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U.S. Officials: North Korea Sending Russia Artillery Shells; U.S. Officials Divided Over New Intel Suggesting Russian Military Discussed Scenarios For Using Nukes; Chilling 911 Call From Girl Inside Uvalde Classroom Released; Michigan State Suspends Four More Football Players. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired November 02, 2022 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Rising tensions and a major escalation by North Korea. The hermit kingdom launching at least 23 short-range missiles overnight. That's the most the country has ever fired in a single day.
And now, first on CNN, U.S. officials accuse North Korea of secretly sending ammunition to Russia to use in Ukraine.
CNN's Katie Bo Lillis has this reporting.
Katie, what more are you learning?
KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: Well, Ana, first, it's important to note that it's not clear the United States has seen any of these artillery shells appear on the battlefield in Ukraine yet.
National Security Council official, John Kirby, saying this morning that the U.S. is still monitoring to see whether or Russia has received any of these shipments.
But thanks to a new piece of intelligence that's recently been declassified, the Biden administration does believe that this deal is moving forward.
And broadly, U.S. officials say the very fact that Russia has been forced to turn to North Korea for ammunition suggests that eight months of war have depleted not just their stocks of more sophisticated precision-guided munitions but also their arsenal of just plain old artillery.
Russia has been conducting this punishing artillery war on the front lines that one military analyst said to me this morning has likely burned through millions of shells at this point.
So it's possible that North Korea is filling a pretty important hole for Russia right now depending on how many shells they've sent.
CABRERA: So it seems like the U.S. is struggling to track these shipments coming from North Korea. Why is that? LILLIS: Well, for one thing, according to this declassified
intelligence, North Korea is trying to make it look like these shipments are actually going to North Africa or the Middle East, anywhere but Russia.
And generally speaking, North Korea is a really hard intelligence target for the United States.
This has been so tricky, in fact, that as recently as a couple of weeks ago, U.S. officials were telling us that they still had seen no signs that these shipments had actually been sent.
That, of course, has obviously changed. But it gives you a sense, Ana, of how new this information is and how murky the space is.
CABRERA: Katie Bo Lillis, thank you.
And more concern over Russia and nuclear weapons. U.S. intel officials say Russian military leaders have talked about how and when they would use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
Now, on its face, that's alarming. But some U.S. officials are divided on just how serious the threat really is.
Keep in mind, the Pentagon estimates that Russia has an active stockpile of up to 2,000 nonstrategic nuclear weapons.
CNN White House reporter, Natasha Bertrand, joins us.
Why the differing opinions on how big the threat is?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Ana, the differentiation really hinges on the sourcing in this intelligence product. There are some people in the administration who believe it is thinly sourced, that it is mostly analysis, whereas others are viewing it with more concern.
Broadly, the administration does believe that there's this intelligence that suggests that the Russian generals have been speaking about how and when they might use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, basically the circumstances under which they would actually deploy that nuclear weapon.
But the difference in opinion here comes into play when you consider how the people, the administration officials are actually interpreting this intelligence.
Obviously, you know, this is not a monolith. Not something that is a perfect science. Intelligence requires a lot of interpretation.
And some officials that we spoke to said they believe that some of this conversation reflected in this new intelligence analysis could be taken out of context, that it has been misinterpreted.
But, look, others say this should be taken seriously because of all of the rhetoric that we have heard coming from the Russians over the last several weeks, and, of course, the battlefield losses that they are sustaining in Ukraine.
Now, of course, we heard that Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in speeches that the Russians would be willing to use such a weapon if necessary.
And so they're watching this, the U.S. is watching this with a lot of concern as to how this plays out. But so far, no real consensus on how real this is, and imminent -- Ana?
CABRERA: What is that threshold, is the big question for the Kremlin to take that horrific and, you know, believable really step.
Thank you, Natasha Bertrand.
We are getting some new video I want to show you, allegedly showing Putin's military helicopters being sabotaged deep inside Russia more than 600 miles from Ukraine.
You can see an unidentified man appearing to prepare and planting explosives onto an aircraft. At times, he holds what could be a timer to his ear.
CNN traced this video to an airfield in Russia. Explosions were reported that night. And a satellite image later shows several damaged helicopters there.
Ukraine is not directly saying whether it's responsible for this attack, but says the explosions were the result of, quote, "mining," and that three helicopters were destroyed.
[13:35:02]
Back here at home, a very brave fourth grader had the courage to call for help that wouldn't come for 40 minutes. Hear the chilling 911 tape of 10-year-old Khloie Torres pleading for help as her classmates and teachers were slaughtered in Robb Elementary School.
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CABRERA: "Please get help. I don't want to die. My teacher is dead." Can you imagine saying those words? Now imagine those words coming from your own child.
This is exactly what 10-year-old Khloie Torres told a 911 dis dispatcher as she pleaded for help from inside the classroom with the shooter during the Uvalde massacre.
Khloie had to wait 40 more minutes for that help to come. And her parents now want the world to know her story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE TORRES, MOTHER OF UVALDE STUDENT WHO CALLED 911: She's not doing very good. She's a really strong girl so one day at a time. RUBEN TORRES, FATHER OF UVALDE STUDENT WHO CALLED 911: Those kids
actually that day, in my opinion, stopped being kids that day and now are in survival mode, protection mode. And that's what we see with our daughter. And that's what we hear from the other survivors as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has been speaking with parents, including Kloie's. They've been pressing law enforcement from the beginning for more answers, more transparency.
And the recording of this 911 call, what we've learned, the things she said and how she expressed herself. What bravery. It's incredible.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Terrifying, right, to think this went on for so long. And all these kids would be in that classroom for 77 minutes waiting for help, pleading on the phone for officers to come and help them.
You know, we're only airing this because we got permission from the parents.
It is so disturbing. And we want our viewers to be aware some of what they hear could be difficult to listen to.
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DISPATCHER: Just advising we do have a child on the line.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): This was the moment everything at the scene in Uvalde should have changed. At 12:10 p.m. on May 24th, fourth grader Khloie Torres, who survived the shooting was inside room 112 at Robb Elementary and spoke to 911.
Police just a few feet away in the hallway were just minutes later made aware of the worst-case scenario was unfolding. Khloie along with her classmates and teachers, some dead or dying, were alone, trapped with an active shooter.
It's the phone call that should have made the difference. Instead, it would be another 40 minutes until police finally enter the room and kill the gunman.
CNN has obtained the call never made public until now.
A warning to our viewers, it's painful to hear.
We're choosing to play portions of the audio with the approval of Khloe's parents. And because it is crucial to understanding the full scope of the law enforcement failure that day.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
KHLOE TORRES, UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Hello?
DISPATCHER: I'm calling with the police department. Are you OK? TORRES: No, there's a school shooting.
DISPATCHER: OK, yes ma'am. I have multiple units there. Are you with officers or are you barricaded somewhere?
TORRES: I'm in classroom -- what's the classroom number? 112.
DISPATCHER: 112 (INAUDIBLE)?
TORRES: 112, 112, yes, ma'am.
DISPATCHER: What's your name, ma'am?
TORRES: Khloie Torres. Please hurry. There's a lot of dead bodies.
DISPATCHER: Stay on the line, OK? You said you're in room 112?
TORRES: Yes, ma'am. Please send help.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PROKUPECZ: You can hear injured people in the room crying out in pain.
The dispatcher asks Khloie to tell her classmates to stay quiet. She does her best.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DISPATCHER: You need to tell them that they need to be quiet.
TORRES: I am. I am. I'm telling everybody to be quiet and now nobody is listening to me. I know how to handle these situations. My dad taught me when I was a little girl.
Send help. Some of my teachers are still alive but they're shot.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PROKUPECZ: Less than two minutes into the call at 12:12 p.m., the Uvalde dispatcher sends an urgent message to police on the scene.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
OFFICER: 3-20. Go ahead with that child's information. Relay it.
DISPATCHER: (INAUDIBLE) -- child is advising he is in the room full of victims, full of victims at this moment.
OFFICER: 10-4, Uvalde. Can you confirm to see if that shooter is still standing? Or has he shot himself?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PROKUPECZ: If active shooter protocol had been followed, this dispatch should have triggered police to spring into action and breach the classroom. Instead, 38 minutes were allowed to go by as more officers arrive on
scene with more equipment until something is done. Nearly 400 officers responded in Uvalde.
Khloie wanted to know where they were.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TORRES: How far are you all away?
DISPATCHER: They're inside of the building, OK? You need to stay quiet, OK?
TORRES: They're inside the building. We just need to stay quiet.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
[13:45:01]
PROKUPECZ: On the other side of the door, the law enforcement response was disorganized and chaotic. Official reports detail the catastrophic mistake that was made.
Police on scene thought the shooter was a barricaded subject and not an active shooter. Khloie's called makes it clear an active shooter situation is unfolding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): They think there's kids in there. Supposedly one kid called in and he was in there with him.
PROKUPECZ: Body camera footage from local and state police departments obtained by CNN shows the officers on scene knew about the phone call and that there were children inside the room hurt and in desperate need of medical attention.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, DPS JOSHUA BRODOVSKY, BODYCAM: We don't know if he has anyone in the room with him, do we?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he does.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight or nine children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he said victims, room 12.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we hadn't hears that, no. We're in the fours, right? This is building four?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody hurt?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not here. No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, there are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: EMS in there already?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we have an active shooter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's in here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's in here. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, I'll stand here and be ready.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last contact -- hold on. The last contact we had was one of our school P.D. officers, his wife is a teacher. She called him and she said she's dying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just had a number of kids in room 12.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A kid in room 12. Most of the victims in room 12.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: F**k, we're taking too long.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Oh, my god. I find myself almost physically ill watching that. It is just gut wrenching.
And I know you've been talking to families who are also just hearing this and seeing this for the first time.
PROKUPECZ: And for the first time, Ana, to think we're almost six months into this, November 24th will be six months, and these families have not been getting any information from anyone in Uvalde, in Texas.
Five months later, these families are dealing with children who are in therapy who are dealing with such grief. And they need answers to help their kids heal.
I got off the phone with a parent just a short time ago, right before we came on, before I joined you here. And she told me that she listened to the call.
We sat and listened to it together. And it has now enabled her to answer a lot of questions. Her daughter has been talking about things that really weren't making any sense.
But now, after listening to this call, they are starting to -- it's making sense to her and she was so thankful.
We're going to tell her story later. But she was so thankful for us and for what we are doing.
And that's what this is about. It's about the fact that you have authorities who have refused, refused to give any information to the families. And so it is falling on us.
And so we're doing our jobs and we're going to keep pushing. And what's important is that these families are our partners in this. We are not doing anything without them. And everything we do is with them. And they are part of.
And they need to know. That is what they're telling me. We need to know what's going on and what happened here. And this is allowing us to have that information, which we have not had really since day one.
CABRERA: There are just too many school shootings. But the amount of precision and digging and follow-up that you've been doing on this one, Shimon, is such a service. I hope those families feel like that brings them something because they can't get those loved ones back.
Thank you so much, Shimon.
We'll be right back.
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CABRERA: The number of Michigan State University football players suspended after a post-game fight has now climbed to eight.
Video shows Michigan State players, the visiting team there in the white uniforms, shoving, punching, allegedly kicking a University of Michigan player in blue.
This is the tunnel leading from the field to the locker room. This angle, looking inside, the circle you see a Michigan State player even swing a helmet.
Still trying to figure out what sparked all of this. University of Michigan police are leading this investigation.
CNN's Coy Wire is joining us.
Both schools seems to be taking this incident very seriously.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Ana. University Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh is calling for criminal charges. He says two of his players were injured during the alleged attack.
Gemon Green has hired a lawyer. His attorney says Green received a concussion and deserves to be compensated. And say that severe consequences will deter others from, quote, "brutally beating an opposing player."
Eight Michigan State football players are now suspended, as you mentioned. The university released a statement yesterday saying:
"We are transparently working with law enforcement and the big-10 conference to evaluate additional facts and evidence surrounding the events in Ann Arbor."
"We will continue to take appropriate action in this matter as we learn more. The student athlete suspensions will remain in place until the investigations are completed."
Michigan stadium, or the Big House, Ana, as it's called, 95-year-old venue, has a shared tunnel. So combined that with the intense emotion of a rivalry that dates back to 1898 and that sets a table for something like this to potentially happen.
It's not uncommon to have shared tunnels. We see it in the NFL as well. But it's something to, certainly, moving forward, look at how they can make it safe as possible.
CABRERA: Yes, guys, grow up. This is ridiculous.
Coy Wire, thank you.
WIRE: Thanks.
CABRERA: To Stanford University now. Get this. The school is now reviewing housing procedures after a man, who is not a student, was caught illegally living in the dorms.
A local paper says William Curry had been living there nearly a year. Curry reportedly socialized with students, lived in five different rooms, and was regularly let into the rooms by the resident assistants.
[13:55:03]
Ultimately, Curry was caught after assistants tried to verify him through rosters. It then took the school some time to find him in a basement last week. He was given a stay-away letter, and then escorted off campus.
That does it for us today. Thank you so much for joining us. See you back here tomorrow, same time, same place.
The news continues right after this.
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