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Officer Who Shot Daunte Wright Arrested, Charged With Second Degree Manslaughter; Minnesota City Bracing For Fourth Night Of Protest; Curfew Extended In Brooklyn Center, MN As City Braces For Fourth Night Of Unrest; Biden Says 'It's Time To End America's Longest War,' Last U.S. Troops To Exit Afghanistan By Sept. 11; Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal Plan Sparks Bipartisan Backlash. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 14, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: He was only 48 years old. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. May his memory be a blessing.

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter @jaketapper. You can tweet the show @theleadcnn. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. I'll see you tomorrow.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We're following breaking news. We're standing by to hear from the mayor and the city manager of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota where the white police officer who shot and killed a young African American man, Daunte Wright, has been charged with second degree manslaughter. Right now, that suburban city of Brooklyn Center where it happened is bracing potentially for a fourth night of unrest as protests against the shooting have turned violent.

Meanwhile, in nearby Minneapolis, jurors in the murder trial of former Police Officer Dereck Chauvin heard testimony from a medical expert for the defense. He suggested that George Floyd died from a sudden cardiac event and possible carbon monoxide poisoning from a nearby idling police car but not as a result of Chauvin kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes.

And President Biden says it's time to end America's longest war. He's announced that the last U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan by September 11, 20 years after the U.S. and its allies launched the war in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. A lot coming up on that.

But first, let's go straight to Brooklyn Center in Minnesota. CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is joining us right now.

Adrienne, tensions, I take it's still very high in the Twin Cities. More than 3000 Minnesota National Guard troops I've now been told have been activated in the area. Update our viewers.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, members of the community say the second degree manslaughter charge against that officer is a start, but not enough. And just moments ago we received a news release from the Washington County prosecutor. He said the officer, Potter, pulled her nine millimeter handgun with her right hand and pointed it at Wright. We all know what followed.

And soon after that, immediately after that, the prosecuting attorney said Wright is heard on that body cam video saying, ah, he shot me before driving off and crashing into another vehicle. Well, tonight we know that officer was Kim Potter. And she is about eight miles from the police department where she built her career. She was booked and the Hennepin County Jail.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BROADDUS (voice-over): Tonight, rolls reverse for former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter. She was arrested and booked into jail charged with second degree manslaughter in connection with the killing of Daunte Wright.

Police body cam video shows the moment Potter shot Wright during a traffic stop Sunday. Police official said it was accidental and Potter thought she was using her Taser.

Potter could face up to 10 years in prison or a $20,000 fine. CNN has reached out to her attorney. The charges come a day after Potter submitted her resignation. But Mayor Mike Elliott said Tuesday he has not accepted it.

BEN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Breaking News. God says hi and looks low. They just charge the police woman and -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CRUMP: -- with second degree manslaughter. We continue to fight. We continue to fight.

BROADDUS: Ben Crump, one of the Wright family attorneys reacting to hearing news of the charge, but still believes more needs to be done to protect Black communities.

CRUMP: And so it boggles the mind why she will pull him over in the first place. Or is it the rules are set aside when you really been targeted for driving while Black.

BROADDUS: Police said the initial stop was for expired tags and then possibly for hanging air fresheners.

CRUMP: Because when you get down to the crux of the matter, when you look at what this officer did, she over police from every point.

BROADDUS: For the third straight night, protests turned violent.

BOOKER, HODGES, MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: There were those that decided to come out and throw bricks, a light here, alcohol bottles, cans and other items at law enforcement officers.

BROADDUS: Police use pepper spray and flash bombs to disperse the crowds. More than 60 people were arrested.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

[17:05:05]

BROADDUS: Meanwhile, so many have asked how did Potter make this mistake? A BCA investigator took a look at Potter's duty belt and discovered her handgun was holstered on the right side of the belt. The Taser was on the left side of the belt.

It's also important to underscore the Taser was yellow with a black grip. And the Taser is also in a position that would require Potter to pull it with her left hand. And on that day, we've learned she was training rookie officers, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Adrienne, standby we're going to get back to you. But right now I want to get the latest on the former police officer who's on trial for murder in the death of George Floyd. Our Senior National Correspondent Sara Sidner is covering Derek Chauvin's trial for us.

Sara, Chauvin's lawyers are trying to cast doubt on how George Floyd died. Tell us what happened today.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we heard from a former medical examiner who testified for the defense who basically said that several things killed George Floyd but not one of them for the officers on him or Chauvin kneeling down on his neck.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DR. DAVID FOWLER, FORMER CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER, M.D. DEPT. OF HEALTH: So there are multiple, multiple entities all acting together and adding to each other and taking away from a different part of the amount -- ability to get oxygen into his heart.

SIDNER (voice-over): Derek Chauvin's defense put on former Maryland Chief Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler, who testified as to what killed George Floyd in his opinion.

FOWLER: In my opinion, Mr. Floyd had a sudden cardiac arrhythmia or cardiac arrhythmia due to his atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease or you can write that down multiple different ways, during his restraint and subdual by the police or restrained by the police.

SIDNER: He blamed everything but Derek Chauvin's knee on Floyd's neck for Floyd's death.

Floyd's slightly enlarged heart, his heart disease, the methamphetamine and fentanyl found in his system and potentially the exhaust from the squad cars tailpipe Floyd's face was near as police press down on him.

FOWLER: In the area close to an exhaust, you're going to have a much higher level of carbon monoxide than you would if you three, four feet away. SIDNER: In cross examination, the prosecutor challenged the witness to see if he could give him any evidence that that was a contributor influence death.

JERRY BLACKWELL, PROSECUTOR: You haven't seen any data or test results that showed Mr. Floyd had a single injury from carbon monoxide. Is that true?

FOWLER: That is correct because it was never sent.

BLACKWELL: I asked you whether it was true, sir. Yes or no?

FOWLER: It's true.

SIDNER: Fowler is currently being sued in his medical examiner role in Maryland for allegedly helping cover up the police's role in the 2018 death of a black 19-year-old named Anton Black.

Before the jury even arrived, the judge heard a motion to acquit.

ERIC NELSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: And for that reason, we would ask the state to -- or excuse me ask the court to grant the motion for judgment of acquittal.

SIDNER: The state vehemently disagreed.

STEVE SCHLEICHER, PROSECUTOR: The defendant is guilty of all charges.

SIDNER: And the judge ruled in the prosecution's favor. The case continues.

PETER CAHILL, JUDGE: I'm going to deny the defense motion for judgment of acquittal. Even when they're in consistencies major or minor, between witnesses, the jury is free to believe some and not the others.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SIDNER: Now, the prosecution also asked that former Medical Examiner Mr. Fowler, whether or not medical attention should have been given to Floyd because he was having some sort of heart problem at the time. And he agreed that that should have happened in order to help save his life. And he was critical of those who did not give him medical attention at the time. Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, certainly at a minimum, he should have received that kind of medical attention.

All right, Sara, standby as well. We'll get back to you.

I want to bring in our CNN Legal Analyst Elliot Williams, retired Maryland State and Baltimore Police Officer Major Neill Franklin, and Defense Attorney and former Federal Prosecutor Shan Wu.

Elliot, I want to get to the Chauvin trial in a moment, but first, let me get your reaction, the police officer who killed the 20-year-old Daunte Wright has now been charged with second degree manslaughter. Why that charge specifically? What does that imply about this police officers conduct? And we're showing the picture there of her right now.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Right. So, I think that would probably have been the most likely charge to come out of this because to be proven guilty of manslaughter, secondary manslaughter in Minnesota, the defendant needs to engage in what's called culpable negligence, that's engaging in a level of or failing to behave with the level of care of an ordinary person.

That's pretty obvious on its face. You look at the video, it's a level of negligence in pointing out. And as the, as the police chief has all been admitted thinking one is pulling out a Taser and pulling out a handgun.

[17:10:04]

Now, what prosecutors often do as the investigators when they pulled together a case is perhaps bump up the charges a little bit. You might see a third degree murder charge here. Now, that's complicated in Minnesota. And there's an open question as to whether an officer firing a weapon can be convicted of that.

The Minnesota Supreme Court is weighing it as we speak in the context of another officer. That's a charge usually reserved for someone who gives somebody else drugs and they overdose. But look aggressive prosecutors could do it. You know, I probably would. And just try it and roll the dice on it.

But certainly, this negligence, this criminal negligence for the secondary manslaughter charge is what we've seen.

BLITZER: Now, Elliot, the acting city manager in Brooklyn Center is about -- is speaking right now. Let's listen in for a while.

REGGIE EDWARDS, ACTING CITY MANAGER, BROOKLYN CENTER, MINNESOTA: Of course, aware of the decision of the Washington County attorney to charge former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kimberly Potter with second degree manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright last Sunday. Because the officer, former Officer Potter is no longer an employee of the city, the city does not have an official position on that issue.

Let me say that today we had an inaugural meeting of a very important group, I want to announce the formation of the Brooklyn Center Community Crisis team, which has about nine members at this particular point, it's a developing team, representative of businesses, faith, education, nonprofit and city government.

We will meet daily for the next 10 days, in order to assure coordination as the city moves forward. This is a new way of us try to create a path going forward. It's a new opportunity for us to bridge relationships, and to share understanding, perspectives, and to gain insights from those outside the walls of city government that can help us shape again how we move forward on behalf of the community, as well as the city and do that collectively as one. So, we had our inaugural meeting, as I mentioned today. And I appreciate and look forward to that partnership as we try to make the city better and stronger a place for all residents.

There are three focuses of that group. Each day we come together, we asked three fundamental basic questions, one, what happened at the protest yesterday, and we tried to learn and to try to see what that looked like and how bad experience was from the eyes of those around the table. So, again, that's no longer the city looking at the protests from the city lands, or simply community from community lands. We're sharing those in gaining insights from each other.

So, as we ask about what happened yesterday, then we asked the question, how does it fall in what we will do today. So, today, we're taking on and try to do things that are a little bit different than we did yesterday and keeping safer. For example, we increase communication. Now that we have community, community coordinating with officers, we're able to say, well, let's share our phone numbers and let's simply talk.

When you see something happening, you can communicate with us. When we know something, we can communicate with you. It's a small step, but it's something that would not have happened had we not start coming together and working together as a team.

And the final thing is, as we think about what we do tonight, we're planting the seed of how we move forward. We understand that this will not change overnight, relationships will not be built overnight, trust will not be built overnight. But as we come together, as we share, as we understand, and as we work together and create successful practices and opportunities we will get better in the long haul and that's where our systemic change will come.

So, appreciate that. Appreciate you coming in tonight. With that said, I'll have the mayor come forward to share his thoughts.

MAYOR MIKE ELLIOTT, BROOKLYN CENTER, MINNESOTA: Good afternoon. I want to thank the residents of Brooklyn Center and the broader twin city community in this country, for gathering these last few days and for raising your voices in honor of Daunte Wright.

This is truly been a tragic and difficult week for the people of Brooklyn Center. And my heart is broken for Daunte's family and friends. He was taken from us and from them far too so.

I share our community's anger and sadness and shock. And my message to all who are demanding justice for him and for his family is this, your voices have been heard. Now the eyes of the world are watching Brooklyn Center and I urge you to protest peacefully and without violence. Let us show the best of our community.

[17:15:19]

And to the Wright family, I know that there is nothing I can say or do that will bring Daunte back or easier grief. But I promise you this, his death will not go in vain. And as we navigate this challenge, we are going to strive to ensure the safety of our residents and our staff, including our public safety officers. And we are working to safeguard our businesses and other gathering places from damage.

With the news of the decision to charge the former Brooklyn Center police officer with manslaughter, comes a prolonged period of continued grieving, hurt, and understandable anger. Our task as a city, and as a leadership is to allow for the expression of those very legitimate voices. And to also create a pathway forward toward healing and renewal of our stability and strength as a community.

The foundations of achieving these goals are transparency, and accountability. I look forward to working with our city council and our newly established Community Crisis Management team. And with all of our residents that find -- together with all of our residents to find a way forward. And I asked the community to remain peaceful as we live through this tragic event.

And I pledge my support to honor the request for justice for Daunte Wright as he and his family remain in our thoughts.

I want to reiterate that we have extended the curfew. From 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. tonight here in Brooklyn Center.

I want to thank you all and we'll stand for questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will the former officer give her pension and any retirement benefits (INAUDIBLE) on six years?

EDWARDS: The officer has did resign. And with that comes the obligation or for it to be entitled to all the crew in all benefit status do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is on the crisis team? Who are the people? Can you name them? And how many are they? And many of them live in Brooklyn Center?

EDWARDS: Yes, some do. At this time I'm not in a position to share those names because it's still forming. So, as that team falls, we do anticipate having a press conference where we can introduce individual members. And we can also share that list after us as a team again forms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you share if you would consider some of them activists that have been at these meetings over the last few days?

EDWARDS: If they're community members -- I can only say that there are some who are community members.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's in charge of the Brooklyn Center Police Department right now? Who's making the decisions for the department? And also, who's in charge of the police force that is controlling protesters? Can you break that down for the public?

ELLIOTT: I can answer that.

EDWARDS: Sure. ELLIOTT: All right. The Brooklyn Center Police Department reports to the mayor's office. And so, I am in charge of the police department.

And to your question about who's leading the active operation at this -- well, last night's operation was led by the sheriff's office. And you know, he led a combined force from -- of regional partners in responding to this crisis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why was that group so big as number of protesters?

[17:20:01]

ELLIOTT: Well, that -- again, so, you know, the operation itself was led by the sheriff's office. That's an important question to ask the Hennepin County Sheriff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was -- right over here, you know, we've seen unrest. We've also seen calls for peaceful protests in the past. And we heard that community members have been reached out to so they can share that message as well. How is this different? And how do we expect this to work?

ELLIOTT: I'm sorry, can you repeat your question so I can understand it and answer it well?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the new community response crisis team, how is this different? And how is the message to demonstrators going to -- is going to be heard so that these protests stay peaceful?

ELLIOTT: Well, you know, it's our goal to make sure that people continue to be heard. The community crisis team that's been assembled is one way of making sure that the grievances that people are putting forward are, you know, channel in a way that we can hear and address those grievances.

And, I mean, I don't know, Dr. Edwards, do you have more to add to that?

EDWARS: I can only say that we are formulating those strategies. So, again, as I mentioned today, just today as it relates to improving our communication, that will hopefully deliver greater safety and better coordination that it did yesterday. As we meet tomorrow, we will have additional strategies.

Again, we're meeting for the next 10 days, every day. So, it's our job in what we task witness to come up with those, with those ideas and those strategies. So, I'm not sure what all strategies have been done in other parts of the country, in other places of civil unrest, but we are endeavored to try to be as innovative and creative as we can to create opportunities for safe and peaceful demonstration here in Brooklyn Center.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the city of Brooklyn Center self-insured, or do you have other liability insurance given that a lawsuit in this situation is highly probable? ELLIOTT: So, to the, to the best of my knowledge right now, to answer your question, we are part of a -- the League of Minnesota Cities insurance program. And so, you know, we're insured through that, you know, collective insurance, pool of cities,

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there help or relief of anytime you've given to the families who live in the apartment building across the street, and you're buying police department who had tear gas canisters on their doorway, and what are your thoughts on that happen?

ELLIOTT: We've heard from -- I have heard from community members and leaders this morning about the impact of the discharge of rubber bullets and tear gas on the nearby apartment. And that is something that is extremely concerning to me.

Our city council obviously took the step to pass a resolution imploring the Brooklyn Center Police Department to not use such tactics for -- and those are some of the reasons why our council took that step. So, the folks in those apartments are, you know, had been impacted by the noise, by the gas, by the rubber bullets. And we're actively working with community based organizations to offer relief to the people in those departments, whether it's in the form of food, or other needs that may arise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that the sheriff is in charge, but have you had conversations with them, like lay off our people with that kind of stuff?

ELLIOTT: We certainly have had conversations we've relayed. You know, the resolution that the City Council passed, we've conveyed those sentiments to the sheriff's office. And so, they're well aware of the position of Brooklyn Center, at least from the, from the city council standpoint.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the city's role in operation safety net?

ELLIOTT: The city is a, is a partner to that operation, like many other law enforcement agencies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor, there are equivocally (ph) crisis network teams to be paid. And why does the city feel necessary to hire a PR person?

ELLIOTT: The crisis - yes, you can, you can speak to that.

EDWARDS: Sure. The crisis commission team members are not paid. They are volunteers. And they have been gracious enough to work with us as a city to try to -- as we share a common goal to try and bring peace and be able to protest peacefully and bridge new gaps and build relationships with our city.

[17:25:12]

As relates to public relations, we do need capacity, just the e-mails and phone calls from all of you today, and yesterday is overwhelmed. We're not a city of a large metropolitan city. So, we needed additional capacity. It was not from some particular angle or something that we need help.

But we did need help and capacity as coordinating our press conferences, coordinating how we communicate with residents, coordinating how I communicate with staff, coordinating how we communicate with various member of organizations in groups. So, that's why we simply increasing our capacity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) throwing objects and that -- to identify if you're in groups or in specific individuals to try and contact indirect.

ELLIOTT: Suffice it to say that the law enforcement team that's assembled to respond to this crisis is working diligently to identify agitators within the protest, because we know that there are a large number of people who are there to protest peacefully and to express their grievance.

We know that there are agitators that show up, looking to stir things up and to confront and engage law enforcement in ways that the vast number of -- vast majority of people who are coming to the protests are not intending to do so.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know pandemic, why are people being taken to over 24 hours?

ELLIOTT: I'm sorry, can you repeat your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just saying it's the third wave or fourth wave, I can't remember what wave we're in, cases are increasing, and we're hearing about people being kept in jail for over 24 hours for coming to a protest after curfew. It doesn't seem right now. Can you talk about the reasoning for that?

ELLIOTT: Again, so that is a very good question to ask the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office as the leading agency in charge of the operation. I share that -- I have a concern about that as well, about holding people for that long during this pandemic, people who are out protesting. Obviously, they're engaged in more violent acts than, you know, other measures need to be taken to make sure that they are -- the people who are engaging in violence are, you know, treated accordingly.

But if people are out protesting peacefully, and they -- their only crime is to be out past the curfew, then it seems to me holding them in a way that puts them at risk of contracting the virus or spreading the virus during a pandemic, you know, seems to not match with what our public health goals would be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- firing Ms. Potter, Officer Potter --

EDWARDS: We have similar answer to that. And one second, I want to get back to the question as relates to being able to identify those agitators. And I simply want to articulate one of the advantages we have, or the fruits of our crisis management, our crisis -- community crisis team at this point, we discussed that very point. So, historically, what happened yesterday was that in identifying those who may be throwing a bottle of those -- someone's thrown a brick, our police officers were able to identify them in a particular, in a particular way. I won't say exactly how that's done. But nevertheless, they were able to identify them.

But that's only a few. So, today, as we talk with community leaders, we talked about, we know that there are certain organizations that are peacefully organizing protesting. And so they are wearing something in particular. And so, now, we understand that now police officers know that when that group shows up, that's one of the groups that are doing peaceful protesting.

So, it's not to say that something can happen there, but the advantage is now that police can take their focus on a smaller group and begin to identify who's working in a particular area. Another is, the communication in which I shared with you earlier, as those community leaders are in the crowd and be able to communicate, being able to articulate to a police officer to relay that information. So, those are two particular advantages that we have today that we didn't have yesterday as a result of trying to work together with community.

So, to your question Mr. Mayor.

BLITZER: All right, we're going to continue to monitor this news conference in Brooklyn Center. We're just heard from Reggie Edwards, the acting city manager and from the Mayor Mike Elliott. The mayor insisting that his heart is broken because the police -- a police officer shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright.

[17:30:10]

He said, he shares the concern of the community. He is very, very angry. Your voices have been heard, he said to the protesters, but he begged them to protest peacefully.

There have been some violent demonstrations. I think more than 60 people were arrested last night and they're bracing for more protests. Tonight, National Guard troops have been activated.

Let's get some reaction to what we just heard. Major Neill Franklin is among those, among of our analysts who are with us. He was a retired police officer in Maryland and in the Baltimore City Police Department. What did you think, Major Franklin?

MAJOR NEILL FRANKLIN (RET.), MARYLAND STATE & BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENTS: Well, one of the things that I kind of keyed in, one, when he was started talking about the crisis team, that the nine member crisis team that has been assembled. And I'm still trying to understand, is this just going to be a crisis team to deal with things after they occur for all the article (ph) or are they also going to be forward looking, for instance, coming together to talk about how they enforce minor traffic laws going forward.

We've heard a lot of discussion around this, it's important to the community. You know, just because of minor traffic laws on the books, it doesn't mean that the police have to enforce it. That community can decide along with the city, to whether or not they're going to enforce these things or figure out another process for dealing with them.

And this, again, is about shrinking the footprint of policing for these minor offenses in a city like their and let the police pay more attention to violent crime. So that's one of the things that I keyed in on.

BLITZER: What did you key on Shan Wu, former federal prosecutor, you're a lawyer. Well, actually, let's go to Elliot Williams next. Elliot, what did you think?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, look, Wolf, it's really hard to see who's in charge here. And these press conferences don't inspire a tremendous amount of confidence. If I'm a member of the community, the things I want to hear are, number one, how are you Mr. Mayor and Mr. City Manager going to make us safe in our community?

Number two, how are you going to minimize the unrest? Number three, what are the charges and why are they coming, and what are the next steps? And it feels from watching these press conferences that there's a lot of passing the buck.

There's a lot of ambiguity and questions. And now at this point, like we could have forgiven this on Monday, where things were breaking, tempers were high and things were flaring. We're now three days in and still not really getting a sense of calm and order and clarity from the leadership in Brooklyn Center.

BLITZER: Yes, that's an important point. Shan, what did you think?

SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think, you know, that point about the resignation is really critical, I think it would send a much stronger message if they were to have just fired that officer. And that's interesting letting her resign, she can keep the pension.

And frankly, you know, I have to say that I don't understand why there continues to be this sort of higher standard for officers. I think a regular citizen in those circumstances would have been arrested on the spot. There's probable cause. Let the investigation play out after the arrest. So I think all this continues to send this message to the country in the community that there's a double standard, and that's problematic.

BLITZER: Marc Morial is joining us right now. Yes, let me just bring in Marc Morial, the President of the National -- and CEO of the National Urban League. Marc, this is part of a bigger picture that's unfolding here in the United States. People are watching right now all around the world and they're wondering what is happening with police and with minority communities.

MARC MORIAL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: Wolf, thank you for having me. This is a pandemic. And it began with Trayvon Martin, almost 10 years ago, some eight years ago. And there's just been case after case after case after case where mostly African American men have been killed, or if you will, injured by the police, some African American women, and there's been scant cases where they've been held accountable.

These officers in many instances do not end up fine, but they are allowed to resign and keep their pension. They're not prosecuted if charges are brought. Ultimately, it's not successful.

The issue of accountability is the crux of this issue. And you see frustrated communities who've lost faith in the system, in the ability of the criminal justice system to a whole lot of its own, accountably (ph). This officer should not have been allowed to resign. And this officer should be charged by billing information or indictment immediately to demonstrate that there's a resolve by the system, by the prosecutors, by the city to hold this officer accountable for the death of Daunte Wright. And we continue to have -- to bring this back to the crux of the matter.

[17:35:10]

Why are people continuously outrage? Here we are, Wolf. For over a year, I've worked closely with members of Congress, civil rights advocates to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. It stalled in the Senate yet again, because of a Senate filibuster, because of the inability of some members of the United States Senate to recognize how critical this issue is, and how there has to be a public policy response, not just statements, not just expressions of goodwill, not simply expressions of sympathy. And that's where we are in America today.

This is about the culture policing. It is not simply about individual police officers. But, Wolf, I've been with you so many times over the last eight years on your show, talking about these tragic incidents. My stomach turns, my heart hurts, but our resolve to find a solution has to continue.

BLITZER: Yes. And let me bring in Abby Phillip into this conversation as well. Marc, stand by for a moment. All of these, Abby, as you know, is taking place in front of the larger backdrop of a deep need for reform in the criminal justice system in our country right now. How do you see all this unfolding?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as Marc Morial just pointed out, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is stalled right now in the Senate, because there are not 60 votes to pass it. And there -- you know, I think a lot of people are looking back on this last year since the George Floyd protests in May of 2020, and wondering what has changed and, you know, it does seem that on Capitol Hill, there is perhaps less momentum, especially on the Republican side, to come to the table on some of these issues.

And in some cases, you're talking about basic things like banning chokeholds, like, you know, ending the practice of no-knock warrants, which was blamed for the killing of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky. But the sticking point on Capitol Hill has been the issue of qualified immunity for police officers. So there is a desire or a lack of desire on the part of Republicans to open up police officers to, you know, potential liability when it comes to these sorts of injuries or deaths in the line of duty. It goes to Shan's point earlier why is there a different -- why does there seem to be a different system of justice for police officers? And I think that is at the heart of this issue here in Washington. I think that many Republicans do not want there to be the same standard for police officers as there are for regular citizens when it comes to things like murder, like what we are seeing in Minneapolis this week.

BLITZER: Marc Morial, let me just get your quick reaction. The police officer who shot and killed the 20-year-old Daunte Wright has now been arrested, charged with second degree manslaughter. There we're showing pictures of her. What do you think of that charge?

MORIAL: I mean, I think it's a step in the right direction. It represents progress, that there's been a charge brought, which means that there will be a trial. But, again, this is a step in the process. The arrest and the bringing of a charge represent the first steps towards holding this officer accountable. Now, we need to see a vigorous prosecution.

I hope that Attorney General Ellison, who took over the prosecution of Derek Chauvin, would be asked to take over the prosecution in this instance. I think, if you watch the trial of Derek Chauvin, one can certainly say that the prosecutors that work for Keith Ellison, in my opinion, did a careful, thorough, reasoned, thoughtful, methodical, if you will, prosecution.

So, I would hope that he would take over and I think that would certainly, if Keith Ellison and his office took over, I think that would send yet another signal -- if the local prosecutor stepped out of the way and turn this over to the Minnesota Attorney General, it would send another if you will signal to people in the community, that there's a seriousness about accountability. And that's really the issue.

BLITZER: And Marc, and what do you think needs to be done? What else needs to be done on a local level to ease tensions right now? How does the lack of trust between communities of color and law enforcement, for example, on a local level as in Brooklyn Center, 10 miles from the courthouse, where Derek Chauvin is being trialed (ph)? How do these communities of color and law enforcement get together and improve the situation.

[17:40:06]

MORIAL: You know it builds up, Wolf, when you see this kind of situation, how we gather that prior to this incident, there was no working relationship between the community, community leaders, and law enforcement. And that because of that, when you have a crisis, the response to the community is we've been ignored. We've got to look at Brooklyn Center, look at whether they've got a history of, if you will, civil rights complaints.

The key is for any mayor or police chief who is watching today, you've got to build these relationships. You've got to show that both law enforcement wants to work hand in glove on those matters that communities dealing with (ph), things like gun violence. Not stopping people, because a tail light is out, not stopping people because their license is expired. And using that as a pretext to conduct a full body search of an individual, a full and complete search of a car.

This is what we have to have, Wolf. It's a change in the philosophy. One of your other guests said that the department could say we're going to de-emphasize these minor offenses, and we're going to work hand in glove with the community on broader issues of police violence, whether it's sexual assault, whether it's those kinds of things that are really, really causing problems in communities, and discontinued the discredited approach of broken windows of 1990s policing. This, I think, is what needs to happen on a broad basis, all across the nation.

And so if you're out there, and you're a police chief, you're a mayor, you're a city council member, you're a county council members, you're a sheriff and you're watching, get to work today to change the theory and the philosophy o policing.

BLITZER: Yes. Yes. Did hear the Mayor of Brooklyn Center, Mike Elliott say, his death, referring to the 20-year-old Daunte Wright, his death will not go in vain. But they're bracing for more potential violence tonight. The curfew in Brooklyn Center has been extended from 10:00 p.m. tonight until 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. We'll watch all of this unfold.

To all of you, thank you so much for joining us. We'll continue, obviously, our coverage. Also coming up, President Biden announcing America's longest war will soon be over. The U.S. withdrawing its last troops from Afghanistan after 20 years.

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[17:46:30]

BLITZER: President Biden says, after 20 years the last U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan by September 11th, a day steeped of course in symbolism bringing to an end the longest war in U.S. history. Our Senior White House Correspondent Phil Mattingly has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's time for American troops to come home.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, America's longest war is finally coming to an end. President Joe Biden standing in the same exact spot where President George W. Bush launched operations in Afghanistan nearly two decades ago.

GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against Al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Biden tonight announcing to the world he will bring U.S. combat troops home by the 20th anniversary, the worst terror attack on U.S. soil.

BIDEN: We went to Afghanistan because of a horrific attack that happened 20 years ago. That cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): A decision officials described as months in the making, the Biden's soliciting views from across his administration and global allies. And coming to this conclusion.

BIDEN: I'm now the fourth United States President to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan to Republicans, to Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility onto a fifth.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): A momentous decision wrought with potential pitfalls. The U.S. intelligence community just this week explicitly stating the, quote, Afghan Government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support. Biden making clear the U.S. will continue diplomatic and humanitarian support for breaking sharply from the driving force of past withdrawal timelines.

BIDEN: We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal and expecting a different result.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell sharply criticizing the move.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: Apparently, we're to help our adversaries ring on the anniversary of the 911 attacks by gift wrapping the country and handing it right back to them.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): And issuing a warning from a similar decision in the not so distant past.

MCCONNELL: Our President should remember what happened when the Obama administration led political considerations rush a retreat from Iraq. Total chaos and bloodshed, and ISIS.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Biden's decision went beyond just bringing troops home. Instead, officials say it's a reevaluation of U.S. Defense priorities, one with a central focus on China. The stakes underscored hearing today with top intelligence officials.

AVRIL HAINES, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: China increasingly is a near-peer competitor challenging the United States in multiple areas, while pushing to revise global norms in ways that favor the authoritarian Chinese system.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): With intelligence officials highlighting North Korea, Iran, terror groups in an increasingly aggressive Russia as major issues. It's a daunting picture for a team still inside its first 100 days in office.

But as Biden Walk slowly through Arlington Cemetery Section 60, the resting place of many of those killed in America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he showed no hesitation or discomfort in his decision. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was it a hard decision to make, sir?

BIDEN: No, it wasn't.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): For a President, it was pressed to leave Afghanistan for more than a decade was born (ph) a long time coming.

BIDEN: To me it was absolutely clear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[17:50:05]

MATTINGLY: And, Wolf, those draw downs will actually start in the next couple of weeks by May 1st according to administration officials, and it's something to keep in mind the September 11th deadline is a deadline. It does not mean that the troops may not all be out before then, however, administration officials acknowledge there are still many questions they need to answer.

Obviously, there's a global coalition there but also the size and scale of the U.S. diplomatic presence. That is something to be figured out in the coming weeks. Make no mistake about it. This is happening, and it's happening rather quickly, Wolf.

BLITZER: A 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, about 7,000 NATO troops, all of them, nearly 10,000 troops are not going to be out by September 11th. Phil, thank you very much.

Let's get some more on all of these, CNN International Security Editor Nick Paton Walsh is in Kabul, the Afghan Capital for us. And CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto is here in Washington with us. Jim, you have new reporting, important reporting. Take us behind the scenes, how did President Biden reach this decision

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: On his own it appears, Wolf, multiple (ph) poll administration and military officials tell myself and my colleagues Kylie Atwood and Kevin Liptak that President Biden ordered this full withdrawal over the advice of some of the senior most military commanders as well as senior State Department officials. Of course, the officials who will now have to oversee and carry out this withdrawal.

We were told that officials such as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley, the commander of Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, they were concerned about the effect of a full withdrawal not just on America's continuing counter terror mission in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda, as well as ISIS, but also about the security of the continuing diplomatic presence there, keeping them safe from the Taliban, which continues to carry out terror attacks across the country.

A senior administration official acknowledging to me that there was, as this official described, a rigorous debate inside the administration. This official says that all points of view were considered, all arguments put on the table. We should note that going back to the Trump administration, when he

himself considered a full withdrawal from Afghanistan, military officials advised that there was a floor of about 2,500 troops, the presence of about 2,500 uniformed U.S. military there to maintain really the most rudimentary security for the U.S. diplomatic presence, but also support for the counter terror mission. This decision goes below that, far below it perhaps. It is not clear what final number they end up on to secure diplomats, for instance.

Also up in the air, Wolf, the fate of tens of thousands of U.S. private security contractors there who have a major role in this, those questions still unanswered. But the President deciding, in the words of another senior administration official, that Afghanistan has many problems plaguing the country, and there is no U.S. military solution to those problems.

BLITZER: Yes, that's true. And, Nick, you've been going in and out of Afghanistan for many, many years doing excellent reporting for us. What will the U.S. withdrawal and the NATO withdrawal for that matter being for the situation on the ground there in Afghanistan?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: It will be a very messy few months ahead certainly. And I think essentially, the main beneficiary will be the Taliban who already gaining ground and make no mistake about that. The issue is whether or not the diplomatic process begins to take effect.

Now, what's key is the Taliban just this morning reiterated their call for all U.S. troops to be out by May the 1st, 16 days from now. Joe Biden said they'd start withdrawing on that date. So possibly those timelines might be fudged in some way.

But President Biden wants to see an Istanbul summit on Saturday week, bring the Taliban to the table with the Afghan government and possibly talk about a transitional government. The Taliban haven't said they'll attend that yet. And in fact, say they won't attend anything unless all foreign troops out there made with rhetoric in the past.

But we're now in to months ahead where the Americans safe, they're attacked during their withdrawal or if their partners are attacked during their withdrawal, which possibly means Afghan troops too (ph), they'll hit back. They definitely says there's no conditions that need to be met for them to leave by September the 11th. But there are, as Jim was pointing out, there a bit of wiggle room in terms of who might stay, who might be considered embassy security. But there is one key thing here which the Taliban have always said, they have the time, the Americans have the expensive watch.

They've known this moment is coming. They could simply wait out in American departure. They could escalate attacks to put further pressure on the Afghan government. We've seen around the country how in rural areas, even in a town called Musa Qala, we've been reporting on, they put their own society in place there. It's not necessarily the moderate one they've been trying to shop at times to those who listen, it's pretty much what many expected women's rights pretty backward there. But we're going to see more about what the Taliban really want and also to how the Afghan government here really under pressure can survive through this. Joe Biden said they'd still get military assistance possibly in the Air Force as well.

[17:55:06]

All of this is in play, but for Afghans, the war is not over just because America's leaving. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, I know there's a lot of concern expressed here in Washington as well for the future of Afghan women and girls with the U.S. of the NATO troops out of that country. We'll watch it closely.

Nick, be careful over there. Jim Sciutto, thanks to you as well.

There's more breaking news we're following. Brooklyn Center, Minnesota now extending a curfew as it braces for a fourth night of protest over the police killing of Daunte Wright. Tonight, the officer who shot him has now been charged.

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