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Pentagon to Receive Civil Unrest Briefings; Interview with NAACP Wisconsin President Wendell Harris; NBA Agrees to Resume Playoffs as Staff and Baseball Players Join Black Lives Matter Strike. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 28, 2020 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:32:31]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: CNN has learned that top Pentagon officials are being routinely briefed on civil unrest in places such as Kenosha, Wisconsin, Minneapolis, and Portland, Oregon so they can be prepared to push back against any suggestions by the president that active duty U.S. troops should be sent to those cities.

CNN's Barbara Starr joins me now from the Pentagon. Barbara, of course the president pushed for this very publicly in the midst of protests just a couple of weeks ago. What -- how are Pentagon officials preparing and does that mean that the White House has sent signals the president might request again?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, they don't think there are specific signals just yet, Jim, but you're right. For the last few weeks, regular updates on cities where there has been civil unrest or where there's concern civil unrest, including here in Washington, D.C., Portland, Kenosha, any number of cities. Trying to stay up to date on what is happening, partially to be ready.

The sense that they have is that when all of this erupted back in June, after the initial unrest in Minneapolis and then here in Washington, D.C., and there was this massive controversy about the potential use of active duty troops, that the Pentagon wasn't as organized. They feel they weren't as organized, informed and prepared as they wanted to be.

So the sense now is they want to stay up to date, the Pentagon leadership, really day by day, on what is happening. One of the lessons they feel they've learned since the unrest specifically in Washington and the images of Lafayette Park that were broadcast around the world, is that it is the National Guard, activated by a state, best suited to support civilian law enforcement. They don't want to be in a position of having to use active duty troops.

Look, can they get all the information by watching news reports? Well, yes. But for military leaders, they want fine, granular information and they want to be able to anticipate what may come next -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Understandable. Barbara Starr, thanks so much.

Now to Washington, D.C., where, right now, thousands are expected to gather to march and speak just as Martin Luther King Jr. did, 57 years ago today, when he outlined his dream for America, the famous "I Have a Dream" speech, on those steps there. The family of Jacob Blake will be speaking at this event in just hours, among others.

Joining me now to discuss the significance of this day is Wendell Harris. He is the president of the NAACP Wisconsin State Conference of Branches. Mr. Harris, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.

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WENDELL HARRIS, PRESIDENT, NAACP WISCONSIN STATE CONFERENCE OF BRANCHES: Thank you for having me.

SCIUTTO: I wanted to ask about where we are, right? I mean, that was 1963 from those steps, we learned about it as kids in school, right? Seemed like a moment from this country's past. And yet today, a march on Washington just as real, just as heartfelt as it was 57 years ago. What does that mean to you?

HARRIS: Well to me, it has very, very great significance. Fifty-seven years ago, I watched the program take place. I watched A. Philip Randolph hand over the mantle of our civil rights struggle to Dr. Martin Luther King. And he certainly carried the mantle in grand fashion until his untimely assassination.

Today, we're not a long way, we're not a long way away from where we were 57 years ago. Fifty-seven years ago, we were fighting for jobs. Fifty-seven years ago we were fighting for access. And we're still fighting the same battle.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARRIS: But what this march says today is that we will never stop fighting until we've reached our place in this society, which is a society where we have free and equal access to all the resources that we provide in this country and in (INAUDIBLE).

SCIUTTO: As you know, Martin Luther King Jr., as a leader, he pushed back against others in the movement who, at the time, were pushing for violence, right? He said that no, that's not the way forward. I wonder, what do you say as some of what have been largely peaceful protests in many cities, have turned violent? What do you say to folks who make that choice?

HARRIS: Well, we know -- we know, and I'm sure you know, you have better access, more access to information than I do, but -- we know that there are people who excite in this violence. Many of them are not people who -- who don't come in to peacefully protest. We don't know if these are not (ph) people who are sent in, agents by the president, administration and the White House.

I'm one that believes that the people that run this country now, who sit at the highest levels of government, are capable of actually sending in agents to disrupt peaceful protest. Based on what I see every day in their actions and efforts to take away other -- our people, black people and brown people and poor white people -- because I don't want to leave them out either, because they don't care who's (INAUDIBLE) as long as they have all the power.

So I have a notion that the people who are peacefully protesting are willing to incite violence? What they want is a peaceful protest. We want access to everything that this country has to offer us that we so rightfully deserve.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And to your point, as you know, there's a 17-year-old who came in from out of state to Kenosha and ended up killing two people, right? Certainly did not make the situation any better, far worse.

I want to ask you about the legislative response to this. Because as you know, Democrats and Republicans, they sparred over a police reform bill, didn't come to agreement. And even in Wisconsin, there's been a bill pending for some time. What needs to happen legally now to turn these protests into action?

HARRIS: The bill needs -- we need criminal justice reform in the state of Wisconsin. And it -- expeditiously. And let me give you just one example of why. In Wisconsin, there's a law where a police officer for no apparent reason can just walk up to you and say, stop, I want to have a conversation with you. And it's only applied for the most part to black males and Hispanics.

Well, if you take your civil right and say, I'm sorry, officer, I cannot have this conversation because I have to move on. Is there anything -- reason why?

No, but I want to talk to you.

Well, the next response can be, if you don't stop, I will arrest you for obstruction.

I've been in that situation. It's the pipeline to prison that you hear so much about in Wisconsin. So we live in an apartheid state in this particular state, and it's been getting worse and worse over the years. I've been in this world, in this city for -- since I was 17 years old. I was -- I'm a man that worked in a factory for 30 years and has been retired for more than 20. I've been a civil rights activist for 40 years.

Nothing has changed in the 40 years that I've been in this -- in this (INAUDIBLE) as an activist with the NAACP. Matter of fact, it's gotten worse (ph) in the state of Wisconsin.

SCIUTTO: Wow.

HARRIS: So yes, we (ph) have to have change.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

[10:40:00] HARRIS: And are (ph) we (INAUDIBLE) to (ph) create civil unrest? No, not to the extent that we want to burn and loot. But we demand that this government make the effort to change the situation we have in this country.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Listen, it's a heartbreaking message to hear on the day of the march on Washington. Well, Wendell Harris, thanks so much for coming on and we wish you luck in the work that you do.

HARRIS: Thank you. And if I can just say, it's a heartfelt thing to say today, but we will not give up on Dr. King's dream. It's going to become a reality. Thank you, sir, and talk to you later.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I hear you. We won't give up either.

HARRIS: All right.

SCIUTTO: And we'll be right back.

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[10:45:21]

SCIUTTO: New images this morning show the destructive power of Hurricane Laura's 150-mile-per-hour winds. The transmission tower of KPLC, our affiliate in Lake Charles, Louisiana -- wow -- snapped in half during the storm like a child's toy, crashed into their studio. That's right where the staff would have been working, covering the hurricane if they had no evacuated to their sister station in Baton Rouge. Thank the Lord they did.

CNN's Martin Savidge is on the ground there in Lake Charles. Martin, the mayor says they could be without power for weeks, a lot of the damage to last for weeks. What happens now?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) question. I mean, the mayor (ph) --

SCIUTTO: A little trouble with the signal, understandably there. Let's give it another try. Martin, can you hear me? Trouble. It's hard to report from a storm zone. We're going to try to fix that signal. We'll take a short break, we'll be right back.

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SCIUTTO: All right, we're going right back to Martin Savidge in Lake Charles, we got the signal back up. So, Martin, tell us what you've been seeing there the last 24 hours.

SAVIDGE: Well, we've got heavy weather moving back into the area. Which, you know, the problem with that is of course, there are so many homes, so many businesses now that have been damaged. They're going to be open to the elements, a lot of roofs have been ripped off. And there was a young woman who frantically came riding up a short

while ago, pleading for some kind of tarp for her grandmother's house. Now, there are programs that are established that do distribute those, but they haven't started yet.

You can see the remnants of what is a restaurant behind us here in the background. That's just one example of the level of destruction. I don't know if you can see it, right to the left? That's a cell phone tower that's come crashing down. That's part of what damaged the restaurant there.

So you understand that communications have been impacted as well. On top of the electricity issues -- there is no electricity in the entire city of Lake Charles, we're told by the mayor, and it's not going to come back for weeks, the reason being that it's not just a simple matter of lines that have come down, whole telephone polls have been smashed in the street -- the transformers, in many cases, blew up or they too had been brought down as well. So the infrastructure, we're talking about the basic parts of the grid, that all has to be replaced before it can go to the wire that attaches to your home.

Then there's the issue of running water. They don't have it in the city as well, that too is a serious problem. It's a health issue. The reason for that is that a number of the pumping stations suffered severe damage, and so they're trying to get the pressure back up in the system.

All of that means that the city just is not habitable for all those who want to come back, which is why the mayor said look, but then leave -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I get it. Good to have you there, we know you'll bring the stories back. Martin Savidge, thanks very much.

Well, the Milwaukee Bucks could return to the court within the next day or so, after starting a boycott that quickly spread to several other professional leagues across the U.S. and Canada. Andy Scholes joins us now with more.

So are we going to begin to see players get back on the court?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, it looks like that's the plan. You know, the players reportedly have agreed to resume the playoffs. No official word on when exactly that will be just yet.

But the players and league officials have had productive talks over the last 48 hours, including talks with Michael Jordan. He's the only majority black owner in the NBA, and he's played a big role on speaking with the players and the owners on where to go from here.

Now, the league saying they had hoped to return either tonight or tomorrow. We'll wait and see what comes from that. But in the meantime, Commissioner Adam Silver, sending out a letter to all league employees. This was obtained by Shams Charania of "The Athletic and Stadium." It read in part, "I wholeheartedly support NBA and WNBA players and their commitment to shining a light on important issues of social justice."

Silver said he will be making an announcement of new social justice initiatives later today, and went on to say, "I understand that you feel that the league should be doing more -- I hear you and please know that I am focusing on ensuring that we as a league are effecting real change both within our organization and in communities across the country."

Now in the meantime, CNN has learned that NBA employees based in New York are striking today in solidarity with NBA and WNBA players in the fight for social justice. They will be spending their time calling elected officials, ESPN was the first to report that initiative.

All right in baseball meanwhile, seven games last night were postponed as a show of solidarity in the fight against racism. And a powerful moment at Citi Field in New York City.

The Mets and Miami Marlins took the field. And then before the first pitch, all the players came out of the dugout, they held a 42-second moment of silent in tribute to Jackie Robinson -- that's the number he wore on his jersey. And today, the league celebrates Jackie Robinson Day. Everyone then left the field, leaving only a "Black Lives Matter" shirt at home plate.

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MICHAEL CONFORTO, OUTFIELDER, NEW YORK METS: This is unprecedented. And you know, I think it's for the good of, you know, inspiring change and making the world a better place, we hope. So I think there's a lot of work to be done. But you know, at least --

[10:55:01]

DOMINIC SMITH, OUTFIELDER, NEW YORK METS: And what people don't understand, like, this is way bigger than baseball. You know, this is life, this is humanity.

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SCHOLES: Yes. And amazing to see, Jim, just the solidarity from, you know, sport to sport across the entire country, everyone fighting for the cause.

SCIUTTO: Yes, way bigger than sports. Nice to see my Mets out there, part of it. Andy Scholes, thanks very much.

SCHOLES: All right.

SCIUTTO: And thanks very much to you for joining us today. Goodness, so much to digest in this world today. We're going to bring it to you, every day. I'm Jim Sciutto. NEWSROOM with Kate Bolduan will start right after a short break.

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