Let's turn now to possible security lapses in New Orleans.

For that, I spoke a short time ago with Juliet Kayam, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, and faculty chair of the Homeland Security Program at Harvard's Kennedy School.

Juliet, thank you so much for joining us today.

Given your expertise, how was a vehicle able to ram into a crowd?

And from a physical security standpoint, could more have been done to prevent this?

The evidence is starting to suggest yes. So in 2016, New Orleans changed its sort of safety and security positioning for Bourbon Street.

Specifically, that was after two major terrorist attacks in Europe, in Nice and France and Berlin

and Germany in which automobiles were used.

In that instance, or afterwards, New Orleans put up three different security measures.

It's the barricades, the ballards, which we'll get to in a second, and then basically trucks,

but it's basically sanitation trucks so that you would have this layered security.

What we're starting to learn and what's being disclosed is that that second,

these sort of cement entities that would really essentially tear up a car if it was trying to

ram through Bermond Street were not functioning, that they were being upgraded, presumably for

the Super Bowl in a couple weeks, and therefore we're not ready for this big event.

And that's what everyone is focused on right now

is whether alternative measures,

alternative security were used

and whether they were sufficient enough.

Look, any terrorist who really wants to kill

could have just gone down the street

and gotten another group of people.

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