Return to Transcripts main page
New Day
Eric Garner's Mother Reacts To Daunte Wright Killing And Nephew's Recent Traffic Stop; Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) Discusses U.S. Troop Withdrawal In Afghanistan; CDC Advisers Seek More Information Before Resuming J&J Vaccinations. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired April 15, 2021 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:31:16]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN CRUMP, FLOYD FAMILY ATTORNEY: Breaking news. God sits high and looks low. They just charged the policewoman and --
MOTHERS OF YOUNG BLACK MALES KILLED BY POLICE: Yes!
CRUMP: -- with second-degree manslaughter.
We continue to fight. We continue to fight. We continue to fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Well, that was the moment onstage as attorney Ben Crump told a crowd that the officer who shot Daunte Wright and killed him in Minnesota, Officer Potter, would be charged in his death with second-degree manslaughter. He made that announcement while speaking with mothers who had lost their sons to violence.
With me now is Gwen Carr, who you just saw on that stage there. Her son, Eric Garner, died after police officers arrested him for selling loose cigarettes in 2014.
I should note, Gwen, you are -- your son was the father of six children. I'm glad you're with us this morning.
GWEN CARR, MOTHER OF ERIC GARNER: That's correct, and it still seems like yesterday.
HARLOW: Yes.
I can't imagine. But I am a mother, so I just want to begin on a mother's -- a mother's grief as you watch another mother, Katie Wright, sobbing -- grieving the loss of her 20-year-old. As you've watched so many mothers like you.
What are your thoughts this morning? CARR: Boy, I'm just still in so much -- I'm grieving with her because I know what she's feeling. I know what a dark place she's in at this very moment not knowing what to do or what happened. It seems like a dream.
And I wish I could just wrap my arms around her and try to comfort her because, at this moment, there is no comfort. There is no explanation. You can't even make sense of a situation like this.
HARLOW: You know, when you get back to the root of what precipitated the death of all of these Black men in America at the hands of police, so many of them -- and for your son, Eric Garner, on Staten Island, not far from where I'm sitting now, was selling loose cigarettes. For Daunte Wright, it was expired tags. For George Floyd, it was a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill. Alton Sterling -- I could go on and on and on.
CARR: Yes.
HARLOW: So I think my question to you this morning, Gwen, is has anything meaningful, from a mother's perspective, changed in policing in America?
CARR: Well, this is why we, as mothers, are going out as activists because we have to get change. We can't just sit down and cry about it. We have to be about it because if we don't do it there's no one else going to do it. They're going to sweep this under the rug.
And this is what I said when my son was murdered. I'm not going to take this laying down.
HARLOW: Yes.
CARR: I'm not going to just let him be another victim.
And so, this is why I'm out trying to get laws changed, which I have gotten several laws changed since my son's death. We know it's a slow process but it's a process that's going forward.
And it's not only about getting laws passed. The laws have to be enforced.
So we look --
HARLOW: Yes.
CARR: -- for the higher-ups to make sure that these laws are enforced.
HARLOW: No. I mean, your work has been extraordinary when -- banning chokeholds, et cetera. I mean, you have been in front since your son's death on this.
I think back to Eric, your son, 11 times saying I can't breathe, I can't breathe -- 11 times. And then I think fast-forward to George Floyd less than a year ago on the streets of Minneapolis, my hometown, saying I can't breathe --
[07:35:09]
CARR: Yes.
HARLOW: -- and crying out for his mother in his final moments.
CARR: Yes.
HARLOW: You know, the White House is standing down on their policing commission that they promised. They say it's up to Congress to make change. Do you have confidence in Congress, in this moment, to make that meaningful change?
CARR: Well, they need to look at the situation and it should be like hey, yes, we have to make change. They see what's going on in the black and brown communities. They see that they're murdering us at an enormous rate and there's nothing really being done about it. There's no accountability. Nothing is changing fast enough.
So this is why we've got to keep out there. We can't do it by our self. We need Congress, we need the people. We need everyone to push together to get these laws changed.
Because a man who is just driving with an expired license in a pandemic -- the pandemic -- there are so many people out there with expired license.
HARLOW: Yes.
CARR: And why would you pick one -- this young man?
HARLOW: Right.
CARR: And why -- it doesn't breed death just to -- because he has an expired license.
HARLOW: Yes.
CARR: He should not have even been stopped.
HARLOW: Well, I've said this before on this program but look, I've been pulled over for expired tags, right, and --
CARR: Yes.
HARLOW: -- the outcome was completely different.
I want to ask you about something that is pretty --
CARR: (INAUDIBLE).
HARLOW: -- extraordinary and that is, Gwen, that your relative -- one of your nephews is actually Lt. Nazario, who we now know --
CARR: Yes. HARLOW: -- how he was treated by the police there and pulled over.
CARR: That was so horrific.
HARLOW: Can I ask what -- because your family sort of --
CARR: That was horrific what they did.
HARLOW: -- knew about this before a lot of the world saw the video, and now the world knows about it.
Can I just ask what you thought when you saw all of this?
CARR: Well, when I first saw it I didn't even know that it was Caron. I just thought -- because my niece sent the video to me but I thought, you know, people are always sending me videos of these horrible things that's happening to kids. I can't even look at the videos anymore. So that's what I thought it was because she didn't get the phone call through to me.
And then when I found out that it was him -- and she said Gwen, why didn't you say on T.V. that that's your nephew? I said, my nephew? Who? She said it's Caron.
I said oh my God. That thing -- my heart just dropped when I actually found out that it was Caron, someone who I knew from a baby -- from a kid. Him and my grandson used to sleep over at each other's house all the time.
It was just so, so heart-wrenching. I can't tell you.
Then when I seen them pepper spray someone in full gear -- they should -- they should get a pass on that. He's in full gear not doing anything -- just because his license plate wasn't on the back.
And we had seen Caron in February because he was at his uncle's funeral. We all took pictures together.
And he -- the kid was terrorized. He was too terrorized to say something. The police terrorized him and that just should not be. I mean, they fired the cop but that's not enough. That's just not enough.
He thought he -- he said I thought I was going to lose my life like my cousin --
HARLOW: Yes.
CARR: -- like my uncle.
HARLOW: Yes, like Eric. Like your son. And, in fact --
CARR: Yes.
HARLOW: -- he did have that license taped right on the back --
CARR: Yes, he did.
HARLOW: -- of the rear window after all.
CARR: Yes, yes, yes.
HARLOW: Gwen Carr --
CARR: Yes.
HARLOW: -- I can't know your pain, but as a mother, I'm just -- I know it's been years since Eric died but I'm so sorry, and I'm so grateful you're here this morning. Thank you.
CARR: Yes. I stand for all mothers --
HARLOW: You do.
CARR: -- because we have to stop this.
HARLOW: Thank you. Thank you for being with us.
CARR: And thank you for having me.
HARLOW: Of course.
Well, President Biden announcing an end to the war in Afghanistan in the coming months. How do you do this safely, though, while protecting, especially, women there and maintaining security in the region? We will ask Congressman Chris Coons, who's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:43:41]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm in constant awe of what you've achieved, what you're doing. And I know this is a moment, for many, of mixed emotions. These are hard choices, hard decisions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking to troops in Afghanistan moments ago after President Biden announced plans to withdraw all U.S. forces from that country by September 11th.
Joining us now is Democratic Congressman Jason Crow from Colorado. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee and served as a U.S. Army Ranger in Iraq, in Afghanistan. Congressman, thank you for being with us.
I just want to ask you as a veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan, we heard the Secretary of State says it's with mixed emotions that we make this announcement. As a veteran, what are your feelings about this, this morning?
REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Yes, good morning, John.
You know, I'm still processing emotions of that. Everybody who served overseas and served in Afghanistan, you know, we -- there's been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Many of us lost friends during that war. So I think there's a lot of people thinking about and processing what exactly that means and try to find that meaning in that war.
[07:45:00]
But regardless, there's always this -- there's always this instinct to politicize wars and certainly, there's a political aspect of that. Now, as an elected official, I deal with the political aspect of the war.
But we have to focus on the fact that these men and women -- these millions of men and women that have stepped up to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan over the now-20 years of the global war on terror, that individual service, that individual sacrifice deserves to be applauded and appreciated.
BERMAN: Yes, and that's why I'm asking this first. And we'll get to the politics in a second. But these are really tough questions.
And we all know people who have served there. Unfortunately, at this point, we all know people who have -- who have died there or people whose lives have been forever changed. I think every veteran who's served in Afghanistan and Iraq, their lives are forever changed by their service there.
And the questions are fundamental. You're faced with questions -- was it worth it? And this is one of those days and moments where I'm sure that question is more acute than ever.
How do you process that?
CROW: Well, you know, a lot of people like to try to find questions or answer questions that sometimes are unanswerable.
You know, we went there after 9/11 because we were attacked. The homeland was attacked. Thousands of people died.
And, you know, in that time there hasn't been a similar attack on the homeland in that 20 years. You know, whether or not we're ultimately more safe because of that, I think that's a question that pundits and experts are going to be analyzing for years.
But, you know, look at where we are right now and you look at the decision by President Biden. A lot of people like to say well, there's risk to doing this. There's risk to pulling out. Well, there's also risk to staying.
And, you know, the issue is not whether or not there's risk because there's risk everywhere in the world. There's risk in Europe as Russia amasses tens of thousands of troops. There's risk in Asia, and South America, and North America, and Africa. There's risk everywhere. We don't have unlimited resources so we have to make decisions about where we're going to put our limited resources to meet the greatest risk, and that's the analysis that we're going through right now.
BERMAN: I want to make one thing clear. I'm sure you feel this way and my friends who've served also feel this way. They always say their service is worth it. They never question whether it was worth it to serve and sacrifice the way that they have. And we thank you for your decision and your choice to do so.
Now, as a congressman, as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, you get a chance to press the administration for answers to questions. While you're supportive of this move, I do want to know what questions, specifically, you have about this decision.
CROW: Well, last year, John, I led an amendment and passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act -- the defense budget -- to actually force the Trump administration to engage with Congress on this issue because they weren't engaging with us, they weren't briefing us, they weren't consulting Congress.
And the reason why that's important is because this is America's war. This is not any one administration's war or any one president's war. It's the people of America that have paid for and have done the fighting, and the bleeding, and the dying in this war and they deserve to understand what's happening and why it's happening.
So I hope that the Biden administration engages with us in compliance with that provision of the Defense budget and does the assessments that provision requires.
But we have to make sure we're doing this the right way. You know, my main obligation is to protect the force -- to make sure we're protecting the men and women in uniform.
My military career started as a private. It ended as an officer. And now, I'm a member of Congress and sit on the Intelligence and Armed Services Committee. So I always think about that time as a private -- as Private Crow.
BERMAN: Yes.
CROW: And that's what I'm thinking about right now is making sure as we draw down and leave fewer and fewer forces there, the forces that are left behind are a lot more vulnerable. You think about these forward operating bases as they go from 300 forces to 100 forces to 20 forces. Those folks left behind -- nobody wants to be the last person out because it's a very dangerous place to be. We have to make sure we're doing it right by them.
BERMAN: I'm sure you have friends who would point out you've been in a downward trajectory from private to officer to member of Congress.
CROW: (Laughing).
BERMAN: You talk about your concern about the troops that will be there -- or left there over the coming months as the withdrawal happens. Again, specifically, what are your -- what is the right way to do that, then, in your mind?
CROW: Well, we have to make sure we're listening to the military commanders because we know how to do this, actually. We've done this for decades. There's actually an operational process of actually doing these drawdowns and making sure we're doing it the right way and not being tied to arbitrary timelines or deadlines.
And I haven't had those discussions yet because this announcement has just been made, but I'm assuming that the administration has had those discussions.
But I'm certainly going to ask. I'm not going to assume. My job is not to assume here, it's to ask those tough questions. So that's number one.
And number two is our NATO allies. Our NATO allies went to war with us. The only time in the history of the NATO alliance in article five, which is the mutual defense obligation was invoked was after 9/11 -- the only time. And they came and they fought alongside us. They died alongside of us for the last 20 years.
We can't say hey, thanks for coming to help us out -- we're out. We'll see you later. We have to make sure we're drawing down in conjunction and collaboration with them so that we keep faith with that service.
[07:50:00]
And then the last piece are those Afghan interpreters, translators, and others that served alongside of us at great personal risk. We can't leave them in the lurch either. We have to make sure that we're expediting the withdrawal of those folks in the special immigrant visa program that allows them to come to safety.
BERMAN: I'm so glad you brought them up because that is a serious concern.
Congressman Jason Crow, we really do appreciate the discussion and your time this morning. Thank you.
CROW: Thank you.
BERMAN: So, the CDC revealing new details about blood clots potentially linked to the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines. What happens next?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Well, this morning, coronavirus cases are increasing in 25 states, with more than 75,000 reported yesterday. At the same time, the U.S. is averaging nearly 3 1/2 million vaccine doses each day -- a big number.
This, as a panel of CDC advisers held off on making a decision about whether to restart Johnson & Johnson's COVID vaccinations. They say they just need more information at this point about the potential risk of blood clots.
[07:55:09]
Let's go to our CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen with more this morning. Any indication of when they'll decide if they are going to restart the J&J vaccine?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy, this committee -- this advisory committee to the CDC, which everyone turns to and everyone listens to, they said that they will be getting back and making a decision or taking some kind of a vote between now and May fifth. So that's what everyone is watching for. And in the meantime, the pause stays on.
Let's take a look at the numbers that caused this pause.
So, we're looking at cases of these very unusual brain blood clots accompanied by low platelet levels, which is also unusual. That happened to one man during the clinical trial and to six women during the actual vaccine rollout. They were all ages 18 to 48. They were all hospitalized and one died.
This is very serious stuff, Poppy. Of the hospitalizations, we know that all of them were in the ICU -- all of the women. The man, we don't know because the Food and Drug Administration has declined to tell us. But you're talking about, you know, a lot of people in that group, they're ending up in the intensive care unit. One has died.
And this is going to be a big decision that needs to be made because this has been a kind of a vaccine favorite for many people. It's one and done. You don't have to freeze it. It really is much easier.
So if you've gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the past three weeks, what you should know is that if you develop symptoms, such as serious headaches, you should talk to your doctor.
But again, these are very, very rare events -- Poppy.
BERMAN: I'll take it, Elizabeth. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much for that report.
So, the killing of Daunte Wright has reignited calls among some progressive members of Congress to defund or outright dismantle policing in America. Is that the right pathway to reform?
John Avlon here with a reality check -- John.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: There's an overdue reckoning over the killings of young Black men by police and there's majority support for significant police reform.
But there are also strident slogans from politicians that don't help at all. Like Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib's tweet earlier this week calling for no more policing. Let's be clear. This is a terrible idea as a matter of politics and practicality. It's an extension of the call to defund the police, which Donald Trump
used as a cudgel to hit Democrats in the last election despite Joe Biden's disavowing. And many defenders essentially say that defund the police should be taken seriously but not literally.
After the Trump presidency, I thought that we agreed that words matter. It doesn't even represent the community it seeks to serve.
A Gallup poll from August of 2020 found that 80 percent of Black Americans want to keep or even increase the amount of police in their neighborhoods. The real issue is what kind of policing they're receiving.
Consider the alleged minor offenses that led to high-profile killings by police in recent years. Daunte Wright pulled over for expired plates. George Floyd for a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill.
Walter Scott pulled over for a broken tail light. Eric Garner for selling loose cigarettes. Alton Sterling for selling CDs. And these are just a few examples.
Now, according to FBI statistics, Black Americans made up 30 percent of arrests for curfew violations or loitering and 29 percent of gambling arrests in 2019. But local studies show they're also far more likely to be arrested for jaywalking. So much for former A.G. Bill Barr's insistence that there isn't systemic racism in police departments.
And this needs to change, but gutting or cutting police departments is not going to achieve some utopia. It'll do the opposite.
Instead, there needs to be significant retraining and reform. Cops need to focus on deescalating situations and decriminalizing some victimless misdemeanors could reduce causes of conflict.
It helps that some 27 states have decriminalized or even legalized recreational marijuana, considering that Black Americans are arrested more than three times as much as whites for possession, despite equal usage rates.
Congress is at work as well. Twenty -- in 2020, Republican Sen. Tim Scott proposed a bill to require reporting standards for use of deadly force and no-knock warrants. Democrats said it didn't go far enough and proposed a ban on chokeholds and racial profiling, a limit on military equipment transfers to the police, and eliminating qualified immunity, which protects officers from lawsuits when they violate a citizen's constitutional rights.
But good people can disagree on the details but we need to agree on the facts. Like the fact that 991 people have been shot and killed by the police over the past year, according to "The Washington Post." We also need to recognize that despite some fear-fueled appeals, violent crime and property crime have plummeted since the 1990s.
Finally, we should not fall into the trap of demonizing all police officers who do a necessary, difficult, dangerous, and often thankless job. We can support the vast majority of good cops while insisting on holding bad cops more accountable and invest in changing the culture that has led us to this crisis of confidence in the basic promise of equal justice under law.
And that's your reality check.
BERMAN: John, thank you very much for that.
NEW DAY continues right now.
