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Minneapolis Voters to Decide on Replacing Police Department; Mayoral Campaigns Stress Law and Order in Setback to Activists; More Than 100 World Leaders Agree to End Deforestation by 2030. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired November 02, 2021 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:02]

CASEY CARL, CITY CLERK, MINNEAPOLIS: It's really setting the table, if you will, for policymakers in the future to come forward and say, what should be in the public safety department.

JIMENEZ: It's not abolishing the police department, it's not getting rid of police officers.

CARL: There are certain functions in our city that can only be done by licensed police officers. That doesn't change whether this amendment number two question passes or not.

JIMENEZ: In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, there were calls to defund and even dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ending the Minneapolis Police Department.

JIMENEZ: A year-and-a-half and over 20,000 petition signatures later, those controversial ideas aren't quite on the ballot, but organizers say needed reform is.

JANAE BATES, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, YES4MINNEAPOLIS: The slogans get really popular. We also know that slogans are not policies. It does not abolish the police department, it does not even really dismantle police department. What it does is it makes it possible to expand it so that it becomes the department of public safety so that you can add other qualified professionals to it.

JIMENEZ: They hope the new department will include things like mental health professionals and violence prevention counselors, but the ballot question doesn't include specifics. That could only be hammered out if it passes and after the newly elected mayor and city council are sworn in.

TETO WILSON, OWNER, WILSON'S IMAGE BARBERS AND STYLISTS: There's too much at stake to just, you know, say we'll vote for this. And vote for what?

JIMENEZ: Tito Wilson owns a Minneapolis barbershop and says he witnessed the police killing of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old black man, in 2015.

Even after witnessing a police killing, living through Minneapolis after all that happened around the murder of George Floyd, you still feel the right way to go is vote no.

WILSON: It feels like and sounds like an experiment. They have not been able to flush out from top to bottom what this department of public safety is going to look like, to just say, hey, just trust us. We're going to put this together and we're going to make you safe. It's reckless.

JIMENEZ: The chief of police also has concerns.

CHIEF MEDARIA ARRADONDO, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE: Again, I was not expecting some sort of robust, detailed, word-for-word plan, but at this point, quite frankly, I would take a drawing on a napkin, and I have not seen either.

JIMENEZ: But advocates say it will create the opportunity to make policing easier.

BATES: They will no longer have to be deployed in every single circumstance that we use 911 for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to have somebody call you.

JIMENEZ: Back on the canvassing route, the needs are plain.

MOOLAH, MINNEAPOLIS RESIDENT: If there's not going to be officers that can relate to what we go through out here --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

MOOLAH: -- prejudice, racism, whatever we're up against, they have got to be able to directly relate to that.

BATES: This armed police-only response that we have isn't working.

WILSON: I understand, but it needs to be pragmatic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): now, if this passes, it would also eliminate the minimum number of officers required by the city. It would also rearrange the leadership structure of this department under the mayor and city council as opposed to just the mayor. The current elected officials would have 30 days to name interim commissioner of the new department of public safety, and the ones that are sworn in in January would have the task of, of course, filling this department.

And we've already seen enthusiasm at least going to the polls so far. More people voted early in this election than in any municipal election we've seen here in the past 45 years. And, of course, now is Election Day. Jim, Erica?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NEWSROOM: Quite an interesting result to watch. Omar Jimenez, thanks very much.

ERICA HILL, CNN NEWSROOM: We are also closely watching the mayoral race here in New York City where Democrat and former Police Captain Eric Adams is poised to win over Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Joining me now to talk about the race, and a little bit more, CNN Political Commentator Errol Lewis, Political Anchor for Spectrum News, and host of the You Decide podcast. Always good to see you.

So, as we look at sort of picking up really where Omar left off, as we look at police reform and support for law enforcement around the country, Eric Adams running on this pro-police platform here in New York City, but I think it does really, you know, bring into focus what we're seeing from Democrats, is this struggle between supporting law enforcement and also having, in many cases, a necessary conversation about police reform and what that would look like.

What do you think Democrats are taking away from the approach that they're seeing here in New York City from Adams?

ERROL LEWIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, good morning, Erica. I think what Democrats are taking away from this entire situation over the last year is that we have the largest demonstrations by some measures in U.S. history around the George Floyd killing and the need to have a different kind of a conversation.

Well, this is what the conversation looks like about reorganizing police departments, about what I would call unbundling them, making it so that if there's an emotionally disturbed person who's off their meds maybe and acting out a little bit, you don't necessarily send a squad there of people with guns. If there's somebody who is accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill, as in the case of George Floyd, you don't necessarily send a man with a gun.

[10:35:07]

The idea is to try and recalibrate the use of deadly force so that it's more appropriate to the needs that the citizens have indicated they want their government to be involved in.

So, this was really long overdue. This kind of conversation needed to happen a long time ago. It's going to be fractious. It's going to be contentious. It's on the ballot today in Minneapolis and in New York City. But this is how we try and arrive at a different understanding of how we use the police.

HILL: Yes. And in many ways, even try to just start that conversation in a number of circles, Errol.

As we look at, too -- look, the other thing that's getting a lot of attention here in New York City, vaccine mandates. So, we know that Curtis Sliwa, the Republican here, very much against Bill de Blasio's mandates, which are in place in the city. Adams mostly supports them. I mean, that, too, is sort of emblematic of what we're seeing around the country. LEWIS: Yes. I would tell you, though, Erica, I was a little surprised. I moderated a number of debates for local officers here in New York City, and I was surprised at the extent to which whether opposing vaccine mandates became immediately politicized. And there a whole raft of candidates, mostly Republican Party, mostly conservative party candidates, who have said that vaccine mandates are terrible. They say that they are pro-vaccine but they're anti-mandate, which is, in some ways, a distinction without a difference.

It's really very surprising to me how quickly it became a rallying point for candidates. It seemed to get a stir out of a distinct minority of the population. So it's not a way to necessarily win elections, but it is an issue around which a lot of people have politically organized. And it happened just like that. I mean, this is a city where we had tens of thousands of deaths in a very short period of time, the city has been traumatized, but there are a lot of people who will risk their jobs and run for office saying, we must not require people to get vaccines. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen.

HILL: Yes, it is. And, as you point out, it is playing out right before our eyes. Errol Lewis, great to see you, thanks.

LEWIS: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Coming up next, President Biden will be wrapping up his trip overseas. The new commitments he has made to fight climate change.

And here's what else to watch today.

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[10:40:00]

SCIUTTO: Dozens of world leaders are making a major commitment to protect the planet as they meeting on the second day of the COP26 summit. More than a hundred leaders representing more than 85 percent of the world's forest have committed to ending and reversing deforestation and land degradation by the year2030.

This is happening as the U.S. announces ways to target methane emissions here at homefrom oil and gas operations.

Joining me now, International Rescue Committee President and CEO David Miliband, he previously served as secretary of state of foreign affairs for the U.K. Mr. Miliband, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.

DAVID MILIBAND, PRESIDENT AND CEO, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: Thank you, Jim, great to be with you.

SCIUTTO: So, it can be easy to look at summits like this and commitments like this and say, they don't really mean it, but if you look at the numbers, at least, we know that forest degradation accounts for about 11 percent of the world's carbon emissions, not a small amount, and the folks who signed on to this day represent 85 percent of the world's forest. Should we look at that as a step that makes a real difference?

MILIBAND: Yes, we should. I mean, deforestation is an appalling scar on the planet, and it's very, very dangerous. As you say, it's one- tenth equivalent of global emissions. And, frankly, it's one of the easiest steps that needs to be taken. There needs to be compensation for those countries who have been historically relied on the logging. We need them to sustain their forests to absorb the carbon dioxide.

But the truth is that the science is flashing code red when it comes to climate change and the climate crisis. And so this is an essential move, but it needs to be followed up with other moves.

As you say, the president has made an important announcement today about methane. Methane stays in the atmosphere for about 20 years compared to 100 years for carbon dioxide, but it's many times, 10, 20, 30 times for toxic than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. That's the kind of action we need to see over the next 12 days of this climate conference which will make up for lost time.

SCIUTTO: You warned in advance and just telling the evening (ph) standard this summit must not become, in your words, a green wash summit. It has got to deliver real action. Based on what you've seen so far, is that going to happen?

MILIBAND: Not yet, no. I mean, we had a commitment from India yesterday that it would reach net zero carbon emissions by 2017. That's too late. Obviously, the president here has been unable to go to the conference with agreements in Congress because of issues that you've covered, Australia, very weak in the detail on its commitments.

[10:45:00]

And at the moment, we've got a three-speed world when it comes to de- carbonization, taking it out of the energy transport of heating systems. We have got those who are moving fast. The European Union has put itself at the front of that pack.

You've then got a group of countries that are saying good things but not yet delivering on them. China, U.S. are in that category in there, the two biggest emitters. And then you have got those who are in denial, Russia not turning up, Saudi Arabia obviously dependent on oil.

And given that this is a global collective problem, it needs international muscle. And that's why these conferences are important, but it's the follow-up that's absolutely key, not just the words on paper.

SCIUTTO: Understood. I do want to ask you about another topic, and that is the situation in Afghanistan. The IRC, your organization, has been involved in resettling Afghans. Our Anna Coren released really just a heartbreaking story from there about the dilemma that many families are facing right now with the Taliban taking over. Have a listen to one of those testaments here and I want to get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no work, no money, no food. I have to sell my daughter, he say. I have no other choice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My father has sold me because we don't have bread, rice, and flour. He has sold me to an old man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: You heard that right, folks there facing such a crisis, they have to sell their own daughters. What does the U.S. and the rest of the global community need to do now to get folks under threat out but also to get people there, the resources they need so they're not faced with this horrible, horrible decision?

MILIBAND: Thank you for asking about that. The International Rescue Committee is partnering with the U.S. government here in the U.S. to register the 70,000 Afghans who have escaped. But we also have 1,700 staff in the country. And the kind of stories that you're hearing, early child marriage, widespread malnutrition among the 40 million people who live in the country, those are stories of real people. And it's very, very clear what needs to happen.

I came on CNN in August, and I said that the military withdrawal must not be followed by a humanitarian withdrawal. And the humanitarian system depends on an economy that works. At the moment, the banking system is not working, the assets are frozen, the war economy, the support for contractors has obviously been pulled out

And so what you have is economic collapse with, this is an extraordinary statistic, 95 percent of the population facing extreme poverty if nothing is done over the next few weeks. And so it's incumbent on the international system, including the U.S., to pay salaries of teachers and doctors and nurses, not just for their own good but to float the economy, to get the banking system operating, and, frankly, to make sure that the agony of the Afghan people is not doubled or tripled by the economic and humanitarian collapse they now face.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, listen, David Miliband, we appreciate the work that you and the IRC are doing to help people in this situation, and thanks to you for joining us this morning.

MILIBAND: Thank you, Jim. Thanks a lot.

SCIUTTO: Erica?

HILL: Well, we are now just moments away from opening statements in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the man who shot three men at a Wisconsin protest last year. You're looking at live pictures of the courtroom there. How we expect his attorneys to paint a picture of self-defense, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00] SCIUTTO: In just moments, opening statements are expected to begin in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, 18 years old now, 17 years old at the time of the alleged crime. He's accused of shooting three protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last summer, killing two of them.

HILL: Rittenhouse says he acted in self-defense and has pleaded not guilty.

CNN's Adrienne Broaddus has been following this for us. So, Adrienne, what are we expecting to hear in these statements today?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, the opening statements will lay the foundation. This will be a glimpse into what we could see over the next two week, and I say two weeks because Judge Schroeder says that's how long the judge he expects this trial to last.

As far as the prosecution, it's very likely they're going to argue this was not a case of self-defense. They will say likely Kyle Rittenhouse was not acting in self-defense when he shot three people, killing two of them. The prosecution will likely argue under Wisconsin law at the time it was illegal for Rittenhouse to openly carry a weapon in Wisconsin.

We will not, at least not today, hear the prosecutors refer to those three men as victims. That's because the judge has a long-standing rule where he doesn't allow the term victim in his courtroom. In fact, the assistant district attorney said during a pretrial hearing, if he were to count the number of times this judge has admonished him for using the term victim, it would be in the thousands.

By contrast, the defense will argue and set the scene for self- defense. It's likely the defense will describe Kyle Rittenhouse as a passionate teen who traveled from Illinois to Wisconsin to help business owners. Keep in mind, there were protests unfolding in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after police there shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times.

[10:55:07]

So, it's likely -- Jacob Blake did survive -- we will hear the defense say this was self-defense and Rittenhouse was a passionate teen trying to help business owners protect their property. Erica?

HILL: We will be following it closely as the trial unfolds. A lot of eyes on this, that is for sure. Adrienne Broaddus, I appreciate it, thank you.

SCIUTTO: And thanks so much to all of you for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto.

HILL: I'm Erica Hill.

At This Hour with Kate Bolduan starts after this quick break.

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