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Police Credit 2 Women For Rescue Of Kidnapped Ohio Baby; Police: Retail Theft Getting More Violent Across The U.S.; Raskin: Electoral College Reform Should Be Next Step To Protect Democracy. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired December 26, 2022 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, this was December 19, all right? So on December 20, of course, there was an all-points bulletin. It gets on the news and there is a kidnapping suspect they're looking for. But on the 20th, one of the babies, which is Kyair Thomass, was found on the side of the road near the Dayton International Airport. So, one baby was found unharmed -- going to be OK -- but where's the other one?
And so after that, on the very same day, December 20, ironically, 175 miles away in Indianapolis, Indiana, a woman -- her name is Shyann Delmar -- she starts having an interaction with this lady. She doesn't know who she is but they interact and they exchange phone numbers. She actually drove off in her car.
And afterwards, she saw the picture on the television of this suspect and she said to herself, that's the woman I just talked with. She talks to her cousin, Mecka Curry, and they say look, we've got to figure something out here. So they arrange a meeting with the alleged kidnapping suspect. They bring police in. There's an arrest --
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Wow.
CASAREZ: -- and that happens on December 22.
However, where's the baby -- the other baby, Kason Thomass?
And so, after that, the two women say you know what, she dropped off a bus schedule in our car. Let's go to all the bus terminals here in Indianapolis and see if we find a car that matches the description. They didn't, but they got hungry. They went to the pizza place close by and there, lo and behold, they see the car. There was a baby inside. Police were inside the pizza restaurant eating because they'd been searching, too, and had to rest.
I want you to listen to what the Indianapolis Police --
HARLOW: Wow.
CASAREZ: -- Department officials that were there at the scene and effectuated finding the baby have to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. SHAWN ANDERSON, INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN POLICE: It was time for us to kind of decompress because we were disappointed that we could not find him. And then, God opened up the heavens to us and almost took him and put him right in our hands. We were surprised at how well he responded considering what he -- the ordeal that he had been through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: Now, 24-year-old Nalah Jackson is facing extradition back to Ohio. And this is no joke. She's charged with two felony counts of kidnapping. They are life felonies. But look at the ending to that story.
HARLOW: As the officer said, opened up the heavens. What a --
CASAREZ: A Christmas miracle.
HARLOW: What a miracle.
Jean Casarez, we are glad those babies are OK and the mother is reunited.
CASAREZ: Yes.
HARLOW: Thank you.
CASAREZ: Thank you.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: What a story.
With markets down significantly this year and massive layoffs throughout the United States workforce in recent months, the question on many folks' minds, is a recession on the horizon. I hate to use the "R" word this early in the morning but we're going to talk about it, next.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:37:00]
SIDNER: Welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING.
Coming up, Congress passing the first legislative response to the January 6 Capitol attack, making it harder to overturn a certified presidential election -- but will that be enough?
Also, air raid sirens and blackouts interrupting the first Christmas in Ukraine since the war began. We are live on the ground in Kyiv.
Plus, conditions in Buffalo, New York remain dire after the city was pummeled with snow and strong winds. The governor calling it the most devastating storm in Buffalo's long storied history. We'll speak to the Erie County executive just ahead. HARLOW: Meantime, 2022 -- we're still in it. We've got one more week of this year. It's been volatile, to say the least for the economy. Just a few days to go until the new year. Wall Street ending, it looks like, on a down note there. Investors are hoping for a Santa Claus rally to soften the blow for a rough year for stocks. There are fears, though, about a recession and what that means for 2023.
Joining us now, CNN international correspondent Marc Stewart. It's good to have you.
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's good to see you.
HARLOW: I don't -- like, recession or no recession, it's about what you're living and what you're feeling, and have you lost your job. How does it impact your --
STEWART: Absolutely.
SIDNER: Right.
HARLOW: -- financial situation. That's the real question.
STEWART: Right. Some people are going to argue that we're already in a recession, depending on how your life is at the moment. But from a technical standpoint, I can say with certainty we will see a recession. The question is are we going to hit those metrics three months from now, six months from now, a year from now?
The White House seems to be pretty optimistic. It's pointing out to recession -- or to inflation cooling, solid jobs. Yet, the IMF, or the global perspective, says that people are hurting and will be hurting more.
Look, I think back to grad school. I remember my professors showing us these charts of economic ups and downs. Things don't stay good forever. Things don't stay bad forever. And that's what we're balancing right now. So, eventually, technically, we will hit a low point.
SIDNER: As my mother says, if you want change, just wait.
HARLOW: Yes.
SIDNER: That's in life.
STEWART: It's just like the weather.
SIDNER: I am impatient, as we all are.
The Fed has raised interest rates time and time and time again to try, I guess, to deal with inflation. Has it worked?
STEWART: Well, I think the White House, for the moment, is arguing that yes, it's working. Because if we look at the data from last month, consumer prices did drop. But it's risky. I mean, you are basically trying to make things more expensive to stop people from -- SIDNER: Right.
STEWART: -- spending.
This is what's interesting about inflation and this is something that Chairman Powell, from the Federal Reserve, has talked about. The longer inflation extends, we get used to it. We're used to pay -- we become used to paying outrageously high prices. And then, it becomes more difficult to quell.
HARLOW: Yes.
All right, let's talk about working.
STEWART: What's that?
SIDNER: And this is --
HARLOW: We're all here working the day after Christmas.
SIDNER: -- dear to our heart.
HARLOW: I'm not going to complain. I took a week off. I'm happy to be back.
However --
[07:40:00]
STEWART: Yes.
HARLOW: -- there's this great, really fascinating Paul Krugman op-ed in The New York Times talking about America versus, especially, Europe.
STEWART: Right. Well, I was telling you I spent some time working in the United Kingdom and my colleague made it very clear to me -- Marc, I do enjoy working with you. I enjoy the projects we're doing. But we have a very clearly defined work day. And I think he said that to me to make it be known that you're in a different part of the world and the philosophy is different.
The question is it's about productivity. Are you getting as much done in this designated time compared to others? And as we look into Europe -- you look at the chart right now -- people are working fewer hours in France, Germany, and many other places, but work is getting done and people may be happier.
HARLOW: Right. I thought this piece -- Krugman points out that the United States is unique among high-income developed economies to have no legal requirements -- not a single legal requirement for paid leave or paid vacation.
STEWART: And -- I was going to say some companies, though -- it may be a small amount -- are saying that yes, you have to take time off now. Maybe that's a lesson from the pandemic. I was texting with a friend of mine last night. She runs a nonprofit in Nashville and she shut down her whole office between now and the --
HARLOW: Great.
STEWART: -- new year, and that's part of the compensation package. I mean, that's a benefit.
I don't know if we would have seen that a year ago or two years ago. I mean, I think there is some recognition that -- I hate to use this phrase "work-life balance" but it does have some importance.
HARLOW: I mean, of course, it does.
SIDNER: Burnout is a real thing and I think a lot of people experienced that --
HARLOW: Yes.
SIDNER: -- as they were trying to deal, sort of, with COVID and trying to balance all of these things.
So, I'm for the 4-day work week. Can you make that happen?
HARLOW: Amen.
STEWART: Well, as you said, look, we have our phones.
SIDNER: Productivity.
STEWART: We were just talking about this in the break -- yes. I mean, we can do more at our homes. And I think as I mature -- as I become a more senior member of the workforce, I think I work smarter. And I think a lot of people --
HARLOW: Yes.
STEWART: -- are realizing that, too.
SIDNER: Yes.
HARLOW: Thank you, Marc.
STEWART: You bet.
SIDNER: Thank you so much, Marc.
President Biden has had one of the most successful legislative years in decades, but does that success mean he is definitely going to run again in 2024?
HARLOW: And a wave of smash-and-grab break-ins hitting retailers during this peak holiday season. How those crimes could be impacting what you pay in the months to come.
(COMMERCIAL) [07:46:49]
SIDNER: Retail theft is getting more violent and dangerous across the country, according to police, who say the culprits are involved in organized crime rings, and they are making off with millions of dollars in stolen goods. Many of the crimes are caught on video.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Caught on camera, smash-and-grab break-ins giving retailers across the country a run for their money during peak season.
This man seen openly dragging $5,000 worth of merchandise, police say, out the front door of a Burlington Coat Factory in Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He laughed in our face, he laughed in the employees' face, and basically, they had no regard.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Break-ins at Walmart, jewelry stores, and a Toys for Tots warehouse just before the holidays.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are missing about two-thirds of toys.
YURKEVICH (on camera): This, as retail theft has become more violent this year with 80 percent of retailers reporting more aggressive incidents.
YURKEVICH (on camera): Is it becoming more dangerous now?
RICH ROSSMAN, PRESIDENT, COALITION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND RETAIL: Yes, it's definitely. The suspects are becoming more violent. Whatever product it is that they're seeking, they're going to get it. And those that step in their way can be harmed, and they have been harmed.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): And for some small business owners it's getting worse. Fifty-six percent say they've been victims of shoplifting in the past year, forcing some to raise prices.
DANA GREEN, OWNER, RESTOCKED: November 17, this window was broken out.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Dana Green says her store Restocked sneakers in Virginia, was broken into not once --
GREEN: But on November 27, they broke this window.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): -- but twice in 10 days.
GREEN: The first time was shocking. The second time was even just more devastating to me.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): She estimates the thieves -- teenagers -- some who were caught -- took and damaged $40,000 worth of sneakers during her busiest shopping season of the year.
GREEN: As far as the damage to the windows and to the store, about $5,000 worth of damage, which is a huge setback for a small business.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): But isolated smash-and-grab theft is just the tip of the iceberg. Organized retail crime rings are what law enforcement is after. These networks can make millions off stolen goods.
YURKEVICH (on camera): How big of an operation is this, really?
ROSSMAN: It's huge. Just like, you know, I get up every day. I go to work. These people get up every day with a mission to steal.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Organized retail theft is a large part of the industry's $100 billion in lost product. Major retail executives from Walmart and Target are sounding the alarm.
DOUG MCMILLON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WALMART: Theft is an issue. It's higher than what it has historically been. If that's not corrected over time, prices will be higher.
MICHAEL FIDDELKE, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CEO, TARGET: We expect it will reduce our gross margin by more than $600 million for the full year.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): The irony, industry experts say, is that some of the very products stolen from store shelves eventually make their way back and into customers' hands.
ROSSMAN: As it works its way through commerce and goes to wholesalers, which goes to distributors, and then we end up buying it back.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIDNER: Our thanks to Vanessa for that story.
[07:50:00]
The winter storm blamed for 17 deaths in western New York. Most of those deaths are in the Buffalo area in Erie County, to be specific. We will talk to the Erie County executive just ahead.
HARLOW: Also, a member of the January 6 committee now saying the Electoral College reform should be Congress' next priority
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): We should elect the president the way we elect governors, senators, mayors, representatives, and everybody else. Whoever gets the most votes wins.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL)
[07:55:03]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RASKIN: The Electoral College now -- which has given us five popular- vote losers are president in our history, twice in this century alone -- has become a danger not just to democracy but to the American people. It was a danger on January 6. There's so many curving byways and nooks and crannies in the Electoral College that there are opportunities for a lot of strategic mischief.
We should elect the president the way we elect governors, senators, mayors, representatives, and everybody else. Whoever gets the most votes wins.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: That was Congressman Jamie Raskin pointing to what he calls a need for Electoral College reform as the next priority to safeguard democracy. This coming as the January 6 committee released its long- anticipated final report with the historic recommendation that former President Donald Trump be criminally prosecuted and not be able to hold public office again.
In a New York Times op-ed, CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer -- sorry, I'm slurring your last name -- says there's still a lot that needs to be done.
He writes, "As with the Watergate roadmap, the January 6 report doesn't put an end to the crisis of American democracy. If there is any criticism to be made of the committee's report, it is that it focuses so much on former President Donald Trump and his accomplices and does not do enough to emphasize the urgent imperative to move forward with institutional reforms to protect America's election."
Julian joins us now. You are the author of an upcoming book. And you've written many books, so you are an overachiever, I know, but this is the latest one, "Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past."
All right, you took at the -- this is an 845-page document, so a lot to read. You compare this report to Watergate. Can you explain?
JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, AUTHOR, "MYTH AMERICA: HISTORIANS TAKE ON THE BIGGEST LEGENDS AND LIES ABOUT OUR PAST" (via Webex by Cisco): Sure. There was a roadmap put together by a special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, in 1974. And he basically handed off this documentation to the House Judiciary Committee, which was the evidence that led toward impeachment.
And Watergate was a crisis of the presidency. And I talk about what happened after Watergate. What happened after Nixon resigned. And we had almost a decade of political reform that tried to correct the political system from what was exposed. HARLOW: Yes, and I think that's the question now, and you raise a good point. I mean, what happened after was a pardon.
And so, I say that because -- I'm talking about Nixon -- that brings up what one of Trump's lawyers now, Tim Parlatore, said on CNN this weekend, calling the criminal referral by this committee to the Justice Department, quote, "worthless." He's saying it doesn't matter one bit.
What you're talking about here is the history of what happens in terms of reforming the system.
ZELIZER: Exactly. I mean, Congressman Raskin is now pointing to that kind of conversation. You don't just focus on the individual who did wrong. So that is extremely important and it's an important part of the January 6 report.
But you also have to look at how politics works. After Watergate, we reformed campaign finance. We reformed ethics rules.
And I think this crisis has revealed all sorts of vulnerabilities in our electoral system that really need to be addressed over the next few years.
SIDNER: I want to talk to you about the timing of all this because Watergate was a certain point in time and eventually, many -- the Republicans did end up saying enough. We are going to do something about this. But you have a little bit of a different scenario here. All of the Republicans are not on the same -- on the same page with this.
So, do you see reform being a real possibility? For example, the Electoral College reform.
ZELIZER: Well look, we just passed one reform and it had bipartisan support. That's the Electoral Count Act. It was part of this big omnibus legislation. It makes it harder for the vice president to ever try to tamper with the election results. It makes it harder for members of Congress to challenge the results from the state. Well, it just passed.
And we need to think of a long-term project. Not everything has to happen in the next year but reform has to happen in the next five or six years. And I think more is possible, especially if Republicans feel they are suffering, as a result of former President Trump, at the ballot box.
HARLOW: Quickly, Julian, before you go, I just want your, sort of, counter-argument to what Congressman Raskin is saying. What -- remind people why the Electoral College was formed and the benefits that it holds.
ZELIZER: Well, the supporters say it supports smaller states and that because you have measure. Smaller states get attention in elections. But there are many critics of that. They feel it's outdated and they feel we should move to a more direct.
