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Autopsy: Jayland Walker Had 46 Gunshot Wounds or Graze Injuries; Manchin Pushes Back on Reports He Won't Support Climate or Tax Revisions in Economic Legislation; Rescuers Search for Survivors After 10 Russian Missiles Hit Mykolaiv; Relatives of Missing in Vinnytsia Submit DNA Samples to Help ID Victims; Injured Mother Doesn't Know Child Died in Russian Attack; New Report Documents Alleged Russian War Crimes; Criminal Contempt Trial for Trump ally, Steve Bannon, Starts Monday; CNN's "Steve Bannon: Divided We Fall," Airs Sunday Night at 8:00 Eastern. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired July 15, 2022 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:33:19]
ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Forty-six, that is how many gunshot entrance wounds or graze injuries Jayland Walker suffered. The 25-year-old black man was unarmed when eight Akron, Ohio, police officers shot and killed him following a high-speed chase last month.
CNN's Polo Sandoval joining us now with more on this autopsy that we just got a hold of.
Polo, for weeks, the question has been how many times was he shot, and why? And today, some insight.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been a big question, Ana, and also a big source of the frustration that I saw firsthand in Akron, Ohio, last week.
And now, we have insight now that this preliminary report has been finalized by the Summit County medical examiner.
Among some of the details that we sought earlier this morning, is the cause of death, Jayland Walker's cause of death on June 27th, now confirming that it was due to massive blood loss.
And also this key number, 46 gunshot entrances or graze wounds. This comes with an important note that the medical examiner said it's quite possible that one bullet caused multiple gunshot entrance or gunshot wounds.
And also, the negative toxicology report, coming back that he tested negative for any alcohol or drugs in his system.
And also, more evidence I saw last week which is evidence that they at least administered first aid before the ambulance arrived and he was pronounced dead. This last point is also crucial since, ultimately, this independent
medical examiner has been brought on by the Walker family, won't see any sort of gunshot residue tests that were performed.
That' because, as we heard from the medical examiner, said today, that was not done because typically the result of that exam can be inconclusive.
[13:35:04]
Here's why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LISA KOHLER, SUMMIT COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER: The FBI lab discontinued gunshot residue testing in in 2006.
Based upon these issues, related to the interpretation and testing and the ease with which these particles can be dislodged from the skin, the medical examiner's office discontinued collecting the samples in 2016 and no longer purchases the collection kits to be used by our staff.
Because of this, Mr. Walker's hands were not swabbed or tested for gunshot residue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: That's Dr. Lisa Kohler.
Not to mention, Ana, even though the technology is sound, it's not quite reliable and that's that why that wasn't done.
But this is key because that would have potentially definitively said whether or not Walker actually fired the one round, 20 seconds into the pursuit on the night of June 27th, that was considered by officers as a perceived threat when eight of them opened fire shooting and killing Jayland Walker.
The family responding saying they are devastated by the findings and they are currently waiting for a public apology from the city.
And they brought on a medical examiner of their own to not only assess the physical examination that was released today as they wait for the state investigation to play out.
CABRERA: OK, Polo Sandoval, thank you --
SANDOVAL: Thank you, Ana.
CABRERA: -- for that update.
Meanwhile, in Washington, Senator Joe Manchin is pushing back now on reports that he has torpedoed Democrats' chances of passing sweeping climate action and tax provisions.
CNN Capitol Hill reporter, Melanie Zanona, is joining us now.
Melanie, there were months of negotiations, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made a number of concessions. And now they say Manchin won't support this.
How has he not blown up Democrats' hopes of passing this sweeping legislation at this point?
MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Manchin said this is the position he's had all along, that he has consistently expressed concerns about inflation.
And he went on a local radio station this morning to further explain his thinking. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV) (voice-over): I said, "Chuck, until we see the July inflation figures, until we see the July, basically, the Federal Reserve rates, interest rates, then, let's wait until that comes out, so we know we are going down a path that won't be inflammatory to add more to inflation."
He says, "Are you telling me you will do the other right now?" And I said, "Chuck, it's not prudent to do the other right now."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZANONA: But this no doubt blows up the Democrats plans for an economic agenda because they don't have the type of time that Manchin is talking about. They only have until September 30th to use this party line reconciliation process.
And Democrats are openly fuming. They feel like the goalposts have been moved with Manchin.
Remember, it started at $3 trillion, then went down to $1.75 trillion. Then Schumer and Manchin tried to negotiate something with climate and taxes but now Manchin is now vetoing that.
Where does this leave us? Potentially, a much slimmer package that only includes lowering prescription drug prices and extending Obamacare subsidies.
And the question is whether these infuriated Democrats are willing to accept something as small as that right before the November elections -- Ana?
CABRERA: Melanie Zanona, thank you for your reporting.
[13:38:15]
One day after a Russian missile killed at least 23 people in central Ukraine, we are learning a mother injured in that attack, still doesn't know her 4-year-old child died. Doctors worry telling her could affect her recovery. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:43:22]
CABRERA: Right now, in Ukraine, rescuers are searching for survivors at the sites of 10 Russian missile strikes on the city of Mykolaiv. Officials say universities and civil infrastructure were damaged in the attack.
To the north, relatives of those missing after similar assault in the city of Vinnytsia are submitting DNA samples now to help identify the dead.
CNN correspondent, Scott McLean, is there with some heartbreaking stories. Heartbreaking stories.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I spoke with the family of a 28-year-old man, who was inside the concert hall at the time of the missile strike.
He was a technician working on the concert of a Ukrainian pop singer who was holding a concert to raise money for the Ukrainian military.
His family, his mother and cousin, said he has severe injuries to his spine and chest and that the next few days would be critical in determining whether he can actually make a recovery.
His cousin told me she's angry. She said, "I want all of Russia to die, no one spared." Those are her words.
I also met the medical director, who said all but two of the more than 100 people who showed up here in the hours after the explosion with shrapnel wounds and with burns were civilian.
He says he treats soldiers all the time. He understands war. He understands military targets. But he simply does not understand this.
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DR. BOGDAN TROKHIMENKO, VINNYTSIA, UKRAINE (through translation): I don't understand the goal. To scare us? They won't scare us. But to kill civilians, it's beyond a crime, something inhuman, incomprehensible. Words fail me.
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[13:44:59]
MCLEAN: The youngest victim we know of so far, is a 4-year-old girl named Lisa (ph). Her mother had posted a video on Instagram just before the blast, showing her pushing her own stroller down the sidewalk.
Just an hour or two after that video was filmed, she was lying dead beside that very same stroller.
President Zelenskyy mentioned this girl in his nightly address. And now, we know that the first lady had also met this girl last year while shooting a Christmas video with children with disabilities.
Her mother, whose name is Yurina (ph), survived the attack. She is inside this hospital recovering.
I spoke with the deputy chief of staff to the president's office, who, was meeting with some of the survivors.
And he said, at least as of earlier, because of her medical state and because of her injuries, she had not yet been told that her daughter didn't survive.
Scott McLean, CNN, Vinnytsia, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Such a beautiful girl we saw in that picture.
Thanks, Scott.
That attack comes as experts document page after page of crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Evidence of gang rapes, including of small children, torture chambers and mass killings, all allegedly committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
This is hard to read. And frankly, it's not even the worst of it. But here's part of the report of those key suburbs where CNN journalists saw firsthand the aftermath of Russian occupation.
Quote, "On April 15th, the Kyiv police force reported that 900 civilian bodies had been discovered following Russia's withdrawal from the area, including over 350 of them discovered in Bucha."
"According to evidence gathered by the police, nearly 95 percent were simply executed. More bodies were discovered in mass graves under rubble."
"The office of the prosecutor general of Ukraine announced on April 4th that the lease in the region discovered a torture chamber in the basement of the children's sanatorium in Bucha." End quote.
Still ahead, former Trump White House aide, Steve Bannon, tried and failed to delay his criminal contempt trial. His lawyers even pointed to a CNN documentary on Bannon to make their case.
Up next, CNN senior investigative correspondent, Drew Griffin, gives us a preview of that special report. Stay with us.
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[13:51:43]
CABRERA: On Monday, top Trump ally, Steve, Bannon goes on trial for criminal contempt charges. Even with the trial looming, Bannon has been leading a movement to install 2020 election deniers in key positions for the next election.
CNN's Drew Griffin reports.
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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steve Bannon has never been elected to any office, never confirmed by Congress for any position, but potentially has more influence on the political direction of the nation today than almost anyone besides Donald Trump.
STEVE BANNON, HOST, "WAR ROOM" & FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE AIDE: We believe in the ballot box. We believe in fair and free and transparent elections.
And we're winning everywhere. We're going to win A 80 to 100 seat pickup in the House of Representatives. We're going to win the Senate, the governorships and the state legislators.
This is going to be a massive blow out. You're witnessing a political realignment. And we will govern for 100 years after we win 100 seats.
JOSHUA GREEN, AUTHOR, "DEVIL'S BARGAIN": Bannon sees himself as the narrator in a great, grand conspiracy of his own devising.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Steve Bannon is the intellectual and cultural navigator for the modern-day Trump-era Republican Party, setting the agenda even more than Donald Trump.
GRIFFIN: Bannon sets that agenda through his daily show "War Room". It's on TV, radio, the Internet. And the podcast version is among the top three political podcasts on Apple.
BANNON: The whole reason we started the 6:00 show "Battleground" was to focus particularly on the primary and on the run-up to this November where we'll have the destruction of the Democratic Party.
GRIFFIN: His pathway to destroy the Democratic Party, control who runs the elections by putting the ultra MAGA in charge.
BANNON: It is about who counts the votes. And we're going to count them because we've got election officials that are showing up.
GREEN: One thing that stopped the overthrow of the 2020 election was that Republican precinct workers said, no, we're not going to overturn what was a valid election.
I think Bannon saw that and said, if Donald Trump runs in 2024 and the same thing happens, I want to make sure that we have people in those positions that will overturn the election for Trump, even if he loses it.
GRIFFIN: Bannon insists he wants every vote to be counted legally. But his entire movement is based on the lie that Donald Trump, not Joe Biden, actually won the 2020 election.
BANNON: We will never concede. We will never say this election was not stolen.
STACY AITIERY, DEKALB COUNTY REPUBLICAN PRECINCT CHAIR: I was never inspired to be involved in politics until this last election.
GRIFFIN (on camera): And what about that election inspired you?
AITIERY: To see all the anomalies during the election. There's no way that Biden could have ever won an election. He didn't campaign. The most unpopular person.
If you believe that that was a safe and fair election, then I just can't help you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: CNN senior investigative correspondent, Drew Griffin, joins us now.
Drew, so many of the people you talked to in this report, they were inspired to get involved in local politics because of Steve Bannon.
Is that an actual reshaping of the Republican Party taking place from the grassroots level up?
GRIFFIN: From the precinct committee people to the school boards, all the way up to secretary of state, attorney generals, and eventually Bannon hopes the presidency again.
[13:55:04]
And, Ana, all powerfully built upon this lie that otherwise rational people still believe, that there was an election taken away from them.
It's been a great motivator for Steve Bannon and he has reshaped the Republican Party with that lie at the core of its values.
CABRERA: Again, the report this weekend.
Drew Griffin, thank you for your reporting.
Be sure in tune in to his CNN special report, "STEVE BANNON: DIVIDED WE FALL," Sunday night at 8:00 eastern here on CNN, just ahead of his trial on Monday.
That does it for me. I hope you have a fun and safe weekend. I'll see you back here on Monday as well. Until then, you can find me on Twitter, @AnaCabrera.
The news continues with Alisyn and Victor right after this.
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