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Oklahoma Commissioner Resigns Amid Furor Over Racist Remarks; Prosecutors Plan to Dismiss Charges Against Alec Baldwin; U.S. Preparing for Possible Evacuation of Sudan Embassy; Historic California Storms Leave Spring Gift of Flower Super Bloom. Aired 3:30- 4p ET

Aired April 20, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fourth person, jail administrator Larry Hendrix. He works right across the street from us here at the jail. We went to the jail and we met him at the entrance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: I'm Gary Tuchman with CNN.

LARRY HENDRIX, MCCURTAIN COUNTY JAIL ADMINISTRATOR: Nice to meet you, Gary.

TUCHMAN: We were hoping we can give you a chance to have your say about these audiotapes.

HENDRIX: Gary, I would love to. But right now, I've been advised to give no comments. As soon as is told I can make something available if you leave me your number, I'll be glad to give you a call.

TUCHMAN: I'm happy to leave you the number but would you admit that that was your voice on these tapes?

HENDRIX: I've been told to make no comment.

TUCHMAN: So, you feel bad about what happened. Do you feel bad about the things that were said?

HENDRIX: Sir, I've been instructed to make no comments. I appreciate you guys stopping by --

TUCHMAN: You're very polite. I'm just wondering, you can just personally say if you how you feel, though, about it?

HENDRIX: I've been instructed to make no comment --

HENDRIX: Because this could be a good time to say I'm sorry. I made comments like that. That's not me. That's not who I am.

HENDRIX: I understand where you're going. I've been instructed to make no comments.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Tuchman (on camera): So, he's playing it cautiously. One person has resigned. The other three have not resigned yet -- Boris.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Gary I appreciate the insistence and you're trying to get an answer from him. It's interesting that those officials from the sheriff's office were more concerned, at least in their initial statement about the legality of the recording and not its actual content. Gary Tuchman from Oklahoma, thank you so much -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Boris, now to some top stories that we're following at this hour. In Manhattan, the driver of this black sedan decided to flee a traffic stop using the sidewalk. One officer was hit and went to the hospital in stable condition. The car was found abandoned. The driver is still at large.

My pillow CEO and major Trump supporter Mike Lindell has been ordered to pay $5 million to an expert who debunked his false 2020 election claims. Lindell himself had promised to award the sum to any cyber security expert who could disprove his data. Software developer Robert Zeidman took him up on his offer and then sued for breach of contract when Lindell wouldn't pay up.

And ahead of next month's coronation, Pope Francis has gifted King Charles a silver cross believed to contain a relic from Jesus's crucifixion. Known as the true cross, it will lead next month's procession into Westminster Abbey, where Charles will be officially crowned king, Jim.

SCIUTTO: All right, we do have this news just into CNN. Prosecutors in the "Rust" fatal shooting case plan to dismiss charges against the actor Alec Baldwin in the case of that fatal shooting on the set -- the movie set of "Rust." Baldwin and a weapons supervisor were charged with involuntary manslaughter -- you may remember -- in the shooting death of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas is breaking this story. This is a significant move by prosecutors. As I understand it, there is still charges standing against the codefendant in this case. Can you tell us where this stands and is it over for good?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, listen, so what we are hearing is that prosecutors in New Mexico are going to be filing those documents today or tomorrow ahead of a scheduled status hearing. And this is ahead of what was supposed to be a criminal trial with Alec Baldwin and who you said the codefendant, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was the armorer on "Rust."

I want to read you a statement from Alec Baldwin's attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro.

They tell CNN: We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident. So, we know that the next hearing was expected to take place on May

3rd, a preliminary hearing ahead of the trial. Unclear if that is still going to be taking place.

But this is a big moment for Alec Baldwin. Alec Baldwin sat down with me last summer, and he adamantly denied ever pulling the trigger. And he said that it was anybody's fault but his. But you know, he cried in that interview with me, telling me that there's not a day that goes by that he doesn't think about what happened. What happened to Halyna Hutchins.

And the irony of all of this news today is that today the movie "Rust" resumed filming after more than a year since Halyna Hutchins died. They are at Yellowstone in Montana, filming for about 20 to 25 days. And so, this is all happening on the same day to go back and film that movie as part of a settlement between Alec Baldwin, the production of "Rust" and the family of Halyna Hutchins. The widower, Matthew Hutchins, and that was just recently sealed by a judge.

But this is a massive moment. We haven't heard anything from Alec Baldwin. We've reached out to the prosecutors, the DA in New Mexico for further comment. And I do just want to point out that this comes about a month after the special prosecutor Andrea Reid stepped down.

[15:35:03]

And it comes after the DA recused herself from this case.

SCIUTTO: Chloe Melas, thanks so much and please stand by. Quite a development in this story we've been covering for some time.

We're also joined now by attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin. Areva, as we understand it, this is a dismissal. This is a major development in the case no matter how no matter how you slice it, but dismissed without prejudice and charges still stand against a codefendant here. Does that allow the investigation and the case, perhaps, to be resurrected against Baldwin, or is he free and clear?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: In theory, it does, Jim, but I cannot imagine that any district attorney would resurrect those charges given this bombshell news today in terms of dropping the charges, the involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin. We know that the gun enhancement charges that were filed against him have been downgraded just this February. So, I think for all practical purposes, Alec Baldwin is out of any criminal jeopardy as it relates to this incident.

SCIUTTO: Remarkable move now. You followed this case for some time. What do you think the key was here? What is your read as to why prosecutors abandoned this case?

MARTIN: I think that the thing that we can point to until we hear you know directly from these prosecutors, is the recusal of the prosecutor involved in this case. I have to imagine that the new person that came on maybe looked at this evidence and said there is not enough evidence here where we can get a verdict, you know, a conviction, you know, at trial. We can't convince jurors beyond reasonable doubt, which is the standard in a criminal trial, that Alec Baldwin is guilty of involuntary manslaughter. I can think of no other reason that a prosecutor would drop a case.

SCIUTTO: No question. We should note that both Baldwin and the weapons supervisor pleaded not guilty to this. Now I wonder that this would close down the criminal path so far for Baldwin here. Are there civil liabilities here that would still hang over his head?

MARTIN: Well, we know, Jim, that there's already been a settlement with Halyna's family, and that her husband, in fact, is moving forward with, you know, being one of the coproducers on the movie that's filming at this moment. So, I think the biggest civil liability or potential civil liability is that cases already been resolved. So, I think for all practical purposes, again, you know, Alec Baldwin is in the clear, sort of speak.

He has maintained from the beginning that he didn't pull the trigger. He pled not guilty as you indicated, so I think this is going to wrap this chapter for him.

SCIUTTO: Areva Martin thanks so much. And if you're just joining us now, we do have this news into CNN. And that is that prosecutors have abandoned charges, dismissed charges against the actor Alec Baldwin for the shooting that took place on the set of the movie "Rust" in October 2021 resulting in the death of the cinematographer for that film, Halyna Hutchins.

Chloe, I know you've been reaching out for reaction to this. And you've been covering this case since the beginning. What else have you been learning?

MELAS: You know, look, we have reached out to Alec Baldwin directly for comment, and I think that if he's going to say something, it's likely that it will be on social media like he has done in the past. You know, we know that he's back filming "Rust" today at Yellowstone in Montana. And you know this is incredibly significant. Because he's only given just a handful of interviews, one of them to CNN last summer telling me, you know, that he was innocent, that truly that this was a civil case at most.

According to his attorneys, and they have his legal team has been working nonstop to try and pick apart this case. Now we don't know why the district attorney and the prosecutors have made this very significant move.

And also, it still looks as though, you know, Dave Halls who was the assistant director on the film, he took that plea deal that was announced earlier this year. And then Hannah Gutierrez Reed, she faces those two manslaughter charges.

But I do want to point out that significantly not that long ago, those charges were downgraded with the firearm enhancement charge being removed. And that was kind of like the first significant, Jim, legal victory for Alec Baldwin's legal team and for Luke Nikas. And you know, that reduced the potential prison sentence for -- from five years to 18 months.

So, I think that what we all should be watching now is what happens with the rest of this. Are they going to move forward against Hannah Gutierrez Reed? Is the hearing going to happen on May 3rd? And are we going to see this move to trial in June? And now that they have removed -- dismissed -- moving to dismiss these charges against Alec Baldwin, could it mean that they have more information? Could potentially charge others, you know? So, we don't know the cards that the DA is holding right now. And hopefully we're going to hear more, and we'll get some more information when those documents are filed, Jim.

[15:40:00]

SCIUTTO: Chloe, you raise an interesting point. I do want to ask Areva Martin about this. Because there are still charges standing against another person involved here. And we don't know what new evidence, if anything, prosecutors discovered. Is it possible that Baldwin could become a witness in any ongoing criminal investigation?

MARTIN: That's a great question, Jim. We do know at this point that charges -- the involuntary manslaughter charges against Hannah Gutierrez Reed still stand. There's no indication from the information we're getting today that those charges are being dropped against her. So, it does raise the question about Alec Baldwin. What he knows, what he may be able to testify to in this June trial -- if this trial goes forward.

I would suspect though, that prosecutors are going to be looking for a ball and if they are going to try to make a case against Hannah Gutierrez Reed, he may have information that could help them make a more successful case and get a conviction against her. So we should look very quick -- carefully to see has continued involvement in this case.

SCIUTTO: No question we'll watch closely. Of course, all this happening just days -- well a couple of weeks before they were going to have a May 3rd preliminary hearing on this. Areva Martin, Chloe Melas as well, thanks so much. Boris over to you.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The U.S. is preparing for a potential evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Sudan. Now deploying service members to help. The latest from the ground when we come back on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The U.S. military is now deploying, quote, additional capabilities near Sudan, securing the U.S. Embassy to prepare for potential evacuations. Civilians are desperately trying to flee. This violence between rival factions is overwhelming hospitals.

Let's take you now live to Africa with CNN's Larry Madowo, who is live for us in Nairobi. Larry, what would these additional U.S. capabilities be for?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris, this is for contingency planning in case it becomes necessary to evacuate the U.S. Embassy personnel at the embassy in Khartoum. U.S. Department of Defense official telling CNN that this would include hundreds of Marines who are stationed at Camp Lemonnier, that's in Djibouti. That's next to Sudan.

And this is the U.S.'s only permanent military base on the African continent that'll include aircraft that would bring in enough ground personnel to secure an embassy. So far, that is not a plan, but it's just contingency planning in case it becomes necessary.

Just yesterday a U.S. deputy assistant secretary for African affairs, told congressional employees that the situation was too volatile to evacuate people. But this is a fast-changing situation.

So far, there's been at least three attempts at a ceasefire in Sudan that have all fallen apart. You see smoke. Smoldering in parts of Khartoum, the capital. And these two warring generals involved in the power struggle can't agree on when to pause fighting, even for humanitarian reasons.

Now I want to show you a map of Sudan to see exactly where it sits. This is a really volatile part of Africa, but there are some key diplomatic voices, really influential parts of the region, such as Egypt, which is neighboring Sudan as well as across the other side. The UAE and Saudi Arabia and there are Sudanese people who expect them to do more to employ these two warring generals to agree to the cease fire that the U.N. is asking for. And a short while ago the African Union asking for at least one week so that people can celebrate the holiday of Eid. Listen to this Sudanese political analyst.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHOLOOD KHAIR, SUDANESE RESEARCHER AND POLITICAL ANALYST: Making the case on humanitarian grounds alone doesn't seem to have worked in particular. Because often that is mediated by political actors that may not have as much leverage as they previously had. And therefore, you know, the countries that do have leverage with the generals, specifically Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, need to be engaged to make sure that a ceasefire does happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: Egypt has already succeeded in doing one thing. It was able to fly out at least 177 of its soldiers that was trapped in Sudan. So, people expect that it should do more to bring in aid as it tries to evacuate more of its citizens there.

Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has been working the phone speaking to these two men trying to get them to agree. So far, every international effort has not succeeded -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, the situation that, as you said, is rapidly changing and sadly rapidly deteriorating as well. We know you'll keep an eye on it. Larry Madowo, thank you so much -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Boris, flower power in California after one of the wettest winters on record.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: After one of the wettest winters on record, California hillsides are simply exploding with color. Swaths of yellow and streaks of orange, blue and purple are painting the landscape this month as the state enjoys an extraordinary burst of blooms. It is the springtime super bloom and CNN's Stephanie Elam is in malibu with this very fun story. I mean, I'll tell you, as someone who grew up in California, the flowers are beautiful there, but this is really just something to behold this year.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, for sure. I was thinking about you, my fellow Californian, that I wish you could be here to experience this. Because as someone who grew up here, I don't remember it ever being like this. We're in Malibu because I wanted to show you just how many different colors you can see in this one area. The vibrant green, which is also quite different for the golden state that we're this green. All of this because of the massive rain that we've had here. You see the purple in here as well.

This is the payoff for this really wet winter that we had. And what you're seeing images are so stark that even from space, you can see how massive this super bloom has been. And is not guaranteed to happen every year. We don't get one every year. And it doesn't happen in every part of the state. But you take a look at some of these images of California poppies growing and just fields carpeting areas and a lot of them are very desert areas too. It makes it even more stark.

[15:55:00]

And just because we are in Malibu, and because it is a beautiful California day, I just want to show you that there's also some flowers that are growing right in front of the ocean here. The beautiful Pacific Ocean with some flowers growing right there in the sand. All of that happening here. It's really, really quite stunning -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Your output -- your outfit is actually kind of California poppy inspired. I will say as well. But also, you know, seriously, tell us there are some things I know that are in dangerous these flowers as well.

ELAM: Yes, one of the biggest problems are the biggest predator of all, which are humans. And what we have seen and what we've heard. I talked to the California Department of Parks. People are going off trails and that is messing up the flowers. So, stay on the flowers. Don't doom the bloom they say -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Don't doom the bloom. All right, Stephanie, thank you so much for the beautiful sights. Boris and Jim over to you guys.

SANCHEZ: A lot to say about flowers.

SCIUTTO: I wish I was on the beach right now.

KEILAR: Oh, come on. Not allowed to say.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it looks like a lovely live shot.

SCIUTTO: Apparently you can see these blooms from space. Hopefully not from that SpaceX rocket that blew into smithereens.

KEILAR: They're not seeing anything.

SANCHEZ: Apparently that's what I was told. Maybe I shouldn't say it on air if I can't confirm it.

SCIUTTO: I mostly believe what you say.

KEILAR: No, no, that's right. She said that in her report.

SANCHEZ: She did.

KEILAR: She did.

SANCHEZ: I was distracted by the jacket.

SCIUTTO: Well, I'm impressed.

KEILAR: It's so beautiful.

SCIUTTO: I wish we were walking down to the beach. We're not. That does do it for us today. Please don't go anywhere. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right after this.