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CNN Live Event/Special
CNN International: Clashes Between Police and Hong Kong Protestors; Ongoing Coverage of American Mass Shootings; Donald Trump to Address Nation Over Terrorist Attacks. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired August 05, 2019 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[06:00:00]
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: And clashes between police and protestors, even well before nightfall, clashes between police and protestors involving tear gas in various districts of Hong Kong, residential districts as well as the commercial and administrative district of Admiralty, that is where the Hong Kong Parliament is located.
Let me give you the scene of what's happening here. Earlier in the day at the Hong Kong International Airport, there was the strike action, over 2,300 airport workers took the day off the job and that turned into travel chaos. Over 100 flights were canceled. It -- the situation has stabled somewhat, but a sit-in has emerged with this protest underway.
These protestors are saying in English, fully aware that they're on international media, free Hong Kong. They're wearing black t-shirts, which is the color of resistance, the color of the movement and they're bearing the banners of the protest movement, embrace our city, fight for democracy, in Chinese, really against the extradition bill, against extradition to China.
They're saying that they're protesting against what they believe is a dysfunctional government. They want the quote, save Hong Kong from tyranny and also against police brutality.
As you recall, when this protest movement erupted some nine weeks ago it was a single issue protest. It was that controversial extradition bill. That bill has been indefinitely suspended, Carrie Lam did apologize, that's not enough for the protestors, they want it fully withdrawn.
And since then the list of demands from Hong Kong protestors have grown. They're asking for an independent in Korean to evidence of police brutality. They want to see protestors who have been arrested, exonerated and freed and we have seen quite a number of arrests take place.
Hundreds of Hongkongers arrested for their involvement in the protest. Many of them facing very serious charges like rioting, which carries a sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted. We know of a 16-year-old girl who is currently facing that charge. There is also the additional demand that they're asking for, universal
suffrage, that was a mantra that we heard from the 2014 Pro-democracy Umbrella Movement meeting. One person, one vote, the ability to select a candidate to lead Hong Kong, which does not have to be vetted by the central government in China, that is coming up again here.
So, the protest continues. Earlier today we finally we heard from the Chief Executive Carrie Lam. And why did I say finally? Because it had been two weeks since the last time that she spoke and addressed the media. She addressed the media in a press conference say just a few hours ago. Here's a clip of what she said about this Hong Kong protest movement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE LAM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF HONK KONG: Such extensive disruptions in the name of sudden demands or uncooperative movement have seriously undermined Hong Kong's law and order. And are pushing our city, the city we all love and many of us helped to build to the verge of a very dangerous situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Now after that press conference I spoke to one pro-democracy activist, Nathan Law (ph) who told me that those comments would only inflame the protest movement. Carrie Lam, she condemned the violence over the weekend, she did not offer any concessions to the protestors. She said that there would be a daily police briefing on the ongoing protest.
Again, now, nine weeks going on, but she also said, what you heard in that clip just now, that because of this, the Hong Kong protest and the clashes between police and protestors, Hong Kong has entered a, quote, dangerous situation.
Now, as the protests here and they start to chant, let's bring out my colleague Matt Rivers who is at the flashpoint city of Admiralty, that is where Carrie Lam gave those comments earlier today, that's where her office located, it's where strike action is taking place, one of seven districts across Hong Kong and also where tear gas was deployed just in the last few hours. Matt, I believe we have you, could you give us a state of play? What are you seeing around you?
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, so right now Kristie we're one of these areas that's really become a center point of these protests over the last two months, even though it's gone city wide, we're on Harcourt Road right now, and this complex right here, this is the Legislative Council building.
So right up there you can see there is riot police and over the last couple of minutes and hours what we've seen is them throwing tear gas down below and the protestors have been on this side of the road over here.
They're slowing moving this way, but you know, this is just another one of these ongoing battles that we've seen over the last two months here. You can see right here, there's a -- from bricks that the protestors were using to throw at the police, that's very common, we've been seeing that quite a bit. And there's no real strategy at the moment.
[06:05:00]
For these protestors to be here right now, there's no obvious objective. The objective is to cause destruction, to fight with the police. They're not here to break into the Legislative Council building at least not -- that's not their stated aim like it was back on July 1st.
They're simply gathering here and what happens is, this is a leaderless movement, and so, what happens is these protestors they'll send a message on Telegram or word of mouth will spread through the crowd and they kind of move as a unit from spot to spot. We saw it last night in Causeway Bay, at the neighborhood of it further down that way and how it's happening here in Admiralty neighborhood in a way that we've seen before.
So, you can see that way, protestors have come with plywood shields that they're ready to deflect tear gas canisters with. And this is the kind of scene we've seen play out. We don't know how it's going to end tonight, but you know this was a day of disruption, Kristie, and it's going to turn into a night of disruption and this is the new normal.
I just came from a police press conference where they defended their tactics. They talked about all the people they've arrested; they talked about how protestors are becoming increasingly violent.
They made a point to say they don't expect to need the Chinese military on the streets here of Hong Kong any time soon, but they're defending their actions and they say that everything they're doing is necessary because of what all these people are doing. So, there's no end in sight by right now here in the Admiralty neighborhood.
STOUT: You know, Matt, it's only 6:00 pm Hong Kong time and yet tear gas been deployed in at least three districts of Hong Kong. There were simultaneous rally strikes taking place in at least seven different districts across Hong Kong.
Travel, severely disrupted with the mass transit, the NTR system either suspended or delayed at various points during the day. And here at the Hong Kong International Airport, at least 100 flights have been canceled.
Given what you have seen happen this day across Hong Kong and where you are now, and you've been covering this story from the beginning, do you feel that it has escalated to a degree, in one day, that you haven't seen before?
RIVERS: Yes, I don't think there's any question. Let's walk down the street a little bit, as we're mindful of the police to the left here Kristie, there's no doubt that things have escalated. This is my sixth weekend, usually I'm based in mainland China, but
I've been back down here because of this story and I've seen it evolve over the last nine or 10 weeks now. It has gotten increasingly violent.
Last night, we saw protestors that were increasingly bold, there's no doubt about it. I've seen fires set recently by protestors, that wasn't happening a month ago.
We've seen more vandalism by these protestors, cutting power to stop lights, increasingly bold actions in terms of blocking the Cross Harbor tunnel, disrupting everyday, average commuters. This is the kind of tactics that are evolving by these protestors.
There's no question that what was happening two months ago is different than what is happening now. And the question, the concern, depending on your point of view, is where does it go from here? How much more evolution is it, how much more violence are we going to see?
And if there is more violence, how is that met by a police response that has largely just consisted of rubber bullets and tear gas so far, do they bring in water cannons, is there some sort of lethal forced that is eventually used?
And I don't mean to sound hyperbolic, but 10 weeks ago I think people would have been surprised if we would have said, two and a half months from now this is what it's going to look like. So, two and a half months from now, what is it going to look like? That's the opening (ph) question that everyone has.
STOUT: And Matt, you're absolutely right, this is not normal, but it's become the new normal for Hong Kong. This major, usually stable and efficient international financial city, which is now seeing this sweep of just massive and highly disruptive protestor strike action take place on the nearly, nearly daily if not regular basis every single week.
Matt Rivers reporting live from Admiralty. Thank you.
Now let's cross next to our colleague Ben Wedeman who is also in the same district. Again, this is a district where the Hong Kong parliament is located as well as the office of Hong Kong's embattled leader.
And Ben, you've been covering the events all throughout the day, from the press conference involving the chief executive, to the strike action, the rallies and to that moment when tear gas was deployed, and yet, that has not deterred the protestors, they've remained on the ground.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They remain on the ground, but since we last spoke Kristie, and I think we'll just pan the camera over to the street below me, they've pulled back. Perhaps this is merely this is a tactical retreat, but certainly they have pretty much evacuated the road, which just a few minutes ago had thousands of people in it. [06:10:00]
Exactly what they have in mind is not all together clear, in fact, let's go across this overpass that is above Harcourt Road and see what's going on, on the other side. Excuse me -- excuse me.
So, here we see people moving back. Now, below we see barricades -- makeshift barricades, temporary barricades being held up, so clearly the confrontation is not over, but it does appear that the mass of people are leaving this area, perhaps to go home, it is ten past six in the evening here.
And even the young men holding the barricades and the plywood sheets are pulling back, so perhaps we're moving into a different phase of action for the day, as the police seem to be holding their ground in that position overlooking the road from next to the government headquarters. Kristie?
STOUT: And Ben, I wanted to ask you more about police tactics and how Hong Kong police tactics compare to the police tactics you've seen employed in other protests around the world, especially in the Middle East.
The protestors here at the Hong Kong International Airport may condemn what they see as evidence of police brutality over the last couple of weeks. Hong Kong Police have, on the record, defended themselves, saying that they have given adequate warning and that they were dealing with threats with projectiles being thrown at them, like rock -- blocks -- excuse me -- bricks or bottles with corrosive fluid inside.
But Ben, back to the question, how do the actions of Hong Kong police compare to the actions of police in other protest situations you've covered outside this area?
WEDEMAN: Certainly what I'm seeing is that given the number the people who have taken to the streets here, that the police have been relatively restrained, relative to the Middle East, where if you had outside government headquarters tens of thousands of people protesting, taking down railings in the road and crossing -- exposing (ph) main thoroughfares -- oh, let's go across the street, we just heard a big bang, you would have in the Middle East, live gun firing. There would not be any time wasted with non-lethal methods. They would be shooting people in the street in Cairo or Damascus or Bagdad.
So this certainly is relatively restrained by Middle Eastern standards, but that doesn't detract from the anger of people in Hong Kong who are not accustomed to this and therefore they're anger is within the context of Hong Kong, perfectly understandable given that traditionally the police here have not had such a heavy hand.
STOUT: (Inaudible) Ben Wedeman reporting live from the scene. Ben, thank you. We also have CNN's Matt Rivers standing by, also in the same district of Admiralty.
Again, that is where the Hong Kong Parliament is located, that's where the office of the chief executive is located. It's also very close to the central business district of this major international financial hub.
I'm reporting here from the Hong Kong International Airport, where international travelers are coming and being greeted by this, a sit-in of anti-extradition bill, anti-Hong Kong government protestors, wearing black tee shirts, the color of the protests and bearing slogans saying, democracy now, time for action. Beware of Hong Kong police, et cetera.
Now we have Matt Rivers on the scene, he joins us now, and Matt, there's a question about what's going to happen next, more near-term, as in tonight, as you know, it's usually when darkness falls that's when agitators come out, that is when the more hardcore protestors come out.
You have witnessed when this protest movement has taken a dark turn, for example, the raiding of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. Any sense, any anticipation of what could happen in the evening tonight here in Hong Kong?
RIVERS: Yes, you know, we kind of just follow the crowd in a lot of ways Kristie, and the crown kind of turns into its own organism, where it doesn't really have a plan.
Like we were talking about earlier, it's a word of mouth thing, and so, just twenty, thirty minutes ago, this street was absolutely packed and if we walked around here I could easily pick up the tear gas canisters that had exploded here. And that's how this usually plays out.
You'll see crowds gather in one area, there'll be a police response, tear gas is deployed and then the crowd is moving.
[06:15:00]
So, if we turn this way, you can see that that crowd is now going to go back in that direction there. The rumor around Telegram, which is the general -- the social messaging app that protestors use, is that they're heading back to the Causeway Bay area, that's where we were last night. That's where there was a lot of tear gas, easily dozens of tear gas canisters used.
Police were clashing with protestors for the better part of an hour. We saw protestors charging at the police, throwing sticks, metal poles, bricks at the caged buses that police get around in.
We saw protestor light thing son fire, on the ground, like a pile of cardboard boxes we saw light on fire. The fire department had to come in, and so that's what they're going to do probably at this point, as they make their way back towards the Causeway Bay area, that's where they're going to go.
But you know, we always have this conversation as a team, my camera man, my producer and I, where do we go next, what's happening next, and ultimately you can't really tell, because often times the protestors don't know where they're going next.
If we went up to one of these people and asked them, where you going? They'd say, well we hear we're going to Causeway Bay and I think that just drives home the point here, that they're not out tonight for any one specific reason.
They're not going to this building to accomplish this task, they're out here just to generally cause problems and what they say is that that's justified, that there are consequences to the inaction of the government, there is consequences to what they would call police brutality and those consequences are, they are going to try and shut down this city until they're demands are met.
That's going to make people angry in this city, you've seen it earlier today. Commuters are not going to be happy. Ordinary people trying to go to work might sympathize with this cause, but they might be also frustrated at the actions here of really just several thousand people, young people, that continue to come out on the streets, but these people are absolute secure in t heir believes, they believe what they're doing is justified and they're going to keep coming out and they will be met with an increasingly strong police response and that's what we're expecting to see tonight.
STOUT: Absolutely. As the Hong Kong protest movement drives on and becomes more disruptive, you have, as you point out, Matt, that risk of public opinion turning against them.
I wanted to quickly ask you about the demographics of the strike action today. Let's talk about the people, because those who took part in today's strike were professionals, coming from all walks of life, various industries, who have you seen out and about in Admiralty this day?
RIVERS: Yes, it's interesting, the people that come out here, the people that are the one's kind of in -- they have the protective armor, they've got the shields, these are generally speaking young kids, they're 19, 20, 21 years old. A police conference today said the youngest person that has been arrested over the past two months or so was actually 14-years-old.
It's several thousand of people that are in this group of agitators, if you will, and they're out here just about every night, that's -- we've seen the same people. But that would belie the broader demographic of this protest movement, which would be a cross section of Hong Kong society, the vast amount of people that have protested.
You take for example the march that we saw two days ago, organizers said 120,000 people showed up. At the end of that march almost all of those people went home and the people who stayed, maybe 2,000 or 3,000 people, that's less than a percent , one percent, of the amount of people that showed up, stayed on to fight the tear gas, to fight the rubber bullets. So, it's not indicative of the people that have been out here overall. And so, that's the demographics here, Kristie, really the people that march peacefully and the people that are in the streets, two very different groups. STOUT: All right, Matt Rivers, reporting live. Thank you. I'm Kristie Lu Stout reporting live from the Hong Kong International Airport where protestors behind me are chanting, free Hong Kong, to international travelers as they arrive. This is the eighth busiest airport in the world.
We'll continue our coverage, but up next, more ongoing coverage of the mass shootings in America. You're watching CNN.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This is the president's fault.
MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: This was a sick person. The person in Dayton was a sick person. No politician is to blame for that.
BERMAN: I want to bring in Caitlin Dickerson, National Immigration Reporter for the "New York Times" and a CNN Contributor. John Avlon, CNN Senior Political Analyst and Laura Barron-Lopez National Political Reporter for Politico.
John, you know it's glib, sometimes after these shootings we often say there's a search for answers. There's no search for answers this morning, we have the answers, we know exactly why this suspected terrorist drove 12 hours to kill Hispanics, because he told us, police say, in that screed he wrote. We also know that his words are the same words that the president has used in the past.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right.
BERMAN: I can't tell you directly that he did it because the president said, but I can tell you they used the same words.
[06:20:00]
That brings us to this morning. The president will address the nation this morning. As of now, he hasn't called this terrorism, he hasn't called it an act of white supremacy. What can he say today that matters, and I lead into that question with the "Washington Post" editorial this morning, he says, we know by now not to waste time calling on President Trump to do the right thing, he sows division and bigotry rather than promoting unity and understanding.
AVLON: He sows division and bigotry rather than promoting unity and understanding. This is the President of the United States we're talking, and you can draw a direct line, unfortunately, with the rhetoric the president has used and what we hear from these shooters in their so-called online manifestos, and not just the one in El Paso.
So, words are insufficient because the president's got a gaping credibility gap on the issue of confronting white supremacist terrorism. He always says we need to call out Islamic terrorism for what it is, if that's true we certainly need to do it now faced with this epidemic of violence we're seeing and the copycat killings we're seeing cascade.
Words are not going to be enough, he's going to need to take action. He's going to need to use his bully pulpit to try to change the debate in Washington. Today we see the "New York Post" advocating for banning weapons of war. That's a significant see (ph) for a conservative paper. Got that right there.
And so, that's the kind of the thing that's going to matter. Will Mitch McConnell hear, will Republicans ditch their field to the NRA. This isn't what (ph) want (ph) for presidential leadership unfortunately, we -- if you now -- we would be fools to expect the president to actually take a stand beyond words, and words are not enough right now.
BERMAN: Well no, a lot of people are noting that the Rupert Murdoch "New York Post" is calling for a ban on assault weapons this morning. The Rupert Murcoch on "Fox News" they could call on a ban for language like invasion and invaders, that has not happened yet.
AVLON: But they participated in that language.
BERMAN: So, perhaps trying to have it a little bit of both ways there. Caitlin, I want to go to you on the language the president will use today. Does it matter?
CAITLIN DICKERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think it matters in terms of 2020, I think it matters in terms of speaking to the public now, who are looking to the president to acknowledge what's happened. Does it matter though in terms of addressing all the people who he's roused in his rallies for years now and who've gotten excited about the idea of trying to stop what they believe to be an invasion?
I think the problem is that the president talks about things like an invasion, he brings up very strong emotions for people, he's asked, during his rallies, there's an invasion coming, what do you guys think that we should do, and there was a time when somebody yelled out, shoot them.
BERMAN: Let's play that. Let's play that, we have that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, how doe you stop these people?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shoot them.
TRUMP: You can't. There's not ...
(LAUGHTER)
... that's only in the panhandle you can get away with that stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Sorry Caitlin.
DICKERSON: And laughed. So, when you don't channel the reaction, the strong reaction and the strong emotion, people come up with their own answer to that question, how are we going to deal with this invasion, and this is one of them, that we're looking at now. And so, I think his words so matter, but it think we know -- I certainly know from Twitter and what I hear from people all the time, that they are a lot of people have espouse the views of this shooter.
BERMAN: There's a phrase called stochastic terrorism that I think a lot of us have learned in the last 48 hours. The use of language to insight random actors to carry out violent or terroristic acts that are statistically predictable, but individually unpredictable. In other words, no one ordered this guy in Texas to go murder Hispanics, but overtime language that is used can lead to people carrying out acts. That is something that can happen.
And Laura, I've been struck by how many conservatives and republicans have come ou tin the last 24 hours and called this terrorism, called it white supremacist terror, called it by it's name and we haven't heard the president yet.
Now, he may say it at 10, but there's also the question of, what does that delay mean? What message does the fact that the president has waited 48 hours to call it white supremacist terror mean (ph)? If you're a white nationalist, what do you take away from that?
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, NATIONAL REPORTER FOR POLITICO: Right, well this is a pattern with President Trump. It's one that we saw in the aftermath of Charlottesville. It's one that we saw after the Christchurch New Zealand massacre as well.
And to Caitlin's point, from the moment that he announced his candidacy for the White House, Trump has spoken about black, brown, Muslims, as the other people that look me, people that look like Caitlin and that language is something that has become more mainstream or has been out there more in the mainstream because of the fact that he has repeated it, because of the fact that he specifically talks about Mexicans and Latino immigrants as people who are invading the U.S.
[06:25:00]
And so, if anything, it just continually, potentially sends a message to white nationalists and white supremacists that it's OK to hold these views.
BERMAN: And he can't undo the things he has said in the past this morning, no matter what he says. That doesn't mean the president shouldn't come out and make a strong statement today, and maybe he will. He comes out and speaks at 10:00 o'clock.
Well wait, I don't expect, John, that he'll call for a ban on white supremacist terror like he called on a Muslim ban.
AVLON: No, but again, let's see if he even starts to rise to the occasion. And again, it's not just words, it's actions. One of the first things he did as president was to overturn an Obama-era ban on the mentally ill getting weapons, a background check that was in place. So, this is a persistent problem that he is sewn not just by his words, but by his actions. You reap what you sew.
This American carnage we're confronting today is partly the result of what he has sewn.
BERMAN: American carnage, his own words.
AVLON: Correct.
BERMAN: From the Inauguration. Caitlin, the Senate, on it's plate, has two bipartisan gun control measures that were passed in the House. One of them, it would be HR8, the Bipartisan Background Check of 2019. It requires a background check nearly for every firearm.
So, what it really does is background checks for a gun show, it closes the gun show loophole there. And the other measure would extend to 10 days the waiting period from three days. This receives some Republican support in the House, it passed with 240 votes.
I don't know if it will pass the Senate. I do know that it hasn't had a vote, because Mitch McConnell has chosen not allow the Senate to vote on these measures, which by no means, are the most restrictive gun control measures.
DICKERSON: I think we're in a bit of a unique situation right now and I don't want to suggest that we have any evidence that the pattern is going to change and that legislative change will happen -- or political change, more broadly, will happen, but there are few things that are about these situations that are unique right now.
So, one thing is that gun control groups are catching up with funding from wealthy donors like Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York, they are catching up to the NRA and putting Democrats under a lot of pressure. And they're saying, it's not enough anymore to lay this at the feet of Mitch McConnell, you have to go further.
What's also unique is that we have all of the Democratic candidates at this point unanimously stepping forward and saying that they support tighter restrictions on gun control. And so, I think that those two things make it possible that you could potentially shake something loose.
At the very least, I think that when you have these several mass shootings that happen over the weekend, you have Ohio, you have El Paso, you had a shooting in Chicago, that I think moderate voters are now taking a pause and they're thinking about these policy ideas and really putting pressure.
BERMAN: Laura, any chance that Mitch McConnell brings the Senate back to vote on these House measures that are sitting there just waiting?
LOPEZ: Well, so far there's not indication that Majority Leader McConnell will bring back the Senate and we also haven't heard from Speaker Pelosi about whether or not she would try to bring back the House to put some pressure on McConnell. So, right now it's looking like there's a very good chance that they don't come back. BERMAN: All right, Laura, John, Caitlin, thank you very much. We're
going to have live coverage of the president's address this morning. You can watch here on CNN. Judge for yourself the words he chooses now and if they are sufficient.
And tonight, former Vice President Joe Biden talks guns, white nationalists and Donald Trump in an exclusive interview with Anderson Cooper. That's tonight at 8:00 o'clock only on CNN.
Erica, let's go back to you in El Paso. And I know that that community, yes, it's a pretty big city, but it's a small community and I know that they're in pain this morning.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely, waking up. We just got a notice, actually, before we came on the air, one of the local school districts is putting out the idea that kids should be wearing white today in solidarity with the victims, which is such a beautiful expression, and at the same time you think to yourself, kids wearing white to school, also a reminder of this tragedy that struck and what the world is that they are growing up in today.
And, of course, the tragedy in Dayton happening just about 13 hours later. When tragedy struck there, more than a dozen victims were rushed to one hospital in Dayton, and just ahead we'll be joined by some of the doctors who were on duty in those moments. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:33:40]
BERMAN: White supremacist terror, those are words the president has yet to use to describe the attack in El Paso over the weekend that killed 20 people. An Anglo man, as the sheriff in El Paso said, who drove 10 hours to kill Hispanics. The president has used the words neither white supremacist nor terror, what is the impact?
Joining me now is Jonathan Greenblatt, he is the CEO of the Anti- Defamation League. And Jonathan, it's very nice to have you on this morning. As I was saying as you were walking on Sunday, we'll get to talk in a different situation where it isn't quite so painful. What do you think the president has to say this morning? Do you think he needs to call this attack white supremacist terror?
JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Yes, I think there are a few things, John, that we need to think about today. First and foremost, our hearts ache for the victims in El Paso as well as those in Dayton. So, we need to keep those people centered in front of our minds.
I think secondly, as we talk about the president, keep in mind that today is the anniversary of the 2012 attack in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where a man -- a white supremacist burst into a Sikh temple and murdered six worshipers, right? So, white nationalism, violent -- this brand of violent extremism, it existed before President Trump, and yet, words have consequences. And so, it's not even what he says today at 10:00 o'clock, although
there's something that he needs to say, that white supremacy is a global terror threat.
[06:35:00]
But it's what he says afterwards, is that he reinforce the message in an authentic way, because for far too long, the language that he has used, invaders, describing people as rapists and murderers, talking about open borders, these are literally staples of white supremacist rhetoric and the idea that they're coming from our Commander in Chief is shocking.
BERMAN: I remember back after Charlottesville, David Duke sent out a message thanking President Trump for the language he chose to use and chose not to use.
GREENBLATT: Right.
BERMAN: So, my question this morning is, it's been two days since this white supremacist terror attack in Texas. If you're a white nationalists, what do you read from the president's reticence to use those words?
GREENBLATT: Well we know at ADL, because we've been tracking hate for a long time, that extremists feel emboldened in this moment, because literally, as you said, the president's silence actually speaks volumes.
So, it's what he said and how he sort of vacillated after Charlottesville. It's when after Christ Church when questioned about white supremacy he said he didn't think it was really a problem. And we've seen this pattern repeat itself.
Last week after the killings in Gilroy, right, which another person motivated by white supremacist ideology, one of the most prominent extremists, he wrote on his website, this is the white nationalism we elected the president for. He said that after Gilroy and after the president's comments about the four Congresswomen. So, the president, by not saying something, is sending a message. He can clear that up today, but again, today is just the beginning.
Unfortunately, I think it's a little bit too late, because the message he's been sending for the last few years are the reason why these people feel so emboldened.
BERMAN: So HN (ph), which is something you've written about extensively, have spoken about extensively.
GREENBLATT: Right.
BERMAN: Which is this website that has served as the host for so many of these hateful terroristic thoughts. Cloudflare, which is the security apparatus that was hosting the site, they stopped working for HN (ph) this morning. So, at least for now you can't get on, is that enough? GREENBLATT: Well, it's a start. So, let's keep in mind what HN (ph) is. I would sort of -- we often use services like Facebook and Twitter and Youtube, right? HN (ph) is sort of the septic tank of the internet. It's the cesspool for some of the worst elements in our society talk about things like child pornography and violent extremism in the ideology around it.
But there's a whole value chain that makes services like HN (ph) work. So, Cloudflare has done something really important, because by refusing to provide online security, the service is actually down this morning.
And there's other things that could be done. The banks and the financial institutions which allow dollars to flow into these services, they should shut them down. The hosting companies that put them up online, should shut them down.
At the ADL, we really see that the face -- that the -- sorry, the frontline in fighting hate is really the internet. All of us can take steps to stop it.
BERMAN: I know at the ADL, I don't have to tell you, the hate existed before the internet, hate will exist after the internet, but you don't have to make it easier.
GREENBLATT: That's exactly correct. Yes, there has always been intolerance, that isn't new. What's new is, that it's just a few clicks away and that's something we can prevent.
BERMAN: All right, Jonathan Greenblatt, thank you for coming in this morning, helping us understand the impact of words. Unfortunately, again, as you said to me as you were coming in, this wasn't unpredictable.
GREENBLATT: No, not at all. And in fact, in it's predictability is what's the problem. Why I hope the president today and other leaders across the spectrum speak out.
BERMAN: All right, Jonathan, thank you very much.
GREENBLATT: Thank you.
BERMAN: Let's go back to Erica in El Paso.
HILL: And John, a rush of shooting victims coming into a emergency room on a Saturday night, we'll talk to doctors in Dayton about how they handled that and saved lives, up next.
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[06:40:00]
HILL: This morning we are learning more about the victims whose lives were tragically cut short when a gunman opened fire in Dayton, Ohio. And we are also learning more about the heroic actions that saved lives. Joining me now is Dr. Peter Ekeh. He's a trauma doctor and medical director for Miami Valley Hospital's trauma program and also Dr. Randy Marriott, emergency physician at Miami Valley Hospital. Doctors, we appreciate you both joining us this morning. Dr. Ekeh, when you got word of what had happened and the patients that were coming your way, what was your initial thought?
DR. PETER EKEH, TRAUMA DOCTOR, MIAMI VALLEY HOSPITAL: Well, I was called in. I was not actually on call. One of my colleagues was here along with the rest of the trauma team. So I was at home. And as a level one trauma center, we do have a system of backups, so I had to come in from home. I was here within a few minutes.
HILL: Able to be within a few minutes. I know Dr. Marriott, as I understand; you've been with Miami Valley Hospital for sum 25 year nearly. Has there been--
DR. RANDY MARRIOTT, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, MIAMI VALLEY HOSPITAL: Right.
HILL: -- a shooting event like this in recent memory in Dayton or that you've had to deal with in the past?
MARRIOTT: No. No, no. This number is unprecedented.
HILL: And in terms of preparation, obviously as a level one trauma center, there's a certain level of training that's always happening that you prepare for something like this. How often are you going through those trainings, especially as we're seeing more shootings throughout the country?
MARRIOTT: Right. Well, there's been a concerted regional effort to have training for active shooter response. We have a medical -- metropolitan medical response system and MMRS here in the Dayton area. And that is brought together the first responders including fire and EMS, law enforcement, public health, hospitals, et cetera.
And we've all trained together over several years. We've had a number of active duty -- active shooter exercises most recently which was last fall which actually had a number of (inaudible) victims coming into our hospital under similar circumstances. So, I think we're fairly well rehearsed.
[06:45:00]
In addition to that as a level one trauma center, we see a number of simultaneous incidents and at times we'll have four, five, six victims at one time coming in within a short period of time. So, that experience lends itself to being able to respond to what happened early Sunday morning.
HILL: And that being said, there must still be -- you're in there, you're doing your job as we know, Dr. Ekeh. But there must be a moment, especially as you called in and then came in from home.
Was there a moment where you thought to yourself I just watched coverage of something else or read about this in Texas and now here I am at my own hospital in Dayton and this is what's happening? Did that go through your mind Dr. Ekeh?
EKEH: Yes, certainly. You don't know what to expect. But I came into the emergency department and saw the whole team ready to go.
And it was clear that all the months and even years of drills really came into play because the staff acted very professionally and very effectively early that morning to deal with the patients that came in.
HILL: Dr. Marriott, you were talking about some of the training that you'd even had recently and training that overlapped with first responders. There's also an emotional component to this though for first responders, for physicians who are in these emergency room situations.
How do you handle that with your staff on the heels of an event like this?
MARRIOTT: Well, first of all I'd just say the first responders acted just extraordinary. The police array went to neutralize this shooter in very, very rapid fashion. The fire and EMS folks came in very quickly behind them. They were able to get the victims out of that hot zone and get them rapidly transported.
Our staff acted (inaudible) by the time I got there, most everyone had been taken care of and that was 14 victims and at that point probably a span of less then 15 minutes. So again, everyone acted to the highest standard.
As far as the aftermath, there is certainly going to be some emotional issues afterward as we find out more about who these individuals were and their place and roots in our community is going to become harder. I think we rely on each other first and foremost.
I think peer support is what is most called for here. And we're doing our best to give support to one another, to first responders and police officers. And I think as a community that's where we -- that's where we get our most support and how we heal the best.
HILL: Dr. Randy Marriott, Dr. Peter Ekeh, I appreciate you both joining us this morning. Thank you.
MARRIOTT: Thank you.
EKEH: Thank you.
HILL: The shooting in El Paso happened at the Wal-Mart that is right behind me. A superstore which also sells guns, and this morning there were questions about whether that may change on the heels of this shooting. That's next.
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[06:50:00]
BERMAN: Wal-Mart is one of the biggest sellers of legal firearms in the United States. It's also one of the latest scenes of deadly gun violence, home to the massacre in El Paso.
In the wake of the shooting, some critics are demanding Wal-Mart take all guns off its shelves for good. Our business correspondent Alison Kosik joins us. Alison?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. As the country's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart remains a major seller of firearms. But if you look what's happened in the past week, it's actually been the scene of two shootings.
20 killed inside of Wal-Mart in El Paso but also last Tuesday two employees killed in a shooting in Wal-Mart in Mississippi. Wal-Mart has shifted its gun sales policies in response to high profile shootings. You look at what happened after the Parkland shooting, it stopped selling assault rifles and high capacity magazines.
And it raised its minimum gun purchasing age from 18 to 21. It also requires background checks. And it no longer sells that resemble assault rifles. But the companies still offer shotguns, BB guns and pellet guns, pistols and air rifles.
Well, now the company is facing hundreds of calls on social media to stop selling guns altogether, especially if you see what's been happening on Twitter.
Actress Alyssa Milano called for Wal-Mart to take action saying, "It would be a true leadership position." Venture capitalist and entrepreneur Chris Sacca had a similar response on Twitter as well.
Now for now, Wal-Mart's policies remain the same saying in a statement their focus is supporting our associates, our customers and the El Paso community.
But the retailer has become part of a larger conversation of holding corporate America responsible for addressing social issues, especially John, since our lawmakers don't seem to be doing enough. John.
BERMAN: All right, Alison Kosik, thank you very much. You want to see how far this discussion has spread over the last two days about what this country needs to do to fight the epidemic of hate and the epidemic of gun violence.
Wait until you see what a member of the U.S. national soccer team did seconds after he scored a goal. That's next.
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[06:55:00]
A really dramatic moment overnight in a major league soccer game, Alejandro Bedoya who has played on the U.S. national team took a moment to speak out in the middle of a game on gun violence. Andy Scholes has it in this morning's Bleacher Report. Andy?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, good morning, John. We often see athletes use their platform to speak out about social issues off the field. But Philadelphia Union star and U.S. national team star Alejandro Bedoya.
He let his voice be heard loud and clear on the field after scoring the opening goal against D.C. United yesterday. Bedoya, he went and celebrated with his teammates. Then he grabbed a field microphone which is used to capture natural sound of the game and he used it to send a message to lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
ALEJANDRO BEDOYA, AMERICAN SOCCER PLAYER: Hey Congress, do something now! End gun violence! Let's go!
(END VIDEOCLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes, Bedoya has been outspoken about gun issues. He's from Weston, Florida about 15 minutes from Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland where 17 students and faculty were killed in a mass shooting last year.
And before the game, Bedoya tweeted, "seeing more thoughts and prayers BS. Words without actions are just worthless. America, it seems, is becoming a dystopian society. Do something. Enough." And Bedoya also said he'll never just stick to sports, John. He has to take a stand and everyone should.
BERMAN: Didn't even wait until the end of the game, did it during the game, Andy Scholes. It shows the urgency that at least a soccer player has on this issue, Andy, thank you very much for being with us this morning.
The question is America, what are you going to do about it? Mr. President, what are you going to do about it? No more questions, no more search for answers, how about solutions. New Day continues right now.
[07:00:00]
