Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

NBA Players Decide to Resume Playoffs after Strikes over Shooting; White House Dismisses Sports Strikes, Calls NBA Protest Absurd and Silly; Laura Downgraded to a Tropical Storm. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired August 27, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Maybe we can finally force real change that way.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Let's see. We'll get more details on that. Andy Scholes, I appreciate the breaking news.

And thanks for joining us today. See you back here this time tomorrow. Anderson Cooper picks up right now. Have a good afternoon.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: I'm Anderson Cooper. I want to welcome viewers here in the U.S. and around the world.

A historic call for change in America when it comes to racial and social justice after another unarmed black man, Jacob Blake, was shot seven times in the back by police in Wisconsin. The nation's top sports leagues have stopped play to take a stand. The NBA and WNBA refusing to take the court, baseball players refusing to walk onto the field, soccer games, tennis matches, even NFL practices are canceled as they all demand change from the society that has repeatedly failed to affect such change.

We continue with the breaking news, NBA players have decided to resume the playoffs after they began a strike over the shooting in Kenosha. I want do go to Stephanie Ready from NBA T.V. She's in the bubble where players are living in. Stephanie, what do we know? What is the latest on this?

STEPHANIE READY, NBA T.V. REPORTER WHO'S WORKING INSIDE THE NBA BUBBLE IN FLORIDA: Well, Anderson, this is all still very fluid. The players held a meeting this morning around 11:00. I was here standing exactly where I am. You can see their hotel tower behind me, players walking on the bridge behind me around 11:51, so the meeting just under an hour.

They did not come to a final resolution in terms of the big picture, but they did decide that they all wanted to play. I think it's important to note that there are hundreds of players involved in this decision. They're not a monolithic group, consensus is that they do want to continue play. The games that are slated for today, on Thursday, are not looking as if they will be played. There has been no official announcement from the league. But my sources have told me that there will be no games played today in the NBA. They are hopeful that the schedule can resume back to NBA Playoff action tomorrow on Friday.

COOPER: And do we know why -- did LeBron James have a change of heart?

READY: That's a great question, Anderson. I don't know that answer specifically. What I've been told from players who were in the meeting was that the meeting was run by Chris Paul, who is the president of the MVPA, Andre Iguodala, who is one of the vice presidents also, was very passionate there, and that Jaylen Brown, who is a young player but also on the executive board of the Players Association, they were all very vocal and they were all really good in terms of making sure that they verbalized the sentiment behind this movement.

LeBron James last night, I was told, was not thrilled. There was some contention in the meeting. Some people have relayed it was ugly, that it was not pretty. But I think the overall message, and they said this from the very beginning, they want to present a united front. So even though the motivations of each player may be slightly different, the end game, the end result is all the same.

And that is what we have seen in these last 24 hours, when it was so fluid yesterday, when the Milwaukee Bucks made that decision and the Orlando Magic was notified after the fact and they all joined in, all the three of those games which involve six different teams, they all said, we are united and we stand together. And I think that's what we are seeing again today.

COOPER: Stephanie, thanks very much, I appreciate the reporting.

We are now learning new details about the 17-year-old arrested in connection with this group's deadly shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He's been charged with first-degree intentional homicide. As a former member of a youth police cadet program with -- based on the social media photographs and profiles with the affinity for guns, his Facebook page further confirming the love for weapons, police as well as President Trump.

Reports indicate he was part of an armed militia and police are now investigating this video, which was taken moments after the shooting to see if, in fact, it is him walking armed and towards police with his hands up. This as CNN learns that Facebook did not shutdown one of its pages that served as a call-to-arms in the city, encouraging citizens, like the 17-year-old, to come to the street.

Meanwhile, here is what the Kenosha police chief is choosing to focus on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF DAN MISKINIS, KENOSHA POLICE: Everybody involved was out after the curfew. I'm not going to make a great deal of that. But the point is the curfew is in place to protect. Had persons not been involved in violation of that, perhaps the situation that unfolded would not have happened.

So last night, a 17-year-old individual from Antioch, Illinois, was involved in the use of firearms to reserve -- to, excuse me, to resolve whatever conflict was in place. The result of it was two people are dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: CNN's Drew Griffin is following it all for us. Drew, what more have you learned about this shooting?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: It's just quite a statement that the police chief just made there, Anderson.

[13:05:00]

A 17-year-old with a loaded what appears to be AR-15 on the street was on the streets apparently because he is a sort of a police wannabe. And in a video that was taken by the Daily Caller, we can show you just a snippet of the interview he gave, Anderson, before that shooting in which he basically says he is this self-described policeman. Listen to this sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing out here? Obviously, you are armed and you're in front of this business we saw burning last night, so what's up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, people are getting injured and our job is to protect this business and part of my job is to help people. If somebody is hurt, I run in to harm's way. That's why I have my rifle because I will protect myself (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: We have seen this in protests across the country, Anderson, basically young, white men from rural America believing that it's their mission to come and both protect protesters and protect businesses from the protesters.

Kyle Rittenhouse, as you said, is just 17 years old. His Facebook show that is he does have an affinity for guns. He posted TikTok videos apparently of him assembling his gun and also we have video of him shooting his gun. There is one reference to Trump 2020 and we also have a TikTok video, which I believe we can show you, that appears to be him posing himself at a rally for Donald Trump. This is at Drake University back in January.

We don't really know much more about him although we are gathering information on his background. But I -- just over and over again, keep in mind, Anderson this kid is 17 years old. He's armed on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin. And police paid little attention to him before this shooting incident. Anderson?

COOPER: Drew, we are also learning new details and a rough timeline what the department says happened in the moments leading up to the shooting of Jacob Blake, and that's been one of the problems in all this, is there's not a lot of information that has been put out by anybody who in official circles to really explain the circumstances before that video took place. So what are they now saying?

GRIFFIN: Yes. I really don't have a whole lot about that other than this was a domestic situation. The police are saying, apparently, that Mr. Blake self-identified that he had a knife apparently in his vehicle and the police are claiming there was a knife found in that vehicle. But it really doesn't explain any of the details, Anderson, as you could say, is why he was being subdued or arrested, why they wanted him, why he was walking away, and the silence has left this void for all kinds of rumors to be circulating around. But it's the lack of information I think that is just driving a lot of this anger and frustration.

COOPER: Yes. And some eyewitnesses have talked to reporters and said things. But, again, eyewitness testimony, as we all know, is -- you have to be cautious about it and so it would be -- I think it would help a lot of people in terms of understanding what happened if one can understand what happened to learn the full circumstances of this.

Drew, I appreciate the reporting.

While many have shown support of NBA players, the White House feels differently apparently. One official dismissing the protest as, quote, absurd and silly, another, Senior Adviser Jared Kushner, digging in on players' paychecks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JARED KUSHNER, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: Yes. I think that the NBA players are very fortunate that they have the financial position where they're able to take a night off from work without having to have the consequences to themselves financially. So they have that luxury, which is great.

MARC SHORT, CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: I don't know if you're going to see the administration weigh in on that one way or another. In my mind, it's absurd and silly. What you saw from the professional basketball association was a continued acceptance and non-denial or non-speaking out against China's continued abuse.

If they want to protest, I don't think we care. I think at this point there's -- if they want to say we're not going to play more games, I don't that's a position that you're going to see us speak out on one way or the other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: We'll see.

Kaitlan Collins, CNN's White House Correspondent, is here. Kaitlan, Marc Short just said the Trump administration would not weigh in and yet he's weighing in there. It's also entirely within the realm of past history that the president would weigh in on this. KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We have seen what he said before about NBA players who either kneeled during the national anthem or stay in the locker room for it. He's called them, quote, very nasty.

And he hasn't weighed in yet on Twitter, which is surprising given the president's nature, but the other reason he may not have weighed in yet in person is because during this convention week, the president has made appearances, he's come out to some of the speeches, he's done pre-recorded videos, but, Anderson, he hasn't come up close to reporters and taking questions from us like he would normally see during a regular week at the White House where you can ask the president about the news of the day. So that may be one reason.

But you are getting a sense of what people inside the White House, how they're viewing this.

[13:10:03]

That's a top aide to the vice president and Jared Kushner is obviously a top aide to Donald Trump. So they speak for the White House when they are making these comments, saying that dismissing these boycotts because NBA players are paid a lot of money but they're not sure that's the point of what the boycotts were from the NBA bubble.

But on a larger point, what you have to consider here is since Jacob Blake was shot by police officers, you have seen the president weigh in on the unrest and the violence that's followed in Kenosha. You have not seen him or the vice president weigh in on the substance of it, what it is that led to those circumstances.

COOPER: Yes. Kaitlan, I appreciate that. Thanks very much.

In the wake of Jacob Blake's shooting, former basketball star Turner Sports NBA analyst, Chris Webber said this on air.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS WEBBER, FORMER NBA STAR: I can't watch the news. That's the trauma. Or the trauma has to become cynical. He should have done this or another one. No, that's the trauma, when you accept this new norm as for what it should be or when they tell you, quit pulling out the black card or quit being racist or that guy was a criminal or you can kill someone because they did something wrong. No, that's the trauma.

We are fortunate to be in the bubble and getting room service and it can take you into a dark place. So I'm not speaking to each person's makeup. But the bubble that -- you know, Butler talked about this and not wanting to have a name on his jersey, and I've always thought about this. I go on places, I try to dress nice on T.V. when I'm out, I'm the bumptious (ph) guy. And whenever I go into a store or something, if you don't know me, you'll follow me on this and having friends, they see it.

And what happens when you and your brother in the same place and you're treated differently because the security guard didn't know he was with you? It doesn't leave. There's such a thing of survivor's remorse, whether it's the opportunities you get and know that others deserve it. And so I don't -- the bubble here, I'm sure, has made everything -- has magnified everything.

But I think more the stillness, the quietness of not being able seeing your family, whether in Atlanta, Detroit, L.A., I think the fact that there aren't distractions, I think that has given us the cold, hard fact that something else has been going on out there. And I think that's the problem. My phone is blowing up from friends of mine with young black children that are really scared. And that's the trauma because you shouldn't be scared in your own neighborhood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Chris Webber joins me now. Chris, thanks so much for being with us.

your reaction to the NBA, first of all, the NBA's announcement that the games are now back on. I wonder what you make of that.

WEBBER: As a fan, I'm happy the games are back on. I think yesterday was impulse. Yesterday was guys had pain in their hearts and they wanted to figure out and find a way to express it. And so I understood that. I didn't think there needed to be a ten-step plan before. I thought that they should act on their raw emotions, because if not now in the middle of a pandemic, if not now, why sports has the main -- has all the eyes on it, then when? And so if they decided to go back and play, I'm happy with that because I understand and I believe they will have a plan that they'll implement and they'll follow through on and so they got the world's attention and people are talking.

COOPER: I was listening closely to what you said and I think it's so important. One of the things I think that's really interesting that I want to ask you about is, for people to change a mindset, a mindset they grew up with, a mindset they believe in, for whatever reason, oftentimes, it takes walking in someone's shoes or seeing things from a different angle or just a different perspective. And it certainly gives you a new way of looking at something.

And the experience of being in the bubble, you were talking about some of these players, the stillness of it, can you just talk about that a little bit and how, you think, that played into your perspective or other players' perspective just in having a chance to kind of think?

WEBBER: Well, I'll speak to some of the players that I talked to. Being here without their families, without their loved ones, having their sons at home with them not being there, seeing everything that's on the news, they kind of felt helpless. They felt like they wanted to do something. They felt like they weren't a part of it, they were being protected from what everyone else in the world is seeing.

And so I think the fact that you had everyone on the campus, it has to be the perfect storm, it's a pandemic, it's a bubble. And all of the teams now are on the campus. So before, let's say, LeBron is in one place, the other guys in Oklahoma, how do you talk? Now, they can talk on the campus, they're seeing each other. And so I don't think we would have had this if everyone wasn't together. And they understand it's about comfortable.

And I mentioned last night that I can't watch the news or I make myself watch the news with the killings. And the only reason why I do that is because of what Emmett Till's mother did.

[13:15:02]

Emmett Till's mother made sure that she put that gruesome picture of a young man that was lynched, hung, burned and drowned on and made sure that America saw that. It changed -- that changed -- that started to change the hearts of people because you all needed a common place. So women of different color saw that, they saw their son. Fathers, they saw their son.

And I just think that sports is one of the best platforms to talk about what goes on in this world because you can start off from a common baseline. Hey, we both like the Cleveland team. And since we're from Cleveland, let's talk about our players. And guess what, this player happens to mention this and it happens to start a firestorm. Because, really, all these guys are acting out of is empathy, sympathy and passion.

And so I'm proud that they -- even if they're playing tonight, tomorrow, whatever day they are, I'm proud that they took a moment and made the world stop and see for a second how they felt and hopefully that will just reverberate through any sports fans, through everyone of different colors, to just take a time and just think about what was so serious to make these guys stop what they're doing.

And one more point, please. It's funny how people mention the money that these athletes make. I had a chance to really know knew Mohammed Ali. I had a chance to talk to Dr. John Carlos. I had a chance to talk to Dr. Harry Evers (ph), people that put their lives on the line for this. And it's just remarkable how we keep revisiting places in history and then at one time say, well, athletes aren't going to do it, they're sitting on their perch and their million dollar houses and their mansions in the mountains are not going to help. But then when they do help, you say, well, I'm glad that, you know, that they have enough money to take off.

So I just hope that all these guys are taking the time, taking a deep breath, keeping the outside world out and sticking to their passion and their hopes and expressing what they want the world to hear.

COOPER: I think it's so interesting, you brought up Mohammed Ali. I mean, there's a guy who, in his time, you know, those of us who are alive today look back and think, oh, my God, what an extraordinary person he was to have put his beliefs so much in the forefront that he was willing to pay a price professionally and wasn't able to box for a long time.

That's in hindsight looking backwards at the time, he was vilified. He was hated. He was -- you know, white America thought this guy is ridiculous and some refused to call him Mohammed Ali, kept calling him Cassius Clay, wanted him stripped of everything and have him destroyed. It's so interesting to me how suddenly when people do things in the moment, often it is interpreted one way, it's years later when people looking back with the arc of history, they see it in completely different light.

WEBBER: And that's why I want to send courage to players because their social media platforms, they're getting just vilified. They're getting so much vitriol. They're getting so much hate. I want them to understand that I can't tell you what to do right now but I can give you a little perspective and context that maybe you're too young to have. And that is when all the smoke clears, the truth will be revealed.

A couple guys I talked to, I told them about Mohammed Ali booed at certain places and restaurants. They couldn't believe Arthur Ashe, what he did, so many others, Billie Jean King, well, she did it for women's rights. All these athletes have, at one time, stood up. And I was just proud that for one moment, they didn't listen to their agents, they didn't listen to parents maybe that were scared, they didn't worry about the repercussions on the children in school. They just said this is so important, I have to do it.

And you're right, the arc of history will -- when time is done, it will tell the true story. But for right now, the courage, the bravery acting at this moment, it inspires me.

COOPER: In your show, right, the importance of history and how -- I mean, this has all happened before. I mean, these arguments, the arguments that are being made today, the criticisms that are being made today, I mean, it's nothing new. It has happened to people over the course of generations, different forms, different people. But we are seeing things repeat itself and sometimes for better, oftentimes for worse thank you.

Chris Webber, thank you very much for talking. I appreciate it.

WEBBER: Thank you, Anderson.

COOPER: The police chief in Kenosha putting blame on protesters for staying out past curfew. Let's speak with the county board supervisor. He's very concerned about what is going on there.

Plus, a Fox host appears to defend the suspected vigilante gunman, saying it is not surprising he took up arms to, quote, maintain order.

And we'll take you live to the Gulf where a massive hurricane directly hit Louisiana and Texas and caused major damage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:20:00]

COOPER: A trail of destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Laura, the storm that just downgraded to a tropical storm more than 12 hours after first making landfall as a Category 4 with winds around 150 miles an hour.

This is some of the destruction we are seeing along the path of the storm, buildings badly damaged, roofs torn off, walls ripped away. We have seen a lot of trees snapped, power lines torn down. Nearly three quarters of a million people are without power in Louisiana and Texas maybe days or even weeks before we get a complete picture of what has been left behind by the storm, the damage that it's done.

Laura is moving through the south right now with hurricane force winds. The storm is threatening millions more with potential flooding and possible tornadoes. Louisiana's governor saying one thing is clear, it will be a long road ahead to recovery for those hardest hit by the hurricane.

[13:25:02]

Gary Tuchman is in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Gary, you were surrounded by, I know, a 120-mile-an-hour wind for more than an hour last night. What are you seeing today?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, the storm surge isn't nearly as bad as we thought, but the wind damage is really bad. This city has so many houses and businesses that have been destroyed or heavily damaged from this wind.

This is an example. This shopping center, this is a dollar tree store. Some of the stores stand fine, but it's very random what's happened to the rest. I want to give you a look at it. When I say random, what I mean is you have very, very heavy things inside here, like the roof, like the air conditioner that have fallen, that have been destroyed. But then you look over here and you have M&Ms and KitKats and Tridents that are just sitting there. They weren't touched. But you have heavy things like this gum ball machine, which probably weighs maybe 150 pounds just knocked to the ground.

You also have more damage in the shopping center. We'll give you a look right here. Cool Smiles, it's a dentist office. And I can tell you no one was here yesterday. We came by this area. Everyone was closed, restaurants, offices, like this. So no one was in here. You don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt when this happened. But you see this heavy door right here just thrown off from this wind.

And then right behind me Air Force, Marines, Army office. And unlucky enough, these are two government cars that were in the wrong place at the wrong time, destroyed.

Right now, we know of three people who were killed here in the state of Louisiana from this hurricane. That's very sad. But, frankly, Anderson, I'm very surprised the number even now is that low. I hope it doesn't get much higher. Back to you.

COOPER: Gary Tuchman, Gary, thanks.

Just a short time from now, we're expecting a news conference from police in Kenosha, who have been mostly silent on exactly the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back.

Plus, a county supervisor joins me in response to the police chief in Kenosha who put blame on protesters for staying out past curfew.

And outrage grows over the CDC abruptly changing testing guidelines in America after pressure from the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:00]