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House Dems Pushing For Committee After GOP Blocks Jan. 6 Probe; Fallen Officer's Family Blasts GOP Inaction On Commission; Texas Voting Bill Set To Pass After Final Tweaks This Weekend; Biden Credits Americans With Success Of U.S. Vaccination Effort; Biden Tasks Intel Community To Report On COVID Origins In 90 days; Baltimore City Public Schools Adopt New Grading Policy; Officers Pull Man From Burning Truck. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired May 29, 2021 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:28]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me this morning.

I'm Jessica Dean, in this weekend for Fredricka Whitfield.

Refusing to give up, House Democrats are pushing for their own investigation of the January 6th insurrection after Senate Republicans derailed efforts to create a bipartisan probe.

A key procedural vote to create an independent and bipartisan commission failed yesterday. Six Republicans voted yes. But it fell short of the ten Republican votes needed to pass.

The Justice Department has now charged at least 450 people in connection to the attack on the Capitol. That insurrection left five people dead and 140 police officers wounded.

Daniella Diaz is live on Capitol Hill with us. Daniella, good morning to you.

Tell us more about this committee that the House Democrats are now hoping to put together.

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Jessica, it seems very apparent that House Democrats, all Democrats, are just not ready to move past what happened on January 6 just yet. You know, what happened yesterday came after months and months of deliberations between Democrats and Republicans to try to reach an agreement on an independent panel to investigate the attack on the Capitol on January 6. And it failed.

It failed to a vote of 54-35. It didn't break the threshold needed to break the filibuster -- the 60-vote threshold needed. And only six Republicans supported this legislation along with the Democrats. And I just want to name who they are for a second. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Rob Portman of Ohio and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

None of these names are new to us. They are usually the ones that vote, you know, different from the collective Republican Party. So not super surprising there.

But what is surprising is nine Republican senators did not show up to vote, as well as two Democratic senators. And I really want to emphasize that the failure in this vote shows the deep, deep divide between Democrats and Republicans on the fallout surrounding the Capitol attack and how former President Donald Trump has this very a strong hold on the Republican Party.

And it comes as a surprise to no one that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer after this failed vote was incredibly disappointed with Republicans and really voiced that frustration yesterday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR CHUCH SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: This vote has made it official. Donald Trump's big lie has now fully enveloped the Republican Party. Shame on the Republican Party for trying to sweep the horrors of that day under the rug because they're afraid of Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAZ: You asked me about what Democrats are going to do now. Well, they are looking towards the future and possibly creating a select committee to investigate the attack on the Capitol. This committee would be created by the House, the majority in the House being Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would lead this. And they could have subpoena power and the power to have hearings.

But of course, if they do this, if house Democrats move forward with this, Republicans will continue to be critical of this, calling it partisan and continuing with their argument that the Democrats are just trying to hurt Republicans ahead of the 2022 midterms, Jess.

DEAN: All right. Daniella Diaz, our congressional reporter, live on Capitol Hill for us. Thanks so much for that Daniella.

And two police officers and the mother and the girlfriend of fallen Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick met with Republican senators before that key vote. Sicknick's family say they are disappointed but not surprised by yesterday's outcome. And they spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: What was your reaction when you saw the vote today that the Senate Republicans with six exceptions voted to block the creation of this commission?

SANDRA GARZA, BRIAN SICKNICK'S GIRLFRIEND: Well, I was very disappointed obviously. I was very optimistic and hopeful yesterday. But obviously, you know, some of them I was not surprised that voted no. But still clinging to that hope based on our passionate pleas to them.

But I think, you know, it speaks volumes to how they really feel. Not only about the events of that day, but they are also speaking volumes to their constituents, you know, and how much they really care.

[11:04:59]

GARZA: Because it is not just our pleas about how we felt about Brian and, you know, his brothers and sisters in blue and everything that they did that day. But also the safety of them and everyone else that was in the Capitol that day.

If they can't do their jobs, if something happens to them, that also speaks volumes about, you know, how they feel about our democracy in general. How can they do their job if they are no longer here?

TAPPER: What about you, Gladys, what was your reaction to the news today?

GLADYS SICKNICK, BRIAN SICKNICK'S MOTHER: : I was disappointed but I realized that was going to happen. I really did. It was just vibes that we got yesterday. But --

TAPPER: What were the vibes?

SICKNICK: I don't know. Just a feeling that, you know, that they went through their motions but you can tell that, you know, underneath they were being nice to us.

TAPPER: And we hear a lot about backing the blue from politicians especially. They talk about the importance of backing our men and women in blue who protect us. What does it mean in that sense when -- because you know you're going to hear some of these 35 Republicans talk about in the future how important it is to back our men and women in blue. What will you think when you hear that?

SICKNICK: Unbelievable that they think like that, you know. If they had a child that was hurt, was killed on a day like that, they would think very differently. Or if they were hurt. I mean, they could have very well -- somebody could have been killed, one of the congressmen, one of the senators.

But apparently they just think, well, you know, we're safe because of the men in blue. They don't think any further from that.

TAPPER: What do you think, I mean, it -- Gladys said it was a slap in the face to not have this commission created.

GARZA: I think, you know, it is all talk and no action. Clearly they are not backing the blue. And yesterday having Officer Fanone and Officer Dunn there to talk about their experiences. I mean I even learned more about what actually happened on that day hearing their stories, you know, close and up front and live and in color. And I was absolutely appalled. So, you know, they heard it first hand. Some of that stuff has not been put out in the media. And, you know, it is devastating because, you know, they could have -- especially Officer Fanone, he could have been murdered. And, you know, this cannot happen again. It cannot. So for them to vote no is, you know, it is not protecting law enforcement.

And you know more importantly, it is not protecting our democracy. You know, people there were not only hurting law enforcement officers, and then of course like I said yesterday there is the ripple effect of trauma that is still continuing today.

TAPPER: Of course.

GARZA: Many officers, you know, are struggling with PTSD.

TAPPER: People should know you're psychotherapist so this is something you know about.

GARZA: Yes.

TAPPER: Yes.

GARZA: Yes, yes. I work with people all the time that struggle with PTSD. So I know how devastating and debilitating it can be. You know, and then it's the family members that are struggling to pick up the pieces of that daily.

But it's also those people were there to, you know, destroy the will of the people. They could have destabilized government as we know it, you know. The vice president was in the building. People were after the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

I mean, it is just unbelievable to me that they could do nothing about this. And now is not the time to sit around and say, well, maybe we'll do something in the future. The time to do something is now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: I actually talked to Senator Joe Manchin yesterday after that and he said that it would be public outrage that would perhaps push a new commission to be formed or a new vote on that. We will see.

In the wake of the attack on the Capitol and Trump's big lie about the 2020 election, 14 states have now enacted 22 new laws making it harder to vote in this country

One such bill in Texas is facing a critical deadline over the holiday weekend. The legislative session ends on Monday, that means a race for a compromise before time is up there.

Dianne Gallagher is live in Austin now.

And Dianne, tell us a little bit about what is going on at the Texas state legislature this weekend.

[11:09:44]

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the bill's deadline for it to be uploaded for it to be filed by that conference committee is today. Just before you came to me, Jessica. we were notified that it had in fact been filed, thus making its deadline.

But the text of the Senate Bill 7, what the conference committee agreed to has not yet been uploaded. Now, I can tell you that I did get a look at some drafts that sources said was the final draft of this legislation. And it continues to include many of the more controversial measures, including those that would ban things like 24- hour voting or drive-thru voting. And would also empower partisan poll watchers as well as add new and enhanced criminal penalties for those who are election officials.

So this is something that they have been fighting both in the House and Senate. They passed very different versions of this bill, and it appears they've sort of pushed them together which is what was expected.

There was a little bit of drama last night when the two Republican chairs of that conference committee sent out a press release saying an agreement had been made and the Democratic conferees began tweeting that they had no idea. They hadn't even seen the text.

Now I want to be clear that those who were appointed were a Republican majority, they don't actually need the Democrats on this conference committee to approve anything. But there was frustration that they weren't even privy to seeing the text since they were on the conference committee at that point.

Now, look, they have to do this quickly if they are going to pass it. The expectation is that we could see a vote today or tomorrow. The bill will go to both chamber chambers where they need a simple majority vote.

Jessica, we expect that it will pass both chambers. It will then go to Governor Greg Abbott's desk. He has indicated that he will sign it. Activist groups have told us that they do plan to file a lawsuit.

DEAN: All right. Keep us updated. Dianne Gallagher in Austin, Texas thanks so much.

Coming up, a new pandemic era travel record shattered as the Memorial Day Weekend kicks into high gear. We're going to show you the lines that are growing at one major airport as we speak.

Plus this was the scene, take a look. In Miami Beach, during spring break. We're going to show you how the city is preparing for holiday crowds now and why officials there are not enacting a curfew.

Plus an amazing act of bravery caught on camera, we'll talk to the police officers who pulled a man out of that burning truck. They join me live. That's coming up.

[11:12:19] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: The U.S. set a new pandemic-era record for air travel on Friday as Americans flocked to vacation spots ahead of Memorial Day. Take a live look now at LAX in Los Angeles -- jam-packed with people after nearly two million travelers passed through TSA checkpoints around the country yesterday. And a live look now at Hollywood Beach in Florida. As Americans they're enjoying a near normal holiday weekend.

The seven-day average for new daily cases is now around 23,000 new infections. That number was around 22,000 daily infections last Memorial Day.

Here is President Biden touting the progress Americans have made battling the virus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Americans of every party and race, creed, have come together and rolled up their sleeves literally and done their part. And look at what that means. We're not just saving lives, we're

getting our lives back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: CNN's Natasha Chen joins me now from Miami Beach. Natasha, what are you seeing and hearing from travelers there?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, that feeling of being back is certainly here with a lot of tourists and visitors coming in, they are very excited to be out and about in sort of a normal way.

So much so that last night we were just trying to drive a couple blocks on Collins Avenue a street over from us and it took about an hour just to get through the traffic of a few blocks. So there are a lot of people coming in.

Now businesses, of course, are very excited to see those dollars roll in after suffering so much during the pandemic. But the crowds do create a problem for the local residents and the mayor of Miami Beach who told us, you know, the virus is still here. And the crowds coming in, sometimes that creates a problem.

Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR DAN GELBER (D), MIAMI BEACH FLORIDA: It is the out of control I think that is most of concern to our residents mainly because so many people have been coming here. The volume of people that have been coming here is very unprecedented and some who are coming are looking to sort of act out.

I wanted a curfew. Our lawyers said we couldn't do it until there was a problem, which I didn't particularly like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: Right. So there is concern about potential problems. They did actually move the last call at bars slightly earlier to 2:00 a.m. instead of 5:00 a.m. and that's actually going to be in place until the fall when voters will decide whether to keep that in place. And that was in response to some of the issues -- they crime that they were seeing coming into this area.

Now, of course as far as the coronavirus pandemic goes, the virus is still here. If you see the seven-day average of new cases in Florida, you will see that we actually have more new cases here than we did at this point Memorial Day last year.

But the trend is coming downward with more people becoming vaccinated and, of course, last year at this time, this was the first holiday weekend that really resulted in a major summer surge. And that is the last thing anyone wants to see right now, Jessica.

DEAN: Yes. No question about that. Natasha Chen, thanks so much for us in Miami Beach this afternoon.

And joining me now to discuss all of this, Dr. Craig Spencer, the director of Global Health and Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Spencer, great to see you. Thanks for being with us.

[11:19:53]

DR. CRAIG SPENCER, DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL HEALTH AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Thanks for having me.

DEAN: Things are certainly -- certainly improving in the United States. There is a lot of reasons to celebrate. But I'm curious. Do people still need to be reminded we're not totally out of the woods yet? You don't want to be a Debbie Downer but it may be worth talking about, right?

DR. SPENCER: Absolutely. Look, we're in a much better position this Memorial Day than we were in the last one. But it's important to remember just because the sun is coming out doesn't mean that the virus is going away here and especially around the rest of the world.

In the last three weeks, we've seen more cases of COVID globally than we did in the first six months of the pandemic. Countries that weren't hit hard last year or early in the pandemic are seeing huge uptick in cases now largely due to variants especially in South East Asia.

And a lot of the inequities right now and where we're seeing cases in deaths is because vaccines are going to wealthier countries including the U.S. 84 percent of all vaccine doses have gone to wealthy countries but just 0.3 percent have gone to low-income countries. And that is setting up more cases, more failure going forward.

DEAN: And to that point, the U.S. is now averaging just over 20,000 new cases a day. That is the lowest in 11 months. And your latest media (ph) piece notes that there is plenty of reason for optimism in the U.S. thanks to vaccinations.

But you say the hard reality is that for many of the countries hit hard by COVID right now, there is not much hope on the horizon. And I know you were just talking about that.

But should the U.S. be doing more you think to help vaccinate people in other countries?

DR. SPENCER: Absolutely. It's imperative. It is not just a national security issue, it is a humanitarian issue. It is an economic issue.

Look, the U.S. has more vaccine doses than any other country in the world. We have supply contracts for over 1.2 billion doses, enough to vaccinate every American many times over. We already have a huge supply that we could be using and donating to other countries.

Now, this administration has promised to donate some doses. Over a month ago they talked about donating AstraZeneca doses but we're still waiting to hear on that. More doses were promised just in the past few weeks.

The administration has done some things. They have supported COVAX, the global vaccine sharing initiative to the tune of $4 billion. They have, you know, helped support a trips waiver to overturn the intellectual property into help increase vaccine manufacturing globally.

But we need to do more. And we need to do more now. WE can't wait because in the interim more people will get sick, more people will die while we're sitting on a surplus of doses here in the U.S.

DEAN: And before I let you go, I just want to talk about what I think a lot of families are wondering about. The CDC has released some updated recommendations for summer camps, dropping these masks and physical distance guidelines for campers and staffers who are fully vaccinated.

DR. SPENCER: Right.

DEAN: Do you think parents should feel comfortable sending their kids to camp this summer with this new guidance?

DR. SPENCER: If you or your kids or anyone you know is fully vaccinated, then look, we know that the risk of being infected with COVID is incredibly low. We know that the risk of you transmitting it to others even if you are infected is incredibly low.

And so yes, absolutely, I would feel comfortable -- I would comfortable myself. At this point I feel comfortable if I had kids who are 12 and above and who are fully vaccinated participating without a mask and getting back to normal.

My concern is more a little bit for people who have kids like myself, a two year old and a 5-month-old that aren't vaccinated and won't likely be vaccinated until later this year. It's a little bit more tricky on how we're going to have manage the summer but I promised we're still going to have a lot of fun.

DEAN: Yes, I think a lot of people are looking forward to this summer. No doubt about it.

Dr. Craig Spencer, thanks for being with us.

DR. SPENCER: Thanks for having me.

Still ahead, meet the hero officers who jumped into action to save a life. And they did it twice in the same day.

[11:23:43]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: President Biden says he wants the intelligence community to revisit its investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. New evidence is already raising questions about what China knew and when.

CNN's David Culver has more reporting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Biden ordering U.S. intelligence to dig deeper into the origin of COVID-19, putting renewed focus on the Chinese city where it was first publicly detected, Wuhan.

The White House says there are two possible origin theories. The first, a natural spread from animals to humans possibly amplified inside this once crowded seafood market. The second and far more controversial possibility, a leak of the deadly virus from this Wuhan lab.

JAMES METZL, ADVISER, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We know that China engaged a massive coverup starting from day one including destroying samples, hiding records, imprisoning people asking -- in China asking basic questions and placing a gag order.

CULVER: It has been well over a year since the initial outbreak and still no conclusive answers. Former President Trump made claims last spring that it started in the Wuhan Institute of Virology lab but never provided evidence.

The Chinese along with many scientists, dismissed Trump's lab leak theory as a conspiracy. President Biden took office supporting an international approach in investigating the origin. This week three sources familiar with the matter tell CNN that Biden also shut down a Trump State Department inquiry into the origins over concerns about the quality of the evidence.

But now with newly reported intel, there are new questions of what China knew and when. "The Wall Street Journal" reporting this week that a U.S. intel report found that several researchers at the Wuhan lab got so sick they had to go to the hospital in November 2019.

[11:29:59]

CULVER: That is weeks before China reported the first patient with COVID-like symptoms to the WHO. It has led to mounting pressure on the Biden administration to find answers.

In January of this year, we were in Wuhan as the WHO sent a field team into China to investigate, visiting the now shuttered market, once believed to have been the original Ground Zero. It has since been wiped clean.

We drove by the Wuhan Institute of Virology, heavily secured and despite multiple requests, we were not granted access to enter. This was as close as we got.

The WHO scientists however were allowed in. Their conclusion? That it is very likely the virus spread naturally from animals and that a lab leak was extremely unlikely.

DR. PETER DASZAK, WHO MISSION EXPERT: There is no evidence of that at all. But it is something that we talked about with people at the Wuhan lab and got really honest and frank and good informative answers to.

CULVER: But that is the issue with the WHO investigation. According to some of the scientists who took part, it relied mostly on conversations with the Chinese scientists taking them at their word. Some of the experts complain China has blocked them crucial data. And those like Peter Daszak have been criticized for their personal ties to the Wuhan lab having helped fund and take part in research in the facility before the outbreak.

Virologist Marion Koopmans was among the WHO team in Wuhan in January. She's careful to characterize the team's work as research gathering, not as an inspection. She also welcomes Biden's efforts to get more intel on the origins, hoping he will share the findings.

PROF. MARION KOOPMANS, VIROLOGIST: So if there is really something to it, well then it needs to be followed up.

CULVER: Meantime China is pushing back with its own narrative calling the U.S. efforts a smear campaign.

"Their motive is vicious," the spokesperson says.

Chinese officials have relentlessly pushed an unfounded conspiracy that the virus began in the U.S. But there is no evidence of that. Chinese state media has labeled the virus as an imported threat even baselessly suggesting that it came from outside China on frozen foods.

(on camera): From the chaos and confusion of the initial outbreak to the surge in panic as the number of deaths soared and the virus spread, to hopes that the vaccines might bring us back to life pre- COVID-19, we're still left with the question how did all this really begin.

David Culver, CNN -- Shanghai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. David -- thanks so much.

Coming up, a dramatic rescue caught on camera as police save a man from a burning truck before it explodes. They're going to join me live after the break.

[11:32:42]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: In Baltimore, after a year of challenges due to the coronavirus, the public school district is announcing a new grading policy. The district will be allowed to pass tens of thousands of students on to the next grade even if they failed at least one class.

Now, the policy applies to nearly 25,000 middle school and high school students across the city. In Baltimore, more than half of elementary students failed at least one course.

Joining me now is the CEO of the Baltimore City Public Schools, Sonja Brookins Santelises. And Sonja, thanks so much for being with us. I'm curious how you all arrived at this decision.

SONJA BROOKINS SANTELISES, CEO, BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: So, thanks for having me. One of the things that I think that is important for folks to know is we had a group of really thoughtful teachers, school leaders. We received feedback from families, as well as the work of our central office staff.

And one of the messages that was very clear is that this is a once in a century type of challenge that's impacted families and communities very differently.

And so the goal was not to penalize young people for that, but really to make sure that they had the skills that they needed. And one of the best ways to do that that we're seeing in the research is acceleration. It is not having kind of mass holding back or mass retention of students. So that is really what drove the decision.

DEAN: And that is really interesting I think because it almost counters what you would think, you know, to accelerate. You know, I think sometimes people say you need to hold them back and let them repeat it. Walk us through a little bit why acceleration is the answer and not holding back?

SANTELISES: No, you're right -- for a number of people it is almost counterintuitive.

DEAN: Right.

SANTELISES: But what we're seeing here, and this is where the additional support, you know, from the federal government, from the states -- what we're seeing is that when young people have additional time, we'll have customized plans for them, and then when they have that time to spend in a variety of ways to actually catch up on the essential content they missed, that they actually do better.

And there is actually a recent study out this week from Zearn (ph) and TNTP that really speaks to this. So in Baltimore, what it's going to look like is young people will get a no credit. So that failure won't factor into their GPA.

And what that no credit or not completed will mean is that that will be a signal that when they return to school in the fall, they will be assessed on which skills they are missing and then they will have a variety of opportunities over a longer period of time, some of which begins this summer, but with the additional resources, we'll be able to offer additional course work virtually throughout the year, and throughout next summer.

[11:39:47]

SANTELISES: So it is not that we're kind of leaping over essential learning. What we're saying is that young people get more time, get customized support for some young people tutoring. So we're making, you know, a major investment in tutoring, distance learning.

We found out for young people in high school that are working, the ability to have flexible course work. And then really supporting our teachers in what is the essential content that young people need.

So it is not that young people are leaping over a grade and we're just forgetting what they lost. But what we're seeing in that Zearn research particularly for young people of color is that actually moving them to the next grade and providing them extra time and more time after school, weekends, longer days, tutoring, and frankly using both summers, not just one, actually gets better results.

DEAN: It is really interesting.

And quickly before I let you go, how are you all able to do this financially? I mean, talk about the resources needed to do some of these things. Because this is a lot. You're talking about extra time, extra tutoring, all these sorts of things.

SANTELISES: Exactly. And the reason that we can do that is because of the extra dollars that are allowing us that are coming through the CARES Act, that are coming from state funding, that investment in K-12 is allowing us the resources, providing us with the resources to have these extra opportunities.

So we'll have more young people having opportunities in summer, weekends, the investment we've made in technology and distance courses.

So it really is the federal and state dollars that are really helping us to expand time and options for young people.

DEAN: All right. Well, good luck. Have a great school year, a great summer. Sonja, thanks so much for being with us. SANTELISES: No, thanks for having me. You, too.

DEAN: All right. Well, still ahead, confrontations in the cabin, flying insults, flying fists. Find out what one airline is doing about it. That's just ahead.

[11:41:55]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: In Texas incredible body cam video of the moment two police officers responding to a 911 call pull a man from a burning truck before it explodes. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, man. Come on, come on. Hit it, hit it. Come on, man. Come on. Come out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help me. Help me get him real quick. Come on. Come on out. Come on out.

Come on. Pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull. Come on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn him over. He's having a seizure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 4-4 we got one out. He's having a seizure. We need EMS in. 1018.

Hey, Get everyone away from me. Help me pull him over there. We'll get away from the fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Wow. Those two men are officers Eduardo Pineda and Chandler Carrera of the Austin Police Department. They're here with me now.

Congratulations to both of you. That was incredible work there.

Officer Pineda, you were the first to approach the truck. Did you know someone was trapped inside when you were going into it?

EDUARDO PINEDA, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICER: So the call text stated that there was somebody in the truck, and we were just (INAUDIBLE) going based off the call text. And so when we arrived on scene -- before arriving on the scene we could see the flames.

And then I pulled off the (INAUDIBLE) my way out. As I was running up to it (INAUDIBLE), you know I can see him inside, I kind of went with where --

DEAN: Yes, you knew that he was likely inside. It is incredible video to watch.

And Officer Carrera, what was going through your mind as you approached the burning truck?

CHANDLER CARRERA, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICER: Yes, It was just like the (INAUDIBLE) as he was pulling him out there's no time (INAUDIBLE)

DEAN: All right. We're having a bit of hard time, I think that your audio is dropping out just a little bit. But let's see if we can get it to catch.

I'll keep asking questions and hopefully we can hear you guys.

Officer Pineda, does your training kick in at some point like when you are doing this or is this adrenalin? Like walk us through how that goes.

PINEDA: It is actually your training at that point. I felt adrenalin after everything was done. But during the actual moment, the training kicked in and you just react.

DEAN: It is. It is incredible. And you guys knew he was having a seizure or that was a surprise to you once you pulled him out and flipped him over, that gentleman?

[11:49:52]

CARRERA: Once I smashed the windows is when I saw him having the seizure. So that is when I realized that he's not going to be able to get out -- (INAUDIBLE) he's going to get out obviously initially. But it made it a little bit more difficult.

DEAN: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: Yes. And have you heard from this man or his family at all?

PINEDA: No.

DEAN: Not yet. Yes, I mean, you know, it's interesting. you know, we'd love to know how he's doing as well.

Tell us a little bit about the two of you. How long have you guys been partners?

CARRERA: Since I graduated academy about a year and a half ago. We ride together.

DEAN: This was your first time though pulling someone out of a burning car, or is this something you do often?

CARRERA: It's not the first time -- the first time it's been actually burning, yes. We pull a lot of people out of cars.

DEAN: Wow. And it wasn't the end of your day when you pulled that gentleman out. You saved another life that day. You helped save a gunshot victim. Tell me about that. CARRERA: Well, that's a little bit of an ongoing investigation still

but there was a shooting later that day and we just had to provide emergency medical (INAUDIBLE)

DEAN: And your video now is going all over the world. Have you been getting a lot of outreach from people? Have you heard from people?

PINEDA: Yes. (INAUDIBLE) family and friends.

DEAN: How is that? Is that fun? Or are you embarrassed by the attention?

PINEDA: It's a little operating weird because we do the job because we enjoy the job. We don't do it for the fame or this or that (INAUDIBLE) to be famous. So it's definitely something new for us.

DEAN: Yes. You're not used to it. Well, thanks so much for being with us. It is truly incredible, Officer Eduardo Pineda and Officer Chandler Carrera. Thanks so much to both of you.

PINEDA: Thank you.

CARRERA: Thank you. Appreciate it.

DEAN: Well, coming up guns, Molotov cocktails and 22,000 rounds of ammunition. Investigators uncover chilling new information about the gunman who killed nine people in San Jose.

[11:52:06]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: You won't find paved roads or resorts on the Georgia Coast's largest barrier island but you will find a paradise preserved in time in this "Off The Beaten Path".

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JILL HAMILTON ANDERSON, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: Cumberland Island's National Sea Shore is only accessible by boat. It is an island that has not succumbed to development so it's a great place to come and find that isolation you're seeking as a family or as an individual.

CHILDREN: Welcome to Cumberland Island.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We get to relax and let the kids play without having to worry about crowds or social distancing.

ANDERSON: The beaches at Cumberland Islands are -- the word we like to use is pristine. There are 18 miles of beach and there are no buildings, just the dunes, the beach, the water.

The maritime forest on Cumberland Island is unique. We have quite a number of trees you look at today date back at least a hundred years. We have feral horses. There's about 100 to 150 at any given time on the islands. And people absolutely love that. MICHAEL SELBERT, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: The ruins behind me were donated to the National Park Service. Here you can see what the remains of are the Carnegie (INAUDIBLE) estates. They encapsulate a moment in time. They preserve that heritage, that kind of gilded-age lifestyle.

Dungeoness (ph) Mansion is the starting point to the 50 miles of trail at Cumberland Island National Sea Shore. There's so much room for solitude. We have over 36,000 acres. You can find your spot.

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DEAN: Beautiful, very soothing to see that.

Well, the richest black neighborhood in America ripped apart by a violent white mob. "UNCOVERED: THE HIDDEN STORY" in the CNN film "DREAMLAND: THE BURNING OF BLACK WALL STREET". It premieres Monday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. And here's a preview.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine Harlem, Bourbon Street and (INAUDIBLE) city all in one place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From Executive producers Lebron James and Maverick Carter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People call it The Black Wall Street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was nothing you could not do. The sky was the limit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A strong black community, destroyed by a white mob.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's lynch talks on the streets of Tulsa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: White Tulsans murdering black folks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Must have been 139 (ph) people, most of them black were killed by white mobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They called it a massacre.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The crime was hidden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Victims were buried in unmarked graves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were trying to do (INAUDIBLE) by the violence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: White Tulsans took control of the narrative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a systematic cover-up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a responsibility and an obligation to find the truth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "DREAMLAND: THE BURNING OF BLACK WALL STREET".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Hi, and good afternoon. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Jessica Dean, in this weekend for Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with America returning to normalcy this Memorial Day Weekend as most states ditch mask mandates for people who have gotten vaccinated.

[11:59:50]

DEAN: More than 133 million Americans now are fully vaccinated, making up just over 40 percent of our population.

Ten states have already reached the Biden administration's goal of vaccinating 70 percent of adults with at least one dose by July 4th. That's according to the latest CDC data.