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Security Forces On Capitol Hill Brace For Potential Violence As Rally In Support Of Insurrectionists Gets Underway; Texas Mayor Declares Emergency, 14,000-Plus Migrants Under Bridge; FDA Vaccine Advisers Back Boosters For Older & High Risk Americans; Robert Durst Found Guilty Of First-Degree Murder; CNN: CIA Warned Civilians Were Present Seconds Before U.S. Missile Killed 10; Professor Organizes Rally In Support of Mask Mandate. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired September 18, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again everyone, thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, happening right now, the Nation's Capital is on high alert as substantial police presence and crowd control measures are in place.

Demonstrators in support of the mob which stormed the Capitol on January 6 gather in Washington today for a rally.

It was just nine months ago that we saw these terrifying scenes unfolding hundreds of people scaling the walls, breaking windows, storming the hallways of the Capitol, yelling to find Nancy, the House Speaker, and threatening to hang the Vice President, Mike Pence, as lawmakers and the Vice President ran to safety.

Capitol Police were horribly outnumbered and targeted by the mob. One officer died, more than 100 were hurt some seriously, and three other officers later died by suicide.

Today, the scene, quite different, barriers and fencing surrounding the Capitol, hundreds of officers in position should demonstrations grow violent. We have a team of Correspondents covering every angle of this.

Let's begin with Shimon Prokupecz in the midst of the protest right there on the mall. Shimon.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME, AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly at this point, it doesn't seem that the Capitol Police, the Washington D police -- the Washington DC police and other police that are here need to worry about being outnumbered because from what I can see there are more police officers present all around the Capitol.

You see here behind us, these are Capitol Police officers in riot gear, there are more officers just behind the fence here. Clearly outnumbering the number of protesters here, people who have come to the rally -- the police is talking to us about something, so there are certainly more officers here.

But I have to tell you something, Fred, you could definitely feel the tension from the police here. They're taking nothing for granted, they're not chancing anything.

We saw them stop someone with a knife, then they arrested the person, they removed them. They've been going through the crowd sometimes looking for specific people. So certainly the police here not taking any chances. There are more officers out on the perimeter as well.

So really, police blanketing this area because they are just so concerned, they don't want to repeat January 6. This is supposed to end in about a half hour or so, the police chief, I spoke to him -- about around 11:30 or so and he expected this to wrap around this time.

It's still going here, it's been peaceful people have been speaking at a podium, of course complaining about the fact that people were arrested on January 6 and how they've been treated.

But so far, very important to note that it's been peaceful people have been gathered here. And for now, things are OK. We'll see when this wraps up what happens because police are concerned about once crowds start leaving from here.

WHITFIELD: OK, Shimon Prokupecz Thank you so much.

Let's check in with Pete Muntean in another area of the grounds there of the mall on Washington. What are you seeing?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Fredricka, 25 police agencies are involved in securing this area today. And you can see the Capitol Police that have lined up behind me, in riot gear, that is exactly what protesters would face here if anything potentially popped up.

First, they'd have to get through the bike rack, then through the line of Capitol Police, there's another one around the pond of the Capitol out in the front edge of it, and then, there is the six-foot-high fence around the Capitol perimeter.

Its Capitol Police respond -- responsible for patrolling this area, but once you get beyond this, it's the Metropolitan Washington Police Department's responsibility, and they have a lot of practice here with dealing with First Amendment activities.

The head of the Capitol Police Department said yesterday that he was primarily concerned about counter-protests -- about counter-protests popping off here. There were three counter-protests scheduled, one of them, he said had a history of violence.

So, that is the biggest concern from the head of Capitol Police. We will see if that transpires but so far, not much in the way of tension here just yet.

[13:05:00]

WHITFIELD: All right, Pete Muntean, Shimon Prokupecz, thanks to both of you there on the Washington mall, appreciate it.

Let's talk more about all of this. Joining me right now is Jonathan Wackrow, a CNN Law Enforcement Analyst. He is also a former Secret Service agent. Jonathan, it's so good to see you.

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Hey, Fred, how are you doing this afternoon?

WHITFIELD: Very good. So, based on what you've seen there in images, hearing from our Pete and Shimon there, what are your impressions about what's happening there on the mall?

WACKROW: Well, actually, you know, what we're seeing right now is really the dual responsibility that law enforcement has during these events.

First and foremost, they're out there to protect individual rights and their constitutional right to free speech, so making sure that they can, you know, can gather and, you know, protest and demonstrate as necessary as allowable under the Constitution.

But at the same time, they have to be prepared in the event that a protest starts to go into nonviolent direct action or civil unrest, they have to be able to quickly react and have those contingency plans in place, and we're seeing that.

We're seeing that the protest is going on, it seems like a non-event, they're doing what they intended to do today. But we see the preparedness, and that is critically important right now is that this show of forces out there.

The reason being, Fred, is because the threat that we saw on January 6 is unmitigated. You know, what we -- what we saw on that day still hasn't been addressed and that is why you're seeing such a show of force today that law enforcement is sending out a signal that they will not tolerate the civil unrest that was fueled on January 6 anymore.

WHITFIELD: And how do you suppose the officers who were out there today are feeling particularly if they were, you know, in the throes of the chaos there on January 6? How are they processing all that's transpiring today?

WACKROW: Well, listen, these officers are professionals, and they -- I commend them for the work that they do. It's not just being there today, they were out there on the front lines on January 7. I mean, they've been out there every single day doing their jobs, so they should be commended for that.

The difference today is that the intelligence that has been gathered in advance of this event has been semon -- disseminated to the rank and file. Everybody is on the same operating platform right now with fully understanding what the threat environment is, and how they respond. The preparations for today were significant and will serve as a model going forward for any type of critical incident.

WHITFIELD: And at the same time, you know, how insulting might it be for these officers to hear the former President who has been expressing sympathy for those who took part in the insurrection, and encouraging those who have come out today and support those who have been charged -- facing charges?

And in the former President's, you know, words, he says these people should not be persecuted. How is this sitting with the officers who are out there today?

WACKROW: Listen, it's discouraging, but the reality of law enforcement is that officers across the country are called names every single day. They're used to it. They have thick skin.

Would they like to see a different result, would they like to see the former Commander in Chief support law and order, like, you know, he has stated that he did in the past? Well, his actions are showing something different today.

But those law enforcement officers, again, they're professionals, they're out there to do a duty. Even if someone is yelling at them and calling them names, they're going to protect that individual's right to do so while protecting civil order with throughout the National Capital Region. Again, really true professionals.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jonathan Wackrow, thank you so much. Good to see you.

WACKROW: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. And now to a growing humanitarian crisis on the southern border, U.S. Customs and Border Control closing part of entry -- Port of Entry rather, in Del Rio, Texas as more than 14,000 migrants huddle under a bridge there.

Traffic -- auto traffic on the bridge is being rerouted, the Mayor calling this crisis a nuclear bomb alarm and declaring a local emergency. CNN's Correspondent Rosa Flores is in Del Rio with more.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the federal government is announcing that they are ramping up resources to deal with this humanitarian crisis. This, after local officials have been calling out the federal government asking them to do more about what's going on just beyond this border wall.

This is where more than 14,000 migrants are waiting to be processed by U.S. immigration authorities. If you look closely, beyond those law enforcement vehicles, that's where more than 14,000 people are waiting, they're waiting in squalor.

[13:10:00] FLORES: I was able to take an aerial tour a few days ago and from the air, you're able to see that these are men, women, children, some pregnant women, infants that are waiting to be processed.

Now, DHS announcing that they are, in the next 72 hours, increasing the number of expulsion and removal flights to Haiti to try to deter Haitians from coming here to Del Rio.

Now, a couple of other actions that they're taking according to the six-point strategy that was released by DHS today is they're also increasing in the next 24 to 48 hours, the number of agents and officers that are going to be responding to the situation. They're increasing it by 400 and say that they will be adding more officers if that's needed.

There are also getting ICE and U.S. Coast Guard involved to try to transport some of these individuals to other ports of entry -- other processing facilities so that they could be processed. They do say that they've recently moved at least 2000 migrants to other processing facilities. All of this is in response to this influx of migrants.

Now, the other thing that they say that they're doing is that they're going to increase their humanitarian action, which is one of the things that local officials have been complaining about, because according to DHS, what the federal government was providing here was water, towels, and toilets. And of course, local officials were calling for more.

The local Mayor issuing a declaration -- a disaster declaration yesterday saying that he was trying to get access to more resources to help the response here.

So, Fred, this is what local officials have been asking for. A greater response by the federal government to make sure that something was being done. About the -- thousands of people have been waiting under a bridge to be processed by U.S. immigration authorities, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Rosa Flores, thank you so much.

All right, coming up, an FDA panel recommends booster shots for some Americans days before the Biden administration was set to roll out a wider plan.

Plus, a hospital in Montana is now rationing care as doctors warn that this situation could get even worse. We'll have all your COVID headlines next.

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[13:15:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, the U.S. is averaging nearly 2000 deaths a day for the first time since March, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins.

COVID hospitalizations have dipped slightly over recent days, but experts say unvaccinated people continue to drive the pandemic, as more than a quarter of eligible Americans have yet to get a single shot.

And vaccination numbers are down again as the FDA's -- FDA, rather, considers third shots for the most vulnerable of Americans. CNN's Nadia Romero has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER MARKS, PHYSICIAN: We know that there may be differing opinions.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After a long day of sometimes contentious debate, advisors to the Food and Drug Administration on Friday rejected Pfizer's request at a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine to everyone 16 and older.

KATHLEEN HAYES, FDA DESIGNATED FEDERAL OFFICER: Doctor Lee, yes. Doctor McKenna, yes.

ROMERO: Instead, voting to recommend Emergency Use Authorization of a booster for people 65 and older and those at high risk.

HAYES: We do have a unanimous 18 out of 18 who voted yes.

ROMERO: Regardless of today's outcome, one Public Health Expert says the booster debate is just a distraction to the real problem, the unvaccinated.

DOCTOR ALI KHAN, DEAN, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH: 2000 people dying a day currently, still about 100,000 people hospitalized. So, the focus should be on the 67 million people who have not been vaccinated. They're the ones driving this pandemic, not those who've already been fully vaccinated.

ROMERO: The Biden administration doubling down on its plan to mandate vaccinations for employees of large businesses and federal workers.

JEFF ZIENTS, COORDINATOR, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE: That means more Americans getting back to work. It means safer schools and healthier families.

ROMERO: COVID in the classrooms now putting our nation's children at risk as school districts faced virus outbreaks sending kids back to remote learning.

One Metro Atlanta School District becomes the first in Georgia to mandate all teachers and staff must get vaccinated with just a few exemptions to the rule.

And with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp using his power to try to live in mask and vaccine mandates, some speculate the district could face lawsuits.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): No reason to sue them.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): For what? (UNIDENTIFIED MALE): It is to protect yourself and the kids, so there's no reason to sue them. That for something else that you won't find another job, like, you got to get back vaccinated. So, what you're going to do.

ROMERO: In Texas, state leaders hoping iconic big Tex welcomes back a new sense of normalcy after the State Fair was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Now, big Text and the Fair back this year.

SUZANNE BRENNAN FIRSTENBERG, ARTIST: I was outraged of the devaluation of the lives of the elderly and lives of color.

ROMERO: The toll of the pandemic is front and center at an art installation in Washington DC, commemorating the Americans who died due to COVID-19.

ARCHIE THE MESSENGER, POET: Sometimes our loved ones leave us quickly like a thief in the night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMERO (on camera): One leader of the World Health Organization is calling for a global moratorium on booster shots, saying that that needs to happen until at least 10 percent of every country in the world is vaccinated, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nadia Romero., thank you so much for that.

All right, joining me right now to discuss, Doctor Taison Bell, an infectious disease expert, he's also an Assistant Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Virginia. Doctor Bell, good to see you.

DR. TAISON BELL, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE INFECTIOUS DISEASE, UVA: Thank you for having me on, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, how should the U.S. balance the concerns from the World Health Organization when it comes to booster shots?

BELL: Well, I certainly do think that our first priority really has to be getting first doses in the people.

[13:20:00]

BELL: I mean, that's really how we prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed and we can deliver high-quality care. I do think that however, there are a clear group of people that are at higher risk, namely those that are older in age and immunocompromised, and this is exactly what I've seen at my institution the last couple of weeks I've been on service.

I've only had a handful of patients that have had breakthrough infections, but they've all been either immunocompromised or they're older in age.

And so, I think the FDA's decision really had an overlap between the group that's at highest risk of having breakthrough infections that lead to severe disease, while also making sure that we're not taking our eye off the goal of prioritizing people getting their first and second doses so that we can make sure that we can really use the vaccines, the best way that we can to turn the tide on the pandemic.

WHITFIELD: Right. So, the FDA is encouraging, everyone, get that first dose, as is the West Virginia Governor. Listen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JIM JUSTIN, (R-WV): The only thing that I have in my arsenal that will make this get better is for you to get vaccinated. That's all I've got. We're going to run through the fire and get vaccinated right now, or we're going to pound the body bags up until we reach a point in time to where we have enough people that have natural immunities, and enough people that are vaccinated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, graphic talk. Body bags, is that the message, you know, that is going to move the needle for those who are unvaccinated to encourage them to at least get one?

BELL: Well, I do think it is important to be very honest about what healthcare workers are seeing. And unfortunately, we've seen scenes like this in Italy, in New York, in Brazil, and other places that had overwhelming surges, in places that the call in refrigerated trucks, because they couldn't keep up with the people that were dying, unfortunately. The only sad part about is, of course, now this is largely preventable through vaccination.

Now, there are some people that will call this fearmongering, but I would take the other argument and say that it's not actually fearmongering if hospitals and people in ICUs are actually fearful that more patients will come in with COVID-19.

So, I think this is actually stark reality that that encourages people to get vaccinated then, I think that's the appropriate message.

WHITFIELD: You're right. And every hospital has said, you know, that more than 90 percent of the people who are coming in who are COVID positive are unvaccinated. So, underscoring what you said is preventable, you know, before it costs you your life.

So, recent data from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that Coronavirus infections are up 240percent among children since July. I mean, that number is extraordinary and frightening.

So, kids now account for nearly 29 percent of all cases reported nationwide, what is your message to parents who have kids, who are under 12, who are not eligible to get a vaccine, but certainly want to keep their kids safe?

BELL: Well, as a parent of two young children, I can certainly attest that parents are very anxious about keeping our children safe, and in trying to get Emergency Authorization as quickly as possible so we can get children vaccinated.

I think it's important just to recognize that we're not completely powerless, you know, right now. Even though children under the age of 12 are not eligible for the vaccine, there are still many things that we can do to protect them, namely, vaccinating the adults and adolescence that will be around young children.

So, the CDC studies showed that states that have the highest rates of vaccination compared to the lowest rates of vaccination. Children over four times more likely to be hospitalized in states with lower -- the lowest rates of vaccination. So, vaccines have a powerful effect on protecting children, even if those they aren't the direct recipients of the vaccines. That's the first thing.

I think when you combine that with mitigation measures to try to prevent the virus from spreading in the first place, that also adds another layer to it. So, these are things like indoor masking, social distancing, making sure that you're avoiding large, crowded spaces. These are all things that we can do to try to protect children as we await the -- anxiously await authorization from the FDA.

We can anticipate that the data from Pfizer will be released in the next three to four weeks, according to officials, and hopefully, that means that we'll have Emergency Use Authorization, at least in that group five to 11, by late October or early November.

WHITFIELD: And then let me ask about this whole issue of rationing care that so many hospitals across the country are having to do.

A hospital in Montana is so overwhelmed that they were forced to start rationing care earlier in the week. We've heard these stories. I mean, this is a nightmare scenario, and there's a burnout factor among the personnel as well, and just the fact that they've run out of beds. So, what are your thoughts about where we are going as hospitals are rationing care?

BELL: Well, this is also very sad to see. In my institution like many others, early on in a pandemic last year, we put together our own crisis at care standards.

[13:25:00]

BELL: Luckily, we didn't have to use them that we're not approaching that now, but I really did not expect that we will be here at this point. And largely, again, this reflects under vaccination in areas that are experiencing this high capacity in the ICU.

And so, you mentioned open beds and I think one thing that's important to get across is that an open bed does not necessarily mean that we can safely take care of a patient.

ICUs will take care of patients that range from those who are not as critically ill and might just need intensive monitoring, and -- but otherwise, they're doing OK, all the way to your most severe COVID-19 patients who might be on multiple infusions, multiple life support machines. And so, ICU that is at capacity, or 90 percent or above, you might have nurses who can safely take care of three patients if they're not so critically ill, but if you have high acuity, that means that that nurse can only safely take care of one patient.

And so when you're at a capacity limit, you may not have that ability to safely flex your staffing ratios or to safely take care of all of your patients.

And so while we focus on ventilators, I actually think the most scarce allocated resource right now is nursing care, and we also have national shortages of critical infusion drugs that we use to make sure that patients are safe in the ICU.

So, it's very unfortunate but again, this is largely preventable at this point and we need to encourage vaccination.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Taison Bell, thank you so much. Be well.

BELL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up next, a tragic mistake in Afghanistan. The U.S. military admits it killed innocent people and not members of a terror group in an August drone strike. CNN is live in Kabul with the growing Fallout.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:31:15]

WHITFIELD: Millionaire mogul, Robert Durst, is now a convicted killer. A jury in Los Angeles finding him guilty of first-degree murder for the killing of his best friend, Susan Berman, more than 20 years ago.

Durst was the subject of a hit HBO crime documentary, "The Jinx," where he made this bombshell admission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT DURST, NEW YORK REAL ESTATE HEIR: Killed them all, of course.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But the verdict, much like Durst's now-infamous life, was full of drama.

CNN correspondent, Jean Casarez, has more.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was a highly unusual verdict because Robert Durst was not in the courtroom.

He is in isolation because he has been exposed to COVID. The person that drives him to court contracted COVID-19. Because of that, he couldn't be in the courtroom.

It was a big issue because a defendant has a right to be in the courtroom when the verdict is read in his criminal trial. So they looked at California case law and the judge determined there are exceptions to that.

And there was one here because Juror 12, the foreperson, was about to go on vacation next week, so they would have to wait until the following week to come back and read the verdict. They could lose the verdict. So the judge read it.

Now, this trial involved nine female jurors, three male jurors. They deliberated for a little over seven hours, which isn't very long at all.

The trial began March of last year. COVID hit. It was interrupted. It was brought back again May of this year with the very same jury.

This trial was -- obviously, the charges were against Durst in regard to Susan Berman in California.

But it was three murder trials in one, in a sense, because there were so many witnesses that focused in on Kathie Durst, his first wife's disappearance in 1982 right here in New York City.

And then Durst was never charged. But he was paranoid he was going to be charged.

So he fled to Galveston, Texas, donned a wig, became a mute woman. Nobody knew where he was until he killed a man in Galveston. He said self defense. A jury believed that in Galveston.

But then he found out the case was going to be reopened against Kathie Durst.

And the jury has now conclusively determined, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Durst went to California not to spend Christmas 2000 with his good friend, Susan Berman, but to murder her.

He was convicted of first-degree murder, elimination of a witness, and also lying in wait.

All because -- you don't have to prove motive. But the theory was that he thought that Susan was about to talk to authorities because it is believed she knew that he had murdered Kathie Durst. He has never been charged in that case.

The penalty is life without the possibility of parole. There's no wiggle room because of those special circumstances. Sentencing will be October 18th.

WHITFIELD: Jean Casarez, thank you so much for that.

Still to come, flying fists at a restaurant in New York. Violence breaking out over a vaccine mandate.

[13:34:39]

Plus, a professor takes matters into his own hands to stop the spread of COVID on campuses. Why he is calling on students and staff to protest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Just into CNN. Moments after the U.S. military launched a missile strike in Afghanistan last month against what was thought to be an ISIS target, the CIA issued a warning that civilians were likely in the area, including children, but it was too late.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. KENNETH F. MCKENZIE JR, COMMANDER, UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND: This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces in the evacuee airport.

But it was a mistake. And I offer my sincere apology.

As combatant commander, I am fully responsible for this strike and this tragic outcome.

While the team conducted the strike, they did so in the honest belief that they were preventing an imminent attack on our forces and civilian evacuees. We now understand that to be incorrect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:40:10]

WHITFIELD: CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, is in Kabul for us.

Nic, what more do we know?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I was at the site of the attack today talking to the family, talking to one of the brothers that lost a daughter, lost his brother in the attack, and several nephews and nieces.

He said he was relieved that the military, the Pentagon said it was a mistake. Because he said, we knew my brother and the children were innocent civilians. This makes it clear to everyone, they're not terrorists. He said that made him happy.

He had a really fundamental question. When the vehicle loaded with water bottles, which was a daily event, was coming into a narrow driveway -- there are narrow back alleys in the neighborhood, and turn for any vehicle is quite tight to get in there.

Every day we were told that the children would come outside and help guide the father, drive the car in, maneuver it in, at a tight angle.

What the children would love to do is to get in the vehicle along with the father and the water. This was their time of fun.

He was coming home from a day's work, and they could have a bit of fun with him in the car. That's the moment the missile struck.

From the family perspective, they're saying, it would have been clear to a drone operator that there were children at the scene.

And this was a civilian neighborhood. It's a densely packed residential area.

Every house around there, when we went through there, there were children in the back alley. You open the doors to another house, children come teeming out.

So from the family's perspective, that's a very, very big unanswered question.

And possibly, what we're hearing from the CIA will shed a bit of light on this.

Of course, what the family would like to see is a thorough investigation. And if anyone has been found to have been failing in their duties and failing in operation standards, then they should be charged in court.

The family wants to see justice done for anyone that was sort of in breach of operational standards or made other errors.

WHITFIELD: Nic Robertson, in Kabul, thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:46:42]

WHITFIELD: All right. Los Angeles County will start requiring proof of vaccination for customers and employees at bars and nightclubs in a few weeks.

A similar rule is in effect in New York where an explosive confrontation broke out Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Can you believe that?

It all started when the hostess at Carmine's Restaurant asked three women for vaccine cards.

One of the women hit the employee over and over again with closed fists, bruising and scratching her face, chest and arms, according to reports, and even breaking her necklace.

The three women, all from Texas, were arrested and charged with assault and criminal mischief.

Proof of vaccination is just one side of this heated national debate. Another flashpoint, mask mandates. You've seen protests against masks, right?

Now, in Georgia, teachers and students are demonstrating in support of mask mandates.

Our next guest helped organize those demonstrations.

Matthew Boedy, professor at University of North Georgia, and heads the Georgia Conference of American Association of University Professors.

Doctor, Professor, so good to see you. Thanks so much.

You organized these demonstrations for mask mandates and vaccines on so many campuses. How have you been able to do that? And who has been involved?

DR. MATTHEW BOEDY, PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA & DIRECTOR, GEORGIA CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS: Well, we have a great network of AAUP chapter leaders and people that stepped up that wanted to be point persons on our campus.

I asked them all could they do it. They certainly said, yes, that they could organize speakers, they could organize rallies for the weeklong, which I don't think has ever been done before.

We have a lot of help around the state. That's what we wanted was a statewide message to the university system.

WHITFIELD: Georgia colleges and universities, the hands are kind of tied on campus, right, on this issue? They have to follow guidance from USG, the University System of Georgia, that represents 26 institutions.

So how would you like to see these campus presidents handle this?

BOEDY: Well, many of my colleagues want local presidents to have autonomy over the campus. Georgia Tech could decide for themselves if they want a mask mandate.

That's a perfectly valid solution. I would also like a mask mandate for all 26 schools, just like last year, the entire school year. The Board of Regents that oversees the university system could do that tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: What is happening to professors that try to take matters into their own hands, try to encourage mask wearing in classrooms?

BOEDY: We have some people who threaten to take classrooms online if a hospital bed level gets too high for them. We have a policy we can't ask about vaccination status of students. Our hands are tied in many ways.

What we can rely upon is data and emotional stories. People telling their own students about their children that can't be vaccinated, that have to go into schools, and they don't want to take it home.

I personally tried every day with a different piece of data or different story to my students to get the mask wearing up.

I think I have got it up a couple of percentage points. It's about 50 percent. When we started school, about 30 percent.

[13:50:05]

So I think the constant -- really, knowledge by professors, the constant persuasion really can be effective. But certainly a mask mandate would be better.

WHITFIELD: Have there been repercussions for professors who advocated for virtual learning because they're concerned about the lack of vaccinations or even masks being worn?

BOEDY: In terms of a virtual education, yes. Some professors called for that. And a couple of them decided they would do it themselves and that's when the university said --

WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. We just lost that signal.

BOEDY: -- suggesting that there could be progressive discipline about this to the faculty members.

In terms of mask mandates, no, we haven't had any pushback from administrations or anyone else about our protests for mask mandates.

I think our local president and provost administrators agree with us. They would like to have a mandate.

But the university system and the Board of Regents has declined to do that, mainly, because of the governor's expectations, as they said.

WHITFIELD: Professor Matthew Boedy, so glad you could be with us. Thank you so much. Continue to be safe.

BOEDY: I will. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Television's biggest night just one day away now. The primetime Emmy awards are back and in person for the first time since the pandemic.

Here now is CNN's Stephanie Elam.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): From space suits to hazmat suits and what was mostly a really big virtual meeting, this year's Emmys are shedding some of last year's COVID constraints and getting back to a live audience.

MATTHEW BELLONI, FOUNDING PARTNER, PUCK NEWS: People don't want to see award shows on Zoom. They just don't. It takes you away from the experience. They need to see those actors up close. They need to feel like they're at an event with them.

ELAM: Cedric The Entertainer hosts, telling "People" magazine he plans a return of the big opening number.

CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER, EMMY HOST: We're excited that we're watching a few of these other award shows this weekend, that we're going to elevate the game a little bit.

ELAM: The ceremony will take place inside a tent outside an L.A. theater. Attendees must be fully vaccinated and provide proof they are COVID negative.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Could you help me with the door?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's air drying.

ELAM: What could be similar to last year? A dominant comedy.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: How many countries in the country?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Four.

ELAM: Ted Lasso has all of the momentum.

BELLONI: Jason Sudeikis is a star. People know. And it got 20 nominations.

However, there is a dark horse. I would you say it is "Hacks," which is a smaller show on HBO Max. And it is a very insidery Hollywood show that people who vote for these types of awards may gravitate towards.

ELAM: On the drama side, "The Crown" could take the Emmy.

BELLONI: "The Crown" is one of the great achievements of television of all time and it has never won the series Emmy.

ELAM: Real-life drama could factor into the ceremony with the death of Michael K. Williams, who became a star in "The Wire."

This year, he's nominated for another nuanced performance, though Emmy votes were cast before his death.

BELLONI: And he wasn't even nominated for playing one of the most iconic characters of all time. He's been a great character actor for two decades now.

And the fact that he's never won an Emmy is kind of crazy. So people thought he might win for "Love Craft Country" this year.

ELAM: The Emmys move to CBS, where a football lead-in could lift it above last year's record-low ratings.

In Hollywood, I'm Stephanie Elam.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[13:53:26]

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, the plot thickens. A new twist in the search for a missing woman. Her fiance has now disappeared.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:58:47]

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

We begin with this breaking news. We're now learning, moments after the U.S. military launched a missile strike in Afghanistan last month against what was thought to be an ISIS target, the CIA issued a warning that civilians were likely in the area, possibly including children.

But we now know that warning came too late.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces in the evacuee airport.

But it was a mistake. And I offer my sincere apology.

As combatant commander, I am fully responsible for this strike and this tragic outcome.

While the team conducted the strike, they did so in the honest belief that they were preventing an imminent attack on our forces and civilian evacuees. We now understand that to be incorrect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us right now, CNN senior national security correspondent, Alex Marquardt, from Washington, CNN national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem, as well as CNN chief international correspondent, Nic Robertson.

[13:59:57]

Nic, let me go to you first, you there in Kabul.

How is this news being received?

ROBERTSON: You know, I think this is going to be a very key piece of the picture of what happened to explain to the family who were the victims.