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Striking Writers Demand More From Major Studios And Networks; Seven Bodies Found In Search For Two Missing Oklahoma Teens; Alleged Drunk Driver Hits Golf Cart Carrying Wedding Party; NHL Player Fractures Neck, Cleared To Return To Game. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired May 02, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:04]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: One of them was caught in Texas, another was found dead in a burning building. Two of them remain at large after disappearing last week. Police believe that they escaped through a roof in the jail. Authorities say they are still actively and aggressively pursuing leads -- Jessica.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: We are starting to see the fallout from the film and TV writer's strike. Jimmy Kimmel Live and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert will air reruns starting tonight until further notice. Seth Myers and Jimmy Fallon have said that they will honor the strikes and not air new episodes of their shows as well.

More than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America have walked. And analysts are expecting a long fight here. The writers are demanding better compensation, especially in this age of streaming. And they're going up against powerhouse names in entertainment. Names like Netflix, Paramount, and Warner Brothers Discovery, which is CNN's parent company.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is with some picketers in New York. Vanessa, what are they telling you about these sticking points?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are on the picket line here in New York City outside of Peacock. And people have been out here for several hours now. I'm going to step out of the way to get you some visuals here as I walk you through these sticking points.

The first is the number of writers in the writer's room. Second, we're hearing that the writers want longer employment contracts with television shows and films. It's also about regulation around artificial intelligence. Something that has been up ending jobs. And also, it's key to know about residuals around streaming. That is a key issue that we are hearing on the picket line. You're probably seeing a little bit of that messaging on the signs here.

I want to bring in Judy Tate. She was on the picket line in 2007 during the last writer's strike. What brings you out here today 15 years later?

JUDY TATE, MEMBER, WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA: I think that in 2007 and '08, we were striking so that the very industry that these young people are working in could be covered so we can have jurisdiction over streaming. And now that contract is no longer relevant and it needs to be improved. And I'm out here to support them. They were the future then and they're going to create a floor for the future writers to come.

YURKEVICH: What is the most important thing you're looking for in this contract to secure that future?

TATE: Better pay and better writing conditions. They need to be able to support their families, pay their rent, have better conditions in the workplace. I came up at a time where we could do that. I want that for these young people.

YURKEVICH: And you're out here today. Will you be out here tomorrow? How long are you going to stay on this line to get what you want?

TATE: I will stay out here as long as it takes. It took 100 days in '07, '08, and I'm ready to be here for as long as it takes. They should come back to the table and be serious about negotiating with us.

YURKEVICH: 101 days?

TATE: Yes, if that's what it takes.

YURKEVICH: Thank you so much, Judy.

And I want to talk to you about what we're hearing from the studios. They say that that they have offered higher compensation. They say they have offered better residuals on streaming. And they say that they're willing to go higher on these two areas. However, the writers' room, the number of writers in the writers' room seems to be the holdout for the studios and for the writers here on the picket line.

And as you heard from Judy, 2007, 100 days. She is willing to go 101 days. And everyone we've spoken to here is willing to go for as long as it takes to try to get a better deal, a fair deal in their eyes with these studios -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, it could go on for a while. And Vanessa, just incredible to think what has changed in the entertainment industry and technology since 2007 and '08 to now. Vanessa Yurkevich for us in New York. Thanks so much -- Jim.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: A bride was killed just minutes after leaving her wedding. Such a sad story. We're going to tell you how it happened.

Plus, a search for two missing teens in Oklahoma led police to seven bodies. Details on the victims, also the suspect right after this.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SCIUTTO: Just a gruesome discovery in eastern Oklahoma. Authorities

say that two teenage girls, who had been missing, are believed to be among seven, seven bodies found at a convicted sex offender's home in the small town of Henrietta. The body of the 39-year-old sex offender, Jessie McFadden, was also found on the property. All seven bodies were discovered after McFadden missed a court date on Monday where he was set to stand trial on separate charges for solicitation of a minor. CNN's Lucy Kafanov, she's been following the details. So, Lucy, I mean, this seems to be a serial -- offender serial killer here.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we know is what we heard from both grieving parents, grieving parents of both missing teens who are believed to have been found at this property. Now, we are still waiting on several critical pieces of information, including the identities of the other four victims, although the sheriff said they were part of one family. The names were not released.

[15:40:00]

We know that Oklahoma Highway Patrol pushed this missing person's report for 14-year-old ivy Webster and 16-year-old Britney Brewer early Monday afternoon. They were last seen in Henrietta, about 90 miles east of Oklahoma City. Possibly with 39-year-old Jesse McFadden who has been convicted of sexual assault and is listed on the Oklahoma sex offender registry.

Now the parents of Ivy Webster spoke out to the media, to a local affiliate. The mother giving a bit of a timeline. She said that she had spoken to her daughter on Saturday. She was supposed to go to a mall with her friend and then a show afterwards. Apparently, they did do that.

The mom and the daughter were texting on Snapchat throughout the evening. And then the next day the daughter said that she had to go with Jesse -- the person whose body also alleged to be found at that location, the 39-year-old man. She said that she had to go somewhere with him on Sunday and then the mother did not hear back from the daughter. The father expressing grief. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN WEBSTER, VICTIM'S FATHER: I feel the evil one and I want to get back at the world. And he wanted to hurt the people that he loved most. And our daughter was best friends with Tiffany, his daughter. And they were inseparable. They did everything together. And I think he just wanted to act out at the world and take as many as he possibly can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAFANOV: And again, McFadden had served time for 2003 rape conviction. He also had additional charges filed against him in 2017 when he was accused of using a cell phone to send nude photos and videos of himself to an underage girl. That was the charge he was supposed to appear in court on Monday morning. He never showed up. Back to you.

SCIUTTO: What a way to act out against the world. Lucy Kafanov in Denver, thanks so much -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Tears of joy at a wedding celebration in Folly Beach, South Carolina, turned into a wall of grief. The bride, just hours after saying I do, was tragically killed by an alleged drunk driver. Her husband also seriously injured in the crash. It happened after the couple left their reception as they were riding in a golf cart. CNN's Ryan Young has more details on what happened. And, Ryan, that suspected drunk driver, she was apparently also speeding, doing something like 65 in a 25?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, she was going 65 miles per hour, according to police m driving a rented Toyota Camry when she slammed into the back of that large golf cart. Apparently sending this entire family and the four people who were all riding in that cart 75 yards. In fact, when we talked to the police chief today, he said they tried to provide CPR to Samantha Miller who died there at the scene.

But obviously, this was a horrific scene. In fact, parts of her family heard the sirens nearby. They assumed the worst before they even knew what happened. They got to the scene. And they saw some of the worst things you could ever imagine in terms of this entire happy bridal party being injured the way they were. In fact, take a listen to her sister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANDI JENKINS, SISTER OF BRIDE KILLED IN CRASH: From the moment she woke up that day until she left the venue, she told Eric, on the golf cart, that she wanted this day to last forever. And he told us that at the hospital today when we saw him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, Boris, last forever. Now they know that Eric is still in the hospital trying to recover from his physical injuries, but obviously, the emotional pain is beyond belief. We do know there's a GoFundMe page out there. They are trying to raise money. People from around the world have been donating.

But we should also talk about Jamie Komoroski. She's the woman who's been arrested. She's 25. She is charged with a count of homicide and also three charges of driving while intoxicated. And seemed to understand the pain from this family. And so many people asking questions. That car, that golf cart, was allowed to be on the road, Boris. That wasn't the problem. The problem right now was, according to the police department, it was the speed in which that car was being driven when it slammed into the back of that golf cart.

SANCHEZ: Such a heart-breaking story. Ryan young, thank you for those details -- Jessica.

DEAN: Horrific.

All right, let's turn now to some other headlines we're watching this hour. Ex-Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao has been found guilty of aiding

and abetting second degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Thao was one of the officers who kept bystanders back as his fellow officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd's neck that day in May of 2020.

In Tennessee now, the Shelby County district attorney's office says it will not pursue charges against Preston Hemphill. That's the former Memphis police officer who was part of the initial traffic stop of Tyre Nichols. Hemphill deployed his taser but was not at the scene where Nichols was beaten by officers. He died three days later.

And a newly released autopsy report on Bob Lee, the Cash App founder was found stabbed to death in San Francisco last month.

[15:45:00]

It said Lee suffered knife wounds that pierced his heart and lung. It also says Lee had alcohol and cocaine in his system when he died, but that neither were factors in his death. An associate of Lee's in the tech industry, Nima Momeni, has been charged with murder -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Coming up, he was allowed to keep playing after a viciously hard hit. He even helped his team win the game. But now we've learned a hockey player for the Colorado Avalanche had a fractured neck. That story when CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00]

SCIUTTO: There is a strange new twist in the case of missing Massachusetts mother Ana Walshe. CNN's Jean Casarez, she's been following the story and joins us now. What's the twist -- Jean?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is what we're just learning from discovery. Now, here is what we do know. We do know that the last person to have ever seen her alive was a family friend at 1:00 o'clock in the morning on January 1st. Four hours later, Google searches began from an iPad in the home of how long before decomposition begins.

How to stop odors from a body. We know that law enforcement has surveillance video of cleaning supplies being purchased by the now defendant, her husband, in this case. But here is what we're just learning on January 7th, so that is a week later, law enforcement received an email. We want to show everyone in part what it says.

We have Ana Walshe -- who is the victim -- with us here. We had a deal worth $127,000. She messed up. We have her with us and unless we get paid that money, you will never see her again.

Now law enforcement said there was not a contact number, they couldn't reach anyone. There was just an email. They did not take it seriously.

SCIUTTO: Goodness. Jean Casarez, thanks very much -- Boris. SANCHEZ: Now to an double story from the NHL. Here you see Colorado

Avalanche player Andrew Cogliano getting hit in Friday night's playoff game. It's a pretty brutal hit. The incredible part is he fractured his neck on that play but then he returned to the game and kept playing. CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard has been tracking this for us. Jacqueline, how is it possible that he got cleared to go back in the game with a fractured neck?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: It is incredible, Boris, but we do know he still had mobility. It didn't appear like he had significant neurological function loss. So, he was able to get back up and keep on playing. Now in other cases, when people have neck fractures -- like in car accidents -- sometimes they can go undiagnosed. So, this isn't really surprising.

But I will say based on what we know about Cogliano's injury, it could have been much more severe. That's because we know, according to his team, that he fractured his C-5 vertebra. And we spoke with an orthopedic surgeon who said fractures to the C-5 vertebra in some cases can cause paralysis. And we also know that with spinal fracture, symptoms include pain in the neck or back, tingling, numbness, weakness, paralysis, uncontrolled muscle spasms. So, Boris, in this case, Cogliano's current condition could have been much, much more serious from what we know so far.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it appears he is lucky to have avoided some of the more serious symptoms. Jacqueline, what can you tell us about the timetable for his recovery?

HOWARD: Well, we do know -- I told you we spoke with the orthopedic surgeon who said recovery can take around two to three months. In Cogliano's case, we can assume that's how much time it might take before he can return to full contact play. But we also know in general with this kind of injury, treatment can include wearing a neck brace, surgery. So, I'm sure hopefully we'll hear more from his team in the next weeks or months on how he's doing and, on his recovery -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it's incredible. The team actually won in part thanks to him after his injury. Jacqueline Howard, thanks so much for your reporting -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, next, we are going to tell you about the uninvited guest who crashed last night's Met Gala.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: It is the first Monday in May, and we can't end without talking about the Met Gala, the what the kind of nickname is -- the first Monday in May. This year's theme was in honor of the late Karl Lagerfeld and the a-list party went down last night. So, here's some highlights for you. Plus, first double debut, model Karlie Kloss and tennis phenomena Serena Williams, both announcing they were pregnant on the red carpet. After Jared Leto showed up as a cat. I mean, he truly looks like a cat. An ode to Lagerfeld's beloved pet. SCIUTTO: Sort of a little masked singer vibe there.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

DEAN: It is, yes. Rapper Doja Cat showed up as a more realistic cat. You can see there little -- some prosthetics working. And one of the most shocking looks goes to rapper Lil Nas X who showed covered in silver body paint, rhinestones and pearls. I'm just letting everyone take that in. And then if you can wait, but worth the wait, look at Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, her look playing homage to the "Chanel brides" which often closed out Lagerfeld's shows.

SCIUTTO: The thing is we could have gone to that and no one would know. I mean, we could --

DEAN: Right. You could have been a cat.

SCIUTTO: I could have been a cat. Maybe I was. It's possible.

DEAN: Maybe that was you.

SANCHEZ: That guy in the silver, the body paint. Typical Jim.

SCIUTTO: We did notice that as WNBA star Brittney Griner, she attended with her wife, Cherelle. You remember Griner was in prison in Russia during last year's event. Thank goodness she's out. You saw her this weekend in Washington as well.

And designer brand Coach opted to address climate activists Maya Penn instead of the typical celebrity.

SANCHEZ: And my favorite Met debut and sadly farewell goes to this guy, this dapper gentleman who crashed the party decked out head to toe in brown. Brown is really hot right now. I know if you do --

DEAN: Is that (INAUDIBLE)?

[16:00:00]

SANCHEZ: No. But he was caught on the red carpet. You see the photographer snapping shots of him, clearly well received, a huge celebrity walking the red carpet. Sad to report though, according to "Variety," he was soon -- later stomped out.

DEAN: Oh.

SANCHEZ: Yes. So, basically, that's, like --

DEAN: Oh, that went viral. (INAUDIBLE)

SANCHEZ: As he said, he didn't actually do it. It was someone else. The photographer was --

DEAN: You know why? Because they really the cockroach really lasted a long time.

SCIUTTO: It's his answer to a pizza run. It's sad.

That does it for CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE LEAD" starts right now.