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New Day Sunday

Tens Of Thousands March In Largest Protests So Far In The U.S.; Minneapolis Mayor Booed After Refusing To Defund, Abolish Police; Tropical Storm Cristobal Heads For Louisiana Coast; White House Wanted 10,000 Active Duty Troops To Quell Protesters; Coronavirus Global Death Toll Surpasses 400,000; Homes Damaged As Tornado Touches Down In Orlando; Protest Against Police Brutality, Racism Spread Worldwide; Chaos In London After Mounted Police Charge Horses At Protesters. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired June 07, 2020 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't care if I lose my life if that mean my nieces and my nephews won't have to deal with someone invalidating them because of the color of their skin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The system is not going to win. The people have a voice now. They are listening to us because we are united. People don't have to stand for injustice anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America's own challenge is rippling out.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Racism is real. It's in the United States, but it's also in Canada.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People chose to think that it's not going on anymore. That's the biggest racism right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY weekend with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: It is 6:00 a.m. in Atlanta. Beautiful sky across downtown. You see the Ferris wheel there and coming over Centennial Park. Welcome to everyone watching from Atlanta and welcome to you. Thanks so much for being with us.

Overnight, the U.S. saw some of the largest protests yet since the death of George Floyd. A 12th night in a row of these demonstrations for equality and justice across the country. Tens of thousands of protesters were in the streets. Big cities, small cities all across America.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And this morning there's a growing group of people who are calling to defund law enforcement, supporters of that movement say it might be the solution to police brutality. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was booed after telling a group of demonstrators, he didn't support abolishing the city police department. BLACKWELL: You've heard the experts and the health analysts say that there could be risk in these crowds but some demonstrators say that they are willing to risk catching coronavirus in order to protest George Floyd's death. Right now, the U.S. is about to surpass 110,000 deaths.

PAUL: Meanwhile, cities across the country are getting ready for another day of protests. Look at what people in the Gulf Coast are getting ready for. There are evacuation orders issued in several Louisiana parishes this morning ahead of that tropical storm you see there. It's expected to make landfall tonight.

BLACKWELL: Let's start with Polo Sandoval. He is joining us from New York now. Polo, is there -- we're seeing some protests now turning into festivals or rallies where there's music and dancing. Is there a tonal change that we're seeing in some of these demonstrations?

SANDOVAL: There certainly is, Victor, especially when you compare it to what we witnessed maybe on Monday and Tuesday. Certainly a drastic change here because if you watch these demonstrations, which as you mentioned a while ago were some of the largest we've seen nearly two weeks of demonstrations. You will see that they were passionate, they were powerful and by most accounts, were peaceful.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The peaceful fight for change is continuing across America this weekend. Twelfth day of people filling streets with renewed calls for reform after George Floyd's killing nearly two weeks ago.

Thousands in North Carolina paid their respects to George Floyd on Saturday. Floyd was born in North Carolina but died in Minneapolis after a police officer had a knee to his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

REV. BRIAN DAVIS, COUSIN OF GEORGE FLOYD: There is no way in the world that his life will not change the trajectory of racism from now on.

MAYOR JACOB FREY (D), MINNEAPOLIS: We can quite literally lead the way in our nation, enacting more police reform than any other city in the entire country and we cannot fail.

SANDOVAL: At least tens of thousands, it's estimated, participated in a series of protests across Washington, D.C. on Saturday. A metropolitan D.C. spokesperson told CNN there were no arrests.

This is a view from space. A satellite image. On the left, the words Black Lives Matter now fill two entire city blocks in Washington, D.C. in what's being called Black Lives Matter Plaza which leads to the White House. D.C. mayor joined crowds at the plaza as they called for action.

Large crowds attended mostly peaceful protest rallies in Philadelphia and Chicago. Massive crowds joined the spirited protests throughout Los Angeles, too. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want people to help us carry this baton, stand by our side and we want to take our allies and march toward the gates of racism and injustice. And I don't think it stands a chance anymore.

SANDOVAL: Protesters also marched through a tunnel in L.A., car horns honking in unity. Protesters could be seen dancing near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta on Saturday night where they also chanted the song "This Is America."

[06:05:03]

Players and staff of the Denver Broncos led a march for social justice through Denver. Protesters also outside Denver Police Department District 6 last night. And protesters were seen blocking Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas. Authorities in Portland, Oregon and several other cities have suspended the use of tear gas against protesters. Tensions did rise in Seattle last night where police launched flash bangs to scatter crowds, but overall demonstrations have been largely peaceful and powerful in the United States.

In Kentucky, balloons were released for Breonna Taylor, an EMT shot eight times in her own home by police executing a warrant to search for another person.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Brooklyn Bridge of New York City filled with thousands more demonstrators fighting for the Black Lives Matter movement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The system is not going to win. The people have a voice now. They are listening to us because we are united. Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people don't have to stand for injustice anymore.

SANDOVAL: Protesters were in New York City and Brooklyn streets late into the night despite the curfew here rallying for justice in the name of George Floyd.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And many of those who we saw apprehended by the NYPD likely not going to get prosecuted. You see Manhattan District, Victor and Christi, announced that they will be dropping any charges for those low-level offenses as they described them like unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct as well. According to the district attorney, they'd like to try to scale back on those legal interactions with those demonstrators.

BLACKWELL: Polo Sandoval for us in New York. Thanks, Polo.

PAUL: So, let's get to the White House. CNN's Sarah Westwood is there in the nation's capital. Sarah, good to see you this morning.

We have learned -- CNN has learned that the White House apparently wanted 10,000 active duty troops to crackdown on protesters. What do we know about what they had planned?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Good morning, Victor and Christi.

And, yes, CNN is reporting that earlier this week the White House did want 10,000 active duty troops to patrol the streets of Washington, D.C. That was when we were seeing some acts of destruction in parts of the protests that were spiraling out of control earlier this week. And President Trump was advocating a crackdown not just here in the nation's capital but in cities across the country. He was not liking what he was seeing in terms of the protests there.

But Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, they pushed back on the president's demands. Esper eventually did send 1,600 active duty troops on to the streets of D.C. acquiescing at least in part to the White House's demands. But there were already 5,000 National Guard troops out there assisting the police and so none of the active duty troops that Esper did send in were needed and they started to go home Thursday night. So, slowly phasing out obviously the protest that we've seen over the past few days have been largely peaceful.

And the White House yesterday also issuing a strong statement of support for Esper after he ended up on shaky ground. On Wednesday, he broke publicly what the president saying from the podium at the Pentagon that he did not support the use of active duty troops. That touched off speculation, Victor and Christi, that he might not have a secure place in the administration for long.

PAUL: All right. Sarah Westwood, appreciate the update. Thank you.

There are some protesters asking city leaders to defund police departments. Now what that means is they want cities to spend less money on punishment and policing and more money on community services.

BLACKWELL: In Minneapolis, the mayor responded to the calls for action saying that he did not support the defunding movement. His response was met with this.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

BLACKWELL: Now the mayor was booed off stage. His office tells CNN that he is committed to structural reform, but does not support abolishing or defunding the police.

With us now to talk about this and a lot more Carl Suddler. He's an assistant professor of history at Emory University in Atlanta, also the author of "Presumed Criminal: Black Youth and the Justice System in Postwar New York." Professor, good morning to you.

CARL SUDDLER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Victor. Thank you for having me.

BLACKWELL: So, what's your understanding of this, before we get to the history, the defund the police movement? My assumption is that the protesters don't want the law enforcement line of the budget to be zeroed out completely or maybe they do, but there are limitations. What do you see it is? SUDDLER: I think it's been pretty exciting to see calls to defund the police be taken seriously in some places, whether it's at the University of Minnesota where the president severed some ties with the Minneapolis Police Department or the Minneapolis school board, voting to terminate its contract with the police department.

[06:10:04]

I think these are the types of alternatives that -- to expansive (ph) police authority that rightly honor the memory of somebody like George Floyd.

BLACKWELL: So, your book focuses on black youth and the justice system. And really the truth is by the time black teenagers and maybe in their 20s get to the justice system, there's a myriad of structural and society challenges and failures that have led up potentially to that moment.

Is that the scope of the problem for us before we get to justice system or the injustice of the justice system?

SUDDLER: That's right. I think what lies at the center of so many of these conversations come out of issues of black criminality, right, that few are so willing to admit or actual reality, right, for how black -- young black people are perceived as criminals and who's driving this perception, be it the media, be it social scientists, be it psychologists or -- even thinking about like outside factors that contribute to kind of the broader legal system.

Historians have been writing about this stuff for years. And so it should come as no -- it comes as no surprise to many of us. And we point to a lot of contemporary studies that illustrate how these policies have shaped these debates and these conversations really since 1865.

BLACKWELL: So, in the call for changing the policies, we've been at moments like this before. Flash points and then calls for some dramatic change. You pointed out to one of my producers, the Kerner Commission report of '68 ordered by Johnson. Finding that white racism was the cause for a lot of the unrest in the late -- mid '60s and calling for an investment in African American communities.

A lot of that didn't happen. Why? And what is the indication that people think this is a different moment, that those impediments are any weaker or are not present today?

SUDDLER: Yes. No. I think the Kerner Commission is a fantastic point for people to revisit about just the shortcomings that some police reforms have offered in the past, right? We've seen lip service to improving race relations or police relations with the black community. And the Kerner Commission, you know, is 52 years ago. Yes. We're still having similar conversations today and debates over whether it should be traditional police reform or abolition, whether it's divestment or defunding.

And those abolitionist voices have been there through its history, right? And, you know, I think one thing that scares people off when we use language like abolition is that they think that it's -- it's a zero sum game, right? It's about getting rid of police. It's about getting rid of prisons.

And for some that might be the case but it's really about abolishing the conditions, right, that make prisons, that make excessive policing become the solution. And, you know, when we use that kind of language, right, it helps us frame as Mariame Kaba reminds us that this might be the only way that we can address oppressive police practices in our country.

BLACKWELL: So many, as I mentioned, have said that this is a different moment. You see so many white people, white allies or would be allies at these rallies. When you see white people in Missoula, Montana, chanting black lives matter, what does that allyship look like after the rally? I mean, what -- does it engage proactive white ally do when they go home and moving forward?

SUDDLER: I mean, I think that has been a fantastic kind of addition, if you will, to our current moment. And that's not to say that we haven't had white allies in the past, because we have.

But I was speaking recently with civil rights historian Hasan Jeffries and we talked about just how exciting it is to see white people in the streets who -- Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota where -- I mean, typically, you just won't think that because of what the state demographics are, that you would see as much uproar.

You know, that he tried to humbly bring me back to earth as a young historian that still is holding on to optimism and he said, you know, let's be clear that history tells us that white allies will end up disappointing us. It's just a matter of how much disappointment. I just hope we don't repeat history this time.

BLACKWELL: All right. Carl Suddler, thanks so much for being with us. And the book again is "Presumed Criminal: Black Youth and the Justice System in Postwar New York."

[06:15:00]

Again, I appreciate the conversation.

SUDDLER: I appreciate you having me, Victor. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Sure.

PAUL: We got some breaking news we want to get to you right now. Moments ago we have learned the number of coronavirus deaths worldwide has just surpassed 400,000. This is according to Johns Hopkins University.

BLACKWELL: Yes. There are now more than 6.9 million people who have had COVID-19 across this globe. But here in the U.S. the number of deaths is closing in on 110,000.

PAUL: These are hard times for all of us, I know, including children who may not know how to process everything that they're seeing and they're hearing.

Many of you reached out to us. You had questions. You had comments. And we appreciate that. We love hearing from you.

We're talking to a pediatrician next. She has written about how racism affects children's health.

BLACKWELL: Also evacuation orders issued as tropical storm Cristobal churns toward the coast. We'll show you when it's going to make landfall and where it's headed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:09]

PAUL: So, folks along the Louisiana coast are getting rain already from tropical storm Cristobal. The storm surge with this too is a concern for coastal communities. This is expansive. That surge is along the Gulf Coast. They expect from Florida all the way to Texas.

BLACKWELL: Yes. The outer bands have spawned a tornado near downtown Orlando. This was yesterday. Hundreds of miles from the projected landfall.

There are reports of three homes that were damaged. No reports, though, of injuries. Good news there.

PAUL: Natasha Chen is in New Orleans for us right now. So, Natasha, we know that people in Louisiana they're familiar with the drill here. They know what to do and how to deal with these things.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

PAUL: But this is something different that we have not seen before because they also have to deal with social distancing and the threat of a pandemic. What are they telling you?

CHEN: Right, Christi and Victor, this is a storm during COVID-19 and so there is the added challenge of when families potentially may need to go to a shelter. They would have to bring things that maybe they don't typically bring during a disaster. Thinking about hand sanitizer and wipes and face coverings and remembering to try and stay distant from the next family that might be there.

There are certain communities that have established shelters in case they are needed. There are certain parishes that have issued evacuation orders yesterday for parts of their communities depending on location. Some voluntary. Some mandatory. And those include St. John the Baptist, Plaquemines, Lafourche, Terrebonne and Jefferson parishes. And that includes also the town of Grand Isle on a barrier island. They typically get the brunt of severe storms when this happens. And this time around the mayor says they're expects a 2 to 4- foot storm surge.

So, people around the area have been sandbagging in preparation just to be extra prepared for this storm. Now we are also hearing from local residents that the good news is the high river levels that they saw last year they have not seen that this time around. So, that's going in their favor. They are otherwise not terribly concerned about this storm.

The National Weather Service, though, does warn people that flooding could be life-threatening here. There is a flood watch for the area. And that has been extended north and that will go through Tuesday morning.

So, a lot to consider here, especially flooding. But people are getting prepared and making the best of it.

BLACKWELL: Natasha Chen, live in New Orleans. Thank you.

PAUL: So there are challenges as we all know of uncomfortable conversations, trying to talk to our kids about racism and police brutality. Well, do stay with us. A child health advocate is helping us start that conversation. She has really important information for us. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:27:11]

BLACKWELL: You've seen the marches and the rallies across the country. But this is not a problem in just the U.S. Countries around the world are joining this global movement to take on racism and police brutality.

PAUL: Yes. Just in the last 48 hours there have been so many images like what you're seeing right there on your screen. Protesters worldwide rallying in solidarity with the United States and calling attention to issues within their own communities.

We have more protests planned today we understand in London. Amid the scenes of peaceful protest yesterday there were some chaotic moments when mounted police officers charged their horses at protesters. This was near Downing Street. And in that chaos one officer fell off a horse as you saw there, setting it loose in the crowd.

Black Lives Matter is one of the many messages from protesters in Berlin. Thousands of people, look at this, holding silent demonstrations and wearing black to mourn George Floyd.

BLACKWELL: In South Korea, more proof of the universal language of the protests. You see the marches here in Seoul with the signs that read rest in peace George Floyd and enough is enough. Now to Rome this morning protesters they were down on the ground to chant, I can't breathe.

PAUL: And prompt these conversations, important ones that parents have to have with children, right, and should be having regarding what's happening. It's hard to know what age is appropriate and how to present some of these conversations, and it's difficult to explain why people are protesting and why people are upset and why they want change without traumatizing a child to understand what other people have been through. But to instill in them a need to see everybody, the necessity to see everybody as equal and to fight for that.

Child health advocate and host and creator of "What is Black" podcast, Dr. Jacqueline Douge is with us. Doctor Douge, it is so good to have you here.

I want to start with a few messages that parents have sent me regarding having these conversations. Kelly wrote saying, my home is filled with different races almost daily so my conversations have been with everyone. First of all, don't be so consumed with being right that you're unwilling to listen and see the other side. Secondly, don't be so quick to jump on band wagons because of what you're told. Be you and think about your experiences and use that as a foundation for your opinion.

What about, Dr. Douge, people who do not have that diversity in their home or in their neighborhood, how do you have those conversations?

DR. JACQUELINE DOUGE, PEDIATRICIAN: Thank you, Christi, for the opportunity to be with you all this morning and to talk about this important topic.

[06:30:01]

I think for families who don't have diversity within their family, I think books are a wonderful way to insert that diversity into your home. There are wonderful booklets curated by the Brown Bookshelf, Common Sense Media and other organizations, such as Embrace Race and helpyourchildren.org has resources. Having books are a wonderful opportunity to do that.

And also, if possible, I would suggest movies, television shows, right, documentaries that are children-friendly. And, again, Common Sense Media is a great resource to do that, so that you can explore different cultures, different races and open up those conversations.

PAUL: So, Kimberly wrote and said, our kids are adults now. I raised them to love others just as God loves them. Every day, since George Floyd was murdered, my kids are marching in California protests. They send videos and photos. And I'm so proud of them for truly listening to me when I was their mommy. I believe it starts at the breakfast table and at bedtime when children are about four years young. That's what she did.

Age appropriateness is something that people have some confusion about. How can you give us some guidance in that regard?

DOUGE: Certainly. I think it's wonderful that that person shared their journey. And I think she hit the nail right on the head. Around preschool age, right, is when kids really start to internalize racial bias. So I think that's a great topic to talk about. These are important topics.

I think for many of us parents, we think that our kids -- we've shielded them from this information. But in reality, our kids know more than we think they know. I've seen videos, I've seen during the protests where there are young children who already are a aware because their parents exposed them to this or they're (INAUDIBLE) from family members or school system. So they're already aware.

So I think right now is just an opportunity for you to just start to ask your kids these questions in an age appropriate way. So, for preschoolers, many of them ask questions about, so what's happening in the news, mom, or why are you upset? So that's an opportune time. And, again, age appropriate way to let them know and share, something bad happened to this man, his name is George Floyd. People are upset because he was hurt by police, right?

And so just, age appropriate kind of straightforward and also asking kids questions as they're a little bit older, can understand a little bit better, then the conversation can deepen. And, again, also books, getting kids historical context as to historical use of protests and how protests have made change in our country can also kind of help with those conversations.

And as kids get older in their tweens and teens, again, they're open to understanding more things and you can have deeper conversations with them.

PAUL: Sure. And at that point, they have opinions as well, which can really spark a good conversation.

I know that there was an article published in the American Association of Pediatrics, I believe it was, and I want to read that to you. I think that you actually co-authored part of this. But it says, the impact of racism has been linked to birth disparities and mental health problems in children and adolescents. This is something outlined that I think a lot of people do not know. And it's that the chronic stress associated with racism, particularly for children who live in it, is rampant and it really affects their health.

Help us understand what these children are living with in that atmosphere.

DOUGE: So, again, if there is unremitting stress and racism being one of those stresses, it causes physiological changes over time that can lead to chronic illnesses.

In addition, because of the stress that occurs from perceived racism or actual incidents occurring for someone, or to internalize those feelings, right, so they can develop depression, they can develop anxiety and just stress. And if there's not a way to cope with that, then it might require additional help through the pediatrician or a mental health provider.

But I think what's important to know is that there are direct health effects and there are also indirect health effects, because if we look at racism, we also look at institutional and systemic racism. So we look at our systems. We look at our economic system, our wealth gap, right? Those also impact health, right? So if kids are not having the proper access to educational attainment, right, that affects health.

[06:35:06]

We know that if kids aren't reading grade level in terms of reading by third grade, they have poor outcomes in terms of school, graduation from school, and if you're not graduating from school or college, you have less access to health insurance, which impacts health, economic impacts, as well, racism, criminal justice and political policy related to racism, those all can contribute to poor health outcomes. Correct.

PAUL: Dr. Jacqueline Douge, thank you so much. I mean, we learned so much from you this morning. And we appreciate your voice in this. Thank you.

DOUGE: Thank you. You're welcome.

BLACKWELL: We're hearing from a lot of athletes talking about the moments in our country across the world. An entire NFL team is now putting their activism into action. Their top players sharing messages of hope and determination and you'll hear some of them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

BLACKWELL: NBA Coach Gregg Popovich says that he is embarrassed by the acts of racial violence in this country.

PAUL: Yes. The coach almost he broke down a couple of times as he shared his thoughts on the death of George Floyd. Carolyn Manno is with us this morning.

And I know he was really candid about this, about things that he thinks are wrong and what he thinks it's going to take to change.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christi and Victor. That's right. Gregg Popovich is never afraid to speak his mind. He's done so in the past. And he said in an emotional video that the country is in trouble and that the burden falls on white Americans to fix what's broken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREGG POPOVICH, SAN ANTONIO SPURS COACH: I think I'm just embarrassed as a white person to know that that can happen, to actually watch a lynching. We've all seen books and you look in the books and you see black people hanging off on trees. You are amazed. And we just saw it again.

I never thought I'd see that with my own eyes. Nothing is going to happen. We have to do it. Black people have been shouldering this burden for 400 years. The only reason this nation has made the progress it has is because of the persistence and patience and effort of black people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Popovich added that the history of our nation is in many ways alive and we continue to try and make that lie a truth. Meantime, the Denver Broncos led thousands of protesters through Downtown Denver yesterday, more than 70 players, coaches and staff members coming together to peacefully march. Former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller saying it's time to come out of oblivion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VON MILLER, DENVER BRONCOS LINEBACKER: We got to get more accomplished and make decisions on what's right. Black, white, it doesn't matter. It's 2020, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown still fighting this fight. And it's up to us to keep it going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: We are the problem are the first public words issued by Brittany Brees, as she and husband, Drew Brees continue to respond to the criticism that came from the quarterback's initial stance on player protests at NFL games. Brittany Brees is saying in part that white Americans are not listening and not hearing what anthem protests are really about.

She says, quote, to say, I don't understand what disrespecting the flag means means I now understand. I was also saying that I don't understand what the problem really is. I don't understand what you're fighting for and I'm not willing to hear you because of our preconceived notions of what that flag means to us. It's our job to educate ourselves.

And, lastly, some potentially troubling news for those who are hoping for a college football season as students were allowed back to campus to start participating in training this week. Sports illustrated and A.L.com reporting that five Alabama football players at least have tested positive for coronavirus. And that at least one of those players took part in a player-led workout session. That player was asymptomatic at the time, according to A.L.com.

So, Christi and Victor, it has felt very tone deaf to talk about coronavirus and its impact in sports when we've been dealing with so much as a country. But it is an important story and something that we're following.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and both things happening at once. Carolyn Manno, thanks, Carolyn.

PAUL: Thanks, Carolyn.

Well, up next, the president downplayed protests in D.C. as tens of thousands of demonstrators are in the streets of the capital. CNN's Brian Stelter is with us next with a preview too of what's coming up on Reliable Sources later this morning. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:00]

PAUL: Well, 48 minutes past the hour right now, and the march in Washington that we've seen was one of the largest there in recent memory. Tens of thousands of protesters calling, look at them here, they were calling for social justice and an end to police brutality.

BLACKWELL: And the president was taking all this is in from the White House and he did what he often does, sidestepped the issue and just talked about the size of the crowd.

Let's talk about this with CNN Chief Media Correspondent and Host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter.

First of all, the suggestion, as the president right out there -- good morning to you, Stelter -- that it was smaller than expected crowd. It just doesn't seem right, but he's not dealing with the issue. He's absent from the center of the conversation.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's absolutely right. I think, all week long, we've seen this tendency for the president to say, don't believe your eyes. Do not believe your own eyes and ears. Whether that's the White House denying that tear gas was used in Lafayette Park or now whether, he's saying the protests were smaller than expected. We can all see the video of the protests in Washington. We can all tell this was an extraordinary and very, very big event.

But he did tweet overnight saying the protests were much smaller than expected. He said the police did a great job, thank you, exclamation point. So he completely ignored the reasons why the marchers took to Washington and streets across the country and then said, tried to downplay the significance of the protests.

[06:50:01]

I think that's because he focuses on what people are saying about him. He focuses on the fact that some people are protesting were holding up signs against him. But he did not talk about the broader purpose of this movement. And, of course, that is in line with the president's usual behavior, but it's still shocking. Look, he expresses disregard for both different parts of the First Amendment, right, the part about the press and the part about free expression.

And let's just note, these protests, they were in Washington, they were in New York, they were in hundreds of other cities and towns across the country. This is not just a blue state or blue city saying thing. This is an incredible uprising across the country that the president seems not to be -- look, I mean, he's noticing it, clearly, but seems to be trying to downplay.

PAUL: And it's global, actually. I mean, we've seen the protests in Australia and in London. And they are all over the place. And you mentioned how he also takes shot at the press sometimes as well because this is what you cover, Brian. We know that there have been journalists who have been hurt and attacked at some of these protests early on. How much of that is actually still happening? What's your takeaway of that?

STELTER: That's right. In the past ten days or so, about 300 different incidents have been counted. Mostly in cases where police officers have fired into crowds and reporters have been hit by tear gas and rubber bullets. There have been cases of protesters or rioters beating up on journalists trying to get them to leave the scenes.

These were mostly early in the week. But they were concerning enough that a number of press freedom groups have written letters to local governors and mayors, asking them to make sure this does not continue to happen.

I think what's really remarkable about this weekend is that we're seeing the acts of vandalism, the acts of setting fires, that was clearly a chapter, a very ugly chapter of what's happened in the past 10, 11 days. However, that chapter seems to have been closed. That was happening last weekend, in the last Monday in New York City and now we've almost seen a complete break from that behavior and now we're in this different chapter, a new chapter that is about massive, peaceful protests.

Maybe the word isn't then peaceful protest. Maybe it's about powerful protests, because these are very powerful protests all across the country.

PAUL: Yes, no doubt about it. Stelter, always appreciate you. Thank you so much.

And be sure to watch his show, Reliable Sources. It is today at 11:00 A.M. Eastern right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: So let's talk now about what Brian referenced there. Turning these powerful protests into some policy, some action, legislation. We'll talk about one proposed solution of police reform bill. We'll tick through what that means.

And we'll go live to Rome where there are mass protests now for another day. Stay with us.

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[06:55:00]

PAULL: There are thousands of people gathering in Rome right now in solidarity with the Black Lives Movement Matter.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Demonstrators held a moment of silence lasting more than eight minutes a short time ago.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman is there. Ben?

BEN WEDEDMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We are in Piazza del Popolo, one of the main piazzas of Rome, where there are thousands, thousands of people who have come out for this demonstration in solidarity with George Floyd and with the Black Lives Matter movement.

There are people from all social strata in Italy, migrants, Italians. There are Americans here as well. This demonstration has been going on for about two hours, very peaceful. There is a police presence here but very low key. They're not dressed up for a riot or anything like that.

And this is just one of a variety of demonstrations that have been held in Italy over the weekend and, of course, in Europe as well, where there has been a massive outpouring of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

BLACKWELL: All right. Ben, thank you so much, of course, there in Rome.

Next hour of New Day starts right now.

PAUL: A beautiful look at Atlanta there. We hope it's beautiful wherever you are as you look out maybe the window, get ready for your walk this morning. We are glad to have you with us.

Overnight, the U.S. saw some of the largest protests yet since the death of George Floyd. For the 12th night in a row, there were calls for equality and justice all across the country. Tens of thousands of protesters, look at them here, they were in the streets of large cities and small towns.

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