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New Day
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) Blasts GOP For Putting Culture Wars Over Economy; Princes William and Harry Yet To Talk Amid Public Rift; Breonna Taylor's Mother Seeks Justice One Year After Her Killing. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired March 12, 2021 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And it's possible that side is doing this because they think there is a demand.
You know, in places like Youngstown you represent -- which there is a tremendous amount of support for the former president and maybe his type of rhetoric -- what is the connect and disconnect you are actually hearing from people there about what they're being told by Republicans?
REP. TIM RYAN (D-OH) (via Skype): Yes. You know, look, Trump is a unique animal -- a unique political animal -- a once-a-generation type of candidate.
But look, just take one example. Trump was pushing for the $2,000 check and these guys are balking at that. They don't want to do it. And so they're getting off of -- which is fine, but they're getting off of the message, really, that they used to have about helping people economically.
And so, that's not what your uniforms look like if you're pregnant and in the military or what some of these Dr. Seuss books have said, or all of these other things that they just keep talking about that just aren't relevant. They're not meeting the moment and so they're getting away from the very recipe that got Trump elected in the first place.
BERMAN: Congressman, I don't know if you heard but there was big political news in Ohio overnight, which is that Geraldo Rivera announced that he's not going to run for the open Senate seat of Rob Portman. I wasn't joking, it's actually true. He did announce it.
RYAN: I know.
BERMAN: But let me ask you. What are -- where are you on your plans about whether to run for Senate?
RYAN: I was about ready to start growing a mustache. I mean, that's where I was going.
No, we're looking at it very, very closely. It's a heck of an opportunity. The Senate needs, I think, a strong voice on behalf of workers, which
you heard at the intro with the speech on the floor. You know, I think the Senate could use somebody like that, similar to Sherrod Brown, where we're talking about workers. Whether they're white or if they're Black or they're brown or they're gay or they're straight, working- class people need a strong economic voice in the Senate.
So we're looking very closely at it. It's exciting for all of us in Ohio. We haven't held a seat in decades.
So we're looking at it very closely and we're getting a lot of support from around the country -- a lot of phone calls. A lot of people want to raise money for us. So, you know -- and the unions -- a lot of unions have already come out and endorsed before we even announce, so that's a good sign.
So we're looking at it very closely. We won't break any news here this morning with you but we'll keep you posted.
BERMAN: Decision by when?
RYAN: I don't know, a few -- you know, I'm really -- I'm doing a lot of work on the security of the Capitol right now. That's the committee I chair on Appropriations that is in charge of funding the supplemental bill. So that's taking up a good deal of my time working with Speaker Pelosi and Congresswoman DeLauro, who is chair of the Appropriations Committee, and all of the security people. So that's eating up a good deal of time right now.
So once we get through this a little bit more we'll make a decision.
BERMAN: Congressman Tim Ryan, thanks for being with us this morning. If you do want to break some news come on NEW DAY to do it.
RYAN: You're some of my favorites -- thanks.
BERMAN: All right, thanks -- Alisyn.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, John.
A veteran police officer in Kalamazoo, Michigan is using his own money to help the homeless. CNN's Adrienne Broaddus shows us how this officer went beyond the call of duty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OFFICER AMIL ALWAN, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN: It's been kind of quiet.
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A silent shift --
A. ALWAN: I work the day shift from 7 a to 7 p.
BROADDUS (voice-over): -- is a gift for Officer Amil Alwan.
A. ALWAN: It's tough wearing a badge, in general. BROADDUS (voice-over): He patrols the streets of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
A. ALWAN: I don't really think about my -- of the worst calls.
BROADDUS (voice-over): But some calls he will never forget.
A. ALWAN: A majority of the calls that we get downtown are with the homeless.
BROADDUS (voice-over): This is the largest homeless encampment in the city.
A. ALWAN: So a lot of the tents, they're bunched up as you can see.
BROADDUS (voice-over): The area is filled with nearly 90 tents people use for shelter. Police say they were dispatched here 19 times in February. Officer Alwan realized people here needed his help --
A. ALWAN: The ones that are on the outside areas kind of keep to themselves.
BROADDUS (voice-over): -- motivating the 21-year veteran to go beyond the call of duty.
CHIEF VERNON COAKLEY, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN: He has been a bundle of joy for not only our organization (the city) but more importantly, the people that he has served in our community.
BROADDUS (voice-over): At least three families now have a place to call home thanks to Alwan connecting them to city resources, and he has help.
A. ALWAN: My wife has been amazing.
BROADDUS (voice-over): Together, they supply essentials.
A. ALWAN: Gloves, hats, and socks.
JEN ALWAN, WIFE OF OFFICER AMIL ALWAN: We get batteries, flashlights.
[07:35:00]
BROADDUS (voice-over): Homelessness --
A. ALWAN: It's not a crime to be homeless.
J. ALWAN: It hit brother kind of the hardest. He struggled for years.
BROADDUS (VOICE-OVER): Jen's brother is now off the streets and his story reminds Alwan why he does this work.
A. ALWAN: Each and every one of us can be in this situation at the drop of a hat, whether the market crashes or we lose a loved one.
BROADDUS (voice-over): Alwan kept his work a secret for months. Now that the word is out, other officers have pitched in, too, here on some of the coldest Michigan nights.
A. ALWAN: You get accustomed to the -- I mean, to the weather. I mean, it's Michigan. One day it's 60, the next day it's negative-two.
BROADDUS (voice-over): Alwan and Jen pay for the supplies with their own money. The price?
J. ALWAN: I don't know.
A. ALWAN: I won't say it because I don't know if she knows how much -- robust.
BROADDUS (voice-over): And he's learned giving back can touch a life forever.
A. ALWAN: I'll take care of you.
BROADDUS (voice-over): Adrienne Broaddus, CNN, Kalamazoo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMEROTA: What an incredible story. What an incredible role model there.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry says he and his brother, Prince William, are giving each other space. A live report on their strained relationship that is now playing out in public.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:41:23]
BERMAN: The $1.9 trillion relief plan is now law, so how soon will millions of Americans get the money they need? Chief business correspondent Christine Romans with all the answers.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, ANCHOR, EARLY START: Hi, John.
You know, the White House says this weekend for the first stimulus checks. Families can expect, overall, thousands of dollars in relief. This law is a historic rescue of working families and low-income Americans and the Treasury secretary says no, it's not too big.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANET YELLEN, TREASURY SECRETARY: I don't believe we've overshot the mark. I think that this package is the right size. We put it together by asking what are the needs of Americans. Where do we need to get money and how much to relieve all the suffering that's occurring in the economy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: How much? Well, checks now for 90 percent of Americans. If your bank information is on file with the IRS that money could come in days. It's based on your most recent tax return. That's 2019 if you haven't filed for 2020 yet.
The full $1,400 for people making up to $75 grand, phasing out at $80,000. A $1,400 check for each child. And this time, adult dependents qualify. An elderly parent or a college-age child, they now qualify.
There's also an extra $300 a week in jobless benefits. That's through the fall.
But maybe most critical in here is the child tax credit. It's a guaranteed income for the year for low-income families. Regular direct deposits from the government instead of a lump sum at tax time. Unclear how long it will take the Treasury Department to start getting those payments into family's checking accounts.
We have come so far, John and Alisyn. You know, a year ago this week, remember, the stock market crashed. The Dow dropped 2,000 points -- the worst point drop in history. Fast-forward a year and the Dow is now up 38 percent since then.
Guys, this same week 12 years ago, it was the bottom in the 2008-2009 stock market crash, remember? A subprime housing mess led to a financial crisis and sparked a downturn so terrible it earned its own nickname, the Great Recession. The Dow crashed to 6,400. Fast-forward, it set a record high yesterday above 32,000.
And, John and Alisyn, also this week in history, do you remember the sock puppet -- Pets.com? Yes, this week in the year 2000, the dot.com bubble collapsed. This is the week the Nasdaq topped 5,000 then lost more than half of its value in a heartbeat. It took years to recover. But look at that -- today, the Nasdaq is above 13,000.
I guess bottom line, the lesson is that crises come and go, Alisyn, but it doesn't pay to bet against America, right?
CAMEROTA: That's a very good lesson. And thank you for the sock puppet reminder.
ROMANS: Remember? Do you know there are some people who might not remember the sock puppet?
CAMEROTA: Well, I do get the sock puppet confused with Triumph the Insult Dog. One's very naughty, right, and one was less naughty.
ROMANS: And one went from IPO to liquidation in 260 days or something. That was 2000 in tech stocks.
CAMEROTA: Thank you very much for the explainer, Christine. Great to see you.
OK. So days after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview, Prince William says he still has not spoken with his brother. The world witnessed their bond after the loss of their mother, but it turns out the royal brothers have been growing apart for longer than we knew.
CNN's Max Foster is live in England with more. What have you learned, Max?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn. The queen is head of state in 16 countries around the world, including the U.K., and the future monarchy looks different in those countries now that the Sussexes aren't part of it.
[07:45:05]
But there's also the human story here, isn't there? The way these two brothers grew up in the public eye, united through tragedy and now, sadly drifting apart.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REPORTER: Sir, have you -- have you spoken to your brother since the interview?
PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: No, I haven't spoken to him yet, but I will do.
REPORTER: And can you just let me know is the royal family a racist family, sir?
PRINCE WILLIAM: No, we're very much not a racist family.
FOSTER (voice-over): A reporter breaking protocol with unsolicited questions answered by a brother still not ready to talk. The royal rift never more apparent than just days after a scathing no-holds- barred interview in which Harry made allegations that will live with the British monarchy for years, if not decades.
Prince William, still the heir. Prince Harry, no longer his stand-in. An ocean apart, but the distance between the two even greater.
PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: The relationship is space at the moment.
FOSTER (voice-over): That space confirmed, it seemed, on Thursday by the future king of the United Kingdom -- a far cry from this --
PRINCE HARRY: He's definitely got more brains than me. I think we've established that from school. But when it comes to all that I'm much better hands-on.
PRINCE WILLIAM: And looks as well.
FOSTER (voice-over): -- when the gentle ribbing and teasing of two brothers who've been through so much showed just how inseparable their bond seemed to be.
PRINCE HARRY: He's bald as a (INAUDIBLE).
PRINCE WILLIAM: Yes, that was really -- that's pretty rich coming from a ginger.
FOSTER (voice-over): These two young men who had grown up being watched by millions, living through the unimaginable tragedy of losing their mother as young boys and emerging on the other side together, side-by-side, candidly exposing their pain --
PRINCE WILLIAM: We have been brought closer because of the circumstances, as well. That's the thing.
CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE: Yes.
PRINCE WILLIAM: You know, you are uniquely bonded because of what we've been through.
FOSTER (voice-over): -- making mental health a joint centerpiece of their royal platform.
At the time, both men aware of the duty on William's shoulders as the future king. Their grandmother, the queen, committed to a slimmed-down future monarchy only adding to the burden they were meant to share.
PRINCE HARRY: There's a lot of times that both myself and my brother have wished, obviously, that we were just completely normal. But we've been born into this position and therefore, we'll do what we -- what we need to do.
FOSTER (voice-over): But after a period of smooth sailing, royal tours, engagements, weddings, and birth, rumors of turmoil within becoming reality as Harry and Meghan took steps last year to stand back and ultimately, to stand apart.
Prince William reportedly saddened by the couple's decision. According to the Sunday "Times," saying to a friend, "I put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can't do that anymore. We're separate entities."
Harry solidifying that separation in his sit-down tell-all with his wife to Oprah Winfrey.
PRINCE HARRY: He's my brother and we've been through hell together. I mean, we have a shared experience. But we -- you know, we are -- we are on different paths.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Alisyn, no word yet on when the two brothers plan to speak, but I think everyone's rooting for them and hoping that they can patch things up.
CAMEROTA: I agree, Max. I mean, looking at those videos of them in their playful moments during their bond, those were really heartwarming. I mean, I think that we all felt like oh, they had found some sort of peace after the horrible tragedy, and we hope that they can get back to that.
Max, thank you very much for all of the reporting.
So this weekend marks one year since Breonna Taylor was killed by Louisville police. Next, her mother will be here on why still, no one has been held accountable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:52:17]
BERMAN: Jury selection resumes this morning in the trial of Derek Chauvin. So far, six jurors have been picked.
The former Minneapolis police officer now faces an additional charge in the death of George Floyd after the judge reinstated a count of third-degree murder. Chauvin was already facing charges of second- degree murder and manslaughter.
CAMEROTA: So tomorrow marks one year since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed during a police raid inside her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky. Several rallies and memorials are planned this weekend in her honor.
Taylor's killing became a flashpoint in the Black Lives Matter protests last summer. And one year later, none of the officers involved have been charged with Taylor's death.
Joining us now is the attorney for Breonna Taylor's family, Lonita Baker. And we were hoping to have Breonna's mom join us as well but we're having technical difficulties right now, so she'll join if possible.
But Ms. Baker, I know this has been a horrible year of pain for Breonna's family. I heard her mom say that she doesn't even know what day it is. One day just blurs into the next.
And so, do you know how they will mark tomorrow, the one-year mark of the death?
LONITA BAKER, ATTORNEY FOR BREONNA TAYLOR'S FAMILY (via Cisco Webex): Yes. Tomorrow, the family has planned a rally that's a continuing call for justice for the family and for many. There's still not been justice for Breonna and they will continue to feel that way until the officers who are responsible for Breonna's death are criminally charged, as they should be.
CAMEROTA: And let's talk about that because a grand jury declined to do that. So what now? I mean, is it still possible that any of the officers could be charged?
BAKER: Well, I think we have to go back and remember a grand jury did not decline -- did not decline to charge the officers. Instead, it was Daniel Cameron's office who decided not to present charges on behalf of Breonna to a grand jury.
So a grand jury has never heard charges as it relates to the killing of Breonna Taylor and that's primarily what the family and community is asking for at this time -- to let the criminal justice play its course, present charges to a grand jury, and let the grand jury decide if the charges should be held accountable. Not take that decision- making into the hands of the prosecutor alone, and that's exactly what Daniel Cameron did.
CAMEROTA: Thank you for that clarification. That, obviously, is really important.
Here are the things that have happened since her killing.
The family got a big settlement -- a big financial settlement -- $12 million from the Louisville Police Department. And I know that no amount of money can ever heal a hole in our hearts. But is that accountability on some level? Is that holding the police department responsible on some level?
[07:55:02]
BAKER: It holds the police accountable and the city accountable, but it does not hold the officers responsible for Breonna's murder accountable, and that is what the family continues to ask for. For the officers who went into her home recklessly, for the officers who lied to get a search warrant for her apartment to be held accountable as anyone else would be held accountable under the law.
CAMEROTA: And we think that we have resolved our technical problems now. So joining us is Breonna's mom, Tamika Palmer. Tamika, good morning. Thanks so much for your patience with us.
We've just been talking about what this year -- how hard and horrible this year has been for you. What are your thoughts as we approach tomorrow, the one-year mark?
TAMIKA PALMER, MOTHER OF BREONNA TAYLOR (via Skype): Crazy that it's been a year -- still unbelievable.
CAMEROTA: And I know that you -- I had read that you said that mostly, anger.
PALMER: Definitely -- definitely, anger. Just anger that the way this whole thing happened. Anger that is was so avoidable and anger that she lost her life for it.
CAMEROTA: And anger that no one has been held accountable. What would justice for Breonna mean for you?
PALMER: To have these officers arrested, and charged, and convicted.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
PALMER: That's it.
CAMEROTA: Have the Louisville police ever satisfactorily told you why -- I mean, why this happened?
PALMER: No.
CAMEROTA: You haven't had communication with them?
PALMER: Not at all. CAMEROTA: Isn't that incredible?
PALMER: It's insane. It's disrespectful. It's --
CAMEROTA: Would you want to talk to them?
PALMER: At this point, I don't really know what they could say. Like, you've avoided me for a year and I don't know what it would do at this point.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
A few things have happened since Breonna's -- Breonna was killed. There have been some changes made in the police department. So, no- knock warrants banned in Louisville, Kentucky -- that happened.
There's also this disciplinary flag system -- an early warning system adopted to flag officers when they have disciplinary problems. There's a search warrant approval overhaul. The commanding officer has to review and now give written approval for all search warrants.
There's also community policing they're trying to beef up where officers are encouraged to perform two hours of paid community service. There's also -- it's now mandatory for ambulances to be idling nearby when police conduct a search.
And so, Tamika, do you feel that those things are progress? That those things on some small level are justice?
PALMER: No, I don't think that they're justice at all. They don't help Breonna. But the goal is for there not to be another Breonna. So, you know, they're steps moving forward to ensure -- hopefully ensure that this won't happen again.
CAMEROTA: And so, Ms. Baker, tell us about that. So I hear what you're saying about what you both want right now -- what so many want. I mean, what the protests want. But what can happen here next?
BAKER: Well, it's still very possible for these officers and their charges to be presented to a grand jury. And at the end of the day, that's what we ask for. We've always maintained if this was the decision of the grand jury we may not be happy with it but we could accept that it was at least presented the way everyone else's charges are presented. However, that's yet to happen.
And so, the charges still can be presented to a grand jury. There's nothing to prohibit that from happening and that's what we're going to continue to push for.
There's still an ongoing federal investigation. We look forward to that wrapping up and for charges -- the appropriate charges to come out of that. But with that, there's no timeline on that investigation so we just don't know when that's going to wrap up.
But the family, the community -- we're here and we're going to stay here and continue to fight. So -- and it's the only way we're going to ever change things is for these officers to begin to be held accountable.
CAMEROTA: Tamika, I know that you've said that the thousands of protesters -- tens of thousands who march on behalf of Breonna have given you strength.
PALMER: Yes.
CAMEROTA: And what do you say to them today?
PALMER: Thank you. Thank you that -- I'm grateful that the work hasn't went unnoticed but to not lose focus, to not give up.
