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Biden In Israel On High-Stakes Middle East Trip; U.S. Inflation Soars At Fastest Pace In 40-Plus Years; 1/6 Committee Chair Says, DOJ Interested In Information On Fake Electors; Renewed Push For Masks, Boosters As BA.5 Variant Drives Up Cases; Biden: U.S. Would Use Force If Needed To Stop Iran From Developing A Nuclear Bomb. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired July 13, 2022 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:03]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: If you ever miss an episode of "THE LEAD", you can listen to "THE LEAD" wherever your podcasts.

Our coverage continues now with one Mr. Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM, but it's not next door, it's all the way in the holy land of Israel. See you tomorrow.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, President Biden kicks off the high-stakes Middle East trip in Israel, saying stability in the region is critical for the United States. We are live in Jerusalem covering the diplomacy and the controversy surrounding the presidential visit in the economic pressures he is facing back home.

Tonight, a new inflation report is weighing on the White House and the American people, consumer prices surging at the fastest pace in over 40 years.

Also this hour, we're getting new clarity about how the January 6 select committee is cooperating now with the U.S. Justice Department. The panel's chairman revealing the feds are interested in information on the fake electors plot that was aimed at overturning Trump's 2020 defeat.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I am Wolf Blitzer. You are in THE SITUATION ROOM.

A scenic view here in Jerusalem at this pivotal moment for U.S. relations in the Middle East. President Biden is now on the ground here in Israel, the first top of his trip to the region that includes a very, very sensitive meeting later this week with Saudi leaders.

CNN White House Correspondent Jeremy Diamond is with us here in Jerusalem. Jeremy, this is a high-stakes visit for the president as he works to strengthen stability between Israel and other U.S. allies in the region.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. And senior U.S. officials have told me that they are looking for opportunities on this trip to deepen the emerging partnerships between Israel and many Arab countries in the region. Both those existing and new partnerships that have happened between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Bahrain, but also looking for opportunities to take small steps towards normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Those two countries do not currently have diplomatic relations.

The president, though, in an interview that aired today, tonight on Israeli television, he said that he hopes that these emerging accords can actually help foster Israeli-Palestinian peace as well. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Israel is integrated into another region as an equal and accepted, the more likely there is going to be a means by which they can eventually come to accommodation with the Palestinians down the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And while the president hopes that those normalization efforts can ultimately help foster Israeli-Palestinian peace, one senior U.S. official acknowledged to me that, right now, the Palestinians really haven't benefited from those Abraham Accords.

But at the same time, in the short- term, U.S. officials say that they're looking for small ways to improve the lives of the Palestinians. We know the president on Friday is expected to announce $100 million for Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, today, we also saw the president participating in some cultural events, some events with Israeli officials. He visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and he met there with an 85- year-old, 86-year-old, and a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor. You can see the president there clasping their hands. He also signed the guest book there writing, never forget.

BLITZER: It's interesting, he was clasping their hands. Because there has been a lot of attention focused on whether or not the president would, in fact, while here in Israel and in the Middle East, later in Saudi Arabia, for example, actually shake hands with various folks.

DIAMOND: That's right. As the president was making his way over here to Israel on the plane, the White House press security and the national security adviser, they said that the president landed, you can see the footage from the president arriving on Air Force One. He offered fist bumps to these officials, including the Israeli prime minister there.

But then, moments later, we saw actually shake hands with the Israeli -- former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that raised questions of whether this is -- what this new policy is. And the very fact that the White House suggested he was going to minimize contact despite shaking hands with lawmakers just a couple of days ago, it raised questions about whether this was really intended to minimize the possibility of then shaking hands with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, who he will be meeting with on Friday. The White House has confirmed that the president will be meeting with the crown prince there. They haven't yet confirmed if there will be press in the room to see that, but there was question, speculation of whether this new policy of not shaking hands was perhaps trying to avoid that photo op of the president shaking hands with the man who the CIA says authorized the murder of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

BLITZER: Let's see what happens when we're in Saudi Arabia. Thanks very much, Jeremy Diamond reporting for us.

[18:05:00]

And joining me now here in Jerusalem, retired Admiral John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications. John, thank you very much for joining us on this very, very historic and very busy today, I appreciate it very much.

The president arrived here in Jerusalem today amid pretty bad economic numbers back home. How worried is the president right now that in his talks with oil- producing countries, like Saudi Arabia in the coming days, for example? They seem to have the upper hand.

JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: Well, I think what the president is trying to look at this is a multi-faceted approach here, Wolf. It is not just about oil- producing countries having an upper hand. This is a phenomenon that is affecting everybody all around the world, certainly, in Europe. We are feeling the pinch at home. And the president has been very clear about trying to take steps immediately, even at home to try to alleviate some of that pressure, whether it's opening a million barrels a day from the strategic reserve, asking Congress to pass a federal gas tax holiday for three months. And, of course, we are engaging with natural gas and oil producers around the world to see that we can make sure that supply can stays up.

I would note that just recently, OPEC increased by 50 percent, already planned increase of oil production for July and August. Now, we'll see where that goes, but the president understands that this is a global market and, therefore, global supply matters.

BLITZER: Why did President Biden say he won't directly ask the Saudis to increase oil production?

KIRBY: The presidency going to Saudi Arabia for many reasons. A big one is, of course, the Gulf Cooperation Council +3, so being with nine leaders, nine regional leaders there. There is a wide agenda, Wolf, and including with his bilateral discussions with Saudi Arabia, from terrorism to the war in Yemen. Now, we are on an extension of a ceasefire which has literally saved thousands of lives, and, of course, food security and energy security are absolutely going to be on the agenda.

But there is an awful lot to discuss. It is not just about any one of these things. But, certainly, energy security and what is going on in the global market for oil will be on the agenda.

BLITZER: But why won't he directly ask the Saudis to boost oil production?

KIRBY: I think there's going to -- I don't want to get ahead of the president's conversations, but he is already working hard to improve production here in the United States. He's already, again, releasing a million barrels a day from strategic reserve. We are on track to produce more oil from home next year, historic levels. And he is looking forward to having conversations with global leaders about oil production elsewhere around the world.

BLITZER: Clearly, a major objective of the Biden administration is to get the Saudis to do with the United Arab Emirates have done, what Bahrain has done, Morocco has done, normalize relations with Israel. Is that going to happen?

KIRBY: The president fully supports the Abraham Accords and believes that a more integrated Israel in the region is better, not just for Israel, it's better for the region, it's better for our national security interests too.

BLITZER: So, is the president going to press the Saudis to do that?

KIRBY: This isn't about pressing one side to another. These are sovereign decisions that these states have to make on their own. And the president has noted, it could take some time, but he certainly supports a more integrated Israel in the region and certainly supports moves towards normalization, but that's going to be between those countries.

BLITZER: Because, as you know, you're a military guy, there has been some talk that the Saudis together with some of the other Gulf states and Israel could work together and create some sort of mutual air defense program. Is that in the works?

KIRBY: One of the things that we are interested in doing is taking a look at air defense capabilities in the region and the degree to which they can be better integrated, better networked because everybody shares the concern in this part of the world about the growing ballistic missile capability of Iran.

And back to what we were talking about before, I note that Israel already has been conducting exercises, maritime and air exercises with some of their Arab partners. So, there is a lot of that integration starting now. We would like to see it continue.

BLITZER: But do you think something substantive along those lines will emerge from the president's visit to Saudi Arabia?

KIRBY: I do not want to get too far ahead of the discussions that we are going to be having here in the region. We just arrived. But, clearly, one of the things that the president is going to be interested in pursuing is ways in which we can better help further the deeper integration of Israel in the region.

BLITZER: As you know, there has been a lot of controversy about the president's visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Is the president going to be having an upfront meeting like that in terms of pictures and shaking hands and all of that?

KIRBY: Well, we've been talking about this for a while, Wolf. I mean, he is going to be meeting with King Salman and the leadership team.

BLITZER: King Salman is one thing but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is potential another.

KIRBY: He is also the defense minister of Saudi Arabia. So, I would fully expect that the president will be meeting with the crown prince, as well as other Saudi officials and leaders in the course of the bilateral discussions that we are going to be having there.

[18:10:03]

These are important discussions. There are a lot of issues right at stake to U.S. national security with respect to Saudi. Saudi has been a key partner now for 80 years. Saudi pilots with American pilots to go after ISIS in Iraq -- I'm sorry, Syria. Saudi sailors continue to sail with the United States Navy sailors in the Persian Gulf. There are key issues. Not to mention, and we talked about it briefly, but the war in Yemen, and see if we can extend the ceasefire a little bit longer.

So, the president is looking forward to having a very robust set of bilateral discussions with key Saudi leaders, and, of course, the crown prince is a key Saudi leader. I mean, he is the defense minister of the country.

BLITZER: Yes. But during the campaign, the president said that Saudi Arabia was a pariah and he wants to keep it as a pariah state.

KIRBY: Yes. The president was very clear in the wake of Mr. Khashoggi's killing, how he felt. And when he became president, Wolf, he was very clear about taking measures for accountability in the wake of Mr. Khashoggi's killing. He released the intelligence community's report, made that public. He issued some visa bans. We now call it the Khashoggi bans, been implemented 70 times. He sanctioned key Saudi officials. So, it was not like he didn't do anything. I mean, we did act to make it clear where the United States was with respect to Mr. Khashoggi's killing.

But he also said at the time, Wolf, we have to reorient this relationship but we don't want to rupture it. Saudi is a key partner. They are a leader in the region. They are now hosting the GCC. They were deeply involved in getting the ceasefire done in Yemen. So, there are many issues worth discussing with Saudi officials.

BLITZER: Before I let you go, will the president shake hands with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman?

KIRBY: The president is going to greet leaders from nine different nations there in Saudi Arabia. If you count leaders here, that takes you up even higher. You saw today when he got off the plane, there was a wide variety of ways that he greeted leaders. I mean, I am sure that he will greet the leaders in Saudi Arabia as appropriate.

BLITZER: Because he was shaking hands here in Israel a lot.

KIRBY: He shook hands, he bumped fists, he bumped elbows today. I mean, he did a little bit of all that things. Look, he is looking forward to the meetings and he is not all that concerned about the modalities of the actual greeting. That is not the point. The point are the issues. And he wants to focus on the national security issues that are at stake here in the region and are so important to the American people.

BLITZER: And there are certainly a lot at stake. John Kirby, thank you so much for taking a few moments with us. I appreciate it very much.

KIRBY: You bet.

BLITZER: Just ahead, stunning new U.S. inflation numbers. Prices are rising at the fastest pace in 40 years. We will talk about it with former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers as our live coverage from Jerusalem continues, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: President Biden arrived in Israel today to some very grim economic news. Inflation in the United States soaring at its fastest pace in 40 years, driven by skyrocketing prices for gas, food, housing, and more.

CNN's Brian Todd is working this story for us. Brian, Americans are really feeling the financial pinch of these surging prices.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are feeling it everywhere, Wolf, at the grocery store, here at the gas pumps. Consumers across the United States are telling us they are fatigued, frustrated by all this and they're still trying to figure out ways to adjust.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): Surging costs for gas, food and rent pushed inflation to a new four-decade high last month. Consumer prices are up 9.1 percent from a year before, further squeezing household budgets raising concerns of a recession.

MARK ZANDI, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MOODY'S ANALYTICS: The typical American household, they need to shell out almost $500 more a month to buy the same goods and services that they were buying a year ago because of this higher inflation, so, very painful.

TODD: At this gas station in Northern Virginia, motorists wonder how much more pain they can endure.

KRISTIN ALLSTADT, MOTORIST IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA: I do not feel like I have any confidence on when the prices are going to go down. So, it has been a little frustrating. MARK THAW, MOTORIST IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA: I'm used to spending like maybe $50 a week in gas. I'm just spending over like $120, $130 a week for gas.

TODD: Gas prices were up nearly 60 percent over the year, although in the past month, they have actually fallen about 8 percent, and at the grocery store.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here is a great example. These are normally paid $2 at the most, maybe $3.00 something a bag, $5.50 I believe.

TODD: Dairy prices are up 13.5 from a year ago, meat up 13.8 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I buy zero meat. There's no meat in here.

TODD: And just staying in your home or buying one is more expensive, home prices and rents up 5.6 percent from 2021.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to make a decision whether or not you're going to pay your rent or go buy some food.

TODD: And of these skyrocketing prices, gas, food and rent are necessities.

CATHERINE RAMPELL, WASHINGTON POST OPINION COLUMNIST: Those are areas that most Americans, particularly lower income Americans, cannot cut back on. So, if they're seeing the price of gasoline go up, they can't decide that they're going to stop commuting to work, right? They can't decide that they're going to stop picking up their kid from school.

TODD: The Federal Reserve can fight inflation by, again, hiking interest rates, but that also cools off the economy.

RAMPELL: The more aggressively they have to raise rates, the more aggressively they have to effectively stomp on the brakes, the higher the risk of recession becomes.

TODD: In the meantime, consumers are debating how they can change their habits to get by.

JENI BLESSMAN, MOTORIST IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA: I have changed my travel behavior and that I will try to cluster when I need to go far.

THAW: And I'm also in the process of buying an electric scooter so it will save me on gas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): What else can consumers do? Economist Mark Zandi says, for those people contemplating a big purchase, like a home or a new car, hold off until prices go down and inventory goes up. That will probably take at least a few more months. Wolf?

BLITZER: CNN's Brian Todd reporting for us, Brian, thank you very much.

Let's dig deeper right now into all of this. Joining us, the former U.S. treasury secretary, Larry Summers.

[18:20:01]

Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for joining us.

You were certainly one of the first voices to sound the alarm big time about the staggering inflation we are in the midst of right now. So, let me ask you, as you look ahead, should Americans expect to see any substantial relief anytime soon?

LAWRENCE SUMMERS, FORMER TREASURY SECRETARY: My guess is that inflation will be lower next year than it was this year and quite likely will be lower in 2024 than in 2023. But I think it's not going to be easy to bring inflation back to the kind of levels that we have become accustomed to in recent decades. We have let the genie out of the bottle and I think this is going to require quite significant dislocation in the economy to get it back.

I think it is welcome that the Fed is signaling a very strong desire to move with respect to inflation and to tighten. But it is much later than it should have been and there's going to be a substantial cost for that.

BLITZER: Well, do you think -- am I hearing correctly? Do you think inflation will remain at these very high levels throughout the rest of this year?

SUMMERS: My guess would be that there will be some decline as the year goes on. I think, as your report illustrated, gas prices have come down in the last several weeks. That was not reflected at all in the CPI report today.

But, Wolf, I think the more fundamental issue is not gas prices, which will always fluctuate and will fluctuate associated with events, like the Ukraine war. I think the more fundamental issue is what the vast majority of the goods and services people are buying and what is happening with them.

And there, we have for many years, basically not been able to think about inflation very much. Gas prices go up a couple percent a year but it is just not a big thing for people and I think we have lost that. And we have lost that in the last couple of years. And it is terribly, terribly important that we get it back but experience suggests that getting it back takes time and is not easy.

I, like most economists, prefer to look at what is called core inflation. That is the product that aren't like oil or wheat bouncing all over the place each month. And core inflation was faster last month than over the previous three months, faster over the previous three months than over the previous six months, and faster over the previous six months than over the previous 12 months. That is not a situation that is in good and satisfactory control.

And so I think people are right to be worried about it. They are right to insist that the Fed take strong actions. I think there are things the administration can do. They have been talking for six months about reducing tariffs to help U.S. consumers. It has not happened yet. There are things that can be done to allow, in the short run, more pumping of natural gas and drilling for oil so that we increase supply and bring down those prices. Those steps need to be taken as part of our transition to renewables. We can take a stronger posture with respect to pharmaceutical prices that so often are much more expensive in this country than they are in other countries.

So, there are things we can do that will make a contribution to bringing down inflation but it is going to take time. And just as the body does not mobilize its immune system to fight a disease without experiencing -- without the patient experiencing a fever, I think we are likely to see a downturn and recession in the not-too-distant future.

[18:25:06]

BLITZER: Yes, that's what a lot of people are worried about right now, in addition to inflation, a possible recession here in the United States.

The former treasury secretary, Larry Summers, thanks so much for joining us.

SUMMERS: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, the chairman of the January 6 committee now revealing the specific kind of information his investigators have agreed to share with the U.S. Justice Department.

We are live here in Jerusalem, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: January 6th select committee is now sharing new information about its cooperation with the U.S. Justice Department's criminal investigation of the insurrection and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Here is CNN Congressional Correspondent Ryan Nobles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tonight, January 6th Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson revealing what they are handing over to the Department of Justice.

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): Well, the only issue that we've engaged them on is the list of fraudulent electors.

NOBLES: The committee and DOJ prosecutors had been at a standstill but the committee reluctant to hand over their work of more than a year-and-a-half, and prosecutors eager for the information as their investigation expands. And the DOJ's interest in information on the plot to submit fake electors from key swing states may be just the beginning, Thompson said.

THOMPSON: We have to exchange what they're interested in. And once we establish the process right now, the exchange is them coming in and doing what is called an in-camera (ph) review and we'll go from there.

NOBLES: The committee is looking ahead to what could be their biggest hearing yet planned for prime time next week. They plan to focus on the 187 minutes of the Capitol siege. Members have called Trump's dereliction of duty.

Meanwhile, questions are swirling about Vice Chair Liz Cheney's bombshell revelation at the end of Tuesday's hearing.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): President Trump tried to call a witnessed in our investigation, a witness who have not yet seen in these hearings. That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump's call and instead alerted their lawyer to the call. Their lawyer alerted us. And this committee has supplied that information to the Department of Justice.

NOBLES: Committee members still reluctant to provide more information as to why believe this might be witness intimidation. Thompson pointing out the committee is yet to depose this witness and they do not expect to present this person in a public hearing, but said we'd learn more soon.

REPORTER: Do you think you will ever reveal anything more about it or --

THOMPSON: I'm certain we will.

NOBLES: As the committee prepares for their next hearing, one of their original targets, Steve Bannon, will be headed to trial for ignoring their subpoena. The website, Mother Jones, revealing never before heard audio of Bannon a week before the November election, laying out the plan for Trump to claim the election was stolen if it looked like he was losing.

STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP ADVISER: He's going to declare himself a winner. And so when you wake up Wednesday morning, it's going to be a firestorm.

No, because he's just going to sit right there and say they stole it.

NOBLES: Bannon now saying he will talk with the committee, but Thompson saying he needs to turn over documents they subpoenaed first.

THOMPSON: I would say before we engage Mr. Bannon at all, he would have to comply with that subpoena. That has not happened yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBLES (on camera): And the committee had been building toward this hearing next week as the final in the series of hearings where they were unveiling all their new information. But, today, the chairman, Bennie Thompson, telling us this may not be their last hearing. And if they get new information, they will be prepared to present that to the public. Wolf?

BLITZER: Very interesting indeed. Ryan Nobles up on Capitol, thank you very, very much.

Let's get some more on all of these developments with CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig and CNN Senior Political Correspondent Abby Phillip.

Elie, the select committee is finally working to get the U.S. Justice Department specific information on what is called the fake collector scheme. What does that tell you about what is happening behind the scenes at the Department of Justice?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Wolf, it is a good thing that the committee is now willing to share at least some of its evidence with DOJ. To its credit, the committee has developed compelling, important evidence. However, they should have turned it all over months ago when DOJ first asked. DOJ needs that information to complete investigations and its criminal prosecutions.

Also, however, this tells me that DOJ is lagging behind. DOJ should never be in this position. DOJ has every investigative advantage over the committee. And so it is really DOJ's own fault that they are in this posture of having to go hat and hands to the committee and begged for evidence.

BLITZER: Abby, does it feel like the select committee is doubling down on providing a roadmap, a specific roadmap to the Justice Department?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think, certainly, some of the earlier hearings, especially as it related to people like John Eastman and others who were a part of the legal planning for this kind of political coup, there is pretty clear evidence out there that what they did was knowingly illegal.

I think the committee still has a lot of work to do when it comes to showing that Trump's actions were willfully with the intent of actually causing violence at the Capitol.

[18:35:03]

They started that process, I think, at the hearing on Tuesday. But I think this next hearing that is going to be focused on all the things he was not doing on January 6th and doing on January 6 will provide, perhaps, even more information. And to Liz Cheney's point, she wants to make it clear Trump was at the center of all of this.

BLITZER: Yes, you make a good point.

The committee, Elie, is clearly concerned about former President Trump's phone call to a witness. Does their level of alarm suggest there is more to the story potentially?

HONIG: It does, Wolf. Donald Trump, no doubt, has a long history of tampering with and attempting to retaliate against witnesses. The committee was absolutely right to raise the alarm, as they did, because you need to deter people, you need to back people off from even trying this.

That said, it is important to note, if all they have is a call that went unreturned, that was not answered, that, in itself, is not going to be enough to support a criminal charge for witness tampering or witness intimidation. However, the committee absolutely did the right thing. They need to protect their witnesses and protect their investigation.

BLITZER: Abby, what else do you expect from next week's primetime hearing?

PHILLIP: Well, that focus on Trump's actions on January 6 will be, according to the committee, supported by Pat Cipollone, the former White House counsel's testimony. He sat with them for almost eight hours last Friday. A lot of that testimony is going to be used in this upcoming hearing.

And given that the committee really raised the expectations and said, you know, Cipollone provided everything that we were looking for, he corroborated a lot of the existing testimony, there is a really high bar here for what they are going to present.

And I think that he, as a character in all of this, is someone who is there for so much inside the White House and engaging with these outsiders. So, I think that's going to be a really key focus next week.

BLITZER: Yes, I think you are right. Abby Phillip, Elie Honig, guys, thank you very, very much.

Just ahead, leaked surveillance video of the Uvalde school shooting sparking fresh anguish and a lot of outrage.

Our live coverage from Jerusalem continues, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: Tonight, fresh anguish and lots of outrage among the families of the 21 victims of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting following the surprise release of surveillance video showing police inexplicably waiting more than an hour to confront the gunmen.

CNN Crime and Justice Correspondent Shimon Prokupecz has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Parents of children killed in the Uvalde school massacre outraged after a nearly published surveillance video recorded inside Robb Elementary during the massacre was made public.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do you think you are to release footage like that of our children who can't even speak for themselves, but you want to go ahead and air their final moments to the entire world? What makes you think that's okay?

PROKUPECZ: The Austin American-Statesman newspaper obtained the video and released an edited version, giving a glimpse into the horrific attack on May 24th. Later, the publication post of the entire 1 hour 22-minute video to their YouTube account with the screams of children, the most horrifying audio edited out.

At 11:33 A.M., the gunman enters the school and walks down the hallway. A student spots the gunmen and screams for help. According to the Statesman, the gunman fired his AR-15 style rifle inside two classrooms for 2.5 minutes. Authorities say more than 100 rounds were fired.

11:36 A.M., seven armed police officers enter the hallway, three minutes after the gunman entered the school.

11:37 A.M., a minute later, more shots were fired and police can be seen retreating and taking cover.

At 11:52, 19 minutes after the gunman entered the school, more officers arrived, heavily armed, some with tactical shields.

At 12:04, 31 minutes after the gunman entered the school, law enforcement is still waiting with at least 19 officers in the hallway.

At 12:21, 45 minutes after police arrived, the gunman fires another four shots and police start to move down the hallway again.

At 12:27, officers gave a fist bump.

At 12:37, another officer is seen using the hand sanitizer.

At 12:43 and 12:47, more 911 calls to send police, 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. A fourth grade teacher, Arnie Reyes, who was shot inside one of those classrooms where 11 of his students died, said help came too late.

ARNULFO REYES, ROBB ELEMENTARY TEACHER/SCHOOL SHOOTING SURVIVOR: For them not to do anything is like -- I mean, it is mind blowing because they had a lot of time.

PROKUPECZ: The reporter from the Statesman who acquired the video said they contacted some families who want to publish in the name of transparency. It comes after a swirl of misinformation has plagued the investigation, angering and frustrating a grieving community. After seven weeks, investigators were due to show the video to the families on Sunday and release it to public shortly after.

[18:45:00]

ADRIAN ALONZO, UNCLE OF SCHOOL SHOOTING VICTIM: They told us that the video would be shown to family on Sunday and released to the public, yet we log on Facebook and it's there for the whole world to see before we even saw it.

PROKUPECZ: Some parents said the added to the trauma.

JAVIER CAZARES, FATHER OF SCHOOL SHOOTING VICTIM: They didn't have our permission. These families didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it. That's a slap to our babies' faces. We're tired of this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PROKUPECZ (on camera): And, Wolf, on Sunday, just a few days, family members will be gathering in Uvalde where there will be viewing the video. They will have authority present as well as some of the state legislatures answering some of their questions -- Wolf.

BLITZER: It is so, so heartbreaking to see that. Shimon Prokupecz, thank you very much for that report.

Coming up, health officials are issuing new warnings right now about the most transmissible COVID variant yet. This is information you need to know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:18]

BLITZER: We have news just coming into THE SITUATION ROOM regarding protests outside the homes of U.S. Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts.

CNN law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild is in Chevy Chase, Maryland, for us. That's just outside of Washington, D.C.

Whitney, after weeks of allowing protestors to demonstrate, tonight, authorities will begin enforcing disturbing the peace laws. Explain what that means.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, what it means is that protesters can come out here and protest quietly but they cannot bring out bull horns. They can't bring out drums. They can't come out screaming in the street.

And one of the reasons for that, Wolf, again, is that the Montgomery police is going to be enforcing this disorderly conduct statue. But Montgomery County police tell me that after several weeks of protests here, these noisy protests, they have received a flood of complaints from neighbors.

So, now, they are saying to protestors, you can come out here and protest peacefully and protest quietly, but if you don't abide by this disorderly conduct statue, you may face arrest -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Very interesting. Whitney Wild, reporting for us, thank you very much. Now let's turn to new warnings about the most transmissible COVID-19

variant yet, BA.5 is spreading rapidly and driving up the COVID case count across the United States.

Joining us now, CNN medical analyst, Dr. Leana Wen.

Dr. Wen, thank you so much for joining us.

Is there any evidence this subvariant is more severe or causes different symptoms?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It is not more severe than previous variants. And the great news is that the current vaccines that we have still protect very well against severe illness due to BA.5. And so, the single most takeaway for people, make sure that you're up to date on your vaccines and boosters.

In terms of symptoms, there are a lot of atypical symptoms associated with COVID. So in addition with fever, cough, shortness of breath, there's fatigue, sore threat, headache. Anecdotally, we're seeing some of this more with BA.5. So, if you have any of these symptoms, especially if you have known exposure, make sure you get tested right away.

BLITZER: So what steps, Dr. Wen, should Americans take with this new subvariant clearly on the rise right now?

WEN: The single most important thing is to get vaccinated and boosted if you have not already. About half of American adults have not even received their first booster dose and they should get that as soon as possible.

Then, also have a plan for what happens if you do contract COVID. Are you eligible for Paxlovid, where can you get it from? And if you are somebody who's immunocompromised, you could be eligible for the preventive antibody Evusheld, that further reduces your chance of hospitalization or death by 90 percent. So know your options, prepare for what happenings if you do contract this virus.

BLITZER: The FDA, as you know, just authorized a new COVID vaccine option for Americans, Novavax. What makes this vaccine different and who should consider getting it?

WEN: This is the fourth vaccine that is now authorized as a primary series here in the U.S. I think that's great news. It's great that we have additional options, especially for something that's slightly different. It's a different type of a platform than the vaccines that we already have, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

I think if you're not vaccinated at this point, you really should get any of these four vaccines authorized. But, ultimately, what I really look forward to with Novavax is the studies on how is it used as a booster? It could be really useful for enhancing protection for those who are already vaccinated.

BLITZER: Good point. Dr. Leana Wen, thank you very, very much. And we'll have more news just ahead. President Biden saying just how

far he'll go to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Our live coverage from here in Jerusalem continues next.

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[18:58:23]

BLITZER: President Biden now says he would use force, quote, as a last resort to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

CNN's Hadas Gold is joining us. She's here in Jerusalem with us right now.

There's no doubt, I suspect, that when the president meets with Israel leaders tomorrow, Iran will be a major source, major topic of discussion.

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For the Israelis, Iran is one of the top if not the top issue that they want to discuss with President Biden and the other officials here. They want the Americans to exert maximum pressure on Iran. They've long been opposed to returning to the Iranian nuclear deal, and they really want to hear from the Americans and push them on a coherent strategy, a plan B on what they can do to counter Iran if diplomacy fails.

For the Israelis, they don't feel like the nuclear deal does enough. They're especially worried that if the assets are unfrozen, that it will just give Iran free rein to support who Israel considers terrorist organization, Hezbollah these types of regional threat actors that really are part of the reason that's pushing a lot of these Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, potentially, is because of this shared concern about Iranian threats.

But President Biden, in this interview with the Israeli Channel 12, was still advocating for a return to a deal. He said the only thing worse than an Iran that exists now is an Iran with a nuclear weapon. By returning to the deal, he said they can hold them tight. But he did seem to offer this really -- a little bit of reassurance about the potential to use force. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INTERVIEWER: In the past, you said you would do anything, and you said it again, that you'll insure Iran would not acquire nuclear weapons. Does that also mean, sir, that you would use force against Iran? Is that what that means if needed?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If that was the last resort, yes.

INTERVIEWER: Uh-huh.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GOLD: Now, also tomorrow, we are expecting the two leaders, Yair Lapid and President Biden to sign what they're calling the Jerusalem Declaration, and in this declaration, there will include an American commitment that Iran will never be able to obtain a nuclear weapon, and Israel will also defend itself by itself always if needed.

BLITZER: There's going to be a lot of news tomorrow.

Hadas, thank you very, very much.

Hadas Gold, reporting for us.

And to our viewers, thank you very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.