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New Day Saturday

New Videos Show Rioters Punching Police During January 6 Capitol Attack as GOP Claims FBI Behind Insurrection; 280 Plus Mass Shootings in U.S. Already This Year; Shooter Opens Fire on Man Next to Two Children in Broad Daylight; Sentencing for Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin Set for June 25; Canada Extends U.S. COVID-19 Travel Restrictions; EU Recommends Lifting Restrictions for U.S. Travelers. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired June 19, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:00]

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. I'm Boris Sanchez. Amara Walker? And that's Amara Walker. It seems like we're having some technical difficulties, but we are getting a new look at the January 6th Capitol attack, officers being taunted and attacked on the steps America's democratic institution.

Plus, gun violence soaring across the nation, out of control and getting worse. A man in New York shooting a person close to two children. Details on that ahead.

Plus, a father on trial cross examining the son that he's accused of trying to kill. We have some surreal scenes in court to share with you.

And another sign things are slowly returning to normal. Much of Europe is rolling out a welcome mat for U.S. travelers.

And speaking of getting things back to normal, some gremlins still to shake loose in our system. Good morning, Amara. It is Saturday, June 19th. The very first Juneteenth National Independence Day, now a national holiday. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Sorry about these gremlins. I thought my coffee was working this morning and apparently, I snoozed on this one. My IFB was out of my ear, and I was deep in my thoughts. So good morning. Let's start the morning.

SANCHEZ: All good. All good. Yes. Listen, we start this morning with some images that lawmakers in Congress are trying to downplay and candidly distract you from. They're from January 6th and they're a brutal reminder of the violence carried about by a mob stirred into a frenzy by the former president and his lies about the last election. Even as some parrot lies about the FBI being behind the effort to overthrow democracy, it's really important that you watch this and judge this footage with your own eyes.

WALKER: The latest clip shows one rioter taunting, stalking and hitting law enforcement. It's disturbing enough that it moved a judge to keep the man in jail pending trial. CNN's Jessica Schneider has our look at that, and more new footage and we do want to warn you it is profane, it is graphic, it also, it's an important reality check of what really happened that day.

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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New video from on the ground outside the Capitol and never before seen footage from police body cam. This one showing New Jersey gym owner Scott Fairlamb taunting, stalking and punching law enforcement outside the capital. He's seen dressed in a camouflage jacket leaning into the face of a police officer, then following him and taunting him with expletives.

Fairlamb then shoves the police officer who falls backward onto a group of protesters. Just as the officer regains his footing and starts walking away, Fairlamb punches him in the face, hitting his helmet. Others in the crowd try to calm Fairlamb down. Another video shows Fairlamb holding a phone, screaming about what he's going to do next.

SCOTT FAIRLAMB, CAPITOL RIOTER: What patriots do? We f***ing disarm them and then we storm the f***ing Capitol.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Fairlamb was one of the first rioters inside the Senate side of the building according to court records. He is still in jail after a D.C. judge determined he was too dangerous to release, writing, "If any crime establishes danger to the community and a disregard for the rule of law, assaulting a riot-gear-clad police officer does." Fairlamb is charged with 12 criminal counts, including assaulting police. He has pleaded not guilty on all counts.

Police also say these new police bodycam footage shows Thomas Webster, a former marine and retired New York City police officer, in a red coat screaming profanities at police and threateningly wielding a flagpole before finally rushing at officers. Webster has pleaded not guilty to his charges, including assaulting police.

The close-up police perspective shows the hand-to-hand combat officers were forced to engage in to fight off the mob looking to make their way into the Capitol. The new video comes just as the Republican party grapples with a conspiracy theory that has gained traction with some of its members. A right-wing website, "Revolver News," is suggesting the people driving the insurrection were not Trump supporters, but FBI agents who conspiracy theorists claim are appearing in court records as unnamed and unindicted coconspirators.

But legal experts say the term is not used to describe FBI agents and instead refers to unnamed people who participated in the crime but haven't been charged. The theory has been readily embraced by some in the GOP.

[06:05:02]

REP. LOUIE GOHMERT (R-TX): DOJ, FBI or any of the intel community, what kind of role were they playing? SCHNEIDER (voice-over): But now other Republicans are pushing back, in particular Congressman Peter Meijer of Michigan who voted to impeach President Trump. Meijer tweeted, "Not peaceful. Not 'let in by police.' Not Antifa. Not FBI. Can't believe I have to say that."

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SCHNEIDER: We are expecting the release of more videos from the courts in the coming weeks. That will give even more perspective from these police body cams about the hand-to-hand combat officers were forced into all to protect the Capitol. Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much, Jessica, and as we look back on January 6th, it's important to get an untarnished view of what actually happened. As so many are trying to whitewash this, you can see much more of what really happened that day in "CNN SPECIAL REPORT ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY: THE ROOTS OF TRUMP'S INSURRECTION." It premieres Sunday night at 9:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

WALKER: It's just so traumatic to watch that video and to think what those officers went through on that day. Just horrendous.

All right. Turning now to the epidemic of gun violence across the country and the hope that the next 48 hours won't add to the trend of violent weekends across the U.S. Already this year, there have been more than 280 mass shootings in America. It's only June and that's according to data compiled by CNN and the Gun Violence Archive.

SANCHEZ: Yes. The context is really important to think about too. CNN defines a mass shooting as incidents in which four or more people are shot, not counting the shooter. So far, more than 9,200 people have died from gun violence overall across the country and this morning, we're getting a look at a shocking brazen crime in New York. Watch this. A young man and two kids struggling to avoid gunfire as a shooter fires off rounds, targeting a man in broad daylight in the Bronx.

WALKER: CNN's Polo Sandoval is following this from New York. My God, Polo. That's terrifying, especially to see those children are trying to find cover. Can you walk us through what happened and who police are looking for now?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is really just the latest example of the gun violence that we've seen across the country, though certainly not a mass shooting. And we should also -- before we play that video again, we should also tell viewers those children were not hurt. Now, the person who was, we're told, did survive and is in stable condition. So that being said, let's roll that video again so you can actually fully see what took place on that street in the Bronx.

On the evening of this past Thursday, that's when the NYPD's saying that this masked man charges towards a 24-year-old man on this Bronx sidewalk on Thursday. He shot while next to him two children, a 10- year-old girl and a five-year-old little boy there just inches away from the muzzle flash. Now, after the shooting, the gunman then hops onto a scooter and then flees.

Police on the hunt right now for a shooter and also for that scooter driver right now. Obviously, this individual was specifically targeted according to investigators, but, look, I'll tell you what really stands out, too, here aside from just the brazen nature of this.

Look at this little girl. Look how she is able to keep her wits about her and then pulls what we believe might be her little brother back towards the ground and then she uses her body to shield him from that gun fire just inches away from these gunmen. Likely actions that saved not only her life, but of this little boy as well.

Now, again, as for this 24-year-old man, he is still alive, listed in stable condition. Investigators are obviously hoping to get more information from him to try and track down the man who is believed to be responsible for this really just terrifying shooting.

WALKER: I'm glad you pointed that out. I didn't even see that in my shock ...

SANDOVAL: Yes.

WALKER: ... this older sister grabbing her brother and just ...

SANDOVAL: It's incredible.

WALKER: ... shielding him. It's heartbreaking. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: Thank you.

WALKER: All right. Joining us now is CNN senior law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey. He's a former Philadelphia police commissioner and chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police. Good morning to you, Commissioner. I'm still shaken up by that video. It was my first time seeing it ...

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes.

WALKER: ... and just want to get your reaction. I mean, seeing these innocent children getting caught in the crossfire and the way that this little girl tried to protect her brother.

RAMSEY: Well, first of all, my hats off to CNN for not only following mass shootings, but just keeping a light shining on the problem of violence in many of our communities. I mean, this is an example of some of the stuff that's happening in many of our cities and it's just absolutely terrible. It's frightening. It's just by the grace of God that neither of those kids were actually shot. I hope the city of New York is going to provide some child psychologists to be able to deal with those young people because that's a life changing obviously event.

WALKER: You know, this is a trend in violence that we're seeing across the U.S., right? I mean, even just this past few days, I can't keep up with all the shootings that we've been covering. Not just mass shootings, but, you know, of course there was that mass shooting in Arizona and then there was a shooting in North Carolina that killed two people on Thursday and then Michigan, you know, a shooting on a highway.

[06:10:10]

But also, when you look at the statistics, Charles, so far this year, we have seen a 40 percent increase in mass shootings compared to the same period in 2020 and this, of course, is data compiled by CNN and the Gun Violence Archive. What's going on here? Why are we seeing this spike?

RAMSEY: Well, listen, you got guns in the hands of people that should not have guns and Congress is doing absolutely nothing, some state legislatures are doing absolutely nothing. Texas just passed a law letting anybody carry a gun that wants to which, in my opinion, is exactly the wrong way to be moving right now. We have to find a way to get guns out of the hands of the people that should not have them.

I know people don't want to hear things like background checks and all that sort of thing, but those are steps that are really necessary, but also with that, people who are caught carrying illegal guns and using guns in crimes need to be in jail. There has to be a consequence for it and right now, too many of them are being caught and being let right back out on the street and that's sending the wrong message as well.

So, you've got to be able to do both. There needs to be some changes in the law, but there has to be consequences for the people who are committing these crimes.

WALKER: What about police morale, especially in the past year where we've seen so much unrest on the streets and of course, you know, calls to defund the police and things of that nature and just on Thursday, you know, mass resignations at the Portland Police Department and we should say that they resigned from a specific team, the rapid response team. We're talking about 50 officers, and they are tasked with responding to protests and civil unrest and that happened a day after a Portland police officer was indicted for allegedly beating a protester.

What do you make of an incident like that? I mean, again, does this go -- does this speak to morale?

RAMSEY: Well, it does speak to morale, but, you know, I mean, listen, first of all, I understand what those officers in Portland are going through. I think they were deployed some 150 straight days for protests and so forth, but having said that, you don't walk away, you don't quit.

I mean, listen, you know, you take an oath when you take the job. That oath means something even if, in today's world, it doesn't appear that oaths mean a whole lot to some people, but it means a lot to me and it should mean a lot to every single person who wears that badge and you just don't walk away and so they're upset, I understand that. I get that. That's going to be decided in a court of law, but you have a larger responsibility to protect the public and not only that. You're putting your fellow officers in jeopardy because now that void has to be filled with officers from the field that may not have the level of training that you have.

I also think it's important that Portland officers be equipped with body cameras. I think your previous -- previously when you showed January 6, the importance of body cameras and what it means actually getting a full picture of what took place. They don't have that in Portland.

WALKER: Something needs to be done. Charles Ramsey, appreciate you joining us this morning. Thanks so much.

RAMSEY: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: A quick update now on an important election overseas. Outgoing Iranian president Hassan Rouhani met with his successor, Ebrahim Raisi, earlier today and congratulated him on his victory. Iran's state media reported hours ago that Ebrahim Raisi won Friday's presidential election by a landslide and that there will not be a runoff. Now, he is an ultra-conservative chief justice in Iran. He's an ally of the supreme leader. Raisi getting an estimated 62 percent of the vote with about 90 percent of the ballots counted.

Meantime, back in the states, Tropical Storm Claudette making landfall just over an hour ago southeast of New Orleans. In a few minutes, we're going to take you to a live report from New Orleans on just how much rain and wind the storm brought with it.

WALKER: Plus, Americans can now travel to most countries in Europe, but still are not allowed into Canada. What you need to know about the COVID restrictions that are still in place.

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WALKER: Right now, Tropical Storm Claudette is hammering the Gulf Coast, causing heavy rain and strong winds. Millions of people are under warnings ranging from Louisiana all the way to the Florida Panhandle and conditions are expected to get worse through the morning.

SANCHEZ: CNN's Rosa Flores is live in New Orleans, Louisiana this morning where there's already a state of emergency and Allison Chinchar is following the storm from the CNN weather center. Let's start with Rosa. What are you seeing where you are?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Boris. Good morning ...

SANCHEAZ: Morning. FLORES: ... where the worst of it is to the east of where I am from Gulfport to Pensacola. Now, we did receive some video overnight of some intense moments, some heavy rain and winds in Mississippi. Here in the state of Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards issuing a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Claudette.

Here in New Orleans where I am, city officials asking residents yesterday to move their cars to higher ground, to secure their outside furniture and trash bins ahead of what they believed was going to be a four- to eight-inch weather event. Coastal flooding always an issue during storms like these. Two to three feet expected in some of the low-lying areas in the coastal Louisiana. Now, flash flood warnings did move a little bit to the east of course because Tropical Storm Claudette moved to the east.

I checked in with the -- with the U.S. Coast Guard and they say that they've got their resources ready to go on standby. They're in communication with local officials for a rapid response and they're asking boaters to stay out of the water.

[06:20:00]

I also checked in with the Cajun Navy. They've deployed resources from Louisiana all the way to Florida. Again, Tropical Storm Claudette making landfall southeast of New Orleans. So, Boris and Amara, really where I am, you can see around me it's very -- it's very quiet, the skies are clear, we're really not having much rain or winds, but the worst part of this is from Gulfport to Pensacola, Boris and Amara.

SANCHEZ: We know -- we know you'll keep an eye on it for us. Rosa Flores in New Orleans, thank you so much. Let's go to the CNN weather center and meteorologist Allison Chinchar now. Allison, give us an idea of what you're seeing across the board.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. As Rosa pointed out, most of the convection with this particular storm is now farther off to the east, impacting more so areas of Mississippi, portions of Alabama and even areas of western Florida. Sustained winds for Tropical Storm Claudette about 45 miles per hour, but it's still gusting up to 60.

Now, the storm will continue to weaken as it makes its way across land, but then notice this. Once it gets back out over the open Atlantic, it's expected to restrengthen back into a tropical storm as it slides up the east coast. So, this is going to be a storm that we'll watch for several days. You do still have tropical storm warnings across several states, again, mainly because of those winds. You're still looking at winds up around that 40 to 60 mile per hour range.

Storm surge numbers have been pretty high. Bay St. Louis, nearly six feet there. Pascagoula, around three and a half feet. Shell Beach, around four feet. Now, one thing to note. You're still going to have a tornado threat through most of the morning. This tornado watch is in effect until 11:00 A.M. Central time today as the storm continues to slide across the southeast and as it does so, it's going to bring a tremendous amount of rain to a lot of these areas. Look at these widespread yellows, oranges and reds. You're talking four, five, even six inches of rain, in some spots on top of what they've already had. Now, unfortunately, Amara and Boris, one area that needs rain is out to the west, but there's not much in the forecast. We'll talk about that coming up in the next hour.

WALKER: All right. Allison Chinchar, great to see you in the studio. Thanks so much.

CHINCHAR: Yes. Thanks.

WALKER: A Florida father defending himself in court, cross examines the son he is accused of trying to kill. Joey Jackson is here with a legal brief next.

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[06:25:00]

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SANCHEZ: And this morning's legal brief, an unusual and disturbing scene in a Florida courtroom. A man accused of killing his girlfriend and daughter, then attempting to kill his son is serving as his own attorney in his murder trial and this week, he questioned the very son that he's accused of trying to kill about the gruesome details of that day. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just saw my dad holding a shotgun and my mom like -- mom was screaming at him.

RONNIE ONEAL III, ON TRIAL FOR MURDER: Did you see me beat your mom?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

ONEAL: Did you see me shoot your mom?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Joining us now to discuss is CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson. Joey, good morning. Always great to have you, sir. The prosecution spent four days building their case. This man spent about 30 minutes on his defense. He was unhinged at times, shouting in the courtroom. Some would say that he looks mentally unfit to defend himself. If he winds up being convicted, couldn't he use that to appeal in the future based on the idea that the judge made a mistake in letting him defend himself?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. Boris, good morning to you. So the answer is no. So there's generally a -- you know, it's an appellate issue. It's called ineffective assistance of counsel. You cannot, on the one hand, ask the court to allow you to represent yourself and then on the other hand when you appeal in the event you're convicted, say that you were not competent to do so.

So what happens, Boris, is about 45 years ago or so, 1975, 46 years ago, there was a case and that case really made clear and made plain was the Faretta case, Faretta versus California, that a defendant has a right to pretty much waive counsel and if you are otherwise competent to represent yourself and so there's a Faretta hearing takes place prior to the trial and very briefly what the judge does is assess your competence and you ask just simple questions.

Number one, you know, you come to the conclusion that you're voluntarily doing it after that hearing, the judge makes that assessment, number two, that it's an intelligent waiver of the right and, number three, you understand the consequence by self-representing and as long as a judge is satisfied with that, you're OK.

Last point, Boris, and that's this. You would note that after he concluded his cross examination, the judge on the record made certain findings like what? Saying I realize, right? Having sat through this that you appear to be competent to me, that you appear to have understood what you were doing, knew the questions you were asking and I'm satisfied with that and that, I think, bulletproofed it from appeal.

Tough case, very unique in as much as you're seeing a father cross examine his son, a father representing himself and a father having been accused, of course, of killing his wife and his daughter thereafter with an axe.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Just a really awful story to have to cover and difficult to watch his son go through that. Joey, I do want to look ahead into next week's sentencing of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer convicted of killing George Floyd. Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison. According to Minnesota law, though, a person with no criminal history could wind up being sentenced to a fraction of that time unless there are aggravating factors. What are you anticipating might happen with his sentencing?

JACKSON: So here's what this looks like, Boris. So there have been those aggravating factors. So he was convicted. Just as a reset, we know he was convicted of three separate things. He was convicted of course as it related to the felony murder, that is engaging in an assault and a murder result. That kind of a serious count.

[06:30:00]

Number two, they acted with depravity, a depraved heart, that was the second count. Number three, they acted with negligence. At the end of the day, you have sentencing guidelines, and those sentencing guidelines would provide generally, for 12.5 years sentence for engaging in that. However, to your point earlier, Boris, there was an aggravated factor-finding.

What does that mean? The judge found that there were other factors present, right? Those factors really indicating that you acted with really extreme cruelty, that you acted with a gang of other people, three or more to commit the act, that you abuse your authority. And you know, with those findings, the judge could raise, right? Elevate the sentence. And you could be looking more at 30 or 40 years. Of course, he has asked that Chauvin and his team for probation. That's not going to happen. I suspect looking forward, that he'll get a significant amount of time, likely double that twelve and a half years, which will be 25, maybe more.

SANCHEZ: Now, Joey, you mentioned that aggravating factor of him not having been alone, I want to ask you about the other three officers involved in the Floyd case, they're said to be tried next year, what are their attorneys going to be watching for during the sentencing?

JACKSON: I think, look, we've reached the reckoning point, Boris, as it relates to accountability for everyone, and no one can be above the law. Now, I think when you look at this case, really people are saying, well, why did this even go to trial? I think the answer to that question is because there's a real history of police who don't even get arrested for offense. And when they do get arrested, they don't get indicted, when they get indicted, they don't get convicted. And so, there was an emboldenment, let's take it to trial, let's see what happens. And so, I think they're going to be looking for, that is there, the other three, who are of course accuse themselves and will be tried of seeing just how harsh the judge will be.

But I think we're in a new era, that listen, if you do wrong, whether you wear a batch, you don't wear a batch, no matter who you are, the old ax, so no person is above the law, I think they're looking to see where that determination means here. Let's be clear, also final point, Boris, and that's this, that there's a state prosecution, but the federal government, of course, in terms of civil rights has a prosecution as well. And I think that that's going to be important here, too.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Joey, I certainly hope that you're right that we are in a new era where accountability is what's most important. Let's certainly hope so. Joey Jackson, always appreciate your perspective. Thanks.

JACKSON: Always, thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

WALKER: Americans may be feeling like the pandemic is nearly over. But Canada is not ready to open its borders just yet to the U.S. Up next, how long you'll have to wait to visit.

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[06:35:00]

SANCHEZ: New this morning, Canada extending its COVID-19 restrictions on travelers from the United States and around the globe until July 21st.

WALKER: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who is quarantining after foreign travel to the G7 Summit says the pandemic isn't over yet, and that the country has to reach at least 75 percent vaccinations with the first dose. And 20 percent, fully vaccinated before they can begin to loosen restrictions. But overseas, the European Union has announced plans to reopen its borders, meaning U.S. travelers will be allowed to visit the continent for the first time in over a year.

SANCHEZ: Yes, let's get to CNN's Melissa Bell, she has more on this. Melissa, walk us through what countries are being allowed to visit the EU now?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the time being, this is a recommendation from the European Union, so the 27 have agreed that American tourists should once again be able to come to the European Union whether or not they are vaccinated, whether or not it is for leisure or for non-essential reasons. So that's a big deal. The problem is, Boris, that it is still up to the individual member states to implement that recommendation since they remain in control of their own borders. So, I think what you're going to see is a staggered process, country by country, some going faster than others.

France has been one of the first to make its changes, basically adding on Thursday, the United States to what it calls its green list, which means that even now, if you're a vaccinated American, you can come to -- you can come to France, just signing a sworn statement that you have no COVID symptoms. If you're unvaccinated, you can also come to France for non-essential reasons, simply you'll have to provide a negative PCR test. The good news is that you can come back to Paris even now. Other countries are looking at their recommendations and precisely what they're going to put in place in terms of the kinds of other quarantine or PCR test requirements that they need for non- vaccinated Americans.

But essentially, what Europe is saying is to American citizens and American tourists is come back. This is a tourism industry that brought into the European Union back in 2019, so the last year for which we have non-pandemic figures, $2.5 trillion. And what you hear on the streets of Paris here, where, by the way, you can wander around with mask just once again, the terraces are open, the museums as well, from taxi drivers to hotel owners to restaurateurs is, all we need now are the many tourists that come to Paris every year. The most visited city in the world. It brings in an awful lot of money. And these are economies that have been badly dented by a very long Winter of restrictions, Boris.

[06:40:00]

SANCHEZ: Yes, there's no doubt that establishments, restaurants, museums, all those places badly need tourists dollars. Melissa Bell reporting from Paris, thank you so much. So, there's a big mayoral race in New York City, and Kathryn Garcia is hoping to become the city's first female mayor. So, why is she campaigning with her opponent Andrew Yang? We'll break it down next.

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SANCHEZ: Early voting is underway in New York City's mayoral race. Election day is next week. And Eric Adams, a former police officer and current Brooklyn Borough president is leading in polls ahead of Tuesday's democratic primary.

WALKER: But the city's new ranked choice voting system has made it difficult to know who might win. That's led two of his challengers, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Kathryn Garcia to form an alliance, campaigning together today. CNN's Athena Jones has more on Garcia's run.

[06:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHRYN GARCIA, NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I'm Kathryn Garcia, I'm running for mayor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh --

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kathryn Garcia, one of the top contenders in the race for New York City mayor isn't an elected politician.

GARCIA: What is on your mind, what do you think the biggest issues are?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Crime --

JONES: And she says that's a selling point.

GARCIA: I think it's clear we don't need another politician. We need somebody who actually is willing to get to work.

JONES: The life long New Yorker has a long resume in public service and worked under two mayors.

GARCIA: Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg.

JONES: Most recently, running New York City's massive Sanitation Department, managing more than 10,000 workers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When there's a crisis, sometimes you've got to break glass, solve it.

JONES: Garcia who would make history if elected, is the first woman to lead the nation's most populous city. So, she has been New York's go- to problem solver and has the experience to deliver on her promises.

GARCIA: I have been your crisis manager. Whether it's Hurricane Sandy or during COVID, delivering a million meals a day.

JONES: She got a boost last month after being endorsed by the editorial boards of "The New York Times" and the "New York Daily News". The mother of two was adopted as a baby and grew up in a multi- racial home in Brooklyn where she still lives.

GARCIA: Police are critical to the city of New York.

JONES: She has stressed public safety. GARCIA: I lived here in the '70s and '80s. I know what it's like to get mugged. I don't want anybody to have that happen to them in this city.

JONES: While speaking about police reform in the context of her brother, who she says was often treated as a threat because he is black.

GARCIA: This is personal to me.

JONES: She aims to reform the NYPD by among other things requiring new recruits to live in the city and increasing training requirements.

GARCIA: I will require that they get much more training so that we can deal with the challenges of implicit bias.

JONES: As Garcia's star rises, her rivals are taking aim. Eric Adams slamming her record on pay equity issues as commissioner.

ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: You had one agency to run correctly, and you are not aware of the inequities, then how are you going to be aware of the inequities in all of your agencies.

JONES: And businessman Andrew Yang after singing her praises for months --

ANDREW YANG, NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I like it that me and Kathryn are a great deal, and appreciate everything she's done for the city, and I think she'd be an awesome part of any administration.

JONES: Has begun to criticize her ties to the unpopular Bill de Blasio administration.

YANG: Kathryn, despite her service to the city, is part of an administration that a lot of New Yorkers know has not worked.

JONES: For Garcia, it all comes back around to experience, telling CNN her background as a public servant makes her uniquely qualified to lead New York's comeback.

GARCIA: If you've never actually had to manage big contracts, if you've never had to make people work together in order to make something happen for New Yorkers and cross different agencies and understand how that works, you're just not ready for the job.

JONES: Athena Jones, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right, let's talk more about the mayoral race in New York and bring in Errol Louis, a CNN political analyst and host of the "You Decide" podcast. Good morning to you again, Errol, good to see you. So, let's start broad here, because this is the last weekend of campaigning before Tuesday's election. Where do things stand? What's the state of the race right now? ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, good morning, Amara.

Look, the way that it was laid out I think is pretty straightforward. Which is that the number one issue, every poll that we've seen has suggested that the voters are worried about crime and public safety. There's a lot of disorder in the streets. There's a 100-plus percent increase in homicides and in shootings. People are very concerned. And that has given a tremendous advantage to Eric Adams because he spent 22 years in the NYPD. The other candidates are trying to do everything they can think of, to try and either change the subject or cut into his support in some ways, and that is the dynamic that is really driving the race at this point.

Candidates like Kathryn Garcia, another candidate, Maya Wiley, they are catching up in some polls to Eric Adams. And so, it's going to be kind of a photo finish by the time we get to Tuesday.

WALKER: And the fact that Garcia and Yang are campaigning together today, obviously raising some eyebrows from people who are not following this race so closely. And we just saw Yang criticizing Garcia. They both want the same job. What's the strategy here?

LOUIS: You know, it's very interesting, Amara, because they both say that, oh, I'm not a politician, and yet, they've made this alliance. I think the strategy is to try and do something that we've seen succeed in other ranked-choice voting jurisdictions. New York has never done this before, but we had a situation not that long ago in Oakland where the number one finisher ended up not becoming the mayor because the number two and number three challengers had an alliance, and urged all of their followers, their passionate followers, hey, if you don't want to vote for me, please, rank this person as your next leading person.

[06:50:00]

So that by the time the votes were all totaled, one of them could in fact prevail. So, I think that's a little bit of the strategy, but again, it's very new to New Yorkers. And I have certainly -- I've been covering this city for a long time, I've never seen anything like this with two candidates kind of binding together even though they've criticized each other, and sort of asking their voters to vote for both one candidate, as well as one of their leading rivals.

WALKER: Yes, fascinating stuff, isn't it? And so, I have to ask you the obvious question here, especially because we know New York votes overwhelmingly Democratic. It's a city that's become more and more progressive. So, fair to say that the winner of Tuesday's primary will be the next mayor of New York?

LOUIS: That's the general assumption, but it comes with an asterisk. And that asterisk is, if it's a controversial, if there's a winner that's controversial or seen as controversial, that we could see extra innings if there are enough people out there who think that with a six-month lead time, they could maybe try and reverse the result of this primary in November, we could see a fight. It's been known to happen. And keep in mind, you know, we had an uninterrupted run of five terms of Republican mayors of this very democratic city. So, it can in fact happen. WALKER: That's very true, good point, glad you pointed that out. Errol

Louis, great to have you as always. Thanks so much.

LOUIS: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Three years ago, a devastating car crash killed more than a dozen members of a youth hockey team. Now, one of the survivors is taking a huge step in his recovery. Stay with us, we'll be back after a quick break.

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[06:55:00]

WALKER: A long time NFL player is blasting the league over its new COVID protocols.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Coy Wire joins us now. Coy, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley says he has no plans to get vaccinated. He said in what he called a public service announcement on Twitter yesterday that, if it forces him out of the game, he's fine with that.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he has that luxury of being a long-time vet, right, Boris, to say things like that. Good morning to you and Amara. NFL protocols now grant vaccinated players and staff much more freedom at team facilities, unvaccinated players like Bills receiver Cole Beasley still deal with several restrictions like daily testing. They can't even leave the hotel or see family and friends on road trips. Beasley posting on Twitter that he will not be pressured into getting vaccinated, tweeting in part, quote, "if you're scared of me, then steer clear or get vaccinated. Point. Blank. Period. I may die of COVID, but I'd rather die actually living." Unquote. The ten- year vet Beasley says he believes there are plenty of other players who believe the same thing, but don't have the same standing he does in the league. The NFL Players Association which Beasley has called a joke declined to comment.

All right, playoff hockey in full swing today. For our difference- makers, we're sharing the story of a survivor of a tragedy that rocked the hockey world and beyond just over three years ago. Sixteen lives were lost when a Humboldt hockey team bus was hit by a semi-truck in Saskatchewan, Canada, most of them young players, 13 survivors, one of them, Ryan Straschnitzki, paralyzed chest down, he's one of the most inspiring people I've ever spoken to, and he explained what keeps him going after so much adversity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN STRASCHNITZKI, HOCKEY PLAYER: Really set so high and I like challenging myself to be the best version of myself. So, you know, every time I go into physio, it's like, OK, how can I, you know, feel better than I was the day before or you know, when I'm on the ice, what's something that I can try that, you know, I'm not necessarily good at? So, I'm super driven by potential and the support I have around me is absolutely incredible which helps keep me going.

WIRE: What's one of the most recent milestones or goals that you've reached?

STRASCHNITZKI: Definitely standing with minimal assistance. I've never been able to do that from my latest video. And I -- you know, to do that was super emotional. But you know, I stood up, and I remember looking around, I saw the mirror in front of me, and you know, I thought to myself, all right, you know, this is -- this is a good step. Next physio session, I might even try with, you know, no assistance. So, it's for getting outside my comfort zone and trying to be the best version of myself.

WIRE: What have you learned about yourself, about the power of your mind and your spirit through this journey?

STRASCHNITZKI: You know, going through this injury, not been able to do things during the pandemic was hard. So, I had to find things to keep my mind healthy. You know, I was watching Netflix for, you know, 10 hours a day, thinking, OK, when are things going to open up? And eventually, I came to the conclusion that, OK, this might last longer than I thought. So, you know, I tried new hobbies, I started playing guitar, again, I started reading, I started writing and just kind of working on myself to, you know, get that advantage for when things open up, and I'm already at this point of, you know, a good mental health state and good physical state as well.

And when people come up to me and say, you know, their little boy or little girl is inspired by me to push for greatness, and to be the best version of themselves, I mean, that's super humbling. And it's just one of the best feelings in the world, and it strives to make me want to do better. You know, when you feel like you're going through hell, you know, why stop there?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: The strongest deals burned in the hottest coals. Ryan Straschnitzki is strong as they come, he's the type of person that makes you reconsider what you think adversity is. In his ultimate goal, Boris and Amara, is to play for Canada's paralympic sledge hockey team and help them win gold.

WALKER: Incredible.

SANCHEZ: No doubt in my mind, he's going to get there. That is powerful stuff, Coy, thank you so much for bringing --

WIRE: You got it --

SANCHEZ: That to us this morning. The next hour of NEW DAY starts right now.