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DOJ Asks to Pause Abortion Pill Ruling; Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) is Interviewed Regarding the Abortion Pill Ban; Egypt's Secret Plan to Give Russia Rockets; U.S. Declares Gershkovich Wrongly Detained; fungal Infection Outbreak in Michigan. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired April 11, 2023 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Fired his AR-15-style weapon inside the bank for about a minute. He then appeared to wait a minute, about a minute and a half, before police arrived. This is according to a city official who again has seen the video. It's not clear why the gunman stopped shooting. Officials say that a worker inside the bank said good morning to the gunman. The gunmen could then be heard telling the woman, quote, you need to get out of here. He then tried to shoot her in the back but failed because the safety was still on the gun and wasn't ready to fire. Once he had the weapon ready to go and took the safety off, he did shoot her in the back. And her condition is not known this morning.

Again, these are new details. As I said, grim, new details just coming in. And we're going to have much more on this throughout the hour.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the battle over abortion that is widely expected to end up at the Supreme Court. This Friday, a key abortion pill will be taken off shelves nationwide if an appeals court does not side with an emergency request that has just been filed by the Justice Department.

CNN Supreme Court reporter Adrienne de Vogue is joining us now.

Adrienne, what is the DOJ saying at this point about this appeal? And, Ariane, forgive me, I was thinking Adrienne over there. Thank you for joining us.

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: You're right, Sara, the Department of Justice right now, it's in emergency mode. It is trying to get this federal appeals court to block that lower court ruling, and that's because that lower court ruling, as you said, we'll go in effect on Friday. And the way the federal judge wrote his opinion, he did not leave much room for the FDA to sort of look at the issue and maybe unwind it in a timely fashion. That's why there is such -- there is this urgency.

And in these new briefs, the Department of Justice basically said that that judge got it wrong. He got it wrong on threshold issues, and he got it wrong when he was talking about the heart of the case. Here's what they said. They said in the brief, the district court

order would thwart FDA's scientific judgment and severely harmed women, particularly those for whom Mifepristone is a medical or practical necessity.

And we've seen doctors here signing these sworn declarations, and they say this is safe. It has been on the market for more than 20 years. And in addition, they say that the FDA here has authority and medication abortion right now is used in the majority of the abortions that are being carried out.

SIDNER: Yes, also used in miscarriages as well.

Ariane De Vogue, thank you so much for spelling that out for us. There's a lot of complications there, but it has a lot of people waiting to see what the decision is going to be by this appeals court and then eventually the Supreme Court. Appreciate it.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So ahead of the Texas judge's ruling, Washington state actually began stockpiling these abortion pills. California and Massachusetts have since followed their lead and followed suit. And Washington's governor, Jay Inslee, now says that the state was able to purchase tens of thousands of pills, enough for a three year supply of Mifepristone delivered just on March 31st.

Democratic Governor Jay Inslee joins me now from Washington.

Governor, thank you so much for being here.

GOV. JAY INSLEE (D-WA): You got it.

BOLDUAN: So, stockpiling these abortion pills, do you see this as the fix? Do you see this as the direction that access to reproductive care in this country is going?

INSLEE: Well, listen, this is a freedom. It's a freedom of choice for women in America. It's been assaulted by the Republican Party. And we have to be vigilant. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. And so that's why we went ahead and stockpiled Mifepristone, like you said, three or four years supply, and we did so because we believe that regardless of what happens in Texas, even if this Texas judge's misguided decision was affirmed by the Supreme Court, under our state law we still have the right to distribute this through our state agency to health clinics and two women in the state of Washington.

So, that's why we took this action so that this right would be guaranteed. And as you indicated, this has been a safe, effective method to exercise the right of choice now for two decades. We're not going to give up on this issue.

BOLDUAN: Your state is part of the -- part of the lawsuit filed with Washington and other states. Your state is asking a judge to essentially tell the FDA or force the FDA to loosen restrictions on access to this medication. And while the intention is the exact opposite of what -- of the Texas case, you're intending to increase access. Are you worried at all, Governor, that you could also be setting a precedent here of undermining the authority of the FDA with this case?

[09:35:09]

INSLEE: No. Listen, I'm confident we're going to come out of this with a decision based on science, or at least we should. And the science of this is quite clear. Women have been using this by the tens of thousands now for 20 years without significant adverse consequences. It has less side effects than some very, very other typical medications. And we have such a strong scientific background. We are -- just would be totally outraged if the courts did not recognize that. Now the court, as you know, a district court judge in Washington state issued an exact opposite ruling, which required the FDA -- in the 18 states subject to this lawsuit, to require the FDA to continue the approval process. But as I've indicated, in our state, under our state law, regardless of what the Supreme Court does, we intend to continue to distribute this product under state law. We believe we're confident in that and our ability to do it. That is why we went ahead and acquired the product so we would have it under state law to distribute to women in the state of Washington.

BOLDUAN: Some Democrats, even one Republican in Congress, since this Texas ruling has come out, says that they - says that they believe that President Biden should tell the FDA to ignore the Texas ruling. I want to play for you what the White House said about this yesterday.

Listen to this, Governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, the administration is going to comply with this federal judge's order?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Look, we are going to always follow the law. Always. But it doesn't mean that -- that we're not going to fight. It doesn't mean that we're not going to, as you know, the DOJ has continued to -- has appealed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Do you think the White House governor should tell the FDA to ignore the Texas ruling if it takes effect and stays in effect?

INSLEE: No, I believe democracy still is on a foundation. We've got to follow judicial decisions as appropriate. But we've also got to be extremely creative, vigilant and aggressive in these actions. And that's why we - we act in Washington ahead of the curve when we saw this coming at us.

And there are going to be many, many instances where we have to be creative in this hydra-headed (ph) effort of the Republican Party to take away this important right for women. This is not the only challenge. We have a challenge in Idaho, our neighboring state, which is trying to interfere with a constitutional right to travel across state lines. That is going to become a front in this effort as well.

And so what I would say is, we've got to follow democracy but also be creative and aggressive. We have been, in Washington state. I'm glad other states are joining us. Women need this right to be protected.

BOLDUAN: Let's see where this goes from here. Very likely straight to the Supreme Court.

Governor, thanks for your time.

INSLEE: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: A newly revealed, leaked Pentagon document, reported by "The Washington Post," shows Egypt's secret plan to supply rockets to Russia. What the country's top military leaders reportedly discussed.

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[09:42:43]

SIDNER: A look for you now at the international stories making headlines.

A massive rescue operation is happening in the Mediterranean. The Italian coast guard has spent days rescuing hundreds of migrants from overcrowded boats. One had about 800 people on board. Another had 400. The coast guard first received a distress call on Sunday. One ship was in danger of capsizing. You're looking at that rescue there.

China has sentenced two civil rights lawyers to more than a decade in prison. One was given 12 years, the other received 14. One of the longest ever sentences for civil activism under President Xi Jinping's crackdown on dissidents. The two were tried separately behind closed doors almost a year ago.

And a volcano is erupting right now in far east Russia, spewing ash more than 12 miles into the air. Look at those pictures. There's a cloud now hovering over the region as ash covers nearby towns. Scientists have issued a red hazard warning because of the risk that hot lava flows could block roads in that area.

John.

BERMAN: So, Sara, a newly revealed, leaked Pentagon document shows that Egyptian leaders discussed plans to secretly supply rockets to Russia amid that country's ongoing war -- invasion of Ukraine. "The Washington Post" was the first to report on this document.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand joins us now with the details on this.

This is a delicate matter, Natasha.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Extremely delicate, John. And what "The Post" is reporting is essentially one of the documents from the many that appeared to have been leaked online within the last month or so. And CNN has not actually seen this document, but according to "The Washington Post," it does describe a conversation between Egypt's president and other senior Egyptian officials about providing Russia with up to 40,000 rockets, potentially for Russia, of course, to use in Ukraine.

Now, this would be extremely potentially damaging to U.S./Egyptian relations if the Egyptians actually went forward with providing this kind of lethal aid to the Russians, of course, because the United States is currently supplying the Ukrainians and has been opposed to any kind of lethal aid going to the Russians.

Now, we should note that the U.S./Egyptian relationship has been strained in recent years because of the Biden ministrations pressuring the Egyptian government on issues like human rights.

[09:45:08]

But it would also kind of be a slap in the face to the U.S. government if the Egyptians went forward with this because Secretary of State Antony Blinken just visited Egypt in late January and spoke to the president there, talking about the damage that has been done by Russia's invasion to Ukraine -- of Ukraine for the entire world. And just after that, Egyptian -- Egypt's foreign minister actually visited Moscow for talks. So, clearly, the Egyptians trying to kind of keep a neutral position here publicly, but privately these documents paint a very different picture of what the Egyptians are considering.

We should also note, of course, that the Egyptians are currently denying that they have supplied Russia with any of these rockets.

John.

BERMAN: Natasha Bertrand, get the sense that we're learning more and more every day now from these leaked documents. Thank you so much for that.

And, Kate, the leaker still out there.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean that investigation so much -- very much underway at the Pentagon and far beyond.

So there's also this. The U.S. government has now officially declared "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich as being wrongfully detained in Russia. Gershkovich is being held on the charges of espionage, but the Biden administration and "The Wall Street Journal" have forcefully denied those allegations.

CNN's Kylie Atwood is at the State Department for us with much more on this.

This designation, Kylie, wrongfully detained, it is significant. Explain why.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, significant because it means something, and it triggers action. In terms of what it means, it means that the Biden administration doesn't believe that there was any legitimate reason for Evan Gershkovich, the 31-year-old "Wall Street Journal" reporter to have been arrested and then charged with espionage by the Russian government. So, essentially what it means is that they believe that he's being held as a political pawn.

We heard from the State Department deputy spokesperson when he announced that the secretary had made this determination yesterday, saying, quote, journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin's continued repression of independent voices in Russia in it's ongoing war against the truth.

And then when it comes to the action, what this designation does is it really gets the wheels turning in the U.S. government to try and figure out the quickest way to get Evan Gershkovich home as quickly as possible. And that work will be done here at the State Department in the office of special envoy for hostage affairs.

BOLDUAN: That office also working very much on another case. We know that there's news also new reporting out about Paul Whalen, another wrongfully detained American in Russia right now. What are you hearing?

ATWOOD: Yes, Paul Whalen has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four years now, Kate, and he was able to speak with his parents yesterday. His brother spoke with our colleague Jennifer Hansler (ph) and describe that conversation. He has now been made aware that Evan Gershkovich has also been wrongfully detained, and it was clear in his conversation with his parents, according to his brother, that he is concerned about being left - left back in Russia if there's any sort of agreement to get Gershkovich out. And the reason for those concerns are quite legitimate because last year there were two Americans who were wrongfully detained in Russia, and both of those were released in individual instances as part of prisoner swaps, but he was left behind. So, of course, those concerns for him are quite palpable right now.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Kylie, thank you so much for that update.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, now to a Florida lawmaker who was under fire after making comments about transgender people. The disturbing comparison he made using the "X-Men" movie during the debate of a controversial bathroom bill. We'll have that for you in just a bit.

And, the Michigan Health Department is trying to figure out the source of a rare fungus outbreak. Nearly 100 people have been affected. Where health officials think they may have contracted it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:52]

SIDNER: This morning, health officials in Michigan are investigating an outbreak of a rare and deadly fungal infection that's believed to be linked to a paper mill in the town of Escanaba. And so far, more than 90 confirmed or probable cases have been identified.

CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard joins us now with more.

Jacqueline, tell us more about blastomycosis. It rolls off your tongue in the worst possible way. How do you get this?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, and blastomycosis, Sara, does not spread person to person. The way you get it, you have to inhale the fungal spores to become infected and then possibly to become sick.

Now, symptoms of this include cough, sometimes you might cough up blood, chest pain, fever, trouble breathing. And as I mentioned, because it's not spread person to person, it's spread through the air, that's what authorities are specifically going to look at when investigating this.

This fungus is found typically in moist soil, decayed wood, decayed leaves. So, this is really causing concern because of the symptoms, because of where it's typically located. And all eyes right now, Sara, are on this paper mill and Escanaba, Michigan, which has been linked with this outbreak.

SIDNER: Moist soil, decaying wood or leaves.

HOWARD: Yes.

SIDNER: I mean, I played in that as a kid all the time and never heard of this. What is the cause of this outbreak or have they figured out why this has happened?

HOWARD: They're still looking into the exact cause. And like you said, Sara, we often are exposed to this fungus, but you don't become infected until those spores are inhaled. So, I know that how these fungal spores are then enter into the airspace is something that authorities are going to look into closely.

We did hear from the head of operations at this paper mill. It's the Billerud Mill Escanaba, Michigan, and they did say that they are taking a close look at this. They're taking it very seriously. And they are taking steps to protect the health and safety of their employees, contractors and visitors. So, this is an ongoing investigation. Sara.

[09:55:01]

SIDNER: Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much.

Kate, there's something about a fungus that freaks me out. Ewe.

BOLDUAN: I do not think you're alone in that, especially after recent, you know, new TV shows that have released. It's just all in all another thing to be scared of. This coming up for us, we have new details emerging this morning after

a gunman opened fire on his co-workers during its morning staff meeting. Ahead, we are live in Louisville as officials are getting ready to release new information in their investigation.

Plus, preparations are underway to welcome President Biden to Ireland and Northern Ireland. We're live in Belfast as the president marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in a homecoming mixed with much diplomacy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:07]

BOLDUAN: It lasted about one minute.