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DOJ: Phoenix Police Violated Rights of Homeless, Minorities; Four Tops Singer Sues Michigan Hospital for Racial Discrimination; President Biden Gaining Support Among Older Voters. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired June 14, 2024 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Inflation-adjusted goggles at the world, there is a big caveat. But still, very important to know. It's good to see you, Matt.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Thank you, Kate.
BOLDUAN: I think I just came up with our get-out-of-jail.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: I like it. I like it.
BOLDUAN: Free-card-plan, Sara. Inflation-adjusted goggles.
SIDNER: Listen, just take the subway -- oh wait, you know, as a person who's spent a lot of time in California, lived a life there, I see those prices and I get jealous, I want to go buy a car just to put the gas in it, because it is not that low in L.A. Subway for me.
All right, patients who depend on prescriptions to treat ADHD may actually lose access to their medicine. And this is the reason, the arrest of healthcare executives for fraud, we will explain.
And the lead singer of a legendary Motown group is suing a Michigan hospital, he says he could not get treatment, and was even put in restraints until he showed the staff video of him performing at the Grammys. We'll get through that story as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:35:35]
SIDNER: A scathing new report from the Justice Department finds years of rampant civil rights abuses perpetrated by the Phoenix Police Department. Their targets, according to the DOJ, homeless people and minority communities.
CNN's Josh Campbell is joining us now with more details on this.
This is a shocking report. I remember some of the local stations did investigations. There were all sorts of things going on. And now you have this DOJ report that is damaging. What can you tell us?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No, you're absolutely right. And it was those initial reports, those high-profile incidents that actually launched this investigation. DOJ coming in nearly three years ago, opening a civil rights investigation.
Finally, coming out with this blistering report for the Phoenix Police Department. I'll show you some of what their findings were. They essentially claim that over this period of time, since 2016, some of the data they've been looking at, that officers have flouted federal civil rights laws and using excessive force.
They claim that officers at times had delayed rendering aid to people that they had shot. They had continued to use force against people who were already incapacitated. And then they also described this whole kind of mischaracterization or misunderstanding about the whole concept of de-escalation.
Apparently, according to DOJ, within the Phoenix Police Department, officers are essentially trained that escalation leads to de- escalation, which obviously, you know, runs counter to what a lot of policing experts have been calling for.
Now, they've talked about additionally, as you mentioned there, Sara, violating the rights of the homeless. DOJ says this is the first instance where one of their patterns and practice investigations have actually focused on police treatment of the homeless, which could, you know, serve as a warning to departments across the country, particularly as cities try to deal with surges in the homeless population.
And then finally, mass racial disparities. They talked about over- policing of minority communities, pointing out that, for example, for low-level moving violations, black motorists were cited or arrested 144% more times than white drivers. Hispanics cited 40% more in circumstances.
And I know, Sara, for you, this is so important, because you and I have covered so many of these protests that have happened around the country. Often we see the police there trying to ensure the safety of attendees. In this case, DOJ claims that officers were violating the rights of peaceful protesters.
In one instance, they claimed that an officer had fired a less-than- lethal weapon at a protester, hitting him in the groin. And then officers essentially celebrated that by creating memorabilia of that incident, you know, firing this non-lethal round at this man's testicle.
So all this taken together, just a really scathing report. The assistant attorney general for civil rights, in announcing this report yesterday, explained why DOJ felt they needed to step in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTEN CLARKE, ASST. ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, DOJ: The police department claims it was unaware of these significant racial disparities, but longstanding and frequently voiced community concerns about discriminatory policing, as well as overt displays of bias within the police force, should have spurred the department to analyze its own data. Instead, the police department turned a blind eye to the data. This is one instance where we can't count on the police to police themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: Now, Phoenix Police Department and city officials say that they've already started to correct some of this action since this investigation was launched. And DOJ actually acknowledges that, that there have been improvements, but they say there's still work to be done as far as next steps. The Department of Justice is hoping that the city will willingly come to the table and try to institute reforms.
If that doesn't work, that will then potentially lead to what is called a consent decree, that we've heard in various cities around the country, where a federal judge is brought in to essentially mediate. If that doesn't happen, both parties have to agree to that. If that doesn't happen, DOJ says that they will go to the courts to try to seek action to actually seek these reforms, Sara.
SIDNER: Josh Campbell, those details beyond disturbing. And we'll be watching this case, I know you will be, to get updates when we can. We appreciate your reporting.
Kate?
BOLDUAN: The lead singer of the Motown group, The Four Tops, is suing Michigan Hospital now for racial discrimination. He says the hospital denied him care when he thought he was close to death. Alexander Morris says that he went to the hospital suffering chest pains and having difficulty breathing, and that is when he says the hospital put him in a restraining jacket and did not believe he was who he is.
[08:40:03]
CNN's Miguel Marquez is following this one. What has happened here?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hard to believe --
BOLDUAN: Yeah.
MARQUEZ: -- what he is claiming here, but here is the claim. Alexander "Lex" Morris became lead singer of the Motown powerhouse group, The Four Tops, in 2018. They have hits like, "I Can't Help Myself," "Sugar Pipe," "Honey Bunch," and "Baby I Need Your Loving."
Mr. Morris says that -- in his lawsuit, he checked in on April 7, 2023, at Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital. He was brought in in an ambulance, suffering from chest pains and breathing issues. He has a long history of heart issues, and while there, he told staff that he was a member of the Four Tops and had security concerns because of stalkers and fans.
Mr. Morris claims that a white security guard at one point told him to sit his black behind down, although he did not use the term behind. And rather than any staff give him the benefit of the doubt or check his story, the lawsuit claims the doctor in the emergency room took him off oxygen and put him in a restraining jacket for an hour and a half while he conducted a psychological evaluation. And it wasn't until he could convince a nurse to watch a video of him singing at the Grammys that they believed his story.
Now, Morris' claim says that the hospital blatantly refused to provide him with medical treatment due to his race and or perceived mental disability.
Instead, he received a deliberate misdiagnosis and received a lower standard of medical care based on his race that amounted to racial discrimination and delayed his actual diagnosis.
In a statement to STAT News, it's a medical journal. The hospital said it would not comment on pending litigation, but says we remain committed to honoring human dignity and acting with integrity and compassion for all persons and the community. We do not condone racial discrimination of any kind.
Morris says he suffered seizures and ended up having to stay at the hospital for five days because he was too sick to leave. And after all of this, they offered him a $25 gift certificate to a local supermarket, which he declined.
He's now asking a jury. It's a federal lawsuit. He's asking a jury at some point to give him at least $75,000, if not more, if they find even more.
BOLDUAN: Oh, my gosh.
MARQUEZ: If it weren't true, his claim, you wouldn't believe it.
BOLDUAN: Wow. Miguel, thank you so much.
MARQUEZ: You bet.
BOLDUAN: Let's see what happens here.
And CNN's Victor Blackwell will also be speaking with Alexander Morris and his attorney this Saturday morning on "First of All," starting at 8 a.m. Eastern.
Sara.
SIDNER: Miguel, that was a truly shocking story. My God. While President Joe Biden, the nation's oldest president, faces challenges due to a generational divide, his strong support from senior citizens could prove to be a key advantage for him.
The first lady is also rallying behind her husband, addressing concerns about the ability to lead the nation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL BIDEN, FIRST LADY: This election is most certainly not about age. Joe and that other guy are essentially the same age. Let's not be fooled. Joe isn't one of the most effective presidents of our lives in spite of his age, but because of it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: Well, we are blessed to have CNN's Jeff Zeleny. He's got more on why the President is gaining with voters that are around his own age.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUSSIE FARRIS, BIDEN SUPPORTER: I think because Trump is big and loud, he doesn't come off as old as maybe Biden does.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At 86, Gussie Farris spends no time worrying about the ages of the oldest American presidential candidates. For those who do, this loyal President Biden supporter has this to say about Donald Trump.
FARRIS: He's way less capable in the -- in the brain area.
ZELENY: In the brain area. Delicate way to put it.
(Voice-over): As Trump turned 78 on Friday, just three years younger than Biden's 81, age is an unmistakable part of the race. But the Biden campaign is suddenly embracing it in a different way.
FARRIS: I'm a senior and I vote.
ZELENY: Turning to Farris and other seniors to build a critical piece of his coalition.
LINDA VANWERDEN, BIDEN SUPPORTER: I never thought I'd be one of those people holding a political sign or being involved but I can't sit back.
Thank you.
ZELENY: Linda VanWerden, a retired real estate agent, is now training Democratic volunteers.
VANWERDEN: Get out the vote.
ZELENY: Becoming politically active for the first time after Trump won in 2016.
VANWERDEN: We could determine who sits in the White House.
ZELENY: Grand Rapids and surrounding Kent County is a bellwether within battleground, Michigan. Biden won here and statewide in 2020, after Trump narrowly carried both four years earlier.
Biden is working to become the first Democrat in nearly a quarter century to win those 65 and older, in an election where baby boomers now comprise a wide majority of the senior vote.
KIM GATES, CHAIR, KENT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY: They're at a point in their life where they've seen how politics has changed and recognize that it's a priority for them. ZELENY: As other parts of the Biden coalition are fraying, the campaign is putting seniors front and center.
[08:45:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Energize your neighbors, invite them out to pickleball and to vote at the same time.
ZELENY: Yet deep disappointment ways heavy on other seniors here like Barbara Howard, who voted for Biden four years ago, but won't this time.
BARBARA HOWARD, MICHIGAN VOTER: I feel betrayed. Right now, I'm not going to vote for president. The Palestine thing is a red line and he's not -- he's not there.
ZELENY: Judy and Nick Herrick, both 80 and retired, say Biden steady hand inspires them to volunteer.
JUDY HERRICK, BIDEN SUPPORTER: What do they say that 80 is the new 60?
ZELENY: Often canvassing and registering younger voters in Grand Rapids.
J. HERRICK: What's exciting for me is the opportunity for seniors to talk with young folks and say, can we really look at this? What does this mean to you?
ZELENY: And defending the President's age.
NICK HERRICK, BIDEN SUPPORTER: I look at his thinking in his approach to things looks pretty good to me, especially when you view it in contrast to what the alternative is.
ZELENY: That contrast with Trump is what the Biden campaign is investing millions on ads like this --
AD NARRATOR: Drinking bleach to tear gassing citizens and staging a photo-op.
ZELENY: -- that delight voters like Farris.
FARRIS: And I love the one where he talked about how he drank or drink bleach, that would cure COVID, holding up the bible, how dumb was that. The senior generation, values and character are important to us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY: It's silver lining for the Biden campaign. Of course, he faces many steep challenges with other parts of his coalition like young voters and voters of color. But those senior voters who actually vote reliably are a big part of the Biden campaign plan, particularly in places like here in Michigan and in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, that so-called blue wall that Biden needs to win.
There are more older voters here than there are in some of the -- the other states like Arizona and Nevada. But, Sara, one thing is clear. The Biden campaign often does not like to talk about how old he is or age. But in this, they're willing to embrace the age of his senior voters.
Sara.
SIDNER: I'll tell you what, I learned a lot from your piece, but my favorite thing was that 80 is the new 60. It means we are all much younger than --
ZELENY: I hope so.
SIDNER: -- than the numbers say. Thank you so much, Jeff Zeleny, live for us from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Kate.
BOLDUAN: And continuing on age, Donald Trump kicked off his 78th birthday celebration, surrounded by some of his biggest supporters. Returning to Capitol Hill for the first time since the January 6th attack, Trump met behind closed doors with House and Senate Republicans, talking everything from people coming out from abortion politics to Taylor Swift and the beef between Marjorie Taylor Greene and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
In an interview later, Donald Trump suggested that he may already know who he wants to pick to be his running mate this time around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was your pick for VP in that room with you?
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Probably, yeah. Probably. I don't want to go, but probably. I think we'll probably announce it during the convention.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know who your VP is?
TRUMP: I have sort of a pretty good idea. Look, we have some really talented people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: And joining us right now is Republican Congressman Byron Donalds from Florida.
Congressman, thanks so much for coming back on. Lots of people talking about lots of things that you guys all discussed in the meeting with Donald Trump yesterday.
On abortion specifically, we heard quite a few things I wanted to ask you about. Speaker Johnson said that Donald Trump told you all to exercise your conscience when it came to abortion policy and talking about it. And Nancy Mace said that Donald Trump told you all you need to talk about abortion, quote, "correctly." She says that was his word, not hers, and pushed you all to support exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Do you support those exceptions for any abortion ban?
REP. BYRON DONALDS, (R) FLORIDA: Actually, I do. And I think the way the President is talking about abortion is incredibly important. Also, what he said is that at this point with where we are in the country, this is going to be a matter for states. Every state is going to make their decision. California is going to have their law. New York is going to have their law.
And many states are still going through that process. I will tell you, a lot of voters, I know they're concerned about abortion. It's obviously a very personal topic. But what happened with the Supreme Court back in 1973 was not the appropriate way to deal with such a personal and, frankly, divisive issue in our country amongst Americans and in our politics.
The path we are on now, where every state is coming up with their own rubric, their own levels of restrictions, actually respects all the people within a state and allows for the body politics to fully engage on one of the most divisive and personal topics that happens in our country.
So the path we're on is actually the appropriate pathway. What President Trump is talking about is basically making sure that the states, leaving it in the hands of the states, not really bringing it to the federal level because the states really are the laboratory for democracy. And that's where that issue should reside.
BOLDUAN: So, Byron Donalds, firmly in the camp of this is a state's issue, you would not support a federal ban if it came up for a real vote in Congress?
[08:50:11]
DONALDS: Well, I don't think we should even go down that road. The Dobbs decision out of the Supreme Court is very, very clear. This is a matter for state -- for state legislators, governors, and people to decide, not federal politicians.
And there's a bigger issue behind just simply abortion. There is not a medical procedure in the United States that is regulated at the federal level. They are all regulated at the state level.
Abortion is a medical procedure. It's one, personally, I do not like, but it is a state issue that should be happening there. I don't think we should be bringing federal bans on Capitol Hill. I don't think we should be doing that.
BOLDUAN: As I mentioned, lots of other topics. One thing that came out I just wanted to ask you about. Did he really gripe about Taylor Swift in the meeting with you all and wonder why she's with Biden and not with him?
DONALDS: No, I think he was more talking about maybe she's not with him anymore because, I mean, look, Taylor Swift sees what everybody sweet sees. Joe Biden's really not here. He's not with us. You know, he's doing, I guess, the best he can. But the stature and the image of leadership that Americans expect in the United States presidency is not embodied by Joe Biden. Everybody knows that.
BOLDUAN: Did Donald Trump actually -- did Donald Trump think that he could get her support?
DONALDS: No, no, no. He just talked about it in terms of Joe Biden. Obviously, you know, Taylor, if you want to come on and join the campaign and support President Trump, we would love to have you.
But that's something that she's going to figure out with herself and her team probably. But look, at the end of the day, you're seeing a lot of celebrities beginning to support President Trump. The reason why is because the country is a flat-out mess.
Joe Biden has made every wrong decision. The Democrats have supported every decision. Frankly, there's a lot of these Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren policies that he has executed here in our country. It's simply not working.
So that's why you have a lot of celebrities who were very in favor of Joe Biden four years ago are now very, very quiet. And some of them have come out for Donald Trump.
BOLDUAN: We know that you are among those who would like to be Donald Trump's running mate. We know that you are one of the contenders. And we know that you were in the room with -- room with him yesterday. So all of these things add up to my next question.
A former Trump campaign and White House official told me recently, Congressman, that the VPs are picked for demographics, geographics or to unite the party. What do you bring to the Trump campaign that others do not?
DONALDS: Well, first of all, I'll say it's really an honor even just to be on that list. It's not something, you know, frankly, as a kid growing up or even going through college, started my career even early in politics, I never thought I'd be a part of. You know, I think if you're going to ask specifically for me, you know, I'm a younger member of Congress. Obviously, I'm a black man in America. But it's not those two things aren't really the key thing. I think I resonate with voters across the board.
I'm really a generation that focuses on common sense and weaves conservative principles into that common sense framework that a lot of Americans are asking for. They really, really need and they desire. And so I think it's -- I think I help expanding the political map, if you will, and really having voters, whether they're independents or Democrats, really start rethinking their politics and seeing somebody like me.
And actually, some of my contemporaries on Capitol Hill right now who are younger, who have a much more common-sense view that in some respects, you could say that a lot of us were the future of politics. And so I think that's what I bring. But at the end of the day, Donald Trump is going to make that
decision. I'm a support his decision no matter what he decides to do. I just want to win and have a great America. That's all I want.
BOLDUAN: Do you think you expand the political map more than Nikki Haley would?
DONALDS: Well, you know, no disrespect to Nikki Haley, but I think people like me. We'll see what happens. But again, that's for the voters to decide. At the end of the day, it is about policy. It is about competence. And can you actually explain that, deliver that and lead with that every single day for the American people?
Obviously, Ambassador Haley has been on the national scene for a long time. But I think that you also have this phase in our politics where people are fully supportive of Donald Trump.
And then also in the background are thinking about, you know, what's going to come next, what's going to come after?
So we'll see what happens. Convention is a couple of weeks away. The president is going to make a phenomenal choice and we're going to be supportive of that. We're going to move on from there.
BOLDUAN: People like you and voters have clearly shown even after she dropped out of the primary, people still like Nikki Haley getting some like 20%, I think, even in my home state in Indiana.
It's good to see you, Congressman. Thank you for coming in.
Sara.
SIDNER: This is happening right now. Pope Francis making history at this moment in Fasano, Italy there. This is the first time that a pope has attended a G7 summit. They are expected to discuss, among other things, a framework on developing and using artificial intelligence.
He has been the victim of a deepfake himself as the pope. When the world saw him wearing this puffy jacket that he wasn't actually wearing, it was someone faked a picture.
[08:55:08]
But you see him there meeting some of the different world leaders, going person to person, shaking hands and getting ready to sit at the table to have a significant conversation.
And as you know, President Biden of the Catholic faith himself. So this is a very big deal because it's a historic situation where the pope now sitting with the G7 leaders and others there at the table in Fasano, Italy.
We'll have more on this coming up in just a bit. We also know he's going to have one on ones with quite a few of the leaders there.
We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIDNER: This morning a chilling story unfolding in Florida where a motorcycle going more than 100 miles per hour collides with an SUV. And inside is a mom and her two young children. That is when Sergeant Dave Musgrove demonstrated extraordinary bravery and ended up saving the entire family.
CNN's Ryan Young has how the deputy went beyond the call of duty for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This still means something to you?
SGT. DAVID MUSGROVE, CHARLOTTE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: It does. It's humbling, you know, that people would see me as a hero. I was just a guy doing my job.
LISA FOLEY, KAYLEIGH FOLEY'S MOTHER: Had he not been there and acted so quickly and known what to do, you know, we wouldn't have Lola. You know, he's the reason that she's here.
KAYLEIGH FOLEY, MOTHER OF RESCUED CHILD: Is she alive?
MUSGROVE: Let me check. Let me check.
K. FOLEY: No, no, no, no, no. I did this. I did this.
YOUNG: Less than a year old, Lola had to fight to survive after this horrific accident.
K. FOLEY: She's dead.
YOUNG: Charlotte County Deputy Sergeant David Musgrove was on routine patrol when a motorcycle raced past him at a speed estimated to be over 100 miles per hour.
The white flash shown here on his dash cam, a hint of the chaotic scene he would arrive two seconds later. The motorcycle had crashed into a young family's SUV and they were trapped inside.
MUSGROVE: I got a signal for a motorcyclist. It's going to be -- I got to find it first, send him. At some point in that intersection right here, she got clipped by the motorcycle.
[09:00:07]
KAYLEIGH FOLEY, MOTHER OF RESCUED CHILD: I remember going across.
