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Illinois Lawmakers Call for Stricter Gun Control in Senate Committee Hearing; Interview with Mayor Nancy Rotering (D-Highland Park, IL): Ban on Combat Weapons; U.S. Pledges 4 More Long-Range Missile Systems for Ukraine; Funeral Services for Ivan Trump Held Today. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired July 20, 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]
DAVE ARONBERG, STATE ATTORNEY FOR PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA: You can't go pressure local government officials to find you a certain number of votes. You can't tell DOJ just to declare fraud. So, I don't think this as a strategy will work. But this could just be Donald Trump being Donald Trump, flying by the seat of his pants and just like they have alternate fact in Trump world, this could be an alternate Constitution. Because there is no provision in the Constitution or the law that allows you to de-certify an election. So, I don't think it's going to go anywhere. It's just something to show you that, boy, things are continually strange, and nothing should surprise you in the year 2022.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Yes, continually strange. Dave Aronberg, Errol Lewis, thank you both.
All right, tune in, of course, for CNN special live coverage of the January 6 Committee turns to President Trump's conduct during the Capitol attack. Our coverage all begins tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: And new CNN polling shows a growing majority of Americans are in favor of stricter gun safety measures to prevent mass shootings. So, we're going to speak to the mayor of Highland Park, Illinois, she testified today before the Senate Judiciary Committee about that July 4th mass shooting in her city.
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CAMEROTA: Illinois lawmakers went to Capitol Hill calling for stricter gun laws after the mass shooting in Highland Park on the Fourth of July. Republicans said the focus should be on teaching Americans how to spot warning signs of a potential mass shooter. But the Highland Park mayor shared what she believes is the true root of the problem.
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MAYOR NANCY ROTERING, (D-HIGHLAND PARK, IL): How much more needs to happen before this obvious action is taken. We know that there are mental health issues in other countries throughout this world. We know that there are troubled people who are inclined towards violence, what's the differentiating factor, combat weapons and access to civilians. There's no place for these weapons.
Today's hearing is about how do we reduce mass shootings. We reduce mass shootings by getting rid of combat weapons in civilian hands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well said, thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: And Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering joins us now. Mayor, thanks so much for being here. We heard the applause that you got from the people listening. Do you think that made an impact with the Republicans that don't like to talk about guns.
ROTERING: Thanks for asking the question, Alisyn. To be honest, the Republicans mostly left the room when I was speaking. That was very frustrating to all of the people who have felt this pain and agony now for two and a half weeks. But let's talk about the folks across the country who have been dealing with this problem for years and years and years. The Republicans can choose to continue to turn a blind eye to this issue but at the end of the day, Americans are dying, children are afraid to go to school. And we need to talk about a very real issue that we have in this country with this love of combat weapons being accessible to civilians.
What was fascinating to me was they kept pivoting to something else. And at the end of the day, we need to get these guns off our streets. It's very straightforward.
CAMEROTA: It's frustrating to go hear that they didn't even want to listen, that they couldn't even have the conversation, and that the Republicans had to leave the room. I mean, that's confusing, you know, why not just talk about it. Why not have the conversation.
Recalling What you were suggesting -- we have a graphic of it. These are common sense gun issues that so many Americans say that they want. You're calling for a ban on assault type weapons, large capacity magazines, ban the purchase of assault style weapons for people, strengthen the red flag laws, reduce or eliminate immunity for gun dealers, require safer storage of guns, national background checks. I mean, again, these are things, you know, gun owners say they want. How does what you're calling for differ from the bipartisan gun safety law that was passed last month?
ROTERING: The Safer Communities Act was a terrific first step. And it put resources behind the need for increased mental health services within our country. It brought awareness to the red flag laws, and it did a number of sort of the low hanging fruit steps that of course should have happened at least 30 years ago when we saw all of this beginning with Columbine and frankly Laurie Dan in Highland Park and Winnetka. There's a very clear problem that for whatever reason the other side of the aisle is not interested in talking about. That was a first step. That is so appreciated.
But truly we need to get combat weapons out of the country, and it's one of those things where time after time after time after time, we hear about law-abiding citizens but we also know that most of the mass shooters are legally obtaining these combat weapons. So, that says to me -- and I do appreciate, obviously, law-abiding citizens -- but if criminals and mass shooters can obtain these weapons legally, then we need to look at our laws. If people feel strongly about being responsible gun owners, and we know that the vast majority of responsible gun owners do, do what they need to do in terms of safe storage and training and supporting background checks, also several of the responsible gun owners that I've spoken to feel strongly that these guns have no place in public.
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CAMEROTA: You know, one of the bitter ironies here is that you had tried to keep your community safe. In 2013, in Highland Park, you had passed an ordinance banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines from being owned, sold or transferred in Highland Park. But you know, critics say, see, gun laws don't work. Bad guys can always get their hands on guns. I mean, what do you say to that?
ROTERING: I say to that Highland Park isn't an island, and we need the rest of the country to catch up. We reflected the values of our citizens who support taking these steps and putting in place measures to reduce the likelihood. But this shooter was able to legally obtain a gun outside of Highland Park. We are surrounded by states that don't share the values that Illinois has in terms of making sure that we're doing everything that we can to reduce gun violence. And so, as a result, folks go to Michigan, they go to Wisconsin, they go Missouri, they go to Indiana, they go to Mississippi, and those guns come pouring into Illinois and we still are fighting this violence.
But it's not for lack of trying. It's just that the federal laws need to catch up with the state. We're trying to do everything that we can, but for whatever reason we have a Congress that's not willing to take the necessary steps, and they're so clear. Senator Feinstein talked about her assault weapons ban that she had penned in 1994 that went for ten years. We saw a serious reduction in related violence coming from assault weapons during that time period, and then immediately after that law sunset-ed, again there was a dramatic rise in mass shootings. It's not hard, it really isn't. But somebody needs to say enough and move forward.
CAMEROTA: Mayor Nancy Rotering, thank you very much for your perspective. Great to have you on.
ROTERING: Thanks, Alisyn.
BLACKWELL: The Pentagon says it will send more high mobility artillery rocket systems to Ukraine, and the Ukrainians say those weapons systems significantly have slowed down the Russians' advance. We'll have more on that next.
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BLACKWELL: Today in Washington, Ukraine's first lady addressed Congress. She spoke about the suffering that Russia's invasion has caused in her country, and she called for more aid to win the war.
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OLENA ZELENSKA, FIRST LADY OF UKRAINE (through translator): Unfortunately, the war is not over. The terror continues, and I appeal to all of you on behalf of those who were killed, on behalf of those people who lost their arms and legs, on behalf of those who are still alive and well and those who wait for their families to come back from the front. I'm asking for something now I would never want to ask, I'm asking for weapons.
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CAMEROTA: And the Pentagon announcing they will send more weapons to Ukraine. CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon for us. So, what will be in this shipment of weapons, Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi there. Yes, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs had a virtual meeting this morning with 50 other nations to discuss just that, sending additional arms to Ukraine. And as a result of that meeting, Austin came out and said that the U.S. at least would send not just more ammunition, but four additional of these so called HIMAR systems, why are these so vital in the current fight.
They are being used. They are long range precision artillery systems being used in eastern Ukraine in the fight against Russian strikes, those devastating, punishing, missile and artillery strikes by Russia in the east, in the Donbas region. This is where Russia's been making some advances, slow advances, mind you, maybe 6 to 10 miles actually in the last 90 days, but still on the advance. So, the HIMAR system the U.S. is sending is working, and General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs spoke about just the difficulties that the Russians may be running into.
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GEN. MARK A. MILLEY, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN: The bottom line is the cost is very high, the gains are very low, there is a grinding war of attrition that is occurring in the Luhansk, Donbas region. And to answer your question about is the Donbas lost? No, it's not lost yet. The Ukrainians are making the Russians pay for every inch of territory that they gain and advances are measured in literally hundreds of meters.
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STARR: Well, that tells you why it is so vital now to get these additional U.S. and allied weapons into that Donbas eastern region of Ukraine. General Milley saying he believes this war of attrition could go on for some time. Victor, Alisyn.
BLACKWELL: Barbara Starr, thank you.
In New York today, the Trump family and friends gathered for the funeral of Ivana Trump, the former president's first wife. We have details just ahead.
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CAMEROTA: Funeral services for Ivana Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump, were held today in New York City. The former president was there along with his children, Don Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Barron, and Tiffany and former first lady Melania Trump.
Ivana Trump's death last week was from blunt impact injuries that was ruled an accident. CNN national correspondent Jason Carroll is standing outside St. Vincent Ferrer Church on the city's upper east side. Good afternoon to you, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, too, Victor. The ceremony has now wrapped up. Everyone now has gone home. And from what everyone is telling me, it was a service that was marked with beauty, there were somber moments but there were also moments of levity.
For example, when Ivanka spoke, gave her eulogy. She said something, she said you know, my mother always said there's nothing I can't do better in high heels. So that was a moment of levity there.
Also, giving a eulogy, Dennis Basso, he is a fashion designer. He said she was always a champion for all woman around the world. Smart, beautiful and most of all a devoted mother to her three children.
This was a service that was also supposed to be a way to celebrate her life. I mean, if you think about everything that she has done in her life, born in Communist Czechoslovakia back in 1949, and became an accomplished skier, a model and a businesswoman.
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When she moved to New York she met Donald Trump, other than real estate mogul. They fell in love, had three kids and were married for 15 years. And for a while, they were sort of like the '80s it couple, you know, always around town, also on the social scene.
I also spoke to another one of her friends. They've been friends for some 20 years, Zach Erdem. He said he spoke to her just a few weeks ago, and she was really looking forward to getting back out there again, going to Southampton, going to Saint-Tropez. Everyone here eulogizing and remembering a woman who they say was the best mother they could have ever had. Back to you.
BLACKWELL: All right, Jason Carroll for us there. Jason, thank you very much.
CAMEROTA: And "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts after a short break.
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