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Eight Dead, Dozens Hurt As Crowd Rushes Stage At Music Festival; Congress Passes $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Deal; NFL Quarterback Admits He's Unvaccinated, Getting COVID Advice From Joe Rogan; Interview With Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI); Missed Warning Signs Ahead Of January 6th Riot. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired November 06, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[16:59:42]

JUDGE LINA HIDALGO, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: And then we are still trying to identify the eighth person we know -- it's a male, but we don't know who it is.

And then there is one -- another person's been identified, but we don't know -- we haven't found the family yet. So until we have that, obviously we can't release all the information.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Capacity, you said 200,000.

CHIEF SAMUEL PENA, CITY OF HOUSTON FIRED DEPARTMENT: Can you repeat your question, please?

Again, there is no outdoor venue capacity. What we did is we applied the internal assembly fire code and did the calculation based on that. It's very conservative. The capacity based on the footprint that was going to be used, they could have had over 200,000.

(INAUDIBLE)

PENA: No, no, what I'm saying is that's based on the math, based on the assembly fire code calculation, they could have theoretically had over 200,000 people, but it was limited to 50,000 and we verified that based on or we tried to get assurance of that based on the number of ticket sales that they had.

So again, look, it was a wide open venue. We, the plan included two separate stages to try to subdivide those crowds. But again, it's the, it was a crowd control at the point of the stage that was the issue, that caused the issue.

Especially as the crowd started to surge up towards the stage. So that's what we're going to be keying on in regards to the investigation.

(CROSSTALK)

PENA: Yes, ma'am. Hold on. Yes, ma'am. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is in regards to EMS and also the kind of

EMS (INAUDIBLE) one defibrillator was there I saw many EMS personnel performing CPR right then and there onsite. (INAUDIBLE)

So my question is did they have enough (INAUDIBLE) to administer right then and there on site or were additional ambulances needed to come in.

And then I just want to (INAUDIBLE) with we also saw some struggling to get to the crowd. Was it hard (INAUDIBLE)

PENA: So let me answer your first question first. All our units are completely equipped with all the life safety and life saving equipment. They all have defibrillators. They all have AEDs at least. Even the first response vehicles.

So from our perspective, from the Houston FIRE DEPARTMENT'S perspective, we had the right equipment.

The -- I can't speak about the equipment that the third party medical component had. I can't speak to that right now. But certainly when we responded, we responded with, you know, fully equipped and prepared to assist.

There's always an issue with access into these crowds, especially when there's a surge. We depend on and we work collaboratively with HPD and the security forces that -- or the security components that are there to ensure tat we can gain access. But it's always an issue in these large events.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get a few people that haven't had the opportunity to ask any questions. Go ahead.

Go ahead.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the second stage when the event had not begun there was this brief (INAUDIBLE). At that point, you had those many people outside. Why didn't put that into consideration and try to figure out if (INAUDIBLE) --

PENA: Yes. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What action was taken after that?

CHIEF TROY FINNER, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: One question at a time, please, ma'am. Yes. Right. Look, there are breaches. There are major breaches that shut down a program. A concert in this thing.

There wasn't a major breach (INAUDIBLE), there was something that we quickly got under control. Did we like any breaches? No, we don't, but that's part of the whole review and process. And us learning some from this incident.

Just as the mayor said we're not going to cover up anything. We want to look at everything that we did right, but more importantly, what was done wrong. Learn from it and move forward. And continue to pray for these family members.

One more question. He hadn't had one. Go ahead. Sorry. I'll get to you.

(INAUDIBLE)

FINNER: That's not true what I saw people getting to get out. There wasn't a problem with that. And let me say we'll look at it, but I haven't heard that. Chief, I don't know if you have.

PENA: Again, right now, this is still in its infancy. As far as the investigation. I know that the means of egress, the doors to get in and out of that venue -- that was not an issue.

[17:04:49]

PENA: You're talking about in the -- within the, yes, so we're going look at that as far as the design, whether the design was adhered to in regards to the layout, to the plan that was submitted.

So all those things will be part of the investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are videos of people climbing up on stage trying to stop the artist performing, telling the camera men to stop. Are those people going to be questioned (INAUDIBLE)?

FINNER: That's a part of it and you know when we grabbed the video, if we saw somebody that did something dangerous and broke the law or something, that's going to be something that we're going to address. but again, we don't get the video until sometime this evening or later on tonight. They promised us that. AND Once we get that and have some time to go through it, at a later date, we'll update everybody. Absolutely.

Go ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: You've been listening to authorities updating us on the deadly stampede at a concert in Houston last night. At least eight people are dead, scores more are injured after fans rushed the stage during a promise by rapper Travis Scott at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston.

The crush of people squeezing other audience members who had nowhere to go.

Video from the sold out event shows the moment the performer pauses and looks on in confusion as an ambulance moves into the densely- packed crowd of about 50,000.

We just learned that two of the dead are teenagers -- ages 14 and 16. The Houston mayor says five of the other victims are in their 20s. Actually, I believe six of the other victims are in their 20s. He calls it an active investigation, warning people to beware of false rumors circulating on social media.

Joining me now, an eye witness to the tragedy that unfolded. Billy Nasser, attended the Astroworld Music Festival.

Billy, thanks for joining us. Tell us exactly what happened and what you saw.

BILLY NASSER, CONCERT GOER: Can you hear me?

BROWN: Yes, we can hear you.

NASSER: Basically, my name's Billy Nasser. I was a kid in the crowd. People were getting trampled. They were losing their balance and tripping over the people on the floor. The people were just dying left and right.

It heated up about 15 minutes after Travis came on the stage and it progressively got worse. They were shoving. The barricades couldn't accommodate all the people that were there. It was too small. It was a death trap, basically.

BROWN: A death trap. And what was that like for you to be caught in the middle of that?

NASSER: I've seen kids pass out before but everyone usually always helps out, but in this time, people were basically fighting for their lives. I was trying to pick kids up that were getting stomped on.

And I picked some kid up and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. So I checked his pulse, I knew he was dead and then I checked the people around me. And I just had to leave them there. There was nothing I could do. I had to keep going.

BROWN: So even in the midst of the chaos, you were trying to help someone else, check their pulse. There was no pulse. What was going through your mind as this was all unfolding?

NASSER: It was really frustrating. I wanted the music to stop and I wanted everyone around me to realize what was going on, but people didn't have very much like self-awareness. It was like kids were just going crazy and partying for the festival and they weren't actually paying attention to the bodies that were dropping behind them.

BROWN: Did you feel like as this was unfolding, it was getting really bad, you're there trying to help the situation, that there was enough security guards or people there who were supposed to be jumping in at moments like this to contain the situation?

NASSER: No. No, no, no. There wasn't enough security guards and there wasn't enough EMTs or people helping out the crowd. The paramedics couldn't even reach the crowd. I was in the area and I was trying to lift kids out of the crowd that wasn't being reached and the ambulance, that little golf car ambulance, got there about 30, 45 minutes after I saw like 10 to 20 people away. They're reporting only 11 people died, but I'm talking to a lot of people in the crowd and they're -- they we for themselves over 100 bodies like on the ground at least.

BROWN: Right. And we have eight people died according to officials that just spoke at this press conference. All the ones we know about, all under the age of 30. There's still one unknown. We don't know the age of that male. 13 people still hospitalized.

Did you fear for your life? Did you think you were going to die. You described it earlier as a death trap. Is that what you thought was going to happen to you?

NASSER: Yes. I've been in crazy (INAUDIBLE) like this so I know how to move my way out. For people who are there for their first time, I just felt bad for them because they didn't know what to do.

And it's not -- a lot of these kids go there, they see Travis Scott, (INAUDIBLE) -- younger kids and they don't know what to expect.

And when I was a college student, the concerts from what happened (INAUDIBLE) in reality of how stressful it can be. It's very dangerous.

[17:09:53]

BROWN: So you said you'd been in similar situations but have you ever seen anything like this before? Where just the intensity of the surge and the crowding and so forth?

NASSER: No. This was like the 9/11 (INAUDIBLE). I was (INAUDIBLE) in Miami and seven people died and it wasn't easy, but it was nothing like this. I mean kids were dropping left and right.

Like I didn't know what to do. There was no way to help them. There was no exit and everything was just blocked in. Everybody was getting sucked in like a black hole, basically.

BROWN: Were people yelling anything to give a clue? I know it was hard to hear because the music was playing, but I mean was there any clue as to what may have happened here?

NASSER: We were yelling at the camera guys, the light guys, the sound people, and like basically trying to get them to alert Travis to stop the festival.

Travis saw there was an ambulance that he kind -- I'm not saying it was his fault, he did try to help save people but we looked like ants in the crowd to him. You could be right next to someone who's falling down on the ground and you wouldn't know.

BROWN: Wow. And do you have any other idea as you try to process what you just experienced, Billy?

What may have gone wrong here? We heard one of the officials say at the press conference that this venue had 50,000 people. It could hold more than 200,000 he said, based on estimates from the fire marshal. Do you have any sense of why there was this surge?

NASSER: The surge happened because everyone wanted to get up to the front, and like get videos of Travis so basically just into the mosh pit. They didn't realize that they were pushing to the front that people had nowhere to go, nowhere to escape. They were basically just pushing people to death.

Like they caused so many unnecessary deaths to kids that just wanted to see Travis and be close to him.

BROWN: What do you think should have been done differently?

NASSER: They need to open up the barricade and make it so that the parking lot -- (INAUDIBLE) those standing on way bigger and then we have lots of space to maneuver and get people in and out.

They need to have paramedics in the crowd, moshing with the kids, handing out water. Keeping kids up. They need to have basically life guards above the crowd, with binoculars just searching and looking, helping pull kids out before it gets too disastrous like -- it is a mess. It's a nightmare.

It was really like hell. (INAUDIBLE) It was like hell. People were screaming for their lives. You don't know if you're going to make it or not.

BROWN: It's just awful. Is there anything that you want to add Billy, about your experience and about what you saw at this music festival?

NASSER: I just want to say the fault isn't on Travis. It's on the organization, the festival, the security. Like, the security was just watching this. They weren't pulling anybody over and helping. They were just watching.

Some of the security were laughing. Like, it was --

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Do you think they fully understood what was happening because it's obviously --

NASSER: No, they didn't. They didn't. When I jumped out of the pit to go alert all the other people, they didn't believe me that people were actually dying left and right.

What was happening is bigger kids that couldn't help themselves up, people couldn't lift them up. There was a lot of bigger kids that fell on to the ground and couldn't get back up and people were just trampling over them.

And I'm saying, I tried to pull this kid, I drag him out. But his eyes were in the back of his head. I knew that a bunch of the kids were dead.

BROWN: Everyone was just so young. The list that we have of those that were killed -- eight people killed as they said, under the age of 30. It's just -- it's just awful.

Billy Nasser -- thank you for coming on. I'm so sorry you had to experience this, but thank you for sharing your story to help us better understand how this could be prevented in the future.

NASSER: Thank you. They need to get a team of paramedics in the crowd and I'll be there to help if they actually have another festival. But I don't see them having another festival ever again.

BROWN: I don't blame you.

Billy, thank you.

NASSER: Thank you so much. Thank you, Pamela.

BROWN: CNN's Rosa Flores is in Houston and was at the press conference. Rosa, tell us what officials said about reports of someone injecting people with drugs.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Pamela, this is very, very troubling. You're exactly right. Officials here saying that there's a report of a security officer who felt a prick in his neck. He was treated with Narcan then he was revived.

This is very troubling. Here's what the HPD chief had to say about this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FINNER: We do have a report of a security officer according to the medical staff, that was out and treated him last night that he was reaching over to restrain or grab a citizen and felt a prick in his neck.

When he was examined, he went unconscious. They administered Narcan. He was revived and the medical staff did notice a prick that was similar to a prick that you would get if somebody was trying to inject.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:14:48]

FLORES: Now officials also say that several individuals were treated with Narcan as well. They did not provide more details but they did say that now narcotics and homicide divisions are part of this investigation.

Initially, they were just investigating whether there was enough egress for people to exit and also what was causing the crowd to come press towards the stage.

Now, officials here escalating, they're saying that narcotics and homicide divisions are also part of this investigation.

And we also learned the ages of the individuals who have died -- between the ages of 14 and 27. There is one individual that the age has not been released but officials here talking about just how tragic this is for all these families.

The artist, of course, the artists here that were at this concert are followed by young people and that's what officials say is so tragic because there were a lot of young people in the crowd.

We learned earlier from Texas Children's Hospital that more than one child had been transported to the hospital. We're doing this press conference, we learned that five children under the age of 18 were transported. A total of 25 people were transported.

And Pamela, 13 individuals still remain hospitalized. We don't know their conditions. But earlier on, officials had warned that the death count could increase because these individuals were transported in critical condition.

BROWN: Just to think the youngest victim as far as we know, 14 years old. And we're still waiting to find out about the age of one of those that died. A male, we're told, by authorities. You have been talking to eyewitnesses all day, what are they telling you?

FLORES: You know, they describe the intense moments when the crowd started swaying. I talked to several individuals who were very close to the stage. They said it was very difficult for them to breathe.

One of them who was a little taller, about as tall as I am, said that he was able to breathe because he was taller, but some of his friends were shorter so the shorter people who were in this crowd were having a lot of difficulty breathing.

They also showed us their shoes, Pamela. Because that's how close everybody was. They described as being sardines inside this venue. Well you looked at their shoes and they were completely black, dark because everybody was stepping on everybody else.

Some of the eyewitnesses described seeing people on the ground, needing treatment and others just trying to help as they could. They also described as medics were helping people on the ground. And one individual, actually two individuals described how Travis Scott stopped playing several times, two to three times, and pointed at the crowd, at areas where people needed medical attention. It was after that second or third time these two individuals described, that's when the situation escalated. That's eventually when this concert was stopped.

I should add, Pamela, that overnight, one of the officers that was on the scene described when they finally said, ok, this has to stop. This officer said that there were multiple people on the ground in cardiac arrest needing medical attention. Needing other kind of medical attention. That's when they called the promotors and said this needs to stop.

And we do have -- we do have more from one individual who told us that he was there and has more on what the scene looked like. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK JOHNSON, ATTENDED ASTROWORLD FESTIVAL: It was going on for over two hours. And it just got worse and worse. Everyone's like, just can't breathe. You feel like -- you feel like there's a weight that's (INAUDIBLE) on you.

ANGEL RODRIGUEZ, ATTENDED ASTROWORLD FESTIVAL: It was so hard to move your arms. And it was so hard to breathe. I was like pushing there in front of me just like to get a breathe. Just breathe.

MADELINE ESKINS, ATTENDED ASTROWORLD FESTIVALI just remember looking up and passing out. And then I was in and out for a little while. I didn't see anything but I kind of could feel what was going on. Someone pulled me over a fence and I was sat in a chair and then I passed out again and when I woke up, I was in a different area in a chair with a water bottle in my lap.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now Pamela, the individuals that I talked to were counting their blessings today after they learned that eight people had died. And now we've learned that the ages of those individuals between the ages of 14 and 27, Pamela.

BROWN: Rosa Flores, thank you so much. For bringing us the latest there.

And coming up, tonight, a major test of the Biden presidency and a much needed victory. Democrats finally agree on a massive infrastructure spending deal.

Also ahead tonight, CNN exclusive report: confusion, frustration, and terrible timing. We're going to tell you what was going on behind the scenes right at Capitol Police intelligence right before the January 6th riot.

[17:19:57]

BROWN: Also tonight, a healthcare organization ended its partnership with Aaron Rodgers after he fumbled the message on COVID and vaccines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON RODGERS, GREEN BAY PACKERS: I realize I'm in the cross hairs of the woke mob right now, so before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I think I'd like to set the record straight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: He wants to set the record straight and so do we, about what he gets so wrong on immunization. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A major test of the Biden presidency and a much needed victory. Congress has finally passed the President's $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. From roads and bridges to environmental clean up, it is the single largest investment in public works in the nation's history.

And also after weeks of delay, the longest ongoing vote in the modern history of the house.

[17:25:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did something that's long overdue, that long has been talked about in Washington, but never actually been done. There will be jobs in every part of the country. Red states, blue states, rural communities, tribal communities.

This is a blue collar blueprint to rebuild America and it's long overdue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is on Capitol Hill and Arlette Saenz is at the White House.

Suzanne, walk us through what $1.2 trillion buys for taxpayers.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Pamela. You know Democrats were under a great deal of pressure to prove that they can get something done here. Something accomplished.

We saw a lot of lawmakers today tweeting, essentially giving themselves a pat on the back and saying what it is that's inside of this that their constituents and their states actually get. The goodies here.

So if you break it down, you take a look at the $1.2 trillion package, about half of that is new spending but $110 billion for roads and bridges. You've got electric grid updates. You have billions for broadband and money for transportation, fixing pipes, improving water quality, airports.

You've got a big component, there's a climate change protections and even some grid updates as well as the chance to upgrade in broadband. Those type of things that a lot of us could use here.

Now this was, Pam, a very messy situation. It was a really difficult day I think for many of the Democrats who went back and forth, back and forth. Ultimately it was about 12:42 in the morning when they finally were adjourned. They had that passed. The final vote was 228- 206.

There were 13 Republicans who voted for it, breaking mostly party ranks there and it's a familiar group that you see there. They are people who are retiring or who have voted to impeach the president, who really bought the party in the past. And then you have those six Democrats who did not vote for infrastructure and those are the progressives, those who held out the original so called members of the squad there.

Their original position and they stuck with it is that they had to vote at the same time for the bipartisan infrastructure package as well as the Build Back Better bill, the larger social spending economic package. They said it had to go together.

Ultimately, that did not happen. Their caucus chair of the progressives Representative Jayapal struck a deal with some of the moderates who had said look, we need a scoring from the Congressional Budget Office of what this big bill is going to cost before we actually vote for it. She got an assurance that she feels they will support this eventually once they get that scoring. And that's why she and members of the caucus ended up voting for it and they ended up with that win, Pam.

BROWN: It really was quite the roller coaster of a day. Thanks for laying that out for us, Suzanne.

Arlette, there maybe a little time to celebrate as the White House and Congress now move on to passing the larger social spending plan, which also has bogged down. Does this provide any momentum pushing them closer to passage?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the White House is hoping that if Congress came together to act once, that they will come together to act again a second time.

And today, President Biden as he spoke here at the White House with reporters said that he was confident that that larger $1.9 trillion spending package, that that will ultimately be passed in the House and in the Senate.

But of course, here are questions about the future of that bill. Suzanne laid out, the moderates and progressives did strike an agreement with moderates agreeing to vote for that bill around the week of November 15th.

But there are some who are concerned of whether moderates will actually follow through with that promise. And then even if it passes the house, it still need to go on to the Senate where it's expected to have changes particularly when it comes to some of the concern from Senator Joe Manchin, one of those key moderate holdouts that this White House has spent a lot of the time according as they are trying to get closer to finalizing this bill.

The president certainly today was confident that it ultimately would pass even though it still appears to have a bit of a long road ahead.

Of course there's that larger spending package which is going to be running up pretty close to the government funding deadline to the debt ceiling fight. So there is a lot that congress is going to try to squeeze in, over the course of the next month. But for now the president celebrating that victory but acknowledging the road ahead and the work that they have to do with that larger package.

BROWN: All right. Arlette Saenz, Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so much.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:34:08]

BROWN: Aaron Rodgers is now passing the blame for all his unvaccinated COVID drama.

Just days after testing positive for COVID and being benched for tomorrow's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rodgers is now admitting he's unvaccinated and blaming what he calls, quote, "the woke mob" for all his troubles.

And he's getting COVID advice from comedian and podcaster, Joe Rogan.

CNN's Nick Watt has more on this.

Nick, it was Rodgers who mislead the media and fans about his vaccination status, now he's blaming the media.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's blaming a lot of people, but not himself at all. He's even saying it must have been somebody who was vaccinated who infected him with COVID-19.

But as you say, he's blaming, the quote, "woke mob" and the media for what he say was shaming and getting off on outing people who were unvaccinated.

[17:35:03]

He said they created the conditions that led to him, back in August, saying, "I've been immunized."

Turns out not with a vaccine. He say he's allergic to something in two of the vaccines and that he's anxious about the third.

Look, Rodgers said he received a homeopathic treatment that, quote, "created a defense against COVID." Experts say there's very little evidence that that could possibly be true.

Take a listen to some of the other stuff he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON RODGERS, QUARTERBACK, GREEN BAY PACKERS: Vaccines do offer some protection for sure. But there's a lot we don't know about them.

If you've gotten COVID and recovered from it, that's the best boost of immunity you can have.

I consulted with a now good friend of mine, Joe Rogan after he got COVID and I've been doing a lot of the stuff that he recommended in his podcasts and you know, on the phone to me.

And I'm going to have the best immunity possible now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Well, actually, the best immunity possible, according to the science, is to be vaccinated.

He's also taken Ivermectin and some other drugs and there's no proof they work to treat COVID.

He also attacked the NFL saying their COVID protocols were not rooted in science. And then went on to make a bunch of claims that are nowhere near science.

He also invoked Martin Luther King, or the great MLK, as he put it, by saying we have a moral obligation to object to unjust rules. Very, very different situations.

Anyway, you know, he's going to be OK. He had mild symptoms for a little while.

But if you listen to his advice on how to treat COVID, you might not be OK. And his team, the Green Bay Packers, without him tomorrow, they might also not be OK -- Pamela?

BROWN: Nick Watt, thanks so much for that.

Democrats poured a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in getting the infrastructure bill across the finish line. So what finally pushed it over the edge? I'll ask their chief deputy whip, Congressman Dan Kildee, next.

And tune in tomorrow night for an all-new episode of the CNN original series, "DIANA." Was Princess Diana addicted to the fame she acquired? Go inside her complicated relationship with the press at 9:00 p.m. Sunday, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:42:16]

BROWN: A much-needed victory for President Biden and for congressional Democrats facing a wakeup call from frustrated voters.

After months of painstaking negotiations and Democratic infighting, Congress has finally passed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Joining me now, a member of the Progressive Caucus, Democratic Congressman and chief deputy whip, Dan Kildee, of Michigan.

I know you had a short night, as you put it, in terms of sleep.

So you are the chief deputy whip. Meaning, you have whipped, wrangled the essential votes. Would you expect this to tamp down the criticism of dysfunction within

the Democratic Party?

REP. DAN KILDEE (D-MI): Yes, I think so. This really is the Democratic process. I think we've lost our muscle memory about what dysfunction really is.

This was a long and hard day, but not the worst day this year. We saw dysfunction earlier this year. In fact, we dealt with it for four years.

This was a public debate. People airing their differences. Arguing with one another very often. Then, finally, at the end of it all, coming together in passing really groundbreaking legislation.

So while in some ways it can be depicted as dysfunction, it is the ultimate functionality of a democracy for us to argue with one another and then eventually have that argument lead to unity.

And that's what we had last night. And it's going to deliver big results for the people all across the country.

BROWN: It is a big win.

This was bipartisan. You had Republicans signing on, not only in the Senate, but in the House.

But at the same time, this was the longest ongoing vote in modern history of the House.

But now the focus, of course, is looking forward. It is on to the larger social spending bill.

On Friday, the president celebrated a better-than-expected jobs report, 531,000 jobs added in October.

If the economy is strongly rebounding, and given what's going on with inflation, does America need a massive social spending bill?

KILDEE: We clearly do. What we need to do is build on the momentum that we have in the economy right now.

We can't ignore the reality that, even though we're recovering, thanks to the great work of this president, 4.6 percent unemployment, over 600,000 new jobs a month.

But we've got some distance yet to travel to be as competitive as we possibly can be.

So while infrastructure helps us be more competitive, be more productive, compete in a global economy.

So does making sure that we have access to affordable childcare so that people who have to hesitate as to whether or not they can re- enter the workforce won't have that hesitation.

[17:45:04]

Making us more productive is really what both aspects of this agenda is all about.

In some -- in some aspects, it's about hard infrastructure.

In other pieces of it, it's about empowering the most productive workers in the world to actually use their productivity without having to be concerned about what's going to happen with their children while they're at work.

This is really a big agenda. And it will build on this economy. We can grow the economy even further.

And that's what we hope to be able to do with both aspects of the president's agenda.

BROWN: This week, Democrats were delivered a jolt in Virginia, the commonwealth, a state Joe Biden won by 10 percentage points. A Republican came from behind to win the governor's race Tuesday, as you well know.

I spoke to a decisive demographic, white suburban moms, and they say Democrats bumbled the critical issue of education.

Take a listen to what they told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They really didn't listen to parents. Parents, we were sitting there talking and trying to have reasonable conversations with them, educated conversations. We were coming in, doing our research, saying, hey, this is happening. How can we do this together? And they dismissed us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: To be clear, they said their issue was not about some of the other things, like Critical Race Theory and mandates. It was about not being listened to when it came to school closures and learning loss.

One year until midterms, will Democrats be accused of not valuing education again or do you think this is something Democrats learned from?

KILDEE: I think Democrats clearly stand on the side of education. We're the ones who do everything we can to invest more in education.

We have to fight Republicans every day. Many of whom want to eliminate the Department of Education.

So I get that. I was a school board member. I understand the what the mom being interviewed there was saying. Parents want to be heard.

We're listening. But I think we have to put our money where our mouth is. And I think we actually also have to do a better job of explaining what our policies are.

And so, you know, that election was a disappointment in Virginia. There's no two ways about it.

It was not inconsistent with historical patterns. But still, it was a loss we could have potentially won and we didn't win. And so we can't sugarcoat that.

But I think the more important message to me is that we've got to get out there and talk to people and listen to them, understand what their needs are.

And explain to them how what we're trying to go with this agenda, by providing early childhood education to every kid in America, really does address the needs and the worries that they have.

BROWN: Congressman Dan Kildee, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate your time tonight.

KILDEE: Thank you.

BROWN: Still ahead, a CNN exclusive report on what was going on behind the scenes in Capitol Police intelligence right before the January 6th riot.

We'll be right back.

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[17:52:52]

BROWN: About two months before the January 6th riots, the U.S. Capitol Police hired two outsiders to overhaul the department's intelligence operations.

Sources tell CNN confusion and frustration followed. And the timing couldn't have been worse.

Whitney Wild has this exclusive report.

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WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In the days after the January 6th riot, inside the unit that helped prepare Capitol Police security plans that day, there was outrage.

"I am filled with anger and frustration," one intelligence employee wrote to Capitol Police leaders on January 9th.

"We analysts have been reporting for weeks that patriot groups are commenting on social media their intentions to storm the U.S. Capitol with overwhelming numbers. I hope this information was briefed with the veracity it deserved." YOGANANDA PITTMAN, ACTING CHIEF, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: It has been suggested that the department was either ignorant of or ignored critical intelligence. There was no such intelligence.

WILD: U.S. Capitol Police breakdowns have been well-documented.

But now CNN has obtained internal documents and source interviews that show frustrations and confusion in the Intelligence Division after the department brought in two outsiders to overhaul the Mission Critical Unit just two months before the riot.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Implementing change is always difficult, even in times that aren't that trying.

The intelligence section, obviously you had a unit that was understaffed and undertrained. And so it would take time to bring them up to speed.

WILD: Sources say after Jack Donoghue and Julie Farnham arrived at the Capitol Police, changes and priorities happened rapidly and, sources say, without enough training.

Sources tell CNN the new demands scrambled a unit already struggling after years of inspector general reports pointed to dysfunction.

They were pulled in so many different directions, it would have been impossible to catch what they should have, a source told CNN.

RAMSEY: It was a time when, you know, making changes like that is something that obviously, you know, would give you some pause as to whether or not that's the right time to do it.

[17:55:00]

WILD: The department tells CNN threats against members of Congress spiked in 2020. Those cases became the highest priority.

The department says analysts were asked to expand their skill set and insisted leaders offer training.

"These changes are essential, even if certain individuals on the team do not embrace them."

(on camera): Thursday, Julie Farnham appeared before the House Select Committee investigating January 6th, according to a source.

Members are examining these big intelligence breakdowns as part of its sweeping probe into that day. But the source declined to provide details about the nature of what was discussed.

Whitney Wild, CNN, Washington.

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BROWN: A Houston music festival descends into deadly chaos. Officials now say they are investigating reports someone in the crowd was, quote, "injecting other people with drugs."

We'll be right back with more.

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