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At This Hour

Biden To Declare A New Natl Monument During Co Campaign Stop; Teen Shot By Police Officer In McDonald's Parking Lot In Critical Condition; Residents, Business Owners Return To Fort Myers Beach Today. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 17, 2022 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: But at the same time, I do think that for Lake it's a gamble meant to emphasize that there won't be a debate and she wants voters to think, hey, Dobbs won't debate me, why is that? But we'll see what happens. I'm not making a prediction on this one on Election Day.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: OK, a lot at stake these midterm elections, whether it's gubernatorial, Senate races, that's exactly why President Biden will be heading out west to campaign this week with just under now 30 days to go. A one stop will be in Colorado where critical Senate race is underway. And instead of holding a rally, he plans to designate a new national monument. So what do you make of this rather unconventional, a double pronged kind of campaign choice and stop?

SWERDLICK: Fred, this seems more like insurance to me. Senator Bennet has an eight point lead right now over the challenger, O'Dea. Coloradans know him. He's a Democrat who is seen as a moderate, not as someone who's far left, so he's hard to attack on that front. And President Biden is going there to commemorate Camp Hale as a national monument. This was a World War II training ground. So it sort of emphasizes the patriotic nature of President Biden's agenda. It emphasizes that Senator Bennet was one of the people pushing for this, and it helps put the focus on the Colorado race, which has not gotten a lot of national attention.

But you also have a situation in this race. Even though Senator Bennet has a comfortable lead, that where O'Dea, the challenger is not a full blown Trumper, he is not an election denier. He is actually a pro- choice. And so we're going to see exactly what formula here works for Republican challenger. If somehow O'Dea upsets in this race, I think you're going to see Republicans looking at that formula, something like the Glenn Youngkin formula in Virginia and figuring out if that's a winning combo going into 2024.

WHITFIELD: OK, all right. Well, let's talk about Georgia's race for the U.S. Senate, which has become, I don't know even more interesting or intriguing or something, you know, with reports that Republican candidate Herschel Walker, you know, paid a woman to have an abortion and allegedly also asked her to end the second pregnancy, two years later. He is denying the allegations. But for a candidate who has campaigned on a national abortion ban, this controversy is taking center stage in the race.

And this week, Senator Rick Scott plans to come to Georgia from Florida to campaign for Walker. So, you know, at this point, does Walker even need a Donald Trump, I mean, Donald Trump is why he's in the race in the first place, does Trump or do you even see that Trump will be coming to Georgia to rally for a Herschel Walker?

SWERDLICK: Hard to say, Fred. On the one hand, President Trump is keenly aware that some Republicans quietly or not so quietly, blame him in 2020 for Democrats winning both Senate races, tying the Senate and tipping the Senate balance of power with Vice President Harris's vote to Democrats. That might motivate him at the 11th hour to go in there and campaign for Walker and maybe drive up Republican turnout.

On the other hand, former President Trump is, you know, if nothing cagey, if it looks like these scandals are going to bring Herschel Walker down, and it's not clear quite yet, if they're going to bring him down, Warnock has this a little bit of a lead but not a commanding lead in this race. You might see former President Trump back away, not withdraw his support from Walker but also not expose himself to the idea that he may have put his thumb on the scale in a losing cause.

At the end of the day, we know that President Trump is about President Trump and President Trump alone. So these two candidates go into a debate this week in Georgia where you are. And we'll just see what Georgia voters, you know, think of what they say. Warnock would probably be wise to let Walker's scandals speak for themselves and not attack him that ferociously on that. Walker, a political neophyte, we'll see how he responds.

WHITFIELD: Yes, a lot of wait and see. All right, only a few days away. All right, David Swerdlick thank you so much. Thanks, Fred.

[11:34:25]

All right, still ahead, for the first time since Hurricane Ian, residents of Fort Myers Beach are finally being allowed to return and see the damage for themselves to their property. We're live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, new details today about a San Antonio teenager who was shot by a police officer while eating a meal in a McDonald's parking lot. According to the boy's attorney, the 17-year-old remains in critical condition. CNN's Camila Bernal is following the story for us. So Camila, moments ago, CNN learned the name of the officer involved. What can you tell us about the officer and the circumstances?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the Bexar County District Attorney, Fred, naming him as James Brennand. And what they're saying is, the San Antonio Police Department has to finish that investigation, then they will hand it over to the district attorney. And their civil rights division will look at all of this. Then at the end of the day, it is going to be a grand jury that decides what happens next in this case. But I do want to say that this is an officer that is fired that was on the job for just seven months before all of this happened. And I want to show you exactly what happened that night at McDonald's instead of telling you but this video is graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of the car. Shots fired, shots fired, shots fired. Shot's fired, shots fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:40:05]

BERNAL: Now, look, he was at that McDonald's for something completely unrelated. He called for backup. But instead of waiting for that backup, he approached that car. And you can see the teenager, he was of course startled. You could see the yellow wrapper possibly a cheeseburger, as he was just trying to figure out exactly what was happening. He drives backwards. And that's when that police officer shoots five times.

Then when the car is driving away, five more times, that teen, as you mentioned, in critical condition. The attorney saying that they're literally waiting and he is fighting for his life, he is saying that they need all the blessings they can get. And they're focused on bringing him back home. This happened a week ago, and he was facing charges, this teenager, that has been dropped. But of course, still a lot of questions as to why this officer did this, Fred?

WHITFIELD: So Camila, you had mentioned that the officer had called for backup, instead of waiting for backup, then he took matters into his own hands and fired shots. But calling backup for what, have police revealed what the officer alleges happened as to why calling for backup and why opening the door and proceeding?

BERNAL: Well, look, I watched the body cam video a couple of times. And you can hear the body cam video when he says this is a car that I saw a couple of days ago and he fled from me. So what the officer was saying is that this car that he saw had already evaded him a couple of days before and that's why he says he needed to stop or try to figure out who this teenager was or who was in the car because he had said that the car had evaded him previously.

But then we don't know exactly if it's the same car or if it's the same person. We are waiting for police to give us those details. But that's what he says started everything, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

All right, for the first time since Hurricane Ian made landfall, residents and business owners in Fort Myers Beach are being allowed to return today to see the damage for themselves. CNN's Nadia Romero is live for us in Fort Myers. So Nadia, this is a very difficult journey for so many. What is being said? NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, one of the bright spots was literally turning the lights back on. Just yesterday, the neighbors say they finally got electricity more than 10 days after the storm hit. The biggest issue in this neighborhood, storm surge that came in so quickly and filled their homes. And as you walk, you can see right down the street, everything that people had to pull out of their homes. And it is just hard to imagine until you are able to really see what we would make, haul debris or damage. But these are people's belongings, this is the carpet, this is the walls, this is the furniture, these are their books, their sheets, their bedding, things that make their house a home. They've had to gut their homes.

And now they're all lined up along this street. These are things that are waiting to get picked up. And that's part of this process as you try to clean up. You're trying to figure out what do I do first, second, third. I have to remove everything out of my home, because mold is starting to grow and accumulate on everything. And you can see it on this mattress and on some of the furniture, some of the mold that is coming into all of these different areas, this is what makes it so unlivable and unsafe.

You can't breathe this in. But there are so many items that people are trying to hold on to because it meant something to them. We spoke with a man who had a vintage Volvo that he had been working on. Well, that was taken through the storm, after that storm surge that has been permanently damaged. And so many people in this neighborhood were not able to get insurance.

One man told me, he had insurance. And then that insurance company dropped the state of Florida all together. So now they're trying to figure out if they can get help from FEMA or other areas of assistance. But the cleanup process, this is going to take quite some time, Fred. We're in Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach not far from here. Finally, people are being able to come back. Take a look at the damage there. But there is still a curfew for so many areas because of concerns of looting. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Yes. And then Nadia, I mean, those are big things. So how do people actually get those big things waterlogged, heavy things out of their home? I mean, are they getting a lot of help?

ROMERO: Yes, there's some help from people who've come down to just lend a helping hand. So you have some homes, like this one next to me where you can see they've had some roof damage, but they fared fairly well compared to other people, right? And so people in the neighborhood who feel like, you know, we didn't hit -- get hit that badly. We're going to go help our neighbors.

And then we have people who are snowbirds here. So they came down to address their property issues, and they brought family members and friends. I spoke with one man who says, I should be at a weightlifting competition but I'm here helping my buddy out because that's more important. At this point though they haven't seen a lot of help from some of those government agencies, and so people are asking the question, what do I do now? I wasn't able to get flood insurance. I had regular insurance. But that storm surge is considered flooding. So that doesn't cover some of their damages. So they're having to come out of pocket and just figure out how to move forward.

[11:45:28]

WHITFIELD: Wow, horrible dilemma. All right, thank you so much, Nadia Romero there.

All right now to an incredible moment caught on camera, two frantic parents in Michigan waved down a school bus driver after their car was stolen with their two-year-old inside.

I mean, panicked, can you imagine? According to CNN affiliate WXMI, the bus driver, called 911, radioed other bus drivers to be on the lookout. And then another bus driver found the toddler outside not far from where the car was stolen. And then you see they're wrapping up in a blanket bringing him in the bus to safety. Thanks to the quick action of the bus drivers, the child was safely returned to his parents. Police still searching for the suspect, a very close call and frightening.

All right, breast cancer deaths are falling but not among all races equally. Why black women are not surviving the disease as much despite a lower rate of incidence, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:51:26]

WHITFIELD: A new report from the American Cancer Society shows death rates from breast cancer have dropped significantly over the past three decades. And while that's great news, one trend that has not been improving is the disparity. Black women continue to be more likely to die from breast cancer despite having a lower incidence rate. CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard has more.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: There's both good news and concerning news when it comes to breast cancer here in the U.S. On one hand, the American Cancer Society report shows that breast cancer death rates have declined by significant 43 percent. That's from the year 1989 to 2020. But then the concerning news is black women are still more likely than white women to die from breast cancer. They're 40 percent more likely, even though they have a lower incidence of it.

Now there are several factors as to why this racial disparity exists. But American Cancer Society researcher, Rebecca Siegel, offered some ideas. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBECCA SIEGEL, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RESEARCHER: The evidence is consistent that black women receive short shrift in the healthcare system, every -- at every point in the breast cancer care continuum from lower quality mammography to delays between the time of diagnosis and the beginning of treatment, to poor quality treatment when they are diagnosed.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOWARD: And when it comes to diagnosing breast cancer early, most women choose to start their regular mammogram screenings around age 40. But of course it is important to talk to your doctor about what's best for you and your own personal breast cancer risks. Back to you.

[11:53:14]

WHITFIELD: Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy is back in this new season. Stanley takes you all to new regions for more delicious food, more fun, and of course more amazing adventures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STANLEY TUCCI, "STANLEY TUCCI: SEARCHING FOR ITALY" HOST: We starts things off with the sofrito of garlic and sweet tropea onion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

TUCCI: I'd like to have a shirt, oh, my God, it's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh gosh, that looks so good. The all new season of the Emmy award winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy premieres tonight at 9:00 on CNN.

All right, perhaps you're hungry for some pumpkin flavor? Well, an Illinois man is carving out a place in the history books and it's all about the big pumpkin. This isn't your average pumpkin. Nope, not at all. This one weighing in at more than 1,700 pounds, in fact, he's got a whole collection of it all. It's officially the largest one grown in the entire state of Illinois, that one this year. Joe Adkins, the man behind the giant gourd, says it grew at a rate of about 40 pounds per day and needed 150 gallons of water every 24 hours for three months. How does one do that? Well, his labor of love certainly paid off and his front yard has turned in quite the popery and it is quite the fall attraction. Sounds to me like the makings of a whole lot of pumpkin pie for neighbors just in time for Thanksgiving.

[12:00:02]

I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta, thanks so much for joining me. Coming up right here on CNN still there's more. Jake Tapper talks with Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and a CNN exclusive with former governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, State of the Union starting right now.