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Trump Again Brags About Tanking Border Security Deal; Trump Braggs Over Passing Cognitive Tests; Trump Criticizes Biden's Handling Of Classified Docs; U.N. "Extremely Worried" About Evacuating Gazans In Rafah As Israeli Army Readies Military Offensive; Massive Security Operation Underway Ahead Of Super Bowl; Migrant Teen Charged As An Adult Over Times Square Shooting. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired February 10, 2024 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:47]
JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.
Tonight, Donald Trump is hitting the stump in South Carolina for the first time this year, two weeks before the Republican primary in that state. Trump is hoping to deal a final blow to Republican rival Nikki Haley in her home state
But rather than highlighting policy differences with the former South Carolina governor, Trump is mocking her husband for being absent on the campaign trail while he is currently deployed overseas. Here's what Trump had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Where's her husband? Oh, he's away. He is away. What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband? Where is he? He's gone
He knew. He knew.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Of course, we should note Haley's husband is deployed overseas .The former president also celebrated his role in torpedoing the Senate's border security deal even before even knowing what's in it. He told Republicans to oppose the legislation saying they shouldn't give President Biden a win ahead of the election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This week, we also had another massive victory that every conservative should celebrate. We crushed crooked Joe Biden's disastrous open borders bill.
Mike Johnson did a very good job and the whole group did a great job in Congress. We crushed it. We saved America from yet another horrific Biden betrayal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CNN's Alayna Treene is live in Conway, South Carolina where Trump held a rally earlier this afternoon Alayna, what else did you hear from the former president?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you can see Donald Trump is actually closing out right now. He's giving his final remarks to the crowd here in Conway.
But look, it is very clear that this race between him and Nikki Haley, in this primary, has got an increasingly nasty. You just played some of those comments of him criticizing Nikki Haley's husband.
I just want to point out as well. Yes, Nikki Haley's husband has not been appearing with her on the trail because he is deployed overseas.
But also for -- the former first lady, Melania Trump, has not appeared with Donald Trump once on the trail, apart from his announcement back in 2020 when he announced he'd be running for the White House in 2024.
So I just want to give you that comparison there, but they've been training barbs, him and Nikki Haley, repeatedly today. And I just want you to get -- listen to what he said about mental competency test. This is something that Nikki Haley has also been needling Donald Trump on earlier today, Haley and her campaign at a campaign stop into South Carolina, were handing out mental competency tests to supporters in the crowd.
Donald Trump said, he supports people taking those tests and he thinks that other presidents should be doing so as well. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And I've called for cognitive test. I actually think anybody running for president should have tests, I think, and I pass them every time.
Dr. Ronny Jackson gave me the first one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Now, Jim, I do just want to point out that this is a state South Carolina that Donald Trump and his team feel very confident about, even though this is Nikki Haley's backyard. They are very optimistic about how he will perform here. And that's in part because of the polls that have consistently for several months now shown that he is overwhelming -- leading her overwhelmingly, but it's also because of the intensity they've seen on the ground even today in this venue.
This room is packed. They had many people waiting to get in outside. They had to close it to other to other attendees early, not letting everyone come in. It just shows kind of how excited a lot of people in South Carolina are for Donald Trump.
And it just adds to the fact as well, Jim, that they really do see this as a staple. They won't deliver the final blow to Haley's campaign. Of course, Haley, for her part, has said she's committed to staying in the race through South Carolina and even beyond mark-up Super Tuesday, excuse me, in early March.
So we'll see if that is how this pans out, but they are very confident about how he will do here in a couple weeks.
ACOSTA: All right. Alayna Treene, thank you very much.
And Democrats are in damage control after Special Counsel Robert Hur's findings in the classified documents probe. President Biden will not be charged with withholding documents, but Hur's unflattering comments about the president's mental acuity referring to him as an elderly person with a poor memory that clearly has struck a nerve inside the Biden camp this close to the critical general election cycle.
[16:05:16]
And CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins us now. Priscilla, what's the White House saying?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, they're going on the offensive. They're reminding people that there are no criminal charges here that were recommended, but they are also going after critics and Republicans who have been attacking the president over his age.
Today, the White House releasing a memo saying this. And this undeniable record, referring to the president's accomplishments in office, speaks to why it's no surprise that Republican officials continue their desperate and inadvertently self-undermining age attacks after many years of failure. They're afraid of Joe Biden.
And also goes on to talk about how alert the president has been described by General Mark Milley, as well as by House Speaker or former House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy.
Now, of course, the reason for all of this is because this report touched on one of the defining themes for the presidential election. That being the president's age and his fitness for office. And so the president's aides had been fuming when this report was coming out. They also called him sharp and tireless.
The president himself showing his own anger during the news conference, especially with mention that he didn't remember when his son died.
So all of these themes coming together with this report, aside from the substance which is that the president did indeed willfully retain and disclose classified information, but again, no recommended criminal charges.
Now, when you talk to campaign officials and White House officials about this, it all boils down to taking the president out of the White House for hitting the campaign trail and doing more of those traditional retail politics stops where voters can be the ones that engage with him one-on-one and draw judgment themselves over the president's age and whether he's fit to serve another term.
ACOSTA: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much.
Let's discuss more now with CNN political commentator, Ana Navarro. CNN political commentator, Bakari Sellers. And CNN contributor and former Nixon White House counsel, John Dean.
Guys, let me -- let me talk to you about all of this. Ana, let me start with you.
Trump is out there today talking about the importance of cognitive tests. And, you know, back in 2020, he was bragging that he passed this cognitive test. I think he said something along the lines of a person, woman, man, camera, television, something along those lines.
And that was all widely mocked at the time. I think he also said that it was administered by Dr. Ronny Jackson who was now a MAGA Republican member of Congress.
But I mean, is this an area where Trump really wants to have this debate?
ANA NAVARRO, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, apparently yes. And I think the reason he wants to have this debate is because, frankly, the people that support him don't care that he misspeaks or says crazy stupid things on a daily basis.
Let us remember, this is the president that gave us the gem about, let us inject bleach to combat COVID. This is the president that calls Yosemite National Park, Yosemite. This is the president that thinks windmills caused cancer, even though there is zero evidence to that.
This is the president that just 10 days ago, confused Nancy Pelosi for Nikki Haley, both of whom are women. He knows. And we can see regularly.
So -- but the great differences that while Democrats wring their hands and clutch their pearls about any word that Joe Biden might say wrong, Republicans don't care. They don't care that he's got 91 counts. They don't care that he's been found liable of sexual assault. They don't care if they heard him say, on tape and video and both, about grabbing a woman by her private. They simply don't care.
It's a huge difference between the MAGA base and the Democratic base.
ACOSTA: Yes. And, Bakari, I mean -- I mean, let's watch Trump talking about this back in 2020. This came up in reference to whether he was fit to be president and he was bragging he had passed a cognitive test and he was talking about it on Fox. Let's watch it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I said to the doctor, it was Dr. Ronny Jackson I said, is there some kind of a test, an acuity test? And he said there actually is, and he named it whatever it might be. And it was 30 or 35 questions. The first questions are very easy. The last questions are much more difficult like a memory question. It's like you'll go person, woman, man, camera, T.V. So they say, could you repeat that? So I said, yes. So it's person, woman, man, camera, T.V.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Bakari, I hope the cognitive test is tougher than that. But what about Trump taking a test with a non-Trump chosen doctor?
BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look I don't think any of this really matters. I'm with Ana Navarro here. And I don't think that there are too many tests standardized cognitive tic-tac-toe that Donald Trump can actually pass. But again, that doesn't matter here.
[16:10:09]
I think that there is a few -- there are a few things that do. But Democrats have to realize that Joe Biden is old, period. He's 81 years old. That doesn't mean he can't do the job. That doesn't mean he can't do the job well.
That may mean he's a little bit slower. That may mean that sometimes he misspeaks. But he's always had a stutter, so there's nothing wrong with his necessary speech patterns.
And we just have to come to the realization that we have someone who is literally old running for president of the United States, period. And I think Democrats have to, and particularly those in the White House, have to get him outside of Washington, D.C., to show that he's still capable of doing the job.
Donald Trump is going to be man, woman, person, camera, TV, until he dies. That is who he is. He is somewhat of a simpleton. And that's OK for the MAGA base. And what we have are these candidates that are running for office again.
There aren't going to be anyone to replace Joe Biden or Donald Trump. And Nikki Haley's not beating Donald Trump. This report won't matter in November. We just need to roll our sleeves up and get to it. I mean, people are waiting for this general election to unfold in totality. Let's just get to it.
ACOSTA: And, John, I did want to talk to you about this because, I mean, you were the White House Counsel during Watergate.
The special counsel was critical of President Biden's mental fitness, making reference to this in that report. Was that appropriate? Did that cross the line in your view?
JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It did cross the line. In fact, I was surprised to get out of the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice regulations and norms say that when you're particularly in a declination, when you're declining to prosecute, you don't really make take a shot on the way out.
And that's exactly what her has done. He has politicized it. He's cheapened his own work. He's hurt himself. And he didn't add anything to the insight other than to create a political issue that's going to be stirring the pot for a few weeks here.
ACOSTA: Yes. And, Ana, I mean, there's also this issue of, you know, aren't the voters capable of putting these things into perspective? Yes, the president is old. I mean, as Bakari was saying, he is old.
And there are going to be questions that are raised about this. The president has said it's a legitimate question to be asked. But aren't the voters capable of putting that up against Trump's own issues, his own slip ups, his own gaffes, what he says. And in addition to that, the fact that he's got four indictments, the fact that he tried to overturn the election.
I mean, the voters are going to sort this stuff out between now and November.
NAVARRO: Yes. Look, I think there's enough time where this will all become background noise, because at the end of the day, we're going to wind up with a binary choice of two old guys. But just one of those old guys has been impeached, twice. Just one of those old guys has been indicted on 91 counts. Just one of those old guys promoted an insurrection.
So I think that when all of this dies down, he and people realize there's not going to be a white knight in shining armor that suddenly comes from heaven and saves us from this binary choice. And this is what we have.
And, therefore, you have got to pick the better choice. And the better choice is Joe Biden, who frankly is the most consequential, effective president of my lifetime. The face he has achieved with a very difficult makeup in Congress are amazing.
But for some reason, Democrats, instead of pushing back with all of these accomplishments, get panicky because he mistook and he misspoke between Mexico and Egypt.
Clearly, the man called the Egyptian head of state and did what he had to do to get the border crossing open for humanitarian aid. Instead of focusing on the fact that he achieved that, so many Democrats are buying into the Republican created narrative of sleepy Joe and Joe is too old, while they pretend that Donald Trump is some sort of, I don't know, colossus of roads.
ACOSTA: And, Bakari, I mean, you're from South Carolina. I did want to ask you about what Trump was saying. We played a little bit at the top of the program about Nikki Haley's husband and asking, where's Nikki Haley's husband? When Nikki Haley's husband is deployed overseas right now.
And this is yet another example of Trump denigrating members of the military. He is -- it's been reported he has referred to members of the military who die in combat as suckers and losers and so on. And here, we have him mocking Nikki Haley's husband, asking where he's at, at a campaign rally when he should know he has been deployed overseas.
[16:15:06] SELLERS: I hear you and I agree with you and he regularly mocks individuals in the military, POWs, et cetera. But until someone who is running against him takes it seriously. Until someone who's running against him punches back and goes as low, when Donald Trump goes low, you need to dig a ditch. Until somebody goes there with him, he will continue to do it.
Look, you were talking about someone who has five children by three different women, right? Who has -- who cannot have the audacity to ask, where is your husband when your wife is nowhere to be found on the campaign trail?
Nikki Haley has to go there with him. Now it's a little late. But you have to remember, this is the same person that taught like a dog about Ted Cruz' wife, and Ted Cruz is now sitting there wanting to iron his pants.
Like when Donald Trump says these things, you have to be willing to move some furniture for the people you love. And that's the problem with the Republican Party. They simply do not have the spine or backbone to stand up to a bully like Donald Trump.
The question is, although it's late, does Nikki Haley have that backbone? I suspect she does from knowing her so much, but she just needs to take it to him for making smart remarks like that.
ACOSTA: All right. Bakari, John, Ana -- go ahead.
NAVARRO: I think that when he brings this up, where is her husband? It immediately leads to the question of, where's your wife, dude? And where's your daughter? You know, your sweet daughter, the one that you gave a plus job to and that made all this money, while you were in the White House and she was a senior advisor to you? Where'd she go?
Well, that's right. She's at Indian Creek up the road from here in Miami, trying to reinvent herself and nowhere near him, not only in the campaign trail, but also every time he's had to show up to court.
ACOSTA: Yes. Well, a lot of this is projection, as we know with Trump.
Guys, sit tight. I want to bring you back after a quick break and talk to John Dean about the classified documents issue because that came up as well today at Trump's rally. We'll talk about that right after the big break. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:20:28]
ACOSTA: Today, former president Donald Trump is criticizing President Biden's handling of classified documents after the release of a special counsel report detailing his mishandling of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Out of people saw those documents, they didn't see the ones we had. We had them blocked up and we had Secret Service all the time because I was president all the time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And my panel is back with me to discuss.
John Dean, let me go to you on this. I mean, you know, Trump brings up this classified document thing and makes it sound as though he hasn't done anything wrong. But even the special counsel's report that has been much criticized, because they're focusing on Biden's age and his acuity and so on, you know, it notes that there is a big difference between the way Biden dealt with this document issue and the way Trump dealt with this document issue.
And there is a big difference. Biden was not charged. He was not charged by the special counsel, by the Justice Department. Trump has been.
DEAN: Exactly. Also, there are pictures in both reports. And we know that Trump had boxes upon boxes in bathrooms, on stages, in ballrooms and what have you, spread out all over the property where they were very accessible. They were moved around from time to time.
We know there were just a few boxes and just a few documents that Biden's staff had put in his garage. And he wasn't even aware they were there. So they're very, very different handling of the documents.
And I think Trump is really the pot calling the kettle black here because he, obviously, he's charged with his refusal to return documents, whereas exactly the opposite with Biden, it's his cooperation that's exonerated him.
One other thing, Jim, just let me add, as somebody who might be considered a peer of Mr. Biden age-wise, I wouldn't be sitting here taking your questions if I didn't think our age group was memory appropriate.
ACOSTA: Right. And we have you on all the time and you're one of our best guests, John. No question about it.
And, Ana, I mean, I'm old enough to remember the 2016 campaign when Donald Trump went after Hillary Clinton on the classified document issue, on classified information, classified material. He did it time and again back then.
And here he is today still -- he's still having to deal with this issue. I mean, he is under indictment. He's going to have to go to trial and deal with it.
NAVARRO: Yes. But the thing about Donald Trump, and you almost have to marvel at it, is his ability to have zero shame. I mean, it's the most shameless human being, I think, in the recorded history Right?
This is a man who shamelessly attacked Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton for his infidelity, a man who we know cheated on the first wife with a second on the second with the third and on the third with a stripper and a Playboy bunny. Yet, he had the gall to call out Bill Clinton on that. Bill Clinton, who's no saint. So the same thing happens with this classified document issue. Despite the fact that his case, the circumstances are much worse than Joe Biden's, here he is claiming the absolute opposite.
And, you know, I also want to say, and I think we have to put in context this. Let's remember that what happened here was that Joe Biden said to Merrick Garland, his DOJ secretary, you're not my lawyer, you are this country's lawyer.
[16:25:06]
And Merrick Garland, in trying to protect his precious reputation, appointed this special counsel. And apparently did nothing to edit a report that, in my view, goes way beyond his purview and scope as special counsel.
ACOSTA: Right.
NAVARRO: Why if he's not charging, he comes out with a 300-plus page report where he sounds more like a medical doctor than a lawyer, I think erases many questions. And that was all because Joe Biden said to Merrick Garland, you do what you have to do and I'm hands off.
Very different than what Donald --
ACOSTA: Yes.
NAVARRO: -- Trump did his entire --
ACOSTA: Let me ask Bakari and John with us. Bakari first. There is some reporting out there that the president is frustrated with Merrick Garland. Are you frustrated as a -- as a prominent Democrat, a Democratic operative, somebody who is obviously very much in the Biden camp? Are you frustrated with Merrick Garland?
SELLERS: Not at all. I mean, I think Merrick Garland has done yeoman's work since he's been over there and they maintain the independence of the Attorney General's office and the Department of Justice.
I can understand Joe Biden's frustration, especially when you have someone who talks about whether or not you can remember the death of your child and when your child passed away. That seems to be a little bit below the belt.
But I mean, if you want to talk about Kristen Clarke and the DOJ Civil Rights Department, if you want to talk about many other efforts, this department has made in just doing a complete 180 from the Justice Department that you remember Jeff Sessions and what's the guy's name who was there for like -- for like 12 minutes? I can't even recall him.
ACOSTA: Right.
SELLERS: And you just remember that the revolving door of individuals who was at the Department of Justice, Merrick Garland should be on the United States Supreme Court. He's beyond reproach. He's doing his job. Many people will argue he should have done this way, this way or this -- that way, but looking four weeks, we want to even remember that her report will be focusing on getting guilty verdicts in Donald Trump and his own classified trial.
ACOSTA: John, I mean, you've been smacked to have in the middle of these kinds of debates and battles. What's your sense of how Merrick Garland has handled all of this?
DEAN: I think it's a tough job for a former judge. While Garland started his career at the Department of Justice as a young prosecutor and went out and tried some very tough cases, including the bombing in Oklahoma City, he really -- he changed when he went to the bench. And you -- that happens, particularly at the appellate level.
You're very isolated, you're very non-political, and what have you. I think his antenna are kind of numbed at this point. And while he's trying to bring the reputation of the department back, in some ways, his unfamiliarity with the pulse of the way the politics work in Washington has slipped by him, and he is -- he's missing some calls.
The temporary Whitaker, attorney general, is an example of a pure --
SELLERS: That's the one.
DEAN: -- political appointment who can't get confirmed.
ACOSTA: Matt Whitaker, right.
DEAN: So that's an isolated case and a good example of just being very political about the department. But I think that there is well-founded criticism by some of the way Garland has handled the department. I'm a former associate deputy attorney general, so I know how the department works. And I'm surprised at some of the decisions that have been made.
ACOSTA: All right. Well, Ana, Bakari, John, great conversation. Thanks for kicking it off for us this weekend, this Super Bowl weekend. We appreciate it. Good to see you all of you.
SELLERS: Thank you.
ACOSTA: All right. Still ahead, growing concerns for Palestinian civilians in Southern Gaza. What an Israeli official is now telling CNN about the timeline of the IDF evacuation of more than a million people from the city of Rafah. We'll talk about that in a few moments. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:33:19]
ACOSTA: The United Nations says it's "extremely worried" as the Israeli military prepares to evacuate the southern city of Rafah for its next ground offensive. Rafah, which is along the Egyptian border, is the last place of refuge
for civilians in Gaza. About 1.3 million people are currently sheltering there. Many of them say they have nowhere left to go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everywhere else, there's always a way to get out and escape. But we can't get out of Rafah. We have no other alternative. Either we die here, or we die in our homes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The Norwegian Refugee Council warns Rafah would become a, quote, "zone of bloodshed and destruction" if all of this is carried out.
CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, joins us live from Tel Aviv.
Nic, how is this evacuation plan going to work?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's not clear at all, Jim. Prime Minister Netanyahu has told the military it's up to them to come up with a plan.
But if you look at the way the past four months of fighting has gone inside of Gaza itself, the plan has been to move civilians sort of neighborhood by neighborhood or several blocks at a time.
Give them a route at a certain time to use that route, and tell them to basically head toward the Mediterranean and a big refugee camp. Now that place alone doesn't have shelter for the near million people or so that would be expected to leave Rafah. So it's not clear.
And plus, on top of that, people have died, civilians have died on the safe routes. They've died in the safe zones. And they've died trying to stay at their homes and hunker down.
So the options, as you heard that person in Rafah saying, for them, they really feel -- and many of those folks have already moved three, four, five times to get to where they are.
[16:35:00]
The Egyptians are worried because the Egyptians are worried that if there is an -- if the IDF goes in with ground forces into the town, people will try to get over the border.
The Saudis are saying they think there will be serious consequences if there's a military operation. They're saying this should go to the U.N. Security Council.
So the temperature and the rhetoric is being raised on this.
That doesn't appear to be an official command from the prime minister for the military to go ahead and begin an evacuation or begin a ground -- a ground offensive into the area itself.
But certainly the impression is created, it could be very close -- Jim?
ACOSTA: And, Nic, I just -- to follow up, we're talking about men, women, children, all kinds of civilian. And also moving them away from facilities that have been set up to take care of them. People who have evacuated for other places in Gaza. There are a lot of dimensions to this.
ROBERTSON: There are. There's an estimated, according to UNICEF, the U.N.'s children fund, there's an estimated 600,000 children there who are depending on food handouts from different U.N. agencies.
If we think about it this way, logically, I guess, that people have left their homes, they don't have the money they left with. They've lost their -- some cases, they say it's been stolen. They've spent all their last remaining money on a bit of food for the family.
There are reports of people in the north of Gaza even now resorting to making bread out of animal feed, eating off of grass.
So the conditions that people are living in there are very, very desperate conditions. And for children, 600,000 of them, to be uprooted from already an insecure prospect to an even less secure prospect, for the U.N. that just, you know -- the U.N. already says some areas on the edge of famine.
This is -- this is why people are so concerned about it -- Jim?
ACOSTA: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you very much for that report. We appreciate it.
We'll have much more news straight ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:41:27]
ACOSTA: Just a bit more than 24 hours until kickoff of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. This year's event pits the Kansas City Chiefs, who are looking for back-to-back titles against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Super Bowl is not the only biggest game of the year in the U.S. It has some of the tightest security of any event in the world.
CNN security correspondent, Josh Campbell, is in Las Vegas for us.
Josh, a lot going on there to make sure everybody's safe getting to the game.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Security, Jim, will be extensive. Months of preparation have been undertaken here to get to this point.
There will be hundreds of law enforcement officers protecting the hundreds of thousands of fans in and outside the stadium. Authorities rolling out a host of resources, including scanners for everyone that's going inside. There are explosive detection K-9s.
There are also, similar to what you have in Washington, D.C., during special events, these sensors that can essentially sniff the air for any type of chemical, biological, nuclear threat. That's all happening on the ground.
In the air, there will be a temporary flight restriction instituted an hour before kickoff. That will be enforced by U.S. military fighter jets.
Now one particular area of focus for law enforcement pertains to drones. That's because drone technology is obviously so cheap and easy to obtain. Someone seeking to do harm with a drone can use that type of platform to do so.
So the FBI, other law enforcement agencies have rolled out these counter-drone systems. I've seen them up close. They're impressive.
Allows authorities to essentially take over a drone, either drop it out of the sky or, if there's a concern that maybe it has some type of concerning payload, they can vector that drone away from a large crowd. So a lot of work going on there, Jim.
It's important to point out, at this point, authorities haven't discovered any type of information, any intelligence leading them to believe that there will be problems. But they say they'll be ready.
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHY LANIER, NFL HEAD OF SECURITY: There is no known specific or credible threats to the game or any of the events surrounding Super Bowl. As always, you'll see an increased security presence, not only around the stadium on game day, but also around all of our other events.
SPENCER EVANS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, LAS VEGAS DIVISION: We have FBI personnel stationed in our own emergency operations center and at every joint command post and intelligence center operating throughout the Las Vegas valley.
We are monitoring and sharing every scrap of information that indicates a potential threat with all of our interagency law enforcement and appropriate private sector partners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: Now of course, the work of law enforcement, Jim, doesn't end at the final score. They still have to get all of these people out of there and safely home.
We're told by TSA that they will be ramping up the number of personnel they have at Harry Reid International Airport. All security checkpoints at that airport will be fully open for a period of 48 hours trying to get people out of there.
Of course, Jim, we know that not everyone who leaves Vegas leaves Vegas a winner. There are going to be some fans that are unhappy with their side losing.
TSA trying to do the best they can to get them home, not wanting to add insult to injury having to wait in a backed-up airport -- Jim?
ACOSTA: And, Josh, I can't let you go without asking about Taylor Swift and whether that adds any kind of a wrinkle to all of this in terms of security preps.
CAMPBELL: No. I'm glad you asked. We believe she's in the air right now. We'll see when she arrives. Obviously, a lot of focus is going to be on her.
The Department of Homeland Security secretary was actually asked that point, does that provide an added layer of work and concern.
He said, you know, they're going to have the full security experience even with someone like her, a VIP, the type of security posture that will be at that event could handle any type of celebrity, not just Taylor Swift.
But obviously all eyes will be on her there. The security folks will be working, as well.
[16:45:03]
The unfortunate part for security people -- I've worked at these major events -- they don't get to watch the game. They're busy working and looking for threats. But a lot of fans will have a great time.
ACOSTA: You're absolutely right, Josh. There's so many law enforcement officials that are working around the clock to make sure this is a very safe and fun Super Bowl.
All right, Josh Campbell, thank you very much.
Still ahead, a teen migrant arrested in connection with a shooting in Times Square has been charged as an adult. What we're learning as officials give a new warning against making generalizations about migrants. We'll talk about that, as well.
You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:49:59]
ACOSTA: Some dramatic police body cam out of Ohio tonight. Watch what happens when this Columbus police officer closes in on a vehicle stolen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Stop the car!
(GUNFIRE)
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now the car slammed into the officer, flipping him onto the hood, and he fires at the driver right through the windshield. The driver sped away from the scene but was arrested after she crashed into two vehicles, head on, a few blocks away and taken to the hospital in serious condition.
The driver of the other two vehicles were treated at the scene for minor injuries. The officer, we should note, was struck by the car. He was hospitalized but we're told he's in stable condition. Just incredible work by those officers.
Also new tonight, we're getting recordings from a plane crash on a south Florida highway that killed two people.
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PILOT: Challenger Hop-A-Jet 823 lost both engines, emergency. Make an emergency landing.
TOWER: Got that emergency cleared to land. Runway 23. Is that Hop-A- Jet 823?
PILOT: We're cleared to land, but we're not going to make the runway. We've lost both engines.
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ACOSTA: The private plane that took off from Ohio trying to make an emergency landing on Interstate 75 near Naples when it crashed into a car and slammed into a wall, exploding in flames and smoke.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there anybody else in there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sir. Our pilot.
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ACOSTA: Three people survived the crash, which happened a mile away from the airport. The FAA and the NTSB are now investigating this evening.
In New York, a 15-year-old arrested in connection with Thursday night's shooting in Times Square have been charged as an adult. Police say he is a migrant from Venezuela. He's accused of shooting and injuring a woman inside of a store and firing twice at an officer during a foot chase. Also this week, the Manhattan district attorney indicted seven people
including migrants in connection with this attack against two NYPD officers. The mayor and police are clearly worried about retaliatory violence against migrants. They're warning people that most of them are law abiding.
And Jean Casarez is in New York with this.
Jean, what can you tell us?
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the official charges are, and he is being tried as an adult, are two counts of attempted murder against a New York City police officer, two counts of possession of a weapon, criminal assault and attempted criminal assault.
Law enforcement is saying, we don't care who you are or where you come from, we care about the crime, we care about law and order.
Here are the facts from Thursday night. It was Times Square and so many people there, the hustle and bustle around 7:00 p.m.
There is a store in Times Square, J.D.s , which is an athletic footwear store and some clothing also. There were three migrants in there, two 15-year-olds, one 16-year-old. They were shoplifting, getting things ready to take them out.
The 15-year-old came near the door, going to leave with his items. The loss prevention officer said, we'd like those back.
That's when witnesses say he stepped back, took a.45 caliber gun out of his clothing, pointed it at her, shot, but he missed. He hit a tourist, a 37-year-old Brazilian woman here with her husband on vacation. Shot her in the leg. So she's rushed to Bellevue.
He runs out of the store and the NYPD runs after him. And that's in the midst of this very large crowd. He gets the gun out again, turns around, and according to surveillance footage and the NYPD, he shoots two shots at the police officer, not striking him.
The NYPD did not return fire because there were so many people there.
But the chief of patrol, John Chell, said we have to look at the facts but we also have to look at the bigger picture here.
Take a listen.
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JOHN CHELL, NYPD CHIEF OF PATROL: We saw the moped robberies and snatches. We see pockets being picked in Times Square and on the subway. We see groups go into Macy's, King's Plaza, Glass Hut stealing property.
So I want to be clear again, right? We don't care, we don't care who you are or what you are or your status is. We do our jobs to keep this community safe. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: We cannot forget the victims here. The 37-year-old female was shot in the leg. She will survive, however, how will her life be impacted going forward with this injury?
Also, Jim, can you imagine being in that crowd in Times Square you suddenly see a young kid take a gun, turn, and start shooting it? You have to wonder if you will be next. And that trauma will be remembered by those people also.
[16:55:06]
ACOSTA: Absolutely, Jean. Very scary situation, a densely populated tourist area, no question about it.
All right, Jean Casarez, thank you very much.
If you don't know Michael Oher's name from his eight-year career in the NFL, then you probably know it from the movie, "The Blind Side," the Hollywood story about Oher, who is African-American, who was rescued from poverty and homelessness by a wealthy white family who positioned him for success in college football and beyond.
But last year, Oher alleged that Sean and Leight Anne Tuohy never adopted him but, instead, filed a conservatorship and profited from a false narrative, which they denied.
The conservatorship has since been terminated by a Tennessee judge. But Oher's case and seeking information from the Tuohys about his finances is ongoing.
Now the new CNN FlashDocs "Blindsided" examines the story behind Hollywood's take on Oher and the Tuohys.
And here's a preview.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Controversy certainly hidden in "The Blind Side."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michael Oher blindsided, he says, by the family at the center of the Hollywood blockbuster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alleging they got millions from pushing a false narrative that they adopted him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The movie depicted a totally different person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael really didn't like the movie from the beginning. They followed him everywhere while he was in the NFL, no escaping it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He felt like someone was making money from this movie and it wasn't him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said they never intended to adopt Michael. As they say from the south, you have some explaining to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seemed to be all love. And a lot was offered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was portrayed as unable, without the help of the Tuohy family, to have made his way in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The movie is great. Allows us to go around and talk about the Michael Ohers of the world that need a forever family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know what a conservatorship is now thanks to Britney Spears. To hear that something like that had gone on, it strikes a nerve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They blindsided him from the start.
ANNOUNCER: "Blindsided" tonight at 8:00, on CNN.
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