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Protest In Several Cities Following Acquittal Of Kyle Rittenhouse; Build Back Better Plan Clears House, Heads For Senate; CDC Approves COVID Booster Shots For All Adults; Police Fatally Shot Man In Crisis, Parents Call For Investigation; Crew From Fox News Embedded With Rittenhouse Defense During Trial; TSA Says 2.2 Million Passengers Screened Friday But Bad Weather Expected Amid Holiday Travel. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired November 20, 2021 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Police declared a riot after they said demonstration demonstrators rather forced open the gate to the county's downtown jail and threw bottles and other objects at police.
Authorities say demonstrators also caused damage to some city buildings. CNN's Natasha Chen is in Kenosha, Wisconsin for us.
So Natasha we're also hearing from Kyle Rittenhouse for the first time since the verdict. What more is he saying?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, he was appearing in a short clip that was part of a promotional trailer airing on Tucker Carlson show on Fox News last night, he seemed to be wearing the same clothes from when he was in court when the verdict was read, so this camera seemingly was following him afterward to get his reaction.
During the court process of when the jury read that verdict, we did see images of him really breaking down and his attorney said that he told his lawyer thank you, but that he was still taking it all in.
Here's this short clip from the trailer showing a little bit of his thoughts after the fact.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYLE RITTENHOUSE, ACQUITTED IN KENOSHA SHOOTINGS TRIAL: The jury reached the correct verdict. Self Defense is not illegal. And I believe they came to the correct verdict. And I'm glad that everything went well. It's been a rough journey, but we made it through it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: His attorney told us that he was wanting to get on with his life and that he would likely move away from this area.
Now, as far as the reaction from the community, right now, there's a small group actually gathered outside of the courthouse at the bottom of the steps.
They're not really doing any marching per se but we did hear them sort of shouting and calling for police accountability.
The family of Jacob Blake was also out here yesterday after the verdict was read.
Remember, he -- Jacob Blake is the black man that Kenosha police shot, and he is now paralyzed from the waist down.
That incident is what spurred these protests where Rittenhouse clashed with protesters, to begin with.
And the family of Jacob Blake called this the hole in -- the whole verdict very emotional and disheartening. Of course, they're also calling for Blake's case to be reopened.
So a lot here -- is still very tense in the community, but as far as protesting goes, a lot of local leaders all the way up to national leaders, including the President himself, asked for people to express their views in a peaceful way.
And at least in the Kenosha community, they definitely followed that and it's been pretty quiet since yesterday, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Natasha Chen, thank you so much in Kenosha.
All right, a lot to talk about here. We're joined now by Larry Seidlin, he's a former Florida Circuit Court Judge who presided over the Anna Nicole Smith case. Judge Seidlin, good to see you again.
LARRY SEIDLIN, FORMER FLORIDA CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE: Thanks for having me.
WHITFIELD: So let's reevaluate here. Not guilty on all counts, but it took days for the jurors to come to that conclusion. What do you think most influenced their decision?
SEIDLIN: The testimony of the witnesses, the -- and the testimony of the defendant was very powerful. They prepared him.
The defense attorney had two mock juries saying with one that he's going to testify, and with another mock jury that he's not going to testify.
They spent a fortune on his defense, they spent over $2 million they raised for him, or maybe more, they had the best lawyers and money makes a difference when you're in a trial.
You get great litigation with the right amount of the bucks. You get a bang for your bucks.
WHITFIELD: So you see, I mean, you're underscoring how you believe the defense had a great advantage in this case.
How unusual or is this typical to have this kind of mock jury, you know, trials so that you can best examine -- so that you have a legal team that can best examine the jurors, what they might be thinking from, you know, their backgrounds, how this might influence even the outcome?
SEIDLIN: It's rare. I practice law. Most people can't come up with 5000, $10,000. So you -- they spent unlimited money.
This was like the federal government. When the U.S. Attorney presents a case, they have unlimited funds. Here, the defense had unlimited funds which gives them tremendous support.
The state attorney had limited funds. And the state attorney did not try this case. He picked an assistant state attorney because he knew the facts were very difficult to prove and he had to find a prosecutor that would fall on his own sword that, for the good of the office, he found the prosecutor that would try the case for him.
[13:05:00]
WHITFIELD: You thought you -- then you see that as the detriment to the prosecution's case?
SEIDLIN: Yes, yes. The prosecutor had a very small chance of getting a conviction. This case had all these political overtones.
You had a kid 17 years old, going to a place where there's looting, there's rioting, there's ousting, and he's running around with a rifle. And the prosecutors were under enormous pressure to file charges against Rittenhouse.
And then as the case unfolded, the case just kept getting weaker and weaker.
When you're a prosecutor -- I used to be a prosecutor, you take a case that strong. The cases that are weak, you try to plea bargain those. The strong cases, you go to trial, so you look like a hero, so you get a winning record.
This case, the defense wasn't going to take any lesser included charges and he just couldn't do it, this prosecutor. He had weak facts.
WHITFIELD: So, let's talk about the jury instructions and what was stated too. I mean, all those points are fantastic that you made.
But I wonder here with -- among the instructions, the defendant may intentionally use force which is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm only if the defendant reasonably believed that the force used was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself.
You already stated that you believe the defendant's testimony, Kyle Rittenhouse's testimony, was pivotal here. Is it the case that his defense really cemented those instructions for the juries -- for the jurors? SEIDLIN: Yes. His defense was potent, powerful. And the prosecutor had the burden, had the threshold to have to prove that self-defense wasn't self-defense beyond the reasonable doubt.
The prosecutor had to disprove the theory of the defense attorney, had to show there wasn't self-defense, and that he provoked this violence, that Rittenhouse was walking around with a rifle pointing it, and he had to disprove it.
Then you had a terrible witness, the guy that got shot in the arm saying that he pointed a gun at Rittenhouse.
And then the one other guy that was killed by Rittenhouse has mental disorders. He was very aggressive, very mentally ill, and he wasn't helpful either on that video.
And the third person that was -- the third individual that ultimately died, he also had certain mental disorders.
Here you have looting, rioting, ousting, taking place after a number of days. Who's walking those streets at that point?
You're not going to have those people at your Thanksgiving dinner, the ones walking the streets. You're not going to have Rittenhouse at your Thanksgiving dinner. You want him sitting at your dinner with a rifle in his arm?
WHITFIELD: So I wonder, when you reflect here, the judge's decision not to sequester the jury. How do you believe that impacted deliberations?
Do you feel like the jurors are likely very disciplined that they're not reading or listening to analysts or do you feel that they are able to take it all in and it could influence how they make their decisions?
SEIDLIN: You make a great point. The jury should have been sequestered, should be secluded from the world around them because family members, friends, the TV's, the newspapers, they're going to somehow leak into the jury. They should be sequestered.
But the problem is the court administrator in that area is going to say we don't have the funds to put them in a hotel. We don't have the funds to get them food.
And in a case like this that has such significance in America, the jury should have been sequestered. Yes, should have been kept together with no outside influences taking place.
Even though you're telling the jury hey, don't be reading anything, don't be watching anything, this 12 of those jurors, maybe one violated that rule.
WHITFIELD: Judge Larry Seidlin, always a pleasure having, you thank you so much.
SEIDLIN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And happy Thanksgiving.
All right, still ahead. President Biden celebrating his birthday with a big victory, a key part of his agenda cleared the U.S. House and is now on its way to the U.S. Senate. We're live at the White House next.
[13:10:00]
WHITFIELD: And later, the CDC approves COVID booster shots for all Americans, the impact of that decision on a potential winter surge in cases.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, a key part of President Biden's agenda is now on its way to the U.S. Senate.
After months of divisions between progressives and moderates, Democrats came together Friday and pass the President's Build Back Better Plan.
The $1.9 trillion spending bill includes a major expansion of the social safety net as well as money to address the climate crisis. But the bill now faces an uncertain future in the U.S. Senate.
Daniella Diaz is on Capitol Hill for us, and also at the White House, Arlette Saenz.
Let me -- let's begin with you Arlette, the President got an early birthday president -- present rather with this victory. So how confident is he now that the bill will pass in the Senate?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the President is hoping to build off the momentum of that bill passing in the House but it is not a done deal and will be a heavy lift to get passed in the Senate.
[13:15:00]
SAENZ: Now, while the House version contains some major campaign promises, like universal pre-K and billions of dollars for climate funding, it also includes some other proposals that may eventually be stripped out in order to get all 50 senators on board. That includes paid family leave, which is a top White House priority.
But take a listen to President Biden yesterday, who acknowledged the long road ahead and also said that he is ready to sign whatever bill the Senate sets as away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Build Back Better plan, now that it's passed the House when do you expect it to land on your desk?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I don't know. It's going to take a while to get through the Senate, I think probably after Thanksgiving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you sign it if it doesn't contain paid family leave?
BIDEN: I will sign it period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now, as this bill makes its way to the Senate, there are various concerns within the Democratic Party that need to be addressed.
You have moderates like Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, one of those people who's at pay to that paid family leave provision, there's also on the other end of the Democratic Party, Bernie Sanders, who has concerns about the state and local tax deductions.
But the White House has insisted that President Biden will remain engaged with each of these lawmakers throughout the process.
There have already been conversations with senior White House officials and those Senators and their teams as they are hoping to get this bill across the finish line and make those campaign promises that President Biden made back in 2010 -- '20, turn them into reality, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette at the White House. Daniella on Capitol Hill, what's next?
DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Fred, now that the House has passed this bill, this is, of course, just the first step of this very long process that is passing the second part of Joe Biden's domestic agenda.
Now it goes to the Senate where they are likely going to pare back this bill because of what Arlette was saying Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a moderate Democratic senator wanting to bring that price tag down.
The House version of this bill included paid leave, a provision that Senator Joe Manchin has said he does not support. He also is critical of several climate provisions in this bill.
There's more than $500 billion in the House version for -- toward combating climate change. And of course, remember, Joe Manchin is from a coal state.
So now it's up to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to unite all Democrats, including Joe Manchin. Also Kyrsten Sinema, another wildcard moderate Democrat in the Senate to get behind this bill.
Because they want to pass this bill using a process called budget reconciliation which means they just need 51 votes instead of the usual 60 to pass this bill.
So every single Democratic Senator needs to get behind this legislation, so Democrats need Senator Joe Manchin support this.
But as Arlette was saying, the goal here is to pass this bill before Christmas. That is what Senator -- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been saying again, and again, he's hoping that this bill passes the Senate. Of course, it's going to have to go back to the House for a final vote.
And progressives are not happy with the fact that some of these provisions are going to get stripped in during Senate negotiations.
So the bottom line here is really unclear right now how this proceeds the next couple of weeks, but I can guarantee it's going to be very, very busy here, Fred.
WHITFIELD: It's going to be a tenuous time. At Daniela Diaz, Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. Clearly, we're all on the same wavelength because of our color choices. No, folks at home, we did not plan this. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
All right, thank you so much. All right, coming up, new COVID cases are increasing to levels not seen in more than a month. What does that mean for families traveling with children this holiday season? We'll talk to a pediatrician, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:20:00]
WHITFIELD: All right, every adult in America is now eligible for a booster shot as the country looks to avoid a winter wave of cases that some experts say is already here.
This is the map behind those concerns -- COVID concerns. Half of all states are trending the wrong way as it pertains to this pandemic as we get closer to yet again, averaging 100,000 COVID cases a day nationwide.
Nadia Romero joining us now from a vaccination site here in Atlanta. So Nadia, how are things going today? Are there are a lot of people interested in getting a booster?
NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Fredricka, we spoke with the CEO and founder of Viral Solutions here in Atlanta, he then says almost exclusively the adults coming in are getting their third shot that booster shot.
And we know that just yesterday, the CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, gave her seal of approval endorsing the recommendation for all adults 18 and over who have had their Pfizer or Moderna and are fully vaccinated to get their booster shot six months later. And it's in perfect timing, right?
Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, before so many families get together to travel, so you can see behind me, we've got multiple lines going of people getting their COVID-19 testing, getting their vaccination shots, getting that vaccine, and then also getting the boosters.
We spoke with a woman who said that she's just so nervous, and she was so worried last year about being with her family that this time around, she wanted to enjoy herself with her family indoors, and so she came today to get her booster shot.
But we are already in what many health experts are calling a winter wave of cases. Listen to one expert say what we're experiencing right now.
[13:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN, NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: We're starting to see now the beginning of that winter wave. We've had a 14 percent increase in cases over the last week.
We're about to go yet again over 100,000 new cases a day and it's starting up in the northern Midwest, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan. So that's very concerning that the winter wave is now upon us and now starting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMERO: And the TSA today is saying that they're breaking a record for travelers during the pandemic, so you can tell that people are very eager, Fredricka, to get back with their families.
And around this time last year, there was a poll that came out, 61 percent of Americans back in 2020, said that they were anxious, they were nervous, and they were changing or limiting their Thanksgiving plans.
So, so many people right now that pent up demand to see their families, enjoy turkey day altogether, but you can now get that booster shot and do it safely. Fred.
WHITFIELD: A lot more people getting together. Still a little bit of anxiety out there but glad that folks were able to get together safely. Nadia Romero, thank you so much.
All right, Dr. Jennifer Shu is a Pediatrician and the Editor of baby and child health. Dr. Shu, so good to see you.
So yes, as of in the past couple of weeks, lots of kids are now vaccinated with one shot, but still many are not. So what's your advice to families who might be traveling during this holiday period?
DR. JENNIFER SHU, PEDIATRICIAN: So my advice is it's not too late to get that first shot in. Over 2.6 million children from the ages of five to 11 have already gotten their first shot, so they're well on their way to being protected.
If you want to travel safely, the best thing to do is to be fully vaccinated. And if you're not fully vaccinated, it might be worthwhile to test 1-3 days prior to seeing your loved ones over the holidays.
WHITFIELD: All right at 2.6 million, that's impressive, but what they're like 28 million who are eligible, you know, in the kid's category across the country, so a long way to go.
But let's look about you know, how -- in the future, how these booster shots, perhaps for all the adults who are now eligible, how it might help?
SHU: So the booster shots are definitely helping it. And I think the 12 to 17-year-old age group has stepped up also, over 15 million of them have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.
And so in the United States, about 70 percent of people have at least one dose of vaccine, and worldwide, almost 7.7 billion doses have been given. So I think people can feel comfortable that the vaccine is very safe and effective.
WHITFIELD: Germany has a higher vaccination rate than the U.S. but they're doing -- they're going through a record spike right now. How worried are you about that happening here in the U.S.?
SHU: Yes, I'm definitely concerned. This month, I've seen more children with COVID or exposed to COVID than I have since the beginning of the Delta variant back in July mostly these are in unvaccinated children.
These families have been so strong up until now, I just encourage them to hang in there, keep doing the things like masking, don't go to school or work or daycare if you're sick, that kind of thing.
Use your common sense. We can't take away those layers of protection yet, especially since the young ones aren't fully vaccinated yet.
WHITFIELD: And perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself, we're not even finished with this year and then a lot of folks were going to get their booster shots and kids getting their second shots, etcetera.
But what do you think we should anticipate for next year? Are we talking about, you know, getting a COVID vaccine annually or do you think the, you know, rules of engagement are going to change next year?
SHU: It's quite possible that everyone will need an annual shot just like we do with the flu.
My hope is that once the little babies, six months and up can also get vaccinated, that might be a game-changer. So it really remains to be seen.
So I think for now the important thing is if you're eligible, go ahead and get vaccinated ASAP.
WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Jennifer Shu, always good to see you, happy Thanksgiving holiday.
SHU: Thank you, you too.
WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead. The parents of a 9-year-old killed by police while suffering a mental health crisis are calling for an independent investigation into the events that led to his death.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:33:46]
WHITFIELD,: Parents of a 19-year-old man fatally shot by police want an independent investigation into his death.
Christian Hall was in a mental-health crisis when Pennsylvania State Police shot and killed him last December. The nearly two-hour standoff was caught on camera during which police claim Hall appeared to point a firearm in their direction.
CNN's Polo Sandoval joining me now with the latest on this.
Polo, what does the video appear to show?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christian Hall's parents maintain that this video that they obtained recently after a subpoena was issued further demonstrates that their 19-year-old son's hands were up in the air at the time of that shooting on December 30th.
Of course, police maintain, as you clearly see, that he had what appeared to be a weapon in one of those hands. And that is why his parents are asking for state investigators and federal investigators to look into the issue.
We want to walk viewers through the video. It's certainly not easy to watch. But it paints somewhat of a clear picture to what happened nearly eleven months ago.
Initially, Pennsylvania state troopers were responding to a call of what was described as a distraught and suicidal man on a bridge.
We later found out that Mr. Hall was experiencing what us being described as a mental-health emergency.
And in it, you can see troopers negotiating with Hall. In fact, the negotiations lasted almost two hours.
[13:35:03]
Initially, according to investigators, he complies with the officers, puts the weapon down, but then becomes uncooperative.
And that's when another angle picks up here. You see him ignoring those orders, those repeated orders to drop that weapon, which we later found out was a pellet gun. It was manufactured to look like a semi-automatic weapon.
And that's when police opened fire, shooting and killing the 19-year- old. Now right after that shooting, law enforcement said that the shooting
was justified, that at one point, he points that firearm towards the officers.
Now, we should mention, it's not very clear, even in the unblurred version, whether or not he points to the officers but his parents maintain he did not.
Three months after the December shooting, the district attorney released their findings and a blurred version of that video.
And basically saying, because of Hall's continued possession of that firearm and his continued advancement towards the officers, then that the officers were left with no choice but to open fire.
Again, his parents maintain that more could have been done to bring this to a peaceful end. That's why they are calling on the FBI, the Department of Justice to launch a civil rights investigation.
And also calling on the Pennsylvania attorney general to look into the matter to provide an objective view of the investigation. And finally, they're calling on more training.
When it comes to the Monroe County district attorney's office, they have not commented after this most recently development.
And as for law enforcement, mainly, Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol, they did say that they cannot comment further until this is out of active litigation.
But they did assure CNN that they do have ongoing training for their officers with respect to various mental health topics -- Fred?
WHITFIELD: That's a pretty sad situation.
All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.
SANDOVAL: Thank you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Coming up, Kyle Rittenhouse's attorney says he did not approve the FOX News crew that was embedded with the defense team and filming a documentary about the trial.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:41:44]
WHITFIELD: One of the biggest surprises of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial perhaps came after the verdict when it was revealed a Tucker Carlson crew was embedded with the defense team and filming a documentary the entire time.
Here's Rittenhouse himself reacting to the verdict in part of that footage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KYLE RITTENHOUSE, ACQUITTED IN KENOSHA SHOOTING TRIAL: The jury reached the correct verdict. Self-defense is not illegal. And I believe that they came to the correct verdict. And I'm glad everything went well. It's been a rough journey but we made it through it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Last night, Rittenhouse's attorney said he didn't like the Tucker Carlson crew being there but was basically powerless to stop it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RICHARDS, ATTORNEY FOR KYLE RITTENHOUSE: I did not approve of that. I threw them out of the room several times.
They were -- and I'm not suggesting that FOX or some other network. I don't think a film crew is appropriate for something like this.
But the people who were raising the money to pay for the experts and to pay for the attorneys were trying to raise money and that was part of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So CNN chief media correspondent and anchor of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter, with me now.
The attorney, Mark Richards, didn't like the idea but those who are raising money, I guess, gave the OK, the green light for this crew to be there.
So do you know a little bit more about how this came to be?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Well, so far, FOX is not commenting on the circumstances around this.
I'm told no money actually changed hands between FOX and the Rittenhouse defense team.
But this is a very curious situation. Very rare to see that a film crew was embedded during a trial.
You see in the movie trailer for the documentary, the so-called documentary, they have footage of Rittenhouse falling asleep on the couch. You have him as a young person in the middle of a media circus, in the middle of a tragic aftermath, and we see him living his life.
And I presume this documentary in September will be a sympathetic look at this individual. But it is very rare to see it has gone down this way.
And now FOX is promoting both an interview with Rittenhouse on Monday and then a documentary next month.
You know, you hear the attorney there, telling Chris Cuomo this is not the way he wanted it to be, but the funders wanted it.
That indicates, because this defense was crowd sourced, that now they want to have a documentary to show what happened. You know, almost like a -- almost like giving the donors some sort of reward or a response for their donations.
WHITFIELD: So there still are questions around a real conflict for FOX News since Tucker Carlson works for FOX News, and it's Tucker Carlson's name that is being applied to the crew.
So who --
STELTER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- or what entity gets to the bottom of whether there's a real conflict here as it pertains to FOX News?
[13:44:58]
STELTER: Right, and that's a good point. It's a Tucker program, not FOX's newsroom. It wasn't like a FOX journalist assigned to go to Kenosha who was working on this.
It was Tucker Carlson who, of course, comes with incendiary opinion and commentary and is really operating on his own within the FOX universe.
Look, they are trying to build up a streaming service. And this is ultimately about trying to get people to sign up for the documentary and pay money on a streaming service.
You think about some of the commercial interests in effect here. Both commercial interests apparently from these donors, who want to see what happened with their money, and commercial interests for FOX News.
And what we see more broadly, Fred, as you have been talking about, is this valorization of Kyle Rittenhouse. Not that he is innocent but he's being valorized and promoted and celebrated by many in right-wing media, including like Tucker Carlson.
I think what we see with the documentary promoted for next month is this is going to go on for a while, that this trial is over, but Rittenhouse is not going away.
And as I said, no comment yet from FOX. The official word is no money changed hands.
But I have a lot of questions and I think others do, too, about the circumstances around this.
WHITFIELD: Right. And among those questions about, you know, how knowing that there was this attention or documentary effort around Kyle Rittenhouse. I mean, that's not typical for any defendant.
And I wonder how that also played into the posture of the defendant during the trial, knowing that there was this interest, there was this pursuit of a documentary, even well before there was a verdict.
STELTER: Right. That's right. That's very interesting. It's sort of -- we have only seen now on the surface. Ad I guess, in the days and weeks to come, we'll see the rest of it.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Brian Stelter. Pretty fascinating stuff. Appreciate it.
STELTER: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: Of course, we'll be watching you tomorrow as well.
STELTER: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, the first day of the Thanksgiving travel period is already breaking pandemic records, but inclement weather could impact travel plans during holiday.
But first, is there life on another planet? Humanity is closer to getting that answer than ever before.
The new CNN film, "THE HUNT FOR PLANET B," follows the team of female- led scientists who are leading the quest to find another earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anyone wants to know why there's life out there, I guess, because we're kind of a lonely species.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we started, we didn't even know if there were any planets beyond our solar system. And our own Milky Way Galaxy, we have hundreds of billions of stars.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Another earth is undoubtedly out there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the huge eye in the sky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to seep deeper into space than any other telescope in history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have enough sensitivity to detect a child's night light on the moon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Part of the point of looking out there for life is to realize just how valuable the life is that we have here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're betting on the fact that life can originate and evolve anywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we expect to see?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a lot more searching to do.
ANNOUNCER: The quest for another earth begins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there's life out there. Can we find them in my lifetime? God, I hope so.
ANNOUNCER: "THE HUNT FOR PLANET B" premieres tonight at 9:00.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[13:52:58]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brough Brothers Distillery is Kentucky's first African-American-owned distillery. We are three brothers, Victor, Chris, Bryson Yarbrough, who founded Brough Brother's Distillery.
One of the great things that makes Brough Brother's unique is that it's one of the very few bourbons that you can really mix in a cocktail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you look at Brough Brother's bottle, you see Louisville and Kentucky's heritage come to life. Representations of horse racing, wildlife, basketball, boxing.
You want to share it with family, friends and loved ones. Which that's what our brand is about. It's brining everyone together. Making the stranger your friend.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kentucky is the bourbon capitol of the world. And 95 percent of the world's bourbon is manufactured in Kentucky.
Being from Louisville, we wanted to be able to bring economic investment back into the more economically depressed areas so we located our distillery right in the heart of Louisville's west end to bring more investment and to give economic opportunities to the community around us.
We want our communities to be proud of the work we're doing. We're in 30 states, international and in the U.K. We're already working on expansion.
So we hope our business will bring people of all races and creeds together, fellowship over a drink and enjoy life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. Cheers.
The TSA says more than 2.2 million people were screened at airports nationwide yesterday, the first official day of the Thanksgiving travel period.
That's the highest volume since travel came to a trickle at the beginning of the pandemic. Unfortunately for some, the weather may not cooperate for their holiday travel.
Allison Chinchar is in the CNN Weather Center.
Allison, what's going on out there?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I know that not everybody has flexibility when it comes to travel. But if you did, today was probably going to be the nicest day of the next five days, really, when you talk about widespread locations for the U.S.
Today, the travel spots are going to be limited across south Florida with some showers and thunderstorms and snow showers across the intermountain west. Otherwise, relatively benign conditions across the U.S.
[13:55:00]
But that changes tomorrow. We get a new system that's going to start across areas of the Midwest and continue to slide off to the northeast.
And even impacting cities like Atlanta, D.C., New York, very late Sunday and transferring into early on Monday.
That is going to likely lead to not only some airline delays, but also some traffic backups on the roadways.
Here's a look at Monday. We talked about the big cities on the east coast likely having some delays early in the morning because that's really the target point there.
That system finally pushes out late Monday. But by Tuesday, we're starting to watch the second system that's going to be pushing through.
By the time we get to Wednesday, now it's really starting to take hold across the Midwest. Then it continues to make its way right around Thanksgiving day, stretching from Michigan all the way back towards Texas.
We're not just talking rain and snow. Wind is going to be a really big factor with some of these storms.
Here's a look at Tuesday. The secondary system we talked about, watch as it slides to the east. Those winds really start to ramp back up.
And that's a concern for when you're driving, but especially in terms of flying. Air traffic likely to see big delays Wednesday and Thursday, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, even stretching down towards Dallas.
So do keep that in mind because the winds will continue to spread even as we go later into the day Wednesday and Thursday. Places like Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, even Indianapolis likely to pick up so delays as well, Fred. So again, this is going to be kind of a multi-day thing. If you've got
some flexibility, pay very close attention to the forecast and maybe pack some patience along with your bags.
WHITFIELD: Yes, very potentially rocky journeys.
All right, thank you so much, Allison Chinchar, in the CNN Weather Center.
On to Detroit now. And this week, the city celebrated the 100th birthday of retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson, a member of the Tuskegee airmen.
The city announced it is creating a plaza and statue on the field where Jefferson flew model airplanes as a child. Jefferson was also given a key to the city.
As a young airman, Jefferson flew with the Red Tails, who escorted bombers as they flew missions across Europe.
After leaving the armed forces, he later became a teacher and vice principal in Detroit public schools, a leader throughout his lifetime.
The Tuskegee airmen were a group of primarily African-American aviators, the first in the United States armed forces.
Now he is a centenarian. And there are very few others who have reached that milestone. Only a small number of the Tuskegee airmen remain.
And we salute you, Lieutenant Alexander Jefferson.
All right, also, tonight, is there life on another planet? Humanity is closer than ever before to getting that answer.
Tonight, at 9:00 p.m., the CNN film "THE HUNT FOR PLANET B" follows the team of female-led scientists who are leading the quest to find perhaps another earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anyone wants to know why there's life out there. I guess, it's because we're kind of a lonely species.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we started, we didn't even know if there were any planets beyond our solar system.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In our own Milky Way Galaxy, we have hundreds of billions of stars. Another earth is undoubtedly out there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the huge eye in the sky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to see deeper into space than any other telescope in history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have the sensitivity to detect a child's night light on the moon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Part of the point of looking out there for life is to realize just how valuable the life is that we have here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're betting on the fact that life can originate and evolve anywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we expect to see?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a lot more searching to do.
ANNOUNCER: The quest for another earth begins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there's life out there. Can we find them in my lifetime? God, I hope so.
ANNOUNCER: "THE HUNT FOR PLANET B" premieres tonight at 9:00.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
We start with the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Strong reactions pouring in from across the country.
On Friday, a jury acquitting the teenager on all charges for killing two people and shooting another during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year.
Relief for Rittenhouse there, but outrage from many others.
This morning, the father of one of the men Rittenhouse killed had this to say about the verdict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HUBER, FATHER OF ANTHONY HUBER: I'm just -- we're still in shock here, you know? That guy gets to run free and he's now -- he's now a hero.
[13:59:51]
And this is my son right here. This is Anthony, you know? We lost our son. And there's no justice right now for our family and there's no closure.
And there wasn't going to be justice in that Kenosha court with that judge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
