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Three Dead, 11 Injured In Overnight Shootings In Philadelphia; Interview With Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) About Mass Shootings; Queen Elizabeth II Makes Surprise Appearance To Cap Off Jubilee; Russian Missile Flies "Critically Low" Over Ukraine Nuclear Plant; Putin Warns U.S. Not To Supply Ukraine With Long-Range Missiles; Nine-Year-Old Injured In Uvalde Shooting Released From Hospital; Survivors Of Uvalde, Buffalo Shootings Set To Testify On Capitol Hill; Gun Violence Archive: 26 Mass Shootings In U.S. Since Uvalde Massacre; Biden Nearing Decision On Student Loans As Inflation Fears Mount. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired June 05, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:23]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with a deadly night in America as several mass shootings across the country claim nearly a dozen lives and injure many more. In Philadelphia a manhunt is under way after three people were killed and 11 injured when several people opened fire on South Street, a popular restaurant and bar area. Police saying they were patrolling the area when several people just started shooting into the crowd.

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, three people are dead and 14 injured following a shooting outside a nightclub. It's the second mass shooting in that city in the past week. And in Mesa, Arizona, two people were killed and two others injured in a shooting outside a bar. In Lexington, Kentucky, one person was killed and another injured in a shooting at a funeral.

And there's more. To Phoenix now one person was killed and eight others injured in a shooting outside a strip mall. And then in Summerton, South Carolina, one woman was killed and seven teenagers were injured when someone opened fire on a graduation party.

And these are just the shootings that CNN has details on to share with you. So let's go now to that terrifying shooting in Philadelphia. CNN's Polo Sandoval is there.

Polo, a chaotic scene overnight in a very busy, typically very busy area. So what are police saying today?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And now it's Sunday afternoon, Fred, there certainly is a bit of a sense of normalcy that's restored here in Philadelphia's South Street District. A very popular entertainment district. Still, there are many questions about what transpired on these streets just last night. Investigators say that one of those patrol officers was only about 10 to 15 yards away from one of the gunman and even actually opened fire on the gunman. That prompted this suspect to reportedly drop the weapon.

And so this afternoon investigators are looking through surveillance video from area businesses to see if they can find out whether or not that suspect was potentially wounded and where they ended up. I should also mention that during the overnight hours, investigators should say that their officers observed what they described as several active shooters opening fire on a crowd.

We're hoping to hear from investigators in the next hour to see if that potentially has changed. Obviously information tends to be very preliminary so it tends to evolve as that investigation does so, but the numbers that we can confirm, according to the investigations so far, is that three people were killed here yesterday, two men and a woman, and 11 others were injured. City officials are certainly speaking out this afternoon not only just about the shooting, but about a recent wave of violence that we've seen here in the city of Philadelphia.

Mayor Jim Kenney releasing a statement overnight saying that he's deeply troubled about the shooting that he described as brazen and a despicable act of gun violence. The mayor writing, the events that transpired last evening on South Street are beyond devastating. We cannot accept continued violence as a way of life in our country until we address and availability and ease of access to firearms, the mayor writes, we will always be fighting an uphill battle.

The mayor along with other city officials right now are recognizing that they have seen a steep increase in gun violence here in the city of Philadelphia. So the mayor along with other city officials are trying to figure out exactly how they can address that, calling this not only senseless, needless, but also deeply troubling here in the city of Philadelphia.

WHITFIELD: Very upsetting in Philadelphia and beyond. Thank you so much, Polo Sandoval. Keep us posted.

All right, joining us right now Congressman Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat who serves on the House Judiciary Committee.

Congressman, so good to see you.

REP. TED DEUTCH (D-FL): Likewise, Fredricka. Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you. So Florida did make some rather significant changes to gun laws after that mass school shooting in Parkland which happened in your district. Florida raised the age for owning a gun to 21 and passed a red flag law. So is it your feeling that this can become a blueprint perhaps for the rest of the country?

DEUTCH: Well, certainly some of the things that Florida did should be done on a national level. But can we just take a step back for a second and acknowledge that there literally are not enough CNN reporters and production crews to go to every place in America that had a shooting over the weekend. That's where we are.

WHITFIELD: Yes. It's a sad commentary. DEUTCH: And it's a pathetic commentary. So, yes, there are things that

we can do. And I'm glad to talk about those instead of always just talking about the politics because in the real world for your viewers, for people around the country, this isn't about politics, it's about saving lives.

[13:05:05]

So, yes, in Florida the state legislature raised the age to buy a gun to 21. Already America you have to be 21 to buy a handgun. Most people don't know that. Well, why should the shooter in Uvalde, for example, or anyone else, why was it OK for him to go in on his 18th birthday to buy two AR-15s?

WHITFIELD: And so what is your justification that you're hearing that you have to combat?

DEUTCH: I'm sorry?

WHITFIELD: What is the justification that you are hearing that you feel like you're up against, you're having to combat? There are many who are just simply not on board with raising the age requirement for a semi-automatic.

DEUTCH: Yes. Here's the thing, I actually -- I would suggest, and the data shows this, that across the country most people actually do believe that if you have to be 25 to rent a car or 21 to drink that it's not too much to say that -- and 21 to buy a handgun, that you should have to be 21 to buy an AR-15. Red flag laws in Florida have been used over 5800 times to save lives by getting guns, keeping guns away from people who pose a risk to themselves or to others.

Doing violent history checks on people to make sure that guns shouldn't go to people who have a history of violence. That's what universal background checks are. That's not controversial anywhere except under the Capitol dome.

Same thing -- the other things we're trying to do here, just Fredricka, one last thing. You know why we want to reduce the size of magazines? Because every time a shooter has to stop to change magazines, it's an opportunity for someone to stop him to save lives. Those are the things we can do and they're not controversial.

WHITFIELD: And in fact there are some people who've expressed themselves, you know, in a unique way that they are on board with some changes. This morning in the "Dallas Morning News" that publication published an open letter from GOP donors urging Congress to act on gun safety measures. And this letter was signed by more than 250 self- declared gun enthusiasts. And the letter endorses the creation of red flag laws, expanding background checks, and, as we just were talking about, raising the age to purchase a gun to 21.

And these are big donors. Robert Rolling whose holding company owns Omni Hotels. Ray L. Hunt of Hunt Consolidated. I mean, so deep pockets. Is this what it's going to take? DEUTCH: Look, I'm thrilled that people with deep pockets want change.

But you know what matters just dramatically more than that, the fact that there continues to be families everywhere in the country, in this country, who have holes that will never be filled. And they're trying to honor the memories of their loved ones. It's true for the families of Parkland, trying to do everything they can to have some change so that this doesn't keep happening.

And I'm glad that those -- the signers of that letter are on board. And I'm glad that the polls show that gun owners all across the country support these commonsense measures. And it's just a matter of breaking through the wall in the Capitol ultimately, ultimately every person whose elected office has to respond to the needs and desires of their community, and more and more--

WHITFIELD: But is that what it's going to take to break through the wall of the Capitol, as you mentioned? To break through the wall of the Capitol some of those deep pockets are helping to finance re- election campaigns. And if that is where some of the influence can, you know, come from, is that helpful enough? Do you believe that it's those with the deep pockets, those with the influence to twist the arms of your colleagues, of legislators to be on board with real, sizeable change, that that might be the only way in which to make a difference?

DEUTCH: It is. Fredricka, it is absolutely helpful when a group of people who identify as staunch Second Amendment advocates, as people who love guns, as Republicans come out in support of the kinds of changes that we know people just like them all across the country desire. Responsible gun owners just like everyone else in the country can't understand why we're not able to take these simple steps that do not in any way imperil anyone's Second Amendment rights but will in fact save rights.

So yes, I'm -- though I haven't seen that letter, I'm thrilled. I hope that all of the senators who have these relationships hear personally from those individuals because they need to know that this is an issue that's going to guide what they do, the kinds of contributions they make, the kinds of support they offer. And ultimately, just as we've seen with the young people from Parkland and around the country, the way that people choose to get involved in politics, that's what's necessary and it's necessary right now.

[13:10:10]

WHITFIELD: And so you'll see that it really means going out on a limb for some legislators, and some have done that and it means they're not going to get the party backing for reelection. Cliff Jacobs among them, who said real reform needs to happen. And the party said or somehow he was no longer interested in reelection. And some believe that it's because the party just simply wasn't going to back him, which means the money wasn't there to back his reelection campaign. Do you see that more sacrifices like that might have to be made in order to try to make some movement here?

DEUTCH: Fredricka, after the horrific shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School President Trump, President Trump mind you, invited us into the White House and he wagged his finger at a lot of the people around the table and said, you know why we haven't had background checks yet, because you're afraid of the gun lobby. That's what President Trump told them. Now of course he left that meeting and ran off to his meeting with the NRA and promptly forgot everything he had just said.

But the fact is he knew for that moment that this isn't a controversial position. So, yes, people are going to have to take what they believe are bold moves, but ultimately it's not bold to stand up and say that you want to do something that everyone acknowledges will help to save lives. It is the single most important thing that any elected official can do, which is to represent the people who sent us to Washington to help make their lives safer.

The Second Amendment is really important, but for every one of those kids, every one of those 19 kids in Uvalde, for the 17 in Parkland, for the 10 in Buffalo, all those people whose lives were taken from them, they will never get to enjoy that constitutional freedom or any other. And their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is over. Why isn't it about time that we start thinking in those terms?

And yes, you may say that it requires members of Congress and the Senate to be bold. I would suggest it just requires them to be decent and humane and to well represent the people who sent them to Washington.

WHITFIELD: All right. And all those are the expectations that anyone would have of those in leadership role.

So let me switch gears, if I may. This week the January 6th Committee will begin revealing their findings to the public in a first time a primetime hearing which begins on Thursday. The panel is promising to release new evidence, witness testimony. Just take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D-RI): There will be, I think, substantial evidence that really demonstrates the coordination and the planning and the effort, despite the fact that they understood that Donald Trump lost the election and even once the insurrection began and the violence began, there were ongoing efforts to persuade the former president to stop the violence and call on folks to go home and he refused to do it.

DENVER RIGGLEMAN (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: I think when you look at the totality of the evidence, and some of these are my personal opinion, when you look at the totality of the evidence, it's pretty apparent that at some point President Trump knew what was going on obviously, right, I mean, if you're having meetings within the White House, if you're having individuals that you're paying out there, you know, doing lawsuits, you know, the 64, 65 lawsuits, if you're pushing this sort of lie even on Twitter and social media which is very important which I think the committee is going to concentrate on, if you look at what's happening in the message that's being pushed by President Trump himself on social media and other individuals, you start to see this pipeline of information that's very damaging and is pushing things like Stop the Steal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And so what do you hope the impact will be on the American audience?

DEUTCH: Well, I think it's a critical moment in American history. January 6th was an attack on our democracy and what we're going to see is Congress the way that it's supposed to behave. We have a bipartisan committee with nonpartisan staff that has scrupulously examined one of the real low points in the history of our nation's democracy and people are anxious to see them make the case of exactly what happened.

This committee has poured over an extraordinary -- almost historic amount of data and it's pulling all of that together and laying out in a way that the American people can understand that will help inform what to do now, but most importantly, Fredricka, will help ensure that we do everything possible to never be in a position like that again where we face that kind of threat to our democracy.

WHITFIELD: Is it your expectation that the committee will be able to provide strong evidence that former President Trump knew about plans, may have even been directly involved in the plans of the insurrection, and perhaps sat on his responsibility to stop it as we are seeing inferred by so many e-mails and texts that have come out in recent weeks?

[13:15:21]

DEUTCH: Right, well, I think the reason that these hearings are going to be so important is because we've all seen bits and pieces. We all have a sense of what we think happened, but this is -- this is a principled group of members, Democrats and Republicans, who have spent nearly a year diligently gathering data, and this is the opportunity that we have for them to lay it out so that we can understand exactly what happened and so that we can expect, as I've called for from the very beginning, full accountability wherever that takes us.

WHITFIELD: All right, Congressman Ted Deutch, thanks so much for being with us this Sunday.

DEUTCH: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, a surprise appearance from the Queen on the final day of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Onlookers were greeted by Her Majesty and family. And we'll take you live to London, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:20:35]

WHITFIELD: And today a triumphant finale to Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebration.

And there she is. Queen Elizabeth making a surprise appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with members of the royal family. Today was the final day of what has been a four-day celebration marking 70 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign.

The appearance followed a huge parade through London in the Queen's honor that included the Queen's golden carriage. And then you will see a very mysterious image of her when she was a very young queen.

CNN's Max Foster is at Buckingham Palace. And Max, that's the only question I want to know. How did they make that happen? Was that like a hologram of her, you know, in the golden carriage?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it was quite spooky when you saw it going around the streets. I mean, this is, you know, the golden carriage never comes out. The last time it was out was 20 years ago. And is it went past, there was a TV screen. I've seen how it works, basically a TV screen.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FOSTER: But as it goes past, it was so clever the way it literally looks like a ghost.

WHITFIELD: Very clever.

FOSTER: In the carriage. Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That was extravagant. Look, this has been a celebration fit for a queen. And how nice that we would see the Queen today after the last two days. She had mobility issues is how you reported it. So what's the explanation about how she was feeling today? She looked ravishing in green, emerald I should say, she's the Queen after all. Emerald.

FOSTER: We always expected -- well, this was always part of the plan. But they didn't confirm until the last minute. And it was literally an hour before that we were given this sort of nod, nod, wink, wink, the flag is about to go up signifying that the Queen was in residence. And then they came out. And I think, you know, it needed this book end. It's been a triumphant four days.

Some of the events she couldn't attend. And it needed, you know, that moment. People have been so energized by this. Probably a million people out there in front of her and they all wanted to see her. And then it was a perfect close, really, to this event.

I've just literally as we were speaking received a note, Fredricka, a note, not personally to me from the Queen, but she's just issued a message of thanks. So I'll just read through it.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FOSTER: And, you know, feel free to play some pictures because it's, you know, it was a very moving moment, very historic moment. We're not going to see this happen again. And this is how she puts it, when it comes how to mark 70 years as your queen there's no guide book to follow. It really is a first. But I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee.

And what's interesting is that how do you know if you're a monarch whether you're popular? You have to see these moments really and crowds out in front of you. Well, I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all and I remain committed to serving you to the best of my ability, supported by my family.

So really what she's speaking to there is she's not going to abdicate. She's going to carry on in this role. Prince Charles will step in for her when necessary, but she is still queen.

I've been inspired by the kindness and joy and kinship that has been so evident in recent days. And my hope this renewed sense of togetherness will be felt for many years to come.

And what she's speaking to there is divisiveness, frankly, we've had in society over the last couple of years with all the politics and all the recent war, COVID. You know, she's heartened that people came together. And I think this is the type of leader she is. She unites people. And that's something that was appreciated today.

A last line from her, I thank you most sincerely for your good wishes and to the part you've all played in these happy celebrations.

WHITFIELD: That's so lovely. Well, carry on is what she has done for 70 years and to continue to carry one, I mean, who would expect anything but from Queen Elizabeth? Fantastic.

Thank you so much, Max Foster. Glad you could be with us. I've got a quick question for you. So do you have a favorite moment in the last four days of how she was celebrated or the reaction from the crowd or a particular moment?

FOSTER: I have to say it's a funny one. I mean, at the end of the concert last night they had this drone show. And I've seen drone shows before but it was just amazing, spectacular setting. And it was so personal.

[13:25:01]

So you had a drone showing a Corgi chasing a bone. A cup of tea being poured.

WHITFIELD: OK.

FOSTER: You had -- I mean, it was so cliche, to some extent, but also so brilliant. So for me that was a really great moment.

WHITFIELD: I wish I saw that. But you described it so well that I feel like I just did. That's fun. That would be my favorite, too.

All right, Max Foster, good to see you. Thanks so much from London.

All right, still ahead President Putin delivering a jarring warning to the U.S. vowing to strike new targets if the U.S. sends more long- range missiles to Ukraine. A live report from Ukraine, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:07]

WHITFIELD: Stunning new video shows a Russian cruise missile flying critically low over a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. See it right there. The incident happened as Russia fired missiles at Kyiv and President Vladimir Putin issued new warnings to the U.S.

CNN's Matthew Chance is in central Ukraine. So, Matthew, what was at the core of Putin's message to the U.S.?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was talking about this decision that has been made by the Biden administration to send Ukraine sort of quite long-range multiple- rocket launchers, artillery systems that have a much longer-range than the current systems they've got here. It's very controversial because it potentially means that the Ukrainians could push back Russian forces and even strike into Russian territory if they chose to although they promised not to do that as a condition of receiving these weapons.

But Vladimir Putin, for the first time, spoke about this deployment over the course of today on Russian television. He basically tried to play down the threat saying, look, you know, this is not something they didn't have in the past. They've had weapons that can launch artillery this far before, it's about 50 miles or so, by the way, the range of these weapons. But it's just replacing these lost stocks.

However, the warning he issued was this. He said, look, giving Ukraine weapons like this is going to prolong the war. He wasn't saying it was a particular threat to Russia, although it definitely is, but he was issuing that warning to the U.S. and to the rest of the world that's supporting Ukraine that this war is going to continue as long as Ukraine continues to be armed.

WHITFIELD: And then where you are in central Ukraine, what is happening in that region?

CHANCE: Well, we're actually very close to the southern area now, which is why we're here. We're en route to that southern area where there's been some fighting -- much of the fighting has been taking place up in the Donbas region, up to the north of where I am now. But not all of the fighting has been focused there. There have also been other attacks taking place in the southern part of the region.

For instance, just today you played that video of the cruise missile passing very closely to the nuclear power station. That was en route to Mykolaiv which is a port city, a short distance from here in southern Ukraine. A facility was struck there by a cruise missile. Three people were killed. A grain export storage facility was also destroyed. And that's important because Ukraine is already struggling to export the massive -- you know, hundreds of thousands of tons of grain, millions of tons of grain that it needs to export every year so people can be fed around the world. This is making it even harder for them to do that. And so there has been a whole range of attacks outside of Donbas and southern Ukraine. And, of course, Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine was attacked today with five Russian cruise missiles. One of them hitting a military target, we're told by Ukrainian officials. The other one striking a train repair workshop or a train repair factory. And so that was a, you know, a development as well in the Ukrainian capital.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Still intensifying. Matthew Chance there in Ukraine, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, a fourth grader who survived the Uvalde, Texas, massacre will testify on Capitol Hill this week and will share her harrowing story directly with lawmakers. The latest on the investigation into that horrible tragedy straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:37:50]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

A nine-year-old girl who was injured during the shooting at Robb Elementary has been released from the hospital according to the University Health Center in San Antonio. The tweet also said a 10- year-old girl remains in serious condition. And this week on Capitol Hill survivors and parents of victims of the shootings in both Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, are expected to testify before the House Oversight Committee.

CNN's Nick Valencia is in Uvalde for us. So, Nick, what is the latest from there?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Fredricka. Good afternoon. I just spoke by phone to a former city council member here in Uvalde, Rogelio Munoz. He held the position that Pete Arredondo was recently elected to. And Mr. Munoz tells me while he has no direct knowledge of the investigation here speaking as a local Uvaldian the community is fractured.

He tells me that he believes that Texas Department of Public Safety has thrown the local police including Pete Arredondo under the bus here and that they share a big part of the blame here in the mistakes that were made. This is part of what he had to tell me by phone.

He says, "Ask yourself, DPS responded fairly quickly too and you have a local police force with four or five people. Don't you think that there is a hierarchy of command that happens when you have more experienced people show up? Arredondo made mistakes that day, but he's not the only one."

Fredricka, we're quickly approaching nearly two weeks since the massacre at Robb Elementary School and police have yet to offer a full explanation of their inaction that day. Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then, Nick, as I mentioned some parents and victims will be heading to Washington to testify before Congress this week from that community. What are people telling you there about their expectations of what could come from that? What they're hoping will come from that?

VALENCIA: You know, that's a great question. I think the reaction is mixed. I think some are optimistic. Some are pessimistic. And the fact is some are still grieving and just really haven't, you know, had the chance to addressed that just yet.

The hope of this committee though is that it personalizes and underscores America's gun violence pandemic. Speaking to reporters earlier this week, the chairwoman of that committee, Democrat from New York Carolyn Maloney, said that she hopes her colleagues listen with an open heart as these victims, not just from Uvalde but also of the mass shooting in Buffalo, as they recount some of their darkest days.

[13:40:06]

And as you mentioned, one of the fourth graders here from Robb Elementary is expected to speak in front of that panel. That fourth grader had to cover herself in her classmate's blood and play dead just to survive the shooting -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Valencia in Uvalde, Texas, thank you so much.

All right. Joining us right now former acting Baltimore Police Commissioner, CNN law enforcement analyst, Anthony Barksdale. So good to see you.

So with Congress set to hear from victims of this violence this week, including the little girl that Nick just described, you know, using a friend's blood to cover herself up, you know, to protect herself from getting shot, how hopeful are you that their testimonies, as powerful as we know they're going to be, will sway lawmakers particularly those who are already expressing their reluctancy to make any changes in any gun related laws?

ANTHONY BARKSDALE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I'm going to remain optimistic. I think what President Biden put forth to the nation was solid, nothing absurd about asking for an increase of age purchase, move that to 21, from 18 to 21. I just hope that this conversation, this testimony, will move 10 Republicans to join with the Democrats and say, like President Biden said, enough, enough. We've had enough victims, enough tragedy and we can do more about it and President Biden has laid it out.

WHITFIELD: You know, school shootings have sadly become all too common, right? And, I mean, shootings taking place in parking lots, groceries stores, at churches. I mean, all of the places that everyone has a sense of security when interacting with the public and, of course, in schools that's supposed to be the safest place of all. Is it your feeling that it is going to be up to Congress in which to address these matters so that people, American people, are not walking in fear in just about every place we go now?

BARKSDALE: It's not only Congress. It's down to the local levels, the federal levels. We need to work together. While this is going on, we have to acknowledge that 10 years ago or, you know, even a little before then, we were doing much better with addressing violence -- gun violence in many of the cities that are tragically failing now. So what worked then? What did we do then that could constitutionally be applied right now to start changing this?

Unfortunately, we have active shooters who are targeting soft targets. I mean, you can't even go to the grocery store now. Kids can't go to school now without security concerns. So we are in different times here and we need to really look at what law enforcement and their partners -- we need the prosecutors involved, we need the citizens involved to say, "Hey, what worked? Let's get this together because this has to stop."

WHITFIELD: Yes. I hear you. A multipronged approach. I mean, listen to these numbers. I mean, according to the Gun Violence Archive there have now been 26 mass shootings in America in just the 12 days since the massacre at Uvalde, Texas.

I mean, that is horrifying. It's disgusting. I mean, it's beyond disappointing.

What is happening in America? What do you think is driving what is now truly an epidemic of shootings? I mean, yesterday I described it as a -- it is our pandemic. It's another pandemic that we're dealing with. But what do you believe is at the root of it?

BARKSDALE: We have to acknowledge that, first, this isn't just AR-15s contributing to the loss of lives in the U.S. We have a lot of handguns out there. We have hundreds of millions of guns out there. And, if they fall into the wrong hands, we see over and over again the deadly results.

So I firmly believe that these individuals, many of them, are already known to us. Now what are we doing about it? Are we focused together to build constitutional prosecutable cases against these individuals to remove them from the crime equation?

And this can't just be just police. It just can't be one mayor, one governor. We all need to do this together. And that's the way that I believe that you can turn this around. We've done it before and we can do it again.

WHITFIELD: I wonder for you, as a former police commissioner, right, you were, you know, on guard, you know, at the edge of your seat at all times while in uniform and now retired.

[13:45:06]

Was there a space where you felt like, OK, I can, you know, let my guard down, but now we are in this place where we are all trying to be vigilant? I mean, I don't get out of a car in a parking lot the way I once did, you know, or even -- I haven't been to a movie theater yet in a while. But when I do, I know that there is that reference point of thinking about things that have happened in movie theaters. So what is it like for you as a former police commissioner in this day and age?

BARKSDALE: It really -- it hurts to see the pain and suffering. I mean, from Buffalo to Uvalde, those little kids, it really hurts. And I'm blessed to be able to, you know, come on CNN and try to help, but sometimes it's just -- it's just a bit much.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BARKSDALE: And I know -- I was there during the better years and here we are now and we are -- we are not doing well and I just want our country to figure this out because we are really suffering right now.

WHITFIELD: Yes. We got to figure it out indeed. Anthony Barksdale, yes, everybody, you know, should be playing a part here in trying to figure it out. Anthony Barksdale, good to see you. Thank you so much. And we'll be right back.

BARKSDALE: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:13]

WHITFIELD: President Biden is reportedly nearing a decision on whether to cancel some student debt. It's unclear if or when the president will act as experts now worry the move could feed already record high inflation. But if he does borrowers could see as much as $10,000 in forgiveness. CNN's Adrienne Broaddus spoke with several college students who explained why debt cancellation is so critical for them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vinessa Gabriell Russell.

VINESSA GABRIELL RUSSELL, RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATE: It's been such a -- trials and tribulations.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vinessa Russell became the first in her family to earn a bachelor's degree but she's also graduating with student loan debt.

RUSSELL: The last time I checked, there was approximately 48,000. They come to find you.

BROADDUS: Russell says a debt collector called her while she was working.

RUSSELL: They asked for Vinessa. They're like this is the debt collector basically collecting. We were trying to find you, like when are you going to pay your student debt.

BROADDUS: At one point, Russell temporarily dropped out of school.

RUSSELL: I did have to leave Columbia and pay a balance that was due in order for me to go back.

BROADDUS: But she is not alone. Data shows there is about $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt. Tayvia Ridgeway wants a six- figure salary. But right now, she has nearly a six figure student loan debt.

TAYVIA RIDGEWAY, COLLEGE JUNIOR: I'd be in the range of like 80 to 100k just based on my tuition rates right now.

BROADDUS: That's even after Tayvia became a resident adviser to cut down on her room and board cost.

RIDGEWAY: You should get a free education because you can't put a price on knowledge.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to make sure that everybody in this generation gets $10,000 knocked off of their student debt.

BROADDUS: On the campaign trail, Joe Biden promised to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for each of the 43 million people with federal student loans. Due to the pandemic, he did pause loan repayments until August 31st.

But it is not clear if and when the White House will move forward with some form of permanent loan forgiveness, despite pressure from fellow Democrats at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: You don't need Congress. All you need is the flick of a pen.

BROADDUS: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pushing to cancel $50,000 of debt per borrower. Biden has rejected those calls.

BIDEN: I am not considering $50,000 debt reduction.

BROADDUS: The White House does say Biden is considering some debt forgiveness for those making up to $125,000. Gabby Bach, like Ridgeway, was a resident adviser. She calls it a broken campaign promise.

GABBY BACH, RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATE: I think this is something that Biden has promised and has something that I feel like he hasn't delivered on yet during the campaign or just knowing like that this was something that a lot of people who voted for him that this was something that they wanted.

RIDGEWAY: I'd say it would only help a little bit. If anything, I'd want my full tuition covered. But you know, that's not the world we live in.

BROADDUS: Russell welcomes any relief.

RUSSELL: It would help me so much. It's like an emotional experience because it has taken me so long and I almost gave up and -- sorry, just thinking about it. BROADDUS (on camera): And a year and a half into his presidency, Biden has canceled more than $17 billion in student loans. But that is tied to faulty loan practice investigations and institutions that no longer exist. Adrienne Broaddus, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And this quick programming note. Go inside the Watergate scandal like never before. Get a complete picture of how it happened, and how it set the stage for future White House scandals. The new CNN original series "WATERGATE BLUEPRINT FOR A SCANDAL" premieres tonight at 9:00 on CNN.

[13:55:06]

And next hour, I'll talk with the man at the heart of the Watergate scandal, former White House counsel, John Dean, who turned on President Nixon. And we'll get his thoughts as we head into the first public prime time, January 6th hearings in just a few days. The most consequential hearings since Watergate. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me.

[14:00:00]

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And we begin this hour on the cusp of one of the most historic moments in American history.