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Heavy Rain, Flooding, High Winds Slam East Coast; Auto Workers Strike; Government On The Brink Of A Shutdown With No Deal in Sight; Sen. Bob Menendez And Wife Indicted On Bribery Charges; Texas High Schooler Suspended Over Waring Locs; Blockbuster Day Of College Football; Coach Deion Sanders Boosts Colorado Economy. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired September 23, 2023 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:44]

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

And we begin this hour with tropical storm Ophelia just hours after making land fall in North Carolina. Heavy rain, coastal flooding and high winds, are hitting much of the Eastern Seaboard today. North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia are all under a state of emergency right now.

And the storm has already knocked out power to more than 50,000 homes and businesses with those outages expected to grow.

Allison Chinchar is tracking Ophelia from the CNN Weather Center and Polo Sandoval is in Pelican Island, New Jersey watching the impact and feeling it there.

Let's begin with you, Allison in the Weather Center. So the National Hurricane Center issuing a new advisory just moments ago. What does it say?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. So the biggest change that we've noted is the sustained winds have calmed down ever so slightly, dropping down now to 50 miles per hour.

Still gusting up to 65 but look at the scope of this storm. You have so many of these outer rain bands far away from that center point. So the center is still over North Carolina but you have rain bands across Pennsylvania, New York, even Massachusetts. So again, places far away are still dealing with some of the impacts from the storm.

Albeit the heaviest rain at the moment is still focused over Virginia and North Carolina. It's also where we're seeing some of the gustiest winds. You're still getting some of those in that 40 to 60 mile-per- hour range and that is enough to bring down some trees, and triggering some power outages.

Flooding is also going to be a concern. You've got these flood watches, but also several flash flood warnings. Where they've already had two, even three inches of rain that is already fallen.

And now you're looking into an additional one to three inches of additional rain. It is likely to come down in the next 24 hours.

This system itself is basically going to slide up the East Coast taking all of that heavy rain with it. So by tonight, the focus is more over the mid-Atlantic. And then by Sunday morning, the focus really is more over the northeast especially the coastal regions.

So flooding potential for today mainly across North Carolina and Virginia, but as we transition to Sunday, now the focus becomes a little farther north. States like Pennsylvania, New York, even into New Jersey, because that's where this system is headed, even though, Fred, it is going to gradually weaken in the coming hours.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll keep an eye on that, as will you.

And of course, our Polo Sandoval -- thank you so much, Allison -- Polo Sandoval is feeling it right now. What are you and everybody else experiencing there, Polo?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes Fred. This part of New Jersey, folks are waking up to the National Weather Service reporting that they've still back slightly the expected rainfall. But certainly not minimizing the real threat that Allison just touched on here which is the risk of flooding, not just in the inland pockets but also coastal areas.

We're on Pelican Island, New Jersey. As we look south over the bay side of the New Jersey shore, which is only about a mile and a half away from where we are, we'll eventually take you there throughout the day to check out conditions there.

But really the result has been some choppy waters out here. Folks for the most part certainly are deciding to stay in, certainly something that is recommended by officials as we continue to see this storm make its way closer north.

But far from what our friends to the south here are likely experiencing, we're well over 500 miles north of where this storm made landfall.

But as Allison just mentioned, the effects of it are being felt as far as New England because of these outer bands. We felt one actually make its way through here just a little while ago.

But those winds, that is also the other element here at play as we've already seen at least one downed power line here. That is -- creates a potential for power outages.

So again, for folks in New Jersey and north, it really has become less of a rainmaker -- there will be a soggy day today for so many. But really more about the coastal threat and certainly those winds that are expected to near 50 to 60 miles an hour, depending on whether you're in the coastal area, or perhaps some of those inland pockets, Fred. WHITFIELD: All right. Yes, still very potentially dangerous. All

right. Appreciate it -- Polo Sandoval and Allison Chinchar.

All right. Right now, we are in the ninth day of United Auto workers' strike. And the union is dramatically expanding its job action.

[11:04:52]

Workers are now striking at all parts distribution centers owned by GM and Stellantis. Ford is being spared by the union after negotiations between the two appeared to make progress there.

And it comes as President Biden is preparing to make a historic trip to Michigan next week, where he will visit striking workers on the picket line.

The auto workers say that after years of sacrifice, they want a share in profits being made by the big three carmakers. They're demanding better benefits and a pay raise equal to about 40 percent over four years. The companies say those demands could put them out of business.

Let's bring in Camila Domonoske. She is a business reporter for NPR. Good to see you.

So the UAW is targeting these parts distribution centers. Does that mean people who need their cars repaired will have a hard time getting parts?

CAMILA DOMONOSKE, BUSINESS REPORTER, NPR: Yes, that's definitely a likely consequence here. I'll note a lot of dealerships did know that this was coming, and they've been stockpiling parts in anticipation that at least this might happen, right?

But when they run through stockpiles that they have locally, they may not be able to get the parts that they need to do repairs from the company.

One interesting question is what GM and Stellantis might be able to do to keep these warehouses running without the unionized workers. GM said they have some contingency plans that they're evaluate and deciding whether to put into action.

Stellantis didn't comment. You know before, auto companies have done things like send white collar salaried workers to try to pull parts off of shelves to send them to dealerships because these parts are really important for companies. They're very profitable for the automakers. That's one reason why the union is targeting these (INAUDIBLE) warehouses.

They're also really important for customer satisfaction, which the companies also care a great deal about. So we'll have to see what they do to try to see if they can keep the parts moving but certainly there is the very real risk that as this strike goes on for weeks more, people might have trouble at their local dealerships and body shops getting their repairs done as quickly as they might otherwise expect.

WHITFIELD: So that is how consumers might be directly impacted by what is going on.

Now let's zero in on the strategy of the striking UAW workers. Right now, they're targeting GM and Stellantis but not necessarily Ford, saying they had some encouraging talks with Ford directly. So help us understand how they're parsing out, now targeting these other two automakers, and what is behind that strategy.

DOMONOSKE: Yes, this is really different than how the union has approached negotiations with these three companies for decades now. They've typically picked one company to negotiate with. And then expected the other two companies to more or less match that at the end of the process.

This time around, they said from the front (ph) they were going to do it differently. They negotiated with all three companies simultaneously, and now we're seeing as these strikes unfold, they are playing the companies against each other.

So they're saying, look, Ford gave us a lot of what we asked for on things like pay tiers, equalizing pay between different workers in different places. gave us a lot of what we're asking for in terms of job security, the ability to strike over plant closures. Big things the union was pushing for that GM and Stellantis haven't budged on but Ford apparently did, so they're not adding and Ford (INAUDIBLE) to strike.

Ford gets to keep selling these highly profitable parts and GM and Stellantis are feeling more pain.

So that is obviously a big part of the strategy here to divide the big three, and just big one and the big other two.

Another thing that's happening is these strikes are very unpredictable. so the first three plants that went out on strike were assembly plants, now these are the parts distribution centers.

A lot of assembly plants and a lot of things like engine plants and transmission plants that are hugely important to the entire ecosystem of the auto supply chain, they're still running and the union could take them out really at any time. So they're also very unpredictable.

WHITFIELD: And that speaks to the potential of how long this really could go on.

So next week, President Biden is scheduled to visit the picket line. That will come on Tuesday. How might this visit play into Biden's strategy of helping to cement his image as a pro-union president, and also how might that play into, I guess, strengthening (ph) the hand of the union workers?

DOMONOSKE: Yes, this is something that is clearly very important to the Biden administration, to have this pro labor reputation. There is also a very interesting dynamic playing out in the background of all of these talks which is the Biden administration's big push toward electric vehicles. The United Auto Workers union has been pushing the administration to

basically attach more strings or restrictions to all of the money that is going out from the federal government to support this transition.

[11:09:52]

DOMONOSKE: And they've been really pushing Biden, withholding an endorsement of Biden for re-election, until he gives more support to them on the line, like he's doing. But also, they really want to see the administration use that money that's going to electric vehicles as more of a lever to give more strength to the labor movement in the United States.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right. Camila Domonoske, thank you so much.

DOMONOSKE: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Coming up, the government is just days away from potentially shutting down, 0and there's no deal in sight. How a shutdown could affect you, next.

Plus, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez indicted on bribery charges and refusing to resign. Calls within the party grow for him to step down amid accusations that he and his wife accepted gold bars, cash, and a luxury car in exchange for the senator's influence. We'll discuss the charges straight ahead.

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[11:14:54]

WHITFIELD: Budget talks in congress at a standstill, threatening a federal government shutdown next weekend. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy sent lawmakers home ahead of this weekend after some hardline Republicans scuttled his plans to advance a spending bill and threatens his job if he didn't cave to their demands.

And now, preparations are being made to halt nonessential functions. And in the coming days, the government will give details on how many people might face a furlough and which employees will be deemed essential and asked to work without pay.

CNN's Jasmine Wright joining us now from the White House. So Jasmine, what's the Biden administration doing to prepare for a possible shutdown?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Fred.

Well, the White House has begun directing federal agencies to, in effect, get ready for a potential shutdown. We know that guidance went out on Friday.

As you saw, many House Republicans leaving Washington, D.C. without a clear path forward. So the White House's Office of Management and Budget, they're sending formal notice to these federal agencies, asking them to put their plans together, for a potential shutdown. Now this is important, because every agency has different types of plans and procedures that they put in place. And they outlined things like how many of those employees will be furloughed, and how many of those employees will be deemed essential, and thus have to work through the shutdown, without pay, until the government turns back on and then they get back pay. So those are really important things.

But it is not just jobs that are at risk here, of folks not being paid, it is also other essential services that the federal government pays for, that are essential to every day American life. And that includes pay for the military, and law enforcement personnel, food safety, and food aid programs, parts of medical research funding, as well as travel processing, and other things that are very important to the Biden administration.

So we heard from the White House yesterday at the podium just next to me, talking about why House Republicans should not put these vital issues at risk. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: A Republican shutdown does not have to happen. They can do their job, and keep these vital programs continuing, keeping the government open.

Our message is, this should not be happening. We should not be putting American families' lives in turmoil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: Now, that is what we heard from the White House on Friday. But we also know on Friday the House Rules Committee began preparing a series of long-term individual bills, that would go to funding the government at least in some pieces. And that process continues over the weekend.

Now, the hope from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after he abandoned his first wish to pass a short-term spending bill, now his hope is that if they pass those smaller, leaner, individual, long-term spending bills, that that would go to the House floor on Tuesday.

But there are a couple of problems here, Fred. First, we don't know if there are even enough GOP votes to pass those leaner bills, pass the House on Tuesday. And if it does pass, we know that when it heads to the Senate, it is basically dead on arrival, because they have no Democratic support, putting House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a very precarious situation.

So as I stand here on Saturday, it is basically unclear whether or not we're any closer to avoiding a shutdown on the House side, the Senate side, and of course here at the White House, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jasmine Wright at the White House, thank you so much. All right. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has resumed operations

at the International Railway Crossing Bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas. The agency had shut down all vehicle traffic on Wednesday.

And this comes as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is set to visit the Rio Grande Valley in southeast Texas amid a surge of migrant crossings there this week.

In response to the influx, the mayor of Eagle Pass, Texas is declaring a state of emergency, saying he is pleading for more federal help, and that the city feels abandoned by the Biden administration.

Still ahead, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez says he is, quote, "not going anywhere," end quote, despite calls for him to step down as he faces federal bribery charges.

Details about the allegations against him and his wife, next.

[11:19:04]

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is resisting calls for his resignation after being charged with several corruption-related federal offenses.

The Department of Justice prosecutors accused Menendez and his wife of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for the senator's influence. Prosecutors say the bribes include gold bars, cash, home mortgage payments, and a luxury vehicle. Menendez denies the accusations and responded to calls for his resignation saying he is quote, "not going anywhere," end quote.

CNN's Kara Scannell has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY: Some of the cash was stuffed in the senator's jacket pockets.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indicted again. New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez facing corruption-related charges for the second time in ten years. Prosecutors announcing a three-count federal indictment against the Democratic senator and his wife, over their dealings with three New Jersey associates and businessmen, starting in at least 2018.

WILLIAMS: The senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for Senator Menendez using his power and influence to protect, and to enrich those businessmen.

SCANNELL: The alleged bribes include more than 550,000 dollars in cash, hidden in the senator's home and safe deposit box, a Mercedes- Benz convertible and gold bars worth tens of thousands of dollars, among other things.

The indictment also alleges the senate Foreign Relations Committee chair, quote, provided sensitive U.S. government information, and took other steps that secretly aided the government of Egypt.

[11:24:53]

WILLIAMS: Behind the scenes, Senator Menendez was doing those things for certain people, the people who were bribing him and his wife.

SCANNELL: The senator issued a defiant statement in response to the U.S. attorney's latest allegation.

"I have been falsely accused before, because I refused to back down to the powers that be. And the people of New Jersey were able to see through the smoke and mirrors and recognize I was innocent. Menendez has long maintained his innocence in this latest probe into his dealings, telling CNN, back in April --

SENATOR BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): This inquiry will end up I believe in absolutely nothing.

SCANNELL: The senator faced similar corruption charges in 2015. He fought off conspiracy, bribery and other fraud charges related to political favors.

MENENDEZ: To those who were digging my political grave so that they could jump into my seat, I know who you are and I won't forget you.

SCANNELL: That case ended in a mistrial, a partial acquittal and all charges against the senator being dropped.

In this latest case, Menendez remains defiant, saying he won't be quote, "distracted by baseless accusations".

A lawyer for the senator's wife said that she denies any wrongdoing. All five defendants are due in court Wednesday to face these charges. This comes as there is a growing call by a number of New Jersey lawmakers for the senator to resign.

Kara Scannell, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All righ.t Let's talk more about all this. With me now is Jennifer Rodgers. She is a former federal prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst. Jennifer, great to see you.

So based on what you have seen with these charges, and the kind of evidence that the Department of Justice is rolling out, is this looking like a strong case against Senator Menendez?

JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This is a strong case, Fred. This is a textbook corruption case. Public official takes gifts, money, cash, gold bars, Mercedes -- I mean all of the sorts of things you would expect in exchange for doing official favors for the people bribing him.

It really doesn't get any more textbook than this one. Very strong evidence.

WHITFIELD: So what is needed to prove that while they have acquired these things at his residence, you know, among his personal belongings, to prove that it actually was an exchange, gifts that were inappropriately exchanged for his influence?

RODGERS: Well, you have really hit on the key question, Fred, because they have to prove that something of value was promised or given and that it was in exchange for an official act.

So they need to prove that what Menendez did or agreed to do for the people bribing him was a governmental official act, that's pretty easy with the allegations here. They're talking about him influencing Egypt and trying to lean on prosecutors, using his position to give over sensitive information.

But the exchange is the key here, that it was a transaction, this for that, and that also is pretty easy here, you know. Prosecutors have a treasure trove of communications, text messages, emails, where it's pretty explicit between mostly Menendez's wife and the other three people charged saying we need you to do this. Ok, we can do that. And then how do we get you the money. So it is all pretty much laid out in the communications that prosecutors have, the transactional nature of this relationship, and that's really what they need to prove.

WHITFIELD: Now, publicly, he's very defiant and he says, you know, this stuff is not true. But from the attorney's standpoint, what kind of defense might they be able to present?

RODGERS: This is a tough one, because it's not like they're just relying on a cooperating witness who is going to come in and tell his story and then you can attack his credibility.

As I said, this is all written down in the text messages and emails, there's of course paper records of some of the transfers into the account that Menendez's wife set up just to take this money. Paperwork related to the Mercedes. The search warrant that was executed that uncovered all of that cash and the gold bars. It is going to be really challenging for them to address this in a trial.

I think they're better off looking for a plea, but we'll see what they do.

WHITFIELD: So the last time the Justice Department indicted Senator Menendez, the case ended in a mistrial. All charges dropped. Is the allegation that this is a continuation of that case, or is this being alleged that this is a resumption of activity similar to the first case that ended in a mistrial?

RODGERS: Well, this is a completely separate case. It's brought by a different office at DOJ my old office, the southern district of New York in Manhattan. It's with separate people. And it's similar, kind of in the sense that the first allegation was a

bribery allegation, exchanging money or things of value for favors due to his official position.

But the people are different, the actions are different, this was taken up in 2018 after his other case was over. And it's is a much stronger case.

The problem in the first case for prosecutors, I think, the jurors couldn't decide whether the things that Menendez got were because of the actions he was doing for the person he was charged, with or because of their long-standing friendship.

[11:29:55]

RODGERS: Here there's no such friendship. This is purely transactional. It is very clear from the written records I mentioned that that is what was going on here. And what he got was cash money instead of trips with his friends. So I don't think any jurors will have that kind of similar problem this time around.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jennifer Rodgers, thanks so much. Good to see you.

RODGERS: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Coming up, a Texas high school student was suspended over his hairstyle, the same week a law banned race-based hair discrimination across the state.

The former president of the NAACP joining me to discuss this battle, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

A black high school student and his family are locked in a fight with a Houston area school district. The school suspended him for wearing his hair in locs, the same week that a new state law banning discrimination based on hair styles took effect across Texas.

Ryan Young has more.

[11:34:55]

RYAN YOUNG CNN CPRD: Yes, Fred. A lot of people are still checking in on this story. 17-year-old Darryl George and his mother are vowing to continue their fight with school administrators over his hair which is styled in a lock fashion that is pulled up.

It is important for everyone to see it. Take a look at how his hair is pulled up and wrapped close to his head. Now Darryl attends Barbers Hill High School. It's just outside of Houston and a school officials told George, his lock hair style violated the Barbers Hill independent school district's dress code.

And it states "Male students' hair will not extend at any time below the eyebrows or below the ear lobes. The policy goes on to state, male students' hair must not extend below the top of a T-shirt collar or be gathered or worn in a style that will allow the hair to extend below the top of T-shirt collar."

The school dress code also states that they want kids dressed in a clean, neat matter.

Now Darryl was suspended around the same time the state of Texas' new Crown Act went into place. That creates a standard which is called "Creating a respectful and open world for natural hair".

The act prohibits race-based hair discrimination which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture, or protective hair styles including braids, locs, twists or bantu knots.

And as you can imagine this family is still trying to fight the suspension. take a listen to Darryl's mom talking about what they're going through right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARRESHA GEORGE, MOTHER OF DARRYL GEORGE: I want them to change their policy. I want them to stop being discriminatory against black and brown kids. Not just mine, but any other black and brown kids.

DARRYL GEORGE, SUSPENDED FOR LOCS: I would like it go back to class and do what I do, do what I need to do to get my education.

YOUNG: The school for its part is trying to get clarification from the court, because they contend that this new rule doesn't cover the length of hair, so this will still play out. This young man has been missing class and obviously that hurts his education. Mom and her son say they continue to fight this, and hope to see something change in the near future, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Ryan Young, thank you so much for that reporting.

So this is a microcosm of documented experiences felt across the country over many years. To discuss this, let's bring in former NAACP president Cornell Brooks. Cornell, great to see you.

So first, give me your initial reaction. Your initial reaction to this latest experience involving a student.

CORNELL BROOKS, FORMER NAACP PRESIDENT: My initial reaction is reaction of a father with two sons, two African American sons, that this policy is educationally ridiculous and pedagogically silly.

Here we have a student missing days upon days of school with an in- school suspension, because of a hair style that is emblematic, illustrative of his heritage, of his African American heritage.

And so in other words, we have a school system preoccupied with what's going on the top of his head as opposed to what is going into his head. So my reaction is just outrage.

WHITFIELD: And what do you suppose precipitated this? I mean if you talk about the, I guess the rules, you know, of hair styles that our Ryan Young spelled out there, this hair style does not fall past his ear lobes. If that was, you know, a criteria of what is considered neat hair. His hair style looks very neat, right? And so what would precipitate his suspension?

BROOKS: So first of all, it seems to me that this policy either as conceived or as applied is discriminatory. So in other words, here we have a policy which states that students are to have clean and neat hair styles. Clean and neat being euphemisms, being discriminatory slang for traditional, conservative, European hair styles. Point one.

Point two, let's ask ourselves, why is I that boys are required to have hair above their eyebrows, above their ear lobes, and above their collar? What is it about long hair that impairs the educational mission for boys?

So in other words, if Frederick Douglas or Leonardo da Vinci, or Albert Einstein were they to attend a Texas school, would they be less educable as a consequence of having long hair? I don't think so.

The last point here is this style -- note that this young man wearing this hair style which includes strands of hair from his grandfather. It reflects his heritage. That he is not being allowed to wear is this hair style because it violates a policy which violates both common sense and I believe violates state law.

[11:39:54]

BROOKS: And certainly, it could violate the constitution. Because loc hair styles, in other words dreadlocks are meant for hair to be grown. It's not the kind of thing you show up every week such that you get your crew cut, your high-top fade cut style. Dreadlocks are meant to be worn long. So it is discriminatory and irrational.

WHITFIELD: And so interestingly enough, as you say that we just learned that the family of Darryl George has decided it is filing a lawsuit against Governor Abbott.

So on state lines, you just laid out in, you know, your opinion, the many layers in which it is discriminatory, so you feel this family has a very strong case. They're not just going after the school district. They're going after the state. They're going after the governor.

BROOKS: Absolutely. So Frederick, let's think about this. This case is emblematic and illustrative of an educational tragedy that takes place in schools all across the country, namely black children, primarily black boys, are suspended, punished, for minor infractions that lead to major educational disruptions. So here we have a child wearing a hair style and literally spending days upon days in in-school suspension.

His case literally is emblematic, representative of many cases of children, black children, being discriminated against in school settings. And so it's not just about one child, a rebellious youth if you will, insisting upon wearing a hair style. It's literally about a child's education being disrupted over something that is frankly, it would be silly were the consequences not so serious and tragic.

WHITFIELD: Yes. What about the harm done to this young man? You know, to his self-esteem, let alone the setback educationally. His mother says, he is failing right now, because of this suspension.

Well, what about that? You know, how this is making him feel, his confidence level. I mean there are just so many layers of how demeaning, you know, he is being made to feel.

BROOKS: That's right. So if we think about this, and as parents all across the country, how much, what sacrifices do we make to shore up our children's dignity, self-esteem, the sense of self respect? So to have a school policy which diminishes that, it is very problematic to say the least. Number one.

Number two, he is 17 years of age, which means he is nearing the end of his high school career. He could be thinking about the military. He could be thinking about applying to college. He could be thinking about entering a trade or a profession. But instead, he has to focus on his hair style as opposed to his education. That's seriously wrong.

WHITFIELD: Yes. His hair style as a detriment, being, you know, a message being conveyed that it is a detriment.

BROOKS: Right. Whether you are wearing pigtails, high top fade, a crew cut, you know, (INAUDIBLE) Eden, have your hair curled, at the end of the day, what is really important in the scoot setting is that children are allowed to be educated.

Last point I want to make here, just think about this. Children in schools learn by posing questions. Here we have a child -- I should say a school system, which is asking whether or not its policy is discriminatory, while a child is being prevented from learning.

In other words, we don't have children who, when they ask a question, all of the other children, they are not allowed to learn. Here we have a school system that is asking a legal question, and preventing a child from learning.

WHITFIELD: We will continue to watch this and beyond.

Cornell Brooks, always a pleasure to have you. Thank you so much for your perspective.

BROOKS: It's good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All rihg.t Coming up, call it Deion-onomics? Colorado Buffalos coach Deion Sanders, known as Coach Prime is big business, literally. How his presence is bolstering the state's economy.

[11:44:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A pair of Major League Baseball games have been postponed today, due to tropical storm Ophelia. And this comes as the Major League Baseball season is nearing its end.

And records are being broken and teams are locking up playoff spots. Well, today the state is also set for several big showdowns in college football.

CNN's Andy Scholes joins us now with the highlights and a preview of what's to come, Andy?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. What a season for Ronald Acuna Jr., not only is Acuna the fifth player ever to go 40-40, he's the first to ever have 40 homeruns and 60 stolen bases and he is likely going to get to 70.

Acuna was all pumped up when he hit homerun number 40 to lead off the game last night. The Braves superstar joining Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco, the players ever to go 40-40. That was also Acuna's 160th homerun of his career and he's the first player ever to hit 160 dingers and steal 150 bases at just 25 years old. Braves beat the Nationals in that one by a final of 9 to 6.

[11:49:49]

SCHOLES: Now Aaron Judge also having himself a night. He hit not one, not two, but three homeruns against the Diamondbacks. Judge the first Yankees player ever to hit three homeruns in a game, twice in one season.

The reigning MVP with 35 home runs now in just 100 games this season. He missed a lot due to injury. Last year at this time, Judge was in the spotlight if he was chasing Roger Maris' American League home run record which he did break, hitting 62 homeruns. The Yankees beat the D-backs last night 7 to 1.

Minnesota Twins meanwhile clenching the A.L. Central Division for the third time in five years last night. And as you could see they had the traditional champagne party in the clubhouse which is always kind of fun.

The Brewers also clinched a playoff spot last night. They were up 16-1 on the Marlins so they brought in first baseman Rowdy Tellez to pitch the final inning and the 270-pounder, he was throwing heat. Pitches in the high 50s and low 60s, but he got the strikeout there and his teammates were loving it, so was he. Pretty awesome. Brewers can clinch the N.L. Central with a win today.

And we've got a big day of college football on tap. There are six games between ranked teams to enjoy today. The biggest between sixth rank Ohio State. They're going to be playing 9th rank Notre Dame. That one's at 7:30 Eastern.

But the game that may be the most watched today is Deion Sanders and the 19th ranked Colorado Buffs playing at 10th Oregon. That one's at 3:30 Eastern. Coach Prime's Buffaloes huge underdogs today. The Ducks are favored by 21 points in that game.

And Fred, if Coach Prime can somehow find a way to pull this one off, well, he may truly be the best coach in all of college football.

WHITFIELD: We're about to find out. Andy Scholes, thank you so much.

All right. Speaking of college football and Coach Prime, well it is. He is. I mean the team, he as well, taking the sports world by storm. Everyone is watching. What is going to happen next?

Singlehandedly nearly boosting the state's economy as well, driving up ticket prices for all the games. Merchandise sales are up. I mean Coach Prime is landing sponsorship deals ahead of their highly anticipated game against Oregon later on today.

CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn is joining us right now with more on all of this. Nathaniel, so let's start with the ticket sales. How much are tickets going for for this Colorado-Oregon game today?

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So Fred, I'm told you are a big Coach Prime fan. Unfortunately these tickets are going to be very, very costly. Game against Oregon later. Preseason these tickets were going to cost -- the cheapest ticket was going to be about $50. Now we're looking at $170 for the cheapest seat because of all the success that Deion Sanders and Colorado has had.

And to give you a sense of that $170 number that's is more expensive than 13 of the 16 NFL games tomorrow. We're expecting a lot of celebrities at the game today. The Rock has been at the last couple games. Little Wayne, so everyone's going to be there. We're all going to be watching.

WHITFIELD: It's exciting. I mean you know what I love, what he has done. I love that he is helping these young men feel amazing, whether it was at Jackson State University. I mean they're rising. You know, they've all reached their potential or are reaching their potential and the same is being done at Colorado. And that to me is unbelievably, you know inspirational.

But just as, you know, their self-esteem is up, so are I guess the sales of merchandise. I mean what he is doing to the merchandise let alone, you know, what he is doing to the student body?

MEYERSOHN: Yes. So you look at merchandise sales. Everybody is grabbing their Buffaloes and Coach Prime hoodies. Merchandise sales for Colorado up 238 percent this year from a year ago. They've had all of their biggest days this year thanks to Coach Prime.

And then his sun glass sales. You know he's got -- he wears these Prime 21 sunglasses. He sold about $4.5 million in sales worth of these sunglasses. And if they win today, Fred, I bet you that number is going to jump even further.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. And I think I heard what all the team members and staff, everyone has glasses. I mean he made sure that everyone, you know, got the goods. You know, so everyone's looking fly out there. Oh my gosh, it's incredible, what he's done.

MEYERSOHN: They've got a lot of swag over there, Fred.

WHITFIELD: They sure do. All right. Nathaniel Meyersohn, thank you so much on the big business of Colorado and Deion.

All right. Before we go to break, a quick programming note.

[11:54:49]

WHITFIELD: Tonight our special "CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE" series, stories that spotlight everyday people who don't make headlines but smash barriers and inspire others to do the same. Here's a quick preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go. Here we go. Come on. Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was about how many people can you help.

Join us for "CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE".

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel a source of inspiration and pride just coming together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want you guys to truly forget the word "can't".

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As CNN journalists spotlight the changemakers who inspire them.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She teaches you to break through that fear to get to where you need to be.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Turns out that one human being can do a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's opening the door for people that are desperate for freedom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three aren't throw-away animals. These are precious beings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See how these community champions use creativity, heart and grit to lift society up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the music starts, something happens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I surround myself with positive people. They help me be that inspiration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE", a special event, tonight at 8:00 on CNN. [11:56:01]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)