Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Russians Target Odessa; Biden Set to Allow Restrictions to Expire; Todd Spitzer is Interviewed about the California Shooting; CNN Covers Stories from Around the World. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired May 17, 2022 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: In the port city of Odessa.

CNN's Sara Sidner is there and joins us live.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, Odessa was once a place where Russians and Ukrainians were very friendly. Now there is a lot of hatred and fear growing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (voice over): The remains of freshly bombed buildings, a hotel, and homes reduced to dust. The result of the latest Russian missile attack in the Odessa region that has experienced strike after strike on places people live, work, and visit.

This is Russia's attempt to terrorize a target it desperately wants to possess.

SIDNER (on camera): Tell me what the strategic importance is of Odessa.

SIDNER (voice over): This is the sea gate of our country, he says. This is a city of legend.

It's home to Ukraine's largest Black Sea port, used both commercially and militarily. Russia has already attacked its oil refinery. If Putin's forces were to take the Odessa region, Ukraine's entire Black Sea coast would be controlled by Russia.

The mayor of Odessa bristles at the idea.

Ukraine today is a maritime power. It will be a completely different state without access to the sea, without transport logistics, he says. We, and our armed forces, will do everything to prevent the enemy from entering.

But the ties to the enemy run deep. Historically and financially. Before the war, Russian tourists helped this Ukrainian seaside city thrive. Ideal. Russians really liked our cuisine, our shops here, the sea,

architecture and there were no problems.

Oleksandr Babich is a historian who also owns a tour guide company. He says citizens of Odessa speak Russian more than they speak Ukrainian. Pro-Russian politicians were voted into office regularly. The mayor was once friendly with Russia. He himself spoke to us in Russian.

SIDNER (on camera): Were you pro-Russian before and changed?

SIDNER (voice over): I want to say that I have always had pro-Odessa views, he says. But I love and respect the history of my city where I was born.

Everywhere you look in this city is a reminder of its Russian history. There are statues of Alexander Pushkin, considered Russia's greatest poet. And monuments to the conquer of this land, Russian empress Catherine the Great. Her sculpture used to be guarded and kept pristine. Now, it's soiled and a fresh Ukrainian flag flies on it.

There has been a long fight over whether to remove these symbols of imperialism in Odessa.

There is social demand saying we need to get rid of these symbols, he says.

Not everyone agrees. Odessa writer and poet Paul Makaraov says the monuments should stand.

PAUL MAKARAOV, ODESSA WRITER AND POET (through translator): The attitude was positive. We appreciate and respect Catherine. Today's events should in no way affect our attitude towards her.

SIDNER: And there is this problem, if we remove the monument to Catherine, we need to rename the square, he says. It was, for a time, named after Karl Marx, for a while named after Hitler, then again Karl Marx and here again after Catherine. What name should we choose?

But the more Russian missiles wipe away lives here, the more fierce the argument to erase the physical reminders of its Russian past.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Now, in that village of Zataka (ph), which is about 40 kilometers from here in the city of Odessa, we have now learned that a six-year-old girl was injured. She has lost her leg and is in a coma. Three adults have also been injured in that attack.

John.

BERMAN: So much suffering.

Sara Sidner, thank you so much for that report.

New details this morning on the deadly shooting at a southern California church. What authorities now say is the potential motive. KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And the Department of Homeland Security

is preparing for a surge of migrants at the southern border as soon as a Trump-era pandemic restriction is lifted in a matter of days. We're live at the border.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:38:19]

COLLINS: This morning, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY MAYORKAS is on the U.S./Mexico border, a notable visit given just days from now the CDC is slated to lift that Trump era emergency public health order restricting immigration at land borders.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is live in McAllen, Texas, with more.

Priscilla, of course there have been big questions about whether or not DHS is ready for this change to happen.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kaitlan.

We are now less than a week away from the Biden administration ending Title 42. That's that public health authority that allows officials to turn migrants away at the U.S./Mexico border. Now, we're still awaiting a court decision to see whether the Biden administration will be able to move forward with those plans. But in the interim, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is here in McAllen, Texas, today, where he is meeting with border officials on exactly that, the anticipated end of Title 42.

Now, the Rio Grande Valley sector, where we are, is one of the busiest sectors on the U.S. Southern border. It is also a state where the Biden administration has met fierce resistance from the governor, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who launched his own operation on the Texas/Mexico border and started busing migrants to Washington, D.C.

I asked Secretary Mayorkas yesterday whether the administration is able to collaborate with Republican governors given that pushback. And he told me, quote, we have collaborated with state and local leaders of both parties. It is unhelpful when actions are taken outside of a collaborative environment. Those partnerships and the potential end of Title 42 coming in just days expected to be topics of discussion as the secretary visits the border today.

Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Huge topics of discussion.

Priscilla, thank you.

BERMAN: We have new details this morning on the deadly shooting at a church in Laguna Woods, California, where one person was killed and five wounded.

[08:40:06] Investigators say the 68-year-old suspect was upset about political tensions between China and Taiwan. He was a U.S. citizen who had immigrated from China decades ago.

Joining me now is the district attorney of Orange County, California, Todd Spitzer.

Thank you so much for being with us.

Talk to me about the possible motivation here. It sounds political, anti-Taiwan sentiment.

TODD SPITZER, ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Yes. So, thank you so much, and good morning.

Look, the defendant who we're going to be charging with criminal, very, very serious crimes later on this morning here in Orange County, California, he -- his family was from mainland China. He grew up in Taiwan. There was a lot of anti-mainland China sentiment in those years when he grew up. And he was not treated well. And, apparently, he's carried that resentment his entire both childhood and adult life. And he took this church opportunity to come after those congregants, basically to come back and say, I'm going to get even with the way I was treated when I was raised in Taiwan.

BERMAN: That's horrific.

And we do understand, as bad as this was, it could have been much worse. He had an entire arsenal with him. What have you learned?

SPITZER: Well, he had explosives. He had Molotov cocktail type devices. He had about 15 magazines fully loaded with 9mm rounds. He had two semi-automatic weapons. And he chained the doors from the inside so that the congregants could not get out.

He also picked a very vulnerable community. Individuals from the age of 70 to 90. Thank goodness there was a doctor there, Dr. Cheng, 52 years old, who charged the suspect. He took control of the suspect, but when he did that, he took a round to his body which proved to be fatal. The gun jammed as a result of that event. And that's when the other congregants and the pastor were able to overtake the suspect, subdue him, hog tie him and actually, you know, take control of the situation.

I will tell you, John, that if that event had not occurred, in other words, if the gun had not jammed, that suspect, Mr. Chou, he was ready to kill everybody in that church. And today we're charging him with murder, use of a gun, special circumstances of lying in wait, five counts of attempted murder, and four counts of having explosives. It's my belief he was going to kill everybody and then blow up the church.

BERMAN: Again, it's a horrifying story, and if not for the sacrifice of Dr. Cheng, it could have been much, much worse.

The fact that there was a political motivation, does this make it an act of terror to you and do you intend to seek the death penalty? SPITZER: Well, let me break that down. First of all, we can add a hate

crime enhancement. I'm working with the FBI and the U.S. attorney to further investigate this political animus or motive. So, we can still add those charges at a later date.

With respect to the death penalty, as the elected district attorney, I'm going to have to weigh whether he -- we will seek life without the possibility of parole or death. And that's a very, very solemn duty. It's too early to say. But let me tell you, I'm meeting with all the victims. I'm very aware of that community's sentiment. But I'm also aware in California our governor has basically put a moratorium on the death penalty. So, I will weigh all that at a future date, but the most important thing today is that this defendant will be charged. He will be arraigned. And we will proceed with the justice system. And we will get justice for these victims.

BERMAN: Mr. District Attorney, I do appreciate your time this morning. Thank you.

SPITZER: Thank you, John. Thank you very much.

BERMAN: All right, John Lennon's son, Julian Lennon, superstar in his own right, is here with a special message for Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:48:44]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN LENNON, SON OF JOHN LENNON (singing): Imagine all the people living their life in peace. You may say --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: John Lennon's son, Julian, once said he would only consider singing his father's timeless ballad "Imagine" if it was the end of the world, or close to it. Then last month he performed this song for the first time in public as part of the Global Citizens Stand Up for Ukraine, which has raised over $10 billion for refugees.

Joining us this morning is Julian Lennon.

So, Julian, thank you so much for being here with us.

And I just want to talk about, you know, what led to this moment. It was such a remarkable moment for you and the fact that you had talked about publicly what would cause you to do that, and here we are.

JULIAN LENNON, SINGER, SONGWRITER, PHILANTHROPIST: Well, yes, I mean -- I mean it was, you know, the idea of performing this had been a very scary concept, even from when I first got into this business. But that's true that I did say that it would take something pretty major for me to even consider it. And when Global Citizen said, do you have anything up your sleeve regarding the Ukraine crisis, I said, the only thing that I could really think of that would have any kind of real impact was, you know, recording "Imagine."

[08:50:12]

And once I'd agreed to that, the anxiety levels went through the roof. But, fortunately, we were able to pull it together in a very raw, organic and natural state with little to no production. And as performed as emotionally as possible. And as you can see from the results, you know, of $10.1 billion and climbing that, you know, we were all in it for the right reasons. That's for sure.

BERMAN: I have to tell you, it's remarkable to hear you say that it caused you anxiety. You know, such a seasoned performer. It diminished the performance itself because, obviously, it's so good. You sound so good.

I mean, was it worth it? Now that you're at the other end of it, you see the reaction to it. Talk to me about how it feels.

LENNON: Yes. I mean, it's amazing. And I wouldn't have -- I wouldn't have put it out if I didn't feel that it was true, you know, and honest in its approach. It's not something I'll do again, that's for sure. But this was a one-time only. And I know this sounds weird, but it's, you know, there's a bit of relief after 30 years of, you know, of considering, you know, writing -- I mean singing and recording, you know, dad's song. So that was a one-time only and for the right reasons, as I said.

BERMAN: Well, look, it sounded great.

LENNON: Thank you.

BERMAN: And we should say you have an upcoming album coming out called "Jude," which the Beatles fans, they know the implications of you coming out with an album titled that. We can't wait to hear it.

Thank you so much for being with us and congratulations on the success of this effort.

LENNON: Thank you. My absolute pleasure. Thank you very, very much.

COLLINS: Thanks Julian.

LENNON: Thank you.

COLLINS: Overnight, at least 70 were injured as Palestinian and Israeli forces clashed outside of a funeral. The violence there only continuing to escalate.

BERMAN: And very shortly, President Biden will land in Buffalo. He will meet with the families of victims of the hate-filled attack at a supermarket there. This as we get new details about the suspect's plans to attack other targets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:56:44] BERMAN: Overnight, a funeral procession in Jerusalem dissolving into violence. CNN's reporters covering the latest from around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: I'm Atika Shubert in Jerusalem, where for the second time in less than a week Israeli police have used violent force against Palestinian mourners at a funeral. Yesterday, police used tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets. Palestinians responded with bottles, rocks and fireworks. At least 71 people were injured in clashes that lasted almost an hour. That's according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. One of the injuries was a man shot in the eye with a rubber-coated bullet.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Patrick Oppmann in Havana, where many Cubans that I spoke to said they're celebrating the news that the Biden administration is lifting some sanctions on this island that will allow Americans greater ability to visit Cuba. It will also give Cuban Americans more possibilities to send remittances back home to relatives and also allow the U.S. embassy in Havana the ability to issue more visas to Cubans hoping to travel to the United States. The Cuban government said that this is a step in the right direction, but still not enough and they are calling on Washington to engage in direct talks with the Cuban government to try and resolve many of the outstanding differences that still exist between the two governments.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm David McKenzie in Johannesburg. President Biden has authorized the redeployment of U.S. special operations forces into Somalia to counteract the threat of al Qaeda- linked militant group al Shabaab. Now, in his final days of office, President Trump withdrew those troops and moved that a senior U.S. administration official now tells CNN was irrational. The Pentagon says for troops to move in and out of the country was potentially dangerous and there will be less than 500 troops on the ground.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: On top of all that, we have also just learned President Biden will host the leaders of Finland and Sweden at the White House this Thursday to discuss their applications to the military alliance known as NATO, which is, of course, rankled President Putin.

And, John, this is just remarkable because, of course, that has been the big conversation of how will Russia react to these applications? What happens to the in-between period of them applying and actually being granted membership to NATO? And, of course, this is something that Putin did not want to see happen.

BERMAN: It's hugely significant. Historically significant that both Finland and Sweden are now making these applications.

And the fact that the White House has scheduled this event so quickly shows you they know.

COLLINS: Yes.

BERMAN: They don't want to miss this moment because where's the president going on Thursday?

COLLINS: He's going to Asia. He's going on a trip to Korea and to Japan as well. And so it's a really big moment for the president on the world stage. But this is where everyone's attention has been, of course, what is happening in Ukraine, what this moment looks like, and what it means.

And we talked earlier about what's happening at the steel plant in Mariupol. You know, the Ukrainian forces are ceding ground to the Russians. But this shows you this has been a week of setbacks for the Russian forces, for President Putin in moments like this because this is something that would not have happened, most experts say, if Putin had not invaded Ukraine.

BERMAN: One important programming note. You can watch Kaitlan until midnight tonight with her election coverage at the White House.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes. I better take a nap.

[09:00:02]

BERMAN: And then starting at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning again right here on NEW DAY we will be in Washington for special post-election night coverage. A huge day with many states and commonwealths voting in primary elections.

CNN's coverage continues right now.