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Major Winter Storm Brings Heavy Rain, Snow To Western U.S.; California's Orange County Declares Racism Public Health Crisis; Sportswriter Grant Wahl Dies While Covering Qatar World Cup; Clock Ticking For Congress On Defense Government Spending Bills. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired December 10, 2022 - 08:00   ET

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

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[08:00:54]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, buenos dias. And welcome to "CNN This Morning." I'm Boris Sanchez.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Amara Walker.

Reactions pouring in overnight as the soccer world learns that the sudden death of 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 a 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: Take a deep breath, breathe it in. It is here, it is your weekend Saturday, December 10th. We're so grateful to have you with us. Great to be with you, Amara.

WALKER: Yes, Boris. I am so glad that weekend is here and I'm breathing it in.

SANCHEZ: Breathe it indeed. We do begin on a serious note with some tragic news from the World Cup. Prominent sports writer Grant Wahl. A beloved ambassador for soccer has passed away while covering the tournament. Witness' say that Wahl collapsed during yesterday's match between Argentina and the Netherlands. A Qatari officials say that he fell ill in a press area, and that he received immediate medical attention which continued as he was rushed to the hospital.

WALKER: At this time, we don't know the exact cause of his death. A 2002 cover story of teenager LeBron James is among the many stories that Wahl has told and covered over his long career. And last night the NBA superstar paid tribute to Wahl. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEBRON JAMES, LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD: 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'll always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant in our building down at St. Louis. So, it's a tragic loss, it's an unfortunate to lose someone as great as he was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

CNN sports anchor Amanda Davies joins us now from Doha, Qatar. Just such tragic news Amanda. A lot of reaction has been pouring in what more do we know about Wahl's death?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, Amara. I think shock, sadness, devastation. A whole lot of people here in Doha really just still trying to process this news because so many of us members of the sporting media had been there at the game, the Netherlands that Argentina match last night, sharing the press box with him. It is a huge media Tribune here at the Lusail Stadium. I was at the game sitting low down and I have to tell you, I went home and was oblivious to anything that had happened. But reports emerging now from those who had been sat a little bit further up about the fact that Grant had collapsed in the midst of extra time was treated on the scene ultimately taken to hospital, and then the sad news has emerged that he hasn't made it.

He had been reporting publicly on his podcast, in articles that he'd been suffering with tightness of his chest, flu like symptoms over the course of his time here in Doha. He'd been to the Medical Center received some antibiotics for what he thought was bronchitis, but that is all the detail we know as now. But I think people trying to take some comfort from the way he has gone and that is at a press box, at a World Cup game doing what he loved so much. His last tweet was after the Netherlands goal which took this match into extra time and typically Grant's fashion. And he has a tribute has been paid to him by his podcast co-host Chris Wittyngham about the fact it was an Argentina match. This is what he had to say.

[08:05:29]

CHRIS WITTYNGHAM, PODCAST CO-HOST WITH GRANT WAHL: Actually spent a year in Argentina in the '90s, around the time that the USP Argentina and the Copa America, and he told me a story about how he wore American colors in Buenos Aires that evening and was nearly, you know, beaten up by some locals because he dared to celebrate an American victory in Argentina. But he loved that country and would have loved seeing them get through the World Cup semifinal today, and we would have loved talking about it. But unfortunately, the last text I sent to him was not answered one of when, what are we going to talk about this?

And, yes, it's impossible to fathom a man so young, who offered as your previous guests mentioned so much to the footballing world to the advancement of human rights to noble, genuinely noble causes to have heard of his passing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Grant is somebody who fought the good fight not only for football, but using sports as a vehicle for change in society. He did just that here in Qatar over the last couple of weeks, and he and his flat cap, a presence that will be very, very sorely missed in press boxes around the world.

SNCHEZ: Amanda Davies, thank you so much for putting that into context for us.

Joining us now is Dave Zirin, he's the sports editor for The Nation. Dave, we're grateful to have you this morning. We're sorry for your loss. You crossed paths with Grant during your career. He's known as somebody who's an ambassador for soccer in the United States. Obviously, he's a champion of human rights. What do you want the world to know about Grant Wahl?

DAVE ZIRIN, SPORTS EDITOR, THE NATION: I think I want people to know that Grant Wahl was not just a champion of soccer and make no mistake about it. He was the finest soccer writer in the English-speaking world. And that was something that was widely thought and believed. But he also was incredibly kind to young writers, to young journalists, to people just starting out. And let me tell you something, I'm not just saying this because of Grant's passing. If you had wanted to do this interview about Grant's, the living writer, the outpouring would be just the same. It's not just because he passed away, it's because he was there for his colleagues and for people just starting out at every opportunity. I mean, Grant is my age. But by his mid-20s, he was already a legendary soccer writer. So, I always saw him as an elder. And he always treated me like a colleague. And that's how he was.

So, if I needed an interview for a small podcast, or for a local radio show over the years, Grant would be there. And it would be odd because I'd be on this local small radio station. And here, I would have the most famous soccer writer in the world, but he never big shot at anybody. And he was always there for young journalists. And that's what a lot of the outpouring, I think is really embodied, is the fact that he was always about the collective, he was always about the industry, he was always about having the best possible sports reporting that had an eye on the world bigger than sports. And the loss is incalculable, not just to the world of soccer, and not just because of the copy that he will no longer put out to the public, but to the young writers that won't have his leadership.

WALKER: You know, I think a lot of people are drawn to that Twitter post that he made that selfie of him and that rainbow T-shirt has running with security cards at the Wales and U.S. soccer match. Some of you may know that in Qatar, homosexuality is criminalized. And so, a lot of people who wore these kinds of statements had some kind of run in with the stadium security guards. What does this tell you though, about just his compassion and his passion for people?

ZIRIN: You know, it's funny you asked that because I'd first heard that a prominent soccer journalist was detained for wearing a rainbow shirt. And my first response was, oh, it was Grant, right? Because you would really comb your mind to think of who else would really feel compelled to do something like that? Who else would say, I'm not just as a journalist? And this is a lesson I think, for all journalists, like he believed in advocacy. You know, he didn't believe in the idea that you just sort of, you know, stayed on the side of the room and you know wrote down everybody's point of view and we're basically a stenographer for power, particularly in a structure like soccer, which is so vertical and so dominated by FIFA and so dominated by corruption and secrecy. That Grant, despite his love of soccer, was never content to just love the beautiful game or be a violin player for the beautiful game. He was somebody who always wanted the game to be better. And he wanted to root out corruption.

[08:10:33]

And I, I have to say, we're still getting details about how he passed. But if you want to understand why so much of the initial outpouring, was wanting details of how he died, it's because frankly, Grant Wahl lived his life as a journalist as a threat to entrenched power. And that's what caused a lot of people to have this sort of visceral reaction of, OK, how did this happen? Because they knew he was constantly speaking truth to power in that in our society is not always the safest thing to do.

WALKER: He clearly is a very special person to so many people that he has touched. He was a preeminent soccer journalist, but clearly, a lot more than just that as well. Dave Zirin, appreciate you joining us. Thank you.

ZIRIN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: So, it is crunch time, lawmakers are scrambling to pass government funding legislation and a massive defense spending bill. The House has approved the $858 billion defense bill it is now headed to the Senate. But government funding runs out on Friday, and lawmakers say they may have to pass a temporary CR, a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown.

WALKER: Always coming down to the wire. CNN White House reporter Jasmine Wright joining us. Jasmine, what's the President saying to Congress?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, the President's message is, let's get this done. He wants to see something on his desk soon by that December 16th deadline, because the White House was fully aware of the fact that this could be the President's last chance to get the government funded for a year during his first term, as we know that the House is set to flip to Republicans in January making these discussions more and more difficult. So the President wants to see government funding included in that COVID funding, disaster relief funding and Ukraine funding.

Now the official line from the White House here, Boris and Amara, is that there is still time. And as you guys have covered Congress for a long time in the White House, we know that these deals come down to the last moment so that they may -- so that is true. But of course, privately now the White House is trying to push Congress along, really tried to hurry them and make sure that they can get something done by this deadline. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre talks a bit about what the White House was doing in this regard. Take a listen.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We are talking about critical resources that the American people need, when you think about public health, public education, our national security. These are all incredibly important, and it should be done in a bipartisan way. And there's enough time to get that get that moving.

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WRIGHT: So, in addition to that messaging, Boris and Amara, the White House has also warned that doing a CR that short term temporary continuing resolution would have harmful impacts across the government. Boris, Amara.

WALKER: Jasmine Wright, appreciate you. Thank you.

Now Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema says she expects to keep her committee assignments despite leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent.

SANCHEZ: CNN's Jake Tapper sat down with Senator Sinema who's up for reelection in 2024 to talk about what her decision means for Democrats control of the U.S. Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST (on-camera): What you're doing today doesn't change that? It's still basically going to be 51-49.

SEN. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-AZ): I know you have to ask that question, Jake. But that's kind of a D.C. thing to worry about. What I'm really focused on is just making sure that I'm doing what I think comports with my values and the values of Arizonans. So, when I come to work each day, you know, it'll be the same, I'm going to still come to work and hopefully serve on the same committees I've been serving on and continue to work well with my colleagues at both political parties. And I'm not really spending much time worrying about what the mechanics look like for Washington D.C. And to be honest, Jake, I don't think anyone in Arizona is caring about that either.

TAPPER (on-camera): There's going to be a lot of noise about this from the Democrats, from progressives, from the left. You know this, that, because of your position, working with Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to push back on some of the efforts of legislative efforts and change them in moderate them, you've already been a target of the left, and people have been very critical of you. They're going to call you every name in the book after this comes out. They're going to call you a traitor. They're going to call you in in great, what are you going to say?

SINEMA: Well, I think I'll do what I always do, Jake, which is keep doing the work that I know is important for my state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's dig deeper now on all of the political headlines with New York Times Congressional correspondent Annie Karni.

[08:15:04]

Annie, thanks so much for being up with us bright and early on a Saturday. A realist would say that Senator Sinema left the Democratic Party to avoid a primary. Do you think that's a fair assessment of her motivations?

ANNIE KARNI, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: That is looking like the main motivation here. It doesn't look, at least Democrats in Congress have been trying to put kind of a happy face on this thing. This won't change their subpoena power, this won't change the leverage they have on committees to get Biden's nominees through faster because she's still going to caucus with the Democrats. So, they're trying to say it's not really going to have that much of an impact on how Congress functions. We'll see how she actually behaves as an independent.

But what it does have is deep implications for the 2024 Senate race in Arizona. She always had a problem with her left with progressive voters. But the main assumption was that she could survive any challenge from the left, but recent polls have shown her really suffering with voters in Arizona, outside of like the Chamber of Commerce, sort of middle of the road centers that she has courted. She has a big problem. So, most of the coverage yesterday and most of the people that we've talked to seem to think that this is a play to give her an edge on keeping her seat in 2024 when she's up for reelection.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Congressman Ruben Gallego says hinted that he may have primary her had she not left the party. So potentially this is an effort to avoid that, right. We should note --

KARNI: Yes, Sinema looks like.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Sinema currently is reaching out to Republicans to try to get a last-minute immigration deal done. It would include legal status for some 2 million DREAMERS, billions of dollars of border security. How would you rate the chances of an immigration deal passing at this point?

KARNI: It doesn't look very likely. This doesn't look like anything that's going to have the votes to go forward. But we see Sinema in this role, this is kind of a roll. You know, she gets a lot of hatred from progressives, but we've seen her be kind of a key part of this centrist coalition that's often with Susan Collins and Tom Tillis, Sinema. They worked on the gay marriage bill, they worked on the gun bill, she's at the table in this kind of like Senator table. It'll be interesting to see how that functions in the new Congress if that table is expanding or shrinking. But we see her trying to do stuff like this and reach across the aisle.

So, she has a key -- Republicans love her in the Senate. They love working with her they think she's a partner who can really get things done. This immigration bill though I haven't heard any serious talk that this is something that they're going to get done in the lame duck session that's already pretty crowded.

SANCHEZ: Annie, on the House side, Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz told part of CNN's team Manu Raju and Melania Zanona that quote, the person who is ultimately going to be speaker isn't even the candidate yet. What do you make of that and Kevin McCarthy's chances?

KARNI: I -- what I make of that is that we've seen some figures raise their hand and say they're running against Kevin McCarthy. And if you look at say, well, that person does Andy Biggs doesn't have the votes. Bob Good doesn't have the votes, you know, so it's got to be Kevin McCarthy. But that's not how these elections work. What Matt Gaetz I think is saying is that if Kevin McCarthy doesn't have the votes, the 218 votes, he needs to be elected speaker. They have to keep voting until they find someone. And what he's saying is that another powerful figure in the Republican conference, like Steve Scalise, who isn't raising his hand right now, who isn't posing an open threat to Kevin McCarthy might suddenly emerge as like, this is the only a viable alternative that you know, when Kevin McCarthy falls apart if he does, here's Steve Scalise has been quietly there, maybe not openly challenging McCarthy, but would be there if it fell apart. I think that's what Matt Gaetz is saying.

So, if you're looking, if you're just saying well, if it's not it's not going to be these guys, so it must be Kevin. It's a third option, which is that it's someone who is just being quiet for right now.

SANCHEZ: Annie Karni, I have a dozen more questions for you. Unfortunately, we got to leave the conversation there. Appreciate your reporting, Annie, thank you.

KARNI: Thank you.

WALKER: All right, up next on "CNN This Morning," what we're learning about Brittney Griner's returned to the U.S. and what she experienced during those months of Russian detention.

Plus, I'm going to speak to a member of the Orange County California Board of Supervisors after they just passed a resolution to declare racism, a public health crisis.

SANCHEZ: And later the real impact of the culture wars in Florida. Look at how conservatives flipped school boards across the state in the midterm elections.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:24:00] SANCHEZ: 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.

WALKER: Griner was freed and a prisoner swap involving a notorious arms dealer. She's now undergoing a routine medical evaluation in Texas. CNN correspondent Rosa Flores has details on Griner's return.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NED PRINCE, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We are absolutely gratified that Brittney Griner is back on American soil.

ROSA 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.

[08:25:08]

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. A senior Biden administration official saying that negotiations to bring Griner home are 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. President Biden didn't sign the commutation papers for Bout until Griner was on the ground in Abu Dhabi --

JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: She'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: All right, still ahead, a public health crisis in California. Well, one California county is sounding the alarm on racism and one of the people who voted in favor of that tax declaration actually put forth the resolution joins me next.

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[08:31:06]

SANCHEZ: A major winter storm is moving across the western United States and it is expected to bring heavy coastal rain and mountain snow to the Pacific Northwest and California.

WALKER: I'm sure the skiers and snowboarders are listening at Meteorologist Allison Chinchar at the CNN Weather Center with more on this. Hi, Allison, how much snow and rain are we talking about?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A lot, feet of snow. In some areas, 3 to 5 feet of snow on top of what's already on the ground. Because they've had a couple other systems earlier this week bring some snow. You can take a look at where we have all the winter weather alerts. A lot of them in the western states. But you're starting to notice them creep into the central U.S. too, because that's where this system is going to head in the next couple of days.

But for right now, the focus is really on the West Coast. You've got very heavy rainfall coming down right there along the coastal regions and into the valleys. But the mountains you're talking snow and it's coming down very heavy and very quickly, in some cases as much as 3 inches per hour, again, which is why we anticipate that it will accumulate up to that 3-to-5-foot range when it's all said and done.

Over the next 24 hours, this system is going to dip south. So the main focus today being Washington, Oregon in Northern California, but by tonight and Sunday, the main focus becomes more of Central California and especially into Southern California before then sliding off to the east.

In total, most of the mountainous regions are likely to pick up about 6 to 12 inches of snow. But when you start getting really high in elevation or especially along the Sierras, now you're talking 3, 4, even 5 feet of snow. In terms of rainfall, the heaviest will be in California where 3 to 5 inches of rain, remember in a very short period of time can be expected.

So flooding, especially any of those areas where we've had burned scars are going to be a particular concern. So the focus for today for rainfall is going to be northern and central California. Tomorrow, it really becomes Southern California, including Los Angeles and San Diego.

Then that system continues to make its way off towards the east. And by Monday and Tuesday, the central U.S. becomes the main focus. You have the northern side here, which is going to also bring a tremendous amount of snow blinding conditions with very poor visibility. So very possible some of these locations could actually end up getting a true blizzard on the southern.

And the main concern here is actually going to be the potential for severe storms, that begins Monday night and will continue all the way through Wednesday of next week. Also some very heavy rain along the Gulf Coast region too. And that's a concern because it's been raining along the southeast for days now. So that ground is already saturated and it won't take much to trigger additional flooding.

Into the Midwest in the Great Plains where we talked about all of that snow widespread, you're talking about 6 to 10 inches. But where you see that pink color there, now you're talking over 1 foot of snow. Some of these areas could pick up 15, 16 even as much as 20 inches of snow. This severe factor for next week. It's going to be a multi-day event.

For Monday, that main focus really that area from Oklahoma City down to the northern and western suburbs of Dallas. Tuesday it starts to expand, impact a lot more states before finally spreading off to the east on Wednesday pushing into areas of western Florida.

SANCHEZ: I'm really glad for my friends out west who can use that moisture but I'm telling you that anxiety level watching that storm move toward the east coast slightly taken up there. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

So for many, this time of year is about giving back. But CNN Heroes, An All-Star Tribute salutes 10 extraordinary people who put others first all year long. The star-studded gala airs live tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomorrow, it's the time of year to be inspired and honor some of humanity's best.

CARIE BROECKER, PEACE OF MIND DOG RESCUE: We have found homes for almost 3,000 dogs.

[08:35:05]

TYRIQUE GLASGOW, YOUNG CHANCES FOUNDATION: Our communities, my center have used to be the community drug house.

BOBBY WILSON, METRO ATLANTA URBAN FARM: I want my grandchildren to have it better than what I have it today.

RICHARD CASPER, CREATIVETS: It has always wanted to serve other people.

TERESA GRAY, MOBILE MEDICS INTERNATIONAL: Human suffering has no borders. People are people and love is love.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Join Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa live as they percent the 2022 Hero of the Year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Join me --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- in honoring --

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: CNN Hero of the Year --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN Heroes, An All-Star Tribute Sunday at 8:00.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: It is going to be a great show you will not want to miss. So gather up your family, grab some tissues and get ready to be inspired.

Stay with CNN this morning, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:40:33]

WALKER: A largely white and wealthy California County has declared racism a public health crisis. All four members of Orange County's board of supervisors who were at Tuesday's meeting, two Democrats and two Republicans, approved the resolution which says in part, "The county is deeply alarmed by the recent racially motivated attacks and violence on Black, Indigenous Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islanders and other communities."

Vice Chairman of the Board Andrew Do, joining me now this morning to talk about this. Really, really appreciate your time this morning Supervisor Do. Look, this is a resolution I understand you put forth. And, you know, let's be real, Asian American -- you're an Asian American immigrant to this country.

You know, I've seen my parents go through a lot of racism, ignorance, discrimination in their lives, being hurled insults, just walking down the streets, happened to me before. We've always known racism is an issue in this country. Why did you feel then necessary now to declare racism a public health emergency?

ANDREW DO, VICE CHAIRMAN, ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: Good morning, thanks for having me. America is a very accepting country. I know that as an immigrant. But I think the conversation around fighting racism, and the impact of racism on the people that have to face it every day, is a very nuanced conversation that the time has come, I think, as a nation for us to move forward.

And we are well poised with the level of acceptance that we have now. And we're out that, that we can face this issue, honestly. And it deserves -- this issue of deserves bipartisan support. And I'm glad my colleagues supported my resolution.

WALKER: Yes, remarkable. You know, Democrats and Republicans voting together on this issue. But do you think that we're talking about this now post-pandemic, post-COVID?

DO: Absolutely. I think (INAUDIBLE) they've been advanced, given all that we have seen around the country. Now, Asian Americans are the focus now. But throughout our history at different times, different groups have been targeted. And I want the conversation to be a conversation to be had by all and not just people of color. But this is (INAUDIBLE) as how do we create a more equitable and just society. And how do we empower people to be at their best, and when there is a systemic racism in whether it's the tension or inadvertence, it holds people back, and it holds us back as a country.

WALKER: It sure does. And, you know, to illustrate that racism is still quite an issue, there was an outburst during your session. I want people to listen to what happened and have you explained on the other side. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. CLAYTON CHAU, DIR. ORANGE COUNTY HEALTH CARE AGENCY: Thank you for passing this resolution. Can I please speak? Can I speak? We need to have this resolution in this county. So with that, I thank you for your work. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go back to China.

DO: Really? Go back to China and you think racism is dead? Really? OK. All right. So, irony is a concept that's foreign to some of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Great comments and great comeback for you. Tell me more about what the reaction was. Again, this is a county, you know, that's really split almost 50-50, slightly in favor of Democrats now, which has changed in recent years. And it's predominantly white. Tell me more about the reaction, the support or not that you're getting from the people and how disheartening it must have been for you to hear an epithet that's been said many times, I'm sure to you before as it has happened to me.

DO: Right, it is disheartening. And it's been going on for my entire eight years on the board so far. So unfortunately, this is not something new. It has always been kind of an undercurrent, that I'm not an American enough, and that I don't quite understand what American idealism and freedom really means and democracy.

So when it happened earlier this week, it's -- especially when it was horrible at one of our staff members, I feel I need to step up and protect, first, staff member but, secondly, a fellow Asian American.

[08:45:00]

And to try to do contain the level of rhetoric that has gotten to be more hostile in recent months and I feel that despite all of this, I want people to to know that I sincerely feel that this is the voice of only a very small group of people. And that's why I think the resolution will be a topic that we can talk about that we can help you address, and to focus our attention on the policies that may impact the communities of color of the underserved communities.

So that way, we can move forward as a country as a society. Like I said, we --

WALKER: Yes.

DO: -- we are in a better position as a country than anywhere else that I've seen to be able to address the really deep undercurrent of biases, you know, racism, but also just colorism --

WALKER: Yes.

DO: -- other types of discrimination. That is not so upfront about, that people are not so upfront about. We need to talk about those. So all of this is a good conversation to have.

WALKER: Andrew Do, really appreciate you joining me this morning. Thank you so much.

DO: My pleasure.

SANCHEZ: Now to a story that's making a smile this weekend, 90-year- old Joyce Defauw will dawn a cap and gown tomorrow and walk across the stage at Northern Illinois University's Commencement Ceremony. It's a journey that started for her in 1951, but had to be put on hold because of marriage, kids and the loss of her first husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOYCE DEFAUW, 2022 NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY GRADUATE: I guess I told my children, I wish I had finished, you know, way back when instead of -- and they said, well, what's stopping you now? Some of the children suggest that and I thought well, nothing, I guess. Don't give up. Even if you do quit, go back. Just hang in there. Keep learning. Keep giving things. It's there for you. You know, just go for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: There's no way Joyce is 90 years old. There's just -- there's no way. She looks like she's in her 60s. So she has 17 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren and two more on the way and of course, she says she is thankful for everyone in her life that made this possible. And I'm sure all of those in her life are grateful to her for her influence as well. Really commendable.

SANCHEZ: No question about that. Yes, she is a great inspiration. I wonder what she majored in though.

WALKER: You should interview her and get back to me on that. Yes. I'm sure it's like rocket science or something really intense.

SANCHEZ: She does seem very, very sure, so.

WALKER: She does. SANCHEZ: Still ahead, the pageantry, the tradition, and on this day also a bit of bad blood. The Army Navy game is today and our Coy Wire is there live to get you ready for America's game.

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[08:52:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Go Army.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER (in unison): Beat Navy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That says it all right there. America's game is back in the city where our country was founded, Philadelphia.

WALKER: And our Coy Wire is there. Coy both sides say they waited 365 days every year for this day. Can you explain what today really means to them?

WIRE: Absolutely. This rivalry is intense. The 34th President of the United States Dwight Eisenhower said Army and Navy are the best friends 364 and a half days of the year. But on this one Saturday afternoon they are the worst of enemies.

But there's a level of respect in this rivalry that's unmatched in others. They balance the rigors of being a college athlete with the academic and physical rigors of the academies. These players, they study thermodynamics, cyber ops. They've told me in the past that they hope that the mutual respect they've seen within this rivalry, is something that can be replicated in communities all across the country.

We caught up with the teams to ask about their respect for their opponents. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIP FRANKLAND, NAVY OFFENSIVE LINEMAN (SENIOR): I respect Army because they're going to serve just like us after. They took the same vow. They took the same oath. They come to go serve, to go lay down their life if that's the case needed for America.

MARQUEL BROUGHTON, ARMY DEFENSIVE BACK (SENIO): To be able to balance football and academy, academics and all of the military things that go into it, they're pretty, pretty tough. So that's why I have respect for Navy.

WIRE (on-camera): Dating back to 1890, this rivalry is loaded with traditions. 10 sitting U.S. presidents have attended. There's a march on, a flyover before the game. There's teary eyes during the national anthem. There's also pranks and some fun like the running of the game ball. The Army West Point Marathon team ran the game ball 150 miles through the night from West Point New York to the field here in Philly. And we met with him at the iconic Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Senior Cadet Zachary Gould tells us that there was one very special moment along the way. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACHARY GOULD, ARMY MARATHON RUNNER: Just a couple of miles ago, a guy was riding a bicycle alongside us in a spider man onesie. And right as he pulled up alongside a runner, he hopped up on the handlebars and was standing on top of his bicycle moving alongside us cheering us on. And honestly, that doesn't say that the community is out there with us. Experiments with us then we could definitely be Navy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: And Andrew Hurley (ph), he told us they didn't fumble the ball along the way. So that's good too. Navy has won two of the last three in this rivalry. But anything can happen I've covered four Olympics Super Bowls, Women's World Cups, Indy 500, nothing compares to this. The tradition and pageantry make it one of the most splendid spectacles in all the sports. Game time today is 3:00 Eastern.

WALKER: So what side of the stadium are you sitting on, Coy?

WIRE: I will be going to both sides, you know that. First, to stay warm, it's a little chilly out here with this bald head. But yes, I have family ties to the Navy and to Army, so I'm set.

[08:55:09]

SANCHEZ: It should be an awesome game. Coy, we know that you -- every now and then, dawn, a Spiderman onesie and ride around the streets of Philadelphia, really nice of you to offer support to those cadets?

WIRE: Yes, no doubt that man, anytime (INAUDIBLE) to take.

WALKER: Listen, I love you Coy, but I don't need to ever see you in a onesie. You too, Boris.

Thank you, Coy.

WIRE: You got it.

SANCHEZ: Take care, Coy.

Hey, thanks so much for joining us this morning. We're back in just about an hour.

WALKER: You haven't gotten rid of us yet. Smerconish is up next after a break. See you again in an hour.

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