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2024 U.S. Election; Rubio Being Considered by Trump for Vice President Despite Prior Criticism; Man Uses Picture of Another Passenger's Ticket to Fly; GOP Nominee to Run NC Public Schools has Called for Violence Against Democrats; Shohei Ohtani's Longtime Interpreter Fired Theft and Gambling Claims. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired March 21, 2024 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:30:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: They're now Trumpists.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Oh, absolutely. I mean -- and just watching that clip back again, to ever think that potentially Rubio could become Donald Trump's running mate is --
ACOSTA: It's amazing.
TREENE: -- something that we would have never expected.
ACOSTA: Yes.
TREENE: It would have been absurd to us back then. But look, I have been told by many of Donald Trump's campaign advisors that Rubio is actually real. They have acknowledged, your point Jeff, which is very, you know, astute here, is there are constitutional problems, and especially if they -- if it's a close election, this rule about having two people from the same state would become more into play. And his team very much recognizes that this is likely to be a very close election.
But he has a very long list of people he is considering. It's not like Rubio is at the top here. He is someone he is seriously looking at, they say. But there's a lot of time between now and whenever Donald Trump is going to formally pick a running mate. So, I don't want to put too much stock in this. And I --
ACOSTA: And there are other names on the list. Tim Scott --
TREENE: There are many other names.
ACOSTA: -- Kristi Noem -- I mean, yes.
TREENE: Yes. But I will say his team says that Donald Trump and him speak frequently, people from Rubio world say that as well.
ACOSTA: Interesting.
TREENE: Donald Trump likes him because he's young, he has natural charisma, he's a good speaker, he's Hispanic. Remember a key, voting bloc that Donald Trump really needs to siphon away from Joe Biden. So, those are all factors that are coming into this. But again, nothing is set in stone and this is still -- you can't really expect with Donald Trump that, you know, put too much stock in these situations because he changes his mind so quickly.
ACOSTA: Yes, we've come a long way from those clips in 2016.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, the memories.
ACOSTA: Yes.
ZELENY: The memories.
ACOSTA: That's right. Alayna and Jeff, thanks, guys. Very much. Really appreciate it.
Coming up, boarding without a real ticket. A man gets on a flight by sneaking a picture of someone else's ticket. That is just incredible. It's sad that that could actually happen. We'll talk about that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:35:00]
ACOSTA: All right. Also, this morning, we're following a major security breach that happened at the Salt Lake City International Airport. A Texas man was arrested for boarding a Delta flight without a ticket. Court documents allege he did it by taking a photo of another passenger's boarding pass and then tried to hide in the plane's bathroom so he wouldn't be discovered.
CNN's Pete Muntean joins me now to discuss. Pete, I guess it was only a matter of time before for somebody figured out this life hack. If you want to call it that.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It's
ACOSTA: It's a little scary though.
MUNTEAN: It's sort of old school meets new school.
ACOSTA: Yes.
MUNTEAN: And we hear of stowaways every so often where people try to sneak on board planes by getting into the baggage area or maybe into a wheel well of a plane. This method has to be one of the more crafty ones. U.S. Attorneys have charged this Texas man for sneaking on board a Delta flight bound for Austin, it happened in Salt Lake City on Sunday, which was St. Patrick's Day.
Court documents say 26-year-old Wicliff Fleurizard was planning to fly standby on a Southwest flight, that flight was overbooked. So, investigators say, Fleurizard went to the gate of this Delta flight. Police reviewed the security footage which showed Fleurizard in the boarding area, taking multiple photos of multiple passengers, phones and or boarding passes while they were not looking. The criminal complaint says, Fleurizard scanned his fake ticket, boarded the plane and locked himself in the plane's bathroom and did not come out until after the plane had pushed back from the gate.
Now, this plane might have worked if he did not get questioned by a flight attendant. And court documents say this, Fleurizard indicated to the flight attendant that his seat was 21F. The flight attendant verified that the passenger who was in seat 21F was the person who had purchased and had been ticketed for that seat. And it was not the criminal here, Fleurizard.
So, clearly this created a lot of confusion on board. Flight attendants were pretty quickly able to figure out that this man was not on their manifest. So, then they taxied back to the gate where the police were waiting. Police say Fleurizard told them he got bumped from his original flight onto a later flight and was simply trying to get home and made a mistake.
But now he's facing one count of stowing away on a vessel or aircraft, sort of, an old school charge there that can carry prison time up to five years. It is not clear yet if Fleurizard has an attorney, Jim.
ACOSTA: Yes, I don't think he's going to make that mistake again.
MUNTEAN: Yes.
ACOSTA: But my -- and I -- with flights these days so full, I have to think that maybe there was a situation where he came out of the lavatory and there wasn't a seat to take. So --
MUNTEAN: That's a great point. And especially during spring break --
ACOSTA: Right.
MUNTEAN: -- when things are so busy --
ACOSTA: Yes.
MUNTEAN: -- you're really rolling the dice on that one, so.
ACOSTA: It's unbelievable. All right. Pete Muntean, hopefully the airlines are going to have to update the apps, I think. a little bit.
MUNTEAN: We'll see.
ACOSTA: Those boarding passes, you can do it with a screenshot. That's not good.
MUNTEAN: Yes.
ACOSTA: All right, Pete. Thanks so much.
MUNTEAN: Anytime.
ACOSTA: All right. Coming up next, CNN confronts a North Carolina Republican candidate whose social media post included calls to execute Democrats, including Presidents Biden and Obama. We'll show you some of that in just a few moments. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:40:00]
ACOSTA: In North Carolina, Michele Morrow was not expected to win her Republican primary race to become North Carolina's top public school official, but then last week in an upset, she did. And when she did, her extreme and controversial comments began getting attention. Last Friday, CNN's KFile reported that in the past, she has tweeted about wanting to see former President Barack Obama put in front of a firing squad, including horrific details. Morrow has also made suggestions about executing other prominent Democrats, including then-President- elect Joe Biden. She has promoted QAnon conspiracy theories as well.
And CNN's Shimon Prokupecz joins me live in Raleigh, North Carolina. Shimon, you were able to catch up with Michele Morrow. What did she have to say about all of these extreme posts?
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, we did, Jim. We caught up with her as she was leaving the Wake County, here in Raleigh, GOP convention. She was there for several hours. And as she was leaving, we were able to catch up with her and ask her questions about those controversial tweets. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROKUPECZ: Hi, Ms. Morrow. How are you?
MICHELE MORROW (R), NOMINEE FOR NC SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION: Hey. I'm doing fine.
PROKUPECZ: All right. How did it go in there?
MORROW: Great. It went great.
PROKUPECZ: Yes?
MORROW: It went great, yes.
PROKUPECZ: You feeling good?
MORROW: Who are you guys with?
PROKUPECZ: I'm Shimon Prokupecz. I'm with CNN.
MORROW: Oh, have you been parked in my neighborhood by any chance?
PROKUPECZ: We've been trying to talk to you. Yes.
MORROW: OK. Well, you can --
PROKUPECZ: So --
MORROW: -- go through my campaign --
PROKUPECZ: I understand, but I have you now.
MORROW: Thanks.
PROKUPECZ: So, why don't we talk now?
MORROW: No need.
PROKUPECZ: Why not? Well, I want to ask you --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's late and we're --
PROKUPECZ: do you still stand -- I'm not talking to you, ma'am. Do you still stand by your comments about former President Barack Obama and that he should be executed? Calling for the death of other presidents? Do you stand by that?
[10:45:00]
Do you stand by those comments?
MORROW: Have a good night.
PROKUPECZ: Do you stand by what you've said about the public education system and that it needs to be destroyed?
MORROW: No comment.
PROKUPECZ: Do you stand by that?
MORROW: No comment.
PROKUPECZ: Do you understand the concern that people have --
MORROW: No comment.
PROKUPECZ: -- with this nomination that you now have?
MORROW: Hey, I have a question. Do you vote North Carolina? Then keep your eyes on your own paper.
PROKUPECZ: Well, let me ask you. I've --
MORROW: Keep your eyes on you own paper.
PROKUPECZ: -- I've read papers from here, too.
MORROW: Keep your eyes on your own paper.
PROKUPECZ: And the concerns that people have with your nomination and the things that you have said.
MORROW: People in New York have concern over my nomination --
PROKUPECZ: People all across -- MORROW: -- in North Carolina?
PROKUPECZ: -- all across the country.
MORROW: All across -- really?
PROKUPECZ: Yes.
MORROW: Why are they concerned about North Carolina? Do you know that education is a problem in this entire country? So, maybe they need to focus on what's going on in your state of New York, which by the way, is where I grew up. Maybe they need to focus on what's going on in California, where children are not getting the education that they need. Maybe they need to focus on what they're doing in Michigan.
Because right now in North Carolina, I'm focused on helping the families of North Carolina for their children to get quality education, for them to be safe, and for us to be sure that our money is going into the classroom, rather than bureaucracies. That's what I've been focusing on. That's what I've been fighting for for the last five years. Going to the General Assembly and dealing with those issues.
PROKUPECZ: Right, but you --
MORROW: So, that is why I am running.
PROKUPECZ: I understand that, but you have --
MORROW: So, you can --
PROKUPECZ: -- said such hurtful things, too, in terms of the education system --
MORROW: I have to tell you.
PROKUPECZ: -- about transgender students --
MORROW: Everyone is so done with the gotcha moment.
PROKUPECZ: This is not a gotcha.
MORROW: It is.
PROKUPECZ: These are your own words, ma'am.
MORROW: This has --
PROKUPECZ: These are your own words.
MORROW: This has nothing to do with education.
PROKUPECZ: You have said that the former president --
MORROW: How do you know those are my words?
PROKUPECZ: Because you tweeted.
MORROW: You don't have --
PROKUPECZ: Are those not your tweets? Do you deny saying that? You have an opportunity now?
MORROW: I am telling you --
PROKUPECZ: Do you deny saying that?
MORROW: I am telling you --
PROKUPECZ: Are you denying that you said that in those tweets?
MORROW: I am telling you --
PROKUPECZ: Have you --
MORROW: -- that I am going to discuss education --
PROKUPECZ: -- have you talked about the indoctrination of children by teachers?
MORROW: I am telling you --
PROKUPECZ: Have you talked about that? Have you said that about students?
MORROW: Have you seen any of me going to the school board for the last five years? Because you will have my answer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PROKUPECZ: And as you see there, Jim, she continues to deflect, at one point trying to, perhaps, even deny that she said such hurtful and really controversial things. You know, in the end, if she was to be elected, she would oversee a school system with over a million students, a million and a half students. There is a lot of concern across the state over what she has said.
And certainly, for parents, certainly for many of the students who are facing a lot of difficulties and her issues on that. You know, some here in the local paper have said that she is a threat to the education system here. And certainly, there are people who feel that way. So, it's going to be interesting, obviously, to see what happens. We have some time here, but there are a lot of eyes on this election here, Jim.
ACOSTA: Yes. Shimon, I mean, just to follow up. I mean, did she deny tweeting? We're posting these online messages that Barack Obama should be executed.
PROKUPECZ: So, it's interesting. She -- you can see there at one point, she says, well, how do you know it was me, right? So, she's trying to raise, perhaps, that question. But no, she didn't deny it. She deflected, right? She tried to get me to go through her press person.
ACOSTA: Right.
PROKUPECZ: And she didn't. She didn't, Jim. She did not, at all, over the several times I asked her, she didn't want to address it. I mean, it is a controversial thing. It is, in some ways, very hurtful for people to who have seen her tweets, who have read her tweets. But no, she simply tried to deflect and not answer.
ACOSTA: Well -- and it's also dangerous. I mean, there are people out there who could see those kinds of posts and act on them. So, kudos to you Shimon and your crew for tracking her down and confronting her on what is obviously very dangerous online material. Shimon Prokupecz, thank you as always for all the work you do. We appreciate it.
And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:00]
ACOSTA: A bombshell in professional baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers say they fired the longtime interpreter of the team's superstar, Shohei Ohtani, after he was accused by Ohtani's legal team of massive theft, reportedly tied to gambling losses.
CNN's Andy Scholes joins me now with more. Andy, I mean, this is a huge thing. I guess I have to think perhaps it happens more often than you think. But what are they saying?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm not sure this happens very often, Jim --
ACOSTA: Yes.
SCHOLES: -- a superstar at the level of Ohtani, but the explanation of how this all went down, it changed quickly. So, Shohei Ohtani's spokesman originally told ESPN that Ohtani sent money to cover the gambling debts of his longtime interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara.
But then Ohtani's lawyers, on Wednesday, said Ohtani was the victim of massive theft. Now, this came to light because the federal investigators are looking into an illegal California gambling operation, as first reported by "The Los Angeles Times".
Now, according to ESPN, Ohtani sent millions of dollars in wire transfers from his bank account to the alleged bookmaking operation. Now, Mizuhara originally told ESPN in an interview on Tuesday that the transfers were to cover his losses. He said, Ohtani had, "Zero involvement in the betting, and none of the bets were on baseball." But Mizuhara also told ESPN he didn't know gambling was illegal in California. Ohtani wasn't happy about his debts, but decided to pay them off for him.
While as ESPN was getting ready to publish their story on Wednesday, Ohtani's lawyers sent out this statement saying, in the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.
[10:55:00]
Now, on Wednesday, Mizuhara also walked back much of what he had told ESPN. Saying, Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling activities, debts, or efforts to repay them. Now, CNN is attempting to contact Mizuhara. We've reached out to local authorities and Major League Baseball is declining to comment. At the moment, Mizuhara was in the dugout for Wednesday's MLB season opener against the Padres, and you can see he was seen smiling, talking to Ohtani, but Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers after this story came out.
So, Jim, it's going to be interesting to see where this story goes. Ohtani did not speak with reporters as they -- Dodgers wrapped up their series with the Padres there in South Korea. So, it will be interesting to see what he finally has to say about this, because, like I said, the story changed pretty quickly.
ACOSTA: Yes. I mean, when you start to mix in, you know, gambling headlines, in any pro sport, I mean, that is -- that -- we're heading in a rough direction, depending on where it goes.
All right. Andy Scholes, thank you so much. Great to see you. Appreciate it.
And we're following breaking news right now involving Apple. The Department of Justice has just slapped the tech giant with a groundbreaking lawsuit. It's -- it might possibly affect anybody who has an iPhone out there. So, we'll tell you about all of this. The details, straight ahead. Stay with us.
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[11:00:00]
