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GOP's Assault on Voting; Manhunt in Florida; NBA Fans Banned over Behavior; Osaka Withdraws from French Open. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired June 01, 2021 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

JESSICA GONZALEZ (D), TEXAS HOUSE, WALKED OFF HOUSE FLOOR IN ELECTION BILL PROTEST: Negotiations occur behind closed doors and ultimately, at the eleventh hour, on the 139th day of the 140th day of our legislative session, they chose to bring this bill to the floor without discussion, adding provisions that were in neither version of the Texas or the senate version of the bill. And so we were just hoping that we could have that conversation.

Now, we understand that, you know, the governor -- it's well within his power to call a special session and we know that he will eventually call one, you know, in order to address this -- this election integrity bill. We're just hoping that we can actually have a real conversation and, you know, and maybe have a law that, you know, makes it easier for people to vote, not make it more difficult.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Following what happened in Texas this weekend, President Biden said, our democracy is in peril. Do you feel that President Biden is acting like democracy is in peril?

GONZALEZ: You know, we did our part to stop this horrible voter suppression bill in Texas. And, you know, and now Texas Democrats are calling on President Biden and Democrats in the Senate to use the filibuster in order to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act immediately and use our Democratic majority to stop these voter suppression bills across the country.

BERMAN: When you say use the filibuster, you mean get rid of the filibuster?

GONZALEZ: Yes.

BERMAN: And you think you would like to see President Biden come out and speak in support of getting rid of the filibuster?

GONZALEZ: Absolutely. I mean that -- that -- you know, again, like you mentioned, I mean Texas Democrats, we're in the minority, unfortunately. And this is the only way that we're going to be able to make sure that all Texans are protected and -- and -- as well as other folks across the nation in states that are passing similar laws such as this -- this one.

BERMAN: Jessica Gonzalez, Representative, we appreciate you being with us this morning. Thank you very much.

GONZALEZ: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right, new developments in the manhunt for three masked suspects in a Florida mass shooting. The head of the police force in charge of the investigation joins us live.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And fans behaving badly. Two former NBA stars give us their take on what is becoming a troubling trend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:36:03]

KEILAR: Authorities are still searching for three people who opened fire at a concert venue in Hialeah, Florida, over the weekend. Two people died. Twenty-one others were wounded in one of the largest Miami area mass shootings in history. And, yesterday, authorities recovered the stolen vehicle used by the shooters submerged in a canal. Police are describing the shooting as a targeted attack.

Joining me now is the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Freddy Ramirez. His department is leading the ongoing investigation.

Sir, thanks for being with us this morning. And if you can just give us the latest on the investigation. Have you been able to find any leads, anything recovered from this SUV that was submerged?

ALFREDO "FREDDY" RAMIREZ, DIRECTOR, MIAMI-DADE POLICE : Good morning.

Yes, we are already processing the SUV. Thanks to information received from the community, we were able to locate the vehicle. We're in the process of doing a forensic analysis of the vehicle. We're receiving tips from the community and our detectives and our officers on the street are following up on those tips.

We're still in the early stages of this investigation but I can assure you that we're using every resource of this department and community to bring justice to those families.

KEILAR: The reward right now for information leading to an arrest and conviction of whoever did this I think right now stands at least $130,000. Do you have any leads that are pointing at anyone particularly as a possible perpetrator in this crime?

RAMIREZ: At this time we have various people that are being pointed at. Our detectives are validating those tips as they come in so that we can build a strong case. So the day we take these individuals into custody, we're able to have a prosecution process that we make sure they stay in jail for a long time.

KEILAR: So you've said that this stems from an ongoing rivalry between two groups in the area and that the intended target was believed to be standing in front of the venue. Do you -- can you tell us anything else about these groups? RAMIREZ: No. What I can tell you that these groups is they're cowards.

They're murderers and they're killers and they don't care about anybody. They don't care about life. And if you see that my tone is -- is angry, because I am angry. I'm angry hearing that father yesterday as a dad myself is -- is heartbreaking and this has to stop, not only in our community, but in this country.

And, yes, this was targeted at someone that was at that -- at that location. You saw in the video how they showed up in there commando style, within 20 seconds they -- they ruined families and lives. And it's unacceptable. And as a community, as law enforcement, we need to take a stand and put an end to this once and for all and take the politics out of this and get the job done so our children can live safe.

KEILAR: I want to -- I want to listen, actually, to that moment that you're referring to. This was at your press conference yesterday when a man, who is the father of one of the 26-year-old victims, one of those who died, came up to your podium.

Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMIREZ: Harming mothers who are here today --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all killed my kid! You must burn. You must burn.

RAMIREZ: That is the pain that affects our community right there right before you. That's why harming mothers who are here today --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And I -- I think that -- I mean that certainly informs us of your anger. That was Clayton Dillard (ph), who's the -- as I said, the father of a 26-year-old who himself was the father of a two-year-old, right? So we're looking there at the pain of a family destroyed.

And, you know, I wonder what you can do as a -- as a city to combat this gun violence that we are seeing, especially as you could be seeing an escalation this summer in violence.

RAMIREZ: You know, law enforcement is doing all they can on the street. What we need -- and I understand that people are afraid to come forward because of retaliation, the cone of silence. But, you know what, that's got to stop because the next time it could be you or someone you love.

[08:40:02]

That's why I wholeheartedly believe that our gun violence problem in this country has to be handled not only with law enforcement but with the community together. We need to put our biases aside and all our different beliefs and focus on what's important to get these individuals, which are the 2 percenters in our communities that are holding assault rifles, that are killing indiscriminately, a lot of them are youth, and we need toed to address that right away because if we don't it's going to plague our entire country.

You see cities around the country right now that are -- that are suffering. Obviously, now Miami-Dade County is not immune to this plague that's -- that's striking our country right now. We're coming out of COVID. Communities are opening up and that's why you're seeing this propensity of violence and -- and, you know, we need to get to those communities that are -- that are -- that are in trouble right now. They need to be enriched. We need to get resources in there and build them back up so that we can stop the cycle of violence. It takes a multi-pronged approach.

KEILAR: Well, Freddy, thanks for being with us this morning. We wish you the best of luck on this investigation as you try to find out who was behind this mass shooting.

RAMIREZ: Thank you so much.

KEILAR: NBA arenas banning fans for bad behavior. Two basketball legends will join us live to discuss this.

BERMAN: And tennis superstar Naomi Osaka's stunning withdrawal from The French Open. What's going on with one of the sport's brightest young stars?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:32]

BERMAN: NBA star Kyrie Irving says some fans are treating players like, quote, they're in a human zoo. On Sunday, a spectator was arrested for throwing a water bottle at the Brooklyn Nets guard. Irving was walking off the court after the Nets beat his former team, the Boston Celtics. The bottle narrowly missed his head.

This is the latest in a string of ugly NBA fan behavior. Last week three NBA teams indefinitely banned fans for unruly and outright disrespectful behavior toward players. Just last night a fan ran out onto the court at the Wizards game against the 76ers. The man jumped up and slapped the backboard. He was quickly tackled by security and removed from the arena.

Joining me now, NBA legend Isiah Thomas, he's a Turner Sports NBA analyst and former NBA champion. Metta World Peace joins us as well. He is no stranger to ugly interactions between fans and players. He was at the center of the infamous Malice in the Palace Brawl in 2004.

Look, what we've seen the last few weeks, it's awful. I mean it's awful. Throwing a water bottle, Isiah Thomas, as I said, spitting at other players here, it's just wrong, Isiah, and I wonder why you think it's happening?

ISIAH THOMAS, NBA ANALYST, TURNER SPORTS: Well, let me start off by saying, we are excited to have the fans back in the arena, believe it or not. And when you look at the fans' behavior right now, you know, we have to be concerned about player safety. And you ask, why is it happening? You know, we -- we've been pent up in COVID for so long, maybe this is the reason. But then you also have to look at it historically because this has been happening for a long time.

And I think we have to listen to the players now when they're talking about their humanity as human beings because some of these acts are really dehumanizing and not necessarily fan and player and sport interaction. So there's -- it's definitely a fine line and that line has been crossed, especially when you start spitting and throwing things at players inside the arena.

BERMAN: And, look, that's why I thought what Kyrie Irving said about being treated like you're in a human zoo was so poignant.

Metta, I'm wondering if those words hit home for you?

METTA WORLD PEACE, FORMER NBA CHAMPION: Well, I mean, the words don't necessarily hit home for me. You know, I do agree with Kyrie's stance on certain things. And I also agree with what Coach Thomas said also. I think the fans have been home and stressed for so long, and, you know, nobody's perfect, but you can't take it out on the players. You know, so they've got to just get ahold -- they've got to get control of themselves.

You know, I mean when you spit on somebody, that's super disrespectful. Popcorn, all right, yes, all right, I get it. You know, you get a little suspension or something. A water bottle, that's a little -- that's a little dangerous, right? A water bottle, it could hit them in the eye or something like that. You know, I'm not going to really get involved with the fan running on the floor. You know, we've seen that in football and baseball and that's just sometimes fans get out of control a little bit.

But the spitting and the water bottle, the popcorn also, I'm not -- I'm not, you know, just like disregarding the popcorn, but the spitting and water bottle is kind of -- kind of ridiculous.

BERMAN: And, look, you know, and this is something you've been in the middle of, Metta, I mean, let's be honest.

PEACE: Yes.

BERMAN: I mean there was -- there was the interaction and you ended up in the stands fighting with a fan. This was after a beer I think was thrown on you. And it hit you, right?

PEACE: Yes. Yes.

BERMAN: I mean, you know -- I mean so, you know, so you know what can go on here. And I know you've talked to the fan you were in the interaction with. You've apologized to each other for what happened. But this can get really ugly.

PEACE: Well, I didn't apologize to him. He apologized to me. I mean I didn't --

BERMAN: All right. OK. Yes, like, that's important.

PEACE: Oh, yes. But, I mean, you know, the reason I did that was because that was an issue between a man and a man. You know, I'm from the streets. So when I have an issue with a man, I just -- I just take it up with that man.

You know, when I got -- when I got hit with that cup, the gentleman next to John Green (ph) made a bet. And people was like, you hit the wrong person. Well, that wasn't true because the guy who made the bet of $50 that John Green (ph) couldn't hit me, they both was involved in that situation. Those were the only two people that I was personally upset with. You know, and I know that because me and John, we speak now, which nobody thought that would ever happen.

You know, but with that being said, you know, when I -- when I first spoke to him on the phone and hunted down his number, I told him he was -- you know, he was an a-hole. I got that out of the way. He apologized, you know. And that was it. And he told me the story. And, you know, it was a -- it's all about, you know, because sometimes we come from different backgrounds, you know.

[08:50:02]

BERMAN: Sure.

PEACE: You know, I'm from Queensbridge, New York, and these fans are sometimes from other places and they don't really get it. And if you look at the history of America, you might think that's OK, but it's not OK, you know, to be, you know, it's almost similar to what Kyrie said, you know, treating people like they're animals in the zoo. Like, just come and enjoy the game, you know, and I think -- I think that will handle a lot.

BERMAN: So, Isiah -- Isiah, you know, you've thought about this a lot, what can happen? What do you think should happen going forward? Do you think there needs to be more space between the fans and the players? Is there some kind of new safety measure that needs to go into place?

THOMAS: Well, definitely, you know, player safety again is a concern. And what makes our game so unique and so beautiful is that the interaction between the players and the fans and how close it is. And as Metta was just describing, you know, the emotions that we bring to the arena and the emotions that we elicit from fans, the passion that we bring, that's what sports is truly all about.

Now we, as athletes, former athletes, we have been conditioned and trained to really, you know, control our emotions inside the arena because we know there may be some verbal abuse that comes along being inside the arena. You know, crowd noise and everything else. But the physical abuse and the inhumane abuse, those are things that cross the line. And when that happens, that's when the NBA and the NBPA must step forward and now start saying, how do we protect our environment? How do we protect the workplace? How do we protect the players but not necessarily eliminating the fans, but the fans do have some responsibility also.

BERMAN: Right.

And, Isiah, I have to let you go, but in 10 seconds or less, you also think race is a factor here?

THOMAS: Well, when you talk about dehumanizing people, right, then race is embedded in every governmental system in our society. So when our players again speak about being dehumanized, then race becomes a factor.

BERMAN: Isiah Thomas, Metta World Peace, a pleasure to speak to both of you. Thanks so much.

PEACE: Thank you.

THOMAS: Thank you.

PEACE: Nice to see you, coach.

THOMAS: Love you, Metta.

BERMAN: Up next, Naomi Osaka pulls out of a major tournament citing her mental health. We're going to speak to a former pro who was number one himself and has also coached some of the biggest names in tennis.

KEILAR: I thoroughly enjoyed that interview, John Berman.

Just in, Moderna is now seeking full approval from the FDA for its COVID vaccine. We'll have details on that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:55:25]

KEILAR: Some of the biggest names in sport are coming out and expressing support for Naomi Osaka after she withdrew from The French Open citing her mental health. Billie Jean King tweeting this, it's incredibly brave that Osaka has revealed her truth about her struggle with depression. Martina Navratilova tweeted, as athletes we are taught to take care of our body and perhaps the mental and emotional aspect gets short shrift. And then Steph Curry tweeted this, you shouldn't ever have to make a decision like this, but so damn impressive taking the high road when the powers that be don't protect their own.

Let's talk about what has happened at The French Open and Naomi Osaka with ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert. He's a tennis great, former professional player and coach who famously coached Andre Agassi for eight years during which time Agassi won six grand slam titles.

So, Brad, I know you're watching this with a lot of interest. And, look, we've even heard Andre Agassi talk about, you know, some of the difficulties that he had in the past as a player. This isn't anything new. So why do you think it ended this way, and did it have to?

BRAD GILBERT, ESPN TENNIS ANALYST: Good morning, firstly. An extremely sad day for Naomi Osaka and tennis. She announced about

six days ago that she would no longer speak to the press. And we weren't sure where that was going to go. All top players, you are required, after matches, before the tournament, to speak to the press. And the only time you ever hear about something like this is every blue moon a top player will lose a big match in a slam and then will blow off doing the press. They get fined for it.

So after her first match, she doesn't do the press. She did the on- court interview, and then she was hit with a fine. And that was all that it should have been. What they -- the tournaments and the grand slam committee should have been doing, they should have been working with Naomi's agents. They should have been -- the WTA, the Women's Tennis Association, should have been figuring out what we can do for potentially the next match. But they came out with this harsh statement that she will face further penalties and potentially defaulted if she does this again. And this probably triggered her anxiety issues that she has.

I was on the court with her, Brianna, in 2018 when she was ranked 50 in the world and she won the big title in Indian Wells, California. I've never seen a more painful experience for a player after winning their first title having to speak to the crowd, having to speak to us. And you could tell right there, instead of this euphoric feeling, she was in a bit of a panic mode. So we kind of understood right away that this is a player that has some issues with, you know, facing media, facing, you know?

KEILAR: Sure.

GILBERT: And I don't think that that was kind of taken into consideration. She handled herself brilliant and --

KEILAR: No, I mean, I think -- it wasn't, clearly, Brad. And I -- also I asked you about something that Roland Garros (ph), which is the venue for The French Open, tweeted yesterday and deleted, I should add, a picture of other players who did speak to the press and it said they understood the assignment. This was deleted. Obviously, in very poor taste.

I guess my question is, why do you think the authorities in this case, why don't they respect the fact that she's talking about a mental health issue? I mean if someone had broken a leg, they wouldn't be required to walk across the court on it. Why isn't this being respected when the national conversation, the global conversation, is about how people need to treat mental health more seriously?

GILBERT: I couldn't agree more. I think that they've never been faced with something like this. And all of a sudden they just weren't ready to handle a situation like this. A young lady explaining to them that I have difficulties facing the media, being asked these questions. Most tennis players have just put up with it. All athletes have just put up with it. But this is somebody that -- one thing that really irks me is, because she's the highest paid female athlete in the world people think, just get over it. You can handle this. There's lots of entertainers, actors, musicians who struggle and things -- you know, you just expect them to be able to handle this.

KEILAR: Yes.

[09:00:05]

GILBERT: And she's told us very clearly that I can't handle.