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8 Mass Shootings In 6 States Since Friday, At Least 9 Killed; Republicans From Other States Touring Sham Audit To Replicate; Education Chief Writes Memo To White House On Challenges Of Reopening. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired June 14, 2021 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:31:56]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, Americans are waking up to news of yet another violent and deadly weekend in the U.S. At least nine people were killed and another 47 injured in eight mass shootings in six states.

CNN's Omar Jimenez is live for us in Chicago with more. I mean, this really is an epidemic of gun violence, Omar.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Brianna. And even after a 2020 that saw an increased murder rate, this is just a compounded grim reality as the U.S. begins to open back up post-COVID.

Now, you look at the first three months of this year alone, the murder rate in more than 30 American cities was up 24 percent, and that was before we got to the now-beginning stages of what is typically the deadliest time of year.

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JIMENEZ (voice-over): A dangerous surge in gun violence is putting cities across the United States on edge this morning.

In Atlanta, a security guard was shot in the stomach outside the Lenox Square Mall.

DEPUTY CHIEF TIMOTHY PEEK, ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: They approached him with a gun and so from there, the investigation will tell us exactly what transpired.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Here in Chicago, police are searching for two gunmen who opened fire into a group of people standing on the sidewalk on the city's South Side Friday, killing one woman and injuring nine other people.

It happened just moments after another mass shooting in downtown Austin, Texas where people say one of the 14 people shot from their injuries died Sunday afternoon. Authorities say they arrested one person in connection to the attack but are looking for another. MAYOR STEVE ADLER (D), AUSTIN, TEXAS: It's just a horrific event and it's becoming something that all too often is being presented.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): And since Friday afternoon, at least nine people are dead and 47 others injured after eight mass shootings in six states, according to gun violence archive data.

Dallas police are investigating a shooting outside an apartment complex on Friday that left five people injured, including a 4-year- old girl.

And on the same night in Savannah, Georgia, authorities are searching for who is responsible for a shooting that left one person dead and at least seven others wounded, including a 2-year-old and 13-year-old.

CHIEF ROY MINTER, JR., SAVANNAH POLICE DEPARTMENT: There were a few people who were standing in front of that residence and there was a vehicle that is dark-colored or possibly red sedan that rode by and fired rounds into that crowd.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): In Cleveland, three men were killed outside a Cleveland gas station Saturday morning. Later that day, at least four were hurt in a shooting in Cincinnati, including two children police say were in critical condition.

LT. COL. MIKE JOHN, CINCINNATI POLICE DEPARTMENT: Any time you have somebody struck with gunfire at that age, it's going to critical. But specifically, the 8-year-old is in very, very bad shape.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): The deadly surge in gun violence as the nation paused to remember the 49 victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre five years ago.

President Joe Biden announced the site will become a national memorial and called on Congress to approve gun control legislation, writing in a statement, "There is more we must do to address the public health epidemic of gun violence in all of its forms -- mass shootings and daily acts of gun violence that don't make national headlines."

Some local leaders also calling for action, fearing gun violence will only continue to rise.

MAYOR VAN JOHNSON (D), SAVANNAH, GEORGIA: The reality is in Georgia, we can't be mad that guns are everywhere when Georgia law allows guns to be everywhere. We now need to have stronger gun laws in Georgia and nationally, but what we also need to have is to teach our young people better decision-making.

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JIMENEZ: Now, bottom line, cities are trying to find solutions that can work. They point to things like economic hardships in the community from the pandemic, strained police resources in some cases. Also, the amount of guns that are on the street. So some places have worked harder to target those guns but also have tried to make inroads in these communities to stop these shootings before they happen. And as we've seen, the stakes are as high as human life, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, we're hearing these plans. They -- it is not for lack of trying or for plans for this summer, but we're going to see if it really makes a difference.

Omar, thank you so much.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, a pretty unusual statement from a U.S. senator. This is Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut who when he was in the House, represented the district where Sandy Hook Newtown -- where that school is. So obviously, he knows a lot about mass shootings in America.

He's calling out Republicans. This is what he wrote. He said, "...when Congress returns to work on Monday, half the members elected to protect the country won't give a shit" about the mass shootings.

You can sense the frustration there. And look, Chris Murphy wants to -- wants to change the gun laws and that may be the way to go. But I think his real frustration there is if you're against new gun restrictions then what's your plan? What's your plan to clearly stop this wave of violence around the country?

KEILAR: Yes, I think that's the frustration of so many people looking at this because when you look at polls about what Americans want, overwhelming, they do want certain gun regulations. There are issues when it comes to red flag laws, mental health -- all of these things that sometimes you actually kind of rhetorically hear both sides saying needs to be done, and yet nothing gets done.

BERMAN: Right.

KEILAR: I can't imagine being from Connecticut -- being from the district where Sandy Hook happened and just watching this sort of -- it happens and it's almost like a tree falling in the woods. Nothing comes of it.

BERMAN: We need to have a serious discussion about dot, dot, dot. But no, we needed to have a serious discussion years ago. We need to have serious action of some kind now.

KEILAR: Yes.

In just moments, we're going to speak live with the parents of a U.S. Marine who is being held in Russia. What they just received from their son. Plus, their message for President Biden ahead of his summit with Vladimir Putin.

BERMAN: Plus, Republicans from across the U.S. flocking to the controversial Arizona election audit -- and we put that in air quotes. They're touring the site to learn how they can replicate it back home.

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[07:42:04]

KEILAR: Republicans from a growing number of states traveling to Maricopa County in Arizona to witness a controversial election review ordered by GOP leaders in the State Senate. It's a sign that similar probes may be replicated elsewhere across the country.

CNN's Sara Murray is live for us in Phoenix with more. This is, what, the fraudit? But it sounds like it could be the fraudists.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It certainly could be.

There have been lawmakers from Georgia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and other states that have come to visit the Arizona audit. They take a tour of the floor. They pose for a picture with the folks from Cyber Ninjas who are running this event. And then they do these interviews with right-wing media and they say what a great process they're running out here in Arizona.

And I just want to remind viewers of what this process is. I mean, this so-called audit is one that was spearheaded by Republicans in the state.

It's overseen by Cyber Ninjas, this firm where the CEO has shown some indication already that he believes that there was fraud. They don't have experience in this kind of election audit. The processes they're going through in the coliseum are murky at best. They're controversial to folks who have had actually done this kind of thing.

But I think what it shows you is just the lengths that Republican lawmakers in a number of states are willing to go to try to appease former President Trump. And we know that Trump is obsessed with these audits. He is convinced that audits in Arizona and that audits that pop up in these others states -- you know, one in Georgia, for instance -- are suddenly going to show that he was. That he was actually robbed of the presidency and that he deserves to be President of the United States.

No matter what comes up in these partisan audits, that's not going to happen. No widespread election fraud. Donald Trump is not returning to the White House this year.

Back to you.

KEILAR: No, but these will certainly muddy the waters, which he will very much enjoy.

Sara Murray, live for us from Phoenix -- thanks.

MURRAY: Yes.

BERMAN: Early voting in the Democratic primaries for New York City mayor is underway and CNN is taking a closer look at one of the race's top contenders, Eric Adams. Adams is a retired police officer who currently serves as Brooklyn Borough president.

He says he is the person who can turn New York around -- no easy task as the city is experienced a recent crime surge and facing an uphill economic recovery after the pandemic.

Our Athena Jones has more -- Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Eric Adams is described as an experienced politician, nimble, aggressive -- but it's that experience as a police officer that's led New York observers to say this has put him at the head of the pack of Democratic mayoral hopefuls.

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ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: My entire life has prepared me for the moment.

JONES (voice-over): For Eric Adams, this moment has been years in the making. The brash Brooklyn Borough president is one of the top contenders in a crowded Democratic field where the winner of next week's mayoral primary is likely to be elected in the fall to lead the nation's largest city.

ADAMS: We are going to turn around this city. I know we can do it.

[07:45:01]

JONES (voice-over): With New York City facing rising crime and a recovering economy, the next mayor has a difficult task ahead.

ADAMS: We need a mayor that has gone through a lot so they can help people who are going through a lot.

JONES (voice-over): Adams grew up in Queens, his family poor and often under the threat of eviction. As a teen, Adams was arrested and beaten by police. He later joined the NYPD, he says, to change policing from within.

ADAMS: You want to talk about police abuse then who could best address that than someone who was abused? You want to talk about public safety? Who can address that better than someone that wore a bulletproof vest for 22 years?

JONES (voice-over): But in an era where many New Yorkers are seeking police reform, it's a fine line this former police captain has walked.

And his opponents have been quick to raise questions about some of his positions.

SCOTT STRINGER, NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: A lot of your proposals speak to a badge and gun first, ask questions later.

JONES (voice-over): Despite at times defending the controversial NYPD policy of stop and frisk in the past, arguing it can be effective when used legally, Adams has repeatedly and forcefully said he was a driving force in helping to end abuse of the tactic.

ADAMS: So can you imagine the audacity of some people to say Eric Adams had no role in stopping the over-abuse of stop and frisk?

JONES (voice-over): Another potential challenge, Adams was at one time a registered Republican and many in the progressive wing of the party are skeptical.

MAYA WILEY (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: The talking points that we are hearing in a Democratic primary from candidate Eric Adams, running as a Democrat, are the talking points we have heard from Mitch McConnell.

JONES (voice-over): Adams says he resists labels.

ADAMS: They say well, what are you? Are you a moderate? Are you this, are you that? No, I'm a New York New Yorker and New York is not complex. Don't put me in a box.

JONES (voice-over): And in a bizarre twist, the candidate recently invited reporters to tour his basement apartment in Brooklyn --

ADAMS: This is -- that's my bathroom.

JONES (voice-over): -- after a report raised the possibility that he actually resides in a New Jersey condo he co-owns with his partner. The normally confrontational candidate became emotional when denying the report.

ADAMS: How foolish would someone have to be to run to be the mayor of the city of New York and live in another municipality? My secrecy is my family. I signed up for this life. They did not sign up for this life.

JONES (voice-over): When we caught up with Adams he explained how he copes with the scrutiny.

ADAMS: This is probably the second-most important job in America. This is the most powerful city on the globe and so you're going to have a great deal of scrutiny. There's a lot of incoming -- my meditation, my discipline, my moments of yoga -- they're all coming into account because it's keeping me focused.

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JONES: And with crime topping the list of voters' concerns, Eric Adams is hoping his experience as a police officer will help convince enough voters that he's the best candidate to beat back rising crime and safeguard public safety.

And with early voting already underway and the election just over a week away, Adams and the other candidates are running out of time to convince primary voters of their -- of their policies.

JONES: All right. Athena Jones, thank you very much.

On the other side of our screen here we've been watching the so-called family photo at the NATO conference in Brussels. And now, we're watching the NATO leaders filing into a room where they will actually hold their conference. Bianna Golodryga, CNN senior global affairs analyst, with me once again this morning.

The actual business -- what will actually be discussed. What will come out of this event?

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, from President Biden's perspective, it is the obligation to join forces in terms of a deterrence and in terms of military strength and offering one unifying message, right. We saw him come from the G7 meeting and now he's meeting with these 30 members of NATO.

And the message here completely different from what we heard from his predecessor, Donald Trump, who was very critical of NATO, skeptical of the alliance, and critical of other members not contributing enough to its defense. Obviously, that was a point -- a valid point to make, and many countries started contributing more.

There you see Joe Biden, but he loves the stage. Donald Trump hated traveling internationally and he did not like the idea of having to go to these ceremonies that he viewed as just a waste of time.

Joe Biden views this differently. Foreign policy is in his DNA. You saw him walk in earlier with a big smile on his mouth when he put his mask back on.

This was a meeting that he intends to a) offer reassurance. Again, this message that America is back, but also a unifying message that NATO serves a purpose -- a deterrence from Russia and their increased aggressions over the past few years. And you have many nations, including some of the Baltic nations, very concerned about some of the actions that we've seen, in particular, from Belarus and Vladimir Putin embracing President Lukashenko there.

[07:50:01]

So this, again, is an opportunity for Joe Biden in his few -- first few months in office to offer that message that NATO stands for an important alliance, and the deterrents from countries -- aggressive countries -- in particular, Russia -- is something that he takes very seriously.

BERMAN: I will say it's frustrating with the masks. We can't do the lip reading we can normally do here --

GOLODRYGA: (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: -- to try to guess what they're actually saying right there.

We saw Angela Merkel a short time ago. This will be her last NATO conference as German leader. She, of course, will step down later this year.

And there we see President Biden, again talking.

Now, it is interesting in terms of substance. Former President Trump used these conferences to lean on the other NATO nations to contribute a greater proportion of their GDP. To give more money to the NATO alliance. Actually, to give more money to defense --

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

BERMAN: -- which, in turn, he believed would help the NATO alliance. Sometimes he misrepresented exactly what that would mean.

And it's not that the United States has actually changed that policy. That's been a consistent policy from the United States forever. I just don't expect that to be a focus where it was almost a unitary focus of the United States over the last four years.

GOLODRYGA: It was a priority, it appeared, for President Trump. It was something for him to nitpick at. In terms of the significance of the alliance and again, in his opinion, the U.S. carrying the weight -- the heavy weight there in terms of the defense contribution.

There's Jens Stoltenberg walking in as well.

BERMAN: His final NATO conference as secretary-general.

GOLODRYGA: Exactly.

BERMAN: All right. We're going to keep our eye on this throughout the morning. There is a news conference expected later today with President Biden. We, of course, will bring that to you live.

In the meantime, an increasing number of schools now open for in- person or hybrid learning. But the education secretary says there's a lot more work still needed to be done to make sure all schools are offering in-person learning by the fall. So, what needs to happen specifically to get kids back in school?

I'm joined now by the Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for being with us. Thank you for being patient as your boss is overseas meeting with other NATO leaders now as we're watching that meeting.

You wrote this letter to the White House chief of staff Ron Klain today outlining basically what you think needs to happen to get 100 percent of kids back in 100 percent of schools 100 percent of the time in the fall. What's the top priority?

MIGUEL CARDONA, SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: Well, thank you for having me.

First of all, we have made progress. In April, we know -- and that was just two months ago -- 96 percent of the students in K-8 schools across the country have had an opportunity to attend in-person.

But what we're seeing is that it's not even. So we need to make sure that we're having fall students have that opportunity throughout the country, making sure that they're comfortable coming into school, making sure that they're having access to in-person learning where we know students learn best.

BERMAN: The problem with that statistic is 90-plus percent of kids have the opportunity but 90-plus percent of the students just aren't going. I mean, if we look at the statistics right now it's 50 percent of fourth-graders in April, 40 percent of eighth-graders in April. Those are bad numbers.

CARDONA: We have to do better. We have to maintain a level of urgency. One of my biggest concerns is that the level of urgency dissipates a bit in the summer. When the lights are on and when students are coming back in, it doesn't mean we don't have work to do.

As you pointed out, we have students coming in uneven. We know Black and brown students are not coming in at the same rate. We know that gaps have been exacerbated.

So the purpose of the letter was to say we are seeing some progress but we have a lot of work to do. The American Rescue Plan provides funds to address some of those issues and the lack of confidence.

So, for example, communities could have vaccination sites near their schools. I saw that in Boston when I visited Boston. They did a nice job bringing students back into school by having their families get vaccinations in the same place where their teachers are getting vaccinations.

So, there are strategies in place. We have a lot of work to do and it's really important that the American Rescue Plan gets used to support those efforts.

BERMAN: So some of that money, presumably, goes to rebuilding schools -- creating ventilation systems that are much better. But can that be done by September?

CARDONA: Yes. We just released last week a handbook -- a COVID response handbook, volume three, that talks about ventilation. Our goal, really, is to provide support, provide the best science, and to provide the best examples.

We have a best practices repository available where over 1,100 submissions on best practices were there. Many of them were on ventilation. So we want to share best practices to make sure that we give every student an opportunity to come in full-time in the fall.

BERMAN: You know, for -- even we're talking about kids older than 12 at this point because that's who the vaccines have received emergency use authorization for. You know, there are some school districts that require certain vaccinations for kids to be in school. Would you have any issue if school districts required a COVID vaccination for students to return?

CARDONA: You know, I can tell you as a father, one of the -- I breathed a little easier when I was able to bring my daughter just two days ago to get her second shot.

BERMAN: My kids got theirs last week. CARDONA: Yes. So we know that that's a very important tool to make sure we're reducing the spread of COVID-19.

[07:55:03]

But in terms of requiring it, I'm going to lean on my colleagues at CDC or HHS to make those decisions. You know, I'm in education. I want to make sure the health experts are the ones driving those decisions.

BERMAN: It would make your job easier as an educator though, or as a principal or superintendent like you were, I'm sure would make it easier.

CARDONA: I'm certainly encouraging a vaccination where it's -- where people are eligible for it because we know it works. I mean, we've seen the data. It works.

BERMAN: Are you encouraging schools -- look, sometimes when schools offer a hybrid option or a not in-person option kids will take it. Are you encouraging schools by the fall to back off that option?

CARDONA: Some of the data you just read were because families couldn't handle the hybrid option. They either need them in every day or home remote. So we need all students to have in-person learning every single day in the fall. Hybrid should not be an option as a primary option. All students should have the opportunity.

And with the American Rescue Plan and the support that we're providing, and the examples that we're seeing across the country, it can be done.

BERMAN: Listen, Sec. Cardona, thank you so much for joining us this morning, and good luck. I mean, if there's one person I think every American wants to succeed right now, it's you. I think we all want to see our kids back in school safely.

CARDONA: They deserve it.

BERMAN: You can say again.

CARDONA: They deserve it. Thank you.

BERMAN: Thank you. Really appreciate it.

So, because it's the right thing to do. That is why President Biden says the U.S. will donate half a billion vaccine doses to some of the world's poorest nations. But it turns out just doing the right thing does have its advantages.

John Avlon with a reality check.

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JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (on camera): As President Biden jets from the G7 meetings to NATO, rebuilding trust between America and its allies is at the heart of the agenda and it's an echo to trust-building that needs to be done here at home.

And there are some hopeful signs -- the result of vaccine rollouts and vaccine diplomacy. But it's not going to erase all the damage overnight because let's face it, trust has been declining for decades.

The Pew Research Center has tracked public trust in government since 1958 and the results ain't pretty, folks. While more than 70 percent of Americans said they trust their government under Eisenhower and Kennedy, we haven't been above 50 percent since Watergate, with the exception of a brief uptick after 911, which evaporated after the invasion of Iraq.

Internationally, perceptions of the United States cratered under President Trump, with the Pew survey finding that Trump was less trusted to do the right thing in world affairs than the leaders of Germany, France, the U.K., Russia, and China. You heard that right. Trump was less trusted than autocrats Putin and Xi.

But it was his mismanagement of the COVID crisis that really damaged respect for the U.S. nearly five months after Trump left office. However, the tide has turned against COVID in the U.S. with the lowest case in hospitalization rates since the pandemic began. That's due to a vaccine rollout that's among the best in the world, a feat of logistics by the Biden administration that built on the success of Operation Warp Speed incubated in the Trump era.

Now, that's a major success by any measure and reason to believe that government can actually work again. Notably, the gaps in vaccination rates largely follow red state-blue state partisan divides, which just shows how politics twists trust in science.

But the fact remains that vaccine supplies are outpacing demand in the USA, putting America in a position to purchase and donate half a billion Pfizer vaccines to some of the world's poorest nations.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our vaccine donations don't include pressure for favors or potential concessions. We're doing this to save lives, to end this pandemic. That's it, period.

AVLON (on camera): But that's the thing. At our best, America's greatness has always been connected to our goodness, especially in world affairs. It doesn't mean we're perfect. That's never on the menu.

But whether it's landing at D. Day to help liberate a continent from fascism without claiming an acre of land other than to bury our dead, or the Marshall Plan, a sense of enlightened self-interest works. It builds trust and a more free and stable world.

And if you want evidence, look no further than the G7 itself, comprised of allied and access nations that fought each other during the Second World War.

That's also why Biden's visit to NATO today matters. It was built with U.S. leadership and critical to keeping the peace during the Cold War by containing the Soviet Union. And so, Trump's repeated talk of withdrawing from NATO pleased no one more than an ex-KGB officer named Vladimir Putin.

Now, America's allies are breathing a bit easier and it's no coincidence that the most recent Pew survey shows that America's reputation has already rebounded around the world. And yes, Biden is more trusted to do the right thing than Putin or Xi.

That doesn't mean that all is well. Fifty-seven percent of folks in the same survey said that democracy in the U.S. used to be a good example but it has not been in recent years. Our unhinged domestic divisions exemplified by the big lie have hurt international perceptions of American democracy. That's a disgrace and it should be a wake-up call to anyone who likes to call themselves a patriot.

The disinformation efforts that try to diminish democracy will not stop. But that's why it's important to acknowledge when our government gets thing right, whether it's vaccination.