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CNN This Morning

First Black Woman justice in Michigan; Complaints and Cancellations up Across Airline Industry; Family Makes it to NHL Winter Classic. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired January 02, 2023 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:21]

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone, to CNN THIS MORNING.

Here's what's coming up.

History made in Michigan. We're going to hear from the state's first black female Supreme Court justice in moments.

And nearly 3,000 miles and one week later, the family who drove from Phoenix to Boston for the NHL winter classic, they made it. They're going to join us live straight ahead.

And just in, we are learning the suspect in the machete attack on NYPD officers in Times Square was interviewed by the FBI last month and had been on a terror watch list. That is according to our very own John Miller. More on that straight ahead.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now to a landmark moment at the Michigan Supreme Court. A black female justice has finally been sworn onto the state's highest court for the first time in its 185-year history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTICE KYRA HARRIS BOLDEN, MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT: And that I will faithfully discharge the duties

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of the office of supreme court justice.

BOLDEN: Of the office of supreme court justice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: According to the best of my ability.

BOLDEN: According to the best of my ability.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: That is Justice Kyra Harris Bolden. Her appointment comes at a very significant time for Michigan's supreme court. Just last year, the court had a number of key decisions. They ordered an abortion rights initiative to appear on the November ballot, they banned discrimination against LGBTQ people and ruled that one-person grand juries can't issue indictments against state officials. That's a big deal. And it led to charges being dismissed against the former governor in connection with the Flint water crisis.

So, this term, the court also has a lot on its plate. And Justice Bolden's appointment is not only historic. Wait until you hear the story of her journey and her family's legacy of injustice in the hands of the legal system.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUSTICE KYRA HARRIS BOLDEN, MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT: One day this little girl came to me and said, Ms. Kyra, Ms. Kyra, can girls go to college?

HARLOW: Wow.

BOLDEN: And I looked at her and I said, yes, I'm a girl. I'm in college. And she turns to the little girl next to her and says, see, I told you.

HARLOW (voice over): Little girls saw themselves in Kyra Harris Bolden.

BOLDEN: This has been a long journey for all of us.

HARLOW: Today, for the first time, they can look up and see what else they could be.

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Kyra will be the first black woman ever to serve on the Michigan Supreme Court.

Kyra.

HARLOW: And with that, history was made as Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Bolden to the state's highest court.

WHITMER: One hundred and eighty-five years we've never had an African American woman on the state's highest court. It's about damn time.

BOLDEN: It's just been an honor, and just been so surreal to be appointed to the highest court in the state of Michigan and be responsible for some really important decisions.

HARLOW (on camera): What do you think makes you tear up?

BOLDEN: Oh, because this means so much to so many people.

HARLOW (voice over): Justice Bolden's journey to this court, though, began nearly a century ago with a tragedy.

BOLDEN: Jesse Lee Bonds, my great grandfather, was lynched in Tennessee in 1939 after asking a store owner for a receipt. And he was beaten and castrated and thrown into the local river. And the coroner deemed it an accidental drowning. And, as a result, his murderers walked free.

HARLOW: That injustice drove Bolden to law school.

BOLDEN: Once I realize that that was something that happened in my own family -

HARLOW (on camera): Less than a hundred years ago.

BOLDEN: Yes. Yes. I just felt the need to be a part of the justice system and to go to law school and find my way in - in that.

HARLOW: Is your great grandfather's lynching the reason you believe you became a lawyer?

[08:35:02]

BOLDEN: It was definitely a large part of it.

HARLOW (voice over): She would go on to serve two terms in the state legislature and then take a leap, a chance at making history.

BOLDEN: We need to make sure that we have justices on our Michigan Supreme Court that believe in equal justice under the law.

HARLOW: She didn't win that race, but when a seat on the court opened up this summer, she was the governor's first choice.

BOLDEN: Thank you. Thank you. And thank you very much.

HARLOW: Her daughter, Emerson, not yet five months old, too young to know the history her mother has made.

BOLDEN: Emerson, in just a few generations, our family has gone from lynching to law school, from injustice to a capital "j" justice.

From injustice to capital "j" justice is really just -- it's just - it's amazing. It's amazing that we can make this type of progress for our family.

HARLOW (on camera): What do you say to people who look at the state of racism in America today and don't see it as - as enough progress?

BOLDEN: It's - it's not. It's not - it's not enough. It's absolutely unacceptable that in 2022 we are just now having the first black woman on the Michigan Supreme Court. There has never been a black woman that's been a governor in the United States history, right? It's not acceptable, but we still have to work hard and we still have to try to break down these barriers.

HARLOW: And 2022, it took till now to get the first black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.

BOLDEN: Yes. Yes. Yes.

HARLOW: You know, when you think about Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, just a few months before you -

BOLDEN: Yes. Yes.

HARLOW: What you think?

BOLDEN: Yes. I think it's one of those moments where you know what's possible, right? You know, the same way that people have said that they look at me. The same way I look at her.

HARLOW: Really?

BOLDEN: Yes. I mean, she -- she's amazing, but she is a representation of what is possible.

HARLOW: Yes.

BOLDEN: Are we fired up?

CROWD: Yes!

BOLDEN: Are we ready to go?

CROWD: Yes!

HARLOW (voice over): Justice Bolden will be unique on this court, as the only justice who was previously a state lawmaker.

HARLOW (on camera): So that also, though, opens the door to other critics who say, well, you're a Democrat, you're partisan, you know, you've served in the legislature. You ran as a Democrat. How do you shed that?

BOLDEN: All judges and justices have personal points of view. You know, so I don't think I'm different in that. My job, as a justice, is to interpret the laws.

We have the opportunity to protect justice for generations to come. Did you know that?

HARLOW (voice over): In a fitting full circle, she will fill the seat of Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, whose campaign was the first she worked on a decade ago.

BRIDGET MCCORMACK, FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE, MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT: The state is getting a smart, savvy, and hardworking public servant as its newest justice.

BOLDEN: I know the weight of this job. I know what it means. It's always been my goal to pull people with me. You know, Vice President Kamala said, maybe the first but not the last, right?

HARLOW: Yes.

BOLDEN: And that's just kind of the mantra that - that I live by.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARLOW: What a - what an honor to sit with her. And, you know, I have to mention, Alpha Kappa Alpha.

LEMON: AKA.

HARLOW: Alpha Kappa Alpha. We talked so much about the barriers that she's breaking for AKA, along with, you know, following the likes of Vice President Kamala Harris, Toni Morrison and so many more.

LEMON: Yes. And, look, that part is important because when you think about the black sororities, the impact that they have on elections around the country, and not only just for women. Like, they get people -- they get out the vote. In Louisiana, the last gubernatorial election, the black sororities really helped in a red state, pushed and helped to elect a Democratic governor there.

But she is --

HARLOW: A force. Thirty-four only.

LEMON: Amazing.

HARLOW: I want to say one thing. She has a five-month-old baby.

LEMON: Yes.

HARLOW: So she ran this campaign pregnant, crisscrossing the state.

LEMON: Yes.

HARLOW: And as someone who has had babies, I - just doing any job, let alone that job is difficult. Her husband took two months paternity leave and was an equal caregiver at home so that she could do that. We talk a lot about what it takes to lift people up.

LEMON: Yes.

HARLOW: Big part of this for her she said as well having that equal partner.

LEMON: I'm not so surprised that she did this pregnant. What did - what did they say about Ginger Rogers, she had to do everything that Fred Astaire did but backwards and in heels.

HARLOW: There you go.

LEMON: So, women, amazingly can do those things.

HARLOW: Yes.

LEMON: Guys are, you know, we're not - we're not there yet.

HARLOW: Our thanks to her. It was really a delight to get to spent some time with her.

LEMON: Congratulations. HARLOW: OK, so this morning's number is 306. Why? Harry Enten is here to explain.

[08:40:00]

LEMON: What? Hmm?

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LEMON: You heard about the meltdown last week. Perhaps you were part of it. The meltdown by Southwest Airlines leaving passengers angry and stranded. But what is the public perception of the entire industry, the entire airline industry these days?

CNN's senior data reporter, Mr. Harry Enten, joins us with the number this morning.

When you said what the number was before -

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes.

LEMON: I thought you were talking about the weight I gained on vacation, but it's not about me.

HARLOW: You look great.

ENTEN: You look fantastic.

LEMON: Go on. No, go on. Three hundred and six?

ENTEN: Yes, 306. This morning's number is 306 because that airline passenger complaints versus 219, January just through September. So this doesn't include the most recent data. Up 306 percent. And if you go back to 1998, it's up 547 percent since then. My goodness gracious. And, you know, cancellations has one thing to do with it, right? 2022 airline cancellations.

[08:45:01]

Again, only through September. So, this number is likely going to climb. It's up 28 percent from 2019. It is the worst cancellation rate in at least a decade. At least a decade. You know what's funny, Don -

LEMON: What's funny, Harry?

ENTEN: The fact of the matter is, is that people used to really like the airline industry. The favorable and positive use of the airline industry was 67 percent back in 1969.

LEMON: That's when people used to actually wear clothes on airplanes and dress up.

ENTEN: Yes.

HARLOW: I mean they gave you like china and meals and champagne.

ENTEN: They did.

LEMON: Wait, they don't do that anymore?

ENTEN: They do not do that.

HARLOW: Sorry. Oh, that's only in first class.

ENTEN: They don't do that anymore. And, you know, if you look, how are airlines cutting costs? A few of a number of ways. The size of the seats have dropped.

HARLOW: Yes.

ENTEN: The leg room is dropping. Amenities like airplane food have all but disappeared.

But how do they keep you? How do they keep you basically going to -- taking those planes? Because look at the price of the airline if you -- for a round trip ticket.

LEMON: Oh, wow. There you go.

ENTEN: Now just $367. It's been dropping. So, it gets you in with those cheap prices and then basically take away all the amenities.

LEMON: Yes. All right.

HARLOW: Thanks.

LEMON: Thank you, Harry.

HARLOW: Thank you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

LEMON: Three hundred and six.

HARLOW: Speaking of airlines, after their Southwest flight was canceled on Christmas Day, one Phoenix family decided to drive nearly 3,000 miles to make their son's Christmas wish come true.

LEMON: Wow.

HARLOW: Wait until you meet them again. You met them last week on CNN THIS MORNING. The Maher family is with us, next.

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[08:50:35]

HARLOW: Very excited about this.

An update now on a story we brought you last week. You may remember the Maher family, whose Southwest flight was canceled on Christmas Day. Well, they decided to rent a truck and drive 3,000 miles nearly from Phoenix to Boston to fulfill their eldest son's single holiday wish to go to the NHL Winter Classic in Boston. When we last spoke with them, they were starting on the last leg of their journey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLEY MAHER, DROVE FROM PHOENIX TO BOSTON TO ATTEND TODAY'S NHL WINTER CLASSIC: When we made the decision in Terminal 4 in Sky Harbor on Sunday to turn this into a drive, you know, I remember my husband saying, guys, this is a really big commitment. Is everybody up for this? And I - I think probably secretly we were dreading it a little bit. But we actually have laughed a lot and had lots of smiles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: And they made it. And they're here joining us live from Boston, from Fenway.

Tim, Kelley, Beauwin, Sullivan (ph), Sailor (ph), and Ireland.

Congrats. How is it, guys?

KELLEY MAHER, DROVE FROM PHOENIX TO BOSTON TO ATTEND TODAY'S NHL WINTER CLASSIC: We made it. It's amazing.

LEMON: Just like -

TIM MAHER, DROVE FROM PHOENIX TO BOSTON TO ATTEND TODAY'S NHL WINTER CLASSIC: An amazing experience.

BEAUWIN "BO" MAHER, FAMILY DROVE 3,000 MILES TO ATTEND TODAY'S NHL WINTER CLASSIC: Yes, fantastic.

LEMON: Yes, are you warm? I mean, you know, it's cold -

HARLOW: I know.

LEMON: Well, at least they're wearing jackets or not stuck in a car.

Overall, I meant, are you warm?

B. MAHER: I - I am freezing. I am. They - they didn't give me a jacket.

K. MAHER: Our Phoenix blood, our thin Phoenix - our New England friends from childhood are just nodding at us in disbelief that we're bundled up like this. But we're freezing.

HARLOW: OK. So, Beauwin, this was your dream, right? This was your - now whose - whose - whose -

B. MAHER: That's right.

HARLOW: Yes. OK, so you are the reason your family took this epic trip. But you're also the reason that some amazing things have been happening to your family. What's it been like?

B. MAHER: It's been like surreal. I still can't believe some of the things we've done. I'm still like inhaling and digesting everything we've done. I mean it's like -- the NHL just kept like one-upping themselves. They're like, we want to give you this. And we're like, oh my gosh, thank you. And then they're like, we want to give you this. We're like, oh, my gosh, thank you. Oh my -- like, no, please, you're too kind. It's - it's just great.

K. MAHER: He said yesterday, at the end of the day, we were finishing up dinner and he said, my face hurts from smiling so much today.

B. MAHER: My cute little dimples.

HARLOW: What did they give you? What did they give you?

B. MAHER: Oh -

K. MAHER: Well, who did you dine with last night?

B. MAHER: Well, we went to Ray Bourque's restaurant. And he came around the corner. And, like, it was like that like ah-ha moment. Like, we just made eye contact. And I was like, oh, my gosh. And then he came over and he gave me a signed jersey. And I just -- I was smiling for probably like six minutes straight. I mean my cheekbones were so strained. It was - yes. And - yes, it was just crazy.

K. MAHER: And during the day we had a tour of Fenway, which was incredible. I mean for us, growing up here, we moved to Arizona about 20 years ago. But growing up here, I mean it was iconic walking around and seeing the back hallways and that sort of thing.

Then we came back for the Bruins practice. And Beauwin and Sully (ph) got to stand where the players were coming in and fist bump with all of them. And just being so up close and being able to have that sort of vantage point of them practicing, these athletes that we just think are incredible, and cheer on from our TV screens at home, it's just been incredible. I mean we are -- we're Irish and we're not speechless very often and we've been pretty speechless.

LEMON: Yes.

OK, so, well, speaking of Stanley Cup, right, and Ray Bourque, the NHL wanted to surprise you and give you a chance to be with the Stanley Cup, too, right?

B. MAHER: Oh, my gosh.

HARLOW: So, look - look to your right or your left or something.

K. MAHER: Look at - look at - look.

B. MAHER: Oh -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

B. MAHER: There she is.

Oh, my gosh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sully, touch it.

K. MAHER: (INAUDIBLE).

Sullivan last night was asking Ray Bourque, as if he was our neighbor, chatting with him like he was a regular old guy, while we were all gob smacked. And he said to Ray Bourque, is the Stanley Cup very heavy?

T. MAHER: And we know who you are.

K. MAHER: And Ray said, yes, and they kept wanting me to lift it over my head. My arms were very tired.

LEMON: Who's the little guy - what's the little guy closet to the couple.

T. MAHER: That's incredible. That's incredible.

LEMON: Look at his face. Oh, my gosh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

K. MAHER: So, this is Sullivan. We call him Sully. He's named after Sullivan Square here in Boston.

T. MAHER: He - he draws pictures of the Stanley Cup all the time at home. And this is incredible. It's - it's - it's awesome.

K. MAHER: Oh, my gosh. Unreal.

T. MAHER: Wow.

K. MAHER: Thank you so much.

B. MAHER: I want to touch it. I want to -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can touch it.

T. MAHER: And we know this guy, too. This -- the cup and - the cup and this man are very -- this is the handler. We know him.

K. MAHER: The handler.

T. MAHER: We know this guy from years and years.

[08:55:02]

This is beautiful.

B. MAHER: Oh my gosh.

HARLOW: All right, guys, as if today -- as if this isn't enough -- what did you say, Sully?

LEMON: He's not mic'd, but - HARLOW: OK. OK.

K. MAHER: Say that part again? Sorry.

LEMON: OK. So, listen, this - we've another surprise for you. The NHL is gifting your family with tickets to the NHL Winter Classic in 2024. So you're going to make this trip again, guys.

B. MAHER: Oh, my gosh.

K. MAHER: Stop it!

LEMON: Yes. This is what happens -

B. MAHER: Another road trip. Another road trip.

K. MAHER: (INAUDIBLE) 2024.

T. MAHER: We get to do another road trip next year.

LEMON: This is what happens when you appear on CNN THIS MORNING, people.

K. MAHER: Oh my gosh.

HARLOW: Careful what you promise.

B. MAHER: That's right, baby.

T. MAHER: I know. This is incredible. It's -

K. MAHER: Happy, hockey family.

T. MAHER: Right.

K. MAHER: Incredible. Thank you so much.

B. MAHER: Yes. Oh, my gosh.

T. MAHER: Oh, my gosh.

HARLOW: We're so happy for you guys. Have the best time today.

LEMON: Yes. And go inside and warm up, OK? Congratulations. Happy New Year to you.

K. MAHER: It's hard to think yesterday can be topped, but thank you. Happy New Year.

T. MAHER: Happy New Year. Thank you so much. Wow.

LEMON: Thank you.

HARLOW: Bye, guys. What a great family.

LEMON: Tim, Beauwin, Sullivan, Sailor, Ireland, we are very happy for you.

OK, so, the Boston Bruins are going to face the Pittsburg Penguins in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park. TNT's coverage of the game is going to begin at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

HARLOW: Can we just end every show, and you get one, and you get one, and you get one, and you get one, and you get one.

LEMON: And you get one. And you get a car. And you get a car. Well, that's another show.

HARLOW: We will see you tomorrow, maybe with a car giveaway.

LEMON: OK.

HARLOW: That's someone - yes.

LEMON: That would be -- you need it with the airlines, what's happening with the airlines.

Bye, everybody.

HARLOW: CNN "NEWSROOM" is now.

LEMON: See you tomorrow. Happy New Year.

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