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New Footage Shows Congressional Leadership Scrambling On January 6; Walker, Warnock Face Off In Georgia Senate Campaign Debate; Sheriff's Office Investigating Juror's Threat Allegation; Five Killed In NC Mass Shooting, 15-Year-Old Suspect In Custody; Bread Prices Prove Inflation Is A Tough Ingredient; Russian Officials Ukraine's Counteroffensive In Kherson Is Underway; Inside The Aerospace Company Developing Rocket Fuel You Can Eat. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 15, 2022 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:00:27]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
We're seeing powerful new video today showing the threats congressional leaders faced as they fled the Capitol during the January 6th riots.
The exclusive video is from filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi. She is the daughter of house speaker Nancy Pelosi and was shooting a documentary on the day of the insurrection. The video shows Speaker Pelosi and other congressional leaders as they sheltered at Fort McNair, a military base in the Washington, D.C. area after being rushed away from the Capitol mob.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Safe enough for us to go back but they're even still trying to penetrate the building. And it's not a safe thing because we are trying to figure out how we can get this job done today.
We talked to Mitch about it earlier. He is not in the room right now, but he was with us earlier. And he said we want to expedite this and hopefully we can confine it to just one complaint and then we can vote and that would be, you know, then just move forward the rest of the state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: While that was happening at the same time Vice President Pence was holed up at an underground -- excuse me -- loading dock on the Capitol campus. Pence and Pelosi, the first and second in line for the presidency, discussed their personal safety with Pelosi pleading with Pence to keep his location secret.
CNN's Zachary Cohen is covering these developments for us. Zachary, what else is in the video?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Good morning, Fredricka.
So this exclusive video really takes us inside Fort McNair military base on January 6th after lawmakers were evacuated there because of the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
And one of the things that we are seeing for the first time is the moment that Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence, who was still at the Capitol, were so concerned about the security situation there that they were actually talking about contingency plans so that they could meet and still certify the 2020 election. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: Actually Fort McNair, which has facilities for the House and the Senate to meet as a backup plan should anything like this -- nothing like this -- should anything happen that would warrant that.
Logistically we want to bring all the members of House and Senate anyway. We're just making a judgment. We'd rather go to the Capitol and do it there, but it doesn't seem to be safe.
What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: South Carolina?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
PELOSI: Have you spoke in terms of going back to the Capitol? Which is what we want to do, too. But Mitch was talking about going back to the Capitol.
Yes.
Well, we would like to go back to the -- that would be our hope, as well. The security is telling us that it's going to be a while before the Capitol will be able to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Fredricka, we obviously know that lawmakers did eventually meet at the Capitol on January 6th and certify the 2020 election. But that clip is very interesting because it shows that there was a moment where the concerns were so high about the safety of both Mike Pence and the lawmakers still at the Capitol that they were trying to discuss other ways to meet and certify the election, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Right. Yes, on display, I mean, the compassion and also the coordination of what potentially could come next.
Zachary Cohen, thanks so much. All right. With me now to talk more about all this and the legal
implications of this and other cases involving former President Donald Trump is Dave Aronberg. He is the state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida.
So good to see you. This new video comes after the January 6th Committee held what's expected to be the last hearing this past week. In your view, does this change anything particularly for the DOJ investigations?
[11:05:00]
DAVE ARONBERG, STATE ATTORNEY, PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: The video was powerful. And you have to wonder when you are watching it, where was Trump?
You had Nancy Pelosi caring more about Mike Pence's safety than Trump, who never called his vice president at all.
But those who say that this takes DOJ further down the line to charging Trump with seditious conspiracy I think are misguided. Because seditious conspiracy, you have to have an agreement that -- to agree to enact violence on the Capitol.
And you don't have that here. You don't have an express agreement. This is conspiracy -- isn't watching from the sidelines --
WHITFIELD: Don't you have the imprints of that though? Prior to that, say, at the rally when the president says they are not here for me when Secret Service and others expressed concern that there were people at the rally who were armed and the president would say they are not here for me. Isn't there an inference there?
ARONBERG: The prosecutors don't like to charge on inferences. Prosecutors want hard evidence, especially when you are going to be the first prosecutor ever to charge a former president.
But, Fredricka, there is evidence on other crimes and that is conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of an official proceeding.
In fact, there is a respected federal judge who said it is more likely than not that Donald Trump committed those two crimes. So I think that if DOJ is going to charge a former president, it's going to be on those crimes rather than the more serious crime of seditious conspiracy.
WHITFIELD: So at the end of the hearing that we saw this week, I mean the committee also voted to subpoena Donald Trump. And you know, Jim Scholz, a former White House lawyer under Trump, says the former president wants to testify live.
Do you see that happening? It would have to happen in a matter of a couple of months.
ARONBERG: No Fredricka, we have seen this movie before. Remember, Trump wanted to testify before Robert Mueller and he didn't. This is all a P.R. ruse. This is all show and no-go.
It's one thing for Trump to spread lies about the 2020 election and January 6th on his social media sites. He can do that with pretty much impunity. But if you do that before a congressional committee under oath, that's perjury and you could be wearing a pair of steel handcuffs.
WHITFIELD: So, if this indeed was the last, you know, hearing from the January 6th committee, do you believe the panel has made a case that Trump should face charges beyond the two that you cited, you see, you know, as real potential?
ARONBERG: You know, I think it's tough to look at other charges beyond those two that the federal judge said it's more likely than not that Trump actually committed because seditious conspiracy is so hard to charge and to prove.
And now you see that charge against Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers and others. And we'll see if they can get a conviction there.
It is relatively unprecedented. There are very few precedents in recent history of a successful conviction for seditious conspiracy.
But I do think Trump will face more legal liability when it comes to the documents at Mar-a-Lago. There is a direct tie between him and those documents. It's less murky than January 6th. And I think that indictment for obstruction of justice and mishandling documents is going to happen after the midterm elections.
WHITFIELD: All right. So the Justice Department in fact is now asking a federal appeals court to get rid of the special master in the Mar-a- Lago documents case. The DOJ says the judge who ordered the third- party review of the documents overstepped her authority. Do you believe the Justice Department has a strong argument there?
ARONBERG: I do. And the DOJ has had enough of Judge Cannon and wants her out. Remember, Judge Cannon claimed jurisdiction over this matter, which was a controversial move, and then issued this preliminary order that said, yes, she is likely to grant the special master even before the DOJ had a chance to respond.
WHITFIELD: Yes. That was very unusual to hear a judge's opinion before there is a formal opinion.
ARONBERG: Right. And you know, she rewarded the forum shopping that went on. Because I'm here in West Palm Beach, Fredricka and Trump went 68 miles north to Fort Pierce to get this judge and she gave Trump everything he wanted and more. She granted a stay in the investigation. Trump didn't even request that.
So you can see why DOJ is saying, hey, 11th Circuit, get her off this case. And I think that's the biggest question because I do think the 11th Circuit is going to rule again for DOJ. But the question is will they pull Judge Cannon entirely off this matter saying she has no jurisdiction here to begin with.
WHITFIELD: All right. Dave Aronberg, thank you so much. That was very insightful. Appreciate it.
ARONBERG: You bet.
[11:09:46]
WHITFIELD: All right. Turning now to Georgia where a contentious race could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Senator Raphael Warnock faced off against Herschel Walker last night after weeks of bombshell allegations leveled at the former football star.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUCK LANFORD, DEBATE MODERATOR: A week before this the debate, a former girlfriend made public accusations saying you paid for an abortion and that you encouraged her to have another. In an ABC News interview this week, you said that the accusations are, quote, all lies. For the voters watching tonight can you explain the circumstances surrounding these claims? You have 60 seconds?
HERSCHEL WALKER (R), GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: Well, that's a lie. And you know, well most things, I put it in a book. One thing about my life is I have been very transparent.
Not like the senator. He has hid things. But at the same time I say that's a lie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Eva McKend joining us live now from Savannah where that debate took place last night. So Eva, this will likely be their only debate. But tell us how it is resonating with voters.
EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Fred, as expected both sides claiming victory. Senator Warnock spending last night playing up his bipartisan work in Washington while Walker was working overtime to try to tie Warnock to President Biden. Here is our recap.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKEND: Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker are in a contentious Georgia senate race with U.S. Senate control at stake.
LANFORD: It is time to get underway.
MCKEND: the Georgia candidates debated Friday night. Walker, running on a family values platform, currently involved in a scandal over allegedly pressuring the mother of one of his children to get an abortion.
LANFORD: The week before this debate a former girlfriend made public accusations saying you paid for an abortion and that you encouraged her to have another. In an ABC News interview this week you said that the accusations are, quote, "all lies".
For the voters watching tonight, can you explain the circumstances surrounding these claims? You have 60 seconds.
WALKER: Well, as I said, that's a lie. And you know, what most thing -- I put it in a book. One thing about my life is I have been very transparent.
Not like the senator, he's hid things. At the same time, I say that's a lie. And on abortion, you know, I am a Christian. I believe in life. And I tell people this that Georgia is a state that respects life and I will be a senator that protects life. And I say that was a lie and I am not backing down.
SENATOR RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): The patient's womb is too narrow and small and cramped a space for a woman. Her doctor and the United States government, we are witnessing right now what happens when politicians, most of them men, pile into patients' rooms. You get what you are seeing right now.
And the women of Georgia -- the women of Georgia deserves a senator who will stand with them. I trust women more than I trust politicians.
WALKER: I heard about him there. I heard he was -- he is a neat talker. But did he not mention that there is a baby in that room as well? And also --
Did he not mention that he asked him -- that he asked the taxpayers to pay for it. So he is bringing the government back into the room.
MCKEND: CNN has not independently verified the allegations about Walker.
LANFORD: Herschel please say a few words. Walker was given the opportunity to distance himself from the former president on election denial.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did President Biden defeat former President Donald Trump in 2020?
WALKER: President Biden won and Senator Warnock won. That's the reason I decided to run because we need a change in Washington. We need leaders that's going to stand up to foreign leaders. We need people that's going to stand up for people in Georgia.
MCKEND: On Friday, both candidates said they would accept the results of this election. Walker was also asked about crime and took the opportunity to make a string of claims about Senator Warnock, accusing Warnock of not supporting the police who gave this rebuttal.
WARNOCK: We will see time and time again tonight as we've already seen that my opponent has a problem with the truth.
And just because he said something doesn't mean it's true. I have supported our police officers. I have called them and I have prayed with their families. You can support police officers as I have done with the COPS program, through the Invest to Protect program, while at the same time holding police officers like all professions accountable. One thing I have not done, I have never pretended to be a police
officer.
And I have never -- I have never threatened a shootout with the police.
WALKER: And now I have to respond to that --
TINA TYUS-SHAW, DEBATE MODERATOR: We are moving on, gentlemen.
WALKER: No, no, no. I have to respond to that.
And you know so what's funny? I am -- put this off me.
(CROSSTALK)
TYUS-SHAW: Mr. Walker, Mr. Walker.
WALKER: No, no, no.
(CROSSTALK)
TYUS-SHAW: Mr. Walker -- excuse me Mr. Walker -- please, out of respect, I need to let you know, Mr. Walker, you are very well aware of the rules tonight.
WALKER: Yes.
TYUS SHAW: And you have a prop. That is not allowed, sir.
MCKEND: Early voting starts Monday in Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:15:01]
MCKEND: So you can see there things got lively last night, Fred. I am actually in the parking lot. Not much to see here now.
But a few minutes ago Walker wrapped up a rally here. I asked his supporters what they thought of last night's debate and they told me that they were a bit nervous going into it, that Senator Warnock is just a lot more polished but that they believe Walker exceeded their expectations.
Voters get to make this decision for themselves as soon as Monday when the early vote begins, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ok. And the expectation is people will take advantage of that. Thank you so much, Eva McKend. Appreciate it.
All right. Straight ahead, we are now hearing from one of the jurors in the Parkland school shooting trial. Why they say, quote, "things got ugly in the jury room".
Plus, the chilling 911 calls from that mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:19:56]
WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.
New details this morning about the tense jury deliberations in this week's Parkland School shooting trial in Florida. The Sheriff's Office is now conducting an investigation after one juror said they felt threatened by another juror during the deliberations.
CNN's Brian Todd has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was trying to get my attention --
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Florida jury that sentenced the Parkland shooter to life in prison faces more scrutiny. Prosecutors asked the judge to interview a juror who claims to have been threatened by another juror during deliberation. The prosecutor Carolyn McCann (ph) describing a call her office got from the allegedly threatened juror.
CAROLYN MCCANN, ASSISTANT FLORIDA STATE ATTORNEY: A support staff member who took the call said that the person who left the message was upset and then said that they seemed frightened.
TODD: The Broward County Sheriff's Office says it will investigate the alleged threat. Another juror, Melody Vanoy, told CNN's she was not personally threatened but that it got ugly after the vote.
Jurors like her who voted for life in prison instead of the death penalty were treated with disrespect and sarcasm.
MELODY VANOY, JUROR IN THE PARKLAND SHOOTING SENTENCING: The energy was so heated that we wanted to get out of that room. They had to take us down for over 30 minutes to just give us fresh air so we could kind of move around and separate. That's how heated it got after the fact.
TODD: The tensions in the jury room also reflected in a letter written by another juror to Judge Scherer, denying that he had made up her mind to vote for life in prison before the trial even started. That juror saying she'd heard that others who did vote for the death penalty had accused her of that.
Quote, "some jurors became extremely unhappy once I mentioned that I would vote for life."
Parents of the young victims remain unhappy.
TONY MONTALTO, FATHER OF PARKLAND SHOOTING VICTIM GINA MONTALTO: It's just an unfathomable verdict. I would want them to place themselves in our shoes and look at the innocent victims.
TODD: These jury room dramas not surprising to veteran judge Gregory Mize.
GREGORY MIZE, FORMER SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE: The stress is built up and people's habits and foibles among the jury can rankle one or another. And tensions build. We have strangers trying to come together to reach unanimity.
TODD: But could any of this change the outcome of the life sentence?
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It's highly unlikely that the court will set the verdict aside or that the outcome of the case would be changed.
TODD: Both Paul Callan and Judge Gregory Mize say it's also possible that one or more of the jurors could come back to the court at some point and say they regret voting the way they did. But they say that likely won't change the finality of this verdict either. That it would take an extraordinary set of circumstance to reopen the sentencing case.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk more about all of this. CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson is with us. So Joey, Brian said there it would take, you know, extreme extenuating circumstances for there to be a change. What would those circumstances be if, you know, someone feeling uncomfortable in that jury enough to the point of now investigating the alleged threat. How might it change the outcome of the verdict?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Fredricka, good morning to you.
The direct answer is it will not. and let me explain why.
This is a situation where this, in this case, as contentious as it is, the jurors rendered a verdict ultimately because of the three -- it had to be unanimous 12. Three apparently did not vote for the death penalty. That means that it will be life in prison without the possibility of parole.
That, for example, that jurors because of the discord and intimidation, et cetera, they voted for the death penalty, now you have a different scenario. Now you have an issue where the defense would go and petition the court to set that aside to vote anew and empanel a new jury potentially so that they can move off the death penalty and vote for life.
There were two choices here. We, of course, know, Fredricka that the defendant in this case, as we look at him there with his defense team, he had already pled guilty -- 17 counts of murder, 17 counts of attempted murder. This case not about rendering a verdict as to a guilt. It was about making a determination as to what the appropriate sentence would be.
And ultimately, the defense got what they wanted, which was to spare his life. So notwithstanding the discord in that jury room, that's what occurred.
Final point, Fredricka and that's this. These are contentious scenarios, right. As attorneys we don't get to sit in a jury room to listen, but we are often in the well of the courtroom and we hear jurors going back and forth.
This is a case unimaginable which families had to go through. The testimony the jurors had to listen to, of course, there's going to be discord, of course there's going to be disagreement, of course there's going to be stern opinion.
[11:24:55]
JACKSON: The issue was, does that amount to something that is so out of the norm as to upset this case in any way? Or to really lead to criminal prosecutions of anyone? That remains to be seen.
I doubt it. But we have to talk about this in the context of knowing that this is what the process looks like when you are dealing with something as high stakes as they were dealing with here.
WHITFIELD: Right. It's very hard as a juror to come to terms with a sentence whether it's jail time, death penalty and life. I mean particularly that just brings it to a whole another level.
So if there is an expectation that there would be, you know, some rancor, you know, in deliberations, at what point does it merit an investigation? Because there will be an investigation because someone has now said they felt threatened. So what will that investigation entail?
JACKSON: Yes. So what happens, Fredricka, is this. You know, The bottom line is you have to live in a society whether you are in a jury room, whether you are in a classroom, no matter where you are, right, where things don't happen that rise to the level of threats, intimidation and criminality. That should not occur.
However, in investigating anything you have to consider the context. The distinction between people losing their temper and getting into it, and as you mentioned, a lot of rancor and acrimony and ultimately, right, that's between threatening someone intimidating them to the point where it rises to the level of criminal activity. We have to be really careful. Why?
Because we have a system where we ask jurors to deliberate. We ask the jury to state her opinion and meet a (INAUDIBLE) mind and everyone in that room, right, in this fictitious scenario that I'm painting to go at it and say look, this is what I believe, this is where I stand.
Now we are going to investigate and say did someone use language that was too harsh towards another? So I think it has to be approached with great care. In the event that someone was threatened and it rises to the level where they felt harm, that their life was in danger, that's one thing.
But if people were just cruel and mean to each other, unfortunately, that's part of the process. There should never be intimidation. There should never be threats. But when you are dealing with something as high stakes as this, you could only imagine that there is going to be things that are said that are perhaps distasteful. The issue is it distasteful but is it criminal?
Have your investigation if there's harm to be found there then we'll deal with it. But in terms of a jury investigation, jurors need to be free and clear and speak their piece so that they can render a verdict that everyone can live with ultimately.
WHITFIELD: Right. And then what is going to be the bar to prove that there were threats? I mean, how are threats going to be defined in this kind of situation? Emotionally charged situation.
JACKSON: So, right. So what happens is that in a scenario like this there are witnesses, right? There are a number of people who, obviously, heard what was said under what context was it said? Was there really a reason or cause of alarm? Did it really transcend the notion or issue of a firm opinion, a firm thought or maybe something that was said that perhaps shouldn't have been said, but does it rise to that point where we say, hey it transcends that (INAUDIBLE) to a crime.
And so in terms of process, there is a number of people were there. It's not like two people were isolated in a room and it's not like we have surveillance, right? There is no surveillance that monitors what jurors do, for good reason.
And so I think people will be spoken to. And at the end of the if there is something to be seen, it will be seen. But we do have to keep in mind, people can yell and scream and get nasty with each other even. That doesn't necessarily make it criminal.
We'll see what the investigation reveals as to specifically what occurred in what context and does it ultimately reach the level of criminality. I doubt it.
WHITFIELD: All right. We will be watching. Joey Jackson, good to see you. Thank you so much.
JACKSON: Thanks, Fredricka. You, too.
WHITFIELD: Prosecutors say they intend to charge the 15-year-old suspect in Thursday's mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, as an adult. Five people were killed, including an off-duty police officer on his way to work.
And this morning we have the chilling 911 calls which offer new details about how the shootings unfolded. And we do want to you, the calls may be disturbing.
CNN's Ryan Young has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's on camo. The shooter -- the shooter has on all camo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a white kid running around here with a shotgun. He shot somebody.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 911 calls detail the mass shooting that left five people dead in Raleigh, North Carolina, including a 16-year- old boy and an off-duty police officer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An officer was shot?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. He's an off-duty cop. I keep trying to say, he works for Raleigh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard some shots outside. And I looked out my window and the neighbor is on the ground I think.
GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): We will have to make sense of this infuriating and tragic act of gun violence.
[11:29:49]
YOUNG: 49-year-old Sue Karnatz (ph), a mother of three also among the victims. Her husband Tom writing on Facebook, "We had plans together for growing old, always together. Now those plans are laid to waste."
Two others were hurt in the shooting, including another police officer and a 59-year-old woman who is in critical condition.
MAYOR MARY-ANN BALDWIN, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: We grieve for them today. Our prayers are also with those who were injured.
YOUNG: the district attorney says a 15-year-old gunman will be charged as an adult. He was taken into custody and is in critical condition.
Police said the crime scene is extensive, covering more than two miles. They have not released a motive for the attack. But a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN, the shooter was wearing camouflage, had a camouflage backpack, and a handgun and a long gun were recovered.
People who lived near the scene reacting to the news including a teen girl who didn't want to be identified.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Having somebody do that with my age, you know, the fact that they didn't care what they were doing, it's just -- it comes to show that the world really needs to find why they are doing this.
YOUNG: Ryan Young, CNN -- Raleigh, North Carolina.
WHITFIELD: And with the cost of food soaring across the U.S., we'll see the juggling act one bakery has to do to keep prices down and hang on to its customers. That's next.
[11:31:07]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: As grocery bills climb on everything from bread to meat, businesses are struggling to keep pace with the spiking price of ingredients. And as Karen Kaifa (ph) explains, the cost of commodities is hitting some even harder than others.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREN KAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wondering how the price of bread has skyrocketed? Teresa Velazquez can break it down.
TERESA VELAZQUEZ, BAKERY OWNER: Flour right now is the big one. Part of why I got to put in a big order for, I don't know, probably about 20 or so bags to get me through the weekend.
KAIFA: Baguettes, breads, biscuits and lots of cupcakes have been the family business for more than two decades. And when prepping goods for her two Washington, D.C. shops, they've been wired and basically there is a few things she can't work without.
VELAZQUEZ: It's amazing that four ingredients can make such a vast difference of everything else.
KAIFA: Sugar, eggs, butter and flour are the foundation of almost every recipe. The rise in price for those items impacting big bakeries that stock supermarket shelves but especially smaller operators like Velazquez and her family.
VELAZQUEZ: When I sit down to order I go through three vendors to figure out where am I going to get the best price on eggs? Where am I going to get the best price on butter?
KAIFA: Along with other complexities of the post-pandemic economy, the war in Ukraine has put pressure on grain prices and driven up flour cost.
Bird flu diminished supply in the wholesale egg market this year. And butter inventory is tight after western heatwaves curbed cow's dairy production.
Since October 2019, this same time of year pre-pandemic, Velazquez says the price she paid for butter has increased 43 percent, eggs up 63 percent, flour up 86 percent.
VELAZQUEZ: I went from pre-pandemic paying almost $15 for a 50-pound bag of flour and now I'm up to $28 for a bag of flour.
KAIFA: For the latest government numbers, consumer food prices rose 11.2 percent over last September. Bakery products including bread and cereals are up 16.2 percent in the same period.
Breaking down her costs, it makes sense that a baker like Velazquez would raise prices but she hesitates to put too much on customers.
VELAZQUEZ: There is only so much someone is going to pay for a sandwich or a baguette or a croissant, you know. So it's a balance. KAIFA: So Velazquez keeps crunching the numbers.
VELAZQUEZ: I sit here on my order days and I just play this game all the time.
KAIFA: Hoping key markets smooth out soon.
In Washington, I'm Karen Kaifa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Everyone hopes that there is some break on the horizon. And it isn't just the cost of making baked goods that's going up. The so- called food at home index which tracks grocery prices jumped 13 percent in September compared to the same time a year ago.
We have so much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
[11:38:21]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Russian officials say Ukrainian forces have begun a counteroffensive in the southern Kherson region. On Thursday the head of the Russian occupied area asked the Kremlin to help evacuate locals to other regions ahead of intensified fighting.
It comes as the nearby city of Zaporizhzhia was struck by Russian missiles and drone attacks today.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Kramatorsk, Ukraine for us right now.
So Fred, is the fighting expected to intensify quickly?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it could very well intensify quickly. One of the things that we've been seeing in the Kherson region is that this possible counteroffensive or escalation, we should say, of the counteroffensive, because the Ukrainians have been saying that they have been having a counteroffensive going on there for a while, that that has sort of been shaping up.
You know, one of the things that we have seen over the past couple of days is the Ukrainians saying that they have managed to take back a couple of little towns, a couple of villages in that area, closing in on the regional capital, which is also called Kherson which is sort of the main prize that the Ukrainians want to get right now.
They feel that they have the Russian forces pinned down in an area up against the river really so the Russians can't move and can't really resupply their troops in the way they normally would want to.
So the Ukrainians have kind of been shaping the battlefield, if you will. It's quite interesting to hear that Russian assessment that the Ukrainians have now started in earnest. They were saying that the Ukrainians are shelling some towns in that area. The Russians for their part claim that they are well dug in and will
be able to repel any sort of offensive. But this is certainly right now an extremely important battlefield in this wider war here in Ukraine, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And then Fred, we also saw reports of attacks on Zaporizhzhia. What can you tell us about that?
PLEITGEN: Well, you know what, this is one of the things where Zaporizhzhia is really one of the hardest hit towns right now in Ukraine. You know, what we saw over the past week throughout this entire country of course, was the Russians using some long-range assets to hit places throughout the entire country.
They hit the capital, Kyiv. They hit other areas as well. But Zaporizhzhia really takes a big beating almost every day and every night. And with these particular attacks that happen now, we are reading very closely what happened there.
The Ukrainians are saying that the Russians used S-300 missiles for those attacks. Those kind of missiles are normally used to shoot down airplanes. They are surface-to-air missiles. And if you use them in a surface-to-surface capacity then they are very inaccurate. And if you do that then, of course, the chances of there being civilian casualties are very high.
[11:44:56]
PLEITGEN: Now, the Ukrainians say that this was not only an attack using these S-300 missiles, but also one using Iranian-made Kamikaze drones and that there is some serious damage to the infrastructure there in Zaporizhzhia.
And by the way, we also have a similar picture here in the Kyiv region as well where the Ukrainians are saying that once again critical power infrastructure was struck by those kamikaze drones and that there is extensive damage.
So it seems to be a pattern where the Russians are not only using missiles but increasingly using those drones as well, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much, from Ukraine.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has asked the Pentagon to begin funding Starlink satellites in Ukraine with officials for the company saying costs have gotten too high, approaching $100 million.
Documents obtained exclusively by CNN reveal that Musk now wants the U.S. government to foot the bill for the services which Ukraine fighters depend on in the battlefield.
CNN's senior national security correspondent Alex Marquardt has more.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Elon Musk confirming exclusive CNN reporting that his company SpaceX plans to stop or significantly reduce their funding of satellite Internet services in Ukraine which have been key to the Ukrainian military's fight against Russia.
Documents obtained by CNN show that SpaceX told the Pentagon last month it has spent almost $100 million and, quote, "We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time."
Musk today highlighted costs of around $20 million per month and echoing a Ukrainian diplomat's statement towards Musk to "F off", Musk said, quote, "We're just following his recommendation," at least how Musk sees it, to leave Ukraine.
That outburst from the Ukrainian diplomat coming earlier this month after Musk proposed a peace plan which many Ukrainians saw as pro- Russian, giving Russia official control of Crimea and encouraging new U.N. supervised elections that would allow annexed regions in Ukraine to join Russia.
SENATOR CHRIS COONS (D-DE): This is a challenge for all of us, for the administration, for everyone who wants to see Ukraine succeed to have Elon Musk acting in a somewhat mercurial way, throwing out proposals for diplomatic resolution of a brutal war where, frankly, the only acceptable outcome should be that Ukraine continues to retake its territory from Russian invaders.
MARQUARDT: Musk has denied a report that he told foreign policy expert Ian Bremmer that he has spoken directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine. But concerns over Musk's support for Ukraine only grew when some Ukrainian troops reported that they couldn't access Starlink Internet as they moved forward and tried to recapture areas from Russia.
DMITRI ALPEROVITCH, CO-FOUNDER, CROWDSTRIKE: I think they're very concerning to the Ukrainians. They know that it's going to make it much more difficult for them to advance without communications with the front lines. So Starlink really is a unique capability that is incredibly helpful for the Ukrainians right now.
MARQUARDT: Ukrainian officials appearing worried, trying to play nice with Musk. One praising him as among the world's top private donors supporting Ukraine. An aid to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy adding "Like it or not Elon Musk helped us survive the most critical moments of war."
The Pentagon has now confirmed our reporting that they did get that letter from SpaceX about Starlink funding for Ukraine, but declined to say where the conversation now stands.
A Defense Department spokesperson said there are other options besides Starlink and the priority is to make sure that Ukraine gets what it needs for stable communications on the battlefield.
Alex Marquardt, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. And next, rocket fuel you can eat. Sounds out of this world but it's a reality one company is chasing in an effort to send more earth-friendly rockets to space.
[11:48:55]
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WHITFIELD: All right. Now, here's a bold step for how we make rocket fuel. A Maine company wants to send rockets to space using bio-derived carbon-neutral fuel. It's all natural, which means it's also technically edible.
Our Rachel Crane got an exclusive look at one of their test launches.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASCHA DERI, FOUNDER, BLUSHIFT: This is just one of dozens of tests we will have.
RACHEL CRANE, CNN INNOVACTION AND SPACE CORRESPONDENT: That's Sascha Deri, the founder of a company called BluShift. Sascha and his team are getting ready to test fire an engine that they hope will one day launch rockets into space.
We're in Maine, far from NASA's more commonly used launch pads in Cape Canaveral. The company's rocket fuel isn't typical either.
Can you walk us through how you make your biofuel and what this process is like?
DERI: To produce the fuel, we have to liquefy it. Basically pour it into a mold, essentially put into surface centrifuge.
CRANE: But it's edible so is it made of food?
DERI: It is not something that you would normally have in food. You know, I can't say -- it's the most delicious thing in the world to eat.
CRANE: BluShift wouldn't say exactly what's in the fuel but told us that the core of the fuel is derived from common agricultural processes on farms around the world.
Historically, the environmental impact the space industry makes is small compared to other industries, but rockets can be particularly harmful to the environment. They can emit large amounts of CO2 and black carbon, or soot, among other pollutants.
[11:54:53]
CRANE: If BluShift can get carbon-neutral, bio-derived, nontoxic fuel to work, it could be a far more earth-friendly way of getting to space.
DERI: Here comes the second. All right. All right. So something clearly happened. I don't know if --
CRANE: The old third time's a charm didn't hold up this time, but two months after CNN's visit to the company's test facility, BluShift's team figured it out and had their third successful engine test. There will be plenty more to come if they're to get to space.
DERI: There's a lot of talk of getting off this planet and changing other ones. If anything, let's work on fixing this planet, treat it right, before we can worry about addressing up other planets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Powerful point.
All right. This quick programming note. Join Stanley Tucci as he explores the (INAUDIBLE) and unique delicacies of Sardinia, the wild west of Italy.
Don't miss an all new episode of "STANLEY TUCCI: SEARCHING FOR ITALY tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.
We'll be right back.
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