Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Officials Reach Agreement to Reduce Migrant Crossings; University Demolishes Home of Murdered Students; Misty Marris is Interviewed about the Idaho House Demolition; AMC Apologizes to Civil Rights Leader. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired December 28, 2023 - 09:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:34:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, top U.S. and Mexican officials are hinting they've reached some sort of an agreement to try to reduce the record numbers of migrants that are coming into the U.S. over the southern border. Just Tuesday 6,000 migrants were apprehended along the border. That's actually down a bit from even higher numbers days earlier. And President Biden obviously feeling the political pressure.

CNN's Rosa Flores is at the border in Eagle Pass, where she's been for the week.

What are you learning about the outcome of yesterday's talks?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, the words that stood out to me were actually used by senior U.S. administration officials during readouts of these meetings. And what these officials said was that Mexico was going to crackdown on human smuggling and that they were committed to repatriation of migrants. Now, those are two commitments that the United States has also made that we've been tracking in the last few weeks as well. CBP announcing enhanced crackdowns on human smuggling a few weeks ago.

[09:35:04]

And then yesterday, while these talks were happening in Mexico, both DHS and ICE issued statements about repatriation flights, deportation flights from the United States to Central America and Venezuela, saying that it was the 11th repatriation flight to Venezuela. So, a commitment from both countries to crack down on human smuggling and also deportations. Now these would be legal consequences to illegal entry.

Now, we are also learning this morning from Mexico's president, there's an ongoing press conference right now. He says that that large caravan that formed in southern Mexico a few days ago, that started with thousands of migrants, now it has splintered into about 1,500 migrants. That a lot of the migrants splintered off into smaller groups and they might still be moving forward but they're not moving in that mass, mass group. And one other detail that we just learned from the border patrol chief

here in the Del Rio sector, which includes Eagle Pass. And, Sara, I want to nerd out with you on the numbers here a little bit because it tells the story. He says that about 22,000 migrants were apprehended in the Del Rio sector last week. Now, here's where we're nerding out. We have been reporting that the seven-day daily average of migrant apprehensions for the entire U.S. southern border was about 9,600 earlier this month. If you think about that, about a third of those apprehensions were happening right here where I am. That's why last week we saw those very large numbers of migrants standing in the open field that you see behind me, Sara, because just think about that, a third of all of the apprehensions on the U.S. southern border were happening right here.

Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, and you had those pictures, and you can really see the difference. And people don't know this about you, Rosa, but I do, you come from an accounting background, so you always nerd out with the numbers and we appreciate it. It gives us the facts. Thank you to you and your team.

BERMAN: I didn't know that Rosa Flores was an accountant.

SIDNER: Yes, see. Yes.

BERMAN: I have some issues I might have to bring up with her.

All right, demolition of the house where four Idaho college students were murdered. That demolition, you can see it happening, it is happening right now. This is very controversial. But I suppose the objections now too late. Some families wanted the houses -- families of the victims wanted this house to remain standing.

And, bumpy landing may not do it justice for the passengers on an American Airlines flight. Oh. Oh, wow. What happened as that plane touched down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:07]

SIDNER: All right, live pictures you are looking at right now. That is the scene of that gruesome murder that took the lives of four students. And that building, that home that was off campus, being demolished right before your eyes. Crews, you can see them, knocking down this off-campus house where those Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death this year. This is happening despite some of the families of the victims pleading with the university officials to preserve the home until after suspect Bryan Kohberger's trial. They argued it could still potentially provide critical evidence for a jury. Kohberger has been charged with four counts of murder. A trial date has not yet been set.

CNN's Veronica Miracle is live for us in Moscow, Idaho, this morning. Watching this being broken apart, while at the same time knowing that the victim's family members, many of them, do not want to see this. Like, how does the university square this?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a -- it's a pretty emotional and complicated issue, but one that the university stands behind. Just taking a look here at the demolition, this is happening actually ahead of schedule. This was supposed to start at 7:00 this morning Pacific Time, and they have just taken a bulldozer. They have pretty much levelled the second floor already. And they -- the university officials expected this demolition to be done in about a day.

They have been wanting to tear this building down since they received it. You can see this property from campus. They say it is a daily reminder of the horrific crimes that happened here. And they want the community to be able to heal. They want the students to be able to move forward.

University officials have also said that they have been working with the prosecutor's office every step of the way to make sure that when they did tear this down that it would be OK.

Take a listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JODI WALKER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO: The prosecutor last week who informed us that they are indeed finished with the house and that there is an Idaho code that actually says that the house has been changed enough on the interior as a result of the investigation that they wouldn't be allowed to take a jury there anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: Yes, we have to remember that the inside of the house -- the inside of the house before this teardown obviously it was cleaned by hazmat crews. They also had family members come in and get all of the belongings out. So, there was a lot that was done here prior to this demolition.

Send it back to you guys.

SIDNER: All right, Veronica Miracle, thank you to you and your team there in Moscow, Idaho.

BERMAN: All right, with us now, Misty Marris, attorney at law.

Misty, I have to say, this is surprising to us because we didn't think the demolition was going to start for a little while. There were still some legal issues. Would an injunction happen. Uh-uh, it's sort of game over there. This house is now being torn down. How surprised are you to see this happen?

[09:45:04] MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE AND TRIAL ATTORNEY: I was absolutely shocked to see that this demolition is going forward before the trial. And there's several reasons here. The demolition is moving forward because the owner had donated the property to the school after the murders happened, to the university. And the university has now decided that they are going to -- that they want to demolish the property. You know, this happened back in August that this began to unfold.

But what I would have thought would happen is that prosecutors would step in and say, no way, this is a critical piece of evidence in the case. It has to be preserved, like any other piece of evidence, through trial. However, in this case, prosecutors did not contest the demolition, nor did the defense attorneys. That, to me, was a pretty shocking part of this because that structure of the house, the fact that it's three floors, the logistics of how this horrific murder could have happened is of critical importance in the trial for both sides, the prosecution and defense. So, it's quite shocking that this is moving forward. But we don't even have a trial date yet. Meanwhile, the demolition is starting earlier than planned.

BERMAN: Yes, again, as I said, this debate is academic now because you can see these pictures of the house being destroyed here.

But if you were doing the prosecution, how would you have used the still standing house in your arguments?

MARRIS: Absolutely. This is a really important point, John, and this is why, from a trial perspective, I'm so surprised. Now, prosecutors, the district attorney made a statement that they did not intend to use the house for a jury site visit. A reminder to the folks watching, a jury site visit is when the jury actually goes to where a crime occurred and takes a look -- you know, it's worth so much more to see the actual property and the actual area where this happened. And particularly critical importance in this case where there's so many logistical issues about how this actually was done by one person.

And so the fact that we have prosecutors just saying, well, it doesn't fall under what the statute would allow. Meaning, the statute says that if the interior is substantially different from when the crime occurred that a site visit isn't permissible. Well, John, that's always an arguable point.

I expect the defense in this case to say, it would be impossible for one person to commit this murder. The defense will likely argue it wasn't Bryan, we don't know who it is, but it would be unlikely that one person could do this. And it will be up to the prosecution, who has the burden of proof, to explain to the jurors sitting in that box how two murders occur on the third floor, two murders on the second floor, and an exit on the first floor is feasible. As we talk about it right now, thinking about those logistics of what the prosecutors intend to prove with respect to Kohberger, seeing the property and the staircase and the angles, that is something that I would, from a prosecutorial perspective, be fighting very, very hard for.

Now, meanwhile, there are models, there's a lot of technology. Site visits are less common. But in this particular case, that property is so important and critical from an evidentiary perspective.

BERMAN: And now the arguments will have to be made without the benefit of actually being there and trying to show the jury how it could happen in their case on both floors.

Misty Marris, thank you very much.

MARRIS: Thank you, John.

SIDNER: All right, John, so, the reason why I didn't get you a big, fancy Christmas present is because there was no winner again in the Powerball jackpot. And it's now three quarters of a billion dollars.

BERMAN: With a "b."

SIDNER: So perhaps after the show it's something we can go do, you know, if you don't want to work for another week.

BERMAN: I would give you a small share of the winnings.

SIDNER: And a North Carolina civil rights leader kicked out of a screening of "The Color Purple," and it's all over the chair he was using. What happened? The controversy coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:53:02]

SIDNER: A very bumpy landing for an American Airlines flight. This topping our radar this morning. OK, watch this with me and listen to the commentator. It's a guy just taking video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, stop it!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: That's the best play-by-play you're ever going to hear. Stop it, he says.

BERMAN: Stop it.

SIDNER: Stop it right now.

BERMAN: Not jolly.

SIDNER: Poor guy. You got to love the Brits for that one. The flight was from Los Angeles, landing at London Heathrow Airport yesterday when it was hit by a huge gust of wind. Look at that. It drifted, dipped, bounced. You saw it all happen. Trying to land. But thank goodness it did land. The area has been impacted by a powerful storm that produced more than 200 high-wind reports with winds reaching 70 miles per hour. All right, something that will give you less of a stomachache. You now

you have 760 million reasons to get a Powerball ticket. No one won last night's jackpot. Apparently I'm just so excited I can't say it. Actually, there hasn't been a grand prize winner since October 11th. The jackpot now carries a lump sum option of 382 million smackeroos. The next drawing, Saturday night.

Oh, one more story. I'm too excited, I can't -- I can't do this one. Oh, Pierce. Oh, my dear. Another tourist is accused of breaking the rules at Yellowstone National Park. This time it's former "James Bond" star Pierce Brosnan. He's accused of leaving the boardwalk to get a closer look at a hot springs at an off limit area of the park last month. He was cited with petty offenses for, quote, "foot travel all in a thermal area," and "violating closures and use limits." Yellowstone is home to more than 500 active geysers. In recent years visitors have been caught behaving badly at the park, doing things like taking up close selfies with bison and wondering in unstable areas near scalding geysers.

[09:55:00]

Not John. He would never do it.

BERMAN: No, the rules apply to "Remington Steele." That's all I want to say here.

SIDNER: You want to go back there? OK.

BERMAN: The rules apply to "Remington Steele."

This morning, AMC is apologizing after a civil rights leader was kicked out of one of its theaters during a showing of "The Color Purple." Bishop William Barber says he was trying to see the film with his 90-year-old mother, but the staff called the police on him after he tried to use a special chair during the film. A chair that he says he uses because of an arthritic disability. Barber says he takes this chair with him everywhere he goes.

Nick Valencia is with us now.

What's going on here, Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, Reverend Barber has had some health issues that have been documented over the years. He walks with two canes. And as a result, he also uses this special chair to ease discomfort wherever he goes when he sits down. Well, he tried to set that chair up in the disabled section of the AMC 12 movie theater in Greenville, South Carolina. He had showed up there with his 90- year-old mother to see a screening of "The Color Purple." And then staff from the theater confronted him about it, said that he couldn't do that. Police were called. The theater staff had alleged that Barber was trespassing, tried to get him taken into custody. Ultimately, Barber left voluntarily and no charges were filed. But Barber saying that he was deeply disappointed how this was all handled. He said he tried the give the staff grace, but they were unwilling to do the right thing. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. WILLIAM BARBER, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF NORTH CAROLINA NAACP: I've been on Broadway (ph). I've been in the White House with this chair. They've called an officer of the law. The AME theater in Greenville, North Carolina, they will not make amends to simply do the right thing. But we'll deal with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Barber misspeaking there, calling it the AME theaters the AMC theater. Barber had scheduled a press conference for later today. That's been moved to Thursday.

Meanwhile, AMC seems to agree that they did not handle this well. Their leadership releasing a statement that said in part, "AMC's chairman and CEO Adam Aaron has already telephoned Reverend Barber and plans to meet with him in person in Greenville, North Carolina, next week to discuss both this situation and the good works Bishop Barber is engaged in throughout the years." So clearly something, you know, went wrong here, John.

BERMAN: OK, indeed.

Nick Valencia, thank you very much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, still ahead, as Donald Trump hopes the Supreme Court sides with him in Colorado, he sets his eye on another legal fight to boot him from the ballot. This time in Maine. We'll discuss, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)