situation, a tremendous challenge. we are addressing it with a plan. we are executing on that plan. i, by no means, diminish humane issue that it presents, but i want to be clear that we do have a plan to address it, respecting the needs of the individuals and we are executing on that plan. >> all right, secretary, so much going -- >> if i may, i am very focused on the mission. >> mission, and this issue, though, of semantics. it seems like that is something -- go on. >> i'm not focused on the words that people employ. i'm focused on the needs of the migrants, the execution of our responsibilities, and addressing the situation under the bridge in del rio. that is what i am focused on. >> all right, secretary mayorkas, dhs, thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you so much. "new day" continues right now. good morning to viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm brianna keilar with john berman. it is tuesday, september 21st. g the morning of the night of the 21st of september to quote earth, wind and fire who we recently had on the show. >> did earth, wind and fire play on your birthday? >> i mean, not for me, but i like to adopt the song. >> happy birthday. >> thank you very much. so president biden, big day for him, he's set to address the u.n. general assembly here in a couple of hours for the first time as president of the united states. and his speech is expected to hit on topics from china to the climate crisis to the global pandemic, and he's going to try to drive home the point to other world leaders he's as far from his predecessor as possible. >> it comes as treasury secretary janet yellen says the u.s. is headed to economic catastrophe. the country is on the verge of default unless, unless congress raises the debt limit. house democrats are expected to vote today -- the entire house of representatives is going to vote today on a bill that would dare republicans to vote against raising the debt limit, but mitch mcconnell is playing hard ball saying they won't help democrats do it. joining me now is democratic senator chris coons of delaware, long time friend and close ally of president biden. what makes you believe that republicans are going to budge on this, on the debt limit? >> well, jon, first, let's be clear about what this is about. most other advanced economies don't do this where their government agrees to spend money and then a year or two or three later has to raise their debt limit to pay for it. what we are doing by suspending the debt ceiling or raising the debt limit is paying for things that have already been done. mostly under the previous administration, spending that was approved by congress on a bipartisan basis and signed into law by president trump. so when some of my colleagues say they won't vote for it because they won't vote for something that helps facilitate the democrats' agenda, that's just not true. it also goes against the last 80 times that on a bipartisan basis we have agreed that the united states should pay the bills that we approve here in congress. so i think if we begin allowing the precedent that we will only raise the debt ceiling by the party that is in power, that makes even harder the reality that with a filibuster here in the senate we won't get a single republican vote, which means we won't raise the debt ceiling, which means we won't increase spending on anything. ail remind you, jon, we're still in the middle a pandemic. last year the congress came together and in an important bill early last year unanimously passed a multitrillion dollar pandemic relief bill. at the end of last year, on a strong bipartisan basis, passed another covid relief bill. that's why we aren't in a deep recession. we should pay those bills. this is something in bipartisan interest and we as democrats when president trump was in the white house did relatively easily three times. >> you talk about precedent, though. mind you, mitch mcconnell held a supreme court seat vacant for a year. >> i know. i'm well aware. >> so what makes you think he'll budge this time? you can find it upsetting and unfair, but it doesn't mean it's not going to happen. >> john, the consequences for average americans would be dramatic and swift. we would get downgraded. we would be not able as a country to borrow money on the markets at the same rates and it would immediately impact how much your viewers are paying in interest rates on everything from credit cards to home mortgages. all of us who are serving here in congress know that this would be reckless and irresponsible. >> so are democrats willing to -- there is a way you can do this alone, you can do this through reconciliation with just democratic votes, will you do it alone if you have to? >> i don't think so. we're going to have a debate about that in my caucus today. but i think that sets a terrible precedent. one that we didn't follow when we were in the minority and the republicans controlled the house and the senate, even though they passed a tax bill that didn't get a single democratic vote and that we did not think would pay for itself, we still voted to raise the debt ceiling, we think they should do the same thing this time. frankly this threatens to step on what is the most important message our president is bringing to the united nations today, which is that the united states can again be a global leader in pulling the world together to confront three cry cease crises that are going on at the same time, the pandemic, the migration problem all over the world and climate change which is helping driving to contribute to both. i expect we'll get a clear and strong and forceful and welcome speech from president biden later this morning. i'll remind you the united nations in the united states and new york is one of the only places in the world where leaders of all backgrounds gather and we have a chance to put our best foot forward. next year will be president biden's 50th year as a national elected official. he knows the stage. he knows the setting. he'll deliver a strong and welcome message. >> you say president biden will show he can bring the world together. is that the message the world has received over the last few months, the messy withdraw from afghanistan was divisive among many u.s. allies, certainly the submarine deal with australia has been divisive. you can argue whether or not france is sour grapes or should be, but it certainly has been divisive. they pulled their ambassador for the first time in history. is that pulling the world together? >> well, john, i'm friends with the french ambassador to the united states, and it certainly was a striking gesture for him to be recalled for consultation to paris. and i'll remind you the french just accomplished a major counterterrorism objective in killing french troops killed in west africa, the leader of isis west africa, a security mission we have been supporting for years. they are one of our longest and closest allies and, yes, the way that the critical new submarine deal between the united states, uk and australia was announced produced some grave upset in paris, and we're going to have to work to make sure we weave back together our partnership, our alliance that is based on values and interests, but president biden has been making a fundamental pivot from 20 years where the united states was principally connected to wars in afghanistan and iraq and where all of our allies from nato and other reege continues in regions in the world were engaged with us, now to a period where we're engaging in diplomacy, where we're moving toward the world conference that is going to happen in glasgow now in a few weeks to focus on the urgent crisis of climate change and to be the world leader in vaccinevaccines. there was great news just this week that an american invented and developed vaccine is safe for children from 5 to 11. we have to make more progress in fighting this pandemic. and making that progress is the sort of leadership president biden will show. >> want to bounce around a little bit. we talked about the debt ceiling, we talked about the united nations. i want to talk about the separate issue, the spending plan and the infrastructure deal where there is infighting among democrats. there just is at this point. with joe manchin saying that he doesn't support as it stands right now the $3.5 trillion spending plan, and then you have some progressive democrats, particularly in the house, who say, okay, you're in the going to not going to vote on that now, we're not going to vote on infrastructure. she basically says, you know, we're not voting for infrastructure if we don't do this overall budget thing. so how does this get solved? >> well, john, first, we have a very tight marriagen in the senate. it is 50/50. there is a very small margin in the house. this has always been a high degree of difficulty high dive that we were attempting to pass both robust bipartisan infrastructure bill, which has already come out of the senate and is waiting for action on the house and to conclude a bold and ambitious objective, a big plan that will reduce the cost for working americans, reduce the cost of healthcare, reduce the cost of day care, make higher education more affordable and accessible, provide for paid family leave. i'm less concerned about exactly what that top line number ends up being and i'll remind you, it is over ten years. >> i understand. >> if it is $350 billion a year or $320 billion a year, we should take the win and get the infrastructure bill to the president's desk and get a reconciliation bill done and passed to the president's desk. i suspect this deal will be declared dead several times before it ultimately passes. just as happened with the bipartisan infrastructure bill. but this is the core of president biden's agenda. and we have majorities in the house and the senate and, john, in the end, the things that are in that bill, all democrats support. making life easier and more affordable for working americans, to give them a platform on which to build. it will get done. >> does it get done this month as is promised? >> i don't know it will get done this week, but it will get done. >> this month? >> i'm hopeful. but it is going to take a lot of work and you just cited really the two ends of our caucus, aoc and joe manchin. there is a lot of room in between. and there is a lot of democrats working to pull them together and to get us to an agenda that we can all support. >> chris coons, we appreciate you being with us this morning. thank you so much, senator. >> thanks, john. >> so you're saying not this month, maybe not this month. we have breaking news, a european court says russia was responsible for the 2006 assassination of alexander litvinenko, the ex-kgb agent who was a defector became a vocal critic of the kremlin and died after being poisoned in london with a rare radioactive substance. cnn's matthew chance is live for us in moscow with more. matthew what are we learning? >> reporter: yeah, well, remind you that alexander litvinenko was a former fsb federal security service operative who fled to britain and was helping the british security services there when in 2006 he met some former colleagues from russia, had a cup of tea with them in the lobby of a hotel and he became sick very shortly afterwards and it was identified the substance that poisoned him as being this very rare radioactive substance called polonium 210, originates in specific kinds of nuks of nu rea reactors. there was a reactive trail plotting their journey. other people in britain and london were contaminated as well with this polonium 210 because it left that kind of -- that kind of a trail. in 2016 there was a public inquiry in britain that identified the russian security services as being responsible and this latest ruling in the european court of human rights basically backs it up saying it has beyond a reasonable doubt that the russian security services were involved in this. it is another reminder, i think, looking back on this incident, which i covered back in london and in moscow in 15 or 16 years ago, it is a reminder this was an early sign perhaps of the kind of brutal authoritarian regime russia was to become under president vladimir putin. since then, off the top of my head, there has been a main opposition figure gunned down outside the kremlin, boris nemtsov in 2015, the skripals, former intelligence operative killed -- poisoned with novichok in salesbury in 2018 and last year alexny navalny, one of the leading critics of the kremlin, was poisoned with novichok while on a fact finding mission in siberia. this finding once again reminds us and underlines the fact that the russian state will stop at very little, it seems, to silence its critics. i have to say quick caveat, the russians deny any responsibility for this and say the british investigation and the european one as well was politically motivated. >> the denials, but they're so hard to believe. the gall, the shame, no shame, i should say in some of the actions we have seen taken. matthew, thank you so much for that report, matthew chance in moscow. so justin trudeau will remain prime minister of canada after beating conservative aaron o'toole in yesterday's snap election. trudeau's liberal party will form the next government, but really not a lot changed here. trudeau gambled that he could call a snap election and win an outright majority for his party in parliament. that did not happen. they do not have an outright majority. so will have to form a coalition. so little bit disappointing for trudeau and his allies there. but, you know it shows how their system works quite different than that here in the united states. up next, two men now suing a doctor who admits he broke the new abortion ban in texas. plus, we're going to talk to one of the doctors now conducting a major trial of covid vaccines for children. and why cnn's anderson cooper is exploring a part of his life he used to downplay in public. i've always dreamed of seeing the world. but i'm not chasing my dream anymore. i made a financial plan to live it every day. ♪ ♪ find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com welcome to allstate. where you can pay a little less and enjoy the ride a little more. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ now, get new lower auto rates with allstate. because better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today. san antonio doctor who wrote a washington post op-ed admitting to violating texas' ban on abortions is now facing at least two lawsuits brought under the new law. but the two men including a former lawyer who filed the lawsuit say that they're trying to test the legality of the state's near total ban on the procedure. laura jarrett joins us now. what exactly does that mean, that people filling the lawsuits are unusual? >> unusual is to put it mildly. nk you would see in this case, at least on paper. these two men are opposed to this texas law. the one that bans most abortions. but they're capitalizing on the strange part of the law that said basically anyone off the street can sue. so who do you have here. a guy named oscar stilley, a former tax attorney in arkansas, not texas. >> you don't have to be from't texas. he's on home confinement for alleged tax crimes. he said he brought the suit because he wants the judge to rule on the constitutionality of it. fair enough. the second guy, felipe gomez, an illinois resident, not from texas, who describes himself as pro-choice, again, unusual, bringing this suit, says this law cannot stand as long as roe is good law. do they have a point or is this just a publicity stunt as the anti-choice advocates allege it is. remember, the law says anyone can sue. doesn't say you have to be a resident of texas, but usually to get into court you have to have some standing. you have to have some stake in the game. here, i'm not so sure what they're go to be able to say their injury was if they say they're not opposed to abortion and that they think the doctor actually did the right thing. clearly trying to get into court. it is just not so clear to me they're going to be successful. >> they want to start the wheels turning to ultimately have the courts decide whether or not this texas law stands under constitutionality under roe. to an extent, depending how long it takes, it may not matter, because a supreme court has agreed to take up what is really a direct challenge to roe in mississippi. >> right. if the c actually overturns roe, it will completely reshape the landscape of the law as we know it since 1973, right? the case in mississippi is actually very different from texas because as you say it is a direct challenge to roe. it doesn't try to use all the business with civil enforcement. it says after 15 weeks, no abortions, no exception for rape no exception for incest, no abortions what so ever, except for the health of the mother, right? the justice department has now said, wait a minute, we have decades of precedent here, supreme court. the problem is this is a different supreme court as we have pointed out many times. if the court decides to overturn roe, this will be the lasting legacy of the trump administration and senator mitch mcconnell. this was the reshaping of the courts that their side had wanted all along now. it is not clear the court will go along with it. they may decide to punt, they may decide we don't need to rule on it -- the direct constitutionality of roe, but that's what they want. they're asking for it in plain terms, not hiding for it. they say we want roe overturned. >> the court accepted this case and that in and of itself tells you something and the court agreed to up end roe in texas for now, and that may indicate -- >> by not ruling -- >> by not ruling. it is up ended. roe doesn't exist in texas for now, thanks to the supreme court. we'll see what happens in december. laura jarrett, great to see you. thank you very much. trials are under way right now to see how the pfizer covid vaccine works on younger children. we'll talk to a leading doctor from that trial next. and new evidence in the gabby petito investigation including odd text messages that her mother says made her concerned that something was wrong. still fresh... unstopables in-wash scent booster. downy unstopables. at usaa, we've been called too exclusive. because we only serve those who honorably served. all ranks, all branches, and their families. are we still exclusive? absolutely. and that's exactly why you should join. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high you know how i feel ♪ ♪ breeze drifting on by you know how i feel ♪ [man: coughing] ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day... ♪ no matter how you got copd it's time to make a stand. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. it's time to start a new day. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. the sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now. it's the most comfortable, dually-adjustable, foot-warming, temperature-balancing, proven quality night sleep we've ever made. save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed. plus, 0% interest for 24 months. ends monday. it's moving day. and while her friends are doing the heavy lifting, jess is busy moving her xfinity internet and tv services. it only takes about a minute. wait, a minute? but what have you been doing for the last two hours? ...delegating? oh, good one. move your xfinity services without breaking a sweat. xfinity makes moving easy. go online to transfer your services in about a minute. get started today. i would imagine we're talking in a matter of weeks, possibly by the end of the month, beginning of next month because i know the fda really wants to do it correctly, but they want to do it quickly. >> that's dr. anthony fauci talking about pfizer's covid vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. pfizer says it plans to submit to the fda for emergency use authorization soon. joining me now is dr. robert frank, doctor of vaccine research center at cincinnati's children's hospital medical center. he is the principle investigator for the pfizer clinical trials there. also with us is dr. sanjay gupta. dr. frank, thank you so much for being with us and thank you for the work you're doing. the fact that the dosage for kids 5 to 11, it is a third of the size that adults get, how did you come upon that dosage? >> well, actually what we did is the same thing we did when we started with the adult study is that we tested doses and so we tested 10, 20 and 30 micrograms and found the 10 micrograms gave as good of an immune response as the 30 micrograms and had fewer side effects. so that's why we chose that dose. >> that's interesting. so you came upon that through trials and settled on that. you said fewer side effects. what is the overall situation with side effects and the 5 to 11-year-olds you studied? >> what we're seeing is the side effects are the exact same thing you see in adults, the most common is pain at the injection site, maybe some headache, fatigue. nothing different than we saw in the adultadults. if you decrease the frequency of how commonly they occur, that's what we would like to do. >> sanjay? >> dr. frank, good to see you. you published a paper basically looking at the dosing also in adults and i think if i read your paper correctly, you said that for adults up to age 65 or at least 55, ten micrograms worked well for them also in terms of getting antibodies. so i'm curious why three times the dose then in adults? >> i think what it is, dr. gupta, would be that during a pandemic we wanted to get a vaccine out quickly. we knew that the -- we needed the 30 micrograms for the 65 and above to get the best immune response and we also knew that the 30 micrograms was well tolerated in the younger adults. so we just used that one dose for everybody. but we then just relooked at it again for the -- when we got down to under 12 and found that while we still got a good response at the ten micrograms, we could make it a little bit easier for the kids by giving them that lower dose. and if you look at flu vaccine, it is not that unusual we found. we give the same dose of flu vaccine to a 5-month-old. >> interesting. and quickly, you know, the interval between the doses, a lot seems to be made of that. i read a paper saying that perhaps eight weeks was sort of the sweet spot if you will, between the first and the second dose. was that looked at? >> that had not been tested. that would be a second thing that would be looked at. so what you're, again, with the pandemic, you're trying to get a regimen that works. so we do have a regimen in the adults that is giving us 95% efficacy. so we may be able to tweak that a bit, but we know that regimen works. so we stuck with what we knew worked. >> and do you have any anticipation that a booster would be necessary? that's the hot topic obviously. >> so, what i would say, dr. gupta, is that if we could get the 40% of people that aren't vaccinated vaccinated that would give us more bang for our buck than trying to get boosters into everyone now. we may need boosters later on. i think people should feel comfortable in the united states the primary vaccine series is still holding very well. >> can i ask, why age and not size? a lot of 11-year-olds are bigger than a lot of 13-year-olds. >> so it was a little bit arbitrary as far as where we made the choice. and you could do some fine tuning, but, like i said, the profile in the 12 and above at the 30 micrograms that the safety profile that did fine, i think you probably could use a little bit lower dose, but the fda's only allowed to approve what they have the data for and we know the 30 micrograms is working well for the 12 to 15-year-olds. actually the data there showed their immune response was superior to the 16 to 25-year-olds when both of them were tested at the 30 microgram dose. so the young kids immune system worked really well. >> is there anybody when it comes to the children that you think should not take the vaccine based on what you saw or should everyone definitely take it or some people who are more at risk, do you think? >> i would advocate everyone to get a vaccine who can get a vaccine. the only known risk factors to stay away from would be the -- if you have a known allergy to peg, polyethylene glycol, but that's a very unusual allergy. otherwise there is no contraindications. >> crystal clear answers, fascinating to speak to somebody in the middle it all and a wonderful institution. thank you for the work you're doing there. >> thank you so much. backlash over images that appear to show u.s. border patrol agents getting aggressive with migrants. reaction from a republican in congress next. plus, the search intensifies for gabby petito's fiance as we hear a disturbing 911 call alleging he slapped her in public. as someone who resembles someone else... i appreciate that liberty mutual knows everyone's unique. that's why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. [ nautical horn blows ] i mean just because you look like someone else doesn't mean you eat off the floor, or yell at the vacuum, or need flea medication. oh, yeah. that's the spot. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ this isn't just a walk up the stairs. when you have an irregular heartbeat, it's more. it's dignity. the freedom to go where you want, knowing your doctor can watch over your heart. ♪ can you be free of hair breakage worries? we invited mahault to see for herself that new dove breakage remedy gives damaged hair the strength it needs. even with repeated combing hair treated with dove shows 97% less breakage. strong hair with new dove breakage remedy. moments ago, the head of homeland security alejandro mayorkas told "new day" he's horrified by the video and the images we're seeing from the border that appear to though border patrol agents on horseback using reins on haitian migrants at the border. we can see people dodging out of the way of horses as well. joining us now to discuss is republican congressman tony gonzalez of texas, his district includes the town of del rio. sir, thank you so much for being with us. first, i want to address what we're seeing here in these images. what is your reaction to this? >> yeah, my reaction is when you have tens of thousands of people under a bridge in a very okay at chaotic situation it going to create chaos. the men and women in green, the border patrol agents and their families, have been working around the clock on this crisis for months on end. it is a desperatcesperate situa they're doing god's work, doing everything they can. they assured me that this is under investigation, that they have oversight on site in del rio to ensure things like this do not happen. the last thing any of us want to see is the mistreatment of anyone to include migrants. but when you have tens of thousands of people and only hundreds of border patrol agents, it creates a very desperate situation. >> so it sounds like you're saying this isn't okay, but it's understandable because of the conditions that border patrol agents are facing? >> it is an impossible situation. it is exactly the reason which none of us want to see, right? which absolutely has to get corrected with a policy change. border patrol, the border patrol agents do not set policy. >> let me ask you a question. i don't know if you can see it, the image we saw was of a horse charging in such a way that a little girl is running to get out of the way. >> no, it's horrible, the families that are there, the young children that are running around, the conditions that -- >> but what should the agents be doing, sir? >> the agents should be guarding our border. the agents should be protecting us. none of the agents want to be -- want to be dealing with this migrant situation. they want to be, you know, stopping bad guys from entering our country. they want to be stopping drugs from entering the united states. this is an impossible situation. i've also heard reports that some of the migrants have been physically attacking agents. all of it is a chaotic situation, all the way around. the bottom line, though, america is a nation -- a warm nation an we don't want to harm anyone to include migrants in any form or fashion, especially families and children. >> okay, but the -- the kids are not attacking agents, to be clear. just to be clear. >> no, i heard a single adult male, which is the bulk of the migrants there in del rio are single adult males are beginning to be unruly, and they have attacked several agents. so as this situation continues, as folks are repatriated to haiti, you'll see this continue to unfold. this is just the beginning. this chaotic situation in del rio is only going to get worse and it has to stop with a policy change by the administration. >> so, you know, we just asked the dhs secretary about the situation there. it is something quite frankly we haven't really seen before, right, essentially, a refugee camp inside of the u.s., now over 10,000 migrants. there is a reticence on the part of the administration to call this a crisis. what do you say to that? >> it is absolutely a humanitarian crisis on steroids. we got to look beyond that. over 10,000 migrants living under a bridge in a third world type environment in the united states, it is the last thing any of us want to see. i go back to it, this gets solved with a policy shift by the administration, short-term. long-term congress has to come together and push legal immigration reform. that's the long-term solution to this all. but until that happens, you're going to see more images like this. you're going to see more desperate situations where families are making the trek across this dangerous terrain in order to come to the united states. it is all a horrible situation. but i want to be clear, you know, we have to support the men and women in green that are doing everything they possibly can to keep our borders safe. >> the secretary just said that there will be a dramatic change here in the next 48 to 96 hours. there will be four flights going out today under title 42 to haiti. do you welcome that? >> i think that's a good start. there needs to be more enforcement of our current laws. but also needs to happen at a much quicker rate. the city of del rio is just completely overwhelmed. it is as if a category 5 hurricane has hit the small town and everyone is trying to deal with it. at this point we shouldn't be republicans or democrats. we need to come together and need to get through this crisis together. >> congressman tony gonzalez, thank you so much for being with us this morning. >> thank you. next, a potential havana syndrome attack on a cia staffer has the nation's top spy chief fuming. anderson cooper joins us, how the story of his ancestors became what he calls a letter to his son. ♪ ♪ i can turn anyone into a beach bum. i bring families together for a living. i make memories for people i don't know yet. i know this view is too good not to be shared. i am a vrbo host. ♪ ♪ [sfx: radio being tuned] welcome to allstate. ♪ [band plays] ♪ a place where everyone lives life well-protected. ♪ and even when things go a bit wrong, we've got your back. here, things work the way you wish they would. and better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today. in a new book, cnn's anderson cooper is exploring his own family history and shining a light on one of america's most storied families, the vanderbilts. he writes the united states, a country found on anti-royalist principles would after its burst into existence produce the progeneral terre of a family that would come to hold itself up as american royalty. but the titles and palaces to prove it. their empire would last for less than 100 years before collapsing under its own weight, destroying itself with its own pathology. joining us now is the anchor of anderson cooper 360 and the author of the book, anderson cooper. nice to see you. the guy you're talking about there is cornelius vanderbilt. >> my great, great, great grandfather. >> i like to call him the commodore. >> yes. he liked to be known as the commodore as well, i think. >> how aware were you of all of this growing up? >> i wasn't -- i was not aware at all. my mom actually was gloria vanderbilt, but had a fractured relationship with the family she was born into. she didn't know her father. he died of alcoholism when she was 15 months old. and she never really connected to any of them. so they never told me stories growing up about her childhood growing up, she never really spoke about it. and i think if she was alive to read this book, she would find it as fascinating as i found it because she didn't know the details about all these people who she was so connected to. >> she would have learned something and you certainly learned a lot. >> totally. i knew nothing about -- i was a big fan of "the crown" series. this is like "the crown" on steroids with a whole bunch of americans. it is a multigenerational story, larger than life characters, some are irredeemible and awful. some have extraordinary accomplishments. but for me, in writing this, with the author catherine howe, we wanted to look at the commodore as a businessman, but how these people were as human beings, in the glare of spotlight and the glare of celebrity and the glare of all this wealth and how the pathological obsession with money that the commodore had infected subsequent generations. >> more dysfunctional than the crown almost is physiologically impossible. >> that's what i'm saying. >> pathological obsession with money. what went wrong because you do focus on the fall. >> the commodore had what he called a mania for money. he didn't care about anything else. didn't care about the daughters he had, they wouldn't inherit the vanderbilt name. he didn't care about his sons. he gave him $100 million when he died in 1877 which was more money than anyone had ever seen before, more money than in the u.s. treasury. but the subsequent generations basically just went on this spending spree to break into society, to build these enormous palaces, all of which were built and torn down within a span of about 60 years. >> what lesson do you get from that now as you're writing this, and i wonder if there was a lesson for you in it growing up through osmosis or otherwise. >> the reason i didn't know any of the vanderbilts, i could have read history books about them as a kid, i wanted nothing to do with them. i looked as a little kid at my dad's side of the family, which was mississippi during the depression and what little i knew about my mom's tortured background and as a little kid, i was, like, i'm sticking with the coopers. like, no good can come of imagining a life of living in palaces and connected to the vanderbilts. just didn't seem like a recipe for a good life or happy life. and also, my parents told me early on, like, people are going to think you have all this money waiting for you, like, there isn't, you know, we're doing well, your college will be paid for, but, you know, you got to make your own way, which i was happy to know. i'm glad they did that. a lot of the vanderbilts said, the money they got, it sucked the initiative they might have had and kind of led to this life of isolation and, yeah, sadness in many ways. >> to be clear, you're doing okay, you're making your own way. >> i'm -- yeah, but i mean i was glad early on to know that that is what, like everybody else, i have to make my way, there wasn't some pot of gold. >> you work incredibly hard. i've been struck by how hard you work. not only your show, but then "60 minutes," you do all these things and i wondered whether you were driven to do it maybe because you saw how easily it can be -- >> 100%. i knew my mom who even made money on her own, she spent a lot of money and as a little kid, i knew, like, this ship is sort of sinking and i got to -- i wanted stability, i wanted a stable foundation. >> i think i'm getting a hard wrap here. is that what you said in my ear? that was a hard wrap. we'll take this offline. listen, i know you wrote this largely for your son wyatt, he'll get so much out of this as i'm sure he learns so much from you every day. thank you so much. >> my pleasure. >> anderson cooper's book is "the vantervanderbilts: the ris fall of an american dynasty." we'll be right back. [music stops] and release. [deep exhale] [fast upbeat music resumes] [music stops] all this week in a special series that we call "champions for change" we're spot liting innovative thinker and bold doers challenging norms and making a lasting impact. my champion is retired three star general aggwenn bingham. she is leading the charge as part of the nonprofit blue star families, a cause i care deeply about and here's why. >> they say that military service is a family business and that's really the truth. >> the sacrifice of military families is not a temporary moment that we sacrifice. we sacrifice every single day. >> this is a cause that is close to my heart because i'm a military spouse. and my kids are part of a military family. my husband is an army special forces officer. he missed my entire pregnancy of our 3-year-old. at the heart of blue star families is making life better for military families so that service members can continue to serve because it gives people a network. >> i couldn't be the ready soldier i was if my husband and my kids weren't cared for. >> general bingham, she's a trailblazer. she is the second black woman to be a three-star general in the army. she has so often been the first woman, the first african-american to do the job that she's doing. >> for every first i made, there was someone else that came before me and plowed tough ground. >> after 38 years, lieutenant general gwenn bingham retired from the army, but she's not done serving. she's putting her experience and expertise to work as a board member for blue star families. blue star families recognized that families of color were experiencing greater hardships than other military families. that's really where general bingham stepped up. blue star families tapped general gwenn bingham to be the co-chair of this racial equity and inclusion initiative. >> what we're looking to do is to assess the needs of our military families of color and to get a sense for what their highs and their lows are. >> they were reporting more financial distress. >> military spouse employment continues to be a concern. >> the racial equity and inclusion initiative has recruited a number of military spouses from military families of color and they're training them in how to really help make life better for military families. >> this fellowship provides me with the first step, phenomenal mentors to work with us and teaching you just from a leadership perspective as a military spouse how to position yourself to move forward and upward. this is life changing. >> policymaking can be kind of boring sounding. but that's what change is. you know, taking challenges and problems and figuring out how to make solutions. that's what charo is doing. and that's what many, many more people are going to be doing in the future. >> ultimately i would love to be on the hill making change on the policy side. >> can you please get me two plates? i'm the mother of two children of color. because their dad is in the military, they're more likely to join the military when they get older. i want to make sure that it is an inclusive place. that's why general bingham is a champion of change. she wants to make sure that other people can have the same successes that she has had. >> as someone who has fought as hard as she fought and broken down the barriers she's broken down believes you can do this too, then you can. >> i just feel a sense of wanting, a sense of desire to pay it forward or pay it back to the next generation that is up and coming. >> this is -- it is an initiative that is kind of just been born, you know. it is sort of a new kid on the block, john, but i'm really excited about what they're doing because what's clear is that there is a huge need for this for military families. >> her story is inspiring and you're hardly a new kid on the block. you devoite so much time and energy to this cause and i know it is super important to you. i also know the cameo from teddy and antonio there to die for, so nice to see their faces. i only thought -- i thought there had to be dancing in all of these. i thought we -- >> there was no dancing. and you don't want to see me dance, quite frankly. maybe sing, but i will spare you dancing. it is, like, elaine from "seinfeld," so you do you, john berman. all right. we will continue to share these inspirational stories all week. and you can be sure to tune in saturday at 8:00 p.m. eastern for "the "chachampions for chan one hour special. it will be fantastic. cnn's coverage continues right now. good morning. i'm erica hill. >> and i'm jim sciutto live at the united nations on a gorgeous september day. this hour a critical meeting of world leaders in new york. president biden set to speak shortly, right here at the u.n. general assembly. he is expected to advocate for a global response to some of the major issues currently facing the world, emphasizing the importance of allian

Related Keywords

Crisis , Heart , Individuals , Smuggling Organizations , Journey , Misinformation , They Wouldn T , Laws , Human Tragedy , People , United States , Reticence , Crisis A , Thousands , Camp , Situation , Plan , Challenge , Means , Constitutionality , Issue , Secretary , Right , Needs , It Presents , Mission , Go On , Going , Semantics , Migrants , Words , Responsibilities , Execution , Bridge , Del Rio , Dhs , Secretary Mayorkas , John Berman , Viewers , Around The World , September 21st , Brianna Keilar , Tuesday September 21st , 21 , Birthday , Show , Song , Quote Earth Wind And Fire , Earth Wind And Fire , 21st Of September , Biden , Pandemic , Speech , Time , Climate Crisis , Topics , Big Day , Couple , U N General Assembly , China , Point , Country , Janet Yellen , World Leaders , Predecessor , Catastrophe , Verge , Bill , Debt Limit , Republicans , House Democrats , Congress , House Of Representatives , Default , Progressive Democrats , President , Chris Coons , Mitch Mcconnell , Ally , Delaware , Ball , Money , Government , First , Debt , Economies , Jon , Things , Debt Ceiling , Three , Two , Colleagues , Basis , Administration , Spending , Trump , Law By , Bills , Times , Agenda , 80 , Party , Precedent , Reality , Power , Filibuster , Senate , Vote , Anything , Relief Bill , Dollar Pandemic Relief Bill , Covid , The End , Something , Interest , Recession , White House , Doesn T , Supreme Court , Consequences , Seat , Everything , Rates , Interest Rates , Markets , Swift , Way , All Of Us , Votes , Reconciliation , Mortgages , Credit Cards , One , House , Caucus , Minority , Debate , Thing , Message , Tax Bill , World , United Nations , Cry Cease Crises , Leader , Both , Migration Problem , Climate Change , Driving , Forceful , Chance , Leaders , Backgrounds , President Biden S 50th Year , Places , Foot , New York , National Elected Official , 50 , Stage , Setting , Deal , Allies , Grapes , Ambassador , Afghanistan , Australia , Friends , Gesture , Paris , French , Yes , Security Mission , Counterterrorism Objective , Troops , West Africa , Isis , Partnership , Alliance , Submarine Deal , Upset , Uk , All , Interests , Pivot , Wars , Values , Iraq , 20 , Regions , Conference , Diplomacy , Reege , Nato , Glasgow , Vaccine , Children , Progress , News , Safe , Vaccinevaccines , 5 , 11 , Bit , Spending Plan , Leadership , Infrastructure Deal , Infighting , Sort , Joe Manchin , In The House , 3 5 Trillion , 5 Trillion , Infrastructure , Budget Thing , Marriagen , Margin , Action , Difficulty , High Dive , Degree , Cost , Working Americans , Day Care , Objective , Healthcare , Family Leave , Infrastructure Bill , Line Number , Desk , Win , 350 Billion , 320 Billion , 50 Billion , Ten , 20 Billion , Reconciliation Bill , Core , Life , In The End , Majorities , Platform , Lot , Work , Ends , Aoc , Thanks , Support , Room , Alexander Litvinenko , Critic , European Court , Defector , Assassination , Russia , Kremlin , 2006 , Substance , More , Cnn , Matthew Chance , Reporter , London , In Moscow , Operative , Security Services , Federal Security Service , Cup , Lobby , Hotel , Tea , To Britain , Polonium 210 , Sick , 210 , Trail , Kinds , Nu Rea Reactors , Nuks , Kind , Inquiry , Services , Ruling , Security , 2016 , Reminder , European Court Of Human Rights , Doubt , Incident , Vladimir Putin , Regime , Head , Top , Sign , 15 , 16 , Intelligence , Opposition Figure , Novichok , Salesbury , Skripals , Boris Nemtsov , 2015 , 2018 , Fact , Critics , Finding , Fact Finding Mission , Siberia , Alexny Navalny , State , Investigation , Responsibility , Russians , European , Caveat , Some , Justin Trudeau , Shame , Report , Actions , Denials , Prime Minister , Matthew Chance In Moscow , Canada , Gall , Snap Election , Majority , Liberal Party , Aaron O Toole , Parliament , Coalition , Doctor , Men , Texas , Trial , Vaccines , Doctors , Abortion Ban , System , Up Next , Part , Public , Anderson Cooper , Dream , Nm Com Welcome To Allstate , Advisor , Northwestern Mutual , Ride , Auto Rates , Auto Rate , Hands , Doctor Who , San Antonio , Law , Abortions , Lawsuits , Lawyer , Lawsuit Say , Ban , Legality , Washington Post , Op Ed , Procedure , Laura Jarrett , Case , Paper , Anyone , Texas Law , Street , Felipe Gomez , Oscar Stilley , Suit , Tax Crimes , Judge , Home Confinement , Arkansas , Roe , Illinois , Court , Publicity Stunt , Standing , Advocates , Stake , It Doesn T , Abortion , Injury , Game , Wheels , Courts , Extent , Mississippi , C , Landscape , Exception , Rape , Business With Civil Enforcement , 1973 , Mother , Problem , Health , Incest , Justice Department , Side , Legacy , Reshaping , Terms , Punt , End Roe , Roe Doesn T , Trials , Evidence , Pfizer Covid Vaccine , Gabby Petito Investigation , Text Messages , Scent Booster , Downy Unstopables , Usaa , Families , Trelegy , Birds Flyin , It S Time , Ranks , Branches , Matter , Coughing , Oman , Stand , Ways , Medicines , Won T , Inhaler , Rescue Inhaler , Flare Ups , Lung Function , Copd Medicine , Risk , High Blood Pressure , Vision Changes , Breathing , Breathing Problems , Chest Pain , Heart Condition , Pneumonia , Thrush , Osteoporosis , Tongue , Mouth , Swelling , Problems Urinating , Spain , Eye , Save , Trelegy Com , Bed , Sleep Number , Sale , 360 , Sleep , Smart Bed , Special Edition , Plus , Ends Monday , 000 , 1000 , 24 , 0 , Jess , Tv Services , Internet , Lifting , Xfinity , Delegating , Wait , Sweat , Dr , Fda , Pfizer , Emergency Use Authorization , Anthony Fauci , Investigator , Robert Frank , Vaccine Research Center , Children S Hospital Medical Center , Cincinnati , Adults , Dosage , Third , Sanjay Gupta , Size , Micrograms , Response , Doses , Adult Study , 30 , 10 , Dose , Side Effects , Nothing , Common , Adultadults , Headache , Injection Site , Fatigue , Sanjay , Frequency , Dosing , Antibodies , 55 , 65 , Everybody , 12 , Flu Vaccine , Kids , Spot , Saying , Interval , Eight , Regimen , 95 , Regimen Works , Anticipation , Booster , Efficacy , Hot Topic , Aren T , Everyone , Boosters , Buck , Bang , 40 , Series , 13 , Fine Tuning , Safety Profile , Profile , Choice , Data , Immune System , 25 , Risk Factors , Polyethylene Glycol , Crystal Clear , Contraindications , Allergy , Peg , Answers , Images , U S Border Patrol , Somebody , Backlash , Institution , Reaction , Gabby Petito , Fiance , The Search Intensifies , 911 , Someone , Unique , Car Insurance , Horn Blows , Floor , Someone Else , Liberty Mutual , Liberty , Liberty This Isn T , Flea Medication , Vacuum , Pay , Yell , Irregular Heartbeat , Stairs , Walk , Dignity , Freedom , Remedy , Hair , Hair Breakage Worries , Mahault , Dove Breakage , Strength , Dove , Breakage , Dove Breakage Remedy , 97 , Agents , Border , Patrol , Horseback , Reins , Video , Alejandro Mayorkas , Sir , Tony Gonzalez , Town , District , Horses , Tens Of Thousands , Men And Women In Green , Situa , Chaos , Clock , Desperatcesperate , Mistreatment , Site , God , Border Patrol Agents , Hundreds , Isn T Okay , Reason , Policy Change , Conditions , None , Because , We Saw , Policy , Horse Charging , Question , Girl , Be Doing , Guys , Migrant Situation , Reports , Drugs , Nation , Form , Bottom Line , Adult , Male , Males , Fashion , Bulk , Beginning , Folks , Haven T , Steroids , Refugee Camp , 10000 , Policy Shift , Third World Type Environment , Solution , Come Together And Push Legal Immigration Reform , Situations , Trek , Terrain , Order , Borders Safe , Change , Start , Title , Haiti , 96 , 48 , Four , 42 , Rate , Point We Shouldn T , City , Enforcement , Hurricane , Category 5 , Congressman , Top Spy Chief , Staffer , Potential Havana Syndrome Attack , Cia , Story , Son , Ancestors , Letter , Beach Bum , View , Living , Memories , Host , Vrbo , Sfx , Radio , Band Plays , Back , Place , Bit Wrong , Protection , Book , Family History , Flight , Family , Vanderbilts , Palaces , Titles , Existence , Principles , Progeneral Terre , American Royalty , Empire , Anchor , Weight , Pathology , Anderson Cooper 360 , 100 , Commodore , Guy , Author , Cornelius Vanderbilt , Great , Grandfather , Mom , Father , Relationship , Alcoholism , Gloria Vanderbilt , Wasn T , Stories , Childhood , Any , Details , Fan , The Crown , Characters , Bunch , Glare , Catherine Howe , Businessman , Writing , Human Beings , Accomplishments , Generations , Obsession , Spotlight , Crown , Celebrity , Wealth , He Didn T , Care , Focus , Mania , Daughters , Name , Vanderbilt , Anything Else , Sons , U S Treasury , 1877 , 100 Million , 00 Million , Lesson , Society , Spending Spree , 60 , Kid , History Books , Osmosis , Dad , Good , Coopers , Depression , Background , Imagining A Life Of Living In Palaces , There Isn T , Recipe , Parents , Money Waiting For You , College , Initiative , Okay , Sadness , Led , Isolation , There Wasn T , Pot Of Gold , Ship , Sinking , Son Wyatt , Wrap , Offline , Foundation , Ear , Stability , Pleasure , Vantervanderbilts , Ris Fall , American Dynasty , Music , Release , Music Stops , Deep Exhale , Aggwenn Bingham , Champion , Three Star General , Thinker , Champions , Impact , Charge , Doers , Norms , Spot Liting , Cause , Blue Star , Military Service , Family Business , Sacrifice , Truth , Military Spouse , Husband , Service Members , Officer , Pregnancy , Army Special Forces , 3 , Kids Weren T , Trailblazer , Network , Soldier , Army , African American , Woman , Job , Gwenn Bingham , Serving , Experience , Board Member , Expertise , Ground , 38 , Color , Hardships , Sense , Inclusion , Equity , Co Chair , Distress , Military Spouse Employment , Concern , Highs , Lows , Spouses , Number , Fellowship , Life Changing , Policymaking , Leadership Perspective , Teaching , Step , Mentors , Challenges , Many , Problems , Charo , Sounding , Solutions , Military , Plates , Making Change On The Policy Side , Doing , The Hill , Successes , Barriers , Generation , Desire , New Kid On The Block , Need , Energy , Dancing , To Die For , Cameo , These , Faces , Teddy , Sing , Seinfeld , Coverage , Special , Chachampions , 00 , 8 , Gorgeous September Day , Meeting , Erica Hill , Jim Sciutto , Issues , Importance , Allian , Biden Set ,