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Isa Soares Tonight
Turmoil In Sri Lanka As President Flees The Country And Protesters Storm Prime Minister's Office; Biden In Israel For First Trip To Middle East As President; Leaked Video Of The Deadly School Shooting In Uvalde Texas Raising Outrage; Biden Arrives In Middle East With Risky Agenda; Inflation Hits New 40-Year High In June; January 6 Hearings; Texas School Shooting; Dangerous Heat Threatens Millions Of Europeans. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired July 13, 2022 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show everyone, I'm ISA SOARES TONIGHT.
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(CROSSTALK)
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SOARES: Turmoil in Sri Lanka as the president flees the country and protesters stormed the prime minister's office. Plus --
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SOARES: On his first trip to the Middle East as president, Joe Biden reaffirms the strength of U.S. relationship with Israel. And leaked video
of the deadly school shooting in Texas is raising outrage and new questions about how police responded.
But first, a moment of truth at a time of turmoil. We begin this hour in Sri Lanka, which has just appointed this man, Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe as acting president after the previous man in the top job, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled for the Maldives.
It comes in the face of massive, as well as ongoing protest over the state of the country's economy, as well as accusations of high level corruption.
The speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament laid out what will happen now. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHINDA YAPA ABEYWARDENA, SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT, SRI LANKA (through translator): He asked me to announce that he will be sending the
resignation letter to me within today. Therefore, the program in place in parliament will end once a new president is elected on the 20th of this
month. I appeal to the people not to have any doubts about it and stay peaceful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: But just hours ago, protesters were met with tear gas as they stormed the prime minister's office. Colombo's national hospital said at
least 30 people were injured. A curfew is now in place until Thursday morning. Well, Ganeshan Wignaraja is a senior research associate, ODI
Global in London, a senior fellow at National University of Singapore and he joins us now from Colombo. Ganeshan, thank you very much for joining
this hour. Just explain to us how much support the acting prime minister has right now.
GANESHAN WIGNARAJA, SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, ODI GLOBAL, LONDON: So, we're seeing high drama in this tropical paradise, Sri Lanka, few miles off
the southern coast of India, and the acting prime minister is having a little bit of a difficult time at the moment, because the protesters are
blaming him for the economic crisis, which is only partly true.
The economic crisis in Sri Lanka is a terrible one, and we've seen the economy contract and inflation of some 50 percent as well as the issue of
failed Belt and Road projects. And this phenomenon has led to people living on one meal a day and poverty of some 750,000 people, and hence the
political protests and discontent that you're seeing on the street. And he's trying to get the situation under some control, but with great
difficulty.
SOARES: And so they're not -- with this condition, by the fact that now they've got an acting prime minister that they want a clean slate. What
exactly do they want to see from the -- from politicians?
WIGNARAJA: I think they want to see an effective government that can take Sri Lanka out of this crisis. We have a deep debt crisis that is going to
require an IMF program to bail the economy out of some 3.5 billion, and deep reforms in the country. We're going to need an opening up of the
economy to foreign trade and investment, and cutting of red tape.
And we're going to have to have political reforms. People are asking for the abolition of the executive presidency and a return to a parliamentary-
type system, and strong checks against corruption, which has been quite strong. They want for instance asset declarations by parliamentarians and a
strong anti-corruption office supported by the U.N. So these demands will be quite important, and I suppose with some way towards relieving the
public stress.
[14:05:00]
But mostly, people want to have the basic essentials, Isa --
SOARES: Yes --
WIGNARAJA: Of food, fuel, and things of that type, which are hard to come by.
SOARES: Yes, and something they have been, you know, really protesting for quite some time, because this anger has erupted overnight. But look, it is
extremely volatile as you can see, we have seen some 30 people injured. Do you see, Ganeshan, the military stepping in, and if so, how does the
military engage with government and protesters? What do you worry about next?
WIGNARAJA: So, Sri Lanka is now under what they call a state of emergency, where the troops can be brought in to help the police to control the
situation. And thus far, the military had been quite restrained, and the protesters themselves have been fairly restrained.
SOARES: Yes --
WIGNARAJA: And one hopes that this situation will come under control, because I think political stability lies at the heart of Sri Lanka coming
out of this economic mess, because, you know, there's a lot of hard work to do. We have to convince our creditors that we are credit worthy and can
deliver some redress to them. We have $50 billion worth of debt split between private markets and some $7.6 billion with China.
And also, we have to convince foreign investors and tourists to come. So I think political stability is going to be at the heart of our coming out of
all of this. But on the 20th of this month, we hope there will be a new president in office. So, right now, what we're seeing is an acting
president in the interim because of Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaving the country.
SOARES: Thank you very much Ganeshan, really appreciate you taking the time. I know there's a curfew in place, let's see how the next 24 hours or
so, how that develops. Thank you very much, sir. Now --
WIGNARAJA: Thank you so much.
SOARES: Stepping off Air Force One into a changing Middle East, U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Israel today on a curious mission, to
further Israeli-Arab relations his predecessor advanced. Israeli leaders first -- fist-bump, you can see them, Mr. Biden on the tarmac, before
taking him for a briefing on Israeli defense systems.
Israel wants more recognition among Arab countries after former President Donald Trump helped forged Abraham Accords with four Arab states. Mr. Biden
hopes to advance that as he visits Saudi Arabia later this week. But this also is a trip of ceremony as well as symbolism. President Biden stopping,
as you can see there today and lay a wreath at Jerusalem's Holocaust Remembrance Center.
White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond is traveling with the president and joins me now. So Jeremy, this of course, is a region that Joe Biden
knows well, both as a senator, of course, and as vice president. But it's also a region, Jeremy, that has much changed. So, what can we come --
expect to come out of this visit?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, President Biden made a point as he arrived here in Israel, noting that this is his tenth visit,
whether as senator, as vice president or now as president of the United States to the state of Israel. And as you mentioned, he is arriving in a
region that is changing a lot with so much momentum, in the direction of Arab-Israeli normalization, which is going to be one of the central focuses
of President Biden's visit here to Israel as well as to Saudi Arabia where he would head on Friday.
The president making clear in opening remarks at this arrival ceremony, that what he is looking for is a more stable region, and that's a top
priority.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Greater peace, greater stability, greater connection. It's critical. It's critical if I might add
for all the people of the region. Which is why we'll be -- we'll discuss my continued support, even though I know it's not in the near term, a two-
state solution. Now remains in my view the best way to ensure the future of equal measure of freedom, prosperity, and democracy for Israelis and
Palestinians alike.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And you hear President Biden there, talking about his desire for a two-state solution, but that's not something that his administration has
put a whole lot of effort into. Yes, they have tried to repair ruptured relations with the Palestinians, turning back on the spigot of humanitarian
aid to Palestinian civil society organizations. We're expecting President Biden to announce a $100 million to Palestinian hospitals when he visits
one of those in east Jerusalem.
But at the same time, we've seen his administration focus much more on trying to establish further normalization between Israel and Arab
countries, including some small steps that we're expecting this week with Saudi Arabia. But interestingly, one thing we heard from President Biden
this evening in an interview on Israeli television that just aired, is talking about the fact that he views those steps towards normalization as
potentially helping to foster an eventual peace with the Palestinians.
Saying that, the more likely that Israel is integrated into the region, the more likely there's going to be a means by which they can eventually come
to an accommodation with the Palestinians down the road.
[14:10:00]
That's something that I've been hearing increasingly from experts, hoping that perhaps closer relations between Israel and these Arab countries could
help eventually bring some kind of settlement to this Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
SOARES: Jeremy Diamond there for us, thanks very much, Jeremy, appreciate it. Well, cities across Ukraine are reporting new shelling attacks,
including in the Donetsk region. Crews in one town there are still recovering bodies from a devastating attack if you remember, over the
weekend. At least, 47 people are now confirmed dead in Chasiv Yar after Russian rocket hit a residential building.
Ukraine is fighting back with long-range missiles supplied by the West. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy touted the success of the new weapons after
Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed a Russian ammunitions depot in Kherson.
Well, I spoke to the Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Cravinho about the current state of play after nearly five months of war, and now his
government is supporting Ukraine both diplomatically as well as militarily. I started by asking him about Russia's incremental gains over the last few
weeks.
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JOAO GOMES CRAVINHO, FOREIGN MINISTER, PORTUGAL: On the ground there have been some military advances. That's absolutely clear. Whether these
constitutes a gain, it's very unclear to me. In the sense that when one talks about military victory, you have to look at what you've gained
against what you have lost, against the consequences.
And the cost for Russia are so high, be it in terms of in immediate terms, in its military costs, in terms of its -- also the cost of its economy, and
in reputational terms, I mean, you, in the future will be able to trust an agreement with Putin after this kind of behavior. So it's not at all clear
to me that he really has gains, and that when you take everything into account.
SOARES: I'm just trying to lay, really, trying to get an understanding of how sustainable this is in the long term, cost-wise. I mean, can Portugal
keep this financial support, especially with the economic pressures at home? Inflation, I believe, I checked, was hovering around 8 percent. I
mean, these are concerns of course, that it's not only being felt in Portugal, it's being felt across Europe. So, can Europe, minister, sustain
the cost of, you know, helping Ukraine on the ground?
CRAVINHO: I think that the costs of seeding to Russia would be higher. But you make of course a very valid point. This is extremely negative for the
economies of all of us in Europe, also for the Russian economy, inevitably. On Portugal, an interesting point. Inflation is high, but it's one of the
lowest in the eurozone. And the reason for that is that we have such a high level of renewables in our energy base.
And that's -- I think, is already a very important indicator about where we need to be going. We need to be using this crisis to accelerate the green
transition.
SOARES: I was speaking, minister, to one of my colleagues in Ukraine today on the ground in Ukraine, in Kyiv, who was telling me that Ukraine is
getting through something like 3,000 shells, ammunition really, a day. It's a staggering number. And really, I want to get back to my initial question,
which is how sustainable this is for Europe, this -- the cost of this war is for Europe, especially, of course, as President Putin, we heard, says
he's only just getting started, minister.
CRAVINHO: Well, you know, this braggadocio from President Putin, we've been used to this. This is something that doesn't impress at all. I would
say that Russian capacity to regenerate its forces is much lower than Ukrainian capacity, given the very widespread support that Ukraine has from
Europe, from United States, Canada, from a wide range of countries.
So, yes, this is extremely expensive proposition, but there's really no alternative, but keep on supporting Ukraine. And I think there is very
widespread determination and the meetings that I frequent of foreign ministers, of European Union and NATO, this is widely consensual.
SOARES: And of course, as we've been reporting on the show, Ukraine is keen to be fast-track, minister, to EU membership. But there are some
voices within your own government, I believe, who were not too enthused about granting this request. Just explain to us why not? What concerns are
there?
CRAVINHO: The concern that we have is that really, I don't think European institutions are capable of absolving a country of the size and the nature
of Ukraine in the near future. In other words, we need to be thinking about institutional reform if we are going to be taking on board a country of the
size if Ukraine -- with the western Balkans, of course.
And dialogue with the western Balkans has been going on for much longer, these are much smaller countries. They would not have an impact, for
example, on our common agricultural policy, on our structural funds, on our voting mechanisms, on our -- the whole way that we organize the European
Union institutions.
[14:15:00]
And with Ukraine, it would be entirely different. So, we need to be thinking about the geopolitical side, and I think that was very dominant in
the arguments that were heard. Recently, about Ukraine's candidacy status, and also about the institutional framework of the European Union.
SOARES: But let me ask you this, minister. Do you think that Ukraine meets the criteria? Do you think that the war should and before this is even
considered?
CRAVINHO: Well, clearly, Ukraine does not meet the criteria for accession status. That's very clear. And it was not even -- not questioned at all
before the 24th of February.
SOARES: Yes --
CRAVINHO: There is a geopolitical imperative that has resulted in Ukraine obtaining candidacy status. And if it were not for the war, of course, that
would not be the case. So I think that there is still a long path between the candidacy status and the accession moment. And that path has to be a
dual path. It has to involve significant reforms from Ukraine to meet the Copenhagen criteria, which were the criteria by which European Union
candidates are assessed, and also a part of institution reform on the EU side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Portuguese foreign minister there. And still to come tonight, just six candidates remain in the race to replace Boris Johnson as British prime
minister. We'll speak to one MP about who's got his vote. And the new U.S. inflation numbers are in, they're not looking good. Stocks are now sinking.
We'll take a look next.
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LINDSAY HOYLE, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, UNITED KINGDOM: Oh, no, sergeant of arms has scored the vote.
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SOARES: Quite a feisty day in Britain's parliament, the speaker of the house removing two members for heckling as Boris Johnson faced MPs for the
first time since announcing his resignation. The prime minister told lawmakers he was proud of his leadership and would leave office with,
quote, "his head held high".
[14:20:00]
Well, as the race to replace him heats up, Johnson was grilled by the leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer on who might take his place. Here it
is.
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KEIR STARMER, BRITISH LABOR PARTY LEADER: Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure he's been keeping up with what's happening in the last few days. Over the
weekend, the candidates to replace him have promised 330 billion pounds in giveaways. That's roughly double the annual budget for the NHS. And sadly,
they haven't found time to explain how they're paying for it. Even though, one of them is the chancellor and another one was chancellor until a week
ago.
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SOARES: Well, in the last few hours, take a look at this, that contest has been whittled down to six candidates, as two lawmakers were eliminated from
the race, as you can see to become the next British prime minister, that's Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt there on the right of your screen. In this
round of voting, it was former Chancellor, as you can see, Rishi Sunak who topped the ballot followed by Penny Mordaunt there with 67 votes.
Talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.N. are underway in Turkey over the deadlock of grain exports from Ukraine. And as Turkish officials discuss
grain shipments, we're watching all the moving pieces pushing inflation higher as well as the fallout from that. Rising prices for so many Turkish
families to scale back their Eid al-Adha celebrations. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh shows us how that's really playing out in Istanbul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After two years of pandemic restrictions, this sacrificial livestock market in
Istanbul is coming back to life. It's Eid al-Adha; the Muslim feast of sacrifice. A time where Muslims traditionally buy and slaughter sheep and
cattle and share the meat with those in need. It's a lively scene with buyers and sellers haggling and cutting deals.
Despite the jubilation, the state of Turkey's economy is making it hard to celebrate, with skyrocketing inflation, sellers say they're struggling to
keep up.
"Feeding them is expensive", he says. "The cost of medicine, trucks to come here are expensive, and there are the rent we pay for this place. Business
is getting harder", he says. The cost of an average sheep this year is about 4,000 Turkish lira, that's about $230 U.S., in a country where the
minimum wage is equivalent to just over $300 U.S., making this something many can't afford this year.
Erdogan Gaug(ph) is here with his grandchildren to buy a sheep. It's a tradition he wants to keep alive, but he says this isn't a pleasant Eid.
Rising costs left him no choice but to shutter his business last weekend and layoff his 20 employees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): "Over the past 26 years in my business, I've witnessed every crisis", he says, "but nothing like this.
It's like a fire burning people." That fire is Turkey's worst inflation in more than 20 years. The official rate hit nearly 80 percent in June, but
many believe in reality, it's much higher than that.
The government raised the minimum wage twice since December, but with the cost of pretty much everything continuing to rise, people say it's
impossible to keep up. The cost of food, every day staples, has nearly doubled in a year, making the traditional sweet delights evade out of reach
for many.
Sherefa Bayadar(ph) says her family will have to give up the traditional tray of baklava this year. They can barely afford the necessities these
days. This couple tells us high costs have taken away the joy of Eid shopping. No new clothes for the children this year, just the basics. But
the hardest part for these devout Muslims is not being able to afford a sheep to sacrifice.
Rising global energy costs, the war in Ukraine, and the Turkish lira losing about half its value in the past year, all contributed to the soaring
inflation. But economists blame much of this on the Turkish president's unorthodox economic policies. Erdogan refuses to raise interest rates to
fight inflation. He's even vowed to cut them further. This 29-year-old tells us he only has enough to buy secondhand shoes for Eid.
"A loaf of bread is 5 lira, tomorrow, it will be 6", he says. "Who is responsible?" "Let's not talk about that." A few will talk about who they
blame. They will likely take their grievances to the polls next year, and that could cost the president. But for now, it's ordinary Turks who will
continue to bear the brunt of this troubled economy. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, Joe Biden's risky trip to the Middle East. What the U.S. President is hoping to accomplish and the diplomatic
perils he faces as he visits Israel as well as Saudi Arabia.
[14:25:00]
And then later, an alleged call to arms, how the January 6 Congressional Committee says Donald Trump summoned the violent mob that stormed the U.S.
Capitol. That is next.
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SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. President Joe Biden is in Jerusalem tonight, his first stop on a Middle East trip fraught with political as
well as diplomatic risks. The president arrived in Tel Aviv today to a warm reception, touring Israeli defense systems and meeting holocaust survivors
at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center.
He also plans to meet with Palestinian officials in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. And then travel to Saudi Arabia on a controversial visit to a
country he once called a pariah. Well, to better understand the dynamics of this trip and the risks and possibilities for President Biden, we turn now
to a journalist and author Robin Wright in Washington, she's a Distinguished Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center.
Robin, so great to have you on the show. First of all, what do you make of this trip? Is it necessary in your view, Robin?
ROBIN WRIGHT, DISTINGUISHED FELLOW, WOODROW WILSON CENTER: Well, the timing is rather unusual, given the fact that Israel faces an election very
soon, and of course, there are questions about will the president be able to deliver on any of the three key issues. One is energy and increasing the
flow of oil and gas in the run up to Winter.
The second is security, particularly, given the kind of failing diplomacy on the Iran nuclear deal. And the third is normalization between Israel and
the Arabs. The thing that is not going to be handled on this trip is the Arab-Israeli peace process. And there's no movement, even incremental or by
inches on that.
SOARES: And we have seen in the last few minutes, Robin, the President Joe Biden has given an interview to Israel's "Channel 12th", where he said that
the trip is about stability in the Middle East and repairing relationships, but not about oil prices. Do you think this trip would have happened had
the war in Ukraine not driven up oil prices, Robin?
WRIGHT: The question would really be the timing. I think the war in Ukraine has forced the administration to address the Middle East, a source
of an extraordinary percentage of the world's oil supplies.
And it probably would've been later the Biden administration had deliberately decided to try to lower the Middle East as a priority. It had
so dominated during so many presidencies. And the goal was to switch the focus, particularly to China and then Russia, intervene in Ukraine and that
forced Biden's hands as well.
So he's been forced back to the Middle East, which is always true of diplomacy that it's always overtaken by events on the ground.
SOARES: Indeed. Let me ask you about Israel, because a notable difference from the past administration is that this administration is not pursuing
high level shuttle diplomacy to try to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
What are the consequences of this, of not pursuing this?
WRIGHT: Well, it's a real tragedy. This conflict so defined tensions in the Middle East for more than a decade, half a century. And it is really
been put on the back burner. The administration has conceded it's not going to reopen the consulate in Jerusalem, which catered to the Palestinian side
of the dispute.
So no movement on something. We have seen the whole conflict in the Middle East be redefined from Arab Israeli to kind of Arab and Israel against
Iran. There's a whole different set of issues that have emerged both with energy and with dealing with Iran.
SOARES: Do you think, Robyn, of course, at the same time, we're talking about a push for normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi
Arabia.
But do you think the Saudis will ask for progress on the Palestinian front before even proceeding?
WRIGHT: Well, Saudi Arabia will probably be the last country to recognize Israel.
But the question is, can there be other, smaller steps?
For example, giving Israeli aircraft overflight rights or over Saudi Arabia that are heading to Israel?
That may be a small bit of progress. There may be something on economic ties. There is a de facto kind of alliance between many Gulf countries and
Israel on the issue of Iran. They have taken -- staked out similar positions. And there are avenues for back channel communication and sharing
of intelligence.
SOARES: Now I saw that Biden, of course, has been facing a chorus criticism of his visit to Saudi Arabia. I want to show you the graphic from
the newspaper, "The Washington Post," where it says that Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia erodes our moral authority.
How damaging is this for him at home?
How does the president walk the line here?
WRIGHT: I think this will be very, very difficult. The reality is, we still don't know where Jamal Khashoggi's body or bits of bodies are. There
are so many questions that are still open. And Saudi Arabia has not been forthcoming.
The United States has frankly not done very much; issued visa bans for some of the people implicated in the murder of Khashoggi. So Biden's stance on
human rights will be significantly eroded, particularly if there is a picture of him shaking hands with the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman,
who is widely associated with the murder.
SOARES: Yet, will be shaking hands, will be a bump fist, we will have to see with that photo. We will see a lot. Robin Wright, always wonderful to
have you on the show. Appreciates it.
WRIGHT: Thank you.
SOARES: Now new data shows inflation in the U.S. is rising more than expected. The government says consumer prices jumped by 9.1 percent year
over year in June. It's up from 8.6 in May. That's a new 40 year high.
This increase is mostly driven by a jump in gasoline prices. Americans are dealing with record high prices at the pump, with the national average
topping $5 a gallon last month.
Matt Egan is standing by.
And like we said, it's the highest inflation have seen in 40 years and way above what economists expected. Talk us through the pressures being felt,
because I thought that gas prices had declined the last three weeks, three or four weeks.
MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR WRITER: That's right. The cost of living continues to go up at an alarming pace. We haven't seen 9 percent inflation
in the United States since 1981. That was Ronald Reagan's first year in the White House. So many people have literally never experienced anything like
this.
[14:35:00]
EGAN: And no surprise, food and energy are at the heart of this. Gasoline prices are up 60 percent year over year from June of 2022, compared with
June of 2021. Food prices rising at the fastest clip in four decades.
And shelter, which is really one of the biggest costs for families, they're also rising. But this is not just about food and energy. We saw record
price spikes on everything from beer and cleaning products to men's suits.
Now high inflation is causing real pain for families, because it means paychecks are not going as far. And if you adjust for inflation, wages are
actually shrinking. To your point about gasoline prices, yes, gas prices are one of the biggest reasons why inflation got worse.
But it's important to remember it's a timing issue here. Gas prices have actually come down by almost 40 cents a gallon since hitting a record last
month. But a lot of that decline has come this month.
So, it's not reflected in today's report. Hopefully, that means the July inflation report will look better than this one, because this was a pretty
ugly report.
SOARES: Maybe this is the peak but we shall see what the Fed does. Looking at these numbers might suggest that pretty much giving them the greenlight
to continue. Of course, this rate hike to try to cool the economy. We appreciate it, thank you so much.
EGAN: Thank you.
SOARES: Still to come tonight, surveillance video from the Uvalde school massacre has leaked online. And now the parents of the victims want to know
why.
And as wildfires ravage the Portuguese countryside, we will hear from the country's foreign minister about what's being done to prevent more
devastation.
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SOARES: "This could have been the spark that started a new civil war."
That dramatic statement came from a witness at the latest congressional hearing on the storming of the U.S. Capitol in 2021. The January 6
committee examined the links between former president Donald Trump and far- right extremists, who took part in the insurrection. As Jessica Schneider reports, they also learned about the stunning extent of Trump's effort to
stay in power.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The January 6th House select committee revealing details about an unscheduled meeting in
the Oval Office just weeks before the insurrection.
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): What ensued was a heated and profane clash between this group and President Trump's White House advisers, who traded
personal insults, accusations of disloyalty to the president and even challenges to physically fight.
[14:40:00]
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The meeting lasted well into the night and some of its attendees were repeating unproven election fraud claims and pitching
then-President Donald Trump different ideas to overturn the election.
PAT CIPOLLONE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: I saw General Flynn, I saw Sidney Powell sitting there. I don't think any of these people were
providing the president with good advice.
SIDNEY POWELL, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN LAWYER: Cipollone and Hershmann and whoever the other guy was, showed nothing but contempt and disdain of the
president.
CIPOLLONE: We're asking one simple question as a general matter, where is the evidence?
So --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What response did you get when you asked this panel, where is the evidence?
CIPOLLONE: A variety of responses, based on my current recollection, including, we can't believe you would say something -- things like this,
like, what do you mean, where's the evidence?
You should know.
DEREK LYONS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE STAFF SECRETARY: And then there was a discussion, well, we don't have it now but we'll have it or whatever.
ERIC HERSHMANN, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE ATTORNEY: Flynn kept screaming at me that I was a quitter and he kept on standing up and turning around and
screaming at me. And then at a certain point, I had it with him. So I yelled back, either come over or sit your f'ing ass back down.
SCHNEIDER: Days before the meeting, a draft executive order called for the secretary of defense to seize voting machines. It was never issued.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why was this on a broader scale, a bad idea for the country?
CIPOLLONE: To have the federal government seize voting machines, it's a terrible idea. That's not how we do things in the United States. There's no
legal authority to do that.
SCHNEIDER: Trump said he wanted to appoint Sidney Powell special council and give her security clearance. It's a move that White House Counsel Pat
Cipollone said would be a grave mistake. He, along with other cabinet members, encouraged Trump to concede the election.
EUGENE SCALIA, FORMER TRUMP SECRETARY OF LABOR: I conveyed to him that I thought that it was time for him to acknowledge that President Biden had
prevailed in the election.
CIPOLLONE: If your question is, did I believe he should concede the election, at that point in time, yes, I did.
SCHNEIDER: The following day, Trump sent out this tweet, calling for supporters to gather in Washington, saying, be there, will be wild, which
set off an intense social media campaign to promote the January 6th rally. The committee presented evidence that Trump's call to march to the Capitol
was planned in advance, presenting a draft tweet never sent that reads in part, massive crowds expected, march to the Capitol after. Instead, one
rally organizer texted that POTUS is going to call for it unexpectedly.
Trump adlibbed parts of his Ellipse speech calling for rally-goers to march to the Capitol. This encouraged rioters, like Stephen Ayres, who has
pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for entering the Capitol illegally.
STEPHEN AYRES, CAPITOL RIOTER: Basically, the president got everybody riled up, told everybody to head on down. So we basically were just
following what he said.
REP. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-FL): Did you think that the president would be marching with you?
AYRES: Yes, I think everybody thought he was going to be coming down. He said in his speech, kind of like he's going to be there with us. So I mean,
I believed it.
SCHNEIDER: The call to Washington also attracted far-right groups, like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, both of which had strong connections to
Trump allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn. Former Oath Keeper Spokesman Jason Van Tatenhove testified before the committee the grave danger these
groups pose to the country.
JASON VAN TATENHOVE, FORMER OATH KEEPERS SPOKESPERSON: I think we need to quit mincing words and just talk about truths and what it was going to be
was an armed revolution.
This could have been the spark that started a new civil war and no one would have won there.
SCHNEIDER: The committee ultimately making its case Trump should be held accountable for the events of January 6th.
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): President Trump is a 76-year-old man. He is not an impressionable child.
And Donald Trump cannot escape responsibility by being willfully blind.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And that was CNN's Jessica Schneider reporting.
Those who lost their loved ones in a Uvalde, Texas, shooting are furious. Surveillance video showing what law enforcement did and did not do during
the mass shooting has leaked days before they were supposed to view it privately first.
Before we show you Shimon Prokupecz's report, we want to warn you that the video you are about to see is disturbing.
[14:45:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER (voice-over): May 24 outside Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, an edited version of surveillance
video shows the gunman crashing his vehicle and then running toward the school.
Released by the "Austin American-Statesman," at 11:32, the video shows the first shots fired outside the school. A teacher called 9-1-1.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The kids are running. Oh, my God. Get in your room, get in your rooms. Get in your rooms.
PROKUPECZ: At 11:33, another surveillance camera shows the gunman entering an empty hallway, unhindered, walking casually with his gun hanging down.
He slows down and peeks around the corner. A boy sees him as he starts shooting and the boy runs.
According to the "Statesman," the gunman fired his weapon, an AR-15 style rifle, inside two classrooms for 2.5 minutes, stopping and starting
multiple times.
The surveillance video shows seven police officers entering the hallway within three minutes, armed, some with rifles. Within one minute, more
shots are fired, 16 rounds in total. And police can be seen retreating, running back down the hallway to take cover.
Then at 11:52, 19 minutes after the gunman entered the school, the video shows more officers arriving, heavily armed, some with ballistic shields.
Still, they wait.
At 12:04, 31 minutes after the gunman entered the school, law enforcement is still waiting. At least 19 officers are now in the hallway, according to
the official timeline.
At 12:21, 45 minutes after police arrived, the gunman fires another four shots and police start to move down the hallway again but remaining outside
the classrooms.
At 12:31, an officer is seen using the hand sanitizer.
At 12:43 and 12:47, more 9-1-1 calls for help and the caller says children are aware the police are outside the door.
Then at 12:50, 74 minutes after police first entered the school, officers breached the classroom door and killed the gunman.
At this point, the video shows officers in the hallway pushing to go in. The surveillance video reveals how police waited for more than 70 minutes
in the hallway, at times, some rushing toward the classrooms, other officers hanging back.
Despite that, some officials are outraged by the video's release. During a city council meeting, Uvalde's mayor expressed his anger at the media.
MAYOR DON MCLAUGHLIN, UVALDE, TEXAS: I want to go on the record. The way that video was released is one of the most sickening things I've ever seen.
There's no reason for those families to have to see -- they don't need to relive that. They've been through enough.
PROKUPECZ: As for the families of those 19 students and 2 teachers who were massacred at Robb Elementary, some say the video's release has caused
them more pain.
JAVIER CAZARES, JACKIE CAZARES' FATHER: It got leaked. It got shown all over the world. And we are pissed. These families didn't deserve it. I
don't deserve it. That's a slap to our babies' faces and we're tired of this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: That's a powerful report from Shimon Prokupecz.
And still to come tonight, record breaking heat, melting roads and devastating wildfires as blistering temperatures hit Europe. I will bring
you the latest weather updates up next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SOARES: Well, fierce wildfires, as you could see, are tearing through Portugal. So far, more than 120 people have been injured, two of them are
in critical condition. Hundreds of families have fled their homes, not knowing if those houses will still be standing when they return.
And fires like these are becoming a recurring nightmare in Portugal. I spoke to the country's foreign minister about what's being done to tackle
the issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOAO GOMES CRAVINHO, PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, long term, we've had since the terrible fires we experienced in 2017, very significant
reforms of our organization of firefighting capacities, transmission of information, identification of who does what.
So our situation today is very different from back to 2017. With the convergence of factors that we are having this week, in Portugal and in
Spain and the whole of the Mediterranean, with -- after very little rainfall, very high temperatures, not just of the air but of the ground,
very low humidity, wind from the southwest, this convergence of factors is extremely worrying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: It's not just Portugal struggling with the soaring temperatures. Millions of people across Western Europe are bracing themselves for
dangerous, as well as record-breaking heat. Officials issue their highest level heat warnings. There's even concerns that roads could close in some
areas due to melting. CNN's Melissa Bell has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After the second hottest June on record, Europe is once again facing a dangerous heat wave.
There are emergencies announced for parts of Italy as a result of the drought conditions there. Drought conditions and wildfires also in Portugal
and parts of Spain, leading to high alerts there.
The hot temperatures heading northwards from Spain and Italy, Portugal now through parts of France, heading to the United Kingdom where they are
expecting some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the country, with alerts out in that country as well.
The hot weather also heading eastward across Italy and into the Balkans, here in France at several of the fireworks displays planned for the 14th of
July, Thursday, have been canceled as a result.
Alerts now out in parts of southwest, the part of France likely the most impacted here on the French Riviera as well, temperatures expected to hit
or exceed 38 degrees Celsius and this into the weekend, with parts of France, Spain and Portugal now under high alert -- Melissa Bell, CNN,
Menton.
(WEATHER REPORT)
[14:55:00]
SOARES: And finally, three men are being charged in an alleged conspiracy to sell more than $1 million of stolen notes and lyrics written by The
Eagles' Don Henley.
(VIDEO CLIP, "HOTEL CALIFORNIA")
SOARES: Classic there. Prosecutors say they tried to sell the pages between 2012 to 2017 even though they knew Henley wanted them back.
And that's it for me tonight, thank you so much for watching. Do stay here with CNN, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next. See you tomorrow.
END
