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Tropical Storm Idalia Barrels Toward Florida; Sheriff Identifies Victims In Jacksonville Shooting; Three US Marines Dead, Several Injured In Aircraft Crash. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 27, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FRANK PITRE, REPRESENTED WILDFIRE VICTIMS IN LAWSUIT AGAINST PG&E EXECUTIVES: PG&E was able to put it together, you can imagine this, within eight months of the 2017 fires and that program had been in existence since 2010 in San Diego.

So what happened with Hawaii Electric?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: So, there is an updated statement coming from Hawaiian Electric on what they consider to be inaccurate reporting by "The Washington Post" on potentially compromised evidence. And that statement says in part: "Since August 8, Hawaiian Electric has taken significant steps to preserve all company equipment that was located within the suspected area of origin, carefully documenting, photographing and securing such materials. The area had not been cordoned off by government officials in the days immediately after the fire." Adding, "... Hawaiian Electric took steps to ensure evidence was preserved."

So based on what you just spelled out is a requirement of electric companies, what is your response to Hawaiian Electric's response?

PITRE: Well, that's after the fact. Just to know that there was a wire that was down or a pole that fell on a wire that caused the spark. You don't have a fire without a spark. That spark starts when the power is on.

And all you had to do is if you know that high winds are coming, you've known for a decade that we've been in periods of severe drought throughout the country in various areas, you operate a utility with an aging infrastructure, you have a proactive plan, in effect that allows you to do a power safety shut off by warning residents at least 72 hours in advance, they know when the high winds are coming, they know the areas with the highest, what I call a fire danger. They know there were red flag warnings, you shut off the power.

Without the power, there is no spark. Without the spark, there is no fire. So you know, that's a poor excuse.

WHITFIELD: All right, Frank Pitre, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

Clearly, your cases will be a framework for the Maui class action suits. Thanks so much.

PITRE: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone.

Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All eyes are on Florida's Gulf Coast as a newly formed tropical Storm barrels toward the state.

Just moments ago, Governor Ron DeSantis announcing preparations are being made, and he warned residents to be vigilant. CNN's Allison Chinchar is in the CNN Weather Center. Allison, where is the storm headed?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So that's a good question. It's what everybody wants to know.

Right now, the storm is sitting just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula moving ever so slowly. Truly, moving north at about two miles per hour, you could walk faster than this storm. And it's really not going to move all that much in about the next 12 to 24 hours.

In fact, the Monday morning position point looks awfully close to where it is now. But by Monday afternoon, you're going to start to notice this thing really take off into the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. When it does, we expect it to strengthen rather quickly because it's moving into a much more favorable environment.

So as of right now, the National Hurricane Center is saying this is likely going to get to a high-end Category 1, possibly maybe even a Category 2 Hurricane before it pushes into Florida's western coast, likely between Tampa and Pensacola on Wednesday morning.

Then from there, it will continue to spread into the Carolinas. Now, the more widespread concern is really going to be rainfall because this is going to affect everyone from Tallahassee, all the way up to the Outer Banks. Widespread totals, four to six inches, but eight or even 10 inches, not out of the question with this system.

Winds will also be a concern, especially as it sliding up the coast. Now that wind is also going to push that water so you're going to have storm surge. It's also a concern.

Keep in mind, too, Wednesday, the most likely landfall is also a supermoon. That's going to increase the potential for flooding in these areas as well. But even once the storm moves inland, keep in mind you're still going to have power outages across Georgia and the Carolinas as well.

Now another storm that we're keeping an eye on, too. This is Hurricane Franklin, sustained winds right now about 100 miles per hour. This storm is going to continue to move to the northwest towards the United States before veering back away, but still Fred likely to have some impacts in the form of rip currents.

WHITFIELD: All right, so Tropical Storm Idalia and Hurricane Franklin, all eyes on both.

All right, Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

CHINCHAR: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right, new details now about that racially motivated attack in Jacksonville, Florida. Three people shot dead at a Dollar General Store yesterday by a gunman who police say acted on a disgusting ideology of hate.

The Jacksonville sheriff says all three victims, two men and one woman were Black ranging in ages between 19 and 52. The sheriff said the shooter, a 21-year-old White male legally purchased the weapons you used in the attack and legally possessed them, and left behind writings that investigators later recovered.

[15:05:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF T.K. WATERS, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA SHERIFF'S OFFICE: The manifesto is, quite frankly, the diary of a madman. He was -- he was, I mean, he was just completely irrational, with irrational thoughts, he knew what he was doing. He had 100 percent -- he was 100 percent lucid. He knew what he was doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Police say before the shooter opened fire at the Dollar General Store, he tried to enter a Historically Black College nearby, but was turned away by security. And now, the US Justice Department says it will investigate this attack as a hate crime.

CNN correspondent, Isabel Rosales joining me live from Jacksonville, Florida. Isabel, I mean, this community is shaken to the core.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, what a disgrace and a slap in the face that this happened at all, but be that this happened on the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, a watershed moment in the fight for racial justice. And also on the fifth anniversary of a different mass shooting that happened here in Jacksonville at the Jacksonville Landing, a venue during a video game tournament.

So what I'm gathering from the community and we join them during the end of a Sunday service at Saint Paul AME. They are shocked, they're grappling, they are trying to make sense of what it is that happened, and within that congregation were students present there, from Edward Waters University, that HBCU that you mentioned there at the start where that shooter was confronted and turned away before a massacre could happen there.

Listen to the lead pastor of the church here where I attended a service, what he has to say about what's next for this community, and how healing will come about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. WILLIE BARNES, SENIOR PASTOR, SAINT PAUL AME CHURCH: It's my hope that as media has captured what has taken place that they also -- the media captures the healing that we hope will take place and the ways in which we intend to progress as a community, again, to make our communities and streets more equitable, more safe, to tear down systems of poverty, tear down systems of injustice.

I hope that the world pays attention to how strong we are and how we're going to come back from this better than we are now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And Fred, I think it's so important that we remember and honor the names of the victims, these people whose lives were taken. This is Angela Carr, 52 years old, gunned down outside of the Dollar General. Then there's Anolt Laguerre, Jr., 19 years old; and Jerrald Gallion, 29 years old.

And we heard from the sheriff, Sheriff Waters a Black man, saying that this shooter legally bought his two guns from two different gun dealers, and that there were no red flags. He had no criminal history.

We also learned more about how this attack unfolded right behind me at this Dollar General that we're still seeing the police tape, nobody being allowed in, so many police vehicles, and we are seeing investigators going in and out throughout the day.

The sheriff telling us that cameras captured that gruesome rampage, and we saw just a few seconds of when that shooter entered, aiming that AR-15 style weapon, wearing a tactical vest, a mask, firing 11 rounds into a car outside then going inside and killing two others.

And in the midst of that, also chasing a would-be survivor shooting her way, but missing, thank goodness.

And of course, all of the victims here were Black. The sheriff saying he knew what he was doing. This was targeted. This was a diary of a madman and he hated Black people -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's what the sheriff said, and also giving a timeline of the events, I mean, a horrific day of events. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much, a community really very shaken and saddened.

And we heard from the Florida governor just moments ago. We took his live shot as he was giving direction on the threatening tropical storm, but in that he also said I just want to reiterate, he said: "We won't allow our HBCUs to be targeted by hateful lunatics like the guy yesterday."

Thank you, Isabel.

And then just moments ago, President Biden released a statement on the tragic, racially motivated shooting in Jacksonville, Florida. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is at the White House for us with more on what the president had to say -- Priscilla. PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, he also noted that this was a day of commemoration of the March on Washington, the 60th anniversary and that day yesterday was marked again by Americans wounded by gun violence. And he went on to say in the statement: "Even as we continue searching for answers, we must say clearly and forcefully that White supremacy has no place in America. We must refuse to live in a country where Black families go into the store or Black students going to school live in fear of being gunned down because of the color of their skin. Hate must have no safe harbor, silence is complicity and we must not remain silent."

[15:10:20]

He also went on to say that law enforcement has opened a federal civil rights investigation, that this will continue to be investigated.

Now, President Biden has spoken extensively on gun violence, he signed legislation and has passed or has signed executive actions to try to curb gun violence, but he has also acknowledged and conceded that there are limits to his executive power.

And when I have talked to officials here at the White House, what they tell me is that a lot of their focus now is also on how to respond to communities almost akin to responding to a hurricane, which just tells you how commonplace this has become, that they start to think about the short-term and long-term needs of a community after there has been an act of gun violence.

So all of this just coming to a head the day that President Biden was returning here to the White House. He was ending his vacation in Lake Tahoe, and it's just a reality check as to what he is returning to, another day marked by gun violence -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Priscilla Alvarez at the White House. Thanks so much.

Separately, tomorrow will be another pivotal day in court for former President Donald J. Trump and his co-defendants. On Monday, a federal judge in Washington, DC will hold a hearing to set a trial date for Trump's January 6 election subversion case.

And in Atlanta tomorrow, Trump's former chief-of-staff, Mark Meadows will argue that his case in Georgia should be transferred from state to federal court.

CNN's Jeremy Herb, joining us now.

Jeremy, what do we expect these proceedings to be like tomorrow?

JEREMY HERB, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, Fred, both these hearings, they're going to be happening simultaneously Monday morning, but each could have significant implications for the president's legal strategy next year.

Let's start up in Washington, DC, and that is where a federal judge will be hearing -- holding a hearing on when exactly the case -- Jack Smith's case against Trump for election subversion will take place.

Now the special counsel wants us to take place on January 2, 2024, about four months from now, and has said that his expects the prosecution case would take about four to six weeks.

The former president's lawyers, however, they have a very different idea. They have proposed a trial date of April 2026. That is more than two years from now. They argue that four months is simply not enough time to prepare for this case, and also that this trial date, it would interfere with all of the other trials, of course that the president has.

So we're going to have to see how the judge handles those two very different requests. Of course, this all plays out with the electoral calendar looming. If a trial were to start in January of next year, it'd be happening as the Republican presidential primaries begin.

Now in Georgia, we're going to have a hearing for Mark Meadows, who has made a request to move his case from state to federal court. He is one of five of the 19 defendants in this racketeering case from the Fulton County district attorney who has made this request and it's significant because the former president, he is also expected to potentially make this same request.

And now, why does it matter which venue this is in? Part of the reason is the jury pool. If this is a case that stays in Fulton County, that is where the jurors come from, and that is a very deep blue county. If this case is moved into federal court, the districts, the counties surrounding Fulton County, those will also be added to the potential jury pool, meaning there could be more potential pro-Trump jurors.

So we're going to have to stay tuned to see how both of these hearings play out and what that means for the president's legal strategy next year -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, that is a lot. Jeremy Herb, thank you so much.

All right, still ahead, three US Marines were killed after their aircraft crashed overseas. What we're learning about the incident straight ahead.

Plus, the fallout continues over that unwanted kiss the Spanish soccer chief gave to a female player at the World Cup. We will bring you today's newest details, straight ahead.

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[15:18:20]

WHITFIELD: Three US Marines were killed and several others injured after their Osprey aircraft crashed during military exercises in Northern Australia. Officials say five Marines were sent to the hospital in serious condition.

CNN senior national security correspondent, Alex Marquardt is in Washington with more -- Alex. ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we're still waiting to hear from the Pentagon or the Marines perhaps what exactly happened here, whether this was some kind of technical or mechanical malfunction that caused this Osprey to crash.

What we know now is that on Sunday morning, local time in Australia, this US Osprey was flying from Darwin, that city in Northern Australia north and it crashed on Melville Island, which is an island just off the coast of Northern Australia. Twenty-three US Marines were on board.

Local authorities said that they were -- those that were not killed were injured. We do know at this time that three US Marines were killed, at least five were seriously wounded and sent immediately to a hospital in Darwin, and others were treated according to a local official at the scene.

Now, these Marines were being transported in this Osprey as part of a training exercise, a routine exercise called Exercise Predators Run. It happens in conjunction with Australia and other countries, US troops training alongside them. This is something that is rather routine.

We have heard from the Australian prime minister who offered his condolences saying that they are doing everything to help the wounded soldiers and to try to get to the bottom of this.

Here's a little bit more of what the prime minister had to say.

[15:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Our focus as a government and as the Department of Defense is very much on incident response and on making sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: So the Osprey is a very versatile aircraft, Fred. It flies both like a helicopter, it can take off and land vertically and then its rotors can tilt forward and can fly like a plane. It is used by the US Marines.

This one that went down on Melville Island was one of two Ospreys that was transporting personnel. The other one we understand was just fine as this one crashed on the island. We understand -- the only statement that we've heard from the US side is from the rotational forces -- the Marine Rotational Forces, they say that they're still investigating the source of the crash.

We understand that you know, some 2,500 US Marines at any given time do rotate through Australia, and has been coming up on some 24 hours since the crash. We are awaiting a word or a statement from the Pentagon to try to explain at least a little bit further as to what happened here, this crash that resulted with the deaths of three US Marines -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Alex Marquardt in Washington. Thanks so much.

All right, straight ahead, several women's soccer coaches in Spain are resigning over that unwanted kiss between Spanish soccer president and a female player, the latest fallout next.

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[15:25:55]

WHITFIELD: Spanish football chief, Luis Rubiales' unwanted kiss to women's national team star, Jennifer Hermoso is now being investigated in a different way. The Royal Spanish Football Federation's Sexual Violence Advisory Committee says it is looking into the incident under the federation's sexual violence protocol, and this comes as Rubiales refuses to resign calling the kiss consensual.

Anchor of CNN World Sport, Patrick Snell joining me now.

You said yesterday this seems never ending and it is. There is yet another layer. What's going on?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Another layer and you know, it is important to reflect, Fred, it is a week ago today that Spain's La Roja, the Spanish women's national team won the World Cup for the first time in their history.

Since then, these players have had to deal with all such an unsavory series of fallout, the allegations, the claims and the counterclaims. You know, these women the pinnacle of their footy careers now all the attention and focus on that kissed placed by the Spanish football Federation president, Luis Rubiales on the lips of star player, Jennifer Hermoso.

Now, we learned Spain's entire coaching staff from that World Cup victory, they resigned earlier this weekend in protest that Rubiales' actions, though I will say the head coach, Jorge Vilda is not among them, Vilda calling out Rubiales, in fact, overnight. This is really significant because he's the head coach, basically employed by Rubiales, his boss.

He said in a statement: "I am deeply sorry that the victory of Spanish women's football team has been harmed by the inappropriate behavior that are until now, top leader, Luis Rubiales has carried out and that he himself has recognized."

Now you mentioned the Royal Spanish Football Federation Sexual Violence Advisory Committee, officially opening an investigation into the incident. Hours later, they also called all the regional federations into a "extraordinary and urgent" meeting on Monday. That could be highly significant Fred to "evaluate the situation" in which the Federation finds itself, what has been going on behind the scenes over the weekend, that's really important to reflect on as well. Hopefully, we'll find out a whole lot more on Monday night. As we mentioned earlier on CNN, Luis Rubiales refusing to step down. FIFA that's football's world governing body provisionally suspending the 46-year-old. Rubiales has said he'll prove his innocence. He has said that. No sign of him going at all, resigning on Friday, adamant he is staying put.

WHITFIELD: Not willingly, that is. Okay, SO meantime, the soccer star, Hermoso, who was kissed is receiving a lot of support from her peers. What are some of the messages?

SNELL: Yes, plenty of support and this is really encouraging. I love it when we see this, the world of football coming together as one thread in support of Jenni Hermoso.

So look at these really powerful images. The support coming in for her from really all over the world, but also locally as well. Right there, Hermoso, herself was present in the stadium box just outside of Spain's capital city, Madrid, Saturday to take in the Women's Cup match between Atletico Madrid and Milan, the Italian side.

The players holding up that banner that said, with you, Jennifer Hermoso, "Contigo Jennifer Hermoso." A bit of Spanish there I'm throwing in, it's really important because this is collectively coming together for her.

Here in the US as well, you know, football is a global community. It is very tight knit. Players from Orlando Pride and San Diego Wave wearing those wristbands there you can see, supporting Hermoso during their NWSL fixes on Friday. That's the message, "Contigo Jennifer," it's powerful, but we -- it is just so, so soul destroying that we're at this place a week on from the World Cup, you know, from their greatest career triumph.

WHITFIELD: And this is the kind of attention that the team has to get.

SNELL: Right. Yes.

WHITFIELD: As opposed to, you know, zeroing in on the victory.

SNELL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Allowing them to take that additional lap, you know?

SNELL: And I have to say, because if the last 48 hours are to go by, key developments unfolding every step of the way, new unsavory allegations as well.

[15:30:10]

What's going to happen in the next few days? We'll stay across it all right, because it's very important that we do.

WHITFIELD: All right, you'll be back with another --

SNELL: Yes. WHITFIELD: Yes. Thanks, Patrick Snell. Appreciate that.

All right now for the second weekend in a row, the NFL decided to call off the rest of the game because of an injury. CNN's Coy Wire explains how this could prove to be an inflection point for player safety in the sport.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Fredricka.

The culture of football in the NFL, that gladiator mentality, and the perception that players are just replaceable pieces of meat, well, that's changing.

Before Damar Hamlin's injury about eight months ago, no NFL games had ever been called off mid-game due to an injury. Now, two more, this preseason alone.

Saturday night, Miami Dolphins rookie, Daewood Davis, taking a blow to the head in the fourth quarter against the Jaguars. Davis was down several minutes before being immobilized and carted off to the hospital. The Dolphins say he was conscious and had movement in all extremities. Dolphins coach, Mike McDaniel said he, Jags coach, Doug Pederson and the two teams player association reps all agreed that game needed to stop being played.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE MCDANIEL, MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH: Without a shadow of doubt, I know that was the right call. So I'm proud of the collective group for doing the right thing.

He was the guy that you know, his teammates really root for, that tells you everything about a human being more than anything. You know, we're just hoping for a full recovery and have had some good news and hope to have some even better news, moving forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Fredricka, this is showing that all the efforts the NFL has been making to try to make the game safer, seem to be paying off a bit and not just in regards to player's health and safety, but their mental health as well.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. I mean, Coy, it's hard to watch, but it is also very important to hear all of that.

Coy Wire, thank you so much.

A Dollar General Store, at a high school football game, and a festival at a Chicago White Sox game -- these are just a few of the places that saw shootings over the past few days.

More on this violent weekend in America, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:36:23]

WHITFIELD: The community of Jacksonville, Florida is reeling today after a racially motivated shooting that left three Black people dead. The shooter who was White took his own life. Officials say that was blatant hate inspired killing.

But it was not the only incident of deadly gun violence this weekend. A mass shooting in downtown Louisville, Kentucky left one person dead and six others injured this morning, leaving police with no suspect or motive to go on.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joining me now.

Polo, the gun violence has impacted so many cities this weekend alone.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And this certainly speaks to how fast things change, Fred. Number you just shared, it has been updated just in the last few minutes. Actually two people now confirmed dead as a result of that shooting in Louisville, Kentucky. This according to an update again shared by authorities just a few moments ago, but it extends far beyond Louisville, and then of course Florida as this is yet another weekend that has been plagued by gun violence.

I covered just yesterday in Boston, Massachusetts, a Caribbean Carnival Parade event there that had to be stopped after shots were fired. Now authorities are quick to point out that the shooting itself was not related to the event, but nonetheless sending shockwaves through that community. Several people injured there. Fortunately, nobody lost their lives.

One person did however die at a shooting at a high school football event just outside of Oklahoma City, the victim just 16 years old. Authorities still investigating that one. They do say that the 16 year old was not a student at any one of the high schools that were facing off on the football field and that it was likely an argument between a couple of people that resulted in that.

But then also another sporting event, this one in Chicago at a White Sox game where we had two people that resulted injured after shots were apparently fired. Authorities still working this case and still investigating, not sure if those shots came from inside or outside the field, but look, we go down this list knowing that there are many others that we're not covering, at least not at this particular moment.

But to remind viewers of how gun violence has really touched on so many aspects of life. Just this map alone is quite telling. Sporting events, a Dollar Store in Florida, a carnival in Massachusetts. So it's certainly affecting Americans' lives.

In fact, when you look at some research from the health policy organization, KFF, research that they've done shows that one in three Americans that were surveyed said that they are avoiding crowded spaces like music festivals, crowded bars, specifically because of the potential for gun violence. And then another sobering statistics this past July, according to the Gun Violence Archive, we surpassed 400 mass shootings. This is the latest number now, 473 which is extremely telling.

In 2019, before the pandemic, it took 356 days, so almost the entire year to reach 400. Here we are at 473 as we get ready to head into September, and we still have four months left in the year -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Incredible and sad number. Polo Sandoval, thank you.

All right, coming up, Black students at a Florida school were pulled into an assembly and singled out over low test scores. The president of the National Education Association joining me to discuss, next.

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[15:44:14]

WHITFIELD: A Florida principal and teacher are on paid leave after they held an assembly that singled out its Black Elementary students. Early this month, two Bunnell Elementary staffers gathered only the Black fourth and fifth grade students to collectively tell them to improve their school performance.

According to the district, the educators did so regardless of how each student was actually doing individually academically. A school board member tells CNN that the presentation featured a PowerPoint that read in part: "AA (African-Americans) have underperform (sic) on standardized assessment for the last past (sic) three years."

The interim superintendent later apologized during a news conference saying the incident is under investigation. I am joined now by Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association to discuss this.

[15:45:11]

So, your initial response?

BECKY PRINGLE, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: What happened in Flagler County is absolutely unacceptable, and we know that all parents and educators want every one of our students to have what they need and what they deserve. We want them to be welcomed in our school, regardless of their race or their disability or the language they speak.

And so even though the school district has apologized, and they have promised to get to an understanding of what happened, we actually really, Fredricka have to get to the root causes of why this district is more focused on the numbers than focus on the kids.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I mean, you know, one has to wonder, while the district says it is investigating the how, and the why and all of this, I mean, what does it say about the climate, you know, that educators would even be a part of this, would even consider this that someone somewhere along the way wouldn't say, this is not appropriate. In fact, it's damaging, potentially, to these kids who are rounded up.

PRINGLE: It absolutely is, there is no question, and kids are watching all the time. They are absorbing everything. And there is no way that a child could in that kind of circumstance, where they are being pressured to raise a standardized test score isn't impacted by that.

So we know, the root causes, Fredricka. We know this is all rooted in inequities that are built on race, that pressure to raise those numbers, and this is a culture around standardized tests that has existed for over 20 years and we know it hasn't helped our students, it has only hurt them.

It has punished and labeled them and their schools and their parents and their communities. That's why parents and educators have joined together to demand that we put an end to this punish -- test and punish, blame and shame era of standardized tests that are flawed. They are not valid. They are not developed or implemented in a way that actually does what they're supposed to do, which is to improve professional practice, and to help create a learning environment for students. So we can not only determine what they know, and are able to do, but we're able to address those needs that they have.

WHITFIELD: But in this situation, it ends up you know, being an example of how it's used as, you know, a weapon or an impetus to separate, to humiliate, to provoke a comparison of children, and then you know, the common denominator of all of these kids rounded up, all of them are Black. I mean, it just -- it cannot provoke anything positive.

PRINGLE: It speaks for itself, and I think everyone is watching and thinking, Florida, where Ron DeSantis has created this atmosphere of fear and intimidation, where we know that he has taken away that professional authority and collaborative autonomy from our educators where we know that he has diminished the honest, and tried to erase the honest and true history of this country specifically focused on not just the contributions of African-Americans, but also how they've suffered throughout history, and that history and its impact on what's happening in our country today.

So we have to face the reality that we are talking about causes to what happened there in Flagler County, that go far beyond what we saw, and it is time for this country to focus on what our students actually need and what they deserve.

WHITFIELD: The interim superintendent, LaShakia Moore said the district has spoken to the families and while many were upset or concerned, the majority, you know, this is the second or third party nature in which it is being conveyed say they want to find a way in which to work together to prevent future situations like this. What do you suppose the suggestions are going to be?

PRINGLE: No question, it is always better for our students if the adults in the system come together and work collaboratively, but they have to talk about more than this incident. They have to talk about those compounding inequities in a system that put our students, Black and Brown students or students with disabilities or LGBTQ+ students are seeming to have been historically marginalized where they put them at risk for something like this happening.

[15:50:10]

So we have to -- we have to demand from our politicians that they equitably fund our public schools that we address the educator shortage that absolutely impacts whether our students have, what they need so we can focus not only on their academic learning, but we all have seen that we need to focus on their social and emotional learning as well and we must have those resources to build those inclusive and culturally responsive and safe environments so our students are able to come to school, ready to learn every day.

WHITFIELD: Yes, all right, Becky Pringle, thank you so much, president of the National Education Association.

PRINGLE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, it could be a pivotal week for former President Donald J. Trump and his co-defendants. What to expect as key hearings play out in the days ahead, next.

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[15:55:12]

WHITFIELD: Donald J. Trump's fourth indictment capped off yet another historic and sad week in the United States.

Trump is now the first president in American history to have a mugshot and an inmate number to go along with it. Trump and his 18 co- defendants have all surrendered at the Fulton County Jail, and tomorrow, the legal fights are over who goes to trial where and when?

Joining me right now is CNN presidential historian, Tim Naftali. He is also a former director of the Nixon Presidential Library.

Oh, so good to see you.

So put this into perspective for us. It's been an unprecedented week. And according to Trump's campaign, it has been a moment that he has been able to cash in on to the tune of $7 million in fundraising by having that mugshot. So help people understand. Is this a humiliating moment, you know, to have an arrest? Or is it a gain for this president?

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, let's look at this in two different ways. In terms of fundraising, the former president has preyed on a lot of small donors, who are basically funding his defense. That is sad for our country, and it says a lot about how strong the cult of Donald Trump still is.

But in the broader perspective, and that's the one that ultimately will determine the significance of all that we're watching today. In the broader significance, Donald Trump is not where he wants to be. He is at the center of two very difficult indictments connected to an attempt to overthrow an American election, and connected to an attempt to prevent a peaceful transfer of power.

This is much bigger than Watergate. This kind of alleged crime strikes at the heart of our system. No person who has occupied the Oval Office is going to want to be associated with an attempt to overturn the office that he was sworn to defend and preserve.

So I think in the long term, this is very harmful to President Trump, to his legacy. And I in fact, suspect that in a generation or so people will study Donald Trump the way they study Joseph McCarthy today. There will be a national consensus on the damage that this man did. It may take a generation or two to happen, but I think that's the direction that we're headed, given the seriousness of the charges in Atlanta and in the District of Columbia.

WHITFIELD: So you said harmful to his presidency, what about the impact to the sanctity of the US presidency and democracy?

NAFTALI: Well, let me put it this way, if you had not had these cases in Atlanta and Washington, DC, I think our system of elections would have been severely compromised. The very fact that a state, one of the seven states targeted by the Trump conspiracy or alleged conspiracy, and the federal government are seeking to put people in jail for having undermine our electoral system is a sign that the system is strong.

The fact that some of the candidates on the stage at the GOP debate waited to put up their hand to say that they would support a candidate --

WHITFIELD: Huge hesitation amongst them.

NAFTALI: But they waited, which means even they understand the seriousness of him being found guilty in one of these four cases. So I would say that we have a lot of time until the convention, the Republican convention next summer. A year is a long time in history. It's a long time, and it's a super long time in politics. I would argue that we haven't yet seen the consequence of the drip, drip, drip that these indictments are having on Donald Trump's credibility.

Sadly, people are going to continue to give him money to mount his defense, but that doesn't mean that the 60 percent of Republicans who aren't diehard MAGA people, and the Independents are going to wrap their arms around a convicted felon.

WHITFIELD: All right, Tim Naftali, thank you so much.

NAFTALI: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And new details about a racially motivated attack in Jacksonville Florida, three people shot dead at a Dollar General Store yesterday by a gunman who police say acted on a disgusting ideology of hate.

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