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Manhunt In Mississippi For Four Escaped Detainees; Navalny's Time In Solitary Confinement Extended Again; Soon: Asa Hutchinson Kicks Off Presidential Campaign. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 26, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New developments just in. The Lee County, Mississippi sheriff's office is telling CNN that an incident is currently going on. What that incident is exactly? We have not been given details.

But it does come as four detainees are on the run after they escaped from a Mississippi jail. It sparked a huge manhunt. Officials say they believe these four men, Dylan Arrington, Casey Grayson, Corey Harrison, and Jerry Raynes broke out of their cells on Saturday night. Police believe they climbed onto the roof of the Raymond Detention Center, likely splitting up to make their estates.

Then in Jackson, Mississippi, police found a body and they believe that Dylan Arrington shot and killed that man and then stole his truck. Another stolen car was spotted in neighboring Rankin County. Investigators believe two of the suspects may have been headed there.

And more than 400 miles away, in Spring Valley Village, Texas, officials found an abandoned public works truck. It is the same truck that was seen crashing through a gate on Saturday night.

CNN's Amara Walker is following all of this now. There are so many new details, and we are hearing right, that there is something going on potentially with this case right now. What can you tell us?

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: That is correct. I just got off the phone with the Lee County Sheriff's Department and the woman on the phone told us yes that there is an incident going on. And it appears to be related to the escaped detainees from the Raymond Detention Center in Hinds County just west of Jackson, Mississippi. Lee County in Northeast Mississippi.

So, from what we understand, one of those detainees that escaped on Saturday night had been spotted in Lee County. The Sheriff's Department releasing a photo of 22-year-old Dylan Arrington on their Facebook page. This was about 12 hours ago.

So, overnight, the Lee County Sheriff's Office issued a very strongly worded warning telling the residents there to be extremely cautious. That if they have suspicions of a trespasser on their property to notify the Sheriff's Department not to take matters into their own hands. And they attached a photo of the escapee, 22-year-old Dylan Arrington.

Now, why are they urging extreme caution if they see Dylan Arrington? Well, he is believed to have shot and killed a man after he escaped from the Raymond Detention Center with three others. Now, apparently, this killing happened on Monday night in Jackson, Mississippi.

Apparently, Dylan Arrington had some kind of motorcycle accident or was in some kind of wreck. This is according to the Hinds County Sheriff's Department. And that was a motorcycle that he had apparently stolen.

Well, a good Samaritan who saw that he -- this man was in trouble, pulled over, tried to help Arrington while this good Samaritan was shot and killed. And then they say Arrington stole this good Samaritan's red truck. There was some kind of police pursuit, and that was called off because police said that it just got too dangerous.

So, that is one of the four escaped detainees from the Raymond Detention Center. There are three others also at large. There's one who is believed to have escaped to Texas and two others who were last seen also in a stolen car, according to authorities, heading towards Rankin County, which is in the neighboring county from that detention center.

[11:35:14]

Here's the big picture here. Let's just walk you through what happened. Here's the timeline.

Police were able to piece it together. After looking at the surveillance video from inside the Raymond Detention Center, what they saw was -- what they found, I should say were the suspects getting to the ceiling and into the roof of their cell. That is how they escaped. This was Saturday, 8:30 in the evening.

Apparently, they camped out on that roof. They all took off at different times from that rooftop. And then four hours later, around 12:30 Sunday morning is when authorities realized during a routine headcount that four of their detainees were missing.

And just to let you know about these four suspects quickly. They are all facing theft-related charges. Of course, they will face additional charges in connection to this escape. Dylan Arrington, who apparently was spotted in Lee County, he -- according to the sheriff, he was a convicted felon or is a convicted felon for possession of a firearm.

So, that is the very latest. Of course, when we find out more about this incident that's happening there in Lee County, we will bring that to you, Sara.

SIDNER: How awful that a good Samaritan was just trying to help them out and ended up dead. Thank you so much, Amara Walker. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Thank you so much. So, this morning, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is back in solitary confinement. But before he went back in, he spoke out. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXEI NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): I just wanted to say that I got a little bit lonely in solitary confinement. And it is just amazing for me to see so many people. The only people who I am in contact with are the ones who hand me the food. And, of course, my favorite head of the unit, who sits next to me filming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Navalny with some sort of humor there, cracking even a slight smile, as he spoke with journalists inside a Moscow court this morning. In addition to his new punishment, there are also new reports of him being limited food and possibly even poisoned again while in jail. According to his spokesperson, Navalny, now he -- now will spend a total of 158 days in solitary confinement for this round of punishment. Compare that to a typical solitary sentence in Moscow, which is usually no more than 15 days.

CNN's Jim Sciutto joins us now because you've got had an important conversation about this. You spoke with Navalny's daughter about all of this.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Jim, what does she tell you about what he's facing in prison now?

SCIUTTO: Well, listen. The first point Dasha will make and her family is that, in their view, this is not a legal process at all in Russia. That there's a direct through line from the judiciary system there to the Kremlin. And that hearings, etcetera, that the outcomes, from the family's perspective, are known that Putin wants to tighten the grip around him and punish him further, even more than it's already done. So, that's their view of the legal process.

And then you have his day-to-day life, not just solitary confinement, but Dasha told me yesterday that they now understand his food is being limited in prison. And that is a great concern to them because overall, they continue to be concerned about his health as his weight has been dropping. Have been listening to what she said to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARIA NAVALNAYA, ALEXEI NAVALNY'S DAUGHTER: One of my dad's attorneys have confirmed that according to the new rules that they specifically drew up for my dad, he is now legally limited to the amount of food that he can purchase in the canteen, which is -- which doesn't seem like this big of a problem but the food in the Russian prison system was bad. And my dad has had some problems with losing weight.

And now the situation has gotten so ridiculous that he buys the food which is you know, oats. It's nothing -- it's nothing luxurious. And he buys the oats, that oats are brought to him -- shown to him and then are just destroyed. So, he can't eat. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: They destroy the fruit -- food in front of him. And you know, this is -- this is deliberate, right? It's not just about impacting his health, but it's demeaning, you know. Buy the food, what little you can, and will limit the amount of food you could buy and then we'll destroy it in front of you. And that's been part of his experience throughout, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And, Jim, they're clearly very real and ongoing concerns about his health.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BOLDUAN: But what is next for him? What does his family think? And also, just, overall, as we've watched this happen -- carry on for years now, what Vladimir Putin's plans are for him?

SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, their concern is that it's just endless, right? He will be put in prison -- first of all, Russia and as well documented in the CNN documentary, Navalny, tried to kill him, with novichok, the most powerful nerve agent known to man. And only through the heroic work of doctors did he survive that.

[11:40:06]

He bravely went back to Russia and then was virtually immediately put in prison for more than 10 years. And now you have another trial that is likely to extend that stay, and while he's in prison having his food limited, as well as concerns that they might try to poison him again.

So, the family's concern is that he'll never get out right, that Putin's intention is that he dies in prison. And really, their only hope is that Putin goes before he does. And that's the sad fact. That's the sad reality.

BOLDUAN: Yes, absolutely. It's important though to hear from his family -- to hear from his daughter there. Thanks for bringing that to us, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you. John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Kate. You're looking at live pictures right behind me as a new Republican contender throws his hat into the presidential ring. And Bud Light sales taking a dip after a controversial collaboration but hear who is now sticking by, the beer maker.

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[11:45:23]

BERMAN: All right. Any minute now, the former governor of Arkansas, Republican Asa Hutchison, is set to formally launch his presidential campaign. You're looking at live pictures from his hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.

That's not him. He's about to be standing there efficiently saying I am running for president. And he will join an already crowded Republican pool.

CNN Political Commentator SE Cupp joins us now. Let's dive in.

SE CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: OK.

BERMAN: Do you see what he did there?

CUPP: I do. I do.

BERMAN: SE, there have been polls, right? Asa Hutchinson is not polling particularly well right now. I think we actually have a poll showing him at roughly zero.

CUPP: Yes.

BERMAN: And I'm not asking this facetiously. For Asa Hutchison to win the Republican presidential nomination, what would need to happen?

CUPP: I don't mean to be off-color, but something awful would need to happen to Donald Trump. And that could -- that could be jail. That could be something else.

But he is the clear front-runner. And I don't see anyone, least of all Asa Hutchinson, no offense to him, someone who wants to have a debate- oriented conversation and issues-oriented campaign. That's just not cutting it for Republican voters right now. That's not cutting through.

BERMAN: What's his theory of the case then? What is Asa Hutchinson -- I don't mean to pick on him.

CUPP: Yes.

BERMAN: But he is on announcing today. What's his theory of the case?

CUPP: I mean, occasionally people run to get a message out there. And I think what he's trying to do is steer the Republican Party back to its ideals. It's something Paul Ryan talks about. Why he's still inside Fox? He's trying to steer right-wing media and the Republican Party back to its founding principles, which Trump completely abandoned, and Republicans followed suit.

So, I don't -- I don't blame someone like Asa Hutchinson saying, I want to get out there, and I want to put our policies and our platform first. There's a cause in that. It's not winning the presidency, but it's a good cause.

BERMAN: So, we put the list up or we put the faces of the people running. And most of the polls you see right now, Donald Trump is near 50 percent, maybe not quite there. You see Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, in the 30 somewhere. And then everyone else --

CUPP: Yes.

BERMAN: -- way back. So, if it's not Trump or DeSantis --

CUPP: OK.

BERMAN: -- is there a sense of who might bubble up, or is it the type of thing where anyone, if anyone else bubbles up again? Something has to go wrong for Donald Trump and then also DeSantis, or can someone somehow break through, at least to me, the Trump alternative?

CUPP: You know, Nikki Haley is really trying to differentiate herself, not just with the age thing, being among the youngest running. But she's got a new message about abortion. And she's trying to moderate the Republicans' position.

She's pro-life. That's not changing. But she's trying to lead that conversation with empathy and compassion, noticing that the Republican Party is leading with like vengeance and punishment. That's a really interesting strain. And not something you will hear most Republicans running or most Republicans period say and do. That could be a differentiator. We have to see.

Look, again, Donald Trump is the clear front-runner. Ron DeSantis. has momentum behind him, I think -- I think not as much as he once did. But you know, it's up to these folks to differentiate themselves.

BERMAN: And E. Jean Carroll, we should say is testifying at this moment --

CUPP: Yes.

BERMAN: -- in this civil defamation and sexual battery case against Donald Trump. I just bring that up because this type of legal situation, does that have any bearing to any of the candidates who watch this to say, aha, this is maybe our chance.

CUPP: No. We remember -- you and I covered this. Trump admitting that he grabs women by the genitals, right? None of this was disqualifying.

Trump had been in lawsuits before. None of that was disqualifying for Republican voters. I think a lot of them are numb to it or even think that you know, this makes him sort of heroic. So, no, I think this endears him to his voters.

BERMAN: S.E Cupp, always great to see you. Thank you very much.

CUPP: Thank you.

BERMAN: Kate?

BOLDUAN: Sales of Bud Light falling still, following the controversy stirred up by the single can of Bud Light given to a social media influencer. But now, the beer company is getting backup from a major player. That's next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:54:04]

BOLDUAN: Sales of Bud Light at bars and restaurants plummeting still but distributors say that they are sticking by the brand and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch. This all started with a single can of Bud Light really, and a couple of Instagram posts featuring a transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

CNN's Nathaniel Meyersohn has been looking at the numbers here. He's joining us now. Nathaniel, what do you see in this now?

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Right. So, it's clear that there is some controversy over the ad and it's leading to plummeting sales. So, beer -- we have some new data from beer board, which tracks sales at thousands of restaurants and bars around the country, including Buffalo Wild Wings and TGI Fridays. Pours of Bud Light were down six percent from April 2 to April 15.

BOLDUAN: Wow.

MEYERSOHN: And that compares to before the ad when pours a Bud Light were up about 15 percent. So, rivals like Coors and Miller Lite, they're taking advantage of Bud Light's struggles right now. Pours of those brands were up about 18 percent in April.

BOLDUAN: What about -- talk to me about the distributors, though. They're sticking by at Bud Light.

[11:55:03]

MEYERSOHN: Yes. So, I think this is really key to remember. This is just a snapshot in time of these sales. Bud Light's major distributors, they're sticking by the brand. And AB InBev, the parent company of Bud Light, Budweiser, the stock hasn't taken a hit. Analysts are not concerned about the long-term future of the brand. But clearly, this is -- this is hurting right now.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And there's sparked a conversation amongst that company for sure. Great to see you, Nathaniel. Thank you so much. Bud Light or no Bud Light, I still like beer.

BERMAN: It's almost happy hour, thankfully.

BOLDUAN: Thank God.

BERMAN: That is all for us on CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is next.

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