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Six Louisville Officers Under Investigation for Actions on Night of Breonna Taylor's Death; Couple Who Survived COVID on Mission to Debunk Conspiracy Theories; U.S. Doesn't Have Day Off to Vote, Other Countries Do; CDC Discouraging Trick-or-Treating, Halloween Masks & Parties. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired September 22, 2020 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[14:34:25]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: There are new developments in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Six Louisville, Kentucky, police officers are facing an internal investigation after Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot by officers who broke down the door to her apartment while executing a late-night no-knock warrant back in March.
Right now, we're awaiting a decision by the grand jury on whether any of the officers will be charged. Authorities in Louisville are closing off access to the city's downtown area ahead of this decision.
And CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is in Louisville.
Shimon, tell us more about the internal investigation into those six police officers. What do we know?
[14:35:04]
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So that investigation is being done by the Professional Standards Unit at the Louisville Police Department.
It's six officers, including two officers who fired into the home of Breonna Taylor. And then a detective who secured that no-knock warrant, the search warrant that gave police permission to go into her home.
So those detectives as well as other people who were part of that investigation are all now under internal investigation.
They'll be looking at -- what investigators will look at is to see if any of the internal protocols were not followed and a broader view of exactly perhaps what went wrong in this case in that led up to the shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Also remember, one of the detectives, who fired into the home, he was already fired. He's trying to get his job back.
This, as you said, Brianna, as we await word from the grand jury on whether or not any of these officers will face charges.
KEILAR: That's right.
One of those -- that member of this unit that was at her apartment, as you mentioned, he, as we understand it, was firing blindly multiple shots blindly through drapes or window coverings into the house, which was seen as highly unregular and unsafe behavior.
So there's an expectation for many people, Shimon, that this was not handled correctly obviously.
To that end, you have security heightened in Louisville ahead of this grand jury decision. The city is under a state of emergency. Tell us about this.
PROKUPECZ: Yes. And your point, you make is absolutely right. That is why in some ways why investigators and the police department moved to fire that officer.
As for here, I have to say things here are pretty tense across the downtown area. Security has been stepped up. The police have closed off streets. A lot of the stores have been boarded up and restaurants.
As you said, the mayor here has declared a state of emergency, which would allow him to put in place a curfew if needed, bring in more resources.
But the big thing here right now is we wait for the decision, Brianna, from the grand jury.
KEILAR: We are waiting with you.
Shimon, Thank you so much for that report from Louisville.
PROKUPECZ: Yes.
KEILAR: There's good news today about the two L.A. County sheriff's deputies shot during an ambush attack in Compton, California. The sheriff's department announcing they have both been released from the hospital.
This is the photo of the 31-year-old female deputy. And it was taken over the weekend as she spoke with President Trump by phone.
She is being hailed as a hero for applies a tourniquet to her partner's arm as she herself was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the face.
The department says that both of these deputies have a long road to recovery.
Still ahead, a couple who survived coronavirus is now warning their friends take it seriously. The CDC releasing its guidelines for what you should and should not be
doing this Halloween.
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[14:42:14]
KEILAR: The U.S. has now surpassed 200,000 coronavirus deaths, a number that Dr. Anthony Fauci calls sobering and stunning. But of the nearly seven million who have tested positive and survived, some are feeling symptoMs months later, unsure when or if they'll ever fully recover.
My next guests are a couple from Wyoming who contracted the virus nearly three months ago and they're still battling the aftereffects.
As they're fighting for their health, they're battling another fight online, dispelling rumors about the virus and urging anyone who will listen to take this seriously.
Ann and Marvin Robinson are with us from Casper, Wyoming.
I want to thank you both for coming on to tell us your story that is so important that people across the country hear.
I know you're both experiencing some symptoms still. Can you talk about what your challenges and your recovery has been like?
ANN ROBINSON, CORONAVIRUS SURVIVOR: Well, it's been a long road. We were sick for three weeks. We still have fatigue. Marvin still has shortness of breath. I still grasp to find some words at times.
There's a lot of unknowns. We don't know what's coming next for us either.
(CROSSTALK)
A. ROBINSON: And then trying to convince people it's real.
KEILAR: Tell us about that, Marvin and Ann, if you would. Trying to convince people that this is real. What have you encountered?
A. ROBINSON: Well, we have friends who still believe it's a hoax. They think it will go away on Election Day.
And they kind of discount the fact that older people get it that have underlying conditions, that they were going to die anyway.
I'm an older person. I have underlying conditions. I intend to live for a lot more years. I don't think I need COVID to help it along.
A know a lot of people in my situation, my age, have conditions that lead a full life and have a lot of life to live.
It's trying to convince the people that the 200,000 people who died were important. KEILAR: Marvin, I wonder if you could tell us about sort of your
lifestyle. I know that you guys lead active lifestyles. And I wonder how COVID has impacted that.
[14:45:02]
MARVIN ROBINSON, CORONAVIRUS SURVIVOR: It impacted the fact that I got to stay home a lot more than I used to because we quit bingo, bowling and fiddle jams. And I got to stay home more and work in my yard, yes.
And that was the big impact. And I have a very hard time. I get short of breath. Doing better now. Feel pretty good.
KEILAR: And so what is --
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: What will you be doing where you have shortness of breath and you have to maybe pause?
M. ROBINSON: Well, for about two and a half of the five days I was sick, I sat in my recliner gasping for air.
But if I go outside to move my water, I would walk three or four steps carrying a sprinkler and I would have to hold on to the fence for a while to get my air. And it was just real short of breath, yes.
KEILAR: That sounds very scary.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: Ann, sorry, go on.
M. ROBINSON: Yes. I think --
A. ROBINSON: Yes, it was scary.
We were fortunate because we had friends and family who checked in on us, who brought us food. They would hang it on the doorknob or set it in the porch or set it on the driveway. But we were able to get help in that way.
We have talked to some other people locally who didn't have anybody to help them. I can't imagine what they were going through. It was a whole family that had COVID, and they didn't have anyone else to help them out.
In that way we were fortunate.
We had a lot of symptoMs. Our symptoms seemed to follow each other. We had days when we would sit and stare at each other and wonder if and when it was going to get over.
KEILAR: Ann and Marvin, I'm so glad to be talking to you.
I know that you are still facing a lot of health challenges, but it's wonderful that you have pulled through to this recovery period, and that you're also trying to tell people to take this seriously.
We appreciate it. Thanks for being with us.
A. ROBINSON: Thank you.
M. ROBINSON: Thanks for calling.
KEILAR: Still ahead, is Trick-or-Treating canceled this Halloween? The CDC just weighed in.
Plus, on this National Voter Registration Day, we'll look at what's stopping so many Americans from going to the polls.
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[14:52:13]
KEILAR: With an ongoing pandemic, the logistics of voting in this year's presidential election are making many Americans anxious. And there are growing calls to make Election Day a national holiday.
Today is National Voter Registration Day. And CNN is focusing in on the key issues that matter to voters as part of the Citizen by CNN Project.
CNN's Tom Foreman is joining us now.
Tom, the U.S. doesn't have a national day off to vote. Other countries do. Why is that?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's not for want of effort. There have been bipartisan efforts in the past.
And by the way, most voters, Democrats and Republicans, would like to see this moved away from a weekday to make it easier to get a holiday involved.
Look at the number of voting the last time around, in 2016. Back then, 61 percent of the people who were voting age actually voted. Which means somewhere north of 100 million people who could have voted, did not.
Now some just don't believe in the process.
But others, if you look at the study by the Knight Foundation, there's about 14 percent of the people said one of the problems is that it is a little bit too difficult or somewhat difficult -- you could see it there on the left -- to get to the polling places.
Why? Because it is in the middle of the workweek. Many people, particularly in lower-paying jobs, can't get time off or, if they try to go before or after, the lines are way too long.
That's because our voting rules come from the 1800s, when mainly we were farmers and, at that, Christian farmers, so voting was put where it wouldn't interfere with Sundays or farm work. And because people had to travel to polling places, we ended up with
Tuesdays.
But many other nations face similar problems. And look at where we are today. There's a big trade organization, about 36 nations involved, and there, on the left, weekend voting for all of the countries.
Only nine of them have weekday voting. We're among those. And two of them have a national holiday so people could get out there and vote.
The simple truth is, Brianna, both parties are constantly calculating where is the political advantage here.
Democrats, by and large, want more voting from everybody out there, particularly the people who can't get off to vote right now. Republicans have been wary of it.
But the truth is, if we want a government of the people, by the people, for the people, arguably, it would make more sense to let more of those people involved -- Brianna?
KEILAR: Tom, thank you so much for that.
FOREMAN: Yes.
KEILAR: And make sure to check out our Web site, CNN.com/voter, where you will find a complete voter guide.
[14:54:34]
Still ahead, CNN speaks to the sister of a young doctor who died from COVID after treating patients in the E.R. This is just one of the heartbreaking stories as the country passes the grim milestone of 200,000 COVID deaths.
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KEILAR: As with almost everything in 2020, Halloween is going to look a little different this year.
CNN's Brynn Gingras has the latest CDC guidance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The CDC is saying Trick-or- treaters probably should not go door-to-door. Instead, people could leave treats outside of the home instead.
Also those masks kids wear for their costumes, not a good idea as it is not a good replacement for the cloth masks.
And the CDC says families should reconsider any large indoor gatherings like going to a haunted house or a party.
And also maybe give a second thought to outdoor things as well like hayrides with strangers -- Brianna? (END VIDEOTAPE)
[15:00:06]
KEILAR: Brynn, thank you.
And our special coverage continues now with Kate Bolduan.
