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Alama Woman Arrested For Faking Her Own Kidnapping; Students, Staff Give Emotional Testimony At Hearing For Michigan School Shooter; Consumers Feeling Better About Inflation, Economy. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 28, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They did talk about the fact that she went to a target and bought snacks before all this happened. So obviously she had some preparation.

[15:30:10]

But let's not forget, she told detectives when she got back home that apparently a man with orange hair kidnapped her. And now they figured out that's not true. And this is all a hoax. People still trying to figure this out. But two misdemeanor charges and she is bonded out after taking that mugshot photo that you see right there on your screen. Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yeah, many outstanding questions. One of them is why?

Ryan Young, thank you so much. Let's get some legal analysis now from CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney Joey Jackson. Joey, always great to see you. First, your thoughts on these two misdemeanor charges and a potential defense she might use in court?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yeah, Ryan, so obviously a lot of concern, right, by the community and others. I think the really the country as a community being concerned about her looking and really leaving no stone on turn so that she can be safe, et cetera, et cetera coming to find out that it was all false. And so obviously there's a lot of disappointed people with respect to the charges, that's what really the law demands as it relates to Alabama law concerning you reporting to law enforcement and that being false. And then of course filing a false report that being false also misdemeanors, what's the difference between that and felony a world, right? The essence though is only punishable by up to a year in jail.

With regard to the defenses, I mean, at the end of the day, this is a young woman and many people for a variety of reasons suffer a lot of different things. You know, we don't know what those were. What was happening with her such that she could have done this. We're not as bad as we are now worst day. We're not as good as we are in our best day. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. And so, you know, again, in terms of mitigation, I think, you know, while it's, of course, many people are judging her and this what she did was abhorrent and shouldn't have been done. At the end of the day, she has a long life to live. And as a 26-year-old woman, you could only hope that she'll get the assistance and help she needs to live it, live it well and perhaps pay a debt to society, which will transcend this day.

And so I think her attorney, Boris, will be looking for what we call mitigation and redeeming qualities. And her attorney already indicated all of this was false. All this was a hoax. And I think they're moving forward in doing that and accepting blame, accepting responsibility and looking to move forward in a way that she's not so punished that it would cripple her life.

SANCHEZ: Joey, on the idea that there's a debt to be paid to society, she may face a potential penalty for this now, because it was a pretty expensive and expensive search.

JACKSON: So absolutely. So there are three ways that this is evaluated, really in any case. One is punishment, one is deterrence and one is rehabilitation. And I think her attorneys will acknowledge that, listen, you know, obviously there needs to be some punishment here because this is not acceptable behavior.

As it relates to deterrent, you want to be stiff enough where people know that this is not acceptable, that resources being dedicated to her and finding her and people coming together for something as a hoax. We don't want other people to do that. And so we want them to be deterred. At the same time, there's a rehabilitative element and that I think her attorneys will seize on, saying that she is a young woman. She does have a lot more to give. We don't know what the essence of her issues and maladies or what she was going through would lead her to do this. But certainly, you know, is it the worst thing? It's bad. But, you know, no one fortunately is dead or anything else.

And I think they'll be looking for the judge and prosecutor to go lightly on her as a result of that. But to be sure, I think based on the resources and based on the coming together of the community bars and the diversion of those resources, there will be a punishment to be suffered without question.

SANCHEZ: Joey Jackson, always appreciate you sharing your expertise with us. Thanks.

JACKSON: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: There are new moving details in the hearing from Michigan School shooter Ethan Crumbley. Students took the stand today. They're giving emotional testimony describing the terror they felt, in the moments the gunman open fire changed their lives forever, ending the lives of several young people.

CNN's Jean Casarez joins us now live from outside the courthouse. And Jean, you gave such a moving account of what was heard in the court yesterday. I wonder what you're hearing there today?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Minors took the stand. Former classmates of the shooter, they are still students at Oxford High School. One of them, and the camera did not show them, they are minors. One of them took the stand. He had a therapy dog in court at his feet through all of his testimony. He said he was in the bathroom. It was lunchtime. All of a sudden he hears shots. There's a senior, Justin Shilling, in with him. He said, stand up on the toilet. Cover your feet so they don't show.

[15:35:02]

And he also, Justin Shilling, shielded his feet. All of a sudden, the shooter comes in the bathroom. They know it. He pushes open the door of the stall. He looks at him. He leaves. He comes back in. He tells Justin Shilling, who's a senior, come out. And the minor hears one shot in that bathroom. Shooter leaves, comes back in, orders the minor, come out. Go to where your friend is. And he was dead on the floor. The minor begins to walk, but he sees the gun goes the other way. He ran out of that bathroom, and his life was saved.

Now, beyond that, the Vice Principal of Oxford High School took the stand. She had known the shooter since elementary school because she was his principal. She was walking the hall as the shooter was making shots.

Listen to what she says as she is walking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTY GIBSON-MARSHALL, OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL: Device on the shooter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then, did someone respond to?

GIBSON-MARSHALL: I don't know. I don't remember. They probably did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. What did you do?

GIBSON-MARSHALL: I kept walking towards him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I have to ask, why didn't you walk towards the shooter?

GIBSON-MARSHALL: I needed to help. I just thought it couldn't be, Ethan. He wouldn't -- he wouldn't do that. And so, I talked to him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you say?

GIBSON-MARSHALL: I said, are you OK? And what's going on?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Ethan did not respond to her. She called him by name. She had known him for years. He kept walking, but he didn't shoot her.

We're in the defense case now, they're putting on expert witnesses. They're trying to show that this shooter can be rehabilitated in prison. That is one of the Miller factors according to this mandatory hearing mandated by the U.S. Constitution and the 8th Amendment to see if Ethan Crumbley can be allowed to have at some time potential of release. Jim? SCIUTTO: Good Lord, the testimony of that one student there, just the

decision in that moment. One student dies, the other lives, and of course here are the faces of the four of them that lost their lives that day. Jean, thanks so much for bringing us that story.

Please do stay with CNN News Central. We'll be back in moments.

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[15:42:15]

SCIUTTO: The U.S. economy is closing out the week with some big economic wins, economic growth, up more than expected, the stock market up for 14 of the last 15 days, if today's numbers hold. Some major banks now backing away from their recession forecast. Inflation as well, that continues to come down. All those indicators seem to be having an effect on the public. New numbers today show a boost in consumer confidence. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich, he is in New York, has been looking at this.

Vanessa, it's a whole collection of numbers here, right? That have defied some of the more pessimistic expectations when you look at the market, when you look at company earnings forecasts for interest. What picture is that saying about the way ahead?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Economists and analysts have been bracing all of us for recession, but what recession? These are very strong numbers that we've seen this week. The Federal Reserve saying itself that they can still stick that soft landing and Fed staff saying that they're not forecasting a recession any longer. But some of those big numbers, GDP, outperforming expectations, the U.S. economy growing by a healthy and strong 2.4%, despite 11 interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. And PCE, the Fed's preferred measure of inflation, cooling in June, just up 3% year over year and 0.2% month over month.

And as you mentioned, consumer sentiment at its highest level since October of 2021. So consumers actually feeling pretty good about the economy right now. And so is Wall Street, Jim. Wall Street is liking these numbers. That mixed with strong company earnings and with the Fed saying that they may pause in interest rate hikes for the remainder of the year. We've seen 13 straight days of gains in a row by the Dow. That's something we've never seen -- that we haven't seen, rather, Jim, since 1987.

SCIUTTO: Yeah, and sometimes consumer confidence could be a self- fulfilling prophecy because then people buy more, increases economic growth. Gas prices have been ticking up, and I know there's concern about that. When you speak to folks and look at the numbers there, are those -- is that considered a cyclical rise, hot weather, et cetera? I know that's been affecting refineries, or is there concern that this could add further, broader pressure to inflation?

YURKEVICH: We certainly always see higher gas prices in the summer because of the summer fuel blend. But we've seen a spike in gas prices up 12 cents over the last three days. And according to analysts, that is because of hotter weather. We've seen refineries having to shut down for maintenance. And of course, when they shut down, that means less production going out and high prices. That is certainly something to keep an eye on, Jim.

[15:45:03]

And also wages cooling. Nobody wants to see wage growth slow because everyone wants more money in their pocket. That's the conundrum right now rising gas prices, let's keep an eye on that. And then we don't want wages to dip too much because people aren't going to be able to keep up with these prices.

SCIUTTO: Right.

YURKEVICH: And still inflation, let's put it into perspective, still too hot at 3%. The Fed likes to see that target at 2%, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Vanessa Yurkevich, thanks so much for questioning the numbers. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Still to come on CNN News Central, the seismic Swift, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour has already shattered records, but now apparently it's shaking the earth too. We'll explain.

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[15:50:11]

SANCHEZ: A decision whether to indict Donald Trump and his allies in Georgia is imminent. An investigation of efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the peace state has been going on since early 2021 and some of the biggest players in Trump's orbit are involved. Security barricades are now going up outside the courthouse in downtown Atlanta. Charging decisions are expected next month. CNN's Sara Murray, examines what happened in Georgia in the whole story with Anderson Cooper. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking around at who else is seeing this. Like, hey, does anybody know what's going on in that room?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Room 216 at the Georgia State Capitol. Just one floor below where the Democratic electors were meeting to certify the Georgia vote for President-elect Biden.

(On camera): So you follow him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I followed him.

MURRAY: Do you go into the room? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went into the room and I walked in the door. Hey,

what's going on here? What are you doing? Like, what is -- we're having a meeting and there was a woman's voice and I'm looking around and I've got the thing going. And then she says, oh, he's got a camera going. And then another fellow comes and just sort of hustles me out and said, but what -- what is this meeting? And she says, it's an education meeting.

MURRAY: So they told you it was an education meeting?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, then they -- they all, but frog marks me out of the room.

MURRAY: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then they posted somebody out front to make sure nobody else went in.

MURRAY: So were you convinced it was an education meeting?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was convinced it was exactly what I thought it was.

MURRAY: And what he thought turned out to be right. A group of Republican shadow electors gathered to sign an illegitimate certification for President-Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: An education meeting with security outside where no cameras are allowed. Sara Murray joins us now. So, Sara, tell us more about what we're going to learn in the report.

MURRAY: Well, look, I think you're going to get more of a sense of what exactly has taken so long in this investigation, how wide ranging it has been, everything from a former publicist to Kanye West, who showed up and allegedly was intimidating an election worker to some of the wild lies that Rudy Giuliani told in front of state lawmakers.

SANCHEZ: Now, attorneys representing some of these electors said that there was nothing secretive about what they were doing, even though we heard about that incident. What else are you learning about their efforts?

MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, the facts really don't bear that out. I mean, we had that witness account of a journalist who was trying to get in the room and was tossed out. We also, throughout the course of this investigation, obtained an email where these fake electors are told to convene in secrecy and essentially give a false explanation for why they were at the Capitol in the first place. So obviously, there's a lot of nervous lawyers hoping that their clients are not charged and still insisting that their clients did nothing wrong.

SANCHEZ: Now, there are signs from the DA in Fulton County, Fonnie Willis statements that she's made, guidance that she's given some of her employees about when to come into the office, when to stay home or work from home, and obviously the barricades outside the courthouse. What can you tell us about the timing of a potential charging decision?

MURRAY: We've talked a lot about what imminent actually means in a case like this.

SANCHEZ: Right.

MURRAY: We are actually in like an --

SANCHEZ: Speak imminent for a minute.

MURRAY: In a normal person point of view, approaching on imminent. We do expect she's going to make announcements on who, if anyone is going to face charges within the next couple of weeks, starting on Monday, that's when she's going to have a number of employees working from home and where they're going to see some of these enhanced security procedures, including what we're already seeing those barricades around the courthouse.

SANCHEZ: Sara Murray, thank you so much for sharing some time with us. We look forward to watching the report. Don't miss it in all new episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. One whole story, one whole hour. It airs Sunday night at 8 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

Jim.

SCIUTTO: Well, next one of her hit songs is titled, Shake It Off, after all. The earth-shattering effect from Taylor Swift's recent concerts explain that's important. But first, it's a staggering post- pandemic statistic. Only 17% of black fourth graders were found to be able to read proficiently. Meet this week's CNN hero who wants to change that, a former first grade teacher bringing books to barbershops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, man? How you doing?

We install a child-friendly reading space in the barbershop. We literally ask little black boys, what do you like to read?

And then those are the books that we distribute to our national network of barbers. Use the opportunity when they're sitting in the chair to just even talk to them about books.

Many black boys are raised by single mothers. So there's this opportunity to support barbers in becoming --

How's the book going so far?

Black male reading role models.

I'm just excited that we get to create a safe space for boys to do something that is really life changing. That's what I really believe reading is. It unlocks potential. (END VIDEO CLIP)

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[15:59:43]

SANCHEZ: So as it turns out, "Swifties" are shaking the planet for real. A scientist has discovered that dancing Taylor Swift fans triggered seismic activity during a recent Seattle concert. The seismologist from Western Washington University measured the impact during two nights and equated the Swift Quake at 2.3 magnitude.

[16:00:07]

SANCHEZ: Swift Quake?

SCIUTTO: Yes.

SANCHEZ: That tops the quote Beast Quake of 2011 when Seattle Seahawks fans celebrated a touchdown by Beast Mode running back Marshawn Lynch. That stadium built for noise, and she's just a phenomenon.

SCIUTTO: I thought only your fans shook the planet.

SANCHEZ: Well.

SCIUTTO: It's probably close second.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. There are dozens of us.

SCIUTTO: Ladies and gentlemen, Boris Sanchez. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper, starts right now.