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ISIS Claims Responsibility For Iraq Prison Break; North Korea Tests Ballistic Missile; Justice Department Steps In; Nearly 17 Million In Path Of Extreme Storms; NFL Defies Brady Suspension Decided; Former Egyptian Dictator To Be Freed From Prison; Investigators Search For Cause In Freeway Plane Crash. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired May 09, 2015 - 12:00   ET

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

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: An event dubbed the Million Moms March happening now in Washington, D.C., live pictures right now, where dozens of African-American mothers from around the country are marching to the Justice Department.

[12:00:03] Their goal is to draw attention to children who have been killed during interactions with police. The event is organized by the mother of an unarmed man who was shot 14 times by police in Milwaukee. Michael Brown's mom, by the way, is among those attending this event.

We have much more just ahead here in NEWSROOM and it starts right now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, missiles flying off the coast of North Korea, under water tests of a ballistic missile and three from ship- to-ship, Kim Jong-Un overseeing the test himself.

Plus, massive hail, tornadoes and flooding, thousands without power today as more dangerous storms are forming in the plains.

And homegrown terror concerns have U.S. military bases all across the country on heightened alert today. The FBI is now investigating hundreds of suspected ISIS sympathizers in the U.S.

You're live in this CNN NEWSROOM.

Hello again on this Saturday, thank you for joining me. I'm Ana Cabrera, in for Fredricka. Glad to have you with us.

I want to bring in breaking news out of Iraq. Reports today of a prison break that happened just outside of Baghdad, where we're learning more now, dozens of inmates, apparently escaping following a riot.

Some inmates appear to have ties to terror and more troubling is that ISIS has now claimed responsibility for this. I want to bring in senior international correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh joining us from Beirut. Nick, what more can you tell us about this prison break?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, ISIS, in that point of view, extolling this operation and seems be according to their account complex. They attacked a number of security and military vehicles around this prison in the town to the north of Baghdad, supposed to be an area that the government, say, purged devices about a month ago.

They laid a number of IEDs, booby trap bombs to you and me in vehicles around that area. Simultaneously detonated them, and then able to storm into the prison. Not a massive facility, but clearly an important one for them, willing to expend this much potential human capital in releasing inside what they refer to as 30 of their knights, differing numbers here.

Officials suggesting 40 people were rescued and only nine of them were there for terror-related offenses. But the ISIS statement makes it clear that many of these faced the death penalty so left with a confusing picture here.

This should be an area where ISIS didn't really have much ability to project power where the security forces should have been in control. It's clear that wasn't the case in this instance. And then ask yourself, how important were these men for ISIS?

Clearly pretty, and potentially, too, in a time we're hearing negative news about ISIS, losses on the battlefield, perhaps they're choosing to launch an operation like this and then make public scene about it comparative success might suggest they're looking hard for a victory at this stage.

But this goes back to an early tactic they had, Ana, when they blasted into Abu Ghraib near Baghdad as well, releasing hundreds potentially of their sympathizers and key commanders, once again, at it here -- Ana.

CABRERA: All right, Nick Paton Walsh in Beirut for us, thank you.

Joining me now, Lieutenant Colonel Tony Shaffer, he is a former Army intelligence officer, joining us from Washington. Colonel Shaffer, you're hearing what Nick just reported about this prison break. How big of a setback is this in the war against ISIS?

LT. COL. TONY SHAFFER, FORMER ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: We've been on the offensive and this is them pushing back. They've reorganized and they've been able to actually do a very direct infiltration of Iraqi security forces a location that most figured was very much in a secure zone.

So this tells me two things. First, ISIS is back trying to figure out a way to get back on the offensive, which they've not been doing as well lately and, secondly, clearly, they're regrouping and using tactics, which have been -- served them very well in the past.

So I think this may be indicative of a new wave of offensive actions by ISIS to show that they have not left the battlefield, that while we've bloodied them, they are not defeated, and this may be a bad thing over the summer.

CABRERA: You do get a sense that they're not only making headway there in Iraq, in that region, but also in their ability to recruit. [12:05:03] After we just learned of developments from the Pentagon raising the security level at military bases around the U.S. following that terror-inspired attack in Texas so now on American soil.

I want to talk about the threat level bravo, this threat has only been raised or this level marked on four other occasions, the most recent one being the 10th anniversary of September 11th. So what do you make of the timing, and why specifically on military bases?

SHAFFER: Well, two things, first, there's been a very direct evidentiary chain that ISIS is targeting military. Last fall via internet, ISIS targeted a father/son Air Force team, very sophisticated.

Secondly, within the last three months, ISIS put together a targeting packet that they were able to use data mining online to identify U.S. personnel as targets and they were all notified.

So this is, I think, a logical step up based on the FBI Director Comey admitting that he's doing about a hundred investigations. What's not talked about a great deal, by the way, is that the FBI's indicted 25 individuals who they believe to be ISIS co-conspirators behind the scenes.

So this is a very serious threat. So I think DOD is doing the most prudent thing it can, taking the level one up based on the current threat information, which I do find very credible.

CABRERA: Final question on that last note that you mentioned, the 25 people who have been arrested in the U.S., just since January, it seems like there's a huge uptick in U.S. people, U.S. citizens or suspects being connected to ISIS.

Do you think that is a result of ISIS having that much more effectiveness in its recruiting ability or is there a greater awareness by U.S. personnel and intelligence people?

SHAFFER: No, I think U.S. -- I think our people are getting a leg up on it with that said. No, I think ISIS is everything al Qaeda wanted to be. Al Qaeda could not -- never figure out a way to congeal support within the United States.

They did not hit that thread and pull it. ISIS has found that thread and pulling it repeatedly, the individual who did the ISIS attack in Texas, by the way, was radicalized back about 2006, long before ISIS.

ISIS simply has come along and given a face, attitude, and frankly an operational focus to this jihad attitude that's been going on for a while. So ISIS is very effective using social media, figuring out how to gain access to people.

And I think James Comey is the right man for the job. He is actually trying to do everything he can to get the FBI focused on this.

CABRERA: All right, Colonel Tony Shaffer, thank you so much for joining us. Monday night, CNN is going deep inside ISIS, who are these people? What exactly do they want? Be sure to watch "Blindsided," a Fareed Zakaria report, CNN Monday night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific.

North Korea flexing its military muscles test firing three ship-to- ship missiles today on the heels of a ballistic missile launch. A South Korean defense official tells CNN that the North launched the ship-to-ship missile off the eastern coast this morning.

Following what North Korean state news is reporting an underwater launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine last night.

CNN's international correspondent, Will Ripley, is joining us on the phone from Hong Kong. You just returned from North Korea. Will, put this into some perspective for us. It's not the first time we've heard of North Korea doing something like this.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, North Korea is investing an extraordinary amount of money in their military program, and it's really troubling when you think of the fact that this is a country that has a hard time generating enough power to keep the lights on in its capital city.

It has a hard time feeding its population of nearly 25 million people adequately and yet another example of the tremendous amount of money that the North Korean regime is putting into its military program.

I was on the ground in Pyongyang of the underwater test fire of ballistic missile. It was launched apparently from a strategic submarine off the coast. Kim Jong-Un was there.

Of course, we don't know exactly when this happened. The supreme leader's movements are kept secret. They are not announced in advance. These photos that were released were undated.

But the supreme leader was quoted as saying he compares this milestone, being able to launch a ballistic missile to North Korea's successful satellite launches, three satellites that have gone successfully into orbit and feel the missile technology is on par with that kind of achievement.

CABRERA: All right, Will Ripley, thanks for the update. The U.S. State Department is responding, sternly, to those missile tests. It's calling those North Korean launches a clear violation of several United Nations Security Council resolutions.

CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty, is live at the White House and joins us with more -- Sunlen.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, the State Department is calling for restraint, but I should note that they're doing so without confirming reports about these new missile tests out of North Korea, only noting that they are aware of the reports.

[12:10:07] And noting broadly speaking that missile tests would be in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. A State Department official telling CNN in a statement, quote, "We call on North Korea to refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps towards fulfilling its international commitments and obligations.

And a State Department official also says, of course, they continue to monitor the situation in North Korea with particular emphasis on these military activities -- Ana.

CABRERA: Sunlen Serfaty, thanks again, joining us from the White House.

Coming up, attorneys for the six Baltimore police officers who were charged in the death of Freddie Gray, they want the state's attorney removed from the case. We'll ask Cleveland's former police chief what should happen and how the Baltimore Police Department can move forward.

Also ahead -- check out the hail that fell in Oklahoma last night. It's like baseball sized, others you can see the size of golf balls. Today, more dangerous storms are on the way to the central U.S., now putting nearly 17 million people at risk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: A double threat of nasty weather bringing hail, flooding, possibly tornadoes taking shape today in nearly 17 million people in the path of this extreme weather in a region already hit by severe weather previously.

See all of the hail pounding this flooded backyard in Oklahoma. Also palm-sized hail in some places posing a risk of injury property damage as Tropical Storm Ana churns towards the Carolinas.

CNN's Ryan Young is joining me from Oklahoma City, where they've already been hit. What are conditions like right now, Ryan?

[12:15:09] Ryan Young, can you hear us? Unfortunately, we are having trouble with our connection with Ryan Young, again Oklahoma City. You can hear the wind picking up in his microphone. We'll work to re- establish a connection with him and come back to him.

Still ahead, though, we have some shocking news out of Egypt this morning, a court now saying former President Hosni Mubarak can go free. We'll take you there live to Cairo next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Attorneys for the six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray have now filed a motion to have her removed from the case, the prosecutor in this case, Marilyn Mosby, claim that Mosby has conflicts of interest and they have questions about her office's independent investigation.

This after U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced a Justice Department investigation of the Baltimore Police Department, similar to the one we saw of the Department of Ferguson, Missouri, following the death of Michael Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORETTA LYNCH, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: This investigation will begin immediately, and will focus on allegations that Baltimore Police Department officers used excessive force, including deadly force, conduct unlawful searches, seizures and arrests, and engage in discriminatory policing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Now, Baltimore is just the latest department the feds are looking into. Right now, the Justice Department is enforcing ten consent orders and six out of court settlements on different law enforcement agencies.

It is also suing for police agencies that refuse to change their habits and there are nine open investigations going on across the country. That gives you a gist of how busy the Justice Department is and how big of an issue this could be when we talk about police and their use of force, as well as racial profiling issues.

Joining me now to discuss what has become a major national discussion is Patrick Oliver, the former Cleveland police chief.

[12:20:07] Patrick, we appreciate your expertise here, as we know you were a consultant on the investigation of another controversial police killing, the death of Oscar Grant, by San Francisco Oakland Transit Police.

You were also a federal monitor when the Justice Department investigated the Prince George's County Maryland Police Department. You bring a lot of experience to this issue.

What exactly will the Department of Justice be looking for in this Baltimore case? I guess, give us a behind the scenes peek of how the investigation might unfold.

PATRICK OLIVER, FORMER CLEVELAND POLICE CHIEF: Well, they're going to make a lot of public records request, and really conduct an investigation, and they're going to ask for use of force reports, policies, procedures, trainings, and tactics. They're going to look at everything that the department's been doing as it involves the constitutional enforcement of the law.

CABRERA: I know you have said that you believe that the DOJ investigation may not be enough in Baltimore. You believe Baltimore needs a management audit. Explain the difference.

OLIVER: A management audit should be conducted by some subject matters experts in policing, top to bottom review of the operations administration of the police department, because that's how they're going to get better. The DOJ civil rights pattern or practice investigation is just that, it's an investigation.

It's going to help them correct the constitutional misconduct that's going on in the department, but a management audit is a way to look at the entire agency and try to get better.

CABRERA: So if the Baltimore Police Department is found to have systemic issues through the DOJ investigation, what would you expect to happen besides laying out a set of corrections? Might some of the suggested changes have to do with management and the department structure?

OLIVER: Yes. It's going to be in the area of management, it's going to be management control, training, policy. There's going to be a whole lot of stipulations. These stipulations will be folded into either a consent decree overseen by a judge, through a monitor, or a memorandum of agreement, which there will be a monitor team that will look at these things.

CABRERA: In some urban areas, we know cops don't always live where they work. How much does that play into maybe the mindset or the care and concern an officer has in the community in which he's on the beat?

OLIVER: I think it does make a difference. I think when officers live in the community that they serve, they have more of an ownership in the quality of life, and so I think they're going to have a higher level of commitment.

That's not to say you can't be an effective officer if you don't live in the community, but officers that live in the community really have a higher level of commitment because they have got a stake in the game.

CABRERA: All right, former Cleveland police chief, Patrick Oliver, we appreciate your time and expertise.

OLIVER: You're welcome, Ana.

CABRERA: Coming up, possible punishment for deflate-gate. What should they be for the Patriots and for Tom Brady, and realistically what could those punishments look like? Our experts weigh in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:26:58]

CABRERA: Hello again. Thanks for staying with us. I'm Ana Cabrera in for Fredricka Whitfield. There is a double threat of nasty weather bearing down, bringing hail, flooding, possible tornadoes.

And it's all taking shape today affecting nearly 17 million people in the path of these extreme storms, in a region that is already been hit by severe weather over the last week.

CNN's Ryan Young is joining me in Oklahoma City. Ryan, what are the conditions like now and how are people preparing?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, we can feel the wind picking up, but you know, people are bracing for what could happen in the future here. I want it to show you something to set the scene for you. We're in an area that got hit in the last few days by other storms that came through.

You see the two police officers up here that are watching over this hotel. But as we move back in this direction, look at that car that was hit by the tornado that just came through here in the last few days.

And then when you step back and look at this motel and see the power that was cut through here, we drove around just in the last half hour or so and you can see how the storm blew through several different places it hit some buildings, skipped others, but in this area it devastated.

The people in the hotel had to get evacuated. There were some injuries in these areas, but lastly no one was killed in the last one that came through. We are expecting storms.

We have more than four crews in this area working their way around, just to make sure when the storm hits that we're in position to make sure people know about where to avoid.

If you look back this direction, a storage facility, it got slammed. Nothing left. People who were here, we've talked to them. They're just trying to find some of their items maybe they can salvage it before the rain hits later this afternoon.

A woman was telling us she recently lost her husband and storing their household items in the storage facility, and then this happened. You can understand why she wanted to get some of her belongings out of here before the next storm hits.

CABRERA: It's so sad to see those pictures. Ryan, do we know what they're expecting specifically in Oklahoma City in that area where you are? Is it mostly flooding concerns or is the tornado concern the real threat?

YOUNG: Well, you know there's a mix of both. We drove yesterday from Oklahoma City all the way down to the Texas line, and we saw flooding and hail, all throughout the area. We got the warnings. Now today, they are expecting more rain.

But you know how this works, this area's saturated with all of that water. It has to go somewhere. It was more rain expected. Hopefully they don't get hit hard today.

So they don't have to deal with that flooding and that constant wind that could be coming to this area later this afternoon.

CABRERA: All right, CNN's Ryan Young on top of it for us. Stay safe. We appreciate your time and effort out there.

We're still waiting for the fallout for the Super Bowl champion, New England Patriots and quarterback, Tom Brady, after this week's release of the report on deflate-gate.

Now the New York "Daily News" is reporting, commissioner, NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell is going to announce some kind of a suspension for Brady next week. But the NFL says, no decision has been made just yet.

It's a 243-page report that claims Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities by a couple of Patriots employees accused of deflating footballs to make them easier to catch and throw at the Super Bowl.

[12:30:12] Now Brady talked very briefly about this report just on Thursday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do you plan to address this publicly?

TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: Hopefully soon, hopefully soon. There's still a process that's going forthright now and you know I'm involved in that process. Whenever it happens, it happens, and I'll certainly want to be very comfortable in how I feel about the statements that I make.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So he didn't say anything, really, but his agent called the report a significant and terrible disappointment. The report's conclusion reads, "It is more than probable than not that McNally and Jastremski," these were the locker room attendants for the Patriots.

"They participated in a deliberate effort to release air from Patriots' game balls after the balls were tested by the game officials. We believe it is unlikely that an equipment assistant and a locker room attendant would deflate game balls without Brady's knowledge and approval."

So, should Brady and/or Patriots be punished for this? Joining us live to discuss is Brian Claypool, a criminal defense attorney and avid sports fan, and also with us Tim Janzen, a sports attorney.

Brian, I want to start with you. The language in this report is not definitive, uses phrases like more than often, or more often than not, most likely, more probably. Critics of the report are questioning the credibility here. You're a lawyer, how strong or conclusive is this report?

BRIAN CLAYPOOL, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Ana, by the way, thanks for having me back. I want to amend that report to say that it should read that it is conclusive, not more probable than not. These text messages between McNally and the other gentleman, the equipment manager, clearly prove that Tom Brady knew exactly what was going on with deflating the footballs.

Why is Ted Wells trying to be politically correct here? That's the first problem. The second problem here is what a shame in how Tom Brady and the New England Patriots handled this debacle. Brady should have stepped up and said, look, I made a mistake.

And I want to fix it, and I'm sorry for that because the biggest losers in all of this are the kids worldwide, the youth that look up to idols like Tom Brady, who now see that it's OK to cheat.

And that's why the NFL has to suspend Tom Brady, for at least a half season or a full season. So we can send a message to the kids across the country that if you cheat, you will suffer consequences.

CABRERA: Tim, I see you shaking your head. I want to bring you into the conversation. Let's expand it a little bit because, as brain pointed out, a lot of people are pointing the finger at Tom Brady saying he cheated, but not only is he accused of cheating, but he's accused of not cooperating with the investigation.

A lot of the evidence came from these text messages from interviews with the two Patriots employees, who are believed to be most culpable, but Tom Brady refused to give over his e-mails. What do you make of all this?

TIM JANSEN, SPORTS ATTORNEY: I think a player has a responsibility to cooperate with the investigation, that's a rule, the NFL commissioner can suspend you, and punishment is dependent on your cooperation. A six-game suspension is crazy in this case.

CABRERA: Too much do you think?

JANSEN: Way too much. Tom Brady is the ambassador of the NFL and to say that he tells these equipment managers, yes, I like the balls inflated lower, you have to remember, there's a range the ball can go above and below.

He didn't say below the limits, the fact that he likes that, Tom Brady wasn't in the locker room with a needle before the game deflating them. This report has some genuine conclusions that are based on speculation.

CABRERA: Tom Brady may not have been in the locker room but, according to this report, Tom Brady was giving these guys a special autographed equipment and there's certainly seemed to good incentive for the two locker room attendants to deflate the balls for Tom Brady.

JANSEN: I agree that the Patriots themselves, including these employees, can be punished, and should be punished. The integrity of the game is in jeopardy. While those balls were missing and they were doing things that the quarterback likes or wants.

You can't necessarily say, OK, Tom Brady said do it, he may like it and the text messages afterwards may shed some light, Brady shouldn't have spoken or texted, but I think he followed advice of his agent.

And that was, wait until you get all of the information, when you get the information, if the commission will take action, and he's in a tough situation because he has lowered the burden.

It's only more probable than not. The burden used to be much higher. Once that penalty if a penalty comes out, I would imagine that the team will possibly be punished, those employees will be punished, possibly terminated.

[12:35:08] And I believe they may lose a draft pick. I would not see Brady getting anything more than maybe two-game suspension.

CABRERA: Brian, you know, the NFL, the commissioner, Roger Goodell has come under a lot of fire in the year, first the domestic violence issue that came up.

CLAYPOOL: Right.

CABRERA: Then there was, of course, the concussion report that recently came out and now there this with the Patriots and the Super Bowl. How much pressure do you think the NFL commissioner is under to come down hard with punishment in this case because of all of these factors that come in to play?

CLAYPOOL: Ana, this is a cross road for Goodell and the NFL because you know, rumor has it out here, if the NFL was going to set up a store, it would be called scandals r us, instead of toys "r" us because they have had so many scandals over the last year and a half, bounty-gate, Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice.

This incident with Tom Brady, Ana, in my opinion, is bigger than football and that's why Goodell has to step up and pose a greater penalty here, because this is about the moral fiber of our community, about the moral fiber of kids growing up.

It's bigger than you and I, you played sports in college, you know how important it is to live by the rules, and Goodell has to penalize Tom Brady. Make no mistake about it, Ana, this is like a James Bond movie.

I mean, McNally had the balls, he ran into the rest room, had 100 seconds to deflate the footballs and you tell me that Tom Brady didn't know exactly what he was doing? He did. He gained an unfair advantage. He needs to suffer the consequences.

CABRERA: Last word, Tim?

JANSEN: I think everybody's focusing on Tom Brady, and it shouldn't be on Tom Brady. It should be on the NFL, the officials who should control those balls, and the fact that if he gained an advantage, every player in sports wants an advantage, pitchers are always try to scuff balls.

We had a previous Minnesota game where they were heating balls with jet engines on the sidelines and they were told to stop and now because it's Tom Brady and the Patriots it's blown up. Let's get back to reality.

CABRERA: They don't have a squeaky clean image.

JANSEN: No, the team doesn't, but Tom Brady does. Tom Brady has been the ambassador for the sport, he's lived by every standard the NFL has ever established.

CABRERA: We'll have to leave it there, Brian Claypool and Tim Jansen, thank you both so much. We appreciate the conversation.

Still ahead, we're going to take you live to Egypt.

CLAYPOOL: Happy mother's day.

CABRERA: Thank you for that, Brian. I appreciate it. In Egypt, a court saying, former President Hosni Mubarak can go free. We'll have details when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nothing can stop Max Gomez from motocross racing even when the sport cost him part of his right leg. Max was a high school senior in 2012 competing in a national race.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was coming up to one of these jumps, I came a little short, and it kicked me forward and off the bike. It was a 30- foot drop, and then the impact just exploded my ankle.

GUPTA: Five operations later, doctors gave max a choice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said either keep this foot, you're not going to be able to do anything with it, or amputate it and live the rest of your life.

GUPTA: After losing his leg, Max thought he would never ride again. His dad even sold his bikes, but he was inspired by another amputee who was still racing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I said if he can do it, I should be able to do it, too.

GUPTA: With some adjustments to his bike, moving the brake to the handle bars and a designed prosthetic foot, Max was back on the track, six months after his accident. He took home gold at the extremity games, a competition for athletes with physical disabilities, and he just missed the bronze in an adaptive moto at 2013 X games. The 21- year-old nursing student qualified for a regional race with able body drivers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I lost my leg, but I didn't lose my drive. If there's a will, there's a way.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Former Egyptian dictator, Hosni Mubarak could soon be a free man. Cairo court has given him credit for time served, after he was sentenced to three years on corruption charges. Mubarak ruled for 30 years before ousted during the Arab spring protest in 2011. Ian Lee is in Cairo. Ian, any sense of exactly when he will be released?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, we haven't heard yet when he will be released. He has been staying at a hospital here. He has spent most of his sentence at a hospital with different ailments, different medical concerns.

But the judge handing down this verdict today, saying that the time served, the three years that he could be released, we haven't heard, though, when that will be.

And as we've seen in the past, when these high-profile figures are released, it usually is very hush-hush. The government doesn't want to really showcase it -- Ana.

CABRERA: Any reaction there in Cairo to this news?

LEE: Well, this has been the interesting thing. When I first started covering this trial when it began in 2011, this city shut down. The country shut down. Everyone was watching the TV to see what was going to happen.

They couldn't believe that this strong man of 30 years was behind bars. This is a president who ruled Egypt for most Egyptians' lives. So the city was just struck by the TV watching it trying to figure out the latest details.

Today, we really didn't see any of that. People have moved on with their lives. There's a sense of indifference here and while there are a lot of people are indifferent.

There are those family members of those who were killed during the revolution that are still very much upset that what they say justice hasn't been served.

CABRERA: All right, Ian Lee in Cairo. Many thanks.

And still ahead, at least eight Republican presidential hopefuls have gathered in one place today. Our Chris Moody is there -- Chris.

CHRIS MOODY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lots of Republican presidential and hopeful contenders here. Some who are not. We'll find out why after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM STILES: Hi, I'm William Stiles. I want to show you my city. Think of Memphis, you think of bale street and barbecue, you think of blues, most of all, you think about Elvis. Well, since my baby left me. This is where it all began, Sun Studios.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Elvis Presley started recording here in 1953. Other than Elvis are like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis.

STILES: Where did the king stand?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right here, one of the original microphones we used in the '50s to record the exact microphone.

[12:50:09] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The ceiling tiles are original, floor tiles original. It's very special because it does have that same quality of sound they would back in the '50s.

STILES: This is the exact microphone. Sun Studios has really cool, old style malts. What's over this? When I'm in town, Beale Street is where I want to be. Here I am with my all-time favorite place to eat, Blue City Cafe. It's a Hunka, Hunka barbecue.

Man, that was awesome! The best place to party that I like is BB King's. This is BBs first bar. A lot of musicians have rolled through here. Look, man, don't be a fool. If you want a good music, come to Memphis, Tennessee. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: It's a big weekend for the presidential hopefuls. While Jeb Bush has yet to announce he's running for president today, he sounded like an awful lot like a candidate. The former Florida governor delivered the commencement address in at Liberty University and he made this appeal to Christian conservative voters. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: This doesn't always come as a welcome reminder in some quarters, but it is true all the same, whatever the need, the affliction or the injustice, there is no more powerful or liberating influence on this earth than the Christian conscience in action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: He is not the only big GOP name in the spotlight this weekend. Many GOP presidential contenders are in South Carolina right now for a freedom summit that's sponsored by Citizens United.

Our Chris Moody is there, joining us now. Chris, Jeb Bush is courting Evangelicals there in Virginia instead of heading to that summit, what's the strategy here?

MOODY: Well, if you're a Republican presidential hopeful and you get an invitation to speak at Liberty University, especially the commencement, you take it, there's a history of presidents and presidential contenders speaking at that commencement.

Ted Cruz announced his presidential campaign there. It's the largest Evangelical college in the nation and a great opportunity for these contenders to speak to that audience.

Now, of course, he is missing this big summit here in South Carolina, which of course, is the first primary in the south. That could hurt him a little bit.

But his soon-to-be campaign made the calculation that he would go to Virginia and standalone there instead of sharing the spotlight with other contenders and possible contenders.

CABRERA: We know Iowa and New Hampshire have been getting a lot of attention lately. I think you just touched on this, but tell us more why South Carolina is pivotal and what the potential candidates are saying down there.

MOODY: It is an important part of the puzzle. Like I mentioned earlier, it's the first primary in the south, it's a lot more conservative, generally, than a lot of the other states particularly New Hampshire and it's an opportunity for candidates, especially conservative ones, who may not have done so well in Iowa and New Hampshire to really get a fresh gust of wind.

They can come in here and it's really a gateway for the second half of the primary -- the next level of the primary. It's an opportunity especially if they did not do well earlier.

What we're seeing in the speeches red meat, talking about their faith and personal stories and, of course, as any politician likes to say, their humble beginnings as well.

CABRERA: Are you seeing any one candidate getting support among South Carolina residents and voters?

MOODY: Well, there's a lot of energy right now for many of these guys. Rick Perry gave a real red meat speech a few minutes ago here inside a big reaction Scott Walker as well.

Talking a lot about his conservative accomplishments in Wisconsin, blue state, saying if I can get it done there, I can get it done on a national scale as well. That's his pitch. There will be more this afternoon.

CABRERA: Chris Moody in South Carolina, they are covering it for us all. Thank you so much.

Still ahead -- a tragic story out of Georgia, a small plane crashing onto a crowded highway and this video is terrifying. Stay with us and we'll bring it to you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back. Crews are still investigating a plane crash on a busy Atlanta freeway yesterday, all four people on board died. But CNN's Martin Savidge says it's nearly a miracle nobody on the ground was hurt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A plane crashed on the parkway in front of us.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The crash of the single engine plane on the busy I-25 north of Atlanta came just as rush hour was ending. Hundreds of people witnessed its horror.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, a plane crash!

SAVIDGE: The just-fueled plane slammed into a cement median, burst into flame, sending thick, black smoke into the air. All four people on board were killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw it coming.

SAVIDGE: The Piper 32 had taken off moments before from DeKalb, Peach Tree County Airport about a mile away. Witnesses say it showed signs of trouble while still in the air.

DON MCGEE, EYEWITNESS: This plane's low, and as I'm looking at the plane, the plane is trying to pull up, pull up and then, boom!

SAVIDGE: Drivers swerved and braked to avoid the disaster. Gerald Smith's semi was one of two vehicles hit by debris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I would have stayed on the gas, I would have met it head-on, and it probably would have killed me.

SAVIDGE: Fortunately, no one on the ground was hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is quite remarkable, considering the fact 285, around that time in the morning, that it was not any more tragic than what it already is.

SAVIDGE: Authorities say those killed in the plane include the pilot, 53-year-old Greg Byrd, his two sons, 27-year-old Christopher, and 25- year-old Phillip and Christopher's fiancee, Jackie Colzer. The four were headed to the University of Mississippi for graduation ceremonies this weekend. The small plane had no black box recorders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to look at the maintenance that was last done on the aircraft. From what we understand, the airplane just fueled at -- over at Peach Tree DeKalb and the pilot's experience.

SAVIDGE: I-285 reopened Friday afternoon, but the scars of the tragedy remain, both on the highway and in the minds of the many who saw it. Martin Savidge, CNN, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: We have much more just ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.