Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Dems Fight To Keep Control Of Congress As Election Day Looms; GOP Super PAC To Stop Ad Spending In New Hampshire Senate Race; Herschel Walker's Hometown Weighs In On Race As Voting Begins; Police: Black Woman Was "Held Against Her Will" By A White Man; Officer Under Investigation Over Uvalde Response; Former Chinese Leader Unexpectedly Led Out Of Party Congress. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired October 22, 2022 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:44]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST (on camera): All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
All right, just over two weeks until the midterm election decide who controls Congress and voters are turning out in big numbers across the country to cast their ballots early.
So far, nearly 6 million people have already voted in the midterm elections. And in Georgia, more than 660,000 voters have already cast their ballots. That number is not far off the early voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election, and it's more than a quarter of a million more than the early voting turnout for the 2018 midterms.
Candidates are also on the campaign trail today, stomping for votes and blasting the airwaves with ads hoping to sway voters.
CNN's Dan Merica is in Pennsylvania for us. Dan, good to see you.
The U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania appears to be tightening now. What are the candidates doing to distinguish themselves?
DAN MERICA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER (on camera): You're absolutely right. It has tightened over the last few weeks. You've seen a number of polls that show John Fetterman losing almost double digit lead he had over the summer.
Dr. Oz has been pretty mum about what he's doing today. He did appear on Fox News this morning, and talks a lot about crime and about the key debate that he will have with John Fetterman on Tuesday.
John Fetterman, for that matter will be here behind me at the brewery here in Chester County. He also has a fundraiser both with Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, one of the top names hitting the campaign trail for Democrats.
Now, the event behind me will not be what we normally see from John Fetterman, which since his stroke in May and returning to the campaign trail two months after that have really been rallies.
He's been on prompter often, he's been in front of big crowds, and he's given, you know, longer, and longer speeches as he's -- as he's progressed after the stroke.
Today, it will be a more of a seated format, kind of a roundtable with Amy Klobuchar and the local congresswoman here. And that will really be interesting to see because that will mean that John Fetterman will be using closed captioning technology.
Now, that's technology that he has used in interviews, but we are told that, that -- this will be maybe one of the first times we will see it used outside of a -- of his home. With John Fetterman using it on stage to have this conversation with Amy Klobuchar.
Why does that matter? The debate on Tuesday? That's a key debate between John Fetterman and Dr. Oz, and that -- in that debate, John Fetterman will be using closed captioning technology. So, in many ways, this could be almost a practice for that key debate.
Now, Amy Klobuchar is not the only top Democrat looking to help John Fetterman. The Fetterman campaign also rolled out an ad from former President Barack Obama.
Take a listen to how the former president pitched Fetterman in this digital ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, when the fate of our democracy and a woman's right to choose are on the line, I know John will fight for Pennsylvanians. And you can count on John Fetterman. Make sure he can count on you. Vote Democrat on November 8.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MERICA: Now, it is not happenstance that John Fetterman is campaigning here in Chester County. We are outside of Philadelphia in what are called the collar counties of Pennsylvania.
This is an area that will be key to Democrats in 2022. Dr. Oz, during the Republican primary argued, this is the kind of area he could help Republicans win. Because frankly, Donald Trump suffered in areas like this. Joe Biden won this county 58 percent of the vote.
In 2012, Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee, actually won this county, beating the man you just heard from, President Barack Obama. Obama won this county in 2008. So, you can see it's a swing county.
It's also not happenstance, who is here. Klobuchar being here highlights the importance of women voters in this county. The Fetterman campaign thinks they have to turn out women voters who helped Democrats in 2018 and 2020. That's their path to victory not only here in Chester County, but across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Dan Merica, thank you so much. Appreciate that.
Let's talk more about all this. Joining me now to talk about the midterm elections and all at stake, Molly Ball, she is a national political correspondent for Time. David Swerdlick is a CNN political commentator and a senior staff editor for The New York Times Opinion.
Good to see both of you.
MOLLY BALL, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, TIME MAGAZINE: Good to be here.
WHITFIELD: All right. So, David, you first. Your reaction to this tightening race in Pennsylvania and former President Obama. You know, cutting this campaign ad where he touts Fetterman support for abortion rights.
DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR (on camera): Yes. Good afternoon, Fred, and early happy to Diwali.
[12:05:00]
This is just like Dan said, a race that's tightening up down the stretch. And Fetterman has to do a couple of things. Debate well on Tuesday night that will put him in the poll position if he is able to do that. And to turn out white women who are college plus voters in the suburbs, and those Bucks County and Philadelphia collar counties that are so important to Democrats that help them against President Trump in 2020.
If that doesn't happen, or if more conservative voters in western Pennsylvania have better turnout on Election Day, then that's probably going to indicate some trouble for Fetterman.
In terms of that Obama ad, he is someone -- who is the last person who comfortably won two presidential elections. Of course, if you're a Democrat, and you can do it, you go with him as your closer.
WHITFIELD: And so, Molly, you know, that Obama campaign ad, I mean, it comes after President Biden, you know, promised to protect a women's reproductive rights this week, if voters elect, you know, more Democrats. That was the condition, he is saying, you know, in order to ensure such legislation, you know, could pass, any new legislation to codify a Roe v. Wade.
So, what do you make of Democrats betting big on the women's right to choose if that is going to lure, draw more women to the polls to secure a seat?
BALL: Yes. Well, it's obvious, you know, as both parties make their closing arguments here in the final weeks before the election, that Democrats see abortion as their strongest argument. I don't think that's surprised, you know, for months now.
We have seen that being the argument that has drawn voters most to the Democrats in this otherwise difficult midterm election for them. And women really are, as David was saying, you know, women, particularly, college educated women, women in the suburbs, they are the swing vote in this election, it is often the case.
But I think it's particularly true this year, where we have really seen the polls go back and forth, in large part because those independent voting women are torn between the focus on the economy, which, of course, the Republicans have been emphasizing and hammering on. Everything, you know, from inflation to the price of gas, and housing, and so on.
And the Democrats are making the counter argument about abortion, which I think is just as powerful an argument for a lot of these independent women.
So, I think you may see a lot of these voters waiting to make a decision until the final days and keeping this race really up in the air.
WHITFIELD: So David, you know, President Biden, you know, he also announced that he was releasing more oil reserves this week in hopes of showing voters his administration is doing everything it can to fight rising gas prices. Is that a decision that will help motivate voters at the polls? Choosing a Democrat as a result of, you know, his push for that?
SWERDLICK: Fred, I think Biden is doing everything he can do in the short term. It makes sense to release more oil from the reserves. But there are a couple of issues right now that are making it tough for Democrats.
They got a boost -- a few weeks ago, when gas prices really seemed to fall, then they ticked back up. At the end of the summer, they had a bunch of legislative wins, but that has sort of faded from memory.
You had -- you had the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which as Molly says, really is a motivating issue for Democratic base voters. But that happened in the early part of the year. So now, Democrats are having to go into their closing argument, reminding voters of what they have done, because it's not top of mind because it's not front page news anymore.
If they can effectively message that, including the president on gas, then, it will help them, but I still think they're going to have a tough time holding on to the House.
They're not going to have a shellacking like the Obama-led Democrats had in 2010 when they lost more than 60 seats. But I do think the House is tough sledding.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's focus on New Hampshire for a moment, Molly. I mean, we just found out that a Republican, super PAC, you know, led largely by Mitch McConnell, you know, has pulled the ad funding for the GOP candidate in, what is a pretty tight race in New Hampshire.
So, what do you make of that? How potentially impactful might that be?
BALL: Well, you know, when Don Bolduc won that primary in New Hampshire, a lot of Republicans privately assumed that, that race was pretty much gone. And you know, it's a tight enough race. It's a -- it's a tough enough race for the Democrats.
The Republicans did keep some money in it for a while. But as they shuffled the money around in these final weeks, it looks like they are giving up on that race. And it's not too surprising, you know.
The Republican establishment had wanted a different candidate to win that nomination. Ideally, they would have liked Governor Chris Sununu to run for the Senate. He declined in part because of what he sees, as you know, the extremism that the Republican Party has fallen prey to, and the dominance of Trump in the party.
So, this is all sort of downstream. I think, you know, from the Trump effect on the Republicans, and the -- and the -- and the extremism, and certainly, that is how voters seem to be seeing Don Buldoc, who had has tried to I think move to the middle a little bit.
[12:10:02]
He has gone back on claiming that the election is stolen for example. But it doesn't seem like he's making a lot of headway against Senator Maggie Hassan. And so, Republicans have -- are deciding that, that money is better spent elsewhere.
And we're -- and we're going to see both parties making a lot of those sort of tough triage decisions in these final.
WHITFIELD: Yes, just a couple of weeks ago.
So, David, and now, let's talk about, you know, Georgia. Oh, wow. A lot at stake there. And already, we're seeing a record of, you know, number of voters who are going to the polls. Two, very high profile races -- governor and U.S. Senate.
And then, Arizona and Pennsylvania, also, we know that Democrats are far outpacing Republicans in early ballots cast. So, is it too early to read into what this might mean?
SWERDLICK: I think anybody who thinks they know exactly what's going to happen on Election Day nationwide, doesn't actually know what's going to happen.
But you have a lot of these races, including that Senate race between Senator Warnock and Herschel Walker. Within the margin of error, the governor's race in Nevada, the governor's race in Oregon, you go on down the line, there are a lot of these key statewide races that are very close.
In Georgia, particularly, I do see Governor Kemp getting space from Stacey Abrams. But in the Senate race, I really think it's going to come down to which party can turn out their voters in these next couple of weeks in early voting, and on Election Day.
Again, Democrats have a better chance to hold on to the Senate, to hold at least a 50-50 tie with Vice President Harris as the tiebreaker vote.
But all these contested races, except for a few exceptions, Colorado Senate or Georgia Governor, I think all the candidates are going to have to run all the way through the finish line because you just don't know what's going to happen in the coming weeks.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Still, so much up in the air.
Molly Ball, David Swerdlick, good to see you both. Thanks so much.
SWERDLICK: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, let's focus in a little bit more on Georgia. It is a tight race between Republican Herschel Walker and Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock. In Walker's hometown people are split about the former football star's candidacy.
CNNs Dianne Gallagher went to Wrightsville, Georgia to see what people there are saying.
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even before the sunrises, the hottest topic in town comes up in conversation at the cornbread cafe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like Herschel because he's all business.
GALLAGHER: For more than 40 years, the tiny town of Wrightsville, Georgia has been talking about Herschel Walker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a local boy that's done good.
GALLAGHER: He has a street, a park, a high school field named after him here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I was his number one fan when he played football.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the University of Georgia, Herschel Walker.
GALLAGHER: In the self-proclaimed friendliest town in Georgia, it's easy to find support for Walker Senate campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's a man who (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And a proud to be an American --
GALLAGHER: Nearly 70 percent of Johnson County voted for Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Herschel is not a bad guy, he is a fighter.
HERSCHEL WALKER (R-GA), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I've been a lot of places. But in Wrightsville, I learned important lessons.
GALLAGHER: On the trail, Walker is quick to mention his Wrightsville roots.
WALKER: I'm from Wrightsville, Georgia.
JANIBETH OUTLAW, MAYOR OF WRIGHTSVILLE, GEORGIA: He has always participated in our famous Fourth of July parade that we have every year. He has done camps for youth here for football.
GALLAGHER: But not everyone in this rural 3,500 person town is cheering him on.
CURTIS DIXON, FORMER HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AND FOOTBALL COACH OF HERSCHEL WALKER: He is still Johnson County favorite son. But most of people -- most of the people in Johnson County don't think he is the right person to be running for Senate.
SHERRICKA JOHNSON, RESIDENT, WRIGHTSVILLE, GEORGIA: I hope Warnock wins, really do.
GALLAGHER: Sherricka Johnson doesn't feel the multimillionaire, former resident has done enough to help Wrightsville, specifically, the black community here.
JOHNSON: We see him what? Once a year when he come for the parade?
DIXON: He is yet to campaign in the black community.
GALLAGHER: Curtis Dixon, who was Walker's 10th grade World History teacher and a coach on a state championship high school football team described him as a good, polite kid, who has given back to this community as an adult.
Sounds like you'd liked Herschel as a player and as a student.
DIXON: I still do. But you know, this is business.
GALLAGHER: You don't feel like he's ready.
DIXON: He is not ready.
GALLAGHER: Readiness is a concern even for those who say they will still probably vote for Walker.
JULIAN POPE, RESIDENT, WRIGHTSVILLE, GEORGIA: I think he ought to just waited and look inside before running to see what it would take.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Herschel Walker paid for an abortion for his then-girlfriend.
GALLAGHER: Reports about Walker's turbulent past, including newly surfaced allegations, he paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion more than a decade ago were not major topics around here. Walker has repeatedly denied the allegations. The residents we spoke with who said they know Walker did say they were surprised by his public acknowledgement in June that he had four children.
Jerry Owensby is a supporter who is already cast his ballot for Walker but laments the cost that the campaign has taken on the candidate personally.
[12:15:06]
JERRY OWENSBY, RESIDENT, WRIGHTSVILLE, GEORGIA: I wish he hadn't run.
GALLAGHER: Explain to me, why not?
OWENSBY: Because he is too good for politics. He is hurting with his family.
GALLAGHER: Dixon says he also worries about the impact this race is having on Walker's family, but struggles to reconcile the candidate he sees today with the kid he knew decades ago.
DIXON: The face is there, the hair is there, it's got a little grey. But I sometimes wonder if that's the same person.
GALLAGHER: Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Wrightsville, Georgia.
WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead this hour, a frightening surge in cases of a respiratory virus, which has sent a lot of children to hospitals across the country. And now hospitals are overwhelmed.
The new warnings for parents. Plus, President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan hits a snag just days before payouts were to begin. How the White House is responding?
And later, stunning new details surrounding the police responding -- police response, rather, to the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. A CNN exclusive coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:30]
WHITFIELD: A troubling surge of a common respiratory virus has some hospitals struggling to keep pace.
WHITFIELD (voice-over): RSV is spreading at what some doctor say are unprecedented rates. More than 7,000 cases were detected last week alone, the highest of any week in the past two years.
WHITFIELD (on camera): Several hospitals tell CNN that they have been overwhelmed with patients at a time of year when a surge is actually unusual. CNN medical correspondent Dr. Tara Narula has more.
DR. TARA NARULA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We are seeing an uptick in RSV nationwide. And in particular, when it comes to kids having to go to the hospital. We're seeing hospitals in many parts of the country really being overwhelmed with the number of kids being admitted and diagnosed with RSV.
NARULA (voice-over): We know that RSV is a very common lower tract respiratory illness in kids usually under the age of 1.And on average, causes about 58,000 hospitalizations a year in kids under 5. Typically, we treated symptomatically and most kids do well, even when they are hospitalized with supportive care. We think we're seeing this uptick in part because of COVID mitigation strategies, which really prevented kids in many parts of the country from being exposed at a time when they normally would.
NARULA (on camera): We know that most individuals have RSV before they even reached the age of 2. But here we have a population of children who never really have the ability to develop immunity because of those mitigation strategies.
Also, moms who may not have passed along immunity to their babies, because of decreased exposure to moms over the past two years.
In terms of what parents need to know, we want to make sure that they pay attention to things like runny nose, sneeze, cough, fever, wheezing, or in young infants, decreased activity or irritability or difficulty breathing.
NARULA (voice-over): Certainly if any of those things get worse or child is unable to stay hydrated, looks like they're having respiratory difficulty then it is important to get to the emergency room.
NARULA (on camera): Pediatricians do have tests to help differentiate this from COVID and the flu, so that's another important thing to note. And finally, keeping kids safe, this is transmitted basically in similar ways with cough, and sneezing, and viral particles that can land on hard surfaces and actually live there for several hours.
So, it would be important to cover coughs, to wash hands, to disinfect, and clean surfaces, and really avoid contact with people who may be sick, particularly, paying attention to your younger children and keeping them away from anyone who may be exhibiting signs that could be RSV.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Tara Narula, thank you so much for that.
And new today, school activities in one Virginia High School are being postponed this week, and after nearly half the students were absent with flu-like symptoms.
Around 1,000 students at Stafford High School called in sick this week. The CDC says an early increase of seasonal flu has been reported in most of the country with the highest level seen in the southeast and south central regions.
All right, coming up just days before debt cancelations were set to begin, another legal challenge for President Biden student loan forgiveness program. What borrowers need to know?
WHITFIELD (voice-over): Plus join Stanley Tucci as he explores Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot. A region known for its fresh and simple food along with its famous olive oil.
Don't miss an all new episode of "SEARCHING FOR ITALY", tomorrow night at 9:00, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:28:00]
WHITFIELD: A federal appeals court has temporarily paused President Biden's student loan forgiveness program, delivering a blow to one of the president's key midterm initiatives. The order prohibits the White House from canceling loans covered under the policy as the court considers a challenge brought on by six Republican led states.
CNN senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns joining us live now. So, Joe, I mean, nearly 20 million people had already applied to have their student loans forgiven. What's the White House saying?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, they're essentially saying, Fred, full speed ahead, and that people should continue to put in applications if they think they're eligible for this program. And say the administration is going to continue reviewing those applications, because the point they're making is that all this court decision really says is hold on, don't start canceling debt under this program, until they can take a closer look at it.
The issue really is whether the president can just throw out these loans, essentially with a wave of the wand without getting Congress involved. The administration says Congress already gave the president this power more than a decade ago.
So, what happens next? Essentially, the administration is going to have to answer this request for an injunction on Monday. On Tuesday, the states get to respond.
You know, the thing about this is, this weekend started with the administration really kind of fired up about this program. The president came here to Delaware, to Delaware State University and HBCU, and talked about the program with the students.
We were there, obviously, very well received. Because they'd already won a couple court challenges. But as you know, this stuff isn't over in the courts, Fred, until it's over.
WHITFIELD: Right. And, of course, here we are just, you know, a couple of weeks away from midterm election. And already, the president is being asked again about the 2024 election. And what's his latest response?
[12:30:00]
JOHNS: Well, he said in an interview with MSNBC that it's his intention to run, but that he's made no formal decision. And he made it pretty clear that what he doesn't want to do is to put in motion all the legal machinery that's involved. When he formally says he's up for reelection. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The reason I'm not making a judgment about formality running and not running, once I make that judgment, a whole series of regulations kick in, and I have to be -- I have to treat myself as a candidate from that moment on. I have not made that formal decision, but it's my intention, my intention to run again, and we have time to make that decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Right. And we also know the rest. He's the oldest president already. The question is whether he's going to have the energy once again to run for reelection. There's also the issue of midterms. That's still coming up. And the question of course, about Donald Trump and whether he's going to throw his hat in the ring, so a lot of factors for the President to consider before he goes ahead and does this.
WHITFIELD: Right. Still so much in the air. OK, Joe Johns, thanks so much.
Straight ahead, frustration and anger are growing in one Kansas City neighborhood after a black woman says she escaped after being held captive by a white man. Why residents say her story underscores the challenges of finding missing people of color.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:54]
WHITFIELD: Welcome back police in Missouri, facing community backlash after a black woman says a white man held her captive for nearly a month. The 22-year-old says she escaped from a room in the man's basement after he allegedly kidnapped her back in September. Timothy Haslett Jr. is now behind bars facing rape, kidnapping, and assault charges.
The young woman says she was able to get away from Haslett when he left the house to take his child to school. The woman also told police there were other women I'm quoting her words, other women. But so far police have found no evidence of that. Her amazing escape comes weeks after community leaders say they warned authorities of a predator targeting black women in the Kansas City area. Joining me right now is Derrica Wilson. She's the co-founder and CEO of Black and Missing Foundation Incorporated and is a former law enforcement officer. Derrica it's so good to see you.
DERRICA WILSON, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, BLACK AND MISSING FOUNDATION, INC.: Thank you so much for having me.
WHITFIELD: So what do you think about these allegations?
WILSON: What I think is that, sadly, law enforcement failed this community. The community was in an outcry asking for assistance. And what allegedly was someone abducting, you know, black women and girls in the Missouri area. And it really fell on deaf ears, the fact that it was unfounded, you know, it raised more questions, because what type of investigation was conducted to even determine that it was unfounded? Was any missing person reports filed? I can't imagine that these women being missing for over a month and no one reported it to law enforcement because these are daughters. These are valuable members of the community.
WHITFIELD: And I mean, to add to that, Kansas City Police, you know, initially understand called the reports of a predator, you know, targeting women in the black community, as you say, as completely unfounded. And that's according to a statement published by the Kansas City Star newspaper. But people kept saying no, something is going on. So typically, how are reports like that investigated? How, you know, what are you saying based on accounts that you've heard from people not necessarily in the Kansas City area, but other places about how their complaints are met whether it be, you know, among law enforcement?
WILSON: Well, first and foremost, when they heard this outcry from the community, did they actually take a police report of this suspicious circumstance, that they interview community members? Did they check their missing persons report? Again, there's so many questions that are raised because we all know that the first 24 to 48 hours are the most critical moments. And so you have a community members an outcry that these women are going missing in this area. And it really fell on deaf ears.
The fact that this brave young woman was able to escape and we have to thanks to that vigilant community member that took her in, you know, how many more --
WHITFIELD: But remember, that was after she actually, and reportedly that was after she went to one neighbor. And reportedly, that neighbor was like, I don't want to get involved. I worry about my own life. She then had to run to yet another neighbor's house, before that person took her seriously, was able to then, you know, assist her so that we could get to this point. Now there's an arrest and hopefully she's in a safe space.
WILSON: Absolutely, absolutely. But I just think at this point, there are so many unknowns. I really feel that an independent investigation needs to be conducted at this juncture. You know, Kansas City has their own issues right now. I mean, they're under investigation, you know, from the federal government with hiring practices. But now we need the independent study on how these policies, how are they following these policies with missing person as some of their other, you know, policy and procedures within the department.
[12:40:08]
WHITFIELD: And I mean let's talk about the disparities here, because we're talking about, you know, black people, you know, making up 30 -- 13 percent of the U.S. population. Yet, we're talking about black people comprising 34 percent, of missing person cases in 2021. That's according to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, explain, you know, what your organization is doing to help promote more attention to cases involving people of color, who are missing, perhaps not reported missing, or perhaps the reports are not taken seriously enough.
WILSON: You know, sadly, you know, that's why the Black and Missing Foundation exists to sound the alarm to apply pressure to law enforcement to dedicate more resources, you know, utilizing our media partners, and thank you CNN for using their platform to help us tell these stories, it is so critical, because again, time is of the essence. And actually, you know, persons of color in the United States, 40 percent that are missing are persons of color in the black and brown community.
Although we know that there are more because even with the Hispanic community, 25 percent identify as Afro Latina, but there's they're still classified as white. So we really need to break down these barriers, that all these individuals that are going missing, they deserve to be found. We need law enforcement to stop labeling our children as runaways because, of course, runaway does not meet the amber alert criteria.
We need for them to stop associating our missing black and brown men and women as, you know, criminals because there's no sense of urgency and finding them, it's really desensitizing and dehumanizing the fact that these are valuable members of our community, their mothers, their fathers, their sons, their daughters, brothers and sisters, and they deserve the same amount of resources. Race should not be a barrier to resources from law enforcement or the media.
WHITFIELD: So many important points you just made. Derrica Wilson, thank you so much, glad you could be with us today.
WILSON: Thank you for having me.
WHITFIELD: All right, next, a CNN exclusive from Uvalde, chilling new audio details, revealing an officer ordering a strike team to delay entering the classroom more than 70 minutes into the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- we're taking too long.
CAPTAIN JOE BETANCOURT, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Hey, this is DPS Captain Betancourt. The team that's going to make breach needs to standby. The team that's going to breach needs to standby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:47:10]
WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. A new today one of the first state troopers on the scene of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting has been terminated, Captain Juan Maldonado was fired Friday but the Texas Department of Public Safety declined to explain why. The shooting at Robb Elementary School left 19 children and two teachers dead. And in a new CNN exclusive audio tapes released from that day reveal more about how another Texas State Police Captain may have contributed to the failed response that day. CNN Shimon Prokupecz has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER (voice-over): Amid the chaos at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas where nearly 400 law enforcement responded to a deadly school shooting last May, CNN has learned commands by a high-ranking state police officer may have contributed to the broader failed response that day.
While a gunman sat in a room full of dead, dying and traumatized children, new police radio transmissions obtained by CNN show Texas Department of Public Safety Captain Joe Betancourt given an order to stop police from entering the classroom. And one internal memo describes him before he arrives telling officers to stay away from the school and remain on the perimeter during the initial response to the shooting.
Captain Betancourt was one of 91 DPS officers on scene in Uvalde. We are now learning he is one of the seven referred for further investigation over his actions. After lionizing the police response in the initial days, the Texas governor and state officials have pushed the blame for what has since been acknowledged as a failure on the local and school police.
But CNN has now reviewed memos written just two days after the shooting. The detail actions by the DPS that allegedly went against protocol for mass shootings.
One lieutenant wrote, I heard someone shout out, Captain Betancourt said all DPS personnel need to be on perimeter. Do not enter the building. And a sergeant reported he knew this was clearly against established training. And so he entered the school anyway. By the time Betancourt says he arrived outside Robb Elementary, students and teachers had already been trapped for more than an hour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They think there's kids in there. Supposedly one kid called in and he was in there with him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know if he has anyone in the room with him, do we?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he does.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He does.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight or nine children.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Some at the scene like this border patrol medic are aware of the urgency inside the classroom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he said victims, room 12.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we hadn't heard that, no. We're in the fours, right? This is building four?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody hurt? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not here. No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, there are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: EMS in there already?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. No, sir. We have an active shooter in there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's in here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's in here. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, I'll stand here and be ready.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last contact -- hold on. The last contact we had was one of our school PD officers. His wife is a teacher. She called him and said she's dying.
[12:50:08]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just had a number of kids in room 12. A kid in room 12. Most of the victims in room 12.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- we're taking too long.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): A Border Patrol tactical unit is preparing to end the standoff and stormed the classroom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Units making breach, come in.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): In a move that sources tell CNN has shocked people inside DPS, Betancourt picked up his radio and try to stop the breach.
BETANCOURT: Hey, this is DPS Captain Betancourt. The team that's going to make breach needs to stand by. The team that's going to breach needs to stand by.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The transmission can be clearly heard on several body worn cameras inside and outside the hallway of Robb Elementary. The tactical unit was already making entry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Subject down! Subject down!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kids, kids, kids!
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The shooter is killed and a devastating scene is revealed inside the classroom. In an interview with investigators that has been detailed to CNN, Betancourt said he did not know there were any children in the building until after the breach. That's despite 911 calls from children inside the room.
Betancourt says he was relying on information from Uvalde Sheriff Ruben Nolasco that the gunman was a barricaded subject and no longer an active shooter. And that a better SWAT team was on its way. He admits he never spoke to former school Police Chief Pete Arredondo who has been labeled the on-scene commander until after the shooter was killed.
The memo referencing Betancourt's actions and another corroborating it are some of the clearest evidence that questions are being raised internally at the Department of Public Safety about the actions of its officers. His orders over the radio contradict the official narrative that the state police were never in command of the scene and never issued substantive orders.
When questioned by CNN in September, DPS Director Colonel Steve McCraw confirmed the investigation into Betancourt and promised to resign if his agency was shown to have culpability for the botched response.
(on-camera): Was there a bodycam -- there's apparently footage of him inside the hallway, telling people not to breach that door. Have you heard that?
COL. STEVE MCCRAW, DIRECTOR, TEXAS DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: You know, I've heard a lot of things, OK. But --
PROKUPECZ (on-camera): But is there incredibility to that?
MCCRAW: I don't know if there is or not, but that's one of the reasons why we're doing the investigation, OK?
PROKUPECZ (on-camera): No, I know. OK.
MCCRAW: And we're going to be sterile.
(CROSSTALK)
PROKUPECZ (on-camera): I don't want to do this but --
MCCRAW: Hey, hold on. I'll be the first resign, OK? I'll be gladly resign or tender my resignation to the Governor, OK, if I think there's any culpability within the Department of Public Safety, OK? But we're going to hold our officers accountable. No one gets a pass. But every officer is going to be held accountable.
PROKUPECZ (on-camera): But you are looking at this Captain Betancourt for information that you have that he may have told officers not to go in the hallway.
MCCRAW: Yes, yes, absolutely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Shimon Perez, thank you so much for that reporting. And now, this week's CNN Hero, the city of Philadelphia had a record high number of homicides last year, and incidents of gun violence continue to surge and it's a danger that Tyrique Glasgow knows well, having been shot 11 times when he was a drug dealer in his South Philly neighborhood. But since returning home from prison a decade ago, he has been a force for good.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TYRIQUE GLASGOW, YOUNG CHANCES FOUNDATION: When you run a block, you are the one who the community and people know. It's a dangerous life, but it's a normal life.
Going to jail really woke me up if our community was going to follow me for some of the negative stuff I just said, let me see if they're going to follow me for something positive.
You can grab what you want.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make yourself at home.
GLASGOW: In 2019, we opened up our community engagement center, which used to be a community drug house, but now it's a safe place for our children.
How many people here got kids?
We provide clothing, food, vegetables, with hot meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
One chicken.
Giving people what they need not only helps it makes it consistently stays safer here.
The shootings are down and the hope is up.
That's what she's here for.
My relationship with the Philadelphia Police Department is cool. Seeing the officers in a different light, it builds trust and it builds confidence. They need to see that all cops aren't bad. It's really about your heart and what you want to do. We're trying to create a safe haven environment for the whole neighborhood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[12:54:29]
WHITFIELD: Wow, Tyrique making a huge difference there. To find out more about his work, go to CNNHeroes.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So it's usually a highly choreographed event but today's closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress in Beijing had some rather unexpected drama here CNN Selina Wang.
SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, Xi Jinping's authoritarian power over China is going to be ironclad well into the future. He's all but a shirt tomorrow on Sunday to be re anointed as China's Supreme Leader for an unprecedented third term, setting himself up to be ruler for life.
Today marks the official close of the 20th Party Congress, China's most important political meeting in decades. This is a highly choreographed and scripted event. But there was a bizarre and astonishing moment caught on camera by journalists in the closing ceremony room. See in that video, the man seated right next to Xi is China's former top leader who Hu Jintao. After several confusing moments he's led out of the room escorted by two men he appears reluctant to leave.
[13:00:09]
Now, Chinese politics is incredibly opaque. We don't know why this happened. But already there's a firestorm of speculation overseas. Was it because of health reasons? Or was it a political statement? Either way, it's a symbolic moment. People are seeing it as the exit of a man who represented collective rule, while Xi Jinping, he's a strongman ruler. He's crushed dissent. He's perched his rivals reasserted communist party control over every aspect of Chinese society.
What we know is that tomorrow when we see his top advisors revealed, is that he's going to be stacking it with his closest advisors and loyalists. So in this next term, expect Xi Jinping to double down on his ironclad rule, so a more authoritarian China at home, and a more aggressive China abroad. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, possibly more surprises. Selina Wang, thank you so much.
