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Demands Grow For Body Cam Footage In Andrew Brown Jr. Shooting; Interview With Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA); CDC And FDA Lift Recommended Pause On J&J's COVID Vaccine; Federal Prosecutors Examine Whether Gaetz Took Gifts, Including Travel And Paid Escorts, For Political Favors; Feds: Riot Suspect Turned In By Bumble Match After Bragging About Storming U.S. Capitol. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired April 24, 2021 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Tiger posting this: My course is coming along faster than I am, but it's nice to have a faithful rehab partner, man's best friend.

Wishing him the best recovery.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thank you so much for being with me today.

The NEWSROOM continues right now with Jim Acosta.

(MUSIC)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Another American community today asking questions about excessive use of force and demanding answers, change, and the fundamental right to equal treatment. This is Elizabeth City, North Carolina after another fatal shooting of a black man by law enforcement. Protesters there frustrated that they haven't been able to see the bodycam footage of how Andrew Brown Jr. died.

The biggest clue so far, the dispatch audio from first responders.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALL TO DISPATCH: Central, advise EMS has got one male, 42 years of age, gunshot to the back.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The shooting happened yesterday or Wednesday I should say. And since then we should point out at least seven sheriff's deputies have been placed on administrative leave.

CNN's Natasha Chen is in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, right now.

Natasha, Brown's family met with the local sheriff Friday but they were not shown the footage. Natasha, do we know why?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't, actually. The sheriff, Tommy Wooten, in Pasquotank County has explained to the media he'd like to protect the integrity of the investigation. That has caused a rising level of frustration among the public and especially the family, many of whom are here behind us right now ready to give a press conference, which is why I'm speaking a little lower in the background here.

But earlier today, we also hear from city officials in Elizabeth City. Again, not their jurisdiction here. Not Elizabeth City police who were involved at all on Wednesday. But they are also participating in helping, you know, represent their citizens and request this body camera footage.

You know, the city manager spoke earlier about his feelings when he first heard this happen on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONTRE FREEMAN, ELIZABETH CITY, NC CITY MANAGER: When this first happened as an African-American man and father who's raising a son it felt like yet another one. That's how it felt. That's how it continues to feel. But I cannot allow myself to stay in that space because I have 18,000 people that I'm responsible for.

I pray that this never happens again. Ever. Not in the city of Elizabeth City, in any other city. And to all the families and law enforcement officers who are dealing with this, my prayers go out to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: The mayor of Elizabeth City also said that this place is now a microcosm of the national problem that they see with police use of force and the shooting and killing of people of color. So there is a lot of concern among the community. People asking why it's taking this long to reveal body camera footage.

And here in North Carolina it actually requires a court order. So the city council met in an emergency meeting to be able to agree that they are going to file formally to request that footage on Monday. CNN is also a part of 14 news organizations in a coalition making a similar request and normal filing on Monday as well -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Good, yes, because we need to see that footage. The public deserves to see it. Natasha Chen, we know you'll be staying on top of that. Thanks so much.

All of that adding to an emotional week for the nation that saw a jury convict a former Minneapolis police officer in the death of George Floyd. So much has happened it may be hard to remember that in the hours before that verdict was read Republicans were railing against Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters and something she said during a protest in Minnesota.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D-CA): I hope that we're going to get a verdict that says guilty, guilty, guilty. And if we don't we cannot go away. We've got to stay on the street. And we've got to get more active. We've got to get more confrontational. We've got to make sure that they know that we mean business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Republicans tried and failed to get the congresswoman censured for that line about protesters getting more confrontational. And you can imagine the reaction over on Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Maxine Waters threatened violence before the jury had even begun to consider the facts of the case. That's so far over the line that we read some Democrats were shocked by it. And yet no one condemned it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're telling me Trump incited a riot by telling people to go march on the Capitol peacefully and patriotically. Those are the words. You can read the transcript. I know you have problems with that.

But Maxine Waters was not inciting a riot by walking into a place known for rioting during a hot trial and saying if she doesn't get the results she wants calling for, quote, a confront -- more confrontation.

[15:05:14]

This isn't a TV time out. I'm just saying that make sense to you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California joins me now. She is the chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services.

Congresswoman, thanks for joining us.

I want to read from an op-ed that you wrote for the "L.A. Times." Let me put this up on screen.

It says: Confronting injustice has been my life's work. Not because of who I am. The right wing and members of Congress who subscribe to the views of groups like QAnon, the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys and the KKK have targeted me. Those very people who have done so to divert attention from the fact that they aided and abetted a violent domestic terrorist insurrection led by Donald Trump, to target me and say that I was violent or encouraging violence is a blatant distortion of the truth.

Congresswoman, I wanted to show that to our viewers, but looking back, why was it important for you to use that word "confrontational" at the time?

WATERS: Well, let me just say that you're absolutely correct in reading what I wrote about what had happened in Minneapolis and what is happening in this atmosphere that we're in. I have been involved with dealing with police abuse for many, many years.

It started many years ago in Los Angeles with the killing of a woman named Eula Love. And Daryl Gates was a police chief that used chokeholds to kill black men and also a battering ram to tear down the doors of people in the black community.

And so I have also lived with the fact that so many young unarmed men in particular and women are being killed by the police and the black community is afraid of the police. And these young boys who are getting stopped, they think they may have a better chance of running than sticking with the police because the police may, as was so-called happened with Daunte in Minneapolis, get killed by mistake or just get killed by the police, shot in the back.

It is a very, very uneasy time in the black community. The mothers and the fathers and the family are afraid for their children and particularly young black men to be on the street thinking they're going to get stopped and they will not get back home.

They are counseling constantly their children, if you get stopped, please don't say anything. Please show your hands. Please say yes, sir. Do everything you can do to keep from being killed because we can't guarantee you that the people that we pay to protect and serve you will do that rather than kill you.

And so, Martin Luther King was familiar with racism and discrimination, and he was familiar with how tough it is to break up the established order of the day, and that was by, you know, white supremacists who basically created harm to all in the black community for the most part. And so he created something called the C Project.

The C Project was the Confrontation Project. The Confrontation Project is a non-violent project that dealt with sit-ins, marches, praying, organizing.

And so confrontational does not mean violence. I'm a non-violent person. Martin Luther King taught non-violence. And we must be about resisting, however, and we must be about educating. And we must be about trying to protect our children.

And so confrontation is being misused. And as I said, there's an attempt by the Republicans to divert attention from the fact that they are aligned with violent people. QAnon --

ACOSTA: Congresswoman --

WATERS: Yes?

ACOSTA: Congresswoman, let me just ask you, though, because as you know the judge in the Derek Chauvin case also came out strongly against your remarks. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE PETER CAHILL, HENNEPIN COUNTY DISTRICT COURT: I'll give you that congresswoman waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned. I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch and our function. A congresswoman's opinion really doesn't matter a whole lot. Anyway. So motion for mistrial is denied.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What did you think of that? What was your response to the judge when you saw that?

WATERS: Well, he did walk it back. And as you said, he closed with a congresswoman's opinion doesn't matter. And I think he was angry. I think he may be frustrated with this case and how much world publicity is on it and all of that.

[15:10:02]

I've talked with a lot of legal scholars and lawyers, and of course, he was way off track and he knows that in fact the jurors were not in the room. The jurors have been -- had an oath not to look at television, not to read the newspapers, not to engage with people on this. And so he knows that there was no interference with the jurors.

But he was basically frustrated and angry, I believe. But I am very pleased there are those beginning to write about Judge Cahill's basic comments. And one thing I read that came from someone from CNN was that the judge was all off track and he knows that this is not the cause of an appeal.

Most of the time when you have a case like this they're going to appeal it anyway, but to say that I'm going to cause an appeal really is not credible. And whether or not they have an appeal and even if they mention my name like the judge says, my comments, whatever, don't matter anyway.

ACOSTA: Well, Congresswoman, let me ask you more about this op-ed that you wrote. You say you're non-violent while also referencing that there are right-wing members of Congress who subscribe to the views of QAnon and the Proud Boys. Do you believe that those congressional Republicans are non-violent?

WATERS: Well, no. Because what is very interesting is I am threatened to be killed very often. And so we are reporting to the Capitol Police and they are investigating all of these attempts to kill me and people are so -- not attempts but, you know, people who are calling in saying that they're going to kill me. And we don't know how close they've gotten to doing that.

But we do know this -- the Oath Keepers started to march on my office, and they organized, and they got very open about it. The police, LAPD, did stop them. And the community turned out when they learned about it. But that doesn't get written about.

Not only do I have my life threatened very often and the Oath Keepers who are threatening me but these individuals who are so brazen that they have their telephone numbers that's recorded that are threatening to kill me. We have members of Congress who carry guns.

And, you know, we had to put the machines up to make sure that everybody that was coming on the floor was basically going through the machine to determine whether or not they were carrying weapons. And so when you talk about violence --

ACOSTA: Are you saying, Congresswoman, that you're concerned about your -- I just want to --

(CROSSTALK)

WATERS: -- when you look at what happened January 6th when the domestic terrorists who were their friends broke into our Capitol and beat up police officers and caused one police death and others to be harmed. Then you know, I think people, whether they like me or not, will know that their arguments are not credible.

ACOSTA: Let me ask you this because right now, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is stalled in the Senate. Democrats, as you know, don't have the 60 votes needed to bypass a filibuster. Are you concerned that Congress is going to miss a huge opportunity here, do you think?

WATERS: Well, I have to be concerned because you know the Republicans have basically defined themselves in what they will and won't do and how much they resist anything that has to do with taking care of the problems that we are talking about, police abuse and the targeting of black people by the police. They don't want to agree to that. And so, it's going to be difficult. It's not going to be easy.

I don't know what's going to happen. But I know this -- that black mothers and fathers have got to do everything that they can to protect their children. We can't sleep at night. We worry about them. The whole community is upset about it.

And so, we've got to work and we've got to deal with this issue. Protesting is guaranteed to us, the freedom of speech by the Constitution of the United States of America. And so when you talk about protest and confrontation you're not talking about hurting anybody. You're talking about educating. You're talking about --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: What about these -- what about some of these state bills, congresswoman? You're seeing some of these --

WATERS: I beg your pardon?

ACOSTA: You're seeing some of these bills in states across the country, places like Oklahoma and Florida, where they're trying to place restrictions on protesting. They're calling them anti-riot bills and so on. Have you seen this? And what is your response to some of these bills?

(CROSSTALK) WATERS: Yes. I'm beginning to take a look at this, and I am remembering as I started looking at this that they're saying that if a car plows into a crowd and kills somebody that it depends on what that somebody was doing, that they may not be held accountable for that.

[15:15:04]

And I don't know the exact words. But that legislation that they're producing is outrageous. It is unconstitutional. But it is similar to what they're doing on voting rights. We're under attack on voting rights with, you know, all of these states that have Republican governors, et cetera.

They are basically trying to take away our voting rights. It is voter suppression. That cannot be denied.

In addition to that, now you have an attempt to stop protesting and First Amendment rights. The black communities are under siege by these right-wing Republicans. The KKK, the QAnon, the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, these are domestic terrorists. And they are targeting us in so many ways. And unfortunately, our young people are dying and we just have to keep talking. We have to keep acting.

ACOSTA: All right. And we know you will. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, thanks for coming in. We appreciate your time. We hope to have you on again soon. We appreciate it.

WATERS: Thank you so very much for having me.

ACOSTA: All right. Thank you.

And coming up, the dangerous comments from Republican senator fanning the flames of vaccine hesitancy by asking what's the point, as thousands still die every day around the world from the pandemic.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:32]

ACOSTA: After recommending a pause for ten days, the CDC and the FDA lifted their pause on the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine Friday, saying they have confidence that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19. But the label for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be updated to say women under age 50 should be aware of the risk of a rare blood clotting syndrome associated with the vaccine.

And joining me now to discuss this is infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist Dr. Celine Gounder. She's also a CNN medical analyst.

Dr. Gounder, thanks so much for joining us.

Do you agree what the CDC and the FDA's decision to lift that recommended pause of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine? CELINE GOUNDER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Jim, if we go back in time, there

were about six cases of these very rare blood clots that were reported at the time of the pause. The CDC and FDA put out information to health care workers across the country to let them know what to look for and to give some time for them to report those cases. A couple others have trickled in.

But what we've seen is with only 15 such cases out of 4 million women who have gotten this vaccine, 8 million people total who've gotten the vaccine, the risk remains exceedingly low. You're still at far higher risk, for example, of being struck by lightning sometime in your lifetime.

And so when we compare the risk of these extremely rare blood clots with the risk of getting COVID and the severe disease you can get from COVID, death from COVID, there is no question that the risk of the vaccine is really minimal.

ACOSTA: And what do you think of the addition to the vaccine's fact sheet? Do you think that that is strong enough? Does it go far enough?

GOUNDER: I think people should be warned about this. This is something we do with many other medications that have side effects. For example, if a woman gets birth control, she is warned about the risk of blood clots with that.

But I think Americans are sophisticated. They can weigh the risks and benefits for themselves with the help of their personal physician, with the help of their family.

And for some people, this really is their best option. They might be afraid of needles, might be inconvenient for them to come back for a second shot. And yet they really do want to be protected. And the protection, the benefits of that protection far outweigh any risk of blood clot from these vaccines.

ACOSTA: And a modeler for the key IHME model says that the supply of COVID-19 vaccines will likely outstrip demand by mid May. That's sort of staggering to think about. But I suppose we're on pace for that. We are already seeing the number of vaccines administered drop slightly on a daily basis. But let's consider that but also keep in mind some of these comments. I want to get your comments on this, like the ones from GOP Senator Ron Johnson, who said this about vaccines earlier this week.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): The science tells us the vaccines are 95 percent effective. So if you have a vaccine, quite honestly, what do you care if your neighbor has one or not? What is it to you? You've got a vaccine and science is telling you, it's very, very effective. So why is this big push to make sure everybody gets the vaccine?

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ACOSTA: That is just wild. Set the record straight for us. Tell us the facts here.

GOUNDER: I think it's really important to understand that vaccines work best at a population level, not at the individual level. And the other thing you have to take into consideration is this is a percent reduction, 95 percent sounds really good. But it really depends on what you're starting from. If you were in a community that is swimming with virus, 95 percent reduction is good but you're still at risk. And so, really, the best way to reduce the risk for all of us is for as many people to get vaccinated as possible.

ACOSTA: All right. Sounds like good advice. Dr. Celine Gounder, thanks so much. We appreciate it. Great talking to you.

And coming up, the feds digging deeper into Matt Gaetz's past and whether he traded political favors for gifts like paid escorts.

Plus, how one alleged Capitol insurrectionist bumbled, right into the arms of the law.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:29:12]

ACOSTA: We know more about what embattled Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz could be up against. If you're keeping track, the story already includes allegations of sex trafficking, a relationship with an underage girl and a trip to the Bahamas. Now, CNN has learned what exactly others may have hoped to gain from Gaetz taking that trip.

CNN's Paula Reid has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, CNN has learned that the federal sex trafficking investigation into Congressman Gaetz includes looking at whether Gaetz took gifts like travel or paid escorts in exchange for political favors. Sources briefed on the matter say the Justice Department is scrutinizing a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Gaetz and several young women.

[15:30:00]

They're specifically looking at whether the getaway was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence the congressman on the issue of medical marijuana.

CNN has previously reported Gaetz is under investigation for engaging in a relationship with a woman that began when she was just 17, and that Gaetz attended sex parties in Orlando with other prominent Republicans that involved women, drugs, and exchanging sex for money.

CNN has also learned investigators already have one key witness who's Cooperating and that is Joel Greenberg.

He's a former Seminole County tax commissioner who's also a close associate of the congressman and attended those sex parties. He was indicted last year on multiple federal charges, including sex

trafficking. And he's expected to enter a plea deal in the coming weeks.

Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana. He has introduced pieces of legislation at the state and federal level seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug.

But according to reports, Dr. Jason Pirozzolo, a Florida doctor who founded a medical marijuana advocacy group, accompanied Gaetz on that 2018 trip to the Bahamas.

Gaetz has referred to the doctor as one of his best friends. And the pair have repeatedly intersected over medical marijuana.

As far back as 2014, Gaetz, then a state representative in Florida, introduced medical marijuana legislation two weeks after vacationing with Pirozzolo in the Florida keys.

One week after the legislation passed, Pirozzolo launched a medical marijuana consulting company.

In April 2018, when Gaetz introduced the medical cannabis research bill, a source tells CNN the congressman hand-delivered a fully written draft of the bill to his staff, which overlaps significantly with the agenda the doctors group had been pushing.

Neither Gaetz nor Pirozzolo have been accused by the Justice Department of any wrongdoing or charged with a crime.

Pirozzolo's lawyer declined to comment.

And a spokesman for Gaetz told CNN, "Matt Gaetz is a long-time policy expert on the subject that passed legislation on the matter as far back as 2013. To suggest he needed anyone else nudge him along is risible" -- Jim?

ACOSTA: Paula, thanks.

Nearly 400 people have now been charged with federal crimes in connection with the January 6th attack on the capitol. But the latest suspect may take the prize for most interesting arrest.

Robert Chapman was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct after the FBI got a tip from a surprise source. One of his matches on Bumble, the dating app.

Court documents showed that one week after the insurrection Chapman told another Bumble user, quote, "I did storm the capitol." Adding, quote, "I made it all the way into Statuary Hall."

The unnamed match wasn't impressed. "We are not a match," the person wrote, to which he replied, "I suppose not."

Perhaps he swiped too far to the right.

Prosecutors say the Bumble match immediately gave the FBI the screen shot of the conversation.

Investigators then corroborated Chapman's claims by comparing his Bumble profile picture to body camera footage from police officers who were inside the capitol.

Be careful with those apps, I guess.

From a teen shot in her front yard, to a deadly traffic stop, to a man allegedly shot in the back, a closer look at the latest cases raising questions about police tactics and excessive use of force.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:37:20]

ACOSTA: Attorney general Merrick Garland meeting with police officials around the country Friday to discuss ideas for police reform and to hear concerns from police departments.

It comes after the DOJ launched a federal probe into policing practices in Minneapolis this week as questions swirl over how police nationwide are trained.

CNN's Jessica Schneider has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four shots fired by Columbus Police Officer Nicolas Reardon now reigniting a national debate about what constitutes reasonable force from police with the city's mayor urging patients.

MAYOR ANDREW GINTHER, (D), COLUMBUS, OHIO: This is a failure on the part of our community. Some are guilty, but all of us are responsible.

SCHNEIDER: Police bodycam video was released less than six hours after the fatal encounter Tuesday afternoon. It shows 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant pushing a person toward the ground before she lungs toward another person wearing pink with what appears to be a knife.

(GUNFIRE)

SCHNEIDER: That's when Officer Reardon fires four shots, killing Bryant.

The video has prompted questions about how police are trained to react to a situation like this.

Columbus police chief saying officers were taught when to use deadly force.

MICHAEL WOODS, INTERIM CHIEF, COLUMBUS DIVISION OF POLICE: What I can say is, when officers are faced with someone employing deadly force, deadly force can be the response the officer gives. SCHNEIDER: But what about the how? On April 11th, a Minneapolis-area

police officer shot and killed Daunte Wright. Police say she mistakenly used a gun instead of her Taser.

KIMBERLY POTTER, FORMER BROOKLYN CENTER POLICE OFFICER: Holy, (EXPLETIVE DELETED)! I just shot him.

SCHNEIDER: Back in Columbus, the police chief there pushed back on the idea that his officer could have resorted to a Taser instead.

WOODS: If there's not deadly force being perpetrated on someone else at that time, and also may have the opportunity to have cover, distance and time to use a Taser, but if those things aren't present and there is an active assault going on in which someone could lose their life, the officer can use their firearm to protect that third person.

SCHNEIDER: As for where to shoot, officers were trained to aim for the chest, the largest area of the body.

WOODS: We don't train for the leg because that's a small target.

ART ACEVEDO, CHIEF, MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT: That's not real world. That's not real life. But we don't get a second, third or fourth take. And so, we do train to shoot central mass.

(CHANTING)

SCHNEIDER: In Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where protesters are demanding answers after sheriff's deputies shot 40-year-old Andrew Brown Jr. on Wednesday while attempting to serve a warrant, the sheriff said there's body cam video but has not released it yet.

[15:40:00]

DARIUS HORTON, (D), MEMBER, ELIZABETH CITY COUNCIL: I'm just hoping that the video footage, for me, that video footage will speak volumes. That's what I'm looking for. I want to see what happened. Because there's no way -- there's no reason, in my personal opinion, that a warrant should end up in a man being dead.

SCHNEIDER: The seemingly endless succession of incidents captured on video where black people have died during encounters with police is renewing calls to change the way policing works.

SHON BARNES, CHIEF, MADISON, WISCONSIN, POLICE DEPARTMENT: We need a national standard for the way we conduct business. I think our community expects reform from us.

I think we need to look not only at a first-responder model but a second-responder model.

We're looking at things in our police department where we'll have mental health officers, mental health professionals, who will go on these crisis calls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And joining me now, Roberto Villasenor is a CNN law enforcement analyst and the former chief of the Tucson Police Department.

Roberto, during police training, is there more focus on de-escalation or threat neutralization, I guess as it's called in your line of work? How do you see it?

ROBERTO VILLASENOR, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I think that that is becoming the trend in policing.

One of the roles that I play as a member of the monitoring team in Baltimore City, and within that capacity along with partnership with the Department of Justice and the city, we've developed entirely new use of force policies that emphasize de-escalation, sanctity of life, and the use of force only as a last resort.

And so I think that you are starting to see now that de-escalation and proportionate, reasonable use of force only as a last resort is what's taking over as a training issue in law enforcement today.

ACOSTA: And turning to the deadly shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio, she is seen lunging at another young woman and appears to be holding a knife.

People have raised questions as to why the officers reached for a gun first instead of a taser, why he didn't try to deescalate the situation even though it was just happening in seconds.

Take us into the mind of an officer at a moment like this. What's your response to what you saw?

VILLASENOR: I've looked at that video several, several times. And I completely understand the anger and the hurt within the community. But the officer has to digest and react quickly to what they see.

As he approaches, immediately you see Bryant push down that other young lady and apparently tried to use the knife on her and go right toward the woman in pink against the car, using the knife in that capacity.

The officer, in my opinion, really had no other option, but he had to stop that attack on the other woman.

And it's easy to sit there and say he could have done this and he could have done that, but in reality, he made the choice that, in my opinion, was probably the most effective choice to save the life of that other woman.

ACOSTA: And Chief Villasenor, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina -- I'm sure you're following that case as well -- a dispatch call suggests that Andrew Brown Jr was fatally shot in the back.

Of course, we don't have all of the information at this point because they haven't released the body cam footage yet. But shot in the back by police as they attempted to serve a warrant.

Police there are refusing to release that body cam footage.

What do you think should happen in this case? How important is that transparency, do you think?

VILLASENOR: I think transparency is the ultimate goal of what we're trying to achieve here. And that's what will help restore trust within law enforcement agencies.

Now, I do recognize that each jurisdiction is different. And each jurisdiction has to work under the laws and confines of their area and with the prosecutors who really ultimately control the release of information.

Sometimes a department may want to release information but they're told by the prosecutor that they can't or state law forbids them from doing so.

And I think that you have to address that through legislation because the goal is to try to be as transparent as possible but you have to also preserve the integrity of the investigation.

So it's a fine balance that police departments have to walk. But in my opinion, the quicker you can release that information the better because transparency helps quell the suspicion and the mistrust that you see arising when these events occur.

ACOSTA: And in the wake of the Chauvin trial, we're seeing these efforts up on Capitol Hill to pass policing reform.

Do you think police departments, by and large, across the country are going to be receptive to congressionally mandated changes to how they operate in these police departments, or is there just an old school kind of mentality there that's not going to want to change?

VILLASENOR: I think whether they're receptive or not police departments are going to be mandated to change and police have to follow the rules of the law. That's where they get their authority from.

But even the Internal Association of Chiefs of Police, two days ago, released a document saying that it's past time, we need to make these reforms.

And that lists, I think, about seven different elements where they talk about the reforms needed that are along the lines of what everyone is talking about and some of the elements included in the George Floyd Act.

[15:45:02]

ACOSTA: OK. Former Chief Roberto Villasenor, thanks so much for your time and those insights. We appreciate it.

VILLASENOR: Thank you. ACOSTA: And coming up, how do you mix Hollywood glamour with pandemic

protocols? A preview of this year's Oscars.

Plus, join our friend, W. Kamau Bell, for a new season of his show, "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA." He's traveling the country, masked up and socially distanced, to talk with people about COVID-19, Black Lives Matter and so much more. It all starts Sunday, May 2nd, at 10:00 p.m.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:09]

ACOSTA: And the pandemic means producers are throwing out the script coming to this year's Oscars.

Here's Stephanie Elam with a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From struggle --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a revolutionary!

ELAM: -- to desperation

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I need work. I like work.

ELAM: -- the times are felt in this year's Oscar nominees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you concerned about an overreaction from the cops?

ELAM: But so is the silence, including from viewers, whose lack of interest made most award shows this year a bomb.

MATTHEW BELLONI, FORMER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: If the ratings continue to decline, you're going to see some changes. I think some awards shows might go away.

ELAM: The Oscars want to reverse the trend. Gone is the Internet remote access feel that hindered shows like the Golden Globes.

BELLONI: It ended up being like a bad version of an office meeting, and the Oscars don't want that.

ELAM: Enter Steven Soderbergh and Stacey Sher, the team -- ironically -- behind the film "Contagion." The pandemic will be a big theme, they say, but Soderbergh wants a show unlike any other.

BELLONI: And he has said that he wants the Oscars to feel like a movie. They're going to have shots from behind shoulders of people, moving cameras.

ELAM (on camera): To pull it off, the show is moving to a smaller venue, here to L.A.'s iconic Union Station, itself a star in Hollywood films like "Catch Me If You Can" and "The Dark Knight Rises." (voice-over): And with vaccines out and fewer restrictions, the biggest challenge may not be the pandemic, but the movies themselves.

(SINGING)

ELAM: Absent of any theatrical hits like years past, this year, the best films come mostly from streaming platforms.

BELLONI: It's very different than choosing to go to a movie theater, buy your popcorn, sit in the theater and watch a movie. People just become attached to those movies in a way that they don't when they're on streaming.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Please call me Mank.

ELAM: "Mank" leads with 10 nominations. But no "Nomadland" is the frontrunner for best picture.

CHADWICK BOSEMAN, ACTOR: Hey, I know what I'm doing.

ELAM: Chadwick Boseman is expected to win a posthumous award for best actor.

But the pressure to win may just be on the Oscars themselves.

BELLONI: Will they be able to get that audience back when there are movies in theaters, or is this just accelerating a trend that already existed, and those audience members are not coming back?

ELAM: In Hollywood, I'm Stephanie Elam.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Glenn Close who is up for best supporting actress for her role in "Hillbilly Eulogy" is using this moment to shine her spotlight on a very personal issue, mental health.

When her little sister, Jessie, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Glenn made it a mission to end stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness.

She co-founded Bring Change to Mind, a nonprofit that brings mental health support into communities and schools.

This week's "CNN Hero" shares her work and her family's story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLENN CLOSE, ACTRESS & CO-FOUNDER, BRING CHANGE TO MIND & "CNN HERO": I've always said that mental health is a family affair.

When my sister Jess came to me and said, I need help because I can't stop thinking of killing myself, it was like a bolt out of nowhere.

We have, over the last 10 years, learned a tremendous amount about stigma, about how toxic it is. We have found that the best way to start ending stigma is to talk about it.

Bring Change to Mind is a nonprofit organization that fights against the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

It's a chronic illness. It is not who you are. It is something, because we have this amazing, wondrous fragile brain, is part of being a human being.

Especially now, because our collective mental health is under such stress, it should be something that really connects us, this need, to take care of our brains. It makes us human.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:54:00]

ACOSTA: And to learn more about Glenn and her sister and the Close family, and their mission to destigmatize mental illness, and to nominee someone you think should be a "CNN Hero," go to CNNheroes.com right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Tiger Woods says he is making progress on his rehab. It's been two months since that severe car crash in California. But it's great, isn't it, to see him smiling in this photo posted on Instagram?

He is on the green, leaning on crutches instead of his clubs, and with his faithful, four-legged rehab partner, Bugs. He's at the Jupiter Island practice facility in Florida.

And Tiger is posting -- we can read this to you -- "My course is coming along faster than I am. But it's nice to have a faithful rehab partner, man's best friend."

And it certainly is.

In New York, a final good-bye to a music legend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(ENGINES ROARING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The mass of motorcycles and vehicles escorting the monster truck carrying the coffin of rapper and actor, DMX.

[15:59:57]

His family and friends will be holding a celebration of life memorial in moments at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. The three-time Grammy nominee died on April 9th at the age of 50 after suffering a heart attack in his New York home.