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New Video Shows Possible Balloon Debris Brought to Shore in South Carolina; Interview with Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) about Chinese Spy Balloon; House GOP Weighs Resolution Criticizing Biden on Chinese Balloon; Coast Guard Makes Daring Rescue After Stolen Boat Capsizes; Husband Asks Public to Forgive Wife Accused of Killing Their 3 Kids; New Film About America's Opioid Crisis Premieres Tonight; Yale Honors 9-year-old Scientist After Neighbors Called Cops on Her. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired February 05, 2023 - 20:00   ET

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

[20:00:00]

WALLACE: Her songs with Shania.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANIA TWAIN, SINGER: (Singing)

WALLACE: Yes, I like that part.

TWAIN: Yes. You got the guitar part, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: There's so much more in our conversations with all these talented women as well as our sit-downs this week with Terry Bradshaw and Neil deGrasse Tyson. You can catch our full interviews any time you want on HBO Max. And join us right here on CNN the week after the Super Bowl to find out WHO IS TALKING next.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to the 8:00 hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. And we begin tonight with more breaking news.

Some of the first images we've seen of possible debris from that Chinese spy balloon downed yesterday off the coast of South Carolina. This video was shot by a South Carolina resident just coming in this evening. This resident told CNN he saw a Navy boat carrying what he believed to be debris from the balloon. CNN cannot independently confirm whether this is indeed debris from that balloon. But we are reaching out to the U.S. Navy for comment.

In the meantime, this comes at the same time we're learning new details about when the Pentagon learned about the balloon and when the president was informed about it. More on that in just a moment.

But I want to begin in CNN's Carlos Suarez in north Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the focus of these recovery efforts. Carlos, what are you seeing there right now? What more can you tell us

about this video that we're seeing coming in to CNN that appears show possible remnants of that spy balloon?

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, Jim, earlier tonight we came across a Navy crew that was wrapping up some work at this dock here behind me. The members of the Navy did not want to tell us exactly what they were doing out here. But this is the dock where we believe that some possible debris was spotted here earlier today. Important to note, as you mentioned, CNN has not been able to confirm the details with the U.S. Navy.

We have reached out to see whether or not what they found out here is, in fact, related to what's left of that balloon that is off the coast of South Carolina. A CNN viewer provided us video that shows some sort of white material on the deck of a boat. All of this is taking place about a half hour north of where we were earlier today in Myrtle Beach. Now off the coast there, about 10 to 15 miles to the east of there is where we spotted what we believe to be a Navy vessel.

That is the area in question where we believe all of this debris lies in some shallow water. Again, we have not been able to confirm whether or not that piece of video is in fact the debris tied to this suspected Chinese spy balloon. We are waiting to hear back. But locally, we have been told by authorities that they spent the entire weekend reminding folks that live in this part of South Carolina, if they come across anything that they might believe is debris to leave it alone.

Don't pick it up. Don't take photos with it. And of course, do not take it home, because right now they are saying that all of that is tied to a federal investigation. Now authorities, they expect to get some of this debris on to a military vessel in the coming days. They do not expect this to play out for several weeks or several months. We are told once that process is done, they're going to go ahead and take all of that debris from here in South Carolina up to Virginia -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Carlos Suarez, with the latest there from Myrtle Beach. Thanks very much.

CNN's Alex Marquardt joins us with more on the recovery efforts going on right now.

Alex, what more can you tell us?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know, Jim, that the U.S. Military is sending a salvage ship up that way because they're simply trying to get as many pieces of this balloon and its surveillance equipment in hand as they can.

This debris field we understand is about seven miles wide. But they are encouraged by the fact that it is only about 47 feet deep. That is shallower than they expected. So they are trying to gather as much as they can for counterintelligence purposes, to try to understand what the Chinese government might have learned, to try to understand the technology that was on this balloon. When President Biden gave the order to shoot this balloon down, we

understood that he had two priorities. And one was to make sure that no one was hurt. But secondly, to try to get as much of this surveillance equipment as possible. That opportunity came on Saturday, of course, when it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.

The Biden administration is going to be coming under severe questioning over the next few days, including by members of Congress from the so-called Gang of Eight who are expected to get briefed as soon as Tuesday. That's leaders from both the House and the Senate in both parties as well as the leaders of both Intelligence Committees.

[20:05:04]

They're going to be asking what they have learned so far in this recovery effort, what they've gotten so far, what they expect to get. But also about past instances, Jim, of these Chinese balloons. We've learned from the Pentagon that at least five times, including this time, over the past few years there have been Chinese balloons that have transited the continental United States. And at least three of those times we understand were during the Trump administration.

Now the former president has fiercely denied that. But we did hear earlier from Congressman Mike Waltz of Florida who confirmed that he and others had been briefed on these balloons that had transited at least in part near or over both Florida and Texas.

You can see there that tweet that he asks, "Why weren't they shot down?" Well, what the Pentagon is saying that in this case, this was quite different. The previous balloons had transited briefly, while this one came swooping down from Alaska through Canada and then into the northern United States, arriving first in Idaho, then going into the central part of the country and then exiting through the eastern part of the country.

It was loitering. It was hanging out, as one Defense official said, for longer than previous balloons. It was therefore able to gather more intelligence than previous balloons. And quite frankly, Jim, it was very obvious to many people on the ground. They were able to see it with their eyes. And of course, this comes at a very tense moment politically as well. So of course, all that adds up to several reasons why the president would have wanted to take this balloon out of the sky.

And we understand that he made that decision on Wednesday after having been briefed on Tuesday. So there was a four-day gap between his first briefing on the 31st of January to Saturday when that balloon was eventually shot down -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Alex Marquardt, still lots of questions looming over this balloon and the aftermath of all that. All right, Alex, thanks very much.

Let's discuss all of this with Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it. You

know, as Alex was just mentioning a few moments ago, there's word tonight from Congressman Waltz, one of your colleagues there in the House, that Congress was briefed about earlier spy balloon flights near Texas and Florida during the Trump administration. We talked to Congressman Joaquin Castro in the 6:00 hour of this program earlier this evening. He had not heard about this.

Is this something that you were aware of?

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Jim, I was not. But I think the important thing here is that President Biden acted decisively and wisely. We shot down the balloon, thanks to our great military. But the president made sure that no American would get hurt. No American town would get hurt. And that we'd actually be able to collect the debris when it's over water to make sure we understand what China is doing. We need to as a Congress come together to make sure this doesn't happen again.

ACOSTA: And our sources are telling us here at CNN over at the Pentagon that, you know, some of these spy balloons, these Chinese spy balloons, did cross into the continental United States during the Trump administration. What does that tell us about the presence of this surveillance equipment in the United States? It sounds as though much of the public and maybe much of the Congress was just unaware of this.

KHANNA: Well, it's deeply concerning. And we need to have a full briefing of the Congress and the relevant committees, the China committee on which I sit and the Armed Services Committee. We need to understand whether this balloon is giving increased capability than the satellites that China has in space. What those capabilities are? What are they learning about sensitive American technology?

Did they find out any information in Montana or other places about our ICBMs? And what are we going to do to make sure that it's clear to the Chinese that this is absolutely unacceptable. They can't be invading American sovereignty to spy. And I think that is a conversation that we need to have. But the important thing is that the president acted decisively and responsibly.

ACOSTA: And despite what Congressman Waltz is saying, as you know, House Republicans are pushing for a resolution condemning how President Biden has handled this incident. That would come on Tuesday, the same day as the president's State of the Union speech. What's your reaction to that?

KHANNA: It's so sad that they're politicizing it. First of all, they're criticizing not the president but the American military. Let's make that clear. Because the president followed the American military's recommendation. The president said, let's shoot it down. The military leaders said, you know, we can't do that until it's safe because we don't want to put Americans at risk. We want to do it where we can collect the debris.

So what the House Republicans are doing are not criticizing President Biden. They're criticizing our great American military at a time when this country needs to be coming together and focusing on China.

[20:10:02]

It's sad. And I hope they get over that and come together as Americans.

ACOSTA: And you mentioned just a few moments ago that you're going to be serving on this special committee that's going to be looking at what China is up to. And I know one of the focuses of the committee has to be on the extensive surveillance activity, espionage activity that is going on inside the United States on a regular basis, much more extensively than I think a lot of Americans understand.

Do you think that you need to get to the bottom of this? And do you think a tougher tone needs to be taken within China so they understand they can't just be flying spy balloons over this country?

KHANNA: Jim, absolutely. I mean, we need to make it unambiguously clear that this is unacceptable and they will have consequences. The Chinese can't simply invade American national sovereignty, our airspace and spy on us. We also need to make it clear that they can't be crossing the median line in the Taiwan Straits or having missile tests launching over Taiwanese airspace. So we absolutely need to be unambiguously clear.

At the same time, we need Secretary Blinken and President Biden to continue to engage. They are showing a wisdom, a diplomacy, statesmanship. You can be tough on China while still engaging. That's the best of American foreign policy. And I think the administration is handling it correctly.

ACOSTA: And let me ask you this because the Chinese have responded to all of this. And they are accusing the United States of essentially overreacting in unnecessarily taking down this what they're calling a weather balloon. What's your response to that?

KHANNA: Well, I don't find that plausible. The idea that it conveniently goes over Montana and Idaho and places where we have sensitive technology just doesn't pass the believability test. And China candidly has not been fully transparent before on issues like COVID. I mean, they weren't transparent. They haven't been transparent how they handled COVID.

One of the fundamental issues with the relationship is trust and transparency. And we need to make it clear that we're not going to tolerate them actively misleading the United States. And this is why I think the investigation is so important, why the president's decision to collect the debris is so important, because now we'll have the evidence of what that balloon had in it.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Ro Khanna, and as you mentioned, there is going to be a lot of effort over the coming days to find out what was going on with this surveillance balloon. As a matter of fact right now we've been showing some pictures to our viewers of some of the activity that is taking place on the Carolina coast. Naval assets gearing up to go out and see what they can find off the coast.

Congressman Ro Khanna, thanks again for your time. We appreciate it.

KHANNA: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. In the meantime, does President Biden deserve criticism for waiting to destroy that Chinese spy balloon? We'll have some experts weighing in next.

Plus, an unbelievable boat rescue caught on camera. You've got to see this video. If you have not seen it yet, it is just unbelievable. And it has an equally amazing story behind it. I'll speak to the helicopter pilot involved in this daring rescue. That's next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:17:29]

ACOSTA: As U.S. Military works to recover debris from the suspected China spy balloon, House Republicans are pushing for a resolution to criticize President Biden's handling of the incident. Sources telling CNN they are trying to bring it to a vote on Tuesday, the same day as the president delivers the State of the Union address.

Joining the discussion to talk about this CNN political analyst David Gergen and Stephanie Grisham, former press secretary in the Trump White House.

David, I guess it's no surprise that we might see some sort of resolution from the Republicans criticizing the president for this. The Pentagon, though, urged the president to wait to shoot down the balloon until it was over water, we're told. Not only safer for the people on the ground but more likely to preserve data and devices. What do you think? Was that the right call?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, Jim, since the days of ancient Greece, when Athens and Sparta were squaring off against each other, societies have been spying on each other. In this case the Chinese just have been much more brazen. They have been frankly very stupid about it. And they've damaged U.S.-China relations, and you know, people are going to be up in arms for this.

It also has some repercussions for the president's State of the Union on Tuesday. I do think that they made the wise decision ultimately about not shooting it down while the balloon was over the U.S. territory because there was apparently very little intelligence to be gained if you just leave it up there. But if you shoot it down, you do so in a way that could cause harm to American citizens.

You know, things could be falling from the sky. This structure, this balloon structure with all sorts of equipment, you know, was the size of three buses. So it was a big thing to fall out of the sky like that. I do think that, Jim, they could have told the country sooner. They could have alerted people. We could have had this conversation starting several days ago. It looks like, you know, we saved it up in such a way that I don't think particularly helping, gave Republicans more of a handle to go after the Democrats on this.

But overall, I think the president made the right decision. I just think as frequently occurs with this administration, they have trouble with messaging.

ACOSTA: Yes. Stephanie, and apparently, according to our reporting, in at least one Republican congressman, there were some spy balloons that flew off the coast of Texas and Florida during the Trump administration. And if so, it begs the question, why are we just learning about that now?

[20:20:02]

STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, I'm just learning about that also. So I never heard that with my time in the White House. But I do want to echo David's -- you know, his thoughts. I think that we did it the right way. However, we should have gotten in front of it. I think that President Biden should have gotten in front of it and told the American people exactly why we were not going to shoot it down until it reached the ocean.

But I do think overall we did it the right way as a country. You don't want to harm any citizens. You don't want to harm any structures. It's my understanding that we had some technology that was blocking them from getting a lot of the intel that they were maybe trying to get. And again, as David said, once it was over the ocean, there was a team there. The coordination I know for a fact had to be huge.

There was a team there to shoot it down and ready to grab it. And we will now be able to get a lot more intel than we would have had it crash landed on land.

ACOSTA: Right. And who knows into what. I mean, you just don't know if you shoot it down --

GERGEN: Yes

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: I mean, hits a shopping mall or --

GRISHAM: Well, and that would have been Biden's --

ACOSTA: Yes.

GERGEN: Yes. And that would have been Biden's fault had it hit, you know, hit a car, had hit -- and again, I'm no fan of Biden here. But you have to think in this kind of a situation when national security is involved, I really wish people would stop being so partisan and just understand that there are things the American public doesn't know with regard to national security.

ACOSTA: And parking the balloon to the side for a moment if we can, David, let me ask you about this. A new ABC poll shows little enthusiasm for Biden or Trump in 2024. Who else is out there on the Democratic side or do you think this is just the usual thing that Joe Biden deals with from time to time? He has had to overcome this in the past. But he is known among Democrats as the guy who can beat Donald Trump. What do you think?

GERGEN: I think it's extraordinary. I don't think we've seen something unfold exactly like this. Joe Biden has had a number of accomplishments now. But yet he is still mired in the low 40s in terms of his approval ratings. And this new poll shows, you know, more than half the country will be disappointed to have him elected as president. And more than half the country would be reluctant to see Donald Trump elected president.

And, you know, there are a lot of people on both sides who come out -- I think Joe Biden -- I think that a lot of Democrats are going to be reluctant to challenge Joe Biden if he does run. And that we expect he will. But I think there are going to be tons of people who are going to go after Trump.

ACOSTA: Stephanie, on that point, I know you've been sharply critical of your former boss. But, you know, in this ABC poll, "Washington Post" poll, it shows that Trump would beat Joe Biden in a head-to-head hypothetical rematch. I mean, after., you know, inciting an insurrection, lying about the 2020 election, trying to overturn those election results, how mind boggling is it for you to see Trump in that kind of a position? And could somebody like a Ron DeSantis knock him off? Or do you think that that's not likely?

GRISHAM: Well, it's not mind-boggling. Nobody should ever count Donald Trump out. Period. End of story. And, you know, Biden I think -- actually both men. I wish they would both step aside. I wish they would listen to the people of this country and both step aside and say, you know, this is what I did for the American people. I'm very proud of it. But now let's let a new generation in with some new ideas.

So I'm hoping Biden will maybe listen to the people. Trump will not. And then to answer your question about people who will challenge him, yes, I do think Ron DeSantis would knock him out. Nikki Haley I know is about to announce. Pompeo. I'm not sure that they could knock him out. I don't think that the base would go for them. But I think a Ron DeSantis could definitely beat Trump. And then I think he could go on to beat Biden for sure, which not that I'm trying to give advice to the Democrats but they should be thinking that way, too.

I don't think Biden is your candidate. You need to have, you know, somebody who is younger and who can, you know, be a little bit more forthcoming about what's going on in the country.

ACOSTA: All right. Stephanie Grisham, David Gergen, thanks so much. Appreciate the time.

GRISHAM: Thank you.

GERGEN: Thank you, Jim. ACOSTA: All right. You got to check this out. A monster wave flipping

over a boat off the coast of Oregon. The Coast Guard, their cameras captured this incredible video. How this ordeal all went down. We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:28:54]

ACOSTA: Tonight, an incredible rescue caught on tape and a story of a bizarre crime on top of it. You have to see this video. Take a look at this. The U.S. Coast Guard was on a training mission when this nearby boat capsized. The crew received a mayday call from the vessel and then lowered a rescue swimmer after determining rough waves made a boat rescue too dangerous. The Coast Guard was able to rescue the man and he was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Here's the plot twist. After images of the water rescue became public, police say they received a call from a port security chief saying that the boat had been stolen earlier that day.

Here to help us unpack all of this, Lieutenant Tripp Haas, he joins me by phone right now. Lieutenant Haas was flying the helicopter this video was shot from.

Lieutenant Haas, that video is just incredible. And we have some other images that were provided by the Coast Guard that we're showing along with this down on the vantage point of being on the water. And it's just remarkable footage. Tell us about this. This must have been a very difficult rescue. What can you tell us?

LT. TRIPP HAAS, USCG HELICOPTER PILOT: Yes, sir, absolutely. And what I can tell you is a complete collaborative effort across the Coast Guard and all responding agencies.

[20:30:05]

Like you said, you have footage from the water. That's because the first on scene was the Coast Guard's National Motor Lifeboat School. So this is a complete collaboration between us, which was the helicopter crew, which was the Coast Guard's Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, the National Motor Lifeboat School, the local station Cape Disappointment, the local sector command center at Columbia River.

And everybody played their part in finding the boat and ultimately the way everything unfolded is once the 47-foot-motor lifeboat was able to get the individual life vest, it was determined that getting him off by helicopter was going to be the best option. So, yes, sir, none of us expected the boat to overturn the way in which it did. But the training and the standardization and everything from the school that we attend, the whole purpose of us being there was for the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School and training in those conditions. And all of that stuff prepared us and for all of the units there to be ready to execute that case. ACOSTA: So, Lieutenant Haas, we are watching this video right now, and

there is the boat turning over again, which is just incredible. But correct me if I'm mistaken here. There is a Coast Guard swimmer in the water swimming over to the boat right before it capsizes and turns over, and he's OK? That swimmer is OK?

HAAS: Yes, sir. That's correct. That is Petty Officer 3rd Class, AFC3 Branch Walton. And Branch was one of the students this week in the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, and this is his first ever (INAUDIBLE) after becoming qualified as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. And once we got on scene and the determinations were made that the helicopter recovery would be the best option, we as a crew, in speaking with Branch, came up with a plan. Our flight mechanic, he was operating the hoist that night, Joe (INAUDIBLE), just excellently put Branch down in the water. And Branch made his approach.

And then what you can see there is as that wave is starting to break, the individual on that back of the boat kind of points up indicating something big is coming right, and that's when Branch duck-dives.

ACOSTA: Yes.

HAAS: And he got dragged quite a while but he popped right up out of it and immediately he got back into rescue mode and was able to get the guy out.

ACOSTA: Wow. I mean, what an amazing survival story just on that point. But I'm looking at this video and before that boat turns over, it looks like I'm looking at people on the back of the boat. And everybody on board the boat you were rescuing, they lived as well? Because that's an incredible stroke of luck if that's the case.

HAAS: Yes, sir. So we confirmed that there was one individual on that boat. And that's the one male in all black that you likely see there at the very stern.

ACOSTA: Yes.

HAAS: It does kind of appear like when you look in that cabin there that there might be more people. But trust me, we had a guy in the back, Cal Cherkot (PH), working a camera like crazy. And we're able to confirm that there's only one person on board. And we also confirmed that from that individual when Branch was able to pick him out of the water.

ACOSTA: This has to be the craziest rescue you've ever done. I mean, if you've done crazier, please, tell me more. But this is just unbelievable.

HAAS: Yes, sir. It was unbelievable. But I have to tell you, none of us expected the boat to overturn and that wave to break the way in which it did. But the training that we're receiving, the standardization of mixing our air crews and none of us had flown with Branch and we go out there and we do this and we do it safely just goes to really like foot stomp and, you know, emphasize what we're doing and how we can do it safely. ACOSTA: Well, it underlines the incredible brave work that the Coast

Guard does each and every day. You guys put your lives on the line keeping our coasts safe and getting involved in rescues like this where you put your lives on the line. And a trainee in the water like you were just describing a few moments ago. I mean, talk about -- I hope he passed with flying colors because this was just textbook stuff what you guys pulled off there.

And a team photo we have here at the end showing all of you together. Congratulations on a job well done.

HAAS: Yes, thank you very much. And trust me, the first thing I did when I got out of the helicopter was find Branch and give him a hug.

ACOSTA: I bet you did. And then called your loved ones I hope as well but, all right.

HAAS: That's the second thing I did, yes, sir.

ACOSTA: All right. Well, Lieutenant Tripp Haas, thanks very much for your time. Our hats off to everybody else. Please give everybody a pat on the back for us. We appreciate it.

HAAS: Yes, sir. I will do. And I will say that anybody that wants to be part of that air crew, just reach out to your local recruiter. We're always hiring.

ACOSTA: There you go. All right. It might get a little hairy at times just so you know but it sounds good.

[20:35:01]

HAAS: Just a little bit, yes, sir.

ACOSTA: Thank you, Lieutenant. We appreciate it.

All right. More coming up next in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're going to switch gears and tell you about another shocking story tonight, a very different nature. A mother accused of murdering her three young children. Her attorney blames her medication. The tragedy of it all and the legal argument next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: A Massachusetts man is asking the public to have mercy on his wife who is accused of killing their three children.

CNN's Miguel Marquez reports on this horrific story as a lawyer for the mother claims she was overmedicated.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An act beyond comprehension.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got two pediatric arrests in the basement. MARQUEZ: Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 32-year-old mother Lindsay

Clancy accused of assault, strangulation, and murder, of her 5-year- old daughter, Cora, her 3-year-old son, Dawson, and her 8-month-old son, Callan.

[20:40:08]

DONNA JESSE, CLANCY FAMILY MEMBER: They were just beautiful, beautiful children. Well-cared for. They were just beautiful.

MARQUEZ: All three children found January 25th in the basement of their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home. "Unconscious," says the District Attorney, exhibiting obvious signs of severe trauma. Two died that night. The third, the 8-month-old died two days later. Their mother attempted suicide. She survived. In the voices of first responders, anxiety.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Received. Go to the basement cap. Go down. Go to the basement.

MARQUEZ: Debbie Heath's son, a firefighter, responded that night.

DEBBIE HEATH, SON WAS FIRST RESPONDER: It's still bothering him today. And, you know, yesterday, when it's quiet, that's when you start. You're alone with your thoughts and, you know, he said he's had a little breakdowns here and there.

MARQUEZ: Lindsay Clancy, who worked as a labor and delivery nurse, wrote in private Facebook posts viewed by the "Boston Globe." Just weeks, after her third child was born, she wrote that she had struggled with postpartum depression in the past but was now feeling dialed-in and had been focusing on exercise, nutrition, and mindset.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just can't explain.

JESSE: We just don't understand it.

MARQUEZ: Patrick Clancy, husband to Lindsay, father to their now- deceased three kids, has asked the public to forgive his wife.

"Our marriage was wonderful and diametrically grew stronger as her condition rapidly worsened. I took as much pride in being her husband as I did in being a father, and felt persistently lucky to have her in my life. She loved being a nurse, but nothing matched her intense love for our kids and dedication to being a mother. It was all she ever wanted. Her passion taught me how to be a better father."

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Patrick Clancy to pay for funerals, medical bills, and an unknowable period of no work, no income and, as he wrote, discovering his purpose. Writing on the GoFundMe page, Patrick Clancy concluded, "Cora, Dawson, and Callan, you gave me so much in your short time here. I don't know if the pain will ever go away, but I'll do my best to carry on in your honor. Dada loves you so much and will always remember you."

Miguel Marquez, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Tonight a remarkable look into the opioid crisis. Next, the director of the new CNN Film "AMERICAN PAIN" joins us to share how two brothers, identical twins, ran one of the country's largest pill mills.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:47:20]

ACOSTA: In the last year, about 80,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the U.S. Now the new CNN Film "AMERICAN PAIN" takes us inside the opioid crisis revealing the rise and fall of the identical twin brothers who ran one of the largest opioid pill mill empires in the country. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The George brothers did not start the opioid crisis, but they sure as hell poured gasoline on the fire. They became the largest street-level distribution group operating in the entire United States. Nobody put more pills on the streets than they did. Nobody. They created a blueprint for how this is to be done, and they were operating in broad daylight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The scale of this enterprise, it was enormous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You had addicts streaming in from all over the country, thousands of miles, just to come to Florida to get drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you see what's going on inside that clinic, your jaw just falls to the floor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd been on the job as a special agent for over 20 years. I've seen a lot of crazy. This was just bat (EXPLETIVE DELETED) crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I would say so. Joining us now director of "AMERICAN PAIN," Darren Foster.

Darren, thanks so much for being with us. This is a wild story about these twin brothers who essentially became drug kingpins. And you've been following them for years. How did you first hear about them? And what were they up to? Living large, it looks like.

DARREN FOSTER, DIRECTOR, "AMERICAN PAIN": Well, thank you for having me. Yes, in 2009 I started reporting on the opioid crisis. And I started reporting about these pain clinics in Florida that were handing out, you know, oxycodone like they were Tic-Tacs. And the most famous at the time and the most prolific dispenser of these drugs was American Pain. So I went to American Pain to film it for a documentary I was working on at the time, and I got one shot off. And the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by some pretty big dudes. And they chased me and my production crew down I-95.

The police eventually broke us up. But before they sped off, I took down the license plate and that's the first time I heard of Chris George and his identical twin brother Jeff who were the sort of masterminds and the initial people to sort of come up with this massive pill mill scheme that many others later emulated.

ACOSTA: It's fascinating. The film shines a very bright light on what the brothers were doing, the deadly consequences it had for literally thousands of people. How did you convince them to participate in the film?

[20:50:06]

FOSTER: It took a long time. You know, like I said, you know, in 2009, about nine months after they chased me down I-95, they became the targets of the largest prescription drug trafficking case in U.S. history. There was a long investigation. They went to trial. They pled out. And then some doctors went to trial. And eventually, they wound up in prison. While they were in prison, I wrote them a letter and I said, hey, remember that guy you chased down I-95? I'd like to tell your story. Because in my mind the story of "AMERICAN PAIN" is the story of a really important chapter in the history of the opioid crisis. It's the moment where prescription pills became one of the most widely abused drugs in America and seeded the worst drug crisis in American history.

ACOSTA: I was going to ask, what do you hope the public takes away from this?

FOSTER: Yes, you know, today, you know, we're dealing with some of the worst overdose rates in history. It's actually record breaking every year the last couple of years. And that's driven largely by fentanyl. But, you know, this crisis began with prescription pills. And the opioid crisis was born out of that. It was born out of the overprescribing of these drugs and pharmaceutical industry who's very happy to partner with rogue clinics like American Pain and pharmacies to literally get a whole generation addicted to opioids.

ACOSTA: Well, it's amazing work. I can't wait to watch it.

And Darren Foster, thank you very much for your time. Really remarkable stuff. Appreciate it very much.

FOSTER: Thank you, Jim. And thanks, everyone, for tuning in tonight.

ACOSTA: All right. And be sure to tune in, the all-new CNN Film "AMERICAN PAIN" premieres at the top of the hour, just about nine minutes from now. That's 9:00 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

Tonight, one of the country's top universities is honoring a 9-year- old girl who had the police called on her while she was just looking at bugs. That remarkable young lady is next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:55:39]

ACOSTA: When 9-year-old Bobbi Wilson learned about invasive spotted lanternflies at school, she knew she wanted to help save the trees in her community. But when she was outside her home in Caldwell, New Jersey, doing her part to stamp them out, her neighbor called the police. Bobbi's mother then intervened whether they arrived.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONIQUE JOSEPH, MOTHER OF BOBBI WILSON: Racism, intentional or not, is still racism. I'm not here to label anyone, only to share my point of view as a black woman, a black mother and a black resident in this town.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: There she was speaking out about it. Fast forward to today, Bobbi's work has been honored by the likes of Yale University, which entered the young scientist's collection of 27 spotted lanternflies into the Peabody Museum of Natural History.

And Bobbi Wilson and her mother Monique Joseph join us now.

Ladies, thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

Bobbi, I have to ask you, what made you go out and start looking at these lanternflies? You know, that's just an amazing science experiment.

BOBBI WILSON, FOURTH-GRADER HONORED AS "DONOR SCIENTIST" BY YALE UNIVERSITY: Well, at first, I was looking -- well, I'm sorry. What was the question?

ACOSTA: Why did you decide to do this and study these flies?

WILSON: So sorry. I used to see them like all over, like I used to see them on the bushes, on trees. Sometimes even the car or even on the door. Sometimes.

ACOSTA: And so you had to get to the bottom of it. And then your project here got the attention of Yale University. What was that like to go to Yale? I never did that.

WILSON: Yes. I was pretty surprised. At first I didn't think it was real because I was kind of really excited to go.

ACOSTA: That's true. I'm so glad they honored you. It's well-deserved.

And Monique, Mom, I have to ask you, what did you think the day that the police arrived trying to figure out what was going on with your daughter? All she was doing is trying to take care of these lanternflies in the neighborhood. What was that all about?

JOSEPH: Well, what I could tell you is I'm happy that at the time when it was happening that I didn't know the real integrity of the call. So for me, I had the same questions that everyone else had. Certainly I wasn't happy. I was nervous. I was afraid because, you know, I am a black woman. And we know the relationship between -- you know, previous relationship I should say that has happened to black people with police officers.

ACOSTA: Right.

JOSEPH: But I'm pleased to say that we didn't have interaction. But it was scary. It was scary. I'll say that.

ACOSTA: And then what was it like -- I guess all of this caught the attention of Yale. Is that what happened next? They saw something about this and invited Bobbi up?

JOSEPH: Yes. So Dr. Ijeoma Opara from Yale, Bobbi's Yale auntie, the whole team. So she saw it -- the story went viral, when she saw it she decided that Bobbi was just like her when she was her age. And she invited the whole family up and said, we want to have you guys up on an all-black, female-led science tour, black female scientist tour. And they wanted to really just uplift Bobbi and make sure that she knew that she was OK in what she was doing but also that, hey, Yale recognizes you. You are one of us. And they wanted to make sure to change the trajectory of the day for Bobbi. So it was all about Bobbi.

ACOSTA: Well, it's an incredibly positive experience now.

And Bobbi, do you now want to be a scientist? Do you want to study lanternflies? Is there other scientific work you'd like to do next?

WILSON: Well, I'm kind of a chemist. I kind of like to mix stuff. So I'm probably like going to make the solution and probably different stuff, too.

ACOSTA: Very good. And I have to say, Monique, you must be just so incredibly proud of Bobbi. I mean, what a response this has gotten in your community and really internationally. I have been reading these stories for days now about Bobbi.

JOSEPH: Yes. It's beautiful. You know, my only intention when this happened was my intention was not to react out of anger or pain or hurt. It was really about Bobbi and making sure that, one, she feels safe in our community, one that she knew that she was -- it was OK for her to explore her nature and the community in a way that she was. And she was doing a good thing. So I'm overjoyed that the rest of the world, the rest of the science community agrees with me that she was doing what the state told us to do.

ACOSTA: Yes.

JOSEPH: To stomp out, but also that they also just want to change the trajectory of that day so I am just overjoyed.

ACOSTA: Wonderful.

JOSEPH: Bobbi's dad and myself.

ACOSTA: We're overjoyed as well. Thank you so much, Bobbi and Monique. Thanks for sharing your story. We appreciate it.

And thanks for joining me tonight. I'm Jim Acosta. See you next weekend at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Saturday and Sunday. The new CNN Film "AMERICAN PAIN" premieres next. Way to go, Bobbi. Have a good night.