Transcripts For ALJAZ 20240710

The sun is rising there, now, over a desperate searchandrescue operation. We are going to go back to sanjay here, in just a moment. Crews have been working through the night. They are trying to locate survivors of this devastatingBuilding Collapse. 99 people are, still, unaccounted for this morning. We know that at least one person is dead. I think we actually got an update from the mayor that that four people may have passed away. And were expecting to get a moreformal update, from officials here, shortly. There is video from inside of a Parking Garage where rescuers have been focusing their search. It is delicate. This is dangerous work. They have Structural Engineers who are right beside them during this. You can see why. Also, this Surveillance Video shows the moment the Building Collapsed. Just horrifying. This morning, we are going to talk to a number of experts who are trying to figure out how it could have happened. Meanwhile, Family Members are holding out hope. Waiting for answers. We have a lot of hope that judy is still alive. And and still there. And still there. Shes an amazing person. Shes great grandmother, mother, wife. My mom is an absolutely amazing person. Shes a fighter. And she fights for every single one of us. And we wont stop, until we wont stop fighting, until we find her. They wont stop fighting. Thats the husband and son of judy spiegel. They are going to join us next hour. Lets get right down to sanjay gupta who is, again, on the scene with cnns rosa flores, whos been there since early yesterday. And i know the work continues there. And no doubt. And i mean, every time i hear those those messages from these families, rosa. I mean, it is it is heartbreaking. We see this sort of thing, you know, around the world. Ive seen this in haiti. But not here. I have not seen something quite like this here. What what do we know . Its 29 1 2 hours, now, since this Building Collapse. What what can we say about the sort of status of the Search And Rescue, at this point . Well, right now, they are really focusing on the voids that firefighters have found within the rubble. And that, of course, is some of the most dangerous work, sanjay. Because really, what these firefighters are doing is they are trying to shore up those voids. To make it safe enough for them to crawl in between that rubble. To listen and and look for Signs Of Life. So, thats exactly whats happening behind us. And and you mention this earlier. They face so many challenges. We heard of fires that theyve had to fight. There, of course, are hazards in this building. This was a residential building, so there is a lot of water. Theres theres fumes from gas and propane. Theres theres vehicles. And so, there are all of these complications that are making this very, very difficult and very dangerous. You know, i i am seeing this for the first time this morning and now lights coming up so i am getting a better idea of what this looks like. You see the water being sprayed there. Some of those fires may be, still, ongoing. Also, the still. All the various things that are put into the air after a collapse like this. I understand they have been using very hightech methods. They have been using lowtech methods. I mean, i guess, the idea is to just listen, is that right . For anything, any Signs Of Life . You know, they are using technology. They are also using just their ear to figure out if they can hear anything. From what firefighters tell us, they havent been able to hear voices but they have heard banging. That, of course, is hope for a lot of these families. They are also using cameras. Because cameras and, of course, technology, nowadays, is very advanced. They are able to send cameras in between crevices and holes to get some visibility, through some of these tunnels that theyre that theyre building to try to get to people. And ive got to say, because from this side of the building, you really cant see the collapse. Right. I went, last night, On The Beach Side of this. This that really gives you a sense of of of how this Building Collapsed. That you dont get from this side. On the other side, you really do see, theres stories that are just missing. This is also the side thats facing the ocean, which may be relevant to this whole conversation. We dont know, yet. Thats going to be a longerterm conversation, obviously, searchandrescue missions are going on now. Brianna told me earlier this a community where people may come back and forth. There may be longterm rez dentss. There may be, i guess, snowbirds. We dont know and that makes it challenging trying to figure out exactly who these unaccounted people are. Where are they . Were they in the building . Or not . That is part of this discussion as well, brianna. We have been Hearing Experts describe just how painstaking this process is. Search teams going rock by rock, they are going piece by piece through the rubble. They are looking for any sign of life. They did hear some banging noises from beneath the debris yesterday. And they are holding out hope they might find some victims alive. The firefighter leading the rescue effort talked to cnn last night. So in this type of collapse, even though it is a pancake collapse, as the slabs of Concrete Slide and and move toward the ground, they do create voids, you know, as the rubble crushes and slabs of Concrete Land on top of it. There are, definitely, voids. So we are hopeful that we will find patients in those in those spaces. Were using Canine Assets from miamidade fire rescue and Florida Task Force one, as well as Listening Devices that we have as part of our cache of equipment. We, also, stop and hail callout. To in the rubble pile, listening for any sounds, tapping, voices, anything we might hear. So occasionally, well stop all of our operations. And just have everybody go silent, and listen. That, in conjunction with the dogs moving about their the rubble pile, constantly, as well as the Listening Devices. We have cameras that we can bore holes into slabs of concrete and put into other smallvoid spaces in order to see, you know, around corners and in small areas, also. Were about a block away from this Building Collapse over here. You can sort of see it over my left shoulder. I am joined now by jimmy patronas, the fire marshal. You have been helping oversee Rescue Efforts here. Thank you for your work. I mean, its been 29 1 2 hours now. What we have heard is that there was one person who had died. Theres 99 who are still unaccounted for. 102 that have been accounted for. Whats the latest . So, theyre theyre being innovative. Were were even going and looking at the License Plates of the cars that are in the Parking Garage to try to do more cr cross referencing and matching to verify if people are in or out of the building. As you assemble this manifest, as you talk to the loved ones at the unification center, its tough. Thats about the hardest place ive ever dealt in my entire life was was meeting with the families there. But we have got to get the answers to understand who could, still, be in the building. What is the sort of working sort of theories now in terms i mean, do we have any idea how many people were actually in the building . Because my understanding is people go back and forth. These arent, necessarily, all permanent or fulltime residents. Right. How how do you go about sort of assessing that . So, again, continue to just to work through the information that we can get. You dont want to put wrong information out there. The the Emotional Trauma that people are going through right now is extraordinary. There is no sense putting out information that that could be anypotentially worse for them. But as these men and women of task force one. They only have one mission and, that is, to save lives. And theyve started since 1 30 in the morning, yesterday. As theyre here now, as we will see orlando and naples come in later today to supplement their efforts. So, more people, obviously, coming in. This has now been declared an emergency. Can you give me an idea the scope of the mission . Again, we can sort of see this. But how many people are are actively involved right now with the Search And Rescue . So, at about 8 00 im sorry, 7 00, last night, eastern time, about a team of 80 was just just a huge complimemen went in and started working. They got to build a plan so as that team of 80 was coming in, again, we had every department in this region respond. But the skill set that these men and women have are unique. They are they are made built to go from building to building after a hurricane, disaster, manmade or or natural. Theyre used to digging through debris to find lives. Youre going to have here, i guess, in a little bit, one of our Trauma Surgeons. The team is embedded with with, you name it, whatever it takes to save somebodys life at the scene of the of the saving. I have seen these types of situations, in other countries. Where, in the field, even in the rubble, sometimes, medical care has to be administered. Ivs being placed. Things like that, before youd even, necessarily, lift the pressure off of somebody because thats part of the medical care that has to be done, right away. This is unique, isnt it . I mean, i i i never seen anything like this, in this country. I mean, hurricanes different, versus a Building Collapse like this. Sure. And it keeps being described as a pancake collapse. What sort of unique challenges does that present . Well, again, the fear of whats taken place. The fires that have been happening to the evening. You get a lot of lithiumion batteries. You got a lot of other Combustible Materials that, eventually, they will catch to a point where they will ignite. Well now, you are adding water to the building to control a fire, while men and women are saving lives and that water adds a tremendous amount of weight. It it, then, challenges the integrity of what is Still Standing there. And and then, that delicate balance of saving lives, while risking lives. Its 29 and a half hours. Again, we know, what we have heard so far is that 99 people are unaccounted for. One person has died. Is are there any updates . Do we know any more on this . Thats the best information that i have got to provide. Again, i want to give as much hope as possible because these men and women only have one way to operate. And that is to continue fighting till the mission is soover. And thats what they are doing right now with concrete saws, with leveraging equipment. You name it. These are the best of the best that the United States has to offer. Disasters dont tell you when theyre going to come. You can kind of predict a hurricane, but you cant predict where its gonna land. You cant predict anything like this and this is what they are built to do, even at 1 30 in the morning. I know this is emotional for you. I i can read it on your face. I can only imagine what its like for you, for the workers. Are they are they hearing any Signs Of Life . I mean, weve talked about banging that was heard earlier. They got these everything from dogs to high technology. What do we know, at this moment . So so, thats another challenge so they can use infrared. But you got to think. Youve got to have youve got conflicting elements that could make infrared blurry, challenging, inconsistent. So, you know, but when you got fires now, youre competing. So, you know, as as they theyre using the technology, thats where the the dogs and, of course, listening for anything that could be a clanging. But as you are pumping water out, youre also shifting materials. That creates a ripple effect. And you are competing with all the noise of the equipment running right now. So theyre doing the best they can, with what theyve got. And and at a tremendous risk. Tremendous risk. You know, i just shave to as and it is a one of these things, where the clock is ticking. Its 29 1 2 hours. What does that mean to you . Are there certain timeframes we are sort of looking at here . Well, again, this is a liveactive rescue. It is not, any way, shape, or form, a recovery effort. We wouldnt be bringing crews in from other parts of the state if that were the case. Were were going to do everything, put every effort of our energy into saving the lives in that building and the families deserve it. The people deserve it. You know . And our First Responders are the best at it. They really are. Jimmy, thank you very much. Hope to keep talking to you. John, i mean, you you heard it there. These missions are currently under way. They are going to be happening, obviously, for as long as we know. I mean, for hours to come. Certainly, more crews coming in. I can tell you, from around the state but also around the country, as well, to assist with this. So, we will keep you posted as we get more details. Right now, what we have heard, one person has died. 99, still, unaccounted for. That is the latest information here from fire marshal patronas, john. One thing we have heard from officials there, sanjay, is there is no shortage of resources. The problem is just the scope of the disaster. The absolute devastation from these buildings, themselves, and the challenges of the weather. The challenges of of trying to get the people that they have, where they need them in the building. So we are going to look at that, much further, as the morning continues. Sanjay, thank you so much for being there. Stand by because we are going to speak to a Trauma Surgeon, who treated some of the survivors of that Building Collapse. Plus, President Biden celebrating a majorbipartisan deal on infrastructure. But will democrats in the senate get on board . Energy secretary, jennifer granholm, joins us, just ahead. I became a sofi member because i needed to consolidate my credit card debt. I needed just one simple way to pay it all off. It was an easy decision to apply with sofi loans, just based on the Interest Rate and how much i would be saving. There was only one that stood out and one that actually made sense and that was sofi personal loans. It felt so freeing. I felt like i was finally out of this neverending trap of interest and payments and debt. Is now a good time for a flareup . Enough, crohns for adults with moderate to severe crohns or ulcerative colitis. Stelara® can provide relief and is the only approved medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. You, getting on that flight . Back off, uc stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if you have an infection. Flulike symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. Pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. Some serious allergic reactions and Lung Inflammation can occur. Lasting remission can start with stelara®. If youve been financially impacted by covid19, janssen may be able to help. Im dr. Sanjay gupta, here in surfside, florida. The site of this heartbreaking collapse. 55 units of a 136unit building. The 55 units that were facing the ocean have collapsed. What we have just heard is that one person has been confirmed to have died. 99 people are, still, accounted unaccounted for. And these really desperate searchandrescue missions are underway. I am joined by dr. Howard liebermann. Howie, thank you for joining us. You are a Trauma Surgeon. You were operating yesterday. You got called to come be here, be in the field. To try and take care of people who might potentially be found. But also, the rescuers, themselves. Correct. So, as you said, i am a Trauma Surgeon. I am also a member of the miamidade fire rescue, urban Search And Rescue task force. So i kind of have a dual role. I initially started as a Trauma Surgeon and then, i kind of shifted from Trauma Surgeon at Jackson Memorial hospital to urban Search And Rescue with the Florida Task Force. I know you eve been working through the night and i want to ask you about, specifically, how thats going. But the thing that strikes me, howie, is these types of events. They affect the entire community, right . Absolutely. Do you know anybody . Or anybody thats been affected . So, its kind of funny you ask that. But, yeah, it is a small community. I live in miami beach. Surfsides not far away. I come here often. But what really touched open was i got a phone call from a friend of mine, i went to Medical School with. I couldnt answer the phone because i was busy. But then, i got a text message from another friend of ours. Long story, short is friend of mine i went to Medical School with. His cousin, his cousins wife who is pregnant, and their 1yearold, are missing and lived in the building. That is is heartbreaking to think about. I i hope theyre found. Yeah. I mean, well, were not going to stop until every stone is removed. So these are always tough conversations to have because the optimism. You want you want to remain h hopeful. We are 29 and a half hours into this. How do you sort of think about things . There is no absolutes, and there is no 100 . Things do happen, miracles do happen. As a Trauma Surgeon i see that kind of almost every day. You know, the unexpected can happen. You have such a hardworking, dedicated team here. The urban Search And Rescue Florida Task Force is probably second to none. Theyre professional. Theyre working their butts off pretty much nonstop. Everybody has a positive attitude and we just dont stop. We are always optimistic. We are always hoping were going to turn over something and find someone buried there, alive. And again, we wont stop until every stone is pretty much removed. People who have been rescued. What sorts of injuries have been seen . Yeah. So mainly, its been crush injuries, orthopedic injuries. You know, im sure you have seen pictures of the building kind of pancaked on itself. So, you know, a lot of people, just heavy debris. Getting pinned. So, crush fractures, orthopedic injuries. There is two patients that i know of that were brought to ryder trauma center. At that time, i was operating so i dont really know what their condition was. And then, from there, i came straight here. My understanding is that they were hearing noises. Banging, not necessarily voices but at least some Signs Of Life. Are there any updates on that . Is that continuing . So, we havent really heard anything, in in a while now. But thats not to say theres still, you know, not people trapped if they are alive. For different reasons, you know, they might be obviously as time is running up, they might be getting a little bit more sicker or ill. Not as vocal as they were before. But like i said, we are going to keep, you know, keep searching. And you think about i mean, you are a Trauma Surgeon. Youre onsite here, as i mentioned. To care for the rescuers, themselves. Correct. But if you find somebody, its not as simple as simply lifting i wish it was. And extricating them, right . Its its very difficult and obviously, we have a lot of training for this. Sometimes, it involves going in there, having to do a field amputation. Removing a leg or arm or something, in order to save the patient. So its always that life over limb. Thats like, sort of, you know, extreme circumstances. Other times, you know, you get lucky. You find them in a pocket, and you are able to basically, by hand, remove the rubble, if its not too heavy. Or we have all the heavy equipment coming in. That helps, also. And, yeah. So every every situations a little bit different. But we have a huge host of, you know, tools and modalities st available for us. Whether its just our hands or some sort of technology or other equipment, its all at our disposal. You have everything you need . We have everything we need. Howie, dr. Liebermann, thank you for everything that you do. Hang in there. I am sorry to hear about your your friend. I mean, its its i think this is going to we talk about the physical impacts of these things. The posttraumatic stress. All of that. I mean, we we will be talking about that for a long time to come. Yeah. It definitely, you know, hits home. But i guess, as a Trauma Surgeon, im sort of on one hand, sort of like just another day. As sad as that might sound or callous, but you sort of have to have that attitude when you are a Trauma Surgeon because a lot of your patients just dont make it, and thats just a fact. Howie, i know, its its you hear that. Its tough to let it settle in. Keep coming back and talking to us. Give us any updates. Thank you, howie. Brianna, i thats a little bit of a picture of, sort of, how things are progressing on the ground here. I mean, thats why you have Trauma Surgeons. Because these we talk about these searchandrescue missions but they are farmore complicated and involved than people may initially realize. Thats why people like dr. Liebermann are here. Its so interesting to hear from the officials there who say, look, i know the situation looks completely devastating. But with the way these floors, even though they pancake, the concrete shifts. There could be voids, and their hope is that there is someone alive, in one of them. We are waiting, now, for another update from police on the scene of this disaster in the miami area. As this search for survivors is continuing. And joe bidens signaturelegislative victory. A bipartisaninfrastructure deal. Its not a victory, yet. The bill hasnt passed, yet. But he did get a bipartisan compromise, which is something that a lot of people said couldnt happen. A topcabinet official joins us, next. After pioneering photographic film, we made it our mission to help change the world. In healthcare, our Imaging Expertise and Ai Technology aims to help Diagnose Disease earlier. But why stop there . When we can apply our expertise in cell biology and Specialized Technologies to help make vital vaccines and treatments available to all. Well never stop innovating for a healthier world. Fujifilm value from innovation vo jack was one of six million pets in Animal Shelters in need of a home. He found it in a boy with special needs, who also needed him. As part of our love promise, subaru and our retailers host Adoption Events and have donated 28 Million Dollars to support local Animal Shelters. Were proud to have helped over 230,000 pets so far. Changing the lives of dogs like jack, and the families who adopt them. Subaru. More than a car company. New projects means new project managers. You need to hire. I need indeed. Indeed you do. The moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a short list of quality candidates from our resume database. Claim your Seventy Five Dollar credit, when you post your first job at indeed. Com home. President biden announced he has a deal with a group of bipartisan senators on money for roads and bridges, public transit, and broadband. And he stressed the importance of working together to get things done. Millions of goodpaying jobs and fewer burdens felt at the Kitchen Table and cross the country and safer and healthier communities. But it, also, signals, to ourselves and to the world, that american democracy can deliver. And because of that, it represents an important step forward for our country. Joining us, now, is the secretary of energy and a member of President Bidens socalled jobs cabinet. Jennifer granholm. Governor secretary, thank you so much for being with us. A bipartisan agreement in washington is something to cheer. It happens, so rarely, it seems, these days. But i want to understand some of the details here, of how this is going to work. Because President Biden said yesterday that he wont sign this. He wont sign this, if the bill is passed if it is the only thing that reaches his desk. In other words, unless there is this reconciliation bill. Largely, passed by democrats, alone, that involves other funding. So, what does that mean, he wont sign it if its the only thing that reaches his desk . Well, it means that hes going to fight for his full agenda. When he rolled out the american jobs plan and the American Families plan, it is a full agenda to rightsize our economy and to make us as competitive in the 21st century. This announcement, yesterday, you are right, is really encouraging news. As he said, means that democracy works. You know, he came from back from this trip abroad. And there is this whole argument about whether democracy or autocracy . This sends a message, if we were able to get it through, to the globe that, you know what . Democracy functions. And we we are grateful to the to the republicans who signed onto this. And were hopeful that we can persuade more of their members. But the bottom line is all of the stuff in what was announced yesterday are, all, things that democrats and republicans want to see. And the republic and the president s going to fight for the rest of his agenda, as well. Well, he said hed more than just fight for it. He said he wont sign the stuff that everyone agrees to, unless he gets that. I just want you to confirm that, thats the case . Yeah, thats what he said. Um, did the republicans, who were part of the bipartisan agreement. Were they aware of that . Have they signed onto that notion . Well, john, i mean, the the thing in this congress is you vote for what you want. And you dont vote for the stuff you dont want. And so, there will be two bills. And hopefully, we get republicans to support the things that would be superimportant for their districts. Like, universalbroadband access. Rural broadband. Places that havent had access to the internet. Theyre not going to vote against that when when youve got something that helps their you know, their their districts. The you know, the other bill, if they dont like the fact that the president , you know, the president wants to see, for example, help with childcare. Help with preschool. Help with caring for the elderly in ones homes. If, for whatever reason, they dont like that. Maybe, because of the payfors or whatever, then, dont for it. This is how it works. This was never a mystery. There were always two paths. Everybody has always has been talking for months about two paths. I get that. I am just curious if theres a specific signon from the republicans who are negotiating there. Lindsey graham, who, i think, has said he is supportive of it. Although, he wasnt one of the five republican senators who specifically signed on yesterday. He says there is no way that they knew that there was going to be this condition. He says you look like an effing idiot, now. He says, i dont Mind Bipartisanship but im not going to do a suicide mission. Yeah. I i dont understand that, at all, because this has been in the press. Its been publicly reported. Everybody has known that there are two paths to getting the president s full agenda. Lets get as much as we can in the bipartisan bill. And and that was what was announced yesterday. And bravo, for for those who signed on and we hope more do. And then, theres this other path for the president to get the rest of his agenda through. And thats, unfortunately, a democraticonly way. Maybe. I mean, maybe, some republicans will sign on. But both paths have been reported on for months. So its not a surprise. And, again, do you think, if, for instance, do you know that you have joe manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and 50 senators to support the democraticonly version of this potentially that goes outside of the bipartisan agreement . Well, that thats what has to be negotiated, now, right . Is the second step and making sure that theyre, all, on board. But the great thing about this, john. I mean, the reason why i think the administration is smiling, and those who negotiated this. Is that the fact that you have an historic amount of money invested in broadband. Invested in getting water pipes to homes that dont have lead in them. Historic amount invested in transmission, which is in the lane of the department of energy. When we see all of these Transmission Breakdowns because of Climate Change and extremeweather events. The fact that you have an historic amount invested in transit and in rail. I mean, these are amazing accomplishments, if we can get that across the line. So, the republicans and the democrats, who want that, they should vote for it. If the republicans and the democrats who want the American Families plan and and what is entailed in the care economy, they should vote for it. But these are two, separate pieces. But they but the president wants to see his full agenda on his desk. I dont think there is any question, that you have broad agreement, in congress and among americans on many of the things you just mentioned there. Im, still, just curious to see how this, all, develops over the next, i guess, it will be two months. Its not a short process, at this point. You have your work cut out for you. We do appreciate you joining us this morning. Energy secretary jennifer granholm, always a pleasure to see you. This morning, we are hearing from worriedloved ones of the people. The 99 people, still, unaccounted for in the florida Building Collapse. We are going to speak to a woman, whose friend is missing along with her daughter. They will join us. And the countrys top general going toe to toe with members of congress over criticalrace theory and the military. I, personally, find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commission, noncommissioned officers, of being, quote, woke or Something Else because were studying some theories that are out there. One of the republicans, who prompted that response from the jointchiefs chairman, will join us, next. What if you could have the perspective to see more . At morgan stanley, a global collective of thought leaders offers investors a broaderiew. We see companies protecting the bottom line by putting people first. We see a bright future, still hungry for the ingenuity of those ready for the next challenge. Today, we are translating decades of experience into strategies for the road ahead. We are morgan stanley. Fine, no one leaves the table until your finished. Into strategies fine, well sleep here. Its the easiest because its the cheesiest. Kraft. For the win win. We made usaa insurance for members like martin. An air force veteran made of doing whats right, not whats easy. So when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. Thats how you do it right. Usaa insurance is made just the way martins family needs it with hasslefree claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. Because doing right by our members, thats whats right. Usaa. What youre made of, were made for. Usaa what happens when we Welcome Change . Were made for. 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He fired back at two republican lawmakers, who criticized some teachings at west point. One, in particular, who criticized a Guest Lecturer at west point called Understanding Whiteness And White Rage. Can you agree, at least, that Understanding Whiteness And White Rage presented over a hundred cadets probably is something that we shouldnt be teaching our future leaders of the United States army . I want to understand white rage, and im white. And i want to understand it. So, what is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building, and try to overturn the constitution of the United States of america . What caused that . I want to find that out. Ive read ive read karl marx. Ive read lenin. That doesnt make me a communist. So, what is wrong with understanding . Having some situational understanding about the country, for which we are here to defend . And i, personally, find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commissioned, noncommissioned officers, of being, quote, woke, or Something Else because were studying some theories that are out there. Joining me, now, is republican congressman, michael walz. He had questions of these witnesses, including General Milley, specifically about this lecture. Congressman, thank you so much for being with us. I wonder what your reaction is to what General Milley said . Well, i i just want to state, very clearly, that i fully support the Defense Department and the militarys diversity initiatives. I want equal opportunity for all americans to serve this great nation. And extremism, of all kinds, should absolutely be rooted from our ranks. Extremist activity should not be allowed, in any way, shape, or form, within the military. Thats not what this was about, brianna. And what your clip cut out there was that, actually, i was addressing Secretary Of Defense austin. And when i presented him this seminar on dealing with whiteness and white rage. Which was given to me by very upset and outraged cadets, parents, soldiers. That brought this to my attention. I want to be clear, this isnt some kind of a republicantalking point. This is being brought to us by soldiers and by cadets and their families. Secretary austin actually agreed with me. That, that is a bit too far. That this and where i disagree with with General Milley, who who commented later was this isnt some kind of history class. I have no problem with understanding our very checkered past with race and and the atrocities that happened in the past. This was a seminar telling cadets how they should think and behave, now. That dividing the states along class lines and along racial lines. To be clear, we havent seen the seminar. Right . We we havent seen the seminar. I know youre but thats what i presented and it was given by it was given by im sorry it was presented by a woman. It was presented by a woman who, right now, says that who wrote white rage excuse me wrote white rage and says that republicans and says that republicanparty platform is one of white nationalism. And it says that the the the underlying issue with criticalrace theory, frankly, for me, is that it teaches that our constitution, our civilian institutions, our courts, our political system, were established by oppressors to maintain that oppressive regime. And classifying anything along racial lines of allwhite people is, in itself, racist. And i have real issue. Its one thing for a kid in california to believe this. But these are futuremilitary leaders, brianna, that need to be subordinate to this civilian oversight. Criticalrace theory is teaching them that they need to resist that. That they need to push back on that. And i have real issue with with the future generals of this country to have their finger on the button being taught that, at a very early age. And they do, as well. And thats why thats why this is such a problem. Okay. So, i have a lot to talk to you about this. Of course, you do not, obviously, support criticalrace theory. There are many folks, who see value in it. They say it talks about white racism. How racism has shaped public policy. And, to them, that is a policy. But, i guess, my question for you is, you know, when you look at, really, the issue that is facing west point. The the predominant one, when it comes to issues of race, and how that is perceived. Im sure youre familiar with a Policy Report that was put out last year by nine recent graduates of west point. These are people of color. Very accomplished cadets, including a road scholar. And they detail compiled from some of their students, incidents of racism at west point. One is i was called a nword during my freshman year at west point. A student made a noose and put it on his black roommates desk as a joke. I was called white because i speak intelligently, which is built on the assumption that white people speak better than black people. Another person said i was called a nword. When i reported it to my tactical officer, they instead accused me of lying and ni initiated an Honor Investigation against me. Another one said an africanamerican cadet committed an infraction, whereas a caucasian cadet committed the same infraction and received a verbal warning. And these kinds of things are documented over and over. A noose. Being called the n word. These you know, these differences in how infractions are punished. Let me finish. Thats disgusting. Just a moment, congressman, i let you finish. And i am not to my point, yet. Uhhuh. But, you know, you see these things. And these black students, i think, what people dont realize, when they go to west point they will take their morning jog down robert e. Lee road. They will walk past lee gate and they will, probably, at some point, live in lee barracks at west point. And so, i wonder, why you arent more concerned with that than an elective class, a nonrequired class that 23 cadets, out of 4,300, will attend . Or one seminar. Look, you may disagree with it and have objections about it. B but as you said, you are talking about dozens of people who go there. Why arent you focused on the more pervasive problem that does Assault Unit Cohesion . Absolutely, i think that should be rooted out, at every level at every level. As i stated at the beginning, the military has no place for racism. No place for extremism. My actual point and youre reinforcing my point. The military that i came into, and and and that i believe it absolutely should be. Is one where youre taught you bleed green. The only skin color you are worried about is camouflage. I can tell you, firsthand, when you are in that foxhole, nobody cares about black, white, or brown. They certainly dont care about political party. The enemys bullets, absolutely, dont care. All they care about is that you are american. But were not talking about what the taliban says. We are talking about, internally, what what matters. Were talking about, internally, how cadets in the military relate to each other. Oh, absolutely. And i am giving you examples of how they dont, which seems more pervasive than any teaching of criticalrace theory that you are talking about. And i think that needs to be dealt with, rooted out. And is unacceptable. But what i, also, think is unacceptable is when you have someone, like dr. Eeibrahim kendis book that says dealing with racism, the only way to deal with it is to be an antiracist. And classifies, you know, allwhite people a certain way. Thats, also, unacceptable. So, its not we are, all, in agreement that extremism and racism has no place in the military. But, you know, where i think we differ is that we need to be have a meritbased, mission focus. This is about standards, not about gender or race or any other socioeconomic background. It is about having the best of the best for our military to win our nations wars and that should be the focus of west point teaching our future leaders. And what should not be, i dont think, should be inculcated in them is that our constitution was built to maintain white oppression. And thats the problem the difference i have with General Milley is this isnt studying history or something years ago. No, it is. It is. I actually it is. Sir. Did you read the book, congressman . You asked for information from excuse me you asked you asked for information from the general who was superintendent of west point. He told you about the class. Its not a whole class on crt. Its a Couple Lessons where they explain what it is. He told you what the reading was. Did you read the book . Did you look at it . Criticalrace theory an introduction . And . Criticalrace theory introduction. I have ordered it from amazon. And thats thats the thats the problem. Okay, no its not. Ive read it. Ive read it, sir. Its academic. Its very dry. It is an explainer you sent this letter to the superintendent. One of your concerns was a gather of the core of cadets which is the body of west point is called. You said, quote, White Police Officers were described as murderers without corroborating the police brutality. The superintendent responded, at no point were Police Officers described as murderers. He said a cadet described how the trajectory of his familys life changed as a result of his father being beaten to death by police when he was 6 years old. The cadet did plainly state that his father was killed by Police Officers. He closed his account by having one simple request of the crowd to listen to each other because everyone at westpoint matters. And so i hear you are getting complaints from the families of cadets, but i wonder if knowing what the superintendent said to you after that, if perhaps you reconsider that you have clearly a complaint coming in from someone who hears someone talk about their father dying in police custody, whatever the circumstances, and the takeaways for them to be offended. For them to be offended about what is said i mean, it sounds like its pretty harmless with the way this cadet closed this. But why are they so fragile that this kid, this guy whos lost his dad suddenly that becomes about the other cadet . Well, brianna, these issues were brought to me by a number of families and a number of parents. One of them was a family of Law Enforcement officers. Theyre saying that actually the response from the up wasnt a fully accurate portrayal. How many of these are black families, congressman . The other part of the letter also says that we have a colonel talking to the entire core of cadets about how as a White Colonel she became woke to her white privilege. And again, i think that is, i think thats unacceptable to start classifying people along completely racial lines. It is a Color Blind Military that is focused it is well documented. Its very clear that westpoint is not color blind. But it should be, and thats where actually were in agreement there. My question is it should be. All americans. Regardless your head is shaved. Youre given the same uniform. Regardless of where your background was, you are now all focused on your mission and defending this great nation, which is flawed and has been flawed. But we should all seek to improve it. And the mission of westpoint is to defend our country against our adversaries abroad that they need to absolutely understand how to i just wonder if youve reconsidered some of the complaints that you are getting here when you are getting them from families that are looking at examples like this. And im wondering, i asked you, are these black families that are, that are complaining to you . You know, for some of them they are not, but actually some of the others, i dont know. I dont know their wouldnt that be relevant its not lost on you were two white people. Listen, we are two white people this is what im asking you. We, sir, are two white people talking about the role of a congressman is to ask these questions. Sure. But listen i was provided an answer. I know its not lost on you we are two white people talking about race, so i do think its relevant and i wonder why you wouldnt seek that out considering those are very important stakeholders in this process. Not just white cadets at westpoint, but black cadets at westpoint. Sure. And should a black family come to me with concerns . I will absolutely address those concerns with the United States military. It is a taxpayer institution. I have an Oversight Role as a member of the Armed Services committee. Regardless of their race, i will take all of their complaints and concerns that seem to be credible very seriously. Im just really not thats just the case. It absolutely should be. I hear you object to this seminar that was offered, this talk that was offered about Understanding Whiteness And White Rage. And you make this point, which i think is a good one, that you shouldnt be having military being told that they should oppose civilian institutions that, you know, should be overseeing them. Its also we have to, we have to recognize that when you look at what happened on january 6th, military was over represented in that group. Those were not critical race theorists going to the capitol. Those were antigovernment extremists. I want to look at some of the footage from that day. Stop the steal. Stop the steal. Stop the steal. Stop the steal. Congressman, what do you call that if you dont call it white rage . Brianna, i dont know what you mean by over represented. I think any one member of the military no, no, no, by over represented compared to the population, theres a lot of them. You have antigovernment extremists who purposely recruit people from the military. There were a lot of military even active duty, but mostly veterans who were in that crowd. A lot. We need to be very careful about implying that the military had anything to do with that awful day. Those individuals need to be brought to justice. They are being brought to justice. I was there. It was a terrible day for the country, period. Is that white rage . Look at the people in that crowd. I dont think sir, look at the people in that crowd. But my issue with that seminar and the person teaching it is that, you know, she is teaching that white rage is a result of black advancement. Not 100 years ago today you know, i find that offensive. I just sponsored a bill for Minority Serving Institutions to have a better role in our s. T. E. M. Education. Of course we want the advancement of all americans, including those of color. But thats whats being taught at westpoint. Again, not a history class, today. And i dont think white rage is a result of the advancement of black people. And i certainly dont think it should be taught to our future military leaders who should be color blind, mission focused and merit based. That should be the focus of the United States military and the United States military academy. You are a member of congress, you served as a green beret. You can object to what is going on there. I would like to point out that were talking about really dozens of students at a school of 4300. This is a tiny group of people that are learning about this that seminar, no, im sorry, bri. Over 100 attended that seminar according to that same letter. I think thats a little bit of a misrepresentation. That is a significant number of the member of the core of cadets. I think you said there were 100 personnel who went. Those are not people who are required to go, just to be clear. That was very clear in the letter that it was a reply to you. And this disagreement youre going to have is indoctrination or people being aware that is the key issue. And i think, you know, i think that thats really something that should be a discussion. But congressman, thank you so much for coming on. Congressman michael walsh. Brianna, thank you and thank you for your familys service. I appreciate it. Thank you, sir. All right. Moments from now we are expecting to get an update on the search for survivors in surf side, florida. The task of combing through the rubble continues this morning and cnn has just confirmed now at least four people have been killed in that. Nearly 100 still unaccounted for. So four confirmed deaths. The search continues next. Why choose proven quality sleep from sleep number . Because a good nights resest s where muscles recover and our minds are restored. The e new sleep number 360 smat bed is temperature balancing. And it helps keep you asleep by sensing your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. Perfect for those relaxing weekends. The sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. During our lowest prices of the season. You get advice like try hypnosis. Or. Quit cold turkey. Kidding me . instead, start small. With nicorette. Which can lead to something big. Start stopping with nicorette announcer this is cnn breaking news. Dr. Sanjay gupta in surf side, florida, about a block away from the heartbreaking Building Collapse. 30 hours now roughly since the Building Collapsed and desperate Search And Rescue missions are underway. There is going to be a News Conference from officials here shortly. Well take you to that. Some grim news recently that four people have now been confirmed to have died. This is the work that is ongoing. Im joined now by the spiegels. Kevin, michael, josh. Thank you for joining me. I know this is a tough day and im going to explain why. You live in that building. Yes. For five years with your wife judy. Yes. You were out of town but your wife was still in the building. Correct. Im so sorr