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Secret Service Staffers Back Up Part Of Explosive January 6th Testimony; Former Aide Reveals Trump Demanded To Allow Armed Supporters; Texas Supreme Court Allows Century-Old Abortion Ban To Take Effect; FL Teenager Bitten By Shark Undergoes Second Surgery; Officials: Large Sharks A "Constant Presence" On Cape Cod Until Fall; Video Shows Man Attacked By Bison At Yellowstone National Park; Embattled Uvalde School Police Chief Resigns From City Council; Emmitt Till's Family Calls For Justice After Finding Unserved Arrest Warrant. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 02, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:25]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Today, sources within the Secret Service are backing up the bombshell testimony from a former Trump White House aide that an irate President Trump demanded to go to the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, interrupted when the Secret Service refused to take him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER AIDE TO WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS: The president had very strong, a very angry response to that. Tony described him as being irate. The president said something to the effect of, I'm the effing president. Take me up to the Capitol now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: CNN has now spoken with two Secret Service sources who both say they also heard about a confrontation in the presidential SUV that day, a story they say was spreading widely inside the agency in the weeks and months that followed January 6th. They say Trump indeed demanded to be taken to the Capitol, and when the Secret Service said no to the trip, Trump berated his Secret Service detail.

Despite that corroboration, Trump and his allies have been working in overdrive to discredit Hutchinson's testimony about what she saw and heard on January 6th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This lady, yesterday, there's something wrong with her. Is there something wrong? The woman is living in fantasy land. She's a social climber, if you call that social. She's got serious problems. Let me put it that way, mental problems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you make of FOX News --

TRUMP: But for this girl to sit there and just -- I think just make up -- and again, I hardly know who she is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Of course, she was a top staffer to the chief of staff at that time, Mark Meadows, so you should know who she is. And CNN's Ryan Nobles has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Witness intimidation has become a serious focus of the January 6th Select Committee. CNN has learned that both instances the committee presented as examples of possible witness intimidation during their hearing on Tuesday were directed at their witness Cassidy Hutchinson.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): He knows you're loyal and you're going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition. I think most Americans know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns.

NOBLES: Sources say the committee believes that pressure was applied at the behest of former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, a claim Meadows' spokesperson Ben Williamson rejects. "No one from the Meadows' camp, himself or otherwise, ever sought to intimidate or shape her conversations with the committee," Williamson said in a statement to CNN.

The accusations of intimidation come at the same time "The New York Times" reports that organizations close to Donald Trump had been helping to pay for the legal fees of witnesses before the committee. It's a practice that is not uncommon or illegal. But according to the committee's former senior investigator, it does raise potential problems.

JOHN WOOD, FORMER JANUARY 6 SELECT COMMITTEE INVESTIGATOR: It does run the risk that they will be less cooperative than they would be if they had attorneys who are advising them, who are being paid by the client. In other words, the witness themselves.

NOBLES: The committee is also still working with Secret Service to schedule another round of depositions for two agents at the center of a dispute over the former president's conduct inside the Presidential SUV on January 6th.

HUTCHINSON: Tony described him as being irate. The president said something to the effect of, I'm the effing president. Take me up to the Capitol now. The President reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We're going back to the West Wing. We're not going to the Capitol.

Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel. And when Mr. Ornato had recounted the story to me he had motion towards his clavicles.

NOBLES: CNN learning that accounts of an angry Trump demanding to go to the Capitol over Secret Service objections and lunging forward in the SUV started circulating among agents in the months after January 6th.

CNN has learned that Agent Tony Ornato, who was also Trump's deputy chief of staff, has met with the committee on two previous occasions. Some committee members say his version of events on that day were murky.

REP. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-FL): Mr. Ornato did not have as clear of memories from this period of time as I would say Ms. Hutchinson did.

NOBLES: Meanwhile, the work of the committee was front and center in Wyoming.

HARRIET HAGEMAN, (R) WYOMING HOUSE CANDIDATE: The only time that the J-6 situation ever comes up is when people talk about how unfair this entire committee is.

[15:05:04]

NOBLES: Vice Chair Liz Cheney's opponent, Harriet Hageman, promoting conspiracy theories about the election results, while Cheney accused Hageman of doing Trump's bidding.

CHENEY: She knows it wasn't stolen. I think that she can't say that it wasn't stolen because she's completely beholden to Donald Trump. And if she says it wasn't stolen, he will not support her.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SCIUTTO: Joining me now is CNN law enforcement analyst and former D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone. On January 6th he was defending the Capitol, we'll remind our viewers, when the mob dragged him away, beat him, tased him, causing him to suffer a heart attack, concussion, traumatic brain injury.

Mike, thanks so much for being with us. You know, we're hearing from these Secret Service sources that they're essentially confirming or aligning with much of what Cassidy Hutchinson testified under oath that Trump was irate, he wanted to go to the Capitol. When he didn't get his way, he berated his Secret Service detail.

I'm just wondering how you feel about, are we moving in the direction where there ought to be, needs to be, will be accountability for Trump?

MICHAEL FANONE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I mean, I have no idea, to be completely honest with you. I think that's completely up to Merrick Garland. I'll be honest, I don't have the highest of hopes. I think that for a lot of people, Merrick Garland included, accountability was, you know, more in the line with political accountability, that they felt that they could avoid a trial, which could be, you know, very ugly for this country, especially with how polarized things are now by simply, you know, damaging Trump and his political ability.

But I don't think that's enough. It's not enough for me, and I don't think it's enough for most Americans who want -- and if you want to restore the credibility of the Department of Justice, we need to return to the rule of law and, you know, my understanding of that is that no one in America is above the law, and if Donald Trump -- if there's probable cause to suggest that he committed these crimes, which I think we've seen ample probable cause, he should be arrested. You know, the case should be put before a grand jury, and if they indict him, he should be tried.

ACOSTA: And you know, you couple what we learned from these sources with the other piece of Hutchinson's testimony, which was just as damaging, that Trump knew that there were weapons in the crowd that day, that he was saying get rid of the mags, I mean, that obviously creates a dangerous situation, and that, I think, we should listen to this line in Trump's speech that day. I think it hits differently now. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And I'd love to have, if those tens of thousands of people would be allowed, the military, the Secret Service, and we want to thank you, and the police, law enforcement, great, you're doing a great job, but I'd love it if they could be allowed to come up here with us. Is that possible? Can you just let them come up, please?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: He's even saying it in his speech that day.

FANONE: Yes, I mean, I think a lot has been made of Miss Hutchinson's testimony regarding the incident that took place inside of the presidential SUV, and its salacious, the idea that the president would become so irate that he would reach over and try to grab the steering wheel, but it's really inconsequential. I mean, the most significant parts of her testimony to me referred to the president suggesting or asking that the magnetometers be removed and that individuals be allowed into the immediate area of the Ellipse when he knew that they were armed, and he did it for, A, he wanted the appearance of more people in the crowd, I guess to bolster his ego, but also he felt, you know, that they were not a concern to him because they were there to support him.

So, you know, an individual in a tree with an AR-15, individuals with Glocks strapped to their sides, you know, were not a threat because they're there for me, and I think that speaks to his mindset that day. That he knew in advance that there was going to be violence on January 6th. He assembled this militia from all across the United States and brought them there to attack the Capitol.

ACOSTA: Mike, a question I have for you about, to follow up on that, based on that comment that you just made and what we know about what happened to you that day or other fellow officers that day, you're there defending the Capitol. You're getting beaten. You're getting overrun by all of these Trump supporters who are trying to get inside the Capitol, but hours before that, the Trump team was being told get rid of the mags. I don't care if there are weapons there. Get rid of the mags.

[15:10:03]

I mean, doesn't that suggest some responsibility on Trump's part for all those supporters who were up there on the Capitol beating officers like you and others with flags and other weapons that they had that day?

FANONE: I believe so. I mean, I believe that, you know, if you just took the president's actions on that day, his rhetoric, the knowledge that these individuals were armed, and knowing full well that they were there, that they were angry and that many of their intentions were violent, that his rhetoric was inciteful. He knew what was happening at the Capitol, and he sent these individuals over there. He even said that he was going to accompany them there, which is ridiculous, hilarious, ludicrous.

It's so many different things all at the same time that the president of the United States would, you know, would offer himself up in some type of, you know, like crossing of the Delaware moment.

ACOSTA: But a normal president would hear that kind of situation emerging and get that kind of intelligence, that kind of information that there are weapons present, a normal president would say I want this entire National Mall, this entire federal complex that runs from the Lincoln Memorial up to the Capitol locked down, cleared of anybody if there are weapons present. I mean, that's what the president of the United States should be doing at that moment is making sure that the situation is safe.

But, Mike, I wanted to ask you this, you said to me on this program a few weeks ago that you didn't know whether or not these hearings would move the needle, I think is how you described it. I'm wondering given what we now know because there have been a lot of explosive revelations, do you feel a little differently? Maybe it is going to make a difference? What do you think?

FANONE: I mean --

ACOSTA: I'm not trying to throw it back in your face, I'm just trying to see if you have a reassessment?

FANONE: No. In fact, my concerns are that, you know, you have individuals, Trump supporters who regardless of the facts of that day, even if Donald Trump did do something illegal, even if he did incite this violence, that they are in agreement, you know. It's almost about as long as he is in agreement with them that his policies represent what they want, that they're fine with having a president who breaks the law.

I think there were others who are so caught up in the idea -- I forget his name who testified several weeks ago, and he said that he would support Donald Trump despite the fact that he suffered threats at the hands of Trump supporters because of, you know, his testimony and because of the fact that he came out and said that the 2020 election was a free and fair election, that there was no evidence of, you know, overwhelming voter fraud. So for me --

ACOSTA: Rusty Bowers, the Arizona lawmaker.

FANONE: Yes. For me it was always about convincing the Department of Justice to do its job. It's all about Merrick Garland making the decision to, you know, remind Americans that no one is above the law, that this is a country based -- or built on the rule of law and that we are going to enforce those laws regardless of who it is that breaks them.

ACOSTA: All right, Mike, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

FANONE: Yes. Thank you.

ACOSTA: Thanks as always for coming in. All right, we'll have you back soon.

Coming up, a week after the Supreme Court's landmark decision to overturn Roe versus Wade, President Biden says he would support dropping the filibuster rules in order to codify abortion rights. Can that realistically happen?

And later in the hour, summer is here and so are the sharks. Look at this incredible video, you're watching it right now, off of the coast of Cape Cod as a wildlife group warns of what's lurking in the water. We're going to need a bigger boat. Renowned wildlife expert Jeff Corwin will join us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:05]

ACOSTA: New today, the Texas Supreme Court ruling a 1925 law banning abortion can take effect, 1925. The ban had been temporarily blocked after abortion clinics sued in the immediate aftermath of Roe versus Wade being overturned, and for a time abortions up to six weeks were allowed to resume. For now that is over.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton celebrating by tweeting, "Our state's pre-Roe statutes banning abortion in Texas are 100 percent good law. Litigation continues, but I'll keep winning for Texas's unborn babies."

Joining me now CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp and contributing writer for "The Atlantic," Molly Jong-Fast. She's also the author of its newsletter, "Wait, What?"

Both of you, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

S.E., what's happening in Texas right now really illustrates, you know, some of this chaos that was set off by Roe versus Wade being overturned. Do you think the Supreme Court intended to resurrect a law in Texas that dates back to 1925? We barely had television back then. S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I know, it's remarkable, and I

put less of the onus on the Supreme Court to be ready for the, you know, the consequences of the decision that they passed and more on Congress and Republicans who had been working on overturning Roe for decades and not having anything in place to protect millions of women who still want access to abortions and other kinds of health care, you know, overflows into other states.

I mean, all the things that happened when this decision came down, it seems Republicans were completely unprepared for, and I think that's just negligent and irresponsible. If you're going to take something that many people have considered a right for 50 years away, you better have a safety net in place.

[15:20:05]

ACOSTA: Well, that certainly does not exist now. That safety net is gone, and Molly, President Biden gave us I guess some of his strongest words yet on abortion rights this week. Let's listen and get your take on everything.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Ultimately, Congress is going to have to act to codify Roe into federal law, but right now we don't have the votes in the Senate to change the filibuster at the moment. So the choice is clear, we either elect federal senators and representatives who will codify Roe, or Republicans who will try to elect the House and Senate will try to ban abortions nationwide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Molly, what do you think? Is that very realistic considering the headwinds that Democrats are up against right now? I mean, and what is just your overall assessment of what took place in Texas last night?

MOLLY JONG-FAST, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: I think it's good that Biden is doing this. I think that's what a lot of us wanted, and if he has a clear message. Look, people are not happy. Overturning Roe was wildly unpopular and it was a move of a very out of control, very conservative Supreme Court, so I do think this is good, and I do think that Biden needs to say, this is a very good Senate map for Democrats.

Democrats could theoretically pick up two Senate seats. There are a lot of really wild Trumpy candidates running like Dr. Oz, and they're not necessarily what people want to see in the Senate. So there is a possibility to pick up two Senate seats. Yes, there are headwinds, but people are really mad, and you've seen the polling on Roe seems to show that a lot of American women do not like having a right they've had for 49 years taken away.

And I think that Democrats have an opportunity here. I mean, they have to be clear about what they need, and they have to be clear about what they'll do, and they have to do it then because I think otherwise there's going to really be trouble. But I do think, like this is not -- people don't want to see 10-year-old rape victims have to carry children. You know, nobody wants to see that. That is not -- that is not compassion.

ACOSTA: Yes, when you have laws taking effect from 1925, I mean, we're not turning back the clock, we're going into a time machine.

S.E., let me turn the page to some of the elections that we have coming up. Nearly 18 months after the insurrection, we're getting some more stunning evidence of just how much Trump's election lies have become embedded in the Republican Party. Take a look at this debate featuring Republican candidates for governor in Arizona. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARI LAKE (R), ARIZONA PRIMARY CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: I'd actually like to ask everybody on this stage if they would agree we had a corrupt stolen election. Raise your hand? Did we have -- did we have --

KARRIN TAYLOR ROBSON (R), ARIZONA PRIMARY CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: I would like to --

LAKE: Did we have --

ROBSON: I'm not going to play your stunt.

SCOTT NEELY (R), ARIZONA PRIMARY CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: I've got questions.

PAOLA TULLIANI-ZEN (R), ARIZONA PRIMARY CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR: Why not get high-tech people that are going to be on the machines that are Republicans. Democrat, Republican, get supervisors, equal amount.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That happens. We have parties looking over election results.

TULLIANI-ZEN: That's right. They're doing it now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, they've always --

ROBSON: They're actually telling people --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scott, are you going to accept the results of this election if you think there's so much fraud that it can't be trusted?

NEELY: Are you talking about the primary I'm currently in?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm talking about the primary.

NEELY: The one we're in now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

NEELY: We're going to see what happens. LAKE: We're going to show up and vote in droves. They're going to have

to cheat even harder in order to try to win this. So I think --

NEELY: Your campaign's a psy-op.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: OK, my head hurts after playing that. It just really hurts right now.

S.E., you're laughing, but let me go to you anyway. I mean, it is comical if it wasn't so sad, I guess we'd laugh.

CUPP: Yes.

ACOSTA: But whether Trump runs again is up in the air. I mean, it sounds like he may try to throw his hat in the ring, who knows. That may be just more fog that his camp is putting out these days. But he may run again. But Trumpism and his election lies, they are alive and well. You take Trump, you put him on a rocket, launch him into space. He's gone, what he has left behind is still on the scene.

CUPP: Yes, I mean, one of those candidates, I think it was Kari Lake, has said it should be disqualifying for her rivals not to say the election was stolen. I mean, how much more money, taxpayer money are Arizona Republicans going to waste searching down this non-existent election fraud? It's crazy, and even though a majority of Arizona Republicans believe that the election was stolen, a majority of Arizona voters like 75 percent don't want the things that these guys are suggesting.

They still want mail-in voting. They still like that stuff that Republicans want to take away so that they can have more control over elections and suppress more votes. It's just crazy town, and that clown car of a debate, I just felt bad for the moderator who had to like try to get some sense into people who don't want to see reality for what it is.

[15:25:12]

ACOSTA: Yes, it was Miller time for him when that thing was over, that's for sure. And Molly, let's talk about Congresswoman Liz Cheney because I mean, she has been sort of a steadying force, I think, throughout these January 6th hearings, and she's been attacked by Republicans for being part of that committee, but she gave this speech at the Reagan Presidential Library.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENEY: I want to speak to every young girl watching tonight. The power is yours and so is the responsibility. There are no bystanders in a constitutional republic. These days, for the most part, men are running the world, and it is really not going that well.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes, Molly, this is somebody who may get primaried up in Wyoming. We'll see. There was kind of a nutty debate up there the other night in Wyoming in addition to this one in Arizona.

JONG-FAST: Yes, I mean, I don't agree with Liz Cheney on anything ever. But I really appreciate that there's one or two of a very small handful of Republicans who are standing up with what's right and not hardening against democracy. I mean you have a large part of the Republican Party that has just rolled over and let Trump do everything and gone along with it. And even like -- even older, you know, very established senators who have, you know, numerous, you know, who have money and power have been scared of Trump.

And the very few people who have stood up to him have really stood out, and you know, it's good to see if democracy survives, it will be because of these people who have stood up to Trump and Trumpism, you know. We may not agree on anything, but I do think that, you know, it's certainly better than the alternative.

ACOSTA: That's very true. All right, S.E. Cupp, Molly Jong-Fast, both of you have terrific stuff. S.E., yours in the "Daily News" there in New York. Molly, your newsletter "Wait, What?" which is a very fitting title for the times that we're in right now.

Thanks to both of you very much. We really appreciate it. Take care.

Coming up, an urgent warning for sharks, or I should say for swimmers because of sharks off of Cape Cod. Check out this incredible video shot by Billingsgate Charters. A shark lurking off of the coast of Massachusetts. It's giving me the willies just reading this tease. Insight from renowned wildlife expert Jeff Corwin, there he is, the great Jeff Corwin, he joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:18]

ACOSTA: A Florida teenager who was bitten by a large shark is undergoing a second surgery today to try and save her leg and repair nerve damage.

Seventeen-year-old Addison Bethea was bitten twice while she was collecting scallops with her brother Thursday. The attack happened on Florida's gulf coast. Her brother grabbed her and helped beat the nine-foot-long shark off of her.

It's not just in Florida. Sharks are being spotted all around Cape Cod right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy smokes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, there he is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That thing is huge, dude.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's like 15 feet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: That thing is huge. This incredible video coming to us from Billingsgate Charters and Captain Dave Stamattis (ph).

Multiple great white sharks have been spotted there. And researchers from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy warn they will be, quote, "a constant presence on the east coast from now until fall."

And joining me now is man you'll know well, who is on Cape Cod right now, Jeff Corwin. He's the renowned animal expert and the host of the new show "Wildlife Nation with Jeff Corwin."

Jeff, great to see you.

I'm afraid for you going in the water. I am not a big fan of sharks. I'm just going to admit that right now.

And it's hard to, hearing a warning like that, and not think about "Jaws" and that line from "Jaws," "We're going to need a bigger boat."

JEFF CORWIN, BIOLOGIST & CONSERVATIONIST & HOST, "WILDLIFE NATION WITH JEFF CORWIN": Hey, Jim. Great to talk to you.

And, yes, I was actually diving this morning, not even an hour ago. I just got out of these very waters, which are right over there, not far from where they sighted that shark.

I had a wonderful dive. And I came back with four delicious lobsters. They're going to make great dinner tonight.

And we share this habitat. As the habitat recovers, we've seen a return, Jim, of marine mammals like gray seals and harbor seals. That's the primary food source. That's the prey for white sharks.

So those sharks are coming in to capitalize on those marine mammals, like these seals. And with an increase in prey, we see an abundancy and an increase of these predicators, like these great white sharks.

ACOSTA: And have you seen any of these sharks lately? Tell us what's it like? Or maybe you have in the past. What's it like?

CORWIN: Well, I've had a number of times, getting ready to go into the water where a shark has been right in that location. I've marked sharks screen the man in the water.

I have an app I can follow sharks. We have over 200 white sharks that have transmitters on them. And when they go under water, they go past these receivers, these transponders, so we can actually get a visual data point of where these creatures are all the time.

It's June when they start arriving to the waters of New England. They'll be here through October. And they're here to feast on this incredible Cape Cod buffet of unlimited seals and other creatures for them to eat.

[15:35:13]

Very rarely -- I don't let it stop me --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: I was going to say, we don't want to be part of the buffet.

CORWIN: We don't, Jim. And I promise you, if I ever take you out there scuba diving for lobsters, I feel very confident I will not be bitten by a shark.

I know I can't out-swim that shark. But as long as I can out-swim you, Jim, I will be fine.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: That's not going to be a problem. Yes. Well, I was going to say, I'll be watching from the boat, Jeff.

CORWIN: But seriously, Jim, there are things we can do to minimize that risk, which is already incredibly minimal.

You have a better chance of winning what we call the Mega Bucks in Massachusetts, this lottery, than you do of having a negative encounter with a shark. It's not impossible.

You don't want to be in the water at dawn or dusk, during foul weather with poor visibility. These are the things -- or if there's a strong amount of shark activity in those areas, that's the time where you need to be very conscientious of being in shark waters.

But what people need to remember is that when you're in a healthy marine ecosystem, you are often never more than 100 feet away from a wild shark.

Sharks are a sign that marine ecosystems are healthy because they are the pinnacle predators, and they need lots of resources to survive. So healthy sharks means a healthy marine environment.

ACOSTA: You're right about that.

Let's go out west to Yellowstone National Park because I've been eyeing this video, too.

This one has been on our minds, where they're warning the tourists -- as if you need this warning -- but they're warning the tourists to stay away from the bison.

There have been three attacks this year, two of them just in this last week.

I mean, this video we're showing to our viewers right now is just incredible. A Colorado man was gored by a bison while trying to protect a child. And park officials say the animal charged at these people when they got too close.

What did you think when you saw this?

CORWIN: So 99.99 percent of the time, if you're in a national park like Yellowstone, which is our blue-ribbon national park -- which has been set aside not only as a place for us to witness our collectively shared natural heritage, our great American wild backyard, but it's also a sanctuary for these symbols of wild America.

And if you're being gored by a bison, you're too close. You should never be more than 75 feet or even 100 feet close to a bison. If you're closer than that, you're putting yourself at risk.

This is always human error. If you give yourself distance, and there's an animal, and it's having a bad day or it's being aggressive -- this is the breeding season. This is when they're being territorial. When cows are taking care of their offspring, when bulls are trying to find a mate.

If you're getting in between that, you're putting yourself in harm's way. But more importantly, you're putting that animal in harm's way.

We lose our common sense. We have this entitlement, oftentimes -- not everybody, but a number of folks -- and they feel like they're in "Westworld."

But you're not in "Westworld". This is a real wild place. By the way, the bison in "Westworld" would probably hurt you as well.

ACOSTA: Yes, no doubt.

CORWIN: We need to respect our wild places.

And I don't know if it's the social media, if it's the Instagram, the people put themselves in harm's way. It was completely avoidable. If you give yourself enough space, you'll not be injured by a bison.

And, Jim, what's really important to remember is that, if you were in this country 150 years ago, there were very few bison.

At one time, 60 million bison ranged from Alaska to Mexico. By the turn of the 19th centuries, less than a thousand survived.

So it took herculean efforts to recover this species. So we need to show some respect in our national parks.

ACOSTA: Yes, don't do it for the grams. It's not worth getting gored over.

And, Jeff --

CORWIN: It's not. And you'll get in trouble. You're putting that -- you're violating the rules of our national park. And you're setting a bad example for your children. Accidents can happen. People don't always make mistakes. They're just

in a bad situation at the time.

But if we practice common sense, we respect that wildlife, you can create memories of a lifetime and witness a species that we almost lost.

It's a miracle of conservation that we have them today.

ACOSTA: You're absolutely right. And our national parks are such a treasure.

And, Jeff Corwin, you always have the perfect message for folks out there for how to interact with our wildlife. And the best way of interacting is to view them from a distance.

Jeff Corwin, thank you so much.

Your show "Wildlife Nation with Jeff Corwin," be on the lookout for that as well.

Thanks, Jeff, for your time. We appreciate it.

CORWIN: Thank you, Jim.

[15:39:59]

All right, coming up, the family of Emmett Till with a new plea for justice after the discovery of a decades old unserved warrant in connection to his killing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: New today, more than a month after the Uvalde school massacre, the embattled school district police chief has reportedly resigned from his seat on the city council. That's according to the "Uvalde Leader News."

Pete Arredondo has faced mounting criticism and revelations that officers waited in the school's hallways for 80 minutes before they breached a classroom door and confronted the gunman.

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed. And relatives of the victims have said they believe some lives could have been saved had officers acted sooner.

The outrage felt at a city council meeting just this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELMA LISA DURAN, SISTER OF IRMA GARCIA, TEACHER KILLED IN SHOOTING: Why is it that children are calling 911 and you can't tell where these calls are coming from? You all didn't get it?

(CROSSTALK) DURAN: No. There's nothing saving her, but there was a lot of children that could have been saved. You keep protecting Pete Arredondo. The school board failed because the minute this happened they should have fired him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:45:12]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, let me tell you something, I feel your pain. We all do.

DURAN: Oh, no, you don't, sir. No, you don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: In a statement about his resignation, Arredondo wrote, quote, "The mayor, the city council, and the city staff must continue to move forward without distractions. I feel this is the best decision for Uvalde."

The city says that while it is the right thing to do, they have not actually received documentation of Arredondo's resignation just yet.

Meanwhile, nearly 70 years ago, the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till helped spur the civil rights movement in America.

Now his family is calling for justice after discovering an unserved warrant arrest -- or arrest warrant, I should say, for his accuser, who still alive today.

CNN's Sara Sidner reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH WATTS, CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EMMETT TILL LEGACY FOUNDATION: I believe we were led by our angels, led by the Spirit of Mamie Till-Mobley, and Emmett Till.

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 67 years, the family of Emmett Till say they have been seeking justice, not just for the 1955 murder of the 14-year-old black boy, whose tortured and disfigured body helped spark the civil rights movement, but for what led up to that murder, his kidnapping.

The family believes one suspect is a woman, who is still alive.

D. WATTS: I mean, we thought of things like citizen's arrest. I'm just going to tell you. We thought of things like, well, can we find the warrant and present it to her? If the authorities aren't going to do this, what can we do?

SIDNER: Till's cousins, Deborah and Teri Watts, decided to go searching for the warrant. One, authorities, over the decades, never found in their investigations. TERI WATTS, MN DIRECTOR, EMMETT TILL LEGACY FOUNDATION: There were cobwebs across all of the boxes, dead bugs, dust. We had to get chairs to even search on different levels of the -- for the document.

T. WATTS: We did have gloves and masks as well. But we were definitely determined to find it, no matter what. We pushed through.

SIDNER: Two men were acquitted of Till's murder by an all-White jury, though they later admitted to the killing in an interview with "Look" magazine.

The case against Miss Roy Bryant, who now goes by Carolyn Bryant Donham, was never tried. We reached out to Donham and have not heard back.

D. WATTS: We think this is evidence. This is new evidence that which no one had ever searched for. And we were able to find it. It was unbelievable. It was overwhelming. We all cried. We were in also a state of shock.

T. WATTS: Yes.

D. WATTS: Speechless, in some instances.

T. WATTS: Wow! The moment was very, very, very overwhelming. I had to look at the warrant several times just to make sure that it was real, that it actually read "Mrs. Roy Bryant" on it.

SIDNER: Though, she was never arrested or tried, in 2007, after the Till case was reopened, Bryant's case was brought in front of a Mississippi grand jury. That grand jury did not indict her.

SIDNER (on camera): A majority-black grand jury did convene in Greenwood, Mississippi, and they declined to indict Carolyn Bryant Donham. What do you make of that?

D. WATTS: We're not sure why they declined to indict her, because there was enough evidence there to indict her. The investigation had been done.

SIDNER (voice-over): The Watts say, their whole lives, they have lived with Mamie Till-Mobley's haunting cries for justice.

And the images that horrified a nation of their cousin, Emmett Till's body, lying disfigured in an open casket. It was a scene his mother insisted on showing the world, to expose what racist hate truly looks like.

T. WATTS: We did take the torch from Mamie. We ensured to her that we will continue the fight before she passed away. And so, for me, I definitely want to see it through.

But it has been a tremendous amount of trauma. I still feel like the weight is on our shoulders. We found the new evidence. And so we just want justice served. D. WATTS: We are doing this without hate, malice or vengeance against Carolyn Bryant. We just want justice served. Justice has been denied for 67 years, and it needs to be served.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And our thanks to Sara Sidner for that report.

[15:49:26]

We'll be right back.

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ACOSTA: You may see an alternative to Fourth of July fireworks this year, drones that can simulate fireworks.

Take a look at this. They are apparently appealing to dry areas out west where sparks can cause wildfires. The handful of companies that operate drone light shows say they have been booked completely for months.

And a programming note. Be sure to tune in coast to coast for coast- to-coast fireworks and incredible music from some of the biggest stars out there. Celebrate "THE FOURTH IN AMERICA," live July 4th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

This week's "CNN Hero" and his friends tackle the national food insecurity crisis.

Meet Aidan Reilly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AIDAN REILLY, CNN HERO: I spent those first few weeks honestly in a state of depression. All the plans I had been making and the progress were suddenly no longer viable.

[15:55:00]

We ended up seeing an article about farmers having to throughout out their food, like mountains of potatoes in someone's backyard or milk being dumped into the dirt.

And we would see lines of people miles and miles long, thousands of cars lining up to get a bag or a box of groceries.

We called up my friends and we just said, why don't we join forces, calling food banks, calling farms. We called a whole bunch, a couple hundred.

We quickly put together what was a fully functioning organization with young people, mostly students, average age of 21, volunteering their time when they can to help feed people that they might never meet.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: And go to CNNheroes.com right now to watch this amazing story.

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