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Biden, Ukrainian President Speak Amid Russia Invasion Fears; China: Diplomatic Boycott Nations Will "Pay The Price"; COVID-19 Surge Overwhelms Michigan Hospitals; Alleged Racist Tweets Among Police Spark Investigation In CA; Senators Grill Instagram CEO Over Effects On Young People. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired December 09, 2021 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[14:30:21]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: President Biden just spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky as Ukraine braces for a potential Russian invasion.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: CNN's Kaitlan Collins is at the White House for us.
Kaitlan, do we know what they said in this phone call?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We can see the phone call happening. We could not hear the phone call, unfortunately.
But of course, this is a call that is coming two days after President Biden spoke with the Russian president for two hours and one minute with the main topic being Ukraine, and the fears of a Russian invasion there.
And so, today was a call, really, to offer reassurances. You've seen the White House do so publicly but also to debrief him on how that conversation went.
And you can imagine the Ukrainians have a lot of questions.
Because one thing that Putin has made clear, that he wanted to make clear to Biden in their call the other day was they don't want Ukraine getting anywhere near NATO, that military alliance that Biden was talking about yesterday.
Reminding people that Ukraine is not part of it. Therefore, if Russia does invade Ukraine, you're not going to see the U.S. going unilaterally into Ukraine when it comes to combat troops or anything of that matter.
So, I do think that Ukraine is looking to see how is the U.S. balancing this? How are they threading this needle and what is the outcome that the White House is expecting?
Because as of Tuesday, they said their assessment was still that Putin had not made a decision about what to do with those troops he's amassed on the border there.
CAMEROTA: OK, Kaitlan Collins, thank you for the update.
Meanwhile, China is lashing out at the United States and other countries over that diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
A government spokesman says, quote, "The U.S., Australia, U.K., and Canada used the Olympics for political manipulation. They must also pay the price for their mistaken acts."
BLACKWELL: On Tuesday, the White House announced that the U.S. will not send an official delegation to Beijing in protest against China's human rights violations.
And several allies have since announced diplomatic boycotts as well. But France says it will not participate. Won't be one of the nations boycotting.
Athletes, though, from boycotting countries will still compete.
On Capitol Hill, a farewell to the long-time Republican Senator Bob Dole. His wife, also a former Senator, Elizabeth Dole, and their daughter, Robin, said good-bye as he -- lied in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
In a ceremony just a short time ago, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell and President Biden all paid their respects.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The sentence, "Bob belongs here." He, too, was a giant of our history. That's not hyperbole. It's real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Bob Dole was a World War II hero, former presidential candidate, giant of the Senate. He died Sunday at the age of 98.
CAMEROTA: All right, well, parts of the Midwest are seeing a surge in coronavirus infections. Hospitalizations in Michigan are up. The hospitals are overwhelmed with patients. We're on the ground to bring it to you from east Lansing, next.
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[14:37:56]
CAMEROTA: Hospitals in several states continue to struggle as cases of COVID surge.
BLACKWELL: It's especially worrisome in Michigan. Hospitals there are overwhelmed. The medical staff say they are burned out.
Now, the state set a pandemic record this week for hospitalizations. Health officials are just begging people to get vaccinated.
CNN's Miguel Marquez is at a hospital in east Lansing that's grappling with this fourth wave of COVID.
Miguel, you've been to so many hospitals during this pandemic. Describe what you have seen inside this one.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we were at this hospital, actually, in April during its third wave of coronavirus.
It's the fourth wave now, and it is worse. The anxiety, the stress, it's literally on the faces of the nurses, the doctors, the people who clean the floors, that clean the rooms.
We spoke to one nurse who was so stressed out, she had a panic attack when she pulled into the parking lot of work.
We spoke to another that told us how stress manifests itself in her life.
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DANIELLE WILIAMS, COVID UNIT NURSE, SPARROW HEALTH SYSTEM: It used to just be on the days I'd come to work, I'd be stressed out, but now it carries over to knowing I have to come into work and do this.
I love my job. I love what I do and I can't see myself doing anything else. But it's just the heaviness that it is here.
And working in these situations with these people, who, before they walked in the door, they had a normal life. They were healthy people. They were out celebrating Thanksgiving.
And then, now they're here with a mask on their face, teary-eyed, staring at me, asking me if they're going to live or not. Desperation. And it's heartbreaking.
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MARQUEZ: I want to give you one quick number. The Health and Hospital Association here in Michigan says that, in the last month, the last 30 days, the number of hospitalizations in the state have gone up by 88 percent.
That gives you a sense of just what they're grappling with here. And worse, because Christmas and the new year are ahead. The worst may be yet to come.
Back to you guys.
CAMEROTA: Miguel, it is devastating to hear the toll that this is taking on the doctors and nurses there and to see that graph, that this is the highest of the pandemic.
[14:40:03]
I mean, that is just so striking and so what do they say they need at this point?
MARQUEZ: They need more staff. They can add beds at this point, but they don't have the staff for the beds.
Michigan had a shortage of health-care workers before the pandemic. It is worse now. Not because of vaccine mandates and all that stuff. It's because of stress of workers, say the hospital association.
That, and a lot of health-care workers are taking traveling jobs because they pay a lot more.
But people -- you know, it's not just stress at the job. It is their families they're trying to balance as well. And just that level of anxiety and stress, day after day after day of sickness and death.
Many of them just can't take it anymore.
Back to you guys.
BLACKWELL: Miguel Marquez for us there in east Lansing. Thank you, Miguel.
CAMEROTA: Thanks.
BLACKWELL: A California police department is now under state investigation after reports of officers exchanging racist and homophobic text messages. We'll share some of it with you.
CAMEROTA: But first, here's what else we're watching today.
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[14:46:00]
BLACKWELL: It's another emotional day in the manslaughter trial of the former police officer charged in the shooting death of Daunte Wright. Wright was killed last April near Minneapolis.
Wright's girlfriend was in the car with him at the time, and she broke down in tears on the stand this morning.
CAMEROTA: CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is in Minneapolis for us.
So tell us what happened in the courtroom, Adrienne.
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, another painful day of testimony. The morning started with that testimony from the woman who said she was dating Daunte Wright at the time he was shot and killed.
She took us inside of that vehicle, the white Buick he was driving the day he was pulled over.
She describes what she saw, what she heard, and details how she tried to render aid.
Listen in. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAYNA PAYTON, FORMER GIRLFRIEND OF DAUNTE WRIGHT: I just put my hands over his chest and I just tried to hold it. I tried to scream his name.
And I was just trying to have him talk to me and just kept saying, Daunte, like, Daunte, just say something, please. Just talk to me.
I know he tried. I know he wanted to. I replay that image in my head daily.
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BROADDUS: And we know that's an image Daunte Wright's mother also said she expressed regret on the stand as she testified, regret for Facetiming or answering that Facetime call and showing Wright's mother her son's body in the vehicle.
We also saw Wednesday, inside of the courtroom, officer Potter's initial reaction. She collapsed after realizing she had shot Daunte Wright.
And you can hear her on the body cam video saying, "I'm going to prison."
The officers who were with her, including Officer Lucky, who testified yesterday, tries to console and comfort her, telling her, no, you are not.
Testifying today, just moments ago before the court took a break for lunch, was another officer who responded to that call initiated by Officer Lucky.
He talked a little bit about training and how he initially didn't even know there was an officer involved shooting -- Alisyn and Victor?
CAMEROTA: My gosh, just devastating for everyone involved in this entire thing.
Adrienne, thank you for reporting from the courtroom.
Now we go to Torrance, California, where at least a dozen current and former police officers and recruits are accused of sending racist and homophobic text messages and using excessive force. This is according to the "Los Angeles Times."
BLACKWELL: California's attorney general has now ordered an independent review of these claims.
CNN's Natasha Chen joins us with the latest.
Hundreds of criminal cases are now in jeopardy. What are the officials saying?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Victor and Alisyn, this is -- has huge implications, as you mentioned, because there are officers involved here who were either witnesses or arresting officers in cases spanning more than a decade, according to the "L.A. Times."
Now, let's explain how this all started. First, in January of 2020, there were two Torrance police officers accused of spray painting a swastika inside a vehicle that was part of the case they were working on.
And that precipitated a larger investigation into troubling communications among more officers that revealed these texts we're talking about.
Let's read to you some descriptions of some of the very troubling things that were discovered, including a photo of black men being lynched with a caption, "Hanging with the homies."
A photo asking what someone should do if his girlfriend was having an affair with a black man. The officer's caption, "A taillight on his car so police will stop him and shoot him."
[14:50:00]
There were offensive jokes about Jewish people. There were also threats to assaults on members of the LGBTQ community.
Now, as you mentioned, the attorney general of California is wanting an independent review of these claims.
Here he is.
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ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have standards for our law enforcement that are high standards, appropriately so, to keep people safe and honor the civil rights and constitutional rights at the same time.
There will be civil consequences or criminal consequences.
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CHEN: The L.A. district attorney's office told us that 13 of the officers involved allegedly are listed as possible witnesses in more than 1,800 cases.
Imagine the extensive review of cases going on right now. They have already dismissed 40 felony cases at the D.A.'s office. And the city of Torrance dismissed 50 misdemeanor cases.
There are currently 15 warrants police officers on administrative leave.
Their public information officer tells us, putting people on leave started as early as August of this year.
And as they find out more information in this ongoing investigation, they've put more people on leave. It is currently at 15 -- Victor and Alisyn?
BLACKWELL: Natasha Chen, I wonder, people waking up in Torrance and learning names and details, how do they turn to this department and expect them to continue to protect and serve?
CAMEROTA: Absolutely.
CHEN: The public information officer was actually talking about receiving calls from the public who have now read these reports, read the "L.A. Times'" investigation, asking for transparency.
What's critical here, he said the chief, the current chief, who came into his role during the summer, has been very proactive about making sure that none of this is tolerated.
And they really want to give transparency to the public. But, of course, it's very difficult when you have an ongoing investigation.
That's some of the frustration, perhaps, some citizens aren't getting answers as fast as they want.
And he says because they have about 220 sworn officers, having 15 on paid leave right now, does not affect their ability to provide service to the community.
And the important message is that they still very much care about the community and will serve them to the best of their ability. Obviously, a lot of good officers trying to do their work -- Victor and Alisyn?
BLACKWELL: Natasha Chen, from Los Angeles, thank you for that report.
Instagram's CEO was grilled on Capitol Hill on Wednesday over his platforms impact on teenagers. What happens now?
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CAMEROTA: Lawmakers grilled CEO of Instagram on Capitol Hill yesterday, questioning him about the platform's impact on teenagers. One lawmaker calling the company the new tobacco.
BLACKWELL: Social media companies accused of profiting from harmful algorithms, parents say, are especially dangerous to young people.
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SABINE POLAK, PARENT CONCERNED ABOUT IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA: I think that's one of the problems, it's that our teenagers, our kids, living in a secret reality that we're not very privy to.
I think just designed in that way. Especially SnapChat, where things don't stay around for very long. It's designed to disappear, and not be traced.
So, I mean what I can say is that I know when she was using it she became a different person at times.
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CAMEROTA: OK. CNN's Brian Fung joins us now.
Brian, we heard lots of damning information revealed. We've heard parents begging for help, like that mom. We've heard lawmakers come on and tell us they want action.
So now what? What action will be taken?
BRIAN FUNG, CNN TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: Well, Victor and Alisyn, seems as if members of Congress are very committed to finding a way to regulate Instagram, and social media more generally.
You had members from both sides of the aisle yesterday asking very tough and informed questions of Instagram's Adam Mosseri. Zeroing in on this question of, is Instagram bad for mental health and particularly for the mental health of young people and teens?
A number of Senators actually created dummy Instagram accounts to try to drive that point home.
One Senator said, after creating one test account as a teen, within an hour, that account was being recommended pro-eating disorder content by Instagram's algorithms.
And then there was this exchange between one Senator and Mosseri about a surgeon general's report from just this week about the potential for technology and social media to cause harms to mental health.
Let's have a listen here.
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[14:59:54]
ADAM MOSSERI, CEO, INSTAGRAM: I want to be clear that I don't believe the research shows social media is driving the rise in suicides.
SEN. DAN SULLIVAN (R-AK): Well, wait. Why do you think the surgeon general of the United States, who just issued a 53-page report on mental health and teen suicides, said that we should limit social media to help get out of this crisis?
