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The Situation Room

Senate Set to Vote on Insurrection Commission; Interview with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT); San Jose Mass Shooting Investigation; GOP Counters Biden's Infrastructure Plan with $928 Billion Offer; Data Obtained by CNN Shows Interest in COVID Vaccinations Increased after CDC Announced New Mask Guidance; Emotional Toll of January 6; Family, Supporters March to Louisiana Governor's Compound, Demand Arrest of Troopers Who Beat, Tased Ronald Greene; Homeland Security Warning Tulsa Race Massacre Events Could Be Target for White Supremacists. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired May 27, 2021 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Austrian Airlines canceled today's flight from Vienna to Moscow because the Russians would not let them reroute the plane. Air France canceled a similar flight for the same reason yesterday.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter @JakeTapper. Tweet the show @THELEADCNN.

Our coverage continues right now with one Mr. Wolf Blitzer right next door in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

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.

Happening now, breaking news: new concerns tonight that authorities missed warning signs of the San Jose mass shooting. The gunman reportedly had been detained and questioned about his hatred for the workplace where he killed nine people.

We're also standing by for a critical Senate vote, with Republicans poised to block an independent investigation into the January 6 insurrection.

And President Biden visits the heartland to promote what he calls bold investments in America.

I will ask Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about the push for historic levels of spending while the economy is on the rebound.

First, let's go out to San Jose, California, right now.

CNN's Dan Simon is on the scene for us.

Dan very, very disturbing new information just emerging reported tonight about the man behind the country's latest mass murder.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Wolf.

Well, first of all, we just got a picture of the suspect, 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy. And it now appears that he had a documented history about his hate towards the VTA, the place where he worked.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON (voice-over): Tonight, chilling new details emerging about the gunman who opened fire, killing nine of his co-workers at this VTA rail yard Wednesday.

"The Wall Street Journal" reports the shooter, Sam Cassidy, was detained by Customs and Border Protection in 2016, after a trip to the Philippines, citing a DHS memo obtained by the paper.

While Cassidy was being held, the paper reports agents found books about terrorism and fear and manifestos, as well as a black memo book filled with lots of notes about how he hates the VTA, according to "The Journal."

When asked if he had problems with anybody at work, he stated no, according to the memo, "The Journal" reports. A history of anger issues is now becoming more clear. In documents from a 2009 legal filing, the gunman's ex-girlfriend said he exhibited major mood swings, a result of bipolar disorder.

A survivor of Wednesday's mass shooting says Cassidy had a specific agenda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He walked by other people. He let other people live as he gunned down other people.

LAURIE SMITH, SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, SHERIFF: Of the people who were injured, none survived.

SIMON: CNN has now learned Cassidy had at least three semiautomatic handguns with him and fired at least 39 times. The sheriff says he also had potential bomb-making materials, such as detonation cords, in his work locker.

SMITH: Some of our dogs alerted on what was his locker. Inside were precursor things for explosives.

SIMON: Just eight miles away, the suspect's home is also now being scoured for evidence. New video from a neighbor's home camera shows a man in uniform leaving the house with a bag around 5:40 a.m. Wednesday.

Less than an hour later, around 6:30 a.m., the shooting began at the rail yard. And firefighters arrived to the home billowing smoke.

SMITH: It's my opinion that he had some kind of device in his house to go off simultaneously perhaps, but we don't know that for sure. SIMON: Officials say several rounds of ammunition and notes were found inside the home, but nothing yet to determine a motive for the killings.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: Now, in addition to those three semiautomatic handguns, we also learned that the shooter was equipped with 32 high-powered magazine clips in his possession, Wolf.

So, this was somebody who was heavily armed, was intent on inflicting a lot of carnage -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Killed nine -- nine wonderful men in the process.

Dan Simon, thank you very, very much.

Let's get some more on all of this.

Our senior law enforcement analyst the former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is joining us. He's the author of the book "The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump."

Andrew, we're learning more about these truly alarming red flags in the shooter's past, as you just heard. The signs were clearly there. Was this mass murder, this mass shooting preventable?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: That's a really hard question to answer, Wolf.

We have to remember the context within which his sentiments about the work matters, about his co-workers came to light. So, it seems, from the reporting we have heard, that he was stopped while coming back into the country from the Philippines, and our Border Patrol folks went through his belongings and saw these writings in his notebook about his hatred for his car and books about terrorism and things like that.

[18:05:04]

Those items, in and of themselves, don't really give rise to a -- information about a threat to national security or a criminal violation of law. These are likely considered to be First Amendment- protected items. You can read whatever you want in this country, and you can certainly take personal notes in a notebook.

So, it's hard for me to see how those CBP folks could have assumed that this individual posed some sort of an imminent risk in the workplace, despite what might have been some very troubling writings.

BLITZER: He was carrying these three semiautomatic handguns, what, more than 30 -- around 30 ammunition rounds, if you will. Each one has, what, maybe 10 rounds in those ammunition packages there, in those magazines.

Tell us what that -- this guy was heavily, heavily armed. But he did have a background that was so problematic.

MCCABE: He really did, Wolf.

And those are very common things that we see in people who perpetuate mass shootings, right? Many of them have anger management problems in their past, episodic violence, maybe domestic violence in their past. They are all -- most of them are assessed to do these attacks because they're acting on some sort of grievance that's boiled to the surface.

So that's all very common. But another thing that's common with them is, they're all armed with unbelievably lethal, high-capacity magazine, very powerful weapons. It's hard to legislate against people's grievances and anger problems. It's hard to address those issues with policy and legislation.

But we could address, with policy and legislation, how people are bringing these sort of military-style weapons into the workplace.

BLITZER: Yes.

MCCABE: It's just a -- it's a persistent problem.

BLITZER: Certainly is.

We did learn also, Andrew, that the employees at the facility where this gunman opened fire had gone through what's called active shooter training. But when confronted by a heavily armed gunman, how can people best protect themselves in a situation like that?

MCCABE: Well, Wolf, law enforcement and trainers on these sorts of -- on these sorts of issues always emphasize three things to civilians when they find themselves in this sort of terrible attack. The first thing is, avoid. Get away from the shooter, if you can. Leave the area. Get out of danger.

If you can't get out of danger, deny, deny that shooter access to you. So, go into a bathroom or a closet or a room with a locked door, barricade yourself someplace where they can't get to you. And, finally, if those things don't work, defend. You have got to defend yourself, and maybe fight for your life.

In 2018, the FBI indicates there were 27 active shooter events, in -- of course, the year 2018. Five of those were stopped when civilians took matters into their own hands and addressed those shooters. So it is actually something that can work in the worst of situations.

BLITZER: Andrew McCabe, thank you very much.

Andrew is the former FBI deputy director.

Let's get some more on all of this.

Joining us now, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

Senator, thank you so much for joining us. I wish we weren't discussing this horrible situation. We seem to be doing it almost every other day.

But, as you heard, "The Wall Street Journal" now reporting the San Jose gunman was detained, what, five years ago, in 2016, for having books on terrorism, various very disturbing manifestos, a book filled with notes about how he hated where he worked, his workplace. He later killed nine co-workers there.

How disturbed are you to hear these missed, apparently missed red flags?

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): Well, I guess what's so disturbing to me is that we have proposals in front of Congress right now that could have prevented this crime, that, if we had passed them, plausibly could have meant that these nine individuals would still be alive.

Here are the two proposals that are wildly popular in the American public that are directly relevant to what happened in San Jose, first a red flag law, making sure that every state has a law on the books whereby people who have come into contact with an individual who may be becoming unhinged, who may be contemplating violence, that we can go to a court and have that person's weapons taken away.

Second, universal background checks, because a red flag law doesn't work unless anywhere that an individual goes to try to buy a weapon, they're stopped from buying that weapon. You can take the weapons away, but, right now, in many states, an individual could just go to a gun show or go online and be able to purchase weapons, even though they are -- been flagged as being a potentially violent threat.

So, we have proposals in front of us right now that we could pass that would certainly save lives and would make these kind of horrific shootings much less likely.

BLITZER: And, as you heard, we are learning that the shooter was carrying these three semiautomatic handguns, had, what, 32 high- capacity magazines.

[18:10:06]

He could have killed a lot more people in the process. As Governor Gavin Newsom of California said yesterday, what the hell is wrong with us?

MURPHY: Yes, I mean, listen, these high-capacity magazines, these military-style rifles -- in this case, it sounds like he had pistols -- they were designed for the military.

They were designed in order to kill as many human beings as quickly as possible. And I think I heard in your reporting that there may not have been any survivors that were shot. That sounds pretty familiar to me, because, in Sandy Hook, every single kid that was hit by a bullet from this gunman who had on his arm a military-style assault weapon died.

Why? Because when it comes out of these military-style weapons at such speed, it disrupts your body in a way that does not allow people to survive.

So, you can still have enough firepower to hunt, to be able to protect your home without having access to these weapons that have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters that essentially guarantee death in many instances if you get hit.

BLITZER: And the reports are he was selecting the individuals he wanted to kill. He left others alive, but he was selecting those he wanted to kill.

You reacted to this latest mass shooting by saying, you fear Congress -- and I'm quoting you now -- "become so numb to all of this that our conscience can't be moved."

Is Congress already past that point, Senator?

MURPHY: I mean, listen, I can feel the numbness here in the halls of Congress.

I mean, it used to be that, if eight people was killed, it would dominate conversation here for at least a handful of days. I do worry about this country's ability now to move on so quickly.

And, of course, it's so outrageous, because, every single day, whether or not there's a mass shooting in the news, there's 100 people dying. Last year, we had, I think, a 25 percent increase in gun murders in this country. This is a crisis. It was a crisis before 2020. And it got worse last year.

We're talking about bipartisan legislation to increase the number of background checks being conducted in this country. I don't know that I'm optimistic that we're going to get to the finish line, but it is still good news that we're in the hunt, and that we have a president and a majority leader now who support expanding protections for people when it comes to the nation's gun laws.

BLITZER: Yes, I just want to show our viewers once again the nine wonderful men who were murdered yesterday in San Jose.

MURPHY: Yes.

BLITZER: There you see them.

They were just doing their jobs. They were essential workers there. I want to express our deepest, deepest condolences to their families. May they rest in peace, these wonderful, wonderful men, and may their memories be a blessing.

Senator Murphy, thank you so much for joining us.

MURPHY: Thank you.

BLITZER: Just ahead, we're keeping an eye on the U.S. Senate right now and that key vote that's coming up on the fate of the January 6 commission.

We will update you on that and all the day's news when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:16:59]

BLITZER: Tonight, Senate Republicans are choosing between Donald Trump and the truth as they face a critical vote in the January 6 commission.

Let's go to our congressional correspondent, Ryan Nobles. He's up on Capitol Hill.

Ryan, I understand we're standing by for this very important vote. Tell our viewers what you're learning.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.

We do expect this vote on the formation of a 9/11-style commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection to happen some time later tonight, lawmakers right now plowing through some other pieces of legislation until they get until that bill.

But even though the vote hasn't taken place, there are very few people here on Capitol Hill who think the bill is moving forward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PROTESTERS: USA!

NOBLES (voice-over): After weeks of confrontation and finger-pointing, it is time for senators to make a final decision on the fate of the January 6 commission.

And despite the concessions, pleas and bipartisan support, the measure never had a chance, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who announced his opposition to the bill shortly after it passed the House, lobbying his colleagues right up to the vote that the process was too political.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): I think the basic goal of our Democratic friends is to keep relitigating in public what happened back on January 6, rather than getting to a quick solution through arrests of those who did it and security adjustments to make sure it never happens again.

NOBLES: Even though Democrats gave Republicans everything they wanted, including an even split of Republicans and Democratic appointees, giving both parties equal subpoena power, and requiring their work to be complete before the end of the year.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The truth of the matter seems to be that Senate Republicans oppose the commission because they fear that it might upset Donald Trump and their party's midterm messaging.

NOBLES: The GOP position so entrenched that even a plea from the mother of a fallen officer who was on the front lines of the insurrection was not enough to change their minds.

QUESTION: What are you hoping will be on their minds when they vote on this commission?

GLADYS SICKNICK, MOTHER OF BRIAN SICKNICK: The country. They're supposed to uphold the Constitution. And, right now, I don't think they're doing it.

NOBLES: One Republican, Maine's Susan Collins, who met with the officer's family, made a last-ditch effort to make tweaks to the bill, hoping to convince her colleagues to vote yes.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): We owe it to the brave men and women who defended our lives that day, and, in some cases, did so at the cost of their lives. And that's why I feel so strongly about that.

NOBLES: But it is not just Republicans unwilling to budge to make this commission happen. Democrats have the option of blowing up the filibuster to pass the bill with a simple majority.

But West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who is pleading with Republicans to vote yes, still believes ending the filibuster could lead to long-term problems.

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): I'm not ready to destroy our government. I'm not ready to destroy our government, no.

NOBLES: All this against the backdrop of a federal judge warning in a decision this week that former President Trump continuing to peddle the big lie about the 2020 election results could inspire more violence from his supporters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[18:20:09]

NOBLES: And there have been many pleas outside of government for Republicans to support this 1/6 commission, but, so far, they have not been convincing.

Former members of the 9/11 Commission support this concept. And late today, a collection of former heads of the Department of Homeland Security, two Republicans and two Democrats, pleading with Republicans to -- quote -- "put politics aside" and support the commission.

Wolf, despite those pleas, there do not appear to be 10 Republicans willing to push this bill forward.

BLITZER: We will stand by to see that vote unfold.

All right, Ryan, stay with us.

I also want to bring in our special correspondent, Jamie Gangel, and CNN anchor Jake Tapper. He's the author, by the way, of a major new novel, a bestseller on "The New York Times" bestsellers list, "The Devil May Dance." There you see the cover right now. We will talk a little bit about the novel later, Jake.

But let's talk a little bit about what's going on right now.

Why are these Republicans seeking to block this commission?

TAPPER: Because, simply put, it will annoy Donald Trump, and they want Donald Trump inside the tent, helping them recapture the House and Senate. They don't want him outside the tent lobbing missiles into it.

And it's really that simple. They are just once again bending to the will of Donald Trump. What I think they fail to realize is -- and it's amazing that they haven't learned this lesson yet -- is that you cannot placate Donald Trump. You cannot ever satisfy him.

So, they go along with this. There will be something else that they want him to -- that he wants them to do. Ultimately, he will be mad at them, unless they offer complete and utter deference, as Kevin McCarthy...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: He still has that kind of control over these Republicans?

TAPPER: Yes, because he still has that kind of popularity among the Republican base.

And in order to get the vote out in November -- they saw what he did in the Georgia special elections, where he depressed turnout, that he has that kind of power. He can tell Republicans to vote or not to vote. And so they want him to help.

And for that reason, they're willing to look aside from the fact that this mob, incited by Trump, attacked their workplace. Five people died. More after that died by suicide. I mean, it's really astounding.

There were, I think, seven congressional investigations into Benghazi, something like that?

BLITZER: Yes, it went on and on and on.

Jamie, I know you're getting some excellent new initial reporting on what is going on as far, as these Republicans are concerned, behind the scenes.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we have spoken to a source who is familiar with the meetings that Brian Sicknick's mother, his girlfriend, Sandra Garza, and Officers Fanone and Harry Dunn had.

We were told that the meetings were very hard, not surprisingly, on Mrs. Sicknick, but that she and his girlfriend, Sandra Garza, kept saying to these senators over and over again: Please, you must have a commission.

And while the meetings were very cordial, it was clear to them at the end that there was no commitment for a commission. At one point, I'm told Mrs. Sicknick said: "How can they not be doing

the right thing? My son and all of these officers deserve it. It's the right thing to do for them. It's the right thing to do for the country."

I also just was told that, on a very sad note, she and Sandra wear necklaces that have part of Brian's ashes in them. And they wore those today. It was very hard on them. But they were trying to change minds at the last minute.

BLITZER: How momentous, just how momentous is this vote for Republicans in the Senate, but also for our democracy?

TAPPER: Well, look, I mean, there is a real fear among all sorts of experts, including Republican experts like Liz Cheney, that not only did this democracy, an attempt to subvert democracy, but that it will -- they will try to make it happen again.

You don't even get a lot of pushback when you make that observation. It's not like Republicans say, no, that's not true, we will accept the results of the election. They don't really say anything.

So, there is a fear. And, look, as Santa Anna said, those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. They are trying to forget it. They are trying to memory hole this whole thing.

And the fear is, it's not just this ugly event that happened. And Officer Sicknick, not that it matters, but he was a Trump supporter.

GANGEL: Right.

TAPPER: Right. He was a Trump supporter.

But the fear is that it's going to happen again, they're going to try to do it again. And the idea that Republicans are just going to try to forget, try to move on, it's a sad legacy for them.

BLITZER: Totally sad.

And if we don't learn from mistakes in the past, we're -- as you say, we're going to repeat those mistakes.

Let's talk a little bit about "The Devil May Dance."

TAPPER: Thank you.

BLITZER: It's really a terrific, terrific read.

Takes place in the '60s, but you know what? It is very timely to what's going on today.

[18:25:03]

TAPPER: So, without going too much into the plot, it's a lot about JFK, and it's a lot about Robert Kennedy, and it's a lot about Sinatra, the Rat Pack, and the mob. And one of the things that is resonant to today, as you're noting, is

the fact that -- the title is "The Devil May Dance." It's a fictitious Sinatra song.

But it's about what happens to you when you dance with the devil. What happens to you when you make compromises with people that are of a lower ethical or moral standard? And for the Kennedys, that was the Rat Pack. For Sinatra, it was the mob.

And then we also see what's going on, on Capitol Hill right now, the deal that Republicans made with Donald Trump, where you have people of integrity who are compromising that integrity to placate him. And you see the result of dancing with that metaphorical devil.

BLITZER: And it's, as I said, a major "New York Times" bestseller already.

Hopefully, it'll be a major motion picture not too down -- far down the road.

TAPPER: Don't worry. There will be a cameo for you. I know you like the cameos.

(LAUGHTER)

BLITZER: I will be looking forward to it.

TAPPER: I know you like the cameos. There will be one for you.

BLITZER: The book is entitled "The Devil May Dance." It's a novel.

And Jake Tapper is the author of this bestseller.

TAPPER: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much.

Jamie, thanks to you as well.

Coming up: The chance of compromise with the Republicans on President Biden's latest ambitious spending plan, we're going to talk about it with the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg.

There you see him. He's standing by live. He will join us right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Tonight, the White House says it's encouraged by the Republican counteroffer to President Biden's latest spending plan, though the two sides remain hundreds of billions of dollars apart.

Let's discuss this and more with the Transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg. Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for joining us.

We did a closer look at this Republican counterproposal. Only about a quarter of the actual money in this counter proposal is actually what's called new spending. The rest comes from existing spending. They haven't budged really on how to pay for it either. So from President Biden's speech today in Ohio, it doesn't sound like he wants to budge much either. And so bottom line is compromise here really on the table?

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Well, I think it can be. You know, we've definitely seen movement. We're getting closer. There's still clearly a lot of daylight between us. But, you know, part of what we saw that was encouraging today is Republicans embraced the concept that a major investment in the neighborhood of a trillion dollars is appropriate at this moment in American history.

As you said, when you dig into the numbers, obviously a lot of differences. We do have concerns about things that the president cares about that we think are very important that we don't see reflected in there, like substantial increases for rail and transit. I don't think that the things that we've been talking about in terms of the power grid are reflected there.

So, clearly, a lot of work to do before these would be meeting in the middle. But I do think that there's progress. And we really valued the conversations that have happened. They've been transparent, they've been straightforward. And given that we started very far apart, there's really been, I think, a lot of healthy dialogue up to this point.

BLITZER: Yes. And I will point out, as I suggested, that of the nearly $1 trillion Republican counterproposal, only, what, according to Republican aides, $257 billion is new spending. The rest comes from existing funds. The White House's counterproposal -- the White House's latest proposal is, what, about $1.7 trillion.

Your colleague, you're Democratic friend Elizabeth Warren said the pandemic provided the opportunity to, quote, expand our idea of what infrastructure means. So isn't that the Republican criticism right now that Democrats are simply throwing every issue into this plan and labeling it as infrastructure?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, I wouldn't only say that the pandemic provided an opportunity to rethink things. I think the pandemic forced us to rethink things. Because one of the things we saw is that, as a country, we were not as resilient as we need to be in the face of a major shock like the pandemic. And so, it's forced us to reassess not only things we've known for a long time need work, like our road and bridge infrastructure, but also things we can't go on forever ignoring, like our care infrastructure, our health infrastructure, which is why we think those things fit together.

This is not a moment for small measures. And that much, I think, everybody agrees on. Getting to agreement on the shape of it, the scope, the size of it, that's exactly where we are right now. As you know, this weekend is Memorial Day weekend. Congress will be leaving Washington, but we'll continue to be working with them so that by the time they're back in Washington on June 7th, I believe, there will be a clear direction going forward.

BLITZER: I hope you guys can reach some certain deal. President Biden says that we have to finish this pretty soon. Those were his words. But the administration is now blowing past earlier self-imposed deadlines. How soon is soon from your perspective?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, again, we wanted to see major progress by Memorial Day weekend, which is coming up on us now. And I think you're going to continue to see a lot of conversations with members of Congress through those next days. Just because they're not in Washington doesn't mean we won't be working with them, remotely, if need be. So there really is a clear trajectory and we know where we stand as they return the following week, June 7th.

BLITZER: These are really, really critical issues to be sure. Infrastructure is so important to our country.

Let's get to another sensitive issue. The president, we're told, now plans to propose a $6 trillion budget as early as tomorrow.

[18:35:01]

That would put federal spending at its highest level since World War II. It could put debt, by the way, at the highest levels in American history. So how do you justify that kind of enormous spending, Mr. Secretary, with the economy just now beginning to bounce back from the pandemic?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, it's precisely because of where the economy is that we need to do this. First of all, President Biden's economic vision is clearly working, adding jobs at a pace of a half a million a month overall since he took. And you look at the trajectory that were on, we've done remarkable work, but we've got a long way to go, which is why we need a big vision.

Now, with interest rates as low as they are, these are the conditions that call for us to make these kind of investments. But let's be clear, the president has also proposed how to pay for them, so that in the long run, the deficit goes down.

That's one of the remarkable things about the job's plan and the vision overall, is that the president has put forward, how to pay for it without asking Americans making less than $400,000 paying a penny more in taxes without going to tax rates that are historically high and it just demonstrates how out of whack our system has become, rewarding wealth when it should be rewarding work. It's time to fix that up, and when we do, alongside these investment which we can afford to make. And the result will be a stronger and more sound economy.

BLITZER: Yes, we definitely need infrastructure spending, so important. Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for joining us.

BUTTIGIEG: Thanks for having me on. Great to be with you. BLITZER: Thank you. Just ahead, lotteries and sweepstakes, just some of the incentives being offered to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: Tonight, we're learning more about the impact of the new CDC guidance that vaccinated Americans can take off their masks. Data obtained exclusively by CNN shows interest in COVID-19 vaccines increased after the announcement.

Let's get some more from our National Correspondent Nick Watt who is joining us right now. Nick, officials are trying all sorts of ways to encourage more Americans to get their shots.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we are definitely now in the cash bonanza phase of the vaccine rollout. And the rationale appears to be that no matter how much money is given away, it's a drop in the bucket compared to the ongoing economic impact of the virus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBIGAIL BUGENSKE, WON $1 MILLION: I still can't believe it. It was a crazy night. I was screaming enough that my parents thought that I was crying and that something was wrong.

WATT (voice over): Actually, she was Ohio's first million dollar vaccine lottery winner, which has boosted vaccination rates in the state.

GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): The governors saw that this was working. You know, they reached out to us for information.

WATT: California's governor just announced $50 gift cards with every shot and $1.5 million lottery jackpots for ten winners.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): We're making available the largest prizes of any state in America.

WATT: Next week, CVS launches a sweepstake for those getting a shot, prizes include cash, Super Bowl tickets, European or Caribbean cruise or a long weekend in Bermuda. New York City will send vaccine buses to the beach this holiday weekend.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NEW YORK CITY, NY): Go, get vaccinated, hit the beach. Real simple.

WATT: Walmart now planning vaccination sites actually inside schools. 40 percent of all Americans are now fully vaccinated, which means 60 percent are not.

States are reopening. New Jersey lifts most mask mandates in the morning, just in time for the start of summer. GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): We've always targeted Memorial Day as when we hoped we'd be able to take our strongest steps on the path back to a fully open New Jersey.

WATT: And when the NFL kicks off in the fall, no more of this. They're planning on packed stands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (voice over): Now, a couple of months until the Olympics in Tokyo, and Japan is desperately trying to ramp up its sluggish vaccination program. And the head of the country's doctors' union just called for the games to be cancelled. He said that they could be a global super spreader of the variants, could even generate a variant of their own. And, Wolf, no one wants an Olympic variant. Wolf?

BLITZER: You're absolutely right. Nick Watt reporting for us, thank you very much.

Coming up, the truly emotional toll of the Capitol siege, how officers and their families are still suffering months after the attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:48:31]

BLITZER: Months after the January 6th insurrection, some Capitol Police officers and their families are still paying a very emotional toll.

CNN's Brian Todd is working the story for us.

Brian, for some who were there, the horrors of that day have not gone away.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. And, some lawmakers heard firsthand accounts of that from two officers who were there. They're among many though who are still struggling with the emotional anguish of that day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): For the officers who battle that day, or their families, the trauma of January 6th, they say continues to reverberate.

Gladys Sicknick the mother of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died as a result of the Capitol attack, spoke on Capitol Hill today.

GLADYS SICKNICK, MOTHER OF U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER BRIAN SICKNICK: He just was doing his job and he got caught up in it. It's very sad.

TODD: For many of the surviving officers, January 6th doesn't seem like it was nearly five months ago, more like a few hours ago. OFFICER MICHAEL FANONE, WASHINGTON, DC METROPOLITAN POLICE: This

experience like PTSD is very much a rollercoaster ride. Some days may not just good to go, and then other days or other times within the same day, I'm just broken.

TODD: D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone was dragged down the Capitol steps, beaten with the flag pole, kicked and tased.

FANONE: Shortly thereafter, I started to experience some of the, I guess, more psychological injuries.

[18:50:02]

TODD: U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, often seen with his arm around Brian Sicknick's mother today is dealing with similar trauma.

OFFICER HARRY DUNN, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: You have good days and you have bad days. But just thinking about, it just takes you back to that -- like you say, that hell day.

TODD: Since January 6, Dunn has spoken about how he fought pitched battles with rioters, who often called him the "N" word that day, about how he broke down and wept as the day wound down. Dunn recently told CNN, constant reminders of January 6 aren't helping.

DUNN: It's a new story every day. It's new article, it's a new news clip released. A new arrest made. It's not going away fast enough.

TODD: One senior Capitol Hill police officer told CNN anonymously the department is hemorrhaging officers. A law enforcement source says more than 70 U.S. Capitol police officers have quit since January 6.

TERRANCE GAINER, FORMER U.S. CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF: There's still 40 or 50 two are injured emotionally or physically that day that aren't at full speed. They are just tired of being tired, and maybe tired of being underappreciated.

TODD: In a letter sent recently to members of Congress, expressing their frustration with the lack of support for a January 6 commission, a group of anonymous U.S. Capitol Police officers wrote about their continuing mental anguish. Quote: It is unconscionable to even think anyone could suggest, we need to move forward and get over it.

Fanone recently told CNN he has to see an entire team of doctors.

FANONE: For a time, I was seeing a speech therapist for some of the cognitive issues that I experienced as a result of the traumatic drain injury and other injuries that I sustained on the 6th.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Fanone was also with Brian Sicknick's mother on Capitol Hill today. Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer told us he's really worried about the officers still on the job who are still exhausted physically and emotionally. He says they're not going to be as sharp as they need to be when they need to make quick decisions to guard against attacks -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Yeah, that is so worrisome. Brian Todd reporting for us. Thank you very much.

Coming up, as protestors demand justice for Ronald Greene, his family's lawyer says grand jury will hear evidence about his fatal arrest and allegations of a cover-up.

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[18:56:24]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROTESTERS: No justice! No peace! No justice! No peace!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: In Louisiana tonight, protestors have been demanding justice for Ronald Greene after his fatal arrest by state troopers. The lawyer for Greene's family says the D.A.'s office is now planning to present evidence to a grand jury and seek criminal accountability.

Our national correspondent Ryan Young is joining us from Baton Rouge right now.

What's the latest, Ryan?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there's still a lot of questions when it comes to this case. In fact, there's a small group of protestors who are still trying to march their way through the city. Look, we're in Baton Rouge, and all day long, they've been trying to get their voices heard.

Take a look at some of this video. They've been marching for about two hours. The reason why, the family makes it very simple -- what would you do if you lost your loved one and then saw a video of it over and over again without any answers from law enforcement? They want justice.

In fact, listen to Ronald Greene's mother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONA HARDIN, RONALD GREENE'S MOTHER: It's up to them to do the only thing that's right. No one is above the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: So you can understand the pain that's going on with this family right now. Wolf, they did have a meeting with the governor today, but they were not satisfied by this. They don't understand why it's taken so long to move the ball, because if you think about this, video was released in this case. That's the only reason why we're having this conversation at this point -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Ryan. Thank you very much.

We also have breaking news on a very disturbing new warning from the Department of Homeland Security here in Washington, just ahead of events marking 100 years since the Tulsa race massacre.

Our senior national security correspondent Alex Marquardt is working the story for us.

Alex, what are you learning?

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a number of events are being held next week to mark this 100 anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, and now, the Department of Homeland Security is warning that this could be a target for white supremacists. The department has issued a bulletin. They did not issue it publicly. But a source tells us that it says in part that these events probably are attractive targets for some racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists, white supremacists to commit violence.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to our request for comment, but Biden administration, the White House says that President Biden is expected to go to Tulsa next week.

And, Wolf, this comes as national security officials warn that domestic violent extremists are the biggest threat to the homeland. And among those extremists is those who are motivated by racial prejudice and by -- or who belong to militia who pose the greatest deadly threat to this country, whether it's the intelligence community, the secretary of homeland security, the attorney general, they all say that white extremists are the most persistent lethal threat to the country. That's why there is so much concern for these events next week.

BLITZER: And remind our viewers what happened in Tulsa 100 years ago.

MARQUARDT: It was a black neighborhood that was known as the black Wall Street in Tulsa. It was burned to the ground in this massacre. And hundreds of people, black people, died 100 years ago.

BLITZER: It was an awful situation, that massacre. And it was covered up for so many years. But now, increasingly, not only people in Oklahoma but around the country and indeed around the world are learning about it.

MARQUARDT: And this is, of course, coming at a time of incredible racial tension in this country. We've had the Black Lives Matter protests for much of the past year that were sparked by the death of George Floyd almost exactly a year ago this week, in fact.

And as a result of a number of factors, particularly grievances, these national security officials are saying that right now, in this year, in 2021, that it is -- it is white extremists. It is people two are motivated by racial prejudice who present the greatest threat and who are most likely to carry out deadly attacks in this country this year.

BLITZER: The CNN original film "Dreamland" on this airs Monday night. There you see it, "The Burning of Black Wall Street," 9:00 p.m. Eastern Monday night.

Thanks very much for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.