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White Father & Son Charged for Shooting at Black FedEx Driver; Autopsy Reveals Bob Saget Had Multiple Skull Fractures; Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) Discusses CNN Poll Showing Voters Blame Democrats for Economic Pain Ahead of Midterms, GOP Backlash Against Biden's Plan to Nominate Black Woman to SCOTUS, Dem. Senator Saying GOP Treats Nominees of Color Differently; U.S. Olympic Snowboarder Shaun White Ends Olympic Career; FDA Delays Meeting on Pfizer COVID Vaccine for Youngest Children. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired February 11, 2022 - 13:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:34]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: A FedEx driver believes he was chased and shot at for delivering packages while black. That is what 24-year-old D'Monterrio Gibson is claiming.

He was delivering packages in Mississippi last month in his full FedEx uniform when, he says, when he says a pickup truck pulled out and tried to cut him off.

Then he says a man standing in the road fired multiple gunshots, actually striking Gibson's work van several times. The alleged shooter then got into the pickup truck and a chase ensued.

It was eight days before this White father/son duo, Gregory and Brandon Case, were arrested. And they've both been charged with felonies and let out on bail.

The similarities to the Ahmaud Arbery murder are hard to ignore, right?

This morning, CNN's Brianna Keilar asked Gibson about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D'MONTERRIO GIBSON, FEDEX DRIVER: I can definitely see the similarities. That's why I feel it's my responsibility to speak up because Ahmaud Arbery didn't survive to speak up. I want to take it upon myself to do that for him and myself as well.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: If this was a black father and son and you were a White FedEx driver, do you think this would be different?

GIBSON: Yes, ma'am, without question. I would have been arrested probably that same night and probably not given bail at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: Gibson says he is currently on unpaid leave and that FedEx is paying for his therapy stemming from this incident.

It's a fun word game that seems to have taken the country by storm. It turns out Wordle can also help save lives.

The daughter of this 80-year-old woman says she knew something was wrong when her mother did not read her text messages or send her Wordle score as she normally did every morning.

And that's because her mother was being held hostage by a naked intruder armed with several knives.

The daughter, who was in Seattle, alerted police in her mother's town near Chicago. They responded, saved the mom, and arrested that intruder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENYSE HOLT, TAKEN HOSTAGE BY NAKED MAN WITH KNIVES: I didn't send my older daughter a Wordle in the morning and that was disconcerting to her.

UNIDENTIFIED DAUGHTER OF DENYSE HOLT: I never thought in a million years this is what was happening. But it was.

HOLT: I'm very lucky.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The suspect has been charged with multiple felonies, including kidnapping and home invasion.

We just got Bob Saget's autopsy report and it appears it was much more than just a run-of-the-mill bump on the head that killed him.

This report states he had multiple fractures to both the back and the front of his skull.

Still, the investigating sheriff says they don't believe there was any foul play here, and the case is closed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN W. MINA, SHERIFF, ORANGE COUNTY, FL, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The investigation is really closed at this point based on the information that kind of confirmed what we believe from the medical examiner's office.

We were able to track his movements from his previous show to the hotel. The room was clean. No signs of a struggle. And so we believe the death was accidental.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Dr. Dan Barrow is a professor and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Emory University's School of Medicine.

Doctor, great to have you here.

Before we dive in, I have to tell you, I often request Sanjay, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, to join us in this show. And I'm usually told, well, well, he's doing that other job, you know, being a brain surgeon, so unavailable.

So I am especially honored to be joined by Sanjay's boss today for this discussion.

Great to have you here.

DR. DAN BARROW, PROFESSOR & CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Thank you. Thank you. I am no Sanjay Gupta. I'm just a brain surgeon.

CABRERA: Just a brain surgeon. Clearly, you're doing something right because Sanjay is an incredible person and he still loves his work that he does at your hospital.

So let's talk about Bob Saget's autopsy. You have read the report. What stood out to you?

BARROW: Well, first of all, thank you for having me.

I must make a disclosure that I don't watch much television. Probably doesn't please you. So I don't really know anything about Bob Saget.

So what I'm speaking to is to an autopsy report that could be about any individual.

But when I read that autopsy report, it really doesn't completely jive with what I have been told about the investigation and the presumed cause of death.

[13:35:07]

Certainly, the cause of death was a head injury.

But the idea that this gentleman was in a hotel room, had a fall, went about his usual activities before going to bed, brushing his teeth or whatever, and gone to bed and died is not really compatible with what I see on the autopsy report.

Which really suggests a very severe head injury from rather violent trauma to the head.

CABRERA: I want you to listen to what the sheriff said about that specifically and what they saw when they discovered Saget's body.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MINA: Well, there's no doubt that it was a hard impact, possibly from a fall. You know, the bathroom there is a very slick, hard surface. So there's speculation he may have slipped in the bathroom. But, again, there was no visible signs of trauma to the back of the

head, to the naked eye, until it was revealed in the autopsy.

So in other words, we do not believe that he was struck with anything. We believe this was an accidental death, probably most likely caused by some type of fall, hitting a flat surface.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So that was interesting about the bathroom.

I do wonder, is this the type of injury that you'd expect to see from a bathroom fall?

BARROW: No, not from a simple fall from a short distance like a ground-level fall.

Again, just based upon the autopsy report -- if somebody gave me that autopsy and said, what do you think the mechanism of action is.

I am not a forensic pathologist, so I can't put together the pieces of information that would be available to the police and other information that's critically important in determining the precise cause of the accident.

But there's no hotel room I have ever stayed in that would allow for a fall significant enough to cause this kind of head injury.

This is the kind of injury that might occur from a traffic accident, might occur from an assault, might occur from a fall down a flight of stairs.

But it really raises to me more questions than it provides answers.

CABRERA: And so if that's what stood out to me, too, because he had fractures apparently to his eye sockets.

How hard would he have had to hit the back of his head to have damage in the front like that as well?

BARROW: Extremely hard.

You're exactly right. There were -- was clearly a blow to the back of the head because he had an abrasion. He had a subgaleal, which means below the scalp, hemorrhage.

But the fact he fractured his temporal bone, which is on the side, the orbits, which is in the front.

He had hemorrhages in the subdural space. That's the space between the brain and the covering of the brain called the dura.

He had subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is bleeding around a membrane that's very tightly close to the brain.

This was a really severe head injury. And it's almost impossible to imagine having that head injury and not

immediately, at least for a period of time, losing consciousness as opposed to going about your normal routine, getting prepared to go to bed at night.

CABRERA: Right. The fact that he appeared to have fallen asleep at some point, made it back to the bed wherever he had fallen, ended up in bed, does make you wonder, you know, how did he get back into bed? He must have made his way there somehow.

Dr. Dan Barrow, obviously, more questions than answers. And we heard there from the sheriff who said they have kind of run this to the ground in terms of the idea that something other than a fall could have caused this.

But I appreciate your expertise. It's really an interesting discussion. Thanks for making time for us.

BARROW: Sure. My pleasure. Thanks again for having me.

[13:39:12]

CABRERA: A major midterm warning sign for Democrats. Voters who are feeling the economic pain say they plan to take their frustration out at the polls.

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CABRERA: We have new CNN polling today that shows Democrats could be in serious trouble in the midterm elections.

Nearly six in 10 Americans disapprove of how Joe Biden is handling the presidency. And by a 10-point margin, voters prefer a midterm candidate who opposes Biden.

One area of special concern for Americans is inflation. A majority of voters say the economy will be extremely important to their midterm choice.

And 55 percent named inflation specifically as extremely important to their votes.

So to put this into perspective, concern about the economy hasn't been this widespread in any CNN midterm poll going back 20 years. The only time it approached this level was in 2010.

Joining us now, Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.

Senator, thanks for taking the time.

There --

(CROSSTALK)

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D-HI): -- Ana

[13:45:00]

CABRERA: -- I laid it out.

Americans aren't happy with the economy right now. I don't need to tell you that. But they're blaming Democrats.

If things like inflation are still high come November, how do you argue to keep Democrats in the majority?

HIRONO: Well, for one thing, it's the Democrats that voted for the rescue plan without a single Republican vote that enabled millions of people to get vaccinated, that put a lot of money to schools to reopen safely.

Obviously, we have not gotten that message across enough.

And also why Build Back Better is so important to continue to lower costs for Americans in terms of prescription drugs, childcare, and all of those things all without, again, a single Republican vote.

Inflation is very much a result of the pandemic, and disruptions to the supply chain, none of which the Republicans choose to do anything about except to blame Joe Biden.

So meanwhile, though, you know, Ana, that companies are making record profits at a time when people are having a hard time paying for these higher costs.

So they could give up some of their unearned profits to help the American people. That's my view.

CABRERA: You mentioned there's a messaging issue. And President Biden could be pointing to some of the major economic wins he's had.

He's tried with showing that jobs are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. Wages are up for many workers. Childhood poverty has been reduced during this administration.

But he acknowledges that he's not the best salesman when it comes to, you know, touting the successes.

Here he is an NBC interview. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LESTER HOLT, NBC ANCHOR: You said people didn't know what was in the bill. Is that a messaging problem on your behalf?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, I think it was.

HOLT: You haven't sold it well?

BIDEN: I think I haven't sold it well. I like the way you phrase that, I haven't sold it well. But the point is we've moved the economy more than it's ever been moved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So are Republicans just better messengers?

HIRONO: Well, for one thing, they lie through their teeth. So they constantly play on people's fears and resentments. They did a really good job of that.

I really appreciate the president's candor and saying, yes, we need to do a better job of letting the American people know who is actually helping them as opposed to screwing them over.

So we need to point out all the pluses of the Biden administration.

At the same time, the fact that the Republicans do nothing about -- well, what they did do was give a huge tax break to the richest people and corporations in our country. That's what they accomplished.

They also accomplished packing our courts with the most right-wing judges with their lifetime appointments. That's what they did.

CABRERA: Let's talk more about the Supreme Court and President Biden's pick.

HIRONO: Sure.

CABRERA: We don't know yet who it's going to be. Says he's done a deep dive on four candidates. Hasn't named them.

We are told he'll start doing interviews as soon as next week. But again, no one has been named yet.

And still, there has been all this Republican backlash simply because the president said up front that he would name a black woman.

Senator, you were the first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate, the first female Senator elected from Hawaii. How does the backlash strike you?

HIRONO: It strikes me as a party that is still fostering the Big Lie and where the people are in terms of the kind of justice we want.

I want a justice who is fair, objective, who has a judicial temperament, who understands the impact of her decisions on regular people.

And who will write really strong dissents, the way Sonia Sotomayor writes strong dissents, the way Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote strong dissents. Because whoever Joe Biden picks will sadly be in the minority.

But I certainly hope the Republicans will also vote for a person who will be highly, highly qualified, who will add to much-needed diversity in the courts, who will reflect the diversity of our country.

I don't know what they're afraid of. One thing that's happening is I already see all the ads against

whoever Joe Biden picks as being the tool of Democratic dark money. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

And if the Republicans really care about dark money, then they should join the Democrats in voting for the Disclose Act, which will force dark-money contributors to have their names disclosed.

But I bet you anything they will not support the Disclose Act. No, they'll just throw out these hypocritical positions.

CABRERA: Let me ask you, because of your role on the Judiciary Committee, about something that happened inside the committee hearings yesterday.

Your colleague accused Republicans of treating nominees of color differently. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[13:50:00]

SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): It is not lost on me nominees of color have been treated differently in our hearings, whether it is insinuation of a rap sheet or hostility about their qualifications or views or undue scrutiny of personal religious faith.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Senator Hirono, listen to how Republicans have responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MIKE LEE (R-UT): To the extent he was suggesting racial bias on the part of members of this committee, I know to be grossly inaccurate.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): To accuse members of this committee of racism because you disagree with them on substance I think is a very serious thing. And frankly, I -- I'm startled to hear it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Senator, have you seen a discrepancy with how GOP Senators are treating nominees of color in these hearings?

HIRONO: It is pretty hard to turn away from what looks to be a pattern. So I won't go around accusing them of racism.

But there's a pattern of going after those of color who are nominees for these lifetime appointments.

CABRERA: How do you explain then?

HIRONO: How do I explain what?

CABRERA: Explain that pattern, the treatment of --

(CROSSTALK)

HIRONO: Well, I think you have to ask the Republicans that are protesting this. You know, there's a saying, he doth protest too much.

I think they should be asked, why you are particularly harsh on these nominees? Do you see a pattern? Ask them. Really.

CABRERA: Senator Mazie Hirono, got to leave it there. Thank you for taking the time today.

HIRONO: Thank you. Sure.

CABRERA: We'll be right back.

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CABRERA: Today, the International Testing Agency revealed that Russian skating sensation, Kamila Valieva, failed a drug test before her Olympic performance. More importantly, Russia knew about it.

Now, a hearing will decide if Valieva can compete next week.

And it is still unclear if the gold she helped win with her team on Monday will be revoked.

The scandal continues to delay the awarding of medals, including the silver for Team USA and the bronze for Team Japan.

And U.S. Snowboarder Shaun White, he has ended his legendary Olympic career with a very disappointing crash in the men's half-pipe contest.

But what a career. White, who won three Olympic gold medals in five Olympic games, was emotional as he ended his final run. Last week, he announced this would be his last Olympics.

And as he ends his career, I don't want to focus on that crash, but rather this save.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[13:55:04]

SHAUN WHITE, U.S. OLYMPIC SNOWBOARDER: The stewardess had seen the games and they were just so excited to see me. And they're like you have the gold.

And I had like -- I had unlimited service after that. I was getting drinks and snacks. And I mean, I was taking photos in the back with all of the stewardess --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED NEWS ANCHOR: Wait a minute, drinks? You're 19 years old.

WHITE: I'm talking Mountain Dews, baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

CABRERA: Mountain Dews, baby. That was 2006 after White won his first Olympic gold medal.

We have breaking news that we're just getting on the pandemic and the FDA advisory meeting.

Let me go to Jacqueline Howard.

What are you learning, Jacqueline?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right. We just heard that the Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting that was supposed to happen to review data on the Pfizer's vaccine, the child-sized doses for children younger than five, that has been postponed.

So what we just heard, I'll read a statement from Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock.

She says, quote, "This will give the agency time to consider some additional data allowing for a transparent public discussion as part of our usual scientistic and regulatory processes for COVID-19 vaccines."

So what we're hearing, this is being postponed to give Pfizer and BioNTech more time to submit and the FDA more time to review data on the vaccines for children younger than five.

I know many parents were waiting to see when vaccines might be available for this age group.

But with this postponement, it looks like that there will be a little more time before we can hear from the FDA on its decision and, of course, when its advisory committee has to say -- Ana?

CABRERA: That's obviously big news. I know you'll do some more digging.

Thank you.

And that does it for us today. Let's catch up on Monday, same time, same place. Until then, catch you on Twitter, @AnaCabrera.

Have a great weekend.

Alisyn and Victor take over from here.

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