when i was over here. i wouldn't have to take a fest test if i want to get a gun. whoever thought that was a great idea is an idiot. >> the team expressed its deep et si est sympathies and all the pro teams released statements expressing haitheir condolences. bears calling the shooting senseless and dischris fall. and you heard hendricks there calling it baffling as well and i think that he is just vocalizing what a lot of people feel this morning. >> simply a tragedy. thank you very much. and i'm christine romans. "new day's" coverage starts right now. ♪ good morning to our viewers in the united states and all

around the world, i'm john berman in highland, park, illinois, about 25 miles north of chicago. brianna keilar in new york this morning. behind me is the scene where now 24 hours ago six people were killed in a fourth of july parade. another 25 injured. and you can see the street behind me, it's a moment frozen in time. it was 10:15 a.m. where a shooter opened fire from a rooftop two blocks hence. but you can see the streets here littered with the beach chairs, towels, i see a frisbee, a beach ball, frozen in time, where people fled in every direction when they heard dozens of gunshots ring out from that roof. now, police say the shooter got to the roof from a back alley using a ladder, they called the shooting intentional, but random. now, eight hours after the shooting itself police did apprehend a person they're calling a person of interest.

they also called this 22-year-old man a suspect. they got him after a short police chase. police got him on a road about five miles from here in lake forest. very close after he was spotted on the road by one police officer. this 25-year-old person of interest, or suspect, as the police are calling him, has a history of posting videos that do seem to tend towards the violence. in one video, this suspect, person of interest, posted it, called are you awake, he had a stick figure there dressed in gear, looking like a shooter voicing over saying i need to just do it. it is my destiny. in another video, you can see the same stick figure on the ground in a puddle of blood surrounded by police officers. those are just some of the investigative threads that police are looking at to try to determine what led up to this

shooting again that killed six injured. 25 more luckily have been released from the hospital. brianna, i do understand we are now learning the identity of one of the victims. >> that's right. former preschool teacher jackie sunjohn has been identified by her synagogue as a life long congregant and a member of their staff. the north shore congregation israel says there are no words to express the words of grief for jackie's death and sympathy for her family and loved ones. this is the eighth mass shooting more than that governor j.b. pritzer has seen enough. >> if you're angry today, i'm here to tell you be angry. i'm furious. i'm furious that yet more innocent lives were taken by gun violence. i'm furious that their loved ones are forever broken by what took place today.

i'm furious that children and their families have been trau traumatized. while we celebrate the fourth of july just once a year, mass shootings have become our weekly, yes, weekly american tradition. >> all right. let's get the very latest on the investigative threads and the aftermath from here. adrienne broaddus joins me here on the scene. one thing people have to know, there have been people coming to this parade from decades and decades from all the towns around here. this is where everyone wants to be on the 4th. >> reporter: yes, i spoke to a lady who said she's been coming here since a little girl with her father. as you mentioned a chair, a stroller, all items left behind. a little relief after that person of interest was taken into custody. but this morning, the reality is beginning to set in, especially as people learn the names of the

victims that adds another layer of grief. ♪ as americans across the country celebrated the fourth of july, shots rang out monday from a rooftop in highland park. a suburb north of chicago. >> it was the loudest thing i've heard that's not like natural. it was a lot -- and it was just endless. >> reporter: on the ground, this video shows the chaos as people who attended the parade ran for their lives. at least six people were killed. and more than two dozen sent to hospitals, some in serious condition. their ages ranging from 8 to 85 years old. >> of the 25 who came in with gunshot wound, 19 of those individuals were able to be treated and actually discharged home, after they had had their full medical evaluation and treatment. several others did arrive in more serious conditions and did have to be admitted.

>> reporter: many witnesses including a state part that described the scene as frantic. >> we saw there were a couple women came running back through the parade screaming, crying saying there was a shooter. it still just didn't ring true with me. then there was a wave of people, hundreds of people carrying kids and dads. and all people running, weaving between the cars, running back away from the parade. >> reporter: zoe attended the parade with her father and said she and others initially thought the pops were fireworks. but she sensed something was wrong. >> just grabbed my dad and we ran. suddenly everyone was running behind us. there was a girl just dead. another man was shot in the ear, blood all over his face. it's so surreal, it's complete shot. >> reporter: danelle pettybone

was at the parade with a le relative. she described the moment she learned what had happened. >> i woke up to a text saying we were just involved in a shooting in highland park but we're all okay, sophia's okay. that could have been her. it tears me apart. >> reporter: a manhunt immediately ensued and by monday evening, police took into custody, robert e. crimo iii. this video capturing the moment the suspect was taken into custody. crimo posted several online music videos on major streaming outlets and a personal website. at least three of those music videos feature troubling lyrics and scenes depicting gun violence. the videos appear to have been posted in 2021. just days after signing into law the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades,

president joe biden responding to yet another mass shooting. >> we got a lot more work to do. we got to get this under control. >> reporter: and this morning, tributes are beginning to pour in for that former preschool teacher. one woman writing on facebook that she was a member of her beloved congregation. and she said she helped coordinate her wedding. most memorable for her, she says she remembers miss jackie smiling at her, fixing her veil and you know how important that is for a bride, and opening the doors as she walked down the aisle to her beloved. >> cherished memory to be sure now tinged with sadness, that's for sure. adrienne broaddus thank you for the report. we'll get you the latest on the investigation. let's bring in former fbi andy mccabe, a cnn law enforcement

analyst. andy, they got a person they're calling a person of interest and suspect. about eight hours after the shooting itself yesterday evening. what are they doing this morning? >> well, john, you know, your viewers can probably tell me just as well what they're doing this morning because we've been through this so many times. but what the fbi and local police are doing right now is building out, first of all, a time line of events leading up to this attack. so they are sorting through every piece of evidence they can find about the shooter. you heard already about some of the information they found about his online presence. the music videos and other things he posted on youtube. they're really looking at messages, text messages, communications he may have had with friends, associates or family members. and they want to understand when did they arm himself. when did he start thinking about this attack. at what point did he start taking steps to prepare for it. to understand every single step he took that led them to this horrible tragedy. that information is not

necessary specifically to prosecute him for the crimes but it is necessary to understand the path to radicalization, what brought this young man to this moment. in addition to that they're, of course, collecting all the physical evidence that ties him to the shooting. whether that was a gun allegedly left on the scene or other pieces of evidence that may have been the car he was arrested in. >> is there was a gun recovered at the scene, andy, you've no doubt heard the audio and video from the shooting itself. what are they going to be looking at in terms of this weapon that we've been told is a high-powered rifle. >> sure. so, they'll first trace the weapon to understand its last legal transfer. so that would be from a firearms dealer to a person who purchased it. that might be the shooter. or it could be someone else. that's important to know the kind of lineage of the firearm to see ifs there was an illegal transfer of the gun at some point. that could lead to charges, for

instance, a straw buyer that got the gun to the shooter. is that person might be looking at some criminal liability as well. they're going to want to understand how that gun was fired. we've heard that video numerous times now. you can hear the shots were going quickly. it's likely, it's probably just a semi-automatic rifle, meaning one bullet per trigger pull. but it's possible it may have been modified to make it illegal as a fully automatic rifle. that could lead to additional charges. so that gun is an important source of information as well. >> all right. andy, you heard the reporting on these videos, these music videos. some of them which have violent imagery, stick figures that are either about to be shooting or on the ground with blood. what do investigators do with that? and also, andy, the fact that they're calling this person a person of interest and a suspect. they seem awfully certain they

have the person who did this in custody. what do you think makes them so certain? >> well, john, calling that person a suspect is when you are convinced beyond any doubt that you have tied, physically tied, this person to that shooting scene. whether that's recovering his fingerprints from the weapon that you know was used. or maybe if he was captured on video surveillance accessing the crime scene or something like that. so they're just being exceedingly cautious in referring to him as a person of interest. we all know this is the suspect, the person they're looking for responsible for this crime as far as the videos are concerned, you know, they might help the prosecution in terms of showing is that he had a foreknowledge of what he was doing, that he had planned these events, things like that. really, it goes mostly to the things we talk add be first. putting you inside the mind of this killer, developing a better

understanding of how this mass shooting took place. what pushed this individual to take this horrible step. the more we can understand that, the better we may be positioned to prevent acts like this in the future. >> and that's the goal. andy mccabe, thank you so much for being with us. >> thanks, john. >> brianna. in philadelphia, two veteran police officers were shot and injured just before the fourth july fireworks were starting there while working security detail on the benjamin franklin parkway. the gunfire set off a chaotic scene of people running for their lives in the birth of our nation's fourth of july. cnn's jean casarez is here. jean, do they know who started this? >> no, they are in the preliminary aspect of this investigation. and it was a philadelphia highway patrol after that was grazed in the head. and montgomery county sheriff's

officer hit by a bullet in the shoulder. they were both taken to the hospital. as brianna just told you, people panicked, and started running ironically down benjamin franklin parkway. and when it was all finished, the mayor of philadelphia stood up and gave a presser. i want you to listen to what he said. >> if i had the ability to take care of guns i would. but the legislature won't let us. the u.s. congress won't let us. the governor does the best that he can. our attorney general does the best he can. but this is a gun country. it's crazy. we're the most armed country in world history. and we're one of the least safest. so, you know, until americans decide that they want to give up the guns and give up the opportunity to get guns we're going to have this problem. >> and they do not have, at this point, anyone in custody. they are still looking for whom

may have done this. the officers were taken to the hospital. last word, they were in stable condition. over the weekend there was another slant given by our mayor in new york city eric adams because people were enjoying pre-fourth of july celebrations, someone took out a gun and randomly shooting at police. there was a corrections officer who took out an arm and shot at the shooter. that stopped it, but eric adams said to the press, law enforcement are doing their job. however, we need the courts to do their job. he said the shooter in new york had been sentence for robbery with a firearm and was out on sentencing and obviously using that firearm again. >> i think you can sub in any

mayor any of major city, right there to the mayor of philadelphia. they're all going through this. jean, thank you so much. please don't forget about me. that is a desperate plea from brittney griner to president biden from inside a russian prison. and we'll also have more on the man attending the parade and had to flee for his life with his two sons, one who has special needs. their harrowing story is next. if anyone obobjects to this marriage... (emu squawks) kevin, no! nonot today. only p pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ only at vanguard you're more than just an investor you're an owner. that means that your priorities are ours too. our interactivtools and advice n help you build a future for the ones you love. that's the value of ownership. is this where your grg with a jitteug? or return from war, dreaming of t possibilities ahead.

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and when you book and pay throug you're covered by our happiness check out angi.com today. angi... and done. welcome back. i'm john berman in highland park, illinois, about 25 miles north of chicago. i'm actually standing on the parade route. this is where yesterday at 10:15 the parade had already begun, it was well under way. people marching by right here. when a gunman opened fire from a rooftop about two blocks behind me, killing six people, wounding 25 more.

hundreds if not thousands of people have come here from all of the neighboring towns to be part of this parade, many of whom had come for generations. one of the people here was paul tobak. he was here with his adult children, one of whom has special needs. they were watching the parade. and paul joins me now. give me a sense, you were standing literally. >> right. >> almost right here. what happened? >> so the parade started off typically, everyone was happy and smiling as the parade was five minutes in, all of a sudden we heard a noise. i thought for a second it's a firecracker, you heard this scenario before, people weren't sure what it was. it was too fast and too quick. my son said no, that's gunfire. >> your 18-year-old said said it was gunfire? >> yeah, which is say sad he needily knew. i turned with my girlfriend and my two sons, my one son is in a

wheelchair. we turned and literally time stood still. we saw the crowd running down the street screaming. it was mass hysteria, people were running in droves on the tracks. i pushed my son's wheelchair. and it collapsed on the pavement. my young son picks up my older son and rand. he ran for our life. >> your younger son carried his brother? >> yeah, there were a lot of heroes. there were heroes this day but he was one of them. >> your son with special needs he was here in a wheelchair. he likes to watch people? >> yeah, he doesn't walk or run. he was laughing. all of a sudden, everything changed. we heard this scenario too many times in america but we lived it in a place like everyone says you can't imagine what happened here to you, but it happened

again and to us. >> was he scared? >> he was. because we toppled on top of each other. we were literally rolling on the street. the wheelchair collapsed. until we could scoop him up and get him out of here. we didn't know, we just ran. >> what do you think is happening at a moment like that? >> for a second, i didn't believe it. my younger son believed it more than i did. your instinct takes over. you can't remember whether you're supposed to shelter or run. an and we ran. >> at that time, there was a gunman on the loose? >> right. we couldn't triangulate the location. or running down, it was terrifying, we ran for our lives 18 hours ago right here. >> how far did you run? >> a block and a half, our car was parked. got in the car, closed the doors and out of here, people were

scattering. he was on the loose for eight hours, we sheltered in place, windows closed. shades drawn, nobody knew. >> how are both your sons this morning? >> well, my older son with special needs was actually pretty aware of what happened. my younger son, in my mind, he was a hero, but we're all a little shaken. it's hard to believe this happened only 18 hours ago. i think we're all a little shaky and unsettled is probably the best way to describe it. >> i'm sure you're proud of both your sons. i'm sure they're proud of you also. >> thank you. >> i'm sorry you had to come through this. you've been coming to this parade for years. >> it speaks to society. you can't be in a society that you can't go to a fourth of july parade and not be comfortable or go to school. the mass shootings with the high-grade weapons it has to stop. >> i hope you're back next year.

>> thank you. appreciate it. akron, ohio, is on edge as police released video of police shooting a man dozens of times. and a u.s. correspondent was likely killed by military gunfire. wewe have the details ahead. it's time for our lowest prprices of the season on the sleep number 360 smart bed. why choose proven quality sleep from sleep number? because every green thumb, 5k, and all-day dance party starts the night before. the sleep number 360 smart bed senses your movements and automatically adjusts to help keep you both comfortable all night and help you get almost 30 minutes more restful sleep per night. sleep number takes care ofu have to do is sleep. and now, the queen sleep number 3602 smart bed is only $899. only for a limited time. to learn more, go to sleeumber.com.

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akron with the latest. polo. >> reporter: good morning to you, brianna, as it begins to rain in downtown akron, i can tell you that actual curfew has been actually allowed to expire. the results have been a quiet evening, obviously, no obvious signs, in sharp contrast to what we witnessed yesterday morning when residents here in the city of akron woke up to damaged store fronts to vandalized city property. and at least 50 arrests which actually took place on sunday night into monday. the charges of these individuals ranging anything from a failure to disperse, to rioting, a combination of residents from the city and also from surrounding communities but again, last night, though, a very different story. as it appears that that curfew that was implemented yesterday and will be in place indefinitely by city officials seemed to work. we have to remember that the walker -- jayland walker's family has been joining city officials and pleading with the

public to remain peaceful and patient as the investigation into last week's shooting of their son is now in the hands of ohio's bureau of criminal investigation. a process that the family's attorney told me could last anywhere from 60 to 90 days. so, ultimately, they are the ones that will have to determine whether or not the use of force that was exhibited by those eight officers that opened up with a barrage of bullets shooting and killing that 25-year-old in those actions were justified. the officers maintained that the lethal force and shots fired does seem to be consistent with the use of force policy in the city, as well as the officers' training. brianna, back to you. >> another expert wondering why it required several shots on the part of each officer there. certainly a lot of disagreement on this. polo sandoval live in akron, thank you so much. after a deadly mass shooting at a july 4th parade in chicago, soft targets across america are

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welcome back. i'm john berman in highland park, illinois. this is cnn's special live coverage. it was here again, not 24 hours ago, this fourth of july parade was going down the street. i'm standing right in the parade route. this is actually the pivot point where the parade took a left-hand turn, went down this street, and it was two blocks there where a gunman opened fire from a rooftop, killing six people and wounding more. you can see it's frozen in time as hundreds fled the scene in every direction. a person that the police are calling a suspect and a person of interest was apprehended about eight hours after the shooting, yesterday evening, after a short chase. he was taken into custody on a road about five miles from here. police at one point, pulled him down on the ground, leaning on his back. he is now in custody, 22 years

old. investigators this morning going through this suspect, or person of interest, as they're calling him, his history online, including some videos that had violent tendencies. stick figures depicted in gear and a voiceover that said, i just need to go ahead and do it. i need to just do it. it is my destiny. another video which shows the same stick figure on the ground in a puddle of blood surrounded by police officers. that is what police are looking at. again, they had a weapon in hand. they had a weapon in hand before they actually had this person of interest what they're called a high-powered rifle. this morning still trying to determine how this person of interest, or how the shooter got ahold of this gun. whether it was purchased illegally and exactly what kind of gun it is. six people dead. 25 injured. most of those injured have now been released from the hospital.

but those shot range in age from 5 to 85, brianna. >> yeah, john, just like that father you were speaking to earlier basically said to you if it can happen there, it can happen anywhere. i think a lot of people are looking at that and they're fearful for that. let's talk about that is a security offer, he's the author of prepared not scared" former nypd officer. bill stanton. i've got to be honest, bill, people can be prepared and scared, are they not? large gatherings there's going to be a ton of them this summer. what do people need to know? >> well, it's called situational awareness. i mean, this is a tragedy that happened. and it can in fact happen anywhere. and people need to understand that. you know, bad things, unfortunately, happen to good people. now, what do we do about that? you have that situational awareness. take about five minutes your time if you're going to go to an area, scan, be aware, do the what if scenarios in your head.

suppose there was someone driving recklessly down the middle of a parade, what can i do? where can i situate nice? if there's a shooter, an ashct terrorism, they may be funning me in there. what do i do? find a play, preplanned, tell the group i'm with, god forbid something happens we get separated is this our meeting point. >> this is something you do every time you go to a movie, go to a parade, go to a concert? these are things we do almost every day, right? >> well good habits are hard to break like bad habits. i want you to be prepared, not scared. i go to a restaurant. before i take my seat, i'll do a walk around the restaurant and i'll see where the extra exit is just in case. >> just in case. i also want to ask you as you're

looking at this situation in highland park, this suspect, or this person of interest was on a roof. are we to the point where even something like a hometown parade, you have to start having police positioned on roofs? or you start looking at the roof of different buildings around you when you're at an event like this? >> it's a tough question. it's really not feasible. because if someone were to go to the roof, he just saw the opportunity, in my opinion -- he saw a ladder. and let me take that ladder and that would get me a good vantage point. if he walked right in the middle of the parade and just went around in a circle, arguably, he would have done more damage. so it's incumbent upon us all to deputize ourselves, be our inner security. if someone would have seen him with the rifle, let's say, or

seen him with a ladder and just questioned or called up law enforcement, it may have been a different situation. >> bill, thank you so much. people want to feel like this is out of control. >> empower yourself. >> bill stanton, we appreciate it. an emotional plea to president biden from wnba star brittney griner detained in russia and terrified that she may be there forever. how the white house is responding. and a major update on the death of a palestinian american journalist. while the u.s. said that israel is responsible for the killing of shireen abu akleh, we're live in jerusalem, next. and a blowtorch. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. l liberty. ♪ what if i sleep hot? ...or cold? no problem. the sleep number 360 smart bed is temperature balancing, so you both stay comfortable and can help you get almost 30 minutes more restful sleep penight. and now, the queen sleep number 360 csmart bed is only $899.

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i'm john berman in highland park, illinois. more of our special coverage from here in just a minute. but first, another major story we're following this morning. brittney griner, the wnba star, one of the great basketball players on earth, with an emotional letter, a plea, really, to president bidenn on july 4th from inside her russian prison cell where she's been

held for nearly two months charged with possession of cannabis. a trial for these charges began just on friday. let's get right to kylie atwood at the state department with much more on the content of this letter. kylie. >> yeah, john, brittney griner in this letter that was delivered to president biden yesterday wrote about just how different this july 4th was for her in russian prison. of course, she said it has been painfully different because she's used to being in the united states celebrating american freedom, celebrating american veterans. she spoke about how her father was a vietnam war veteran. now, she's in prison. one of the powerful excerpts from this letter she talked about how fearful it is that she could be detained there a long time. she said in this letter to president biden, quote, as i sit near a russian prison alone with my thoughts and without protection of my wife, family,

friends, olympic jersey or any accomplishments i'm terrified i might be here forever. i realize you're dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other american detainees. please do all you can to bring us home. and, of course, she spoke about missing her wife, missing her family. missing her american basketball colleagues here in the united states. and she also told president biden that she voted for him in 2020. she said she hasn't voted in the past, but she said shas a lot more to do with her american freedom. essentially saying she needs to get out of russian prison to get back here in the united states, to be with her family, so she can do more with that power that she as an individual has. it's interesting to see to watch how her family has come out much more publicly in the last few weeks to call on the biden administration to bring home brittney griner, just last week, sharelle griner, he wife, spoke

to abby phillip of cnn said, with the biden administration, their rhetoric has not matched their actions in bringing her home. the national security council at the white house responded to this letter penned to president biden saying the president has been very clear that all americans wrongfully detained abroad must come home and said that the administration is working aggressively to make sure they come home with all means available. brittney griner had a trial last week in russia. she has another weren't this week. of course, we'll be watching that incredibly closely, john. >> kylie atwood at the state department, that letter from brittney griner, sharelle griner herself would like to speak to president biden, obviously, this family is pushing hard to get brittney griner back to the united states. brianna. the shot that killed al jazeera correspondent shireen

abu akleh was likely fired by the israeli military but no reason to believe she was deliberately targeted. cnn's hadas gold is live in jerusalem. hadas, what have you learned and how is this perceived with israelis and palestinians? >> reporter: this the first time that the biden administration is picking up information on what happened on the day shireen abu akleh was covering in may. a ballistic examination of the bullet was inclusive because of how badly damaged the bullet was matched to a weapon that was used. both the palestinian and israeli investigation, they came to the conclusion that it was most likely israeli gunfire is what will caused her death, but they have no reason to believe it was intentional saying it was, rather, the result of tragic circumstances during a military

operation. what this conclusion is met with anger from palestinian authorities and from abu akleh's family. saying that they want to hold them responsible. and saying it's still possible to match the bullet to the weapon. and her family, they say they're incre incredulous, take a listen to what her niece had to say. >> we were expecting that such an investigation would actually hold the perpetrator accountable and carry out a transparent investigation that is free from any political pressure. however, that is not the case. in addition, we continue to call on the u.n. and icc to carry out an investigation and hold israel accountable and put an end to this protest impunity that israel continues to enjoy. we call for justice. >> now the israeli prime minister, the new prime minister

saying he's expressing sorrow for her death. that the idf is not able to conclude who shot her but they do know that they would not intentionally harm a journalist. the u.s. military investigation is continuing. and any criminal investigation would only be opened after their own operational examination is concluded. they have not said when they think that will be wrapped up, brianna. >> hadas gold live for us in jerusalem, thank you so much. i do want to head back to highland park, illinois, right now, where john berman is covering the aftermath of a shooting of a 22-year-old in custody in connection with it. john. >> yeah, in custody, apprehended about eight hours after the shooting itself. we're getting more information this morning on the investigation. plus, new accounts of the moments of sheer terror on the street behind me. the moments after, where people fled, but also ran back to the scene to help others.

one doctor who treated people on the ground there, who this morning wants people to understand the power of the weapon that was used. our special live coverage continues right after this. [whiling] when you have technology that's easier to control... that can scale across all your clouds... we got that right? yeah, we got that.

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special featuring a wide mix of incredible musical guests across the country there as you can see including journey. in the meantime, the travel nightmare developing in the skies is far from over. after a weekend of airline chaos, it turned to a new morning. let's go to pete muntean live at reagan national airport. pete, we're seeing too much of each other this way, i will tell you. constantly, we're having problems at the airport, and you're telling us about it. >> reporter: it's almost like they won't let me leave reagan national airport. you know, brianna, this july 4th travel mess is not near as bad as it could have been. look at the numbers according to flight aware. more than 2200 flight cancellations from thursday to yesterday. they really peaked on saturday but let's put this into context. this is about half as bad as the weekend before the long july 4th holiday weekend. this is a big win for airlines. remember, they were under

mandates from transportation secretary pete buttigieg to have their acts together by july 4th. it's a big win for passengers. more than 9 million people screened at nation airports from friday to sunday. 2.9 million people on friday. that's the highest number we've seen since february 11th, 2020, a new pandemic-era travel record. it's also a huge win for workers. remember, they are often caught in the middle of these roving delays and cancellations. i want you to listen to sara nelson, the president of association of flight attendants who said this is good for agents, everybody at the airlines. >> oftentimes, crews are waiting for one, two, three, four hours to get in touch with a crew scheduler. that means if we're not getting our next assignment, we're timing out. we're very frustrated with the airlines coming back and operational support during this time too. >> reporter: brianna, remember, the root of all of this, airlines got a lot smaller over the pandemic in terms of workers and planes.

they were not allowed to furlough workers although they did offer voluntary outs and retirement packages. when that comes together with summer weather, that's when the deck of cards begins tumbling down and the cancellations begin piling up. we're not totally out of the woods this summer especially since the threat of summer weather is out there still and airlines are scrambling to hire. they're still a lot smaller than we saw back in 2019, brianna. >> pete, that means i look forward to seeing you again very soon. pete muntean live for us just outside of washington, d.c., thank you. president biden is facing criticism for suggesting that companies running gas stations are overcharging americans for gas. an zahn founder jeff bezos taking to twitter to say this, inflation is far too important an a problem for the white house to keep making statements like it. it's either straight ahead misdirection or a deep understanding of basic dynamics.

press secretary karine jean-pierre responding by saying oil prices have dropped by $15 over the past month. prices at the pump have barely come down. it's not basic dynamics, it's a market failing the american consumer. joining us now christine romans cnn's chief business correspondent and anchor of "early start," should the white house have doubled down on that tweet? >> look, joe biden wants lower gas prices and the people who sell gas also want lower gas prices. 145,000 of the gas stations that you and i frequent, those are independently owned when gas prices were racing higher earlier this spring, times a 20 cents holesale price overnight they would only pass on 10 cents per gallon. who is the competitor, the guy or gal across the street. they had to hold on to customer and raised prices more slowly as oil prices were soaring after the russian invasion. on the way down, they're trying to make up the margin.

this happens every time. it makes consumers feel they're getting cheated but what it is, many times, the small business owners are trying to make it up. those selling gas, the margins are very low. they want lower gas prices because when you have more money in your pocket you walk inside the convenience store and you buy other stuff. and they make more money on the candy bar than the gas. the margin is bigger on the candy bar than the gas. it's a complicated set of factors from the gas station to your gas tank. there's an awful lot of economicl companies are drillin the oil what's frustrating for the white house is what will be big profits for the igbig oil companies. for jane and jill just filling up their gas tanks, it they're looking to place the blame.