us, Alex?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the Russians certainly are not letting up in their targeting of this city. There were two strikes overnight, not far from where I am here in the city center. Extraordinary damage. We went to both sites today. One was at a school, the other in that residential area that you were talking about.

There, we saw destroyed and damaged homes. There was a huge crater that was full of water, like a water main broke. Rescue workers there trying to pump out that water. We spoke to a man who lived on that block. He said that air raid sirens went off at 3:00 a.m. and he got his wife and daughter into the kitchen, which was the safest room in the house. Luckily, Fred, neither strike left anybody dead.

But this comes as there certainly is an expectation here in Kharkiv that Russians will try to, once again, advance on this city after being pushed back by Ukrainians. Not just because it is Ukraine second biggest city, and therefore a major prize for Vladimir Putin, but because it is one of the biggest cities in Ukraine, closest to the Russian border.

And then Farther south, we have seen an uptick in violence in the Donetsk region as Russia tries to consolidate its gains in the Eastern Donbas area. That strike, that you mentioned on Saturday night, a brutal missile strike by Russia against an apartment building that left 15 people dead, two dozen trapped under rubble, including a child. Rescue workers have been working feverishly thereto get people out. And last we heard, some six people had been pulled out of the rubble.

And then farther South, Fredricka, we have to remember that the Russians have made real gains in the South, taking the coastlines -- much of the coastlines, I should say, of the Black Sea and then the Sea of Azov. They are in control of a city called Kherson. And that has been repeatedly targeted by the Ukrainians.

And there was a long-range missile strike that the Ukrainians are claiming as a victory. That hit a Russian unit, military units. They said that the Ukrainians have repeatedly been hitting -- trying to hit ammunition stockpiles and areas that serve as logistical hubs for Russian troops in and around Kherson. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Very comprehensive. Thank you so much, Alex Marquardt.

All right. The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe raising questions over a lack of security on the campaign trail. The local police chief admitting there were problems and taking responsibility for the failure that led to Abe's killing.

[14:45:00]

Police also say they confiscated several handmade pistol-like items in a raid on the suspects apartment on Friday. CNN's Blake Essig joining me now live from Tokyo with the latest. So, Blake, what more are you learning about these potential explosives?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we've learned that the suspect told police that he originally planned to kill Abe using explosives before deciding to use a homemade gun. Japanese public broadcaster NHK siding police say that they found explosives and several other homemade guns at the 41-year-old suspect's home.

These guns, including the one used to kill the former prime minister were made with iron pipes and wrapped with duct tape. Now, some of these guns had two, three, even six barrels. Now, it's important to note that the suspect here, who's potentially being charged with murder, hasn't formally been charged yet.

Meanwhile, Kyoto News spoke with a former colleague of the suspect to describe this man as totally ordinary, quiet, and that he seemed mild- mannered. Not exactly the characteristics of a man who was determined to assassinate the former prime minister. But according to NHK, the 41-year-old suspect considered carrying out the crime a day earlier, a campaign event in Okayama, but decided against it because he was looking for a space that was less guarded. Now, in the end, Abe was shot twice from several meters away while delivering a speech in the City of Nara in support of ruling party candidates ahead of Sunday's upper house election. Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Blake Essig, thank you so much in Tokyo.

And We'll be right back.

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[14:50:00]

All right. W. Kamau Bell is back, asking the tough questions about our country's most challenging issues. In the all-new season of "United Shades of America", Kamau takes us on a journey around the country, tackling everything from critical race theory, to the native American land back movement. Here's a preview.

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W. KAMAU BELL, STAND UP COMEDIAN AND UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA HOST: What is woke?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what that means so I can't answer you either way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel old just, like, hearing that word because, honestly, I know it's --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you say, I feel old just hearing that word?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BELL: Did I do that? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know, I'm only 16. Yet I don't really understand, like, some of the slang terms nowadays.

BELL: So, it's not a word that you're using. I mean, I'd be shocked if it was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it's a word used against us. It's a word that's, like, oh, I'm sorry. I'm not woke enough to know what non- binary means, or any of that means to use your pronouns. I had (INAUDIBLE) attack helicopter, I use its pronouns.

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WHITFIELD: Oh, people, brutally honest. We like that. So be sure to tune in. The all-new season of "United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell", that premieres tonight at 10:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

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[14:55:00]

All right. Welcome back. New versions of the Omicron variant are fueling a summer surge of COVID-19 here in the U.S. that has health officials urging many Americans to return to masking indoors. Coronavirus infections nationwide are up six percent with more than 100,000 new cases reported each day over the past two weeks. CNN's Nadia Romero has more on where COVID cases are rising the fastest.

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NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): New CDC data shows about a third of the U.S. population is now living in a county with a high COVID-19 community level. Which means the agency recommends universal indoor masking, counites coast-to-coast are on the list. New York City, an early 2020 pandemic hotspot is in a highly level area.

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, (D) NEW YORK: Our goal is to make sure that whatever we put in place is going to stem the infections, keep down hospitalization, and most importantly keep down those who are -- will die from COVID.

ROMERO (voiceover): Johns Hopkins University reporting new COVID-19 cases rising slowly. 108,000 new reported everyday over the past two weeks, up around six percent from the two weeks prior. The spread of COVID-19 causing concerns in Los Angeles County, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is looking more likely, as cases and admissions have continued to increased, that will enter the high community level designation later this month.

ROMERO (voiceover): Plus, health experts warned data on the rise in COVID-19 cases may not tell the full story due to the widespread use of at-home test kits.

DR. ROB DAVIDSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT HEALTH CARE: On the -- on our system, if you test positive, you don't show up. And so, that's not showing up in the data. So, there's certainly more out there.

ROMERO (voiceover): A recent preprint study based on health records from the Veterans Administration shows that catching COVID-19 over and over again appears to increase the chances a person will experience new and sometimes lasting health problems after their infection.

People who had two or more documented infections had more than twice the risk of dying, and three times the risk of being hospitalized within six months of their last infection. On the vaccine front, on Thursday, the White House saying that only about two percent of children under the age of five have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine since the FDA gave emergency use authorization on June 17th from both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

The two Omicron subvariant, the CDC sites, as the cause of the recent surge may partially escape the immunity produced by COVID-19 vaccines and prior infections. But experts say, the current vaccines and boosters provides substantial protection against severe disease.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In people who fully vaccinated and particularly people who are boosted in the vulnerable groups, we're not seeing a rise in ICU admissions. We're not seeing is a serious rise in deaths. But what we are seeing is the gaps in immunity being exposed.

ROMERO (voiceover): Nadia Romero, CNN, Atlanta.

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WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

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