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Report: Singer Sinead O'Connor Dies At Age 56; Marine Veteran Trevor Reed Expected To Make Full Recovery After Being Wounded In Ukraine; House GOP Grills DHS Secretary Mayorkas On Border Crisis. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired July 26, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: As well as anything that we're learning about the deal no longer, the Hunter Biden plea deal as we continue to follow that story as well. Please do stay with us.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: More on the breaking news just into CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Global star and singer, Sinead O'Connor, has reportedly died. That's according to Irish broadcaster, RTE. The singer just 56 years old.

Let's discuss with Anthony DeCurtis. He is a contributing editor at "Rolling Stone."

Anthony, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

Sinead O'Connor is someone whose personal struggles were often very public. Talk to us about her life and her legacy.

ANTHONY DECURTIS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Yes. I mean, Sinead O'Connor was an extremely important artist. You know, her first two albums, "Lion and the Cobra" and "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," made a huge impression, and announced her as a tremendously important talent.

You know, she was very politically committed, you know, but, as you said, you know, I think emotional problems often got in the way of her message. Or at least confused her message for the vast majority of people.

You know, I think most people are familiar with her ripping up a photograph of the pope on "Saturday Night Live." She announced that that protest was about child abuse in the Catholic Church. That is a concern that seems prescient.

You know, whether ripping up a photo of the pope on national television is the best way of going about delivering that message, you know, could be debated.

But Sinead was somebody who went after it. She believed in certain causes. And she was out there on that.

And, you know, she struggled. I mean, she had emotional problems throughout her entire life.

And while we don't know the cause of death at this point, you know, she was on a kind of suicide watch for a while. Her son, her 17-year- old son committed suicide last year. And, you know, she was understandably extremely distraught after that.

SANCHEZ: Yes, notably, Anthony, one of her final messages on social media was a photo of him talking about the light in her life being gone. Obviously, that was something that was extremely difficult for her.

DECURTIS: Yes.

SANCHEZ: But one of many episodes in her life that were ultimately tragic.

DECURTIS: Yes. I think Sinead O'Connor was someone that I think people were always waiting to kind of assume the role that, you know, kind of she deserved, just on the basis of her talent.

But there always seemed to be issues that would -- that would knock her off that path.

You know, whether or not, you know, those were her own emotional problems, you know, which made it very, very difficult, or the kind of controversies that she intentionally stirred up, although to what end, or to what productive end, you know, is something that could be debated.

The people who are strong Sinead advocates will say, well, you know, if you care about those issues, you have to put them out there in the strongest possible terms.

You can also say you have to put them out there in a way that the audience that you're attempting to speak to can understand and possibly be convinced. You know, Sinead often missed that latter target.

SANCHEZ: Anthony, please standby.

We also have with us Dominic Patten, the senior editor at "Deadline."

Dominic, thanks for being with us.

First, your impressions of the news, Sinead O'Connor passing away at a relatively young age, 56 years old, someone who was outspoken on a number of controversial issues.

DOMINIC PATTEN, SENIOR EDITOR, "DEADLINE": Well, I mean, it's a tragedy, of course. She was a tremendous artist, one I grew up with.

I have to brag a little bit. A long time before her cover of "Nothing Compares to Youi," I was a great admirer of her spirit, of her dedication.

But certainly, as her own memoir in 2021 described, as her posts on social media, as her life, she was troubled. I have to say, to some degree, it's no surprise. It's a tragedy, it's a tragedy that maybe we saw coming, sadly to say.

SANCHEZ: And, Dominic, often we see with some of the most spectacular artists that their personal struggle informs their art. You mentioned "Nothing Compares to Youi" music that defined a generation and specifically influenced a lot of female artists to feel empowered.

Talk to us about the legacy she leaves behind.

PATTEN: I think Sinead O'Connor leaves a tremendous legacy. I mean, again, we all know her cover to Prince's "Nothing Compares to You." But she had several outstanding albums. She had worked before that, collaborating with the likes of U2's "The Edge," what have you.

I think her stance on "SNL," which now, in hindsight, looks pathetic, I think her bravery in standing in front of Madison Square Garden booting her, standing next to Kris Kristofferson.

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I think her outspokenness on mental health issues, on patriarchy issues, on issues of childbirth and child rearing, I think this was a person who compared deeply about human beings, had a great deep of empathy.

And I think for many female artists, I mean, we've just seen in the past few minutes, Shirley Manson, the lead singer of Garbage, putting out a tweet saying how she's heartbroken over the death of Sinead O'Connor.

You know this is someone who was a trailblazer. Debbie Harry and others really defined women's faces in rock 'n' roll and popular music and planted a flag solidly that said this is who I am.

You can never turn away from Sinead O'Connor. Whether or not you love her or not, never turn away from her. Isn't that ultimately one of the greatest legacies that any artist can have?

SANCHEZ: Dominic Patten, Anthony DeCurtis, thank you so much for sharing your reflections.

Again, Sinead O'Connor passing away at 56 years old.

Thanks so much.

Jim?

SCIUTTO: Yes, our thoughts to her family and friends, for sure.

Coming up, another story we're following. Exclusive new reporting on Marine veteran and former Russian detainee, Trevor Reed. How exactly he ended up in the hospital after fighting alongside soldiers in Ukraine, next, on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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SCIUTTO: CNN has now obtained this exclusive photo of Marine veteran, Trevor Reed, in Ukraine. Reed's family shared it with CNN.

A source close to Reed tells us that he is expected to make a full recovery after he was wounded in Ukraine around two weeks ago while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against the Russian invasion.

Remember, Reed was wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly three years before he was released last year in a prisoner swap.

CNN's Jennifer Hansler joins us from the State Department.

Now, Jennifer, a question I suppose going forward is the seriousness of his injuries. I'm told it was a wound to his leg. The concern was better to be treated out of the country than in the country, by his doctors there.

What's the latest we know?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Jim, we know from a source close to Trevor who told our Jake Tapper that Trevor was fighting with troops near Bakhmut to take back territory when he was hit in his legs with shrapnel. There were other members of his unit that were also injured in that fighting.

And sources told us he was first treated in Kyiv in a hospital there in Ukraine before being evacuated by NGOs to a U.S. military hospital in Germany, where he is undergoing treatment.

And as you said, he's expected to make a full recovery there.

Now it's important to note, Jim, that this source close to Trevor and U.S. officials were very clear he was there of his own accord. He was not there fighting on behalf of the U.S. government.

He went there, according to the source close to him, because he had seen the depth of Russian oppression when he was in prison for almost three years. He was freed in a high-profile prisoner swap in April of last year.

There are two other Americans still being detained in Russia, Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. And there are negotiations under way to secure their release. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked about Trevor Reed

yesterday and he said he was aware of the case and he said it should not have an effect on the negotiations to free Paul and Evan.

They said, of course, they're concerned that this could have an impact on the negotiations but they stressed these are completely separate issues.

This is what they told me. They said:

"This was something an individual did of their own volition and should be treated entirely separately from negotiations for the release of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan."

So we will wait to see what developments happen with Trevor. The hope of his friends and his family is that he's able to get back to the United States as soon as possible, completely healed up.

And we'll wait to see what happens with the negotiations over Paul and Evan as well -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: Despite public statements from the administration that the cases are separate, I've heard from U.S. officials, and perhaps you've heard the same, but there is deep concern this might have an effect in the ongoing highly delicate negotiations over Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.

Does Trevor Reed's family or his representatives have an answer to those concerns?

HANSLER: They haven't said anything on this point. Paul Whelan's family came out and said that this is not the end point when you get out of prison. They had no comments on the developments of Trevor Reed. But they said they hope he's healed up soon.

SCIUTTO: Jennifer Hansler, at the State Department, thanks very much.

Boris?

SANCHEZ: Coming up, a heated hearing. Lawmakers grilling the Homeland Security Secretary over President Biden's immigration policies. How he's defending the state of the border as Republicans threaten impeachment.

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We'll be right back.

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SANCHEZ: A fiery exchange on Capitol Hill today as House Republicans grilled the head of Homeland Security on President Biden's border policies.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan calling it a, quote, "Biden border crisis" as Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, insists the border is not open.

Listen to this.

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REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): I know, today, Secretary Mayorkas is going to try to pain a rosy picture of this disastrous mismanagement of our border but the numbers don't lie.

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Americans are safer today on the border, in the area, at sea, across the country and around the world because of the Department of Homeland Security.

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SANCHEZ: All of this coming as House Republicans are trying to make a case to potentially impeach Secretary Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joins us now.

Priscilla, what stood out to you about this hearing?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, they are continuing to criticize the Biden administration over their handling of the U.S./Mexico border. It's been a point of tension since President Biden took office.

But I think it's important to take a step back here to what the current state of the border is because Republicans are continuing to call it a crisis and border crossings are high.

But they did drop in recent weeks. In fact, we know that, in June, they hit the lowest monthly encounters since February of 2021. That's still nearly 100,00 people but it's still far lower than what we have seen before.

And it's for that reason that the secretary was defending the administration's approach.

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Take a listen.

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MAYORKAS: Our approach to managing the border securely and humanely even within our fundamentally broken immigration system is working. Unlawful entries between ports of entry along the southwest border have consistently decreased by more than half compared to the peak before the end of Title 42.

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ALVAREZ: Republicans aren't buying it. It's been over four hours and Republicans are continuing to grill the secretary on the numbers at the border.

And of course, part of this is because they're laying the groundwork to potentially impeach the secretary. But they're having trouble even reaching consensus within their own caucus.

In fact, some Republicans, who have fiercely criticized Mayorkas in the hearing today, despite that criticism, they're still not quite on board with impeachment.

So all of this is unfolding and the secretary and the administration is standing by their position here that they have managed the situation.

SANCHEZ: Yes. One of a half dozen or so cabinet members and the president himself, who some Republicans have threatened to impeach, there's still disagreement within the party on that.

Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much.

Jim?

SCIUTTO: Coming up, plea deal on hold. President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, appears in court. An agreement with prosecutors put on hold for now. We'll explain what went down and what's likely to happen next. Lots of questions. That's coming up.

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