Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Malachi Massey is Interviewed about His Mother's Death; Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) is Interviewed about Harris' Run for President; Park Fire in California Explodes in Size. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 26, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

MALACHI MASSEY, SONYA MASSEY'S SON: Eye and it came out her neck and I - they just was saying somebody.

That's all they could - like, I don't know why they kept on saying somebody shot her. And I said, who? And they just - they wouldn't tell me who. I'm like, who. And they just say, somebody.

And then the next thing you know, I get up - I wasn't like even thinking. I just - I was like, I got to get to my grandma house. And then I told my grandma what happened and she was just in disbelief. Just like me. I didn't want to believe it. And then we didn't find out that it was a police officer until a day after two, that's the thing. So, we was just left clueless, honestly.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: What do you - what do you think should happen to the officer? I know that you have told me that you have not watched the video, which is so - would be so traumatic for you. So that's - that's a good thing. But what do you think should happen to the officer who took your mother's life?

MASSEY: I think he should - he should be - I - man, honestly, he need like - like some - because there's no way - it's no way in world that should have happened to my mother. He shouldn't have done anything like that. That - that shouldn't have went down. It's no way no how. He doesn't - he doesn't - I feel like he doesn't even - he doesn't - he didn't care from the beginning. He didn't care from the beginning because I - I watched one clip of like the first part of it, and he just had no regards for my mother. So, we need to have no regards for him and him (ph) locked down for as long as possible. I don't even know.

SIDNER: So, you - you watched a little bit of it. I know the officer has been fired and been charged.

Can you, Ben, tell me what happens now in this investigation? You're expecting some news today, correct?

BEN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF SONYA MASSEY: Yes, ma'am, Sara. And, Sara, I'm intentionally wearing pink for you being a champion for the battle of breast cancer.

SIDNER: Thank you.

CRUMP: Today the autopsy is being released by the state's attorney. And it shows exactly what Malachai said that his mother was shot beneath her eye, and the bullet exited the back of her neck, under her ear. And what it tells us is that he shot her in a downward trajectory. And, you know, we know that she was stooping, saying sorry, and he shot anyway. And so it is just tragic.

Also, we're talking to the Department of Justice, the civil rights division, because there are other citizens of color who said that this officer engaged in excessive force against them. So, it begs the question, what Malachai's grandfather said, why was he even on the sheriff's department in the first place? Why was he hired with all the red flags? That he should not have been a person who could interact with the public, with this gun and badge.

SIDNER: Malachai, can I ask you what you thought of the fact - on the video it shows that he didn't render aid either and discouraged his fellow officer from rendering aid to your mom as well. What do you make of that?

MASSEY: I - I - when I heard that, that was, like, I - I didn't - that was crazy to me. Like, how are you supposed to be a police officer and you shoot someone? I've seen like videos before of like this happening, and they give them first aid right after it happens. Why - I don't understand why he would do that. That - I can't believe that. Like, why? Why?

CRUMP: That's the question, Sara. It's so inhumane, without remorse. This video reminds people about the video four years ago with George Floyd, the lack of humanity, and how that galvanized people to take action and go vote. And we think that Sonya Massey's tragic video is going to galvanize people in our community to act because she needed a helping hand, not a bullet to her face.

And for Malachi and his sister Summit (Ph), we have to use Sonya Massey's words, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, until we get justice and this discriminatory criminal justice system full justice for Sonya Massey. We rebuke this system until it actually gets convictions. We can't be satisfied with just charges. We know how that's worked out for black people in the past.

[09:35:02]

SIDNER: Malachai, can I ask you about your mom and just, you know, the public doesn't - doesn't know her. They only know about her final moments. What can you tell me that sits with you about your - you mother. We're showing a picture there I think of her holding you, which is sweet.

MASSEY: She, like - she's a - like, I don't know, she's just the most loving person. Like - like she is the one - she's the person who showed me how to love, you know?

CRUMP: Wow. MASSEY: Like just, a ball of energy. I said that - I think I've said that before, but she's always had the - I - the only thing I can really remember my mom is that bright smile, honestly. Like her bright smile, that's all I can remember. That's all I want to remember too.

But she is a help - like, she was a helper. She helped everybody for sure. All of her friends tells me how she helped them. What else (ph)?

SIDNER: You - you remember any words of wisdom, Malachai, that she - that she would give to you as a young - young person, as her child?

MASSEY: So, she - she will always tell me to read my Bible. That's what she always said to me was like, every day she was like, did you read your Bible. And like she - like, very close to God. Very, very close with God. Like you - y'all - y'all heard her last words. That's - that's all I know (ph).

SIDNER: Malachai Massey, thank you so much. What a beautiful sentiment that she, your mother, was a person who taught you how to love. I appreciate you coming on in this really difficult time.

Ben Crump, appreciate you as well. Thank you both for being here this morning with us.

CRUMP: Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:41:16]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, overnight, what we saw is former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama give their endorsement to Vice President Kamala Harris. With us now is the House Democratic whip, Katherine Clark, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for being with us this morning.

Something of a honeymoon period right now for the vice president in her new presidential campaign. I guess my question to you is, what do you think needs to happen once the honeymoon is over?

REP. KATHERINE CLARK (D-MA): Well, I'm not sure we're going to see an end to this honeymoon. What a week this has been in American politics. What a week for Kamala Harris. What a week for the Americans who have been looking for a candidate to embrace. And she is giving them what they want, someone with a vision for the country of how to build an inclusive economy, stick up for reproductive freedom, and speak to a wide swath of Americans, communities of colors, young voters. And it has been electric, the momentum that she has built.

And she started with grassroots, talking to the primary voters who had her as part of the ticket, moving to the delegates who represent those voters, bringing in the organizations and grassroots groups and now this capstone with President and Michelle Obama. It has just been an incredible week. And I think the strength of her campaign, the strength of her vision is going to grow in the next hundred days till we get to the election.

BERMAN: So not everyone is on the honeymoon that you think might never end. Congressman Jared Golden, Democrat from Maine, just up the coast from you, said overnight that he is absolutely not committing to voting for Harris. This according to "Axios" this morning, and is going to wait and see what she puts forward and what her vision for the future of the country is.

Now, Golden is from one of the toughest swing districts in the country. His concerns may be what people are doing with Harris now, trying to label her as a San Francisco liberal.

Look, you're from Massachusetts. Massachusetts politicians always get labeled as Massachusetts liberals. So, how does Harris fight back on that?

CLARK: You know, she's going to have to continue to do what she's been doing. Kamala Harris is a champion for people. And, you know, we see ourselves in her. But what's more important is she sees us and she has the solutions that people are looking for. She knows that people are struggling to pay for groceries. She understands the high cost of housing. She sees the impacts of climate change with the wildfires and correspondingly how difficult it is for people to afford and even get insurance for their home. These are issues with real impacts that are exactly the issues that she has been championing.

And when we look across at what Donald Trump is offering, the contrast is stark. Donald Trump wants to make the winners circle so small in this country, and it only has room for his billionaire friends. He wants to dismantle reproductive freedom and continue this march to a national abortion band. And that issue has won every single time it has been on the ballot because American families understand that these types of issues about if and when and how to have children should be up to them in consultation with their doctors.

[09:45:16]

That is why Kamala Harris is, you know, bursting into the political scene has resonated across this country. She has work to do. We know that. But she is going to be able to speak to the union worker, to students, to communities of color, in a profound way. She sees them -

BERMAN: Are you -

CLARK: And she has been working her entire remarkable career for them.

BERMAN: Are you surprised that Golden isn't on board yet?

CLARK: No - listen, Jared Golden is running his race. Jared Golden is very unlikely, nor should he have to, talk about who he is voting for. This is about the issues that Jared Golden is facing. And I'll tell you this, Jared Golden is a representative for his swing state and his swing district, but that's one person and one candidate. What we are looking at is over 100,000 volunteers in a very short period of time. BERMAN: Do you think one candidate - one candidate for House -

CLARK: $100 million dollars -

BERMAN: Do you think - do you think your chances - do you think your chances on taking the House are better today than they were six days ago?

CLARK: I do. I've always been very confident that we are going to take the House because we are running against a do nothing Congress that has put one extreme position forward after another. Whether it's taking away Social Security and Medicare. Whether it's a national abortion ban. Where it's signing up for Project 2025, that is a how-to manual in inserting the government into our lives and taking away our freedoms.

So, I remain confident that we are going to take back the House because the American people reject that MAGA extremism that has taken over the House GOP.

BERMAN: Congresswoman Katherine Clark, from Massachusetts, thank you and thank you for delivering the new three-year deal for Alex Cora. We appreciate your work on that, as well.

Sara.

SIDNER: Right.

The recent attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump serves as a stark reminder of the long history of political violence that has marred America's past. This week on "THE WHOLE STORY," we look into the troubling side of the nation's heritage, exploring the roots and repercussions of politically motivated bloodshed throughout our history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Kennedy was involved in a shooting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last report was hit twice in the head, once in the hip.

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Losing King and Robert Kennedy in the same season was bad enough, but it reminded Americans of JFK's assassination. Less than five years before.

PATRICK J. KENNEDY, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: I was just a baby when my Uncle Bobby was killed. But I just know what a loss it was, not only for their children, my cousins, but a loss for everybody that knew them and knew how much they wanted to change the world.

They had so much promise and so much inspiration and hope as part of their whole message.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: We spoke to him and Patti Davis, the daughter of President Reagan, and a lot of others, Dr. King's son, about all of this. And it's had a generational impact on them. The all-new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER" airs tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

All right, ahead, new details on the massive California Park wildfire. It has ballooned this morning, 160,000 acres and more now up in flames there. What authorities believe started that inferno. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:53:40]

BERMAN: This morning, California's largest wildfire is getting even bigger. The Park Fire is now bigger than the city of Chicago. More than 160,000 acres burned.

CNN's Camila Bernal joins us now from Chico, in northern California.

We can see the flames right behind you, Camila.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, we're seeing just how quickly they're spreading because we've had to move multiple times to follow along with these flames. You, obviously, see the thick smoke here. The embers are flying. And you also get to see the vegetation. It is extremely dry in this area. And that, of course, causes those flames to spread even faster.

Now, unfortunately, authorities are saying that a 42-year-old man was arrested for starting this fire. They say he pushed a burning car about 60 feet. And authorities saying that people saw him push this burning car and then just leave. So, again, just very concerning in that sense.

You mentioned 160,000 acres, only 3 percent containment, so a lot of work to be done here. We're seeing firefighters who are trying to clear some of the brush in this area, some of the grasses. And what we have been told is that about 1,000 firefighters are working around the clock here.

[09:55:01]

You see some of the fire coming up this hill. Yesterday we were able to see how quickly this same fire just crossed the canyon and got over to this side. And so again that's prompting evacuation orders. We saw how local officials were helping people get out of this area and get their pets and their families out safe. We know of at least three firefighters that had to be treated for heat-related injuries. They were released. But again, just a lot of work to be done here.

And unfortunately, we are in Butte County, which is the area where Paradise essentially went up in flames and destroyed thousands of homes, killed 85 people. That was the deadliest wildfire in California history. And a lot of the people that lived in Paradise moved to Chico. So, again, they're having to deal with all of this. It is hard for the economy here, but it is also very hard emotionally for a lot of people here, John.

BERMAN: Camila Bernal, right on the lines of this fire. We can see them just behind you. Thanks so much for being with us. Stay safe.

SIDNER: Yes, those flams still licking up behind her. It's hard not to brace yourself. Horrible.

BERMAN: Speaking of the Emmy-nominated music for CNN NEWS CENTRAL, right there, but you got nominated for - not that that's not a real Emmy, but you got nominated for a whole story, right?

SIDNER: I heard you play the triangle, actually. So, congrats.

BERMAN: Yes, but you got nominated for a - for a whole story, right? Sara Sidner here.

SIDNER: I did. I did. My crew is amazing. We'll see what happens.

BERMAN: Yes, and we'll see what happens with this music. We're going to leave you - we're going to play you off with Emmy- nominated music.

SIDNER: You are welcome.

BERMAN: Soak it up, friends.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)