Return to Transcripts main page

New Day Saturday

More Than 300 March For Our Lives Rallies Planned Across The U.S.; Families Of Gun Violence Victims Call For Action On Capitol Hill; Inflation Rises At Fastest Pace Since 1981, Fueled By High Gas Prices; Federal Reserve Likely To Hike Rates Again As U.S. Inflation Soars; January 6 Committee Makes Their Case To The Public; Next Hearing To Focus On Trump's False Claims About Election. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired June 11, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHERINE SWITZER, AUTHOR: It's really important. I think, I think we all feel that the more we give away now the more we get back and certainly there's this sense of we can do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: That'll make a Happy Saturday for you Katherine Switzer will be in Central Park for the mini this morning continuing to inspire women around the world.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Excellent to see. She is something. Coy Wire, thank you so much.

WIRE: Got it.

PAUL: Next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now. Listen, if you get a rise, you might as well shine and it's 7:00, so it's time to get out of bed on the Saturday, June 11th. Or you know, you can stay in and just hang a little bit, of course. I'm Christi Paul.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Breakfast in bed, never hurt anybody, Christi. I'm Boris Sanchez, great to be with you and grateful that you are starting your weekend with us. It's shaping up to be a day of activism across the country.

PAUL: Yes, very good point. Very good point, Boris, because we're starting with this national call for gun reform. Hundreds of march for our lives rallies are being planned in nearly all 50 states today. They're demanding lawmakers address the epidemic of gun violence in the country.

SANCHEZ: Yes, series of high-profile mass shootings from Uvalde, Texas to Buffalo, New York, have reignited outrage and put renewed pressure on lawmakers on Capitol Hill to take action. Washington, D.C., New York and Parkland, Florida among the more than 300 cities where protests will be held. They of course follow the 2018 march that was organized by former students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. You may recall on February of 2018, a former student there entered the school near Fort Lauderdale, and opened fire killing, 14 students and three staff members.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACLYN CORIN, SURVIVOR OF 2018 STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING: I think the march will serve as a reminder to everyday Americans and politicians alike that there is serious momentum within the gun violence prevention movement. Though, the march in 2018 was four years ago now, we're going to come out just as strong in every corner of this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: CNN's Whitney Wild is with us now from the National Mall in Washington. So, Whitney, we know that you're at the side of what is expected to be the biggest of the marches. What do you know is on the planning table for them?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are a long, there's a long list of speakers today, many of whom are either survivors themselves or have family members who were killed in one of these mass shootings. And when I'm struck by, Christi, is thinking back to in 2018, when this march happened. I was also reporting in Washington then too, and it was such an extraordinary moment because the volume of people was just enormous and it was put together very, very quickly after that Parkland shooting happened, there were hundreds of thousands of people who came out then, and it feels so long ago because there have been so many mass shootings in that time. And that's why these students are feeling galvanized once again, to try to put together a large-scale march to draw international attention to this real crisis that we're facing in America. Again, that long list of speakers includes people who have lost their loved ones, particularly one man who lost his mother in the Buffalo shooting. Here's what he had to say on Capitol Hill earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAMEL WHITFIELD JR. SON OF BUFFALO SHOOTING VICTIM RUTH WHITFIELD: I asked every one of you to imagine the faces of your mothers, as you look at mine, and ask yourself, is there nothing that we can do? My mother's life mattered. My mother's life mattered. Your actions here today would tell us how much it matters to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, there is still debate about what the best way to move forward is on gun reform legislation being debated. It has already moved through the house and now is up for debate in the Senate. The senate still working out what the framework is going to be and we hope to get more detail on that later this week, Christi and Boris.

SANCHEZ: Whitney Wild reporting from the nation's capital, thank you so much. Some rough economic news this morning: the national average for a

gallon of gas hitting an all-time high of $5.00. And it's already a reality in 21 states as U.S. inflation is the highest it's been in 40 years. Even worse, states like California are seeing prices well over $6.00 a gallon.

PAUL: Yes, U.S. financial markets are also down along with the President's poll numbers. Every day, people here finding it more challenging to pay our bills and the price surges we're seeing. President Biden's blaming other factors, though, including Russian President Vladimir Putin for the economic downturn, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Putin's price hike is hitting America hard. Gas prices at the pump, energy and food prices account for half of the monthly price increases since May. Inflation outside of energy and food, what the economist called core inflation moderated the last two months, not enough but in moderate has come down. And we needed to come down much more quickly. My administration is going to continue to do everything we can to lower the prices to the American people, and the Congress has to act than they have --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:05:18]

PAUL: CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I understand Americans are anxious and they're anxious for a good reason.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden staring down a massive political liability.

BIDEN: Make no mistake about it. I understand, inflation is a real challenge to American families.

COLLINS: New data shows consumer prices soared last month, sending inflation climbing 8.6 percent from last year, the highest since 1981. Biden delivering the bad news today, after predicting six months ago that the inflation crisis had hit its peak.

BIDEN: I think you'll see a change sooner, than quicker than more rapidly than it will take than most people think.

COLLINS: Prices are now higher for everything from food fuel rent to use cars. As Biden officials say that taming inflation is their highest priority.

CECILIA ROUSE, CHAIRWOMAN, WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: We are open to ideas, again, some of them require working with Congress. The president is focused on lowering costs for families. COLLINS: But those same officials say that the bulk of the response will fall to the Federal Reserve, as Friday's numbers only offer more reason for the Central Bank to continue raising interest rates.

ROUSE: As part of his plan -- I know this doesn't sound like a plan -- but first and foremost, he respects the independence of the Federal Reserve.

COLLINS: The troubling figures could spell doom for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections this November, is Biden lashed out at Republicans shipping conglomerates Russian President Putin and oil companies today.

BIDEN: Exxon made more money than God this year.

COLLINS: A new poll shows that only 28 percent of U.S. adults approve of Biden's handling of the economy.

These higher gas prices are obviously raising questions about plans for summer travel. The travel industry is welcoming a move by the CDC on Friday to lift that restriction that required visitors to the United States coming by plane to test negative for COVID-19. It's been in place since January 2021. The CDC is now lifting it at midnight on Sunday. That is a welcome move for the travel industry as, who is hoping it's going to boost travel to the United States though we should note the CDC did say they would re-evaluate that decision and about 90 days from now. Boris and Christi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Kaitlan, thank you. Here to discuss this further: Senior Economist with Wells Fargo, Sarah House, is with us. Sarah, it's good to see you this morning. I want to jump off what Kaitlan was talking about with the president. Because the White House has said they have limited resources to try to outmaneuver this at this moment. But what is the realistic expectation the White House or lawmakers could do at this point?

SARAH HOUSE, SENIOR ECONOMIST, WELLS FARGO: So, I think it really does come down to what the Federal Reserve is doing. So, I think just the way it's structured, they can move a lot faster than anything that Washington can do. And I think overall, we're dealing with a supply and demand imbalance. So, demand in the economy has roared back faster than I think so many expected. And it continues to outstrip supply. And so, that's what what's leading to these ongoing inflationary pressures. So, I think the Feds on track to raise interest rates and try to help cool that demand, but it's going to be a slow process and we're going to be dealing with elevated rates of inflation for a while yet.

PAUL: So, a lot of people are watching this and wondering how aggressively can you hike U.S. interest rates and bypass a recession? And what kind of balance does that take?

HOUSE: It's going to be a difficult balance. So, the Fed is on track to hike rates at the most aggressive pace that we've seen since the 1980s, when inflation was, was last this high. So, they're looking to likely increase rates another 50 basis points when they meet next week. So, last, last meeting, we saw on a 50-basis-point hike, which was the first that we had seen in 21 years. And so, they are moving pretty, pretty quickly here.

But of course, the trick is to reduce that demand, but not so much that it actually contracts when you see the economy slip into recession. And you see businesses no longer want to hire and job growth decrease, and that impacts income and therefore spending a little bit too much. And so, it's going to be a tough job ahead for, for the Federal Reserve. They don't pretend that it's going that it's going to be easy, but there is a lot of uncertainty, as we look at how the Fed is going to tackle this inflation and avoid a recession.

PAUL: So, when we look at May 2022 versus May 2021 in some of the most pivotal markets. We're talking about gas up 48.7 percent, and of course, the big news this morning is that we have hit a national average of $5.00 a gallon as of this morning. Our groceries are up 11.9 percent. Shelter is up 5.5 percent. At that point, it's so expansive you are hitting everything that is necessary and unavoidable for people, how we eat, how we move how we live. And Moody's has said the average household is paying $460 a month, more than we were at this time last year. There are places and people and families that just cannot handle that. So, at what point will we know that inflation has peaked? Could you spot it if it happened?

[07:10:34]

HOUSE: I don't think we'll know for a while yet, we won't even know probably once for at least a few months, maybe even six months to a year past that peak. I think a lot of the uncertainty surrounds what we're seeing in energy markets right now. So, those are very volatile in normal times, but especially now given the conflict in Ukraine, and then just all the demand that's roaring back for travel, as you guys have highlighted.

And so, I think that's a big aspect of, of this uncertainty. But as we see the, as we see activity unfold and play out, you know, we still could see other areas that remain pretty strong areas like housing, we haven't seen home prices cool that much considering how much mortgage rates have, have gone up. And so, I think there's still a lot of uncertainty around when inflation peaks and we, we don't think we've actually seen that peak yet.

PAUL: So, it's interesting, because chief economist of Moody's analytics and a column for CNN Business, said, "I'm confident that inflation will be meaningfully lower by this time next year and back to something we will feel comfortable with not too long thereafter. Do you agree with that statement?

HOUSE: So, that's our expectation that we will see inflation slow over next year in part as again, you do have this tighter monetary policy coming from the Fed. The fact that the typical household hasn't seen their earnings keep up with what's prices. And so that means that they are going to have to likely reduce their spending or lean on credit, lean on their balance sheets and savings more. And so, I do think it points to a noticeable slowdown. But I think at least in the near term, we're cautious in saying that inflation has, has peaked. I think we still have some pain in front of us.

PAUL: All right. Sarah House, we appreciate so much your insight and your perspective. Thank you for being with us this morning.

SANCHEZ: Still to come this morning, laying out evidence for the world to see in prime time. January 6th Committee building its case against former President Donald Trump. What to expect when hearings resume on Monday?

Plus, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressing Asia's premier defense conference, as fierce battles continue to rage along Ukraine's eastern front, hear his message to world leaders.

And the White House announcing its vaccine rollout plans for kids under five. We're taking a closer look at what parents should expect in the coming weeks. All that and more when NEW DAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:17:09]

SANCHEZ: The January 6th committee will delve into President Trump's false claims about the 2020 election at its next hearing, which is scheduled for Monday.

PAUL: Yes, in a primetime presentation on Thursday, the panel laid out its case accusing Donald Trump of igniting the attack on the U.S. Capitol. This is how the committee leader has described the attack and the former president's role in it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BERNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): When the United States Capitol was stoned and burned in 1814, foreign enemies were responsible. But unlike in 1814, it was domestic enemies of the Constitution, who stormed the Capitol and occupied the Capitol, who sought to draw the will of the people to stop the transfer of power. And so, they did so at the encouragement of the president of the United States.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): President Trump summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's take you to Capitol Hill and CNN Congressional Reporter Daniella Diaz joining us live. Daniella, they're going to delve into the false claims of widespread election fraud in 2020. And we saw a bit of that on Thursday, they outlined the multiple ways that the former president was told that there was no widespread fraud. What are you anticipating is going to come Monday?

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Boris, we know of at least one witness who was planning to testify and that is, of course, former Fox News Editor Chris Stirewalt, who was fired when he actually in November 2019, called Arizona for Joe Biden, and came under fire from a former President Donald Trump, then President Donald Trump and his allies. So, we're going to hear from him and his experience.

But really, what we know is Vice Chair Liz Cheney is teasing out these hearings. She said in the first Primetime hearing that we saw on Thursday, and she says the second hearing that will happen at 10:00 a.m., as you said, Boris, will focus on Trump's massive effort to spread false and fraudulent information about the election.

But really, the bigger picture here, Boris, is the goal from the committee is to really weave that narrative and show the American public that former President Donald Trump incited the violence on January 6th, with his actions and his words, and he was trying to overturn the election results -- the 2020 election results -- and put pressure on state officials to do just that.

Now, we expect to see more testimony, more depositions from the committee. You know, they've worked the last 11 months behind the scenes, have interviewed more than a thousand people. As we saw from that Thursday hearing, they aired clips from an interview with then Attorney General Bill Barr who told President Donald Trump that he lost the election and even his daughter, Ivanka Trump, who said she respected Bill Barr and took his word.

So, really, the, the bigger picture here is that they will continue to reveal additional information about what their investigation has found. Take a listen to what Chairman Bennie Thompson said about what we should see from future hearings.

[07:20:19]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: We will grow the picture of him being told by responsible individuals that the election was not stolen. They had not found any impropriety at all in terms of the conduct. And most of the area's, most of the officials were Republican. And Steele, he refused to accept his data personally, his campaign manager, his chief law enforcement official, because he kept pushing this false narrative on the public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAZ: Boris, Republicans continue to downplay what is happening in -- from the January 6th Committee and their findings. A lot of Republicans after that hearing on Thursday, downplayed that information, including Congressman Jim Jordan, who is actually one of the members who is the focus of the committee's investigation. So, we also expect to see a lot of that from the other side going forward as these hearings continue.

PAUL: All right, Daniella Diaz, we appreciate it so much. Thank you. Critics of the January 6th Committee are calling it a sham and another attack on Donald Trump. A committee member has warned that the threat to the country's democracy persists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: We're going to remind you of the reality of what happened that day. But our work must do much more than just look backwards. Because of our democracy remains in danger, the conspiracy to (INAUDIBLE) the will of the people is not over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: CNN National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem, back with us now. Juliette, good morning to you. So, I want to know what your takeaway is in regard to the committee's concern of any potential ongoing threats.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, I thought that was a perfect sort of focus on their part in terms of how they're going to structure the seven hearings, and they were clear, they set out an outline. And if you look at the title of each of the hearings, the first five are pre-January 6th -- they are about this sort of runway leading to this violent moment.

The last two are about January 6th and then what's happening sort of after to continue the story, which is essentially trying to undermine our democracy and, and get people to believe that our democracy, that voting is not valid, which is scary when you think about the elections that are coming up. So, I -- you know, if you ask me sort of can you describe the committee in three words? I thought it was Cheney, Representative Cheney's constant refrain as, you will see, right?

In other words, that, that it's not just what we're telling you now, it gets worse. And she kept saying this, you will see, we will show, and so, I think what they're trying to do is engage viewers to say, gosh, that wasn't just a day -- some spontaneous moment. There's, there's years, if not, and months, building up to that moment, and then a continuation of it.

PAUL: So, to the other point that we were talking about going into this, the, the optics of this right now, I mean, Jim Jordan, Republican Representative, of course, called the production partisan. He said we learned nothing new. The fact that the optics when it comes to the fact and I think you said this, this was really about Donald Trump, that it wasn't about democracy, that it wasn't about radicalization, this first hearing. And you thought this was about Donald Trump, because of that, do you think there is a deterioration of seeing this as anything other than partisan politics?

KAYYEM: No, I thought, it actually stayed clear of that. And I think it's good that the members of the committee are not engaging in hand- to-hand combat with the silliness that's going on with Republicans about saying nothing new. There was clearly a lot new. First of all, the inner circle around Trump is telling him you're full of you know, this is this is nothing right? And it's Barr, it's his daughter, it's his son in law, who come off, as you know, so self-absorbed, that they're not going to stop the president from doing this. They're just going to -- essentially all three of them, walk away.

And then I think the tweets the focus on Donald Trump's tweet, though, the, sort of, you know, will be wild and how that triggered a lot of activism and radicalization that people like me were sort of starting to get nervous about and then what was happening the day of? There's, there's a duty to protect by Donald Trump. That is his oath of office to protect against enemies foreign and domestic and he, he failed to do that. I want to say, it wasn't just about Trump and the focus on Trump is important because, because eventually it gives people an exit strategy. You have to remember there's going to be a group that in never going to believe this.

[07:25:12]

But for Americans who think why is this, is this just politics? It really is focused on an enemy of the state, essentially, is what they're saying is Trump. And then the other key player, which I wrote was surprising was the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys are going to play a huge role, I believe, coming up. They were hinted at. The documentary was about them. But there's something going on with the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. And as Benny Thompson said to Jake Tapper, there's more in terms of that nexus of the violence with the politics, with the "legal strategy" that was going on with people like Giuliani.

So, I think that, I think that narrative is beginning to form. And it's important for people to see there's, there's one focus, which is Trump, give them an off-ramp, right? Which is, you know, this guy is going to be gone. He's de platformed, can't fill a room anymore. And let's now protect our democracy from the forces of violence that he essentially unleashed before after, and, and ongoing.

PAUL: So, real quickly, before I let you go, my husband and I watched, and the video they showed was so disturbing, showing up from the viewpoint and the vantage point of so many of the Capitol Police that were there. And it was one of those things where we could not help but ask ourselves who's responsible for Capitol security? And why were they not better prepared? And why did they not respond with some sort of lethal force? Because they were armed, yes?

KAYYEM: Yes. So, the Capitol Police are in charge, they could have gotten support from the National Guard, which under a sort of D.C. jurisdictional status. Donald Trump, through the Secretary of Defense would have met -- what we're going to hear about is what were those denials of approval as the mayor starting to get nervous, as, as law enforcement is starting to get nervous. We tend to think of, of January 6th, as if as an intelligence failure, it was not.

Lots of people were warning about what was going to happen. What the failure was, was people in charge not, not the Capitol peace, police, but people in the White House at the Department of Defense, at the Department of Justice, who would have protected the Capitol. The Capitol Police did what they tried to do. when the question of legal forces the decision was made, as we've heard in previous testimony a couple months back, that to begin to use lethal force, which they did do in one instance, when one of the protesters was killed, was -- would have elevated it, and that, that they didn't want to get there because from their understanding, most of these people were not armed.

We're learning now, the extent to which the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys were in fact armed or had weaponry near the White House. They were waiting for something as some cue from Donald Trump to activate to serve as sort of a Secret Service for him. And if I sound dramatic, you know, this sounds like it's like, you know, coming from an evil comic strip book. I think that's what people have to realize that the -- it wasn't spontaneous. It was a planned insurrection that did not succeed. That's what it is. And we need to focus on the insurrection part, not on the fact that it didn't succeed.

PAUL: OK, Juliette Kayyem, very good point to make there. Always good to have you with us. Thank you so much.

KAYYEM: Thank you. See you later.

PAUL: Of course. And by the way, be sure to check out Juliette's new book, it's "The Devil Never Sleeps." It's available right now.

SANCHEZ: So, more baby formula is arriving into the United States from overseas. The Biden administration announcing another shipment. We have details on that after a quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:33:06]

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): While Operation Fly Formula is bringing nearly 1 million pounds of baby formula into the U.S. to help ease this shortage crisis that we've been seeing. Experts say it's just a fraction though of what the nation's families really need.

This week, United Airlines flew in the first of 12 donated shipments that are happening over the next 10 days. The 960,000 pounds coming in through the operation is just about two days-worth of typical formula sales. That's according to CNN's analysis.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): The Biden administration this week announced its plans to start vaccinating kids younger than 5 against COVID-19.

The White House is partnering with state and local governments, health care providers, and pharmacies to ship and distribute shots across the country as quickly as possible.

The FDA's vaccine advisors are meeting next week to review data on Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines for young kids, and they could soon start being distributed after that.

So, let's bring in Dr. William Schaffner here to discuss. He is a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Doctor, always great to have you on, appreciate your perspective. So, this effort to distribute COVID shots to kids under 5 could begin within the next two weeks. But there's polling that indicates that a lot of parents are still hesitant to vaccinate their young kids. What would you say to those parents? DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES PROFESSOR, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: Well, Boris, I would say to them, please, talk to your pediatrician, talk to your family doctor, ask them. If you have a concern, what is your concern?

I think that they will be reassured. I think it is very likely -- I'm anticipating now, but I think it's very likely that both the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC's advisory committee will approve these vaccines, and the American Academy of Pediatrics will follow shortly.

So, ask your pediatrician, ask your doctor. They are there to give you good advice.

[07:35:04]

SANCHEZ: And Doctor, CNN was first to report that the CDC is lifting COVID testing restrictions for people entering the United States. Was that the right move?

SCHAFFNER: Oh, yes, I think it was, Boris. You know, we have oodles of COVID here, asking people to be tested before they come into the United States, that's a little like saying, don't pour a glass of water into my swimming pool.

And also, I think the CDC will be looking to see if there are new variants that crop up around the world. If that happens, they may reinstitute that testing program. But even so, testing on admission to the United States offers only an opportunity to delay transmission of these highly contagious respiratory viruses.

SANCHEZ: Yes, the administration set to review that decision within 90 days, and then potentially continue it or essentially cancel it.

Quick question on monkeypox, Doctor. The Biden administration yesterday announced the purchase of 300,000 monkeypox vaccines, that's more than tripling of the current stock in the United States.

How critical was it for the U.S. to also invest in testing for monkeypox?

Well, testing is currently available through state health departments. This is a tricky virus that is spread person to person, it doesn't spread the way COVID does. But we need the ability to test contacts and the testing program is there now, and fortunately will be expanded.

We've asked all doctors to raise their suspicion, their level of suspicion about money -- monkeypox.

SANCHEZ: All right. Dr. William Schaffner, we have to leave the conversation there. Thank you so much for the time, sir.

SCHAFFNER: Thank you.

PAUL: So, we are resetting relations with Saudi Arabia. What is behind the apparent change of heart for President Biden at this point? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:40]

SANCHEZ: The U.S. military has released the names of five Marines killed in a training mission when their Osprey military aircraft crashed.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): The service members are Corporal Nathan E. Carlson, Captain Nicholas P. Losapio, Corporal Seth D. Rasmuson, Captain John J. Sax, and Lance Corporal Evan A. Strickland.

Officials say they're investigating the cause of the crash which happened Wednesday in California. And they are currently recovering equipment from that site.

PAUL: Well, new this morning, Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a special virtual address that Ukraine will "definitely prevail" over Russia.

SANCHEZ: All of this as official say that Ukraine's military is holding on to frontline cities, will intense fighting continues in the key eastern city of Severodonetsk.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us now live from Kyiv.

SANCHEZ (on camera): Salma, what else did President Zelenskyy say during his address?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER (on camera): Boris and Christi, this is a brute force war. President Putin has made clear his Imperial vision here he wants to grab Ukrainian territory. He has disregarded the sovereignty of this country and he believes these lands belong to Russia.

President Zelenskyy says that in this disproportionate war where his countrymen are facing a much more superior power, they are out man, they are outgunned. It is up to the international community to step in. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): We must break the ability of Russia and any other country in the world to block, seize, and destroyed the freedom of navigation. If it's about sanctions, then we need sanctions. If it's about symmetrical measures to limit the servicing of Russian ships and ports, then, we need this measures.

Russia must feel that its belligerent policies will have consequences for itself as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, President Zelenskyy says that in recent weeks, this tide has turned in Russia's favor Ukrainian soldiers are dying by the dozens a day. They are running out of artillery in what is an artillery war.

Russia's advance is not stalling, they are moving inch by inch, claiming that territory in the east and they're also, Boris and Christi, solidifying those gains. Reviving infrastructure building, transport links, and I know we have that map to show you all along the east connecting Russian territory all the way down through those newly occupied regions into Crimea and towards those very important ports.

There is only one thing here that could change the tide. And that's according to all Ukrainian officials. And it is Western weaponry. One saying that without that help, it is absolutely impossible for Ukrainian soldiers to continue to hold onto Severodonetsk.

SANCHEZ: Salma Abdelaziz, thank you from the -- for the update live from Kyiv.

Now, to a dramatic about face for President Biden, senior officials say the United States is preparing to move forward with a reset of its relationship with Saudi Arabia.

PAUL: Yes, U.S. officials saying, in order to repair ties with the key Middle East ally, America will effectively move on from the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. CNN's Alex Marquardt has more.

[07:45:02]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Joe Biden vowing to make Saudi Arabia a pariah when he was on the campaign trail really set the tone of the relationship when Biden took office.

And until now, it hasn't really gotten better. And just a few months, after Joe Biden became president, his head of intelligence issued a report.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Saying that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia who runs the country day to day, Mohammed bin Salman or MBS, as he's known, approved of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Biden administration said at the time, they wanted to recalibrate the relationship. MBS and Biden don't speak because Biden has insisted on dealing with his direct counterpart, which is King Salman.

Well, now the Biden White House wants to reset this relationship and get it back to a much more conventional place.

MARQUARDT (on camera): For months, senior Biden officials have been traveling to Saudi Arabia, working towards this reset. One senior U.S. official told our colleague, Natasha Bertrand, that the relationship needs to move past the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. That it can't be held hostage by his murder. MARQUARDT (voice-over): And that's because the realities of the world have set in. Perhaps, nothing more so than Russia's war in Ukraine and the impact that it has had on the global economy.

Gas prices and inflation have skyrocketed. The U.S. needs Saudi help in the oil market and having Saudi Arabia produce more oil.

MARQUARDT (on camera): So much of this is about economic factors. And as one U.S. official told me, the White House's fear and anxiety is making them throw principle out the door.

This is, of course, a major disappointment for many who wanted a tougher stance against Saudi Arabia, particularly on human rights issues.

I reached out to Jamal Khashoggi's fiancee. As we reported, President Biden will likely visit Saudi Arabia next month and meet with the crown prince.

And she told me that Biden's decision is horribly upsetting to her and to supporters of freedom and justice everywhere. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

PAUL (voice-over): Alex, thank you so much.

Well, the heat this weekend is being described as dangerously hot for millions of people. There are going to be triple digit temperatures all over the place. We'll tell you where and well, how long is it going to last? That's next, stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:51:57]

PAUL: It is being described as a dangerous heat wave affecting millions of you. The southwest from California to Louisiana. This is a pretty expansive heat wave.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Yes, and temperatures in several states are expected to reach triple digits this weekend with some areas seeing record highs.

Let's go to CNN's Allison Chinchar.

SANCHEZ (on camera): She joins us live from the CNN Weather Center, and Allison, I see some triple digits behind you. It's going to be unbearably hot in some places.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): It is. And yes, most of these are inside the Southwest the area you would think of as being very hot. But even for them, these temperatures are extreme.

Death Valley, for example, making it up to 123. That beat the old record by three degrees. And it's more than 15 degrees above their normal high this time of year. So, again, yes, these are hot places. But even for them, it's extreme. And that's why you have heat advisories, excessive heat warnings in place stretching from California all the way over to Louisiana.

But we're going to start to see that shift because this heat wave is moving. So, for today, it's going to be the peak for the heat for a lot of areas of Northern California. By tomorrow. After tomorrow, really, then we start to see those temperatures begin to recede across the Southwest.

So, going from Sunday into Monday, you'll see that drop for places like Death Valley, Palm Springs, Bakersfield, California, even around Las Vegas finally starting to see those temperatures drop.

But again, it's because it's moving into a different location. So, once we get into Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, now you start to see more of these records being a possibility across the southeast, and even into the Midwest that lingers into next week.

Look at New Orleans for example. 92 going into 90. Houston, Dallas, San Angelo all looking at triple digit temperatures over the next several days. Houston and Austin, for example, have already broken records. And they could have as many as five days in a row of record temperatures before this heat wave finally begins to shift out of that particular area.

That heat though moving so slowly, which is why you have that prolonged period for a lot of these areas.

Take a look at Atlanta going from 92 on Sunday up to the mid-90s Monday and Tuesday. Raleigh looking at close to 100 degrees, guys, on Tuesday.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Brutal stuff. Allison Chinchar, we appreciate you breaking that down for us.

SANCHEZ (on camera): Just a quick update for you. CNN Original Series "WATERGATE: BLUEPRINT FOR A SCANDAL" is continuing with all new episodes tomorrow.

The series picking back up with a bombshell revelation of Nixon's White House recording system.

PAUL (on camera): So, the battle begins for the audio tapes that will eventually lead to the collapse of the Nixon presidency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you don't cooperate, it's admission of guilt.

RICHARD NIXON, 37th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good evening. I have asked for this time tonight in order to announce my answer with a subpoena for additional Watergate tapes.

And these folders are more than 1,200 pages of transcripts of private conversations I participated with regard to Watergate. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What Nixon tried to do was to queue a line where he would give just enough to make people think that he was cooperating without giving away the goods.

[07:55:07]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They dumped these poorly done transcripts of dozens and dozens of tapes into the public domain. They weren't that accurate, some of them, but this is the first time the public had seen much of anything about the Nixon tapes.

And people were reading this and saying, you know, holy -- look at this stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL (voice-over): The Watergate scandal, they are hitting up on the CNN Original Series, "WATERGATE: BLUEPRINT FOR A SCANDAL CONTINUES." That's tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Listen, in our next hour, hundreds of marches for gun control are set to happen across the country today. We're going to head to Parkland Florida and meet one of the organizers of the march in there, in an area where you know this issue is so personal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)