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Teen Plotted to Attach Ohio Synagogue; Putin: No Peace in Ukraine Until Russia Achieves Its Goals; Man Wrongfully Convicted of Child's Murder Freed After 35 Years. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 14, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Details on that in just moments.

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SANCHEZ: A 13-year-old is now in custody after being accused of plotting to attack a synagogue in Ohio.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: According to court documents, the teen had posted a detailed plan to commit a mass shooting at a Jewish temple in the city of Canton. Now this was back in September, before the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7th that sparked the ongoing war with Israel.

CNN's Brynn Gingras joins us now live with more details. So, Brynn, how did law enforcement find out about this alleged plot?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pam and Boris, we've just learned that this detailed plan was posted online on the social media site Discord, and its actually people, analysts inside Discord who were tracking this sort of thing and then alerted the FBI. And from their local authorities were also alerted. And of course, that triggered a bunch of alerts to the local synagogue where the threats were being talked about and also this teenager's school.

And so, the law enforcement basically said it caused a significant public alarm and then the teenager was arrested. Now it's very unclear exactly from the court documents because this person is a juvenile. There isn't much detail about what exactly this plan entailed. And also, really not much detail of what happened when the arrest took place. Were there any weapons? Was there -- how serious was this plan? Those are all questions that are still outstanding.

However, that teenager has been charged with two misdemeanors, inducing panic and disorderly conduct. As you guys mentioned, this happened back in September before the October 7th attack in Israel. But of course, we know that the anti-Semitic incidents have been occurring and have been going on and certainly heightened prior to the war and then really a surge after it. Both anti-Semitic incidents and incidents against Muslims and Arabs as well. But for this particular incident, the ADL did release a statement

saying that they were horrified by what they learned and also, for young people like this suspect, we hope this can be a teachable moment. Hate and threats on social media, as in real life, cannot and will not be tolerated.

Now this teen is expected back in juvenile court next week and my understanding is the judge will then decide what sort of punishment they'll face, guys.

BROWN: All right, Brynn Gingras, thank you so much.

And still ahead, what Vladimir Putin says needs to change for Moscow to restore relations with the U.S.

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No peace in Ukraine until Russia achieves its goals. That's the message today from Vladimir Putin. Speaking for several hours this morning in his first conference since invading Ukraine. The Russian President claimed his country is making gains in the war and that if Ukraine does not stand down and accept Russia's terms, Moscow will have to, quote, solve the problem by force.

Joining us now with more is Steve Hall, former CIA chief of Russia operation. So, Steve Putin said solve the problem by force. What do you make of that? It just more tough talk from a strong man or more of a real threat for Ukraine. I mean, they're already using a lot of force.

STEVE HALL, FORMER CIA CHIEF OF RUSSIA OPERATIONS: Right, one wonders, what does he mean? I mean, we're going to, you know, there's going to be even more force than already the massive force that he's already used. Much to the detriment I might add, of the Russian military, which has lost significant, not only personnel, but military armaments on the ground.

I mean, and this is like in the bad old days, we used to watch these, you know, the Russian leaders, the Soviet leaders on top of Lenin's tomb and try to figure out what they meant by where they stood. This is a little bit like, it's the modern-day version of Putin trying to get the word out through himself and through his propagandists. And, you know, he's saying, yes, things are going pretty well in Ukraine. Not really true for Russia.

One thing that is interesting is to watch his propagandists talk about what's going on in the United States and the perceived softness and the continued support for Ukraine, both in the United States and possibly in Europe. So those are the themes that Putin through himself in presentations like this, as well as through his propagandists on their news channels that are trying to get through to Russians.

BROWN: It's interesting because during his interviewer speech there was a lot of, you know, it was all propaganda, right? But then on a background screen, there were some actually challenging questions. Like when will TV Russia align with real Russia? When we stopped killing Russians. What did you make of that?

HALL: Yes, there's a couple of fascinating moments where you saw some, some stuff that, you know, perhaps we could talk about in terms of, you know, opposition or disagreement with Putin. I think what is actually more reflective of is how difficult it is for the Kremlin these days, to try to filter out and keep the message on point. I mean in the bad old days, again, you know he would -- Putin would just pick up a phone and, you know, cancel the newspaper, or take a television station.

But when you've got -- when you've got these Telegram channels and other stuff on the internet, it is much more difficult for the FSB, the Internal Security Service, to try to monitor and to try to track all those people down. It's really, really much more difficult. So, it's a -- it's a delicate balancing act to be trying to answer the questions he wants to answer. But also opening up the floor a little bit to stuff that he'd rather not deal with.

BROWN: And the speech, of course, comes as continued aid to Ukraine has stalled in the U.S. Putin gloating that, quote, freebies that Ukraine gets from Western allies is ending. How much of an opening does Putin sense here?

HALL: Well, I think he's very hopeful.

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But I think one of the things that that Putin misunderstands a bit or perhaps understands it just doesn't want to talk about, is that the democratic process, whether it's accession to the EU as came today in the European context or a continued funding from the United States. Those are all part of a very messy democratic process. Which of course, Putin doesn't have to worry about. He just he just rules with an iron hand. There's no -- there's nobody that's questioning where he's sending money or questioning what his motivations are or how long his support will go on for trying to take Ukraine down. He doesn't have to deal with that. In the West, of course, we've got democracies that have to wrestle with these problems much more publicly, and he'll take advantage of that every single time and try to get out to his people in Russia that, yeah, support is weakening.

BROWN: All right, Steve Hall, as always, really good to hear your analysis. Thank you.

And moments ago, Biden was asked about Israel's war in Gaza. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want Israel to scale back its assault on Gaza? By the end of the year do you want them to tone it down, move to a lower intensity phase?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives, not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: A man in Illinois -- as we just heard from President Biden there, speaking about that -- a man in Illinois -- I want to switched gears now -- out of prison after spending. 35 years behind bars for a murder he didn't commit. He joins us live up next.

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SANCHEZ: This is the moment Brian Beals was waiting for, for decades. Freed from prison after 35 years, convicted for a murder he did not commit. You see him hugging his sister and niece as he begins a new chapter of his life.

Back in 1988, Beals was a college athlete studying to become a police officer, and on one unlucky day, according to the Illinois Innocence Project, a local drug supplier in Chicago threatened him. And as Beales fled bullets that were meant for him struck a six-year-old boy and his mother, ultimately killing the child. In a twist of fate, Beals was convicted for that murder primarily on the mother's testimony, even though she was never shown any lineups or photographs. 35 years later, newly surfaced evidence and testimony finally cleared his name, and his conviction was vacated. Brian Beals joins us now live. Brian, thank you so much for being with us. First and foremost, I just wonder how you are doing.

BRIAN BEALS, EXONERATED AND RELEASED AFTER 35 YEARS IN PRISON: I'm doing great. You know, last night I had dinner with three generations of my family. It went a long way toward healing the wounds, you know, and getting me setting focused on the future.

SANCHEZ: I'm glad to hear that that you can share some time with them. You know, the world is a completely different place now than it was in 1988 when you were wrongfully convicted. I'm wondering what the biggest challenge has been for you so far. What are you most excited to experience?

BEALS: You know, technology is challenging. I got a phone yesterday. I'm trying to figure out how to work it. Yeah, and just seeing the city and the way it moves. Just watching automobiles, just the feel of everything. It's going to take some time to get used to it.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I'm sure it's got to be head spinning to experience what it's like to see just the things that phones are capable of now. The things that day-to-day have changed since the 80s. Let's take a step back and walk us through the process to get you free.

BEALS: Yeah, my sister, she's been a tireless advocate for me for all 35 years in my incarceration. Often time meeting opposition, just continue to work and fight on my behalf. And finally, she met this excellent team of lawyers from Innocence Project. They came in and amount of months unraveled, you know, would have been a terrible situation. And I'm just so grateful to her and that team. SANCHEZ: Yes, she sounds like an amazing person and it's got to feel

so good to finally be heard. You know, the Cook County state attorney said in a statement that your wrongful conviction represents, a quote, grave miscarriage of justice, not only for you, but also for the victim and their family who've been denied true justice for decades. I'm wondering, Sir, what's your message to that family? Have you been in touch at all?

BEALS: I have not been in touch, but you know, I really hope that, you know, through this process and coming to, you know, get a -- and hope there's healing on their behalf to you know, I hope that at some point, you know, justice can be there for them as it has for me.

SANCHEZ: Yes, you were studying to become a law enforcement officer. You, I imagine, saw a lot in the courtroom on the other side of that process. What did you take from that experience? What do you think needs to change in the justice system?

BEALS: Yeah, specifically my major was administrator with justice. And so, I feel like after spending 35 years within the system, you know, I've learned so much and I want to take my I've learned and become an advocate for our prisoners, incarcerated people. You know, that's my plan moving forward and balance that with building a life.

SANCHEZ: Brian, that is so inspiring because I don't sense any of what I imagine I might feel in a situation like that. You had 35 years of your life taken from you and I don't sense any bitterness or any anger. Do you feel like you're going to seek compensation for that lost time, for that wrongful conviction?

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BEALS: You know, I spent my time incarcerated helping others. I was a peer educator, a program creator, and that really saw me through. And the friendships and the camaraderie that I developed with guys. And I want to continue focusing on helping those guys and whatever else happens, it happens, you know.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we should point out just this week, four wrongful convictions have been overturned and folks were released across the country. I imagine there are other folks in the same situation that you were in right now. Innocent behind bars, hoping they get a chance to prove it. What would you say to them?

BEALS: So the system is broken and we really got to pay attention to what's wrong with the system. And I want those guys to keep the faith. It took 35 years for the truth to come out in my case. Hopefully it doesn't take as long, but stay in the fight, stay focused and ultimately man, you know, whatever, whatever happens, just be a, you know, just stay in the fight.

SANCHEZ: Brian Beals, we're so grateful for your time and we're glad that that you are a free man now. We look forward to keeping in touch with you in the future. Thanks so much for joining us.

BEALS: All right, thanks a lot, Boris. SANCHEZ: Of course, take care. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts

right now.