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Police: Gilgo Beach Suspect Had 200-Plus Guns In Basement; Taiwan's VP To Make Transit Stop In U.S. As Biden Admin Works To Regularize Diplomacy With China; Inter Miami Welcomes Soccer Superstar Lionel Messi. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 17, 2023 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:33:13]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Investigators say they are sorting through what they call a flood of evidence in the Gilgo Beach murder investigation. That's after the arrest of New York architect and serial murder suspect, Rex Heuermann. Police say they can prove three murders and he's a key suspect in a fourth.

Authorities have broke off and searched a storage unit near his home. And during a search of that house, investigators said they collected a trove of evidence, including more than 200 firearms found stashed in a vault behind a locked metal basement door.

Let's get into this with CNN national correspondent, Brynn Gingras.

Brynn, what more can you tell us about the items that officials found in his home?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris, in fact, we just saw two investigators leaving the home behind me of Rex Heuermann with two of those big guns, likely putting them into evidence. But they are pulling a number of things from this home.

And it was a basement in the floor of this home behind a locked door that investigators say they found an arsenal of weapons.

I want you to hear more from the police commissioner of Suffolk County.

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RODNEY HARRISON, COMMISSIONER, SUFFOLK COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: So over 200 guns. He had an arsenal in his -- in a vault that he had downstairs. It was concerning regarding the guns being registered or legal or not. That's something that we're still taking a look at. But any time somebody has that type of arsenal, we have some concerns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: We know that none of the victims that he's been charged with the murders of were gunshot wound victims. The police commissioner said it's concerning. The big question they're trying to answer is why he had so many guns.

[13:34:57]

In addition to the home that investigators have been at since last week, taking evidence out of, they are also searching a nearby storage facility.

We've learned from sources that one of the things that they're trying to sort of pinpoint is, did Heuermann have any souvenirs, as they call it? Essentially, did he keep any items that belonged to the victims. And that's going to be a part of their investigative process -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: Brynn Gingras, thank you so much for that update.

Let's discuss further with John Miller. He's CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst.

John, how hard is it to get into the mind of someone that's capable of committing these sorts of crimes?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, in this case, it's not as hard as it used to be. The digital footprint of Rex Heuermann has been a virtual road map for authorities, as very much like alleged serial killers we've seen in the past.

David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam, who went on a rampage killing people in the 1970s in New York City, was a quiet postal worker by day who used to walk people to their cars because they were afraid of the killer, which was him. Ted Bundy had a series of respectable jobs.

So here you have a man, who owns and runs a Manhattan architectural firm that deals with regulators and government officials, wears a suit and tie to work, gets on the train, and has been operating, allegedly, for more than a decade as a cold, cruel, calculating sexual sadist and serial killer.

SANCHEZ: John, it's interesting that you mention that note about David Berkowitz walking people to their car. Because allegedly, this suspect asked a woman in a networking group if she had heard about the murders he's now accused of committing.

MILLER: You know, Boris, with these offenders -- and each one is individual -- but you learn as you go in the study of them, there is this need to reassert, reaffirm their power.

Whether that is taking souvenirs and keepsakes from the victims that they can go back and use to relive those murders in their own minds or, in this case, where the killer called relatives of the victims and told them that he was the killer and how he killed them and why he killed them.

Which is why, where Brynn is at the search site, and particularly in that storage area, they're looking for any clues or things that he would have kept from the victims.

SANCHEZ: It is possible we will get more news as investigators pick up evidence.

John Miller, look forward to talking with you to get your perspective on more. Thanks so much.

Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A top country star stops his show abruptly as temperatures soar. But Jason Aldean says the shows will go on. We'll have an update on his condition.

And laid-off Twitter employees in Africa say they've been ghosted and they are without severance pay months after being let go. We're going to tell you what a group of former employees told CNN about their ordeal.

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[13:40:25]

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

Country singer, Jason Aldean, says he's feeling a lot better after abruptly ending a concert in Connecticut over the weekend.

Video shows him struggling to make it through a song before he's seen running off the stage. The 46-year-old says he thinks he suffered a combination of dehydration and heat exhaustion after playing golf all day.

He stopped short of saying it was a heatstroke, adding, quote, "I don't think it was quite that serious." Aldean says he received two I.V.s following the incident and that he's going on with his concert tour.

Meantime, in Spain's Port of Ibiza, environmental activists spray painted a super superyacht in an act of protest. The activists posted this video showing them standing in front of the $300 million vessel holding a banner that says, "You consume, others suffer."

The activists then sprayed red and black paint on the yacht. Multiple shipping industry news sites say the superyacht belongs to a Nancy Walton Laurie, the billionaire heiress of Walmart.

And former employees of Twitter Africa, who were laid off after Elon Musk bought the company, say they've never received severance pay nearly nine months later.

The employees say they accepted Twitter's offer to pay them three months' severance and relocation costs. But they've not received a dime or heard from the company.

Twitter and Musk now face multiple lawsuits where plaintiffs are claiming the company has failed to pay what they're owed.

Brianna?

KEILAR: China is calling it an "ambush visit." Taiwan's vice president expected to make a stop in the U.S. next month while on his way to Paraguay.

The transit stop, as the Biden administration is calling it officially, is coming as the Biden administration is working to improve diplomacy with China.

And the White House is bracing for possible blowback from China about this at a critical moment when tension between the two superpowers is already sky-high.

CNN's Kylie Atwood is at the State Department for us on this.

Kylie, tell us what the Biden administration is saying about this so- called transit stop in the U.S.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, they're saying that this will be a private visit by Taiwan's vice president, essentially making the argument that this isn't a unique visit for the vice president of Taiwan.

A senior administration official talking to reporters last night saying that these transits of senior officials are unofficial in keeping with our U.S. One China policy. We've had 10 vice presidential transits in the last 10 years. All have occurred without incident.

[13:45:07]

And that word "transit," the reason that the U.S. government uses the word transit for these trips to the United States by Taiwan officials is because the U.S. and Taiwan don't have formal diplomatic relations.

So the vice president of Taiwan will actually be coming to the United States on his way to Paraguay for another visit.

We should note, however, that the vice president is also a presidential candidate in Taiwan. He will be running for the presidency. The elections are next year. So that makes this a bit of a unique visit.

We should note that when you talk to U.S. officials, they do acknowledge privately that China is probably going to respond, even though they say they expect this visit to happen without there to be any kind of incident from the Chinese.

The Chinese usually respond quite angrily when Taiwan officials come to the United States. And there are military drills that they carry out in response.

We saw that when the president of Taiwan visited the United States earlier this year for one of these unofficial transits. There were three days of military exercises that China carried out around Taiwan -- Brianna?

KEILAR: All right, we'll be looking for that.

Kylie Atwood, live for us from the State Department, thank you.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: It is finally official. The world's best soccer player is now an Inter Miami player. How Lionel Messi's arrival is already giving a big boost to the MLS and Florida's economy.

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[13:51:13]

SANCHEZ: The GOAT is now officially calling south Florida home. Major League Soccer's Inter Miami formally introduced World Cup champion, Lionel Messi, to thousands of fans during a rainy celebration last night.

It comes just the day after he officially inked a deal with the club that will fetch him between $50 million and $60 million a year through the end of the 2025 season.

Despite the huge payout, the seven-time World Player of the Year is still just like us, he's a Florida man now. Fans spotting Messi getting groceries at Publix ahead of his big reveal.

Messi's first match, keep in mind, could come as soon as this Friday. And we'll get to how much those tickets are going for in just a moment.

Joining us now is soccer podcaster and commenter for "MLS Season Pass," Chris Wittyngham.

Chris, let's start with the bona fides. I tried to list out all of Lionel Massi's accomplishments, and he's won everything. Talk to us about his greatness. Is he really the GOAT?

CHRIS WITTYNGHAM, SOCCER PODCASTER & COMMENTER, "MLS SEASON PASS": I think so. You can have a well-reasoned debate about Pele, obviously, who came to the U.S. back in the 1970s, having won multiple World Cups, while Lionel Messi going one to one.

If you look at the European record of a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, they are a few more champion and league titles.

But to me, putting it all together and also not even just listing off the bona fides, as you mentioned, but also the watching of a player, who I think has completely mastered this game at every level, I think Messi is the greatest player who ever lived.

There are reasonable debates. Otherwise, I think that you combine everything, the accolades, style of play, the joy of watching him play, I just think he's the greatest. And he's now coming to Major League Soccer.

SANCHEZ: What does it mean for MLS? For years, we've heard fans and experts talking about soccer being the next big pro sport in the United States. Is this a turning point?

WITTYNGHAM: I think it can be. I think everything in this sport here in the U.S. are steps forward. I think people are waiting for sort of a boom moment where it becomes the biggest league in the world.

But I think Major League Soccer is fighting up against quite a lot to get to that level, particularly from a financial standpoint.

If you look at the competitive environment in the Premier League, in that league, even now with the Saudi Pro League coming in and spending a ton of money on players, it's really going to be very hard for Major League Soccer to compete on that level.

But everything are steps forward. If you go back to when David Beckham joined the league in 2007, the league had 12 teams. Now they have 29.

There's been an enormous amount of growth in stadiums and the quality of play and the quality of the American player.

And the quality of the American player that also goes abroad and plays in major European leagues on a more consistent basis on a level that has never happened before. So everything is a step forward.

I think what people are hoping, with Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami and Major League Soccer, is that it is a bigger step forward than all of the other ones.

But sort of the impact of that remains to be seen of what the traveling tour will be like when he plays in New York and L.A., which he will in the last few games of the regular season.

But you have to imagine that this supercharges him and begins a conversation of, all right, how does this sport, which will host -- next summer, will host the World Cup, the club and International Variety, in 2025 and 2026, take advantage of this moment and really use it to have it be a launching pad for the sport in this country.

SANCHEZ: Ticket prices have certainly launched. Some are going for as many as $110,000, according to a search on ticket reselling site Vivid Seats.

Does this ultimately help the league? Does it shut fans out? And what should we expect to see from Messi on Friday?

WITTYNGHAM: I actually think the unveiling event that Inter Miami did on Sunday night was a sort of nod to the fact that, yes, these tickets are going to be more expensive.

[13:55:04]

I'll be curious sort of, as we get into home games number two, three, four, five, and six, if that level of market sustains itself.

There are still going to be plenty of people who want to go and see him for the first time. But I imagine it will be more accessible as we go along.

Away from home though is where it can get a little dodgy. If you think about, for example, he's going to play in New York at Red Bull Arena, that's a 25,000-seat arena.

I imagine it's a city full of people that want to be either seen at an Inter Miami game or actually want to go a Lionel Messi Inter Miami game. I imagine the away games will hold like that.

But I think eventually -- oh, he's going to be here for two and a half years. I think people will have their chance to go and see him for something that's a little bit less than $1,000 apiece.

KEILAR: Chris Wittyngham is a fancy lad.

Chris, thanks for joining us so much today.

Brianna?

KEILAR: CNC field trip. I'm pitching that.

So some higher food prices in that vein as well, and also more global hunger. This is what we're talking about when we're talking about the consequences of Russia pulling out of this U.N.-brokered grain deal that could be felt around the world.

We have a new warning of how the move by the Kremlin could push those on the brink of starvation over the edge.

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