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CNN This Morning

Sportswriter Grant Wahl Dies While Covering Qatar World Cup; Brittney Griner In "Good Spirits" After Return To U.S.; Clock Ticking For Congress On Defense, Government Spending Bills; Major Winter Storm Brings Heavy Rain and Snow to Western U.S.; Lava Flow in Hawaii Stalls, No Longer Threatening Main Highway; A New Survey Shows Staff, Equipment Shortages Plague U.S. Public Schools. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired December 10, 2022 - 06:00   ET

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

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[06:00:28]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Buenos dias. And welcome to CNN this morning. I'm Boris Sanchez.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Boris. I'm Amara Walker. Reactions pouring in overnight as the soccer world learns of the sudden death of a journalist Grant Wahl who collapsed while covering the World Cup.

SANCHEZ: Plus, new details this morning about what Brittney Griner experienced inside a Russian prison.

WALKER: And as the Democratic senator leaves the party, a critical week lies ahead for Congress. Can they reach a bipartisan deal to fund the government and the military?

SANCHEZ: We made it to Saturday. It is December 10th. We are grateful to have you. Amara, always great to be with you too.

WALKER: I have to say it's especially great to be with you this morning. I don't know why, but it felt like such a long week for me. So I was definitely looking forward to this morning. Good to be with you too, Boris.

SANCHEZ: We made it to the weekend. And we begin with tragic news out of the World Cup. A prominent sportswriter, Grant Wahl, who's known as a beloved ambassador for soccer passed away while covering the tournament. Witnesses say that Wahl collapsed during yesterday's match between Argentina and the Netherlands. Qatari officials say that he felt ill in the press area and he received immediate medical treatment which continued as he was taken to the hospital.

WALKER: So at this time, we still do not know the exact cause of his death. Just a few weeks ago, Wahl made headlines after being detained and briefly refused entry to a World Cup match because he was wearing that rainbow t-shirt, you see on your screen, in support of LGBTQ rights. Here's what he told CNN about that incident at the time. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRANT WAHL, SPORTSWRITER: A commander of security came down after about 30 minutes and they let me through wearing my shirt and they apologized. FIFA apologized. FIFA has made it clear that there should be no problem with anyone wearing rainbow gear of any kind at this World Cup. But it's clear that the Qatari regime has other ideas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Wahl's wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, a former CNN Contributor who served on the Biden-Harris transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, posted on Twitter writing this. "I am so thankful for the support of my husband Grant Wahl's soccer family and have so many friends who have reached out tonight. I'm in complete shock.

CNN Senior Sports Analyst Darren Lewis joining us now from Doha, Qatar. Darren, tell us more about what we are learning about Wahl's death and, of course, what his family is saying.

DARREN LEWIS, CNN SENIOR SPORTS ANALYST: Amara, you might be hearing a bit of atmosphere behind me. But let me tell you there is still shock and disbelief. There have been tears this morning over the death of the legendary Grant Wahl. Because, as you've been saying, he fell ill, he collapsed during the game last night -- in the latter part of extra time.

There had been efforts to attend to him. They proved unsuccessful. Details still coming in all the time exactly in terms of what happened. But the disbelief relates to the fact that we are talking about one of the giants of the sport who won't be coming home. And when I tell you he is a giant, I just want to be able to give you some of the background to that because he was a guy who showed up.

He was a guy who carried, if you like, U.S. Soccer, U.S. football, as we call it in Europe for many years. He was the journalist that everybody knew. And whether it's a migrant worker, whether it was for the LGBTQ community, whether it's for journalists within the industry, Grant Wahl showed up.

He fought. He used his platform. He spoke truth to power. He got answers from the people at the highest levels of the game. And right now, there is just disbelief that he will no longer be around to do that.

SANCHEZ: He will undoubtedly be missed. Darren Lewis reporting from Doha. Thank you so much.

Let's turn now to CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson. Nic, the State Department has said they are in contact with Wahl's family, walk us through how his death is going to be handled by Qatari officials.

[06:05:02]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well in this case, the good news here and what is terribly sad situation is that the United States and the Qataris have good diplomatic relations. They've been working together so much in recent years, hugely over the help getting Afghans out of Afghanistan, when the Taliban took over. But in this particular case, those good diplomatic relations are going to be important.

The United States words are going to carry weight with Qatari officials. And what we understand the State Department are doing, they're asking the Qataris to expeditiously as quickly as possible work with Grant Wahl's family and meet their wishes quickly. So, in this case, it's likely to mean whatever medical examinations are required to satisfy the family about the nature of his death, and then to repatriate his body back to the United States.

There will clearly be some expectation in his family for this process to be expeditious, but clearly for it to be thorough, to have second opinions. But, you know, at a time like this, I think perhaps the strongest words coming from the State Department were condolences for his family, so well respected a figure, so well-known figure, so upstanding a figure.

This does seem to be a matter really now for the Qataris to, as the State Department has requested, to work with his family and to meet their wishes. And at the moment, we're not hearing of anything that stands in the way of that. But, of course, around the world, this will be watched very, very closely.

WALKER: Nic, thank you for that.

And let's go back to Darren in Doha because, you know, obviously, Grant Wahl was very widely respected as a journalist in that sports world, and you have a lot of reaction pouring in from legends.

LEWIS: Absolutely, Amara. There has been a huge tidal wave of reaction this morning, not least from somebody that Grant Wahl brought to the world attention on the front cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, it was a 17-year-old, LeBron James, and this is what he's had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD: He was always pretty cool to be around. He spent a lot of time in my hometown of Akron covering me over the course of time before that shoot came out and -- or before that cover story came out. And I've always kind of watched from a distance.

You know, even when I, you know, moved up in the ranks and became a professional and, you know, he kind of went to a different sport and things of that nature over the years. Anytime his name will come up, I would always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant, you know, in our building down at St. V. So it's a tragic loss. It's unfortunate, you know, to lose someone as great as he was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEWIS: Yes, absolutely. And I would add my own feeling to that as a young man, he was an inspiration to me. He is an inspiration to millions. And you will continue to see as the day wears on the great and the good adding their voices to those sentiments. Back to you.

SANCHEZ: Darren Lewis from Doha, thank you so much.

From one international sports story to another. For the first time in almost 300 days, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner is waking up in the United States after the nightmare of being held in a Russian prison. Griner was freed in a prisoner swap this week involving a notorious arms dealer. She's now undergoing a routine medical evaluation in her home state of Texas.

CNN Correspondent Rose Flores has details on her return.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are absolutely gratified that Brittney Griner is back on American soil.

ROSE FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome news today on Griner's return. We can confirm Brittney Griner arrived at Joint Base San Antonio. Brittney Griner now in her home state after nearly 10 months in a Russian prison, most recently serving her nine-year sentence in a Russian penal colony.

And there's new information about her life there. Griner says she cut her long hair nearly two weeks ago and trimmed it to make her life easier during the Russian winter. And her attorney there says she was unable to do the sewing work she was assigned at the penal colony due to her large hands and because the tables were too small to accommodate her.

President Joe Biden's National Security Council spokesperson saying she appears to be in good health.

JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: She was very incredibly gracious and kind and humble on the flight. Very, very appreciative of the effort to get her home.

FLORES (voice-over): Griner is now undergoing a medical evaluation before being reunited with her wife Cherelle and the rest of her family.

[06:10:06]

A senior Biden administration official saying that negotiations to bring Griner home were separate from any talks about Ukraine. The deal came together about one week ago after the U.S. offered to swap convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for both Griner and Paul Whelan. Whelan was detained in Russia in 2018, convicted on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison, a charge he denies. The Russians rejected that proposal.

KIRBY: It was either make this exchange, get one back. and the only one that they were willing to trade was Brittney.

FLORES (voice-over): President Biden didn't sign the commutation papers for Bout until Griner was on the ground in Abu Dhabi.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's on the ground.

FLORES (voice-over): In sight of a U.S. delegation. Russian President Vladimir Putin saying the Russian Federal Security Service took charge of the swap, adding there's a possibility for further negotiations. Raising hopes that Paul Whelan could be the next American freed.

For now, Griner's family, friends and teammates say they are just happy to have her home.

VINCE KOZAR, PRESIDENT, PHOENIX MERCURY: We're incredibly gratified and thankful she's back.

FLORES (voice-over): Rosa Flores, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: And it is crunch time for Congress. Lawmakers are scrambling once again to pass government funding legislation and a massive defense spending bill. The House has approved the $858 defense bill and it heads to the Senate next. But government funding also running out at the end of next week.

With us now is CNN Political Commentator, Errol Louis. He's also the host of the "You Decide" podcast. Good morning, Errol, always great to see you. So Errol, I mean, you know, like clockwork, we're coming up on the end of the year against shocker here. And it's like always to the last minute, why are we talking about a potential government shutdown, you know, every single year. What's the latest?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Amara. As is usually the case, the two sides are playing for maximum advantage. Out of a $1.7 trillion budget, they're fighting at this point over the last 26 billion, which is a very small amount in the larger scheme of things. But neither side, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats in the Senate want to give up that advantage. And so they are going to see who blinks first.

It's possible that they may do a short term of funding gap measure to make sure that the government doesn't shut down and see if they can get something done either just before or just after Christmas. So we are right down to the wire. But they're playing in some ways for pennies, relatively speaking, compared to the larger bill.

And and the reason, by the way, for the difference in a lot of ways is that is inflation, the cost of everything has gone up so that what they thought everything would cost from hiring new officials to buying medicine or anything else, the price has just shot up in recent weeks.

WALKER: And with the defense spending bill also making its way through Congress, by the way, got rid of the COVID vaccine mandate for the military. Why, you know, did the Republicans push so hard for this?

LOUIS: Well, this is a part of their ideological commitment in some respects for dialing back some of the COVID restrictions. That's a little bit difficult at this point, because for Democrats to go along with, even though most of the defense bill has agreement on both sides of the aisle, on the other hand, we're starting to see cases spike all over the country. Some of that is because of flu season, some of that is because of the relaxed mandates. Some of that is because the disease is evolving, you know, genetically.

So we've got a real difference between them. And one more reason that they can't get to yes, before Christmas, or it doesn't appear as if they're necessarily going to be there in time for the deadline on the 16th. And it may take us closer to Christmas.

WALKER: Oh, fun. All right. And Errol. I'm sure you've been watching the intraparty battle. I'm talking about the Republicans kind of playing out all that drama over Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker. And of course, you've got that, you have, you know, Republicans still reeling from Herschel Walker's loss here in Georgia.

What is the state of the Republican Party right now? Is there a lot of soul searching going on? And is it as divided as it appears right now?

LOUIS: Soul searching makes it sound more solemn and calm, that there what is actually going on right now. I think there's some -- there's more uncertainty and more scrambling, finger pointing and blame that I think we're going to see as well as a real serious fight for the leadership of the House conference.

I mean, Kevin McCarthy has not lined up the votes that he needs to become Speaker of the House and there are a lot of scenarios being floated around about what will happen if he goes in -- on January 3, and they have a vote and he doesn't have 218 votes.

[06:15:01]

Now there are other Republicans who insist that he does not have it. He only has five votes to give and there are a number of at least to Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs, who said that we are hardline. No, we are never going to vote for him. What will happen in between is going to be a lot of negotiation. Some of them will be offered committees, some of them will drop their opposition. But it is entirely possible that and as yet unknown person could be the next speaker of the House.

WALKER: Yes, that would be interesting to see, right, especially right now with Kevin McCarthy, and what kind of concessions are being made. And of course, you have that approach, possibly by the pro-McCarthy Republicans that they may be willing to work with the Democrats to find a more moderate Republican.

Lastly, before we go, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, saying that she is leaving the Democratic Party. She is now going to be a political independent. It's interesting because you had the Democrats just winning the outright majority in the Senate. And now you have Kyrsten Sinema leaving. What does that mean, in effect?

LOUIS: Well, in effect, it's not going to mean very much. she will become the third independent senator who's happens to also caucus with and other in most respects, act like a Democrat. That's along with Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Budget Committee, by the way, and has run for president as a Democrat, but he's technically, he's an independent and the same for Angus King of Maine.

She'll become the third one, Amara. This is more about the politics of Arizona than the politics in Washington, D.C. In Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema has some political challenges. But there happened to be 1.4 million independents and only 1.3 million Democrats. So what she's doing, I think, in some ways, is maneuvering it so that she doesn't have to face a Democratic primary, which was otherwise almost guaranteed and would have been a very tough pull for her in 2024.

WALKER: Yes, that definitely seemed like it was a part of that as well, the decision. Errol Louis, appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you so much.

LOUIS: Thank you.

WALKER: All right. Up next, a federal judge decides not to hold former President Trump in contempt of court, but he did have a message for the lawyers on both sides of the classified documents dispute.

SANCHEZ: Plus, we're tracking a major storm system that could bring heavy snow to the west and potentially severe storms to the south. And CNN still in Hawaii as the Mauna Loa volcano continues to erupt. We follow so called lava junkies who just can't stay away despite the danger.

Stay with us, we're back in minutes.

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[06:21:53]

SANCHEZ: A federal judge has declined to hold former President Donald Trump in contempt of court. This all stems from Trump's failure to comply with a subpoena ordering him to turn over classified records.

WALKER: Yes. CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz filed this report for us.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Boris and Amara, there was a long hearing on Friday under seal over Donald Trump and our subpoena that he has -- he and his team have been sitting with for months now as the Justice Department is trying to make sure there are no federal secrets in his possession still almost two years after he left the presidency.

This hearing on the table today was whether or not Donald Trump would be held in contempt for not fulfilling that subpoena from back in May. And our reporting tonight from Kristen Holmes and Sara Murray is that a judge, Federal Judge Beryl Howell didn't hold Donald Trump in contempt today.

We also understand that both Trump side and the Justice Department were urged to try and find a resolution among themselves. Now, right now, this does not mean the end of the criminal investigation that's being led by Special Counsel Jack Smith. It's not even clear if this is the end of this dispute in court.

We don't much know much else from this hearing because today, more than 12 members of the media and news organizations, national press and a lawyer that we were using to represent all of us we tried to get into this hearing. We were asking the court for transparency to be heard potentially, open this up to the public because we do know about the existence of the subpoena and the Justice Department's many months of being dissatisfied with it. But that was not going to be the case today.

The media did not get to witness this hearing. It happened behind closed doors. And the attorneys left in the courthouse through some back hallways after about 90 minutes.

CNN, Katelyn Polantz, Washington.

WALKER: All right. Our thanks to Katelyn Polantz for that.

Now, multiple sources tell CNN that the January 6 committee is weighing criminal referrals for former President Trump and a number of his closest allies. This as Committee Chairman Congressman Bennie Thompson says they could reach a decision on criminal referrals on Sunday.

Joining me now to talk about this is former Federal Prosecutor Michael Zeldin, host of the "That Said with Michael Zeldin" podcast, he was also Robert Mueller's former Special Assistant at the DOJ. Good morning to you. Great to see you, Michael.

First, I want to get your reaction to Katelyn Polantz's reporting because, you know, I, as a regular citizen, if, you know, I was subpoenaed for classified documents and I failed to comply, I would think that a regular person would be held in contempt. Are you surprised by this federal judge's ruling?

MICHAEL ZELDIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, not yet, because we don't know what the judge said. The judge may have said to the Trump lawyers, listen, this is your last chance to work out with the Justice Department or the President's Records Act archivists, people, a solution here for this obligation of yours to turn over these records.

[06:25:01]

So this is your last chance. Come back in a few weeks. Let me know what you've worked out and if not, then maybe it'd be held in contempt. So it could be along those lines, which wouldn't surprise me.

WALKER: But just staying on the Mar-a-Lago documents, do you think that efforts are being made to assure the DOJ that Trump no longer has any government documents in his possession?

ZELDIN: Sure. I think that they are very concerned still that there are documents that are outstanding. They may have information that there actually are documents which are outstanding, because they may have something that says this is one of three, and they only have two copies of it, which implies that there's a third copy, and that mostly resides with the President.

So I think they are trying to figure out and advise the court that there is information that is likely still missing. And that's why if it's not produced in the future, the president should be -- former president should be held in contempt for failing to produce this stuff.

But, Amara, we have to wait a little bit of time to see how it unfolds in the next week or two. Because I think that the judge most likely said, work it out. Come back here. If you don't have a solution, then I'll act.

WALKER: Got it. Got it. All right, so that's that case. Now going to the insurrection and we heard that the January 6 committee is investigating -- not investigating -- but they are considering criminal referrals. These are the people that they are considering them, four, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, the former Trump election Attorney John Eastman, he's the right-wing lawyer, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, and Trump's former lawyer, as we all know, Rudy Giuliani, along with President Trump himself. Who of these four, first of all, do you feel like is the most exposed?

ZELDIN: Probably Jeffrey Clark has a lot of exposure because of his role in this effort to seize control of the Justice Department, write a false letter alleging that there was fraud in the election process. And that if only we would get this into the hands of the Republican legislate tours, we will then be able to undo the will of the people in the election of Joe Biden.

So I think he has a lot of exposure. I also think that Mark Meadows, if he's not already cooperating with the Justice Department, has a lot of exposure because he seems to have been the hub of this wheel of co- conspirators leading up to -- including him in the aftermath of the January 6. Those two for sure seemed to have relevance to the January 6, possibility of conspiracy to interfere with the orderly transfer of power.

Giuliani is a little bit of a wild card for me. He's all over the -- you know, his fingerprints are all over the place. But what his criminal liability is, as opposed to his ethical and moral liability is not as clear to me.

WALKER: Got it. Well, we're going to have to leave it there, unfortunately. Michael Zeldin, great to see you. Thank you so much for getting up so early this morning.

ZELDIN: My pleasure.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead, going the extra step for the perfect shot. CNN joins a self-proclaimed lava junkie as he looks to capture the Mauna Loa eruption on Hawaii's Big Island.

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[06:30:00] SANCHEZ: So a major Winter storm is moving across the western United

States, and it's expected to bring heavy coastal rain and mountain snow to the Pacific northwest and California.

WALKER: Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is in the CNN Weather Center with more on this. Look, people in the west may actually be welcoming this, right?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, METEOROLOGIST: They are. But I will caution by saying this system, while it's starting in the west, is really going to end up going coast to coast. So if you live elsewhere, you also want to pay attention to the movement of this. There's a look at where we have all the Winter weather alerts. You can see the vast majority of them in the west.

But we're already starting to see a few in the central U.S., because that's where this system is going to start shifting in the coming days. We've got some very heavy rain right now, pushing it along the West Coast. We begin in the Pacific northwest. You could see a lot of those really heavy rain bands coming in along the coastal portions of Washington, even into downtown Seattle, the Cascades, the Olympic Mountains starting to see that transition to snow.

Same thing for northern California, very heavy rainfall coming in, especially around Crescent City, and then pushing down to the south, and that's where we're going to see the shift throughout the day today. Is that the focus is going to go from the Pacific northwest down into more of southern California by the time we get to the latter half of the weekend.

Very heavy rainfall along the coast, but also incredibly high amounts of snow. The highest will be in the sierras where 3 to 4 feet is not out of the question. Remember, this is on top of what they've already had the last couple of weeks as we've had some potent systems move in.

This is a look at where the best chance for flooding will be northern and central California for today, southern California for tomorrow. But this system then gradually moves east in the coming days, bringing blizzard-like conditions to the north, severe storms to the south.

SANCHEZ: Allison Chinchar, thank you so much for the update. Lava flows from the world's largest volcano in Hawaii have stopped just short of a major highway.

WALKER: But the eruptions on Mauna Loa continue. And of course, visitors known as lava junkies are sacrificing sleep and enduring some pretty dangerous conditions to get a closer look. Look at that, it is really spectacular. CNN's David Culver spoke to some of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seemingly photogenic from every angle. There is a striking beauty to Mauna Loa's eruption, especially as captured by photographer C.J. Kale(ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Volcano is different every single day, every single time you go, it's always different.

[06:35:00]

CULVER: C.J. driving us to his picture-perfect spot at 4:00 in the morning. The best view he believes the rising sun greeting the glowing lava, many hours of sleep sacrificed for just a few minutes of perfect lighting, weather permitting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that is -- that is super thick.

CULVER: We step out into the cold rain, hoping it will burn off. As we wait, C.J. admits to us, he is a particular kind of thrill seeker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lava junky. You know, the -- kind of the term out here, we all call ourselves lava junky, it's kind of our fix. We going out, it's what gives us our excitement, it's what gives us our adrenalin for the day.

CULVER: This lava junky has even gone swimming with it, catching these fiery waves in 2018's Kilauea eruption.

(on camera): Is there a range of lava junky though, those who get a little bit too close and too extreme?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My group of friends is definitely the far outer limits of that range. I wouldn't recommend pushing it far for everybody.

CULVER (voice-over): But some are still pushing it.

Well, good morning, Don -- if you caught our live report, Monday, for "CNN THIS MORNING", you might have noticed this person, head-lamp on, returning from a trek to the lava's edge. Officials have repeatedly warned folks of the dangers getting that close to the flow, not to mention, it's trespassing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, you can live caged-up and have a pretty boring life or you can go see for yourself and take the chance.

CULVER: Curtis(ph) and Sherry Grumbles(ph) perhaps rookie lava junkies hike 5 hours round trip over unstable lava rock out to the edge of the flow. They recorded this video about 50 yards from the crawling lava. Then there were those going to the source of the lava. The expert lava junkies, if you will. USGS scientists in protective gear, collecting samples of the lava and bringing them here.

CHERYL GANSECKI, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT HILO: And so we put them in the drying ovens.

CULVER: The University of Hawaii at Hilo is helping run the rapid response lab for the Mauna Loa eruption We got a rare look inside. These samples collected since the lava started spewing.

GANSECKI: It was thrown up in the air and it landed and it was -- they scooped it up while it was still molten and quenched it. And if you look at it, you'll see it's very bubbly, soft, you can like break it in your hands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Carbon and oxygen.

CULVER: Researchers here quickly churning out data to help the USGS chart where the lava flow might be heading, especially as it's inching closer to crossing Saddle Road, a major highway connecting the east and west of the big island. They warn the slower pace deceptive at times.

GANSECKI: So they might just look like a big wall of hot rock. And it doesn't look like it's moving much. But they can really -- they can surge where something -- so all of a sudden, the front breaks off and lava comes spewing out.

CULVER: Dangerous perhaps, but for C.J. Kale(ph), an eruption is never destructive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At what point did it become destruction? When we put a house in the way. You can't do that. I lost property during the 2018 eruption. I had many friends that lost properties, my mom lost a house down at Alcapol(ph). We don't view it as loss. We view it as borrowed time.

CULVER: Speaking of time, the sun's up, and our view still this. Does it feel like a wash-out when you get to this point and suddenly there's nothing? Do you feel disappointment?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it's all part of the journey. If every single time we've pulled up, it was absolutely amazing, it wouldn't be as special as it is on the days that it is amazing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CULVER: As you can see behind me, Boris and Amara, you don't always get that picture-perfect view. Well, officials say the flow of the lava has slowed in recent days and is no longer an imminent threat to the main highway, they warn this volcano is still erupting and it's still really unpredictable. Boris, Amara?

SANCHEZ: Some really impressive pictures. Our thanks to David Culver for that great report. Up next, critical concerns for schools across the country. Many are struggling to find supplies and teachers. The commissioner who just released a new report raising the alarm about these issues and how they're affecting kids. He's going to join us live in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

SANCHEZ: Schools across the country are struggling, according to a new study, because of a shortage of both supplies and teachers. More than four in five schools are having a hard time buying food, technology and other supplies for students. Now, the Department of Education also found that this Fall, nearly half of all U.S. schools had at least one unfilled teaching position. Notably, schools in low-income neighborhoods serving large numbers of

students of color are actually being hit the hardest. Joining us now to share her insights is Peggy Carr; she's the commissioner of the National Center for Education and Statistics, which collected the data for this survey. Peggy, we're grateful that you're sharing part of your Saturday with us. Let's start with the educators. Why are there so many teaching vacancies?

PEGGY CARR, COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION & STATISTICS: Well, you know, we have been struggling getting certified teachers for a while. The pandemic hasn't made it any easier, clearly. When schools open this year, on average, American schools were minus two vacancies of certified teachers.

And as you said, things were a little worse for high minority schools, 75 percent or more. And schools that really are low income.

[06:45:00]

SANCHEZ: And why do you think that is? Do you see evidence in the data?

CARR: Well, you know, these data are pulse data. We're taking a look at what is happening in schools once a month. We have a more extensive survey quite actually that we're going to release in a few days on Tuesday, that takes a real hard look at some of the reasons why. Job satisfaction, you know, contributions to, you know, what's going on in the schools in terms of policies and curriculum. So, we will be able to take a quicker, more in-depth look at these types of factors with this more in-depth survey.

SANCHEZ: Look forward to seeing that. You mentioned that part of the crisis is tied to the impact of the pandemic on education and with supplies and supply chains. Congress did give schools some $122 billion in funding to help with those issues. But less than 15 percent of it has been used. Can you help us understand why?

CARR: Well, you know, schools are making -- school districts and states are making their own decisions about what they -- what they need to move forward in this post-pandemic phase. They can spend, we're hoping around 20 percent. But they could do more if they wanted to. But there are a lot of issues that are associated with the pandemic. Mental health, transportation issues.

You know, this study even shows that we're struggling with supplies as you mentioned at the top of our talk chat today. So, there are a lot of other issues that have to be dealt with in supporting students.

SANCHEZ: And how does all of this equate to the quality of their education? Is this hurting a lot of students in the long term?

CARR: Well, if you were listening to our results from our national assessment of educational progress that we released -- oh, about three weeks or so ago, we are really struggling in keeping students on track academically. We have to focus on student learning. They need support with math and reading. And there's a lot to be done. Absolutely. SANCHEZ: What if anything, do you think lawmakers in the nation's

capitol should do to try to help?

CARR: Well, we're encouraging and providing as much support to schools and school districts in terms of what? What is really effective in helping students get back on track. High dose tutoring, for example. Students and teachers really need to help students spend more time on task to get back on track. During the school day, after school, and well, students get ready during the Summer as well.

SANCHEZ: Peggy Carr, we have to leave the conversation there. It's an important issue and we appreciate you sharing your perspective on it.

CARR: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

WALKER: All right, a quick programming note for you. Tomorrow, make sure to join Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa to celebrate real heroes, and find out who will be the 2022 CNN Hero of the year. CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute begins at 8:00 p.m. And still ahead this morning, a rivalry unlike any other.

The annual Army-Navy game set to kick off in just a few hours. We're going to go live to the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia next.

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[06:50:00]

SANCHEZ: They are brothers on the battlefield, but foes on the football field. Army and Navy renewing the most unique rivalry in all of sports this afternoon.

WALKER: Yes, Coy Wire is live from Philadelphia for us. Hi, Coy, look, for those of us who have never been -- and you'll be shocked, Coy. I have been to an Army-Navy game. But for those who don't know. What is game day at Army-Navy like?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you know, it is incredible. I played in the NFL playoff games, the prestigious Rose Bowl game in college, but I've never competed on a stage as magical as this. Dating back to 1890, the traditions, the pageantry, passion and the respect. They make it one of the greatest rivalries in the world.

Ten sitting U.S. Presidents have attended from Theodore Roosevelt in 1901 to Donald Trump two years ago. And it's so much more than a game. If only all of us could have the perspective of these individuals, they stand their ground against the opposing side.

But afterwards, they walk across the field and embrace each other as brothers and sisters, knowing that in the end, they're all on the same team. We recently sat down with the teams talking about just how special it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN MARSHALL, LINEBACKER, NAVY: This game represents everybody who

is willing to play and is willing to die for everybody watching. It's something bigger than all of us.

CONNOR BISHOP, OFFENSIVE LINEMAN, ARMY: Your legacy, when you're at West Point, you play football, did you beat Navy in your senior year? So it means everything.

JEFF MONKEN, HEAD COACH, ARMY: It's the most intense football game I've ever been a part of. Every year, I've been a part of it. And I'm looking forward to that feeling of coming out on the field on December the 10th, and what that's going to feel like, again, just the buzz, the electricity in the air.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, a rivalry is loaded with traditions, like the uniforms made just for this game. Navy worked with Under Armour for four years developing this helmet. You can see it says from the sea to the stars.

[06:55:00]

Bruce MacKellar(ph) is the second from Naval Academy Class of 1958, he is featured on it, the first astronaut to complete an un-tethered space walk. Each of these things, hand-painted, took about four to five months to complete all of them.

So, yes, an incredible rivalry, it's like no other. It's a special game played by special individuals dedicated to their studies, committed, sacrificing for us. They're the type of athletes we need to celebrate more. And this is America's game. The 123rd Army-Navy football game is today at 3:00 Eastern.

SANCHEZ: And we are so excited for the game, so grateful for their service and so grateful for those folks that work so long on those helmets. They look incredible --

WALKER: Yes --

SANCHEZ: But that's --

WALKER: Yes --

SANCHEZ: A lot of work. Coy Wire, thank you so much.

WALKER: Thanks, coy. All right, ahead this morning, much more on our top story. Tributes pouring in for U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl following his stunning death in Qatar. The latest in Doha is up next.

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