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CNN This Morning
KC Police: 1 Dead In Super Bowl Rally Shooting, 29 Hurt; Threats Against Federal Judges More Than Double; Inside The Navy's Fight Against Iran-Backed Houthis. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired February 15, 2024 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: You posted on X yesterday that you knew Lisa Lopez-Galvan who was the woman killed in all of this. Can you -- can you tell us about her?
MANNY ABARCA, SUPER BOWL RALLY SHOOTING WITNESS, LEGISLATOR, JACKSON COUNTY, MO (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah. Lisa leaves behind an incredible legacy. She comes from a very large family of civic leaders, actively and regularly engaged in both the Latino community of Kansas City and broad said that (audio gap). She is a treasure carrying the culture through her deejay on a local public radio station.
She was the light at every party. She was oftentimes the voluntary deejay when everyone needed one for a community event. She is the person that we need here in this place to make it that much better.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: The city is so Chiefs-obsessed and rightfully so. They were before they were a dynasty and even more so now. Yeah, I see -- I see what you're wearing, which almost adds to the tragedy of yesterday because it was such an amazing celebration.
It was striking seeing what the players were saying afterwards last night, pledging their help and asking if people could get them in touch with those that had been injured so they could help them there as well.
You were with coaches, players, and members of the team in the immediate aftermath. What were they saying and what were they doing?
ABARCA: I will never forget finally coming out of the bathroom after hiding and sitting in the hallway and waiting to see what happened, and around the corner comes Andy Reid with his grandchildren and his wife. And Coach Reid looked at me and I looked at him. I think we knew what we were saying to each other. And he said as he walked by, "Are you guys OK?" That moment of humility is incredible and it's just a testament to his leadership and generosity.
But that is the sentiment that is Kansas City. It encompasses who we are. Now is the time for people like me to get up and get to work.
HARLOW: So what does -- what does that work mean? Like, we heard that powerful statement from the mayor and from a number of the players we've heard saying when are we going to have more gun laws? When is there going to be more gun control?
You've got power, you guys, to do something. What are you going to do?
ABARCA: Yeah. So, sadly, the state of Missouri is a petri dish of bad policy when it comes to guns, and I think we can no longer look towards our state. Our super majority of Republican leadership has done nothing but make it worse. And so, immediately, when I knew that my daughter and I were safe and that we could get back to Arrowhead, my focus turned towards the county.
I immediately contacted the county general counsel's office who helps draft our legislation and said I need something on my desk by Monday. We've talked about it for a year. Let's get to work.
And then, as I was leaving, I was talking to state legislators, city council folks, to other county colleagues, and then I began communicating across my network at the state and said look, we need model policy. We need to start introducing these things across our state to drive change if the state is not going to do anything about it.
HARLOW: Manny Abarca, thank you for joining us. I'm so sorry that your daughter had to witness all of that but I'm glad she has you to get her through the days ahead. We appreciate it.
ABARCA: Thank you.
HARLOW: Turning to this now. Overnight, the IDF says special forces went inside of Gaza's Nasser Hospital. They believe Hamas fighters are hiding there. We'll give you an update on that.
MATTINGLY: And judges across America facing an alarming number of threats from the public as discourse around the law is politicized. The judge who knows firsthand what happens when threats to action will join us next.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:36:49
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONALD DAVIS, DIRECTOR, U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE: In the past three years, the number of threats against federal judges have more than doubled, as have threats against prosecutors and other court officials. I must state in stark terms that the current and evolving threat environment facing the judiciary constitutes a substantial risk to our democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Really important words. That was the head of the U.S. Marshals Service testifying yesterday on Capitol Hill about the threats facing America's judges. Director Ronald Davis says now more than 450 federal judges in 2023 received serious threats. That is more than twice the number just in 2021.
Two years ago, Congress passed a law to protect federal judges by allowing them to shield certain personal information from public view. And that law came after years of relentless advocacy from our next guest, District Court Judge Esther Salas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE ESTHER SALAS, U.S. DISTRICT COURT, SON KILLED IN TARGETED ATTACK: But what we cannot accept is when we are forced to live in fear for our lives because personal information, like our home addresses, can easily be obtained by anyone seeking to do us or our families harm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Salas' advocacy came from a place of deep tragedy and grief -- the loss of her son, Daniel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALAS: Daniel was the love of our life from the moment he was born. From the moment that little boy came to this world, he was the center of our universe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: But in 2020, a gunman who had once represented a case in her court, found her address online and went to her home intending to kill her. Instead, he killed her beloved 20-year-old son Daniel when he answered the door.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALAS: Daniel was downstairs talking to me as he always did. He said, "Keep talking to me, Mom. I love talking to you." And it was at that exact second that the doorbell rang. And before I could tell him let Dad handle it, he shot up the stairs. And the next thing I hear is boom. And then I hear "No!"
I remember running upstairs and it was so loud. I almost thought it was like mini bombs or something. And then I saw Danny lying perpendicular to the door holding his chest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And she lost her son in that moment. Her husband was shot three times. He survived.
And Judge Esther Salas joins us this morning. Your strength is remarkable -- it really is. And for people who don't know, right behind you -- that is a portrait of your son Daniel.
Talk about your fight right now in his name as we hear dire statistics like that.
SALAS: Well, you know, good morning, Poppy.
And we continue to advocate for increased judicial security all across this nation. We have -- we have to do something. This isn't getting any better. We see now with the new statistics. We heard from our United States Marshal Director Davis about the rise. It isn't getting any better.
[07:40:06]
And we now know and we have the evidence to say something needs to be done across the nation and in all U.S. territories to protect all judicial officers -- local, state, federal judicial officers.
HARLOW: What --
SALAS: And so, (audio gap) continue to do what we need to do to make sure his memory is alive, but to make sure that all judges are safe. Democracy mandates that. And that's why we continue to do what we do, Poppy, and it is critical.
We see now -- I mean, we have so much evidence post-Daniel's murder. We have seen Judge Roemer -- retired judge in Wisconsin -- killed by a man he sentenced in 2005. We saw Justice Kavanaugh's near miss in that same year -- June of 2022. We saw Judge Wilkinson just last October, killed outside his home while his wife and child were in the house.
We continue to just see evidence. I mean, Judge Holthus in Nevada -- and that attack right on the bench.
It's escalating. It's getting more serious and we need to act and we need to work collectively to protect democracy and to protect all judicial officers.
HARLOW: What do you think is the onus on politicians not only to pass more legislation -- right, like the law that you got passed in Daniel's name -- but also in terms of the words they use about judges? I mean, we've heard, for example, former President Trump being very critical of not only judges in his cases but court clerks. I wonder what your message is to politicians?
SALAS: My message is to everyone, actually, that we need to get back to civility. We need to begin to start to treat each other with kindness. Words matter. Conduct matters. How we treat each other -- that matters. And I think that we -- sometimes we've lost sight of what it is to be brothers and sisters --
HARLOW: Yeah.
SALAS: -- you know -- humans.
What life means. I know what life means. I have a daily reminder of what not having my son means.
And so, for me, I just wish we could all get back to a point where we talk to one another and we agree to disagree. And we start treating each other like human beings and realizing that we're all one in the same. You know, I just long for those days and I think that message is for everyone.
HARLOW: Yeah.
SALAS: For everyone that is hearing this, let's get back to being civil in this country. And let's get back to understanding and agreeing that I'll hear you out, you hear me out -- and at the end, maybe we don't always agree but we can agree to disagree.
HARLOW: Yeah.
SALAS: You know, that's what my hope is. My hope is that we can begin to love life --
HARLOW: You'll --
SALAS: -- and love one another and treat each other with kindness and civility.
HARLOW: Somehow, your faith has led you to a place where you have forgiven the man who took your son from you. And you've said something I will never forget. You said, "Hate is heavy, love is light." How can we all find --
SALAS: Yeah.
HARLOW: -- that through our faith or in our hearts?
SALAS: You know, I think that when you think about how you feel when you're extending love, when you're being kind, you can feel that in your body. You can feel how it feels to be a good person -- to be kind. And then when you aren't and you're angry, and you're resentful, and you're bitter, you can see how you feel. And it's a real heaviness that really just surround someone when they're feeling that way and that's the way I felt when I was walking around.
My husband forgave the shooter in the ICU. I -- it took me a couple of weeks. But I remember the day I forgave him. I remember the day that I bowed my head and I said it three times that I forgive him. And I remember how I felt lighter. How it changed -- my perspective changed.
You know, I'm always going to know that someone did something to take away my beautiful boy. But I'm also going to know that I had 20 years with him and I shared 20 years -- beautiful years with my son and he continues to inspire me. He continues to give me light. He is the beacon of light that keeps Mark and I going.
[07:45:00]
And so, I just want to be there. I want to be in that light. I want to be positive and I want to try to make this place, in whatever way I can, a better place.
And so, I once said and I say it often, Daniel, in his human form, gave Mark and my life purpose. He still gives my life purpose except he shines it on others. And so, we continue to try to do what we can to help other states
follow New Jersey's lead. Help other states use the federal law as a template. Let's start enacting laws that are going to protect lives. Let's start shielding personally identifiable information of judicial officers so that they -- so they and their family can be safe.
Can we guarantee this will never happen again? No, of course, not. But can we make it hard for people to track us down --
HARLOW: Yeah.
SALAS: -- and shoot us in our homes. We can do everything possible to make it difficult. Democracy mandates that, Poppy.
Life is so precious. Let's guard it. Let's protect judicial officers and let's protect the sanctity of democracy in this country.
HARLOW: Judge Esther Salas, thank you so much this morning. And no doubt, he is not only behind you but looking down on you so proud of what his mom is fighting for. Thank you.
SALAS: Thank you so much, and thank you for doing this story.
HARLOW: Of course.
MATTINGLY: Well, overnight, reports of strikes in Lebanon have left at least 12 dead. The details on that ahead.
HARLOW: It is not a secret that smoking is bad for your health. There is a new study that shows that each cigarette could have worse effects -- just each one -- than you realize. That research next.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:50:40]
MATTINGLY: Not that we needed it but we're learning of yet another reason why doctors say don't smoke. A new study shows that lighting up can change your immune system and those changes can last for years, even after you quit.
CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard joins us now. Jacqueline, what exactly are these changes to the immune system?
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Well, what stands out in this study, Phil, is that smoking can have an effect on your T-cell responses. And T-cells are a key part of your immune system. They really help protect the body from illnesses.
And researchers found differences in blood samples among healthy adults who smoke and healthy adults who do not smoke, and that's how they kind of zeroed in on these differences in immune responses.
And the effects that cigarette smoking can have on your T-cell responses can persist for years, according to this study. Even among people who quit, their immune responses improved but they did not completely get to the same level as people who never smoked.
So this new research really helps our understanding of how cigarette smoking can make your body a little less successful at fighting off illnesses, and it can raise your risk of certain autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, Phil.
HARLOW: So can you also, Jacqueline, talk about even though these changes to the immune system persist over time there is, of course, a major benefit to quitting smoking any -- at any point, right?
HOWARD: Absolutely. Because after people quit smoking there was still some improvement in their immune responses. And so to quit smoking definitely talk to your doctor about what approach is best for you. But some approaches may include nicotine replacement therapy or when you have cravings to smoke, distract yourself with exercise or chewing gum. Because smoking cigarettes is still the leading cause of preventable death in this country. So this is an ongoing public health issue.
HARLOW: Jacqueline Howard, thank you for the reporting.
HOWARD: Yeah.
HARLOW: Meantime, U.S. warships in the Red Sea dealing with constant threats from Houthi rebels. CNN got on board and we have exclusive access to those warships as they combat the constant attacks.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:57:04]
MATTINGLY: Well, this just in. The U.S. military has conducted more strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen that, quote "presented an imminent threat." U.S. Central Command says the self-defense strikes hit several sites, including missiles prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea.
HARLOW: U.S. warships in the Red Sea have been responding almost every day to Houthi missiles and drone attacks.
Natasha Bertrand went on board a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group and spoke to the sailors and the pilots who are under constant threat. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All stations, a new track -- 80306. Anti-ship cruise missile inbound.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what the crew of a U.S. warship hears when a Houthi missile is headed their way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MSI (PH), missiles away -- 80306.
BERTRAND (voice-over): CNN embedded with the U.S. Navy -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right rudder, steady on course.
BERTRAND (voice-over): -- in the southern Red Sea where sailors have been on the front lines in the fight against the Iran-backed rebels for over two months.
BERTRAND: We're on our way now to the USS Gravely, which is one of the destroyers that has been shooting down missiles and drones that they have been firing indiscriminately into the Red Sea.
BERTRAND (voice-over): Here, off the coast of Yemen, U.S. warships try to shoot down the Houthi missiles before they can cause any real damage. But the sailors have little time to respond.
LT. JG JAMES RODNEY, U.S. NAVY: We could seconds or we could have minutes. I wouldn't say much more than minutes.
BERTRAND (voice-over): The USS Dwight E. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which the president ordered to the Red Sea in November in response to the Houthi attacks, has been working at a frenetic pace to keep up with the threat.
CAPT. MARVIN SCOTT, CARRIER AIR WING COMMANDING OFFICER: They have tried to target coalition forces -- U.S. forces -- through swarm attacks using multiple UAVs, using multiple anti-ship ballistic missiles, and anti-ship cruise missiles. They are trying everything that they can but we are prepared for anything that they might throw our way.
BERTRAND (voice-over): Fighter jets are launched from the Ike roughly 50 times per day, staying airborne for hours at a time so they can quickly strike targets inside Yemen and over the Red Sea.
BERTRAND: We were woken up early this morning around 4:30 a.m. to the sounds of alarms blaring on this aircraft carrier -- a sign, we are told, of a potential imminent threat by a Houthi drone that was flying over the Red Sea. That alarm indicating that these fighter aircraft behind me -- they had to be ready to respond potentially at a moment's notice.
BERTRAND (voice-over): That drone was quickly deemed no longer a threat but it demonstrates how risky the mission is. The Houthis have also been trying to hit the jets flying over Yemen with surface-to-air missiles, officials told CNN.
BERTRAND: You're flying these missions against the Houthis. Can you talk a little bit about what is unique or the most challenging aspect of these missions that you're doing on a near daily basis?
CAPT. JAMES HUDDLESTON, CARRIER AIR WING 3: Well, first off, this isn't exactly where we expected to be on this deployment. Whenever you're doing something for the first time in a region, that's not without risk. But we have managed that risk to our strike group and our aircrew through the management of combat power.
BERTRAND (voice-over): With no end in sight to the Houthi attacks, U.S. officials tell CNN they don't know how much capability the rebels have left as they continue to be resupplied by Iran.
