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Thirty Killed, 50-Plus Wounded In Explosion Near Kabul Girls' School; Out-Of-Control Rocket To Re-Enter Earth's Atmosphere Tonight; Restaurant Owners Say They're Struggling With Staff Shortage; Judge Vacates CDC's Nationwide Eviction Moratorium; Fifteen Percent Of U.S. Adults Still Say They'll "Wait And See" On Vaccine; Police Officer Goes "Beyond The Call Of Duty" To Save Man's Life From Oncoming Train. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired May 08, 2021 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST (on camera): CNN International Security Editor, Nick Paton Walsh is following these breaking details for us. So, Nick, what more you learning about this explosion?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (on camera): As you said, Fredricka, it does appear to have targeted a girl school, or girls leaving a school in the west of the capital Kabul, as that school was closing on this one of the holiest days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Now, it appears from pictures of the scene of this shocking attack that some sort of vehicle may have exploded outside the gate, and there have been some horrifying images, frankly, of those in the aftermath going through the schoolbags and books of those killed.
25, the original death toll that quickly rose to 30, with over 50 injured here. And this is a blast that has occurred in Hazara, a Shia Muslim area of the city, which may possibly suggest that the ISIS- related groups who've targeted that sort of ethnic group before in the capital could be involved.
Certainly, the Taliban, who've been behind some previous attacks in the capital have say they got nothing to do with it and pointing the finger in that direction. But, an utterly shocking attack here.
Frankly, I should tell you though, something which Kabul has seen frequently in the past years, not quite so devastatingly targeted at young girls, simply trying to pursue an education, but mass-casualty attack, which is shockingly familiar in that Afghan city.
WHITFIELD: And Nick, is anyone willing to say they see a connection between this explosion and the expected U.S. withdrawal by 9/11 this year?
WALSH: Well, I mean, sadly, these attacks have over the past years been all too regular. But we are paying more attention to them, frankly, because of people seeing this perhaps as part of the consequences of the security vacuum that will inevitably follow the United States withdrawal that has to be complete by September the 11th according to President Joe Biden. But it may happen an awful lot faster. It is already underway.
And there are some possibly who will interpret this as maybe a battle of ideas amongst the insurgents looking to fill that security gap. As I said, the Taliban insurgency have said through a tweet, it wasn't them. But that tweet frankly doesn't represent the entirety of the myriad of militant groups after this lengthy two-decade-long war in Afghanistan that are vying for control in certain areas.
Certainly, the most devilishly awful who could be behind something like this often hail from the ideological ranks of ISIS. It isn't clear who is behind this, but certainly, it is clear that if you are targeting girls of this age, it just seems as they left their facility of education, that plays into the harder line discussions about Afghanistan's future amongst the insurgents there who despise the idea of educating girls of that particular age.
And so, this will feed into that sort of ideological battle for what possible shape they may take in parts of Afghanistan outside of government control -- as the government's control weakens inevitably as the U.S. withdrawal picks up.
But make no mistake, this sort of death and carnage has been happening a lot in Afghanistan. We're paying more attention to it now, but it's impossible to not connect it to the security vacuum that you're going to see in the months ahead, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: So terribly sad. All right, Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much.
All right, meanwhile, the world is watching as a rocket is out of control and hurtling toward earth. A piece of a giant 22-ton Chinese rocket is expected to re-enter the atmosphere sometime tonight. China launched the rocket into orbit last month, it was carrying a new piece of space station. But while most pieces are expected to burn up, upon re-entry, there is a chance some debris could fall to earth.
The risk remains relatively small, and at this point, it is still too early to tell where it might land. What we do know is that the possible impact encompasses much of the globe.
CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here with more on this. Allison, the expected time of impact is narrowing. Any closer to determining the when and the where?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Yes, so each hour we get closer to it. We are able to narrow that field down, which is good news. It gives us a little bit of a better idea of where this is going to go. So, let's break down.
The timing is expected for re-entry between 2330 UTC and 0730 UTC. Basically, between 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time tonight, and 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Again, those are both in Eastern Time zones.
Now, as the time window starts to come down, so does the area of which it could make re-entry in. Basically, where you see all of these blue and yellow lines, it is still fair game for this thing to come back in.
Now, what we've noticed is since this morning, those lines have started to become fewer and fewer. For example, earlier this morning, much of eastern South America was still at play, much of China was still at play. At this point, neither one of those are possibilities. Just these areas where you see the yellow and blue lines.
As of now, the time in the middle we are expecting between about 03:30 UTC. That could be four hours earlier or four hours later. But if it hits at exactly that moment, that point right there where you see that CZ mark, that's where we anticipate it would make re-entry.
[13:05:09]
CHINCHAR: The blue lines indicate the four hours earlier, the yellow lines indicate the four hours afterwards. The reason there's so much uncertainty here is because of how fast this thing is moving. It's moving at 18,000 miles per hour.
That point that we just showed you, basically in the coast or just around the Atlantic ocean, if that is even say 10 minutes earlier than this exact point, now you're talking it's just off the coast of Florida, quite a bit of a ways away. So, this is why the timing is huge in terms of determining where exactly it's going to go.
And again, Fred, as you mentioned that it's pretty big. Though it's about 20 tons, five meters in diameter, but it's not going to land as one piece. It's going to break apart into several pieces, and even then, several of those are expected to burn up in the atmosphere.
So, the good news is we're narrowing this down, and the other good news is it's not going to land as all one big piece.
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll take all those warnings. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. We'll check back with you too as we get closer and closer to that time when it's supposed to enter the atmosphere.
All right, attorneys are now calling for the district attorney investigating the police shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr. to recuse himself. This as protesters in North Carolina continue to demand the release of police bodycam footage. Brown's immediate family is now set to see a few parts of the footage on Tuesday after a judge issued an order to grant the family access.
Body camera video is not public record and cannot be released without a court order under a state law. CNN's Natasha Chen joining us now from Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Natasha, what more are you learning?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Fred, on Tuesday, the family of Andrew Brown Jr. will see more of that video according to a judge's court order, and that's going to happen right in the building behind us. Right now, a lot of the people who have been marching this morning have been signing two notices of demands that are being posted on the doors right now. Those demands include the release of the full tapes, a special prosecutor.
And now, I'm standing with a couple of the attorneys for the Brown family, Harry Daniels and Chance Lynch who just came on to the legal team yesterday.
So, tell me -- Mr. Lynch, you're new to the legal team. What is it that strikes you about this current moment, you know, a couple of days before the family sees the video, what are you going to be focusing on?
CHANCE LYNCH, ATTORNEY FOR ANDREW BROWN FAMILY: Well, I want to make sure that, as today, all day long, we've been focusing on true transparency and accountability. And that's what we're demanding. I'm honored to be a part of a legal team with so many experts and my focus is we want to see the entirety of these videos.
And they're suggesting that they only plan it to show 20 minutes. That's just not enough when there's two hours of recreation and they're limiting that to only 20 minutes.
The public deserves to see and this grieving family deserves to see the entirety of this video. And that's what we're focusing on, and we're not letting that pass just because the judge is only saying 20 minutes. We still place that same demand and that's what our legal team is focusing on right now.
CHEN: Mr. Daniels, do you also have the same impression that it's going to be 20 minutes perhaps redacted? What are you expecting to see?
HARRY DANIELS, ATTORNEY FOR ANDREW BROWN FAMILY: It's actually 18 minutes. A little above 18 minutes. We don't know exactly that we're going to see because we have not been really shown anything. The county and the sheriff, they are still controlling what they believe were the pertinent parts.
The entire tape -- the entire images, footage should be shown, at least to the family.
The officers' names were involved it's already out, you know the names. So, what's the issue if the entire video is shown? That's no problem. Transparency need to be had. When you -- when you don't show the whole thing, and you only show 18 minutes of two hours, the public is only thinking, what are you hiding? The family, what are you hiding? Show the entire footage, show everything.
CHEN: And to either of you, how is the Brown family holding up right now? It's been more than two weeks and they still have not seen much of any video or any answers.
DANIELS: Miss Brown -- Glenda Brown, Andrew's aunt, she stated earlier that, at least show the family the footage. You know, 20 seconds a snippet of a grieving family, the healing starts when complete transparency begins. And this family is still grieving, they just buried a loved one, and they are still, still in the dark of what happened to Andrew.
CHEN: Thank you so much. Yes, and so, we'll be seeing on Tuesday what happens here as the family gathers with their legal team, and potentially going to see much more video in the building right behind us, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Natasha Chen, and thanks to the attorneys there as well.
[13:09:59]
WHITFIELD: All right, members of George Floyd's family are expressing gratitude. Speaking out for the first time since, new charges were announced against the officers involved in George Floyd's death.
All four former Minneapolis police officers now facing federal charges for violating Floyd's civil rights, which gives the family hope for the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDON WILLIAMS, NEPHEW OF GEORGE FLOYD: It meant the world, we were very grateful for it. If you saw that video, it's self-explanatory.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it is.
WILLIAMS: We all know that it was a murder and a torture in broad daylight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WILLIAMS: We all know that the civil rights were violated. But this gives us hope, this lets us know that there is change on the way. If we keep pressing and matching the gas for people in leadership to pass laws, we need better policing, we need police reform. It's no way that the color of your skin or your race dictates how you are policed when in police custody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The four former officers accused of willfully violating Floyd's constitutional rights as he was restrained, face down on the pavement, and gasping for air.
Derek Chauvin, the officer convicted of killing Floyd is also facing federal charges for using unreasonable force against a 14-year-old boy in 2017.
And George Floyd's nephew that we just heard there, his name is actually Brandon Williams. We mistakenly put the wrong name up.
All right, coming up, restaurants are reopening as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations decline, but many businesses are struggling to find workers. We'll go live to Los Angeles and hear one restaurant owner's struggle.
Plus, a federal judge vacates the CDC's nationwide eviction moratorium. What the ruling means and how it could affect millions of struggling Americans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:16:02]
WHITFIELD: All right, the U.S. economy got a disappointing jobs report this week. The biggest jump came in bars and restaurants picking up nearly three-quarters of the total net gain to employment, even still many restaurant owners say they're struggling to staff their businesses. Some claim that added unemployment benefits are keeping would-be workers at home.
Paul Vercammen is joining us now from Los Angeles. So, Paul, you're outside a beloved restaurant there, A.O.C. How is the reopening going and is it the benefits that, you know, employers are saying is keeping employees from wanting to work, or is it the issue of child care and a few other things in their lives that make it difficult to work?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: All of the above and another factor here in California. California lost almost 200,000 residents in 2020, Fred, and that means that we had restaurant workers leave.
So, I'm going to bring in Caroline Styne, she's also a member of the independent restaurant coalition and has many restaurants. You've got a lot of restaurants, you want to restart, and right now, you need to rehire. How many people overall these restaurants?
CAROLINE STYNE, OWNER, A.O.C. WINE BAR AND RESTAURANT: I think, in total, we need to hire about 250 people. And I know that we're not alone in this. Other restaurateurs are having this issue. A lot of job sectors are seeing this, but ours is being hit particularly bad.
VERCAMMEN: And this restaurant, A.O.C. --
STYNE: Yes.
VERCAMMEN: L.A. icon, pretty good-paying jobs. I know you had a manager that was getting paid $75,000 a year at the pandemic hit and tell us what happened to that manager as a consequence of not having a job.
STYNE: Oh, yes. You know, it's so expensive to live here in L.A. that she and her husband and their 1-year-old son, they decided to move to Bend, Oregon where they could afford to live with this uncertainty about their financial future, and they had family there. And this is a story that we have across the board with so many employees who have left. They've just left the state. It's too expensive and without a job, and without prospects, they just had to take off.
VERCAMMEN: And it's inextricably linked to this California economy which is so rooted in tourism. And here, for example, A.O.C. you have a dining room that you can't reopen. STYNE: Yes, we have this fantastic upstairs dining room, and we just don't have enough employees. We don't have enough servers to be able to seat those tables. And, of course, it affects our growth and this is happening across the board right now.
VERCAMMEN: And yet, some people would say, oh, my goodness, it's the governor's fault. But you don't want to go down that road. I mean, you think the right thing was done here as we now enter the less restrictive yellow tier in Los Angeles County.
STYNE: Oh, yes. I mean, I can't -- I can't second guess his job and his performance based on COVID. I mean, this has been unprecedented situation that we've all faced. And yes, we all got shut down, but here we are in California, and our numbers are so low that we are in a fantastic position to take off and get back to normal, actually.
So, I can't -- I can't -- I can't blame it on him. This is -- this is a crazy situation and -- but we're right now, I think we're in a better position than any other states to rebound.
VERCAMMEN: We super appreciate your taking time out. I'll help you hang a help-wanted shingle.
You've heard from Caroline Styne directly with A.O.C. and her other restaurants in the loop group, they are going to be hiring some 250 employees. They're actively looking for them here in California. Back to you now, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. So, folks, if you need a job and you're in that vicinity, that's at least one stop that you -- that you need to check out and see if there's a job available -- availability for you.
All right, Paul Vercammen in Los Angeles, thank you so much.
[13:19:26]
WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is poised to replace Liz Cheney as the number three House Republican, but she may not stay in that role for long. We have new reporting next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right House Republicans appear on the verge of replacing Congresswoman Liz Cheney as chair of the GOP House Conference with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik possibly taking over the position as soon as next week. But it now appears that Stefanik would not keep that role for long.
The New York Republican has signaled to some of her colleagues that she plans to stay in leadership, if she gets that gig, only through 2022.
CNN congressional reporter Daniella Diaz joining us now. Daniela, Stefanik's voting record is more moderate than Cheney's, but this shake-up in leadership isn't really about the party's principles. What is it about? DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Fred, what it's really about is whether this -- these members, these Republican members stand with Donald Trump or against Donald Trump.
In the past couple of days, Congresswoman Liz Cheney has lost a lot of her allies -- has lost a lot of members who previously had her back. Especially during the first vote to oust her out of leadership.
[13:25:10]
DIAZ: And this because she is staying -- she's not staying silent about the big lie. She is speaking out against this rhetoric in the -- from the Republican Party that the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. She says this is a lie and she's been criticizing the president for saying these things as well as members of her own party.
And now, members of her own party want to oust her out of this leadership position and replace her with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik from New York, who is more moderate than Cheney, but is a strong Trump ally and has been speaking out for the president -- former president in the past couple of years.
And it's interesting because she is actually more moderate and has broken with Trump in the last couple of years on many issues, including the border wall, the environment, tax cuts. But Cheney actually votes more with the former president and is more conservative than Stefanik.
But you know what, she is being very clear about where she stands with the former president saying yesterday in a radio interview that she will continue to spread his message in the party. Here is what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY) (via telephone): We need fighters. President Trump is a fighter on behalf of the American people. And voters want fighters to stand up for them. And that's what I'm committed to doing -- to unify the message, to earn the support of my Republican colleagues, and fight for hardworking American families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAZ: And we've learned that Stefanik is now telling some of her colleagues in the party that she's only interested in having this post -- this number three House Republican leadership job for the next two years until 2022. But, and then, then, she's going to try to get the top job on the House Education and Labor Committee.
So, we may be having this conversation again, Fred, depending on how this leadership meeting next week where they will vote to oust Cheney plays out. Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Daniela Diaz, thank you so much. All right, Virginia Republicans are gathering today to pick a candidate for governor and other top positions in the state. The nomination for governor remains wide open as more than 50,000 delegates head to what the state party calls an unassembled convention today. Republicans are trying to win their first race for governor in more than 10 years.
CNN's Mike Warren is covering this for us. So, Mike, tell us more about what's at stake today.
MICHAEL WARREN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Republicans here, Fred, are preparing for what's really one of the first major elections. Since the presidential election, the Virginia governor's race, they're trying to pick that nominee.
There's four major candidates who are expected to be the most likely to come out of this with the nomination. There's businessman Glenn Youngkin, businessman Pete Snyder. Kirk Cox, who's the former Speaker of the state House of delegates here.
And then, Amanda Chase, a state senator who very controversially spoke at that January 6th rally in Washington D.C. just across the river from here, and was actually censured by the state Senate for her participation in that rally.
But this is the choice Republicans are trying to make in sort of a post-Trump era. How to claw back, what they've lost in the suburbs?
So, we're here in Fairfax County, just outside of Washington, D.C., a suburban county that in living memory was a Republican stronghold, now is held by the Democrats. Republicans here trying to find a standard- bearer who can win back the state and possibly give Republicans a path forward in elections in the midterms in 2022, and of course, the White House in 2020 -- 2024.
You can see behind me, cars are lined up here. It's because of COVID. This is a drive-in convention, 39 sites around the state where people are driving in, casting their ballots for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. It runs here until 4:00 p.m.
We'll find out the results possibly starting tomorrow, but big decisions for Virginia Republicans here that, that really, Fred, could have consequences for the party as a whole in the next few years. Fred.
WHITFIELD: Well, and from the looks of it behind you, it looks like a pretty significant turnout thus far. Mike Warren, thank you so much.
All right, still ahead, baseball is back 100 capacity at the Atlanta Braves kicks off a new era of the pandemic. But are scenes like this really a good idea?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:33:40] WHITFIELD: All right, millions of Americans could be looking for somewhere to live after a federal judge ruled this week the CDC had exceeded its authority when it put a national eviction moratorium in place.
The Justice Department has filed an appeal, arguing this moratorium has been a crucial part of helping those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic.
Joining me right now is Peter Hepburn, a sociologist and assistant professor at Rutgers University, who also leads the Eviction Tracking System at Princeton University's Evictions Lab.
Good to see you, Professor.
Can I call you professor?
PETER HEPBURN, SOCIOLOGIST AND ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY & DIRECTOR, EVICTION TRACKING SYSTEM, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY EVICTION LAB: You sure can. Thanks for having me on.
WHITFIELD: Great, Professor. All right, thank you very much.
Do you think the CDC overstepped here by putting this moratorium in place?
HEPBURN: Absolutely not. We're in the midst of a once-in--century pandemic, a public health emergency in which it's important for people to be able to shelter in place. And to have a stable home is essential if you want people to be able to do that.
WHITFIELD: Yes, and the numbers are extraordinary. I mean, so much of the country, renters, have been in really big trouble here.
So if this appeal is defeated in court, what is the reality facing these renters?
[13:34:59]
HEPBURN: Well, you know, there's cause for serious concern at this point.
We have been monitoring eviction filings around the country for the last year. And during the period, when the CDC eviction moratorium has been in place, the filing of new cases is less than 50 percent of historical average.
So it's likely that this moratorium is holding back an enormous number of cases from being filed. And if it were to be rescinded, that could result you in a tsunami of cases coming down the line.
And --
WHITFIELD: And it's really just not renters who have been in trouble for a long period of time here during this pandemic. But how about landlords who are also struggling to pay their
mortgages? So is there help for them, for these property owners who have been operating with a sizable deficit as well?
HEPBURN: Yes, absolutely. You know, I think it's very much to Congress' credit that they have appropriated over $46 billion in emergency rental assistance.
And that's money that, you know, is aimed at tenants but that ultimately that ends up going to landlords. So that money is there to try to make those landlords whole and try to put them back in more sound economic shape.
The good news there is, just yesterday, the administration issued new guidance that should make it much, much faster to get that money out to landlords and to help to resolve some of the rental debts that have accrued over the course of the last year.
WHITFIELD: Did this pandemic cause this housing crisis or was the nation already kind of in the midst of an eviction crisis before the pandemic?
HEPBURN: Unfortunately, this was -- the crisis came well before the pandemic.
You know, the most recent year for which we had good national data is 2016. But we -- we estimate there are about 3.7 million eviction filings in 2016.
That's seven evictions being filed every minute for the course of the entire year.
And for perspective, thinking back to the last big housing crisis in this country, during the Great Recession, the worst year of the Great Recession, there were 2.8 million mortgage foreclosure starts.
So every year, in a good year here in America, there are more people who face the threat of losing their homes to eviction than faced the threat of mortgage foreclosure during the last housing crisis.
WHITFIELD: Crisis, indeed.
Professor Peter Hepburn, of both Princeton and Rutgers, thank you so much.
HEPBURN: Thanks for having me on.
WHITFIELD: Coming up, the Kaiser Family Foundation says roughly 15 percent of American adults say they'll wait to get the coronavirus vaccine. So how do we overcome vaccine hesitancy in this country?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:42:28]
WHITFIELD: The Kaiser Family Foundation said roughly 15 percent of American adults said they can wait and see to get vaccinated against COVID. Some of them say the lack of full FDA approval is reason to wait.
President Biden, meanwhile, is urging people to get their shots.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is your choice. It's life and death. And I hope everyone knows within themselves, it makes the choice that's going to help them and their loved ones be safe, get our businesses open again, and get us back to normal again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Dr. Jayne Morgan is the clinical director for the Piedmont Health Care COVID Task Force and joins us from Atlanta right now.
Dr. Morgan, good to see you.
In that same address, President Biden says he wanted to get 70 percent of Americans vaccinated by the Fourth of July. Right now, only a third of Americans are vaccinated, having had both doses.
So is it likely that goal is going to be met by Fourth of July, in your view?
DR. JAYNE MORGAN, CLINICAL DIRECTOR, COVID TASK FORCE, PIEDMONT HEALTH CARE: Yes. Thank you for having me, Fredericka.
Certainly, we are pushing this boulder uphill, not only President Biden and the task force, but people like myself, who are leading the task force, and other physicians and public health officials around this nation.
So we recognize this is an uphill battle. That Johnson & Johnson's pause did cast a shadow over the momentum we had gained.
And I think people on the fence climbed down from the fence and, once again, are peeking over as we move toward what we hope will be a Pfizer full FDA approval.
I hope that will continue to engage people and bring confidence to these vaccines that are very safe, very efficacious. And we have six months now of solid immunity data.
WHITFIELD: And there's some hesitancy among parents when it comes to making decisions about their children, children who are eligible to get vaccinated.
About a third say we want to wait before their kids get vaccinated. So how do you change the mind or influence parents and their kids and whether it's the right thing to do?
MORGAN: I think one of the things we have to think about with children, they are vulnerable and part of our vulnerable people in our country. And we want to make certain that we protect them. That's why it's incumbent on all adults to step up and become immunized with these vaccines so we can reach herd immunity and provide protection for the unimmunized. And in this case, that is children.
[13:45:06]
As we move forward with the possibility of Pfizer EUA, emergency use authorization for children, that will be for 12-year-olds to 15-year- olds, that adds another 5 percent to our population.
But you have to think about whether your children have chronic medical conditions, like asthma, chronic ear infections, things that can make them more susceptible.
And whether or not they live and interact with people who also would be vulnerable if your child gave them COVID-19.
WHITFIELD: We -- and I say collectively globally -- are still learning a lot about COVID-19.
And this week, the CDC updated its guidance on how the virus spreads. It's acknowledging that airborne transmission for the first time is a criteria.
So what should people take from that? Because certainly there was some of that messaging early on. But now, more definitively, the CDC is saying that's an attribute. How should that dictate our behavior?
MORGAN: You know, very, very concerning. And I applause this awareness.
We have to all remember that we are homo sapiens, human beings here on a singular planet earth. And as human beings, we require air.
So if we have a communicable disease, in this case a virus that is transmitted by air, we are not able to opt out of this disease as opposed to communicable diseases that are spread by blood or food or fecal matter or body fluids. This is air.
We require air to live. We breathe in and out 12 times per minute, 727 per hour, 24 hours a day.
So we must step up, consider these vaccinations, and also follow public COVID health measures, keeping our noses and mouth covered.
Because as we move into this season of summer, we may see some abatement of the COVID disease. But we also will see younger and younger people being impacted.
WHITFIELD: Here was the scene in Atlanta last night at an Atlanta Braves game. Capacity at 100 percent. There were two teams, or people who were enjoying this scene.
What are your thoughts about some wearing masks, some not? Some areas, there was some vaccinated-only seating. What are your thoughts here? MORGAN: Yes, sorry the Braves lost last night. That was a poor showing
to the Phillies. But we will be back.
But to masks, we would like a full-mask mandate even at the stadium. We were offering vaccinations for people to come in.
And while that is great as an incentive and come to the game, remember, if you receive vaccination at the game, you're not fully immunized.
So you still need to receive your vaccination, put on your mask and then go and sit down.
So while we were at nearly 100 percent capacity, people were not consistently following public health measures. And it is a risk.
One of the things you have to consider is what is the prevalence of the disease in our community.
In Cobb County, near Fulton County, those two counties still have the highest rates of COVID. Even though the numbers are lower than they have been, they are the highest rates of COVID, some of the highest rates within our state.
So I think we need to continue to move forward with public health measures, vaccinations and social distancing.
And it was unfortunate that people were there not following all of those measures.
WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Jayne Morgan, good to see you. Thank you very much.
MORGAN: Thanks for having me.
WHITFIELD: Happy Mother's Day!
MORGAN: Thank you. I appreciate it.
WHITFIELD: The mom of our Omar Jimenez.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Had to say that. Had to rub it in a little bit.
MORGAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Proud momma, proud son.
We're glad to have you both.
MORGAN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: With just moments to spare, a police officer's quick actions save a man's life from an oncoming train.
CNN's Stephanie Elam has the story in this week's "BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With just two and a half seconds to spare, Police Officer Erika Urrea saved a man from certain death.
OFC. ERIKA URREA, LODI POLICE DEPARTMENT: I didn't have any other thought in my head. It was just get him off the tracks.
ELAM: Urrea, a 14-year veteran of the Lodi Police Department, was on morning patrol when something caught her attention.
URREA: Kind of out of the corner of my eye, I saw a gentleman in the tracks. He was sitting in his wheelchair. It kind of looked like he was wiggling in his chair.
ELAM: As soon as she made a U-turn --
URREA: That's when the railroad arm started going down.
[13:50:00]
ELAM: -- immediately, she is out her cruiser running to the man.
URREA: I'm going to the tracks. Going to try to get him out.
I looked to the south and I could see the train off in the distance. So, initially I thought, OK, it looks like it is a little ways away.
ELAM: As the railroad crossing bells clanged, the approaching train whistle blows.
(TRAIN WHISTLE)
ELAM: One of the motorized wheelchair's tires is wedged in the train tracks.
URREA: It wouldn't budge at all.
ELAM: But then Urrea sees what the man can't.
URREA: Out of my peripheral view, I can actually see the train now a lot closer.
(SHOUTING)
URREA: And it was coming down pretty fast. So I just kind of grabbed him and I pulled.
He just kind of fell down. And I bent over, tried to pick them up and grabbed him and he slipped, then the train was there.
URREA: My initial thought was I didn't get him. (SHOUTING)
OFC. CHRIS DELGADO, LODI POLICE DEPARTMENT: She saved that man's life. There's no question about it.
ELAM: Officer Chris Delgado was working traffic enforcement one block away.
DELGADO: It was tremendously close and I thought they'd both been struck by the train.
ELAM: But as Delgado arrives, Urrea is pulling the man further away from the tracks.
DELGADO: I could tell he had a traumatic injury to his right leg. It appeared that his foot was completely, if not almost completely severed.
ELAM: The man is 66-year-old, Jonathan Mata. Part of his right leg was amputated.
In his statement to CNN, his family said in part: "Her bravery and courage saved someone's father, grandfather and friend. We are beyond grateful for her life and for her selflessness."
ELAM (on camera): Does that scare you a little bit thinking about how close that train came to you guys?
URREA: Yes. I mean, now, in hindsight, yes. And you look at the video and it was really close.
ELAM (voice over): Really close, but worth it for a woman dedicated to serving and protecting a community near where she grew up.
URREA: That's why I became a police officer was to help. And you don't know what impact you have in someone's life. And at least in this situation, you know, I can say, OK, I did help him.
ELAM: Stephanie Elam, CNN, Lodi, California.
(TRAIN HORN)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:56:48]
WHITFIELD: All right. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Marvin Gaye's iconic album, "What's Going On."
It was 1971, in the midst of the Vietnam War and social unrest, that R&B singer, Marvin Gaye, introduced the world to a song of peace and reflection.
CNN's Don Lemon joins me now with the story of the ground-breaking album that is becoming an anthem for a new generation -- Don?
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Fredricka. I am so excited to share this documentary with everyone.
Marvin Gaye's album, "What's Going On," has remained such a powerful album. "Rolling Stone" named it the number-one album of all-time. And some people say that the music was prophecy, including Smoky Robinson.
And in fact, here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
MARVIN GAYE, SINGER: I think it was around 1969 and 1970, and around that period at Motown records when I stopped thinking about my erotic fantasies, when I stopped thinking about the Vietnam War and my brother, and I started to respond and write some horrible stories.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Also, if you're living in Detroit in 1960 and 1970, you're seeing the turmoil on the street.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The country was full of turmoil. The country was full of fear. And the country was full of anger.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A black person was killed in L.A. and that started the Watts Riot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He withdrew.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did not hear from Marvin. He didn't make any appearance. He did not come out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything with the war, and everything that he was facing with the racism.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know that I can continue without talking about "What's Going On."
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is more poignant today, right now, in 2021, than when it was when it came out. It is prophecy.
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There's going to be a lot more from Smokey, from Andra Day, from -- by the way, Andra Day won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Billie Holiday. Stevie Wonder, the great Stevie Wonder.
So many amazing voices came out to talk about this album and what it means to them and what it really means to the world.
I can't wait for you and everyone to see what it means -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: And I can't wait to see it as well. Powerful and timeless is that album and that singer.
Thank you so much, Don.
"What's Going On, Marvin Gaye's Anthem for the Ages" premieres tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m.
And then at 9:00, "The Story of Late Night" is all about Johnny Carson.
Here's Johnny.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNNY CARSON, FORMER HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": Well, let's get right into the news. Nothing could be funnier than that.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnny Carson is the one that made late-night TV important. He's the one that changed the monologues to reactions of what happened that day.
[13:59:56]
CARSON: And it looks, according to the papers, as though President Nixon has brought an end to the war. And I have only one question. Who won?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnny created the system where he took each joke and put in on a board that went across the length of the studio.
