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Omicron Fuels COVID Spike As Americans Gather For Holidays; Hearing Set For Trucker Sentenced To 110 Years For Deadly Crash; Archbishop Desmond Tutu Has Died At Age 90; Surgeon General Warns Of Mental Health Epidemic For Kids; Record Heat In The South As West Sees Heavy Rain And Snow; Eleven-Year-Old Honored For Saving Fellow Student From Choking And Woman From House Fire All In One Day. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired December 26, 2021 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:03]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone, and thanks so much for joining me this afternoon. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington.
And we begin this hour with concern growing about the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the Omicron variant fueling a new surge, the U.S. now seeing daily cases not seen since January. And as cases spread, so does the demand for tests. Americans now facing a shortage of at-home kits. In Miami, like so many other parts of the country, people are spending this day after Christmas waiting in long lines to get tested.
And this morning two cruise ships returned to Florida after several passengers and crew members tested positive for COVID despite all adults being fully vaccinated. Some passengers say they were encouraged by how well their cruise was handled during its eight-day journey. Others say the cruise should've been more transparent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEAH MURRAY, PASSENGER ON CARNIVAL FREEDOM: The only reason why we found out that people on the ship had COVID is because the first destination we were supposed to go to, it took -- we sat there for a couple of hours, and then we found out they wouldn't let us on the destination because of so many people on the ship having COVID. And they just let everybody go about their business.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: We're also seeing more major flight disruptions as airlines deal with staffing shortages caused by COVID. CNN's Nadia Romero is at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta, it is one of the busiest airports in the world on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
And Nadia, thousands more flights have been canceled today. Walk us through what's going on.
NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, you have all of that coming together. Right? You have the fact that it's a Sunday, people normally travel on Sunday. You see higher numbers. It's a day after Christmas, people have to get back to work tomorrow, and you have the Omicron variant. Right? So you have all of these things all coming together, and that equals more than a thousand flights being canceled today alone.
More than 2,000 across this holiday weekend domestically when you add in global international travel, that's thousands more people impacted on those flights because they've been canceled or even delayed. And there is that ripple effect whenever you have a cancelation or a delay because of how interconnected we are these days. And so we've been talking to people who are finally coming out today. Luckily they're able to get on their flight. So many others obviously not.
Their flight was canceled or delayed. They're just trying to get home. But I can tell you just from yesterday, people were in much better spirits on Christmas Day traveling to go see their family and friends. Today you hear a lot more honking, whistling, there are a lot more police officers out trying to direct traffic. You have people that are just frustrated because there are so many people trying to get home.
There's that stress of trying to get back, to get back to your normal life, but it's not working out for so many people because of all those flight cancelations. We did talk to one person who said that he wanted to make sure that he travelled to see his family this holiday season. And he did so safely by getting vaccinated and boosted. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALVIN WARREN, FLYING HOME TO BUFFALO: I came down here on the 20th, and I'm fully vaccinated, got the booster so that added a bit of confidence. And I was expecting it to be super busy, but it wasn't so much. At least Buffalo is a small airport so I guess it's not saying much. We'll find out how it is here pretty soon, though.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ROMERO: Yes, so a big difference here in Atlanta as compared to Buffalo's airport, much busier airport. And we saw Delta Airlines, this is one of the hubs, had the most cancelations out of all of our domestic airlines. A big impact, that domino effect we're still feeling the effects of that now, Jessica.
DEAN: All right, Nadia Romero, for us. Thanks so much for the update.
College football is also dealing with more fallout from this latest COVID surge. Today the Military Bowl and Fenway Bowl both set to play this week announced they would have to cancel the games over COVID concerns with the participating team. So that makes four bowl games now impacted by the virus. And here now to talk more about this and more, associate dean of Global Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Mike Saag.
Dr. Saag, great to see you. I know your Crimson Tide plays Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl Friday. They're looking to earn a spot in the national championship game. If you're someone going to one of these bowl games this week, what's your advice? And if you're one of the teams, what's your advice? DR. MIKE SAAG, ASSOCIATE DEAN OF GLOBAL HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
AT BIRMINGHAM: Yes, for those going to the game, first ask the question are you vulnerable, do you have an underlying condition that could get you in trouble if you got sick. And if so, at least wear a mask if not rethink going.
But I think for the teams they played all year for this moment, not just for the bowl championship series but also just the bowl games are what people play for. And so it's very disappointing when these games get canceled. For the teams that are going to these games, they're trying to keep them as safe as possible. Most teams including Alabama allow the players to go home for Christmas.
[16:05:03]
They're now coming back together. They're vulnerable in the sense that they could have been exposed while at home. But everybody's hopeful that the COVID epidemic will spare these teams and allow them to play these bowl games that they richly earned.
DEAN: Yes. I mean, to your point, they've worked all year for this. You hate to see that get canceled. So we have bowl games that are being canceled, the NFL, the NBA, the NHL, they're all postponing games. Do you think this is just part of our new normal? Or is this more of a concentrated period within this COVID epidemic?
SAAG: I think we are approaching a new normal, and it probably, since it's the end of the year, it's a good time to sit back and reflect not just on what we've been through but I think importantly what have we learned. And the answer is we've learned a lot. We can track this epidemic in real time and notice when variants are coming out.
We have a vaccine that works incredibly well. We have drugs that are coming out in larger numbers now so that if people are diagnosed early, they can get into care and avoid the serious complications of this ravaging disease, assuming they get treated early.
So all this has come together. It's a celebration of signs, the Achilles heel for us right now is testing. I know you all talked about that on CNN earlier today. We'll get that fixed. And, as we move forward, I think we just have to learn to live with this. It's going to be the new normal for us. And we have to watch out for these spikes like we're seeing with Omicron. But if we all pull together, we'll get through it and get back to some semblance of normal.
DEAN: Yes. You talk about the celebration of science. It is amazing just what, you know, if you look at this time last year, we do know so much more. Obviously, we have the vaccines, we have the boosters, it makes a big difference. This morning Dr. Fauci talked about the rise in cases with Omicron and what it could mean for hospitals in the next few weeks. I want to play what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER: They're seeing less of a severity in the form of manifestations by hospitalizations. The issue that we don't want to get complacent about, John, is that when you have such a high volume of new infections, it might override a real diminution in severity.
So that if you have many, many, many more people with a less level of severity, that might kind of neutralize the positive effect of having less severity when you have so many more people. And we're particularly worried about those who are in that unvaccinated class.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: And, Dr. Saag, he's obviously there just essentially saying don't get complacent even though this may be shown to be less severe, don't get complacent. Do you think that we risk getting complacent at this point in the pandemic when people are just so tired of doing all of these things but we, you know, we know we have to?
SAAG: Well, Jessica, I think you hit on the right word, tired or fatigued. We're all worn out, the doctors, the nurses, the general public, parents, everyone's worn out with this. But we don't have much of a choice, we have to plow forward. And my advice is let's embrace the science, let's embrace what we've accomplished. And maybe now with the new year we can all redouble our efforts to work together to get this done.
The doctors and nurses, we're in it, we're all in it, we're going to be there for folks if and when they get sick. It's time for the public to really step up and get vaccinated. As Jim Morrison said at the Doors, the time to hesitate is through, we just need to get it done. And that'll help keep us safe. Monitor yourself for symptoms, especially when there's an outbreak. Get tested early because when you get diagnosed early, those drugs are available for us, and that can keep us out of the hospital.
And if we see these spikes like Omicron, there's going to be some more of them, I'm afraid in the future. But when that happens, just hunker down a little bit more, wear the masks in public, try to avoid large crowds. We all know the drill by now, it's only been -- feels like a long time -- two years. Look how much we've learned (INAUDIBLE).
DEAN: Yes, we have learned a lot. I think the signal went out a little bit there, but you were saying we've learned so much, it sounded like in the last two years, that we have come a lot farther with this thing. We just have to hang on. Right?
SAAG: Absolutely. If we just use what we've learned to keep ourselves safe, do the right thing, get vaccinated, monitor, get tested early and get into care if you test positive.
DEAN: All right, Dr. Mike Saag for us, thanks so much. We appreciate you.
SAAG: Good being with you, Jessica.
DEAN: Still ahead, the impact of all of this on children. Thousands have lost caregivers and loved ones throughout the pandemic. And all of them are now living in a world that has turned upside down. We're going to talk with a social worker on how to help children navigate and cope with all of this.
Plus, a truck driver is sentenced to 110 years in prison following a fatal crash.
[16:10:03]
Now public outcry and a district attorney are pushing for clemency. We've got details on the court hearing tomorrow. Those details coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: A tragic Christmas story now from Pennsylvania where investigator say a father, his two sons and their dog are dead after their house caught on fire Christmas Day. The fire marshal says a dry Christmas and electrical issues are likely to blame. We know police arrived at the home around 1:00 a.m. Saturday and found all five members of the family were asleep on the second floor. The family's mother and eldest son were able to escape with only minor burns.
As status hearing is scheduled for tomorrow in the case of a truck driver who was sentenced to 110 years in prison for an Interstate crash that killed four people in 2019. The severity of the sentence has sparked calls for a review and millions of people have signed a petition. But the brother of one of the victims said he spoke to the Colorado governor about the case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUANE BAILEY, BROTHER OF VICTIM: He should stay out of it honestly until the court proceeding has been done. We were told the day of sentencing that there was a review in progress and it would be done through the court system and the sentence would be considered and more than likely reduced. And for the governor to get involved before that process is done I think would be inappropriate.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: CNN's Lucy Kafanov is following developments for us in all of this. Lucy, what's the latest?
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, the district attorney is now asking the court to reconsider that very lengthy 110-year prison sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos potentially reducing it down to just 20 or 30 years. Now just to remind our viewers the driver was 23 years old at the time of the accident. He was driving at 85 miles an hour. His brakes failed, he was convicted of vehicular homicide, among other charges.
The D.A. is not looking to overturn the conviction. In fact in a statement the D.A. Alexis king said that Maderos made multiple active choices that resulted in the death of four people, injuring others, adding that the shorter sentence, quote, "reflects an appropriate outcome for those decisions, for that conduct.
Now, at issue are Colorado mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which require sentences for each count to be served consecutively rather than concurrently, which is how Maderos ended up with more than a century behind bars, a sentence twice as long as some murder convicts and even the judge at this time of issuing that sentence said, quote, "If I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence." Some Colorado lawmakers are now pushing to overturn the laws. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX VALDEZ, COLORADO STATE REPRESENTATIVE: The system here at this building has created a situation where a judge at their own discretion who doesn't want to issue a sentence has had to issue that sentence. What we hope to achieve is reforms. That's really what this is all about. We have to reform a system that is creating a situation where we are creating more victims of our justice system. We have to do that now.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: Now, you mentioned that petition nearly 5 million people wrote to the governor asking him to either reduce or overturn that lengthy sentence. The governor's office tells CNN they are reviewing their request for clemency, but we are not likely to see the governor act before this plays out in court -- Jessica.
DEAN: All right. Lucy Kafanov, with the latest for us, thanks so much.
A champion of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa has died. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Prize winning Anglican cleric was 90 years old. Tutu fought alongside Nelson Mandela against the apartheid regime and the policies of racial segregation. Former President Bill Clinton remembered him today saying, quote, "Archbishop Desmond Tutu's life was a gift, blessed with brilliance and eloquence, steady determination and good humor, and an unshakeable faith in the inherent decency of all people."
CNN's David McKenzie looks back at Tutu's life and legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When we spoke to late photographer Juda Ngwenya in 2016, he remembered a different time.
JUDA NGWENYA, PHOTOGRAPHER: We've got funeral each week. People getting killed. And then you don't find one person. Five, six, seven, eight people, mass funeral happen.
MCKENZIE: During the 1980s, the apartheid regime was at war with the black majority. One of its goals, to turn the liberation movement against itself. Neighbors betrayed neighbors, friends became informants. In this maelstrom, a diminutive Anglican bishop was ever present. Desmond Tutu was never afraid to step up to the racist regime, using his bully pulpit of peace.
(On-camera): During apartheid, Archbishop Tutu's position in the church gave him a semblance of protection and his deep faith gave him an unwavering moral compass.
(Voice-over): Even when it was deeply unpopular.
BISHOP DESMOND TUTU, ANGLICAN CHURCH: I am not a politician, even if there are those who say so. I speak from the Bible.
NGWENYA: The car was standing down there.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): For Ngwenya, Tutu's defining moment came at a funeral.
NGWENYA: This is not what we wanted. We wanted to kill him.
MCKENZIE: Mourners wanted to throw a suspected informer into his burning car. But Tutu saved the man from the mob, saying he should be forgiven, that the struggle should rise above the violence of the state.
NGWENYA: Tutu is a man of God that talked the truth. Nothing else but the truth.
MCKENZIE (on-camera): But people listened.
NGWENYA: People listened to Tutu, no matter what.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): And during those dark days, with ANC leadership in jail or exiled, Tutu was the voice of the struggle. But after liberation, Tutu's embrace of the ruling ANC was awkward.
D. TUTU: You and your government don't represent me.
MCKENZIE: When the rainbow nation faltered, he spoke up on corruption, AIDS policy, diplomacy.
D. TUTU: One day we will stop praying for the defeat of the ANC government. You are disgraceful.
MPHO TUTU, DESMOND AND LEAH TUTU LEGACY FOUNDATION: He's an equal opportunity irritant.
(LAUGHTER)
MCKENZIE: But Tutu's daughter says now that he's gone South Africa will lose its conscience.
M. TUTU: South Africa will lose a champion and a coach.
MCKENZIE: She says Tutu always cheered South Africa when it did the right thing and consistently called the country to task when it did not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[16:20:15]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) DEAN: Well, some U.S. teenagers have been vaccinated for so long now that they are now eligible for COVID-19 boosters. Those under the age of 5 still not -- are still unable to get their first shots. And now due to setbacks with the vaccine trials for that age group, it looks likely that the youngest children will not get protection from COVID- 19 until well into 2022. That vaccine delay is adding to the mental health and difficulties for kids who are also struggling from isolation and also the loss of loved ones due to the pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: I'm so concerned about our children because there is an epidemic, if you will, of mental health challenges that they have been facing, and it's partly because of the pandemic. We've seen certainly that many children have lost loved ones during this pandemic. 140,000 kids lost a caregiver. We know that their lives have been turned upside down. They haven't been able to see friends as often as they would. And that's taken a toll.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Jody Baumstein is a licensed therapist. She works at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Strong for Life.
Jody, thanks so much for being here to talk about what is such an important issue. We are just at the point where 5 to 11-year-olds have had the chance to get their second vaccine, and now Omicron is kind of just juggling things, turning things all upside down again. How do we help our children cope with disappointment when they may have been really excited, they've been promised they can get back to normal after getting these shots? How do we help them continue to deal with disappointment and change?
[16:25:06]
JODY BAUMSTEIN, LICENSED THERAPIST: Right. I think part of it is we have to get out of our own way because sometimes we are scared to have the conversation because we think we have to be perfect, and we have to have all the right answers. And it's stopping us from just being there and being present so we need to open up a dialogue and have a conversation, and really let them take the lead because we don't want to make assumptions we know exactly what they're feeling, we just want to sit back and listen.
And that's truthfully what we hear most from kids is they just want adults to listen. They don't want someone to come in and fix it or tell them what to do. They just want somebody to ask them how they're doing.
DEAN: Yes. And so what does that look like? Is that kind of sitting down and in a nonhigh-pressure way just saying how are you today, or what are you thinking about? What's the best way to open that dialogue?
BAUMSTEIN: You've got it. I mean, it really is that simple. We want to be careful not to use leading questions, like we don't want to put our own stuff onto them. So, for instance, you wouldn't want to say something like, are you worried about this? Because we don't want to assume that or put that onto them but just, hey, how are you doing, how are you feeling? And really then sitting back.
And this is the hard part because we naturally want to come in and fix it especially if we get the sense that a child is struggling. We want to make them feel better. But we have to show a little restraint and really just listen, and then whatever they tell us, we need to validate it.
And this is tricky, again, because we're often thinking about our own feelings. But it's not about how we feel. And even if you don't feel that way or don't agree with it, we want to make sure we are telling them that we understand it, and it's completely normal and OK to feel that way.
And we have to really be careful that we don't fall into the trap of trying to fix it. So saying things like, this will make you stronger, things happen for a reason, you don't have anything to worry about, other people have it way worse. It doesn't make them feel better, it just minimizes and dismisses what they're feeling.
DEAN: Right. It's about really saying I hear what you're saying to me and validating that, it sounds like. And some kids, probably most kids, are in the middle of their holiday break right now from school, and this goes all the way up to college. I mean, I know a lot of, you know, the universities are trying to figure out what to do as well. How do you help these kids, again, going from little kids all the way to young adults, kind of navigate this uncertainty?
And that can oftentimes can produce so much anxiety even for us adults when we don't know the answer, we don't know what is going to be certain.
BAUMSTEIN: Right. And part of it is that this is just one example, but it's a real opportunity for us to think about, how do we build resilience in kids? Because it's not the only setback, it's not the only time they're going to experience disappointment. So how do we teach them to navigate this? And part of it is that we are scared of our emotions. We often want to run from them. We try really hard to push them down, but it will bubble up to the surface.
So we want to teach kids, first of all, how do we name our feelings? Because we can't get to the other side of it, we don't know what this is. So helping them name or label their feelings, helping them express it, and then how do we help them manage it. And that's where healthy coping skills come in. And we have to remember, this is learned, we are not born into the world knowing how to do this.
We have to learn over time how to regulate our emotions and our behavior. But here's the tricky part is we often think that it's complicated and it takes too much time and we don't really have time for it. But it can be as short as 10 seconds of engaging in deep breathing or going for a walk. It's really about calming the body to then calm the mind. DEAN: Yes, that's such an important point. And we saw the surgeon
general there in that clip that we played just before we brought you in talking about more than 140,000 children in the U.S. have lost a parent or a grandparent to COVID. What advice do you have to parents or caregivers who are helping children who are struggling with a loss of a loved one? Or maybe children who feel isolated right now?
BAUMSTEIN: Yes. Well, I think what you're talking about is getting at the grief that comes with this, and we often think about grief just as it relates to the loss of human life. But grief is a natural and normal response to a loss of any kind. And I think we need to start normalizing that because there is a lot of grief happening at the moment even right now today with the loss of plans and expectations that we had.
And what we know about grief is that there is no timeline, it's not linear, and we can't just fix it. So part of it, again, is tolerating that discomfort and knowing that we need to learn how to sit with it and how to talk about feelings. When it comes to kids working through this, we also need to empower them.
[16:30:00]
Because a lot of times, they are scared to talk about it because they're worried they're not going to be able to handle it. They're worried it'll make it worse.
And part of our job is to help them understand that they have the ability to navigate life's ups and downs. They can be resilient, they are capable, but we have to teach them and we have to give them opportunities to practice this. So helping them to name those feelings, helping them to work through it and cope with it so that they can start to see themselves as being prepared. And we don't want to shield them and protect them. We need to start preparing them for this.
DEAN: Right. Build those muscles. Yes, all right. Well, Jody Baumstein. That is also helpful. Thank you so much.
BAUMSTEIN: Thank you for having me.
DEAN: Yes. A quick programming note for you, Carole King and James Taylor, and an unforgettable concert film, "Just Call Out My Name." It's airing next Sunday January 2 at 9 p.m. right here on CNN. Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Friends, collaborators, legends, the music shaped a generation. They came together for the tour of a lifetime.
James Taylor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His songs were amazing. His voice is amazing and his demeanor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Carole King.
JAMES TAYLOR, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Carole King, one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Must (ph) to be a part of my band. 40 years have passed since the first time we played.
CAROLE KING, SINGER-SONGWRITER: I love every experience we have had together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just Call Out My Name, next Sunday at 9:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:35:01]
DEAN: Whiteout conditions lead to a 20-car pileup in Nevada. Take a look at the scene here. The wintery weather makes this morning making it a nightmare for drivers. Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue posted this on Twitter saying conditions are extreme with 50 mile per hour winds and whiteout conditions. Three people were sent to the hospital no word on their conditions but the National Weather Service in Reno said quote, today is the type of day to just stay at home if you can. More snow is expected in that area.
In California, people reported a quote tornado like event last night. Emergency crews responded to storm damage at a condominium near Santa Barbara. It happened just hours after the National Weather Service warned of the possibility of hail and strong winds for that area.
The storm caused downed trees, power outage and damage to several cars but thankfully no injuries.
Meanwhile, the South is seeing record heat but in the West frigid temperatures and the possibility of a foot of snow. We're going to bring in CNN meteorologist Tyler Mauldin for the latest on this. Tyler, what are you saying?
TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Jessica. The country's split right down the middle right now. You're either dealing with springtime warmth, or you're dealing with the dead of winter type, temperature outbreak and a little bit of snowfall too.
Now we have winter storm warnings continuing from California all the way up into Washington as far east as the Great Lakes. It's all one massive winter storm impacting the region. This system is bringing the snowfall, it's also the reason why we had stormy conditions in central and southern California yesterday.
We've picked up three to six inches of snowfall in Portland and Seattle, some areas almost three feet of snow once you get started getting into the mountains of Nevada. That's great for the ski resorts. It's also great for the drought. However, it does lead to the potential for avalanches. So be aware of that.
Now it doesn't take much of a wind to cause whiteout conditions. So unfortunately, as we continue to see the snow pile up in the days to come, that's going to be possible for us. And it also doesn't take much of a wind to see wind chills. We've seen winds across the four corners get as high as category one level, category one hurricane level about 75 to 80 miles per hour.
Then up here across the northern plains, Jessica, we're going to see temperatures plunge well below zero. And with a mighty wind that's going to lead to wind chill alerts. Wind chills could get as low as minus 40 and portions of Montana and North Dakota.
DEAN: Wow, that is incredible. All right, Tyler, thanks so much for breaking it down for us. And still to come this afternoon, politics protests and a pandemic. She was front and center as the city of Atlanta navigated some of the biggest challenges of the last few years. Next, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on her time in office and what she wished she'd done differently.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:41:23]
DEAN: The death of Rayshard Brooks by police in 2020 caused a nationwide uproar and in the city where it happened in Atlanta, that uproar turned into unrest, fiery violent protests erupted in the days after that shooting. The officer who fired the fatal shots Garrett Rolfe faces multiple charges including felony and murder.
Large numbers of Atlanta officers called out sick from work in response to those charges. And Atlanta's police chief even resigned following the shooting and subsequent protests.
It was a critical moment for the city of Atlanta. One Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is reflecting on as she nears the end of her term. My colleague, Fredricka Whitfield sat down with the mayor to ask her about some of the challenges she faced while in office and what she plans to do next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Is there anything in that moment that you felt you should have done differently, you could have done differently? How do you describe what you and the city endured at that time?
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D), ATLANTA: It was heartbreaking for so many reasons, because I know that our officers were out, by and large, doing the very best that they could do. And then you have this young father who was killed.
And just a couple of hours ago, I was with a group of CEOs in the city, and university leaders who have meet with quarterly. And we had a presentation from the group Perth, who's helped -- who has been helping us with police reform in the city. And I asked the question, had our training been differently? Been -- had our training been different? Would that have turned out differently? And the response was, we don't know. But what we are working toward with our training is to make sure that it's not just deescalation, but that we don't get to the point where you need the escalation. And with the killing of Rayshard Brooks, it was horrible time in our city, because it was shortly after the killing of George Floyd.
And in so many ways, for so many it represented all of the things that people have been angry about. But on the other side, there, you know, was outcry, where's the support for our police officers.
And in that moment, I made the best decision based on the information that I had, and the options that I had before me, I felt that it was the best decision, you know, life, you don't get do overs in life. So I can't say that I would do anything differently. But I know I made the best decision that I thought could be made in that moment. And it's my hope, that on the heels of that tragedy, that we are able to avoid another tragedy like that in our city.
WHITFIELD: And of course, all this is happening in the middle of the pandemic. And then COVID hits you and your family very personally, your husband Derek, gets COVID, you do as well, your entire family. You're worried about everyone safety, how did your personal experience and that of your family, help redefine your leadership role, or even your perspective on how to move forward?
BOTTOMS: I believe it really brought my disagreement with the governor to ahead.
[16:45:06]
Because it was a very personal experience. And my husband had a very tough time with COVID. But my oldest son was positive the week before my husband and I were infected. We were waiting, some COVID tests, because at that time I was getting us tested, routinely tested, and I had just been to the funeral of Rayshard Brooks. So I got us test it because I've been in a large public gathering and have we gotten those results back sooner, we could have isolated my oldest son, and it would have saved my husband and I from being infected.
And that really was when you began to see the divide with the governor. And I was very frustrated with the policies that he had in place, a lack of policies of what I felt to be the lack of planning and execution, as it related to COVID. And it was no longer in the abstract, that people are dying and families are being impacted. It was my family too.
And very likely in some way, that was the driving force behind the passion that you saw with my fight with the governor, because I knew that our family represented a lot of families. And by the grace of God, we are all healthy now. But going back to the summer of '20, July of '20, we didn't know what the outcomes would be when people were infected with COVID.
WHITFIELD: Georgia has been the epicenter of a lot and, you know, COVID as we just saw this, you know, the spate of unrest, a here, and Georgia continues to be the centerpiece in the political arena. You just mentioned you often went toe to toe with Governor Brian Kemp, and now Kemp is going to be challenged by another Republican who the former President Trump is endorsing David Perdue. How do you see the landscape ahead for that given tutorial race with these two Republicans now going eye to eye?
BOTTOMS: Say that it's going to be interesting would be an understatement.
WHITFIELD: And that they're still the former President Trump dynamic.
BOTTOMS: They're still the Trump dynamic. And now you have Stacey Abrams, who's announced that she's running for governor. And I believe it's a nightmare scenario for Republicans to have a nasty primary battle, because they're going to spend a lot of money. There's going to be a lot of fighting, a lot of exposure of weaknesses during that fight. But what I truly hope is that voters across Georgia will still turn out to vote.
WHITFIELD: What will be your role? Will you be working with Stacey Abrams to help her in her campaign? There was a time when many thought you would be part of the Biden administration. You're among the first elected officials to endorse him when he was running for president, what are your aspirations? What's next for you?
BOTTOMS: I will do everything in my power to make sure that Stacey Abrams is elected governor, and then began that just making sure that we're doing what we need to do across the country to make sure that people are educated and informed and that they are registering to vote that they are showing up to vote, because these are issues that impact our daily lives.
WHITFIELD: All that you have learned, all the you have endured, all that you hope to be passing on, whether it be to your children, to the city of Atlanta or to the mayor elect, Andre Dickens, what will be your advice for him, Mayor elect, Andre Dickens?
BOTTOMS: I've given him a lot of advice. I don't know if he's going to take it or not. But just a few things. And we were actually together this morning. And I just really cautioned him to protect his piece. There were --
WHITFIELD: What do you mean by that?
BOTTOMS: There were moments during my term that I honestly thought I lost the ability to empathize. Because there's so many bad things that you can find on a daily basis as a leader and I think part of it is creating something internally that protects you. But if you don't ever separate, if you don't ever turn off, you can sometimes become desensitized.
WHITFIELD: So that's hard to understand, because especially when you were thinking about your son, your son was standing right next to you during those moments of unrest in Atlanta. I mean, that was empathy. But was it before or after that where you felt like there was possibly an absence of empathy in you as a leader?
[16:50:06]
BOTTOMS: I don't think it was continuous. But there were moments. And I'm sure over the next few months, I'll go back and I'll think about what else was going on when I felt that. But that's what happens when you are fatigued. When you're drained, when you don't take a day off when you --
WHITFIELD: So he's got to find that space. He's hoping he finds that space where you can decompress, reconnect with yourself, so as to keep your priorities in check.
BOTTOMS: Absolutely, and I've heard people say 20 -- they're calling 2021, 2020 the great resignation. I think it's the great reevaluation, on how we maintain our physical and our mental and our emotional well- being. And I wish I had been more thoughtful of that for the entirety of my term, and not at moments when I felt that I may be physically was at my breaking point or just completely exhausted.
WHITFIELD: So then that brings us to a great way to wrap it all up, which is then how are when will we see a Keisha Lance Bottoms reevaluated Keisha Lance Bottoms?
BOTTOMS: I am in a state of revaluation, hopefully going to be able to take some time over the holidays. Right now I feel like I'm running through the tape. And even with my tripping over words and stumbling, it's because I'm really tired right now.
But once things settle down, I want to make sure that we finish strong and I leave the city in the best possible way that our new mayor can pick up the baton and continue the race. Once I feel comfortable and then I've done all I can do, then I'll stop and think. And I'll reevaluate.
WHITFIELD: Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, thank you so much.
BOTTOMS: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Up next, the good stuff, children acting well beyond their years and going above and beyond to do some pretty heroic and historic acts. That's next.
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[16:55:48]
DEAN: And here's some of the good stuff today. Two young kids doing incredible things. First, sixth grader Davyon Johnson saved a choking classmate and rescued a woman from a house fire all in one day. He was honored for his heroism.
The Muskogee County School Board says he performed the Heimlich manoeuver when a classmate began choking on a cap from a water bottle. And then later that day, he helped a woman off her porch after her house caught fire. He was named an honorary police officer, honorary sheriff's deputy and a hero. Again, all in one day. Way to go.
She's just six years old. And Kendall Rae Johnson is already making history. Not only is she's George's youngest certified farmer, Kendall is also the state's youngest black farmer, and here's her story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KINDALL RAE JOHNSON, GEORGIA'S YOUNGEST CERTIFIED FARMER: My favorite vegetables got to go is carrots. There's a fun fact about carrot. Carrot, actually in the roots of the carrot. They are delicious. My name is Kendall Ray Johnson. I'm the younger serve by farmer in the state of Georgia. Welcome to my farm. My stories start from my great grandmother Kate. She's taught me a lot about gardening. You go to strawberry plant with sunlight, water, but with the rounds (ph) and the fresh soil.
URSULA KENDALL JOHNSON, MOTHER OF KENDALL RAE JOHNSON: We've had the Girl Scouts to come. Some of them have seen fruit and vegetables, but they really don't know where it comes from.
K. JOHNSON: So I just still stuck (ph).
U. JOHNSON: They got a chance to really dig for sweet potatoes.
K. JOHNSON: These are tricky.
U. JOHNSON: And that was the most exciting thing that a kid could show you.
K. JOHNSON: A potato.
U. JOHNSON: The excitement of them actually finding something that they truly eat already, you know, in the garden. You learn so much more about what's in your backyard, that you probably have never known if you had not played in the dirt.
K. JOHNSON: Welcome to the word, Shelley (ph).
U. JOHNSON: Historically, you think a Farmer John, you know the overalls with a white t shirt, a straw hat, you know, and let's be honest, you know, a Caucasian man. I'm Ursula Johnson and I'm Kendall's mom. We don't really see too many black farmers.
K. JOHNSON: She picked this in the compost over there. It makes good dirt. Good dirt means new plants.
U. JOHNSON: Kendall leave us and wherever she wants to go, we're there to back her up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And does hereby proclaim Tuesday, September 28, 2021 is Kindle Rae Johnson Appreciation Day in Fulton County, Georgia.
U. JOHNSON: Someone texted me and said Hey, so no one (ph) I just mentioned Kendall, I said Google her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kendall Rae Johnson. K. JOHNSON: It feels great that they know me now. And that they know my garden. Sometimes he's asked me to share fruits and vegetables with the whole community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Kendall, amazing work, love seeing her story. Thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Jessica Dean. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Ryan Nobles right now.
RYAN NOBLES, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ryan nobles in Washington. We begin with COVID cases surging across the U.S. as millions of Americans gather with their families and loved ones this holiday season. Fueled by the Omicron variant new cases are eclipsing infections fueled by the Delta variant over the summer and are racing toward record highs.
