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Suspect Arraigned In Tupac Shakur's Murder; Ukraine Funds In Limbo After McCarthy Ouster; Federal Government To Test Emergency Alerts On Cell Phones Today. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired October 04, 2023 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: We have breaking news to share with you. It's taken 27 years for this moment. Duane Kieth "Keffe D" as he was known, Davis, the suspect accused in the 1996 shooting death of Rapper Tupac Shakur just appeared in court for the very first time. He is now charged with the murder. Let's listen in to what's happening in court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUANE KIETH "KEFFE D" DAVIS, ACCUSED OF SHOOTING TUPAC SHAKUR: Eddie Fall.
TIERRA D. JONES, JUDGE: OK. And is that person going to be here today?
DAVIS: No, he's a -- he needs two weeks he said to be here. (INAUDIBLE)
JONES: He said he needs two weeks to be here?
DAVIS: He needs a continuance for two weeks.
JONES: OK. And what's his name again?
DAVIS: Eddie Fall.
JONES: Eddie Fall?
DAVIS: Yes.
JONES: OK. All right. We're going to continue this matter for two weeks on a Thursday. That date is --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: October 19 at 9:00 a.m.
JONES: OK. We'll be back on that date.
DAVIS: Thank you, Your Honor.
JONES: All right. Thank you. All right.
(END VIDEOCLIP) SIDNER: All right. So, very quick. You saw Duane "Keffe D" walking into court there, speaking with the judge. There was some discussion about someone who couldn't make it there for another two weeks. I did not hear a plea, but I do want to go to CNN Security Correspondent Josh Campbell, who is also following all of this for us.
It has taken a quarter of a century -- more than a quarter of a century to make this arrest. This is someone though, that police have been looking at for all this time. So, what more are you learning about how this happened, why this happened, and why we just saw "Keffe D" in court?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We did. This was that arraignment again, as you mentioned, a very quick hearing. We've been trying to determine whether this defendant has representation, has an attorney.
It sounded like from that quick exchange that that could have been referred to his attorney trying to get that individual into court. And again, this now continued for another two weeks.
But this happened on Friday. It actually took the world by surprise. Police announcing that this individual was taken into custody after all that time that you mentioned.
Duane Davis was described by police as a so-called shot-caller in this retaliatory attack police say against Tupac Shakur. This, of course, stemmed from that incident back near the Las Vegas Strip nearly three decades ago. Police said -- they showed a video at this press conference indicating that a group that was included Tupac as well as some of his associates allegedly had assaulted Duane Davis's nephew and then Davis allegedly got another group together trying to "hunt down Tupac" according to police.
They say that he handed a gun to his nephew. And they went on the hunt finding the vehicle there near the Las Vegas Strip allegedly opening fire. As you mentioned, Sara, the -- you know big question here is what took them so long because this individual has not been quiet. He's been out there publicly speaking to the media about that day.
[11:35:04]
He didn't admit to murder, but he said he was in the vehicle. And now of course he is charged with the murder. Facing those charges, we'll see what type of plea eventually happens here, Sara.
SIDNER: Yes, it's fascinating that there was a proper agreement. Apparently, he was allowed to say what he wanted without having the police come to him. But there are conditions to that.
CAMPBELL: Yes.
SIDNER: And he himself, in his own book, wrote that he was in the car and that he brought the gun, which is why he is now charged with murder, according to police. Josh Campbell, thank you so much for breaking that all down for us. John.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We do have more breaking news. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan just made it official. He is running for Speaker of the House. The first candidate to jump in officially.
With us now is Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks from Iowa. Representative, thank you for being with us. Could you support Jim Jordan for a speaker?
REP. MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS (R-IA): I think it's really too early to tell until we have other candidates who want to step up to be speaker. So, there are certain qualifications and certain questions that we have to ask all of the candidates before I would decide which one to support.
BERMAN: What are those qualifications, and does Jim Jordan have them?
MILLER-MEEKS: So, one is the ability to bring the conference together and unite the conference. One is, you know, what are we going to do about members who don't see the entire conference's best interest at heart, you know? How we go forward on bills?
For me from the state of Iowa, what's their opinion on biofuels and on environment and energy? Where do they want to go with health care? Where are they on reducing prescription drug prices? So, those are all questions, you know.
Are they going to be able to help us to not only keep the majority but to gain the majority -- gain a bigger majority in the House? All of those are important questions to ask these individuals. So, being Speaker of the House doesn't only mean you preside over the proceedings of the House. It's much more detailed and there are other considerations that come into play.
BERMAN: You said one of the qualifications is how they will handle members in the conference who don't really put the conference first. I want to ask you about Matt Gaetz, who led the charge yesterday to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
MILLER-MEEKS: I -- you know, I think we had --
BERMAN: What would be the appropriate sanction for him? Do you think he should be sanctioned?
MILLER-MEEKS: At this point in time, I'm not going to delve into what should happen to -- you know, to certain members. I just think that we as a conference need to be able to address that. Most importantly right now is that we need to get on to the business of finding out who the candidates are for speaker -- selecting a speaker so we can get back to doing the job for the American people.
We have appropriations bills that we need to get passed. We need to get those to committee. We have investigations that are going on now.
We need to be able to continue to do those investigations. And we need to be able to have our committee hearings resume as they should be doing. But right now, what -- we're distracted because we have to now choose a speaker.
BERMAN: The Wall Street Journal in their editorial today said that Republicans cut off their own heads. That was the headline. And then it went on to say the putative GOP majority is weaker. How would you assess your strength or weakness today compared to yesterday?
MILLER-MEEKS: Well, there are certainly many of us who are concerned about how we're perceived as a conference, which is why we want to get through this process in an orderly fashion, and then get back to doing the business of the American people, which means committee hearings, our investigations, and then passing the appropriations bills, which we have already started.
We've already passed four appropriations bills. But we need to have individuals who are willing to work with the conference to get these passed instead of bringing down rules when they're brought up to the House floor.
BERMAN: So, one of the things that has already happened by, I suppose, the temporary people running the conference is they kicked Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, Democratic members, out of their capitol building hideaway offices. How do you feel about that?
MILLER-MEEKS: Well, I think if these were offices that were meant for the Speaker of the House, and although I have respect for Pelosi as a former speaker and what she was able to do for her conference for the Democrat Party, if they're no longer speaker and those were offices that were given to them as speaker, they should be vacated.
BERMAN: Do -- you say you have respect for what you did for her party. Do you think she held her caucus together better than you've been holding the Republican conference together?
MILLER-MEEKS: Well, I've not been holding. I'm not the speaker, nor do I wish --
BERMAN: You, personally. I mean, Republicans have.
MILLER-MEEKS: Nor do I wish to be speaker. But I think that you know, Speaker Pelosi was successful as a Democrat speaker.
BERMAN: Oh, thank you for making news right there. You are officially not a candidate, as of right now, to be the next Speaker of the House. You made that announcement right here on CNN. I do want to ask you about aid to Ukraine because --
MILLER-MEEKS: Breaking news.
BERMAN: Breaking news. As recently as a few months ago, you were actually critical of the Biden administration for not doing more in terms of getting support for Ukraine. That was March, I believe. Well, what about now? How do you feel --
[11:40:06]
MILLER-MEEKS: I'm still critical of the Biden administration.
BERMAN: OK, so on that front --
MILLER-MEEKS: I'm still critical of the Biden administration. I think --
BERMAN: On that front, how concerned -- how concerned are you? How concerned are you that the next Republican Speaker won't be able to get new aid to Ukraine through?
MILLER-MEEKS: Well, I think first and foremost, I have said this from the beginning. The president needs to make a national address on why we need to be involved in Ukraine. This comes from the president.
It should come from the administration. They're in the capacity to do that, and they have failed to do so. They have also moved slowly. They were slow to apply sanctions. Slow to respond.
So, the American people deserve to know what our involvement is in Ukraine, whether we're into when, what the oversight is for Ukraine, especially given the president's previous dealings with Ukraine when he was vice president. The American people deserve all of that. And that needs to come from high-level leadership. And that has been lacking.
BERMAN: All right. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, not a candidate for speaker, we do appreciate your time with us this morning. Please come back.
MILLER-MEEKS: Thank you so much, John.
BERMAN: Kate?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And, next. We're actually going to go live to Ukraine to see what the impact could be on the frontlines of the paralysis in Washington that John was just talking about. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:41]
BOLDUAN: Kevin McCarthy's ouster from House speakership not only paralyzing the work of a House it's also throwing into doubt now the continued support for Ukraine that Congress needs to approve without a speaker of the House can't act and so on and so forth. That leaves the Biden administration's current $24 billion requests for fresh military aid for Ukraine in serious limbo. So, how does this all look from Ukraine now?
CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Eastern Ukraine for us. He joins us now. Fred, what are you hearing from there?
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kate. Well, we were actually on the battlefield here in Eastern Ukraine earlier today, and we asked the troops down there about all this. And they said they're absolutely concerned about what's going on in the House right now. Whether or not there could be delays in U.S. funding, which of course, then would most probably translate into delays of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine as well.
And, first of all, just to set the scene. I think people who would come down here find remarkable how much American gear is already on the ground here, how many weapons, how many vehicles, and then of course, also ammunition as well. But the troops that we spoke to on the ground there who were using American weapons, they told us that they were already running short on ammo for those weapons.
Howitzer ammo, 105-millimeter, and 155-millimeter ammo is something they really need. And they understand that you know, if there is some sort of hold-up in some sort of delay with certain types of ammunition, maybe some European partners could step in and bridge that gap for a while.
But there are things here in Ukraine that the Ukrainians are constantly using here on the front line that only the United States can supply. If you look at, for instance, the ammunition for multiple rocket launchers which is being used to a great deal here. Those HIMARS rocket launchers, that's something they can only get from the U.S. So, right now, a great deal of concern, I have to say, from frontline troops about what's going on in the United States.
And all this comes, Kate, as Ukrainians are trying to press an offensive here in the east of the country as well, where they need more ammunition anyway. And now that uncertainty certainly makes things a lot more difficult for them. They say in any case, whether or not more aid comes, they're going to have to keep fighting because they believe, for them, everything is at stake. But the big question for them is, can they keep winning if there are holdups in U.S. aid? Kate.
BOLDUAN: Yes, no matter what is happening in the -- in the chaotic House, they have to keep fighting. But are they being set up to succeed, which everyone says they must? Fred Pleitgen, it's good to see you. Thanks, buddy. John?
BERMAN: All right, you're about to get a really, really, really loud sound on your phone. So, why today, and what are you supposed to do about it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:52:35]
SIDNER: Do not panic. In the next three hours or so --
BOLDUAN: Three hours or so.
SIDNER: You're going to hear a really ear-piercing sound coming from your cell phone. It is an emergency alert. At 2:20, the federal government is conducting a nationwide test of its alerts. This is only the second time in history that they've actually sent these alerts out to iPhones, which is what we all have. It used to be just on television and on broadcast television itself.
CNN's Omar Jimenez is with us now. Omar, why are the testing out again?
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, for starters, they just want to make sure -- the federal government wants to make sure that if there's an emergency -- if there's something super imminent that they can reach people in a timely manner. And of course, it adds to what was previously just on T.V. and radio, at least historically. Now, as you mentioned, don't panic when you get it.
But it's going to go out at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time. If you've got a cell phone, if you got service, you're getting it. You really can't opt out of it.
And specifically, this message is going to say that this is a test. It's going to remind people. But this is a test of the national wireless emergency alert system.
No action is needed. And you're going to get it whether you're in school, in an important meeting, airport, you name it. That said, if for whatever reason, you don't want to get it either for safety reasons or otherwise, turn your phone off from 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time to 2:50 Eastern Time.
BERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) If you can hear this.
JIMENEZ: It is -- it is. Just go off the grid for a little.
SIDNER: Shut it down.
JIMENEZ: Airplane mode.
BOLDUAN: Exactly where you're not -- (INAUDIBLE)
JIMENEZ: Exactly. But you know, some people might be in a situation where they just feel like I can't deal with this and might put them in danger or whatever, you have the option to do it.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
JIMENEZ: But that's not the point of the test.
BOLDUAN: You can -- what? You can turn your phone off?
JIMENEZ: Exactly.
BERMAN: That's madness. What you're saying is madness. You can't turn your phone off.
JIMENEZ: Exactly.
BOLDUAN: Why 2:20?
JIMENEZ: And just so you hear, I'm going to play it just --
BERMAN: No.
BOLDUAN: No.
SIDNER: No.
JIMENEZ: I'm just kidding.
BERMAN: So that's -- so this is the thing.
JIMENEZ: I'm just kidding.
BERMAN: By the way, I'd never received so many internal e-mails --
BOLDUAN: You had an entire hot flash.
BERMAN: Because we can't play you any part of what this will sound like.
SIDNER: No.
JIMENEZ: You can't. no.
BERMAN: Because if this sound gets broadcast, it does mean --
SIDNER: That there's an emergency.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: Your voice sounds a little bit like the old announcement.
BERMAN: So, I grew up, one of my favorite shows --
JIMENEZ: (INAUDIBLE)
BERMAN: You know on --
BOLDUAN: Yes. I don't know if he should.
BERMAN: I know it won't. Channel 56 during the Brady Bunch. Occasionally, I will say, though, this is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. In the event of an actual emergency, you know, blah, blah, blah.
BOLDUAN: I mean it's --
JIMENEZ: Yes. That gets -- this is a test.
SIDNER: You're hired.
BOLDUAN: Does a lot of tones.
BERMAN: It is only a test.
BOLDUAN: I think you should talk like that all the time. Stop talking in this mousy voice you do right now.
[11:55:01]
JIMENEZ: Mousy? Whoa.
BERMAN: That's an emergency right there. That's an emergency.
BOLDUAN: I can because I love you. You know this.
BERMAN: Love.
SIDNER: It's out of love. And as you know, I admire you which is what you tweeted today from my account. But other than that --
BERMAN: 2:20 p.m.?
JIMENEZ: 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time.
BOLDUAN: Why 2:20?
JIMENEZ: The range is 2:50 -- 2:20 to 2:50.
BOLDUAN: All right.
JIMENEZ: You only going to get the message once. But that range is important if you have your phone off or whatever, and you finally get a signal at 2:40, that meant -- that alerts still going come in. So, that's that range.
SIDNER: Can we just say this is government working unlike what's going on? I hate to bring it back around.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: That's going to be the next breaking news alert is they can't send out the alert --
SIDNER: Because nobody in Congress.
BOLDUAN: Because the Congress can't get their act together.
SIDNER: What a mess.
BOLDUAN: I am kidding.
JIMENEZ: And we're back to square one.
SIDNER: Thank you so much, Omar. We are about to turn our phones off. Thank you so much for joining us.
BOLDUAN: I really -- (INAUDIBLE)
SIDNER: Turn off your phones. Enjoy your life. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. But do watch "INSIDE POLITICS" which is up next.
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