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CNN This Morning

911 Calls Released In Deadly Georgia School Shooting; Harris Concentrates On Pennsylvania While Trump Stumps In The West; Boeing And Striking Workers To Resume Negotiations Next Week; Officers Who Beat Tyre Nichols Went Against Training Protocol, Lieutenant Testifies. Biden, Starmer Mull Easing Weapons Restrictions on Ukraine; Remnants of Storm Francine Cause Major Flood Risk; Calls Grow for Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa to Retire As He Sustains Another Concussion. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired September 14, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:34]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning. It is Saturday, September 14. Welcome to CNN This Morning weekend. I'm Victor Blackwell.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Isabel Rosales in for Amara Walker. Glad to be back here. Maybe not the hours.

BLACKWELL: I mean, you get used to it.

ROSALES: I guess I'll take your word for that.

BLACKWELL: Good to have you, though.

ROSALES: Thank you. Well, we have 52 days to go until the presidential election, and there are falsehoods on the trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I hear she got the questions, and I also heard she had something in the ear, little something in the air.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Former president Donald Trump doubles down on a baseless far- right conspiracy theory that Vice President Kamala Harris was fed answers through an earpiece during their debate. We fact check it ahead.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a shooter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Active shooter. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an active shooter at Apalachee High School.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And we're hearing the 911 calls in the Winder, Georgia school shooting that left two students and two teachers dead. What they reveal about what was happening inside those classrooms.

ROSALES: An explosive testimony in the federal criminal trial of three ex-Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols, what a police lieutenant who trained the officers had to say on the witness stand, that's coming up.

BLACKWELL: And an Out of This World conversation with the two NASA astronauts left behind by the Boeing Starliner, what they have to say about their longer than expected stay in space. That's a little later.

We're starting with this just over 50 days now from the presidential election, former president Trump stopped in Las Vegas and California Friday. Vice President Harris spent Friday in Pennsylvania, where she sat down with the CNN affiliate WPVI in Cambria County. She said, the country needs a leader who can unite everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: In my heart, I know in my soul, I know that the vast majority of us as Americans have so much more in common than what separates us. Most Americans want a leader who brings us together as Americans, and not someone who professes to be a leader who is trying to have us point our fingers at each other.

I think people are exhausted with that approach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: She tell CNN, she's also tweaking her campaign strategy to include more stops in rural red counties like Cambria County, and the goal here is to pick up more votes there and drive down support for former President Trump.

ROSALES: On Friday, Trump addressed criticism from his own party, telling him to distance himself from far-right agitator Laura Loomer, who is a known conspiracy theorist. She made racist comments about Vice President Harris this week and once described herself as a quote proud islamophobe.

He posted on Truth Social saying Trump -- saying that he can't tell her what to do and that she is a free spirit and supporter. As we get closer to the election, many are wondering if we're going to see Trump and Harris debate again.

Harris says she's on board, but Trump, who had said no, just left the door open to debate number two.

Joining us now is CNN political commentator and spectrum News host Errol Louis. Errol, thank you so much for joining us this morning. Let's talk about that potential debate number two between Harris and

Trump, after making it clear that he would not debate Harris again, Trump appears to be having second thoughts. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Maybe if I got in the right mood, I don't know right now, I'm leading, and I'm leading in every single poll on the debates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: All right, Errol. Are you surprised he's doing an about face on the potential for another debate?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, good morning, Isabel. Look, first of all, he's not leading in the polls. He leads in the online instant polls from certain sources that he chooses to believe, but more mainstream polls that are done by neutral, objective pollsters like the Reuters, Ipsos poll show that he is, in fact, falling behind.

I think it's all going to depend on whether or not they realize or want to recognize that they are falling behind with key categories in key battleground states. To the extent that they are, they've only got a little over seven weeks until this is all over, and they're going to have to figure out whether or not they want to expose themselves to another large audience.

[06:05:07]

It might not be as large as the 67 million who watched that last debate, but it'll be a lot of people, and if they believe that their performance will be not as disastrously bad as it was the other night, I guess they might take another try at it, but that would be an index, I think, of desperation more than anything else.

ROSALES: Well, let's dig in a little deeper on that. Brian Lanza, a senior Trump campaign adviser, told CNN that saying no to another debate is a quote, tactical decision and not a function of being scared saying there's a better strategy in one on one interviews and actually going to the rallies and key battleground states rather than going to a debate. What do you make of that?

LOUIS: Yes, I think that's about right to tell you the truth. I mean, look, where -- we can talk about it from the comfort of not having to run a national campaign. But the reality is, election day is basically here. I mean, the first ballots went out, I believe on Wednesday in Alabama. You know this -- the time is upon us. There's not a lot of room for mistakes at this point.

And so the best index to see where they really are looking to shore up their support, and that's true for both candidates, is where they actually are on any given day, something as big and as risky, in some ways, as a national debate, maybe not their best use of time.

ROSALES: Right. OK, let's get into something I'd rather not be talking about here on the news. But dogs and cats. Trump keeps pushing this ridiculous lie about Haitian migrants eating pets in Ohio, and instead of walking back those claims, those racist statements, he actually doubled down and went even further, bowing this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio, large deportations. We're going to get these people out. We're bringing them back to Venezuela.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: OK, I'm not sure what the Venezuela aspect of that is. I don't know if you confuse that with Haiti. I don't know what's going on there, but Errol, Springfield area law enforcement, they went through 11 months of calls that they received. None of them were about pets being eaten. What do you make of Trump's strategy here?

LOUIS: Well, it's a made up strategy. It's utterly false. The impact on that town I was speaking with someone in Ohio just yesterday, the impact is shockingly bad. They had to close their city hall. They had to close two elementary schools due to bomb threats.

Start with the fact that the Haitians who are there, not Venezuelans, but the Haitians who are in that town of 60,000 are there legally. To call them illegal is simply wrong. They have temporary protected status. They're there really at the invitation of the town, which needed people there to work.

The strategy is simply to divide people, to stir up a conversation that's filled with hate and misinformation in order for Donald Trump to go back to the same point he's been making since he came down that escalator in 2015 which is to try to close the border, attack migrants, change the way we have dealt with immigrants for hundreds and hundreds of years in this country.

ROSALES: Right. And those migrants, you know, they have social security numbers, they have work permits, they're there legally under a parole program, but still, Trump leads Harris in most polls when voters are asked about who they trust most when it comes to the economy and immigration.

So while his rhetoric is like incendiary here, especially to liberals, his message is clearly resonating among millions of Americans. What are Republicans saying about his comments?

LOUIS: Well, look, there's a concern that they may have gone too far. I mean, you mentioned Laura Loomer. There are a lot of people, including some senior Republicans. You know, the senior senator from North Carolina put out a tweet saying she is toxic. You've got to get away from this person. You've got to get away from this rhetoric.

I think they understand. People who are really in the business, who are leading this large, diverse country they understand that you can't use the kind of racist rhetoric, the kind of divisive talk based on misinformation at best, really outright lies at worst. You can't run the country that way. You can't run the elementary schools in Springfield, Ohio. You can't run City Hall. You can't get anything done with that kind of toxic environment.

So look, if Republicans understand it, Democrats understand it, the voters understand it, and this is what the Trump campaign is choosing to stake their campaign they're running a really, really big risk, and they might be surprised when it all blows up in their face between now and November.

ROSALES: We'll have to see about that. Meanwhile, Springfield is going through a lot because of this rhetoric, as you mentioned. Errol Louis, thank you.

BLACKWELL: In Georgia, funeral services will be held today for 14-year old student Mason Schermerhorn and teacher Christina Irimie. There are among four people killed at a shooting at Appalachee High School 10 days ago

[06:10:06]

School administrators are planning for a gradual reopening of the school the week of September 23rd. Now yesterday, police released the 911 calls and more than 500 radio messages between emergency personnel during and right after the shooting.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a shooter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Active shooter.

UNDIENTFIED MALE: We have an active shooter at Apalachee High School.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One suspect in custody.

UNIDETIFIED MALE: What\s the status of the shooter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In custody and uninjured.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN's Rafael Romo is joining us now. We just got also some new details from what police believe the shooter was doing in the moment leading up to the attack.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Victor, and this new information points to what authorities say is the fact that this was not something that happened the day of, but it was part of a preconceived plan by the shooter, Colt Gray, a 14-year-old, and that he went to school that day, September the fourth, with a plan to attack.

One of the things that is coming out now from Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith is that that day on September 4, Colt gray took in his backpack the weapon that he was going to use in the shooting and not only that, it was wrapped around something to try to conceal it, as well as magazines and ammunition.

This is how Barrow County Sheriff, Jud Smith explained it in an interview with CNN affiliate WXIA. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF JUD SMITH, BARROW COUNTY, GEORGIA: He got on the bus with a backpack. We believe he had concealed the firearm in the backpack. We know that he concealed it with some sort of something that he had wrapped around it as if it was a project, a school project, if you will. He had obviously stored magazines and rounds in that backpack with it as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: It is also very disturbing to hear from the sheriff some of the disturbing details that had to do with the shooting that morning. For example, the sheriff also said that at least a couple of teachers, and he doesn't specify if there were the teachers who were shot and killed that morning, tried to stop the student from going into classrooms. Let's take a listen to how he explained it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: They were going to try to, we feel like fight him, try to get him to stop. But they were -- it didn't work out that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Now Victor and Isabel, this is going to be an especially difficult day for Barrow County. You're mentioning at the beginning not only are we talking about the funerals of two people. Earlier this week, I was talking to the family of another victim, Christian Angulo, and they were saying that they're planning funerals for the 20th and if you can imagine this time of the year, students are getting ready for a new and exciting year, teachers as well. And instead, they have to make plans for funerals, and they're in mourning after this very tragic shooting.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I cannot imagine they're going back into that building in a little more than a week. Rafael Romo, thanks so much. And we also have this coming up for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIENTIFIED MALE: I believe we deserve way better, because without us, there's no Boeing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: 33,000 Boeing workers are on strike for the first time in 16 years. They're bringing commercial airplane production at the manufacturing giant to a halt and dealing maybe a blow to the U.S. economy.

ROSALES: Plus, President Biden and the British Prime Minister quote reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine during a White House meeting. But will they let Ukraine fire Western missiles deep inside Russia?

BLACKWELL: And we have some new details about a police officer involved in that Tyreek Hill traffic stop when the Miami Dolphin star was handcuffed and detained.

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[06:18:40]

ROSALES: New this morning, we are learning the officer at the center of the controversial traffic stop involving Miami Dolphins, player Tyreek Hill has a troubled pass with the police force. A report on Daniel Torres WAR file shows that throughout his 27-year career, he had a history of suspensions, reprimands and complaints.

These complaints include allegations that he used various force tactics resulting in injuries such as cuts and bruises. Other complaints involved allegations of improper procedure and improper use of a body camera. Torres is now on administrative leave following the incident with the wide receiver. Meanwhile, Hill's is calling for justice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIUS COLLINS, ATTORNEY FOR TYREEK HILL: Some of the demands that Tyreek, he's expressed to me, is the truthful and honest conversation about being African American in HEPA relations, or a better relationship with law enforcement, or how law enforcement actually patrols black communities, truthful conversation about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: CNN has reached out to Torres' attorneys for comment, the Miami Dade Police are investigating that traffic stop.

A Colorado paramedic convicted of negligent homicide and second degree assault in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain had his five-year prison sentence reduced to four years of probation.

[06:20:00]

The judge's decision came after Peter Cichuniec requested leniency, citing unusual circumstances. Prosecutors expressed disappointment, stating the evidence had supported the conviction. McClain's mother declined to comment.

BLACKWELL: U.S. federal mediators say that Boeing will get back to negotiations with union members early next week. The company is dealing with its first strike in 16 years. About 33,000 workers walked off the job yesterday because they rejected a proposed four year contract. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Isabel and Victor, this wasn't just a no vote. This was an absolutely not to the deal that union leadership recommended with Boeing, 95 percent of members voted it down, and 96 percent authorized the strike, sending 33,000 union Boeing workers to the picket line.

Now the CFO of Boeing, Brian West, called the results disappointing. The union said it would get back to the negotiating table to drive home the issues that members say are important. White House administration officials are also in touch with both sides.

Rank and file union workers say the deal, which included a 25 percent wage increase over four years, a signing bonus and the promise of a new airplane to produce in Washington State, does not make up for the concessions they've had to make in past contracts, and does not keep up with wage growth and inflation, yet Boeing called this deal historic. Take a listen to union workers on the picket lines Friday morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Recognize who's building these planes out here on the floor and the quality that we put into our work every day to make sure that passengers and crew members that fly our airplanes are safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We definitely need more wage increase. That's for sure. More time off would be nice, and if they'd bring back the pension, that would be really nice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe we deserve way better, because without us, there's no Boeing.

YURKEVICH: Now, Boeing is one of America's largest manufacturers and exporters, and the company says it contributes $79 billion to the local economy, supporting 1.6 million jobs directly and indirectly. CFO Brian West again saying that the strike will have an impact on production, operations and deliveries of planes, and if there is a prolonged strike, it could affect some of Boeing's 10,000 suppliers.

The last time we saw a strike at Boeing was in 2008 and that lasted eight weeks. Isabel, Victor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right, Vanessa, thank you so much. Testimony started this week in the trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols. We'll talk about what we heard from the witnesses on the stand with our legal analyst after a break.

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[06:27:09]

BLACKWELL: The trial for four, three rather former Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols started this week. Jurors watch footage for the first time of Nichols being beaten from body worn cameras, a police lieutenant testified that the officers did not comply with departmental policies and training, and added that the other officers should have intervened to stop the beating.

Joining me now is civil rights attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin. Good morning to you. So let's start in the morning, because it was dominated on Friday by this question over whether the jury would see the response to resistance forms. And on these the officers described the type of force needed to subdue a suspect.

Two of them reported soft hand techniques, and this lieutenant said that they didn't follow the rules. They weren't soft hand. Explain what was in question over whether or not to use these or if they would be admitted.

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Victor, the issue was whether these forms should be admitted because police officers aren't required to incriminate themselves. So the judge held what's considered a Garrity hearing outside of the presence of the jury. And that's a hearing where the officers, actually, several of the officers, took the witness stand and were subject to questioning from both their lawyers and the prosecutors. Cross- examination by the prosecutors about what they put on that form and whether that was consistent with what was actually witnessed on the body cam and of the video in this case.

The defense team was fighting very, very vigorously to not allow those forms to be admitted into evidence in this case, and ultimately, after that Garrity hearing was held by the court, the court determined that the forms would come in.

Forms are very, very important in this case, because there are vast discrepancies and how the use of force -- use of force that's described in those forms compares to that which was witnessed on the vide.

And Victor, this case is interesting because these officers aren't at this point as much blaming each other as they are blaming Tyre Nichols for what happened to him on that night. One of the officers' lawyers, arguing that mister Nichols had choices and that he chose to speed, he chose to run, he chose to argue and chose to resist and push back, and they're saying it was because of his choices that he actually was beaten by the officers.

BLACKWELL: And two of the officers have already pleaded guilty, so we expect that when they are potentially called to testify, they will then be utilized to what blame these three are. And on trial, right?

[06:30:00]

MARTIN: Yes, absolutely, these two officers -- two former officers did take plea deals, and as a part of their plea deals, they will be giving testimony on behalf of the prosecution, and we should expect that those officers will paint a very different picture.

They will talk about Mr. Nichols in essence being punished by these police officers because he failed to -- according to them, stop, when they tried to stop him for traffic violation, that he quote, unquote, "ran", and that they used a pepper spray involved with him in that initial stop, somehow ended up impacting some of these officers.

These officers were punishing Mr. Nichols for having to run after him, having to clear their own eyes from pepper spray. So, we're going to hear, I think a very different version of what happened that night when those two officers that have played guilty come into that courtroom.

BLACKWELL: So, the lieutenant who said that these officers did not follow department policy, also said during a video that showed police trainees hitting a dummy in the face, pepper-spraying the dummy, holding the dummy by the neck, kneeing into the abdomen, that these were instructionary things, and that there is this kind of escalation or discretion I should say, that has afforded to an officer based on the situation.

How do you think that plays with the jury that, yes, they didn't follow the department policies, but also they have a lot of lead way here.

MARTIN: Oh, I think it's going to be devastating to the case of these defendants. I'm puzzled myself at this point, by the defense, the strategy that's being used, particularly because all of the video camera, all of the footage from the body camera is just inconsistent with the arguments that the lawyers are making for these defendants, even some of the opening statements made by the lawyers just is contradicted by the witnesses that are going to come into the courtroom and by the very evidence that's going to be presented.

Yes, officers have a lot of discretion to use forces, a continuum of force based on what's required to subdue a suspect, in this case, there's just no evidence to suggest that Mr. Nichols --

BLACKWELL: Right --

MARTIN: Was that kind of suspect that would have required the level of force that was used against him.

BLACKWELL: All right, Areva Martin, thank you.

ISABEL ROSALES, CO-ANCHOR, CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: Still to come as the fighting rages on in Ukraine, what the U.S. and the U.K. are saying about Kyiv's request to use western missiles on targets further inside Russia.

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[06:35:00]

ROSALES: Welcome back. President Biden has a pivotal decision to make on whether he will change his position on allowing Ukraine to use U.S. weapons on deeper targets within Russia. This follows a critical meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House, where they were expected to discuss the weapons decision just as Putin, again, threatened NATO countries if Ukraine is given the green- light.

Here's what President Biden said when asked about Putin's threats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say to Vladimir Putin's threats of war, Mr. President?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think much about Vladimir Putin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: We are joined now by CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier, and CNN military analyst, retired Colonel Cedric Leighton. Thank you both so much for joining us this morning. Kim, let's start with you. What came publicly out of that high-stakes meeting between President Biden and the British Prime Minister versus what may be happening behind the scenes?

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: They talk a lot about coordinating efforts to support Ukraine, but not the question we were all trying to get an answer to, will you allow Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets inside Russia, namely to strike planes before they are taking off to strike Ukraine or missile batteries, et cetera, that are causing so much damage to Ukrainian civilian population and the civilian energy grid ahead of another tough Winter.

ROSALES: All right, so, we've seen --

DOZIER: Right --

ROSALES: President Biden time and time again reluctant to provide Ukraine with more weaponry, but then ultimately giving it to them from HIMARS artillery, then there was the Abrams tanks and then the F-16 fighter jets. So, do you think it is only a matter of time before Ukraine gets the OK here?

DOZIER: When you see the reluctance that's been expressed inside the Biden administration, especially by Jake Sullivan at the National Security Council, and also by Pentagon officials. They are worried about Vladimir Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons in some manner, shape or form, or to escalate this war even by -- say, striking a NATO supply route into Ukraine.

These are the kind of things that Putin has rattled his saber about before, whereas, I've spoken to British, I've spoken to European officials and some British officials have said publicly that you cannot take Putin at his word. He keeps on with these threats, but look, Ukraine invaded the Kursk region and he hasn't followed through with any of them.

[06:40:00]

ROSALES: All right, and Colonel Leighton, how consequential of a decision would this be for Ukraine? The U.S. has been arguing that lifting restrictions wouldn't make much of a difference on the battlefield because high value targets are out of range. So, what would be in range here that would be helpful?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, one of the key things, Isabel, that is in range is the headquarters of the southern military district, and that's in the Rostov-on-Don, which is a city that is within range of the ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles if they're placed in the right location in Ukraine.

So, there are those things, there are also a bunch of airfields. There's, of course, the staging area that is Belgorod here, which is the city that's near Kharkiv just across the border in Russia from the Kharkiv region in Ukraine. And there were several -- about 200 or so different installations of various types within Russia that could potentially be in location.

Now, on the other side of this, a lot of the assets that the Russians are using against Ukraine will actually either have or will be moved to locations outside of the range of the ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles. So, that's basically what you're dealing with here. And there's been a lot of talk about these missiles and other weapons systems that are longer-range, but the fact of the matter is that the talk has forced the Russians to move these weapons as a precautionary measure.

ROSALES: Right, and how does Ukraine's recent surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region actually changed the kind of weapons support that they will need in this phase of the war.

LEIGHTON: Well, I think one of the key aspect of this, Isabel, is that the fact that the Ukrainians have moved into the Kursk region shows that they can do some pretty dramatic things. However, for the most part, they can use -- that specific instance, they can use some short-range weapons to go after some limited Russian installations in the region.

But the fact of the matter is that for the most part, they will still need the same kinds of weapons to have some kind of effect, some kind of impact on the Russian forces.

And it's certainly true that neither weapon, neither the ATACMS or the Storm Shadow are going to be a panacea for the Ukrainians. They will be part of a mix of weapons that the Ukrainians will need, but it's not going to be the one game-changing piece that will change the war.

ROSALES: All right, and Kim, I want to circle back to you about the fears about a Russian escalation that we've seen throughout this conflict. If Ukraine is allowed to use these weapons deep within Russia, we heard Putin warning that Russia will be at quote, "war with NATO if Ukraine is given the green light." Are those ultimately empty threats? You mentioned there's definitely concern there, but are they empty?

DOZIER: Yes, the White House said this week, they take Putin's threats seriously, even though he hasn't followed through with them yet. And the fact of the matter is, we're like a frog in boiling water, we don't know at this point what's going to trigger Putin. He could do something short of the use of nuclear weapons, like he has threatened in the past to arm some of NATO's enemies.

He could also move more nuclear weapons into areas close to NATO countries, just as a way to threaten them and increase the pressure on countries like Germany, where there is a rising wave of support for right-wing parties that support Putin. So, there are various different ways that Putin can fight back, he reserves the nuclear option, and that's one of the reasons though, that the White House, especially the Biden White House takes this very seriously.

ROSALES: Right. And it's that lack of really knowing where Putin's red line is, that makes this so tense and scary. Kim Dozier, Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much for your time.

BLACKWELL: Well, let's talk a little football now, concussion and the issues there resurfacing for one of the league's bright young quarterbacks. That was a scary scene, maybe you heard about it or saw it early this week, and a lot of people are voicing concerns about his future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:00]

BLACKWELL: Millions of people in the south-east are under flood watches as what's left of tropical depression Francine hit several states with some really heavy rain.

ROSALES: Flooding has become the deadliest threat of storm systems in the last decade. And Francine slows -- as Francine slows down, that threat only increases. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking this for us. Allison, hi.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Yes, we think of these storms and they make in-land, they're pretty much over, but in this case, not really because it's just not really moving all that much. Now, the former movement has picked up to about 10 miles per hour. I know that may not sound that fast, but yesterday it was only 3 miles per hour.

So, we are starting to make progress and eventually, will start to shift all of this rain from western Tennessee and Alabama in towards Georgia and the Carolinas. So, we're finally going to start to see a lot of that rain get some forward movement, but it's going to be on top of what's already fallen, all of this red, yellow and orange area, this is where we've had 2, 4, even as much as 6 inches of rain already fall.

But now, we're going to be adding more on top of it. So, for that reason, you've got these flood watches in effect through most of the day today. Now, I want to emphasize some of these areas need the rain, they're in some level of drought especially across portions of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. But what you don't want is a lot of rain in a very short period of time, because then you end up getting the flooding concerns out of it.

Especially this swath right through here, this is where we're still expecting another 3 to 5 inches of rain, again on top of what a lot of these areas have already seen.

[06:50:00]

And that's where the biggest concern is going to be, especially today for the potential flooding. Also take note of this, see this cluster of heavy rain over here along the coastal Carolinas, that's actually from a separate system. What could become our next named tropical system, we have the two lows.

What's left of Francine, and then this low pressure system here sitting just off the east coast. This is going to spread some moisture into another area of the southeast, much of coastal Georgia and into the Carolinas and then slide up the east coast, eventually bringing some of the heavy rain right there along with it. That system has a 50 percent chance of becoming the next name, which is Helene(ph) in the next couple of days.

ROSALES: Hey, a reminder, we are still in peak hurricane season. Allison Chinchar, thank you. Turning now to sports, a concern continues for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, after he left Thursday night's game with yet another concussion --

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes --

BLACKWELL: Yes, Andy Scholes joins us now, what do we know about the status?

SCHOLES: Well, guys, Tua is in the concussion protocol, but you know, when or if we ever see him play in the NFL again, you know, that's certainly up in the air right now. The 26-year-old suffering yet another concussion during Thursday night football. And this was just another scary instance where we saw Tua go into a fencing response with his arms and hands after taking that hit right there.

So, Tua has been -- he has been diagnosed with three concussions in his NFL career, but in many including Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce think he should walk away from the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO PIERCE, HEAD COACH, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: I'll be honest, I'll just tell him, retire. It's not worth it. It's not worth to play the game -- I haven't witnessed anything like that, I've seen this happen to him three times. Scary. You could see right away the players' faces on the field, you could see the sense of urgency from everybody to get -- to help.

I just think at some point, you know, he's going to live longer than he's going to play football. Take care of your family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: So, Tua did play all of last season, but in 2022, he had a series of concussion problems in week three against the Bills, he stumbled after a hit, but was actually cleared to return to play in that game. The NFL Players Association ended up firing the independent neurologist that led to his stay in that game.

And the very next week, Tua hit his head in a very scary scene, his hand seized up, and he was carted off the field with a concussion. He would return two weeks later, and he played until week 16 when he suffered another concussion against the Packers. Tua then missed the final two games of the season and the playoffs.

You know, this is certainly a tough spot for the Dolphins. But head coach Mike McDaniel says, they're focused on Tua's health, and it's not the time to be talking about Tua retiring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE MCDANIEL, HEAD COACH, MIAMI DOLPHINS: You're talking about his career, right? His career is his -- I totally get how that's where people want to go to. I just wish that people would for seconds hear what I'm saying, that bringing up his future is not the best interest of him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, you kind of understand what McDaniel is saying there, but at the same time, guys, I mean, we said he's had three diagnosed concussions in the NFL --

ROSALES: Yes --

SCHOLES: It's been more. You know, he had some un-diagnoses as well, and he had won his last season at Alabama in 2019. And what we know -- what about concussions once you get multiple, it's easier to get them again.

ROSALES: Yes --

SCHOLES: So, I think a lot of people would just like Tua to have some tough discussions on whether or not it's worth for him to keep playing football.

BLACKWELL: Yes --

ROSALES: And to see that video of what the fencing position, it's like, oh, no --

SCHOLES: Yes --

ROSALES: That's a brain --

SCHOLES: Yes --

ROSALES: Injury.

BLACKWELL: Yes, Andy, thank you --

ROSALES: Thank you so much. Well, two NASA astronauts are stuck in space after the Boeing Starliner return to earth without them. What they're saying about plans to get them home. That's next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:00]

ROSALES: For the first time since those spacecraft returned to earth, without them, we are hearing directly from the two NASA astronauts who are waiting to hitch a ride home from space.

BLACKWELL: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were slated to be at the International Space Station for eight days when they took off in June. But of course, after a series of issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, NASA has decided to keep them there until February. Here's CNN's space and defense correspondent Kristin Fisher.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Isabel. Well, this is the first time that we've heard from NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams since NASA made the decision to send their spaceship, Starliner back to earth without them.

The commander, Butch Wilmore, who is also a Navy test pilot said, you never want to see your ship go off without you, but he also said that he understood NASA's decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARRY BUTCH WILMORE, ASTRONAUT: When you have an issue like we've had, there's some changes that need to be made. Boeing is on board with that, we're all on board with that. And I can tell you, when you push the edge of the envelope again, and you do things with spacecraft that have never been done before, just like Starliner, you're going to find some things, and in this case, we found some things that we just could not get comfortable with, putting us back in the Starliner when we had other options.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISHER: And that option is SpaceX. A SpaceX crew Dragon, which means that Butch and Suni won't be able to come back to earth until February. So, during this press conference, I had a chance to ask Butch and Suni, you know, what has it been like for you mentally to go from what you thought was a roughly eight-day mission to now an eight- month mission. Here's what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILMORE: The things that I can't control, I'm not going to -- I'm not going to fret over it. I mean, there's no benefit to it at all. There's nothing we can do. There's nothing we can do. So, we march forward.

SUNITA WILLIAMS, ASTRONAUT: I have to say, though, in the back of my mind, you know, there's folks on the ground who had some plans, right? Like, you know, like my family, and so, I've just spent some time with my mom and I think I was fretting more about that. Like the things that we had sort of all talked about and planned for this Fall and this Winter.

And I think I was a little bit nervous, to be honest with you, to say like, OK, I'm not coming home for it, but --