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Police Across U.S. Facing Shortages As More Officers Are Killed; Today: Biden Meets With New York City Mayor On Gun Violence; New York Times Memos Show Roots Of Trump's Focus On January 6 And Fake Electors. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 03, 2022 - 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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[07:31:11]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Major staffing shortages are stretching law enforcement thin across the country and the uptick in violent crime, weak salaries, and nationwide police scrutiny have officers fleeing the force in droves as departments struggle to find new recruits.

CNN's Ryan Young is live for us with this story in Atlanta. Tell us about this trend.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Brianna.

You know, every police department, of course, that we called across the country is having an issue. They have their help wanted signs out but not a lot of people are answering that call.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN MCNESBY, PRESIDENT, PHILADELPHIA FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE: I've never seen the morale so low. I've never seen the rank so low. I've never seen the level of violence that we're seeing now.

TYRONE DENNIS, RETIRED ATLANTA POLICE OFFICER: Basically, we're one bullet away from death and one mistake away from indictment.

CHUCK WEXLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM: So less people want to become cops and more cops wanting to leave the job earlier.

YOUNG (voice-over): Durham police chief Patrice Andrews routinely patrols her city and knows firsthand the impact of officer shortages.

CHIEF PATRICE ANDREWS, DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA POLICE: The 911 calls don't stop. So, you know, people are still having emergencies, so the emergencies don't stop. And certainly, the emergencies don't care if you are 60 percent staffed or below. And the expectation is that we continue the level of service that we have always done.

YOUNG (voice-over): Maintaining that level of service is difficult when you're down 90 officers and constantly battling against COVID and negative perceptions of law enforcement, along with low wages.

ANDREWS: They've got to be able to support their families. We have officers that can't even qualify for apartments because their income doesn't match up with what the apartments require.

YOUNG (voice-over): For decorated officers like newly-retired Atlanta police officer Tyrone Dennis, his pay didn't keep up with his career.

DENNIS: Well, it would be foolish for me to stay for $48,000 when I have a wife and three kids to feed. For $48,000, I could almost -- and a family with three kids -- I could almost qualify for public assistance.

YOUNG (voice-over): To put this manpower crunch in perspective, CNN reached out to departments across the country.

In Seattle, 356 of more than 1,300 officers have left the police force over the last two years. In Austin, they're short 117 officers -- 15 percent less than what their workforce could be. In Phoenix, 411 officers -- 13 percent of their force. And in Philadelphia, that department is short some 440 officers.

And beat officers are feeling the pressure. John McNesby, the president of Philadelphia's police union, says even finding people to apply has never been tougher.

MCNESBY: Just last week, we had a recruitment assessment. They were invited to come in for the initial assessment. We had 600 people that were invited. Just shy of 200 showed up and out of those 200, only 26 walked away, moving on to the next step.

YOUNG (voice-over): Despite the challenges, there are still standout recruits who are eager to join the force.

ALLEN TAYLOR, ATLANTA POLICE CADET: I want to be a change in the community. I want to uplift the community and be a positive role model.

YOUNG (voice-over): In Washington, D.C., 21-year-old Medgar Webster Jr. is following in his father's footsteps. Recently joining the force, he wants to eventually be on the fugitive task force squad and a detective.

OFFICER MEDGAR WEBSTER JR., D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: Going into the community and talking with people every day and meeting new people, sometimes you might meet people and they're like in the worst times of their lives. Sometimes you might meet them where it's not too bad and you'll be able to joke with them and just talk with them. Just meeting new people in general.

YOUNG (voice-over): Webster believes his recruit class will make positive changes in policing.

WEBSTER: Policing has to change to go with the times that society is changing to. YOUNG (voice-over): The typical police academy takes eight months to finish, meaning it will take years to fill the open jobs at departments across the country.

[07:35:00]

WEXLER: It's a trying time to be a police officer in this country, and that's the challenge. So, police chiefs are wondering who are going to be the cops of the future. And part of that is how do we train the police differently? How do we select differently? All of those challenges.

YOUNG (voice-over): Departments are trying to be more creative in their recruiting, offering bonuses, and traveling the country looking for the next generation of officers.

ANDREWS: This profession is something we were all called to do. And not everyone is meant to be the police and that's fine, but this profession is certainly a noble one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YOUNG (on camera): Yes, that financial burden has been really tough for officers across the country, especially new recruits. That building that we're kind of focusing on right there -- that's where some of the recruits can be housed in Atlanta. That building just opened up yesterday. So people who want to be Atlanta police officers can go to that apartment complex and get a reduced rate while they're in training.

We're seeing across the country that barrier is what's stopping a lot of people from becoming police officers.

But when you think about this, think about the impact of COVID and what it's had on police officers. Just last year, hundreds of them died in the line of duty because of COVID.

When you put all this together it's really made things kind of short when it comes to the force. They're hoping this year will be a rebounding year. But when you talk to Republicans and Democrats, they want better reactions to crime. But at the same time, the police departments are asking for more help at this point, especially when it comes to the manpower -- guys.

KEILAR: Yes, and really a chance for a transformative time, too, in the profession as well.

Ryan Young, thank you.

YOUNG: Absolutely.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, President Biden coming to New York City to unveil his administration's new efforts to battle gun violence, including steps to target ghost guns and drug-related violence.

Joining me now is someone who will be with the president, New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Mr. Mayor, thank you for being with us.

What is it that you want President Biden to see here today in New York City?

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, (D) NEW YORK CITY: Thank you so much.

I want him to acknowledge and see what I call the rivers that are feeding the sea of violence in our city and in our country. And we're going to go 1 Police Plaza to look at the combined task force that has been put together on a city, state, and federal level -- something that I asked him about when I was in Washington, D.C. last year.

And to his credit, I thank him. He sent a message out through the Department of Justice. We see that work being done now.

And I'm taking him out to the other aspects -- the crisis management teams -- something that's often ignored when we talk about how do we deal with real preventive measures of dealing with crime. And that is the combination we're looking for.

And then we're saying to Washington, D.C. SOS. We need your help. We have to stop the flow of illegal guns in our city. Six thousand guns removed off the street last year. Close to 400 since I've been in office. Yet, they keep coming from gun dealers throughout this entire country.

BERMAN: So, when you talk about rivers creating this crime, some people on the inside say one of the biggest inflows is coming from the system itself -- coming from the decisions being made by leaders.

We've suffered here in New York City the loss of two officers in the last week -- Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora. Officer Rivera's widow had this to say -- listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIQUE LUZURIAGA, WIDOW OF SLAIN NYPD OFFICER JASON RIVERA: The system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore -- not even the members of the service. I know you are tired of these laws, especially the ones from the new D.A. I hope he's watching you speak through me right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: How do you respond to her?

ADAMS: Well, that's sincere, honest pain. I was in the hospital when she walked in -- and having to give that notification. That pain is real and it's intense.

It's not only for the family members of our police officers but also for the countless number of family members. We had an 11-month-old baby that was shot sitting next to her mother in the car.

And I respond to her by asking all of our elected as we look at the pursuit we had for criminal justice reform it was needed. But we did not have those who are focusing on public safety in the room when we made those reforms. We must have the justice we deserve but we must have the safety we need.

And we need to tweak some of the laws that were made. Particularly, raise the age and not giving judges the discretion when its dangerous to determine if someone should not be returned on the street because of their behaviors.

BERMAN: Do Democrats around the nation need to think about this differently?

ADAMS: Yes. We must be, as I say, radically practical in how we approach the public safety.

This is my life's work. Many people know after being arrested and abused by police I went into the police department to fight for reform for over 22 years. But I also understood what crime did to our cities and communities. We had almost 2,000 homicides a year.

[07:40:11]

So we can't go back to abusive policing, but we can't go back to the abuse of those who are creating the crimes in the inner cities -- Chicago, New York, Detroit -- all over our country.

BERMAN: Mr. Mayor, why did you have dinner -- a two-hour dinner with the former governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, who was forced to resign amid all kinds of sexual and propriety allegations?

ADAMS: Governor Andrew Cuomo has been in government for a long time. We're dealing with an unprecedented budget crisis. We're dealing with navigating Albany.

I sit down and have a good relationship with the former Mayor Bloomberg, the former Mayor Bill de Blasio. I sit down with elected officials all over this country to find out how do we deal with the solutions.

I was clear that Gov. Cuomo should have stepped down when he did and I don't step away from that position. But I am not going to leave any stones unturned in getting my city back under control to deal with violence, our economy, and how to navigate all of the lawmakers in this city and state.

BERMAN: Did you tell him about your concerns of his behavior while you were meeting with him?

ADAMS: I'm not going to go into private conversations. That is unfair to do so. Our meeting was about the governance of this state.

I'm getting ready to go to Albany to have a budget passed in Albany. I have to pass a budget here in this city. And it's imperative to go to those that have navigated this before -- even those who have -- who have sat in my seat.

BERMAN: Mayor Eric Adams, I appreciate you being with us this morning. Thank you.

ADAMS: Thank you very much.

BERMAN: So, new revelations this morning that the Trump campaign had plans to undo the election results even before some states had finished counting ballots.

KEILAR: Plus, Rudy Giuliani fresh off of his efforts to overthrow democracy, and he gets a guest spot on a popular T.V. show. Seriously, why?

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[07:46:30]

KEILAR: Newly obtained by "The New York Times," two memos reveal that former President Trump and his allies hatched a scheme to use alternate electors to overturn the election results as early as two weeks after Election Day, even before some states had finished counting ballots.

Joining us now is ABC News chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl. He is also the author of the book "Betrayal: the Final Act of the Trump Show." Jon, it's so great to have you on this morning.

What do you think about these memos and what this reveals?

JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEW CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, AUTHOR, BETRAYAL: THE FINAL ACT OF THE TRUMP SHOW": Well, this shows that this was a systematic effort that started right after the election. In fact, much of it began before Election Day -- Donald Trump's clear intention to refuse to accept any loss that was not a victory.

And what they saw Brianna is that in these states they were contesting you had Republican legislatures -- Republican-controlled legislatures. And they saw a provision in the Constitution that says it is up to the state legislatures to choose the manner for the selection of electoral votes. So they figured this was the ace in the hole. That they could go and have these Republican-controlled state legislatures go and simply undo the elections in their states.

Now, one problem here is that the Constitution gives the state legislatures the power to choose the manner for selection of those votes. It doesn't say that state legislatures decide who won the election, and that's what they were going at doing. But what happened very quickly is they saw that these Republican-controlled state legislatures were not going to go along with this scheme -- you know, the leaders.

So that's where you see beginning just two weeks after the election, in those memos, an effort to find anybody -- any Republican in those state legislatures to send these what are essentially fake slates of electors to Washington in a bid to overturn the election in yet another way.

BERMAN: So, Jonathan, Jeffrey Clark, who is this DOJ former official who was in the middle of everything -- and you wrote about more than I think just about anybody in your book with the details of his involvement and what was trying to happen there.

He testified before the January 6 Committee for the first time for two hours. We're all trying to figure out what he said.

I guess my question to you is broadly speaking, though, is it your sense from your reporting that the January 6 Committee, at this point, is getting new stuff? Finding out new things or just, in a way, confirming what has been out there publicly.

KARL: I think that they are getting new material. But, John, the outlines of what happened -- the outlines of this effort by Donald Trump to use every means at his disposal to overturn -- to seize power, to control -- to continue to be the President of the United States even after losing -- this extended far beyond what happened on January sixth.

This wasn't about him inciting some protesters to become rioters to attack the Capitol building on January sixth, although that did happen. This was an effort that went -- that extended throughout that period of the transition and, as I said, even before Election Day.

And I believe that this committee is getting more material. I mean, look, they have the material from the National Archives -- White House documents that would normally be sealed for a decade or longer -- some which might never have come out.

[07:50:00]

They've got those materials. We don't really know how much is there. We've seen some of it and there's more to come. So, yes, I think they are learning more -- and the testimony.

Now, Jeffrey Clark signaled that he was going to take the Fifth Amendment. Probably a good legal strategy for him. So they might not have learned much from him.

But they have heard from, as you know, hundreds of witnesses. Hundreds of people that had some view on what was going on, including people in Donald Trump's inner circle.

KEILAR: He admitted -- Donald Trump did over the weekend -- that he wanted Mike Pence to overturn the election. He said it out loud.

Does that change -- does that change things, Jon?

KARL: I mean, I thought that was a remarkable statement and he used the term "overturn the election." But look, he made that clear at the time, frankly.

And remember the statement he put out on January fifth. We kind of forget about this one. He put out a statement saying that the reports that Pence was not going to go along with it were totally false -- fake news. That Pence knew that his constitutional duty was to overturn the election on January sixth. Obviously, that was a total lie.

But he -- you know, Trump -- when everything else failed -- when everything else failed -- when the idea of getting the state legislatures to send in their own electors wasn't going to work, when he didn't have the votes in Congress to challenge the electoral rights -- when everything else was clear and going to fail -- the efforts to use the Justice Department were going to fail -- he put all his chips right on Mike Pence. That was the last thing.

It was a ridiculous contention -- the idea that one human being could overturn an election. But that was what was his clear strategy. Listen again to that speech on January sixth. Listen to how many times he invokes the name Mike Pence and how he riles that crowd up against his own vice president.

KEILAR: Yes, it's pretty stunning.

Jon, it is great to have you on this morning. Author of "Betrayal," one of John Berman's favorite new books, I should say.

BERMAN: It is -- I mean, it's one of my favorites for months and months now.

KEILAR: He loves it.

BERMAN: It's dog-eared like you wouldn't believe.

KEILAR: He files book reports and he was very excited about yours, Jon.

KARL: Well, thank you. It is awesome to be on NEW DAY. I am -- I am huge fans of both you, Brianna, and John, my former colleague.

KEILAR: You see that? I came first, Berman.

KARL: It's great to be here.

BERMAN: Always, always.

KEILAR: All right, Jon Karl. I love it. Thank you.

So, breaking overnight, a U.S. counterterrorism operation in northern Syria that left at least 13 people dead. This is according to authorities on the ground. So, what are we hearing from the Pentagon? There are so many questions here. Who may have been the target?

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[07:55:34]

KEILAR: Whoopi Goldberg's comments about the Holocaust this week on "THE VIEW" comes at a time when antisemitism is very much on the rise here in the U.S.

John Avlon has more in today's Reality Check. JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: In 1940, as World War II raged in Europe, Charlie Chaplin released a movie satirizing Hitler and the Nazis. It was called "The Great Dictator." And he played two roles, both the titular autocrat and Jewish barber.

The film was met with popular acclaim and political attacks, including from Nazi sympathizers who claimed that Chaplin was Jewish. Now, Chaplin did little to correct these rumors but when confirmed with the accusation Chaplin reportedly said "I'm afraid I don't have that honor."

It's a gentle reminder that standing up to antisemitism is a responsibility we all have in a civil society regardless of our race or religion.

This is not some distant concern because 75 years after the Holocaust we've seen antisemitism on the rise in recent years, as you can see in this Anti-Defamation League chart. The number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. has spiked since 2017, which happens to be the first year of the Trump presidency.

Now, some of these incidents are infamous, like the mass shootings at synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway, and others are more anonymous. But they all reflect the brazen anti-Jewish hate we saw that the United the Right rally in Charlottesville.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNITE THE RALLY: Jews will not replace us! Jews will not replace us! Jews will not replace us!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: But antisemitism also infects our politics in more subtle ways. Online conspiracy theories, like QAnon, tapped into antisemitic themes from blood liable accusations to the belief that sinister groups of elites are secretly running the world. That's in addition to the negative obsessions with George Soros, parroted by folks at Fox News, or Marjorie Taylor Greene's belief that Jewish space lasers cause wildfires.

Amid this rising tide of hate and absurdity, the repeated Nazi comparisons directed by Republicans at COVID vaccine efforts, it sometimes can be hard to know whether to laugh or cry. And all of this comes at a time of increased fatalities from domestic violent extremist incidents and things like the recent bomb threats directed at historically black colleges and universities.

And it's precisely because the haters seem so emboldened these days that it's essential to distinguish between people who use hate as a core part of their identity politics from people who make honest mistakes.

Which brings me to Whoopi Goldberg who was suspended for two weeks from "THE VIEW" for saying that the Holocaust was not a matter of race. Now, it seems clear that she was trying to distinguish between

America's legacy of anti-Black racism and the religious and ethnic prejudice that led the Nazis to murder some six million Jewish people. She apparently didn't appreciate that Nazis often called Jewish people a separate race, and she ignored one of the basic rules of civil debate. There are no comparisons to the Holocaust.

But here's the critical point. Whoopi Goldberg was not indulging in anti-Jewish hate. She had no repeated history of making antisemitic comments. In fact, quite the opposite. And when it became clear that her comments had crossed the line, she apologized repeatedly and sincerely.

As Eddie Ilan and Jonathan Greenblatt explained on CNN, he didn't think the clumsy phrasing should be considered an irredeemable civic sin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO AND NATIONAL DIRECTOR, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: I don't think her intent was malevolent. I think it was mistaken. And I think -- you know, I don't believe in cancel culture, Brianna. I believe in counsel culture. So while she made a mistake, we need to recognize that all of us can do that. And if you apologize, I think there's an opportunity for repentance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: And now let's connect the dots to a lesser noticed and distantly related case. This week's suspension of Ilya Shapiro, the incoming executive director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, after tweets that complained President Biden's commitment to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court would exclude what he believed were more qualified candidates like the Indian- American Chief Justice in the D.C. Circuit Court, Sri Srinivasan.

Now, Shapiro concluded that the nominee would therefore be a lesser Black woman, which is a toxic phase that smacks of centuries of structural racism. The outcry was swift and totally understandable. Shapiro deleted his tweets and rightly apologized, telling Reason that his poor choice of words undermined his intended message that no one should be discriminated against for his or her gender or skin color. But the university said that his tweets were antithetical to the work of building inclusion, belonging, and respect for diversity, and it's now conducting an investigation.

And when it comes to these kinds of public faceplants, particularly along the fault lines of faith, gender, and race, it's easier to remain silent often. But intent and context, and patterns of behavior matter. A real commitment to liberal values means an open dialogue that doesn't immediately assume the worst about people who say disagreeable things.

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