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South Korea Says, North Korea Appears to Have Conducted a New Firing Exercise; Official Says, Woman Killed in Russian Missile Attack on Zaporizhzhia; Concerns About Gas Prices After OPEC+ Slashes Production. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired October 06, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

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ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour here. Good morning, I'm Erica Hill. Jim and Poppy are off today.

Right now, rising tensions, foreign officials say North Korea has conducted a new firing exercise this morning, as the U.S. Navy moves in aircraft carrier strike group in the waters off the Korean Peninsula.

Plus, under attack in Ukraine, at least one woman is killed in Zaporizhzhia after a Russian missile strike overnight. This as we learn U.S. intel sources believes someone inside Ukrainian's government authorized the assassination of a Moscow official's daughter.

And dramatic moves, the White House slamming OPEC's plan to slash oil production as officials fear it will send gas prices soaring.

Let's begin this hour with those rising tensions off the Korean Peninsula. CNN Correspondent Paula Hancocks is following all of the developments for us from Seoul, South Korea. Paula?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, we have seen a lot happen here around the Korean Peninsula in just the last 24 hours. North Korea started the day with those two short-range ballistic missiles and then we saw the USS Ronald Reagan coming back into waters just off the east coast of South Korea and carrying out another naval drill.

Now we've also heard just this evening from the Joints Chiefs of Staff here in South Korea that North Korea carried out its own drill this afternoon. Now, this was with 12 North Korean aircraft and they flew south of what is called the special surveillance line. This is a line within North Korea. But if South Korea detects any aircraft south of that line, then they mobilize their own aircraft. They did that. 30 South Korean aircraft were also mobilized.

So, we're really getting the sense of this tit-for-tat action increasing and escalating at this point. Erica?

HILL: And obviously raising concerns on that. Paula, thank you.

Well, in response, the U.S. Navy moving resources into the waters off the Korean Peninsula. CNN Pentagon Correspondent Oren Liebermann is following those developments.

So, what more do we know about this?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Erica, we've seen a series of coordinated responses from the United States and its allies in the military front and then a diplomatic response as well from the United States.

First, on the military front, as North Korea has carried out these successive and sort of continuous ballistic missile launches, the U.S. has carried out its own exercises both with South Korea and Japan. It starts last Friday with anti-submarine exercises, trilateral with the U.S. and Japan and South Korea.

According to South Korea, the first time these exercises, anti- submarine exercises, have been conducted in some five years. Just a few days later, as the launch has continued from North Korea, so too did the exercises. The U.S. and South Korea exercising the air and launching a JDAM, a guided air-to-surface missile, and also an aerial exercise with the Japanese.

A day later on Wednesday, the U.S. and South Korea fired four ATACMS, long-range, precision-guided munitions, as a show of --exercise a show of force, essentially, and the coordination between the U.S. and South Korea, and then this most recent trilateral exercise with the U.S., South Korea and Japan, a naval missile defense show with guided missile cruisers and destroyers from the Ronald Reagan Carrier strike group. That's on the military front.

On the diplomatic front, Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking in Chile warned North Korea that it is welcome to continue down this path but there is nothing good if it goes this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: We believe that North Korea would be much better served by not only refraining from these actions but actually engaging in dialogue. I think what we're seeing is that if they continue down this road, it will only increase the condemnation, increase the isolation, increase the steps that are taken in response to their actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN: Also at the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas- Greenfield, without naming Russia and China, made a clear reference to them, saying the two countries on the United Nations Security Council were essentially protecting and giving cover for North Korea. Erica?

HILL: Oren Lieberman, I appreciate it. Thank you.

In Southern Ukraine this morning, Russia hitting Zaporizhzhia with several missile strikes.

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One woman was killed, seven more people, we're told, are trapped in the rubble, all of this happening as Vladimir Putin is now claiming the nuclear plant of the same name, which is actually just southwest of that town, as a Russian federal asset, prompting a trip to Kyiv from the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is live into Kyiv this morning. So, prompting that visit, of course, the big question is what will come of it now, Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly is a very difficult situation at the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is in right now with all of this going on, and also, quite, frankly, the Ukrainians as well, as the Russians are now essentially saying that power plant is theirs, that they are the ones who own that power plant right now.

Of course, the Ukrainians are saying that is absolutely not the case. It was quite interesting because the head of the Ukrainian Atomic Energy Agency has now said that he is now de facto the boss of that power plant, so it is going to be very interesting to see.

The IAEA, by the way, is calling for that area, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, to become a demilitarized zone. At the same time, we have these devastating images that we're seeing on our screens right now from the town of Zaporizhzhia, and it was really a very difficult night there, to say the least. You had that -- those missile strikes and what appears to be a large residential building causing large parts of that building to collapse.

You mentioned it, Erica, one woman was killed and those clean-up crews, those rescue crews, they were still working to try and pull people out of the rubble when the local mayor there said that the town was under attack again by another set of missiles. So, Russia clearly, even though it is losing ground on the battlefield in a big way, the Ukrainians, they still have those long-range strike capabilities, Erica.

HILL: Fred Pleitgen with the very latest for us this morning, thank you.

Britney Griner's wife, Cherelle, is hoping for what many would maybe consider a miracle in this situation, some mercy from Vladimir Putin. She spoke with CBS this morning about the stress of watching what is happening from afar and her hope that a deal can ultimately be reached.

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CHERELLE GRINER, WIFE OF BRITTNEY GRINER: On this base, it just seems like my wife is a hostage. To know that our government and the foreign government is sitting down and negotiating for her release, she's a hostage. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you believe it will take to bring her moment now?

GRINER: I feel at this point, it is going to take Putin to have that same mindset and say, you know what, Brittney Griner, who came to my country for seven, eight years, and helped my country be recognized through sport, pay taxes in my country, helped my country, I'm going to sit at a table and I'm going to be clear about what I need in return for her release so that we can actually get a meeting of the minds between these two governments.

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HILL: And we'll continue to follow that appeal set for October 25th.

A top Biden administration official tells CNN the White House is now working to identify ways to mitigate the impact of a decision by OPEC+ to decrease oil production by 2 million barrels a day, and that major impact, of course, on oil prices.

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AMOS HOCHSTEIN, SENIOR ADVISER FOR GLOBAL ENERGY SECURITY, STATE DEPARTMENT: We believe we have the tools here at home to work with our allies and to work with Congress to make sure that we address the mistake that OPEC made yesterday, which was the wrong direction. And, again, I believe it will have less of an impact in the United States and far more of an impact on lower income countries around the world.

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HILL: Now, this comes as another meeting between White House officials and oil executives is expected soon. That is President Biden, of course, blasted that OPEC+ decision, the president calling it shortsighted, emphasizing the importance of the global energy supply, especially amid the war in Ukraine. Bottom line, what does this all going to mean for you?

Joining us is Patrick De Haan, head of Petroleum Analysis from GasBuddy.com. It's good to see you this morning.

So, I know you said you expect U.S. gas prices could raise 15 to even 30 cents higher than they would have without these cuts. How soon should we anticipate seeing that at the pump?

PATRICK DE HAAN, HEAD OF PETROLEUM ANALYSIS, GASBUDDY: Well, while the decision was made yesterday, it's been rumored for about the last week or so. And as a result, oil prices had already been going up on that -- this was expected. And so now oil prices today about $11 a barrel higher than where they were a week ago, so, really, looking at the fact that oil has already made this jump, gas prices in some areas have already started to creep up as a result of this.

HILL: So, already there in some respects. The concern, of course, is what to come. The Wall Street Journal this morning reporting the Biden administration is preparing to scale back sanctions on Venezuela so that Chevron could resume pumping oil there. This would potentially reopen U.S. and European markets to oil exports from Venezuela.

I know you say that. I saw your response on Twitter this morning with one word. You said, wow. What could that mean?

DE HAAN: Well, it's certainly a surprise move. Now, keep in mind, the Biden administration has options or has been looking at options like countries from Iran and now this with Venezuela, at the same time, potentially overlooking U.S. domestic production.

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Now, he's going to be sitting down with executives, where the Department of Energy will be. Certainly, I think there is a lot more that can be done here in the U.S. before we turn abroad, especially with a country Venezuela. Certainly a lot of strings attached with that, oppression in Venezuela, and we're turning to a country, very surprising move but one of desperation as oil prices now drifting higher ahead of the midterm elections.

HILL: You say there are several things that can be done in the U.S. to raise domestic production. Specifically, give us a sense. What can be done in the short-term that will be felt in the short-term?

DE HAAN: Well, I think simply clarity from the president. Think the president has gone after the oil sector from the moment he was sworn in the Oval Office. He's been cutting down and making it plain that we will not be investing in oil, or he doesn't want to. He wants to move forward. And now we find out with Russia's war in Ukraine that that was maybe a little bit ahead and now I think he should give oil companies clarity.

There has been a lot of talk about windfall taxes, none of which gives really oil companies the clarity to invest billions of dollars on raising production. So, I think the president, through his narrative, has given oil companies cold feet on wanting to increase production and I think he should sit down and make clear that there is a time for domestic oil production to go up and he will support it for the next few years.

HILL: It would be interesting to see what comes out of that meeting coming up.

Separately, when we look at this move by OPEC+, this plan to cut, right, 2 million barrels a day, it was very clear, they said, we're doing this because we need to increase prices, we need to see more money come in. And when pushed a little bit on that in terms of criticism, OPEC secretary general said the move provides, in his words, security and stability to the energy markets.

How does cutting that supply, when we're looking at everything that we're dealing with, not just gas prices in the U.S. but around the world, concerns about the winter in Europe because of the war in Ukraine, how does that add to secure and stability?

DE HAAN: Yes. I saw the OPEC comments yesterday and I certainly think it is just certainly a bit of hogwash, if you will. OPEC knows that global oil inventories remain tight. I can't help but partially think that this could be politically motivated. Not only that, but OPEC was so delayed in raising production when economies reopened from COVID, that I just can't really explain the comments on how driving up prices leads to more security.

I think OPEC certainly has long been interested in pushing prices up. Of course, that's why it exists. But to do so at such a precarious time could introduce an incredible amount of volatility in the months ahead, and keep in mind, it also opens the door up for domestic oil production if the president can get on the bus and support it.

HILL: We will be watching. Patrick De Haan, always great to talk with you. Thank you.

DE HAAN: Thanks.

HILL: Still to come this morning, a mass shooting at a daycare in Thailand leaves 36 people dead, including 23 children. Why investigators believe the gunman picked that target.

Plus, a CNN exclusive, she was one of the first people on the scene at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, then resigned while being investigated over her lack of response, and now back on the job just in time for schools to reopen. Parents of some of the victims now responding.

And bizarre scenes from a Wisconsin trial this morning, the man accused of running his SUV through a Christmas parade is representing himself. He's already been forced to move to another courtroom after refusing to sit down and taking off his shirt. A live report just ahead.

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HILL: A truly horrific story unfolding in Thailand. We're learning more about the 36 people, 36 people dead, 24 of them children, one also a pregnant woman. They were killed after a former police officer opened fire and stabbed people at a daycare center, and this happened while children were sleeping. Officials say the man's two-year-old stepson was enrolled at the school. It was apparently not there at the time. He later, though, did kill his wife and child before killing himself. The suspect, we've learned, have been involved in an ongoing court case for allegedly selling drugs and had been in court just hours before that massacre.

Heartbroken parents in Uvalde, Texas, expressing outrage and renewed calls for accountability this morning after an exclusive CNN report revealed an officer who is under investigation for her response to the school shooting there in May, which left 19 students and 2 teachers dead, well, she's been hired to protect the same kids who survived that traumatic shooting. She's been hired at another school.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has more.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: School shooting.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In a community reeling from one of the worst school shootings in history, still begging for answers and accountability.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've got it. I'll stick with you.

PROKUPECZ: CNN has learned that one of the Texas State troopers under investigation for her actions at Robb Elementary has a new job as a newly hired school police officer at Uvalde Elementary, trusted with protecting some of the same students who survived the massacre.

Parents of children who were killed at Robb were the first to notice the officer, Crimson Elizondo, on campus, recognizing her from body camera footage of the shooting. Elizondo, a four-year veteran of the Texas Department of Public Safety, was one of the first law enforcement officers on scene on May 24th. She resigned from the DPS over the summer and was hired by the Uvalde School District soon after.

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I actually have some questions for you.

On the playground outside her new post, Elizondo can be seen here in the dark blue uniform.

Officer Elizondo, I'm doing a story about you and your time at DPS. I'd like to ask you some questions, if possible.

PROKUPECZ: Before she resigned from DPS, her actions and the actions of six other DPS officers at the scene of the shooting were referred for further investigation. In a redacted internal memo to the organization's director obtained by CNN, DPS cited, quote, actions which may be inconsistent with training department requirements as the reason for the referral.

Despite early efforts by state officials to blame the local police department in Uvalde for the failed response, a timeline from body camera footage shows Elizondo arrived on scene just two minutes after the shooting began. The new information now indicates she was among several DPS officers on scene who potentially could have taken action to stop the gunman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have subject with an AR.

PROKUPECZ: Footage shows her without a bulletproof vest or long rifle at a step with active shooter training. She spends most of the 77 minutes before the classroom was breached outside the school. According to sources familiar with the investigation, Elizondo told investigators that without her gear, she was not comfortable joining the others inside.

Out of nearly 400 law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting, 91 were from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Seven of those officers were referred for further investigation for their conduct that day. Crimson Elizondo is one of them. The other six still work for DPS while the investigation into their actions continues.

It is unclear if the Uvalde School District was aware of the investigation at the time of Elizondo's hiring. The district has not responded to emails, calls or direct questions from CNN.

Sir, do you know this officer who you have recently hired? Are you aware she's under investigation for her actions on the day of the shooting? Do you think she's fit to serve here considering that her actions are under investigation? Mr. Miller, you don't want to respond to that?

PROKUPECZ: Elizondo's hiring raises further questions about the Department of Public Safety and the lack of transparency around the investigation and the conduct of its troopers. DPS did not comment for this story.

Well, I think this is important.

Speaking to CNN in September, DPS Director Steven McCraw promised he will resign if his agency was shown to have culpability for the botched response.

STEVEN MCCRAW, DPS DIRECTOR: I'll be the first to resign, okay? I'll be gladly to resign. I'll send my resignation to the governor, okay, if I think there is any culpability on the Department of Public Safety, period, okay? But we're going to hold our officers accountable. No one gets a pass. But every officer is going to be held accountable.

PROKUPECZ: CNN also learning that Elizondo was recorded on video after delivering medical care to survivors, reflecting on the horrors of what she saw inside. An officer asked if her children attend Robb Elementary. ELIZONDO'S response --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are your kids in there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, my son is in daycare. He's not old enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw you --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, no. If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside, I promise you that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: I mean, that last moment, if mine had been in there, I wouldn't have been outside.

I would imagine, you spent so much time down there. I know you become close with a number of these families. For them to see this latest development, what are they saying to you?

PROKUPECZ (on camera): They're very upset. Before we did this story yesterday, before we first ran this story, I called many of the family members and we had a conference call. Because the thing that has been so difficult for them is that they just -- it's sort of they've been disrespected continuously. No one has given them information. In many ways, they're finding out information through the media. And so I didn't want that to happen in this case. I didn't want them to be surprised sitting at home and seeing these reports. So, I had a call with them. And so, certainly, some were really upset.

We heard from one of the parent this is morning reacting to that sound that I just played of that officer saying that she would have been inside -- she wouldn't have been outside if her son was inside. Take a listen to that.

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KIMBERLY MATA-RUBIO, DAUGHTER KILLED IN UVALDE MASSACRE: You know, Trooper Elizondo's inaction that day is disgusting, and as a mother, incomprehensible.

[10:25:04]

The body camera that you just aired is further evidence of the massive failure by Texas DPS. And as promised, I expect Director McCraw's resignation.

As far as UCISD, given the disturbing information you just released, they can't be trusted with decisions that have been made in regards to the safety of our children. Us families have been calling for the officers to be suspended pending the conclusion of investigation and now we can see why.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: And, Erica, some of the parents have been outside of the school administration building for the entire week, sort of in protest, trying to get answers, trying to get accountability for these school officers. And, certainly, when they hear something like this, they have questions about the vetting process. They want to know what went into this newly hired officer.

Keep in mind, the school never announced the hiring of this officer. They've refused to give us any kind of timeline of when they hired her, what the vetting process was. We only learned of this because of a parent recognized her from body camera footage, and then we saw her name on the school website and that is how we learned this, and then we put the puzzle together.

HILL: So, when to -- when we hear from that mom, right, who says, I no longer trust -- I'm paraphrasing here, so I may not have the words exactly correct, I no longer trust the school district, is what she said. Is the school district responding at all to this new reporting, the new information that you've uncovered?

PROKUPECZ: No, it's unbelievable. Look, I wanted them to be part of this process, right? I went to them last week. I was out there all week. You see me asking questions of the school administrator of the school. It is the number three person there, his name is Miller, Mr. Miller. You saw he slammed the door kind of in my face. So, they have refused. They have taken sort of this position where they're not going to respond to anything.

I'm sure they have some explanation, who knows what it is, but I have made every effort to include them in the process. Emails, calls, I've been texting the superintendent.

HILL: What about the attorneys for the district? Will they talk to you?

PROKUPECZ: No. We don't even know who they are. But I will tell you, a lot of this is being controlled by those attorneys. Because what is going on in Uvalde is that many of the administrators there are afraid of lawsuits. They're afraid of the fact that they're going to be found somehow culpable in this. And so they're afraid of lawsuits. And so they've hired all of these lawyers and all of these lawyers are basically now kind of calling the shots because they're afraid eventually of what the payout may be.

So, they need to get with the program, really, the school district, and the parents need the answers. They can't just keep avoiding questions. They have just taken this position that we are not going to respond to anything. And it took three days to even get a response and acknowledgment that I had -- was asking them these questions. And whatever their story is, they should tell us that story.

HILL: Yes, the parents need it.

PROKUPECZ: This has been so heart-wrenching for this community, because at every turn, when they think they can get over something, this happens.

HILL: Shimon, I appreciate it. Glad you're staying on it. Thank you.

An accidental public posting offering some new insight into some of the other documents seized by the FBI during the search at Mar-a-Lago. So, what did investigators find? That is next.

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