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Record Heat Tormenting Much Of Western Europe; Volodymyr Zelenskyy Asks Parliament To Dismiss Top Security Chief; Leaders Of Russia, Turkey, Iran To Meet In Tehran Tuesday; Sri Lanka's Parliament Accepting Nominations For New President. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired July 19, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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[00:00:34]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining us. Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM. The climate crisis is here. Soaring temperatures in the U.K. cause airport tarmacs to melt, train services reduced of fears tracks might buckle. Both wildfires raced across much of Europe. Higher record breaking temperatures are still to come.

Plus, the warming ties between Moscow and Tehran, with Russia's President traveling to Tehran to meet the supreme leader on the agenda, Syria combat drones and Ukraine's green exports.

And Sri Lanka on it as Parliament accepts donations for president. Why a new leader may not mean an end to protests.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: The deadly heat scorching parts of Western Europe is paralyzing cities, fueling wildfires and droughts and pushing infrastructure from train tracks to power grids to the brink.

In the coming hours, temperatures in England could reach a record breaking 40 degrees Celsius or higher. That's about 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Monday was the U.K.'s third hottest day on record, the suffocating 38 degrees Celsius. Temperatures set new records in Wales, soaring above 35 degrees.

Well, these highs are common in many parts of the world, the British are simply unprepared to deal with extreme heat. Roads are literally melting, train tracks are at risk of buckling, forcing surfaces to be cut or operate at reduced speed.

U.K.'s meteorological office has issued its first ever red warning for exceptional heat, essentially declaring a national emergency. And the heat wave is so severe and so prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social care system, which means it poses a threat to the fit and healthy, not just the elderly and other high risk groups. On the continent, the crisis is even worse. Spain's Prime Minister visited a region where deadly wildfires have been raging for days and issued this warning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I would like to highlight an evidence and that is climate change kills. It kills people. We've seen it. It kills our ecosystem, our biodiversity and it destroys the precious belongings of the citizens that are affected by these fires, their homes, their businesses, their cattle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN's Melissa Bell has more now on the threat facing much of southern Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Southern Europe inflames vast swathes of the Mediterranean engulfed by wildfires driven by the sweltering temperatures of Europe's second heat wave this summer. From Portugal through Spain, Italy and France, were one of two massive fires near the city of Bordeaux continue to rage and spread.

Down here on the ground, you get a real sense of what the firefighters are facing. These parched conditions, the earth already dry for so many months of high temperatures and those high temperatures still continuing.

What the firemen in this case French Air Force firemen are having to do is find those parts of the fire inside the contained zone and put them out as quickly as they can.

For nearly a week now, temperatures across Europe have soared. In Spain and Portugal, more than a thousand people have died amid record heat, with temperatures set to rise further and as far north as the United Kingdom.

STEVE BARCLAY, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: Well, the clear message to the public is to take the sensible steps in terms of water, shade and cover. We're asking people to keep an eye out for their neighbors and those who may be vulnerable.

BELL: The Rome region has declared a state of emergency. After several weeks of drought, some Italian towns now banning the use of water for washing cars and watering gardens with fines of up to $500.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's ridiculous because the population tries to save money by having a vegetable garden and then you prevent them from watering your garden, but the vegetable garden, it's absurd.

BELL: These are the beaches of southwestern France, the Atlantic coast where so much of France is accustomed to coming to spend its summer holidays, and yet the beaches completely evacuated, the camping grounds as well. Many of those thousands of people who've been asked to go elsewhere, where people who'd come here on holiday.

[00:05:10]

To places like Cazaux now the scene of a battle being waged day and night in the face of record temperatures and changing winds.

COL. JEROME FLEITH, FRENCH AIR FORCE (through translator): There is no letup in our efforts, it tests our equipment and our men, but we have to hold the line for as long as it takes.

BELL: A desperate battle against time and temperatures that are set to rise further still.

Melissa Bell, CNN Cazaux, France.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Let's bring in CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for more on this. And Europe and the U.K. really just sort of ground zero for this heat wave for this emergency.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): It is and it's really beginning to peak here in the next couple of hours, John. You look at these red alerts, red warnings that we've talked about. The first of its kind across the U.K. at the Met Office giving a 50 percent chance. Some of these areas could eclipse 40 degrees Celsius in the coming several hours with an 80 percent chance records are going to fall across this region.

And of course, we've talked about how this time of year, third week of July into early August, the climatological peak of when you expect the warmest weather, but this is a whole new level of extreme heat.

In fact, sunrise happening in one minute across London, notice the sunrise temperature, the current observation there, 23 degrees, guess what the average temperature is this time of year in the afternoon? It's 23 degrees.

So, already at sunrise at the maximum average temperature for this time of year. And here are the all-time records ever observed across these areas around Western Europe, across the United Kingdom. 38.7 was observed in Cambridge in July of 2019. That record almost certainly going to fall within the coming few hours.

Of course, notice a lot of these records just a couple of years old, now going back to 2019 to 2021. So this heat has become kind of more frequent just in the past 12 months alone and the observations in the past 24 hours pushing up into the upper 30s.

Jersey Airport, that's right here on the English Channel there, should be 20 this time of year, almost doubling that number, closing in on 38 degrees in the past 24 hours.

We have about 41 degrees this afternoon in Paris, 36 or so as you work your way a little farther towards the north. And these observations around London in particular could be as impressive as it gets. Among the warmest temperatures ever observed, compare that to Tuesday's high in Tehran this afternoon. Aiming for about 37 degrees kind of -- it gives you a sense of scale.

Of course, folks there a lot more used to this temperature than folks across portions of London. But the good news is this is going to be short lived, at least for the northern reaches of Europe.

Notice that date stamp here as we go in from Tuesday into Wednesday, significantly cooler air as indicated in the yellow and green contours here that brings in more of a marine influence and gives those temperatures a little bit of a downslope as we drop back down into the upper 20.

So, it's still above the average of 23, but considerably cooler than about 40 degrees, which is what we're expecting.

But notice, of course portions of Europe dealing with the excessive heat and the same sort of color contours of yet reds and oranges widespread across the central United States and really much of the lower 48 states where excessive heat is in place with similar numbers, John, up into the 40s when you factor in the heat indices, over 50 million Americans dealing with these excessive temperatures that even for their standards for this time of year is historic.

VAUSE: Yes, and it's just going to get worse in the years to come. Pedram, thank you.

The U.N. Secretary General is warning that half of humanity is in the "danger zone for extreme weather". They've got a climate change conference that no nation is immune. And yet we continue to feed our fossil fuel addiction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECURITY-GENERAL: This has to be the decade of the size if climate action that means trust, multilateralism, and collaboration. We have a choice, collective action or collective suicide, it is in our hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Since the start of the year, heat records are far outpacing cold temperature records across the planet. They've already been close to 190 all-time heat record set in recent months, more than 50 in just the past week. More indications this will continue to happen with greater frequency because of global warming.

Now, to Ukraine where allegations of treason are fueling more government shakeups and exposing this shadow war happening behind the scenes of Russia's invasion.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially asked parliament to remove the head of Ukraine's security service known as the SBU. Then, earlier, Zelenskyy suspended his security chief, along with the top prosecutor saying they failed to purge Russian collaborators from their ranks.

He says dozens of workers within both departments are operating against Ukraine in Russian occupied territory. While many others are suspected of treason. This might just be the start of a much wider purge among the security establishment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Personnel audit of the service is taking place. The issue of dismissal of 28 officials is being considered, different levels, different directions, but the grounds are similar, unsatisfactory job performance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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VAUSE: Zelenskyy has yet to ask parliament to remove Ukraine's Prosecutor General but he has tapped one of the deputies to be a temporary replacement.

Meantime, the head of the SBU's corruption department will serve as Ukraine's acting security chief.

Even as those accusations shake Kyiv, Russian forces continue their relentless attack. Ukrainian Air Force says Russia has now fired 3,000 missiles into Ukraine since the war began.

But Western defensive weapons may be helping to turn the tide. Ukraine's president says his troops are now able to inflict significant losses on Russian forces and Ukrainian military officials say longer range artillery sent by the West is now playing a crucial role as Ukraine mounts a counter offensive on Russian held territory in the south.

And to the east, Ukraine says its forces are still fending off Russian advances in the Donetsk region, a key target in Moscow's push to take the entire Donbas.

And near those front lines, Ukrainian officials say Russian shelling hit a two-story building in the town of Toretsk, killing at least five people, wounding several others.

Meantime, Vladimir Putin is on a rare foreign trip visiting Tehran to meet with both the Iranian and Turkish presidents in the coming hours. Their main focus is on Syria but other topics will likely include Ukrainian grain exports, which are largely frozen due to Russia's naval blockade.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also renewed his threat to halt the bids from Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

Jill Dougherty is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, a CNN contributor. And among her many titles, she's a former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief, she's with us this hour from the U.S. Capitol. Jill, good to see you.

Hi, John, good to be here.

VAUSE: OK, so there's a lot to watch for as these three leaders gather in Tehran. But the big picture seems, is the meeting between the leaders of Russia and Iran. Another sign of just the how the interests of both these countries which the U.S. has tried to isolate, are becoming increasingly aligned.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, that's really a good point. Because, I mean, they do have a relationship, there's no question.

And, you know, the ostensible reason or the basic reason for all three leaders, Turkey, Russia, and Iran, to be in Tehran, is Syria, because they're all part of what's called the Astana format, which is looking for some type of solution to Syria.

But I think you're right, you know, the Ukraine situation has kind of changed the relationship somewhat, between Iran and Russia. And I think an important part of this that we're going to be looking at will be the economic part of it.

I mean, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Russia actually mentioned that in the context of the Ukrainian conflict, the Ukrainian war.

And so, you can see, I'm sure they'll have a joint statement as they say, after this, and there will probably be a lot of discussion about, you know, moving the relationship into a permanent relationship, not just a temporary type of security cooperation.

VAUSE: Yes, and on the economic front, there's talk that, you know, Iran, as well as Moscow could start doing trade in their own local currencies as a way of avoiding U.S. sanctions. There's also this potential deal for Iran to supply Moscow with combat drones. And that sparked concerns within the Biden administration.

Here's the White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan are talking last week, here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several 100 UAVs, including weapons capable UAVs on an expedited timeline. Our information further indicates that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use the UAVs with initial training session slated to begin as soon as early July.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, how significant is this potential deal between Iran and Russia?

DOUGHERTY: I think it would be quite significant. It's extremely important, but it's complex. And that's why you have, you know, Russia saying no comment. And Iran saying no, that is not happening.

So, it would be very significant, because, number one, those are sophisticated weapons, but Iran really hasn't exported them in any great capacity to other countries. So, it would be -- that would be significant.

And then, also, the fact that Russia would turn to Iran for weapons for these drones, you know, militarized drones would be very important too, because obviously, they're not able to produce their own or enough of their own drones to do much of anything in Ukraine. So, they need some assistance from the Iranians.

VAUSE: We're also seeing the presence of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He's expected to hold separate talks on the sidelines with the Russian president, in particular about the export of Ukraine grain, which is currently being prevented to being exploited by a naval blockade -- by a Russian naval blockade.

[00:15:07]

He's the E.U. representative for Foreign Affairs at what's at stake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEP BORRELL, E.U. HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: It's an issue of life and death for many human beings. And the question is that Russia has to be blocked and allow the Ukrainian grain to be exported, otherwise we will have to continue claiming that they are using food as a weapon, without any kind of consideration for human being's life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: There's some reporting out there that there's just a few minor issues left to resolve to open what is called a green corridor, allow exports from Ukraine. Is this all but a done deal at the moment?

DOUGHERTY: You know, it's looking very promising. And I went back and checked, you know, Putin actually was talking about this, going back to the end of May. But that's been a while and nothing has really happened.

But behind the scenes, they have been working on this, the United Nations has been working on it as well.

So, the idea of this, John, would be, as we know, Ukraine has not been able to export nearly as much as it did, you know, previous to the war beginning.

So, what Erdogan is suggesting, the plan appears to be that there would be kind of a safe card or they would go through the Black Sea and allow the grain to get out. That would mean that Russia would have to stop -- you know, we'd have to unblock as we just heard from Mr. Borrell, unblock those ports.

Now, Russia claims it's not blocking them at all. Russia says you know, the Ukrainians are mining those ports. But the Ukrainians are saying, indeed, they are blocked. And the Ukrainians do accuse Russians of stealing the grain and taking it to other places like Odess -- to Crimea, and exporting it for their own sake, to make money and to export to other countries. So, this is very sensitive.

And of course, you know, when you hear words like life and death for people around the world, it really is. I mean, this famine beginning in other countries that really depends upon this grain.

VAUSE: Yes, midst of a food crisis, a global food crisis. This is -- this is, you know, exports, which are desperately needed right now.

So, Jill, thank you. Thank you very much for being with us.

DOUGHERTY: Sure.

VAUSE: Still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, Sri Lanka's acting president tells CNN the previous government was covering up the real facts about the extent of the economic disaster facing the country. More from our exclusive interview when we come back.

Also ahead, Texas officials announced new security measures after that mass shooting at Robb Elementary which claimed 21 lives, details when we come back.

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VAUSE: U.K. is one step closer to a new prime minister. Four candidates are now left in the race to succeed Boris Johnson. He's stepping down after a series of scandals.

On Monday, lawmaker Tom Tugendhat was tapped out of the contest after finishing last in the third round of voting by conservative members of parliament. Rishi Sunak atop the ballot with 115 votes. Fourth round voting takes place in the coming hours. M.P.s will continue to vote, eliminating the candidates with the least support until there are just two left.

From their card carrying members of the Conservative Party about 200,000 will vote for Johnson's successor as party leader and by default prime minister.

Sri Lanka's parliament is accepting nominations for a new president today. A new leader is expected Wednesday after a secret ballot. This comes amid growing turmoil across the country.

Sri Lanka's ruling party is backing Ranil Wickremesinghe who is serving as acting president after former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to resign last week.

Sri Lankan's view Rajapaksa as a part of the political elite which destroyed the nation's economy. His nomination threatens to inflame an already volatile situation across the country.

Demonstrations hit a tipping point earlier this month when protesters took over government buildings and forced Rajapaksa to resign.

Now, to an exclusive interview with Sri Lanka's acting president, he tells CNN's Will Ripley, the previous government was covering up facts about the country's financial crisis. Here's more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is your message to those who feel that your presidency is simply more of the same from the previous administration?

RANIL WICKREMESINGHE, SRI LANKAN ACTING PRESIDENT: Not the same, people know that. I'm not this administration. I came in to handle the economy like I did in 2001 when it collapsed.

RIPLEY: Do you think that the previous administration was telling the truth to the people of Sri Lanka?

WICKREMESINGHE: No.

RIPLEY: They were not?

WICKREMESINGHE: They were not.

RIPLEY: They were lying to the people?

WICKREMESINGHE: They were covering up facts.

RIPLEY: What were they covering up?

WICKREMESINGHE: That we are bankrupt, that we need to go to the IMF. (INAUDIBLE)

RIPLEY: So, what would you like to say to the people now truthfully, as somebody who could very likely be their next president?

WICKREMESINGHE: The people I know, they are suffering. We have -- we have gone back. We have to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, but we can do it. You don't need five years, 10 years. By next year let's start stabilizing. And by the end of by certainly by 2024, let's have a functioning economy, which will start growing, export oriented economy, a dynamic economy.

RIPLEY: What went wrong that got Sri Lanka to this point of crisis?

WICKREMESINGHE: Everyone has been in politics not talking about the truth.

RIPLEY: We interviewed a man who pushes his son in a wheelchair to dialysis six kilometers each way, five days a week, public transportation costs went up by six times. What do you say to that -- to that father?

WICKREMESINGHE: I can understand what you're going through. And this is going to be the worst period, the protests that is taking place, occupation of houses, burning of houses, that's only adding to it.

RIPLEY: Do you believe that other buildings could be occupied again by protesters?

WICKREMESINGHE: I will not allow any building to be occupied by protesters.

RIPLEY: How will you stop that from happening?

WICKREMESINGHE: I have asked the police and army to guard it.

RIPLEY: And they've been authorized to take any by any means necessary to prevent people from occupying?

WICKREMESINGHE: Just like the Congress, I've said protect it.

RIPLEY: You had your own home burned down.

WICKREMESINGHE: Yes. The furniture was mainly from my grandparents, my parents, great grandparents, I had piano 125 years old from my great grandmother all destroyed.

RIPLEY: A lot of people would have that experience and say, that's it. I'm out. I don't want to do this anymore. Why do you want to be president and put make yourself potentially a target for this kind of thing?

WICKREMESINGHE: I don't want this happening in this country. What happened to me I don't want others to suffer. There has to be law and order in the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN's Will Ripley there with an exclusive interview with Sri Lanka's acting president.

To Singapore now and Chulanee Attanayake, a researcher and political analyst with the Institute of South Asian Studies. Thank you so much for being with us.

Over the past three decades -- thank you. The current acting president has served as prime minister six times. He's seen by protesters as part of the corrupt old establishment. So, what happens if he wins a secret ballot -- ballot I should say in Parliament. And he's chosen as the new president because he's on odds on favorite to win, right?

CHULANEE ATTANAYAKE, RESEARCH FELLOW, INSTITUTE OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES: Exactly. I think it is a very tricky situation at the moment. Current acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has contest presidential election several times and has lost and last time he couldn't even save a seat during the parliamentary election.

So, he's seen as another symbol of the previous political culture in the country, previous political generation, what people are asking at the moment is a change to that. It's not just the end for the Rajapaksa's departure, but also there are other -- it includes a departure from the political culture Sri Lanka has experienced for so many decades.

[00:25:07]

So, it will be somewhat chaotic if he comes -- if he gains the position as the president.

So, at least in my opinion, there has to be a government that is accepted by the people that has credibility among the people for the political unrest to stabilize a little bit.

VAUSE: Was Monday's declaration of a national emergency mostly a pre- emptive measure? Should protests erupted if Wickremesinghe actually wins that parliamentary ballot?

ATTANAYAKE: Oh, well, it is -- it is possible that has been the objective. But I do agree with him during the interview what he said, there has to be law and order in the country.

And if the riots continue that can only destabilize security and political stability in the country, which will lead to other problems, including delay in getting the IMF.

So, law and order has to be maintained. And I think as citizens and the protesters also has a role to play in that.

VAUSE: Sri Lanka has now turned to the IMF for emergency credit. But when the crisis began because of the pandemic, the government avoided the IMF and borrowed billions of dollars from Beijing.

So, how consequential was that decision in terms of the extent of the economic crisis which Sri Lanka is now facing?

ATTANAYAKE: I think one of the reasons for what we are here today is delayed -- police (PH) delayed response to the economy crisis.

And Sri Lanka borrowed not just from China, but also from India. And they were trying to find a homegrown solution which we have witnessed as not successive today. Economic experts have been continuously telling the government to go for IMF but I think they somewhat did not listen to those advices. That's why we are here today.

So, this is a result of delayed economic or delayed response to the emerging crisis, even though the crisis has been brewing for a long period of time and exacerbated by recent issues like pandemic, Ukraine, war, etcetera.

VAUSE: We also have a situation where Laos, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives are all facing debt problems. China is a big lender to all of them. It seems Sri Lanka won't be the only country facing this kind of economic crisis.

ATTANAYAKE: If you look at the world economy today, I think Sri Lanka is not an isolated case. As you rightly mentioned, there are other countries in South Asia but also in other places like Egypt, Lebanon, they are already having discussions with the IMF for a bailout. Pakistan is already having these discussions. I think the pandemic has

impacted the low and middle income countries to a great extent, especially the ones who are dependent on imports for their basic needs and have less export market and also what dependent on remittance Forex to come from tourism, remittance, etcetera.

So, this is not an isolated case. So, there are -- there are -- there will be possible domino effects not just in South Asia but elsewhere as well.

VAUSE: Chulanee Attanayake, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate your insights.

ATTANAYAKE: Thank you.

VAUSE: Thank you. Well, Panama hopes lowering the price of fuel will put an end to protest. The government says it's reached a deal to lower the cost of gasoline to $3.25 a gallon.

Fuel costs, unemployment and inflation have sparked widespread demonstrations. Officials already lowered the cost of gas earlier this month. But the move did not go far enough. According to one protest group, this latest price cut will bring the cost of basic food back to what it was a decade ago.

At least 13 inmates were killed during a fight between prisoners at a detention center in Ecuador on Monday. These two others were hurt. Officials say they have reestablished order. There's been a security crisis in Ecuador's prison since the pandemic started, mostly due to overcrowding and organized crime.

Hundreds of inmates have been killed since 2021 and the number of rise flashes.

Still to come, families of victims of the Uvalde Texas school shooting demanding accountability after a damning report on the police response has been released. More on that when we come back.

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VAUSE: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

[00:32:09]

Nearly two months after the mass school shooting in Uvalde, the school board has had a meeting where many students voiced their fears over going back to school. Listen to what one sister of one of the victims has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAZMIN CAZARES, SISTER OF UVALDE SHOOTING VICTIM: How am I supposed to come back here? I'm going to be a senior. How am I supposed to come back to this school? What are you guys going to do to make sure I don't have to watch my friends die? What are you going to do to make sure I don't have to wait 77 minutes, bleeding out on my classroom floor, just like my little sister did?

I know there's nothing you can do to bring my sister back, but maybe, just maybe, if you do something to change this, you can prevent the next family from losing their child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Good points.

Meantime, the school district announced new security measures at that meeting. The district's buying 8-foot-high non-climbable fencing for some schools.

The superintendent said the district is also considering a virtual option for students to return to school.

A damning preliminary report on the shooting has only been out since Sunday, and already, the fallout has begun.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has our report. And a warning to viewers: his story contains disturbing video and some strong language.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, the Texas Department of Public Safety is launching an internal review of its own response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shots fired!

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Which new police body cam footage shows was full of chaos and confusion while a gunman was inside a classroom. Officers filing into the building throughout the standoff diverted arriving officers to control crowds of parents outside. Bringing in equipment, fumbling with keys.

PETE ARREDONDO, CHIEF, UVALDE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICE: Let me know if there's any kids in there.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): In a shocking moment, Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo tried negotiating with the gunman, who had already fired dozens of rounds inside the classroom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are we doing here.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The massive law enforcement force waited 74 minutes before reaching the shooter, in control of two classrooms, where students and teachers lay dead, dying and hiding.

EVA GUZMAN, TEXAS HOUSE INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER: If you showed up that day and you weren't ready to prioritize the lives of those children over your own, this is not the profession for you.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): These disconcerting images were released on Sunday, along with a scathing report by the Texas House Investigative Committee looking into what happened during the shooting. The 77-page report points to systemic failures and egregiously poor decision making in the response, laying blame squarely on the "shortcomings and failures of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and various agencies and officers of law enforcement," calling the approach by authorities on the scene "lackadaisical."

GUZMAN: Accountability is going to be making a forensic examination who knew what when.

[00:35:05]

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Those questions of accountability are key for investigators wanting to know if more lives could have been saved after police entered the building at 11:36 a.m.

By 12:03 p.m., a young girl called 911 from one of the classrooms, a sign of life dispelling any doubt there were children inside. Calling back at 12:13 p.m., then again at 12:16, saying eight to nine students are also alive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A child just called. They have victims in there.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): That information was relayed to officers in the school. At 12:19 p.m., dispatchers receive another call from a different student, before the last calls come in as 12:36 p.m. and 12:43, asking for police to come quickly.

It would be several minutes later, at 12:50 p.m., before police entered the room to take out the gunman.

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said Sunday the acting chief of the Uvalde Police Department on the day of the shooting was placed on administrative leave. Arredondo was placed on leave in late June.

For the relatives seeking accountability at a meeting for families on Sunday, these announcements bring little relief.

DONNY RAY VALDEZ, BOYFRIEND OF ANNABELL RODRIGUEZ'S MOM: There was a lot of tension there. I think one of the tensions was you see all these officers on the tape and, you know, why are you still on duty?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope they don't sleep at night.

LAVANDERA: The mother of a Robb Elementary School student described the Texas House report to me as, quote, "intolerable." And there is a sense among victims' families and other parents that this report simply isn't enough, that they want officers held to account. And if that means some of them should be fired for their actions inside that school, then that's what needs to happen.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Uvalde, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, COVID cases and temperatures rising in China. The life in Beijing, as officials impose mass coronavirus restrictions amid a brutal heat wave.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: China has reported almost 700 new local COVID cases on Tuesday, the most since May. The Omicron subvariant BA.5 spreading nationwide. Many cities are now under full or partial lockdown. All this with temperatures soaring to as high as 42 degrees Celsius.

CNN's Selina Wang joins us now from Beijing with the latest. Life under lockdown is miserable. Life under lockdown amid a heat wave like this is just horrendous.

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. This is really a double whammy for the people in China, as well as for the economy.

You have these dozens of cities reporting these record-high temperatures, absolutely scorching high heat. Last week, more than 80 cities issued a red alert, the highest level warning for high temperatures, meaning that temperatures were expected to exceed more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

This week, there isn't much relief, with more than 50 cities issuing an orange level alert, which is the second highest level of temperature warning.

[00:40:06]

Now, all of this comes as you've got growing number of COVID cases, nearly 700, the highest number of daily cases since May. Many people in many cities are still required to line up for these regular COVID- 19 tests. And this is a tough ask, especially for the elderly population.

Just over the weekend in Beijing, when it was 99 degrees Fahrenheit, I was waiting in line for an hour for my regular COVID test. Many people brought their umbrellas. Lots of ice-cold water. I saw some people just stopping on the side of the street, unable to bear the heat.

And amid there, there have been increasing reports of COVID health workers collapsing from this heat, because they've got to work outside for hours a day, often wearing full-body hazmat suits covering themselves from head to toe.

And there are more snap lockdowns in China, as well, which is ruining some people's summer vacations. In fact, over the weekend, thousands of tourists were trapped in the city of Beihai. This is a popular summer resort tourist destination. Authorities ordered all residents to stay in their homes and ordered rounds of mass testing.

Now, all of this is also not helping an economy that's already been battered by the pandemic and China's zero-COVID policy. These heat waves are ruining crops. This is threatening to push up inflation even further. You have authorities who are warning that this could have an adverse effect on wheat, corn, soybean production, especially in those northern provinces. We've already seen pork prices in China rise significantly because of the rising cost of feed.

So all of this double whammy, as you say -- it's already rough living in in -- amid zero-COVID, but to add this heat wave on top of that, it is truly, truly difficult -- John.

VAUSE: Difficult is an understatement. Selina, thank you. Selina Wang there in Beijing. We appreciate the update.

Well, it's not easy beating the heat, but have some sympathy for those animals from the Arctic region stuck in zoos. Now they're dealing with these record-breaking temperatures.

Some workers at an ocean park in the Northeast of China freezing fruit, vegetables and meat in ice blocks for the park's polar bears, tigers, other animals so they can stay cool and hydrated while they eat.

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VAUSE: Oh, yes, the beeps said it all. Cleanup under way in Hawaii after huge swells sent waves crashing into homes and businesses. Also wiped out tables at this wedding on Saturday. The bride and groom said luckily, their wedding cake was not damaged, and the ceremony went on kind of as planned.

Several homes were damaged on the big island when walls of water washed over rooftops. No injuries were reported. Officials say the swells were the highest in more than 25 years.

And that is your extreme weather on a warming planet for this hour. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour.

In the meantime, WORLD SPORT is next. Hope to see you soon.

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