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Ex-Officer Kim Potter Sentenced to 2 Years in Daunte Wright's Death; Figure Skating Body to Vote on Raising Minimum Competition Age to 17; IOC Chief Slams Treatment of Russian Skater By Her Coaches; "LBJ: Triumph and Tragedy" Premieres Sunday at 9P. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 18, 2022 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: The family of Daunte Wright criticized the sentence for the ex-cop who killed him during a traffic stop. They said they feel betrayed by the justice system.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE BRYANT, DAUNTE WRIGHT'S MOTHER: This is the problem with our justice system today. White women tears Trump, Trump's justice. I thought my white woman tears would be good enough because they are true and genuine. But when they're, coerced, coached and taught by the defense attorneys, I guess we didn't have a win in this at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Today a judge in Minnesota sentenced Kim Potter to two years, 16 months of that in prison. The other eight months under supervised release. The 26-year police veteran testified that she mistakenly shot Wright with a gun when she meant to use her taser.

CNN Josh Campbell is with us now. Josh, Potter apologized to Daunte Wright family in court.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, she spoke in court today. This was part of a very emotional day there just before the sentence was handed down. We saw tears being shed by members of Daunte Wright's family, but his former officer Kim Potter. Even the judge holding back tears as she handed down her sentence.

Now the family of Daunte Wright took to the microphone. They described this gaping hole in their heart with the loss of a loved one, a brother, a son, a father, a friend. Shortly thereafter this former officer, herself, stepped up to the microphone, turned directly to the Wright family and apologized. Here's that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM POTTER, FORMER OFFICER CONVICTED OF KILLING DAUNTE RIGHT: When you said that I didn't look at you during the trial, I don't believe I had a right to. I didn't have a right to be in the same room with you. I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly. I feel broken and devastated for all of you. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now the sentence came shortly after that moment. We were expecting a lengthier sentence. Sentencing guidelines in Minnesota for someone in Potter's situation would have called for a range between 6 and 8-1/2 years for someone who was convicted but without a prior criminal history.

The judge in this case saying that she thought a lesser sentence was warranted for two reasons. First, this was a chaotic that was scene going on. Officers are often required to make split-second decisions. She also said, Victor, that in this case this officer didn't intend to fatally shoot Daunte Wright. Obviously though, the family blasting this decision. Calling it a miscarriage of justice.

We also just heard from the Attorney General's office there in Minnesota, Keith Ellison is saying that he accepts the sentence. He urges others to accept it as well. But also says that I don't ask you to agree with the judge. The sentence takes nothing away from the truth of the jury's verdict -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Josh Campbell, thank you.

The International Figure Skating Union says that it will vote on raising the minimum age to participate to 17 after criticism of how 15-year-old Russian skater Kamila Valieva has been treated at the Beijing Olympics.

[15:35:00]

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BLACKWELL: Russia lashed out at the president the International Olympic Committee for criticizing the treatment of skater Kamila Valieva by her coaches. Now she's just 15 years old. And she was favored to win gold but she finished fourth in the women's free skate yesterday.

Valieva, you'll probably remember, became the center of controversy after it was revealed that she had tested positive for a banned heart medication. Now when she got off the ice yesterday, she was berated by her coach for falling. IOC president Thomas Bach said that he was very disturbed by that.

A Kremlin spokesman said that Bach don't like the toughness of Russia's coaches but toughness key to Victory.

With this now Olympic gold medalist, Alpine skier, Bode Miller. Bode, welcome back. First, that question of toughness, the regimen for Russian figure skaters they could go for 12 hours a day training. Again, these are children, just teenagers.

[15:40:00]

What's the line there between intense training that is required to go from good to great and abuse? BODE MILLER, SIX-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST IN ALPINE SKIING: Yes, I mean

obviously cultural differences become apparent in these kind of situations. That would be abuse in a lot of cases in the U.S. But I do think that that's the nature of the Olympics. You know, real briefly just to impact this and I'm not throwing anyone under the bus. But it's not a positive drug test until the B sample is tested and confirms it. It's the equivalent of an accusation at this point. So, I think this has been mismanaged honestly across the board.

Certainly, I have my own opinions about the ban of Russia after the Sochi Olympics and allowing them to participate. It seems like it's kind of been unfolding in front of our eyes the ineffective nature of our system right now. And I don't know that anybody that I've spoken to says it's working. Which I think requires a much deeper, longer conversation.

But I just want to be clear that, you know, accusing someone of doping is also not grounds to disqualify them or whatever. And what this young girl went through I think was apparent to everybody. This was incredibly traumatic. 100 percent impacted her performance. What happens if her B sample comes back positive and she's cleared of these accusations?

I think it's important that the general public hears that. That yes -- personally, I think her B sample will come back confirming, but it's not done yet. And so, the jump to accusations, it's been across every media outlet that she tested positive. It's just not (INAUDIBLE) that's another indicator that our understanding of policy, of procedure, of reality is it's just not there right now in.

BLACKWELL: OK, important context and I appreciate that. You use the context this is a young girl -- 15-years-old. The International Figure Skating Union in June is going to meet and vote on whether to raise the minimum age of participation to 17-years-old. Do you think that's a good idea?

MILLER: You know, I don't because it's been demonstrated time and time again in various sports that, you know, particularly female athletes peak at a much younger age and there's advantages to that. I think what needs to happen that we have a much deeper conversation around whether it's a global athlete union that protects the rights of athletes and create some continuity in the manager rule structures of coaches for something that I haven't thought of.

You will, to me is starts with the question, like is this working and is it acceptable? In my mind the answer has been no coming up on two decades. It's one of the reasons why I've been pretty outspoken on this. I think we need to revamp the system and do it logically with the intent of protecting athletes, protecting their health, their mental well-being and then also equalizing sports to the degree that it can be equalized. I mean sports are inherently not fair thing. Like there's always advantages and disadvantages. But you know, I think it is -- it's a topic that I think is going to be challenging but it needs to be put out there.

BLACKWELL: Bode, you suggest that there is a need for a deeper conversation. And you know our time limitations here and I'm not a member of the IOC. Do you believe that this episode -- and I'll pair it with Peng Shui -- out of China and what happened there as well -- that in this moment there is an appetite for a deeper conversation that the IOC has learned something over the last several month and is now willing to make some significant changes?

MILLER: I mean, I'm sorry but I've seen this a lot. They tend to just protect themselves. They'll do a forward-facing announcement. A forward-facing thing but the actual reality is it doesn't change. I think in this case potentially we're in a culture evolution of mental health awareness and civil rights in a lot of different things. So, I'm hoping that public pressure can actually -- I believe it needs a revamp. I know it needs almost to tear down and a rebuild.

And you know, the people are in those positions of power. They're in a lot of ways above the law. They're a global organization. They're all over the place and they have ultimate say and control over what happens. So, you know, to have them voluntarily dismantle and rebuild, I don't think it's going to happen, but I do believe that's what's needed.

BLACKWELL: Bode Miller, always appreciate the insight. Thank you, sir.

All right, just in to CNN, a federal judge just ruled that civil suits against former President Donald Trump for January 6th can move forward. That story is next.

[15:45:00]

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BLACKWELL: All right, this just in. Another big legal setback for former President Trump.

[15:50:00]

A federal judge just ruled that several lawsuits filed against him over the January 6th Capitol riot can move forward and that Trump does not have absolute immunity from litigation. Democratic House members and Police officers have sued former President Trump claiming he prompted his supporters to attack the Capitol with his speech before the violence. A judge also agreed to dismiss Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump Jr. from those lawsuits.

Lyndon Baines Johnson, he entered the White House during a national crisis. And despite that he used the office to enact a historic expansion of civil rights and social support programs. His accomplishments, however, are often overshadowed by his escalations of one of America's most controversial wars. Well, now the new CNN original series "LBJ: Triumph And Tragedy" provides a captivating look at one of the most consequential presidents in U.S. history. Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the end of the end LBJ tried to brace Mrs. Kennedy. He kissed Mrs. Johnson. They wanted us to get out of Dallas, to get back to Washington as soon as possible. So, Johnson said let's get airborne. A Democratic congressman started to move toward him and they had their hand out to shake his hand and I saw him. President Johnson had his hands below his belt. You couldn't see them on camera but he went like this. Everything about, that he did on that airplane, was directed toward Mrs. Kennedy. Lyndon Johnson had many wonderful days. But that day in Dallas, he was magnificent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Joining us now is CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer. He's also the author of the book, "The Fierce Urgency of Now. Lyndon Johnson, Congress and The Battle for The Great Society." Julian, you haven't been on with me in a month of Sundays. It's good to see you. Thanks for being with me.

Let's start here. At the beginning of the Biden administration, there are some on the left who said that he has the opportunity to have a presidency like Johnson. Some sweeping social domestic agenda. And then you had some moderates who said, listen, he wasn't elected to be Johnson. How do you think that played over this last year? And was it a fair comparison?

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, we're in year one, the American rescue plan, the infrastructure legislation where significant pieces of legislation that Lyndon Johnson certainly would admire. But the legacy making policies, and the Build Back Better, are stalled. Some of that comparison, I think, will depend on what happens. Obviously, Biden has narrow majorities. He has very strong Republican obstruction and he is in a crisis, public health crisis that remains severe. So those are obstacles that I think are often underestimated at first.

BLACKWELL: The voting rights act, we've certainly talked a lot about that over the last couple of years. Not only because of action in the Supreme Court but also, inaction in Congress as well. I mean, I wonder -- this is always an odd question to ask. You know Johnson very well. What would he make of voting rights in 2022?

ZELIZER: He would be deeply dispirited about what's happening. This is the president who that, when he pushed for the voting rights act of 1965, every American citizen must have the right to vote. And he would be very disappointed that Supreme Court undercut that legislation in 2013 and that in many states, more restrictions are being put on the vote instead of voting being eased. This is someone who saw the Jim Crow laws of the South firsthand and understands that the right to vote is fragile and the opposition to voting is often very intense in this country.

BLACKWELL: When he got the Civil Rights Act passed, LBJ said something supposedly like I feel we've just delivered the South to the Republican Party for a generation. Do you think he was right about that legislation specifically? And we're seeing maybe some fallout 60 years later?

Well, he's right. I mean, the South went from Democratic territory to Republican territory, and the opposition to civil rights was big a part of the story right through this day. But I think the lesson isn't that Johnson shouldn't have done that. It is the opposite. When advisors told Johnson to be practical, to be careful, he famously said, what the hell is the presidency for? And he used it. He burned his political capital for the right decision. And let's remember that black American voter have been instrumental to Democratic Victories, including in 2020. So, there's also been a benefit politically to what he achieved.

Julian Zelizer always appreciate your perspective. Thank you, sir.

ZELIZER Nice to be with you.

[15:55:00]

BLACKWELL: The all-new original CNN series, "LBJ: Triumph And Tragedy" premieres with back-to-back episodes Sunday starting at 9 p.m. only on CNN.

We are watching the White House where President Biden just wrapped up calls with world leaders on the Russia-Ukraine crisis and will soon update Americans. We'll bring you that live, next.