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Reports Of Fighting In Khartoum Despite New 3-Day Ceasefire; Army Admits Error Could Force Pilots To Serve 3 Years Longer; Alito Has Pretty Good Idea Who Leaked Draft Roe Decision. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired April 28, 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]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A dire situation in Sudan seems to be worsening by the hour. It is growing increasingly dangerous to stay and to leave the country. New video out today showing the bloody aftermath after desperate looters raided one town there.

And then there is this. A Turkish evacuation plane shot at while trying to land in Sudan. You can actually see bullet holes there in the aircraft. And we're also learning new details about American evacuations. Officials say the Marines at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum destroyed classified materials during that evacuation.

We have CNN's Larry Madowo who is monitoring the very latest on this violent in Sudan. Larry, the two factions have extended a ceasefire. How are things going so far?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, not going well. This is the fifth of the sixth time that the two sides agreed to a ceasefire and then it have violated almost instantly. And each side is blaming the other for firing first. So, that's the situation that this 72-hour ceasefire has fallen through.

And that is also why you see this mass exodus out of Sudan. So many foreigners tried to leave. And one of the main landing forces here in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Saudis say they have evacuated 3,000 out of Port Sudan on the Red Sea into here in Saudi Arabia. Many of them were from other countries other than Saudi Arabia. Only about 100 of them were Saudis. They came from 80 nationalities including the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, Kenya and countries all around the world.

The Saudis are a big diplomatic player in Sudan. They've been a big diplomatic player helping people escape the violence and find their way to the rest of the world. The U.K. now says it will be ending its operation evacuating citizens out of Sudan. The U.K. has called it the largest and longest evacuation effort of any Western nation.

Which obviously raises questions about what has America done to private citizens in Sudan? The State Department says it's received about 5,000 people who registered asking for assistance, and it is still committed to finding a way for them out of Sudan. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VEDANT PATE, STATE DEPARTMENT PRINCIPAL DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON: We're not going to get into operational specifics, given security considerations. But I will reiterate that this is a very fluid and dynamic situation. We cannot guarantee traveler safety, nor can we guarantee how long these departure options will be available.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: The U.S. initially said it was too dangerous to coordinate the evacuation of private citizens. But now it is working with them to find some land route to get them to safety out of Sudan -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, without guarantees, as we hear. Larry, thank you for the very latest there on the evacuations -- Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: New today, growing outrage in the U.S. Army. Officials say that an error could mean that dozens of pilots might have three additional years of service, even as some of them were planning on starting their lives as civilians. CNN Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann joins us live. Oren, this is quite the glitch.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It is. And it stems from a misunderstanding about how you count service time for Army pilots. Does it count concurrently with a different kind of service time or is it separate and afterwards? And that's where the three-year comes from.

The Army discovered this problem when several Army pilots commissioned in 2015 were getting ready to get out and filing paperwork to do so. Only for the Army to come back and say, you have three more years. The Army then did effectively an audit and found they had some 600 Army pilots who might have this issue.

This focuses around something known as BRADSO -- the Branch of Choice Active-Duty Service Obligation. It essentially gives you a leg up on what you want to do. And for several Army pilots, that means you have to serve three more years. The question, do you count that three years separately and after, or do you count it concurrently with your time as an Army pilot the obligations that it comes with?

[15:35:00]

The Army pilots who spoke with CNN say they understood it as serving concurrently.

Meanwhile, senior Army officers and human resources command say they're looking at this on a case-by-case basis. They're acknowledging the error. And they say some of it is where they essentially put the starting date, in terms of the human resources command. And that's where some of this error comes from.

But you can imagine this has real world consequences. Some of these Army pilots had plans after they thought they were getting out, only to find out the Army expects them to be in for several more years. And they get a sense of the anger about this. Several dozens of these Army pilots have written a letter to Congress saying they were misled by the Army. So, Boris, we will see where this goes. But you can see how much of a difference it would make if you suddenly find out that the Army is telling you, you have years more to serve.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we'll see how lawmakers respond to that letter. Oren Liebermann from the Pentagon, thank you so much. Jim, over to you.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: This just into CNN. Justice Samuel Alito says that he has a good idea who leaked the abortion draft report. Not clear what he's basing that on. We do have more on an interview he gave recently coming up.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: This just into CNN. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has claimed in an interview that he has, quote, a pretty good idea of who leaked the draft of the opinion that ended Roe v. Wade last year. We should note, as he said that, he also said that that is different from the level of proof that is needed to name someone -- so admitting he doesn't have prosecutable proof I suppose here. But quite a charge for him say. And in doing so, he's directing attention, it seems at the liberal side of the court. Because he claims this was an effort to prevent the Dobbs draft from becoming the decision of the court.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: This is an extensive, wide-ranging interview that Justice Alito did with "The Wall Street Journal" maybe just a few weeks ago. They said mid April.

And in it he really goes into this issue of the leak. However, the most extensive comments we've heard from him. He talks about how the leak itself really created this atmosphere of suspicion and distrust that he said the court is just now getting over.

I want to read a brief part of this, because like you said, he's really pouring water on the idea that this was leaked by someone affiliated with the conservative justices to lock in that 5-4 vote. He's kind of pointing the fingers that maybe this was done by somebody trying to make the vote change. So, he says it this way.

He said that idea is infuriating to me. Look, this made us targets of assassination. Would I do that to myself? Would the five of us have done that to ourselves? It's quite implausible.

So, really lashing out at this idea that a conservative member or someone affiliated might have leaked this draft.

SCIUTTO: You're referring to what has been the sort of cocktail party conversation here as to what is the most likely theory. Was it a liberal justice who wanted to expose this and therefore turn it the other way? Or was it a conservative justice who wanted to expose this so there wasn't an effort to break a majority?

But here's the thing. So, chief justice, they investigated this and concluded they didn't have the evidence to really determinatively say, who this is. Now you have a sitting justice saying, well, I -- I know, but I can't really say.

SCHNEIDER: Right. And the report itself put it this way, saying that, you know, there wasn't enough evidence to point to any particular person. But Justice Alito is saying, well, I have a pretty good idea. So, you're right. That's a pretty extraordinary step for a sitting justice to say, especially when the actual conclusion was that they could not say who this leaker was.

You know, Jim, in addition, I mean, this interview is really incredible. It also talks about his criticisms of the court. He really says that he's never seen anything like it. He says this concerted attack on the court and on individual justices is new during my lifetime. You know, all the stories that have come out in recent days about gifts Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted or questionable property sales from Justice Gorsuch. So, Justice Alito really seemed to lash out in this pretty wide-ranging interview.

SCIUTTO: Listen, and one wants to downplay the very real, public and physical threats that have been directed at members of the court as well. We'll be looking at them more. Jessica Schneider, thanks so much -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Up next, new developments in the trial of Bryan Kohberger. Remember, he's the criminologist -- or the criminology major accused of murdering four college students in Idaho. We'll be right back.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Final preparations are underway in London, with just one week to go until the coronation of King Charles. This will be only the second ever televised coronation of a British monarch. The first, of course, was Queen Elizabeth 70 years ago. And it has many people asking what this moment and this man will mean for this modern world.

This week on "THE WHOLE STORY," CNN's Erica Hill travels to London, in search of those answers, meeting with leading British scholars, journalists and some of those closest to the King himself. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we talk about Camilla and her PR, it was a slow, steady, playing the long game, from public enemy number one to where she is now, soon to be queen, crowned in Westminster Abbey. She's got a consciousness about her public image.

CAMILLA, QUEEN CONSORT: What is going on here, his to crown.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's also conscious, perhaps, of her husband's ego or indeed the ego of the institution of royalty to which he belongs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Charles was very jealous of Diana's popularity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the reason Camilla fits in better with him than Diana did is because she doesn't upstage him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:50:03]

KEILAR: Joining us now is CNN anchor and national correspondent, that. This is fascinating, Erica. The last coronation, of course, I mean, I hardly remember it. Well, it was 70 years ago, right? What's different this time around?

ERICA HILL, ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's because you and I weren't born yet, sister. What will be different is that it's going to be much smaller. You've likely heard this. More than 8,000 invitations went out for the Queen's coronation in the '50s. We're talking about 2,000 here. There's also an effort to make the service shorter, only about an hour as opposed to three hours, and King Charles want it to be more inclusive. So, you'll have leaders from other faiths there as well. A little bit more interest in the music. They're trying to make it more representative of what the United Kingdom is today, and also keep in mind the cost-of-living issues that are really, really top of mind right now.

KEILAR: Yes, I mean, they have to modernize it, right? Because there's also these questions about why is there a monarchy anymore? And that's something that he has to confront.

HILL: Absolutely, and that is -- it's almost -- I almost got the sense in talking to people while I was there, not just the experts but also all the folks we talked to on the streets that the death of the Queen almost felt like a reset and a reevaluation of what does it mean to have a monarch? What is the job of the king? What is the job of the royal family? And what does a monarchy, what does a royal family really do in 2023? And how much of that work, if you will, is going to be informed by the history and what led to the British empire? Which at one point was the largest, most powerful in the world. But when you're talking about an empire that involves more than 70 countries and territories and hundreds of millions of people referred to as subjects, there's also a lot of painful history there. And that is really important, especially for the younger generation in the U.K. They want that addressed. And so, they want to talk more about it. They want a more fulsome discussion, and that's going to inform, I think, a lot of where things go in the coming years.

KEILAR: Yes, I think they ignore that at their peril. You know, so it's really interesting to see how he's going to handle that. Erica, thank you so much. Really looking forward to seeing this. Be sure to tune in. "THE REIGN BEGINS: CHARLES & CAMILLA," one whole story, one whole hour, airing this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and the coronation of King Charles III will also be televised with all of its pomp and pageantry here on CNN -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: We'll not miss that, Brianna.

Now to some of the top stories we're following this hour.

The Republican-controlled North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that state courts have no power in ruling over the drawing of Congressional maps. The ruling is a major loss for voting rights groups that had challenged partisan gerrymandering in the state after the 2020 census.

Also, one of the surviving roommates in a stabbing attack that left four university of Idaho students dead has agreed to speak to the suspect's attorneys. In a court filing submitted Wednesday, an attorney for Bethany Funke agreed to have her interview with Brian Kohberger's defense team in her hometown of Reno, Nevada.

And a prank at one of the highest levels of government. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell held a video chat earlier this year with someone who he thought was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, except it wasn't. A Federal Reserve spokesperson says that no sensitive or confidential information was divulged. They acknowledged the clip was posted online in January but had been edited and could not confirm its authenticity. "The New York Times" is reporting that the pranksters were Russian supporters of President Vladimir Putin -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Amazing that happened.

Well, Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered a flood of refugees. Many were pet owners who had to leave their dogs and cats behind for what they hoped would be only a matter of days. For two veterinarians who specialized in exotic animal rescue, the situation led to a new mission. Anderson Cooper shares their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENTINA STOYANOV, UKRAINIAN VETERINARIAN, VET CREWS: A lot of people thin that all this situation in Ukraine will be three, four days. So, a lot of people just closed animals in apartments, in houses, and think that everything will be fine.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): For more than a year now, the Stoyanovas have been rescuing and caring for dogs and cats by the hundreds in Ukraine. Despite the danger, they put their lives at risk even driving to the front lines to vaccinate and feed animals.

LEONID STOYANOV, UKRAINIAN VETERINARIAN, VET CREWS: Russian army a lot of times shooting our car. And we have a lot of holes.

V. STOYANOV: Each animal for us, it's like our family.

Cooper (voice-over): The Vet Crews work earn them support for millions on social media. They say it's all those encouraging messages that keep them going.

V. STOYANOV: A lot of people write us, guys, hold on. You are heroes. It's huge, huge support and we are very grateful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:55:03]

SCIUTTO: To get the full story on Ukraine's veterinarian crew and to nominate your own hero, please go to CNNheroes.com. So many great stories there. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It has been nearly 12 years since the world was notified of the death of Osama bin Laden, and we now actually have some brand-new images from inside the White House during that infamous raid.

[16:00:00]

Just take a look at some of the moments captured in these new photos that you see here. You see President Obama there, of course. That one earlier you saw Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mike Mullen there with the vice president at the time.

SCIUTTO: Quite a night, and it was almost 12 years ago exactly to the day because it was the day after the White House correspondents' dinner, and I remember being there that night and just how calm everybody was. But lots of folks were checking their Blackberries, I remember that.

SANCHEZ: A lot of stuff going on in the background, yes.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

KEILAR: Certainly, that does it for CNN NEWS CENTRAL. But don't go anywhere "THE LEAD" starts right now.