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New DOJ Videos Show Violent Mob Attacking Officers On Jan 6th; Nearly Seven Million Under Tropical Storm Warning As Claudette Makes Landfall Near New Orleans; CDC: Delta Variant May Become Predominant Variant In U.S.; More Than 280 Mass Shootings In U.S. Already This Year; Congress Passes Bill Making Juneteenth A Federal Holiday; Atlanta Community Moves To Separate From City Over Rising Crime. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired June 19, 2021 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Good afternoon and thanks for joining me. I'm Jessica Dean in for Fredricka Whitfield today. And we are seeing more disturbing videos of the January 6th Capitol Insurrection even as some Republican members of Congress tried to downplay what actually happened.
The Department of Justice releasing these videos as part of their cases against several suspects yet despite this, and many other videos showing similar incidents. There is a push from the far right to cast doubt on what actually happened and even falsely blamed the FBI.
All this after 21 Republicans voted against awarding Congressional Gold Medals, so the officers who defended their lives. CNN's Paul Reid has more.
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PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Newly released footage showing an up-close look at what officers protecting the Capitol went through during the January 6th attack. These new videos revealed after CNN and other media outlets sued for them in court showing Scott - a gym owner from New Jersey taunting then shoving an officer and punching him in the face.
Another video taken from an officers' body cam showing Thomas Webster a Former Marine and Retired NYPD Officer seen here wearing a red coat threatening police with a flagpole before tackling one officer to the ground both men have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): It's a rude awakening for everyone. But hopefully, it will also help people see the lies of the Former President.
REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): It's shameful but sadly, there are an awful number of my Republican colleagues who seem to not feel shame. REID (voice over): But the videos calm as some Republican members of Congress are attempting to rewrite history, downplaying the events of that day and latching on to baseless Conspiracy theories.
REP. LOUIE GOHMERT (R-TX): DOJ, FBI or any of the Intel Community what kind of role were they playing?
REID (voice over): The latest lie that the people behind the insurrection we're not Trump supporters, but the FBI. The claim stemming from references to unindicted coconspirators a right-wing website claims without any evidence that the phrase is a reference to FBI informants or undercover agents, infiltrating pro Trump groups.
But legal experts say the term is not used to describe FBI agents and instead refers to people who participated in the conspiracy but haven't been charged. In one example touted by Fox News, the unnamed coconspirator was likely the defendants' wife according to court filings. Fox News Host Tucker Carlson doubling down on the theory--
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: But we won't shut up and we shouldn't. It could not be more obvious at this point that the government is in fact hiding something probably quite a few things.
REID (voice over): With Representatives Matt Gaetz, who is under investigation by the FBI and Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeting that theory, but some Republicans are pushing back Representative Peter Meyer tweeting not FBI can't believe I have to say that it was what it was a violent attempt to stop the constitutional transfer of power and Representative Adam Kinzinger renewing calls for a January 6th Commission.
REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): Tell your constituents the truth. Tell the American people the truth. Let's get to the bottom of the truth. And then we can move on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: CNN and other media outlets have spent months fighting to get access to those video clips you just saw. Now those clips have been used as evidence in dozens of cases against the riders, but they were not available publicly. Now media outlets continue to fight for access to additional clips to help show exactly what happened on that day? Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
DEAN: Paula thank you. The first name tropical storm of 2021 made landfall this morning Tropical Storm Claudette slamming into the Gulf Coast with gale force winds and heavy rain. Several states now seeing major flooding and millions of people all the weight of the Florida Panhandle are now under a tropical storm warning. CNN's Allison Chinchar is in the Weather Center for us, and Allison how are things shaping up now?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right so we are starting to see the gradual weakening of the storm as we expected as it continues to make its way across the southeastern tier of the U.S. Sustained winds at 40 miles per hour gusting up to 50. It's moving to the north northeast at just about 14 miles per hour.
But this is going to be an interesting storm because what we do expect it to weaken down to a tropical depression at some point this afternoon. We then expect it to re strengthen back to a tropical storm once it gets back out over open water just off the Coast of the Carolinas.
[12:05:00]
CHINCHAR: For that very reason not only do you have your tropical storm warnings along the Gulf Coast, but also new tropical storm watches along the Coast of North Carolina in anticipation of that re strengthening in the coming days.
In the short term however, one of the main concerns is going to be tornadoes. You have a tornado watch in effect for several states over the next several hours. We've already had reports of tornadoes and even waterspouts over just the last few hours this morning.
Here's the system as it continues to slide off to the north and east in the coming hours. A lot of rain, a lot of rain not only that has already fallen six to eight inches widespread has already fallen, especially across Mississippi and Louisiana.
Now you're talking about additional rainfall widespread additional four to six inches of rain possible as the storm continues to slide to the east. So, Jessica we'll keep a close eye on the storm in the coming days.
DEAN: Allison thanks so much. And as the Southeast braces for Tropical Storm Claudette the Southwest is preparing for another day of suffocating heat. Over 30 million people in that area are under some form of a heat advisory this weekend, temperatures in some places could reach as high as 115 degrees.
And it's not just hot it's also incredibly dry. Nearly 90 percent of western states are now in a drought so that dangerous combination fueling concerns about water and energy shortages as well as wildfires, of course. CNN's Camila Bernal is in California for us. And Camila what's it like on the ground right now?
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jessica. So, it's actually overcast at the moment. And I want to start by telling you that this is the first weekend where California is fully reopened.
And so before we talk about the heat and what's to come this weekend, and in the coming days, I do want to say that there are many people that are out and about here at the beach, especially because when you come to the beach, you get a little bit of a relief when it comes to that heat and you're seeing groups of people together, you're seeing people without mask.
But after speaking to many, there is a little bit of hesitancy when it comes to mask. People who carry them around and who say they're just not sure exactly when to wear them or when not to wear them. But overall, just a sense of excitement because of course the good weather and because many are now feeling that those restrictions have been lifted, take a listen to some of the people that I talked to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wonderful, because it was so hot, not seeing your family and not being able to move around. Now we are being charged it yourselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, I'm not wearing a mask. But I feel like if I were to be in a store, I would still want to wear a mask just for - if I'm going to be in there for 10 minutes, might as well just wear a mask. But in a few months, I think that will hopefully die down because I like seeing people's gorgeous smiles.
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BERNAL: And now to the other pressing issue that is of course the heat. As you mentioned, there is a number of people across Southwestern states that right now are under excessive heat warnings. We're talking about one in three people in the continental U.S. who at the moment are living in drought conditions.
And so many are being told to conserve water to conserve energy and just to be mindful of the heat when they're out. And about this weekend I spoke to a professor at Cal State, L.A. and he specifically told me that what we need to do is keep in mind that our resources need to be conserved. I want you to listen to what he told me.
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STEVE LADOCHY, PROFESSOR, CAL STATE L.A. GEOSCIENCES AND ENVIRONMENT: They should be thinking a lot about water, energy and help. Water supply - so when they turn on the tap, it's no problem. There's not the water. Where's it coming from? It's not coming from Los Angeles it is coming from the Colorado River, which is that's lowest amounts inward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL: And without that water farmers and ranchers are struggling. So, it's not just a California problem according to Professor Steve LaDochy what he was telling me is that this is a problem for anyone that has any sort of connection or consumes any of the food that comes out of this region, Jessica.
DEAN: I'm desperate for some rain there. All right, Camila Bernal for us in California thank you so much. And some sad news today from the White House, the Biden's announcing their 13-year-old German Shepherd Champ has passed away.
The President and First Lady releasing this statement saying "Our hearts are heavy today as we let you all know that our beloved German Shepherd Champ passed away peacefully at home. He was our constant - companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family.
Even as Champs' strength waned in his last month when we came into a room, he would immediately pull himself up his tail always wagging and nonetheless for an ear scratch or a belly rub. Wherever we were he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us. He loved nothing more than curling up at our feet in front of a fire at the end of the day.
[12:10:00]
DEAN: Joining us is a comforting presence in meetings or sunning himself in the White House Garden. In his younger days, he was happiest chasing golf balls on the front lawn of the Naval Observatory or racing to catch our grandchildren as they ran around in our backyard in Delaware.
In our most joyful moments, and in our most grief-stricken days, he was there with us sensitive to our every unspoken feeling and emotion. We love our sweet, good boy. And we will miss him always".
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DEAN: CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is warning the Delta strain could soon become the predominant Coronavirus variant right here in the United States. Officials say the strain which was first identified in India is even more transmissible than the UK variant.
[12:15:00]
DEAN: But research appears to show that two dose vaccines approved for use here in the United States do protect against the Delta variant. More than 148 million people are now fully vaccinated, making up about 45 percent of our total population.
And joining me now to discuss is Dr. Leana Wen, CNN Medical Analyst and Former Health Commissioner for the City of Baltimore. Dr. Wen, great to see you also, of course, you're the Contributing Columnist for "The Washington Post".
I'm curious, what risk does the Delta variant pose to unvaccinated Americans? Because we just said, if you've got - if you're fully vaccinated, this should provide protection for you. What about those who are unvaccinated?
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Jessica that's the key question. So those who are fully vaccinated are very well protected, even against this Delta variant. Those who are partially vaccinated so if you only got one dose of the two doses of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, they are not protected.
Actually, we find that in studies that if you only got one dose of the vaccine, you're probably only about 30 percent protected, so definitely get that second dose. But if you're not vaccinated, if you have a variant that's more contagious, that means you can't let down your guard at all.
If you are around others who are also unvaccinated the risk to you is now higher than before because this is more transmissible. And we're also seeing in other countries that this variant appears to be leading to more hospitalizations and more severe illness so bottom line, if you're not vaccinated, the threat of the Delta variant really should be one other call to action for you to get vaccinated down.
DEAN: And it is it's important for people to understand this is a game changer in a way I you know, you hear from some people who say, oh, I made it through all this. I didn't get it. I'm not going to get COVID now. This is much more transmissible, you have a much higher chance of getting it now if you're unvaccinated, right?
DR. WEN: That's right. So, another way of thinking about what it means when something is more contagious is that the activities that you thought previously were pretty safe, or you didn't get infected with it before. Now you're at higher risk because this the Delta variant, it appears that people who are infected with it, carry more of it with them.
And it also may stay in you for longer. And so, for all these reasons, again, we should just be even more cautious than before if you are unvaccinated. But things have changed since the beginning of the pandemic. I mean, for so long, we didn't have a way other than masking and distancing to prevent getting infected.
Now we have this extraordinary vaccine, and I just would urge anyone 12 and older who's eligible to take it to get vaccinated immediately.
DEAN: Yes, and let's talk about those who are at 12 and older. So, for those 12 and younger by the time a lot of schools open next school year, students under the age of 12 will likely not have been able to get the vaccine yet and you've just written a piece in "The Washington Post" noting that, "Developing safe and effective Coronavirus vaccines for young children should be an urgent priority".
So, for parents out there who are watching who might be concerned about this, what is your message to them?
DR. WEN: This is a very personal issue to me too, because I have two little kids a one-year-old and an almost four-year-old. And I think that right now, parents are making different decisions based on their perception of risk. So here are the numbers, we've got more than 400 children who have died from COVID-19.
We also have tens of thousands of children who've been hospitalized with COVID, more than 4000 that have had these long-term effects, or this inflammation, the multi system inflammatory syndrome that could cause long term effects.
And so, I think some parents looking at those numbers while say, I want to be still very cautious with my unvaccinated children, especially with a Delta variant around. My husband and I are in that boat, we want to be extra cautious. And so, our message and my message is that we will see other people who are fully vaccinated indoors will definitely do socialization and everything else outdoors.
But we're going to limit indoor time with unvaccinated unmasked people and actually we're going to try to avoid any of those circumstances. And for our almost four-year-old he's in summer camp. The camp requires that there is indoor masking for all children who are not vaccinated. And I hope that that this will provide some guidance to you parents were also in a similar boat.
DEAN: Yes, I know a lot of people out there trying to weigh the pros and cons of everything and do their risk assessment. Dr. Leana Wen thanks so much we appreciate it.
DR. WEN: Thank you.
DEAN: Coming up banned over a burrito details on the U.S. athlete who says her failed drug test was the result of something she ate.
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[12:20:00]
DEAN: The U.S. is grappling with a surge in gun violence. Take a look at this disturbing video out of New York you see a gunman running up to a man on a sidewalk in broad daylight shooting him nearly hitting two children a five-year-old and a 10 year old in the process.
They tumbled to the ground. They're diving for cover trying to protect one another as the gunman continues firing. The kids were not hurt that other man is in stable condition right now and police are searching for two men in connection to that shooting.
Overnight in Minneapolis Police a shooting left five people wounded. Investigators say none of those injuries is life threatening and they're still searching for the gunman in that case, as well. And it adds to the rising number of mass shootings we've seen this year there have been 284 of them in the United States in the first six months of 2021 that's up 40 percent from the same time last year.
[12:25:00]
DEAN: And joining me now is Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee; she's a Democratic Representative from Texas, also a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Congresswoman, always great to see you. Thanks for making time for us today.
We are likely headed into a very violent summer and with no movement on the Hill for gun legislation, I know you supported the legislation that passed the House, it stalled in the Senate. It's not going anywhere. What do you say to Americans who are looking at all of these numbers who are frustrated by this and want to see something done to curb this gun violence?
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX): First of all, what I would say is, there clearly is a gun and violent crisis in America. Can you believe that Republicans blocked us for a number of times to have that declared as a health crisis by the Centers for Disease Control?
But really what we need now is an emergency declaration, I believe we need a national emergency declaration for the extensive gun use, and this has nothing to do with the Second Amendment. I'm standing here in Texas, in Juneteeth. We are obviously a state that has been utilizing guns for a long time.
In fact, we have a permit-less gun law that is obviously making our situation worse. But as the Chair of the Subcommittee that deals with this crime and terrorism and Homeland Security, we had a gun hearing, we have done experts that will tell you that gun laws will make a difference.
So I think we have to raise this to a level of emergency declaration of violence. With the use of guns, we have to begin to now find a way to push through some forms of gun safety legislation, universal background check, and closing Charleston loophole.
But we also need to begin to stop the spread of laws like permit-less guns, ghost guns; we need to be able to ban assault weapons, frankly, to be able to deal with these guns that are on the street. But we also need to have the community intervention that we were not able to have during the pandemic.
We need to begin to deal with young men to have, if you will, intervention sites on every block. What happened to those two young men or three that caused them to have a wild west shoot out on the streets of New York? Or to have children that could have been literally murdered before our eyes, there has to be a sense of humanity, we have to be - we have to own this.
Those who are protected are in better neighborhoods and say it's not my problem, it is our problem. Gun violence has gone up in some cities 30 some percent in terms of homicide and crime.
So my view is that we have to go back to the United States Congress, we have to work with the administration that has been faithful in their support of gun safety legislation, see how we can declare and a declaration of emergency see what governmental resources and private sector resources, but we must have intervention.
And we must give the Police Department more information I want the community know you have to see something, say something. But we need to give the Police Department more intervention resources, they come up on these young people all the time, they know what to do.
We need to find somewhere else for these people to be than on the streets with a gun. And we need to use every aspect social worker, police officers, medical professionals, faith leaders, community leaders, and we need to use our history.
If you're studying your history, you're not going to be picking up a gun. If you know who you are, you're not going to pick up a gun. But at the Chair of the Committee, I can tell you, we are deeply seeking solutions. And we will have probably a hearing or briefing on violence, and then seek to see how we can pass real gun safety legislation? We must do that to stop the violence.
DEAN: And I want to ask you too about this new video. It's horrific video of the attack on the Capitol. Where do things stand on a House investigation into the insurrection? Do you think they're going to try again in the Senate to get a commission passed? Or do you think it's now on the house?
JACKSON LEE: I do think that Senator Schumer wants to try it one more time to stand up the commission. I've been on Homeland Security since 9/11 and of course, you know, we had a 9/11 commission to stand up a commission exactly like the 9/11 Commission to have an independent eye to look at this violence.
As we can see, there are more video than we can imagine. And as they - out every week, you're stunned every week, particularly since I was on the floor of the House when I say on the floor, literally on the floor as law enforcement officers tried to protect us from the violence.
So that's one way the speaker of course, is looking at several options, including a select committee, including a designated particular committee like Homeland Security or another committee, and as well looking to look at the select committee and the special committee that would allow several other jurisdictional committees to do it.
So, she's looking at the commission, select committee and looking at standing committees to do the investigation.
[12:30:08]
One thing I will tell you is that we cannot, we cannot fail the American people. In order to go forward, in order to develop the response, in order to build a domestic terrorism law, which does not exist right now, in a way that protects civil liberties and civil rights, we've have to have a commission. We need to have the roadmap that is independent of what America should do. And then they need to be able to look at the elements of that, including white racism, institutional racism, and domestic terrorist that bill their terrorism on the question of race.
We should not be afraid of it. We should find solutions.
DEAN: Right. And, Congresswoman, before I let you go, today is June 19th. I know you're home in Texas. A day that is now a federal holiday, Juneteenth, a day Americans can celebrate the end of slavery. I know you've been a longtime supporter of making this a holiday of that legislation. On a personal level, can you tell us the importance of this becoming finally a federal holiday?
JACKSON LEE: Well, thank you so very much. I was the first member to introduce this legislation for a national holiday. You can imagine the feeling I have being here in Galveston, which is where General Granger came to give the General Order Number 3 to say that the slaves are free.
But because we did this in such a unique way in the United States Senate, with a unanimous consent in the Senate, and in the House point (ph) of 15 votes, I give this as a gift to America. This is a unity gift so that Americans can come together to understand slavery, and that we can continue to build in a racial equity agenda, which is the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, which is to get right the voting protections for all Americans to overcome the horrible voting restrictions being passed based on the big lie and to be able to look at the study of slavery and how do we repair it through a commission on that.
So, frankly, I believe that this has been a propelate (ph) This has been something that propels not next sends you away, but propels you on to do other things around racial equity, and to find out that it won't hurt you to embrace the ills of America and then to embrace how you can correct and give America a new day in life. And I frankly believe that Juneteenth is giving people a new day, if you would see the people that are here in Galveston. They come from many walks of life.
They don't look like me. They come from Anglo community, Hispanic community, the Latinx, the African American. They come from the Asian community. They speak different languages. They come from the LGBTQ community. This is what Juneteenth is, it's about freedom. And I frankly believe this holiday will be a unifying holiday. That's the first one. And that's unbelievable.
Let me thank President Biden and Vice President Harris for having us in the White House in less than 24 hours to give us this first holiday that is going to unify America. That's what I believe and that's in my heart. And that's what we're doing.
DEAN: All right, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, thanks for joining us this afternoon. We appreciate it.
JACKSON LEE: Thank you for having me.
DEAN: And don't forget we have a new special on the insurrection, it's called Assault on Democracy: The Roots of Trump's Insurrection, it airs tomorrow night at 9:00 right here on CNN and here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The election is rigged.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKERS (in unison): Stop the steal. Stop the steal.
TRUMP: This is like hell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not a law enforcement operation, this was a military defense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're coming for you Nancy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once they started banging on the door, and that's all I heard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overrun the Capitol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, details from those who were there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump said, come to D.C. It's going to be wild. And I knew it was going to be history. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This might sound extremely strange to a lot of your viewers but I feel like he was anointed by God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A peaceful protesting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You call January 6 a peaceful protest?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God. What is happening? I was scared. I was absolutely scared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN special report, Assault on Democracy: The Roots of Trump's Insurrection tomorrow at 9:00.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:38:27]
DEAN: Georgia like many states across the country is struggling with a surge of violent crime from a mass shooting that killed the eight people at an Atlanta area spot in March to this week's deadly shooting of a store clerk when she asked a customer to wear a face mask. The city of Atlanta has seen a 60 percent increase in crime in 2021, the city's deadliest year in decades.
Now the recent crime wave is prompting one neighborhood to consider a new option. Buckhead, just north of downtown Atlanta, is currently considering a proposal to become its own municipality, where supporters say they could control their own tax dollars and better protect themselves.
Joining me now is Howard Shook, a member of the Atlanta City Council who represents some of Buckhead. Great to see you, Councilman. Thanks for being here. Tell me where you stand on this. I believe you're in the position, you want to hear more from both sides?
HOWARD SHOOK, ATLANTA CITY COUNCILMEMBER: Well, what's going on now is the pro-secession group, you know, is having a public dialogue with people in with the Georgia General Assembly, their stated goal is to within a year or two have this put on the referendum for a vote. So a lot will have to happen in the Georgia General Assembly to get there.
My position is I'm a member of the Atlanta City Council, casting about 10,000 votes every four years, so I've got a lot on my plate. My job, in this case, is to make sure the citizens, if they are going to vote, there'll be casting one of the most important votes in our lifetime. And so, I'm going to do what I can to make sure that the information that's put out there for them to study is comprehensive and valid.
[12:40:06]
DEAN: So at this point, you just want to make sure there's information flow for people to be educated about it?
SHOOK: Yes. I mean, the big question right now is no one knows what this is going to cost, you know, would be citizens of Buckhead. We're going to have a lot on our shopping list.
DEAN: And what do you think, Councilman, about -- obviously, Buckhead is known to be a wealthy part of Atlanta about the idea of a part of Atlanta that can has more resources, more financial resources, higher probably tax base, taking itself out of the broader area, what kind of message do you think that sends? I know you're not coming down one way or another for or against this, but what do you think are kind of the intricacies about that?
SHOOK: Well, imagine every city has, relatively speaking, it's Buckhead, the part of the city that, you know, we're it to be deleted, would harm the rest of the city. You know, people just need to see the facts. I get it. The interest in asking the question right now is the most natural thing in the world.
DEAN: Right, right. And I'm curious to what do you see as the advantages of doing this and the disadvantages of doing this. I know you talked about you don't know, at this point, how much it's going to cost, that's a big question mark it sounds like.
SHOOK: Yes, and, you know, we just need to see the numbers. And it could be that even if it is a heavier cost burden than the one we currently bear, it could be that some people say, OK, I'm willing to buy that. We're buy into that, if it means, you know, we have a less contentious political situation that we have to deal with to get basic city services and to feel more protected.
DEAN: And you talked about how lengthy this process will be. If it succeeds, it won't even be on the ballot for voters until 2022. What do you think the city can do in the meantime to address the situation? What are actual things that can happen right now?
SHOOK: Well, I think they need to address crime as robustly as possible. You know, we're just -- we're not just experiencing crime here in Buckhead, although it's up markedly, which always spurs the secessionist dialogues. It's all over the city when people are complaining and fearful and anxious everywhere.
We're down hundreds and hundreds of police. We're having a big debate, as most American cities are about, you know, reimagining law enforcement. And, you know, what does law and order mean, what should it mean.
And so, you know, I think a lot of things hang in the balance. And then, you know, that's all additionally complicated by the fact that we have municipal elections coming up here in a couple of months. And crime is going to be the only topic.
DEAN: Yes. And I think this is a conversation that's happening in a lot of cities across the country right now. Howard Shook, thanks so much for taking time to walk us through all of that. We appreciate it.
SHOOK: Thank you.
DEAN: And we're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:47:39]
DEAN: Training camp for the upcoming NFL season is right around the corner, and this year, the league is taking strict new measures for players who choose not to get vaccinated, and that is rubbing some football stars the wrong way. CNN's Coy Wire has more on that.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, NFL protocols now grant vaccinated players and staff much more freedom at team facilities. Unvaccinated players like Bills' receiver Cole Beasley still deal with several restrictions like daily testing.
They can't even leave the hotel or see family and friends on road trips. Beasley posting on Twitter that he won't be pressured into getting vaccinated, tweeting in part, "If you're scared of me then steer clear, or get vaccinated. Point. Blank. Period. I may die of COVID, but I'd rather die actually living."
The 10-year vet Beasley says he believes there are plenty of other players who believe the same thing he does, but they don't have the same standing in the league as him. The NFL Players Association which Beasley called a joke declined to comment.
All right, the Olympic Trials underway. The Tokyo games are just about a month away and time is running out for distance runner Shelby Houlihan to get there. Houlihan was considered to be a contender by many for a medal but she tested positive for the steroid nandrolone in December leading to a four-year ban from the sport. She insists it came from pork in a burrito that she ate about 10 hours before the test. The band was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this week, a decision Houlihan called completely unfair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHELBY HOULIHAN, U.S. RUNNER: I feel completely devastated, lost, broken, angry, confused and betrayed by the various sport that I've loved and poured myself into just to see how good I was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Now, USA track and field was going to allow her to compete yesterday because the case is still in the appeal process. But the U.S. Olympic Committee stepped in and said they would follow anti- doping rules and uphold the ban. Meaning, she did not run in the trials, giving her almost no chance of making the Olympic team, Jessica. Houlihan says she did everything she could to prove her innocence including passing a polygraph test. It didn't change regulators minds. The opening ceremony in Tokyo is July 23rd.
DEAN: All right, Coy Wire, thanks so much.
And Warner Robins, Georgia, a black female owned business is empowering girls and young women. Here's today's Start Small Think Big.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[12:50:09]
ARIEL YOUNG, COPPER AND BRASS PAPER GOODS OWNER: Copper and Brass Paper Goods is a stationery business founded on the premise of diversity. Our products promote positive representation of the black community, the black experience through images of black people, black families and also the black tradition. I am Ariel Young, the owner of Copper and Brass Paper Goods.
Nationally, Copper and Brass started out as a Wrapping Paper Company. Our first design was a black Santa's wrapping paper and we had the gift bags and also the gift tag. We started out in my home at our kitchen table shortly after Christmas 2018. I realized that I wanted to do more. During the pandemic, Copper and Brass had a major growth spurt. We have been picked up by TJ Maxx stores, especially home goods and other national retailers.
We expanded our notebook collection and also notepads, sticky notes. We have licensed products featuring our historically black colleges and universities. Our products inspire, they motivate, they encourage people to go after their goals. So I get a lot of messages from moms on it.
It feels really good to see that these little girls feel (ph) that they're affirmed and that they're represented. I hope that other women of color that see me and also see my products know that they can do anything they put their mind to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Start Small Think Big brought to you by LegalZoom. Let's make it official.
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[12:56:17]
DEAN: The new Juneteenth holiday has special meaning for the small Georgia town where the modern day KKK was founded and we're controversy over remembering the Civil War looms large to this day. CNN's Martin Savidge has that story.
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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 80-year-old Gloria Brown remembers when hundreds of men in white robes would descend on her town each summer.
GLORIA BROWN, STONE MOUNTAIN RESIDENT: As a little girl, they looked like a white ghost, you know, these had a thing (ph) that ghosts and they looked like a white ghost.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Crosses would burn from a nearby mountain tops. Brown's father, a World War I veteran reassured her one day things would be different.
BROWN: He said that will change.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): He was right. This weekend, Stone Mountain, Georgia, birthplace of the modern Ku Klux Klan holds its first Juneteenth celebration honoring the end of slavery.
CHAKIRA JOHNSON, MAYOR PRO TEM, STONE MOUNTAIN, GEORGIA: We'll have a dance group, an African dancers, live DJ. We'll have vendors and food. And then we'll end the night with fireworks.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Deputy Mayor Chakira Johnson is excited to show off how much it's different in the village of roughly 6,300, now 78 percent black.
JOHNSON: It is our hope that people will see us for who we are today and recognize that, you know, things have changed. We're -- we may not be perfect, but we're not who we used to be.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): But the celebration is not without controversy. Thanks to the town's neighbor. You see the entire village sits in the shadow of the largest confederate monument in the United States, a carving on the side of the mountain in Stone Mountain Park. With its confederate name streets, confederate flags and 3-acre mountainside homage to the myth of the so-called Lost Cause, a twisted reinterpretation of the south's defeat in the civil war.
To many, it's a giant reminder of the old Jim Crow south and the village has nothing to do with it.
(on-camera): You have no say as to what goes on --
JOHNSON: We have.
SAVIDGE (on-camera): -- and with the park does?
JOHNSON: No say. Zero say.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): The controversy was sparked with a protest group, the Stone Mountain Action Coalition, which described themselves as a movement dedicated to a more inclusive Stone Mountain Park, requested a booth at the village's Juneteenth festival to pass out fliers about the park. The village said no, because it was a celebration.
GABRIELLE ROGERS, CO-FOUNDER, STONE MOUNTAIN ACTION COALITION: They wanted a day without politics, a day without disturbance. And that is not what we stand for.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): It's not the first time Stone Mountain village has been caught up in the middle of anger over Stone Mountain Park. Last summer, leftist anti-racist groups and armed far-right militia members came to town in a tense face-off over race, politics and the mountain memorial.
Mereda Davis Johnson is a commissioner in the county that encompasses Stone Mountain Park. She's no fan of the monument.
MEREDA DAVIS JOHNSON, DEKALB COUNTY COMMISSIONER: If I had my way, it would be blasted.
SAVIDGE: But Johnson also spearheaded the effort to make Juneteenth a county holiday and believes it is a time to be celebrated by everyone.
DAVIS JOHNSON: Just like we celebrate the 4th of July for the freedoms of people in this country, I think it is also important to celebrate Juneteenth for the freedoms of black people in this country.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Gloria Brown's father wasn't the only one to predict a different day for his town. So did another man in 1963. In his famous "I have a dream" speech, Martin Luther King said in part, let freedom reign from the snowcapped --
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: -- Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): This weekend in Stone Mountain, Georgia, that dream will seem closer than ever, even as they celebrate in the shadow of the confederacy.
Martin Savidge, CNN, Stone Mountain Village, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
