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Georgia Democratic Incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican Challenger Herschel Walker Have Only Debate before Midterm Election; President Biden Traveling U.S. Campaigning on Behalf of Democratic Party for Midterm Elections; Hispanic Voters Significantly Shifting to Republican Party in Recent Polls. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired October 15, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:22]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. It is Saturday, October 15th. I'm Amara Walker.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Amara. I'm Boris Sanchez. You are live in the CNN Newsroom. We're grateful that you're starting your weekend with us.

Sixteen days until Halloween, Amara, 24 days until the midterm elections. And candidates across the map are working hard to court voters. Obviously, the balance of power in Congress is up for grabs and there are a handful of states which could determine which party takes control.

WALKER: In Arizona the race for U.S. Senate is leaning towards the Democrat, Incumbent Senator Mark Kelly over Republican Blake Masters. In Nevada, the contest for U.S. Senate is a toss-up as it is in Pennsylvania where we see the race between Mehmet Oz and Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman.

In Georgia, a high-stakes race for the U.S. Senate could determine who controls Congress. Senator Raphael Warnock and former football star Herschel Walker faced off in their first and only debate last night.

SANCHEZ: Let's take you to Georgia now and CNN national politics reporter Eva McKend who is live for us. She covered last night's debate. She is in Savannah. Eva, abortion was a major issue last night in light of some of the allegations these last few weeks against Herschel Walker, and it played out in significant moments during the debate.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: It did, Boris. And I just want to tell you, Herschel Walker about to take the stage shortly here at a rally with supporters, still here in Savannah. But you are absolutely right, abortion central last night. Walker for the past two weeks has been dogged by these allegations that he paid for a former girlfriend's abortion. That exchange sort of brief. The moderator didn't push back after he again denied the allegations. I think more noteworthy is Walker's evolving stance on this policy

issue of abortion. Initially he said that he didn't support any exceptions. Then he said he supported Senator Lindsey Graham's national abortion ban. And now he is saying he supports Georgia's abortion bill, which includes limited exceptions. Take a listen to how that exchange played out last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERSCHEL WALKER (R-GA), SENATE CANDIDATE: On abortion, I am a Christian. I believe in life. And I tell people this, Georgia is a state that respects life, and I will be a senator that protects life. And I said that was a lie, and I am not backing down.

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): God gave us a choice. And I respect the right of women to make a decision. These are medical decisions. They are deeply personal.

There are enough politicians piling into the rooms of patients, and I don't plan to join them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So sometimes Walker can be a little bit meandering on the campaign trail, but he was relatively coherent last night, save for a confusing response when it came to the issue of Medicaid expansion, and then also this issue of insulin and diabetes. But largely, he was making sense. Boris?

WALKER: And Eva, I'll pick it up from here, because, as you know, crime is key issue for a lot of candidates really, but also for many in Georgia. Both candidates were pressed how they would fight crime, including the spike in crime we've seen over the past year. What did they say about that?

MCKEND: Walker tried to hit Warnock, suggesting that Warnock doesn't support or care about law enforcement, and Warnock bit back pretty forcefully, saying that he has supported legislation that actually funds police. Now, he also suggested or kind of took a dig at Walker for some lies that Walker has told about his law enforcement background. Take a listen to how this whole exchange played outside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERSCHEL WALKER (R-GA), SENATE CANDIDATE: You hear Senator Warnock talks about supporting law enforcement is sad, because he has called them names. And because of the name-calling he has done, the morale is down, recruitment is down only because of what he's done.

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): We will see time and time tonight as we've already seen that my opponent has a problem with the truth.

(APPLAUSE)

WARNOCK: And just because he said something doesn't mean it's true. I have supported our police officers. I have called them and I've prayed with their families. One thing I have not done, I have never pretended to be a police officer.

(LAUGHTER)

WARNOCK: And I have never threatened a shootout with the police.

WALKER: And now I have to respond to that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are moving on, gentlemen.

WALKER: No, no, no, I have to respond to that. And you know what is funny? I am with many -- police officers, and at the same time --

(LAUGHTER)

[10:05:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Walker, Mr. Walker --

WALKER: No, no, no, no. When he said problem with the truth. When he said problem with the truth, the truth is --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Walker, excuse me, Mr. Walker, please, out of respect, I need to let you know, Mr. Walker, you are very well aware of the rules tonight.

WALKER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you have a prop.

WALKER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is not allowed, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: For senator Walker -- excuse me, for Senator Warnock's part, he spend quite a bit of time playing up his bipartisan record, distancing himself somewhat from President Biden who is unpopular in this state. And we know that Walker spent a lot to of time the last few weeks downplaying how his performance would be. Many here say that he defied expectations. He is about to take the stage before his supporters in just a few minutes. Boris, Amara?

SANCHEZ: So far Senator Warnock has led in polls. We will see how this debate might shake things up in that race. Eva McKend live from Savannah, Georgia, thanks so much, Eva.

Here with us now to share her insights on last night's debate is Washington correspondent for "The Atlanta Journal Constitution," Tia Mitchell. Tia, we're grateful that you're sharing part of your Saturday with us. A lot of negative headlines for Herschel Walker over the last few weeks. He needed a big win last night. How would you rate his performance?

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, "ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION": Again, I think Eva really laid it out clearly that the bar was set really low, really by Herschel Walker himself, and so, relatively, he did well. His answers were coherent for the most part. He wasn't rambling. It wasn't hard to follow him.

Now, of course, there are going to be a lot of people who didn't agree with everything he said, and some of the things he said were factually inaccurate. But at least you could follow it. And for Herschel Walker, compared to some of his other extemporaneous speaking engagements, that is a big improvement for him. And as a result, I think most people are saying he won, but I think it's all relative. Again, Reverend Warnock, now Senator Warnock, is a very accomplished public speaker. He has given these sweeping speeches that have been heralded both in the pulpit and on the Senate floor. So I think people already had high expectations for him.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and Eva's assessment of Walker's performance, he largely made sense. I am not sure how many voters that's going to win over, but during the debate he also reversed course, because he previously voiced support for former President Trump's claim that there was fraud in the 2020 election. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did President Biden defeat former President Donald Trump in 2020?

HERSCHEL WALKER, (R-GA) U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: President Biden won, and Senator Warnock won. That's the reason I decided to run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: We should point out Walker is one of many Republicans that are running for Congress that have essentially gone forward saying that there was election fraud, some of them recanting. How do you think this is going to play with Georgia Republican voters given the state's role in Trump's claims?

MITCHELL: So I think in his preparation for this debate, Herschel Walker anticipated this question and was prepared to give an answer that he needed to give to a general election audience. So I think that for those Republicans who wanted to make sure he could hold his own on this stage, these are the types of answers he was -- they were looking for.

But I think those far-right, ultra-conservative MAGA Republicans who we know have always been behind Herschel Walker, I think they will be willing to give him a pass because they understand the stakes, too. If anything else, the support for Herschel Walker has shown that his supporters are willing to give him a pass for a lot of things. So moving from election denialism to accepting the outcome in an effort to win a general election, I think for the most part people who want to support him will accept that answer.

Now, what remains to be seen is if he stays consistent, especially if he stays consistent should he win and go to the U.S. Senate.

SANCHEZ: Right. Let's look at one recent Quinnipiac poll. I alluded to this earlier. Senator Warnock has largely been in the lead in this race. Did you see anything during the debate that you think would change the dynamic here?

MITCHELL: So I do not think the dynamic of this race is going to change. I don't think Warnock or Walker really changed anyone's minds. The one thing I think could change is, again, those conservative voters, those Republicans, even some perhaps right-leaning moderates that because of all the recent headlines and the controversies and the missteps and the misstatements who were saying, I don't want I can support Herschel Walker because I want to make sure that whoever represents me in Washington can hold his own, I think if they were looking for a reason to get back in Walker's camp, he might have given it to them last night.

[10:10:06]

Now, I don't think that's a lot of people, but that could help him rebound a little bit in the polls. Again, I don't think that's siphoning support away from Raphael Warnock. I think that's bringing some people that perhaps might have been iffy lately back into his camp.

SANCHEZ: It was a fascinating debate to watch. Even the flashing of that honorary badge, an unexpected moment. Tia Mitchell, thank you so much for the expertise. We appreciate it.

So President Biden is hitting the campaign trail today. He is going to discuss lowering health care costs at an event in Portland, Oregon.

WALKER: And the president is on a western swing promoting accomplishments like the infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act. But he's taking a strategic approach when it comes to where he campaigns and where he doesn't. CNN White House reporter Jasmine Wright joining us now with details. Jasmine, so what's going in the president's calculus here?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, the president has spent the last three days, today being his fourth, mixing official policy with politics here while he visits the west coast. We know that he has been going to Democratic strongholds. We first saw him in Vail, Colorado, then he went to California, two stops there, and today he will be in Oregon. He went there last night. And really what he has been doing is touting the administration's achievements, trying to make the case for Democrats come November just in a few weeks here, and also raising millions of dollars for Democratic candidates.

Now, where he has been absent quite noticeably here, Boris and Amara, is those two states, Arizona and Nevada, two key Senate races there that could determine who controls the Senate, basically, determining how much President Biden can do in these next two years when it comes to his agenda.

Now, of course, his absence there is reflective of his poll numbers. The president is unpopular. And so therefore, the president is not visiting these states where there are Democrats who are in very, very tight races. Instead, we know that the president told his advisors that where he sees being most beneficial with his contributions is going to these Democratic strongholds and trying to make the case, draw the contrast between Democrats and those political rivals, people he frequently refers to as MAGA Republicans, while also trying to lay down what the stakes are. Here we heard him talk about that just this week. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is, I think, the most important off year election that we've had in -- since Roosevelt's time. I mean that sincerely, because so much is at stake. If we are able to keep the house and keep the Senate, we can continue to do the things we have been doing, which are really going to make -- change the country. We are at a real inflection point in this country. What happens in the next four to six years is going to determine what happens for the next three or four generations. Not a joke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: So there we heard the president talking about what is at stake. In just under four weeks we will see him twice here in Oregon today really talking about how to lower costs for Americans, then doing a finance event for a gubernatorial candidate, Tina Kotek, who is in a tight race there in Oregon before he comes back to the east coast, spending a night at his home in Delaware. Boris, Amara?

WALKER: It's a high-stakes race, as we know. Thank you so much, Jasmine Wright, appreciate it.

So the battle for control of Congress is so tight that a shift in one key demographic could be pivotal.

SANCHEZ: Let's bring in CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten. He joins us now live. He has got the magic touch at the magic wall. Harry, Latino voters make up a fifth of registered voters in some key battleground states, in Colorado, Nevada, Arizona. And lately there have been signs of a rightward shift among Latinos. You see that in the numbers where Trump actually made gains among Hispanic Americans that were unexpected.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICS WRITER AND ANALYST: He absolutely did. So look at the presidential results among Hispanic. Back in 2012 we saw Barack Obama win them by 38 points. Hillary Clinton in 2016 win by 39. Look at this margin for Joe Biden. While he still won among Hispanics, it was a clear drop down to just 25 points. So Donald Trump made clear gains.

Here is the big question. Did, in fact, we see among Joe Biden's approval rating that continued slide that we saw that he got in the 2020 election? And take a look here at his approval rating among Hispanic. Back in the beginning part of his presidency, 73 percent. From July to August of 2021, 69 percent. From September, 2021, to March of 2022, 52 percent. And now look at his approval rating in average of polls among Hispanics, just 46 percent. I am not sure I would have ever imagined just a few years ago that a Democratic president would have this low of an approval rating among Hispanic.

SANCHEZ: And Harry, Latino voters are still expected to vote as a majority for Democrats, but in the margins Republican gains could mean the difference between winning and losing Congress.

[10:15:04]

And one place where that shift is dramatic is south Texas. They elected a Republican in Rio Grande Valley for the first time in a century in a special election this summer, Congresswoman Mayra Flores. What are the polls telling us about the race for Congress among Latinos?

ENTEN: Yes, so, the question is, how does Biden's low approval rating among Hispanic translate in a choice for Congress? And you can see here, we can look at this trend line going back from October of 2016, you see Democrats won among Hispanic by 38 points. 2018, 34 points. 2022, October, -- this should be 2020. Look at that. There we go -- 26 points. And look at 2022. Just 21-point lead.

Now, one group that I think is very interesting to look at here is the gender gap. The choice for Congress among Hispanic, look at Hispanic women. You see Democrats still a very large lead at 29 points. But look among Hispanic men. Just a nine-point lead for Democrats. So we see that Hispanic men are really driving this change among Hispanics to be a little less Democratic. And that, of course, could make all the difference in the world because this game, the race for Congress is all about margins, Boris.

WALKER: Fascinating stuff, and obviously, very concerning for the Democratic Party. Appreciate you, Harry. Harry Enten, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Harry.

Coming up, CNN obtains new footage of the January 6th riot as lawmakers scramble to try to figure out a way to certify the 2020 election results in a safe area. Next, we are going to show you the dangers lawmakers faced in the terrifying moments as they were pleading for help.

SANCHEZ: Plus, a heart-wrenching week for the families of Parkland school shooting victims after the gunman in the Parkland shooting was spared the death penalty. Ahead, we're going to talk to two of those families about that controversial decision by the jury.

WALKER: Plus, keeping kids safe on the football field, a new study is making recommendations on ways to prevent concussions and other head injuries.

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[10:21:12]

WALKER: Prosecutors say a teenager accused of killing five people in a mass shooting will be tried as an adult. The attack, which spanned two miles across a Raleigh, North Carolina, neighborhood also left two people wounded. The source tells CNN the suspect was dressed in camouflage and a handgun and long gun were recovered from the scene. Our affiliate, WTBD, has been speaking with people in the neighborhood. Here's what they are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE MEDINA, NEIGHBOR: It's heartbreaking. I have teenagers myself, and you just -- it's a tragedy at any point in time, but to see a young person choose that potentially, if that is the case, it's tragic. It's tragic for the families, though, that are suffering right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: One of the five victims killed was off-duty police officer Gabriel Torres, who was on his way to work. Nicole Conners, Sue Karnatz, Mary Marshal, and James Roger Thompson were also murdered in that attack. James, as you see there, was just 16 years old.

We have more video this morning showing the dangers faced by congressional leaders after they left the Capitol building during the January 6th coup attempt.

SANCHEZ: The video is courtesy of filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, who was documenting her mom, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on that day. It shows Speaker Pelosi huddled with other congressional leaders sheltering at Fort McNair, a Washington, D.C., area military base.

WALKER: Joining us now is CNN national security reporter Zachary Cohen. Hi there, Zach. You know, the video shows just the urgency, but also the scary situation, but also how determined the lawmakers were to certify the election.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, good morning, Boris and Amara. So like you said, we have known that lawmakers were urgently evacuated to Fort McNair, which is about two miles south of the U.S. Capitol, on January 6th. But this exclusive video obtained by CNN really takes you inside the military base for the first time. And as you mentioned, we see in this clip we are about to watch that Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence are talking about contingency plans for certifying the election. This is as rioters have been storming the Capitol for hours. But the former vice president and the House Speaker are focused on certifying the election, and that remains the goal. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA) HOUSE SPEAKER: We're at Fort McNair, which has facilities for the House and Senate to meet as a backup plan should anything -- should anything happen that would warrant that. Logistically, we want to bring all the members here, House and Senate, anyway. We're just making a judgment. We'd rather go to the Capitol and do it there. But it doesn't seem to be safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COHEN: So you'll notice that Nancy Pelosi was so concerned about the safety -- or the safety situation at the capitol at that time that they were willing to try to figure out a way to convene lawmakers and bring the vice president to Fort McNair to certify the election. Ultimately, that wasn't necessary. But other videos really show the remarkable amount of fear for both Vice President Pence's safety and their own in that moment. We have Chuck Schumer at one point yelling at the secretary of the army to send troops in to help protect the U.S. Capitol. So we really see both this balancing act between the concern and the level of fear and the level of safety concerns that were present that day, but also this focus in this push forward to certify the election, which they ultimately did. Boris and Amara?

WALKER: They sure did. Zach Cohen, appreciate you. Thanks for that.

[10:25:00]

The Justice Department has now officially appealed the appointment of the so-called special master who is overseeing documents that were seized from former President Donald Trump's Florida estate. The independent overseer was tasked with inspecting thousands of documents, many of them classified, that were found at Mar-a-Lago by FBI agents back in August.

SANCHEZ: The DOJ argues the lower court judge who appointed the special master doesn't have the authority to interfere with their investigation. They call it a serious and unwarranted intrusion.

Loved ones of the victims of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are left outraged by the decision to give the gunman behind it all life in prison instead of the death penalty. Coming up next on Newsroom, we're going to speak to a father of Gina Montalto and the wife of Chris Hixon on the justice they wanted to see.

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[10:30:20]

WALKER: A Florida jury has spared convicted Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz from the death penalty and instead recommended he spend life in prison without parole for the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. And now the Broward County sheriff's office is investigating after one juror reported that another threatened her during deliberations. That is the latest indication of behind-the- scenes tensions among the 12 jurors, three of whom voted against the death penalty.

Joining me now is Debra Hixon. Her husband Chris was the athletic director at the high school, and, sadly, one of the victims that day. First of all, I'm sorry, so sorry for your loss and also for what you continue to go through. Could you just take me to the day, Debra, when the moment as you heard the jury read its decision?

DEBRA HIXON, WIFE OF PARKLAND VICTIM CHRIS HIXON: So it was actually not just the moment. They had to read through 17 counts, and when they first start to read it, they first start with the aggravating factors. So unanimously they agree that the aggravating factors were proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. So one after the other you hear that. And so you're thinking, OK, great, they agree with that.

And then they get to the mitigating circumstances, and they got a little confusing at first. And so I was trying to figure it out. So I was confused -- Luke the first one they read. So I couldn't figure it out. And it kept going with a couple of them. And then it finally dawned on me probably five minutes or so in that they did not give him the death penalty. He was getting life. And it just was devastating.

WALKER: I can't imagine the rollercoaster of emotions you had to go through and the confusion you had that work through. I know you said, Debra, that the jury's decision sends a clear message about how they value the 17 lives that were lost on that day. What do you mean by that?

HIXON: So at the end of the day, if you couldn't end up with the death penalty, I could understand that. As a human, you thought you could get to that place, but you realize you can't. But when you say as a juror that you believe the mitigating circumstances outweigh the aggravating factors, what that says to us is that you think that the rough life he had, the mental health issues he had, that that's really an excuse for the heinous calculating, cold murders that he committed, because you could have still said, you know what, even though the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors, we just can't come up with the death sentence. And I could have accepted that a little better. But to say in any way that any one of those mitigating factors outweighed the aggravating factors says to me that you think his life is more valuable.

WALKER: Can you take us into that courtroom?

HIXON: Sorry.

WALKER: No problem. Take us into the courtroom because we saw a lot of tears and hugs and looks of disbelief. Just describe the environment and what it was like.

HIXON: It felt like someone sucker-punched us. And to be honest, it felt like we were in the Marriott on February 14th again. It really felt like, how is this possible? How are we here again where an injustice just continues to happen? If -- this is the reason the death penalty exists, right, this kind of case where it's cold, calculated, heinous, the worst of the worst is what the defense attorney said. And this person is 100 percent the worst of the worst. He is not a poor, mentally ill, broken person that needs to be saved, right? When the defense said that, that was to me -- it angered me. I have a special needs son. He is who society should be looking out for, not someone like this. This person, he doesn't deserve to breathe any more air.

WALKER: I would like to play, Debra, some of what one juror told CNN about why she voted against the death penalty and what actually took place during those really tense deliberations. Listen to her for a second.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) [10:35:00]

MELODY VANOY, JUROR IN PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING TRIAL: It took a while, but at the last minute I think when we went around the room and voted right before filling out the paperwork is when I went for life. It was surprising. There were negative, sarcastic remarks. Like, oh, we are going to give him life, but he's sick. And some of the small talk I heard comments like we are going to let the families down. I heard comments like, oh, you know, we have to put a stance for Florida. In other words, you can't come here and do that and get away with it. Well, when you go back to the instructions, those were things that we could not consider.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: How do you react to that?

HIXON: Everybody has to do what they feel is right. And that is -- some of that is not true, that they couldn't consider. Maybe the part about the families, they were told not to do that. But at the end of the day you had the opportunity to send a message to people, to this person in particular, not even the whole state, but this person that what he did was heinous and cruel and calculated, and that he doesn't deserve a life sentence where he can continue to grow old, to make phone calls, to have a life when he decided not to give life -- and there were people where they were -- they would have survived. Me husband would have survived the first two injuries that he sustained. He came back to him and shot him point blank in the chest to make sure that he didn't have the opportunity for life.

So I don't -- until you're in that situation, maybe they just -- I don't know. People -- like she said, she didn't even decide until the very last minute. And so I think maybe people think that they can make a death decision, and when it comes down to it they just don't want that on their conscious.

WALKER: It's so gripping just to even hear you recount what Chris went through and also knowing that this was planned over the last eight months and that he was there for seven minutes with that AR-15 and the graphic, horrible images that had to be shown.

I want to bring in Tony Montalto as well. His 14-year-old daughter was among the 17 people killed. And Tony, how are you feeling this morning?

TONY MONTALTO, FATHER OF PARKLAND VICTIM GINA MONTALTO: Well, we're still angry, confused, and shocked by the verdict.

WALKER: You and your wife were holding hands as the jury read its decision, Obviously, quite emotional. Again, can you take us through what that moment was like for you?

MONTALTO: It was yet another surreal experience. The fact that this jury could clearly see that the mitigators, I'M sorry, that the aggravators were all proven beyond a reasonable doubt and then find an excuse for this shooter. Let's face it. They call it mitigation. Really, it's just an excuse for killing 17 people, for wounding 17 more, for terrorizing the entire school and the community. And, and only stopping his rampage when he couldn't find anyone else to kill. That's his own words.

I'm very disappointed that the facts of this case were not taken into account fully. The facts, and let's remind everybody what a fact is, it's something that's verifiable either with your own eyes or by a third party. And clearly the state proved all the facts. I didn't see any facts stating that the confessed murderer was mentally ill. I find the fact that the jury could justify to their own minds that he had something in his life that says it's OK to walk into a school and attack the future of this country, killing my 14-year-old daughter along with her classmates and her teachers, again, with my daughter, one of the worst. He said he searched to shoot a woman in the chest, and that's what he did to her.

WALKER: We're running out of time. And Tony and Debra, I do want to give you a chance to remember your loved ones. And Tony, what do you miss most about your beautiful -- I see her over your shoulder -- your 14-year-old daughter Gina?

MONTALTO: I miss just spending time with her, being able to talk to her, listening to her laugh.

[10:40:02]

She enjoyed life. And unlike the shooter, she knew right from wrong. And we miss her every day.

WALKER: And Debra, what about you? How are you remembering Chris?

HIXON: I miss making plans and dreams with Chris. We were getting ready to retire and travel and have time for us. And you know, we just -- we miss him being at home. We miss his crabbiness. We miss the feeling of safety, and just being with him.

WALKER: Well, I really appreciate you, Debra Hixon and Tony Montalto joining us on a very difficult day as you continue to deal with just the unimaginable. And I'm sorry you don't have the closure that you were hoping for. Thank you. All the best to you.

HIXON: Thank you so much.

WALKER: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:03]

SANCHEZ: High school football season is underway across the country, and a new study says that cutting tackling from practices may be one of the best ways to protect kids from serious injuries. Researchers at Indiana University have found that fewer hits to the head happen when young players practice what's known as air training. They say that implementing contactless practice drills could be one of the most impactful ways to curb the number of head injuries in football. Joining us now to discuss is Dr. Elizabeth Matzkin, a surgeon at Mass

General Brigham Sports Medicine who works with high school and Division I college football teams. Doctor, we're grateful to have you this morning. I'm curious to get your impressions of this study coming out of Indiana University and how air training differs from what we have generally.

DR. ELIZABETH MATZKIN, SURGEON, MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM SPORTS MEDICINE: Good morning, and thank you. So I think when we think about this study, I think it's important to understand that concussion doesn't always equate to loss of consciousness, and that concussion can be any jolt to the head that causes the brain to move quickly within our skull. And so what this study looks at is head impact. So not just kids that are falling so hard that they are losing consciousness, but the number of impacts they are seeing by the intensity level of the drills they are doing in practice.

And so as you had already mentioned, they looked at a level of contact which went from basically contactless drills, where the athletes aren't having any contact with each other or the ground, and then all the way up to live play in which there was full contact with other players and the ground. And it's pretty intuitive, but the level of contact decreases when you are not actually hitting other players, and the number of head impact exposures also decreases. The importance of this is that --

SANCHEZ: Doctor --

MATZKIN: Yes?

SANCHEZ: Sorry. Go ahead.

MATZKIN: The importance of this is that those small impacts can potentially lead up to increased risk of concussion for these youth athletes. And so decreasing them is really important for the long-term consequences.

SANCHEZ: Doctor, in your work with these high school and Division I college football teams, have you found much resistance from either players or coaches in trying to implement measures that would prevent concussions?

MATZKIN: So that's a really good question. There has been a lot of changes to try to decrease concussion, especially in practice. We do see a higher rate of concussion during competitive play. But football, 60 percent of the injuries we see are concussion in our youth football athletes. So it's a very high number that we need to decrease. And coaches and players and parents are much more aware of what concussion is and what the long-term consequences are. So there's less resistance to make changes to make it safer for our young athletes.

SANCHEZ: I think the awareness is a big component. Dr. Elizabeth Matzkin, we've got to leave the conversation there, but we appreciate your time and your insight.

MATZKIN: Thank you. SANCHEZ: Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

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[10:52:48]

SANCHEZ: We are 52 minutes past the hour, and here are some of the top stories we have been following this morning. You can now apply online for student loan forgiveness as the Biden administration launches a test version of its new sign-up website.

WALKER: The Education Department's student debt cancellation site went live for beta testing last night. The site's official launch will be later this month. President Biden announced in August the cancellation of up to $10,000 in student loan debt for those making less than $125,000 a year, or as much as $20,000 for borrowers who received Pell Grants.

The CDC reporting an early surge in flu cases with the nation's southeast and south central areas reporting the highest levels. More than 1,000 patients were hospitalized by the virus this past week. Although current influenza activity is still low overall, the CDC recommending that everyone six months and older get a flu shot as soon as possible and ask your doctor for antiviral medicine if you think you contracted the illness.

SANCHEZ: Two climate change protesters have been charged in London after they threw cans of tomato soup at one of Vincent Van Gogh's masterpieces. The activists splashed the Dutch masters painting "Sunflowers" at the National Art Gallery, and then glued themselves to the wall. The women are from Just Stop Oil, a group that wants the British government to halt new oil and gas projects. The 19th century painting, fortunately, is covered by a glaze and was unharmed. It's valued at tens of millions of dollars. The climate protesters were arguing there should be more value placed on the environment and not quite so much on art. I could think of a few jokes, Amara, none of them appropriate for CNN Newsroom.

WALKER: Yes. Let's keep it between you and me via text, OK?

(LAUGHTER)

WALKER: Thanks for watching, everyone. There's much more ahead in the next hour of CNN Newsroom. Fredricka Whitfield is up next.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but before we go, here is preview of an all-new episode of "The Murdochs, Empire of Influence."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They traced the hacking to a private investigator named Glenn Mulcaire who happens to be working for the royal editor at the "News of the World" Clive Goodman.

[10:55:08]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both of them are arrested, convicted, and sent to jail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The editor of "The News of the World" resigns, and the line that News Corporation put out was this is an isolated incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was simply this one investigator, this one reporter. It went no further than that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They had dealt with the problem. It was now history. But it wasn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The Murdochs, Empire of Influence" airs tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

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