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Trump Faces Backlash over Abortion; Norfolk Southern Reaches Settlement; 18-Year-Old Arrested for Planned Church Attacks; UConn Downs Purdue. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired April 09, 2024 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

SARA LONGWELL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: But there are also a lot of Republican voters, and we're running a campaign in D.C. right now using the voices of Republican voters that are urging Republicans to support Ukraine. And so the Republican Party is really split on this. And she holds a ton of power, not just because she's got a big microphone and people are listening to her and, frankly, because she might not stop until she becomes the next speaker of the House, but also because there's just no margin here for Mike Johnson. He's got two choices. He's got to play ball with the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene, or he's got to work with Democrats. And neither of them are good choices whatsoever.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Sarah, standby with me, if everyone can hear us out there. We seemed to be having some technical issue. I have not been able to hear some of what Sarah was saying there.

We're going to take a quick break, try to work all of this out. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:35:35]

BOLDUAN: All right, the gremlins have been fixed for now.

Let's pick back up with our political conversation with Maria Cardona and Sarah Longwell.

What we were talking about is this inter party fight of Republicans, Marjorie Taylor Greene taking on the Republican House speaker potentially for this speakership. A lot of the centering around Ukraine aid. But Sarah was making the point, Maria, that this is also about the old guard of the Republican Party versus the new guard. Add this to the conversation for your take. Greg Meeks was just on, a leading Democrat, was just on with me and he told me, if Hakeem Jeffries would reach out to him and say, I need your vote to support to keep Speaker Johnson in the seat, he would do it. His reasoning is, Ukraine aid is so important to get done now and not later.

Should Democrats help save Johnson? MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think that - I think

it's certainly true that there are Democrats that are leaning towards that because the majority of Democrats also understand how important Ukraine aid is, not just to the national security of the country, by to the democracy of the world, if you will. And I think that moving forward, if that happens, there will be conditions on it, right? I mean Speaker Johnson is in a conundrum.

And Sarah's right, this is more about what the fissures are between - within the Republican Party. It's always what Democrats have said, what a speaker within that conference is going to face, their MAGA extremis versus the common sense Republicans. Right now the MAGA extremists have won battle after battle after battle, and that's why you're seeing Marjorie Taylor Greene now going after Speaker Johnson. But he understands that in order to get anything done, he does need Democrats' help.

And what I think this - this portrays for the election is that this gives Democrats the ability to message really what a dumpster fire the Republican leadership has been within the Republican Congress. And that because of those fissures, because of that tension between the MAGA extremists who really do have a lot of power, they're not able to govern. And more so, Marjorie Taylor Greene has no interest in governing, has no interest in solving the problems. She wants purity, plain and simple. And that's why she has filed those papers to try to get rid of Speaker Johnson.

And so Democrats are saying, this is not what Americans voted for. This is a Republican dumpster fire. They do not deserve to be leading. They have no interest in doing so. Don't know how to. Give Democrats the power and we will solve the problems that the country is facing.

BOLDUAN: Let's talk about one of the major issues of this cycle in congressional races and in the presidential, Sarah, is abortion. Donald Trump's position that he announced is that he wants it to be up to the states. Conservative Republicans are not happy with that. We hear that from anti-abortion activists. Mike Pence called his position that he announced a slap in the face. Lindsey Graham says he respectfully disagrees with Trump, saying that Trump should have come out to support federal ban. What Donald Trump, though, says, Sarah, is that by allowing the states to make their decision, we have taken the abortion issue largely out of play. Has it?

LONGWELL: I don't know that he's taken it largely out of play. I do think that Donald Trump is unique in the way that he is not beholden to some of the same factions that other Republicans have been in the past. I mean evangelical Christians, and people for whom abortion is central to their political identity, have already basically made it clear that they'll go along with whatever Donald Trump says.

And, look, I do focus groups all the time with Republican voters, Trump voters. And the fact is, a lot of them are pro-choice. Many of them say things like, well, look, I'm pro-life, but I believe in a woman's right to choose. And so Donald Trump is - he's in general election mode and he knows that this is a toxic issue for them and the best issue that Democrats have in the general election and so he's trying to neutralize it.

And it's one of the things that Trump actually does kind of well because no voter thinks that Trump is very pro-life. You know, we hear from voters all the time that, you know, they see him as somebody who - voters say this, this is not me, say that he is somebody who would have paid for an abortion. They don't see him as being somebody with, you know, sort of sexual morality, like a Mike Pence would be. And so, yes, I think Donald Trump is trying to basically say, look, I'm out here to win this election, and this is - but this is just who Donald Trump is, right?

[09:40:03]

He doesn't have any real principles, right? This is about power for himself and he knows that this is a tough issue for them and so he's trying to sort of have it both ways.

BOLDUAN: For sure.

I spoke with a doctor out of Wisconsin who is now running as a Democrat for Congress. This is a seat vacated by - long held by a Republican, Mike Gallagher. Again, she's running as a Republican. She's a doctor. She wants to make abortion a central issue, like Joe Biden does. And I asked her in Wisconsin if she wants Joe Biden to come and help her campaign. Let me play for you what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTIN LYERTY (D), WISCONSIN CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I'm really focused on my campaign and I'm really focused on getting out and talking with the people, hearing what the people want to see. The issues that I'm hearing are, they don't have enough resources to put food on the table. They can't put gas in their car. They're having a hard time paying their our health care bills. Those are the things that people here care about, and that's really what we're going to focus on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Maria, you know, every election is local for sure. But you also really don't hear her saying, I would like the top of the ticket, the current president of the United States, to come help me.

CARDONA: Thats not surprising, especially because she is running in a seat that was vacated by a Republican. We see that all the time.

I think the core issue here though, Kate, is how critical and powerful the reproductive rights issue is for Democrats, not just going into this election, but ever since the Dobbs decision, Democrats have over- performed. The midterm elections, as you remember, everyone was saying, oh, red wave, right?

BOLDUAN: It surprised people how much it's over-performed, yes.

CARDONA: Well, it didn't surprise me. But because I've talked to so many people on the ground, including, Kate, Republican women who told me in 2022, and they are not leaving this stance, that they will vote for a Democrat because they will not want to raise their children, their daughters, in a country where they have less rights than what the moms did.

And so this has been such a galvanizing issue. And what Donald Trump did absolutely did not take this out of play. In fact, what Democrats are now saying, which is true given his words, he is now supporting the most egregious and dangerous bans in the 20 plus states that have them right now, where one out of three women of reproductive age live. That puts women in danger, their reproductive futures in danger. That's a hugely motivating message for Democrats.

BOLDUAN: He's also a resident of Florida, where there's a huge question on how far the ban is going to go in Florida.

CARDONA: That's right.

BOLDUAN: That's a huge question as well.

Maria, it's great to see you.

CARDONA: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Sarah, thank you so much. Great to see you as well.

Coming up for us, the FBI says this man we're about to show you - we will - was planning to attack churches in Idaho in the name of ISIS. What prosecutors now say he was willing to do to his own father to pull it off.

And new this morning, Norfolk Southern reaches a $600 million settlement for that dangerous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:47:40]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, Norfolk Southern reached a $600 million settlement over the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February of 2023. A train carrying several types of chemicals derailed, sending a plumb of toxic smoke into the air.

CNN's Athena Jones is with us now.

What does this settlement cover, Athena?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John. Well, you'll remember that that terrible derailment also set - spelled millions of pounds of those toxic, hazardous chemicals into the water and the soil. This is meant to remedy some of that. The $600 million settlement still has to be approved by a court. But if it is approved, it would resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius.

And for residents who participate, it would resolve all personal injury claims within a ten-mile radius. So, they could use this money for their health care needs, you know, for medical monitoring, to deal with net business losses and the like.

This is something that the plaintiffs say they're going to file a petition to put - before a judge to have this approved within the next ten days. And if it is approved, once it is approved, this money could start being paid out by the end of this year. And this is important because, number one, this is one of several class action lawsuits. But as I mentioned, a 20 mile radius will settle many of those claims.

But this is something that really traumatized the community. They had to be evacuated. There was a controversial controlled burn of these toxic substances that had this plume of smoke in the air for three days. So, these are people who have been traumatized by this event and are seeking compensation. This is one of, as I've said, several cases. And it's in addition to the more than $100 million the company he has already spent to try to help the community with direct payments to residents, to businesses, and the like.

John.

BERMAN: All right, an important development there. Maybe not the end of it. We will watch it very closely.

Athena Jones, thank you.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Kill as many as possible. That is what an 18-year-old in Idaho allegedly said he was planning to do in the name of ISIS. This is according to the Justice Department.

Alexander Scott Mercurio was arrested on Saturday, one day before investigators alleged he was planning to attack - planning an attack on multiple churches in Idaho.

CNN's Zach Cohen has much more on this and he's joining us now.

What - how did authorities find this guy?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Kate, the FBI says this is a case that started about two years ago when Anthony Mercurio reached out to a confidential source who had been working with the bureau on a separate investigation and started to express support, generally, for ISIS, the terrorist group.

[09:50:08]

Over the next year-and-a-half, two years, the confidential sources working with the FBI were able to continue talking to Mercurio both online and meeting with him in person. But it - according to court documents, the FBI says that Mercurio's effort to really actually plan an attack and seemed a shift towards actually planning to carry out real violence happened after last month's ISIS attack in Moscow that resulted in 144 people being killed when a gunman entered into a - into a concert hall there. They noticed a shift, according to court documents, that - in Mercurio that he started to really plan his own attack, targeting these churches in his hometown in Idaho. You know, prosecutors, and the FBI, point to a series of messages

between Mercurio and this confidential human source, including one where Mercurio says the plan is basically this, "equip the weapons and storm the temple, kill as many as possible before they inevitably disperse/scatter, then burn the temple to the ground and flee the scene, then move on to the next church, rinse and repeat for all 21 plus churches in the town until killed." That was on March 25th and 26th of this year, a few days after the Moscow attack.

And then another message says, "I'm doing the weapons research now. Resources should not be hard to find. The weapons or something I'll hide in my room and design them to be easy to conceal in a jacket or coat."

Now, the FBI did conduct a search of Mercurio's parent's house, where he allegedly said that he was going to store these weapons, and they found several items that align with what is in these messages, including a metal pipe and handcuffs, folding saw, two canisters of butane fuel, a machete, and multiple rifles and handguns. The FBI says that Mercurio was planning to carry out an attack on April 7th of this year, and that they were able to arrest him one day before that happens.

One piece of evidence they point to in these court documents is a video recording where Mercurio allegedly pleads - or pledges allegiance to ISIS. You can see him there in that photo. He's carrying what looks like a knife and, you know, seems to be pledging allegiance to the terrorist group in that video. So, you know, we're still waiting for him to make his first appearance in court, but he does face up to 20 years in a federal prison if convicted.

BOLDUAN: Zach, thank you so much for bringing us up to date on this one. We'll follow it closely.

Coming up still for us, we are watching live pictures right now of a Michigan courtroom. And we're standing by for the judge to sentence James and Jennifer Crumbley for the school shooting committed by their son.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:56:59]

BOLDUAN: The UConn Huskies are once again kings of the court, beating Purdue, sadly, to win their second straight national title.

Coy Wire is in Glendale, Arizona.

Coy, tell us more.

All the videos I saw were you literally chasing people down postgame to interview them.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: You know, I used to play defensive back, Kate. You know I've got to attack a few from time to time just to feel like I'm actually working, you know? Hey, liven, Purdue's 7'4" two-time national player of the year, Zach Edey, had 37 points, ten rebounds. Purdue played so well, but UConn was just too much. They're a collection of selfless players, like 7'2" Donovan Clingan, Tristin Newton, Stephon Castle and Samson Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: UConn can bring this lead to double -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) lob it up. Samson Johnson.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's - you can come to the ball. Another one. Special delivery to Johnson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: The Huskies pulling out another dominant win in front of more than 74,000 fans at State Farm Stadium. UConn steamrolling Purdue 75- 60 to become the first repeat champs since 2007. Coach Dan Hurley's 12th straight tournament wins, all by double-digits, is a tournament record.

I caught up with coach as he stepped off the court as a champion yet again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN HURLEY, UCONN HEAD COACH: Just incredible. An incredible performance. To beat a team like Purdue the way we did, just - you know, just incredible.

WIRE: And you've dominated every team along the way. How? Why?

HURLEY: Yes, we're the - you know, we're the best program in the country right now. We've got - we've got all the right players.

WIRE: Hold on, you need to get that -

What do you have to say to all the fans watch back home.

HURLEY: Oh, I know they can't wait for us to get back. We'll see them at the airport. We'll see them in Gampel. And I cannot wait for the parade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, Donovan Clingan is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming draft, and he's had a tough journey, Kate. He wears number 32 in honor of his mom, who passed away in 2018. She was an outstanding player in her own right. Our John Berman asked Donovan about what mom would think about him now winning two national titles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONOVAN CLINGAN, UCONN CENTER: I worked hard and, you know, I tried to make it to a level - a very high level. And, you know, I was able to make history. You know, I know she - she smiled down on me. I know, you know, she's happy for me. You know, and - you know, I wish she could be, you know, a part of it, but, you know, like I said, I know she's proud of me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Back on campus - fans back on campus in Storrs, Connecticut, elated as they celebrated the school's sixth national title since 1999. It's been a quarter century of dominance, Kate. The last two tournaments, UConn has beaten their opponents by an average of 20 points, and against non-conference opponents they have a record of 33 and one, all of those wins by double-digits as well.

[10:00:06]