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U.S. On Edge Over Civil Unrest, Police Violence And Mass Shootings; Interview With Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel About Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan; Gosar Denies He Had Anything To Do With Far Right America First Caucus Launching Plans; Trump Receives Award; Thirteen-Year-Old Boy Killed; CNN Heroes. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 18, 2021 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:12]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: And you are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. We're following breaking news.

Multiple shootings in America right now. We take you first to Austin, Texas, where at least three people are dead after gunfire near a large shopping center. Police say it appears to be a domestic-related incident, but they are warning people to shelter in place in that area.

And just in morning, we woke up to the news that three people were shot and killed and two others were injured when gunfire broke out at a tavern near Kenosha, Wisconsin. In Columbus, Ohio, one person is dead, five others injured after someone opened fire in a parking lot where a vigil was being held. And in Omaha, Nebraska, police have arrested two teenagers after a mall shooting that killed one person and injured another.

We're now up to nearly 50 mass shootings in America in just the last month as the nation also grapples with the civil unrest over other cases of police violence and excessive use of force. Officials say shots were fired at the Minnesota National Guard and police teams providing security in Minneapolis, as the city is bracing for more protests over the death of Daunte Wright, as well as closing arguments in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the officer charged in the killing of George Floyd.

This is Minneapolis. A look at protesters gathering in George Floyd Square right now. And we want to go now to Minneapolis and CNN's Sara Sidner.

Sara, police were afraid of overnight violence there. That fear was realized. What are police in Minneapolis telling you today? And what's happening now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, we are talking to the protesters who are here. And really all the things have been heightened. I mean, everyone is on alert. Everybody is heightened. They are doing a protest now called Black and Yellow, and basically it is about supporting Asian Americans who have faced so much hate. But we are also, and I'll give you a look at the crowd. We're also here at George Floyd Square.

This is the area, right outside Cup Foods where George Floyd died. You can see the hundreds of people who have gathered here. What we are also hearing from are mothers of children, many different mothers of children who have been slain by police officers.

You will remember this, I'm sure. That is the memorial that the world saw. And it is still here. And it changes every single day. That's just one part of the memorial. There is much, much more as we loop around. And we're just going to try to make our way around the crowd.

But you have Asian immigrants who are speaking as we speak. You have mothers who have lost children to police violence. You have people who have been here taking care of this memorial for almost a year now. They are here. This is the memorial now. They generally change these flowers out on a regular basis. But in some instances, they've left some of them dead because there was a death here.

And if you look just beyond that speed limit sign, you will see the outline of where George Floyd died. And that has been lit up every single night since he died, with candles. The red ones that you see there were put by his girlfriend right before she testified in the case against Derek Chauvin.

But all the people gathered here are gathered here for a purpose. And their purpose is to be peaceful, but to speak out against injustices whoever it's against, whether it's Asian people or black people, or Latino people. That's what they're all doing here.

And if you look at the crowd, it is very diverse. That's something that you see often here in Minneapolis. You're seeing children, mothers, fathers, people of different persuasions, trying to come together and create change by protesting, by doing things peacefully. And that's what's happened here today outside of George -- where George Floyd died here in George Floyd Square outside the Cup Foods square.

ACOSTA: Sara, I mean, that is just an amazing look at what's happening all around you. You need to see everywhere you look where you're standing right now, there are signs of pain in that community. So, Sara, thank you so much for showing that to us. It's evident what's happening on the street there. People are just pouring out their hearts in anticipation of a pivotal week in that community.

Sara Sidner, thanks so much that.

And joining me now is the former Detroit police chief and former Detroit deputy mayor, Isaiah McKinnon.

Chief McKinnon, thanks so much again for being with us. The Minnesota State National Guard and police were fired upon overnight. Two National Guard members suffered minor injuries. This is obviously a potentially volatile situation. You were a member of the force and police chief in Detroit. What's your reaction to this news that shots were fired at law enforcement there? ISAIAH MCKINNON, FORMER DETROIT POLICE CHIEF: It's saying that those

kinds of things are happening. And we hope that people will use good judgment and don't get involved that way.

[16:05:03]

But unfortunately, you know, these -- the feelings have been festering for a long time. Whether it's people my age or much younger, they have seen or heard of incidents that occurred with them, with their families, or across the country. And any time something like this happens there is this possibility of those kinds of actions by people who just -- I think there is just so much anger and violence in the thoughts of people when they do things like that -- Jim.

ACOSTA: That's right, Chief. And tensions are high in Minneapolis. Just as the Derek Chauvin trial is wrapping up, another officer is facing charges for the shooting death of Daunte Wright in that area. How are officers trained to deal with what could be several more nights of violence? It sounds like the community there needs to be bracing for the potential of that sort of thing.

MCKINNON: Well, the first thing is knowing and having a good relationship with the community beforehand. Now I think that certainly we tried to do that here in Detroit. But across the country the realization is that, again, this might occur. So you are taught those terms of crowd control. You are taught to use your good judgment and make sure that you don't overreact to certain kinds of situations.

I saw one incident that occurred -- I believe it was in Portland right after the George Floyd incident in which an officer was arresting one of the people who was involved in a situation. And he had him on the ground. Another officer came and put his knee on the person's neck.

The first officer yelled an obscenity at the second officer and said, we don't want that to happen here. So those are the kinds of things that when officers are involved in these kinds of situations and they see other officers potentially who might act the same way, they have got to stop them.

There's got to be a trust. If there's a trust within the community it makes things better. We have a great mayor and a great chief here who are doing exactly that. I mean, they are trying to make sure that here in Detroit -- I'm sure other places, too. Let's have some trust with the community so that if, in fact, there are those who want to do those kinds of violent acts it does not get out of control.

ACOSTA: And certainly, I would think, Chief, that communities all across this country are going to be preparing and gearing up for whatever may happen if we get a verdict this week in the Derek Chauvin trial.

All right, Chief McKinnon, thanks for those insights. We appreciate it.

We want to bring in CNN's host of "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA," W. Kamau Bell, who has covered the issue surrounding police and their relationship with the black community. A new season of his show premieres in two weeks on May 2nd at 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. It's a great program.

And Kamau, thanks so much for being here. All eyes once again will be on Minnesota this week when closing arguments come in the Derek Chauvin trial starting tomorrow. But this trial and what we've seen just recently with these deadly shootings of Daunte Wright and 13- year-old Adam Toledo in Chicago are all tragic examples of police interactions going horribly wrong and they are being caught on camera. When does it stop and how?

W. KAMAU BELL, CNN HOST, UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA: I mean, what we are really seeing is a lot of us are realizing there is a complete system failure of policing in this country. And so it's not about putting individual police on trial. It's not about talking about individual acts around the country. It's about the entire system of policing which has made people of color is built on white supremacy and racism.

When you look at the origins of policing in this country, it's built on criminalizing black bodies and criminalizing black bodies. And there's not really any sort of individual reforms that are going to have to change that. It's about completely redoing the system of policing.

ACOSTA: And are you hopeful that change will come soon? Do you think this is just where we are as a country right now? Is there any way to reform our way out of it?

BELL: I don't believe there is a way to reform our way out of this because we've already tried to reform our way out of this. I am old enough to remember Rodney King, you know. So I'm old enough to remember when that seemed like a seminal moment that would change policing in this country because it was caught on film. Well, now police officers wear body cams and it still hasn't changed anything.

And, you know, so I think we're not talking about -- there's not hope because it's really until America as a country realizes that the system of policing is hurtful and damaging to this country. Individual forms, if Derek Chauvin gets the full extent of the law placed against him and gets thrown in jail, that's one police officer.

I mean, we're talking about the -- I just heard the last subject -- person talk about intervening, constant intervening. Carol Horn interviewed, she was a police officer who intervened, and she got fired from police force because of it. So it's not about individual reforms.

ACOSTA: And Kamau, I want to play a clip from your show last year where your mom describes a lesson that she gave you at a very young age. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very conscious about that. And I remember when you were a little guy, you know, 6, 7 years old. And there was a drugstore near us that we would shop in. [16:10:04]

And as soon as we walked in the door, the store detective would follow us. I said be really careful. And I pointed out the store detective because we are always being watched.

BELL: I remember that lesson, and it sticks with me today, so much so that I am aware of when I'm in stores even now as a fully grown adult where my hands are. And, then, you know, as a kid, I was aware of it because I didn't want to be arrested. And now as an adult I become aware of it because I don't want to be killed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Take us inside these difficult conversations that black families have to have. I mean, it's -- it is something that you hear over and over again from folks that these conversations go on. And I think there's a huge chunk of America that just oblivious to this.

BELL: Yes, and I think that we have to understand that these conversations are had in black homes. They're had in Latinx homes and indigenous homes. But the ultimate sadness is that we have learned that you cannot perform your way out of not being shot by a police officer, out of not being abused by a police officer. So that's the struggle we talked about in these conversations.

Here's how you should be aware of the world, here's how you should act, my mom was telling me, but it doesn't mean you're not going to end up in a deadly situation with a police officer so I think that's why we're talking about -- we have to talk about the complete failure of the system because we have learned as black folks we cannot perform our way out of bad situations with cops.

You don't have to look any further than Tamir Rice who was just walking down the street holding a BB gun and he was shot by a cop before he probably even knew about it.

ACOSTA: That's exactly right. And these issues don't exist in a vacuum as you know. It's hundreds of years of history. And those like FOX's Tucker Carlson who continue to push dangerous and baseless conspiracies. Listen to how he recently talked about a replacement therapy. The kind of stuff you would just see on fringe Web sites, and yet it's all of a sudden on FOX News. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Demographic change is the key to the Democratic Party's political ambitions. In order to win and maintain power, Democrats plan to change the population of the country. They are no longer trying to win you over with their program. They are obviously not trying to improve your life. They don't even really care about your vote anymore. Their goal is to make you irrelevant.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: What concerns you most when you think about the millions of people who are, you know, absorbing this kind of messaging every night?

BELL: I mean, to me, you know, as a member of media I feel like this failure is on me, too. This is about the failure of the media to actually -- especially the news media to actually make sure that we're all trafficking in facts. And again, this is again, we're living in America, a system built on white supremacy, there is no black equivalent of Tucket Carlson who gets that much mainstream media time. So I think we're saying we allow --

ACOSTA: You're so right.

BELL: -- someone like Tucker Carlson to go on TV and lie regularly and uses his bully pulpit to bully people and put people in danger. I am one of those people he's done that to. And yet he gets away with it. So I think again, we're talking about system failures here. Not individual failures. Until the system admits that Tucker Carlson is bad for humanity, which he is, full stop, until we admit that, we are going to find ourselves in these same positions over and over again.

ACOSTA: No lie there. All right, W. Kamau Bell, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Great insights as always. And don't miss a brand-new season of "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA" with W. Kamau Bell. Season six premieres May 2nd at 10:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

President Biden says America's longest war in Afghanistan is coming to an end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am now the fourth United States president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: However, some officials are raising alarms about this decision. Former Defense secretary under President Obama, Chuck Hagel, respected voice on national security, joins me live next to discuss.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:18:03]

ACOSTA: New numbers show Republican lawmakers who were the most vocal about trying to overturn the election have pulled in massive campaign donations in the three months since the insurrection attempt at the Capitol. According to the "New York Times" Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas, who led the challenge to Biden's victory, each brought in more than $3 million. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, who referred to January 6th as a

1776 moment before the riot, raised $200,000. And Congressman Madison Cawthorn, who urged his supporters to lightly threaten lawmakers into challenging the results, has pulled in more than $1 million.

And joining me now is former Defense secretary under President Obama, Chuck Hagel. We'll talk about that and some other things. But you also served as a senator from Nebraska on the Republican side for more than a decade.

Secretary Hagel, we appreciate you joining us. But as somebody who warned about this rhetoric over the election results, you talked about this and then had to watch the riot unfold like the rest of us. What is your reaction to these Republican lawmakers profiting over these lies, the big lie, that got people killed?

CHUCK HAGEL, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, Jim, I am disgusted, like I think many people in this country are and should be. The continued fabrication for base, crude political interests of lying and misleading the American public about the election, about so much, is wrong. And I think what it will ultimately do, I think what it's doing now is dividing the Republican Party.

You're seeing that happen with Trump and the Republican National Committee. John Boehner's book, Republicans are speaking out. Members of the Republican National Committee are speaking out saying we can't continue to go down this path.

The fact is, the Republican Party under President Trump lost the White House, lost the Senate, lost the House in the last four years. And they are not going to get all that political power and influence back by continuing to lie to the American people, like those that you mentioned continue to do, and others.

[16:20:12]

ACOSTA: And do you believe extremists are now the dominant force in the Republican Party? Do you feel at home in the GOP yourself?

HAGEL: Not in this GOP, Jim. But I have always believed political parties are bigger than personalities, are bigger than individuals. And I still believe that. I do believe the Republican Party will right itself. There are a lot of younger voices, younger Republicans in the House, in the Senate, in state legislatures, mayors' offices, governors' offices around this country who know better. And they will turn it around. The American people know better.

The Republicans -- many Republicans know better. So I am hopeful. But this is a very difficult time for all of us because it continues to polarize and divide our country resulting in paralysis in getting things done for your country. But we will break that.

ACOSTA: And what would you say to some of these Republicans who still flocking down to Mar-a-Lago to kiss the ring of the man who incited the riot, former president Donald Trump, who by the way lost the White House, lost the House, lost the Senate? HAGEL: Well, if they want to continue to go down that road with

someone who lost -- who led a party that lost all of those, and does not look like he's got any particular bright prospects for the future, is offering no plans for a better country, and a better world, and a better future, if that's the road they want to go down, they will go down that road. But it is going to end in disaster like after four years of his presidency it did for the Republican Party.

And it hurt this country terribly. What Biden has had to deal with, and what he inherited in the Trump agenda. So I think it will even out. It's going to be difficult, Jim. Difficult, dangerous, volatile time in the world, in our country. We're dealing with COVID, we're dealing with economic consequences, foreign policy issues. But I think that the American people, and so many Republicans, believe that we can get back to a time when we would work together.

We don't have to agree on everything. We shouldn't. That's democracy. But in the end, you put the country first, not your party first, to solve the problems of the country. They'll figure this out.

ACOSTA: And let's talk about President Biden. He announced this week that he will be withdrawing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11th. A symbolic nod obviously to the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. He made the announcement in the same room where President George W. Bush announced the war in 2001. Let's listen to this and let's talk about some more about this decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On my orders, the United States Military has begun strikes against al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. We will not waiver. We will not tire. We will not falter. And we will not fail.

BIDEN: I'm now the fourth United States president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth. And it's time to end the forever war.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And Secretary Hagel, as the Defense secretary during the war in Afghanistan, during your time, during the Obama administration, do you think it's time to go?

HAGEL: It is time to go, Jim. I think the president made a courageous, very difficult decision, but the right decision. He made a decision that responsibly gets the United States to a point where we are going to end this 20-year war, where we have invested trillions of dollars, we've suffered thousands of casualties, killed in action, wounded, brought our allies into it. This has got to be dealt with. And it has to be resolved through a political structure.

The military can't do it. We put the military in a terrible position the last 20 years saying to the military, you fix the problems, you fix the economy, you fix the government, you fix the security. The military can't do that. They can do a lot, and they did a lot. But this has got to be a diplomatic, strategic focus that develops a diplomatic strategic strategy. The military can support that. But this is not sustainable the way it's going. I mean it's getting worse and worse.

And so the president made a tough decision. Imperfect. There are risks. I know a lot of questions are out there, but it's the right decision for this country and I think quite frankly for Afghanistan and the region.

[16:25:00]

ACOSTA: And in a statement, perhaps you saw this, Trump said earlier this afternoon that Biden should not use the September 11th attacks -- the anniversary of September 11th as the day to withdraw troops from Afghanistan saying it can be done sooner than that. And that the date should remain a day of reflection and remembrance, meaning 9/11. Do you agree with that?

HAGEL: No, I don't agree with that. And I wouldn't reference Donald Trump on anything he says as far as commemorating anything in America. I think the decision was the right decision. I think the date was the right decision. I understand why he used that date.

But the fact is, Jim, we never had any articulation of a clear strategy in Afghanistan. We just kept putting more troops in, more resources in. And of course, when we invaded and occupied Iraq in 2003, we took our whole emphasis and focus off of Afghanistan.

For years we took resources out of Afghanistan. Iraq was the focus. That hurt us at that time as well. But the lesson we should learn here, Jim, once again, is before you put America into position where you are going to invade and occupy a country, you better know what you're getting into. You better know the history of the country, the cultural, tribal divisions of the country. We didn't know any of that.

And we didn't know what the next step was. Is this nation building? Where are we going with it? We never answered those tough questions. I remember being in the Senate at the time in the Foreign Relations Committee, the Intelligence Committee. We asked those questions. Define win for us. Nobody could do that. So we were sleepwalking into an abyss here that was going to end badly. And after 20 years, it is worse off than it has ever been in Afghanistan since we have been there.

ACOSTA: And Secretary Hagel, I have to ask you this, because it's been in the news and you were Defense secretary for a while there during the Obama years. Perhaps you saw this other story that dropped in the middle of this busy news week. The Pentagon confirmed that leaked videos taken by Navy pilots in 2004 and 2015 do in fact show unidentified aerial phenomenon, what we would call UFOs.

What do you make of these videos? What can you tell the public about what these videos may show us? HAGEL: Well, I don't know, Jim. I haven't seen the intelligence on it.

I haven't seen a lot of it. I saw the announcements. I just don't know. And I am not trying to equivocate or be cute about it but I don't know. I'm just uncertain what's going on. I want to see the intelligence on it. I want to see more than just the photos. So I know that's not a good answer.

ACOSTA: Could there be a logical explanation for this sort of stuff?

HAGEL: Maybe. Maybe. I wouldn't dismiss it just out of hand. I mean, if you've got some evidence, and photos and so on of strange activities and developments, then you have got to deal with it and you have got to try to figure out how did this come about, where did it come from. Is it legitimate? Is it real? And those are real questions.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. We'll keep asking them, too. All right, Secretary Hagel, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Great insights. Hope to see you again soon. Thanks so much.

HAGEL: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right, coming up, the one picture that speaks volumes about a Republican Party that can't escape the past.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:30:00]

ACOSTA: New today, Republican Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona is now denying he had anything to do with plans to launch a far-right America first caucus with fellow Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green. Punchbowl News had obtained a flyer promoting the caucus and its ideals.

The group would have advocated for Anglo-Saxon political traditions. You can read between the lines there. It also perpetuated a number of lies about the 2020 election. And while both Green and Gosar deny writing the paper, the blowback was swift and plans for the caucus were canceled, you might say.

Joining me now, CNN Political Commentator Ana Navarro and Alice Stewart, a Republican Strategist, and former communications director for Ted Cruz. Ana, great to see you. The House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, came out and said the Republican Party is not the party of nativist dog whistles. But he didn't call out these members of Congress out by name. Does that go far enough?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, it doesn't. Listen, there is so much more that Kevin McCarthy can and should do. You know, there's -- I mean, he can -- he should be a lot more forceful with his language. And, today, I was watching John Boehner discuss this on a -- you know, on a show.

And I wish John Boehner had been more forceful when he was speaker. It's not enough to be condemning this post facto. When you have the speakership, when you have the leadership, you have got the biggest bully pulpit and the biggest platform. And it is part of your job to be rational. To -- you know, to set some rules.

And how offensive is it -- how offensive is it that the Republican -- that those Republicans, like Marjorie Taylor Green, wanting to establish an Anglo Saxon caucus, when there are people like Mario Diaz-Balart, a Cuban American from Miami, who's a Republican. When there are people like Carlos Jimenez.

[16:35:00]

NAVARRO: When there are people like Tim Scott. When there are people like Maria Bias El Assar (ph). I mean, what does that even say to their colleagues? So, it's a bi is that even other Republicans, who don't fit their qualifications and their definitions of what an American is, are also outside of the group? God forbid you and me. And I've got news for them, neither Jim Acosta nor Ana Navarro are going anywhere.

So, you know, it's just a stupid, offensive, ridiculous, disgusting, archaic, racist idea.

ACOSTA: No question about it. And, Alice, I mean, Ana makes a good point. I suppose there are some people of color in the Republican Party and Congress who, I suppose, would not have been able to join that caucus? I mean --

ALICE STEWART, CNN REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Of course not. And every adjective that Ana used to describe that, I agree with. It was stupid. And it certainly is not reflective of the Republican Party. Margorie Taylor Green needs to realize that she might represent the people of her district, but her views and her far-out-there policies and ideas and thoughts don't represent the rest of us.

And the more that people can understand that the Republican Party is still the party of limited government, free markets, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, second amendments, and pro-life and get back to the policies and not the personalities of people like Marjorie Taylor Green, and Donald Trump for that matter, the better we will do moving forward.

And while a lot of people do recognize and see Donald Trump as the titular head of the Republican Party, what we do need to also recognize is that while he was in office, we lost the House, and the Senate, and the White House. And we need to work together as a party and be united on policies and get away from these personalities that are doing the best they can to separate the party and bring us apart.

Because while the party might be divided on devotion to Trump, we are united on opposition to President Biden and his policies. Because it's not in the best interests of conservatives and, in my view, the fiscal responsibility of our country.

ACOSTA: And, Ana, we're still seeing a Republican Party, though, that can't quit Donald Trump. I mean, Alice was just talking about Trump. I mean, take a look at this. This is incredible. Senator Rick Scott, the Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, went down to Mar-A-Lago and handed Trump their . There it is right there. I guess that's a bowl for his tears after the election. I'm not sure. But what do you make of the symbolism here?

NAVARRO: What can I tell you. I thought it was a silver-plated cigar ash tray so that, you know, they could go -- given there -- you know, there's nothing left but smoke and mirrors, when it comes to Donald Trump.

Look, I think it's -- I think it's Rick Scott sucking up to Donald Trump for several reasons. One is because he's the chair of the NRSC, and he doesn't want Donald Trump getting involved in Republican primaries that could cost Senate seats. Two, because he wants Donald Trump to help fund raise. The fact is that Donald Trump is a good fund-raiser, particularly when it comes to small donor fund-raisers.

And, three, because Rick Scott has personal ambitions of his own, as one of the three statewide Floridians who seem to be, you know, coddling dreams of the presidency, should Donald Trump not run. And everybody is trying to line up and be the heir apparent and see who can -- you know, who can suck up the most and the best to Donald Trump. And there's quite a competition for that going on in Florida.

STEWART: Jim, I -- if I can just say.

ACOSTA: Sure.

STEWART: I look at that picture and I see a couple things. Donald Trump loves trophies. He loves to be on the cover of magazines. He loves to be the center of attention. And I think the champion of spirit participation trophy that he got there is just a way to satisfy him. Because there's two things for sure that many Republicans understand.

You cannot get on the wrong side of Donald Trump, because he will take out vendettas against you. He will use social media against you. It will impact your fund-raising. And, for those with positions within the party, it could impact your position in the party.

But, more importantly, for the future of this party, we need to work on keeping him on board or his supporters on board and also winning back those that we lost, due to his tone and tenor in the White House. And that's the key is growing what he brought to the table, but also doing what we can to get those who have turned away. And the key to that, as I have said again, is sticking and looking at policies and not people with personalities, such as Donald Trump.

ACOSTA: Well, Ana Navarro and Alice --

NAVARRO: You know, Jim, what tells -- what speaks -- what speaks so much about -- and I think it captures where the Republican Party is today.

[16:40:03]

NAVARRO: Rick Scott, a senator and head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is giving Donald Trump some made-up trophy minutes after Donald Trump had referred to the Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, as a dumb son of a bitch. That should tell you -- that, in itself, encapsulates everything of what the Republican Party is right now.

ACOSTA: Well, Ana Navarro and Alice Stewart, I want to send some bowls down to you but that's because you're both winners in my book.

STEWART: Thank you, I'll take it.

ACOSTA: And I hope it's displayed proudly in your homes.

NAVARRO: Send me some rose. Forget the bowls, I've got a ton of those.

ACOSTA: You've got it. Will do. All right, thanks, ladies, appreciate it.

STEWART: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: Coming up, we'll take you live to Chicago where protesters are set to march in honor of Adam Toledo, the 13-year-old boy shot dead by police. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:45:00]

ACOSTA: Later tonight, a march will be held in Chicago to protest the police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo. Police body cam footage shows the moment a police officer made a split-second decision to fatally shoot the boy after police say he was seen holding a gun at the end of a chase last month.

CNN's Ryan Young joins me now from the location where Toledo was shot. Ryan, what do we expect to see tonight, as far as protests go?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, I can tell you, this community really wants to come out and show support for what they think is a shooting that shouldn't have happened. We're in that area. This is the video. This is the spot where this young man lost his life.

And you can see how this community has started to show up to build this memorial. It was just around here where they think that gun was tossed. And you can see how they put this up here to show how his hands were up. And that's what the community feels that lasting image that was on that video.

They've been very vocal about this. This is a little village neighborhood. If anybody knows anything about Chicago, it's a city made up of small neighborhoods. And, of course, people really take where they live seriously. So, at 5:30, they're going to march around the neighborhood to show their support for each other.

In fact, we just talked to some people who were here today about the pain they're going through after the loss of this young boy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just so much trauma right now. And there's a lot of hurt and pain that -- I mean, the community really needs to come together and I hope it does. And it cannot stop here. It has to continue. You know, cops need to come in, police, city, the mayor needs to come in and listen to the needs of the neighborhood, not just put more cops out there. That's, obviously, not the solution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did it hit me? It was tough. It's tough. You know, the kid was real young. And these cops have a big history of, yes, treating us brutally. Anybody that's non-white, we get treated very brutally. And you can feel it in the whole community. You know, it's a tougher community than anything on the north side. And, yes, this is how we grow up and it sets us up for failure right from the beginning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Jim, when you talk to people, though, this is this so tough. Because, obviously, the police department believe this young man had a gun and that they had to make a split-second decision. It's not easy. The real focus is on the fact that there's guns on the streets.

And let me take you over here. This memorial actually extends, Jim. You can see how it has spread here. And this is the setup right now for that march. You can see all the flowers they have over there.

And they're going to have a long list of speakers to come out here. This community is really upset. They think this shooting just shows that there are continued problems with the CPD and this neighborhood. Jim, we'll be here for the entire time to cover it for you.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. I know that area and it is a tight-knit community. And it just seems devastated by what happened. Ryan, thanks for painting that picture for us. Ryan Young, thanks so much.

Up next, just imagine you're enjoying a day at the beach when you see this. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Wow, just a dangerous situation there. We'll bring you the incredible story of this World War II era -- and it's a plane dating back to World War II had an emergency landing. We'll show you that next, coming up live in the CNN NEWSROOM. [16:48:20]

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ACOSTA: Check out this stunning, new video out of Florida. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: That is just incredible this. World War II-era plane made an emergency water landing just off shore while performing in the Cocoa Beach air show in Florida even with a few onlookers in the water. You can see them right there where the plane has landed.

The pilot was able to safely bring that plane down, after experiencing engine failure. The pilot was the only one on board. He was not injured. He even waved at onlookers after getting out that vintage plane. Just incredible stuff. So glad nobody was injured there. But they certainly got a show there on the beach there in Florida.

The new CNN original, by the way. The "People V. The Klan" tells the story -- the true story of Beulah Mae Donald, the black mother who took down the Ku Klux Klan after the brutal lynching of her son, Michael. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEDDY KYZAR: Bi Hayes (ph) told me that I was getting too heavy involved in the Klan, and I was getting to where I knowed (ph) too much. If anything ever happened, and I wind up being the fall guy, he took his hand and done like that, and said, your pockets will be padded with money. You'll never have to work ever again. But if you ever open your mouth about the Klan, you were going to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And be sure to tune in for back-to-back episodes tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN.

Eight years ago this week, the world watched the deadly bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 260. This week's CNN Hero is one of the survivors of the blasts. Heather Abbott's life was forever changed by the injury she suffered, yet she found a way to turn that tragedy into triumph.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEATHER ABBOTT, CNN HERO: I heard the first explosion just ahead in front of me. The next thing I knew, a second explosion occurred just to my right. And that was the last thing I knew, before I landed in the restaurant on the ground.

I was in the hospital for several days while doctors were deciding whether or not to amputate.

[16:55:04]

ABBOT: It was hard to come to terms with the fact that I am an amputee, at first. And had my injury not happened in such a public way, where there was so much assistance available, I never would have been able to afford multiple prosthesis.

Some of our recent beneficiaries. So, I decided to do what I could to help people get those devices that

simply couldn't get them because they were out of reach. It has been life changing for them and a lot of people remind me of that.

There he is, the crazy man.

It feels very rewarding to be able to do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And to see Heather's full story and how she's helping amputees get customed prosthesis, go to CNN.com. And while you're there, nominate someone you think should be a CNN Hero.

[16:56:02]

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