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CNN This Morning
EPA Halts Toxic Waste Shipments From E. Palestine, OH Train Wreck; Buttigieg Defends Biden Administration To Ohio Train Derailment; MI Officials: We Weren't Notified Waste Would Be Sent To Our State; 100,000 Plus Gallons Of Liquid Waster, 4,500 Cubic Yards Of Solid Waste Remain In Storage In East Palestine; Ukraine: Forces Holding The Line Despite Constant Attacks; At Least 43 Dead In Migrant Shipwreck Off Italy's Eastern Coast; Mass Murders In America Connected To Extremism Increased In The 2010s; Interview With Anti-Defamation League Center On Extremism Vice President Oren Segal; 88 Mass Shootings So Far In 2023; New Regulations On Telehealth Prescription Proposed By Biden Administration. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired February 26, 2023 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:00:00]
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: He says he wasn't set until 5 seconds left on the pitch clock, but the new rule says the batter has to be in the box and alert to the pitcher by 8 seconds left. Conley's stunned. The spring training game ends in a tie.
Opening day is March 30th. So it's not just the pitchers who are going to be under the --
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Wow.
WIRE: -- it's the batters, too, who better be ready. Kind of like our world when they're like rap, rap, rap got to go under any pressure that we feel every day.
SANCHEZ: Oh, my God. We keep getting yelled at all the time by these producers. We're already heavy into the next hour, and nobody's --
WIRE: Sorry.
SANCHEZ: -- getting in the ear yet. Soon they will, though. There it is.
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Rap.
SANCHEZ: Coy Wire --
WALKER: Rap.
SANCHEZ: -- thank you so much, Coy. I appreciate you. The next hour of CNN This Morning starts right now.
We'll wrap when we're ready to wrap, all right? Good morning. Buenos dias and welcome to CNN This Morning, Sunday, February 26. I'm Boris Sanchez.
WALKER: Sassy, Boris. Good morning to you. I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for waking up with us this morning. A lot of news to get to here is what we're watching this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBRA SHORE, EPA REGION 2 ADMINISTRATOR: One thing that's been made clear to me is that everyone wants this contamination gone from the community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: The EPA stops the removal of all contaminated material from that toxic train derailment in Ohio as the battle looms over how and where it should be moved. The outcry from neighboring states and how the White House is responding.
SANCHEZ: Plus, the war in Ukraine now in its second year, marked by fierce fighting in the eastern front. Ukrainian authorities reporting heavy shelling across that area in the last 24 hours. CNN's Alex Marquart is standing by with new developments live from Dnipro.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just kind of afraid we're going to have to evacuate if it gets any worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Well, it does get worse. The damage left behind by this line of powerful storms and where it's bringing the threat for severe storms to millions of people today.
We begin this hour in Ohio, where there is growing criticism about how the response to the East Palestine derailment is being handled. And now across the country, there are concerns about how the toxic materials will be disposed of and where.
SANCHEZ: Yes, that's coming after officials in Texas and Michigan expressed outrage because the EPA ordered Norfolk Southern to stop all shipments of hazardous waste to other states as they figure out where it's heading. This comes on the heels of an initial report into the cause of the derailment that says the crash was 100 percent inevitable, or rather, preventable.
WALKER: This weekend, President Biden ordered federal teams to go door to door in East Palestine to conduct surveys and pass out flyers to residents, many who say they're still experiencing health issues and are afraid to return home.
SANCHEZ: Meantime, the White House is facing pressure to do more now that House Republicans are considering launching an investigation into the accident. Let's go to CNN's Polo Sandoval with the latest.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris and Amara, elected officials in both the state of Michigan and in Texas, feeling frustrated this morning, many of them recognizing that even though Norfolk Southern may not have been legally required to tell them about this toxic waste that was being disposed of in their communities, a heads up would have at least got a very long way for them.
Starting in Harris County, Texas, where the chief executive there, Lina Hidalgo, says she first learned about 2 million gallons of water that was used to fight the fire after the train derailment earlier this month, that it would be trucked to a licensed facility in her community. After she learned about it, after nearly half a million gallons of it was already in Harris County and said that she first learned about this process while watching the news.
So you can imagine the frustration for her there. Texas Molecular, which is a company that's been hired to dispose of this potentially dangerous water, saying that it already has over four decades managing water safely. So hopefully that reassuring some Texas residents.
But then there's also the contaminated soil, some 4,800 cubic yards of it that the state of Ohio said would have to be removed and were on their way to a waste disposal facility in Wayne County, Michigan. However, elected officials raising concerns there, too, saying that they also did not get any word from Norfolk Southern.
As a result, on Saturday, the EPA temporarily halted these shipments so they can further review the disposal plan that's currently in place. Officials in both states saying that they have no reason to believe or suspect that the water and the soil are not being disposed of safely. They merely want to be informed in a case where information has been very hard to come by, especially during the initial stages.
The EPA certainly recognizing that this material has to be disposed of somewhere, so long as it's safely transported.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHORE: One thing that's been made clear to me is that everyone wants this contamination gone from the community. They don't want to worry and they don't want the smell. And we owe it to the people of East Palestine to move it out of the community as quickly as possible.
[07:05:10]
At the same time, I know there are folks in other states with concerns, legitimate concerns about how this waste is being transported, and how it will be disposed of. EPA will continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to use our long-standing experience and expertise in these matters to ensure the health and safety and support the East Palestinian community and to hold Norfolk Southern accountable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: And the NTSB for its part out with a preliminary report on Thursday, which indicated that a wheel bearing failure was likely the cause of the February 3rd incident, it derailed 38 train cars. 11 of them were carrying hazardous materials.
The NTSB saying that the blame is not with the crew and said an incident -- this incident was 100 percent preventable, though, they've stopped short of saying exactly what may have been done to prevent this incident. They say that answer, Boris and Amara, could come in the coming months.
WALKER: All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you.
And as the clean-up continues, the White House is responding to criticism the Biden administration has not done enough for people in East Palestine.
SANCHEZ: And despite sending members of his Cabinet, there is criticism from some Republicans that the President has not yet visited the community there. CNN's Jasmine Wright is traveling with President Biden this morning in Wilmington, Delaware. Jasmine, bring us up to speed with the White House response.
JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Well the White House is in full on defensive mode here trying to contain the fallout from their response to East Palestine especially as now House Oversight Committee is threatening to launch a probe on their response.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, he was on the airwaves yesterday, really slamming what he called misinformation surrounding the community about the White House's response. He said that the White House's response so far has been very well coordinated. Now House Oversight Committee has really locked in on him specifically asking him to turn over a tranche of documents related to his response.
Now President Biden we heard from him on Friday, he really weighed in fully, again, defending his response and his administration's response saying that the EPA and other federal agencies were on the ground just two hours after that train derailment happens.
President Biden says that he is being briefed on it. He's really thinking about it quite a lot. But, of course, he does not have any plans as we know so far to go. And Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg really reiterated the President's comments on Saturday. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: The President's taken a personal interest in this situation from early on, and I wanted to make sure he knew about what I saw on the ground, both in terms of the administration response and that's something that has been really well coordinated.
Where our department comes in really is transportation policy, making sure that in this moment, with so much focus on what happened with this derailment, that we are acting, both to hold Norfolk Southern accountable and to make sure that we do more to prevent all derailments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WRIGHT: Now Transportation Secretary, he briefed Biden on Friday after visiting East Palestine on what he had seen, and Biden then directed his federal agents really to go door to door trying to give residents there some information about how they can access a variety of local resources, including how to get clean water and how to sign up for some health checks, as we know that residents there have been complaining about potential health problems.
But, of course, it's very really an open question here how the residents they are going to respond with this now elevated attention from the administration because, of course, they are concerned not only about their health in the intermediate right now, but also any long-term effects. Boris, Amara?
WALKER: Yes. So many concerns that remain. Jasmin Wright, appreciate your reporting. Thank you very much.
Here with me now to discuss these latest developments is CNN Transportation Analyst and former Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo, a familiar face to all of us. Mary, first of all, you know, as we know the cleanup efforts are underway, testing continues when it comes to the air and the soil and the water.
Regarding the disposal of all of this hazardous waste, first off, what's your reaction to the EPA halting these hazardous waste shipments? Was that the right call?
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: Well, I think it is the right call because at this point was so many communities up in arms about the fact that some hazardous waste is being shipped across state lines into their states. Certainly, they are concerned however, as you can imagine, this is not the first time this has happened.
And we have national and interstate policies and laws that say the shipments of cross state lines must go forward and states can't stop them. However, those particular facilities where you dispose of hazmat, where you dispose of other contaminated materials are governed by not only federal law, but in some cases, also state laws.
[07:10:14]
So you have a clash of laws, the federal versus the state, and the local communities also weighing in. So, it's a perfect storm when you're disposing of hazmat really of any kind. And this has been an age-old problem.
WALKER: And, I mean, there's so many local officials who are just up in arms about the fact that they weren't notified. We know that there are no legal requirements to do so. But, you know, with the soil being taken over to Michigan, and as we heard, you know, from officials there that, you know, they weren't even given a warning, at least Congressman Debbie Dingell of Michigan said, then, of course, a bulk of the contaminated liquid, about 1.1 million gallons being sent over to Texas. I mean, why not just let them know, hey, heads up, we're sending it over to you the dispose of? SCHIAVO: Well, I -- well, they could have and that would -- might have been, in this case, very wise thing to do. But, you know, we have to step back and literally every day materials are crossing state lines to go into these various facilities. And I think what they were probably doing is business as usual.
And I certainly don't blame anyone for being outraged. But this was, you know, this is not a new process where they have taken materials. I mean, the states of Michigan, I know, the states of Ohio and other states in the Midwest, have been the recipients and sometimes they didn't want it either.
But have been the recipients of materials for years or decades into facilities. And again, the federal law has said, oh, it's OK to transport these through. So I think there's just not been a history of notifying all state local county officials as to when these shipments occur, probably because they occur very, very frequently, almost every day.
WALKER: Got it. Got it. Well, you know, and back to the people there on the ground. I mean, they're the ones who have to live through this every single day, turn on their faucets and wonder, is it even safe for me to be cooking with this water?
Yes, you have the EPA and local officials saying, look, that the municipal water is safer, at least the testing shows that, the air seems to be safe for now. But from a federal standpoint, I know, you know, federal officials are going door to door, having these health surveys being done, but can't more be done to help the people who have to live this every day?
SCHIAVO: Sure. And here we have a clash with our federal agencies. And in a situation like this in a terrible accident like this, you have so many different government agencies that at some point, they, you know, are running into each other, running over each other and clash.
So, for example, the National Transportation Safety Board has absolute control over the investigation and, in fact, the parties to the investigation, the railroad, the rail car manufacturer, for example, the companies that made the equipment for the hotbox, the overheated axle detectors, they will all be part of the investigation.
They are not allowed to release information from the investigation without the express permission of the National Transportation Safety Board. That's the NTSB use rules. So then when the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and remember, they are both federal and state EPAs come in to start their work, I mean, it's an entirely different federal agency.
And yes, they're supposed to coordinate, but they don't control the investigation. So when they start the cleanup and they start moving things out, that isn't necessarily part of the NTSB investigation at all. They're busy working on what happened and what to do so it doesn't happen again.
So coordination would certainly be an order and yes, the people that have to live around this terrible disaster do need all the information that they can get besides. And we have to remember one more thing as somebody who grew up in Ohio, a lot of people have their own labs. So testing the city water does nothing and you literally have to go well by well, house by -- and test your own wells.
WALKER: That's the important point if they have -- you know, most people have their own wells. Mary Schiavo, appreciate your perspective. Thanks so much.
SCHIAVO: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Turning now to the war in Ukraine, the director of the CIA says that the United States is confident Beijing is considering providing lethal aid to the Kremlin. The news comes amid other serious developments on the international front.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the European Union's latest round of sanctions, describing them as powerful especially for the targeting of the spread of Russian disinformation. At a G20 meeting yesterday, all countries but Russia and China, also condemned the invasion of Ukraine.
Let's take you now live to Dnipro with CNN's Alex Marquardt who was reporting from the region. Alex, these developments come amid a constant stream of attacks, especially intense fighting in Bakhmut.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Boris. Fierce fighting all up and down this eastern front over the weekend particularly around the city of Bakhmut which, as you know, has been a grinding fight for several months now.
[07:15:09]
The Russians appear to be making some progress around Bakhmut. The head of the Wagner mercenary group says that they have taken several more villages around the city. Wagner, of course, makes up the primary force within those Russian troops around Bakhmut. Ukrainians are hanging on, they say that they are -- have been able to hold their positions, but that they do need more support in terms of ammunition.
If Russia were to take Bakhmut, it would not substantially change the battlefield. But it would be a hugely symbolic victory for Russia. This is part of what we believe to be the beginning stages of a new Russian offensive. But Boris, we have to say that this offensive has not been going very well for them. So it very much remains to be seen how consequential that Russian offensive will be.
Again, this is a fight of attrition, numerous pounds all up and down the Eastern Front. That's why both sides are calling for more ammunition. And not just more ammunition, but more ammunition faster. That is what we've heard from President Zelenskyy.
He touched on those European Union sanctions. President Zelenskyy saying that they are powerful. He notes that they are -- they have -- they will impact the defense and financial sectors of Russia, but that they do want to see more sanctions not just from Europe, but from the U.S. and Britain as well. Boris?
SANCHEZ: And Alex, you mentioned that both sides are seeking additional aid. Let's zero in on those comments from the U.S. CIA director about China considering sending lethal aid to Russia. What is he saying about that possibility? At what stage are those considerations?
MARQUARDT: Well, this is something that U.S. intelligence officials have been watching very closely. So far, China has not sent lethal aids or weapons to Russia, but it's something that they -- that the U.S. now believes that China is actively considering.
The CIA director saying that so far, they have not seen any shipments but that he is confident that this is something they are considering. Here's a little bit more of what he had to say to CBS News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM BURNS, CIA DIRECTOR: We're confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment. We also don't see that a final decision has been made yet. And we don't see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment. And that's why I think Secretary Blinken and the President have thought it important to make very clear what the consequences of that would be as well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To deter it.
BURNS: Yes, to deter it because it would be a very risky and unwise bet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: And what China is considering, according to new reporting by my colleagues, Natasha Bertrand and Zach Cohen is ammunition and drones. That is what is under consideration in terms of Chinese support for Russia. Again, no final decision made according to the CIA director. Boris, Amara?
SANCHEZ: Important to watch those deliberations in Beijing closely. Alex Marquardt, thanks so much for the reporting.
And a quick programming note to share with you, be sure to join Clarissa Ward as she takes an in depth look at Ukraine one year after the war began. Watch the CNN special report, "The Will To Win: Ukraine At War" tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
And still ahead on CNN This Morning, winter weather hammering the west.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems like it goes in like seven, eight-year kind of cycles, you know? Every cycle, we just get hammered up here.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: A powerful storm bringing feet of snow and flash flooding and all of this mess is headed east where we're tracking the severe weather later today.
WALKER: Plus, the new report says extremism is increasingly to blame for our rise and mass shootings in the U.S. We're going to break down those findings when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:22:59]
WALKER: All right, here are some of the top stories we are following at this hour. At least 43 migrants are dead after their wooden boat broke apart after hitting rocks off the eastern coast of Italy this morning. The body of an infant and several women and children have been pulled from the Mediterranean Sea.
Around 80 people cling to wooden shards and the water had to be rescued. The survivors are from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It's unclear where the ship had launched from.
SANCHEZ: The popular longtime comic strip Dilbert has been dropped from hundreds of newspapers after the creator went on a racist tirade. The creator Scott Adams effectively encouraged segregation in a rant he posted on YouTube. Adams called Black Americans a hate group and suggested that white people, quote, get the hell away from them.
Gannett which publishes USA Today and is the largest newspaper publisher in the country, tweeted that its network will no longer publish Dilbert. The Washington Post and Cleveland Plain Dealer are also dropping the comic strip.
WALKER: From snow to flooding, Southern California is feeling the effects of a brutal winter storm this morning. Parts of L.A. County saw 14 inches of rain by Saturday afternoon that caused major flooding through the area.
SANCHEZ: The three RVs were swept into the Santa Clara River when, as you're watching here, an embankment crumbled. Officials say that erosion and high water caused some of these collapses.
Meantime Interstate 5 both in the valley and in the mountains was closed Saturday because of heavy snow and flooding. And later this morning, crews are hoping to have parts of the interstate reopened. CNN's Camila Bernal has more.
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara, Boris, it's been incredible to see so much snow, so much rain and, of course, wind over the last couple of days. Many of the highways in the Los Angeles area have been closed on and off. The Interstate 5 at the moment here on my left is closed. It has been closed for the most part of the last couple of days.
[07:25:08] Authorities trying to clear some of the snow and the ice. But they continue to say that it is extremely dangerous for the drivers here. This is the grapevine, essentially, the highway that connects Los Angeles to San Francisco.
And authorities are telling people, look, if you can stay home, you should just stay home because a lot of the drivers that were trying to pass through have been stuck on the side of the road or on nearby hotels because there is nowhere they can go. I want to walk a little bit just so that I can show you the accumulation of the snow.
You know, it's not the same as maybe other parts of the country. But the problem is that a lot of people just don't know how to deal with this type of snow here. Even the crews and authorities don't know how to deal with the snow. A lot of the cars here in this parking lot have been stuck in the snow.
And to be fair, my producer's car also got stuck in the snow. So we've been dealing with all of this over the last couple of days. In the Los Angeles area, a lot of rain flooding, just cars that are stranded. And then also there are many, many power outages, thousands throughout the state without power because of the wind.
This is likely going to be a historic storm. We'll have to wait to see what the total numbers of both snow and rain accumulation are going to be. But overall, it is just again incredible to look at this and to say we are in Southern California. Boris, Amara?
SANCHEZ: Camila, thank you so much. The storm system that brought all of that to the West Coast is now moving east.
WALKER: It is, and it is bringing the threat for severe storms to millions of people there. CNN Meteorologist Britley Ritz tracking it all from the CNN Weather Center. What can you tell us?
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Yes, well, while it moves east, we're still dealing with some snow through parts of the Sierras and Southern California mountains. It's taking its time, but I know it doesn't look that impressive now as it moves into an area that's a little more conducive where it's warm and humid.
All of this is going to redevelop not as snow but as the threat for thunderstorms and unfortunately dealing with the threat for severe weather. Areas highlighted in red were a little more vulnerable for that severe weather threat. It's a significant damaging wind threat. We're talking about winds over 75 miles per hour and then isolated to a few strong tornadoes, long lift, EF 2 or stronger with this as it continues to build late afternoon and into the evening.
Hashed areas show you where we have the greatest risk for strong damaging winds and again, that area highlighted in red, where we're not only concerned for tornadoes, such a greatest risk. But where we are at greater risk for damaging winds of over 75 miles per hour.
This system redeveloping as we move into the evening, 6:00, local time in the Central Plains moving into Missouri as we get into late Sunday and early Monday morning. Then scattered rain showers as we get through the Ohio Valley in the upcoming 24 hours. Boris, Amara?
WALKER: A lot going on, Britley --
RITZ: Yes.
WALKER: -- keeping you busy this morning. Thanks.
SANCHEZ: Still ahead on CNN This Morning, a sobering new report by the Anti-Defamation League showing that mass killings here in the United States tied to extremism have spiked dramatically over the last decade. The ADL's vice president on the Center for Extremism joins us in just moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:30:00]
SANCHEZ: Some new research published this week finds that extremism is increasingly to blame for the number of mass killings in the United States. The Anti-Defamation League found that for every decade, between the 1970s and 2000s, there were between two and seven mass killings tied to extremists. But as you can see on your screen, by the 2010s that number jumped spiking to more than 20.
Gun violence, generally, has also trended upward in recent years. So far in 2023, the Gun Violence Archives says that there have been at least 88 mass shootings in the United States. Killing more than 100 people, with hundreds more injured. We want to discuss the ADL's findings with Oren Segal but it appears that we're having some technical difficulties so we're going to give it another second.
Do we have him?
We are going to try to get him back. But for now, we're going to move on and I'll pass it back to you, Amara.
WALKER: All right. Sounds good, Boris.
In the meantime, the Biden administration is looking to crack down on how prescriptions are handed out. This week, it proposed new rules that will require patients to have an in-person medical evaluation before being prescribed most prescription medications by their doctors.
SANCHEZ: Yes, under the new DEA rule proposal's patients would still be able to get less addictive medications like antibiotics or birth control via telehealth. But prescriptions for other drugs like those that help with pain or with sleep would be prescribed via telehealth, but a patient would need an in-person evaluation before they obtained a refill.
WALKER: Right now, a little under six percent of doctors in the U.S. are black or African American even though the community makes up 12 percent of the population.
SANCHEZ: And experts warn that shortage of black doctors is actually harming public health and contributing to higher incidents are chronic and infectious diseases in communities of color. CNN Health Reporter Jacquelyn Howard has more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: The concern here is that the percentage of black doctors is smaller than the percentage of black people in the United States. So, that means our physician work force does not reflect the patient population that we serve.
And the association of American Medical Colleges has the most recent numbers on this, here's what they found. In 2021, that's the year with the latest data available, only 5.7 percent of physicians in the U.S. identified as black or African American. That's even though at least an estimated 12 percent of the U.S. population identifies specifically as black or African American.
[07:35:00]
Now, looking at all other racial and ethnic groups, fewer than one percent of doctors are native American, Alaskan native, or native Hawaiian. About 6.9 percent are Hispanic. Around 20 percent are Asian. And 63.9 percent are white. And the American Medical Association says that increasing diversity among our doctors can decrease racial and ethnic health inequities.
I'm talking about how black and brown communities are at higher risks for certain chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and deadly complications during pregnancy and childbirth. And the association says, admitting and retaining a diverse pool of medical school students is an important part of that process to get our country closer to having a work force of doctors that resembles the patients living in this country. Back to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Jacquelyn Howard, thank you so much for that.
Stay with "CNN This Morning", we are back in just moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:40:00]
SANCHEZ: We want to get back to that new report from the Anti- Defamation League that shows that extremist violence is increasingly to blame for the number of mass killings in the United States. And with us to discuss is Oren Segal, the vice president of the Anti- Defamation League Center on Extremism.
Oren, thanks so much for rolling with those technical difficulties with us. I wanted to bring back up the chart that we previously shown our viewers that shows that the last decade, the number of mass killings because of extremism has spiked more than 20 in the 2010s. Oren, in your view, what's causing that rise? OREN SEGAL, VICE PRESIDENT, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE CENTER ON EXTREMISM: Yes, the numbers are stark and alarming. And I think one of the things that we are noticing is that extremists of all kinds are feeling emboldened.
You know, the narratives and tropes that are the lifeblood of extremist groups, that may be used to be fringe, you know, happening on platforms that not many people would access or in conversations that a limited people would coalesce around are now, frankly, part of our public discussion.
Our news feeds, our social media feeds, are filled with the types of narratives that support the ideas that we know have animated violence. I think that's one of the reasons.
SANCHEZ: How much of it do you think has to do with social media giving a platform and isolating folks from each other, allowing folks to live in a bubble of opinion, essentially?
SEGAL: You know, social media certainly not only enables people to find these hateful narratives that we know leads to violence, but also, you know, be able to create networks around them. So, if you look at two of the terrible mass shootings that we saw in 2022 that are part of this report, the shooting in Buffalo, the shooting in Colorado Springs. Here are people that engaged with hateful either antisemitic, racist, anti-LBGTQ, type of rhetoric online.
Literally, either built manifestos or websites in order to promote these ideas. And in that process, we are not only getting more radical themselves, but signaling back to the wider community. When people feel that they are not alone, that their ideas are taking hold elsewhere, they may be more likely to accept them and act. And again, that's why the numbers are so stark.
SANCHEZ: Are you expecting that this trend is going to continue? What can be done to break that pattern?
SEGAL: I think it's clear that we are living in an age of extremist mass shootings, like 26 over the last 12 years, which is more than the previous 40 years combined. I think until we have a whole of society approach that holds people accountable, whether online, whether that's conversations in our public discussion, whether that's elected officials.
Everybody needs to hold those accountable that are in any way normalizing the types of narratives, the hatred, the fear and anxiety that we know animates people to violence in this way.
SANCHEZ: And Oren, just taking a step back for a moment, I am curious about your methodology and how you define an extremist. In part, because I think that might help folks in their personal lives identify people close to them that may be dangerous.
SEGAL: Yes. So, you know, extremism is not the sole domain of any one, you know, political or ideological movement. We have tracked violence, and particularly for this report, murder at the hands of right-wing extremists, left wing extremists, Islamist extremists. But we will see -- and we documented over the last 10 years, 75 percent of extremist-related murders have been carried an ideologically motivated extremist, primarily white supremacists.
So, right wing extremism, for example, includes white supremist movement, anti-government movements. And each one of those movements have subsections. So, if you were carrying out an ideologically motivated murder based on your hateful ideas or if you are connected to an extremist movement of any kind, even if it wasn't ideologically motivated, we counted that in this report.
SANCHEZ: Oren segal, it's a fascinating conversation. I wish we had more time, but we do appreciate you sharing part of your Sunday with us.
SEGAL: Thnak you very much.
SANCHEZ: Of Course.
WALKER: Well, this morning domestic violence victims and advocates are shocked after the fifth circuit court of appeals ruled a federal law barring people, subject to domestic violence, restraining orders from possessing firearms is unconstitutional. The judges ruled the founding fathers would not have accepted the law since domestic violence was not a crime when the constitution was written.
[07:45:00]
CNN's Josh Campbell spoke to one victim who says, the judges will have blood on their hands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His anger was not controllable.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): For many victims of domestic violence, everyday life is hell on Earth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He can be something as simple as me doing my makeup. It would be a breakdown and the fights would start. Me going to church. It would be a problem just for me to get dressed up for church.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): We spoke with a young mother who doesn't want to be identified because she is now in hiding after fleeing years of abuse from her husband that took a potentially deadly turn.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He started intimidating me with his guns. I fled. That was the breaking point.
CAMPBELL (on camera): The guns?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The guns, yes.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): She sought a restraining order. But proving her case was tough. A judge initially refused to grant one nor give her immediate custody of her child.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know I am no good dead, so I had to leave her.
CAMPBELL (on camera): It's OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had to leave her. I had to leave her. I had to allow her to go back there.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): After repeated attempts she got custody and a restraining order forcing the man she accused of abuse to relinquish his guns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The hope is them removing their guns or have them turn in their guns, you know, will keep you safe.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): That sense of safety was shattered, she says, after a controversial federal court ruling that lets certain people accused of domestic violence keep their guns.
JENNIFER MASCIA, CNN GUNS IN AMERICA CONTRIBUTOR: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of Texas looked at the case of a man who was challenging the federal law that banned guns for people who are subject to restraining orders.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): The court, covering Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi ruled that law was unconstitutional. Calling it an outlier that our ancestors would never have accepted. Language the Supreme Court also used in a New York ruling last summer.
MASCIA: This is strictly because domestic violence was not considered a crime by the founders. Was it a law back then? Does it have roots in our American history and tradition? If it wasn't, then it doesn't have to stand.
CARMEN MCDONALD, LOS ANGELES CENTER FOR LAW AND JUSTICE: It's devastating.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): The ruling has stunned domestic violence victim advocates like Carmen McDonald with the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice. She questions the logic, given the dangers victims face and the long rap sheet for the plaintiff if the Fifth Circuit case, Zackey Rahimi, who was accused of multiple gun crimes.
Including shooting at a law enforcement officer and opening fire inside a fast-food restaurant over a declined credit card. His attorneys declined to comment on the pending case. But despite the criminal charges and having a restring order for domestic abuse, last summer's Supreme Court ruling set the precedent to allow him Rahimi to win back his guns.
MCDONALD: It's not even logical. 230 years ago, women suspect have the right to vote. Slavery was legal. Domestic violence laws weren't even on the books. Marital rape was legal.
CAMPBELL: U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland blasted the Circuit Court ruling and will likely appeal. ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: He has a couple of options. He can go back to a larger panel of judges on this very conservative federal appeals court, but it's so conservative, he might have better luck going straight to the Supreme Court.
MASCIA: The Supreme Court, at some point, may draw a line. They have indicated some of the conservative justices that they are willing to do that.
CAMPBELL (voiceover): As the nation waits to see what the courts will do, the abuse victim we met has a grim prediction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a lot of blood that's going to be on their hands by doing that. A lot of blood.
CAMPBELL (on camera): On the judges?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. A lot of blood that's going to be on their hands. A lot of women that's going to be trapped to stay in a situation like that. And it's not just going to affect them, it's going to affect the kids as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: A really moving story. That was CNN's Josh Campbell reporting. And if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, there is help. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or visit them online at thehotline.org. We'll be right back.
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[07:50:00]
WALKER: With cartoonish, Big Red Boots, taking social -- I missed this one completely, taking social media by storm. Clearly making a fashion statement has never been easier, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Yes, they are everywhere but it's hard to get your hands on them because as CNN's Jeanne Moos reports, these boots are red hot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The big red boots are not the ones Nancy Sinatra had in mind.
NANCY SINATRA, SINGER: These boots are made for walking.
MOOS (voiceover): No, these boots are made for flaunting. Fashion influencers are styling them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a goofy shoe. I'd give them a 10 out of 10.
MOOS (voiceover): Even influencers the grandpa generation. Wrestler Seth Rollins pretend stomped his opponent wearing big red boots. Ever since they went on sale for $350 bucks and sold out in minutes, fashionistas can't shut up about the big red booths, created by the art collective, MSCHF.
MOOS (on camera): They do want to make you want to touch them.
STEVE NATTO, YOUTUBER, SNEAKER HEAD: Yes, yes, yes.
MOOS (voiceover): YouTube sneaker head Steve Natto found that out at when he wore them to Sneak con.
NATTO: Some people asked to touch the shoes.
MOOS (voiceover): How do they feel? Well, the top part --
NATTO: Is flexible, but the bottom part is definitely not.
MOOS (voiceover): Steve says they're comfy. He wore them all-day without pain. Their creator described them as cartoonish. Some refer to them at Astro Boy Boots.
[07:55:00]
And although putting easy to put on, getting them off can get you stuck if you're not wearing your perfect size.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel God's luck. So, I had to do what I had to do, Man.
MOOS (voiceover): Now they're showing up on everyone from "Puss in Big Boots" to the character boots from Dora the explorer to Tony soprano paired with bathrobe. People wanted to buy them off Steve's feet, offering.
NATTO: I got, like $800, $900, $1,000. I think I got like $1,300 and $1,400. They just, kind of, going up.
MOOS (voiceover): For now, they're the it shoe.
SINATRA: Are you ready boots?
MOOS (voiceover): They're not about to get the boot.
SINATRA: Start walking
MOOS (voiceover): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: I don't even get it.
SANCHEZ: It is called fashion. You got to look it up.
WALKER: Mickey mouse fashion. You know Mickey Mouse has shoes like that but they they're not red, so.
SANCHEZ: He does. He does.
WALKER: Thanks for sharing your morning with us. SANCHEZ: We do appreciate it. Great to be with you, Amara. "Inside Politics Sunday With Abby Phillip" is next.
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[08:00:00]
