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Japan Prepares to Bid Farewell to Beloved Former Leader; Trump Ally Steve Bannon Agrees to Testify Before Committee; Uvalde Marchers Call for More Answers on Robb Shooting; Ukraine: At Least 15 Killed in Russian Strike in Donetsk; Washburn Fire Threatening Yosemite's Famous Sequoia Trees. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 11, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And all the countries around the world are mourning Shinzo Abe ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I shared with our Japanese colleagues the sense of loss, the sense of shock that we all feel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today and tomorrow are the peoples chance to say thank you and goodbye.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Steve Bannon, a former trusted adviser to Donald Trump now says he is willing to testify.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All hell is going to break loose tomorrow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are many questions that we have for him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The flames are within a mile or two of Mariposa Grove.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really a ground and air attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, it's an all-out battle to save those majestic sequoias in Yosemite National Park.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

FOSTER: It's Monday, July the 11th, 9 a.m. here in London, 5:00 p.m. in Japan where former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's today farewell will soon get underway. Hours after his party won big in parliamentary elections. This as the hurst carrying Abe's body arriving there at a temple where a private wake is set to get underway in less than an hour. His funeral service will be held there on Tuesday afternoon. The U.S. Secretary of State made an unscheduled trip to Tokyo to pay his respects.

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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: During his time in office, Mr. Abe really took the relationship between our country to new heights, and as I shared with our colleagues, we saw in him something rare, a man of vision who had the ability to realize that vision. But mostly, I came at the presidents behest because more than allies, we're friends. And when a friend is hurting other friends show up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Meanwhile, new details are emerging about the suspect and his life, along with information about the weapons he used, and how he learned to make them. All this of course against the backdrop of Sunday's election, Japanese broadcaster NHK says Abe's Liberal Democratic Party has secured at least 63 seats, more than half the seats at stake in the upper house. CNN's Blake Essig is in Tokyo with more on all of this. And the wake is about to begin -- Blake.

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Max, I'm outside the Zojo-ji Temple in central Tokyo where in one hour from now, a closed door vigil is set to take place. In preparation the hurst currying Abe's body arrived about two hours ago, dozens of people, some carrying flowers entered the temple shortly thereafter.

Now this is also where the funeral service will be held tomorrow afternoon for assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. A few details have emerged about the memorial services for Abe other than its expected to only involved close friends and family.

Despite these proceedings being closed to the public, we had expected people to start gathering as the day went on to pay their respects, but so far that really hasn't happened. We've been outside for several hours, really only journalists are here and the handful of people who have come by have asked us why all the cameras are set up. And it's clear that a lot of the people just simply don't know, which highlights the intimacy and suddenness of these proceedings.

While Abe was most certainly a controversial figure here in Japan at times, he was also hugely popular. Japan's longest serving Prime Minister who did what he felt was necessary to secure Japan's future and its prosperity. Today and tomorrow, Max, are the people of Japan's chance to say thank you and goodbye to the longest serving Prime Minister in Japanese history -- Max.

FOSTER: And no clarity from police on the motive in this assassination, but what are you learning about the suspect?

ESSIG: Well, Max, for days we've reported that the suspect who targeted former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe because he held a grudge against a group that he believes Abe had ties to that his mother was linked to. And while CNN was not able to independently verify, the chairman of the Japan branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, more commonly known as the Unification Church issued a statement earlier today saying that, the mother of the suspect is believed to be involved in Abe's killing was a member of their church. The statement added that the suspect involved in the assassination was never a member.

We are also learning more about the weapon used to kill former Prime Minister. NHK Japan's public broadcaster reports that the suspect checked YouTube for how to make homemade guns. Nara Police also report that the gunman may have tested the gun at a certain group's facility based on surveillance video near the facility, although police refused to name that group. NHK says police found explosives and several other homemade gun at the 41-year-olds suspect's home. These guns, Max, including the one used to kill the former Prime Minister were made with iron pipe barrels wrapped with duct tape, some of these guns had two, three and even six barrels.

FOSTER: OK, Blake Essig in Tokyo, thank you.

The U.S. House Select Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection will hold its next hearing on Tuesday. The committee plans to focus on the role extremist groups played in the Capitol riot. But a former spokesperson for the far-right antigovernment group the Oath Keepers is expected to testify. This comes as Trump ally Steve Bannon who defied the Congressional subpoena now says he is willing to testify before the committee. CNN's Marshall Cohen has the details.

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MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Steve Bannon who is one of former President Donald Trump's staunchest and most controversial allies, he now says he's willing to testify to the January 6th Select Committee. Bannon made the announcement in a letter in the panel this weekend after months of stonewalling. He was subpoenaed last year, but refused to sit for a deposition, and refused to turn over any documents. He claimed he couldn't do that because of executive privilege.

But the Justice Department wasn't buying it. Probably because executive privilege only applies to people who are actually serving in the executive branch, unlike Bannon who left the White House in 2017. So, the Justice Department charged him in November with contempt of Congress, and his criminal trial is supposed to begin next week.

His new offer to the January 6 Committee about potentially testifying, it could be an attempt to try to undermine prosecutor's case. Bannon says he would like to testify at a public hearing, some company members have already indicated that they want him to do a private that position just like all the other witnesses have done.

So, there's no guarantee that this is actually going to happen. Some legal experts are very skeptical of Bannon's motivations with this trial fast approaching. We really should find out more about this in the next few days. The two sides should come together and negotiate we should find out how everything shakes out.

Meanwhile, the committee, the January 6th Committee is moving ahead with its next major public hearing, that's scheduled for Tuesday. And that session will focus on the role of right-wing extremist groups. How they embraced Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election, and how they plan to violently disrupt the peaceful transfer of power to President Joe Biden.

The committee will highlight the Oath Keepers, and the Proud Boys among other groups. Dozens of their members stormed the Capitol on January 6th, including some who are now facing sedition charges. Now members of the committee, including some for now facing sedition charges. Now members of the committee have said that they're going to use Tuesdays hearing to connect the dots between these militants and Donald Trump's inner circle.

Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.

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FOSTER: We're still waiting on word when Bannon will testify, but committee members are particularly interested in his comments during a podcast in the run-up to the Capitol insurrection, when he said all hell was going to break loose on January 6. CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig explains what the committee would likely be looking for in this testimony.

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ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: If Steve Bannon were to testify truthfully and fully -- and I have a major question about whether that will ever actually come to pass. I think the committee is going to want to go right to the heart of the preparations behind the January 6th attack. Like you said, first of all, Steve Bannon made those remarks on his podcast on January 5. I think they're going to want to know, where you just sort of speculating and getting lucky here with their guesses, or was that based on something and if, so what?

Related to, that let's remember, Steve Bannon was part of that group of Trump advisers who were meeting in the Willard Hotel, the war room, in the days leading up to January 6th, along with Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman and others. And if I had a chance to question Steve Bannon as part of the committee, I would want to know everything that he knows that went on in that war room, all the planning, and importantly was Donald Trump or Mark Meadows or anyone else from the White House kept up to speed about what they were planning?

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FOSTER: Well, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren said on Sunday the committee hadn't had a chance to discuss Bannon's offer just yet. She added she expects to hear from him and there are many questions the committee has for him.

We are following new push for gun reform in the U.S. state of Texas. Meanwhile, county commissioners in Uvalde were a deadly school shooting took place in May are meeting in the coming hours, and they're set to consider a resolution asking the governor to call a special session of the state legislature to raise the minimum purchase age for semiautomatic and assault style rifles from 18 to 21. This comes as families and residents there continue to mourn the loss of the 19 students and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary. Some of those people marched in a rally on Sunday, part of a renewed push for answers surrounding the police response to the shooting. Emotions were running high.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I lost my granddaughter, and like I said before, those issues that got daughters and their (INAUDIBLE) daughters, please give them a hug for me, because I can't hug my granddaughter again, not ever again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never would I ever have had this dream to believe that I would have lost my ten-year-old daughter, who had a dream to go to a university, to gun violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The police response to the Uvalde mass shooting has been under fierce scrutiny after it was revealed the officers where at the school for more than an hour before engaging the shooter. CNN's Nadia Romero is following an investigation into that response and has more on the rally in Uvalde.

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NADIA ROMERO, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: A preliminary report by the Texas house investigative committee on at the school shooting in Uvalde Texas could be released within the next ten days -- a source close to the committee tell CNN. Now Committee Chairman Dustin Burrows is pushing for a 77 minute hallway video of law enforcement response to be released with the report, the source says.

And more answers about the police response is what families of the Uvalde school shooting victims and survivors continue to demand. On Sunday, dozens of people rallied to remember the lives lost, and support those still dealing with the traumatic aftermath. They marched from Robb Elementary where the shooting happened, to the city's downtown plaza.

And since the shooting on May 24th, police and people in Uvalde say they've yet to receive clear answers law enforcement's response.

One of the big controversies surrounds how long law enforcement officers stood by in the hallway before confronting the gunman. The committee's request to include the video in its report was denied by the Department of Public Safety. DPS sent a letter back to the committee chairman citing Uvalde county district attorney, that her objection to the videos released.

Now that letter from DPS reads in parts: DPS believes that the video is likely to bring clarity to the public regarding the tragic events in Uvalde, we do not believe it's public release would harm our investigative efforts. Now the Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco is expected to testify

before the Texas House Investigative Committee on Monday after being served with a notice of deposition. Now he had initially refused to testify. Nolasco has said that he will cooperate as long as it does not jeopardize the criminal investigation.

Nadia Romero, CNN, Atlanta.

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FOSTER: Certainly, tragedies like those in Uvalde have not stopped the killings or access to guns in the U.S. In Chicago over the weekend at least 13 people or shot one fatally. The statistics are from Friday night through to early Sunday morning.

In Akron, Ohio, police survived at what they called a chaotic scene on Friday. They found a four-year-old girl and 40-year-old man shot, both died at the hospital.

And New York police say five people were injured during an overnight shooting on the boardwalk near Coney Island. One person was in a critical condition.

Also, over the weekend, the streets of downtown Highland Park, Illinois reopened on Sunday just six days after a mass shooting killed seven people and injured dozens more. People were seen walking around in that area that had been barricades since last week's shooting. There'll be a vigil at city hall on Wednesday to honor the victims.

Meanwhile, eight-year-old shooting survivor Cooper Roberts is paralyzed from the waist down. He suffered several significant injuries, including a severed spinal cord. He remains in serious condition and is scheduled for another medical procedure today.

We're also tracking deadly gun violence in South Africa. Where a pair of fatal shootings have people calling on the government there to enforce gun laws. At least 19 people killed in two separate shootings at different bars over the weekend. The president has expressed his condolences to the family in both attacks.

[04:15:00]

He also urged security agencies and community members to hold the perpetrators to account.

Ukraine's second largest city coming under fire this morning. Officials in Kharkiv say at least three Russian missiles hit the city within the past few hours. Including a strike on a residential building and the school. This as the death toll rises after an attack on an apartment building in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials say at least 18 people were killed, six others had been rescued. And crews say they've made contact with two people still trapped underneath the rubble. In his nightly address Ukraine's president said those who carried out the attack will face justice, no matter how long it takes.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): You know, Nazi murders are found and brought to justice, even when they were 90 or 100 years old. They are caught all over the world, of course, we don't want to wait that long. But I give this example to show, that punishment is inevitable for every Russian murderer, absolutely everyone.

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FOSTER: Well, Ukraine appears to be stepping up counter attacks in the south. Claiming a precise hit on a Russian military target in the occupied region of Kherson on Sunday. Russian state media reported explosions in the sky that it says were caused by air defense systems.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is condemning Canada's decision to return a repair turbine for the Nord Stream One gas pipeline between Russia and Europe. Ukraine says its decision sets a dangerous precedent that would allow Russia to continue weaponizing energy supplies. For more let's bring in CNN's Scott McLean live in Kyiv. Scott, first of all, just this rescue mission, it appears to be making some progress.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, we've actually just gotten an update from the state emergency services in that area. The death toll is still standing at 18. But they say now that they've managed to rescue eight people. What is not clear, as whether these two new people that they say that they have been able to pull out, where the same two that they had a voice contact with from under the rubble. We're trying to get clarification there.

Obviously, this is still the delicate operation. They're trying to move an enormous amount of rubble out of the way and without further collapsing the area that these people might be able to stay alive in for quite some time. While they can actually try to get them.

One other thing to mention on that, Max, is that the Ukrainians say the Chasiv Yar was actually was hit by shelling overnight. So really, it just simply does not stop in this area.

In the northern part of Donetsk, that is where both sides say the fighting has really intensified with shelling in the villages on the Ukrainian side of the fighting. The Russians also claimed to have taken a village in that area called Bilohorivka (ph). That is potentially significant because it is on the Ukrainian side of the Seversky Donets River. A natural barrier that the Russians have really struggled to get across. And it seems to have really been hampering their advances.

It's a very different story though, as you mentioned in the southern part of the country, where the Ukrainians are very much on the offensive. Claiming to have retaken territory near the city of Kherson. And in a new interview with "The Times," a British newspaper. The Ukrainian defense minister says that his troops have been given orders by President Zelenskyy to retake areas of the southern coast. Which obviously would be a big help to the economy. He also says that the fighting force of the Ukrainians -- if you can include police and territorial defense and border guards, it's around a million. He's satisfied, he says, with the weapons that have been pledged by the West. He says the difficulty at this stage though, is just how quickly they're actually reaching the frontlines -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Scott McLean in Kyiv, thank you.

New efforts to free two U.S. citizens held captive in Russia. Former New Mexico Governor and diplomat Bill Richardson will travel to Moscow in the coming weeks. He is expected 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 of helping to free Americans held abroad.

Well, the WNBA gave Brittney Griner a special honor as Sunday night's All-Star game. She was named an honorary All-Star and players wore jerseys with her name featured on the back. Griner, has been detained in Russia since February when authorities say they found a small amount of cannabis oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty last week, saying she never intended to break the law.

Still to come, a California wildfire threatens historic trees and Yosemite National Park. We'll have the latest on what firefighters are doing to protect them.

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FOSTER: A frightening scene at the world's busiest airport. Flames and smoke coming out of a Spirit Airlines jet, just after it landed in Atlanta.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With the heck! Why aren't they letting us out?

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FOSTER: The passenger captured the smoke rising from the plane. But it just arrive from Tampa, Florida. The jet had to be towed to the gate. A passenger on board the Spirit flight captured the fire truck that arrived to assist there. The airport says the jet's brakes overheated and caught fire. Nobody was hurt, and nobody had to evacuate, thankfully.

A wildfire in Yosemite National Park threatens to destroy more than 500 of California's famous giant sequoia trees. The Washburn fire had burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire has spread to the grove of trees but has not damage the historic sequoias so far. The park's chief public affairs officer tells CNN, a coordinated attack is needed, to bring the blaze under control.

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SCOTT GEDIMAN, CHIEF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (via phone): Air support is certainly helpful. But we've a lot of hot shot crews and firefighters on the ground that are going into suppress the fire.

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So, it's really a ground and air attack coordinated that is going to get us to the suppression that we are aiming toward as soon as we can.

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FOSTER: Well, CNN's Nick Watt has more now from California.

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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Washburn fire exploded over the weekend, more than double in size during a 24-hour period. And now under threat, 500 giant sequoia trees at a place called Mariposa Grove here in Yosemite national Park.

Now what they're doing to protect them? Well, they have set up a sprinkler system against one of the trees grisly giant which is 209 feet high. They are trying to keep the tree wet, they are trying to keep the moisture high in the air, to protect the trees from the flames And from many embers that might come in on the wind.

There are more than 360 firefighters on the ground. Hot shot crews digging trenches, there is also an air assault on this fire. We have seen 7:37s, DC-10s, flying over, dropping retardant along this ridge, to try and keep the flames on that side.

Now also in danger, the historic Ahwahnee hotel, more than 150 years old, beautiful old clapboard building. That has been evacuated and is also potentially in danger.

Now the latest that we are hearing from the firefighters, is that the fight is going in the right direction but it is a fight. It is very hot here in California right now. We are in extreme drought. The hot temperatures are scheduled to continue for the next few days. And this terrain is very, very difficult to fight the fire in. Steep, wooded, rocky, these are tough, tough conditions. Going in the right direction but this is still a fight.

Nick watt, CNN, just outside Yosemite National Park, in California.

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FOSTER: Now let's speak to meteorologist Gene Norman to give us an update from Atlanta. If there's any help at hand at all for those firefighters?

GENE NORMAN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, no, Max. In fact, the satellite picture clearly shows the smoke from this fire. You can clearly see it here from the visible satellite from where we have on Sunday. And as Nick just mentioned, it is very hot. In fact, the weather service just updated their heat advisory. It comes very close to where the fire is -- these area shaded in orange. But it does include a good part of Central California and Northern California. And of course, the southwest part of Arizona where the temperatures are going to climb between 100 and 110.

Near the fire 101 in Mariposa with temperatures in the upper 90s. Not out of balance for where it should be this time of year but certainly hot. And that doesn't help things that all. Also, the ongoing drought has been a problem. You look at this map showing the entire state of California under some level of drought. And where the fire occurred, they are in the exceptional range of drought. Again, over 2000 acres not contained at all.

I want to show you quickly how the smoke is going to spread. Because that's going to be a problem for people nowhere near the fire. This computer model shows that smoke drifting towards Lake Tahoe and Reno. And we just heard that in the San Francisco Bay Area they are under an air quality alert for tomorrow -- rather for today and tomorrow -- because of the potential for poor air quality.

No rain in sight either, Max, all the showers and thunderstorms are staying well to the east. So, we've got hot conditions, dry, no rain and those winds are going to keep that smoke wrapped -- rather tight in that one area.

FOSTER: OK, we'll keep an eye on that, thank you so much Gene.

Now, Russia's war in Ukraine is being felt far beyond Europe. Coming up, a live report from Tunisia. On why the innovation is fueling fears of unrest in North Africa.

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