hello, and welcome to our viewers here, in the united states, and all around the world. i'm michael holmes. appreciate your company. now, coming up here on cnn "newsroom." the director of the fbi, urging americans to wake up, and get on the offense against the threat, that he is comparing to 9/11. also -- >> the country that i love, that i came in, that i have sacrificed so much, doesn't care about us. >> feeling abandoned, after republicans refuse to back a commission, to investigate the capitol insurrection.

capitol police officers are speaking out. and it doesn't have any teeth, but it's one of the world's most dangerous underwater predators. what it is, and why human beings are to blame. welcome, everyone. the u.s. government, warning that just about every facet of america's infrastructure is, now, directly threatened by an epidemic of ransomware attacks. and as we saw with the colonial pipeline, in april, a successful attack can, quickly, throw daily life into turmoil. an investigation found hackers accessed colonial's system, with a compromised password. it was that simple. cyberexperts believe hackers are targeting american entities, dozens of times, each day. the biden white house, urging all of them to beef up their

online security, before they become the next victim. more, now, from cnn's alex marquardt. >> reporter: we can't do this alone. that's the message from the white house to private companies in the growing war against cyberattacks. a rare-open letter, first obtained by cnn, was sent by the top-cyberofficial on the national security council, anne neuberger, to businesses nationwide appealing for immediate action. saying we urge you to take ransomware crimes seriously, and ensure your corporate-cyberdefenses match the threat. the government is limited in what it can force companies to do, while attackers only get more brazen. >> they really are in an impossible position. i think, the way that we're to really get after this is to basically start focusing on these adversaries. the government is going to have to step up. and find ways to put pressure on these criminals. >> reporter: the biden administration says it has told moscow it expects the russian government to crack down on cybercriminals, operating inside

russia. >> i think there's an obligation, on russia's part, to make sure that that doesn't continue. >> reporter: this comes after the back-to-back russian ransomware attacks on colonial pipeline and jbs foods, which caused gas shortages and meat processing to shut down. it's not clear, whether jbs paid a ransom. while colonial paid almost $4.5 million to get back online. something, the administration discourages. >> our focus is on the disruption of ransomware infrastructure and actors, including through close cooperation with the private sector. part of that communication, building an international coalition. >> press secretary jen psaki said that the string of recent-russian cyberattacks by, both, government and criminal hackers, will be a topic at the president's summit in geneva, in two weeks. in the meantime, a white house official tells cnn they are looking at ways to require stronger-cybersecurity standards for those companies that operate critical infrastructure. the white house memo suggests five fundamental things that

companies can do, immediately, to shore up their defenses. as the threat from ransomware attackers is not only spiking, but evolving, from trying to steal companies' and organizations' data, to trying to shut down their operations. >> if they believe that a company can pay, and can pay a lot, they become a target, almost immediately. and if they believe that these company don't have the right measures in place, they're going to go after them, for sure. >> in another sign that the biden administration is taking this plague of ransomware attacks seriously, the justice department, on thursday, released a memo saying that, essentially, it's going to start handling ransomware attacks in a similar way, as terrorism attacks. they will be using similar protocols, similar processes. there will be more alerts, more information sharing, more coordination, and more resources dedicated to this growing number of ransomware attacks. a new, and important, step taken by the justice department, which recognizes this growing-global threat. alex marquardt, cnn, washington. well, russia's leader is

brushing off u.s.' allegations that the most recent ransomware attacks came from russian hackers. cnn's matthew chance with that part of the story. >> reporter: well, vladimir putin, sharply, rejecting allegations that russia is in any way implicated in the recent ransomware cyberattacks in the united states. describing them as nonsense, ridiculous, and just hilarious. u.s. officials say two-recent attacks on a crucial u.s. fuel pipeline and on a major meat-packing company, were carried out by cybercriminals based in russia. and have called on the kremlin to crack down. the suggestion, of course, being that the russian authorities are currently allowing the cybergangs to operate with impunity. president putin made his remarks in an interview with russian-state television. on the sidelines of the st. petersburg international economic forum. take a listen to what he had to say. >> translator: it's just ridiculous, to blame russia for this.

i think that the relevant-u.s. services should find out who the scammers are. not russia, for sure. for us to extort money from some company? we are not dealing with some chicken meat or beef. it's just hilarious. >> strong words there, from the russian leader. and they come, less than two weeks before he is scheduled to meet the u.s. president joe biden in a face-to-face summit in geneva, switzerland. hacking and cyberwarfare, just one of the four issues on the agenda. which is also likely to include sanctions, russia's treatment of kremlin critics, and military threats against its neighbors. president putin says he hopes the meeting will be held in a positive manner, but that he does not expect any breakthrough in russian-american relations. matthew chance, cnn. now, the very first u.s. director of national intelligence is also sounding

the alarm that ransomware poses a serious threat to the country. among other positions, john served as dni under president george w. bush starting back in 2005. he told our jake tapper that cyberattacks can have impact just as significant as more conventional forms of terrorism. >> absolutely. no. and i certainly don't want to, in any way, minimize the -- the tremendous cost that we suffered back on 9/11, in 2001. but just like you mention, an attack on a healthcare system, a network of hospitals, for example. or, you know, other-such facilities. shutting down the energy supply, let's say, of the entire-east coast of the united states. you know, what could be the health impacts of something like that? they could be enormous. >> robert lee is the ceo of cybersecurity company, drago, and he joins me now from

krofton, maryland. good to see you, robert. so, the fbi director comparing these attacks to 9/11, in terms of threat, because of what they can do for infrastructure. i mean, he wouldn't do that without thought. i mean, do you agree with him, just how big and serious is the problem? >> absolutely. so, it sounds like it could be hyperbole. but in reality, these attacks can, absolutely, impact infrastructure and the people that depend on them. if you talk about, you know, manufacturing companies and stopping vaccine production. or hospitals and having to cancel emergency appointments. it, absolutely, can lead to a loss of human life. >> so far, the -- these are about money, it would seem, what we know. and -- and -- and, of course, the exposure of these vulnerabilities show what could happen, if the motive was disruption. and -- and not money. if it was chaos, they are after. >> yeah. so far, everything has been criminal in nature, both, from non-state actors and state actors taking advantage of these

things but it does expose the weakness everybody is concerned about where you could do disruptive attacks. with cyberattacks and infrastructure, including ukraine, 2015, and the ukraine in 2016. when cyberattacks took down portions of their electric-power system. >> yeah. absolutely. and what worries you, most, in terms of potential impacts? i mean, you mentioned healthcare organizations being hit. one -- one imagines, at some point, lives are going to be at risk. or -- or -- or even lost. >> absolutely. so, i think, we have to, first, focus on human life. that is, obviously, what we need to protect the most. beyond that, it also is just a significant economic impact. a lot of these companies, especially when you look at industrial companies, they are portions of our supply chain for food, fuel, energy, water. when you disrupt those, it can have a real impact on our day-to-day lives. and when you start looking at manufacturing, some of those companies are just-in-time

manufacturing. so disruption to them is very difficult to catch up for, especially if you are in the middle of a global pandemic. it's not exactly easy, and that can lead to significant impacts. >> yeah. yeah. good point. i mean, tell me this. how -- how -- how does the perpetrators being, it would appear, in russia hamper efforts to get on top of this? even if these aren't government actors, and they might well be. but even if they are just criminal, it would certainly seem, you know, vladimir putin and his government isn't acting against them. how significant is that? >> it, absolutely gives them air cover. so a lot of these criminals in eastern europe and in russia and other places. their governments don't lock down or crack down, at all, on their actions. the mindset is, as long as you're not attacking our companies, you're not breaking our laws. therefore, we're not going to get involved. and because ransomware operations are very easy to get into. it's kind of cheap to start off in. and the payments can be, you know, multimillion-dollar payouts on each company they target. and your home government isn't

willing to prosecute you, or bring you to justice. there's not a whole lot of reasons you wouldn't do it. and that creates an international crisis. >> this -- this is a corporate issue, isn't it, by and large, the most recent ones, anyway? even if the potential impacts of an attack do have national-security implications. the u.s. is a country, of course, that doesn't like federal mandates and so on with private enterprise. what can the federal government, actually, do? what should it do? >> well, federal government as of a very important role and responsibility to play. especially, in coordination, amplification, of what works and what doesn't work. and also, in trying to find ways to create incentives. you know, regulation is something that always comes up in the discussion. and there is reasonable regulations that make sense. but you can't policy or regulate your way out of this. just as you mentioned, these companies have to invest in it, themselves. a lot of the day-to-day work happens, in those private-industry companies. and as we look at a lot of these companies around the world, they

really haven't made the investments in cybersecurity that are required, not only for where they are today but, where they're going and taking advantage of new technologies. so, by and large, it's got to be everybody at the table. and there's going to be international cooperation, as well. but as you mentioned, it's got to start with the corporations, themselves, and there's got to be incentives and mechanisms for them to do the investment required. >> and real quickly, do you know any countries that are doing a good job combatting this? as you say, it requires an international effort, really. cooperation between governments. anyone doing a good job? >> i don't think anyone's doing a particularly good job on the ransomware problem. there is obviously good governments out there. again, the u.s. has done a lot. if you look in the uk, what happens with their ncsc organization. basically, these various-government organizations have worked really hard to create partnership in those communities. and that is a great thing. but people are what we need to

train. people are who we need to employ in these organizations and the corporations to actually do the day-to-day work using technologies that amplify those skills. that's more important, really, than just partnership. but you do need both. >> great analysis. robert lee with dragos. thank you so much. appreciate it. >> thank you. now, british travellers in portugal are having to cut short their vacations. >> we have had tests to get here, tests to go home, tests when we get home. i just don't understand. >> why the rise of a covid variant has holiday makers from the uk scrambling to get back, before tuesday. also, another major sporting event cancelled because of the coronavirus. we'll have that, and more, after the break. it would be cool to ride a horse on the moon.

lisa here, has had many jobs. and all that experience has led her to a job that feels like home. with home instead, you too can become a caregiver to older adults. apply today. welcome to allstate. ♪ ♪ you already pay for car insurance, why not take your home along for the ride?

allstate. here, better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands. click or call to bundle today.

the world around you may seem like an immovable,

implacable place. it is not. it can be bright. quiet. and safe. it's a change that will be felt from this street. to this street. to no street. and everywhere in between. all it takes is the slightest push in just the right place and that will be the tipping point that changes everything. ♪ ♪ it ain't over, till it's over. and it is not over, yet. words of caution there, from dr. anthony fauci, as the majority of americans think they can start to put the pandemic behind them. a new poll says, two-thirds of adults in the u.s. feel like their lives are somewhat back to normal. they are feeling optimistic, and less worried, even though there's still a big partisan

divide about most coronavirus topics. there are more victories outside the u.s., too. france looking forward to its next reopening, which is due to start wednesday. there are now just more than 2,500 intensive-care patients in france. the lowest number of icu cases, all year. now, the uk, on the other hand, experiencing some setbacks. concern about the spread of variants, prompting british authorities to enforce new-quarantine measures for people traveling from portugal. beginning 4:00 a.m., tuesday morning, they'll have to quarantine ten days, and that has britons scrambling to get home before the deadline. nina dos santos explains. >> reporter: the traffic-light system in the uk just hit the brakes on the travel plans of many uk citizens visiting portugal. the uk downgraded the popular-holiday spot on thursday. surprising many british travelers, already, in the

country. with new restrictions that they must quarantine when returning to the uk. the changes going into effect, on tuesday. >> it changes the day we go back so -- >> four hours difference. if we come back four hours earlier, we wouldn't have to and if we come back four hours later, we do have to. >> reporter: the uk just reopened some international travel, about three weeks ago. portugal was, initially, on the green list. meaning, there was no need to quarantine. but the uk announced it was changing the status, citing a rise in covid-19 cases there. and concerns over a mutation of the variant, first detected in india. many u cak tourists say that decision casts a cloud over their sun-soaked beach holiday, already, in progress. >> we've had tests to get here, tests to go home. tests when we get home. i just don't understand. i really don't understand why we're -- we're now on the amber list. >> reporter: many businesses, in portugal, which rely on british

tourists for income, fear would-be customers won't come, now, with the new restrictions. a blow for portugal's tourism sector, and a disappointment for the vacationers, who were ready to spend. >> i know, a couple weeks ago, they're just opening up. they're reemploying people. they're getting the hotels open, the shops open. again, they're going to have to start backwards. >> reporter: airlines are adding extra flights to accommodate the scramble of uk tourists trying to get home before the change. for some, a holiday cut short is better than being forced to stay at home. nina dos santos, cnn, london. organizers of the formula 1 singapore grand prix have cancelled the event for the second year in a row, thanks to covid-19. the event's deputy chairman says the decision was, quote, incredibly difficult, but necessary, due to safety concerns. the race was scheduled for october the 3rd. organizers say they're working with officials in singapore, to

determine the future of the race. now, the 2020 summer olympics are now just-48 days away. they were pushed back, of course, because of the pandemic. now, scheduled for july 23rd. tokyo 2020 organizers have been under huge pressure, this week. partly, because vaccination rates in japan remain low. and nine regions, including tokyo, are under a state of emergency. cnn's selina wang joins us now, live, from tokyo. and despite these widespread concerns from experts and the public. this -- this juggernaut just won't be stopped, will it? the games are gonna happen. >> yeah, michael. well, it's the ioc that has the power to unilaterally cancel these games. and ioc officials have been making it clear, that these games are going ahead, no matter what. and japanese olympic officials have been echoing that with most recently, the president of the local organizing committee saying here that these games cannot be further postponed.

now, this is coming, as athletes are, already, arriving here in japan. locally, in tokyo, you can see that final preparations are underway. posters, giant posters, of tokyo 2020 going up. temporary infrastructure being built. including, these live-viewing stands. spectator stands at these olympic venues. all of this, the games, still, barrelling ahead. despite mounting opposition from the public, from medical experts, from high-profile leaders, even from sponsors. even from the head of japan's covid-19 task force. even he's been raising the alarm here. and most notably, and most recently, yamaguchi. she is a local sports hero in japan. she is also on the executive board of japan's olympic committee. and she asks the question of what are these olympics being held for? and for whom are they being held for? she says that japan has been, quote, cornered into holding these games. and that it is now too late to cancel. but that the olympics have already lost its meaning.

it is remarkable, michael, to hear a local-sports hero, an olympian, one of the most well-known olympians in japan, saying these strong words. but what she says, michael, reflects much of what i hear from residents here, in tokyo. they are asking the question of, is it the right time to hold this celebratory event? is this the right way to allocate resources when much of japan is still under a state of emergency? just 3% of the population has been fully vaccinated and the medical system in japan is, still, under strain. but when we're talking about whether or not these games are going to go ahead, michael, at stake here, of course, are billions of dollars, contracts, lawsuits, insurance. but also, for japan here, at stake, are people's lives. michael. >> yeah. extraordinary, isn't it? selina wang there in tokyo for us. now, the european union is imposing new sanctions against belarus. the bloc is banning belarusian airlines from flying over eu airspace or landing at its

airports. this comes, after the forced landing of a ryan air flight in minsk last month and the arrest of the dissident journalist, roman protasevich. the activist was shown on state media on thursday, appearing to confess to organizing mass protests against the government. but his family and supporters say he, clearly, made that statement under duress. experts are shocked, and frightened by a threat to sea life in turkish waters. we will explain this crisis in nature, made by humans, after the break. (vo) jamaica. (woman) best decision ever. (vo) feel the sand between your toes, and the gentle waves of the sea on your skin.

feel the warm jamaican breeze lift your spirits and nourish your soul. escape to exactly what makes your heart beat. you will love every moment. jamaica. heartbeat of the world. let's go. (man) eye contact. elbow pump. very nice, andrew. very nice. good job. next, apparently carvana doesn't have any "bogus" fees. bogus?! now we work hard for those fees. no hundred-dollar fuel fee? pumping gas makes me woozy. thank you. no $600 doc fee? ugh, the printing, the organizing. no $200 cleaning fees. microfiber, that chaps my hands. you know, we should go over there right now and show 'em how fees are done. (vo) never pay a dealer fee. with carvana. isn't it disappointing when your plug-in fades? once that freshness goes away, you're left thinking, “okay....now what?” febreze fade defy plug works differently.

it's the first plug-in with built-in technology... to digitally control how much scent is released... to smell 1st day fresh for 50 days. it even tells you when it's ready to be refilled. upgrade to febreze fade defy plug.

and welcome back to our viewers here, in the united states, and all around the world. appreciate your company. i'm michael holmes. you're watching cnn "newsroom." well, today, june 5, is world environment day. and the biden administration is marking the moment by announcing plans to revise trump-era regulations, that critics feared undermined the endangered species act. they plan to review and revise a handful of regulations, the trump administration pushed through. and which rolled back protections for endangered plants and animals. they'll also look at trump rules that allowed for more oil-and-gas drilling, regardless of the impact on the climate. environmental groups are cheering biden's plans, and say urgent action is needed, now. sri lanka wrestling with an immediate-environmental challenge that is potentially catastrophic. sri lanka's navy says it doesn't know if a sunken cargo ship off

the coast of columbo is leaking oil or chemicals. divers on friday inspected the stricken vessel that is partly submerged nine nautical miles from the shoreline. but the navy later tweeted that visibility is too low to determine if there is a leak. the ship has almost-400 tons of oil, in its tanks, and it's packed with chemicals, such as nitric acid. even without a leak, the incident has created one of the world -- worst ecological disasters sri lanka has ever seen. but if there is a spill, things could get a whole-lot worse. sam kiley joins me, now, from delhi, in india. how -- how prepared is sri lanka for something like this, sam? >> michael, it's very difficult to see how any country could be prepared for an environmental disaster that, as you say, could get worse. but is, already, extremely bad. with the leak of many billions

of small-plastic pellets into the ocean. those have, already, been washing up, now, for several days or even weeks on the sri lankan coastline. 50 kilometers of -- rather, miles -- of sri lanka's coastline's been closed to fishing. that's affecting the lives of some-100,000 people directly involved in the industry there. and then, of course, you've got the environmental effects in the sea, itself. potentially, of these oil leaks. and potentially, of the leaks of very toxic chemicals, like nitric acid. but a wide range of others, including sulfur, and so on, which could affect not only, in the short-term, there is a hope that maybe they could be diluted. some of these chemicals. but the effects that they would have on fishery stocks, on the breeding grounds for fish in that area. on coral reefs. could be very, very l long lasting. so the sri lankan authorities saying also that the rescue effort toss try to drag that ship further out were hampered

by the fact that it got grounded during those efforts. but also, they were facing very high winds, indeed, which meant that it couldn't be brought into port and dealt with at a critical time. it's one of the aspects they faced. so there was a combination, i hate to use the term, a perfect storm, as a cliche of horror in this sort of situation. but the sri lankan authorities are saying they've done everything that they possibly could. they did get help from neighboring india, in the early stages of this disaster. but it could get worse. i think, ultimately, though, from the environmental perspective, experts have been telling us that one of the really catastrophic results has already been hoisted upon the oceans which is the release of these billions of plastic pellets which we know now get ingested by fish. can block up the digestive systems of very small creatures right through to whales and dolphins and this is an area frequented by those giant mammals too, michael. >> yeah, just -- just horrific. sam, thank you. sam kiley in delhi there for us. and now, to another ecological threat.

have you ever heard of musilage? for lack of a better word, it's a type of slime that is attacking all forms life in the waters around turkey. the so-called -- and they do call it the sea senanot, has appeared before but never this much, nor for this long. >> reporter: something is very wrong. an alien-like web of slime is choking off all forms of life in the water here. from above, it looks like streaks of paint. what our future will look like, if nothing chains. if we continue to pollute our waters, and allow our planet to warm. it's known as sea snot. in science speak, marine mucilage and it has happened here before, but never like this. getting sucked into the gills of

fish. wrapping itself around corals. suffocating them. we're in the strait that connects the sea to the egean. associate professor is a coral expert who's been diving these waters for more than a decade. this coral, it's dead. another one, dying. this one, threatened. he points to a healthy sponge. and right next to it, he wipes the mucilage coating off a dead one. back onboard, the gravity of what we witnessed sets in. the professor says he and other scientists, first, observed mucilage in these waters in 2007. >> is this the first year, where you've seen mucilage killing coral and sea life? >> yes. yeah. of course, because doing --

during our childhood, this ecosystem is is -- was -- was a rich ecosystem. even one year ago, you know, they are healthy. they were healthy. you know, one year ago. but now, it's bad. >> reporter: a year ago, this is what the underwater life looked like here. this is the exact same spot, today. professor mohammed a plankologist takes a surface sample. he describes mucilage as a dense, organic soup, mostly, made up of bacteria, fie phytoplanktons secretions. one of the species that he says is one ingredient in that deadly nastiness underwater. the sea is just like a coronavirus patient, who has been intubated, the professorer explains. because the oxygen, at the greater depths is almost completely depleted.

it's close to zero. professor slides his hand underneath the blanket of thick mucilage on the sea floor. not only does this suffocate everything, but it also steals the oxygen at these depths as it decomposes, creating dead zones. but phytoplankton is one of the lynchpins of life on the planet. it's not the villain here. the unbalance that caused all of this? us, humans, our pollution. it causes an excess of nutrients in the water that acts as a catalyst for massive blooms. as does the manmade-climate crisis that we have failed to prevent or even slow down. water temperatures here have increased by two degrees in the last-50 years, says a professor who studies the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity. >> when you look at this, what do you think? >> i think it's nature spitting

in our faces. simply. and this is ecologically -- but not only -- >> experts say this year's mucilage is all across the waters from the black sea to the mediterranean basin. one of the world's most climate-vulnerable areas. the experts we spoke to fear the currents are not strong enough to dislodge the mucilage. it's too dense. it's not just a turkey problem. this is symptomatic of the lack of global leadership and consensus when it comes to saving our planet. the marine life here is asphyxiating. their habitat is being destroyed. and their fate could, well, become ours. arwa damon, cnn, turkey. well, tennis star serena

williams inching her way closer to the history books, after impressive-third round at the french open. we will have the details for you, coming upon. ♪welcome back to that same old place♪ ♪that you laughed about♪ ♪well, the names have all changed♪ ♪since you hung around♪ welcome back, america. it sure is good to see you. welcome back, america. it would be cool to ride a horse on the moon.

tennis star serena williams is heading to the fourth round of the french open getting another shot at making history. she's trying to equal margaret courts record of 24 grand slams but has not made it past the fourth round since 2016. williams won her 23rd grand slam title back in 2017. after her impressive win against fellow american, danielle collins, on friday, the superstar athlete said nothing comes easy in this game. >> i just needed a win, you know, i needed to win tough matches. i needed to win sets. i needed to win being down.

i needed to -- i needed to find me. you know? and know who i am. nobody else is serena out here. it's me. it's pretty cool. >> williams will be up against kazakhstan on sunday to earn a spot in the quarter finals. thanks for watching cnn "newsroom." i'm michael holmes. if you are an international viewer, market place africa coming up next. if you are here with me in the u.s., i will be right back with more news.

go with simparica trio it's triple protection made simple! simparica trio is the first and only monthly chewable that covers heartworm disease, ticks and fleas, round and hookworms. dogs get triple protection in just one simparica trio! this drug class has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions, including seizures. use with caution in dogs with a history of these disorders. protect him with all your heart. simparica trio.

the world around you may seem like an immovable, implacable place. it is not. it can be bright. quiet. and safe. it's a change that will be felt from this street. to this street. to no street. and everywhere in between. all it takes is the slightest push in just the right place and that will be the tipping point that changes everything. ♪ ♪ we now find that 85% of individual investors are interested in sustainable investing. among millennials, the interest is even stronger. ♪

one of the big trends in sustainable investing is data, and the ability to understand how sustainable your investments are. by taking that information into account, investors can make better decisions for the long term. sustainability is not about one number. it's about variables like water usage, data privacy, consumer trust, diversity, land use and conservation. all types of investors are now considering this in their investment decisions. this is not niche. one in four dollars globally is following some form of sustainable investing. with sustainable investing at this scale, there's power to change the markets and have an impact on the issues investors care about most. i am courtney thompson and we are morgan stanley.

the former-u.s. president, donald trump, is set to speak at the north carolina gop convention, late on saturday evening. it will be his first-public appearance, in three months. it comes, as trump continues to rehash debunked claims that he lost the 2020 election because of fraud, somehow. this, also, follows, by the way, facebook's announcement on thursday that trump's suspension from the platform will last at least two years, until january,

2023. now, trump called that decision an insult to the people, who voted for him. and said, facebook shouldn't be allowed to get away with, quote, censoring and silencing. trump supporters appeared to be as loyal as ever with his former-national security adviser even appearing to endorse a myanmar-style coup, before later backtracking, of course. cnn's donie o'sullivan with more on that. >> i want to know why what happened in min-a-mar can't happen here. >> no reason. it should happen. no reason. >> reporter: a former-u.s. army lieutenant general and former national security adviser, appearing to endorse a military coup, here, in the united states. >> trump won. he won the popular vote here and he won the electoral-college vote. >> reporter: comments flynn, now, calling twisted. a new message posted to a parler

account used by flynn says quote, let me be very clear. there is no reason for any coup in america, and i do not, and have not, at any time, called for any action of that sort. but that denial doesn't cut it for some elected officials. >> i would say that general flynn's remarks border on sedition. there is certainly conduct unbecoming in office. those are both things that can be tried under uniform code of military justice and i think that as a retiree of the military, it should certainly be a path that we consider. >> reporter: michael flynn spent memorial day weekend at a conference in dallas attended by qanon supporters. so, too, did sydney powell, who was part of the former president's election-legal team. powell, who has represented flynn, said monday that the media had grossly distorted flynn's comments. she denied flynn had encouraged violence or a military insurrection but she didn't explain what flynn had meant. powell, herself, spoke of removing biden from office over the weekend. >> we're definitely in uncharted territory. there are cases, where elections

have been overturned. but there's never been one, at the presidential level. which everybody will jump to point out. that doesn't mean that it can't be done, though. it should be that he can simply be reinstated. that a new inauguration date is set. [ applause ] and biden is told to move out of the white house. >> reporter: the heavily-criticized republican-led audit in arizona has given followers of qanon and the big lie hope that the election could, still, be overturned. and some are finding inspiration in the deadly-military coup in myanmar, as a way to put trump back in power. flynn's comments were seen as an endorsement of a coup by some qanon followers. they were welcomed by a prominent peddler of qanon who has more than 70,000 followers on telegram. writing, general flynn says the quiet part, out loud. the former president trump

reportedly adding fuel to the fire. according to "the new york times'" maggie haberman, trump has been telling a number of people he's been in contact with that he expects he will be reinstated by august. earlier this year, trump supporters in california, also, cheered on the coup. >> biden is just -- he's like a puppet president. the military is in charge. it's going to be like myanmar, what's happening in myanmar. the military's doing their own investigation. and at the right time, they're going to be restoring the republic with trump as president. >> what's going on in myanmar right now? the government took over and they are redoing the election, correct? that could possibly happen here, possibly? >> would you like to see it happen? >> absolutely. you know why? because the election was stolen from us. >> cnn's donie o'sullivan reporting there. now, we have already seen a violent display linked with donald trump when that mob, led by his supporters, stormed the u.s. capitol on january 6th. well now, one of the officers

who was severely injured during that insurrection is asking a federal judge to not release the man accused of attacking her. prosecutors say she fell after being pushed with a metal barricade and was later treated for . in a written statement, the unnamed officer says her attacker robbed her of the ability to work and be present, saying, quote, you have stolen moments away from me that i can't get back. you stole my ability to be with my fellow officers while mourning the loss of my friend, sicknick, and i was not able to be fully mobile at that time. and now you're asking to be set free. when will i be free of my brain injury? when will i be free and full again? now, that officer is just one of about 140 others who were injured during the deadly insurrection. many are still suffering from their own injuries, both physical and psychological.

cnn's whitney wild spoke with two officers. >> what was the worst thing they called you ? >> traitor. >> why was that the worst thing? >> because i serve my country. i want to see protection against foreign threats, but here i am battling them in our own capitol. >> reporter: united states capitol police sergeant aquila gonell emigrated in 1991. deployed to iraq in 2003 and then joined capitol police in 2008. he's speaking publicly for the first time about january 6th when he fought rioters trying to stop the certification of joe biden's presidency. >> i got hurt. i got hurt.

i would do it again if i have to. it's my job. >> reporter: sergeant gonell led members of the department's civil disturbance unit. for hours they battled insurrectionists attacking the capitol. this video shows his fight on the west front. >> they kept saying, trump sent me. we won't listen to you. we are here to take over the capitol. we are here to hang mike pence. they thought we were there for them, and we weren't. so they turned against us. it was very scary because i thought i was going to lose my life right there. >> reporter: some of the most horrific video shows sergeant gonell steps from metropolitan police officer daniel hodges, caught in a doorway. >> i could hear my fellow officer screaming, the agony in

some of them. all i could think was, we can't let these people in. there's going to be a slaughter inside. >> reporter: rioters beat sergeant gonell so badly, they cut his hand, and he needed foot surgery. while he fended off the attack outside, officer byron evans locked down areas inside the capitol and evacuated senators. did you ever think this might be a life-or-death situation for you? >> i remember specifically thinking it when i was on the floor. i remember thinking all that stuff like, byron, this is the day. all those times you've given thought on what you would do, you're doing it. >> reporter: for hours, evans and the senators watched the riot on tv from a secured location. >> i just remember the anger i felt when i saw those images, busting windows, climbing the walls and stuff like that. it was -- it was an audible gasp in the room. >> reporter: around 6:00, the riot had calmed enough that sergeant gonell could finally

tell his wife he'd survived. >> i started testixting my wife and what i said to her, i'm okay. see you whenever. >> reporter: congress resumed certifying the electoral college votes that night. sergeant gonell arrived back home around 3:00 a.m. january 7th but found little relief. >> when i came in, she wanted to hug me, and i told her no because i was covered in -- i was discovered in pepper spray. my hands were bleeding still, and i even -- i couldn't even sleep because i went and took a

shower. and instead of helping, that reinflamed the chemicals. >> it had soaked through your clothes? >> yes. i took a bath with milk. that helped. >> reporter: just hours later, both he, officer evans, and hundreds more officers still reeling from the worst attack in two centuries, headed back to work. >> i did give my wife a hug. i started crying. >> why? >> i didn't think i would be able to see them. i went to my son's bed and give him a hug. he was asleep still. he gave me a big kiss. and i just start crying. it's like five, ten minutes hug.

i just cry. she kept telling me it's going to be okay. i'm like, no, i got to go back to work. i got to go back to work. >> reporter: for him, the riot is hardly in the rear view. >> the motion is not agreed to. >> reporter: the failure of a bill to establish a commission to investigate the causes of the insurrection left him devastated but gave him a reason to speak out. >> it hurts me that the country that i love, that i came in, that i have sacrificed so much, don't care about us. they don't. >> reporter: sergeant gonell came forward on the day the january 6th commission bill failed. he came forward on his own, not on behalf of the department. he said he just couldn't stay silent anymore. whitney wild, cnn, washington. thanks for spending part of your day with me. i'm michael holmes. you can follow me on twitter and instagram @holmescnn. do stay with us.

i'll be back with more news in just a minute. horse on the moo. (vo) jamaica. (woman) best decision ever. (vo) feel the sand between your toes, and the gentle waves of the sea on your skin. feel the warm jamaican breeze lift your spirits and nourish your soul. escape to exactly what makes your heart beat. you will love every moment. jamaica. heartbeat of the world. let's go.

(announcer) carvana's had a lot of firsts. 100% online car buying. car vending machines. and now, putting you in control of your financing. at carvana, get personalized terms, browse for cars that fit your budget, then customize your down payment and monthly payment. and these aren't made-up numbers. it's what you'll really pay, right down to the penny. whether you're shopping or just looking. it only takes a few seconds, and it won't affect your credit score. finally! a totally different way to finance your ride. only from carvana. the new way to buy a car. some guys go through life thinking, do i smell right now? so, harry's makes a range of deodorants in three levels of protection for every kind of sweater. because we all deserve to go through life with our wings up. introducing the range of deodorants from harry's.

not the same.

hello and welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm michael holmes. appreciate your company. coming up here on "cnn newsroom," like terrorism in the wake of 9/11. that's how the fbi director is describing ransomware attacks escalating across the country. travel rules reversal. why many brits vacationing in portugal are now rushing to get home. and as the jersey shore prepares for summer crowds, restaurant owner