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DOJ To Investigate Memphis PD After Police Beating Death; U.S. Expected To Announce New Weapons Package For Taiwan; Taylor Swift Fans Cause 2.3 Earthquake At Eras Tour. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired July 28, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the city of Memphis and its police department nearly seven months after the deadly police beating of Tyre Nichols. The question investigators has is if Memphis police systematically used excessive force and discriminated against black residents.

In January, Nichols, a 29-year-old black man was stopped by police, beaten, kicked, and tased. He died three days later from his injuries. CNN's Nick Valencia has been covering this and joins us now with the latest on the new investigation, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And ever since the death of Tyre Nichols, community leaders have been very vocal about their desire for the Department of Justice to come in to investigate the Memphis Police Department. The DOJ announcing yesterday that they are going to grant that request, announcing a formal investigation -- a civil rights investigation into the Memphis Police Department based on publicly available information as well as information they say that was provided to them. They didn't give a timeline as far as when this investigation will be wrapped up. But they did say that they expect to release their findings soon.

And if you remember, it was a separate office of the Department of Justice that started working with the Memphis Police Department in March. That work will continue in parallel with this investigation. And here's what this investigation will look at.

It will look at the use of force by the Memphis Police Department as well as stops of motorists to see if this Memphis police department engaged in a -- in a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing. It will look at also whether or not any constitutional rights or federal laws were violated. And it was at the press conference announcing this decision by the DOJ that the U.S. Attorney in Memphis says that the city will fully cooperate with the defense.

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KEVIN REITZ, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE: There cannot be one rule of law for the powerful and another for the powerless. There cannot be one rule of law for the rich and another for the poor. And there cannot be one rule of law for people who look like me and another for people of color.

And so I welcome this opportunity to let the facts lead in what I know will be an ongoing and important discussion about civil rights in our city. Together we can build a stronger Memphis.

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VALENCIA: And this investigation comes months after the brutal beating and death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police. Five former Memphis police officers have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges as well as other charges related to that incident. And just very quickly, John. You'll remember we're still waiting on upwards of 20 hours of audio and video from that incident that has still not been ruled on yet by the Judge. John.

BERMAN: All right. Nick Valencia, keep us posted. Great reporting, as always. Thank you. Rahel?

VALENCIA: You bet.

SOLOMON: All right, John. Let's dig a little deeper now into what exactly investigators are going to be looking for in this new probe. CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson is with me now. Joey, always good to see you.

So, Nick laid out really well there what investigators are going to be looking out, but -- looking at. But just to explain to us the difference in the criminal investigation into these officers. That is very different. That is ongoing.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely.

SOLOMON: This is the civil rights investigation into the police department as a whole.

JACKSON: It is, indeed. So, very significant development, Rahel. We've seen this under the Biden administration.

What specifically have we seen? We've seen the Department of Justice that's been committed to looking at patterns and practices throughout the country. This is, I believe, is their ninth pattern and practice.

You'd recall as it related to George Floyd in Minneapolis looking at that. You recall in Louisiana, as it related to a Louisville -- as it related to Breonna Taylor. They looked at that.

So, it's important. And what now happens? What happens is the Department of Justice goes into that area -- in that community. There'll be a number of interviews.

Hey, will look at pattern -- they will look at prior stops. They will look at reports. They will speak with police. They will speak with community residents. They will try to learn and discern really the core focus. The core focus will be predicated around three major things. Number one, the stops -- stopping of residents with a pre-textual. What was the basis of those stops?

Number two. Was there excessive force? If so, was it justified? Was it not?

Number three. Is there a component of racial profiling? Very important because you want to police policing and the justice system relies on public confidence. There's a place for the federal government here.

When the federal government looks at it at least police and residents know they are being heard. And if there are systematic deficiencies, they are being addressed. So, this is a very important thing.

SOLOMON: Help me understand -- I mean, after the death of Tyre Nichols, we all heard a news reporting from different members of the community who had said, look, I had been stopped. Look, I had had these incidents of what they called misconduct. So, are these the type of people that the DOJ are now going to want to talk to and ask, hey, what was your experience? What happened?

JACKSON: Without question, Rahel. And usually, these take a long period of time, right? Sometimes, a couple of years.

[11:35:02]

And they're going to want to speak to those community residents. They're going to be pulling any body-cams. They're going to be looking at any surveillance.

They're going to look to see whether the reports written by police mirror specifically what occurred, how it occurred. They'll get a bunch of data together. And if there are pattern and practice violations, they're going to work on systematic changes to address any deficiencies relating to what they find. So, it's a very important, I think, what they're doing here.

SOLOMON: Joey, help me understand racial profiling can still happen even if the officers are --

JACKSON: Yes.

SOLOMON: -- officers of color.

JACKSON: Of course, absolutely. Without question. And we saw that in this specific case, right?

And so, they're not just looking. It's not just black, white, it's who are you stopping? What is the basis for the stops? Are they justified, etcetera?

And there have been a city council in this particular community that has said, look, we're not stopping people anymore because of a taillight. We're not stopping them because they have some minor violations. That has to be some teeth to it. And so, when people look at this, they have to understand that I think, you know, at the end of the day, if there are things that need to happen. Whether there needs to be more training. Whether there needs to be more recruitment. Whether that needs to be just a reinforcing, or really a re-imagination of policing, I think that's what will happen.

So, after this happens, Rahel, they will institute a number of reforms. It's always whether those reforms are implemented and how they're implemented is to -- as to how this moves forward. And whether it has any teeth and whether or not it has its desired effect, which is to change policing, which is really disproportionate to certain communities.

SOLOMON: Yes. Joey Jackson, thank you. Good to see you.

JACKSON: You're welcome. Thank you.

SOLOMON: John.

BERMAN: All right. President Biden is expected to unveil a big new weapons package for Taiwan. What this means for U.S.-China relations?

And there are new signs this morning that after months of grinding slow progress, that Ukraine's counteroffensive is making some significant gains.

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BERMAN: Just in to CNN. The U.S. is expected to announce a new weapons assistance package for Taiwan. That's according to U.S. officials. The package is estimated at more than $300 million. It could be announced as soon as today.

The new aid comes at a time when the Biden administration is working to restore the strain U.S. relationship with China or at least improve it or not have that relationship get worse. CNN's Natasha Bertrand is at the Pentagon with this new reporting on Taiwan. Natasha.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, John. So, we are expecting the administration to announce as soon as today that they are providing Taiwan with over $300 million in new security assistance. And it would be the first time that they provide Taiwan with this assistance in the form of the presidential draw-down authority, which means that the money and the equipment would be coming directly from U.S. stocks. Essentially, allowing the equipment to get there faster.

Previously, Taiwan had purchased military equipment from the U.S. which takes a little bit longer to get there. But now, we are preparing -- we are expecting an announcement from the U.S. that they are preparing to actually send Taiwan equipment directly from its stockpiles. Similar to how it is -- how it has sent Ukraine much of the weaponry and equipment they had been receiving over the course of the war.

Now, we have been expecting an announcement like this for the better part of two months now. This package has been delayed since the time when it was first announced by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin back in May. Largely because of an accounting error, we're told.

Very similar to the one that the Department of Defense made when they were trying to calculate the weaponry and equipment going to Ukraine. But now, we're told they are finally going to be providing this package. It is going to be valued at over $300 million despite Congress authorizing about a billion dollars in this kind of presidential drawdown authority for Taiwan. So, it remains to be seen just why this is not a higher number. And of course, what is actually going to be in the package?

The administration is not expected to issue kind of a detailed list of all the equipment that's going into it. But again, this is the first time that the U.S. is going to be providing equipment directly from its stockpiles. Expect that to really anger China at a moment when the U.S. has been trying to mend relations with them, John.

BERMAN: Yes. Important practical terms, but also important symbolically as well. Natasha Bertrand, keep us posted. An important development. Rahel?

SOLOMON: And, John, there are new signs this morning that Ukraine is ramping up its counteroffensive against Russia. Kyiv has deployed extra troops to the southern front. Indicating that they have found potential weaknesses in Russia's defense there.

A new video shows Ukrainian troops rolling into a village. This is happening in the Donetsk region. Troops successfully recaptured the region and -- the village rather after weeks of intense fighting for control.

I want to bring in CNN's Alex Marquardt. He is live in Kyiv. Alex, what signs of progress are you seeing?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, there is progress. It is modest. It is slow going, but it is certainly encouraging for the Ukrainian side.

We are seeing both Ukrainian and the Russian forces appear to be adding new forces as the counteroffensive. It looks like it's picking up some steam and may perhaps be moving to a new phase. But there is a lot of uncertainty about what is going on right now.

The gains are relatively small. Remember, Rahel, the goal here by the Ukrainians is to push south and to get through that Russian line. They're trying to divide those Russian forces along Ukraine's southern coast. And so, what they've been doing for the course of the past two months of this counteroffensive is prodding at different points along that line, testing for weaknesses, looking for a place to get through ruined, and trying to confuse the Russians. They have not yet found where they can punch through that line. Now, there was a small victory by Ukrainian forces. That town that you mentioned was taken by Ukrainian troops, Staromaiorske. It is in western Donetsk province. Fought over for quite some time.

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It is in very bad shape. Lots of destruction there. But it is being hailed by Ukraine as a victory. President Zelenskyy even posting about it on his social media.

And then farther west in the southern Zaporizhzhia province, we're also seeing put -- troops pushing south down towards the city of Melitopol. They're still quite far away from there. But the Russians are saying that the Ukrainians are using all kinds of armored vehicles. They're using that training that they -- that they got from the U.S. and Germany earlier this year, combined arms training with us armored vehicles with infantry, with artillery.

So, they are making some progress but it -- but is -- it is certainly slow going. We've -- we spent some time there. We've spoken to troops there who talk about the heavily mined fields that they have to try to cross. The artillery from the Russian side that they come under fire from -- constantly. The hope now, Rahel, is if they find that weak point if they can punch through that Russian line, then this counter- offensive will accelerate. Rahel.

SOLOMON: Alex, we also know that there were some attacks inside of Russia today. Now, as far as I know, Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility. But what do we know about that?

MARQUARDT: At least three separate incidents, Rahell, and Ukraine haven't claimed responsibility for any of them. The day starting with another drone over Moscow. That Russia accused Ukraine of using to carry out a terrorist attack. They say that it was shot down by air defenses.

Remember, there was a similar attack by two Ukrainian drones earlier in the week. That one, Ukraine did claim. And then just a short time ago, we saw an attack on a city just across the border in southern Russia called Taganrog.

And the Russian military is saying that an S-200 missile, a Ukrainian missile that is normally used for air defense had hit that town. There are some casualties, we understand from that -- from the military. And then separately, there was an explosion in Samarra, which is about 500 miles east of Moscow at an oil refinery.

So, again, Ukraine has not claimed responsibility. But it does serve as a reminder that Ukraine is carrying out cross-border attacks. Rahel.

SOLOMON: Yes. Alex Marquardt, my force in Kyiv. Thank you, Alex. John?

BERMAN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is saying his country could enter uncharted territory if Israel's Supreme Court overturns a controversial judicial reform law. In a one-on-one interview is CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Netanyahu refused to say if he would abide by the court's ruling if they made one. Critics have said the judicial overhaul threatens Israeli democracy, and it has sparked huge protests.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We're not trying to weaken the Supreme Court. We're trying to bring balance between the three branches of government, which is the essence of democracy. In Israel over the last 20 --30 years, the Supreme Court arrogated a lot of the powers of the judiciary and the executive that can basically nullify any decision made.

That doesn't happen anywhere on the planet. And so we're trying to bring it back in line. And we don't want a subservient court. We want an independent court but not an all-powerful. Court and that's what the corrections that we're doing.

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BERMAN: So, Israel Supreme Court says it will appeal -- it will hear appeals against the new law in September. The parliament passed the law to reform the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will get to hear arguments against that law in the fall. Rahel?

SOLOMON: All right John. Thank you. Coming up for us. When Taylor Swift close out her Seattle Eras Tour with the lyrics. Karma is the thunder rattling the grounds. Little did she know her fans were actually shaking the earth underneath the stadium. Up next, how fans cause the seismic shift by literally shaking it off?

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SOLOMON: I guess -- I bet you didn't expect to see twerking at 11:53.

BERMAN: I never know what we're going to get at this hour.

SOLOMON: OK. So, Taylor Swift told her fans to shake it off and they ran with it at the Eras Tour. So, the Swifties dance and jump so much that they cause a literal earthquake in Seattle.

BERMAN: All right. CNN's Tom Foreman is the only man who can explain. How this happened, Tom?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's true. That's true. Well, they went to shake it off and they shook it up. That's what happened here. What happened is all these people started jumping around during the song all of the Swifties. And right, there you can see what they did. They cause the equivalent of a 2.3 magnitude earthquake as they jumped around in Lumen Stadium there in Seattle.

Now, this is important in Seattle, in particular, because they had something like this before. Back in 2011, the Seahawks were in a wildcard playoff game, and Marshawn Lynch, the running back made a spectacular almost 70-yard run against my beloved Saints. So, we'll have a moment of silence for that.

But it was a great run. And people back then created the same sort of seismic reaction out there. The thing is, when a researcher at Western Washington University, took a look at this, a geologist, she said, yes, the thing is the Swift quake is bigger than the Beast quake.

Now, these scales here don't quite look right and away because the one in the bottom is a shorter scale. But nonetheless, the Swift quake was decidedly bigger than the Beast quake. And, of course, all the Swifties are thrilled about this.

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SOLOMON: Hey, Tom, can I ask? They're thrilled but what were --

FOREMAN: Yes.

SOLOMON: What were your thoughts when you heard that you were going to be talking about Taylor Swift today?

FOREMAN: I am totally game for it. Look. I will tell you my thoughts are about Taylor Swift. I am a big -- I am a big, big music fan. And I am always amazed when any musical act transcends to become this giant you know sort of social-cultural move in that.

SOLOMON: Seismic --

FOREMAN: I'm telling you.

SOLOMON: Right.

FOREMAN: If the Swifties and the K-pop kids get together, they will take over the planet. Because the dedication --

SOLOMON: Oh, we don't even get started with the beehive.

FOREMAN: -- is absolutely off the charts.

SOLOMON: Yes.

FOREMAN: Yes, exactly. Exactly.

SOLOMON: Tom, you can just -- you can make anything make sense. Space. Taylor Swift.

FOREMAN: I tried. SOLOMON: Thank you, Tom Foreman.

BERMAN: When it moves from music to geology, you know, the Tom Foreman is always there.

SOLOMON: He's there.

BERMAN: He's always there for us. Hey, I just want to shake a quick Happy Birthday to Kate Bolduan.

SOLOMON: (INAUDIBLE)

BERMAN: Who I know I can -- she'd be so mad if she heard me say it, but she's probably not watching.

SOLOMON: Happy Birthday, Kate.

MURPHY: She's probably celebrating her birthday but Happy birthday, Kate. Thank you for being here all week.

SOLOMON: Good to be here.

BERMAN: It's been terrific. That has been CNN NEWS CENTRAL for the entire week.

SOLOMON: Yes.

BERMAN: "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.

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