Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Uvalde Board Passes Resolution To Ask Texas Governor For Special Session; Reporter: 77-Minute Video Will Deepen Tragedy For Uvalde Families; Poll: 64 Percent Of Dems Want Someone Other Than Biden In 2024; Police: Suspect Holds Hatred For Group He Thought Had Ties To Abe. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired July 11, 2022 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:30:00]
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Today Uvalde county commissioners unanimously passed a resolution asking the Texas governor to call a special legislative session to focus on raising the minimum age of gun buyers who want assault-style rifles.
It's been six weeks since an 18-year-old shooter gunned down 19 4th graders and two teachers inside Robb Elementary School.
The public has yet to see the surveillance video inside the hallway that shows what police officers were doing for 77 minutes before storming that classroom to kill the shooter.
But a reporter for the "Austin-American Statesmen" has seen that video and says it shows the gunman entering the school, firing on officers and more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[15:35:00]
TONY PLOHETSKI, AUSTIN-AMERICAN STATESMEN REPORTER WHO SAW 77-MINUTE VIDEO: Over the next more than hour, you see on this video police officers converging on the scene, arming themselves more and more with helmets, with assault rifles, with ballistic shields, even with tear gas canisters, but essentially, they stand there for an hour.
Once it is finally made public it's going to be very disturbing to many people, and I think really deepen the tragedy that happened that day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: CNN's Rosa Flores joins us now from Austin. So, Rosa, is that video going to be released?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Alisyn, that is the big question. Here's what we know. The parents, the family members of the victims, Texas DPS, Texas lawmakers, the Uvalde city mayor, they're all calling for the release of this video. Now let me be very clear, they are asking for the release of the video
that shows the hallways, that shows the failed law enforcement response.
No one is asking for the release of the violence, of the massacre, of the final moments of these children, not at all. What they are interested in is the accountability.
Now, there's a gatekeeper. That gatekeeper is the Uvalde County D.A. She has objected to the releasing of this video. Now people are scratching their heads about this for this reason.
We all know that the gunman in this case is dead. And so, the big question is what criminality is she investigating. Why hold on to this video and not release it to the public.
This is creating a lot of outrage in Uvalde, especially by the family members of the victims who are asking for accountability. They want the officers who were in the hall, who did nothing to be held accountable. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BELINDA ARREOLA, GRANDMOTHER OF SHOOTING VICTIM AMERI JO GARZA: I challenge all of you cowards that were in that class, in that hallway, to step down. Turn in your badge and resign. You do not deserve to wear a badge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)3
FLORES: Now, back to that report, Alisyn. I'm here at the Texas House because the investigative committee is expected to release their investigative report in about ten days. That's according to a source. They have interviewed about 40 people.
They have looked through evidence, and according to the source, this report is expected to clarify some of the conflicting stories that we heard before. As you know, there's many of them. The big question, of course, is will this report actually do that or create more confusion -- Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: Yes, some clarity would be wonderful coming out of Uvalde. Thank you very much for all of that, Rosa Flores, we know you've stayed on it for weeks.
All right, a new poll shows most Democrats do not want President Biden to run for reelection. We'll take a closer look at what those numbers actually mean, next.
[15:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAMEROTA: A New York Times/Sienna College poll out today shows that 64 percent of likely Democratic primary voters want a candidate other than President Joe Biden on the ballot in 2024. But which candidate would that be? Joining us now is pollster and
communications strategist Frank Luntz. He's also the author of "Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business From Ordinary to Extraordinary." Frank, great to see you.
FRANK LUNTZ, POLLSTER AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIST: It's been a long time and I've been so looking forward to it. You look great, and let's have a really good conversation about this.
Thank you, Frank, I look forward to it as well. I've been watching you from afar, and you look great as well. So, let's just talk about us -- no, just kidding. Let's talk about President Biden.
It's not -- I mean, here's what I think the White House would say. He's had some major successes. He just helped get this bipartisan gun bill passed, the first in 30 years or something like that.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill. The unemployment numbers are great. He doesn't control the Supreme Court. Why isn't that good enough for Democrats?
LUNTZ: Because the number one issue for Democrats, independents and Republicans, regardless of whether you're from California or Connecticut is inflation.
And the public looks at that issue and is wondering what is this White House doing. Now, it is not his fault. He inherited an inflationary situation. But you can't say he made anything better, and you have to say that some of the policies have probably made things worse.
The number two issue is crime, insecurity, chaos at the border, absolutely the abortion issue is important and absolutely the president deserves credit for what happened with guns.
But those issues pale in comparison to economic security and personal security, and that's the challenge for the White House right now.
CAMEROTA: Frank, what about the Roe v. Wade decision. Do you see that changing, being a factor in the midterms, and helping Democrats?
LUNTZ: I do and yes, it will, particularly in suburban areas. There are two segments of the voter population that we should be following right now, the first are women between the ages of 30 and 49, married with children.
They used to be a Republican block. They moved to the Democrats when Donald Trump became the leader of the Republicans. They've begun to move back to the GOP, but Roe v. Wade matters to them.
[15:45:00]
The ability to guarantee that they're prochoice and they have that ability, that matters to them, and they have started to shift back to the Democrats we have seen in the polling.
But the other group that is equally important and just as large a constituency are Latinos, Hispanics. You have a split that's coming between the black and the brown communities that is very significant, not just for the 2022 elections, but also for the presidency.
Go back to 2016, 28 percent of Latinos and Hispanics voted Republican. 38 percent voted Republican in 2020. We are now looking at in the low 40s. And if it remains that way -- and it could climb even higher -- then Democrats are going to have an impossible time keeping control of the House.
But on the Senate side, because of that suburban, middle-aged women vote, female vote, that may be enough for Democrats to keep control of the Senate.
CAMEROTA: That's really interesting because we just heard Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee talk about the numbers that she was saying that she thought looked optimistic for Democrats.
But I also want to ask you about what's happening with the January 6th Committee. I mean, whether or not you think that that's having any impact. I heard you saying that you thought that Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren was using sort of in ineffective language about it and what the committee's role is. So, let me play that for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): We are going to be connecting the dots during these hearings between these groups and those who were trying in government circles to overturn the elections.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Isn't that their job, Frank? What's wrong with that language?
LUNTZ: It's exactly their job, but it's not the right language. That's exactly what you do, but you don't say it.
You don't tell people the conclusion, you let them come to it, which is why these hearings, that could have been so much more effective if they had shown the videos first, give people the evidence, the facts first, and then draw the conclusion.
But the problem is that politicians always want to speak first. They always want to set the tone. They always want camera time, and that undermines, undercuts the credibility of the hearings.
And with each passing hearing, the viewership is falling. And it's falling among people who they really want to watch. Democrats have already made up their minds that Donald Trump isn't their cup of tea.
Independents are not nearly as engaged and the Republicans quite frankly aren't watching at all.
So how are you going to change public opinion if the people that you most need to pay attention are the ones least likely to follow it. So, I've got simple advice for them --because I know they watch your show -- stop doing the politics, Stop doing the histrionics, let the people decide.
Show them the facts, the videos of this, and then let them draw their own conclusion. You don't have to connect the dots, the American public is smart enough that they will.
CAMEROTA: We'll see if they take your advice tomorrow. Frank Luntz, it's great to see you. Let's do more of this. Really appreciate you coming on.
LUNTZ: I'd love to. Thanks very much.
CAMEROTA: Thank you.
All right, we have new details on the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, including now, a possible motive. That's next.
[15:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAMEROTA: Tomorrow is the funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was assassinated at a campaign event last week. Today, a private wake was held for him in Tokyo. And we're learning new details surrounding what may have motivated the suspect in his murder.
CNN's Matthew Chance is in the city of Nara where this happened. Matthew, I understand that you entered a building that police say was the site of a test shooting for the gunman. What does that mean?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we got close to the building, but actually, the police were standing outside on guard, and they wouldn't let us any nearer.
But yes, that's right, earlier today, the police told us that they suspected that the suspect in the Shinzo Abe killing had carried out a test firing of the homemade gun that he used to kill Abe. On a building in central Nara, at which was -- which had a certain group, as they call it, inside. They've refused to identify what this group was.
But the whole motivation for this killing is said to have been the suspect's hatred for this group. The police have said they won't name the group for fear of some kind of violent reprisals against them.
But you know, we went to this office building. We saw the damage. It was covered up with a blue tarp, and so we couldn't actually see where the bullet holes had hit, but the police were outside.
They pushed us back. But on the door of the building, it said the Unification Church, essentially, which is a South Korean religious organization and it's been -- the organization which has been the subject of widespread speculation about being this group.
And so, this is the closest we've been to actually getting some kind of confirmation that it was indeed this South Korean organization that motivated this suspect's hatred for this group motivated him to kill Shinzo Abe.
Because he believed rightly or wrongly that the former Japanese Prime Minister was linked in some way to that religious organization.
We've also spoken to the police today about how their interrogation is going of the suspect. He's a 41-year-old Japanese man. Apparently, he's cooperating but he has not expressed any regret, Alisyn, for the killing or for any of his actions that he's taken.
[15:55:03]
CAMEROTA: Yes, there's still just so many questions. Matthew Chance, thank you for all of that.
So, Trump ally Steve Bannon has had a sudden change of heart. He now says he's willing to testify before the January 6th Committee. What changed?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:00:00]
CAMEROTA: Sinking water levels at Lake Mead have just revealed another big find. A sunken World War II era vessel. This is a Higgins landing craft which is now only half submerged. It was 185 feet below the surface.
It's not clear how exactly it ended up in lake Mead. It was likely used to survey the Colorado River and then sank. Higgins boats like this one were used during World War II when Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy.
And "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.
