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Philadelphia Shooting Leaves 5 Dead, 2 Children Hurt; Putin Speaks at 1st Summit Since Wagner Rebellion; Death Toll Climbs in West Bank Military Operation; Storms Threaten Holiday Celebrations Across the U.S. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired July 04, 2023 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:33]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Rahel Solomon, in this morning for Christine Romans.

And on this American Independence Day, or at least the 340th time this year, authorities are dealing with what seems to be a uniquely American problem, a deadly outbreak of gun violence. This time in the very city where the declaration of independence was signed, Philadelphia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER DANIELLE OUTLAW, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: What we know right now is that there are six shooting victims, four of which are deceased. Two that are stable, are juveniles, a two-year-old and a 13- year-old. The four deceased victims aged, their ages range from 20 to 59 and one victim we do not know who they are yet. We do not know how low they are, but they could be between the ages of 16 and 21, all of our shooting victims are male.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: And overnight, authorities discovered a fifth victim tied to the shooting, the rampage happened late last night along several blocks in the area of southwest Philadelphia.

Bob Brooks from our affiliate WPVI has more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB BROOKS, WPVI REPORTER: An absolute tragedy here, no other way to put it. Four men have lost their lives, two children ages two and 13 they are in stable condition, but they were also shot at the scene. You can see it is still clearly active. There are shell casings all over the street.

Sources tell me that at least 40 shots were fired by a male suspect, he is 40 years old.

Plenary reports from Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, she says that the suspect came here armed with a rifle, a handgun, a bulletproof vest, and a scanner. He started firing at his victims somewhere along the route here at 56 and Chester, he shot his victims and then continued moving through this neighborhood.

Police were called. They came in. They found his location and then a pursuit went on. They chased him down into an alleyway. We're told the 1600 block of Frazier. They cornered him in an alleyway, and that's when officers of the Philadelphia police department did incredible work, they cornered him, and they got him to surrender.

Here's the commissioner. Let's take a listen.

OUTLAW: Our officers were able to apprehend the male in the rear alley of 1600 Frazier Street, and when they did, this male was wearing a bulletproof vest, with multiple magazines in the vast. He also had a scanner and an AR-style rifle and a handgun underneath his body. He was taken into custody without further incident.

BROOKS: Still, very early in this investigation here. Police trying to get to the bottom of why this suspect came in here and did this. But again, he clearly had a plan. Clearly, there is a lot of work to be done around this. That suspect, again, in custody.

A second man is also in custody. According to the commissioner, that second person pulled a gun actually started firing at the original shooter. So, a lot to uncover, and will surely be following along with the story as it unfolds.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: That's Bob Brooks from our affiliate WPVI.

And, overnight, again, Philadelphia police identifying what they believe to be a fifth victim is found dead on the floor of a house.

To Moscow now where Russia claims that it shot down five Ukrainian drones a short time ago. This video from social media appears to show smoke behind these buildings, CNN cannot independently verify the video.

Also, just moments ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared virtually on the global stage for the first time since the Wagner rebellion more than a week ago.

CNN's Clare Sebastian live in London with more.

So, Clare, Putin wrapping up comments just 30 minutes or so ago. I mean, what did he say? What are we hearing?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this clearly, Rahel, was part of the Kremlin's effort to reassert -- extensive effort, by the way, to reassert Putin's authority after this insurrection. And he really didn't hold back. Just a bit of background first. The Shanghai Corporation organization which this -- is the form he was speaking at, is really seen by China and Russia, that perhaps not so much by India, the host of this summit, as a counter point to western influence and ideology in the world.

So this is important to Putin, he rarely railed against the West, running a years-long project to create a hostile country on Russia's borders in Ukraine, of arming them for years. He railed against sanctions, though, he said that Russia is withstanding those. And he was at pains to emphasize that the recent armed insurrection in Russia had not led to divisions in the country.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): But I have to reassure you that Russia is withstanding all of these sanctions and provocations, and under the present circumstances, our country is steadily developing. Russian people is consolidated as ever, and Russian political circles, the whole society demonstrates the united front against the coup d'etat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: The united front against a coup d'etat.

Well, he also thanked his colleagues in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for their support. He said, for the Russian leadership during this attempted armed rebellion, but look, there's economics at play here as well. This isn't just about Russia and the de facto leadership role, asserting its influence is that counter point to the West.

Russia now more than ever needs allies like India and China, its oil and gas revenue fell by nearly half in the first five months this year. India and China mopping up most of the oil that was displaced from its former European customers. So, really, at pains to make sure that these countries do not see Russia is on the verge of collapse, though, of course, those drones being shot down over Moscow this morning, not the best look leading into this -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Also really interesting just thinking about India being at the center of this, of course, just coming off of the Indian prime minister's state visit here in the U.S., of course, Clare.

Clare Sebastian live for us in London, thank you, Clare.

Israeli forces say they are carrying out more counterterrorism operations in the West Bank city of Jenin overnight. Palestinian officials say that ten people have been killed.

Israel says that it has detained 120 Palestinians. This is the country's largest military operation in the occupied west bank and more than 20 years. About 100 people have been injured in the incursion into Jenin's refugee camp, which the Israeli military calls a hornets nest for terrorist activity.

Reporter Elliott Gotkine is live in Jerusalem with the latest.

Elliott, where do things stand now?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, REPORTER: Rahel, this operation is still ongoing. We're just about an hour shy of it started 36 hours ago, it began with a UAV drone strike on what Israel described as a command and control center being used by the Jenin brigade. This is a militant group that is affiliated with Islamic jihad.

Since then, there have been, of course, a number of ground rules as hundreds of Israeli ground forces, airstrikes by drones as well, and we understand from Palestinians on the ground that -- they are going house to house and their search for weapons. It also says that it's destroyed and/or confiscated a number of weapons storage facilities and we have seen these images of the streets being torn up by Israeli bulldozers.

Israel says that that is in order to clear the streets to provide explosive devices. Now, water and electricity has been cut, Israel says that it is coordinating the Palestinian Authority in order to get those restored.

It also says that the ten Palestinians killed were all involved. They were either militants in other words according to Israel or they were firing or firing against Israeli troops. You said about 100 or so Palestinians wounded so far. The Palestinian ministry of health says that about 20 of those were critically wounded.

And Israel says that it has got ten more targets, all infrastructure targets before it can say job done. So this operation, it says, according to the IDF, could last a few hours, it could last another day. There is no specific end point.

And this incursion has already been condemned by the Palestinian authorities, the Jordanians, the Egyptians, and the Emiratis. The United States for its part has reiterated Israel's right to defend itself while at the same time highlighting the need to avoid civilian casualties -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: Elliott, where do things go from here?

GOTKINE: Well, this operation is ongoing, of course, the longer it goes on, the greater the risk there is four casualties, the greater the risk for some kind of escalation not just within the West Bank, but also with Israel's borders with the Gaza Strip, over at Syria and Lebanon as well.

And so, the operation is continuing, we saw those pictures as well of Palestinians leaving their homes in the Jenin refugee camp, some 3,000 of them, they are just from three neighborhoods there, which is where Israel's operations seemed to be focused. There is still about 8,000 to 12,000 Palestinians in other parts of the refugee camp, but they have not been asked to leave because that's not where the operations are taking place.

But, as I say, this is an ongoing operation. Israel says it is effectively open-ended and it won't be the last kind of operation of this kind, I don't think -- Rahel. SOLOMON: Elliott Gotkine, live for us in Jerusalem, Elliott, thank

you.

Well, a stormy and hot July 4th is shaping up for much of the nation and that could bring you some of the parties indoors if you are grilling out today, and also put a bit of a damper on fireworks displays in some places.

Meteorologist Britley Ritz joins us now.

So, Britley, who is most likely to see a stormy Fourth?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, if it's not the storms, it's the heat. So, pretty much the entire lower 48 dealing with either storms or extreme heat, we've got the storms across the plains and the storms across the Deep South right into the mid-Atlantic, where we are focused on.

[05:10:06]

At the moment, the mid-Atlantic up into New England, some severe but still holding on to the chance for a few scattered shower this morning. It will ramp up into stronger storms this afternoon. One severe thunderstorm at the moment across parts of South Dakota. We have active weather moving into the northern plains at the moment, but this again ramping up through the afternoon with the heat of the day.

Plus, a lot of moisture. All the right ingredients for the lift of that cold front and here in yellow, a stronger risk for stronger storms, back down into the Central Plains where we are highlighted in orange, damaging winds and hail going to be some of our bigger concerns again later on in the afternoon. So let's look at the timing on this, Tuesday in the morning giving into the Northeast where we had to stronger storms yesterday afternoon and into the evening, will ramp back up around 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon.

So if you're grilling out, you will need to make sure you're paying attention to radar, and bringing things back indoors. Right along the coastline, especially things should start to taper back once the sun goes down but still holding down to that threat for a few stronger storms that point in time. So, the fireworks you may have to check, just make sure that they are still going on.

Across the south, especially along the Gulf Coast, 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon you get the heat of the day, primetime, for a threat for stronger storms, especially back into Louisiana and Mississippi as we get into 9:00 and 10:00 at night.

A lot of lightning with these storms across the south, so keep that in mind as you are going out and about. Back into the plains, this is where we're heavily focused on that threat of stronger storms especially into the afternoon, 4:00 to 5:00 from Lake Superior back on down into parts of Colorado, some of these storms really firing up along the coast front, right ahead of it by 9:00, 10:00 into the evening, so fireworks anywhere between Nebraska, right on up into southern Minnesota and into parts of the Michigan where we are dealing with some of these stronger storms.

And then, of course the heat, another big threat all across the U.S., especially from the northeast, back into the Southeast where temperatures are nearly ten degrees above normal -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: So, Britley, what you're saying is that some people may have to get creative with some of their celebrations today?

RITZ: Absolutely. Bring things indoors, find things to do, maybe a couple of board games.

SOLOMON: Ii love it. Thank you. And happy Fourth.

RITZ: You, too.

SOLOMON: Well, still to come for us, a Texas teen who seemed vanished without a trace while now eight years later was found alive.

Plus, the story behind this dramatic rescue. A car on fire with the driver trapped inside.

And this programming note, CNN July 4th special returns with spectacular fireworks, also the biggest musical performances around. That is happening tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Be sure to tune in.

In the meantime, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:16:51]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

CNN's Erin Burnett sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an exclusive interview that airs in full tomorrow. A number of topics were brought up including Ukraine's desire to become part of NATO. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: We are days away from the NATO summit, have you had any assurances, at least even from the United States, that they will directly support Ukraine's bid for membership?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I am grateful to the U.S. for their support. President Biden and the U.S. congress, both parties, despite their preparations for the elections, they pay a great deal of attention to the war in Ukraine. They are on our side and they support us.

It's difficult for Ukraine to survive without the U.S. support, and it's a fact. I am very direct when saying this, without the USS help, it will become a frozen conflict. With the U.S.'s help, we will de- occupy our territory, de-occupation of any next town is weakening Putin. We don't have to be scared of that. The U.S. decides today whether Ukraine will get invited to NATO. This

is today's situation and it is a fact. The majority of the NATO countries support inviting Ukraine to NATO. Those who have their doubts look only at President Biden and he knows that this depends on him. It will be his decision.

BURNETT: So he has a decision to make coming into this?

ZELENSKYY: Yes, for today, yes. He has a decision-maker for today, to be Ukraine in NATO or not to be. But I -- we have great relations. I mean, that -- and so his supports our future in NATO. But we are speaking out about the motivation of our soldiers. Invitation is just a technical thing, it's just wording. The invitation of Ukraine to NATO.

BURNETT: Not down the line, now?

ZELENSKYY: Now. It's very important, it will push Russia. It will push our soldiers to de-occupate quicker because of the mobilization, of the people. It is so important to feel that you are really through -- around allies in the future. But we know that we will never be in NATO before war finished.

BURNETT: Right.

ZELENSKYY: So we understand that. But this signal is very important and depends on Biden's decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Erin also spoke with Zelenskyy about Vladimir Putin's response to the Wagner Group's insurrection.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): We see Putin's reaction, it's weak. Firstly, we see that he does not control everything. Wagner is moving deep into Russia and taking certain regions shows how easy it is to do.

Putin doesn't control the situation in the regions, he doesn't control the security situation. All of us understand that his whole army is in Ukraine. Almost entire army is there.

[05:20:02]

That's why it's so easy for the Wagner troops to march through Russia. Who could have stopped him?

We understand that Putin doesn't control the regional policy, and he doesn't control all of people in the regions. So all of that vertical power he used to have it just got crumbling down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Let's bring in Maximilian Hess, principal at the Enmetena Advisory, author of "Economic War: Ukraine and the Global Conflict between Russia and the West".

Maximilian, great to have you on the program today.

So, just far as -- what's your actions what you just heard from Zelenskyy there about Putin's crumbling power, as he put it?

MAXIMILIAN HESS, PRINCIPAL, ENMETENA ADVISOR: Well, first, thank you so much for having me, and happy Fourth of July. You, know I think Zelenskyy really gets to the heart of the issue there with Putin, which is that he has spent decades over 20 years building up this image of himself as the provider of security and stability to Russians and essentially the social contract has that they accept autocracy and corruption, which he is even depended in recent statements, was involved in some of the relationships with Wagner in exchange for security guarantees for themselves at home.

With Prigozhin's mutiny, kamputsch (ph), whatever you want to call it, we saw that threat come to Moscow and to Muscovites in a very real way for the first time. There has been drone instance as we are seeing this morning as well, but I really heard reports from contacts there, they are panic buying of fears that this could be another 1990s type situation, and I do think that really gets to the fundamental sort of contract Putin has and it puts it under question. That's why we see him go on a media campaign over the last week trying to rebuild his image.

SOLOMON: Well, speaking of media campaign, we know that Putin spoke just a short time ago virtually at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, who in their referenced the united front in Russia against the insurrection. Do you would see it that way?

HESS: No, I certainly don't see it that way. I mean, you know, one of the most remarkable pieces of it was just how quickly Wagner was able to take two cities, Vladimirsk (ph) and Rostov, that have over 1 million people, and we did see quite literal bombing of some of their positions and attacks there.

We didn't see any mass movement of public support for Putin or denouncement's of this and Prigozhin could take those two cities so quickly, it really is quite remarkable. Prigozhin himself said that Wagner lost at least 20,000 troops fighting to take Bakhmut, this city and Donetsk that had roughly 700,000 people before the war, and those are both million person cities that are without any major losses.

And so, that really is not a sign that the military is willing to come out and move in favor of Putin in times of uncertainty.

SOLOMON: Well, it's interesting because Zelenskyy also saying in that comment that, look, you know, almost his entire army is there, there being Ukraine.

I want to get back and circle back to comments that Zelenskyy made about NATO membership being heavily reliant on Biden's support. It is a complex process, certainly even more so in the midst of this war. But how complex is Ukraine's path to joining NATO ultimately? HESS: Well, there is president in NATO for countries that territory

under occupation to join the alliance. You know, most famously, West Germany during the Cold War, which claim to sovereignty over all of East Germany that was then separate quasi-Soviet state.

So, you know, for Ukraine right now, the question is can it to get that full membership with the security guarantees, including crucial article five guarantees of mutual defense while NATO does not really have a clear mechanism to get around that. But we heard Zelenskyy speak that potentially what it could be is a clear promise of membership once the war is over or when some of the proposals have been coming forward, that Ukraine should get everything about that Article Five guarantee.

I do think it is really important during that relationship and to an alliance level because Putin is playing the long game and hoping that the populist forces in the United States and in Europe will come back to the political -- and pull the rug out from the Ukrainians and their support.

We saw comments along those lines from former President Trump just the other day and I think it's important for the west in particular to build that relationship to in alliance level where we cannot just be pulled away.

SOLOMON: Yeah, it's interesting, Zelenskyy telling Erin Burnett in that interview, we understand that the support would not necessarily start in the midst of the war, but the invitation we need it now.

Maximilian Hess, thank you for the time today. Thank you.

HESS: Thanks for having me.

SOLOMON: Yeah.

And a programming note, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining CNN's Erin Burnett to discuss Ukraine's counter offensive, the armed rebellion in Russia, and what's next now in Ukraine. This exclusive interview airs tomorrow night at 7:00 Eastern, on "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT", only on CNN.

Well, during the Trump administration, thousands of migrant children were forcibly separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border as part of the zero tolerance approach to the crisis.

[05:25:07]

CNN's Gary Tuchman had an update on one of little girl who caught the world's attention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This 11-year old girl, Ximena Madrid, enjoying an Astros baseball game in Houston, may have one more than anyone to shock the nation's conscience when thousands of children were separated from their migrant parents during the Trump administration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are you from?

XIMENA MADRID, SEPARATED FROM MOTHER IN 2018: El Salvador?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guatemala.

TUCHMAN: The child who said El Salvador in this secretly recorded audio tape from 2018 is Ximena Madrid when she was six years old. After three weeks in custody, Ximena and her mother, Cindy, who were being held 1,200 miles away from each other, are reunited at Houston's Intercontinental Airport. They move in with Texas relatives.

Mother and daughter don't know any English.

Are you happy today?

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

TUCHMAN: Exactly five years after they were separated, this is Ximena today.

Are you a happy girl today?

MADRID: Yes, I am.

TUCHMAN: How come?

MADRID: Well, I feel like the United States has provided me with a lot of good stuff that I wasn't provided with in my old country. And I just feel like here I have better opportunities to take, and I can be a successful person in here.

TUCHMAN: Ximena just graduated from a Houston elementary school and will be heading to middle school. Here she is radiant following the ceremony with her mother and Cindy's partner, Alfredo, whom Cindy met since she's been in Texas.

And earlier this year, Ximena welcomed a sister, Eileen. Cindy and Ximena left El Salvador on a month long journey to the U.S. after Cindy says her boyfriend was shot and killed while she was walking with him. She felt Ximena was in danger if she stayed.

The 34 year old has a U.S. government work visa and has started her own business cleaning houses.

What is your dream?

Cindy says, my dream is to see my daughters grow up, go to school, and be confident in themselves. That they live in a safe place and not be afraid for their lives. But here's the thing. While Cindy has that work visa, she has not had a court hearing yet to decide if she gets asylum.

The immigration attorney who has championed their case is Thelma Garcia.

THELMA GARCIA, MADRID FAMILY ATTORNEY: There is no finality. There's still fear involved. The family is afraid that they are going to be sent back to El Salvador and so their nightmare continues.

TUCHMAN: If you could talk to the political leaders who make decisions like this about who gets sent back and who stays, what would you say to them as an 11-year-old girl?

MADRID: I would say to please let us stay because I promise that we're not bad people, we're not people that want to harm others. We're here to have a better life and hopefully be better persons that can help the country in the future.

TUCHMAN: Cindy says I have never lost hope that someday they will let us know that we can be here legally. But I am still afraid I might have to go back to my country.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

MADRID: I'm still not sure. But right now, I really feel like I would be a good book writer because I write a lot and I feel like I'm a very creative person. So I would like to be a book writer.

TUCHMAN: That's wonderful. Would you write in Spanish or in English or both?

MADRID: Both. Definitely both.

TUCHMAN: A mother and daughter living in the United States, and not sure they'll be permanently able to stay in the United States.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Quick hits across America now.

A Houston man who went missing more than eight years ago has been found alive. Police say Rudy Farias is nonverbal and it's unclear where he has been, but he was found sleeping outside a church.

A wildfire in Washington state has grown to more than 500 acres, destroying ten homes and threatening hundreds more. Fire officials say it is zero percent contained. You don't hear that a lot, zero percent contained.

A new lawsuit claims that Harvard gave preferential treatment to the children of wealthy donors and alumni who are overwhelmingly white. The complaint comes after last week's Supreme Court ruling rejecting affirmative action in college admissions.

And coming up for us, the U.S. governments deterring Americans from going to China, we'll tell you why.

And, French President Emmanuel macron calling another crisis meeting. We'll explain.

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