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Texas Death Row Inmate Set For Execution Despite Pleas For Delay; U.S.-Made Moon Lander Shares New Image Of Historic Touchdown; Treasury Department Fights Fraud With AI. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 28, 2024 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Despite repeated calls for a delay, tonight the state of Texas is expected to execute a man who says that he was wrongfully convicted of murder. Ivan Cantu says he should get a new trial based on new evidence. He was convicted 20 years ago of killing two family members.

But now even the foreman for the jury that convicted him penned an op- ed, saying he's having second thoughts about the case.

CNN senior national correspondent Ed Lavandera spoke with Cantu and his family. He joins us now live from the prison where tonight's execution is set to take place. Ed, walk us through this new evidence that Cantu says proves he is innocent.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ivan Cantu was convicted and sent to death row back in 2001 for the murders of his cousin James Mosqueda and his fiancee Amy Kitchen. But in just the last few years, after a private investigator started digging into this and developing a podcast, more than 40 episodes called "Cousins by Blood," serious questions started to be raised about the quality of the defense that he got in that trial and also questions about whether or not two of the prosecutor's key witnesses lied on the witness stand.

At the time, Ivan Cantu's girlfriend said that he had confessed to her, had actually taken her to the crime scene. But in that podcast, there were serious questions about whether or not she lied about a great deal of her testimony. Her brother, who also testified against Cantu, has recanted his testimony to investigators as well.

And there's also questions about evidence, which included bloody jeans with the victim's blood that was found, allegedly found, at Cantu's apartment. They say that that was probably placed there. Cantu's supporters believe he was framed.

We spent part of yesterday with Ivan Cantu's mother as she was making one of the last trips to the prison where Ivan Cantu has spent the last 22 years. This is one of her last visits, and this is what she told us here as the hours approach her son's execution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SYLVIA CANTU, IVAN CANTU'S MOTHER: I'm still waiting for a state of execution. And until I hear that, I'm still going full forward in believing that he's going to be spared, that somebody's going to get their senses about them and stop this and push the pause button and allow his voice to be heard.

[15:35:00]

LAVANDERA: Do you ever stop and think of your life without your son in it?

CANTU: No. Not one time. I'm hoping that I die before my children, if I would have it different. I'd trade my life for Ivan's. Take me, not him. He deserves to live.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (on camera): And, Boris, despite these last-minute legal appeals, everything has been rejected. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, a federal appeals court has also rejected very intensely, in fact, calling Ivan Cantu's last- minute legal filings a, quote, abuse.

So he has now arrived here at the prison where the execution chamber is in Texas. We were told by prison officials that when he arrived here, he looked anxious and nervous, and this execution is scheduled to take place around any time after 6 p.m. Central Time in about three and a half hours or so -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Ed Lavandera, live from Huntsville, Texas. Ed, thank you so much.

Days after a U.S.-made spacecraft landed on the moon for the first time in decades, it's still beaming us pictures, even after falling over during its landing, where NASA says we've been able to learn from this historic mission.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: This just in, NASA and Intuitive Machines have just released historic new images captured by the U.S.-made moon lander, Odysseus, and they show the moment of touchdown on the lunar surface, marking the first American-made spacecraft to land on the moon in 50 years. NASA and Intuitive Machines are declaring this mission a success.

We have CNN space and defense correspondent, Kristen Fisher, here with us. All right, so officials just held a press conference. Tell us what you're learning and also what we're seeing in these images.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, first and foremost, we got the images that we've been waiting for since last Thursday when Odysseus first touched down on the surface of the moon, and I want to pop the money shot up right now. Because, Brianna, that's the image that everybody has wanted to see.

It is of Odysseus on the surface of the moon, and you can see it's just kind of tilted over about 30 degrees. That is where it just didn't quite stick the landing, Brianna. But you can clearly see the moon in the background for all the doubters out there, like perhaps even your co-anchor, Boris, yesterday.

It is now, you know, the company and NASA saying, look, it is proof that we are there, and then there's another image that's also pretty cool that just came out, and it is of Odysseus landing just seconds before landing, and you can see that 3D-printed engine spewing what's called lunar regolith.

That's the dust and rocks out from underneath it right before it lands, and you can even see a little broken leg there over on the left, which is part of the reason it tipped over.

But, you know, Brianna, we've got a lot of people who've got about five hours left of Odie being alive on the surface of the moon. But the company, Intuitive Machines, says they are just putting it to sleep for a little bit. They're going to try to wake it back up in two to three weeks once the sun comes back around. But overall, they believe this was an overwhelming success. All the payloads, sending back data, communicating. We now have these images.

And, Brianna, one more thing. They said if there was anything that they could do different on future missions, one of the things would be more cameras. The chief technology officer said, we got the message loud and clear, so, Boris, I think they were listening to him yesterday, and they know how critical those data are, and they've got more missions planned now.

KEILAR: I think so. You reminded me, though, with the landing in the 60s. It was also just audio, and then later came the pictures. We do have to remember that for all those doubters out there.

OK, this picture, it's really -- it's pretty amazing. I know you said the other one's the money shot, but this one looks so active, it looks like something out of a movie.

FISHER: And that little flag right there in the center at the bottom of that white rectangle, that was actually a flight-approved patch from back in 1970 at the peak of the Apollo program, really signifying what this moment is, the first American spacecraft to land since the Apollo program on the moon.

KEILAR: Very cool. All right, Kristin, thank you so much for that.

There are a lot of concerns about AI these days, but the Feds have apparently been using it to catch crooks with great success. We'll have details next.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: First on CNN, the Treasury Department has a powerful secret weapon up its sleeve to fight fraud. Artificial intelligence. And according to federal officials, it's really paying off.

CNN's Matt Egan joins us now. So, Matt, how well is AI paying off?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Boris, I'm told that this has been a game changer for the federal government. Now, starting in late 2022, the Treasury Department quietly started leaning on artificial intelligence to try to catch crooks who were basically trying to steal money from taxpayers. And this strategy is already paying dividends, especially when it comes to check fraud. Treasury officials say that AI has helped lead to multiple arrests.

And in fiscal 2023 alone, it allowed U.S. officials to recover an estimated $375 million. Again, that was just in the first full fiscal year. Now, this is the first time the Treasury is publicly acknowledging that it is turning to AI.

We know that this is something that is being used in the private sector. Banks and payment companies, credit card firms, they're all using AI to play defense. The IRS is also using it to go on offense.

The IRS recently said it's going to turn to this technology to try to comb through complex tax filings and find people who are trying to cheat on their taxes.

Now, we know that Uncle Sam really needs all the help it can get when it comes to fighting financial crime. We know that fraud spiked during COVID as the government handed out hundreds of billions of dollars in COVID aid.

[15:50:00]

And check fraud has been a particular problem, increasing by 385 percent since COVID. And now the federal government has this new weapon as it's trying to fight financial crime, and it's AI.

SANCHEZ: Matt Egan, quite an interesting story. 385 percent is a huge number. Thanks so much, Matt.

Still to come on NEWS CENTRAL, there is no way that Charlie's grandfather would have gotten out of bed for this. We're going to talk to a man hired to play Willy Wonka at a Wonka-themed experience that left kids crying and parents calling the cops. Wonka says he feels just as scammed. We'll be right back.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:55:00]

GENE WILDER, WILLY WONKA: Count to three. Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Some kids and parents really needed their imagination when they bought tickets for a Willy Wonka experience that was far less magical than that. So take a look at this. This was the website, the advertising, where people could buy tickets to Willy's Chocolate Experience in Glasgow, Scotland.

KEILAR: Looks amazing, except that is not what they got. No golden tickets here. Just this sad little gate with an event space there with some pretty terrible decorations. Cords duct taped to the floor, folding tables, a few actors dressed up as Oompa Loompas even.

SANCHEZ: Suffice it to say the snozzberries did not taste like snozzberries. Families found it to be overall underwhelming. The dreamers of dreams were not just unhappy, they were furious. They called the cops. The organizers are now offering full refunds to disappointed fans and they're saying they're not putting on any new events in the foreseeable future.

With us now, the man hired to play Willy Wonka at this immersive experience, Paul Connell. Paul, thank you so much for chatting with us about this. You say that this was a night that you want to forget. I'm wondering when you first suspected that something was off about this gig.

PAUL CONNELL, ACTED AS WILLY WONKA FOR "WILLY'S CHOCOLATE EXPERIENCE": And so, I basically offered the gig on Thursday. I think it was when I received the script. And upon reading it, it was AI-generated and just nonsense. It was 15 minutes long and I had one day to learn it. And to say it made no sense is an understatement.

So I think that was probably my first red flag that there's something not quite right at my chocolate factory.

KEILAR: And it was -- I mean, it was scary. It sounds like what AI generated. This was pretty terrifying for the kids. And tell us a little bit about that. And also, it appeared there was really no chocolate, no candy to assuage their being terrified.

CONNELL: Yes. You know, why would there be chocolate at the chocolate factory? No, we were asked to give the children a couple, like one or two jelly beans and a quarter of a cup of lemonade. And it was -- it was bad.

The script was absolute just nonsense. And you were saying about the scary parts. One of my favorite lines was, there was a line that was, there is a man, he is known as the unknown.

The unknown is an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls. And I, to this day, do not know what that means.

KEILAR: I don't want to know what that means, Paul.

SANCHEZ: I don't want to know what that means.

KEILAR: That sounds terrible. SANCHEZ: I'm really curious about what your thoughts were.

CONNELL: I've seen none.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I'm curious about what your thoughts were when you're walking through that set. You know it's an immersive experience and you see like a Candyland looking sheet sort of taped to a wall.

KEILAR: You're being generous.

SANCHEZ: Yes. What was going through your mind when you see like the Oompa Loompas? I saw a picture of an Oompa Loompa and she looked like one of the most miserable human beings I'd ever seen. What's going through your mind when you're seeing all of that?

CONNELL: So the first thing that's going through my mind is I was really sad for the children that have come to this. I mean, it was a world of imagination in that you had to imagine it was not an old warehouse in the center of Glasgow. But going through my head, I was sad for the children. But for me, it was just -- it was just so surreal.

I was in the middle of this abandoned warehouse. I had a top hat and a like cheap coat on and I was pretending to be Willy Wonka. It was, you know, there's no words to describe how surreal the experience is.

And now I'm on CNN talking about it. You could say it's been a strange week for me.

KEILAR: Yes. And also listen, Paul, for you too and the other actors, it was also a bummer, right? Because you were hoping that this was actually something and it turns out to be this huge disappointment. Tell us about that.

CONNELL: Yes, so me and a group of actors, we gathered together in the morning upon just the state of this warehouse. And we'd kind of said that, look, it's looking unlikely they're going to get paid for this event.

[16:00:00]

But the kids are coming anyway. Let's stay and let's try and just give the kids a good experience. But it was rough.

Like I was supposed to get regular breaks. And I was playing Willy Wonka for nearly four hours. I'd forgotten where I ended and Wonka began.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Quite the immersive experience.

KEILAR: Paul, thank you for talking to us. We're so sorry.

SANCHEZ: One jellybean a kid. Hey, "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.