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Investors Weigh Economic Impact; Charges Dropped Against Baldwin; Gold Stolen from Toronto Airport; Tennessee Lawmaker Resigns; U.S. Citizen Dies in Sudan. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired April 21, 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]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Can see futures are mixed, but we'll keep an eye as the markets are set to open in about 20 seconds, 40 seconds from now.

A number of signs pointing to a cooling economy. And this morning there are also growing concerns about how the debt ceiling crisis could also affect the economy.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is tracking all of us, and she joins us.

So, Vanessa, we have seen signs that the economy is slowing, which is, of course, good news for the Fed, but certainly a debt ceiling crisis is not good news for the Fed. It's certainly not good news for many Americans. How would this impact most people watching at home and ordinary Americans?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Congress needs to increase the debt ceiling so that we, the U.S., can pay our bills, but also so everyday Americans can pay their bills. Right now we have extraordinary measures in place that allows the Treasury to move money around to buy Congress a little more time. But what is at stake for the American people are significant cuts to payments that they receive every month. So we're talking about impacts on Social Security payments. Millions of Americans rely on these checks every single month. We're talking about payments to veterans. These are people who serve the country that now also rely on a lot of these services. And we're talking about increased borrowing costs for everyday Americans. So mortgage rates, auto loans and credit cards. And also federal employees' salaries, that's at stake. And also Medicare.

So, it's important to note that as Congress is kind of playing with fire here, they're playing with some of the most vulnerable Americans livelihoods as well.

SOLOMON: Yes, a dangerous game of chicken. And some have also said in forecasts that we could see unemployment spike if, in fact, we cross that threshold.

So, what's the timeline? I mean what are we talking about here in terms of the timeline moving forward? YURKEVICH: Secretary Yellen has said that it is unlikely that these extraordinary measures will run out before June, but the Congressional Budget Office puts that timeline more around July/September. One big factor is tax season. How many -- how much taxes the federal government is collecting.

SOLOMON: That revenue.

YURKEVICH: The revenue coming in. Have they overestimated? Have they underestimated? So, they say the proof is in the receipts. They are going to be checking those receipts very closely just to see how much money is coming in and how much time that buys Congress to try to raise this debt ceiling before it's too late.

SOLOMON: Interesting, tax season, of course, upon us. Have you filed yet?

YURKEVICH: Ah -

SOLOMON: Not to put you on the spot here.

YURKEVICH: I did an extension, but, you know, a lot of people did an extension this year.

SOLOMON: Fair.

YURKEVICH: And that is totally offered and acceptable.

SOLOMON: I'm not much better. I filed on the last day that I could.

YURKEVICH: 11:59?

SOLOMON: Yes, pretty much.

Good to have you, Vanessa. Thank you.

YURKEVICH: Thanks.

SOLOMON: Sara --

SIDNER: All right. Today prosecutors in New Mexico expected to officially drop involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin. Sources tell CNN that may be due to modifications to the firing mechanism in the gun that he was holding. Here is a gun matching the description of the one used in the incident. Baldwin, as we know, was charged earlier this year in the deadly shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas is here with more on this.

Chloe, is the armorer who is responsible for loading this gun and putting on the set, is she still being charged in this case?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yes, she is, and a criminal trial, Sara, is looming with a preliminary hearing set for May 3rd. But that could all change this afternoon at the status hearing that everyone is awaiting. So, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the film, her attorney releasing a statement to CNN yesterday following the announcement of Alec Baldwin's dismissal of charges temporarily pending further investigation by the New Mexico DA, saying that they believe that Hannah too will see her charges dismissed and that she will be exonerated.

So, you know, there have been legal expert out there, Sara, saying this was a very hard case to bring in the first place because there still is no answer as to how live bullets got to the set in the first place.

SIDNER: Chloe Melas, thank you so much for all of that.

John --

BERMAN: All right, this decision follows a string of legal setbacks for the prosecution. In late January, more than a year after Halyna Hutchins died on the "Rust" set, Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez- Reed were charged with two counts, as they were just talking about, of involuntary manslaughter. Those charges at the time carried a maximum of 18 months behind bars and about $5,000 in fines. But, just weeks later, the special prosecutors appointed to oversee the case dropped a firearm enhancement charge, which would bring a mandatory five-year sentence for using a gun in the crime. Around that time, Baldwin's legal team also filed a motion to have one of the special prosecutor's disqualified because she also is a state lawmaker. She eventually stepped down.

Let's talk more about all of this now. I'm going to take the long walk over to the legal table. I'm approaching the bench with CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson.

You have not been high on this prosecution from the very beginning. The idea that new evidence is coming to light now, charge first, investigate later?

[09:35:03]

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, so I'm very troubled, John, because there are those who are not Alec Baldwin who face things like this. What -- and here's my issue. The bottom line is, this happened in October of 2021. He was charged in January of 2023. Should you not have evaluated that weapon, made an assessment on that weapon with respect to whether it was modified, whether it was not. What was the chain of custody around that weapon? Was it operable? If there were things that could make it fire without pulling the trigger, that should have been said. It was tested by the FBI and apparently they concluded that it could only fire if you pull the trigger.

But wait, there's new evidence that suggests that this modification means it can fire without pulling the trigger. Which one is it?

I'll tell you more. Prosecutors also charged him in January with a crime that was not a crime at the time that it was committed. What do I speak of? I'm speaking about the enhancement charge where you get five years if you discharge a weapon. Well, that went into effect in March of 2022. The action was engaged in, in October 2021. What are we doing here? And so I think from the very beginning it was problematic. And also, if I can continue, you go and you prosecute him. You don't consult the union with respect to what an actor's role should be. Should they be firearm experts, right?

BERMAN: Because they say, just to be clear, they say no.

JACKSON: The union had said that this is not the job of an actor. Now, to be clear, if you're handling a weapon, certainly you want to do so properly and appropriately. But you have a right, if you're an actor, to reasonably rely upon your team. And so to the extent that someone yells out "cold gun" and you don't even pull the trigger, but, look, you point it at someone, now it's your responsibility? You're guilty of involuntary murder? It's -- manslaughter. It's a problem. Yes.

BERMAN: Well, again, and I guess that's the point that I'm getting to hear, what they are attributing this change to may be the fact that they've discovered the weapon may have been modified.

JACKSON: Yes.

BERMAN: But, there are questions about whether they even needed that bit of allegedly new information because if Baldwin was told it was a cold gun, what does any of that matter?

JACKSON: Correct. And -- but I think there are two layers, right? The layer you mention is very significant because that goes to whether he would have any criminal responsibility at the outset to the extent that, again, you - you have a prop, what you believe to be a prop, and you're using that and you have been told that the prop is inoperable. What duty or responsibility do you have to now examine it yourself as an actor on the set?

What -- now we know this new evidence suggests there are two things that are critical as to why prosecutors really had to do this. Number one, you're suggesting through the involuntary manslaughter charge, just to be clear, that suggests that you acted negligently or recklessly with respect to the dealing and handling of the firearm. Well, how do you establish that if the gun is modified and could have gone off on its own?

Number two, you now lose the issue of causation. In order to establish a manslaughter, you have to establish that the party caused the death. How do you prove that as a prosecutor.

Final disappointment, and that is in their statement. The prosecutors are saying, well, we can refile, recharge. What are you talking about? Just suggest, or at least tell and level with everyone that you blew it from the beginning, you shouldn't have charged from the very beginning, you should have seen if the weapon worked, right, when you had the 14 months to investigate. These charges are dismissed. They're not coming back.

BERMAN: We will get a chance to see what they say officially later today. JACKSON: Yes.

BERMAN: Be curious to know if any of what you're just suggesting ends up in that.

Joey Jackson, great to see you. Thank you very much.

JACKSON: Always. Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Ah, Sara --

SIDNER: All right, Joey Jackson, coming in hot.

All right, more turmoil in the Tennessee state house. One of the Republicans who voted to expel those Democratic lawmakers for protesting gun violence has just resigned. We'll explain why that happened, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:43:15]

SIDNER: More than $15 million in gold has gone missing from a Toronto airport. The gold and other high valued items were in an air cargo container on a plane that was unloaded at the airport. The container was taken to a holding facility and then, poof, vanished. Police are stumped. They say the gold and other goods were removed by illegal means.

CNN's Paula Newton is in Canada for us learning what police are saying.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is still quite a mystery as to what unfolded at Toronto's international airport on Monday evening. Now, police said that in fact a cargo container about five feet squared was loaded off an airplane -- they're not telling us which airline -- was loaded into a holding warehouse. From there police say it was illegally taken. Apparently this container they described as high value. At least $15 million worth of valuables. Some of it was gold, some of it higher valuable articles. They're not saying what. In fact, police aren't saying too much of anything. They are not telling us which airline was involved. They're not telling us if there was any surveillance footage. They're not telling us who owns this cargo. And all they will say is that this is the early stage of the investigation and that they want to explore all avenues.

What was really interesting here was that they said that they don't even know if the cargo remains in the country. Now, no one else is saying much about this, including airport officials. They say that this is an open investigation and they do not want to tamper with that.

Having said that, this is quite a heist that someone could pull off. And at this point police do not seem to have concrete leads.

What is glaring here is that they did not ask for the public's help. So, you're wondering what kind of investigative avenues they are going down, but extraordinary.

[09:45:04]

And police themselves said that, look, this is rare, an isolated incident, and at this point in time they have no suspects, and no one has been arrested.

SIDNER: We all love a mystery.

Paula Newton there live for us in Canada.

John --

BERMAN: All right, the cargo did not walk off on its own. I'll bet you that.

New this morning, a Republican leader in the Tennessee House of Representatives, who voted last month to expel three of his Democratic colleagues for protesting against violence, has now resigned. State Representative Scotty Campbell, who served as vice chair of the house Republican caucus, resigned from his seat in a sudden move following a report that he violated the general assembly policy of workplace harassment.

CNN's Ryan Young, who spent so much time at the Tennessee state capitol covering the efforts to remove the Democratic lawmakers, is with us now. So, this is a Republican who push -- helped try to push them out, stepping down. What is he allegedly doing here or what did he allegedly do?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is still a great question there. Apparently this comes down to conversations that were happened outside the workplace, according to the lawmaker, or should I say former lawmaker. And one of those conversations could have involved a legislative intern. So you can understand why somebody would be focused on this.

Now, they actually have a workplace discrimination and harassment subcommittee. And they found that there was some harassment issues involved. And then you get this resignation that happened yesterday at 2:18. John, it's just this simple. It's really one line. It basically says, I resign from the statehouse. So, you understand why the focus has been put on this lawmaker.

WTVF has done some great reporting down there in Nashville on this situation. They actually caught up with a lawmaker yesterday to ask him about what was going on and what he was being accused of.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTTY CAMPBELL (R), TENNESSEE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE: I did not know that a workplace policy could be enforced when you're not at work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, so, John, just that short if you think about this. Representative Scotty Campbell had been in the legislator at least three different times and has been re-elected. But, of course, the conversation now comes down to what were these conversations. He says he was -- basically had a consensual adult conversation with two adults off property. That's what he told WTVF. And so those interactions, obviously, weren't something that these women seem to enjoyed and they were reported to this subcommittee. That subcommittee then came out with this report.

And with all this pressure and all this eye in terms of the microscope on the Tennessee legislature, he had to step down yesterday in this sort of shocking move.

There's a lot of focus on that body right now, especially with everything that's happened in the last month. You could understand now when you think about an ethics concern, you had two members who went down to the floor, made some noise about gun control, and they were thrown out. But then you had a member who was also under investigation for this workplace violation where he might have been talking to, as he said, two employees outside of work in what he said was consensual. Obviously, it doesn't seem like the two people he was talking to thought it was consensual.

John --

BERMAN: Ryan Young, I have to say, the brevity of that statement that you held up, combined with the brevity of his statement from the video we played, that all speaks volumes, doesn't it?

Ryan Young, terrific reporting, as always.

YOUNG: Got to be careful of the language.

BERMAN: Thanks so much, my friend.

YOUNG: Absolutely.

BERMAN: Rahel --

SOLOMON: And, John, another ceasefire declared, but fighting still raging in parts of Sudan. What the U.S. is doing as we learn that a U.S. citizen has now died in the country.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:34]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. And new this morning, the State Department has confirmed a U.S. citizen has died in Sudan. Now, we don't know the circumstances surrounding this person's death, , but it does come as hundreds have been killed and injured in the fighting between two warring factions. This morning, the rivals have agreed to a 72 hour ceasefire to coincide with the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, but there are still reports of fighting in the country, and two previous ceasefires have also failed. Several foreign governments are hoping that this pause in the violence will actually stick this time so that they can get their citizens out of Sudan. The Defense Department says that it is deploying additional capabilities, including troops and aircraft near Sudan to try to assist with an evacuation if it is needed.

CNN's Kylie Atwood joining us now and following these developments for us.

So, Kylie, at this moment the U.S. is not planning to evacuate its citizens. Bring us up to speed here.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, that's right. What the Biden administration, what the State Department is saying is that they are preparing for any potential situation here, but they aren't being explicit in saying that they are making preparations to get out the U.S. citizens who are in the country, Rahel.

And we should consider the fact that there are 16,000 of them. That's according to the latest State Department numbers. We don't know when those were updated. Many of those could be, of course, dual citizens of Sudan and the United States. About 500 of them have, you know, gotten in contact with the U.S. embassy since this fighting has erupted, and 50 of those have asked for assistance.

Now, traditionally, the State Department doesn't help evacuate citizens from a country, but this is a very unique situation because you have the airport that's been closed, you have borders, you know, the Sudan/Chad border that's been closed. So, this is a precarious situation.

Now, what we do know is that there are preparations underway to get out the U.S. State Department officials who are in the country. Those are the diplomats. You know, the people who work for the U.S. government. Those preparations, as you said in the introduction, are underway. And, of course, this comes as we got this devastating news overnight that an American citizen had died in the country. I want to read to you what the State Department deputy spokesperson said about that, saying, quote, we're in touch with the family and offer our deepest condolences to them on their loss. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time we have nothing further to add. That's according to Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesperson here at the department.

And as all of this is happening, you have to realize that countries around the world are trying to figure out ways to get their citizens out of the country as well.

[09:55:05]

It's great that this 72-hour ceasefire has been agreed to. We'll see if it's stays in place. But you have Japan, you have South Korea, you have Egypt, who are beginning to evacuate their citizens. Countries around the world really trying to figure out what to do in this precarious, dangerous situation.

SOLOMON: Yes, a lot more to come here. We'll be watching the timing of what all happens from here.

Kylie, thank you.

John, I'll send it to you.

BERMAN: So, plans are in motion for President Biden to announce his re-election bid. We have new reporting on the rollout.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: New really disturbing details about the Kentucky bank shooter who killed five coworkers.

[10:00:00]

Notes he wrote himself that police found are now helping investigators piece together why he did it.

SOLOMON: And ready to run. President Joe