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Pro-Bolsonaro Supporters Break Into Brazilian Government Building; Biden Visits Border For The First Time In His Presidency; Bills Score Touchdown In First Play Since Hamlin's Collapse. Aired 3- 4p ET

Aired January 08, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Yes.

JODY BAUMSTEIN, LICENSED THERAPIST, CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA STRONG4LIFE: So get a consult, call the crisis line, and talk to a mental health professional who can help you tease it out.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BAUMSTEIN: What's normal and what's something to be concerned about.

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Jody Baumstein, so good to see you. Thank you so much.

And thank you, everybody for being with us this weekend.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Jim Acosta.

[15:00:23]

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

And we are following breaking news out of Brazil where at this hour, a group of protesters have breached security barriers at the Congressional Building in that country and gained access to the building. The supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro also broke into the Federal Supreme Court Building there, and the country's Presidential Palace.

Neither house of Congress is currently in session in Brazil right now, but Brazil's new President, we should also mention he is not at the Palace.

CNN's Rafael Romo is following all of this.

Rafael, this is an unfolding situation, and people around the world already seeing comparisons between what is unfolding in Brazil right now, and what took place in this country on January 6th, a couple of years ago. It looks eerily similar. What can you tell us?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Yes, Jim, the situation is very similar, although I have to clarify that it was not only the Congressional Building that protesters stormed, but also the Presidential Palace, Planalto, as well as the Supreme Court, and it was thousands upon thousands of people who got together earlier for a rally in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.

At one point they decided to march to the Congressional Building, and there were not enough police to stop them and they decided to just march in.

At the beginning, the situation seemed to be peaceful, Jim, but then riot police showed up, as well as the Armed Forces, clashes began. Some of the public employees that were there at the buildings clashed with the protesters when they tried to stop them as well, and these images that we're looking at right now, this is, for example, the Supreme Court Building that has been taken by protesters as well.

Earlier, we were seeing an individual sitting at the desk of the President of the Lower House of Congress. That's the image that I wanted to show you, Jim, just to give you an idea about how far these protesters have gotten.

Now let's remember, only a week ago, on January 1st, a new President took office, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, and the difference between what happened in the United States two years ago and what is happening in Brazil today is that the Congress is not in session. The President is not in Brasilia, he is in Sao Paulo State.

And so, this diminishes a little bit the danger that this situation poses to officials in Brazil, but definitely a chaotic situation. We have received a word about people that might have been injured. But again, clashes started happening in the last hour between protesters and authorities -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And Rafael, correct me if I'm mistaken here, but Bolsonaro in recent weeks has been reported to be in the United States, living in Florida, if I'm not mistaken, but it's his supporters who have not given up on the idea that the election was stolen from Bolsonaro.

It just reminds, you know, really anybody paying a little bit of attention to this, that, you know, this is very similar to what took place on January 6th with Trump supporters who would not give up the idea that the election was stolen from him. There are parallels.

ROMO: That's a very good point, Jim. And let me tell you, former President Jair Bolsonaro was seen at a public supermarket in Florida just a few days ago. And just to give people in the United States a little bit of context, the second round of the election was held on October 31st. Bolsonaro lost by less than two percentage points, so Lula da Silva won fair and square.

But as you can imagine, Brazil remains a very polarized country, deeply divided, and a lot of these people, these are the people that used to have weekly rallies with Jair Bolsonaro supporting him all the way and we don't know whether this was spontaneous or whether it was organized, but the reality is that the situation is completely out of control. We see the Mounted Police showing up there, but the reality is that they didn't have the numbers to stop all of these people -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And Rafael, just a few moments ago, we were showing an image of one of these protesters sitting at the desk of the one of the leaders of Brazil's Congress -- Brazil's legislature.

You can see it right there. We're showing this image -- some of these images on our screen right now, on your screens right now and this looks almost like a Brazilian version of what took place on January 6th right here.

[15:05:10]

ROMO: Yes, eerily similar, Jim, you can see it there. And that's -- again, that's the desk of the Brazilian Congress President. And so these people, apparently unimpeded, were able to get all the way there. We're also getting reports, Jim, that they have destroyed the offices of many legislators, that they are committing acts of vandalism in the main halls of the Supreme Court, and the Congressional Building, and it is all together in the same area very similarly to what you would have in Washington, all three seats of the three branches of government are all very close together in Brasilia.

And people were just able to get into those places after breaking a few windows, after pushing away the few employees that were there on a Sunday at the beginning of the year -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you very much.

We should note, just to put a button on this. We'll come back to the story later, but the US Embassy in Brazil has warned Americans to avoid the government buildings in Brazil's capital, as all of this is unfolding.

Rafael Romo, we'll get back to you. Thank you very much.

The other top story this hour, President Joe Biden has arrived at the US-Mexico border. We're showing you live pictures right now. There is the President right there, he just landed and is starting to meet with Border Patrol, other Homeland Security officials. That's where the number of migrants has sharply and steadily grown over the past several months.

It's the President's first border trips since he took office and he finds himself facing criticism from both political parties, members of both political parties, many Republicans and even some border district Democrats say this trip is long overdue, saying the President has failed to address the record level of border crossings, while other Democrats and human rights activists say this new plan coming from the Biden administration is to "enforcement heavy."

Since 2021, more than 2.4 million people have been arrested along the US-Mexico border, many were turned away under a Trump-era COVID restriction policy known as Title 42. The arrival of thousands of migrants have strained border communities including El Paso. Of course, we know some Governors across the country have shipped their migrants who have been coming in to other States in places like the District of Columbia.

CNN's Rosa Flores is in El Paso, Texas for us.

Rosa, what's happening on the ground there right now?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, the big question is, will the President of the United States actually see a clearer picture of the migrant crisis here in El Paso? And that's what advocates question here, because take a look around me. This is what they say is the epicenter of the crisis.

I am in the Second Ward in downtown El Paso, take a look around. This alley just now, there are hundreds of migrants that are living on the streets. These are mothers with their children, families. And this is what advocates are hoping that President Biden will see while he is here.

Now his visit does not include a visit to this area. That's according to his preliminary schedule. We're going to see if he actually makes a stop.

Our understanding right now is that he is at the Bridge of the Americas, which is not too far from where we are. But Jim, the point there is that the Bridge of the Americas is really a port of entry.

And let's not forget, under the current policy, migrants can walk to a port of entry and actually seek asylum. I talked to one advocate who said that President Biden is really not going to see anything at this bridge that is nearly close to what the migrant crisis is right now.

This is what they want him to see, what you see around me. Now that's exactly what Governor Greg Abbott also mentioned, Governor Greg Abbott was at the airport, greeting the President and the Governor said that he gave him a letter with five solutions from the Republican Party, from Republicans like himself to enforce the laws of this country -- what he called solutions. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): The President, to close the chaos at the border needed to be. It just so happens, he is two years and about $20 billion too late.

He needs to step up and take swift action, including reimbursing the State of Texas for the money that we spent, and providing more resources for the Federal government to do its job.

Also, this is nothing but for show, unless he begins to enforce the immigration laws already that exist in the United States of America that are contained in the letter that are provided to the President today.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: Now, you see the Governor of Texas sharply criticizing the President for his handling of the border. Let's go back to these live pictures now of the President there. It looks like he is getting a little bit of a show and tell there from Border officials, they appear to be demonstrating what looks like, you know a typical search of a car that might come across the border and what law enforcement officials are doing there to keep the flow of drugs coming into this country from Mexico to a bare minimum.

[15:10:14]

ACOSTA: And so the President there doing that.

Let's turn now for some perspective on this.

Joining me now, Democratic strategist, James Carville; former Republican Congressman and host of "The White Flag Podcast," Joe Walsh.

James and Joe, I do want to talk about Brazil and what is taking place in Brazil in just a moment, but first, while the President there, he is getting this demonstration from Border authorities.

James, let me go to you first. Did the President -- you heard the Governor of Texas there going after the President a few moments ago. What do you make of those comments? Did the President wait too long to make this trip?

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, the typical Republican comment. I think that President Biden share some blame with what is going on in the border. He has created such a strong jobs market in the United States, and that's not lost on people.

And people are sitting in Guatemala or Venezuela or God knows where saying, hey, I want to get in on that. More people are not working the United States today than any other time in history.

And, you know, if you want to lessen the crisis at the border, then stop creating so many jobs. I mean, people want to -- there a lot of these people here that want to come here and work. But also, Jim, it is an important distinction. People like immigration, they don't like disorder on the border. You have to be careful not to conflate the two.

ACOSTA: Joe, what do you think of that? I mean, clearly, the President is facing a new House Republican majority. We've been talking about that for the last several days. They're highlighting the border crisis, you heard the Governor there.

The White House has responded by saying that both parties have failed to deal with the immigration issue over the last couple of decades. You were in Congress, when that can was kicked down the road. What needs to happen next?

JOE WALSH, FORMER US REPRESENTATIVE: Both parties have failed, Jim, and I'm glad the President is there, but he should have been there sooner, much sooner.

This is a crisis, and this is a crisis most Americans care about and it's gotten worse. Republicans demagogue this issue. I've demagogued this issue.

But this is a great opportunity, Jim, for the President to show that he cares about the border to help fix the asylum crisis and make the people who come in here legally, make that process easier, because Republicans don't want to touch those issues.

ACOSTA: James, is there -- I mean, you advised Bill Clinton back in the day, I mean, this has just been authority issue for so long. It has been impossible for Washington to solve for so long. Is there a way do you think to get both parties together and tackle immigration with some sort of bipartisan effort? Or is that just pie in the sky stuff?

CARVILLE: You know, President Reagan tried with the Simpson-Mazzoli Bill. President Bush tried. A lot of people have tried it, and, of course, the problem is you have people that are here that are not citizens.

And as -- I don't know, 13 million, and then you have the crisis at the border, and you've got to -- people just have to understand that they are kind of separate issues. But right now, the border seems to be more disorganized, more unorderly since I can remember it, and I really think that, you know, these people don't have much hope.

If you take a woman that goes from Guatemala with a 10-year-old and an eight-year-old and walks all the way to the Rio Grande, that's a motivated person. I hope we can figure out a way to get her and our children in this country, and she can go to work, and we can address this labor shortage that we have.

But if I told you that I was optimistic, the two parties have to come together to do something like this, I would defer to Congressman Walsh, he is more attuned to that than I am, but that's an aspirational goal to say the least.

ACOSTA: Yes, Joe.

WALSH: I'll tell you, Jim and I think Carville would agree with this. This is a great opportunity for Biden, because the Republicans have nothing but secure the border and keep people out. The problem is much bigger than that. And I think if Biden lead on this issue, the American people would be behind him.

ACOSTA: But Joe, one of the problems though, and I think Democrats have been pulling their hair out over this. You've seen this in various cities across the country. Folks like Greg Abbott, Ron DeSantis, have been shipping these migrants using them as political pawns to try to score points on this issue.

How do you get both sides of the table when you know both sides can fundraise off of this, both sides can lob grenades over this and so on. WALSH: You may not, but think about the context here, Jim. These next two years are going to be utter chaos in the House of Representatives, because that is all Republicans are going to give you.

To me, that presents a great opportunity for Biden to talk about immigration, to talk about real issues that Republicans don't want to talk, even if, as you rightly say, Republicans have no interest in working with them.

ACOSTA: James, what's your sense of it after watching the House Republicans tried to get to a Speaker over the last week or so, you know, do you see any kind of hope at all that Joe Biden can work with Kevin McCarthy and this very conservative House Republican Conference that appears to be under the sway of its most far-right members, as we saw over the last week or so, they were able to control, you know, that process right up until the 11th hour.

[15:15:30]

CARVILLE: So, Jim, this is important. We've been talking about a motion to vacate, which frankly, not even one percent of the people in the United States have any idea or the Rules Committee, which people don't understand.

Let me tell you what people understand, and Kevin McCarthy has expressed a willingness to do this. And that is default on the debt, to pause cuts in Social Security and Medicare.

And the press is more interested in the process argument than the motion to vacate.

Let me tell you defaulting on the debt would be a catastrophe of the first order. And the two most unpopular things you can do in the United States is to cut Social Security and Medicare.

So I hope the Democrats focus on that, and keep pointing out that this is what they really want to do. This is what is at the bottom of this whole thing. And the quicker that we tell people that, because the press is not going to tell people, all right, they have not told you that yet, because most of the press want to cut Social Security and Medicare.

But Kevin McCarthy have said that and the Democrats need to pound this home and set up the warning flags right now and keep them up.

ACOSTA: And we should note, as James was speaking there, we're seeing live pictures of the President on the border with the Secretary of Homeland Security as well, Secretary Mayorkas. He has come under heavy criticism by Republicans in the House.

They've talked about, you know, trying to run him out of town and so on. But just to play off of what James was just saying a few moments ago, we should note the White House has said just today that they expect the Congress to pass a clean debt ceiling increase.

Joe, I'm not mistaken, when you were in Congress, they were playing with this dynamite back then. This is a very risky proposition that we're going to be entering into over the next several weeks.

WALSH: It is.

ACOSTA: If the debt ceiling becomes a political football.

WALSH: It is and it will and it was when I was there, and I and many of my Tea Party colleagues were guilty of that as well.

Here is the important thing, Jim. It is not just the 20 who oppose McCarthy. The entire caucus now really is a MEGA Trumpy caucus.

Marjorie Taylor Greene supported McCarthy. Marjorie Taylor Greene will be right there with Matt Gaetz on every one of these other issues to not raise the debt ceiling, to shut down the government.

We're talking about the vast majority of the Republican Caucus is behind all of these things.

ACOSTA: All right, James and Joe, we're going to squeeze in a quick break. We may get your perspective on the other side of this.

We're also, in addition to following the President's trip to the border right now, we are also tracking this unfolding situation in Brazil right now where protesters/supporters of former President Bolsonaro have stormed various buildings in that country's capital. We're staying on top of that as well.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:27]

ACOSTA: All right, you're looking at live images from the border, El Paso, Texas where President Biden is meeting with Border Security officials. Also the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is there as well.

The President's trip down to the border comes after months of criticism that Mr. Biden had not yet made this trip as President of the United States. He is making it today.

We've got a live presence there on the border as well with our Rosa Flores and Arlette Saenz, our White House correspondent. If they're available, I can go to them or we can continue to watch this.

But in a few moments, I'll touch base with them. But in the meantime, what you're looking at, you see the President there sort of climbing into this truck here. He is getting a real demonstration here from border officials as to what they're doing down there.

Now, obviously, Republican lawmakers here in Washington have been accusing the President of not doing enough on this issue, giving it short shrift. The White House has pushed back on that and said that the President is focused on this, the administration is doing what it can to stem the tide of migrants coming into this country. But that this is an issue, this is a problem that has plagued both parties for a couple of decades now as both parties have failed to reach any kind of bipartisan agreement to fix the immigration issue in this country to deal with the border.

And our White House correspondent, Arlette Saenz is now with me. She is with us now. Arlette, let me go to you next, as we're looking at these live pictures of the President down at the border.

What has the White House said in response to this question? You know, as to whether the President just really has neglected this issue for too long and even some Democrats have said this as well, that he should have been down there sooner?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, you know, you're right, the President had resisted traveling to the border from quite some time amongst calls from Republicans and some Democrats as well, but the White House, what they're trying to do with this trip is show that the President is paying attention to the issue.

Ultimately, his team has arranged this trip as really the issue of the border has become quite a bit of a political liability of for the President. Now, officially they have said that he is making this stop at the Southern border en route to Mexico where he will be meeting with a kind country's President, as well as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and they are expected to speak about migration issues there.

But while he is on the ground there, officials say that he will get the chance to assess some of the border security situations for himself.

[15:25:13]

SAENZ: He is there right now, speaking one-on-one with various Customs and Border Protection officials. In addition to issues relating to migration, officials here at the White House have also said that he wants to hear a bit more about their work when it comes to fentanyl and the flow of that into the country.

Now, in a short while after being at this facility, the President is expected to move over to a Migrant Services Center, which has been working with migrants who have been coming to the US. But this all comes as the President is really trying to navigate a very politically precarious situation.

He has been facing criticism from Republicans, and now, there are some within his own party who have been very frustrated by some of the policies that President Biden has put into motion just this week, that includes that expansion of that humanitarian parole program to include Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

But at the same time, that policy that the President has unveiled will expedite the removal of those who have come to the country outside of the legal processes. The President doing this under that controversial Title 42 policy that was put in place during the Trump administration, the Biden administration has said they want to end it, but that is currently tied up in the Courts. But immigrant advocates say that this is simply an expansion of that Title 42 policy.

So at this moment, you know, the President traveling down to the border for the very first time, it comes at a very difficult moment for him as this issue of the border is a huge crisis. But at the moment right now, he doesn't appear to have an immediate solution to the issue that so many people on that border have been grappling with.

ACOSTA: All right, Arlette, and we're watching the President right now. It looks like he is greeting some Border Patrol officers as we speak.

Let me go to Rosa Flores, who is live for us in El Paso right now.

She has been profiling the struggles of migrants coming into this country and trying to gain entry to the United States, because of the variety of troubles that they face back in their home countries.

Rosa, when you talk to these migrants as they are coming into the United States, are they aware that the Biden administration is very much clamping down on their ability to get into this country, the expansion of Title 42 that Arlette was talking about a few moments ago. What are you hearing, as you're talking to migrants? They are right behind you. I know that they're all around you as we speak.

FLORES: You know, a lot of the migrants that I talked to are very aware of some of the policies. But I've got to highlight, Jim, that there's also a lot of misinformation and that's what I've also heard a lot here.

A lot of the migrants say that they are aware of Title 42. A lot of them, that's why they're here and they actually have not moved on to other parts of the United States, because they've also learned that there are checkpoints that Border Patrol has inside the United States.

There are more than a hundred checkpoints that are at the border, and there are Border Patrol agents. And everyone who crosses this checkpoint, I've crossed it many times in covering the border, and I have to declare that I'm a US citizen. A lot of these migrants that you see around me feel stuck, they've told me. They feel prisoners in this area because they know that if they go through any of these checkpoints, and if they didn't turn themselves into authorities, then they could be taken by Immigration.

And because Title 42 is still in place, then they could be swiftly returned back to Mexico. Now about the controversy and the politics and why it is so important for President Biden to be at the border now.

I can tell you, Jim, that from covering this from the moment he took office, and from being on the border from the moment that he took office, there has been calls for him to come to the border to see the actual crisis firsthand, since he took office, and a lot of the officials that I've talked to over the past few years have said that they felt abandoned, because he had not taken this step.

Now, he has finally taken this step. The question is, will he actually see the clear picture? Will he actually get a sense of what the migrant crisis is on the border, and that we are still going to have to see depending on how many stops he makes here in El Paso -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, very good. And our Arlette Saenz was just saying a few moments ago, that the President may be visiting or is scheduled to visit a migrant processing center -- a support center -- in just a few moments from now. So, we're going to be staying on top of that, tracking the President's visit as he makes his way around El Paso, Texas and takes a look at the border situation down there.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back in a few moments.

Arlette Saenz, Rosa Flores, thanks so much.

Coming up, an emotional tribute from the Buffalo Bills. Fans holding up "Number 3" signs in a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown mere seconds into the game, that was one for the ages. It's clear, the love for Damar Hamlin is in Buffalo and around the country today.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:34:51]

ACOSTA: An incredible day for the Buffalo Bills in their first game since Damar Hamlin's collapse, the team came roaring back. The Bills could not have written a storybook start any better and the opening kickoff. They returned a 96-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots. The team says it was its first kickoff return touchdown in three years and three months.

[15:35:10]

ACOSTA: Damar Hamlin, Number 3, immediately reacted on Twitter with "OMFG" -- I think we can figure out what that stands for -- from his hospital back in Cincinnati.

Hamlin has been there since Monday after suffering a cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Today, quarterback, Josh Allen called on the team to play for Damar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH ALLEN, BUFFALO BILLS QUARTERBACK: I always say, don't play for the name on the back, you play for the name on the front. Pretty special we play for that [bleep] number on the front, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And joining us now, CNN's Omar Jimenez near the Bills Stadium. Omar, it has got to be a party there. What's the mood been like?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, I talked to a fan earlier. They said the whole vibe changed when they heard Damar Hamlin had asked those three words, "Did we win?"

And now here at Game Day, people of course, as you can imagine the first play running back for a touchdown and here at Danny's South, across from the stadium, the place went crazy.

And I want to show you some of the support that Damar Hamlin has here. You see this entire staff they've all got the Hamlin Strong shirts here with the Number 3, and of course his trademark symbol of a heart in the middle.

And I want to talk to one of you, Karen Matthews.

So Karen, you've been working here over 30 years, tell me about what the camaraderie is like, at a place like this and why you all felt like you needed to represent like this today.

KAREN MATTHEWS, DENNY'S SOUTH: Well, this building is -- its family. It's all about like we just love working together. We're just a great family. We work well together. This is a Buffalo Bills town, whether you like it or not.

I'm from Britain. I've never seen anything like it my life. I think it's awesome.

There is a feeling when I walk into this building, when I come in here on a Buffalo Bills game, it is like nothing else. I can't even explain it. Like we just are excited about the game, like all of us.

JIMENEZ: And to see his continued recovery. Obviously he's got a long way to go, but to see how far he has come and to see everyone get to Game Day with so much energy and excitement. How has that made you feel?

MATTHEWS: It is amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Phenomenal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's amazing.

MATTHEWS: Like Erica (ph) said, like, I worked here on Monday night. I've never seen anything like it my life. It was it was tear-jerking. It was -- like that whole team when that player went down, like no --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was not a dry eye in the building.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were people hugging strangers. Silence all over. Nobody was moving. Nobody was going anywhere until they know -- and I personally and probably half of Buffalo didn't even sleep that night knowing -- we just wanted to know if he was going to be okay.

And I can probably speak for everybody that we never felt compassion for somebody that we've never met before. But this community is so strong that we came together and everything worked out for him and he continues to keep growing and getting better.

JIMENEZ: Yes, and --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Cincinnati -- Cincinnati was phenomenal.

JIMENEZ: Exactly, and they are talking about how Cincinnati was also phenomenal in handling this. I mean, what you're seeing here is emblematic of the fans we spoke to out in the field.

Damar Hamlin isn't just a player on the team that they like, they really feel like he's family -- Jim.

ACOSTA: He feels that way to a lot of us. Omar Jimenez, thank you very much. We appreciate that.

Joining me now is former NFL wide receiver, Donte Stallworth.

Donte, great to see you here in the studio. Appreciate it.

You played for numerous teams in the NFL, including one of the teams on the field today, the New England Patriots who I don't think the entire country is rooting for.

DONTE STALLWORTH, FORMER NFL PLAYER: No. No.

ACOSTA: I think they're rooting for the Bills, no offense to Patriots fans.

What do you think this was like for those Bills players to get out there on the field today after Damar Hamlin tweeted, you know, let's do it, guys. Let's go.

STALLWORTH: Yes, I think the fact that his dad went into the team to talk to them prior to Damar, even being able to communicate to the doctors at all. His dad came in there and told the guys, hey, the first thing he is going to ask us, "Did we win the game?" And that's sure enough, he knows his child, it is the first thing he asked.

So that gave the players some kind of like this super energy to be able to go out and kind of, you know, we are used to compartmentalizing injuries, compartmentalizing broken bones, torn ligaments, mental illnesses, actually.

And I think the fact that you talked to Josh Allen, you heard him talk about the psychological effect that that seeing Damar on the ground having CPR administered to him, how difficult that would have been for those guys to play this week.

But the thing that flipped the switch on for them was Damar becoming more and more healthier. Obviously, he has got a long road to recovery, but the fact that he was able to FaceTime those guys and you know, do his trademark, heart symbol and kind of flex on the guys and essentially told them to finish the job that we have started out in preseason. So that flipped the switch for those guys that enabled them to come out and play the game that they're playing right now.

ACOSTA: Very good, and Donte, stay right there. We want to get back to you in just a few moments.

Up next, we're going to talk about what's going through Bill Belichick's mind right now. You played for him and what the Patriots may be thinking going up against the Bills and whether or not this might be the juice the Buffalo Bills needs to finally win that Super Bowl.

Lots to talk about on this very important story, and heartwarming story about Damar Hamlin and the Bills comeback.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:44:36]

ACOSTA: A lot of emotion right now in Buffalo and around the country as the Buffalo Bills play their first game since Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field six days ago.

Back with me now, former NFL wide receiver, Donte Stallworth.

Donte, the latest score, my understanding 35-23, if I have that right, the Bills just scored another touchdown. Apparently, they have two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the game today. Pretty -- it sounds like they've been inspired by all of this.

[15:45:05]

ACOSTA: This has just really given them a kick in the tail to get out there and go after the Patriots. How does Bill Belichick, you know, the head coach of the Patriots deal with all of this?

STALLWORTH: You know it is interesting --

ACOSTA: Not that I ever feel sorry for Bill Belichick.

STALLWORTH: Yes. Of course. I think he understanding they are behind the eight ball. They have to win this game. The Buffalo Bills are obviously coming in with the wind at their back now with Damar showing a lot of good signs and a lot of progress.

And, you know, for him, I think he's really just trying to keep guys focused on the game, because it's easy -- it is an emotional game. It's a physical emotional game, so you can easily get caught up in the emotions. But you know, he is probably just coming out and telling his guys, hey, you know, for us, this is just another game, we've got to focus on our fundamentals, technique, and just try to make this a regular game.

But you're down there in Buffalo, it is not a regular game for those guys.

ACOSTA: No, it's not. And Hamlin tweeted just before the game. I mean, this is incredible. He tweeted this: "Nothing I want more than to be running out of that tunnel with my brothers. God using me in a different way today."

You know, this life-threatening situation was obviously without precedent. But I mean, this really could be the motivation they need to finally win a Super Bowl, do you think it? Could they win one for Damar?

STALLWORTH: Yes. I mean, they practiced once this week. You can't get away in the NFL with practicing once a week and they came out and you know, ran back to opening kickoff which they hadn't done, as you mentioned earlier at the top of the segment, three years and three months.

So to me, that's significant. I don't believe too much in coincidences, and obviously, Damar being a man of faith doesn't either. And with the Bills, I mean, they already coming into this season with a chip on their shoulder. They are one of the best teams in the NFL, they've been for a couple of years and they just can't get over that hill a little bit at the end of the year with Kansas City last year.

But you know, this could be the thing that could tip them off and, and put them into the Super Bowl and catapult them into a Super Bowl Champion.

ACOSTA: And how has the NFL handled this do you think? A lot of questions have been raised about the safety of professional football?

STALLWORTH: Right. I think the NFL, I think in this instance, they did the right things. They couldn't come out, which I was actually wondering why they didn't immediately suspend this game when they saw the severity and the gravity of the situation with Damar, but it made sense.

I talked to a few people that said that they didn't want to cancel right away. For one, they wanted to make sure that they had communication with both teams and both organizations and the referees, but also more importantly, they didn't want to cancel the game and then have fans scurrying out of the stadium and not allow Damar the chance to be able to get to the hospital uninhibited.

ACOSTA: That's interesting. That's an important point.

Well, it is incredible that he made it to that hospital, and you know, was given the treatment that he needed even on the field. I mean, apparently the medical personnel were cheered today in Buffalo. Just a job well done on everybody's part.

Donte Stallworth, thanks very much for being with us. Great to talk to you about this. What an inspiring story.

Still to come, why Prince Harry says he felt guilty after his mother's death. More revelations ahead of his bombshell book's release, that's coming up next.

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ACOSTA: Today, a very big update for you. China saw the arrival of the first international flight to the country since its reopening after the pandemic. The flight which departed from Toronto landed just after midnight local time. It was delayed for around two-and-a-half hours for public safety reasons, though it's not clear whether this was because of COVID-19 restrictions in China. The country dropped quarantine requirements for international travelers and a major step toward reopening its borders.

Prince Harry describing how strange and guilty he felt as a 12-year- old boy after his mother's death and a decade later, he reportedly tried to have a driver reenact the moments before the fatal car crash that killed Princess Diana, a decision he says brought on a fresh round of pain.

Those are just some of the explosive revelations we're getting ahead of the release of Harry's new memoir, "Spare" this Tuesday.

CNN Royal correspondent, Max Foster has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Even before its official release, Harry's memoir, "Spare" has been rocking the British monarchy.

Revelation after revelation including a look at the fraught sibling relationship, Harry reportedly calling William his beloved brother, an arch nemesis.

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: There has always been this competition between us, weirdly, I think it really plays into -- always played by the heir spare.

FOSTER (voice over): CNN has requested an advanced copy of the memoir, a copy of which has been secured by various British media.

In it, Harry details an alleged confrontation at Kensington Palace with William. His older brother allegedly grabbing his collar, breaking his necklace and pushing him to the ground.

Additional anecdotes made public as the book was accidentally put on sale ahead of time in Spain, namely Harry's claim to killing 25 Taliban fighters whilst fighting in Afghanistan, and a revelation he took cocaine, magic mushrooms, and smoked weed in his youth.

The leaks drip feeding the same British press that Harry says his family used against him and his wife Meghan.

PRINCE HARRY: And every single time I've tried to do it privately, there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife.

FOSTER (voice over): Harry claims he and Meghan tried to do their best in their Royal roles, but the Palace didn't defend them against the negative press.

PRINCE HARRY: So when we're being told for the last six years, we can't put a statement out to protect you, but you do it for other members of the family. There becomes a point when silence is betrayal.

[15:55:06]

FOSTER (voice over): At the core of it he says is his frustration of being treated as a spare heir and he alleges racism towards his wife in the press.

PRINCE HARRY: I went into this incredibly naive. I have no idea that British press was so bigoted.

FOSTER (voice over): Buckingham and Kensington Palaces are both refusing to engage, but a once closed window into the inner workings of the royal family now opened up by one of their rogue members forever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And please join Anderson Cooper tomorrow night for a Special Report on Prince Harry, his life and the rift between him and the Royal family and other details from the book. That includes his conversation with the Prince for Sunday's edition -- tonight's edition of "60 Minutes on" CBS. The 360 Special, "The Harry Interview" airs tomorrow night at eight right here on CNN.

We'll be right back.

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