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Criminal Investigation Underway After Eight Killed At Astroworld Festival; Interview With Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA); Voters Elect GOP's Youngkin In Midterms Warning Sign For Democrats. Aired 3- 4p ET

Aired November 07, 2021 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, happening right now, authorities are launching a criminal investigation after eight people were killed at a Houston concert. The chaos unfolded at the Astroworld Music Festival on Friday. Fans rushed the stage as rapper Travis Scott started to perform. Compressed in the massive crowd with no way to escape, many people began to panic and witnesses say several started passing out.

In addition to the eight deaths, more than 300 others were hurt, 25 of them taken to hospitals. Homicide and narcotics investigators are joining the investigation to figure out what happened. CNN's Rosa Flores is in Houston for us. So, what are investigators looking at as part of this criminal probe now -- Rosa.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, as you mentioned, it involves both narcotics and the homicide divisions of HPD. Now, we learned about that yesterday when the Houston Police Chief mentioned that there was a security officer who reported that he got pricked on the neck, he was treated with Narcan and revived, and that other individuals at this location were also treated with Narcan and revived, and so that escalated the situation and the investigation in this case, because of that particular account from a security officer.

Now, other points of the investigation involved crowd control, what was done, how many security officers, how many police officers were on site? And was that adequate? We learned yesterday from HPD that there were 528 HPD officers, and 755 private security officers. We are learning a lot also from concertgoers who are describing what they were experiencing during this concert, some of them saying that it was difficult for them to breathe.

I just talked to one concert goer, who says that he actually was concerned starting at about 4:00 p.m., very early on in the day because he was closer to the stage. He said that the crowd was very rowdy, the people were being rude and jumping, he actually moved away. Here's what he said. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OSCAR, ATTENDED ASTROWORLD FESTIVAL: If I didn't see the first

performance and see how crazy he could get, maybe we would have attempted to get closer to stage, especially kids who want to get close and record the performance and just be closer to the performer.

I can see why they want to get as close as possible. But for that same reason we found a good space, a good location to watch the show. Although it wasn't, you know, that close where we can see clearly, it was, you know, perfect for us to feel comfortable and enjoy the show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now, he said that moving away probably saved his and his brother's life. So, he is counting his blessings today.

Travis Scott sending out a video message yesterday for the first time saying that he is devastated. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRAVIS SCOTT, RAPPER: Anytime I can make out, you know anything that's going on, you know, I stop the show and you know, help them get the help they need. You know, I could just never imagine the severity of the situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: I talked to multiple concertgoers yesterday who told me that they heard multiple times where Travis Scott stopped his performance and pointed to areas of the crowd where people needed help. And then of course, now we know that that concert was ended, according to police about 10:10. The concertgoer that I just talked to today says he looked at his watch and it was 10:13 or 10:14 when that concert was stopped.

And Fred, the last bit of new information I want to leave you with is now, we have two individuals who have been identified who are among the eight dead: Franco Patino, 21 years of age, and Danish Baig, 27 years of age -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: So sad and tragic. Rosa Flores, thank you so much.

All right, now that the U.S. Congress has passed President Biden's trillion-dollar bipartisan infrastructure bill, the focus now turns to the other half of his economic agenda, the $1.75 trillion social spending and climate bill. The administration had hoped to pass a legislation together, but the timeline for the larger bill has been delayed as moderates in the House demand more information on the bill's cost.

For more from the White House now, let's bring in Arlette Saenz. So Arlette, it may take a week or two, right, to get the CBO score for this spending bill. So, what is the White House planning to do in the meantime?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the White House officials have said they are hoping to build off the momentum of passing that bipartisan infrastructure bill to also get that larger social safety net package across the finish line.

Now, one key issue that the moderate senators are waiting for is that nonpartisan analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, which will reveal how much of this plan is paid for. The White House and top Democrats have insisted that what has been put forth is fully paid for, but moderates want to make sure that they get that nonpartisan analysis first.

Now, even if those moderates then stick to their plan and pass this through the House, the bill still needs to make its way over to the Senate where people like Senator Joe Manchin have expressed their desire to change elements of this bill.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi put back paid family leave in that bill after additionally it was not included and that is something that Manchin has said he is opposed to including in this measure.

And take a listen to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain talking about their belief that yes, there will be changes, but ultimately, they do believe that the larger package will get passed.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON KLAIN, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I think this bill will pass the House when the House comes back. I'm sure the Senate will make changes. That's the way the legislative process works. But we are going to get a very strong version of this bill through the House, through the Senate, to the President's desk and into law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, as for that bipartisan infrastructure proposal, President Biden will be traveling to Baltimore on Wednesday to promote this newly passed deal. He'll be visiting a port and be talking about supply chain issues as well.

He is also expected to soon host a signing ceremony here at the White House welcoming both Republicans and Democrats who worked together on this bill as he officially signs it into law. But while they are taking that victory lap on that bipartisan infrastructure proposal, they still have a long road ahead when it comes to the larger spending bill that they are hoping to get passed -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette Saenz from the White House. Thanks so much for that.

Let's talk more about the road ahead. With me now is Democratic Congresswoman Kim Schrier of Washington State. Congresswoman, so good to see you.

REP. KIM SCHRIER (D-WA): Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: So you voted for this infrastructure bill. What will this mean for your constituents? And how soon?

SCHRIER: Oh my goodness, well, this is tremendous. I feel like this is an accomplishment that we should be running victory laps on over and over. You know, this is the biggest infrastructure bill in a generation, and this is something that we tried several times under the last administration to get done and couldn't get it done.

And here government worked, and now we have a bill that will do roads and bridges, but then it also really thinks forward to resilient infrastructure with a changing climate to a modernized electric grid, electric vehicle charging stations and rolling out high speed internet everywhere. It's a big deal.

WHITFIELD: So, how soon do you see things actually happening? I mean, Cedric Richmond said earlier today on one of the morning programs that maybe you know, shovels will be in the dirt in two months for some of the projects, but then many of the others, it will be some time. It may take months, if not years for some other projects. What do you anticipate?

SCHRIER: Well, some of these projects will happen right away. I have a bill that was included called Legacy Roads and Trails, for example, and this is a bill that decommissions old crumbling infrastructure in our national forest and then allows for new culverts, preservation of waterways. These are things that immediately can have local work done that will enhance our water quality, salmon habitat, and public lands, and they are ready to go. As soon as the money's here, they're on it.

WHITFIELD: And this really is just the first part of, you know, Biden's agenda. This was kind of a two-part -- two-piece package. You know, six of your Democratic colleagues were not on board with infrastructure. So what are your concerns and hopes as negotiations continue for the part two of Biden's big agenda?

SCHRIER: Oh, we will get it done. This is such an important bill. And I can tell you, Fredricka, as a pediatrician and a Member of Congress and a mom thinking about what this bill will mean, when we talk about universal preschool and how that will impact the ability of parents, moms in particular to get back to work, affordable childcare, a big tax break for working families. Now when I look at this through the mind of a pediatrician, and these are just wins across the board, and I am so excited.

WHITFIELD: So Congresswoman, you are a pediatrician, as you help remind us, you know, let me ask you a bit about COVID, and what is on the horizon now that children aged five to 11 can get the vaccine? What kind of an impact do you think it's going to make overall, on what we've all been experiencing with this pandemic?

SCHRIER: It's going to make a tremendous difference overall, and I'll tell you why. Children make up about 25 percent of our population, and so you really can't get close to herd immunity without immunizing children.

It makes a difference for them and their safety. We know that over 680 children in this country have died from COVID, and we will not know the full impact of things like long COVID for months to years to come, and so assuring our children's safety is paramount. In addition, what that means for our community safety is that there will be less spread of disease and very specifically, you know, kids who are immunized, they can go back to indoor sports, they can go back to indoor band.

They know that if somebody in their classroom gets COVID, they don't have to go home and quarantine for 10 days nor do their parents need to miss 10 days of work for that. This is a really big deal and it gets us that much closer to true, true normal.

WHITFIELD: And that still, with all that information, that still might not be a big enough sell for some families. So, what do you tell the parents who remain hesitant even after hearing all you just had to say, but still have their reservations, perhaps they're thinking largely about any potential side effects from the vaccine? What do you say?

SCHRIER: Well, you know, this is a pediatrician's bread and butter. This happens that -- we have these discussions every day in the clinic with parents who are just a little nervous. No parent wants to do the wrong thing. And so sometimes, it seems like doing nothing at all is a way to avoid doing the wrong thing.

You know, unfortunately, with COVID, and particularly with the delta variant, this is such a contagious disease that you're really making a choice like. Like, either you're choosing the vaccine or you're choosing the illness. And I'll tell you, hands down, the vaccine is safe, highly effective.

The virus -- we're still learning about, but it is definitely not safe and can result in some real long-term damage. So I would say, you know, bottom line, you trust your own child's pediatrician. Your pediatrician has helped you for the past five to 11 years, and you trust them to go have the conversation with your own doctor, who you trust and who you know will look out for you and your children.

WHITFIELD: And still on the overall issue of COVID vaccines, a Federal Appeals Court has temporarily halted President Biden's vaccine mandate for big businesses. Are you confident his mandate will stand ultimately?

SCHRIER: Well, I would just like to normalize the whole concept of requiring vaccines to be safe in a workplace. I would say, you know, kind of nestle that in children are required to have a whole bunch of vaccines to go to school, including against things like chickenpox and measles, both of which at this moment are far less of a danger than COVID.

I, as a doctor am required to have a whole bunch of vaccines to be able to work safely and take care of patients without putting them at risk, including getting a flu vaccine every year. Our military gets vaccinated. And so, you know, it's really -- it is the government's job to keep its nation safe, and I think that that is the context that I would look at requiring vaccines to keep all of us safe.

WHITFIELD: Congresswoman Kim Schrier, thank you so much for being with us today. Stay well.

SCHRIER: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Coming up. Customs officials at the U.S.-Mexico border are preparing for an increase in travel volume and wait time as vaccinated international travelers are once again allowed to enter the U.S.

We're live at the border next.

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[15:17:05]

WHITFIELD: Starting tomorrow, the U.S. will open its land borders to vaccinated international travelers. CNNs Priscilla Alvarez joining me now live from El Paso, Texas. So Priscilla, what will be seen starting tomorrow?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN REPORTER: Well, starting tomorrow, we expect to see more people coming into the United States via land crossings, like the one behind me as restrictions ease on nonessential travel, that is for example, visiting family or friends or tourism or visiting businesses in, for example, here in El Paso, Texas.

It's a significant moment for border communities, and now we're learning how this is going to happen. So travelers will have to show for example, proof of vaccination via digital or paper. The United States is accepting F.D.A. or W.H.O. authorized or approved vaccines. They are also exempting children under the age of 18, who will be exempt from those vaccination requirements and they will not require COVID-19 tests. This is different from air travel where they will require most tests.

Now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expecting larger travel volumes and wait times, but the overall consensus from border Mayors is that this is a positive development. Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas who represents El Paso here tells me it is quote, "A long awaited day" -- Fred

WHITFIELD: And Priscilla, President Joe Biden had strong words yesterday about the Trump administration's immigration policy. What did he say?

ALVAREZ: President Biden, again condemning that policy under the Trump administration that led to the separation of thousands of families and saying that they deserve some compensation though it's unclear what exactly. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In fact, because of the outrageous behavior of the last administration, you coming across the border, whether it was legal or illegal and you lost your child, you lost your child -- he is gone. You deserve some kind of compensation, no matter what the circumstance, what that will be, I have no idea. I have no idea. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, the President is referring there to ongoing settlement talks between attorneys of families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under Trump and the Justice Department. Republicans have seized on this, saying that the families should not be eligible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial compensation, a number that was reported last week.

We have learned since the Justice Department has told attorneys that the reported settlement figure is higher than where settlement will ultimately land. But again, Fred, these are ongoing negotiations.

WHITFIELD: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much. Vice President Kamala Harris is heading to Paris this week hoping to shore up the U.S. relationship with its oldest ally. Wednesday, Harris will hold a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Her trip comes less than two months after France temporarily recalled its Ambassador to the U.S. to protest a U.S. nuclear submarine deal with Australia.

[15:20:08]

WHITFIELD: That deal sunk France's contract to build conventional submarines for Australia. Harris will also deliver a speech at the Paris Peace Forum and also participate in the Paris conference on Libya.

Straight ahead, the role suburban moms played in Glenn Youngkin's victory on Virginia's governor's race.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tuesday's election loss in Virginia dealt a major blow to Democrats and now, Dems worry whether a similar pattern could threaten them in next year's midterms.

Pamela Brown sat down with a group of Virginia voters to ask them why they voted Republican. Here is what she learned.

[15:25:13]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAY GREENWELL, VIRGINIA VOTER: This is the first year of my life that I've ever put a yard sign up for a candidate, and I did this year. I've never done that before, never in a million years.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: So how many of you voted for Biden in the general election? Raise your hands.

BROWN (voice over): But now, all four suburban Virginia moms, a Democrat, two Independents, and one unaffiliated say they voted for Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who Tuesday night, won that seat in Virginia.

BROWN (on camera): Do you think suburban moms like you basically put Youngkin into office?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One hundred percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He knows that.

BROWN (voice over): And there's one key issue, all four of these women say played a huge part in their choosing a Republican, feeling heard about their child's education.

They spent months fighting to get kids back into school, and now, they want more done to make up for learning loss from the pandemic.

GREENWELL: The school closures were really hard for a lot of kids and one of my kids in particular really suffered when schools were closed.

SHAWNNA YASHAR, VIRGINIA VOTER: That affected my family dynamic. It affected my social circles. It affected every part of me that the kids couldn't go to school, and so, I had to figure out what can I do to make sure that that never happens again.

BROWN (on camera): And you feel like even right now, not enough is being done to address their learning loss and you deem that as a crisis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

YASHAR: Our kids are in crisis. The learning loss is real. So, we're in a situation where our kids are really far behind, and they need a lot of help. They need a lot of additional tutoring. They need a lot of additional time after school to help catch them up, and they're still not focusing on that.

It's like situation where you're in front of your house and the driveway is really dirty, but the house is also on fire, and you're using the hose to hose off the driveway instead of putting out the fire on the house.

BROWN: How much did that factor into you -- for you -- the CRT debate and everything?

DANA JACKSON, VIRGINIA VOTER: Definitely, the education the learning loss was number one for me. Everything else was below that.

BROWN: Mandates and CRT did not influence my decision at all.

YASHAR: Yes.

BROWN: How about for you, Sandra?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Mine was all about the school closures.

BROWN: How did Terry McAuliffe handle the education part of everything? GREENWELL: Well, parents were very angry during school closures at the

teachers unions, and for me the nail in the coffin was on his last day of campaigning, he brought the head of the teachers union to his rally and she spoke, and it was like someone just poked me right in the eye and said, you think you want to have a say in your education? Well, you're not going to.

YASHAR: Glenn, he listened to us. He met with us. He sent his wife to meet with special education parents and he spent a lot of one-on-one time with parents.

BROWN: Dana, do you think that's why Glenn youngest one Virginia because he made education such a centerpiece of his campaign?

JACKSON: I do. He -- we felt listened to for the first time -- or I did.

BROWN: If Terry McAuliffe had made it more of a centerpiece, made listening to parents listening to their concerns, made that more of a centerpiece of his campaign, would you have maybe voted for him instead? Or were there other concerns you had?

GREENWELL: He seemed very sort of dismissive of the general voting public.

JACKSON: Terry seem to be campaigning everywhere, but Virginia.

BIDEN: Shout for democracy, for Virginia.

BROWN (voice over): They say they were also off put by former President Obama when he came to Virginia to campaign for McAuliffe and called education issues, quote, "phony trumped up culture wars."

BROWN (on camera): Offensive in what way?

JACKSON: I just feel like, they are really tone deaf. They're really dismissive and kind of blanket statements --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: IT reminded us of the School Boards.

BROWN: They weren't looking at the concerns on the ground.

YASHAR: The concerns on the ground where we were really concerned about our kids' education, and the Democrats were not listening to that.

BROWN: And what about like in Washington with the Democrats' agenda and the back and forth and the two bills not being passed. Did that have any no sway at all on you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nope.

BROWN (voice over): Another problem in their view, the Trump factor,

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to move on from the Trump administration.

JACKSON: I felt like it was really tone deaf to just discount parents in the whole educational struggle and to you know, make it about Trump all of the time.

I mean, you know, there's a place for that, but he never really talked about what he was going to do to improve things. He just talked about how bad everyone else was, and that was a real turnoff, especially, you know, leaving our kids in the dust.

BROWN (voice over): But they admit had Trump stumped in Virginia for Youngkin, that would have been a problem.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I told him, if you bring Donald Trump over in Virginia, not I'm not helping you.

BROWN: And they say they believe the way once Biden supporting suburban moms helped propel Republican Glenn Youngkin into an unlikely victory in Virginia, it could happen again across the country for the 2022 midterms if parents continue to feel ignored about their kid's education.

BROWN (on camera): What do you think the messages to Democrats from the election results in Virginia?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to keep losing if you don't pay attention to parents.

YASHAR: They've neglected us, they neglected our kids, and they ignored parents.

BROWN: And so they're going to have to re-earn your trust.

YASHAR: Absolutely.

BROWN: It's going to take a while.

YASHAR: It's going to take a long time.

JACKSON: It's going to take a long while.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much to our Pamela Brown for that reporting. So, for Democrats, it's been a long, hard look in the mirror over the last week asking what went wrong in Virginia, and what can be learned in going forward?

Former Democratic Congressman Joe Kennedy joining me now from Boston. Congressman, so good to see you. So, what do you see as you reflect on what happened Tuesday, particularly as it pertains to Virginia? Do you think Democrats you know, need to really think hard about how they earn the trust of voters?

JOE KENNEDY (D), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: Fred, if you're not thinking about that as somebody seeking to win an election, you're not thinking about the right things, right, like that is fundamentally what this is all about.

And so obviously, that feedback from those four moms that you just highlighted is critically important, and the fact that the Democrats had thought that they were messaging and hearing and representing those concerns, and obviously, from their perspective, they weren't. And so fundamentally, there has to be a recalibration there.

I think there's two other big pieces to this. Also, one, and they detailed this in the last little bit of that segment. One of the biggest losers, potentially that night was actually President Trump, because you heard even in Virginia, them say that, if he had been more of a central figure there, that would have repelled them.

And so you've got this very interesting question for the Republican Party knowing, hey, there's a base here that still has a strong affiliation or a strong tie, emotional tie with the former President, if he gets too involved there, they are going to get repelled. And so how do you strike that balance? How does he strike that balance for somebody that hasn't been all that attuned to striking balances as far as I can tell.

WHITFIELD: What's that second thing?

KENNEDY: The second thing is that Democrats have to pay more attention in suburban and rural areas, just have to, and that isn't just a question of trying to look at turnout models and wondering whether suburban moms are going to go this way or that way.

You have to -- if you're going to be a party that says that we care about everybody and show up everywhere, you actually have to do that, and you've got to spend more time listening in communities that you haven't actually had a presence in and haven't -- or those communities feel like you haven't done your best to earn that vote, and that was a clarion call from the results that we've seen across Virginia.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that latter point you made is similar to a point that even Virginia Senator Mark Warner had to say while trying to reflect on what happened. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): I think if we could have been talking about that win and showing the kind of job creation that actually has been taking place, things might have been different.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR, "STATE OF THE UNION": Different in that you think Terry McAuliffe could have pulled off a win?

WARNER: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, this was a -- you know, the voters of Virginia and the voters of America gave us the presidency, the Senate, and the House. They expected us to produce.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So a couple of points that he made there, there, he was also talking about how important it would have been for Congress to have moved faster on at least, you know, part of that legislation, that first part of the two part legislation that Biden, you know, is counting on passing that legislation ahead of that Tuesday vote may have helped, and then of course, canvassing -- Democrats canvassing more rural and suburban areas, as opposed to concentrating so much on the more metropolitan areas.

Do you believe that passing legislation sooner would have made a difference in Virginia?

KENNEDY: Look, it certainly wouldn't have hurt, Fred. I don't know if anybody can say for certain whether that would have been the thing that turned the vote or not. But I think what you're -- what you hear from those four, again, the four moms that you highlighted a second ago was, look, Democrats might have an awful lot to point to when this year actually comes to a close between the initial rescue package that has helped vaccinate hundreds of millions of people across this country, have cut the child poverty rate, and have amongst a myriad other accomplishments, this infrastructure bill that is the largest investment in infrastructure in a generation.

This next reconciliation package that I do expect will go through, a huge boost to supply chains and industrial policy as well, to counter some of the challenges and threats we see from China, which has already passed the Senate, with I think 70 votes there. There's an enormous amount of, I think, accomplishments that this administration will be able to point to.

But what you also heard from those four individuals were saying, hey, that might be true, but I'm not hearing it with regards to the policies that impact me every day, and there is nothing more basic from a dad with two young kids than what is my kid doing today? How am I caring for him? And how can I get to work?

[15:35:17]

KENNEDY: And if you don't have those problems solved, nothing else matters. And I think what this is, it is a strong clarion call for us to say, hey, tout those accomplishments, but translate them down to a community so that they understand that those accomplishments come from their voice and their concerns. And you can't do that if you're not showing up in places, knocking on the door and saying, "What's on your mind? How can we help?" We've got to do more of that.

WHITFIELD: All right, former Congressman Joe Kennedy, so glad you could be with us today. Thank you so much. Be well.

KENNEDY: You, too.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, the funeral of Joshua Halsey in Wilmington, North Carolina, a life taken by racial violence more than 120 years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:27] WHITFIELD: This weekend, Wilmington, North Carolina took a moment to

remember one of many lives taken by racial violence more than 120 years ago. Descendants and mourners holding a funeral for Joshua Halsey. His grave was the first to be located of the untold number of African-Americans killed during the Wilmington massacre of 1898.

Then, a group of white supremacist attacked Wilmington, overthrowing the city's biracial government. I talked to Bishop William Barber yesterday ahead of his planned eulogy. Barber told me, "I don't know if I'm going to bury Josh as to resurrect his memory."

This is about educating and paying homage. CNN's Nadia Romero joining us with more on what took place yesterday and how important it was.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Fred, because so many people even who were born and raised in the City of Wilmington, didn't know this happen. We're talking about the massacre in Wilmington that happened November 10, 1898, so less than 35 years after the end of Civil War.

This was during the post reconstruction era where you had black people who would have been enslaved now being a part of city government. And historians are calling this the first coup d'etat. This is when people overthrew the government here, the city government, and essentially making it white controlled again, and so, Josh Halsey was one of those victims.

Some historians placed that number between 14 and 60 people who were murdered on that day by an angry white mob. This may sound familiar. We talked about a similar incident happening in Tulsa during the massacre there, and so now, here in Wilmington, we're learning about this massacre that happened in 1898. The community finally coming together to honor Josh Halsey, you can see so many people came out to remember him, and listen to one of his relatives talk about why it's so important to honor him on this day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They say that freedom is a constant struggle.

ELAINE CYNTHIA BROWN, SECOND GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER OF JOSHUA HALSEY: It's about feeling so it's very important to keep this story alive and keep it going. When people say that a successful coup did not happen in the U.S., this is the precedent right here. This is where it happened, and they need to know the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And so for many generations, really, it was oral history of people who survived that massacre telling their kids, their grandkids, their great grandkids what happened because the media reports of that day were not accurate as to what actually happened.

So it was oral history that kept this story alive, but really, it was the last few years that different groups came together to try to find his burial site and to honor him. And Fred, this is not an isolated event. We saw these race maskers happening, 1898 in Wilmington. Tulsa, we talked about that, and then there was Red Summer of 1919.

So, so many times we've seen in this history, this coordinated attack to silence black Americans after the Civil War, so they would not be able to prosper.

WHITFIELD: Right, so many examples. You don't know the history, history can be repeated.

All right, Nadia Romero, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

We'll be right back.

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[15:48:31]

WHITFIELD: All right, tonight, Lisa Ling is back with an all-new episode of "This is Life." And this week, Lisa looks at the relentless violence the City of Chicago is experiencing today and how it has roots in race riots from 100 years ago. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA LING, CNN HOST, "THIS IS LIFE" (voice over): Miss Juanita Mitchell was just seven years old at the time of the riots in 1919. But she has never forgotten the terror.

LING (on camera): Miss Juanita, what do you remember about the race riot?

JUANITA MITCHELL, WITNESSED 1919 RIOTS: Rice riots? All of a sudden, we're in the living room, and I heard them say, "Here they come." And when they said, "Here they come," it meant the white people who were running down the road, coming this way, coming --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Towards your house and the other homes.

MITCHELL: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that was scary for you?

MITCHELL: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us right now is the host of "This is Life," Lisa Ling with us now. I mean, to have her account -- I mean, Miss Juanita -- that is just so extraordinary. This memory is really kind of etched, you know for so many and it has helped to shape a lot of Chicago today.

LING: That's right, Fredricka. It was so eerie to hear her recount those details and it was still so present and graphic for her.

[15:50:09] LING: You know, these days, when we hear or read anything about

Chicago, often we hear about the violence and it's easy to dismiss it as a gang on gang crime. But you can literally draw a line from something that happened on a hot summer day in 1919 to what is happening today, and on that hot summer day, a young man was killed after getting hit by a rock, and his death ignited this multi-day race riot that Miss Juanita recalls so vividly, in which 38 people were killed, hundreds were injured.

And in the aftermath of that riot, these lines were drawn, and those lines still exist in Chicago today, and these are lines that prohibit and have for a hundred years black people from living in in certain parts of town. And it also has prevented them from being able to move into different parts of town. And they've been part of the move to how as black people in housing projects, and then eventually, those housing projects were destroyed, and so many people have been displaced.

Thousands of residents of Chicago have been relocated to neighborhoods that may have had existing tensions or just neighborhoods they've been unfamiliar with. And this, like systematic effort to prevent the free movement of black people into many communities still exists today.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So, so many different circumstances, but at the same time, you say there are correlations and you talked to people who make those correlations. You spoke to a number of people who live on the south side of Chicago, including gang members, and public housing residents. So what are they telling you about their experiences and perspectives, and what commonalities there are?

LING: Well, they do draw those lines. I mean, after that horrific race riot, you might think that things -- that there would be more of a move to integrate communities, but that's not what happened. And it is fair to say that every family in the south side of Chicago has been affected by the violence. I mean, it is a community that is literally living in fear every day, living in trauma and fear.

The streets, so many of the streets down in that part of town are just lined with funeral homes and liquor stores. And there are so few, if any, safe places for young people to recreate. And, you know, it's no exaggeration to say that danger literally lurks everywhere.

I mean, there are just incredibly devastating stories.

WHITFIELD: All right, Lisa Ling, thank you so much for bringing us, you know, a look at reality in Chicago today and with reference of hundred years ago. We'll be watching tonight.

Be sure to tune in to an all-new episode of "This is Life" with Lisa Ling. It airs tonight at 10:00 p.m., only on CNN.

And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta right after this.

But first, in this week's "Mission Ahead," a first of its kind treatment. Goggles that helped a blind man see after 40 years. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL CRANE, CNN BUSINESS INNOVATIONS AND SPACE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These goggles helped a blind man see for the first time in decades. This 58-year-old started losing his sight as a teenager from a genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa or RP.

Most who suffer from RP lose their vision permanently, but a first of its kind treatment from biotech company, GenSight Biologics suggests that some sight can be restored.

DR. JOSE ALAIN SAHEL, COFOUNDER, GENSIGHT BIOLOGICS: What I heard from the patient is that this is giving them the impression that the eye is alive again.

CRANE (voice over): Using a technique called optogenetics, scientists genetically modify retinal cells, making them sensitive to amber light. Then the patient wears custom goggles embedded with a specialized camera that transforms images from the real world into pulses of amber light that are beamed directly into the eye. But researchers weren't sure if patients could interpret this new visual language into sight.

After seven months, they had a breakthrough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to try to point it out. Not sure about the distance. There.

SAHEL: So the patient was able to grab the object to point to them and to count.

CRANE (voice over): Because of the pandemic, GenSight conducted its study with just one patient. But experts still believe the limited results are significant.

EHUD ISACOFF, DIRECTOR, BERKELEY'S HELEN WILLS NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE: This is a very, very convincing result, even though it is only one patient. And now, the effort will be focused on which method of this kind is the best. How can you refine it? Will you be able to recognize the face of somebody? Will you be able to read?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does it feel? Too tight? Too loose? You're good?

CRANE (voice over): Nine patients are currently testing GenSight's treatment and the company is working to expand the clinical trial.

[15:55:04]

SAHEL: It is a golden era for many conditions that nobody thought we could treat, so sometimes we should be a bit more optimistic in life than what we are.

CRANE (voice over): Rachel Crane, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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