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2,300 NYC Firefighters Out Sick as Vaccine Mandate Takes Effect; CDC Expected to Recommend Pfizer Vaccine for Ages 5-11 This Week; Alec Baldwin Speaks on Halyna Hutchins: "She Was My Friend"; Jury Selection Begins in Kyle Rittenhouse Trial; Philadelphia to Ban Low-Level Traffic Stops; American Airlines Cancels 2,000-Plus Flights Since Friday. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired November 01, 2021 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE, VANDERBILT MEDICAL CENTER: And now our society is asking to draft people in. We're asking people to be obliged to do that.
It's a societal contribution. It's ethical. It's professional. We all ought to get vaccinated.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: Look, there's a lengthy amount of research at this point showing that these vaccines are, indeed, safe so many months into this now.
But this week, speaking of vaccines, the CDC is expected to give its recommendation for Pfizer vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds.
Of course, it was given emergency use authorization last week by the FDA. The CDC could recommend it as early as tomorrow.
Do you think a mandate for children in school is the right policy as well as we just talked about with regards to city employees?
SCHAFFNER: I think for young children it's still too controversial. We still have lots of parents that are concerned. Let's do that on a voluntary basis.
I think we will get that recommendation in the next day or so. And I would hope that there are many parents who are early acceptors, who bring their 5- to 11-year-olds old in to be vaccinated, and then other parents will follow soon.
GOLODRYGA: I can't wait to get my kids vaccinated. They fall into that threshold. One is 5 and one is 9.
Like you said, this is something so many parents are focusing on right now. And the more parents can see that others are vaccinating their children I think that will have an impact on their decision as well.
Dr. Schaffner, thank you as always for joining us.
SCHAFFNER: My pleasure. GOLODRYGA: Actor Alec Baldwin speaking out on camera days after a
deadly shooting on his movie set. What he said about the cinematographer who he tragically killed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:36:29]
GOLODRYGA: For the first time on camera, Alec Baldwin is talking about the deadly onset shooting of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin, who investigators say fired the single shot that killed Hutchins, addressed reporters over the weekend in Vermont where he's been spending time with family since the incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX BALDWIN, ACTOR: She was my friend. She was my friend. The day I arrived in Santa Fe and started shooting, I took her to dinner with Joel, the director. We were a very, very -- excuse me.
We were a very, very, you know, well-oiled crew, shooting a film together. And then this horrible event happened.
There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one-in-a-trillion episode. It's a one in a trillion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The shooting happened last month in New Mexico while Baldwin was rehearsing a scene for his film "Rust."
The actor said he and Hutchins' family are now eagerly awaiting updates from Santa Fe officials on what their investigation finds.
Jury selection is underway right now in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. He's the Illinois teenager who shot and killed two people and wounded another during a protester over a police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last summer.
Rittenhouse is charged with felony homicide in the two killings. But defense lawyers claim he was acting in self-defense when he brought an A.R.-15-style rifle to the protect.
CNN's Omar Jimenez is live in Kenosha.
Omar, the judge in the case has already made one controversial ruling when he said that the three men who were shot could be called rioters but not victims during the trial.
So what else can we expect to hear today?
OMAR JIMINEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bianna. And on that decision, it comes down to perception in this case. And that's why prosecutors felt that one in particular is so crucial. To be fair to the judge, I've been watching him over all of these pre-
trial hearings going back to earlier this year. And he hasn't let anyone use the word "victim" at any point during this trial. But now is when it matters most.
During this jury selection process, what we've seen so far over the course of the day, is, well, for one, Kyle Rittenhouse and his mother are in attendance as the proceedings play out.
And 179 prospective jurors are here. And the goal is to whittle it down to 20 total jurors, which would include eight alternates.
And then there's a small chance for the jury to be sequestered over the course of this trial. The judge, Bruce Schroeder, said he couldn't rule that out.
In the first set of questioning, prospective jurors, they are being interviewed en masse by the dozens.
And it's our understanding that those who aren't dismissed after that line of questioning would then get interviewed individually by the lawyers to then try and get to that process, of course, of eight alternate and 12 jurors.
Both parties have requested that juror questionnaires be sent out, but that was rejected. We're sort of seeing this process play out live.
The judge wants this to happen pretty quickly. It's our understanding that his goal to get a seated panel of jurors is less than two days with the trial length expected to last two weeks.
And sort of the parameters he's been giving to these jurors is saying that you are going to have a front row seat to exactly what happened. And warned those who aren't on board with deciding strictly based on this evidence should say so.
And that's sort of what they are using to whittle down, again, to that magic number of 20 -- Bianna?
[13:40:03]
GOLODRYGA: Omar Jimenez, live in Kenosha, thank you.
For more, let's bring in Jennifer Rodgers. She's a CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor.
Jennifer, always great to see you.
Let's start with what's happening right now and what we've just heard from Omar. Jury selection, the judge denied requests for a jury questionnaire from both sides.
What, if anything, is the significance of that?
JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I find it very troubling, Bianna. This is a case --it's not just a complicated case on the facts, a murder case, a self-defense issue. This is a political case.
Kyle Rittenhouse has been adopted by the right wing. They call him a hero and a patriot. The left wing thinks he's a vigilante. So this has become a huge thing in the news, in the media, and very political charged.
So the notion that the judge would not use a questionnaire, requested by both sides, is problematic.
Because what the judge needs to be do with the jury -- and I don't think it can be done accurately in two days -- is to weed out people who have political views about this and who cannot be fair and impartial.
So the notion that the judge wants to rip through this and to not use questionnaires is really troubling for that reason.
GOLODRYGA: Given how politicized this has become, how do you expect prosecutors and the defense to approach this claim of self-defense and the notion that Rittenhouse felt empowered by local police that night?
RODGERS: Well, it's very complicated because, of course, the prosecutors have the burden of proving the elements of the offenses beyond a reasonable doubt.
That won't be too hard to do given that he here given that he obviously and intentionally fired his weapon when he did.
The issue is self-defense, as you say. And there are a few things there.
One, did he really fear for his life and his safety?
Two, did he put himself in that position by going there with a gun when he had nothing to protect, no reason to be there.
After he shot the first man, was it reasonable that other people then tried to stop him? So did he put himself in peril with the second and third shooting by what he did when he killed the first man.
There's all sorts of very complicated questions here. I'm just worried that the judge and parties won't be able to kind of accurately get through the bias of these potential jurors in the time that the judge seems to have allowed for this process.
GOLODRYGA: Well, given the complexities, just from the jurors' perspective, how are they expected to sort out the multiple legal standards that they will be hearing in the trial?
When, as we heard from Omar, the judge hopes to get this started as soon as possible?
RODGERS: This is an ever-green question with criminal law, right. We have the jury system because we trust regular citizens, who are not experts in the law, to be able to follow the definitions the judge gives them and use their common sense. There's no really good answer to that. The jurors will have to listen
to what the judge tells them and the definitions that he gives them, the legal definitions. Figure out what the facts are, find out the facts, and apply the facts to the law using their common sense.
I mean, that's what jurors have to do every day. And it is extremely challenging, especially in a convoluted case like this one. So we'll have to see how they do.
GOLODRYGA: As you know, common sense isn't something that many people use on a daily basis, and it adds to the complexity of this trial.
Jennifer Rodgers, thank, as always.
RODGERS: Thanks.
[13:43:21]
GOLODRYGA: Well, a new law in Philadelphia will ban police for stopping vehicles for certain minor traffic violations. Why it's being done, and whether puts drivers at risk. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:48:28]
GOLODRYGA: Traffic stops are the most common interactions between police and the public. We're talking tens of millions per year in America,
But now one city is trying to reduce that number. A new law will make Philadelphia the first major U.S. city to ban police from making low- level traffic stops.
Part of the reasoning for the law, those stops disproportionately target people of color.
Here to discuss is former Philadelphia police commissioner, Charles Ramsey.
Chief, great to have you on, especially to talk about this topic.
This was your city.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: So what do you make of this new policy? Is it a good idea?
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, it's interesting. It will be very interesting to see long term any impact this has on public safety.
It really does eliminate traffic stops for things like broken taillights, for example. If you've ever been behind a car whose brake lights aren't working properly, that can cause a serious accident. But we'll see whether or not this is something that's really workable. Of course, you can mail a ticket to an individual or a warning based on the information that I've gotten from this bill.
So we'll see how it all plays out.
GOLODRYGA: Right.
And I want to further go into that because, as you've said, this could impact other drivers with a broken taillight and what have you.
What is the significance for other drivers if, in fact, many would not be pulled over for these types of infractions?
RAMSEY: Well, the longer this go, the more frequently you'll see things like that. But even just as important is some equipment issues on vehicles.
[13:50:03]
You know, we don't know the impact it is going to have on individuals whose licenses are suspended and revoked, who will feel comfortable to drive knowing the police aren't likely to stop them.
And we're going to have to track this very carefully. And hopefully, they're keeping data to show whether this is causing a negative impact on public safety or if it is something that ought to be replicated elsewhere.
(CROSSTALK)
GOLODRYGA: You described this as interesting. How do you think officers in general will respond to this policy?
RAMSEY: They're not going to be happy with it, they really aren't --
GOLODRYGA: Why.
RAMSEY: -- for the most part.
Well, cops (INAUDIBLE).
Anyway, but to be honest with you, when I was police commissioner in Philadelphia, I focused on violent crimes and guns and things of that nature then traffic.
But traffic is an important part of public safety so you can't minimize it.
Some polices will be OK with it. Others will maybe push back.
But again, everybody needs to just wait and see how this plays out long-term. Because right now, nobody really knows.
I do have a problem, however, with city councils, state legislatures, you know, passing laws that really restrict the ability of police to do -- to do their jobs fully.
I think that training, holding officers accountable if they are inappropriately stopping people on a pretext just to, you know, search the car or what have you, which could be illegal, there's ways of dealing with that other than changing the law.
So I think I think they should be very careful with that.
GOLODRYGA: And I think the reason this has garnered such national interest is because we, unfortunately, heard these names over the years, like, Philando Castile, Walter Scott, Dante Wright. They're all black people killed by police after these traffic stops.
One explanation that is being given for these alarming statistics relates to how police are initially trained to stop people.
Do you agree with that? And what does that current training entail?
RAMSEY: Well, there does need to be some additional training. Officers are trained on how to make a felony car stop, which is high- risk.
But the majority of traffic stops you make are not high risk. They are not felony stops. They're simply for the broken taillight or making a bad left turn or something of that nature.
And officers need to adjust their actions accordingly. And so, that needs to be emphasized over and over again.
And it is unfortunate. There have been instances where traffic stops have led to tragedies.
But you said at the beginning, there are tens of millions of traffic stops made and, yet, we're talking about half a dozen that are causing laws to be changed.
And so we just need to think about these things before we take that kind of action.
GOLODRYGA: We need to think about these things and we need to remember these victims' names as well.
RAMSEY: We do.
GOLODRYGA: Chief Ramsey, as you said, we'll follow what happens in Philadelphia, closely.
We appreciate you joining us.
RAMSEY: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Well, more travel chaos for American Airlines. They just canceled 300 more flights after a very messy weekend for their ticketholders. So what is behind the mass cancellations?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [13:57:54]
GOLODRYGA: Frustrations once again sky high as American Airlines grounds yet even more flights. The airline today canceling 371 flights. This, after nixing more than 1,900 since Friday leaving thousands stranded and scrambling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED PASSENGER: Honestly, it is a little frustrating. But it is what it is. I can't control it. I'm sure it is terrible for a lot of people who have places to be and family to be with. And as do I. I have to go to work tomorrow.
HARRIET DURKES, PASSENGER: Incredibly frustrating.
FRANCES JENSEN, PASSENGER: This is awful.
(CROSSTALK)
JENSEN: Yes. And they're not rebooking us or being helpful. And customer service is zero.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: American Airlines blames bad weather and staffing for the disruptions but insists the issues will now subside as more flight attendants return to work.
The packed airport images this Halloween weekend were eerily similar to what we saw just a few weeks ago when Southwest canceled thousands of flights over similar issues.
Well, if you are out trick-or-treating this weekend, you know things were very different than they were this time last year. And, thankfully so.
Neighborhoods across the country were filled with scary costumes and young kids out trick-or-treating. Some for the very first time.
I even got my own little ones out there, who, fully disclosure, I have to bribe with extra candy to stop for the photos. But they did put up their cute smiles.
And if you're wondering who these little cuties are, that is Ana Cabrera with her kids all dressed up, too.
People across the country were ready to get back into the holiday spirit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP) GOLODRYGA: That spooky flash mob took over Jackson Square in downtown New Orleans performing Michael Jackson's epic "Thriller." A well- deserved outdoor holiday venture for kids and adults alike.
[13:59:58]
Well, thank you all for joining me.
The news continues next with Alisyn and Victor.
