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During Closing Arguments, Trump Storms Out the Courtroom; Judge Threatens to "Lock Up" Trump's Attorney; Trials of School Shooter's Mother Resumes Today; Americans' Perception of the Economy as Somewhat Improving, According to Pew Poll; Maine Sea Level Expected to Rise 4 Feet by the Year 2100. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 26, 2024 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: All right. We do have breaking news. A whole lot going on, all of a sudden, inside the closing arguments in the defamation damages trial against Donald Trump. Trump walked into the courtroom late, he walked out when the plaintiffs were delivering their closing arguments. At one point the judge had to warn defense lawyers they were close to being thrown in the lock-up.

Let's get right to CNN's Kara Scannell, who ran out from inside that courtroom to give us an explanation of what was going on. Kara, what have you been seeing?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. An eventful day this morning, to say the least, that had nothing to do with even the closing arguments. So, it began, as you say, when Donald Trump's team was already late, which the judge noted when he took the bench. Then Donald Trump did enter the courtroom, and they were arguing still, before the jury even got in there, about a slide that that Trump's team wanted to use in their presentation. And Carroll's lawyer said, it included things that were not in evidence in the case. The judge said it was out.

That's when Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, stood up to challenge the judge on his ruling. He has made it very clear throughout this trial, when he rules, he rules, and that's it. She started to challenge him. He had hit his limit and said, you are on the verge of spending some time in the lock-up. Now, sit down.

Now, then at this point, we were moving into closing arguments. The jury was brought in, and Carroll's team started their, their statements by telling the jury, you know, what this case was about, the statements that Donald Trump had made.

[10:35:00]

And they -- she was -- Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, was specifically saying at this moment that Trump didn't respect the jury verdict last year, and that he hasn't even respected it -- he didn't even respect it for 24 hours because that's when he went on the CNN Town Hall, repeating the statements that the jury had just found to be defamatory.

It was at that moment that Trump got up from his seat, just stood up, turned, and walked out of the courtroom abruptly. That moment the judge interrupted Carroll's attorney saying, for the record -- for the court reporter to say that Donald Trump had just got up and left the courtroom. And then Carroll's lawyer continued doing her closing arguments. And on the closing arguments on the merit of this case, she's reminding the jury that Trump is not above the law, that anyone should be held responsible for statements anyone else would.

And so, Donald Trump should also, they are asking the jury to award Carroll more than 12 million dollars in this case, John.

BERMAN: Did Trump ever walk back in, Kara, that you saw?

SCANNELL: No, Trump hasn't returned. One of his lawyers, Boris Epshteyn, who works with him on the campaign did walk back into the courtroom at one point and was standing and the judge told him, calling him out by name to sit down. So, the judge is not taking any more interruptions in this case, and we have not seen Donald Trump up here. We also haven't seen the motorcade leave. So, it appears he still be in the courthouse, just not in the courtroom.

BERMAN: So, he's somewhere, presumably, inside that courthouse. May be waiting for when his attorneys present their closing arguments. Any sense of when that will begin?

SCANNELL: So, Carroll's team has said they would go for about an hour, and they had a little bit of a late start, so she probably has a bit more to go. But then we do expect Alina Habba, Trump's attorney, to do her closing statement, they also estimate that will be an hour, and then the judge will instruct the jury. So, I think we are going to look to see if he does return when his lawyer is giving the statements. But what's so interesting, John, at the outset of this, the judge said he didn't want anyone, not the parties, not the individuals and no one in the courtroom to do anything to interrupt these closing arguments.

BERMAN: Well, let's see how that's gone so far. I mean, obviously, an eventful morning as you say. Kara, it's terrific having you explain to us what you're seeing here because it isn't unfolding, I think, as the judge was hoping. Kara Scannell, outside court. We'll let you get back inside. Keep us posted.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: So, we're going to be continuing to bring you updates on what's happening in New York Federal Courtroom.

Right now, also, a jury in Michigan is hearing more witness testimony and the jury is facing an unprecedented question. Should a mother be held criminally responsible after her son committed the worst school shooting in the state's history? Court today began with tension as Jennifer Crumbley's defense attorney argued with the judge over testimony. Now, you remember, she and her husband are charged after their son killed four of his classmates at Oxford High School in 2021. Their son, he will spend his life in prison after pleading guilty.

Let's go back to today now and what's happening in court still. Jean Cazares has been following this very closely. And you've been watching all of these proceedings live. What's happening?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of argument in this courtroom, too, today. It just started out with a bang because the defense, long time ago, said we want to put our son on the stand. We want the shooter, Ethan Crumbley, to take the stand during the defense case. Well now, the defense is saying that they are understanding that their son -- Jennifer Crumbley's son is going to plead the Fifth that he will not testify.

But the prosecution is going to bring in all these texts that he texted his friends saying, you know, I told my friends I wanted mental health treatment and they laugh at me, they won't help me. But he admitted to psychiatrists that it was all a lie. That he had never said anything like that to his parents. Here is the judge responding to the defense attorney that says, I have no way to cross-examine those texts. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE CHERYL MATTHEWS, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: I think it's disingenuous for the defense to say that they're surprised that the shooter would be taking the tip. You're -- you are a very smart, very experienced attorney. And I -- you know, all this stuff is sitting on my desk. There's a case jacked (ph) on me, right? You can't put someone on the stand knowing that they're going to take the fit. And aside from a shooter, what's your favorite color? What question could you ask him that would not implicate his Fifth Amendment rights?

SHANNON SMITH, JENNIFER CRUMBLEY'S ATTORNEY: OK. I -- I'm sorry. I -- this has to be a clear record. I --

MATTHEWS: It's not going to be a clear record now --

SMITH: Well --

MATTHEWS: -- because the jury is sitting there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: So along with that, the judge hasn't made the final ruling, but it appears as though the defense is also not going to get a win because they want those psychiatrists, the jail psychiatrists, to take the stand or to have the medical records where it's documented that he lied to his friends saying he asked his parents for help.

[10:40:00]

BOLDUAN: There is so much to this. And the text messages, even beyond the ones you're citing here, the text messages between Ethan Crumbley and his parents around it. I mean, there's so much. This is such a tragedy what has happened.

CASAREZ: And you know, the defense has a right to a fair trial, but you also have a privilege against self-incrimination. And Ethan Crumbley's attorneys are appealing the life in prison without any possibility of parole. They want possibility of parole for him in Michigan.

BOLDUAN: That's clearly a part of all of this.

CASAREZ: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Jean, thank you so much. It's under -- it's going -- it's continuing as we speak. Jean's going to be back with more updates for us. We'll be right back.

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[10:45:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: New data this morning shows big progress toward the Federal Reserve's inflation goals. The Central Bank's favorite inflation gauge, the PCE Index, held steady at 2.6 percent in December. That is 0.6 percentage points from the Fed's goal of two percent. The report comes as new Pew Research Poll shows Americans view of the economy has gotten a little brighter. But President Biden's approval rating still remains low as he embraces the improving economy on the campaign trail.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is at the White House with more. People are spending more. People are -- seem to be pretty happy with the gas prices. The prices have dropped some. And yet, Biden doesn't seem to be getting any of the credit for this. Is that what you're hearing?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, that's the challenge for the White House and for the Biden campaign is making the connection to voters that what they're feeling is connected, the White House says, to what President Biden has done for the economy. And just moments ago, he touted this PCE report saying that it is, "An important milestone that means more breathing room for working families."

Now, the way the president is going to try to convey this message is by hitting the road. And a clear example of that is his pitch in Wisconsin just yesterday, where he made the connection between his legislative accomplishments on infrastructure and a transit point between Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the fresh round of funding that was going to that bridge. That he called a vital link for the U.S. economy.

And so, that is what he will be doing over the months to come. Is visiting different places, including battleground Wisconsin to make the connection to voters that what they are seeing and feeling on the ground is directly correlated to what he's done in Washington over the last three years.

Now, his polling has shown that that hasn't quite resonated yet, and so this will be a challenge. But you can expect to hear from the White House over the course of today and in the months to come that there are positive indicators in the economy that voters will feel and perhaps feel a little brighter about moving into November. Sara.

SIDNER: Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much for all your reporting there from the White House.

I think I'm tossing it? Yes, you.

BERMAN: It's me.

SIDNER: It's you.

BERMAN: All right.

SIDNER: I'm glad to see you.

BERMAN: Coastal storms this winter have washed away businesses that have stood for generations.

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[10:50:00]

BOLDUAN: The State of Maine is bracing for sea levels to rise by a foot and a half in the next 25 years, rising four feet by the year 2100. But way before then, this coastline is already seeing the real damage in real time. CNN's Bill Weir goes to New England to see just how fast things are changing from the climate crisis.

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BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a planet warm to record highs by fossil fuel pollution, the Gulf of Maine is among those corners of Earth overheating the fastest. This is driving lobster and cod further offshore, making it harder to make a living off of the sea. But then the warming climate brought another devastating blow this month.

Two of them, actually. Back-to-back, freakishly wet winter storms that came not from the typical northeast, but from the south. And at record high tide, a combination that brought down wharves and docks that have been part of the landscape for generations.

WEIR: So, this is -- was what that was there?

GUY BAKER, HARPSWELL, MAIN LOBSTERMAN: Yes, the whole building.

WEIR: No way. This is -- that's what's left of it.

BAKER: Yes. Just generations and generations of stuff. And, you know, there's a lot of memory down there.

WEIR (voice-over): Meanwhile, in South Portland, the storm surge took three iconic fish shacks built on Willard Beach 136 years ago. MAYOR MISHA PRIDE, SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE: Pretty obvious they're gone, you know. If you've never been here before, you might not have a clue.

WEIR: Who wouldn't know, right? But that --

PRIDE: And they didn't leave any kind of impression up there either. There's no --

WEIR: No trace.

PRIDE: There's no trace of them whatsoever. So, the only impression we have is an emotional.

WEIR: It's in here, right?

WEIR (voice-over): The storms buried the last high-water record literally.

PRIDE: Down there in the hull is the 1978 blizzard high watermark.

WEIR: Is that right?

PRIDE: That's right. It was covered by sand in this most recent storm.

WEIR (voice-over): But all of this is what happens after just seven and a half inches of sea level rise in the last 100 years. And scientists telling Maine to brace for much more in the next 25.

HANNAH BARANES, GULF OF MAIN RESEARCH INSTITUTE: Maine is preparing for a foot and a half of sea level rise by 2050 and four feet by 2100. Mainers are resilient. So, there are people who are experiencing devastating intergenerational loss right now. And almost in the same breath, they are recognizing the realities of climate change and saying, how high and how strong do I need to rebuild, or do I rebuild at all?

WEIR: Were you insured?

BAKER: No, no insurance. It's so expensive for insurance for anything over the water.

WEIR: Yes.

BAKER: So, like me and whoever, you just can't afford it.

WEIR (voice-over): Monique Coombs advocates for fishermen, which these days includes sounding the alarm of a growing mental health crisis.

MONIQUE COOMBS, MAINE COAST FISHERMEN'S ASSOCIATION: You have memories there. You learn to fish there. Your kids learn to fish there. And then these storms come along and it's completely gone. That coupled with your community changing because now there is more mansions than there are fish houses, that takes processing. That's a sense of loss and grief and a way of life that's, sort of, fading.

[10:55:00]

And it's -- we're in a precarious position in the industry right now, but fishermen are some of the most resilient people I know. They are stubborn, which is a blessing and a curse, and they are a really good problem solver. So, if anybody can build back after storms, if anybody can contend with climate change, I think it's those guys and gal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REEVE (on camera): So, the next time you have a lobster roll, spare a thought for the families up here. Another abnormally warm winter storm for this weekend up here. Maybe a little bit of snow in Northern Maine, but this is also a blow to the winter sports towns of New England. Thinking about intergenerational loss. Kate, New England is no weather, but not like this.

BOLDUAN: And we say this over and over. We're showing the video again of those fishing shacks built 136 years ago, you said, and wiped out in minutes. It's not the coming crisis. It's the current crisis. Forget where it's going to be in 25 years or beyond. What you're seeing and showing is things need to happen right now.

WEIR: It's here.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, Bill. Thanks for doing it.

WEIR: Amen.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much.

John.

WEIR: You bet.

BERMAN: All right. Breaking news, relief workers for U.N. agency fired after stunning allegations that they were involved in the October 7th Hamas terror attack.

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