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NYC Mayor Candidates' Final Debate; U.S. Marshals Face Manpower Shortage; Shoplifting Surge in San Francisco; Scientist with Sickle Cell Fights for Families. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired June 17, 2021 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:32:10]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: A whole lot of people want Bill de Blasio's job. A crowded field of Democrats vying to be New York City's next mayor just presented their final pitch to voters ahead of Tuesday's primary, and the candidates were sparring over homelessness, gun control, education and policing. And they delivered some of the sharpest attack lines of the campaign yet.

CNN's Athena Jones has been watching all of this.

I mean if you wanted some fire, you got some fire in this final debate, Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brianna. You certainly did. It was the last debate in what was -- has been called the most consequential election in New York City in a generation. The top contenders using the matchup to make their closing arguments and to try to raise questions about their rivals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The leading Democratic contenders are here tonight.

JONES (voice over): With early voting already in progress and Election Day less than a week away, the top contenders in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary made their last pitch to votes in the final debate.

ERIC ADAMS (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: If we don't get gun violence under control, it's going to stop our economic recovery.

KATHRYN GARCIA (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I am running to do the job of mayor because New York City needs someone who is going to roll up their sleeves and solve the impossible problems.

JONES: And drawing contrast with their opponents. Former 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang hitting Eric Adams, a former New York police captain, now serving as Brooklyn Borough president, for not winning the endorsement of his former colleagues. ANDREW YANG (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: People who worked with him for

years, people who know him best, they just endorsed me to be the next mayor of New York City. They think I'm a better choice than Eric to keep us and our families safe.

ADAMS: They didn't endorse me because I didn't ask for the endorsement, never went in front of them.

JONES: Adams and civil rights lawyer Maya Wiley, who is leading among the racist progressives, sparring over policing, particularly Adams' defense of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk tactics and his push for the return of a plain clothes anti-gun unit.

MAYA WILEY (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: The worst idea I've ever heard is bringing back stop-and-frisk and the anti-crime unit from Eric Adams, which, one, is racist, two, is unconstitutional, and, three, didn't stop any crime.

ADAMS: I don't and never will allow stop-and-frisk to be returned and abuse people. I know real solution for real people and New Yorkers.

JONES: At a time when the nation's most populous city is recovering from a pandemic-induced crisis and facing rising crime, much of the focus was on issues like public safety, mental health, and sparing economic growth.

SHAUN DONOVAN (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: The health pandemic was proceeded by an economic inequality pandemic that we need to go at in many different ways. And we're seeing that play out on our streets and on our subways.

RAY MCGUIRE (D), NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I understand what it's like to have anxiety about crime in this city.

WILEY: Our largest psychiatric facility in this city is Rikers Island.

JONES: Improving education in the city rounded out the night's agenda and was a topic where there was perhaps the most agreement.

[06:35:05]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's more important, desegregating schools or improving the quality of schools?

: You have to integrate and you also have to build quality schools.

GARCIA: You have to have high quality schools and you have to have integrated schools. It is not a choice we should be making.

ADAMS: So it's imperative to have both.

YANG: I think quality and integration go hand in hand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Election Day is Tuesday. And for the first time ever, New York City will be using a rank choice voting system, a new way of voting that allows voters to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. Elections officials plan to release their first choices of early and in-person votes on election night. But it's expected to be weeks before a winner can be declared.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Athena Jones, thank you very much.

Joining us now, Errol Louis, CNN political commentator and the host of the "You Decide" podcast.

Errol, let's take a step back. This race for New York City mayor, what it is -- what's it about? I mean what has become the major issue?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: What has become the major issue is public safety. Over the last two years, John, shootings are up 100 percent. Homicides are up almost 50 percent.

Now, that's from historic lows. But -- but it's pretty concerning to a lot of people. And every day you look and there are -- there are more crime stories. You know, over a Saturday night, 14 people shot just between midnight and the next morning. And so people have demanded that there be some kind of a response. And that, of course, raises the issue that we've wrestled with nationwide for the last couple of years, which is, how do you balance the need for effective public safety with respecting the civil rights of all communities. And that's really what the candidates have been sparring over the last few days.

BERMAN: And how did it manifest itself on that stage last night and who does that perhaps favor heading into this election day?

LOUIS: Well, the conventional wisdom is that it benefits Eric Adams because he's a 22-year veteran of the NYPD and so he speaks with a lot of lived experience and authority about how he would handle crime. Now, going in the other direction, you have a civil rights attorney, Maya Wiley, who as you saw in the clip, was saying, like, that's a terrible idea. We don't want to over police these communities.

The great paradox, the dilemma, John, is that communities of color in particular have been over policed and under policed at the same time. That's always been the problem. That at the same time as people are getting hassled over selling loose cigarettes or having a $20 bills that might be counterfeit, major crimes are going unsolved and in some ways unaddressed.

And so it's a difficult question. There are no easy answers. You can't figure it out in a debate. But that's really what the election, in a lot of ways, has come down to.

BERMAN: One of the things we see in New York City, and I think we also see it nationwide as well, is that often there is an assumption that black voters are the most liberal.

LOUIS: Yes, that is an incorrect assumption depending on the issue. On economic issue, certainly. Civil rights, no question about it. But public safety, you'll get some very different attitudes. In fact, if you go back in history, John, and you look at who was supporting let's say the 1994 crime bill, the Congressional Black Caucus was very vocally in favor of that. And, why? Because they'd seen what, in that case, the crack wars had done to devastate communities. And when you see the heartbreak of people losing loved ones over nothing, over absolutely nothing, random shootings at a picnic, people firing into crowds, that kind of a thing, people are -- they're out of their minds and they want to say there's got to be something that is done.

And so, you know, it's all about the nuance. You know, nobody wants their own rights trampled on, but people certainly don't want to put up with what we've been seeing in New York in recent weeks.

BERMAN: A race worth watching over the next several days, although it could last, at least in the counting, for a lot longer. And it also may tell us a little bit about the country overall.

Errol Louis, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

The U.S. Marshal Service charged with protecting federal judges, but a troubling new report suggests they don't have the resources to do it. So how does the problem get fixed?

KEILAR: And the new, more virulent strain of COVID ripping through the United States. Will enough Americans get vaccinated in time to contain it?

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[06:43:00]

KEILAR: The agency charged of protecting federal judges and also finding some fugitives is facing a severe manpower shortage that could impact its ability to identify and stop threats. This is an assessment that is coming from the Justice Department's inspector general. The U.S. Marshals Service protects roughly 2,700 judges nationwide and the threats are skyrocketing. So this watchdog report raises new concerns about security breakdowns across the country in the wake of the January 6th insurrection and also in the wake of the murder of a New Jersey district court judge, Esther Salas' son, last summer after the family was attacked at her home because she was targeted.

I want to bring in CNN's Whitney Wild to talk about this.

More than ever these judges need protection, and here you have this shortage.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, yes. This is -- this is a very loud alarm bell. This is a really big deal.

So as Brianna pointed out, you know, the U.S. Marshal Service has an enormous mission. They have to protect not only federal courts, the -- actually the physical buildings, but also federal judges who are very visible. And what we're seeing now across the country is intelligence agencies saying there is a heightened threat environment. So this report coming out yesterday is really raising a lot of alarm bells here.

So let me break down exactly what the report says. Basically what it zeros in on is that there's a significant manpower shortage. There are resource limitations. There are competing agency budget issues that are making it difficult for the U.S. Marshals Service to fully fulfill its mission. And that includes identifying and stopping threats.

This is coming at a time when threats are skyrocketing. In 2020 the agency responded to 4,200 threats. That's up 81 percent from the number in 2016. As Brianna pointed out, this is coming less than a year after a federal judge tragically lost her son when a man posing as a FedEx employee went to her home, knocked on her door, shot her son and seriously wounded her husband.

So these threats are real.

[06:45:02]

The risk is real. DOJ, OIG sounding the alarm here. What it comes down to, Brianna, is they just need the bodies to make sure that everybody who is within their purview is protected.

KEILAR: Yes, they certainly do.

Whitney, thank you so much for staying on this story. We appreciate it.

BERMAN: So a CNN special report details what happened on January 6th and the days leading up to the insurrection. Senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin talked with those who were there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The election is rigged.

CROWD: Stop the steal. Stop the steal.

TRUMP: Fight like hell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was not a law enforcement operation. This was a military defense.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're coming for you, Nancy!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once they started banging on the door, that's all I heard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overran the Capitol.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, new details from those who were there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump said, come to D.C. It's going to be wild. And I knew it was going to be history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This might sound extremely strange to a lot of your viewers, but I feel like he was anointed by God. DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We peaceably protested.

GRIFFIN: You call January 6th a peaceful protest?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold them. Hold them this way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God, what is happening?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was scared. Absolutely scared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN's special report, "Assault on Democracy: The Roots of Trump's Insurrection," Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Man, that looks good.

All right, shoplifting in San Francisco. So out of control, it's forcing stores to close. What is the city doing to fight it? Well, not much. The details, next.

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[06:50:15]

BERMAN: San Francisco, which some say is one of America's most beautiful cities, is experiencing a surge in shoplifting. It has forced retail chains, including Walgreens, to close more than a dozen Bay area stores. And the thieves, some of the most brazen you will see.

Let's get more from CNN's Dan Simon in San Francisco.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Shoplifters usually try to conceal their crimes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

SIMON: Not this one at a Walgreens in San Francisco. The thief grabbing items off the shelves and filling up a garbage bag, even as a security guard observes from feet away. Moments later, he bolts away from the store on a Lyft bike.

The guard attempting to grab the bag but the thief gets away with the large haul.

LYANNE MELENDEZ, KGO-TV: It's hard for me, as a journalist, to say, I won't be involved, I can't get involved, I have to be sort of neutral. SIMON: The viral video captured by local ABC reporter Lyanne Melendez

lay bare the lawlessness, further eroding the image of one of America's most beloved cities.

MELENDEZ: I live in the city and I see this constantly.

SIMON: Indeed it has happened so constantly that Walgreens says it has shuttered 17 of its stores in San Francisco over the past five years mainly due to theft.

JASON CUNNINGHAM, WALGREENS: When you see the amount of theft in San Francisco for some of our average stores in the -- in the company, that -- that multiplier factor is really driven by the organized retail crime.

SIMON: A Walgreens executive telling elected supervisors last month that theft here is four times the national average, driven by organized crime rings. CVS says it's experiencing a similar surge. The city has yet to come up with an effective solution.

AHSHA SAFAI, SF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: This has been out of control. And people are scared to go into these stores, seniors, people with disabilities, children, and it's just happening brazenly.

SIMON: And with few consequences. According to police data, less than 3 percent of theft cases this year have netted an arrest, which some believe only invites more criminal behavior.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ultimately, we do need more police officers. And it's important to make sure that we have the sufficient staff to walk the beat. There's no easy solution to this.

ADAM MESNICK, SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS OWNER: I feel like the theft is outrageous, and it's obvious that people are taking advantage of the fact that there's zero consequences.

SIMON: For business owners like Adam Mesnick, who has been documenting the city's woes, the chronic theft just adds to the disparity felt on the streets, aggravated even more by the pandemic. Visible homelessness surging as shelters thinned out due to the virus. Open- air drug use and dealing, common. Last year, overdoses, mainly from fentanyl, resulting in a record 712 deaths according to city data, more than doubling those who died of COVID.

MESNICK: There's a high amount of crime, safety concerns, and quality of life has seemed to shrink tremendously.

SIMON: As for whether that Walgreens shoplifter has been apprehended, the San Francisco Police Department told us it is aware of the incident circulating on social media and that it's being investigated.

Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Dan for that report. So talk of a prisoner swap between Presidents Biden and Putin in Geneva. Will any Americans detained in Russia be coming home? The family of a Marine veteran who was convicted of espionage will join us.

KEILAR: And Saturday is World Sickle Cell Day, which is a disease that affects millions of people across the globe. And in today's "Human Factor," meet one scientist fighting to find a cure as she advocates for families and herself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Lakiea Bailey was three years old when she was diagnosed with sickle cell disease.

LAKIEA BAILEY, DIRECTOR, SICKLE CELL CONSORTIUM: I would wake up out of a deep sleep in excruciating pain to go to the hospital.

GUPTA: She endured hundreds of surgical procedures and hospitalizations.

BAILEY: It's called sickle cell because of the way the cells are shaped like a sickle. Your tissue isn't getting as much oxygen as it needs, which can lead to organ damage and it can cause death.

GUPTA: Lakiea excelled in school despite missing weeks of classes.

BAILEY: My mother taught me that I would need to be three times better to be considered half as good. You know, I am a colossal nerd. I did eventually get my doctorate degree in molecular hematology and regenerative (ph) medicine. I wrote papers from hospital beds, won awards from a hospital bed.

GUPTA: Today, she's personally struggling to find a bone marrow donor for a transplant, the only known cure. She's also heading the Circle Cell Consortium, a non-profit she co-founded.

BAILEY: Our main goal is to ensure that there is a space for sickle cell patients and caregivers to be at the center of research, legislation, advocacy, awareness, and policy.

GUPTA: And she's a government adviser and works with drug companies on gene therapy.

[06:55:03]

BAILEY: We are working very hard to make sure that future generations do not have to live with this disease.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: More than 45 million people across the western U.S. are under alert for a long-lasting and potentially lethal heatwave.

So let's check in with CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. It is -- this is very serious. This is a health issue.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You bet it is. I mean I know not a lot of people live there.

[07:00:00]

They visit. But Death Valley was 125 yesterday. Even Phoenix, over 115.

This weather brought to you by Carvana, the new way.