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First of All with Victor Blackwell
Mother Wants Answers After Army Veteran Dies In Jail; Video Show Verbal Fight After Man Referenced "Hanging Tree"; Inside The Multinational Mission Fighting Haiti's Gangs. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired August 10, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: She says the true story of what happened to her son, Criston Collins, is not being told by officials. Also, maybe you saw the video online. A man in Nevada starts recording this argument, this fight when someone says some things about a hanging tree for a black man in his backyard, three people have now been charged. We'll hear from the man who shot the video, Ricky Johnson, about what happened.
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we'll be watching. Have a great show, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Thank you very much. Let's start the show.
[08:00:41]
Well, first of all, Donald Trump's slamming of Tim Walz's response to the protest in 2020 deserves more attention than it's getting, and for two reasons. First, it's part of a larger, more nuanced conversation, and also, it's not what Donald Trump said at the time. Now, I'm sure you're looking and you won't be surprised that there's no breaking news graphic because Donald Trump saying the opposite of what he said four years ago or some cases four sentences ago is not new.
But in this moment, it is relevant context, 87 days until November 5, and both campaigns are trying to define the new Democratic ticket. Former President Trump is attacking the Democrats candidate for vice president, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, by blaming him for what you're seeing on your screen, the vandalism and the violence in Minneapolis during the protests over the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Trump claims that Walz did nothing as the city burned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I couldn't get your governor to act. He's supposed to call in the National Guard or the army, and he didn't do it. I couldn't get your governor, so I sent in the National Guard to save Minneapolis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Well, first he didn't send in the National Guard. He has no purview to do it unless he federalizes them, and the governor did it himself. But this is what Trump is saying now. I want you to listen to what Donald Trump said in 2020.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Tim is on the phone now. Tim Walz. Again, I was very happy with the last couple of days, Tim. You called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast it was like bowling pins.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Well, now Trump says that Walz should have acted sooner. There's a conversation there, but the call you just heard happened about a week after Floyd was murdered. Trump cabinet members and governors were on the call, including Governor Tim Walz. Here's what he said about his decision to call in the National Guard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TIM WALZ, (D) MINNESOTA: A lot of people don't understand who the National Guard is and you need to get out there from a PR perspective, and make sure that it's not seen as an occupying force, but it's their neighbors, school teachers, business owners, those types of things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Caution before deploying that style of response in scenarios like what we watched in Minneapolis is not unusual. Ten years ago, this weekend, Michael Brown was shot and killed in the street by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, and protests broke out then too, some were destructive, some were violent. But the response from the local law enforcement, that was stark. Do you remember really, what stood out about that? Look back at the headlines.
"Ferguson police's show of force highlights militarization of America's cops." "Militarized police in Ferguson unsettle some: Pentagon gives cities equipment." And this is from an op-ed at the time. Let me read this for you. "There is a legitimate role for the police to keep the peace, but there should be a difference between a police response and a military response.
The images and scenes we continue to see now to Ferguson resemble war more than traditional police action." And the writer acknowledges racial disparities in the law enforcement and adds this, "it is almost impossible for many Americans not to feel like their government is targeting them."
Now the author here is not some left wing activist, it's Republican Senator Rand Paul. The title, "We Must Demilitarize the Police." There were actual bipartisan calls in 2014 to reassess giving military equipment to local police departments and the broader impacts of a military style response.
After Philando Castile was shot and killed by a police officer near St Paul, Minnesota, protests broke out again. Tim Walz was a State House member then years before he became governor, commander of the Minnesota National Guard. But it was that tragedy in his state and a little known friendship that grew out of it is what Walz says helped him understand what happened in Minnesota in 2020.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALZ: One of the first people I called after seeing the video was Valerie Castile, Philando's mother, we've become friends since the killing of Philando. And for those watching today who aren't familiar, Philando died in front of his loved one and his child and left them behind and left behind a grieving mother who has become an advocate for justice, an advocate for reform, but more importantly, an advocate for kindness and decency.
[08:05:28]
And when I talked to Valerie, she said first and foremost, seek justice, seek fairness and reach out and show kindness. What the world saw last night was not that. What the world has witnessed since the killing of George Floyd on Monday has been a visceral pain, a community trying to understand who we are and where we go from here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: You know what I try to make this show every week is a place to add context to some of these simple attacks and headlines that you see. I think it's important that you hear all of these elements as the Democrats and Republicans go back and forth over what happened in 2020. That sets the table for our conversation right now about where do we go from here? And here with me is co-founder and executive director of the Black Voters Matter Fund, Cliff Albright.
Cliff, good to have you on again. George Floyd murdered in 2020. So, the Democratic Convention, which came in August, this was many people don't remember the first night, it was all about talking out about policing. Is this a motivator for voters this cycle about policing reform?
CLIFF ALBRIGHT, CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BLACK VOTERS MATTER FUND: Yes, thanks for having me, Victor. And yes, it is.
Before I talk about the voters, you know, I just thought, even listening to that, it was so interesting to hear Tim Walz using the language of Dr. King, right, respectfully, you know, using the language of the protest being the voice of the unheard, the frustrations, using the language of, where do we go from here? Use -- referring to Dr. King respectfully, in contrast to Donald Trump who just yesterday or the day before, just yesterday, was comparing his crowd size to Dr. King.
BLACKWELL: And "I Have a Dream Speech."
ALBRIGHT: And "I Have a Dream Speech." So, even in that, there's such a contrast. But directly to the question, yes, this issue is still relevant. You know, it's the issue that had many of us in the streets for months throughout 2020 but it's not gone away, and it's still an issue that people want to see action on. Even now, when you talk about this election to whatever extent, black voters wanted to see more out of this administration or this Congress, one of the things you often hear is, what's going on with police accountability, with police violence?
Where's the George Floyd Act? And that's a major issue where, in fact, this administration, including Vice President Harris, they actually have a powerful story to tell, because this administration and Department of Justice has actually done a lot on that very specific issue.
BLACKWELL: In 2020, because of the climate around policing and the murder of George Floyd, there were some and many of the black community, but not exclusively to the black community, who were suspicious of Kamala Harris, then senator, former prosecutor, top cop.
ALBRIGHT: Right.
BLACKWELL: How much of that still resonates now after her time as vice president?
ALBRIGHT: Yes, I think some of it still resonates, but a lot of it is, what you're seeing now is more people taking an actual look at what her record was. You didn't really have that as much in 2019. You got a lot of people now saying, you know, we really got to go back and do the research, deal hugely, you know, apologize for critiquing her in 2019 and then say, you know what, I just didn't do the research. Then when you look at her record, and it's interesting. If you look at some of the Trump and Republican commercials, they actually refer to her as California's most progressive DA.
When you look at her record on the facts of that she didn't prosecute when she was DA, people for simple marijuana possession charges. That, in fact, the those that were prosecuted for marijuana possession were those who had more serious offenses, like sales that were actually played down because they had a policy of not prosecuting that.
When you look at the record of not prosecuting women, especially young girls that had been forced into sex work, that she would not -- in fact, the police were upset because she wouldn't prosecute such people. When you look at the record, which is a record, keep in mind, we're talking about the 10-year anniversary of Michael Brown, right?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
ALBRIGHT: She had in 2007 and 2008, six, seven years before Michael Brown, before Black Lives Matter, before this notion of a progressive prosecutor, when you look at her actual record, when you look at the step -- the program, the diversionary program that she had to keep people from getting serious charges, when you look at all that she was actually doing and saying some things six years before Michael Brown that today many people do look at as a progressive record.
[08:10:03]
BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about this, you mentioned the former president's news conference on Thursday, which was all over the place, but it did go here as well. Let me play a bit of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: It's possible that I won't do as well with Black women, but I do seem to be doing very well with other segments, extremely well with Hispanic, Jewish voters, weigh up, white males weigh up. White males have gone through the roof.
It could be that I be affected somewhat with Black females, where we're doing pretty well. And I think ultimately they'll like me better, because I'm going to give them security, safety and jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: You chuckled.
ALBRIGHT: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Give me the reaction.
ALBRIGHT: First of all, of all, he said, the thing that's most humorous is that he's doing better with Black females, with Black women. He knows that Black women is his kryptonite. He knows that if he gets two votes out of black women in this election, I'd be really surprised.
But at the end of the day, it's because that they're not offering, he's not offering anything in terms of policy. It's because we see that he runs on anti-blackness. Keep in mind, we're talking about the rebellions, the protests of 2020, he wanted to have troops. You talk about the National Guard.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
ALBRIGHT: He wanted troops to come in. He wanted them to shoot protesters in D.C. He's constantly talking about federalizing local jurisdiction and bringing federal police and troops into cities like Chicago and D.C. His project 2025 actually enshrines that in policy. And so it's not just that his words are silly and yes, weird and dangerous, is that the very policies can impact our lives. It can literally be a matter of life or death in some of our cities if he were to be able to control law enforcement.
BLACKWELL: Yes, he is trying to distance himself from Project 2025, but he is not distancing himself from a plan to give officers absolute immunity --
ALBRIGHT: Yes.
BLACKWELL: -- which would change policing in many communities, potentially.
Cliff Albright, thank you so much for being with me.
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will be in Nevada today celebrating a first for a presidential campaign. The League of United Latin American Citizens, also known as LULAC, is the largest and oldest Hispanic organization the United States. And for the first time in its nearly 100-year history, LULAC is endorsing a presidential candidate. It came the same day she released this ad, vowing to be tough on border issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As president, she will hire 1000s more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking. Fixing the border is tough. So is Kamala Harris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The campaign released an ad aimed at Latino voters with an economic and reproductive rights message highlighting her background as the child of immigrants.
Now voters concerned about the war in Gaza, another key demographic the Harris-Walz campaign went back in their quarter. And just last night, Harris was again interrupted by protests. This was her rally in Arizona.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To whom -- you know what? Hold on a second. Hold on, hold on, hold on, everybody. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: This was at first happened on Wednesday at a Detroit rally. The question now is whether these protests will carry over to the Democratic convention next Monday. Leaders of the uncommitted movement say that they will keep calling for changes in policy towards Israel at the convention, and they want a five minute speaking slot for one of their delegates and for humanitarian pediatric intensive care, Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan to speak. And Dr. Haj-Hassan joins us now from Amman, Jordan. And back with us is Abbas Alawieh.
He is an uncommitted delegate in Michigan and the founder of the national uncommitted movement. He briefly met with Harris and Walz this week. And good to have both of you first.
And, Abbas, let me start with that. And what was that exchange backstage in Michigan with the candidates?
ABBAS ALAWIEH, UNCOMMITTED MICHIGAN DNC DELEGATE, MET HARRIS THIS WEEK: Thank you so much for having me this morning. Essentially, we were invited backstage to be among the people here in Michigan who were welcoming vice president Harris and Governor Walz, and we had a very brief interaction where we asked the Vice President if she'd be willing to meet with us to discuss an arms embargo.
More or less what we're asking is, I mean, I have family in South Lebanon right now that's living under the bombs. They haven't been able to sleep for the last 10 months, and they're not even in Gaza where the destruction is at a scale that we can barely imagine. And so, what we asked the Vice President, as we meet with us to discuss how our government can stop sending bombs to kill people we love. She discussed -- she expressed an openness to that. And we're feeling really hopeful that the Vice President will continue engaging with us so that we can stop sending bombs.
[08:15:00]
BLACKWELL: Yes. You say that she expressed an openness to this embargo on bombs to Israel. Source familiar with the meeting said that the Vice President did not express an openness and wanted that to be known to this embargo. Can you be more specific about what convinced you that there was an openness? What did she say that suggested to you that she is?
ALAWIEH: Yes, so to be clear, we did not say that the Vice President expressed an openness to an arms embargo. We've been -- that's just not what happened. We asked if the Vice President would be willing to meet to discuss an arms embargo, and she expressed an openness because it feels like she is wanting to turn a new page on Gaza policy, and we're hoping that she does. We just need something substantive that can help move in that direction.
The Vice President not supporting an arms embargo is clear. That's like saying the sky is blue. That's precisely why we're leading a movement of people that's saying, not another bomb. We have a whole campaign, notanotherbomb.com where we're asking DNC delegates who support Vice President Harris to say, let's come together and turn a new page on Gaza policy. Because I know that if the American people express that we want to stop sending bombs, that Vice President Harris is listening to us, and we're hopeful that we get a change in policy.
BLACKWELL: Dr. Haj-Hassan, I understand that, and I hope everyone understands that I talked to you on a morning when civil authorities in Gaza are counting those killed at a school in mas compound, the latest number I've seen is 93 dead after an IDF attack. They were going after a command and control center they say, of Hamas. You would like to be one of those who speaks at the convention, what is it that you want to say?
DR. TANYA HAJ-HASSAN, CO-FOUNDER, GAZA MEDIC VOICES: Thanks, Victor. I mean, we, and I say we as a collective of doctors and surgeons, American doctors and surgeons who are all outraged and who have been trying to get the world's attention about this for months. We have been trained to protect and preserve human life, but that has become absolutely clear that that is utterly impossible to do amidst this military campaign that's destroying life and everything needed to sustain it, including the healthcare system and healthcare workers who are trying to save those lives.
As you said, just this morning, over 100 men, women and children and elderly, and these are the reports that we're receiving, I think you mentioned a figure of 93. A colleague of mine working at one of the hospitals received over 70 dead bodies in -- sorry, over -- well-over 70. I think 70 said that they were able to identify, and the rest, they're unable to identify because they are dismembered, so they cannot even see whose body the different extremities belong to. He also received over 60 injured civilians, women, men, children, elderly. He said that they, for the most part, are have amputated upper limbs, lower limbs, and that their bodies are burned anywhere between 40 percent and 100 percent of their body surface areas is burned. So that figure of killed is likely to climb dramatically.
And this is not an isolated incident. This is the fifth school bombing of a school in the last 10 days by Israel, the fifth bombing of a school that sheltering displaced families that have fled numerous times seeking safety amongst 10 months of starvation, bombing, deprivation of everything indispensable to human life, including the entry of hygiene products to prevent the spread of illness and disease.
And so, I just three days ago, a tent camp was bombed and a pregnant woman who came out of it alive arrived to my colleague, a volunteer American doctor in a hospital in Gaza just three days ago, and she said, this woman asked over and over again, she said they were trying to burn us in tents. They were trying to burn us in tents. She went on to say, I had to see people burning. Where are my kids? Where are my kids?
She couldn't find her children. This is a pregnant woman. So I just want to say, where is our outrage?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HAJ-HASSAN: We -- I'm not a politician, I'm not a journalist, but the reality is, international journalists have been preventing -- preventive from entering Gaza and bearing witness to this utter and complete massacre. And we, a collective we of American Physicians and Surgeons, have -- must assume the role of witness bearers as an extension of our inherent responsibility, not only to treat the injured and save lives --
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HAJ-HASSAN: -- but also to address the underlying cause of their illness.
BLACKWELL: well, Dr. --
HAJ-HASSAN: So I am hoping to --
BLACKWELL: Dr, Haj-Hassan, we've run short on time for this segment, but I wonder if, and I don't know that there's a precedent, maybe there's a historian that can tweet it or whatever X is calling the verb now it. If there's a precedent for someone speaking at a convention who is not committed to supporting the candidate of that party that's holding the convention. I don't know when they've given five minutes to an issue if you are still going to be uncommitted. I'd like to keep in contact if you get any commitment from the campaign, but we've got to wrap it there.
[08:20:20]
BLACKWELL: Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan and Abbas Alawieh, thank you so much. I've got to wrap it there, but I thank you for your time.
The family of a U.S. Army veteran who died in a Georgia jail is now accusing authorities of a cover up. Christon Collin's mother says she has proof her son died under suspicious circumstances. She's here live next.
Plus, why a $600 million donation that went under the radar this week could mean generational change, not just for black doctors, but for the health of people of color.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:25:33]
BLACKWELL: The mother of an Army veteran found dead in the Georgia Dale, says that she has proof that her son died under suspicious circumstances. Christon Collins was an Army veteran. His mother says that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and she tried to get her son some help, but his family says that he kept getting arrested and charged for crimes like trespassing or damaging property. March 13, the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office said Collins experienced a medical emergency in his cell and was taken to a hospital where he died.
Here with me now is Christon's mother, Jonia Milburn and civil rights attorney, Ben Crump, also with us, Ana Wanda McGilberry (ph), a friend of the family as wel for the conversation.
First, let me express our condolences to you. And looking over the papers that your attorney provided, one autopsy says that there were drugs in the system, including fentanyl. When you saw that, what went through your mind?
JONIA MILBURN, MOTHER OF CHRISTON COLLINS: What went through my mind was, this can't be true, because when we were at the hospital, that was one of the questions that we asked, was there any drugs? And we were told no.
BLACKWELL: And so then, after you were told no, you got that document that said there was fentanyl present. You then ordered an independent autopsy. And what did the autopsy that you ordered found?
MILBURN: The independent autopsy found several things. It found that my son had bilateral pneumonia, that my son was septic, and that my son had some injuries from the previous tasing, when he was tased in July, being over tased. And also found out that my son's organs were missing, his brain and his spleen.
BLACKWELL: But no presence of those drugs that were in the first autopsy?
MILBURN: Yes.
BLACKWELL: And so, Attorney Crump, I come to you one autopsy shows the presence of drugs, the other one does not. Your first thought in the difference between these documents. BEN CRUMP CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: That the video from the jail already raised great alarm, Victor, of this military veteran who was suffering from PTSD, he had mental issues. And the fact that on the video in the jail, he passed out, he was left unattended for over three hours. They found him dead when they were doing the check, and officers lied, saying that they had been monitoring the video surveillance constantly and that they had been checking the floor constantly. So Ms. Jonia and the family of Christon Collins' believes the cover up started at the beginning, and now with the autopsies, it furthers the suspicion and mistrust of the family and the community of the death of this military veteran.
BLACKWELL: The DeKalb County DA, her office released a statement about this death and said, here's part of it, "Our office was previously advised that Mr. Collins died as a result of a medical emergency. New information has come to light that we believe warrants further examination." Ben, have you spoken with DA Boston? What is the next step here?
CRUMP: Well, the next step is the veterans' for justice has aligned with the family. And we believe that the hospital said he had no drugs in the system. Somebody from law enforcement said they suspect that he had ingested drugs. That's the first time anybody had ever heard of that. And then the autopsy conveniently tries to correlate with the jailers are trying to purport as the cause of death.
We believe it is very disingenuous. There's mistrust. The district attorney needs to be very transparent, because we know they have a relationship with the sheriff's department. And that mother there sitting on set with you, she has been working day and night to expose the truth of why her son, her veteran, her hero, was killed while in the caring custody of those who he fought to protect their liberty for.
[08:30:04]
BLACKWELL: I never like to do these segments about a suspicious death and have the story be exclusively about how people die. So tell me about how your son lived.
MILBURN: My son was a very caring, very respectful -- respectful young man. In fact, in the hospital, the -- the deputy that was there, her words to me was, I can't believe this happened. He was only 27. He was one of the good ones. He was very mannerable. And hearing that, let me know that she knew my son, because that's who he was.
He -- he loved his family. He loved life. And he also loved serving in the military. Unfortunately, he came back and was never the same. And as we had was fighting, which is why I've been fighting. My fight began, March 16th. March 15th, 2018, the night he came home, and it ended, March 15th, 2024, with, you know, for him, but then it began another whole fight once we went into the process of finding out the information, because all I wanted to know was what happened to my son. How? You know, why? What -- what's going on?
And to not get the answers was so disheartening, and as I spent countless hours, countless days, going through the documents because I wanted to know why, and nobody would speak with me, nobody would give me any information. And I -- I owed that to him. I -- I owed that to him because after watching the video, seeing that he didn't have a voice that he couldn't speak for hours.
BLACKWELL: For hours he was just left alone there. Listen, we are going to continue to follow your fight and this story. I thank you for coming in and sharing the details and your memories of your son. Ben Crump, I thank you as well. Wanda McGilberry, thank you for coming as well.
A video of a man saying that he's the victim of a hate crime goes viral. Maybe you've seen it. The man who allegedly referenced a hanging tree is now facing charges. The video and the man who shot it, Ricky Johnson, are here next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:36:43]
BLACKWELL: A man visiting Nevada says he went through something that was not just offensive, but downright scary. This happened in Virginia City. It's a rural tourist town just southeast of Reno. His name is Ricky Johnson. He said he was there gathering signatures for proposed ballot measure. He was doing a job. But Ricky says a man started arguing with him and then referenced a hanging tree. Ricky started recording after that, and the video he posted online went viral. Here's a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICKY JOHNSON, BLACK MAN: Where the hanging tree at?
GARY MILLER, CHARGED WITH VIOLATION OF BREACH OF PEACE: In your backyard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gentlemen, can I please?
JOHNSON: No, no, no. He just said there's a hanging tree down there that hang people like me. That's racist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is.
JOHNSON: That is racist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very racist.
JOHNSON: You all go take it back. And he's being racist.
G. MILLER: Cry --. He's crying --.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what --
JOHNSON: That is -- horrible of you. I'm doing a job. And I did not disrespect you, not once.
G. MILLER: Oh man, come on, get out of here. Get the -- out of here.
JOHNSON: You, man, you know what's -- you. And I'm not leaving. Make me leave, mother -- because I can't take it.
G. MILLER: I don't -- I don't make trash. I burn it. That's just great.
JOHNSON: And you all laughing at this? And you all laughing at this? This is what you all like? Is this is what you all like.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love it, man. We love it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Well, Gary Miller, along with his wife and their adult daughter, they've now been arrested and charged. They're out on bond. According to the Associated Press, Miller told the investigating deputy that Ricky began, quote, going crazy when he told them he was going to vote for Trump. The AP says documents show Miller admitted to referencing a hanging tree and that he said he, quote, grew up in different times.
Miller's wife Janis and the daughter, Tiffany, also faced charges. Battery for wife Janis. Obstructing or delaying a police officer for Tiffany. Here's the moment where they can be seen in the video.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANIS MILLER, CHARGED WITH BATTERY: I'm not saying nothing. I'm telling you to get off my property.
JOHNSON: -- you. Now what? Let's do it. Come on. Let's go. Slap me. Hit me. I want you to. I want you to hit me.
J. MILLER: I love you. You're my brother.
JOHNSON: No. I'm not your brother. Don't touch me. This is -- racist the most.
J. MILLER: You're my brother.
JOHNSON: You're wrong.
J. MILLER: You're my brother.
JOHNSON: You get out of my face.
J. MILLER: You're my brother.
TIFFANY MILLER, CHARGED WITH OBSTRUCTING AND DELAYING A PEACE OFFICER: Do you understand what that means? Do you know where you are? Do you know the history of the town?
JOHNSON: I don't give a --. I'm not doing anything to anybody. You all go kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Do it.
J. MILLER: No. You're my brother.
JOHNSON: Do you all see? Don't touch me.
J. MILLER: I love you, baby.
JOHNSON: Are you all going to allow this to happen, this racist stuff?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Did you hear Tiffany Miller there? Do you know where you are? You know the history of this town?
CNN reached out to the Millers for comment. They didn't get back to us. And it's not clear if they now have an attorney in this case. But Nevada's governor said the incident left him concerned and disappointed, and added, racism and hate have no place in Nevada. This behavior must be condemned in the strongest terms possible.
Nevada's Attorney General, who is black, said in a statement, what happened in Virginia City isn't just a story from one state, it's a reminder for all of us in towns large and small across our great nation. We're better when we stand together and call out hate for what it is, whenever and wherever it shows up.
[08:40:08]
So you may have missed it during all the political news, but four historically black medical schools just got a lot of money, a game changing gift. I'll explain next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:01]
BLACKWELL: So this story, this news, could have a generational impact on black health. Four historically black medical schools are splitting $600 million. The donation comes from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, $175 million each going to Howard University's College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine and Charles Drew University of Science, is getting $75 million.
This is great news for the schools and for the students, yes, but even better for the communities they'll serve. The fact is that black Americans face worse health outcomes than other groups, from infant mortality to Alzheimer's disease. One study found, listen to this, that of the 19 top causes of death in the United States, black Americans experienced higher rates in all but one. Prevention care is key, of course, in reducing those deaths. But disparities in treatment, racism can push black Americans away from the doctor's offices.
A recent survey found 60 percent of black adults say they expect to be insulted when they go to an employment. And experts believe that a lack of representation in the field is part of the problem. Only 6 percent, six, of U.S. doctors are black. Black Americans make up 13 percent of the population. So there's a lot of ground to gain here.
But HBCUs are leading the way. Ten percent of black med school grads in 2019 graduated from historically black medical schools. Students say that they -- they -- the education that they receive there is invaluable, and now they're excited to see that more is becoming accessible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEANA MURRAY, MOREHOUSE MEDICAL SCHOOL: Anything that can take away the burden of financial debt to students, it makes all the difference to us. It really does. It allows us to focus on our studies.
SYDELLE DAVIS, MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE: Being somebody that looks like you doing what you're doing, and be able to relate to relate to on a whole different level, it just kind of solidifies the fact that this is possible. And if I put my mind to it, I can do it because they did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: We'll be right back.
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[08:51:34]
BLACKWELL: Let's take you to Haiti now. There's a multinational security mission led by Kenyan police, they're in the capital of Port- au-Prince after months of gang violence and unrest. But the struggle against the gangs that's far from over. In this exclusive report, CNN's Larry Madowo gained access to the mission and rode along as they battle the gangs through the streets of the capitol.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gun battles rage on the street outside one of Haiti's biggest hospitals. Kenyan police here to help local forces take back the capital from the gangs. The first 400 officers from Nairobi quickly learning how volatile Port-au-Prince can be.
Minutes earlier, CNN was touring what is left of the hospital after gangs trashed it. The country's interim prime minister telling us it was just reclaimed.
GARRY CONILLE, INTERIM HAITIAN PRIME MINISTER: There is no tactical or strategic value for the gangs taking over this. This is really just about, you know, completely discrediting the state.
MADOWO: Is enough funding coming through for the multinational security support mission here?
CONILLE: Unfortunately, not enough and not quickly enough. Now we understand there are a lot of emergencies going on out there. And we understand there is, to a certain extent, some Haiti fatigue. The good news is that there is hope.
MADOWO (voice-over): Midway through the interview, shots ring out.
MADOWO: Right.
CONILLE: This was really --
MADOWO (voice-over): The security details springs into action.
MADOWO: We've been told we have to leave now. We've had shots in the air. The gangs are getting closer.
MADOWO (voice-over): The prime minister and our team are rushed away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got your microphone.
MADOWO (voice-over): The constant menace of gang violence dominating life here, even for the country's leader.
As night falls, we head out on patrol with Kenya's elite police forces who have been brought in to help turn things around.
MADOWO: They're using four of these American supplied MRAPs or tactical vehicles, and we're going to patrol from the airport, which used to be under gang control until very recently, into the downtown area, which is still contested.
MADOWO (voice-over): CNN was granted exclusive access to film the Kenyans leading an international security force that is expected to grow to 2,500 officers from 12 countries, funded mainly by the United States. Haitian police lead the way as a convoy scan surrounding buildings for any suspicious activity. We soon come under fire. Dozens of bullets hit the vehicles.
MADOWO: The officers are very casual about it. They're calling it rain. I guess they're used to it. Just -- we're hearing a few more from this side of the truck.
MADOWO (voice-over): Some of these men in Haiti say they have fought al-Qaeda affiliated terrorists on the Kenya-Somalia border.
MADOWO: Do you think you guys can bring peace here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a lot of confidence that we are going to win this battle.
MADOWO (voice-over): More gun shots as we turn back, but the police decide not to engage. Back at headquarters, the damage from the night becomes clear. With 85 percent of Port-au-Prince under gang control, civilians here are paying a heavy price. This is one of the few operational hospitals in the capital, located in the city's red zone and surrounded by gang territory.
[08:55:08] Twenty-two-year-old Nehteli Mahty (ph) has brought her malnourished baby in for treatment. She was raped by a gang member, she tells me, and has had to flee her home because of the violence. The hospital lost half of its staff last year. Those remaining are determined not to give up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have to fight back.
MADOWO: You can't leave it for the gang members?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't leave it for gang. Someone has to fight back. Someone has to stand up.
MADOWO (voice-over): With an estimated 2 million Haitians living in fear of being raped or killed in their homes, fighting back against the gangs is now an international effort. Haitian forces and their allies need resources, but leaders here tell us funding and equipment are not arriving fast enough.
GODFREY OTUNGE, COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL SECURITY SUPPORT MISSION HAITI: It's a matter of support. If they can be given the equipment that they need, these are the brave and courageous people.
MADOWO (voice-over): Through it all, this wary nation still has high hopes for peace.
Larry Madowo, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
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BLACKWELL: Thank you, Larry, for that report. And thank you for joining me this morning. First of all is back next Saturday, 8:00 a.m. Eastern. But I'm with you for a special hour, so very special. CNN Newsroom, Amara will be back. We'll both be here for another hour after quick break.
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