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House Republicans Leave D.C. With No Shutdown Solution; Growing Crisis In Texas Amid Border Crossing Surge; Senator Menendez Rejects Calls From Fellow Dems To Resign; Pennsylvania Announces Automatic Voter Registration At DMV; Ukraine Attacks Russia's Black Sea Fleet Killing Dozens; Deion Sanders Transforms Colorado Football; California Firefighters Turn to AI For Help. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired September 23, 2023 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:01:57]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Good evening, everybody.

Here in the nation's capital, a major new deadline, an important one, hangs over members of Congress. And millions of Americans could see their paychecks hanging in the balance. Just one week from today the federal government will face a midnight shutdown unless some kind of funding bill can be passed and then signed by the president. But they are running out of time. With every passing hour, it seems more unlikely that they will make a deal in time.

So federal agencies have started contingency planning for a shutdown. For millions of federal workers and military personnel their paychecks could be delayed possibly for weeks. Today the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy conceded he has to win over Republican hard-liners, but is hopeful that they'll fall in line at some point to pass a stopgap spending measure and prevent the shutdown.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins us now over at the White House.

Priscilla, how is the Biden administration preparing for the possibility of no deal up on Capitol Hill? It sounds like the Office of Management and Budget, which is a part of the White House, has started to tell these agencies you got to get ready.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Jim. The White House is essentially telling federal agencies to dust off their plans for a potential shutdown. Just yesterday the Office of Management and Budget formally initiated that process. And now every agency is looking at their plans, and that includes, for example, how many people get furloughed, who is essential and will have to work without pay, and also what activities have to come to a halt, what services may be disrupted.

Of course there are services that are going to continue, be it border protection, federal law enforcement and air traffic control. But the White House press secretary when talking about it this week put the blame at the feet of Republicans and said they have to get their act together. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: 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)

ALVAREZ: Now we heard from Republicans today who tried to project confidence in a path forward, but the reality, Jim, is that they still don't have the votes.

ACOSTA: And Priscilla, what about this surge of migrants at the U.S.- Mexico border? I guess what happens next with that?

ALVAREZ: Well, that is something that we saw play out over the course of the week. To give you some context here, the federal border authorities were encountering over 8,000 people a day. Compared that to just a few months ago when it was about 3500 people a day. So you could see the marked increase. What this does is places an immense strain on federal resources and also creates logistical and humanitarian challenges for this administration.

But it's also political. The timing here, Republicans talking about border security, trying to include that in their bills as we talk about the shutdown, and the White House saying that that should be a separate matter, that this is a challenge that they're facing as there is mass migration in the western hemisphere. But on the ground, those federal authorities still dealing day in and day out with a new surge of migrants -- Jim.

[19:05:06]

ACOSTA: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, live at the White House for us. Thank you very much, Priscilla. Appreciate it.

Joining us now to discuss, CNN political commentator Ana Navarro and former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham.

Ana, let me start with you first. What do you think? Are we going to see a shutdown, and what happens to Kevin McCarthy? Does he survive this?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I sure hope we don't see a shutdown. It seems very likely right now because Kevin McCarthy does not have the votes, does not have a path to get the votes, and because the majority is so incredibly slim that it's hard to see where he gets the votes. This is not going to be good for the Republican Party, it's not going to be good for Kevin McCarthy, it's not going to be good for public trust in our institutions.

We're going to see even more dysfunction in Congress. But ultimately it's not good for Americans. It's not good for the country. It's going to affect all of us, all of our economy. And we're going to see people hurting and hurting for real while Congress people are still getting paid. You know, I don't think this helps anybody. And the person that's going to look the worst out of this is Kevin McCarthy.

Will he remain speaker? You know, the thing with Kevin McCarthy remaining speaker is that there doesn't seem to be a better alternative. It took 15 times to make him speaker the first time. If there is a motion to vacate and he has to do it again, we're going to be taking votes for this many, many times over again. And I don't see how he does it without Democratic help.

ACOSTA: And Stephanie, we were talking to Leon Panetta, the former Defense secretary and chief of staff in the last hour, and he was saying back in the '90s when he was the chief of staff over at the White House, and you worked in the White House, Stephanie, back in the '90s Panetta was saying a Republican-led government shutdown, Newt Gingrich was the one who essentially put the government into shutdown, that that helped Bill Clinton win re-election in 1996.

What do you think about how this might I guess backfire on the GOP?

STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, I think that these last midterms show that people -- I mean, there were races that Republicans should have won and they didn't. And I think that people were showing by and large that they're tired of the dramatics and the theater and the people trying to just be stars. And you know, these people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, and -- I don't even like to say their names.

But that is what they're doing. They're not thinking of the country. Are they thinking of the districts that they work for? No. They're trying to get sound bites, and they're trying to, you know, get a slot for VP, et cetera, if Trump were to win the nomination. So I think this will backfire, but I don't know that they care. And the frustrating thing is Kevin McCarthy knew what he was getting into.

You know, I've been watching this and just shaking my head. Now I agree with Ana, like Kevin McCarthy is probably the best thing we have right now, but it's unfortunate because this is not good for our country, and it's unfortunate that there's such a small group of Republicans that don't have the majority of the Republican ideals and that care more about, you know, their own political careers or whatever it is rather than our country.

ACOSTA: And Ana, I wanted to get your take on what's happening with Democratic Senator Bob Menendez. He's facing these growing calls to resign after being accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for influence. He says he's not resigning, but, Ana, as you know, you worked in politics for a while, when prosecutors are showing pictures of gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz on the 6:00 news, that's not good.

NAVARRO: Well, it doesn't seem to make a dent in George Santos resigning, does it? And there's also incredibly ethically pointing at questions of Clarence Thomas, and he doesn't seem to have any intention of resigning either. Look, I know Bob Menendez. I've known Bob Menendez for over -- I will

tell you for almost 30 years, have worked with him on a number of issues. He's been an incredibly strong, vocal voice for freedom in places like Cuba, like Nicaragua and Latin America, and for almost any issue involving Latinos in the United States he's been on the forefront. So this is very painful for me, and it's personal.

He's done this -- gone through this before, not resigned, confronted it, and came out on the other side with a mistrial and ended up back chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I'm looking at all of this, honestly I will tell you I don't even know what to think or how to explain it. It just -- you know, it's very difficult to understand what's happening. But Bob Menendez is as tough as they come.

ACOSTA: Yes.

NAVARRO: And I don't think he's budging or going anywhere.

ACOSTA: Doesn't look like it. And Stephanie, what do you think? Because, I mean, there are some growing calls in the Democratic Party for Menendez to step down. John Fetterman, senator from Pennsylvania, calling for Menendez to step down. I suppose those calls are only going to grow as the days go on. But Ana makes a good point, we've heard this at other points during this program today, and that is, you know, Donald Trump.

[19:10:07]

You know, he's not exactly going anywhere. George Santos, not exactly going anywhere. And so you're going to have some Democrats who are going to say, why should Bob Menendez go anywhere even with all of these allegations that he's facing right now.

GRISHAM: Yes. You know, just a little while ago I was actually thinking that, I was thinking, you know, yet another thing that Trump has brought to the table is just kind of the way that people are so defiant in saying, well, I'm not going anywhere. And look, I do believe that everybody is innocent before proven guilty. I've said that about even Trump who I -- you know, not a fan of.

And so I think he did the right thing by just stepping down from the Foreign Relations Committee. But I think that, you know, we've got to let it play out. We've got to see what's going on. And I say that about everybody. I say that right now about Trump, I say that about Hunter Biden, I say that about Joe Biden. I think we've got to let it play out because sadly in this day and age right now with politics, everything becomes so visceral and all you have to do is lob accusations at somebody and they're immediately guilty.

ACOSTA: I mean, Ana, and I have to get a quick take from you --

NAVARRO: But, you know, Jim, if I may?

ACOSTA: Go ahead.

NAVARRO: If I may add, I think it brings up the bigger issue that nobody in Congress wants to address because they are, frankly, reaping the benefits of it. But it's the bigger issue of relatives cashing in on the names of their relatives in power, right. Whether it's Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump or whether it's Hunter Biden or whether it's some senator's child or cousin or stupid brother, you name. It happens, it happens too often.

And I think there needs to be -- or whether it's Clarence Thomas. There needs to be clarifications, and this needs to be tightened up so that people know the difference between legal and illegal and they don't get -- they don't cross those gray areas.

ACOSTA: Is the solution term limits? I mean, if this town stinks to high heaven as it seems to really stink to high heaven these days, is it time for term limits? Not just up on Capitol Hill but for justices on the Supreme Court? I mean, the allegations you just mentioned, Ana, allegations against Clarence Thomas are just growing.

NAVARRO: I'm not -- I'm not a fan of term limits because I think it then opens the door for a bunch of people who are not -- who don't know the institution, have no institutional -- like for example we're looking at Mitt Romney who has imposed term limits on himself because of his age. The problem is that the people -- the younger ones aren't all that good either. A lot of them are crazy and don't know squat about legislation.

So I'm not a fan of term limits. What I am a fan of, though, is emoluments closes, ethics, rigorously and strictly enforcing these rules, making them clear. Look, I think there should be a commission set up so that any time a relative of somebody in Congress is going to accept a consulting agreement or do any lobbying for anybody it has to go through review and be approved.

Because, believe you me, this is not the only case of a no-show job for a congressional spouse or relative. You and I know them. We all know them.

ACOSTA: Yes. No question --

NAVARRO: And it needs to stop. It's disgusting. It's (INAUDIBLE), and you know, and -- if it's not going to be illegal, it should not be allowed and it should be very well -- you know, articulated as to what is and is not allowed.

ACOSTA: Yes. Well, you're right about that. All this rain that we're getting this weekend, not enough to wash away all the stuff you're talking about here in this town. Ana, you're absolutely right about that.

Ana and Stephanie, great to talk to you as always. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:17:53] ACOSTA: As American democracy faces continued and persistent threats heading into the 2024 election, Pennsylvania is taking a new step when it comes to voting. Starting immediately, if you get or renew your driver's license and are eligible, you automatically will be registered to vote. Pennsylvania joins 23 states and Washington, D.C., with this practice. The governor of Pennsylvania says it will make voter registration lists more accurate and save taxpayers time and money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Look, this is common sense. You already provide proof of identity, residency, age, and citizenship at the DMV. All the information you need to register to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And joining us now to talk about this is Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt.

Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for your time. We really appreciate it.

AL SCHMIDT (R), PENNSYLVANIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: So what do you think the impact of this will have on elections in Pennsylvania going forward? Are you going to have more voters as a result of this? What do you think?

SCHMIDT: Well, Pennsylvania has more than 1.5 million eligible voters who are not currently registered to vote. This simple but significant step will help enable those people to register to vote more easily. They always have the option to opt out and not register if they chose for one reason or another. But this is a significant step in that direction.

ACOSTA: And I wanted to get your thoughts on this effort to disqualify former President Donald Trump from being on the ballot using the 14th Amendment. I'm sure you've seen this conversation. You are the secretary of state in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. You've seen some legal scholars say that his involvement in the January 6th insurrection, that that makes him essentially ineligible to run. Is that something that you're looking into in Pennsylvania?

SCHMIDT: The Pennsylvania Election Code doesn't give me as secretary of the Commonwealth the authority to reject any potential candidate's nomination petitions based on eligibility for the office. That's really a matter that can only be determined by the courts.

[19:20:03]

ACOSTA: And -- but what do you make of the theory?

SCHMIDT: I don't really have opinions on theories. What we do and don't do at the Pennsylvania Department of State is follow the law. theories. S on theories. What we do and don't do at the Pennsylvania department of state is follow the law. And in Pennsylvania the law such as it is does not give the secretary the authority to disqualify any candidate based on eligibility.

ACOSTA: And Mr. Secretary, I want to ask you about the federal and state investigations into Trump's attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 election. Have you been in further contact with some of these authorities investigating this, the special counsel, Fulton County D.A.? Might we see your involvement in some way in those investigations moving forward?

SCHMIDT: Jim, I'm sorry, I really can't speak to that one way or the other.

ACOSTA: And what -- I mean, because you got caught up in some of this as we all know back in the 2020 election. You spoke out on this courageously at that time. What are your thoughts going into the 2024 election cycle? There were a lot of allegations made by the former president about unfounded claims of voter fraud going on in Pennsylvania. He's obviously going to make those kinds of comments again in the future.

What are you doing as the secretary of the Commonwealth for Pennsylvania to gear up for this, to be prepared for this? Because last time around, as you know, election officials were being threatened around the country and that sort of thing. What's that process going to be like for you?

SCHMIDT: Well, in 2020 I only did what every election administrator that I know did across the country, and big cities and rural counties, red and blue alike, and that is to stand up for their voters and having their votes counted. It's really important I think for election administrators, no matter where you are, to closely monitor the sort of misinformation and disinformation that voters are being subjected to right now.

Elections have changed a lot in the last couple of years. They've become very complicated. It's no wonder that voters have questions. And it's important that we not let them be exploited by bad faith actors seeking to undermine confidence in election results when they lose.

ACOSTA: All right. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

SCHMIDT: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right, still ahead, Ukraine pulls off a direct hit on the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet. Colonel Cedric Leighton is at the magic wall to show us how they did it and the impact it could on the war. That's next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:27:00] ACOSTA: Take a look at that. That was the moment a Ukrainian cruise missile struck the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine says the attack left dozens dead and wounded including senior Russian naval officers.

Joining us now to discuss is CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel Leighton, that's some pretty impressive firepower that the Ukrainians just unleashed on the Russians there. Help us understand the significance of this strike.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Sure is, Jim. One of the key things to think about here is exactly what happened. You look at this roof, and it's basically destroyed right here with this impact from the missile. And when you look at the other things that happened on the street here in Sevastopol, there's a lot of collateral damage that's associated with this missile strike.

So what the Ukrainians did was really impressive from a tactical standpoint and also from a strategic standpoint because this right here is the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet, and that, of course, is one of the main areas where they're actually looking at all the different command and control aspects that the Russians are running out of this building.

And so this, one of the key things that you have here is -- you know, when you're looking at Crimea, Sevastopol is right about here, and you've got them running all of this right -- all of the Black Sea operations right here. You also have them controlling what's going on the southern front. And so when they're doing this, they are also looking at controlling what's going on in Odessa, and that is important because this is where Ukraine is actually shipping its grain out of.

So anything that the Ukrainians can do to attack this particular target, that is what is critical for the Ukrainians from their war effort.

ACOSTA: Right. And Ukraine may soon be getting these long-range missiles known as ATACMS. What impact does an attack like this have on their argument for more systems like this? Because, I mean, this is the kind of I guess punishment they want to inflict on the Russians.

LEIGHTON: Well, it certainly is. So ATACMS systems like the one that is being used right here and when you see this -- this is the ATACMS in flights, what this particular missile can do is, of course, go over a whole area that is about 190 miles or so. So if you launch it from about here, it could cover this area right in here. What the Ukrainians did when they launched this attack, they came in and they used probably what amounts to a homegrown missile or one of these missiles.

And this is the storm shadow missile which is on the SU-24 fighter jet that the Ukrainians have. So when they did this, they were able to use this kind of equipment and do it in a way that actually was -- you know, I think partly a more important way of handling this, but it was also a system where they're improvising, using some Western things, some Western weapons systems to do this. But the other things that they can do here is they can actually use this in a way that they have the range for the Storm Shadow is going to be up to 250 miles depending on the variant. It's an air launch system, like I mentioned with the SU-24, and it can hit hardened targets.

[19:30:15]

Now, if they bring ATACMS into this, the range is about 190 miles. It is a ground launch system. It originally was used to handle infantry and softer targets, but it can also handle some of the more hardened targets such as armor.

So this is a critical thing. There's one capability with a Storm Shadow, there is another capability with the ATACMS and they are complementary to each other.

ACOSTA: Yes, their capabilities are certainly getting upgraded. And one Ukrainian official warned that the Black Sea Fleet could be "sliced up like a salami" in potential future strikes. How do you think Ukraine could pull that off? Can they pull that off?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think one of the key things is that when the Ukrainians are doing this, they are actually using something that is part of the intelligence process they are going through, and they're taking a look and seeing where each one of these ships is, for example.

And if they target each one of these chips, what they're doing, Jim, is they're making sure that the Russian capability to control the Black Sea, all of this water right here is limited so they can actually do this and it is possible that they could actually slice and dice the Black Sea Fleet if they wanted to.

ACOSTA: All right, we'll be watching for that. We know you will as well.

Colonel Cedric Leighton, always appreciate your expertise and insights. Thanks for coming in on this rainy Saturday evening. Really appreciate it.

LEIGHTON: You bet.

ACOSTA: Still ahead, a big test for Coach Deion Sanders, Primetime, and his Colorado Buffaloes. Was it primetime today? Could they keep their unbeaten streak alive? Rachel Nichols joins us coming up in just a few moments on all of this and more.

Stick with us, you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. There she is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:35:49]

ACOSTA: New tonight, days of talks between Hollywood studios and the Writers Guild this week may be paying off. Both sides are in the "final phase" of negotiations to end the strike now on Day 145.

CNN's Camila Bernal joins us live from Los Angeles.

Camila, what are you learning?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jim. Yes, 145, this is exactly the kind of news that so many writers and really everyone in the industry here has been waiting to hear for almost five months now.

This is a big deal and we are learning that they are in those final phases of these negotiations. And according to my colleague, Oliver Darcy, this could come to a conclusion by the end of the weekend. We could see a deal here, which of course, is filling people with hope.

Keep in mind, this is the fourth day of these marathon sessions. The only difference today has been that the heads of the major studios that includes Warner Bros Discovery, CNN's parent company, NBC Universal, Disney, Netflix -- the heads of the studios were not in the room today. But sources did tell CNN that they were engaged still in those negotiations.

Look, this is a strike that has really paralyzed Hollywood, but it's also a domino effect. So many other industries have been impacted by this strike and the reality is that it has had a huge economic impact, more than $5 billion to be exact.

And so a lot of the writers that I've talked to have told me, look, we want to return to work, they want this. But of course, there's still a lot to go here because they have to ratify the deal once it becomes a deal, and then not only that, the actors are also on strike, which means that things are not necessarily going to go back to normal anytime soon.

ACOSTA: All right, Camila Bernal, thanks for staying on top of it. It could be a busy weekend out there in Hollywood if this thing comes through. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

In the meantime, turning to sports, Deion Sanders and the University of Colorado got a bit of a reality check today. The Oregon Ducks rolled over Coach Prime's Buffaloes this afternoon, 42 to six, but the Buffs are the talk of college football so far this season.

Let's bring in Rachel Nichols. She is the host of "Headliners with Rachel Nichols" on Showtime.

Rachel, I mean, I guess you know, even Deion Sanders gets brought down to earth from time to time. What did you make of what took place today? I mean, Oregon is an incredibly talented team. There's just no question about it after today.

RACHEL NICHOLS, HOST, "HEADLINERS WITH RACHEL NICHOLS" ON SHOWTIME: Yes. Yes, no one expected Colorado to win every game it played and they were heavy underdogs in this one, but even with the loss, Jim, the Buffaloes are three in one compared to one and 11 last season.

And the team has become this national phenomenon. It's because of Deion Sanders. First of all, he's a great recruiter, he goes into a kid's house, he flashes those Super Bowl rings, that smile, and he has been able to lure all kinds of top players to this roster. In fact, they brought in 51 new players this season.

ACOSTA: Wow.

NICHOLS: He's also been able to recruit the best assistant coaches in the country. So they have a great roster in the coaching staff as well.

But then, you know from watching him, Jim, it goes beyond that. It's the Deion effect, right? He's just so charming. He's so inspiring and it has inspired fans, even people with no kind of connection to Colorado at all are coming to games. They're watching on TV.

Last week's game was among the top 10 watched college football games ever.

ACOSTA: Amazing.

NICHOLS: And it's estimated that he brings in tens of millions of dollars each weekend for home games.

ACOSTA: Yes, I was not that excited about Deion Sanders being up against this program earlier this afternoon. I will say I thought about that for just a moment.

But talk about the impact that this is having on college football. Are we going to see other big celebrity football greats coming out of retirement and going into coaching in the college ranks, like Deion is doing here? I mean, or is this just something special that we're watching right now?

You just don't see very often in sports, somebody come in and just do a massive turnaround of a program like that.

NICHOLS: Yes. I mean, look, I do think that it will have a ripple effect. I think that first of all, it will impact how many Black head coaches we have in college football. Right now, it is an extremely low number. That number needs to get a lot higher and seeing someone successful always inspires university presidents and boosters.

[19:40:06]

I think we will see people want to put programs in the hands of former athletes as well, so I think we will see that ripple effect. But Jim, Deion Sanders is one of one. He is the only person in American history to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. So you can try to replicate what he's done, but he is kind of the only one who can do it.

ACOSTA: Often imitated, never duplicated. Season tickets sold out for the rest of the season. Huge impact for the school and for the City of Boulder. I mean, he wants to win a national title, it sounds like, and he may do it in a school that usually isn't in that conversation. NICHOLS: Yes. Yes. I don't think he will do it this year, but you

know, again, just turning around from one and 11, I want to keep saying that. That's what they were last year. He absolutely intends to build this long term.

He said that both he and his son is definitely going to be there next season. His son, is of course, the star quarterback.

ACOSTA: Yes.

NICHOLS: The star quarterback of this team, and that he wants to make this in Alabama. He wants to make this a national powerhouse, and t hen once he's done that, Jim, I don't know, we've already heard Jerry Jones over at the Dallas Cowboys talking about just what a great coach he is and start to think maybe if he has a coaching opening down the road.

ACOSTA: Oh, no.

NICHOLS: I don't know, we could see him go on to the NFL as well. Again, only American to ever be in a World Series and in a Super Bowl. He thinks he can do anything. And so far, he's been generally right.

ACOSTA: Yes, please don't have him go to Dallas. You're going to give me heart palpitations if that happens being a Washington Commanders fan. But anyway, let's talk about NFL.

NICHOLS: Yes.

ACOSTA: Jets quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. He wants to come back. Many are calling this a season if not career-ending torn Achilles injury, but he's undergone surgery. He's in good shape. And here's what he had to say on ESPN. Let's listen to this real fast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON RODGERS, NEW YORK JETS QUARTERBACK: But I'm going to do everything I can rehab-wise to put myself in a position to be ready to play football again at some point and that's the goal.

I mean, obviously when this happened, there's a lot of thoughts about like, is that it? You know, cash it in, you're done. I don't -- I just don't feel like I am. So I'm going to put myself in position to be able to play again and then see when that is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And Rachel, he reportedly underwent some kind of innovative surgery that could speed up his rehab. Is that possible that be back before the end of the season?

NICHOLS: Before the end of the season would be a stretch. In fact, the fastest person to come back from the surgery, even with the new advanced technique was five months. Five months would land him exactly on Super Bowl Sunday. So I think it's unlikely that the Jets would get there without him. I

think if they did, they probably wouldn't bench the quarterback who got them there. But I do think that we are going to see Aaron Rodgers try to make a go of it in training camp, and we'll have to see at 40 years old, if he can accomplish what athletes younger than him, frankly, have not been able to do and be himself.

ACOSTA: Amazing. All right, great stuff. Rachel, great to see as always, really appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

NICHOLS: Absolutely, Jim.

ACOSTA: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:31]

ACOSTA: California's wildfire season is winding down, but the threat seems to grow more ominous every day, so fire officials are always looking for ways to gain an advantage, and the latest may come in the form of artificial intelligence.

CNN's Stephanie Elam explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In California where wildfires are a constant threat, firefighters want every advantage they can get on a blaze before it becomes an inferno.

SCOTT SLUMPFF, CAL FIRE BATTALION CHIEF: While I was asleep in bed, my phone dinged.

ELAM (voice over): Cal Fire's Scott Slumpff got that leg up while testing new technology in July, when he got a text message with a link to this. Video of a fire that started in the middle of the night, deep in the California wilderness.

SLUMPFF: The dispatch center there was not aware of the fire.

ELAM (voice over): But something else was, artificial intelligence. Cal Fire in partnership with UC San Diego's ALERT California Program and its network of more than 1,000 cameras across the state is using the technology to recognize a fire early on.

STAFF CHIEF PHILIP SELEGUE, FIRE INTELLIGENCE, CAL FIRE: The next morning that fire would`ve been a fire of significance.

ELAM (voice over): Instead, firefighters were dispatched immediately knocking the blaze down before it did major damage.

SELEGUE: So the fires that you don`t hear about in the news is the greatest success of this.

ELAM (on camera): These cameras are the new eyes for firefighters. These two positioned more than 5,000 feet above sea level can see across this massive Southern California valley. And they're really adding precision to the spotting of wildfires compared to more traditional ways like this lookout station where I`m standing.

With this new AI technology, they can often spot wildfires more quickly than the human eye can.

ELAM (voice over): Here is how it works. Look at this image. Could you spot a fire? Probably not. But notice that red box on the right side, that is where artificial intelligence has detected a faint column of smoke.

BRIAN NORTON, FIRE LIAISON, ALERT CALIFORNIA: There is nothing on that horizon and then something appeared on that horizon that wasn't there before. It could be smoke. The camera will pick that up and go, that does not look normal.

SELEGUE: We've had multiple successes of fires at night that had gone undetected that we were able to suppress before a 911 phone call had even come in to the command centers.

ELAM (voice over): The pilot program works so well that Cal Fire recently expanded it to all 21 of its dispatch centers where an official will validate the imagery to make sure it is not just dust or clouds.

SELEGUE: Our goal as an agency is to keep 95 percent of our fires at 10 acres or less. So this tool increases our ability to ensure that we are keeping those fires small.

[19:50:06]

ELAM (voice over): And the AI is constantly learning, each time a human confirms or corrects what it detects, the technology adapts.

ELAM (on camera): Do you think that it is making a difference and how you're able to protect the population?

SLUMPFF: Absolutely.

ELAM (voice over): This technology won`t replace people, Cal Fire says.

SLUMPFF: Nothing can take the place of the boots on the ground.

ELAM (voice over): But can help first responders stop fires before they explode.

SLUMPFF: In my opinion, save lives and property.

ELAM (voice over): Stephanie Elam, CNN, Riverside County, California

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:55:20]

ACOSTA: All this week in our Champions for Change series, we have brought you stories of everyday people who are making a difference.

Erin Burnett's champion is a great example.

As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted just about everything, Mel Ramsey worked with kids and did his best to ensure some sense of normality.

Mel taught Erin's son karate and so much more in a time of quarantine and worry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEL RAMSEY, KARATE MASTER: Never forget the basics.

There's your block. Yes, good block.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Shuseki Shihan Mel Ramsey is a seventh degree black belt that teaches karate in New York City.

RAMSEY: The one particular word I want you guys to truly, truly forget is the word can't.

BURNETT: It's a word he refused to let define the pandemic for his karate community. Instead, it was, "Yes, we can."

RAMSEY: I mean, no one was prepared for it. We kind of thought, well, maybe it will last a couple of weeks, maybe a couple months.

But how we shut down and isolated ourselves and everything that we did on a regular basis, we didn't have access to anymore.

BURNETT (voice over): "Out Front" next, breaking news: Shutting down in a matter of hours. Disneyland shut down. March Madness canceled. Three states shutting down all schools.

BURNETT (on camera): I remember for us, at the beginning, trying to find what we could keep for our children. Nyle was really the older one at the time had some activities, karate. You know, he cared a lot about it.

You moved very quickly to come up with an alternative solution. What were the moments like for you, though?

RAMSEY: Well, it was a little scary, just like everything. We started doing virtual classes, which wound up to be really good, but sort of confining to do all the kicks and punches.

BURNETT: I remember we literally pushing the dining room table aside.

You know, it's karate time. You're shutting the shades, where we can see you from Zoom and moving everything out of the room.

RAMSEY: And the of course, the warm sets in and we started doing more outdoor training.

BURNETT: Did you realize you were sort of holding a community together?

RAMSEY: Well, I kind of felt just the opposite. I felt they were holding me together. So, we were here like, five, six days a week.

We had to find a way to keep -- continue going this way. How can we do that? I felt like I had an obligation do this.

BURNETT: What makes you enjoy it so much?

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I feel like it's not just what you are doing. It's the community is very welcoming and nice. They taught me and helped me the whole way.

STEVE BOGARDUS, SIXTH DEGREE BLACK BELT: I've been working with Mel for 30 years.

BURNETT: Thirty years.

BOGARDUS: He is such an incredible role model for everybody. Mel teaches you that regardless where you are in your life, you keep moving forward. You keep picking yourself up.

We have an expression, if you are knocked down seven times, you get up eight times.

RAMSEY: Not so much hip, okay?

BURNETT (voice over): Mel was tireless in stepping up and into his karate students' lives during the pandemic. His spirit and perseverance helped the group not just survive, but grow stronger.

BURNETT (on camera): And, Mel, you said if you are not learning and growing, something is wrong. You say this after doing this for 46 years. How do you inspire your karate students to take that on, just to learn and grow?

RAMSEY: Well, it's sort of like having a pilot light. If the pilot starts to dim, you need to find a way of motivating yourself. And sometimes it's hard.

I'm not going to quit. I just don't believe in that. I believe in, let's just keep going and see if we can become better than we were today. Let's see what tomorrow has in store.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And Erin is joining us now.

Erin, you've seen the karate instructor, Mel's impact on your son Nyle and the other students. Tell us about that. BURNETT: You know, it's interesting when I first met Mel, martial

arts, karate were completely unknown to me. So this is sort of you know, my window into this started a few months before COVID took over.

But it's been amazing to get to know someone like that, so humble, devoted to his craft and his practice and such an extraordinary impact on so many lives.

You know another woman that you saw in the piece there, Leslie, she actually met Mel through her daughter signed her daughter up for karate. Her daughter did it for many years and ended up stopping, but she has continued for decades.

And so she talks about the confidence and strength it's given her and many of these people who've known Mel for many years, not obviously the children, but they talk to him about how you change so much in your life. We all do. You need change.

Sometimes your friend groups change, but that this has been something that's been a constant, a constant for them and a source of confidence and strength and perseverance and certainly for my son, it has brought all of those things and becomes something that he feels is very significant in his young life.

ACOSTA: That's so great, and our kids need mentors in their lives. And it just seems like Mel has been that person for your son, and it is just so remarkable to see that.

It is such a great series, this Champions for Change series that we're doing and Erin, it's great to see a different side of your life. Just wonderful to see that.

Erin Burnett, thank you so much. Great to see as always, really appreciate it.

BURNETT: You too. Thanks.

ACOSTA: And up next, our one hour Champions for Change special hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you back here tomorrow at five Eastern.

Goodnight, everybody.

[20:00:49]