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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Russia Unleashes Heaviest Air Strikes On Ukraine Since Invasion; Kyiv Resident Shares About What Life Is Like When Russian Missiles Hit Close To Home; GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville Makes Racially Charged Comments On Democrats And Crime; Emails Show Chaotic And Unorganized Nature Of Trump's Transition; Ex-Officer Who Defended Capitol Releases Tape Of McCarthy Meeting; GOP Sens. Rick Scott, Tom Cotton To Campaign For Walker In GA Tuesday; Officer Who Shot 17-Year- Old In McDonald's Parking Lot Faces Possible Criminal Charges. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired October 10, 2022 - 20:00   ET

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

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Although she resigned her leadership post, she remains on the Los Angeles City Council. As of tonight, calls for her to go are growing louder.

Thank you so much for being here, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan.

AC 360 starts now.

[20:00:16]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: It is early Tuesday in Ukraine where the question is can people, many of whom have not seen airstrikes where they live for months expect a second straight morning of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My hands are trembling, as I've just seen how the missile was flying overhead, and I heard that sound.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That young woman nearly hit by one of at least 84 cruise missiles that Ukrainian military says Russia fired at cities and infrastructure including the power grid across Ukraine today.

The strikes, such as this one, which nearly hit a pedestrian bridge also in Kyiv came during the morning commute when they might cause the greatest loss of life. That bridge by the way is clearly not a military target, I've been there, it's a tourist attraction, the kind of place you might go for a stroll on a weekend with friends.

This isn't a military target either. It is a playground in a city park. Several missiles landed here and nearby at a busy intersection outside a museum. Authorities say at least five people were killed in the city and 11 nationwide.

Lviv in the far west was also hit, so was Kharkiv in east and cities running south along the strategic Dnipro River where this video was taken.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

COOPER: The attack, the largest since the beginning of the invasion came just days after a massive explosion badly damaged the bridge connecting Russian-occupied Crimea, something Ukrainians welcome, but not claimed responsibility for.

President Biden who spoke today with Ukraine's President Zelenskyy condemned the Russian strikes promising continued support including advanced air defense systems. Today, using what they've already got on hand, Ukrainian forces say they shot down 43 cruise missiles and 13 of the 24 Russian attack drones also fired at them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE speaking in foreign language.)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: In a moment, my conversation with Olena Gnes, who spent the early weeks of the war in a shelter with her three children and is back there again tonight.

But first, CNN's Fred Pleitgen who joins us now from Kyiv. What are things like in the capital -- Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Anderson.

Well, it is eerily quiet in the capital right now, but I do think that it's also pretty tense as well. One of the things, you know, that we've been hearing is that the authorities here do fear that there could be additional strikes happening possibly in the overnight hours. And of course, as you said, possibly in the morning hours of tomorrow, once again. Certainly, there are very few people here in Ukraine who believe that this was it, as far as those massive Russian strikes were concerned.

And you know, if you look at this morning, for instance, it really was a rude awakening for the Ukrainian capital. They haven't seen strikes on this scale and of this magnitude in a very, very long time, for several months now.

And you know, we were on the street in one location, where we were reporting on a strike that had just happened there, a bunch of cars on fire, there were bodies in the street, and as we were doing that, we were hearing additional explosions taking place for more rockets that were being fired by the Russians and that were then landing in the Ukrainian capital. And it really was an eerie feeling, not just for us, but of course, for everybody who was on the ground there.

And one of the things that the authorities kept telling us is they say that the people here in Kyiv, of course, in other big cities as well, this was a nationwide thing that took place, they urge them to stay indoors, to shelter in place. It was a beautiful day here today in Kyiv. There was sunshine. There

was absolutely no one out on the streets. So, people are heeding those warnings, people obviously going into metro stations to shelter there.

And you know, it is something where I think that the people here, they're not necessarily in panic, but they certainly are very concerned that you could see a big escalation on the part of the Russians that could take a heavy toll on the Ukrainian capital as well -- Anderson.

COOPER: What have Ukrainian officials been saying about the attacks?

PLEITGEN: Well, the Ukrainian officials have been -- I have spoken to many of them today and they said that they are absolutely defiant in the face of all this. I spoke to the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, and he says that if anything, he believes that people will band together and will want to become even stronger in defending Ukraine. He doesn't think that people are going to be brought down by this.

It was quite interesting because the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he actually visited one of the sites that was hit earlier today. And he did that in the evening hours, really just a couple of hours before we went to air here right now, and he said that Ukraine is already working on getting those services back up and going, of course, there are power failures in a lot of Ukrainian cities.

[20:05:21]

But he also said that he believes the Russians are doing this not just because they were humiliated by the bridge to Crimea, but also because they are losing on the battlefield. And he says he believes that the only answer that Ukrainians can give to this at this point in time is by making it more difficult for the Russians on the battlefield.

So certainly, the Ukrainians are saying they're not going to let up and if anything, they're going to become stronger because of this -- Anderson.

COOPER: Fred Pleitgen in Kyiv, thank you. Fred, appreciate it.

Today's reminder of what Vladimir Putin can still inflict on civilians, even as Russian troops flee their Ukrainian counterparts in the battlefield, not entirely unexpected. That said, it is hard to imagine what today was like for people who had managed to fashion at least a measure of normal life in wartime over the last several months only to have it taken away.

Olena Gnes and her three young children for one, who had come on the broadcast often, she has been documenting her life on YouTube from the beginning. Her channel is called "What is Ukraine." She posted this earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLENA GNES, KYIV RESIDENT: There was an air raid siren in the morning, which basically I ignored, because like there every day, every night, there were no attacks in Kyiv for a long time for months. So we were kind of relaxed and I even forgot this awful feeling of fear when you have your hands trembling, when your mouth is dry, when it's hard to breathe, but it's here again, because just like an hour ago or something, there were explosions in Kyiv and the missiles hit the very city center of the city and there were 10 people injured.

These were people who were driving to work, who were driving to school, taking their kids to school or who are taking their kids to the dentist, which I planned to do, but I had to drive a little bit later.

Thank God, we were not driving at this time in this place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That was Olena Gnes shortly after the attack.

We spoke just before airtime tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Olena, thank you so much for joining us. I'm so glad you and your family are safe. I know you're joining us from the basement of a building. Can you just talk a little bit about what's been going on, what you've been seeing and hearing where you are?

GNES: Well, I woke up in the morning. My children said, "Good morning, kittens" and then explosions followed. We heard them clearly even though they were in another neighborhood. We were about -- I was about to take my kids to the dentist, the same road that was bombed actually, but we didn't.

Yes, this is why we're safe, alive, that's the main thing for us, personally.

We are in the bomb shelter right now, in the basement. We will stay here overnight until morning just in case, but most of people are back home sleeping in their apartments.

COOPER: The last time we spoke, you talked about how you moved back into your apartment and you talked about the -- how the extra fear, as you called it, was not with you anymore.

You described that extra fears being kind of with you in your breathing that kind of made you feel thirsty all the time back when the war was in Kyiv itself every single day, that you'd sort of regained the illusion of a normal life. Do you still feel that?

GNES: It can be lost easily when you hear how a missile falls near you. Yes, everything is back, but what is also back, I'm angry. I'm angry with what is -- because it's still happening to me.

These destructions which were caused to Kyiv, in fact and to Ukraine today, let's be honest, not that many people died, even each life is a big tragedy. Yes, not lots of infrastructure was damaged. This will influence a lot in our life. Not much of, I don't know buildings were ruined or whatever.

Everything will be fixed faster. This is just, you know, the terror to provoke maybe panic, to scare you guys over there in other countries or to show to that his own people that he is still a bloody tyrant. You know, he is still powerful and look how many people I can kill, look what fireworks we can arrange.

So I feel very angry with this, and many other Ukrainians, too. We do not feel desperate. We are angry and we donate more to the Army, more people go to the Army and we are more sure even than before that Ukraine will win and we need it as fast as possible, because before and only after we win in this war, only after Russia is defeated, we will have our peace back here.

[20:10:23]

COOPER: You know, the Russian bridge the other day that was hit was a bridge that was an important link to Crimea for Russia, for Russian troops, for getting surprised, it was a military target. A number of these bombs, missiles that were fired at Ukraine, I understand, your favorite playground where your kids play in the center of Kyiv was hit.

I know, a bridge -- I had been to a pedestrian bridge, I think a kind of a bicycle bridge is kind of a tourist attraction in Central Kyiv was also hit. It's kind of remarkable that that's what Russia now is striking at, as if those are comparable targets in any way.

GNES: Yes, yes. It's like, it could be funny. But I mean, we bombed the military bridge with which the Army was supplied and they bombed this -- this is just touristic bridge. I mean, where romantic couples is to kiss each other, where me with children will (go) out for a walk, and this is the level of this terrorist.

And I think, the time has come, finally, to tell that we are not afraid of him. Everyone to say that you are a terrorist, yes, to recognize Russia as a terrorist state because what Russia is doing today obviously has nothing to do with its success on the battlefield.

It's not the war. This is terrorism. This is pure terrorism.

The park is especially, you know, personal for me, because in this park, there is next to the park, there is my university where me and Sahir (ph) were students, when we studied journalism, and this is the place next, in the center of the park, there is Taras Shevchenko monument, and this is the place where my husband told me 15 years ago that he is in love with me, and we named our son "Taras" after Taras Shevchenko. So this is a very personal for me. So, he is just in my heart, you know.

COOPER: If my memory serves me correct, he told you, he asked to take a walk with you, didn't he?

GNES: And after the walk, basically, I took a walk with him to this monument, and over there, he said that actually he is in love. And he asked me, "Can I kiss you?" And I said, "Yes." You see, I have three children now.

COOPER: And we should say your husband has volunteered to serve. He was defending Kyiv and now, he is elsewhere.

I saw, I know, it is the middle of night. I don't want to keep you up too long. But I know -- I saw your video, one of the videos you posted on YouTube today and you said that you wish we would call you, not when something terrible always happens, but if something beautiful is happening, and not just because there is war, and you're right, and we will try to be better about that.

So let me just leave you with something, ask you about something beautiful, which is your children and your family, and how are they?

GNES: In fact, we are very much looking forward for our daddy to come back home, because one week ago, the Parliament voted for -- that father's, parents of three children, can like, thank you for your service, you can go home, so, we wait for this day. The President already signed.

Now, it's funny when in Russia, they mobilize everyone; in Ukraine, they you know, set free some people for moral reasons. Now, three children, that is the reason enough to go home.

So we are looking forward.

One more thing has happened. A week ago, Keita (ph) was diagnosed with Asperger's. My girl who is eight years old, she has high-functioning autism, and it became really visible like it's obvious right now, because of the war, because she is always stressed with everything that's happening around.

So, I'm really looking forward for my husband to come back to the family, and I wish all Ukrainian soldiers to come back home to their families as soon as possible.

COOPER: Olena Gnes, I wish you and your family the best and thank you for talking to us.

GNES: Thank you, Anderson.

COOPER: Coming up next, tonight, a sitting US Senator compares reparations for slavery to money for criminals. Kanye West blatantly antisemitic Twitter outburst and a Los Angeles politician's racist remarks. What is going on?

We'll talk to Van Jones and the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.

Later, Michael Fanon, who nearly lost his life defending the Capitol and democracy and what happened when he confronted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy about it. He recorded the conversation, writes about it in a new book. He joins us shortly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:19:37] COOPER: So whether it was Kanye West posting a now deleted

antisemitic message saying he was and I quote: "Going DEFCON three on Jewish people," or the Los Angeles City Council President likening a colleague's Black son to -- and this is her word on a recording obtained by the "Los Angeles Times," a monkey, it has been a busy several days for hate.

Twitter locked Kanye West's account after Elon Musk welcomed him back to Twitter. In the deleted message, he also said: "You guys have toyed with me," meaning Jews, "And tried to blackball anyone who ever opposes your agenda."

[20:20:16]

Additionally, he said he couldn't be antisemitic "Because Black people are actually Jew, also." So there's that.

There was also this Saturday from Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville in Nevada calling Democrats often criminals and then connecting reparations for the descendants of slaves with money for criminals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (D-AL): Some people say, well, they are soft on crime. No, they are not soft on crime, they are pro-crime. They want crime. They want crime because they want to take over what you've got. They want to control what you have.

They want reparation because they think that people that do the crime are owed that. Bullshit. They're not owed that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: We invited Senator Tuberville on the broadcast to explain what he meant by that. His office said he is not available.

The LA City Council President Nury Martinez today apologized, resigned as President, but not her Council seat.

As for Kanye West, CNN has been unable to reach a representative for comment.

Here to talk about it, CNN political commentator and former Obama's Special Adviser, Van Jones; also Jonathan Greenblatt CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Van, I mean, first of all, let's talk about Tuberville, a sitting US Senator making those kinds of remarks in front of a crowd in Alabama that seems to welcome and cheer them. Your reaction?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I mean, it's the epitome of racism, first of all, to say that, you know, it's as if all the crime in America is being done by Black people, which is not, and then that reparations is about Black people stealing stuff from White people, which it's not, and the huge cheer from people. This is the kind of stuff that needs to be challenged from within the

Republican Party. There's plenty of ways to talk about crime, but to say that crime is a conspiracy on the part of Democrats to help, I guess, Black people steal stuff from White people, it plays to every conceivable stereotype, and it's very, very dangerous.

COOPER: And it's been met by silence by many in the Republican Party.

JONES: Yes. It is -- you know, I can't believe it's 2022. I mean, none of this stuff -- I mean, this is the last --

I mean, everything we're talking about today, and this -- we need to be coming together as a country. We have a hundred problems to solve and you look at the people in Ukraine coming together, standing together, inspiring the world, and we're just here embarrassing ourselves falling down the stairs and act like idiots and it is just disgusting.

COOPER: Jonathan, you look at what Kanye West tweeted out. I mean, these are age-old, antisemitic tropes he is playing, and he must be aware of that. You know, mental illness is not an excuse for -- I mean, for this.

JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO AND NATIONAL DIRECTOR, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Yes, it certainly isn't.

I mean, I don't want to minimize or stigmatize mental health issues and I hope he gets the treatment that he apparently clearly needs, but mental health is not an excuse for fomenting conspiracy theories, anti-Jewish hate, et cetera. Because you know what? Deranged people are often inspired by this kind of awfulness.

I mean, this is the month of October, right? Jewish people are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. They are praying for renewal. We're remembering Yom Kippur. We pray for forgiveness, but it's also the month when we saw in 2018, the most violent antisemitic attack in American history. That happened because some deranged person believed a conspiracy theory that Jews were bringing migrants across the border, if you remember that.

COOPER: Yes. He is talking about DEFCON 3. I mean, it's repugnant.

GREENBLATT: It's not only is repugnant, it's dangerous. That is incitement like what does it mean DEFCON 3. If you're a Jewish person who has already seen the rise of antisemitic incidents, remember, the hate has been heightened. The number of hate crimes against Jews and other peoples has reached record highs.

So when someone with 31 million followers says DEFCON 3, that is antisemitism, that is incitement, and it's got to go.

COOPER: Van, what do you make of what Kanye West has said and done in just this past week?

JONES: Well, it's disgusting, it's embarrassing, it has to be called out and denounced by everybody, Black, White, and otherwise. You know this -- it is amazing, Black people and Jewish people came together in the 60s and linked arms and put bodies in the ground. People died, both Black and Jewish for the rights that we have right now, and people who don't appreciate that and who want to play to the cheap seats on some of the worst stereotypes against Jewish people have to be called out and denounced.

And it's embarrassing. It's embarrassing. You don't have to be Jewish to call this out. You don't have to be a part of the ADL to call this out. Every single person should call this out and say it's wrong.

Of course, you know, Kanye also did the White Lives Matter stunt and offended much of African-Americans, so obviously he needs help, but it doesn't matter at a certain point. It is about saying there is a standard that we're going to have here and we're not going to put any -- you're not going to have white Alabama senators saying all Black people are criminals who want reparations on the cheap and nobody says anything.

[20:25:16]

You're not going to have African-American celebrities coming out here and attacking Jewish people, nobody says anything. You're not going to have, you know, Latinas -- you know, here in Los Angeles, the Biden and the Black community like it's -- all that stuff is just wrong.

COOPER: Yes. I mean, it shouldn't be up to Jewish people to have to speak out about that. I mean, everyone should. This is --

GREENBLATT: Of course not. Anti-Black racism isn't just Van's problem as a Black man, it's my problems a White Jewish person, just like antisemitism isn't just my problem, it is Van's problem, too, as a Black Christian man.

I mean, the reality is, we're all in this together. As he said, we've all got to speak out. We've all got to stand up and say this isn't acceptable.

And I will say one other thing. Social media is a big part of the problem, Anderson, and I'm someone who has been cautiously optimistic about what Elon Musk could possibly do, but when he "welcomes back," Kanye West after he got kicked off Instagram for hate and incitement, what message does that send? What is he trying to suggest he's going to do with the company?

Look, I think what we're seeing today is our society is afflicted with a sickness. It's a sickness of hate. You see it in all three of these threads. That's where they come together. And as Van said, we've got a join and lock arms if we want to push back on this prejudice once and for all.

COOPER: Jonathan Greenblatt, I appreciate it. Van Jones, as well. Thank you.

Up next: How newly released e-mails debunk efforts by the former President and his allies to blame a government agency for classified documents being at his Florida estate. Plus, former DC Metropolitan Police Officer, Michael Fanone and his

outrage directed House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy when they met. You'll hear the audio tapes from my conversation with Fanone about his new book just out, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:30:33]

COOPER: There's new evidence tonight that undercuts the claim by the former president, his allies that boxes holding classified items at Mar-a-Lago were packed by government agencies somehow absolving him of any responsibility.

CNN's Sara Murray joins us now with more. So what else do you know about these communications between the Government Services Administration, which is government agency we're talking about in the former president's aides?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, of course, we've seen this claim from Trump and his former aide saying, you know, essentially GSA pack the boxes. So, you know, he can't be held accountable for any classified documents that were in it. But what we're seeing in these emails is that GSA officials are clearly relying on Trump aides to sort of assess and describe what is in the pallets that are being shipped to Mar-a-Lago.

So, you know, in July 2021, there's this exchange between GSA officials and a Trump aide Bo Harrison, where they're asking him to affirm what's in these pallets that are going to be shipped to Mar-a- Lago. And in another series of exchanges, GSA officials are outlining, you know, what is and is not allowed to be shipped through them back to Florida.

Now, when we were asking the former president's spokesperson for a comment on this, he did not address any of these emails that seemed to refute the explanation the former President put forward. Instead, he slammed the Biden administration and said Democrats are just coming up with a new witch hunt to go after the former president.

COOPER: I mean, obviously, with very classified documents, they would need special handling, even if they were allowed to be moved. They wouldn't just be picked up like this. What did the email show about the chaos surrounding the unusual transition?

MURRAY: All right, Anderson, we should note, you're still not allowed to take the classified documents with you. You're allowed to take a number of things to set up your post presidential office, but classified documents are not one of them. In this case, when the former president was leaving, it was obviously very chaotic. He was more focused on trying to overturn the last election and plan for his post presidency. That planning didn't start until nine days before Joe Biden's inauguration.

And these emails show that even into July 2021, they're in sort of the last night they can use these transition funds to send boxes to Mar-a- Lago. There was a flurry of emails to try to make that happen. Ultimately, it's unsuccessful. They have to find other resources or -- other resources to do it. And that's just sort of one example of how chaotic the sort of post-presidency and final hours of the Trump presidency were.

COOPER: Sara Murray, appreciate the update. Thank you so much.

Former D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone secretly recorded a meeting with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy six months after the January 6 insurrection. He attended the meeting with U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who also defended the Capitol that day and the mother of a late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.

Now in the recordings obtained by CNN, they press McCarthy on claims the former president didn't know there was any violence inside the Capitol on that day. But as you likely remember, testimony to the January 6 committee revealed he didn't know because he was watching hours of coverage on the violence from the White House. Here's what Officer Fanone recorded from his meeting with McCarthy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN MCCARTHY, HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: When I call him he wasn't watching TV.

GLADY SICKNICK, MOTHER OF BRIAN SICKNICK: He knew what was going on. He knew what was going on. He know people were fighting for hours and hours and hours. You know, it just -- you know, doesn't make any sense to me.

MCCARTHY: I'm just telling you from my phone call, I don't know what he did know that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That audio and other moments from that meeting are detailed in Michael Fanone's new book titled, "Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cops Battle for America's Soul." And Michael Fanone joins us now.

I got to say, reading in your book, the account of this meeting with McCarthy, it was hard not to get very upset just listening to what you were saying, what Officer Sicknick's mom was saying, and the way that Kevin McCarthy was trying to essentially eat up the time that he had promised to actually meet with you. Did you feel he was being genuine with you?

MICHAEL FANONE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: No, not at all. And I think that, you know, that compounded how angry I was in that meeting, you know, watching him interact with Gladys Sicknick in such a -- an empathetic way. I mean, he really had or displayed no compassion, whatsoever for, you know, this woman who had lost her son as a result of the attack on the Capitol on January 6.

COOPER: I want to play something else that McCarthy had said in that meeting. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCARTHY: -- phone with him, I was getting the shit kicked out of me, almost losing my life. The way that he, you know, saying this is what happens when you steal an election, go home. I love. What the -- is that? That came from the President of the United States?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:35:23]

COOPER: Because, obviously, you talking to McCarthy. How did he respond to that?

FANONE: Well, at first, I thought it was shocking that, you know, what he was saying was that he was taking credit for having convinced the president to release that. And, I mean, and --

COOPER: The I love your video?

FANONE: The I love you video.

COOPER: Yes.

FANONE: And in which, you know --

COOPER: You're great people.

FANONE: -- the most disingenuous -- and, I mean, that's, I think, you know, putting it lightly, effort to quell the violence that day by Donald Trump. And he seemed to think that, or at least he was trying to convince us that that was in some way significant, and that he was in some way responsible for that.

But, I mean, the meeting itself, there was very little substance. You know, like you said, he was making efforts to kind of run out the clock. He knew that the optics at that point had become so bad that it was, you know, politically disadvantageous for him to continue to, you know, kind of kick the can down the road, so to speak with regards to a meeting with myself or Mrs. Sicknick.

COOPER: You and Ms. Sicknick and -- you were hoping to essentially just -- and you were hoping to get him to agree to really have an investigation into what happened on that day. It's not like you were asking for just an actual investigation and cooperation from them.

FANONE: I mean, I had some pretty clear things that I laid out for him in the meeting. I wanted him to take the investigation seriously. I wanted him to appoint serious members, Republicans to participate in that investigation, which obviously he did not do. He appointed Jim Jordan and Jim Banks who are, you know, what I would refer to as insurrectionists members of the party. And he also -- I also asked him to denounce the 21 House Republicans that voted against a Congressional Gold Medal acknowledging the efforts of the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Capitol Police that day. He said that he would, you know, he would do those things privately. I later learned that he had made no efforts, whatsoever, to contact any of those members. And then I also asked him to denounce the, you know, at that point, emerging conspiracy theory regarding the FBI. And then somehow having participated in or even orchestrated, the January 6 attack is a false flag operation. And we saw how that rhetoric later led to violence against the FBI.

COOPER: It's interesting, because in the book you write about how, I mean -- by the way, what I hadn't realized is you went to the Capitol on your own that day, you heard over your radio, you were on another case. You heard over the radio officers in need, and what made you decide to go?

FANONE: Well, you're right. I mean, I was a metropolitan police officer. That's a different department from the U.S. Capitol Police. The assignment that I had at the time was a specialized unit. I was working on a narcotics case. I heard the 1033 or the calls for assistance coming from many of the officers that were there, and also an agency 1033, which is, you know, a call for assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police.

I went there because there were officers that were in need of assistance. There were officers that needed help. That was my, you know, sole function that day was to go there to respond, to help protect officers and to, you know, fight against this violent onslaught of individuals, Americans who are attacking police.

COOPER: One of the things that you write about the book is the body camera footage and the -- that you were shooting on your body camera and the impact it had on the people who watch it. You said I held on to that video like a security blanket. What was it about that watching that footage for you afterward? And this is that footage that we're showing.

FANONE: I mean, I recognize the significance of it. I felt as though, you know, based on the reaction of some a few people that had seen it early on, I felt that it was compelling and that it was indisputable evidence of the reality of January 6.

[20:40:03]

And I felt that if the public had access to this and if these lawmakers who were saying things that were, you know, devoid of reality had access to this, that maybe at least in some instances, it would quell some of those conspiracy theories.

COOPER: The thing that is so disturbing to me, I mean, one of the many things that's so disturbing to me about that, about your footage and pictures I've seen of you completely surrounded in that mob, people who hate you, not that they know you, just hate you for what you represent, is the personal nature of it. The -- I mean, you're all alone in this crowd of people who are free to do, and we're seeing the video now, are free to do whatever they want to try to do to you and tase you in the back of the neck. I mean, it is -- it's reprehensible and just stunning. And I do think I understand that you wanting people to see that footage.

FANONE: Yes, I mean, I talked about in my congressional testimony, I was not an impediment to Daniel Rodriguez or to Kyle Young (ph), or, you know, Albuquerque head, or Thomas Sibick, those individuals that took it upon themselves to assault me that day, I wasn't preventing them from doing anything.

COOPER: Those are the names of the people who assaulted you that day, some of them.

FANONE: Correct. Yes, some of them. And, you know, they did so maliciously. And again, I wasn't preventing them at that point from doing anything.

COOPER: Michael Fanone, I really appreciate you being with us. Thank you so much.

FANONE: Thank you for having me.

COOPER: Yes. The book once again is out tomorrow, it's called "Hold the Line: The Instruction and One Cops Battle for America's Soul." It is a great read.

Up next, why Georgia Republican Senate Candidate Herschel Walker is receiving strong support from Conservative Republicans despite allegations that his behavior is diametrically opposed to what they say they stand for. We'll be right back.

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[20:45:42]

COOPER: A month from tomorrow is midterms and the battle in Georgia Senate race is messy. Republican Senate Candidate Herschel Walker is tied in a number of controversies. Obviously, most recently reports that he asked his former girlfriend to terminate two pregnancies despite having a firm anti-abortion stance, allegedly. Allegations he denies.

And all of this doesn't seem to be stopping Republicans from backing Walker. They hope to win that crucial Senate seat. Senators Rick Scott and Tim Cotton will head to Georgia tomorrow to campaign for Walker. Senator Scott telling CNN, quote, the Democrats want to destroy this country and they will try to destroy anyone who gets in their way. Today, it's Herschel Walker but tomorrow, it's the American people.

And right-wing radio host and former NRA Spokesperson Dana Loesch had this to say about Walker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA LOESCH, FORMER NRA SPOKESPERSON: I don't care if Herschel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles. I want control of the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: Joining me now is Erick Erickson who's the Erick Erickson Show on WSB Radio in Georgia. Also with me, USA Today Columnist, former Clinton Administration Official and CNN Senior Political Analyst Kirsten Powers. Erick, what does it say to you that despite all this drama, Senators Cotton and Scott are going to the mat for Herschel Walker?

ERICK ERICKSON, HOST, "THE ERICK ERICKSON SHOW" ON WSB RADIO: Well, it's -- the field they've got that should the voters chose in Georgia, despite lots of warnings from myself included that Walker was the weakest candidate the GOP can pick, that should the voters picked and the Republicans really want control of the Senate in the same way the Democrats do it. This is a power play not really a play for an endorsement of candidate behavior, but they want to be in the majority. So they're going to go all the distance they can to get there.

COOPER: Kirsten, is this the just simply the reality of politics in America? I mean, is this something that the Democrats would do as well? I mean, is it of just a Faustian bargain to regain power or get hold on to power?

KIRSTEN POWERS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I mean, I think you have to ask how somebody like this even ends up being the candidate, right? So do I think Democratic voters would choose somebody like this? No, I don't see a lot of evidence that they would. The same way I don't see a lot of evidence that they would choose somebody like Donald Trump.

And so Erick is right, it's now a zero sum game. It's between him or a Democrat, and the control of the Senate hangs in the balance. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't talk about the fact that we have sat here and listened over the last many months to very many Republicans claiming that to abort a baby is to murder a baby, right? I can't tell you how many times I've sat here and heard that and heard Republicans say that.

So when you consider that, what he's been accused of is paying to murder a baby. If we are to believe what we hear all the time. So either they don't actually believe that or they're willing to look the other way, it doesn't really make sense to me, and something just doesn't feel on the up and up about it. And I would suggest that they don't really believe that. But it highlights this issue of, yes, everybody makes compromises, but we all have a line we don't cross, right? What's the line for Republicans?

COOPER: Erick, do you think it -- I mean, to Kirsten's point, do you think it weakens the argument that some in Georgia had made against, you know, in their --

ERICKSON: Right.

COOPER: -- concern about abortion?

ERICKSON: Look, I get this a lot from callers to my radio show that Herschel Walker may or may not have paid for an abortion 13 years ago. Raphael Warnock is on record that he wants taxpayer funded abortions until the moment of birth tomorrow. So Republicans would rather say, yes, go with the guy who might have done this 13 years ago than the guy who wants me to pay for it tomorrow.

I wouldn't hold Democrats to some level of they won't do this. I mean, Republicans have pointed out that John Fetterman and Raphael Warnock, they've got lots of problems to both sides, look at each other's candidates as morally repugnant. Democrats, of course, tend to have a greater cultural platform to say the Republicans are, Republicans would disagree.

POWERS: Actually --

ERICKSON: I mean, I understand the point that the colors that they don't want to pay for abortions and frankly (INAUDIBLE).

POWERS: Hold on, Democrats don't --

COOPER: OK, Kirsten.

POWERS: Democrats don't think it's morally repugnant to get an abortion. Republicans do.

ERICKSON: You're right. Democrats don't, but I mean, when we're trying to say that Republicans --

POWERS: It's not -- I'm not saying --

COOPER: Hello, let Kirsten respond. Let Kirsten respond.

[20:50:01]

POWERS: Right. I'm not saying he's -- that's morally repugnant. I do think holding a gun to your wife's head is morally repugnant, but I don't think that getting an abortion is morally repugnant. I'm saying, that's what I hear Republicans saying all the time. And it's far more than morally repugnant.

We're repeatedly told that it's murder, that it's murdering a baby. So what -- the accusation is that he paid to murder a baby, according to Republicans. I'm just saying like --

COOPER: But Kirsten, if --

ERICKSON: Yes.

COOPER: -- if the choice is a binary choice, you know, on a ballot box of somebody who has allegedly paid for somebody to have an abortion, which many people in Georgia would consider paying for the murder of a baby, and a Democrat who they believe would, you know, change laws that would allow abortions to -- more abortions to take place, I mean, is it fair for somebody to make just a decision based on that binary choice and not step back and kind of look at it from a different angle?

POWERS" You know, I think every person has to decide that for themselves. But I do think that you have to step back and say, wait, hold on. But if I'm really willing to make this compromised, do I really believe this? Because I, personally, no matter what they were promising me if somebody said that they paid to have a baby killed, I would not vote for them.

So, you know, I think that it's an opportunity to kind of look at this and say, what is this really about? And please stop using this rhetoric because you clearly don't even believe it or you wouldn't be going along with this guy. You just simply wouldn't. I mean, if you just paid to have anybody murdered.

ERICKSON: No, I disagree with that.

POWERS: Really? You kind of -- he paid out a person murdered, you would vote for him?

ERICKSON: 13 years ago, and he's denying that. Look, I find both candidates here, terrible candidates. I'm appalled that both parties have the candidates they have. But when you're a voter and you've got the binary choice of a guy may have done this 13 years ago versus a guy who wants you as a taxpayer to pay for it tomorrow, I think voters have a right to say, you know, I don't like either of these candidates, but I don't want to pay for this. And Raphael Warnock wants me to.

COOPER: Erick Erickson, Kirsten Powers, appreciate it. Thank you.

Coming up --

ERICKSON: Thank you.

COOPER: -- new details on the police shooting of 17-year-old -- of a 17-year-old while he was eating in McDonald's parking lot. The latest on his condition, next.

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[20:56:23]

COOPER: Tonight, the unarmed 17-year-old who was shot by police while eating in a Texas McDonald's parking lot just over a week ago remains in critical condition. According to a statement from his family he's on life support and is being monitored after surgery in a few major organs. The details of the case are still under investigation as the San Antonio police take action against the officer involved.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has details, and we want to warn you some of the images you'll see can be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just fire, just fire, just fire.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The barrage of gunfire captured by the body camera of San Antonio Police Officer James Brennand ended with a 17-year-old in critical condition, and the rookie police officer now facing possible criminal charges. It happened just over a week ago while Officer Brennand was responding to a disturbance call at this San Antonio McDonald's. He called in for backup for something else.

JAMES BRENNAND, SAN ANTONIO POLICE OFFICER: Hey, can you start me one more? I got a vehicle over here that fled from me the other day. He's in the parking lot.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): San Antonio police say the officer noticed a car that he believed evaded him while on patrol the night before.

BRENNAND: Get out of the car.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): About five seconds later, Officer Brennand opens fire. You can hear 10 shots fired in all. Inside the car is 17- year-old Eric Canto and a female passenger. Authorities say the young woman was not injured, but Canto's car came to a stop a block away. James Brennand was fired three days after the shooting. San Antonio's police chief says the officer's actions violated the department's tactics, training and procedures.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's nothing that I can say that can defend what he did. Officers are prohibited from shooting at moving vehicles unless it's in defense of life.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): In the body cam footage, 17-year-old Eric Canto appeared surprised when the officer opened his car door. You can't hear Brennand identify himself as an officer in the seconds before the gunfire erupts.

BRENNAND: Get out of the car.

Just fire, just fire, just fire.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): A spokesman for Canto's family says the teenager is struggling and in critical condition. He has been sedated while kept on life support. Canto's family says multiple bullets struck major organs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James Brennand.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Officer James Brennand graduated from the San Antonio Police Academy earlier this year. He was a new cop patrolling the streets of San Antonio. He had only been on the job seven months. CNN has made multiple attempts to reach lawyers representing Officer Brennand, but have not heard back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing that officer did that night or in accordance with our training or our policies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And Anderson, we are understanding that the District Attorney in San Antonio says that he will present evidence to a grand jury to determine if criminal charges will be filed against this officer. It's quite a turn because initially 17-year-old Eric Canto was charged with evading arrest and assaulting a police officer. Those charges against the teenager have since been dropped. Anderson?

COOPER: Wow. Ed Lavandera, appreciate it. Thanks.

Coming up, the latest from Ukraine as Putin threatens more strikes after Russia unleashes its heaviest airstrikes today since the invasion.

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