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Chinese Spy Balloon Spotted Flying Over North Carolina; U.S. Tracking Chinese Spy Balloon As It Crosses The Country; 15M People Under Wind Chill Alerts As Extreme Cold Grips Northeast; Train Derailment In Northeastern Ohio Sparks Massive Fire; Biden Comments On Chinese Spy Balloon; Supreme Court Justices Used Personal Emails For Work; History Set To Be Made In Super Bowl LVII. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired February 04, 2023 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:24]

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

All right. This morning, we're following new details about that Chinese spy balloon traveling across the country. New video in to the CNN NEWSROOM showing the balloon now hovering over Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina in the last hour and it could make it out to sea at any moment. The balloon was first spotted over Montana on Wednesday.

China claims it's a civilian research vessel that blew off course, but the U.S. isn't buying that, calling the balloon's flight over U.S. soil an irresponsible act.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponing a planned trip to Beijing in response.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is at the Pentagon for us. So Oren, officials say the balloon doesn't currently seem to present a threat, but why is the Pentagon also proceeding with caution on it?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: So the Pentagon has said for now that it will not be shooting this down, because of the risks from two different perspectives. First there's the risk to what's below, blow something up at 60,000 feet and that could be scattered over quite a large debris field, so there is a risk to people and property.

But they are keeping a very close eye on it and are continuously monitoring this as it makes its way across frankly much of the United States, almost like a scenic tour from the north west over Montana to where it's just been spotted over the course of the last hour or so -- Asheville, North Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina, some sightings there. So it is making its way -- excuse me -- along that sort of east/southeast track.

The other reason they haven't taken it down yet is because they don't believe it has surveillance or intelligence gathering capabilities above and beyond Chinese spy satellites which are constantly rotating around the earth and taking their own pictures of the United States.

So for that reason, the decision has been made at this point not to frankly shoot this thing out of the sky. President Joe Biden did request with military options when this was first spotted over the U.S. earlier this week over Montana but the Pentagon recommended against that at this time.

The question is what is the response from here? Both the State Department and the Pentagon have made it clear they view this as a violation of U.S. Air space; a violation, a breach of international law; and they view this severely ahead of a high stakes visit or planned visit, I should say, of Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing.

It was to be the first time the top U.S. diplomat has visited China in Beijing in six years and the Chinese took this very seriously, especially with high tensions.

So for this to have happened, a major mistake on their part, and they have apologized multiple times, and said look, this was just a weather balloon that was barely controllable, it was pulled over the U.S. by winds.

The U.S. Has made it clear they're not buying that explanation. They've delayed or postponed at least the trip of Blinken to China. And now, the question, where does this go from here?

First is there more diplomatic fallout? Second, is there a military response. And being at the Pentagon today, there are key staff members from the top levels of the Pentagon here. And that raises the question, does the Pentagon plan on shooting this down, once it is no longer a risk to people and property below and this is out over U.S. waters?

WHITFIELD: Right, all right. Well, you'll be watching. Keep us posted. Oren Liebermann, thank you so much.

I mean so many extraordinary things about this, but particularly the balloon is actually visible to the naked eye giving many in North Carolina a view this morning.

And joining us right now on the phone, Evan Fisher. He saw the balloon over Asheville, North Carolina, this morning. Evan, had you been looking for it, I mean, in anticipation that it might be moving over North Carolina air space? How did you spot it?

EVAN FISHER, SAW CHINESE SPY BALLOON OVER ASHEVILLE, NC: We were expecting it to move over the western North Carolina area between 2:00 a.m. And 6:00 a.m. But then to our surprise, it doesn't show up until after sunrise, so I spotted it around 8:50 this morning, in the southern skies of the south of Asheville.

Much larger than I expected it to be, drifting off to the east/southeast as we were just talking about in the interview. A beautiful sight, a little unusual. A member of the public, not too educated on everything that is going on with the balloon, but it was very interesting to see it and follow the saga that's been playing out across the United States over the past few days.

WHITFIELD: And these are your images we're looking at, right? You saw it with the naked eye, but then how did you get these images? Is this from your cell phone or did you use a, you know, a camera? A professional grade camera?

[11:04:55]

FISHER: Sure, so for the still image, that was with a camera, and a zoom lens. That was pretty tight on the balloon itself. And with some editing and cropping I was able to get it pretty close on there.

But for the video, that was actually just shot with an iPhone. I zoomed in and as you can see, from the very beginning, it does look small on iPhone photos and iPhone videos but in reality it looks much large in person to the naked eye.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And you know, you're a meteorologist, you got a clear sky, so you had a clear viewing of it. What are ordinary people, you know, in your proximity saying about this sight?

FISHER: The community was very excited to be able to contribute to these reports. There were lots of folks all across Asheville, upstate South Carolina, west of North Carolina as a whole sending in pictures and just sharing their experience with it. And that was so wonderful, with everybody coming together and then sharing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I mean you mentioned it being a beautiful sight. I mean it's something -- there are a lot of things very ominous about this. It's mysterious. You don't know the purpose of it, what it is gaining from, you know, being over the North Carolina skies there.

But talk to me about just emotionally what you were feeling and thinking, not just as a meteorologist, but just as a citizen, with this unknown object in the air, and moving.

FISHER: Well, you're absolutely right. It is a bit ominous, and a little concerning, but to be honest, in western North Carolina, I wasn't too concerned about that spy aspect of it, I'm not sure how that would impact my day to day life here in Fairview, North Carolina.

But my gut reaction was just excitement, I really did not expect to see it, because it was supposed to pass over so much earlier in the day, so when I stepped out on the porch and looked in the sky, lo and behold there it was, and I went scrambling for a camera.

WHITFIELD: So how much is this sight, this occurrence going to dictate your day. I mean are you just going to be staring at the sky all day long to see where it goes?

FISHER: Now that it has progressed east and having to follow along with social media, Twitter has been out with following the reports. As previously mentioned it does appear to have moved east of Charlotte

so it will not be too much longer before it is off the East Coast. But it is still fun to watch those reports come in and watch everyone have a similar experience as they first spot it in the sky.

WHITFIELD: All right. Evan Fisher, thanks for your perspective and sharing your imagery as well.

FISHER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Have a good day.

FISHER: You, too.

WHITFIELD: Well, you know, China continues to claim that this isn't a spy balloon. They have also issued an apology over the incident. The U.S. State Department said it is rejecting China's explanation.

CNN's Selina Wang is covering this angle for us. She's in Beijing. What is the latest from the Chinese government?

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well look, China is sticking to its claim, Fredricka, that this is just a weather balloon that's gone off course. The Pentagon does not buy that claim. But what is extraordinary here is that the Chinese government expressed regret. This is extremely rare. I don't ever remember a statement from the Chinese government like this in my time covering China. And it is a major shift from Beijing's regular playbook of just hitting back and denying.

The Chinese foreign ministry said, quote, "It is a civilian air ship used for research mainly meteorological purposes affected by the westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the air ship deviated from its planned course.

The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the air ship into U.S. air space. Now, decision making in the Chinese government is a black box, but this softer response from Beijing makes it clear that China is trying to lower the temperature and de-escalate.

But in another statement today, the foreign ministry did accuse some politicians and the media in the U.S. For hyping up the incident, to quote "attack and smear China". An editorial in Chinese state media also asked why China would be so clumsy enough to rush spy balloons into U.S. air space, when China already has more advanced reconnaissance satellites.

So we're left with this mystery of why Beijing let this happen. Was it deliberate? Was it an accident? Either way, it is embarrassing for Beijing, and it derails the meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that Beijing had been gearing up for months for.

WHITFIELD: So you said it's an embarrassment for the Chinese government, I mean that the Secretary of State has postponed a meeting. Is there a feeling that this is a setback in what could have potentially come from the meeting? WANG: This is definitely a setback, because this was a chance to

stabilize relations, although there were low expectations for any concrete outcomes of Blinken's trip to China.

But the whole point of the trip was to really put guardrails on the relationship and this event highlights the mutual distrust between both sides and that's why some experts say a face to face meeting right now is still more important than ever.

And it's important to note as well, that it is not in Chinese leader Xi Jinping's interest for this meeting to be canceled or postponed. This was supposed to be a part of China's reopening to the world after ending zero COVID.

[11:09:53]

WANG: China wants to improve ties with the U.S., re-engage with U.S. officials and really focus on boosting its damaged economy at home, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Selina Wang in Beijing, thank you so much.

Let's talk more about all of this now and let's go to former director of National Intelligence and CNN national security analyst James Clapper. James, good to see you.

So, now we have seen, you know, from just ordinary folks who are taking picture, that this balloon is over North Carolina. And it seems to continue to drift. So what kind of conversations are happening right now at the Pentagon involving U.S. intelligence agencies as well, and the White House?

JAMES CLAPPER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think for sure, the discussion -- one item of interest to me, which I'm sure is under discussion -- is exactly what is the sensor suite on this balloon? I am kind of inclined to believe the Chinese that this thing is errant, it's wandered off course. I think they haven't been entirely forthcoming with what is on it in the way of a sensor suite.

The Chinese, as others have pointed out, have a very capable overhead reconnaissance satellite system that can give all the intelligence they need, and having had some personal experience with using balloons for intelligence collection, they're not real efficient, and we're kind of seeing an example of that, because they are subject to the vagaries of weather, mist, fog, and especially wind.

I think the bigger issue here is -- excuse me --

WHITFIELD: That's ok, you're popular.

CLAPPER: -- is, you know, we don't expend too much crisis energy, if you will, on hyperventilating over an errant balloon. When you think about the crisis spectrum, on the Beijing, Taiwan, or God forbid, a nuclear confrontation, so I think we need to sort of put this in perspective. I think the administration's response has been measured. I understand

the outcry for this affront to our sovereignty and all that, but satellites are going by every day and collecting and I think the issue is how high is sovereignty.

WHITFIELD: So while you believe that it might be unintentional, and that it did wander off course, it did -- this circumstance did provoke the Secretary of State to postpone the upcoming talks and trip to China. Do you think that was the proper response? Does that alone then elevate that there is some concern, great concern about the intention of this balloon, whether it was inadvertent or not?

CLAPPER: I think it was appropriate, and obviously there are domestic political considerations here as well, apart from whatever intrinsic loss that we're incurring, by virtue of allowing this balloon to operate over the continental United States. I do think that this affords us, the administration, some potential leverage in dealing with the Chinese. And by the way, if we decide to inadvertently launch a balloon over China, it will be very interesting to see how they might react to that.

WHITFIELD: And if the U.S. doesn't do that, leverage in what way? Meaning you think there is some intelligence that perhaps the U.S. can gain? I mean say in some way, it does, it is able to apprehend without, you know, jeopardizing the lives on land, if it continues to drift toward the sea. There is a gain there --

(CROSSTALK)

CLAPPER: Fred, what I meant by leverage was more in the diplomatic arena, and using this incident as a reason for improving relations. Particularly in an area of, let's say in military exercises. Preventing incidents at sea or incidents in the air, which the Chinese are famous for, by provocative moves against their ships against ours or their aircraft against our reconnaissance aircraft that are operating on appropriate terms.

So I think we're sort of in a one-up game right now, and right now, we have that, and I think -- and I'm sure that obviously the administration has thought of this, how do we exploit this incident to further improve relations with China. And I think this does give us some leverage toward that end.

WHITFIELD: Here's another perspective. Just earlier today, Gordon Chang, who is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, had this to say on CNN.

[11:14:57]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORDON CHANG, SENIOR FELLOW, GATESTONE INSTITUTE: The Chinese are being very blatant about this. They were over at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana where we have intercontinental ballistic missiles. They went very near Whiteman Air Force Base where we have the B-2s which are strategic bombers. and this track could take it very close to King's Bay Georgia, where we have our boomers -- ballistic missile submarines.

That's all three legs of the triad. And so really, this is an in your face operation by the Chinese. And it really smacks of the very provocative and belligerent attitudes of the Chinese military right now. These guys, they know better but they emotionally want to go to war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: He sees this as provocative. Do you think it could provoke some sort of conflict between the U.S. and China?

CLAPPER: Well, it could, if we let it get out of hand. I have great respect for Gordon Chang, and what he says is right. But I'm also mindful of the tremendous capability that the Chinese have in the form of their overhead reconnaissance satellites which are all the time covering the United States.

And I think the Chinese, I find it -- I find it interesting to know if there's some sensor on that balloon, that somehow gives them additional intelligence. I don't know what that might be.

But I've had some personal experience with using balloons for intelligence, and they are inefficient and difficult to use because of what's happened to the Chinese, and that is, controlling them.

WHITFIELD: So then that underscores the potential risk. You won't know what the sensor is capable of, or if there is a sensor, or what might be, you know, the components of it, if you were to shoot it down.

So how is the U.S. trying to strategize about what is the best way to proceed, if and when it does go over sea? Do you shoot it down? Is there a way to net it, you know, to still extrapolate the information? Or when you shoot it down, it simply destroys it, and you might never know what its potential was?

CLAPPER: Fred, that's a great question. And I don't have any inside baseball on our insight, the intelligence community's insight into what that balloon is actually carrying. I could make the case that if they suspect it's some unique technology that they might be more inclined to shoot it down, if they could do it in such a way that would not cause harm on the ground.

So this is an interesting point to speculate, and as I said, I don't have any inside baseball on the sensor suite on that -- on that balloon. I assume the intelligence community and the administration does, and that is accordingly influencing their decision making.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Therein lies the many curiosities we all. I mean we're all riveted for a variety of reasons.

James Clapper, appreciate you. Thank you so much.

CLAPPER: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. And still ahead, a brutal arctic blast, making its way across parts of the country right now, more than 15 million northeasterners are facing life-threatening conditions and temperatures dipping well below zero. The forecast straight ahead.

Plus, an update on the investigation into the horrific beating death of Tyre Nichols. A sixth Memphis police officer has been terminated. Details straight ahead.

[11:18:33]

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WHITFIELD: All right. The northeast waking up this morning to brutally cold temperatures. More than 15 million people in the region are in the grips of a life-threatening cold spell, with temperatures plunging well below zero. Wind chills, the coldest in decades.

And just last night Mount Washington, New Hampshire reported a wind chill of minus 108 degrees. How is that possible? It's likely a new national record.

Parts of Maine under blizzard warnings and major cities further south are also getting hit by fierce winds including New York, Boston, and Pittsburgh.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is braving the cold for us in New York. Gloria, how are folks staying warm. What are they doing. Not a whole lot of people behind you. I guess they're staying in, for one.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're out here, Fred. We are standing right outside of Central Park in Columbus Circle. This is usually a very, very buzzy tourist destination. And on a Saturday morning, it is usually packed with people.

There is a good amount of traffic right now, but less than I think we would see on a slightly warmer day. Record breaking temperatures here in New York: 5 degrees at LaGuardia this morning; double digit lows in Boston, minus 10 degrees there this morning also breaking a record.

And so of course, these conditions mean it's very dangerous for people to be outside, particularly those who are homeless here in New York City. For the last year, New York has been dealing with an increase in its homeless population.

More than 67,000 people sleep in city shelters every single night as of last November. And that number includes more than 21,000 children. And so the city is out in force, making sure that people who do live on the street, who may be taking shelter in the city's subways, can be brought inside.

The city has declared a Code Blue, and that means that it is below 32 degrees and it is very dangerous for anyone to be outdoors for extended periods of time. So the city has workers out in force right now to help people come indoors. Anyone who is looking for a place to warm up, to have a hot plate of food, to spend the night. It is not recommended to be outdoors for extended periods of time.

[11:24:55]

PAZMINO: But having said that, Fred, people out here in New York are out enjoying the city. People are bundled up, they're walking their dogs. I've seen several joggers out here this morning, I don't know what they're thinking.

And I've got my layers on. That's what we recommend. If you are going to go out, layer up. Bundle up, and try to minimize the amount of time that you have to spend outside.

And the good news is, is that the arctic chill that is affecting us right now will only last until tomorrow. So warmer temperatures very much on their way.

WHITFIELD: Right. Ok. I see them now, the activity. Yes, you are not alone out there. The city is abuzz, per usual. Regardless of the temperatures. Thank you so much. We'll check back with you, Gloria Pazmino.

All right. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking this brutal blast of cold weather. I mean this is dangerous, dangerous stuff.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: As the National Weather Service called it, this is once-in-a-generation type of temperatures for some of these areas into the northeast. Now, we've talked a lot about Mount Washington. And take a look, this is a live look. We've seen the camera shaking from time to time from those intense winds.

The actual temperature right now at Mount Washington is minus 27. Yes, that's the actual temperature. When you factor in the 82 mile per hour wind, that is category one hurricane strength it makes that feels like temperature -- the wind chill of minus 77, so that's what it would feel like on any exposed areas of skin. So if you're not wearing a scarf or a hat or even gloves, it is going to be bitter cold and dangerously cold on those exposed areas of your body.

We still have wind chill warnings and wind chill advisories. A lot of these are set to expire, in about the next one to two hours, as those temperatures will finally start to rebound.

It is not just Mount Washington that is super cold though. Take a look Portland, Maine, feels like minus 19. Boston, minus 18. Providence, Rhode Island, minus 13 even Albany feeling like it is minus 17 right now.

The good news, we talked about and as Gloria talked about as well -- this is a very intense, but short-lived cold blast of air. By the time we get to tomorrow, you're really going to start to see those temperatures rebound and significantly, too.

Take for example, Boston -- high temperature today, only 17 degrees. But by tomorrow, that high is 48. And that's actually 10 degrees warmer than their average high this time of the year. And New York, Buffalo, Portland, all of them the same, and the temperatures are actually going to rebound to be above normal, by tomorrow.

The reason for this cold air, however, has been the polar vortex. Now, under normal stable conditions, the polar vortex can keep all of that extremely cold air really confined up around the North Pole. The difference is when you start seeing these waves or these intermittent breaks and dips in the jet stream, that is what allowed that cold air to be pushed farther south into latitudes that we would not normally see.

In this particular case, we are starting to see a lot of that the extremely cold air being pushed into areas of New England and the northeast and Canada as well. But again, as we mentioned, Fred, that begins to exit tomorrow, and some sunshine and hopefully much warmer temperatures do come back.

WHITFIELD: Yay, a little bit of a warmup. All right. Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, as the U.S. continues to monitor that Chinese spy balloon, now hovering over North Carolina, the Pentagon also confirms that there is yet another spy balloon, this time crossing Latin America. What we know about that one, straight ahead.

[11:28:20]

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WHITFIELD: U.S. officials say they are continuing to track a suspected Chinese spy balloon traveling across the country. Right now it is over North Carolina and is expected to head out to sea at some point.

And now the Pentagon says a second suspected Chinese spy balloon is heading across Latin America.

CNN's Rafael Romo is following that development for us. So Rafael, what do we know about this other balloon?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.

We're learning about sightings of a second Chinese balloon similar to the one over-flying the United States in at least two Latin American countries. Colombian media are reporting sightings of a balloon flying at about 70,000 feet over the South American country's air space sighting the Colombian military.

We've also seen reports that there was a balloon seen flying over Costa Rica which could be the same one. CNN has obtained a video about a sighting that has been geo-located to San Jose, Costa Rica's capital but we cannot independently confirm that this is indeed a Chinese spy balloon.

The Pentagon alerted Friday evening about a second suspected spy balloon flying over Latin America. In a statement to CNN, Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the following, and I quote, "We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. we now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon." Ryder did not make it clear, Fred, where exactly the balloon had been spotted. But a U.S. official told CNN it does not appear that the second balloon is currently heading to the United States.

We checked, but neither of the Colombian government nor Costa Rica have issued any confirmation or official statement, so far, regarding any sighting. However, the topic has gone viral, as you can imagine, on social media, in the region. And there were a number of sightings of an object from eyewitnesses in Costa Rica and Colombia that at this point we cannot -- cannot be confirmed by CNN as Chinese balloons.

Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. The mystery continues. All right. Rafael Romo, thank you.

Stunning images out of Ohio, where a 50-car train derailed overnight, sparking a massive fire and now there are fears of hazardous materials inside that train. Details next.

[11:34:50]

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WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

And take a look at these images out of Ohio, where a train derailment sparked a massive fire last night near the Pennsylvania border. The mayor of East Palestine says no one was injured and crews are working against freezing temperatures to put that blaze out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR TRENT CONAWAY, EAST PALESTINE, OHIO: We're a rural community. We do have a water system in town, but what we're having to do is use tanker trucks to haul the water into the scene also to alleviate some of the burden on our water system.

So it's, they're leaking water on the roads and so we're having to put salt and other grindings down on the road for traction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Mayor Conaway told CNN that the train may have been carrying some possible hazardous materials but is not naming the contents in the train's 50 cars at this time.

Norfolk Southern Railway said it was coordinating with first responders while mobilizing their teams.

[11:39:53]

WHITFIELD: All right. Another Memphis police officer has been fired following the violence arrest and death of Tyre Nichols. Memphis police say former officer Preston Hemphill has been terminated for violating multiple department policies including personal conduct and truthfulness for his actions during the arrest.

Two first responders have also now had their licenses suspended. The medical services division says that Robert Long and Jamichael Sandridge waited 19 minutes to provide even basic aid to Nichols.

CNN's Nadia Romero is joining us now. So what more do we know about the actions of the officer and the medics following what they came upon?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, let's talk about the medics first because they arrived on scene and then you see someone, Tyre Nichols, who is leaning up against a patrol car, not able to be up on his own, slumping over, obviously has an injury, 19 minutes. 19 minutes go by before any aid is rendered. And that is why those two EMTs were fired. The other allegation is that they didn't do enough, once they came on the scene, that they had this duty to act and did not. And this is important, because their licenses have been suspended, so that means they can't just go to the next county over, and just get a job, they no longer have that license.

And that is a complaint that we heard from civil rights activists for many years that police officers, EMTs, when they have wrongdoings that they just go to another department and they don't seem to have any kind of a repercussion. So that is significant here with the EMTs.

When we talk about the police officers, we now have six Memphis police officers who have been fired, and that includes this officer, Hemphill who is now facing violations of company policy, department policy, personal conduct, Truthfulness, questions about how he used his taser.

And this is significant in this case, because we know that the police report, what the officer said happened, and what we saw in that awful video, did not line up, did not match.

But his lawyer had this to say, take a look at the statements released to CNN, saying that these charges are about policy violations, and are not criminal charges. He says, "While we disagree with Preston Hemphill's termination from the Memphis Police Department, Mr. Hemphill will continue to cooperate with all investigating agencies into the death of Tyre Nichols. So he joins the other five officers who have been indicted, fired and indicted, with severe charges, including second-degree murder, and aggravated assault. I mean those are serious charges amongst a bevy, a long list of charges that these five officers are already facing.

And I want you to hear from the grandmother of Tyre Nichols. She explains what she wants these officers to know about her grandson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNIE LARAY HONEYCUTT, TYRE NICHOLS' GRANDMOTHER: My baby was a skateboarder. He worked at FedEx. And he had the best mother and stepfather in the world. Why would you want to do that to him?

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMERO: You hear the pain in her voice. You can see it in her face. Remember though, none of this would be happening, Fred, if it weren't for his grandmother, his siblings, his parents, pushing for more information. They wanted to see the body cam footage, they wanted to know more. They said what the police said about Tyre didn't match up to how they knew him.

There is also now the mayor saying that there will be an independent investigation. So a lot of times we have the police departments that investigate themselves. Not this time.

An independent investigation looking into how this department is ran, so that can be training, that could be culture, that could be the Scorpion Unit or the excessive force units or use of force units. So we have an independent investigation that is pending as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much. Keep us posted, Nadia Romero. Appreciate that.

All right. And this just in now to CNN, President Biden is commenting on the Chinese spy balloon that has been traveling across the U.S. and now hovering over North Carolina this morning.

These were the new images of that balloon being seen over Asheville and Charlotte.

Let's bring in White House correspondent Arlette Saenz now. So what is the president saying?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, we just heard from President Biden moments ago his very first comments relating to the spy balloon from China. And the president was answering questions from reporters, including one question asked, whether he would shoot down this balloon.

And President Biden told reporters on the ground in Syracuse that we're going to take care of that. Of course, President Biden has been briefed on this matter since Tuesday, and has been receiving continual updates from his team, including military advisers.

Initially advisers had suggested not to shoot down the plane (SIC) while it was over land. Of course there were concerns about what that might do, regarding debris and the impact that it could have on the ground.

[11:44:55]

SAENZ: But certainly, over the course of the past few days, the president has been trying to weigh all of these options about how exactly to address this balloon.

As you mentioned, there have been spottings of it now over North Carolina as it is potentially moving out closer to sea. So we will see what else the White House and the Pentagon might have to say over the course of the day, about the options that are currently on the table. The officials have said that they have not removed any options about

how they are going to address this spy balloon. But President Biden just moments ago making clear saying that we are going to take care of that, regarding the balloon.

WHITFIELD: All right. Keep us posted. Arlette Saenz, thanks so much at the White House.

All right. Still ahead, shocking revelations about the U.S. Supreme Court, and justices' lax handling of sensitive information that one employee said has been going on for years. Our exclusive reporting next.

[11:50:46

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. New details revealed exclusively to CNN outline lax internal procedures within the U.S. Supreme Court that could have endangered security. Sources tell us that justices often used personal e-mails for work and that so-called burn bags were left open in hallways.

CNN's Ariane de Vogue is following the story for us. So Ariane, what are you learning about these vulnerabilities?

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Right. Well, CNN has learned that long before the leak of that opinion, as you said, the security protocols especially when it came to documents were really lax at the Supreme Court. Now that could have led to the leak but it also hindered the investigation into the leak.

For instance, for many years some justices, as you said, they didn't want to put some -- they put some sensitive information into personal e-mails. Now that information belonged on secure servers. But for whatever reason and maybe it was a hesitancy to use the technology, the justices didn't put it there.

And the source told me that he wasn't suggesting that that means that a justice leaked an opinion, but at the very least, the justices were setting a bad example -- setting a bad example about how to take care of sensitive information.

In another area, as you said, there are these burn bags. Burn bags are meant for sensitive information that's going to be either burned or shredded down the line.

At the Supreme Court, the burn bags would often may be collected, put in bins in the basement. The bins would be locked and the shredding company would come and pick it up.

But the problem with it is that there was no uniform policy among the chambers about how to deal with this. Each chamber was different. So one source told me that sometimes someone would staple a burn bag closed. Other times they would pile up under the desk. Sometimes they would be piled up in the hallways outside of chambers. Now, those hallways were non-public, but still that is no way to be

dealing with sensitive information. Now, the marshal of the Supreme Court, Fred, when she released that report, she did say there were a lot of security concerns. Chief justice John Roberts himself has authorized this comprehensive look into how to better handle documents.

But you know, for this leak that so rocked not only the court but the country, all of that comes too late, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes. And obviously there is some real interest now in reform at least in terms of how people are handling sensitive information, you know, that everyone will need to adhere to even now at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ariane de Vogue, thanks so much.

DE VOGUE: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: A spy in the sky has unleashed a storm of diplomatic tensions on the ground. What we're learning this hour about the Chinese balloon now hovering over North Carolina.

[11:53:03]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The countdown is on to Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. It's just eight days away. And for the first time ever, black quarterbacks will be leading both teams.

Carolyn Manno joining us with more on the history being made before kick off.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. You know, the first 46 Super Bowls featured only three black quarterbacks. But since 2012, seven of the 11 games played will have featured at least one black quarterback. And now the stage is set for a really meaningful moment here as a pair of talented young men lead their teams to glory on football's biggest stage.

If Patrick Mahomes wins against the Eagles, he will be the first black quarterback with multiple Super Bowl wins and if the Eagles beat the Chiefs, Jalen Hurts is going to become the fourth black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. He's going to join Mahomes, Doug Williams and Russell Wilson and both Williams and Mahomes were MVPs.

This year's signal callers (ph) say they are really proud to be a part of this significant moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CHITY CHIEFS QUARTERBACK: I think it's special. And I've learned more and more about the history of the black quarterbacks since I've been in this league and the guys that came before me and Jalen and set the stage for this.

And now, I'm glad that we can kind of set the stage for guys that are -- kids that are coming up now.

JALEN HURTS, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QUARTERBACK: I think it's history. I think it's something that's worthy of being noted. It is history.

You know, it's come along way. I think there's only been seven African-American quarterbacks to play in the Super Bowl. So to be the first for something is pretty cool. So I know it will be a good one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Both are really important role models for the next generation of athletes. This year's game kicking off one week from tomorrow, Fred, February 12th in Glendale, Arizona.

Both teams going to land tomorrow and then a full week to prepare. The craziness is about to ensue.

WHITFIELD: It's about to be something else. All right. Carolyn Manno, thank you so much.

And this quick programming note. Chris Wallace sits down with two legends of their respective fields. Sports broadcaster Terry Bradshaw discusses the Super Bowl and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson talks about the intersection of science and pop culture on a new "WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE", tomorrow 7:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

New details today about that suspected Chinese spy balloon making its way across the U.S. And just moments ago, President Biden reacting to a question about what the U.S. is going to do about it. We'll take you to the White House for that.

[11:59:59]

WHITFIELD: But first, cameras from one CNN affiliate showing the balloon traveling over North Carolina this morning. It was first spotted over Montana. That was Wednesday.