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CNN This Morning
EPA Administrator Says Government Will Remain in East Palestine, Ohio, to Help Recovery from Chemical Spill Caused by Train Derailment; Five Former Memphis Police Officers to Appear in Court to Face Charges of Murder in Death of Tyre Nichols; Former NBA Players Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal Discuss Working Together as Sports Analysts; "Inside The NBA" Team Joins CNN This Morning At All-Star Weekend; Biden: Latest Downed Objects Likely Unrelated To Chinese Spying. Aired 8-8:30a ET
Aired February 17, 2023 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Back into town until all of this was done. You don't bring families back with their kids and their loved ones and then tell them to scrub with Dawn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It's a concern being echoed by so many. Right now, officials estimate that thousands of fish were killed by contamination that was washing down streams and rivers. Ohio Senator J.D. Vance was there to see it firsthand. Here is what his assessment was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE, (R-OH): Something I just discovered is that if you scrape the creek bed, it's like chemical is coming out of the ground. Could we show it? Can you come here, and let me just show this to people. I'm looking at the camera, but watch this. Just see that chemical pop out of the creek. This is disgusting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That's what the senator is saying. Also this morning we are seeing new surveillance video that shows sparks flying from the train less than an hour before it crashed. This is important because it could give investigators key clues about what happened, what led to that. This is in Alliance, Ohio. You can see the train. It's right there on the right hand of your screen. It's 57 minutes before it crashed. You don't see any sparks there. But the train keeps going, keeps going down the tracks. By 8:12 p.m. it's in Salem. That where this video is from. You can see the sparks from an apparent wheel bearing that was overheating and causing those sparks.
Another surveillance camera here, same time, same town, the train keeps going for 20 miles after that headed for East Palestine. That is where it derailed at 8:55 p.m., a full 43 minutes after we first saw though sparks in Salem.
CNN's Jason Carroll is live on the ground where he has been in East Palestine. Jason, this is going to be a cause for concern. I know the NTSB is paying close attention to all of those different clips of those surveillance videos. What are you hearing?
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is clearly going to be, Kaitlan, as you point out, a key part, a significant part of this investigation. According to the NTSB, that surveillance video that you mentioned there shows a wheel bearing, quote, in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment. Again, this according to the NTSB.
The wheel bearing is the part, of course, that connects the wheel to the axle. So what's going to happen now is these parts have been isolated. They are going to be taken to Washington, D.C., so experts there can evaluate exactly what happened there with those key parts. All of this happening, though, here on the ground as people continue to worry about their health, their safety, the air, the water. I spoke to the head of the EPA yesterday about all this to get his assessment of what is happening here on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: You've heard some of the stories that are coming in, people talking about having rashes, their pets getting sick, things like that.
MICHAEL REGAN, EPA ADMINISTRATOR: What I would say is if anyone is experiencing any kind of adverse symptom, have their pets go to the veterinarian. They should seek medical attention. We need for this information to get to the state health department so that we can coordinate and be sure that people are getting the help that they need.
CARROLL: Can you help us clear up what specifically you are testing for? Is it just for vinyl chloride?
REGAN: We are testing for the full breadth of toxic chemicals that were on that train that was spilled. We have the capabilities to detect every single adverse impact that would result from that spill, and that's what we're doing. We will be here for as long as it takes to see this process through. I want to assure the people --
CARROLL: I just want to say, when you say as long as it takes, I think the question is, long term, is someone going to be here a year from now, two years from now to come back, test the water, test the soil?
REGAN: I am very clear when I say as long as it takes. We will go through this process with the citizens of East Palestine for as long as it takes. The federal government will be here for as long as it takes.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CARROLL: In terms of the federal response, Ohio's governor, Kaitlan,
has also said it's now time for the CDC to get some of their experts here on the ground to evaluate people who say they are now experiencing symptoms. Kaitlan?
COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. They want to know why they are having those symptoms. Jason Carroll, thank you.
Also this morning, police in Los Angeles are investigating two shootings in a Jewish community as a possible hate crime. The Pico- Robertson neighborhood is on edge after two Jewish people who were walking home from their synagogues were shot. Police arrested a suspect, say they are going to be ramping up patrols in the area. Surveillance video shows the victim from the second incident moments after the shooting, as you can see here. Both victims are hospitalized and in stable condition this morning. We'll continue to follow that.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Today, five former Memphis police officers are charged with murder in the death of Tyre Nichols. They will appear in court. They are facing second-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and official misconduct charges.
[08:05:04]
The suspects will have an opportunity to enter a plea today. We want to warn you that the video we are about to show is disturbing.
Police body camera and surveillance video show the officers brutally beating Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop. Memphis police initially said Nichols was suspected of reckless driving, but there is no evidence of that. Nichols later died of his injuries.
Joining me to discuss the arraignment and other developments is Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy who will be prosecuting this case. One thing I want to ask you about, there is a sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, who was also fired over his role. He was seen on camera tasing Nichols. Are you going to bring charges against him?
STEVE MULROY, SHELBY COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: That's not the kind of thing that I can talk about right now. We have an ongoing investigation and an ongoing prosecution. But what I can say is we are looking at everybody who was involved directly or indirect in the death of Tyre Nichols, and that includes Officer Hemphill. It include people who showed up after the beating had concluded. But we are --
CORNISH: Right, we've heard about sheriff's deputies, members of the Memphis Fire Department who have been fired or disciplined. So it sounds like they are under review as well?
MULROY: Correct. That is correct. And we are going to do what we can as quickly as I can, but thoroughly. And we will be making decisions about charges regarding all those people in the time ahead.
CORNISH: It's rare for police officers involved in killings to be charged, much less indicted or convicted. Can you talk about some of the challenges in this particular case, because you are seeking a lot of these are second-degree murder charges, right? What are the challenges for you specifically?
MULROY: Well, in Tennessee second-degree murder requires proof that the defendants knowingly killed Tyre Nichols, which under Tennessee law means that they acted in such a way that they were reasonably certain that their actions could cause death. In any case where you have a police officer as defendants, of course, there is challenges if jurors are inclined to credit police officer testimony more than the average witness.
CORNISH: Believe they feared for their lives, et cetera.
MULROY: Et cetera, yes. And that's always the case. But we believe we have a strong case. We believe we've charged appropriately and we will be able to prove every element of the offense from second-degree murder all the way down to all the other charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
CORNISH: We have also been hearing that there are now defense attorneys in the county who want to review any cases touched by the SCORPION unit. We're talking hundreds of arrests. What concerns do you have that some of your cases will be overturned as a result of all of this?
MULROY: Well, it is a concern. And what we have decided to do is we are proactively reviewing every case involving those six officers we just got done discussing. And we'll also take a look at any other case that a defense attorney will bring to us if they have some credible reason for thinking that the case might be suspect. I have a concern as a district attorney about manpower issues because that is going to be a time-consuming process, and I've got a lot of other cases that we need, of course, to prosecute. And then there is the chance that some non-trivial number of cases will eventually be overturned.
CORNISH: That's the Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. Thank you so much for speaking with us.
MULROY: Thank you.
CORNISH: And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: End it Shaq. Get in!
(CHEERS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what that means is Kenny and Chuck need to take peanut butter to the face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no. You playing games.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You playing games.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I bet you $20 I'll bite the chip and won't even make a face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without making a face?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're making sci-fi until we die. This is nothing to me.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not making a face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, you are!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't cheat, Chuck! Don't cheat.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was bad right there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: A moment we'll never forget, that was Shaquille O'Neal flying into a Christmas tree. You get sharp analysis, so much more, including flying into Christmas trees, from TNT's "Inside the NBA." They are here in Salt Lake City for NBA All-Star weekend. The All-Star game is Sunday night right on our sister network, TNT. I sat down with three of them, Shaq, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith, and, you know, just watch. It was a delight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: This is so fun for me.
CHARLES BARKLEY, ANALYST, "NBA ON TNT": Well, it's also for us.
HARLOW: I never -- usually it's like senators --
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, ANALYST, "NBA ON TNT": One, two, three, back to one.
KENNY SMITH, ANALYST, "NBA ON TNT": She was talking to me.
O'NEAL: No, she was talking to Kenny first.
SMITH: She made eye contact.
BARKLEY: Well, you're in the middle, so.
SMITH: She looked straight ahead.
HARLOW: Well, we go way back. So I am just getting to know you.
SMITH: Yes, when you ask a question or something, you have to say our name.
HARLOW: Yes, I will.
O'NEAL: Because he always tries to be the first, the middle, and the last answer.
HARLOW: Stepping on your toes too much?
SMITH: Then he'll say, I am not going to speak for Kenny, but -- I am not going to speak for Shaq but --
HARLOW: But I really am.
SMITH: But he is speaking for us.
BARKLEY: See what I have to deal with?
HARLOW: OK, we are starting with you.
BARKLEY: OK.
HARLOW: Sir Charles, are you looking forward most to Shaq deejaying this weekend?
BARKLEY: He is a great deejay. I've got to give him credit. He travels the country every weekend doing the deejay thing. He practices at work. You know, when we should be watching the game, he practices at work. But I hear --
O'NEAL: Is this a clone?
(LAUGHTER)
O'NEAL: Is that really him? Charles Barkley gave me a compliment?
BARKLEY: But here's a really talented deejay.
O'NEAL: Charles, Charles, where are you?
BARKLEY: He can pay me later.
HARLOW: He doesn't really think it's you.
We've got to start with the debate over the GOAT, because it was your interview with LeBron pretty recently where you got him to admit that he thought he was, is the GOAT. What do you think?
O'NEAL: Many different answers, Jordan and LeBron. The only thing that saddens me about it is you kind of forget about my young fellow, Mr. Kobe Bryant. But listen, Lebron's had a great career. Michael has had a great career. For me it's just great barbershop talk. I actually see people in the barbershop getting ready over to fight over this. No, no, this, this.
HARLOW: About who is the GOAT.
O'NEAL: Yes, who is the GOAT.
HARLOW: You don't think it's LeBron?
BARKLEY: I don't like that question. But I think you have to do it generational. Number one, I think it's disrespectful to Kareem. I think it's disrespectful to Magic and Bird, disrespectful to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. LeBron has definitely been the greatest of his generation.
[08:15:00]
But I never really played against LeBron. We never played against Kareem. You know, Kenny played against me and Michael so he does -- he -- did you ever play against LeBron?
KENNY SMITH, ANALYST, NBA ON TNT: I don't play against LeBron. Yes.
BARKLEY: So, that's why I think like, it's not fair. Why should do generational?
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I want to talk about the show because you guys have this and obviously, we're missing, you know, before the other great --
BARKLEY: The Godfather.
HARLOW: -- the Godfather, Ernie. But you have something special and magical. And the chemistry is just -- it made it -- it's nearly impossible to have chemistry like you guys do. And Kenny, you said in an interview recently -- you said the one thing I've learned is that being on a championship team, is it everyone's role is really valuable. Why does this work so well? What is it?
SMITH: I think everyone's role is really valuable. When you make a great cake and you just say I'm going to just eat frosting, it's not going to take you. If I have cake, it's not going to be if you'd have -- don't have the sprinkles that don't look the same.
HARLOW: Who is the sprinkles?
SMITH: You know I think we all have different components. I'll probably have a little bit more of the batter part.
HARLOW: You're the batter?
SMITH: I'm the batter.
HARLOW: What's Chuck?
SMITH: Oh, Chuck is the cake.
HARLOW: What's Shaq?
SMITH: Oh, he's the frosting. He puts it all. He -- like we were great -- a great show. We were a great show. We were the best --
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, ANALYST, NBA ON TNT: It started off slow but it's getting good.
SMITH: Well, good.
O'NEAL: And we could keep going -- keep going.
SMITH: We are the best show I thought in television before he got here. But what he did, he cemented us is that.
O'NEAL: We realize if we're going to keep you up at 12, one, 2:00 a.m., we want to make you laugh before you have to go to sleep. And you know as a fan that we have G14 classification to talk about all the things happening with the game.
HARLOW: I do.
O'NEAL: Championship, one of the greatest players, Hall of Famer, made to the finals once but you know, that doesn't define him. He's still one of the greatest players --
BARKLEY: MVP.
O'NEAL: -- MVP. You know you all know what I've done. So, you know that in certain situations we know. So, you know that we have mostly 99 percent of the answers. I am --
BARKLEY: Yes.
HARLOW: How do you think it works?
BARKLEY: I'm just -- I think we work because I'm just -- I'm the best- looking one out of the four. Kind of -- kind of by --
HARLOW: I knew you're going to say something like that.
O'NEAL: Wrinkles.
BARKLEY: Hey, kind of by default because I'm working with three ugly people, so like I'm the best like one by default.
SMITH: But that's --
BARKLEY: Probably, I think the key to also know you've been on television a long time, the people behind the scenes, we really just show up in act a fool on television, or at least actually the only one who actually works. Like Ernie goes in like noon, and we go on to seven, we show up at like 6:30 and then we'd --
O'NEAL: 6:50.
SMITH: Yes, 6:50 -- at 7:01?
O'NEAL: Yes, 6:50.
SMITH: 7:01?
BARKLEY: That's right. SMITH: You're at 7:01.
BARKLEY: I -- actually, like to get there at 6:30 --
O'NEAL: It was traffic.
BARKLEY: -- just like with these two guys.
HARLOW: Yes.
BARKLEY: But the people behind the scenes -- I'd like to say, I give all the credit to Ernie and the people behind the scenes. We -- actually, if you play sports, the most of the fun -- the most fun thing in the world have been in the locker room, which is acting like we're in the locker room.
HARLOW: You're in the locker room on television?
BARKLEY: Yes.
HARLOW: Yes.
BARKLEY: That's exactly what we are.
O'NEAL: (INAUDIBLE)
HARLOW: So, you said -- by the way, happy almost birthday.
BARKLEY: Yes.
HARLOW: Monday?
BARKLEY: Yes.
HARLOW: The big 60?
BARKLEY: I know.
HARLOW: Right?
BARKLEY: I'm on a bag man.
HARLOW: And do you remember what you said?
BARKLEY: What's that?
HARLOW: I'm looking at 60 as the end. You said that in 2018.
BARKLEY: The beginning of the end.
HARLOW: No.
BARKLEY: But getting off it is enough.
HARLOW: You said you want it --
O'NEAL: No, he let me say the end.
HARLOW: -- to have a good decade and have fun.
O'NEAL: OK. And then -- and then -- and then he became Mr. $200 million man.
BARKLEY: Yes.
HARLOW: That will do it.
O'NEAL: They made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
HARLOW: So, you're telling me you're not retiring on Monday?
BARKLEY: No.
O'NEAL: No.
SMITH: We're telling you -- we're telling you he can be bought.
O'NEAL: Yes.
SMITH: He had to stay long.
O'NEAL: Yes. 200 million.
BARKLEY: No. So, obviously, 60 was my magic number to retire. But TNT came to me and they'd been great to me for 23 years. And I didn't want to say you own your own. I said -- and I said hey, you guys been great to me for 23 years, I'm not going because --
HARLOW: They are calling you --
O'NEAL: On today's -- on today's episode, he'll give the BS answer?
HARLOW: Yes.
BARKLEY: Poopy, it was --
O'NEAL: Two --
BARKLEY: It was --
O'NEAL: 200 million, Poppy. That's what he was.
BARKLEY: Yes. Poppy --
SMITH: Oh, come on. Look here --
O'NEAL: Yes, two -- Poppy, Do you want a hundred?
SMITH: Listen, Poppy, (INAUDIBLE)
O'NEAL: 200.
SMITH: We want -- we want you to go to 60. Can you go to 70? Oh yes, I think I can.
O'NEAL: Yes.
SMITH: I think I can. There's a little engine that could.
BARKLEY: Now, you know, first of all, I'm not going to stay to 70. I can promise you that.
SMITH: Yes, you want -- you've got ten years on.
BARKLEY: Yes, I'm not going to stay to 70. But --
SMITH: But do you want to leave it on the table?
BARKLEY: Yes. Because listen, they've been great to me.
O'NEAL: (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
O'NEAL: That's you, right there.
HARLOW: Speaking of money --
BARKLEY: Yes.
HARLOW: -- don't you owe him?
O'NEAL: No, he owes me for the Super Bowl.
BARKLEY: Well, why do I owe you --
O'NEAL: He just lost.
HARLOW: No, I'm not talking about the Super Bowl. I know about the betting on the Super Bowl. I'm talking about spectacular.
BARKLEY: Yes, I spell spectacular --
O'NEAL: What's that?
BARKLEY: Well, do you remember that now, spell spectacular?
O'NEAL: No, you cheated.
BARKLEY: No. how do I cheat?
O'NEAL: Spell it right now.
HARLOW: Do it.
SMITH: Spell it right now.
BARKLEY: I have to write it down
HARLOW: Do it. O'NEAL: Yes, see?
BARKLEY: S-P-E-C-T-A-L-U-R, is that right?
SMITH: No.
O'NEAL: Yes, that is right.
BARKLEY: OK. I have to write it down.
O'NEAL: That's him.
HARLOW: You got it right --
O'NEAL: Does he --
HARLOW: -- on this show.
[08:20:01]
O'NEAL: No, he had to write it down.
BARKLEY: Is that -- is that going down?
HARLOW: And he -- and you, promising ten grand and did you --
O'NEAL: If you're in the -- if you're in a spelling bee contest, you can write it down.
HARLOW: Put that mic --
BARKLEY: See, I don't --
HARLOW: Wait.
BARKLEY: I can't do that like I -- when I write --
HARLOW: Do you think --
SMITH: She is.
HARLOW: Did you pay up?
SMITH: No, he did not.
O'NEAL: No because he wrote it down. That's cheating.
BARKLEY: That's not cheating. We were on a spelling bee, where am I cheating?
HARLOW: It was -- world is that cheating.
O'NEAL: Yes, in the spelling bee.
BARKLEY: You can.
SMITH: Yes, you can write it down.
O'NEAL: No, you can't write it down.
HARLOW: This is the spelling --
SMITH: You cannot write down in the spelling bee.
HARLOW: This is --
O'NEAL: Yes.
BARKLEY: Do you want to see what I have to deal with?
HARLOW: Yes. So, I live like five-minute walk from Barclays and love going to Nets games.
BARKLEY: Why?
HARLOW: And then now, the Nets are a little bit of a different team. So, let's start with Kyrie going to the Mavs. Chuck, what do you -- what do you think about Kyrie because it wasn't just the Mavs who wanted him? I mean, several teams made major offers despite all the controversy around him for multiple things.
BARKLEY: Well, the one negative thing about sports, if you got talent, you can get away with anything. You see it as long as I've been alive. And there's always a double standard. Great talents, whether you're in high school, college, or pros, you get away. It's a double standard. It's not right it's not wrong, that's just how it is.
HARLOW: Final question to Kenny because I learned that he is the only one of the three of you who actually did the slam dunk contest at All- Star.
BARKLEY: He lost.
SMITH: No, I didn't --
O'NEAL: This time you lost.
BARKLEY: Didn't you lose?
O'NEAL: He lost.
SMITH: Time out.
BARKLEY: He lost.
O'NEAL: He lost.
SMITH: Time out.
O'NEAL: At the lowest three he lost.
SMITH: Time out.
BARKLEY: You lost.
SMITH: Can I answer the question in?
BARKLEY: Yes.
SMITH: When you went to the NBA Finals, everybody else lost but you lost in the final. I was the second-best dunker --
BARKLEY: No.
SMITH: -- in the basketball history -- in basketball history, that is.
BARKLEY: You Lost. You don't brag about losing.
SMITH: I came in -- well, I actually got more credit for losing because everybody thought I won. Thank you very much --
HARLOW: You're welcome.
(CROSSTALK)
BARKLEY: When he said everybody, he may --
O'NEAL: Who?
BARKLEY: -- he thought he won.
SMITH: Yes, everyone. It was all over the media.
O'NEAL: Yes, well --
SMITH: But I'll tell you -- let me give you another tidbit. I'm the only person in the history of basketball that's ever done the dunk contest --
HARLOW: And the three point?
SMITH: -- on the same night.
BARKLEY: Yes, you lost both.
SMITH: On the same night.
BARKLEY: You lost both.
HARLOW: Wait, but you know what? You get in.
BARKLEY: You lost both.
SMITH: No, there's other -- no, I didn't lose both.
BARKLEY: Don't you remember? We have all.
SMITH: I was second in the world --
O'NEAL: That's lost. SMITH: That's not losing.
O'NEAL: Nobody bragged being a second.
BARKLEY: Second in the world is like losing.
O'NEAL: Nobody -- listen --
SMITH: You know, Poppy --
BARKLEY: Who's the second-best rapper in the world?
SMITH: Hey, Chuck --
O'NEAL: I don't know.
BARKLEY: Isn't that not losing? We didn't lose to the Bulls. We were the second-best team.
SMITH: And you were.
BARKLEY: That sound like a media at all.
SMITH: No, you don't. you say I'm good.
BARKLEY: Wait, we didn't lose to the Bulls. We were second.
SMITH: Well, you lost to the Bulls.
BARKLEY: We were the second --
SMITH: You lost to the Bulls.
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: It's different when he does it.
O'NEAL: It does.
SMITH: Yes, it does.
BARKLEY: Yes. We -- how about -- I've been thinking about it wrong all these years. We didn't lose the championship.
SMITH: You're the second best.
BARKLEY: We're the second-best team. Thank you, Kenny.
HARLOW: Enlightening. Thank you for being --
SMITH: Half full.
HARLOW: S-P-E-C-T-A-C-U-L-A-R.
SMITH: U-L-A-A-R.
BARKLEY: Well, you probably went to class.
HARLOW: I hope I got it right.
BARKLEY: You do --
SMITH: No, you don't. That was spectacular.
BARKLEY: Yes, you're successful. You're doing good, Poppy.
SMITH: You are spectacular today.
HARLOW: I'm sure someone will tell me on Twitter.
(CROSSTALK)
BARKLEY: (INAUDIBLE) on social media.
HARLOW: Yes.
O'NEAL: What do people do when you walk in the bank?
BARKLEY: Oh, they better run to -- run to me. When it -- when I walk into the bank if that manager is sitting there when I get that man you better meet me at the door. He better say hey, Mr. Barkley, good to see you. If he sits in that seat, be gone.
SMITH: Hey, and that's the wrap.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Told you. Nothing off limits. That made my week. You can get Shaq, Charles, and Kenny all weekend on our sister network TNT for NBA's All-Star Weekend.
Guys, tonight, you've got the rising stars game right behind me. Tomorrow, the league's biggest stars compete in the skills challenge and the three-point and the slam dunk contest. Finally, Sunday night for the first time ever, NBA All-Star captains will draft their teams right before the game. You're not going to want to miss it. That was just a delight, guys.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN HOST: That we went faster. Yes.
HARLOW: I don't know what to say.
CORNISH: Bring them back weekly --
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: I wrote (INAUDIBLE) quotes. Love it.
CORNISH: Yes. There was spelling, there was Christmas trees, it was a lot.
COLLINS: Oh my gosh, Poppy --
HARLOW: Did I --
COLLINS: -- that was so amazing.
HARLOW: I want to go to the bank with -- I want to go -- I mean when he -- like -- what -- I just want to go to the bank with Charles Barkley and watch everyone get up when he wanted.
CORNISH: Yes, I just want his checks, really. But also, that sounds good -- that sounds good.
COLLINS: I love what he said. We never lost we were just in the second place.
HARLOW: Sounds great.
COLLINS: Well, happy early birthday to Charles Barkley.
HARLOW: Yes.
COLLINS: Poppy, that was -- that literally just paid the whole morning.
CORNISH: Right.
COLLINS: That was so good.
HARLOW: Good. It's good to all see you guys, in a little --
COLLINS: All right. We'll check back with you in a moment. Poppy is courtside, we'll check out with her this morning.
Meanwhile, back here. President Biden says that objects that were shot down over North America last week that fascinated everyone, and raised questions do not appear part -- to be part of China's spy balloon operation. Senator Mitch McConnell says he has not learned anything really from the intelligence briefings. We're going to ask the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mike McCaul, what he believes is going on. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:28:31]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): I've been in these briefings as you suggest, but they don't seem to know anything. And I've never been in briefings where I learned so little. If the president knows a lot more, it's time for him to tell us all about it, including the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Republicans and some Democrats are demanding more answers from President Biden about that recent string of mysterious objects floating over North America. The president is promising new action to improve America's aerial defenses after multiple objects were shot down, including what the administration says with this Chinese spy balloon.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've directed my team to come back to me with sharper rules for how we will deal with these unidentified objects moving forward, distinguishing between those that are likely to pose safety and security risks that necessitate action and those that do not. I'll be sharing with Congress these classified policy parameters when they're completed, and they'll remain classified so we don't give our roadmap to our enemies to try to evade our defenses.
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COLLINS: Joining us now is the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Republican Congressman Mike McCaul. He is in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. And, Congressman, we'll get to what's happening on the ground there in a moment, but you heard President Biden yesterday. Do you think he said enough?
REP. MIKE MCCAUL (R-TX): Well, I think he should have talked a lot more to do it, sort of state of the union if you will, after the first spy balloon shutdown. I think the world and the American people deserve to hear from our Commander in Chief about what happened. And certainly, after the other three balloons were shot down, what in fact, those were? And we still don't know today what the other three.
