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Investigation Underway After Violent Arrest Of Black Man In Tennessee; Scorching Temps Fueling Wildfires In Western U.S.; U.S. Secret Service Scrutinizing Phones Of 10 Personnel; Trump, Pence Campaign For Opposing Candidates In Arizona; FCC Cracking Down On "Auto Warranty" Robocalls; Russian Missile Strikes Odessa Port, Other Ukraine Cities After Grain Deal; Man Accused Of Putting Sister In Two- Year Coma Has Died. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired July 23, 2022 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again everyone, thank you so much for joining me, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
We begin this hour in Tennessee where a stunning video has captured the violent arrest of a 25-year-old black man following a failed traffic stop. An investigation is underway into why two Oakland Tennessee police officers chased Brandon Calloway into his own home after he allegedly ran a stop sign. The officers beat Calloway bloody with a baton and tased him and all of it, caught on cellphone video obtained by CNN from Call0way's girlfriend. And we do want to warn you what you're about to watch is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
TAMIA CALDWELL, GIRLFRIEND OF BRANDON CALLOWAY: Stop.
BRANDON CALLOWAY, SUBJECT OF VIOLENT ARREST IN TENNESSEE: I'm being tased.
CALDWELL: Stop. Breaking. Stop hitting him. Stop hitting him. Stop. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop. Why are you tasing him and hitting him? He has no weapon. He has no weapon. Why are you teasing and chasing? He's beating him and tasing him. He has no weapon, sir. There's no weapon. They're being aggressive. I have all of this on video.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, hang on.
CALDWELL: No, I need to record this. No, you will not -- don't put --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand away.
CALDWELL: Don't put your hands on me. Do not put your hands on me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to know if you're staying here or not but I have to do our assignment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we got?
CALDWELL: Bring me my phone, (INAUDIBLE). I need to call my mom. I need to call his mom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out. Get on the ground.
CALLOWAY: I didn't do nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Believe me, I'm threatened. Get on the ground.
(CROSSTALK)
CALDWELL: Look what they're doing here.
CALLOWAY: I'm bleeding. I'm bleeding.
CALDWELL: (INAUDIBLE) hurry. Stop hitting him.
(CROSSTALK)
CALDWELL: Stop. Brandon, stop resisting. Brandon, just stop resisting. It's OK, just stop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on the ground.
CALDWELL: No, just get on the ground. Get on the ground, Brandon. Get on the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all right.
CALDWELL: Get off of his neck. Get off of his neck.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. CNN Nadia Romero is here with us now. Nadia, you actually spoke with Brandon Calloway about what happened.
NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
WHITFIELD: What did he say?
ROMERO: Yes, he -- this has been such a hard time for him because as you see in the video, very emotional. I mean, it makes the hairs on your arm stand up.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROMERO: You could see that he had -- was bleeding on his face. He's walking around now with bandages on his forehead. And he says he's just having a hard time processing everything that happened even though this was about a week ago. He's still feeling those physical wounds after having to have stitches, and bruising, and now dealing with the emotional side of it. We also spoke with his attorney as they look at this entire investigation. One of the police officers that you saw on that video is on administrative leave as the investigation continues. But I was able to ask Brandon how he's doing -- how he's doing, how he's dealing with everything. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALLOWAY: Definitely having flashbacks and nightmares. I really feel like my life is now a nightmare. That's like a consistent thing. I always had fear because of what's happened to other people like me. But no, I never thought anything like this would ever happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMERO: So I'd asked him what he thought about seeing other black men like himself have these kinds of police interactions and he says I always worried about and I feared that I could be involved in something like this, but never really thinking that he would be at the center of something like this. He was arrested eventually and was bonded out so he does face charges. Evading arrest is one of them and then failure to stop at a stop sign. And we're able to speak with him and his attorney for a little bit this morning. But this has been such a really hard time for him and his family.
WHITFIELD: And what did his attorney say?
ROMERO: Oh, his attorney basically said, you know, we are still gathering all the information. They don't have all of the footage. The police officers were wearing bodycam video, they want to see dashcam video, but he says listen, if this was all about a traffic violation, a simple misdemeanor that they should not have escalated in this manner.
[13:05:13]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRE WHARTON, ATTORNEY FOR BRANDON CALLOWAY: At best you have to honor traffic violations, no prior felony alleged, no robbery, no homicide, no shooting, no active shooter allegations (INAUDIBLE). We're all -- the quick level of force entering to her home, immediate use of force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMERO: And we have heard from other experts that have said that potentially what should have happened was there should have been a search warrant or an arrest warrant, but what the lawyer is saying there, that he doesn't believe that this was handled in the right manner. And there have been some inconsistencies in the police affidavit. So they're hoping that everything comes out in a transparent investigation. WHITFIELD: Yes. And I know you're -- in talking to the lawyer there, did he have any response to the evading arrest portion if that's one of the charges, running the stop sign, allegedly, that precipitated the arrest that he now evaded?
ROMERO: Yes. And that was one of the questions that I asked that we just don't have a clear answer to. According to the police affidavit, Brandon told police officers that he didn't run that stop sign and then went inside of his home. The police believed that he did. They say that he ran a stop sign and that he was speeding and that when he didn't stop, they felt the need to, you know, bust down his door and go inside and detain him in the manner that we saw on the video.
WHITFIELD: All right, Nadia Romero, keep us posted on all that you continue to learn. Thank you so much. All right, let's discuss this further right now. Joining us is CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, also CNN legal analyst and former LA County prosecutor, Loni Coombs. Good to see both of you.
So, Chief, you first, I mean, the video -- it's hard to watch. But your initial takeaways and also based on information now we're learning from Nadia Romero, that there were two charges, running a stop sign and evading arrest.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, first of all, I mean, when you look at these types of cases, you do have to start with what caused the interaction to begin with and you're talking about minor traffic violations. Running a stop sign is what's alleged. Even eluding police, in many jurisdictions, and I'm not familiar with Tennessee law, is still a traffic offense. Nothing that would justify what you saw later in the -- in the video. It appears that they made forced entry into the home following him. There was -- I didn't see any effort to de-escalate at all. It looks like they immediately went force.
Now, Nadia said that they're wearing body cameras. It's going to be important to see that bodycam footage because when you look at the cellphone video, there are periods of time when he's out of sight. You can't see exactly what's going on. And that's going to be important. But clearly, just from looking at that video, and again, you don't -- I don't have everything and neither does anybody yet other than the investigators to know about whether or not any use of force at any point in time was justified.
But certainly, it looks excessive to me, it looks beyond what's necessary, it doesn't look proportional, and it doesn't look objectively reasonable. And those are the standards you use when trying to evaluate the use of force. But again, you need to have all the evidence and -- which I don't have at this point in time. But just looking at that video, it is very concerning and I would have an issue with it.
WHITFIELD: And, Loni, based on what you were able to see, how do you assess this? LONI COOMBS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I would agree with Chief Ramsey. Look, from the beginning, they said that there was a failure to stop. We all do that, right? We do rolling stops, that's not an egregious traffic violation. Then they said that he was eluding police. Now, in the complaint affidavit, they said he was going 32 miles an hour in a 20- mile-an-hour zone. This is not like a high-speed chase, that pursuit going on for him to escape his house. He's going into his home, he is speeding, and that's what they were asking for is a speeding ticket, not a high pursuit type of reckless driving charge. And then he went into his home.
He says he's going through his home. This is my home, I don't believe I ran the stop sign and he goes in and shuts the door. They could have just knocked on the door and asked to talk to him. We're talking about traffic violations. It's not like he had a long criminal history. It's not like they said he had a gun or a weapon or he in any way tried to attack them. He was just going into his home trying to get away from them.
There were many things they could have done before they decided to break down the door, which is what the affidavit says that they broke down the front door and they went in and then we see on the video that they're using force, they're using a taser, they are wrestling him, they're using a baton, thank heavens, they weren't using a gun. But as Chief Ramsey and I both know, a baton can be a deadly weapon. This type of force that they're using is way up here as opposed to what he was doing, which was a traffic violation.
[13:10:05]
So, the response does not seem in proportion, it does not seem reasonable, and so it's something that does need to be looked at closely. And I really believe that after we keep seeing these cases over and over again, it's time for police departments to come up with policies of how to have -- how to handle traffic violations from escalating to this. We're talking about traffic violations. I wouldn't have a problem with some traffic violations going to the wayside rather than keep seeing these kinds of incidents happening over and over again where people keep getting hurt and sometimes killed.
WHITFIELD: And, Chief, what will police need to establish to defend breaking down the door and pursuing him just as Loni, described the use of batons, the use of a taser to be able to defend all that we were able to see in that videotape?
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, I didn't see anything that would justify forcible entry from what I know at this point in time. And it all depends on the knowledge the officer had at the time. And at the time, what they knew they had was potentially a traffic violation. And that's it. It's -- if he had been wanted on a felony warrant, if he was armed with a gun, if there was -- he had shot somebody, or something that would give you a reason to say that this person is dangerous if not apprehended immediately, you know, other lives could be in jeopardy. And this is traffic, OK?
And so again, it would be very hard pressed to find any justification for making a forced entry, and then of course, once you make entry, how you handle the situation. Another option they had, of course, you got the car, right? You got a license tag, you know what a guy lives. Even if they towed the car, if they needed to tow it, they could. I mean, there were so many different things they could do other than what you see on video. But again, you need all the evidence, which means all the video, in order to really make an assessment, but it's not good.
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it there for now. Chief Charles Ramsey, Loni Coombs, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.
All right, still ahead. More than 85 million people are under extreme heat warnings today. Scorching temperatures are sprawling from coast to coast. When might there be a break? Plus, a full-on proxy war is underway between Donald Trump and his former Vice President Mike Pence. Details straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:16:30]
WHITFIELD: All right, the extreme heat blanketing the U.S. is fueling a dangerous growing wildfire out west. The Oak fire near Yosemite National Park and California has now more than 6500 acres and zero percent contained. At least 10 structures are destroyed. And residents near the fire in Mariposa County are being ordered to evacuate immediately. Right now, more than 85 million people across the U.S. are under excessive heat warnings and advisories.
In Boston, organizers have postponed the city's triathlon because the heat is just too dangerous for participants. And New York's triathlon, well, that's still happening at least it's scheduled to happen tomorrow. But there will be some changes. Polo Sandoval is back with us now in New York to give us an idea. What kind of changes are we talking about?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, for that triathlon, usually draws well over 2000 participants. This year, however, it will be different because of that fear about heat exhaustion and other heat-related illness. So what organizers have done to the triathlon, just scheduled for tomorrow morning is basically to shorten the distance of the cycling and of the running portion of it. So that's what we expect tomorrow. But in terms of what we expect, weather-wise, the concern here is those temperatures are really going to begin to ramp up. Today, it's hot, tomorrow, forecasters saying it'll be even hotter.
And by the time we get some kind of relief here in the northeast, then, New Yorkers will potentially experience a total of seven straight days of 90-degree plus weather. The last time we had a stent that long was about 2013. So that is why health officials here are not only taking those steps with the triathlon, but also New York Governor Kathy Hochul announcing recently that they're basically deploying an extreme heat action plan that is meant to, among other things, expand access to cooling centers because that's one of the many ways that New Yorkers are able to stay cool on this Saturday afternoon. But if you're among the smallest of those roughly 85 million Americans
that are affected by heat-related alerts, this is how you're keeping cool here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn as we continue to brace for what could be the worst of the temperatures tomorrow. Back to you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, every little bit counts, at least for now. Polo Sandoval, thanks so much. All right, when will it cool down for the majority of this country? CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar, monitoring the extreme weather for us. Any good news?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We do. It just depends on where you live. For some of these areas, they may be getting that relief as early as say the next 24 to 48 hours. But for others, the heat is only going to increase and get even hotter in the coming days. Let's take a look at what we're talking about. That specific area is really going to be the Northeast. Philadelphia high of 98 today, 95 in Washington, DC, but notice it gets even warmer as we go into Sunday.
In fact, Washington, DC topping out at 99, Philadelphia, also 99, and Boston, getting up around 97 degrees. A lot of these locations could end up breaking record-high temperatures for tomorrow's date, and they're one of many. Over 35 different locations could end up setting records either today or tomorrow. Now, we talked about some areas getting relief and that's the Midwest. Notice today's still very hot for Omaha, Chicago, and St. Louis.
But then there's light at the end of the tunnel. You start to see that downward trend. Albeit short-lived, but at least it is still there. The problem is for other areas, the heat isn't going anywhere, the Northeast, the Southeast, and now we're starting to see the next heat wave begin to take shape and that's going to be across areas of the Northwest, where we really start to see a jump in the next couple of days.
[13:20:03]
Take Seattle, for example. Today, not too bad, 76, sunshine, a very nice day but once we get into the middle portion of the upcoming week, those high temperatures back into the mid-90s. Keep in mind, folks, not everybody in Washington State has access to an air conditioner. So when you have those prolonged periods of days in the 90s, it can take its toll and you start to see an increase in those heat-related illnesses. Part of the reason for the break in the Midwest is because of the fact that we have some rain.
The problem is it also comes with strong to severe thunderstorms. So, Minneapolis, Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, even down towards Columbus, Ohio, you have the potential for damaging winds, very large hail, we're talking golf balls are larger, and yes, the potential for some tornadoes. So the good news is you're getting relief from those temperatures because of the added cloud cover and also the rain. But, Fred, the counter problem to that is it comes at the cost of having the potential severe thunderstorms.
WHITFIELD: A lot of risks are still involved. Thank you so much, Alison.
CHINCHAR: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right, still coming up, it's a Trump-Pence showdown in Arizona. How the Republican primary for governor is turning into a proxy fight between the two former allies? Straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:25:40]
WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Sources are telling CNN, that U.S. Secret Service investigators are scrutinizing the phones of 10 Secret Service personnel that show text messages were sent and received around the day of the insurrection but are now missing. The January 6 committee is seeking those missing text messages as part of their investigation ahead of their next hearings in September. All of this follows the panels' bombshell prime-time hearing this week. CNN's Manu Raju has more on what has been learned.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): President Trump was sitting in the White House for more than three hours, watching TV as a deadly attack on the Capitol unfolded.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you aware of any phone call by the President of the United States to the Secretary of Defense that day?
PAT CIPOLLONE, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: Not that I'm aware of. No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you aware of any phone call by the president of the United States to the Attorney General of the United States that day?
CIPOLLONE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you aware of any phone call by the President of the United States, the Secretary of Homeland Security that day?
CIPOLLONE: I'm not aware of that, no.
RAJU: Trump rejecting pleas from members of Congress, his aides, and his family members to tell the mob of his supporters to go home.
RYAN NICHOLS, RIOTER: If Pence's cave, we're going to drag -- through the streets.
RAJU: Instead, inflaming tensions, including with a tweet attacking Vice President Mike Pence.
MATTHEW POTTINGER, FORMER DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The tweet look to me like the opposite of what we really needed at that moment, which was a de-escalation.
SARAH MATTHEWS, FORMER DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It was essentially him giving the green light to these people.
RAJU: Trump was on the phone with his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who in turn was pushing senators to slow down the certification of Joe Biden's victory in a last-ditch attempt to stay in power. As Trump went to the residence that night, he did not express concerns about the attack, instead.
POTTINGER: He said only "Mike Pence let me down.
RAJU: But the committee, revealing that Trump's actions endanger Pence's life. Radio communications from the VP Secret Service detail showing the chaos with the rioters just feet away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hold, they've entered the building. Hold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harden that door up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we're moving, we need to move now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Copy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we lose any more time, we may have -- we may lose the ability to leave. So if we're going to leave, we need to do it now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've gained access to the second floor and I've got public about five feet from me down here below.
RAJU: This testimony from a White House security official whose identity was kept anonymous for his own safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The members of the VP detail at this time were starting to fear for their own lives, but there were calls to say goodbye to family members, so on and so forth.
RAJU: Even the day after the attack, outtakes of Trump's speech show he refused to say the election was over.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But this election is now over. Congress has certified the results. I don't want to say the election is over. I just want to say Congress has certified the results without saying the election's over, OK?
RAJU: As the committee plans witness interviews behind closed doors in August, and then more public hearings in September, some members believe they have laid out a criminal case against the former president.
REP. ADAM KINZINGER, (R-IL): I think the president certainly has criminal exposure.
RAJU: Now one of the things the committee will try to figure out during August is what is the story behind those missing texts from January 5th and January 6th of 2000 -- to 2021? Now, the Secret Service contends there was some sort of phone migration that led to the loss of some of these texts, but the committee says they are determined to figure out the true story behind it. Jamie Raskin, a member of that committee, told me that they're going to fill in a whole bunch of leads over August gaps in the storyline, and as well as those texts, and he said "we're going to figure out this whole mystery with the Secret Service texts." Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And now, a full-on proxy war is underway between Donald Trump and his former Vice President Mike Pence. The one-time political allies held dueling events for opposing candidates in Arizona's upcoming Republican primary for governor. And that race is offering a preview of what a potential 2024 showdown between the two could look like.
[13:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In many ways, and I can say that truly, in your state, in many ways, the RINOs are worse than the Democrats. Let me tell you that.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: And your Governor Doug Ducey has done absolutely nothing to help.
(BOOING)
TRUMP: Talk about RINOs. He's all talk and no action. And you'll see what can happen when Kari Lake becomes your governor.
(CHEERING)
TRUMP: It will be like day and night.
MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's great to be with all of you.
But it's especially great to be here with, frankly, one of the best and most accomplished conservative governors in the United States of America, Governor Doug Ducey.
(APPLAUSE)
PENCE: Thank you, for eight years of leadership.
(APPLAUSE)
PENCE: Your governor knows what I know. And what I can tell all of you know. There's only one candidate in this race who will be ready on day one to lead Arizona even to greater heights and that's Karrin Taylor Robson.
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Kristen Holmes is live for us in Scottsdale for more on this -- Kristen?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this race, like so many Republican primaries, has really become a battle over the Republican Party and the direction they want to go.
And one side, you have former president Donald Trump and his endorsed candidate, Kari Lake. She has made election lies and conspiracy theories the center of her campaign here. She refuses to admit that Joe Biden is the legitimate president.
On the other side of that, you have former Vice President Mike Pence. He is supporting Karrin Taylor Robson. Robson is supported by the establishment, the establishment Republican who want to move on from 2020.
And this divide within the party was so clear yesterday, as we saw Trump and Pence campaigning for the respective candidates.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENCE: Arizona, make no mistake about it. When you get out and vote for Karrin Taylor Robson, you can send a deafening message that will be heard all across America, that the Republican Party is the party of the future.
TRUMP: The election was rigged and stolen, and now our country is being systematically destroyed because of it.
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Mike Pence talking about the future of the party. And even tweeted yesterday, while he was here in Arizona, that he wanted to look forward, that this race wasn't about the past. Clearly, a thinly veiled jab at the former president.
But all of this proxy war that is happening here in Arizona is happening as we seem to see an almost collision path for Mike Pence and Donald Trump in 2024.
Pence has signaled strongly in recent weeks that there might be a bid for president in the future. And of course, we know the former president has teased this relentlessly.
And he did so last night at the rally and gone as far as to say it is not a matter of if, but when he makes that announcement.
And this would be an epic showdown between these two people, who served side by side in the White House, and now they haven't spoken to each other in more than a year -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you so much.
All right, still ahead, why getting calls like this will hopefully become a thing of the past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBOCALLER (voice-over): We have been trying to reach you concerning your car's extended warranty. You should have received something in the mail about your car's extended warranty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:37:26]
WHITFIELD: Check your phones. Someone may try to reach you regarding an urgent matter. Well, you've probably heard that message already several times this week.
But those calls were the single largest consumer complaint for the past two years. And the FCC says it is finally cracking down on them.
CNN's Camila Bernal joining me live with the details.
Camila, do we know who is to blame for these calls?
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, good morning. The FCC is saying, yes, we know exactly who is to blame, and they're pointing to 13 individuals and six different companies, many of them based out of Texas and here in California. But some are even based overseas.
And they say they're the ones making most of these calls. And like you said, we've all heard the calls. People joke about it, and say, hey, we've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty.
But for some, it really is not funny. And as you mentioned, many people all over the country just complaining to the FCC about these calls.
What the FCC is saying now is this has to stop. And they're going further and saying we're going to take action.
And they are asking all U.S. telecom companies to block these calls. They say, if they don't block the calls, they could be held liable themselves. So really, it is taking an important step into stopping all of this.
We also know that a lot of these companies, what they're doing is calling millions of people every single day. In fact, the FCC is saying that, since 2018, more than eight billion calls have been made.
A lot of them sound like this one. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBOCALLER (voice-over): We have been trying to reach you concerning your car's extended warranty. You should have received something in the mail about your car's extended warranty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL: And of course, we all want to stop hearing these calls. They are extremely annoying. And of course, everyone is just hoping that these actions actually work.
A lot of these calls come from what appears to be a local number, so people tend to pick up, thinking that it's someone locally.
But it is important to know that, even though there are some exceptions, a lot of these automated calls, made without the consent of the recipient, they are mostly illegal here in the U.S. -- Fred?
WHITFIELD: All right, Camila Bernal, thank you so much.
[13:40:57]
In California, protests over a new law continue for a fifth straight day and has effectively shut down all truck activity at one of the country's busiest ports.
The law removes the independent owner-operator status for drivers and forces companies to reclassify them as employees. This impacts about 70,000 truck drivers in the state. And many say that they will be put out of business.
Companies that hire independent drivers fear that they will have to raise prices, which would ultimately fall onto consumers.
Coming up, Russian missiles struck the port of -- the port city of Odessa, just 24 hours after Ukraine and Russia struck a deal to allow shipments of grain to be exported. We're live in Ukraine next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:45:25]
WHITFIELD: This just into CNN. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers, led by House Armed Services Committee chairman, Adam Smith, have traveled to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That's according to a new statement from Zelenskyy's office.
The meeting comes as we're learning two Americans have died in the Donbass region of Ukraine.
And the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine is blasting Russia for a missile attack on Odessa, just one day after Ukraine and Russia agreed on a deal to resume grain exports from that port city.
CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, is joining us now from Kyiv.
So what more are you learning?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the United States ambassador here has called it outrageous that Russia should strike at one of the ports where this grain export is supposed to begin in the coming days.
From what we have seen, and what we understand from officials, the missiles, two cruise missiles, impacted the port area.
It appears two boats in the port have been hit. Certainly, firefighters are trying to put out a blaze aboard two boats. Glass broken in buildings all around the port area in the city.
Two of the cruise missiles that fired were taken town by Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire.
But it points to the level of distrust that the Ukrainians have for the Russians in this deal, that was signed by the Russian defense minister just yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): In Istanbul, the biggest diplomatic break- through in Russia's war against Ukraine, a deal to ease Russia's stranglehold on Ukraine, and get its grain, one-fifth of the world's supply, to market.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: It will bring relief for developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine.
ROBERTSON: Since the war began, Russia has attacked and blockaded Ukraine's ports, burnt wheat fields, stolen harvests from farmers.
Until now, Russian has been holding the world's grain hostage. The new deal aims to end that by creating safe shipping channels, using Ukrainian pilots to navigate through sea mines. Implementation, overseen by Turkey, includes inspecting cargos.
Russia's defense chief and Ukraine's infrastructure minister signed the deal. But not with each other. Separately, with the U.N.
Tensions remain and the deal fragile with no hard cease-fire at ports.
An adviser to President Zelenskyy's chief of staff tweeting, "In case of provocations, an immediate military response."
DYMTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Ukraine does not trust Russia. I don't think anyone has reasons to trust Russia. We invest our trust in the United Nations as the driving force of this agreement.
ROBERTSON: Speaking in Istanbul, Russia's defense chief indicating what they got from the deal. The U.N. lifting restrictions on their food and fertilizer exports despite their responsibility triggering the current calamity.
Ukrainian officials say 20 million tons of grain are stuck in port, and exports could begin in days, likely using ships stuck in port since the war began.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: Now, Ukraine's deputy, the infrastructure minister, is still in Istanbul where the deal was struck yesterday, and the committee has already been formed to get the deal up and running.
And Ukraine says it is still committed -- despite what we've heard from some officials, still committed to working this deal forward, and trying to get the grain exported.
But it has, this strike, has created a real, you know, added impetus to that level of distrust that is there. And I think that has been added to again today.
Turkey, who is sort of overseeing this deal, one of the guarantors of the deal, the defense minister in Turkey today said they had spoken within the opposite number in Russia who signed the deal.
And the Russians are claiming that they didn't fire those missiles at Odessa today. So trust is really in short supply.
But the biggest worry is going to be going forward, if there's an atmosphere of Russian strikes around Odessa and other ports where the Ukraine exports are supposed to happen, it is going to make it much harder to get ships in.
To get shipping companies to send ships, to get insurance, to insure those ships, to come into the ports and get that grain out, even if there's a deal.
[13:50:03]
So these strikes today are really not unexpected, but they come so soon in this process, it is so troubling for all those involved in it.
WHITFIELD: A bad situation made even worse.
Nic Robertson, thanks so much.
Still ahead, a West Virginia man has died just days after his sister woke up from a coma and identified him as her attacker. That story, next.
But first, in this week's "START SMALL, THINK BIG," noticing a need for more inclusivity in a workout space, a retired U.S. Marine saw a thriving business opportunity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURIE PORSCH, OWNER, LIBERATION BARBELL CLUB: I had a friend, he is trans. And he mentioned, in passing the gym, as a place where maybe he wouldn't feel the most comfortable. I was like, I can fix that.
Liberation Barbell Club is exactly what it says. It's a strength gym here in Austin, Texas. We focus on the three big strength sports of power lifting, Olympic lifting, and strong man, as well as just general strength activities.
The mission is just to get anyone who has ever had interest in a strength sport, had interest in barbells, into a gym. We offer classes, beginner classes, small-group classes in Olympic lifting and power lifting.
I've built the gym along with the framework for keeping everybody's humanity and dignity up front.
People want to experience and deserve to experience the empowerment that comes from lifting weights. They deserve to do it in place where people aren't going to judge them.
Everything here is very intentional, from the color of the walls, down to how our messaging goes.
As you see, most of my staff are queer women of color.
When you come into the gym someone will likely ask you your pronouns or they'll share theirs.
I think a lot of people are really hesitant to want to bring this kind of inclusivity. They're worried about getting it wrong. My thing is, get it wrong so you can get it right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:56:40]
WHITFIELD: The Mega Millions jackpot has now swelled to one of the largest ever. No one won last night's drawing so the prize has grown to $790 million with a cash option of $460 million. That's the fourth- highest jackpot ever.
Guess what? The next drawing is Tuesday. You still have time to get that winning ticket.
And a suspect is in custody for the murder of a missing University of Mississippi student. Authorities have arrested and charged 22-year-old Sheldon Timothy Harrington Jr with the murder of Jimmy J. Lee.
Missing student, 20-year-old Lee, was last seen on July 8th as he left an apartment complex near the campus. His car was found a few days later at a tow lot.
Lee's body has not yet been recovered. But police say they are working to locate his remains. No motive for the killing has been discovered.
And a twist in the case of a West Virginia woman who awakened from a two-year coma and then said her brother was the one who attacked and nearly killed her.
Police arrested Daniel Palmer last week. But then, just days later, he died.
CNN's Jean Casarez has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Daniel Palmer III charged in the brutal attack of his sister, Wanda Palmer, was said by law enforcement to be uncooperative as they tried to get him to jail after an initial court proceeding.
(SHOUTING)
CASAREZ: Now officials say he's dead.
Palmer died Thursday night in a hospital after being in jail for five days.
Palmer, of Jackson County, West Virginia, was charged with the attempted murder of his sister Wanda in 2020, allegedly bludgeoning her with a hatchet or axe in the head and face.
It was Wanda's mother who called 911 after it happened.
EILEEN PALMER, MOTHER OF WANDA PALMER: They came Wednesday morning to mow her grass and found her in a pool of blood, they said. And they came up on a four-wheeler and told us and I called the police and the ambulance.
CASAREZ: Wanda was found in her living room.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: We show up and see her on the couch, bloodied, battered, bludgeoned in the head and face area.
CASAREZ: They believed she was dead, but then heard sounds, quote, "commonly referred to as the death rattle." But Wanda was alive.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: I wouldn't have wagered a nickel for her life that morning. She was in that bad a shape.
CASAREZ: According to the criminal complaint, a witness saw Wanda's brother at her trailer that night and investigators say there was a history of violence between them.
But law enforcement had no weapon, no eyewitness to the attack, and no phone records or video.
And Wanda was in a coma until about three weeks ago when she woke up in her nursing home, the sheriff says, and she told investigators the attacker that night was her own brother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MESSI POWERS VICTIM'S FRIEND (voice-over): For her to be able to wake up and give a name, thank god. That's all I can say, thank god.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: This case is really about the perseverance, the toughness, and the strength of the victim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[13:59:49]
CASAREZ: From the beginning, Jackson County Sheriff's Department tells CNN that Palmer was so uncooperative, they couldn't take a new mug shot of him and he wouldn't sign the paperwork allowing for an attorney to represent him.
Now the question is, would he not cooperate or could he not cooperate because of medical condition that no one ever new existed?
