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President Biden Honors Fallen Police Officers; Former President Clinton Recovering From Infection In CA Hospital; FDA Panel Unanimously Recommends J&J Booster Shots; No Official Authorization Yet For Mixing And Matching Vaccines; Capitol Officer Charged With Obstruction In Case Tied To Jan. 6; Fallen Deputy Escorted To Medical Examiner's Office In Houston. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired October 16, 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]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The day will come when the memory of your loved one will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye. That's when you know you're going to make it. That's when you know that will happen. But my prayer for you is that that they will come sooner than later.

There's a headstone in a cemetery in Ireland that reads, death leads to a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory that no one can steal.

They're with you, they're in your heart, they're part of you, and the souls of those you love and those with whom you serve, rest in peace and rising glory

In the meantime, you're in our prayers. May God bless you, and may God protect all those who serve us in uniform. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: In the nation's capital at the steps of the U.S. Capitol, President Biden there along with First Lady, Jill Biden, they're at the National Peace Officers Memorial service. This is a 40-year tradition there on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

The President there, expressing how he can relate to the loss. According to him now, he says it's like losing a piece of your soul, he says it's hard, and he admires the courage of the family members for being there, the family members of the 491 men and women whose lives were lost in the line of duty in the years of 2019 and 2020.

And that is what this ceremony is all about as they pin a flower to the wreath they're honoring the lives last in the line of duty.

He also injected, of course, some policy talk. From tackling the epidemic of gun violence to reinvesting in community policing, the President reasserts his commitment to police across the nation. CNN's Joe Johns is at the White House for us. Joe, give us an idea, the synopsis of, you know, the real goal that the President had there while honoring the lives lost.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Fred, grief has been called Joe Biden's superpower because he has such experience with it, not only from the death of his son, Beau, but also his daughter, and his wife back in 1972, they died in an automobile accident. So, I think I picked up the same quote that you did on -- in that vain, it's like losing a piece of your soul, he said.

Also, I think, important to mention that he did talk to us a bit about January 6, up on Capitol Hill where a number of police officers are injured and died as a result of the riot there, remembering their memory. And talked a bit about gun violence reform, but it was not an overly political speech or a speech that was tied to the policy as much as it could have been.

I think the other thing you have to say about Joe Biden is he is a President who tries very hard to relate to people in circumstances like this, of course, now this is a situation where the audience is the members of the family, the survivors of people who were in law enforcement, and died over the last year. So, a brief speech for Joe Biden, but certainly poignant, given his own personal experience with grief, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Exactly, Joe. You know, and it's notable that the President said, you know, it's particularly appropriate today, nine months you -- ago, your fellow brothers and sisters, you know, thwarted attacks, on the values -- on the nation's values. You know, making reference, of course, to what took place, January 6.

And he said, in addition, he had no hesitation in signing the Congressional Gold Medal that will be bestowed on the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Capitol Police. 150 officers injured, five, who lost their lives in the attack and the aftermath.

JOHNS: Right. A date certainly that will live in history, and up on Capitol Hill, the repercussions from it are still being felt very much so given the fact that these investigations continue.

An officer just very recently charge essentially for trying to help someone who had posted a bunch of stuff on social media relating to this day and his own personal involvement in it.

So, America continues to wrestle with what happened on that day of rebellion, essentially against the United States, and appropriate also to remember those officers who died or were injured as a result of the riot, Fred.

[13:05:00]

WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, Joe Johns at the White House, thank you so much. Appreciate it. We'll check back with you today.

Meantime, today's event coming as the President is frantically searching for a way to move his stalled economic agenda through Congress. Daniella Diaz is on Capitol Hill.

And so Daniella, you know, the President has a lot of work to do in terms of influencing and negotiating with these members of Congress who have yet to solidify a plan that all are ready to vote on.

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: That's right, Fred. And they're bickering with each other, openly, publicly. You know, yesterday, Senator Bernie Sanders published an op-ed in Senator Joe Manchin's biggest daily newspaper in his home state, in West Virginia, where he touted the $3.5 trillion bill that's been written saying that his constituents -- Manchin's constituents need to get behind it.

This is what he said. He said, this isn't the -- or excuse me, what I'm about to read is Manchin's response to Senator Bernie Sanders putting this op-ed in his daily newspaper.

He said this isn't the first time an out-of-stater has tried to tell West Virginians what is best for them despite having no relationship to our state. Congress should proceed with caution on any additional spending, and I will not vote for the reckless expansion of government programs. No op-ed from a self-declared independent socialist is going to change that.

These were Manchin's words in response to Senator Bernie Sanders, writing this op-ed and publishing it in a daily newspaper in West Virginia.

The problem here is that Democrats, both factions of the Democratic Caucus, Moderates and Progressive cannot agree on a top-line number for this massive economic bill that President Joe Biden has promised Americans they will pass. This bill would expand the nation's social safety net.

And Progressives really want this bill and say that they pared it down from 6 trillion to 3.5 trillion, and that was the negotiations they made. But Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Senator Joe Manchin want to bring that price tag down even more. That's a major sticking point.

I also want to talk about the climate provisions in this bill that Senator Joe Manchin does not agree with. He does not agree with a provision that was written in this bill that would step -- substantially slash greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

And the clean electricity performance program, which is a major cornerstone of this bill, and Democrats were pushing for this. Progressive, namely, will likely have to be dropped in this legislation because Senator Joe Manchin is not behind this. So, those are two major sticking points that Senator Joe Manchin is not behind.

But the bottom line here is Moderates and Progressives are going to work hard these next couple of weeks. They said that they have, they've been in discussions because the self-imposed deadline that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set for October 31 is coming up, and that is when they're trying to pass both this economic bill and the separate bipartisan infrastructure bill that needs to pass the House before it gets to Joe Biden's desk. So, a lot of work here to be done in Biden's stalled agenda to try to pass this.

WHITFIELD: All right, big work in progress. All right, Daniella Diaz, thank you so much, on Capitol Hill.

Let's talk more about all this, joining me right now is Katharine Hayhoe, the Chief Scientist at the Nature Conservancy. She's also the author of the new book "Saving Us," a climate scientist case for hope and healing in a divided world. Katherine, so good to see you.

KATHARINE HAYHOE, CLIMATE SCIENTIST: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: So, you know, better than most, you know, as a lead author of three of the U.S. National Climate Assessment, I mean, what is your reaction to the considerations that possibly on the chopping block, would be climate crisis related provisions?

HAYHOE: Well, clearly, we're in a tight spot where some things might have to drop from the bill. But it can't be funding for climate solutions because this is our best chance in a decade to respond at scale to the impacts of climate change that are already right here, right now, in the United States, and to bring to the table at the Glasgow meeting coming up in a few weeks, a contribution to that global potluck that is not full of hot air.

WHITFIELD: So, the President said recently, well, he wasn't specific about what cuts would come. I mean, he acknowledged that there would be cuts that are likely to happen and that perhaps some of those things that would be cut would likely get another chance at another time.

Is that concession enough for you particularly if it ends up being climate-related provisions?

[13:10:00]

HAYHOE: Well, as a climate scientist, I can say this, every year matters. Every extra amount of carbon we produce through lack of policies across the country and around the world, every ton of carbon carries with it an additional cost.

It's like there's no magic number of cigarettes we can smoke before we develop lung disease or cancer, but we know that the more we smoke, the greater the risks. And it's the same thing with carbon, there is a price tag attached to every delay.

WHITFIELD: In fact, this was the President yesterday, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I think climate, I think jobs, good-paying jobs, union jobs. This is an opportunity. We're the only country in a world that has consistently turned difficulty into opportunity.

We have a chance to not only make this world more livable, but to actually create greater opportunity for people, making landmark investments in public transit and rail, and increasing efficiency, reducing emissions.

You know, there's millions of kids getting on a school by diesel school buses inhaling the air, and they're getting asthma. We could -- this should be electric buses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Addressing the economic benefits, is that the approach that perhaps might make any climate change provisions more palatable?

HAYHOE: It would certainly help. Because many believe that the only solutions to climate change are negative or punitive. They ask the question, how can we afford to act? But that's the wrong question, the question is, how can we not?

We cannot survive without the resources this planet provides, we cannot float around in outer space clutching our economy to our bosom. We need this planet, the planet doesn't need us. And so, that's why fixing climate change isn't about saving the planet, it is literally about saving us.

We see the impacts here and today, and it makes every kind of financial sense, as well as ethical sense to do everything we can as much as possible, as soon as possible.

WHITFIELD: We'll talk to me about what you believe might be the struggle about trying to get people to talk more openly, more graphically about climate change, and expressing whether they have a good grasp of just how serious the matters are.

HAYHOE: We are not talking about climate change. A recent survey showed that 14 percent of us talk about it frequently, 34 percent of us hear somebody else talk about it or talk about it ourselves occasionally. Why does that matter? Because if we don't talk about it, why do we care? And if we don't care, why would we ever want to do anything about it?

So, the most important thing we as individuals can start to do is to talk about it. But not unloading more scary scientific facts on people, but rather talking about how it's affecting what is nearest and dearest to our hearts.

The place where we live, the safety of our home, the air that our children are breathing, the activities that we enjoy doing, our businesses, our economy, national security, and talking about what real solutions look like.

What clean energy looks like, what jobs look like, what clean blue skies look like that we saw during the pandemic, what building back better truly looks like for the climate crisis for the biodiversity crisis, and for recovering from the pandemic. We have to do it all together, and we can. That's what this bill is all about.

WHITFIELD: All right, Katharine Hayhoe, and in very plain speak, really appreciated your time, and your energy and interest. Thank you.

HAYHOE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead for us, President Clinton remains hospitalized this afternoon for treatment of a urinary tract infection of the 42nd President. He's said to be up and joking around, but a little annoyed that he is still there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:00]

WHITFIELD: Former President Bill Clinton remains hospitalized in California, recovering from a urinary tract infection that doctors say spread to his bloodstream. The 75-year-old former President spent a fourth night at the University of California Medical Center at Irvine on Friday. For the latest, let's bring in Natasha Chen. Natasha, what more do we know about Clinton's condition?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, he is here for IV antibiotics treatment, a total treatment could run three to five days. So, if you count the fact that he arrived here on Tuesday, feeling fatigued, feeling like something was off, then, we're talking about a possible completement of that in the next day or so. All tests though, point him in the right direction that they're -- it's trending in the right direction.

And we did, in the last hour or so, just see his wife and daughter, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton entering the hospital here with security, of course. And you know, we have not seen Chelsea Clinton here in the last couple of days, but we did see her here today visiting her father.

And just to keep in mind, we have heard from the doctors, hospital staff, and from the former President's representative that he is in the ICU, but that is purely for privacy and safety concerns. Not because he necessarily needs that level of care that you would typically think of for someone in the ICU.

He does not need a ventilator, for example, he does not have COVID. It's not related to any heart conditions either. This is purely, as you mentioned, because of the urinary tract infection that -- then affected his bloodstream.

And this is an antibiotics treatment that has to be done through IV which is why he's being kept here longer for that purpose before potentially switching over to oral antibiotics.

So, still monitoring here, but it sounds like he does have some visitors keeping him company at the moment, Fred.

[13:20:00]

WHITFIELD: All right, well, that's good. Of course, all the well wishes coming his way. Natasha Chen, thank you so much.

All right still to come for us, a government panel of scientists has a message for those who got that one shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine, get a second shot. We'll talk about that next.

And this quick programming note, in an all-new episode of "This is Life with Lisa Ling," she takes a look at conspiracy theories in social media, how algorithms that are designed to make money control the information you receive. The all-new "This is Life with Lisa Ling," tomorrow night at 10, only right here on CNN.

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[13:25:00]

WHITFIELD: Experts are now calling on 15 million Americans who got the vaccine, the so-called one-shot wonder vaccine to now get a second dose as soon as it's available.

The FDA's independent panel of vaccine advisors just greenlit a booster dose of Johnson and Johnson's vaccine. The move comes as new data from the CDC has a dire warning for unvaccinated adults.

The risk of dying from COVID-19 is 11 times higher than for those who are not vaccinated -- those who are fully vaccinated rather. CNN's Nick Watt has more.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Those FDA advisors gave their thumbs up for a second shot of Johnson and Johnson at least a couple of months after the first. Now, of course, the CDC still needs to sign off on that.

Now in general, the numbers in this pandemic are going in the right direction, but still new guidance from the CDC for the upcoming holiday season, fathers under news you probably didn't want to hear, but apparently outdoor gatherings are still best. If you're indoors, still wear a mask. But top of the list, just get vaccinated.

Now, some good news for the U.S. tourist sector, from November 8, all double vaccinated foreigners will be allowed into this country.

And while the arguments continue over vaccine mandates here in the U.S., some news from Italy, from Friday, every worker has got to have what they call a green pass, which is proof of vaccination or proof of recent recovery from COVID-19.

WHITFIELD: Nick Watt, thanks so much for that. Let's now talk more about all this, let's bring in Dr. Jayne Morgan. She's a Cardiologist and the Executive Director of the Piedmont Healthcare COVID Task Force. So good to see you, Dr. Morgan.

So, three vaccines now with authorizations for booster shots, what are you telling patients about whether they should get one or not if they're eligible, of course?

DR. JAYNE MORGAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PIEDMONT HEALTHCARE COVID TASK FORCE: Right. So, if you're eligible, certainly for these messenger RNA vaccines -- and thanks for having me today, Fred, for this Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. You know, it's pretty clear on what the advice is for these particular groups, 65 and older, people who are healthcare workers or in institutionalized situations, and those at severe risk of developing complications and disease if you were to contract COVID-19, and that includes pregnant women. Pregnancy is included in that group of people who are considered to be at high risk for severe disease.

And then, with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, we see that with that second dose, we get that increase in that immunity that we are looking for, and we see as a fail, both Moderna and Johnson and Johnson were approved to move forward.

WHITFIELD: So, they all had relatively impressive efficacy rates, but you know, Johnson and Johnsons had a lower one at about 72 percent versus Moderna and Pfizer's, which are 94, 95 percent.

But now, we are -- you know, now to understand that, with a booster, Johnson and Johnson is 100 percent with efficacy, that's pretty impressive.

And if that's the case, you know, many people were kind of wondering, why didn't they just do two-dose from the beginning?

MORGAN: That's such a great question, Fred. And one of the reasons is that, you know, the bar for vaccinations is at least over 50 percent for the FDA. So, in their single-dose formulation, they reach 72 percent efficacy.

When we look at the data that was submitted to the FDA in the briefing documents for Moderna and Pfizer, with one dose, they reached about 35-45 percent, if you can recall. It was their second dose that got them to that 94-95.

And so the question is, whether Johnson and Johnson should have been a two-dose regimen, the same as Madonna and Pfizer?

WHITFIELD: Is it your feeling, however, though, because one dose sure is appealing to a lot of people that even though the efficacy rate was low, it did encourage a lot more people perhaps that may have been a little bit more hesitant to actually get vaccinated?

MORGAN: No, absolutely. And also, we certainly have groups that absolutely benefit from this Johnson and Johnson vaccine, and we want to always remember that.

And we also want to remember that it was 100 percent protective against death and hospitalization, and those were the main endpoints.

And although there was slightly less efficacy with regard to symptomatic infection, the main endpoints of complications and death held very well.

We see with this Delta variant, all of the vaccines were under challenge, and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, probably more so, than Moderna and Pfizer.

[13:30:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. What about on the issues of the mixing and matching doses from different vaccines? The FDA isn't saying anything about it officially, but studies a isn't saying anything about it officially, but studies from outside the U.S. seem to indicate that it is effective to do so.

MORGAN: Right. And we see these studies. And we have to remember first of all that these studies are in treatment and they are not peer reviewed.

That being said, what is demonstrated in these studies is that it does appear to be safe to mix and match these vaccines that include Johnson & Johnson with Moderna and Pfizer. And we do see these responses, these different responses, after we get these additional doses of Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, with Moderna seeming to perform somewhat better than Pfizer.

WHITFIELD: FDA says it's also reviewing Moderna's application for children ages 12 to 17, as expeditiously as possible. Pfizer already has authorization for that age group. Are there any lingering concerns out there for any potential side effects for that age group?

MORGAN: I think when we think about these younger and younger and younger demographic as we do these bridging-down studies, Pfizer and Moderna have gotten it absolutely right that they must do a dose finding phase. Because as we get younger, our immune systems are less mature.

And so, we see that Pfizer reduced its dose by two-thirds. And we see that Moderna halved its dose. And we may see, as we get into younger and younger demographics, lower doses as well.

You know, absolutely, one of the tenets of medicine, it always wants to give the least amount of medication for the maximal effect. And so, we will look for that in children as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Jayne Morgan, always good to see you. Thank you so much. Be well.

MORGAN: Thanks, Fred. Great to see you as well.

WHITFIELD: Excellent.

All right. In Chicago now, a showdown over vaccine mandates between the city's police union and the mayor. The standoff has escalated to the point where up to half of the city's officers could be placed on unpaid leave, over a mandate for them to disclose their vaccination status.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blasted the police union president yesterday saying he was trying to induce an insurrection. CNN's Omar Jimenez is in Chicago with the latest.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, bottom line, Chicago police officers are going to be on the job this weekend. And they're full capacity as expected by the Chicago police department and the mayor of Chicago.

This of course comes on the tail end of a week where we've been hearing from the head of the Chicago police union who's been urging members of the union, Chicago police officers, not to comply with the city's vaccine policy which, of course, is at the center of all of this.

The vaccine policy is that by October 15th, which was yesterday, at this point, you have to disclose your vaccination status. And if you don't, you get placed on no pay status. Basically, unpaid leave. You've got to be vaccinated. Or if you're not, you choose to go into a twice weekly testing option.

Now, in the midst of all of this, there, of course, has been a lot of back and forth between the city and the police union. The city filed legal paperwork, asking a judge to stop the head of the police union, from urging officers not to comply with this policy. Well, they got their wish, as the judge issued late Friday, a temporary restraining order saying that the head of police union cannot publicly urge officers not to comply.

The union filed their own paperwork alleging that the city, the mayor and the Chicago police superintendent acted unilaterally to put in this policy and that it went against the collective bargaining agreement. Of course, the city feels differently.

And when the mayor was asked about whether she was ever worried about potentially up to 50 percent of the police force not being compliant, she said, no. She expected people to be here this weekend and that is what we are seeing.

Now, it's going to take a few days to tabulate who is in compliance and who isn't. The city has acknowledged that. It won't be until then that any sort of measures -- next-step measures will be taken in regard to not - or I should say, no pay status. And then moving forward, asked on contingency plans, the mayor did say there are state policing resources they could lean into if needed. Though, she doesn't expect any of them that at this point. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Omar Jimenez, thank you so much for that.

All right. Coming up. The January 6th committee has questions for those involved in the Capitol insurrection. And now a Capitol police officer has to answer obstruction charges filed against him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:39:30]

WHITFIELD: A Capitol police officer indicted on obstruction charges in connection to the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol. Michael Riley is among the 600 Capitol riot cases and is the first police officer on duty on Capitol hill on January 6th charged with allegedly attempting to help a rioter.

According to the indictment, Riley told a contact online to remove posts showing the person was in the Capitol building that day. He has not yet entered any plea and has been placed on administrative leave.

[13:40:08]

CNN's Katelyn Polantz joining me now. Katelyn, what more are you learning?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Fred, this is an unusual case among the hundreds we've seen so far in the Capitol riot investigation. That's because Michael Riley is a member of the U.S. Capitol police force. And not only that, he was working on Capitol Hill on January 6th. He was on his radio, hearing other members of the force taking on the siege of the rioters at the Capitol and he was responding to a bomb threat on Capitol Hill.

Now, what happened to arise to these charges, the next day on Facebook, Michael Riley allegedly reached out to a contact of his, who he saw posting on social media, selfies of the person being inside the Capitol. And Riley then wrote to the person in a direct message on Facebook.

"I'm a Capitol police officer who agrees with your political stance. Take down the part about being in the building. They are currently investigating and everyone who was in the building is going to be charged."

Just looking out, that's according to his indictment. He did continue his conversations with this person continuing to give the person warnings to take down social media posts and that person was arrested, ultimately, and pleaded guilty to being inside the Capitol on that day.

Now, Riley is also charged with deleting some of his own Facebook messages after the person he was in contact with was charged. And, Fred, he's now on leave from the force as you mentioned, and he is going to be fighting these charges in court. That's what his attorney told us yesterday.

WHITFIELD: All right. And Katelyn, is there any feeling or suspicion that there might be any other officers who could be facing charges?

POLANTZ: Well, Fred, that's a good question. This right now, appears to be a very isolated case where investigators were scouring social media, talking to people they were charging in the riot and did come upon this. That's what this looks like in the indictment. But we do know there were many members of the American military and law enforcement, fire departments who were taking part themselves in the riot that day.

WHITFIELD: All right. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much in Washington.

All right. Right now, a manhunt is underway for a suspect who shot and killed a deputy and injured two others outside a sports bar in Houston, Texas. Several law enforcement agencies in the area came together earlier today to escort the fallen deputy's body to the local medical examiner's office. Houston police say the deputies were ambushed while working a police-related side job. A person of interest is in custody. But it's unclear whether it is the suspected shooter.

CNN's Jean Casarez joins me now. Jean, what information are you learning?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are learning right now, and this could become an important fact that the officers that were involved were in full uniform. And this happened about 2:15 this morning in Houston, at a sports bar.

The officers heard something was happening in the parking lot, so two of the deputies came out to investigate. They found who they believed was one of the people responsible, they had him on the ground. And let's listen to the Houston constable tells us the rest of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONSTABLE MARK HERMAN, HARRIS COUNTY PRECINT 4: Our deputies went out to confront a suspect. While they were trying to make an arrest of that suspect, they had him on the ground. And a second suspect came out of nowhere with a rifle and began to basically shoot our deputies. A third deputy that was here, heard this, went out to the location, and he ended up getting shot, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now, when they say that that person came out of nowhere, what Houston police is now saying is that someone came from behind a car with a rifle. And started to shoot, as those officers were on the ground. One was shot in the back. He is in surgery today. The other one succumbed to his wounds. And the third deputy came out when he heard everything, and he was shot in the leg. Has multiple broken bones in his leg.

And it is very ironic, because the police chief from Houston is actually in Washington, D.C., where we just highlighted minutes ago, President Biden talking about and giving his remarks on the fallen officers of this country. The police chief of Houston lighting a memorial for the fallen officers of Houston. And now his deputies, his constables in Houston, having to deal with this ironically, on the very same day.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

All right. Jean Casarez, thank you so much. Keep us posted.

All right. Coming up next, a school official has sparked an uproar about teaching history in Texas. Why she asked teachers to bring in books with opposing views of the Holocaust.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:49:20]

WHITFIELD: An update now on that nearly total abortion ban law in Texas. A federal appeals court is siding with the state, allowing the law to stay in place. Texas has the most restrictive abortion law in the country. It bans abortions after six weeks into a pregnancy and often before a woman knows she is pregnant. With the 5th Circuit's latest move, the Justice Department says it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and block the law.

In Texas, also, a school superintendent is apologizing after an administrator suggested, teachers should include books that have opposing views of the Holocaust.

[13:50:00]

CNN's Ed Lavandera reports the incident stems from confusion over state law limiting conversations about race and history in schools.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER, SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS: Being told to get rid of your library or include opposing viewpoints on what they called controversial subjects.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To tell this story, this schoolteacher says she has to speak out under the cover of secrecy. She says she fears never being able to get a job as an educator again.

UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: Teachers are actively getting threats if they're speaking out at this point, perhaps to destroy their lives, to come for their license, to go after their families.

LAVANDERA: Last week Carroll Independent School District administrators in the suburb of Southlake, Texas, held training sessions laying out the guidelines, teachers needed to follow to pick the books for their classroom libraries. At the heart of what unfolded during these sessions is a controversial new state law that tries to control how racial issues and history are taught in schools across Texas.

The law states that if a teacher engages in a discussion of a controversial issue of public policy or social affairs, they're required to explore such issues from diverse and contending perspectives. Part of the training was recorded by a teacher.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Try to remember the concepts of 3979 and make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust, that you have one that has opposing -- that has other views.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you oppose the Holocaust?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Believe me, that's come up.

LAVANDERA (on camera): In that audio recording you hear this administrator saying this absurd idea that that there should be an opposing view of the Holocaust. When you heard that, what was your reaction?

UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: It's almost like a joke. Like I don't even -- what would an opposing view of the Holocaust be? We're not being asked to have opposing views on colonization. We're not being asked to have opposing views on Christopher Columbus Day or Thanksgiving. We're being asked to have opposing views on only certain things. I'm not sure where the problem lies.

LAVANDERA (on camera): What are those things that you're being asked to have opposing views on?

UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: Civil rights movement, Holocaust, the civil war, slavery, women's rights.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The school administrator in the meeting had tried to ease the frustrations and anger of the teachers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are professionals. We hired you as professionals. We trust you with our children. So, if you think the book is OK, then let's go with it. And whatever happens, we will fight it together.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The school district's superintendent apologized for any hurt and confusion this has caused, adding there are not two sides of the Holocaust and that the district is working to add clarity to the expectations for teachers. But in Southlake, finding clarity has been impossible since the controversial Texas law went into effect.

Several teachers who have spoken to CNN say a group of conservative and highly organized parents are the driving force of this controversy, pushing school administrators to limit discussions on racial and social justice issues.

RUSSELL MARYLAND, SOUTHLAKE PARENT: It's very sad, the situation that we're in right now.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Russell Maryland is a long-time Southlake resident. His three children have gone to schools here. The former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman has spent the last three years working with dozens of other parents to develop a diversity curriculum for the city's schools.

MARYLAND: The world is changing. The city is changing. And, unfortunately, you have a set of people in this town that are fearful of the change. And what do the fearful do? They instill fear.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The council's efforts have gone nowhere. Maryland says the latest Southlake school controversy is embarrassing.

MARYLAND: It's just ridiculous. It's just incredible. But it's happening. It's happening here in our community, as a warning to everybody out there, if you don't stand up right now, then that ignorance is coming to a town close to you.

LAVANDERA (on camera): What do you think is driving this push to control how these issues are taught in classrooms?

UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: Fear and ignorance. I'm sure it's racism, too, but it's fear and ignorance and I keep saying this, I hope this is the catalyst for change in our district. But these changes, we can't continue to go on this way. We have to make a change. We cannot continue to be ignorant and behave this way. We're beginning to feel like children of divorce, like we have these two sides fighting and we're becoming collateral damage.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Ed Lavandera, CNN, Southlake, Texas.

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[13:59:20]

WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with the president honoring law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. Just a short time ago, President Biden speaking at the Memorial in the nation's Capitol to pay tribute to the fallen officers.

Today, this event is coming as the president is also franticly searching for a way to move his stalled economic agenda through Congress.

CNN's Joe Johns is at the White House for us. So, Joe, tell us more now. First about this very moving memorial in which the president you know spoke so eloquently and also touched on his own personal experience of loss.