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Laura Coates Live

One Dead and 21 Others Injured In Super Bowl Rally Shooting; Special Counsel Urges Supreme Court To Deny Trump's Request For Delay In Immunity Case; Hearing Will Be Held On Efforts To Disqualify D.A. Fani Willis; U.S. Has New Intel On Russian Nuclear Capabilities In Space; Laura Coates Interviews A Parkland Survivor And A Shooting Victim's Parent. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired February 14, 2024 - 23:00   ET

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

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[23:00:37]

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Our breaking news tonight, a celebration turned into a nightmare in Kansas City. Around one million people were in downtown rallying for the Chiefs Super Bowl win when gunfire rang out and chaos ensued.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNSHOTS)

COATES: Police say that at least one person was killed and local hospitals say that 29 people have been treated for injuries. Three people have been detained and are now under investigation.

Tonight, we are learning the name tonight of one woman who died. I'll talk with an official who not only knew the victim, but was there himself at the rally with his own daughter, a riot that was supposed to be a celebration of the Chief's big win.

And here's Kansas City mayor just this morning before the shooting happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: You know, it is hard to describe just how fun a Super Bowl parade is in the first place, but you add beautiful weather today here in Kansas City.

In addition, there is also a Swift factor. Even if she doesn't come, it seems like we have so many more teenage girl fans than we ever have of our football team.

The game itself was interesting with an overtime win, so I expect this to be one of the biggest parades we've ever seen in the history of Kansas City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: That was this morning. All the excitement ahead. And here's the mayor just hours later, pointing out that a tragic few seconds can change everything.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUCAS: We had over 800 officers there, staff, situated all around Union Station today. We had security in any number of places, eyes on top of buildings and beyond. And there still is a risk to people. And I think that's something that all of us who are parents, who are just regular people living each day, have to decide what we wish to do about it. Parades, rallies, schools, movies -- it seems like almost nothing is safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: That's how all of us are feeling as parents. As he said, regular people just trying to decide how to spend our days and our lives. It's worth noting that here we are -- what? The middle of February? This is the 48th mass shooting in this country this year.

I want to bring in CNN's Whitney Wild, who is in Kansas City. Whitney, this is so unbelievable, and we know that this continues to happen across this country. But this, in this moment, what are we learning tonight?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're learning that 22 people were shot. Sadly, one of those people has died. As you mentioned, CNN has reached out to local hospitals, and by our count, 29 people were injured related to this incident.

Sadly, 11 of those injured were children. They went to Children's Mercy Hospital here. Eleven of those patients that they received are ages 6 through 15 years old. Fortunately, they are respected -- expected to recover. Their injuries are nonlife-threatening at this point.

But certainly, this is a tragic day, and behind me, Laura, this is a horrible moment that is frozen in time. This area is full shutdown. There are bags everywhere. There are personal belongings everywhere. Law enforcement continuing to work through this scene. Right now, they have three people detained.

We don't know how many firearms were recovered. We know at least one firearm was recovered, but we're still working through that with law enforcement to try to get a better understanding how many shots were fired, how many firearms were recovered, what kind of firearms were they, and then the most important question here, Laura, how did this happen?

As you mentioned and you heard earlier, this was supposed to be a perfect day. A million people turned out for this chance to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs back-to-back Super Bowl wins. All of that destroyed in an instant when gunfire erupted.

COATES: I mean, you and I are both mothers, Whitney, and you have very young children.

WILD: Uh-hmm.

COATES: You said 6 to 15. That is just churning around in my mind right now. And just thinking about what that does to children, what that does to the community, what that's like in the long run, even if it's not a life threatening, it is life-changing, what has happened.

And CNN has spoken to two eyewitnesses involved in some kind of tackling of a person that they claim to be a gunman.

[23:05:02]

What are they saying about this tackling?

WILD: So, right now, what we know is that one of those men spoke with Anderson Cooper, and he was right there when the gunfire broke out. I mean, he said he was 10 to 15 feet away, and he and others identified the shooter. We also spoke with another man who says they helped tackle one of the men that they believed was the shooter. Here's exactly what they told CNN earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY, WITNESS TO SHOOTING (voice-over): I was hopping there, just trying to stay in somewhat distance of him. In that way, I could -- if I could see a cop and help him identify that was the guy. And then just -- there wasn't any, you know, police officer at the moment at that time.

So, you know, I'm just trying to yell to anybody that can hear me. And people are scrambling, not knowing what's going on. And I just felt like that was the best situation that -- that was the best thing I could do in that situation, just let people know this is the guy, help me out.

PAUL CONTRERAS, WITNESS TO SHOOTING: He got close to me. I got the right angle on him, and I hit him from behind. And when I hit him from behind, I either jarred the gun out of his hand or out of his sleeve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Certainly, so many bystanders here seeing what happened. We -- I have to know, we don't know if the person that they tackled was one of the shooters. So, we're still working through some of the details on that. But certainly, Kansas City Police asking for anybody with any information to come forward, any video, any piece of evidence they think can help bring justice to this. Laura, they're asking for all of that. Back to you.

COATES: Whitney Wild, we need it all. Thank you so much for your excellent reporting, as always.

I want to bring in now Manny Abarca, who is a Missouri legislator, who is at the parade today. Manny and his daughter were actually forced to shelter in place following the shooting. And this evening, he has learned that one of his longtime friends, Lisa Lopez-Galvan, was killed today at the parade.

Manny, thank you so much for being here this evening. I so wish that you and I were not meeting this way. How are you holding up?

MANNY ABARCA, SUPER BOWL RALLY SHOOTING WITNESS: Um, you know, honestly, it's through the strength of my daughter that, uh, I'm able to do this, right? Thinking about her future and providing a safer state, uh, because no one should have to go through this.

Uh, I, um, mourn the loss of a good friend, uh, family, friends, uh, and -- and not just, uh, that loss, but also a ripple because there were multiple family members that were also injured in that shooting of Lisa.

COATES: I mean, this day started out as a celebration. The schools, according to the mayor, were supposed to be closed earlier today. It was expected to be a full family event. You attended the rally, met with the players, the members of the Chiefs Organization. When did you know that a shooting was taking place, and when did you know that you were in danger?

ABARCA: Yeah, it wasn't until, you know, we left the main stage area, we were entering the social area to transition on to buses, and we heard screams. And then we saw the partition between the two rooms come down and people flood screaming towards us. And I didn't know exactly what was happening at the time, but people were saying guns, police, run.

And at that moment, it just clicked. I grabbed my daughter, picked her up. And I, along with players, owners, family members, Coach Reed, rushed into a restaurant that was adjacent to that staging area, and we took cover, we took shelter. I happened to be aware of where a bathroom was in that area, so I went to there and try to lodge us in there the best way I could.

COATES: How old is your daughter?

ABARCA: My daughter is five --

COATES: Ahh!

ABARCA: -- and she remained extremely calm. And she went into protocol. To her -- she said, this is training. And I said, yeah. At the moment, that's the best I could muster because I wanted to keep her calm. And so, she kept me calm more or less than I did.

And I was trying to frantically reach out and understand what was happening because I didn't know what was confirmed, what was not. And so, I turned to Twitter and was asking anyone in Kansas City to tell me what was going on the outside because I knew I couldn't answer the phone.

COATES: I mean, the fact that a five-year-old in this country knows what protocol is for an active shooter tells me that she has likely heard this at school, has had to be trained the way you and I probably when we were younger had tornado drills or fire drills. And to have the piece of -- wherewithal, not peace of mind, but the wherewithal and the calm, tells you just what we are up against with our young children in particular.

I mean -- and then you learned that your friend, Lisa Lopez-Galvan, was killed today at the parade. Now, we -- the police -- there's a picture of her right here on the screen. Police have not provided any details surrounding her death. Do you know if Lisa is the lone fatality that's being reported by police tonight?

ABARCA: To my understanding, there are more, unfortunately.

[23:10:00]

And sadly, many, many children who are going to be impacted for the rest of their life by some element of gun violence, right? Sadly, the state of Missouri is about the worst when it comes to gun protections. Well, I should take that back. They protect guns. They don't protect the people. And so, this is going to be a tragic thing that continues if we don't do something about it in Missouri.

COATES: Can you tell us a little bit about Lisa Lopez-Galvan? About her life, about her legacy, because I can only imagine what a beautiful spirit she had.

ABARCA: Yeah, so, I've had the luxury of knowing Teresa (ph) for a very long time. She runs a local -- a local radio station that embraces the Latino culture and brings the Hanoi music to Kansas City. She regularly DJs, many events throughout Kansas City.

And I last celebrated a fiesta milestone with her and her family on stage. We were celebrating culture and embracing her passion. And it is such a tragic loss, both to our community, but also to her family. I know she's a mother, and that --

COATES: Hmm.

ABARCA: -- that gives me chills to think about that type of loss in my own family or for us not returning to my wife.

COATES: It's just unbelievable to hear what you've had to say and to think about that experience and even having to turn to Twitter in the chaos to figure out what is happening, and out of the mouths of babes at just five years old.

Manny Abarca, thank you, and I'm so sorry for you and your community's loss, and for Lisa's family. Thank you.

ABARCA: Thanks for having me.

COATES: I want to bring in Neill Franklin. He's a retired Maryland police major. Neill, I have to tell you, we have met like this before. And --

NEILL FRANKLIN, FORMER MARYLAND STATE POLICE OFFICER: Yes, we have, unfortunately. COATES: -- the trajectory suggests we will meet this way again. And both, we understand, the FBI and the ATF are now assisting with local police in their investigation. Help me understand what they were looking into at a time like this.

So, what they're probably looking into right now, this crime scene is going to be active for a very long time, so you have the physical location and you were talking earlier about all the belongings that are spewed all over the place. So, you have backpacks, you have clothing. They're going to have to search through every article there for evidence, guns that might not have been recovered, identification, basically bits and pieces of evidence.

And then outside of the physical crime scene, you've got the persons who were apprehended, what's their background, what's their criminal history, who are they -- maybe -- do they have accomplices, who are they known to hang out with, are they members of any particular group or faction, you know, what was the motive? And so, they're going to be interviewing so many people to try to determine what the motive was here.

It's clear to me. I don't think they have all the people who were involved. They definitely don't have all the weapons that were involved.

COATES: Hmm.

FRANKLIN: So --

COATES: Why do you think that, Neill?

FRANKLIN: Well, what I understand, there has been one handgun recovered so far, and that's from the gentleman, and I use that term lightly, who was tackled, who was identified by the gentleman that you guys talked about earlier in the yellow shirt, and then he was tackled by these other two bystanders. One gun was recovered there.

But when you look at the number of people who were injured, I think you said 22 people shot, one deceased, very few handguns are capable of having that many rounds. Semiautomatics are capable of having that many rounds. I'm not saying it's impossible, but very few are. It is -- from my experience, there's a good chance that there's at least one more firearm out there somewhere.

COATES: You know, Neill, we are eager to hear more details. It has been vague for a lot of the police conversations and the press conferences. I understand necessarily vague for the investigation's sake, but the net will be cast quite wide. But all I can say is right now, there should be mothers and daughters and loved ones who are, you know, having dreams in their head of being that close to a championship team. And tonight, this is where we are instead.

Neill Franklin, thank you.

FRANKLIN: Yeah. Thank you, Laura.

COATES: It's really unbelievable to think of how often you and I have met like this and had these conversations, right? We'll be right back.

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[23:19:00]

COATES: Special Counsel Jack Smith delivering a message to the Supreme Court tonight, reject Trump's claim of absolute immunity. What he's saying is, and I quote here, "A president's alleged criminal scheme to overturn an election and thwart the peaceful transfer of power to his successor should be the last place to recognize a novel form of absolute immunity from federal criminal law."

That's not the only issue for Trump in the legal world, as you know. In fact, tomorrow, Trump is expected inside of a New York courtroom where a judge is expected to confirm a trial start date for Trump's hush money trial. That's the case where prosecutors allege a coverup scheme by Trump to hide payments to adult film star and director Stormy Daniels.

Also happening tomorrow because, but wait, there's more, is Georgia. There's a hearing to determine if the D.A. in the case against Trump and other defendants, Fani Willis, should be disqualified from prosecuting because of an alleged relationship with one of the lead prosecutors, a hearing that could potentially lead the entire case or team in disarray.

[23:20:04]

And then the day after, on Friday, you got a New York judge who will decide how much Trump will owe in his civil fraud trial.

Joining me now, Elliot Williams and Kristy Greenberg to try to unpack all of this. Elliot, let me begin with you because just trying to preface all of these different actions and legal woes for Trump is really a trial in and of itself.

But Smith is arguing to the Supreme Court that Trump cannot show what he calls a fair prospect of success. He has a delay, quote, "threatens to frustrate the public interest in a speedy and fair verdict." What do you make of that argument?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I make of that argument the same thing I made of the argument back in December, the first time Jack Smith made it, and that's what's most notable here.

Everyone has known the position that the special counsel is going to take, that number one, the Supreme Court ought to not take it at all, and number two, if the Supreme Court takes it, they ought to resolve it very quickly. And I think, as you noted, Laura, Jack Smith made this argument back in December when he first asked the Supreme Court to take it. So, it's a pretty straightforward argument.

And looking at the lower court decision that has already been decided here, it seems that at some point, Donald Trump will be found to be not immune from prosecution. It's just a question of how long it will take to get there.

COATES: I mean, the Supreme Court was going to do what it wants to do, right, Chris? They're going to tell you what they want to take and not take. They may or may not give a reason. They might leave it with the lower court, the court of appeals, but they very well may take it up. And, of course, Jack Smith is wasting no time. It was due next week. He filed it today.

But in New York tomorrow, I want to go and travel there with you for a second, because Trump is going to be in court for the hush money trial hearing. And that -- frankly, I remember when Alvin Bragg was the first to bring the charges and everyone wondered would that be the first trial to actually go and then everything else happened in between. This could now end up, in fact, being the first criminal trial that Trump faces. What are you expecting?

KRISTY GREENBERG, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: So, I think in tomorrow's hearing, the judge is going to consider the motions that have been made pre-trial. Donald Trump has made a number of arguments. He argues that there's undue delay. Of course, he is in large part the reason for that delay because he sued to block enforcement of subpoenas for his financial records. And also, there were other investigations federally that paused the state investigation for a while.

He's arguing that there are statutes of limitations that apply though they don't really -- it was on hold while he was out of the state as president. He argues he was selectively prosecuted. But I don't think that will succeed either because Michael Cohen was, in fact, prosecuted and convicted for this same conduct federally that he is -- Donald Trump is now being prosecuted for in the state.

So, there are a host of arguments here that the judge is expected to rule on tomorrow, and I do expect that he will not grant Donald Trump's motion to dismiss the indictment based on all of these arguments.

And I do think he will set the trial date. The trial date is currently set for March 25th. He is expected to inquire about whether or not there are any conflicts with that date. There are none on the calendar currently. So, I do think we'll see a trial starting March 25th.

COATES: I mean, in many ways, right, Elliot, the date that Kristy is talking about, the action and the alleged conduct predates the other alleged conduct and all the other trials, right? So, it would make sense, I guess, logistically, but we are not in a make sense necessarily a sort of world sometimes these days.

But, Elliot, stay in New York with me because on Friday, we're still in New York for the civil fraud trial against Trump, and that judge is expected to decide not whether he has committed some fraudulent behavior, that was a summary judgment motion, but how much Trump will have to pay. And it is potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. It doesn't end there. Maybe even a possible ban on even doing business in the state he called home for so many years.

How do you see it all playing out? WILLIAMS: So, the judge has to assess liability on a few counts and, of course, as you said there, Laura, damages. Now, the writing seemed to be on the -- on the wall from the trial that it appeared that the judge was not persuaded by some of the arguments being made by the former president.

Remember, it was not a jury trial. Only the judge was hearing the evidence and law in the case, number one. And number two, there were a number of instances where it was clear that the Trump team had just simply gotten under the judge's skin.

And, as we all know, having the three of us having appeared in front of courts before, the last thing you want to do is piss off the judge. And certainly, the judge has to substantiate anything that he decides in the case. But close calls, he's not obligated to rule in the favor of a defendant that has, you know, insulted his staff or behaved in an improper manner in court.

[23:25:00]

So, you know, I would assume that there would be pretty harsh penalties assessed against the president. We'll just have to see how the judge writes it up and how he defends ultimately the decision that he writes.

COATES: I mean, Kristy, we're supposed to know about that ruling by the end of January. Obviously, it's no longer the end of January, right? The calendar is ticking on and here we are, February 14th, and I have February, what, 16th by this coming Friday. So, we know it's taking some time.

But let's go on this road trip still, okay? We're on this road. We're all over the United States. Now, we're going to go to Georgia together right now, because in Georgia, another case that has, you know, all of the residue of all the Trump filings, Nathan Wade, who is the lead prosecutor in the case against Trump where there will be -- he'll be on the stand first, answering, by the way, what could be some very personal questions about his purported relationship with district attorney, Fani Willis.

This will be live. Unlike other courthouses we've seen, this will be actually able to be viewed and could be very frankly uncomfortable to watch. But what are they trying to get at in this trial? It's not the underlying facts of the case, right? It's something different.

GREENBERG: Well, I think the defense is trying to do two things. One, they are trying to show that there was a conflict of interest between the D.A., Fannie Willis, and given her relationship with this lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade, in that she had a financial interest in hiring him and had some benefit in doing that.

Now, Nathan Wade has filed an affidavit saying, no -- yes, we took some trips together, but we split the finances evenly. So, expect that there will be a lot of questioning about their finances and the trips that they took and exactly what if any financial benefit Fani Willis derived from his employment with her office. I also expect there will be questioning about the timing of their relationship. He has said in his papers that he did not begin a relationship with her until after she was hired. The defense claims that they have a witness who will say the opposite and has information to that effect.

So, I think this is going to get messy. I think the judge is going to try and run a tight ship here, but expect this to be some real housewives' territory that we may get in to tomorrow.

COATES: Going to get messy, Kristy. I got news for you. We're already there, right in the mess, like it's a pig sty of things right now. Elliot, Kristy, thank you both so much.

The next question is what more could we expect from this hearing in Georgia involving, by the way, not just the details of a purported relationship, but the effort to disqualify Fani Willis. My next guest says that she should step aside. I'll ask him why he thinks that and will the judge agree, next.

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[23:32:07]

COATES: I want to dig in now deeper to the legal questions surrounding the potential, not even potential, disqualification of Georgia's D.A, Fani Willis.

Joining me now, Clark Cunningham, a professor of law at Georgia State University. Clark, I'm glad you're here. We've spoken before in anticipation of this very --

Yeah.

COATES: -- conversation and hearing happening. And I think many people are wondering why there is this hearing tomorrow. What is the tangible potential outcome? Will there be a decision tomorrow about whether she or her team is disqualified?

CLARK CUNNINGHAM, PROFESSOR OF LAW, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: Well, I don't think there's going to be a decision tomorrow because I think it's going to take at least -- it's going to take more than a day for Judge McAfee to hear evidence in this matter. He has already set -- he set aside Friday, and then he's going to see where they are on Friday. I think it could take a long time for the evidence to all come out on this matter.

But what's at stake is if Judge McAfee grants the request to disqualify District Attorney Willis. The case against Donald Trump in Georgia is put on a really slow track. I think the chances of him going to trial before the election really diminished.

COATES: But why is that? Because it would mean not just Fani Willis. It would mean her prosecution team, right? Then a separate outside agency would have to appoint a different team --

CUNNINGHAM: Exactly.

COATES: -- to do the whole case. So, every -- this could -- they could actually choose to dismiss the case then, the next team.

CUNNINGHAM: Exactly. So, under Georgia law, if the district attorney is disqualified from handling a particular care, everybody on her staff is disqualified because their power to act comes from her as the D.A.

At that point, a state agency called the prosecuting attorneys council of Georgia. The executive director is tasked with appointing the special prosecutor who could be a district attorney from another part of the state or could be a private attorney.

But there is likely to be a delay in appointing a new special prosecutor. When the new special prosecutor comes in, he or she is going to take probably a lot of time to look at the case from bottom up, and then that new prosecutor could decide to dismiss some or all of the charges. So, it's really bad for the case.

COATES: I mean, and again, there's more than a dozen defendants. There's also been guilty pleas already in this case --

CUNNINGHAM: Yes.

COATES: -- of people who have already pled guilty, likely would not have an impact on their already having pled guilty to a case, but there certainly could be --

CUNNINGHAM: No.

COATES: -- future discussions about, you know, maybe expungement and beyond, but I doubt that will happen. But the evidence in particular, Clark, I think is so important here, because there are questions about the exact start of this relationship. Why is the start date so important to this judge?

CUNNINGHAM: Well, I don't know how important it is to the judge. The district attorney has made a fairly big deal about it.

[23:35:00]

And what's going to make tomorrow's hearing really probably quite dramatic is the possibility that the attorneys for the defendants are going to try to prove that Nathan Wade, the special attorney, committed perjury in submitting a false affidavit to the court as to when the relationship began and also as to whether they've lived together.

So, it could become less important whether, in fact, those things are true than whether he lied about it in an affidavit, and then the district attorney knowingly used a false affidavit. If that turns out to be the case, then all bets are off.

COATES: Now, there's a lot of ifs, but you know what I think about, Clark? When I would try cases, the last thing you wanted was for jurors to think that you cannot give the benefit of the doubt to the government. That my word or the government's word or the witnesses' testimony, which is all that really matters, somehow, that was in question. You know, that's going to be a huge thing.

And, of course, the jury pool potentially could be watching all of this because they'll have courtroom cameras and beyond. That's really the crux of this matter, the credibility issues and the seeds that have been planted.

I'm so glad you stopped by. Thank you, Clark Cunningham.

CUNNINGHAM: It was a pleasure to be here.

COATES: You know, the hearing, looking into all of these claims, it starts tomorrow morning at, I think, 9:30 a.m. Eastern. I'll be there bright and early at the courthouse in Atlanta for CNN special coverage.

Up next, CNN learning about new U.S. intel that relates to Russian military capabilities. Guess where? In space. And it involves a nuclear anti-satellite system.

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[23:40:59]

COATES: Well, tonight, CNN is learning that the U.S. has new intelligence on Putin's efforts to launch a nuclear anti-satellite system in space, of all places. House Intel Chairman Mike Turner raising the eyebrows with a cryptic statement calling the new Russian project -- quote -- "a concerning, serious national security threat." That is eyebrow-raising.

It set, of course, Washington abuzz and it irritated White House officials. Sources tell CNN that the system remains under development and the threat does not involve a weapon that would be used to attack humans.

Joining me now, CNN national security analyst and former CIA chief of Russia Operations, Steve Hall. Okay, Steve, just hearing that phrase be said is very, very foreboding. So, what do you make of this intelligence?

STEVE HALL, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yeah, Laura, I think, first, we have to remember that the Russians make a lot of claims about these advanced weapons systems that they have or that they claim to have and that they claim are invincible and unbeatable.

I mean, this is certainly the case with a lot of these hypersonic systems that we heard about where Putin said, you know, nobody can stop these things. But, in fact, they are stoppable. They have been stopped before.

I think this type of weapon, if we're talking about some sort of nuclear capability that can take out satellites in space, I mean, apparently, our own intelligence indicates that this is only under development and has not been launched or perhaps even close to launching.

So, I think that's where we're getting these signals from the administration and others saying, look, this is significant, it's important to look at, but it's not an immediate threat.

COATES: No, but yet we know about it, right? I mean, we are hearing about it today. And Senate intelligence leaders in both parties are warning that declassifying the material, it could expose sensitive sources, it could expose sensitive methods. I mean, how dangerous could the prospect of declassifying this be?

HALL: Certainly, very dangerous for our collection capabilities. And, of course, this is always the balancing point. You've got the intelligence professionals on one side saying, look, above all else, we must protect our sources and methods or else we won't find out when or if this thing is ever launched, let alone what its capabilities are. So, that's the intelligence perspective.

On the other side of the coin, though, is, you know, the publicly elected officials saying, first of all, we need to know this and be able to talk about this in a meaningful way to decide how to respond to it. Then, of course, you know, there's the press and others who are trying to say, well, there's also a public interest in this.

But, you know, for me, and I'm admittedly biased as a former intelligence officer, I think the most important thing is being able to have this capability in the future to determine, are they going to launch one of these things and what does that actually mean for the United States and our allies?

COATES: So, why would Russia develop this kind of technology? What is it for specifically, if we even know?

HALL: Well, apparently, according to the intelligence, it is a nuclear capability, although that's what the Russians are saying. And, of course, the Russians understand what that does to the western psyche when they start talking about anything nuclear, even if the nuclear blast is only intended to take out satellites.

But the Russians have long been frustrated about our global positioning system, our GPS system. They've tried to launch their own. They've failed at numerous times. They understand the importance of that international and worldwide connectivity that GPS offers. If they can't make one their own, I think Putin said, look, let's take it out, let's have the ability to destroy the bad guys GPS system, the bad guys in this case being us in the West.

COATES: Steve Hall, this is so important to learn more about. And, of course, I do wonder about that balance you describe, knowing about it or knowing the information without exposing it. Thank you, Steve.

HALL: Yeah, sure.

COATES: Up next, more reaction from today's tragedy in Kansas City from two people who have experienced their own tragic form of gun violence. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:49:12]

COATES: There is reaction still streaming in from Kansas City after today's horror, including from a Chiefs player. Charles Omunihu, who was one of the team's defensive end, says gun laws need to change. I'm quoting him when I say this: "How many more people have to die to say enough is enough?"

His statement, of course, came after a gunman turned a Super Bowl celebration, a ticker-tape parade every city hopes for, into another national tragedy.

Joining me now, David Hogg, he survived the Parkland Massacre, and Brett Cross, whose son was murdered at the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Thank you both for joining me this evening. I can only imagine how unbelievably painful and triggering and infuriating this is for both of you. I mean, just thinking about where things stand right now.

[23:50:00]

Let me begin with you because, David, Brett, what we've watched has stunned so many people. It happened again now in Kansas City and it's triggering some difficult memories for both of you. You want to describe a little bit what you are feeling tonight, Brett?

BRETT CROSS, FATHER OF A SCHOOL SHOOTING VICTIM: Yeah, I'm -- at this point, I'm just -- I have no words. I'm sick to my stomach. We've seen like three mass shootings today all on the anniversary of Parkland. And it's just -- it's terrible.

COATES: Hmm.

CROSS: And, you know, like we've been saying, when is enough, enough?

COATES: David, it was Valentine's Day when Parkland happened. You're actually on Capitol Hill. You're lobbying gun makers. You have been lobbying to do something about gun violence. I wonder what you and your reaction was today, knowing this happened again.

DAVID HOGG, MASS SHOOTING SURVIVOR, CO-FOUNDER OF MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: Just so frustrated more than anything. It shouldn't take so much pressure for us to get even a small amount of action.

You know, I was with Brett earlier today, literally right in front of the Capitol where Parkland father, Manuel Oliver, had spearheaded a project to use artificial intelligence to recreate the voices of victims of gun violence, including Brett's son.

And they have done this so that people can go to -- the website is theshotline.org. And all you have to do is put in your zip code and it will call your representative with Brett son's voice or Joaquin Oliver's voice and say, I am a victim of gun violence and I'm calling you to say it may be too late for me, but you still can make change so that other people like me don't need to be generated by AI in the future to call to demand change.

COATES: You know --

HOGG: And is that disturbing to some people? For sure, but it should be.

COATES: I was going to say -- I was going to say, I really want to play this. And I had to think when I first heard about it, David and Brett, I was stunned to think of this having to happen and this particular strategy, and just how impactful and meaningful it was.

Brett, I want our viewers to hear this. These are voices who've been silenced for years. They're now pressuring Congress. Please, Brett, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to play what Joaquin sounded like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Hello, I'm Joaquin. I was murdered at school by a shooter with an AR-15 assault rifle. My voice has been recreated using powerful AI technology along with the voices of others who have lost their lives to gun violence.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): We'll call again --

UNKNOWN (voice-over): And again, and again --

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Until change is made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Brett, this is intended to give some voice to those who seem to be pushed aside in the conversations. Why was it so important to you?

CROSS: You know, it has been -- to the day, it has been 631 days that me and my wife have been Uziyah's voice since it was taken away. And it was important because now he gets to be his voice once again. You know, this isn't -- these messages aren't from Brett Cross or Manny Oliver. These messages are from Joaquin Oliver and Uziyah Garcia. And it's them. It's their message. It's their voice.

And these politicians will not listen to us anymore. We go to their offices, we talk to them, we call them. They don't listen anymore. But how are they going to ignore my son's voice?

COATES: They deserve to be heard, your son as well. And just thinking about, I'm sure, the frustration of what I can assume is congressional lip service or thoughts and prayers without tangible results. I mean, have you or David, have you received any responses from anyone in Congress knowing that these are being distributed?

HOGG: You know, today we've had over 5,000 phone calls made, and we know that they're having an impact. I got a message right after we started from a staffer on the Hill that, you know, there were emails going around the Hill today saying, is anybody else getting these calls with victims of gun violence? So, it is having -- they're paying attention.

But we need more people to call. If people would like to join in that, the website is just theshotline.org to go to. All you got to do is put in your zip code and hit call.

And we need more people to speak out, too. We need more football players. We need more, you know, just cultural figures to speak out because Brett and I can continue speaking out, but until more people speak out about this who have not been directly impacted yet, it's going to continue. And it can't just be us, it has to be the whole country.

COATES: Well, frankly, David, Brett, it is all of us who could potentially be harmed.

[23:55:00]

And so, that's the scary reality for so many people every single day. And here we are a day when we should be thinking about love and celebration for so many reasons in life. We are remembering what is being taken and the continuation of it.

If I could just ask you, Brett, tell me something about Joaquin. I want to hear -- I've heard his voice. Tell me his -- Uzi, excuse me. Excuse me, Uzi. Tell me his -- his -- about his life.

CROSS: I mean, he was just an -- just an energetic ball of love. I mean, his whole thing in life was just helping people. I mean, at one point, he wanted to be a cop so that he could help people. And he is helping people now. And unfortunately, it has to be this way, because in America, it's not a matter of if you're going to be affected, it's a matter of when you'll be affected by gun violence.

But, you know, like I said, he was just -- he loved helping people. He loved putting a smile on your face, and he would go out of his way, too. He didn't like anybody sad. So, he wouldn't want another parent to go through this. He wouldn't want another child to go through this.

And neither do we. And that is why my wife and I do this. It is because we don't want another parent to have to bury their child. A 10-year-old coffin is small.

COATES: Hmm. Brett, thank you so much and thank you for sharing his beautiful life with us. And we saw his picture while you were speaking. We saw Uzi Garcia and his beautiful spirit was flying off of the screen for all of us. Thank you for sharing him with the world today. David, thank you for being here and continuing to keep us informed. I appreciate you both. Thank you.

CROSS: Thank you.

HOGG: Thank you.

COATES: Thank you all for watching. Our coverage continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)