Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Attempted Assassination Charge Sought For Suspect Ryan Routh; Trump Demands State Of Florida Probe Assassination Attempt; Florida Bracing To Be Hit By Major Hurricane In Just 2 Days; Tufts Lacrosse Players Hospitalized After Workout With Navy SEAL Grad. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired September 24, 2024 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:34:47]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: An attempted assassination charge is expected for the man who prosecutors say went to Florida this month, quote, "for one reason and one reason only and that was to kill the former president of the United States."

[13:35:02]

Right now, Ryan Routh is facing only felony firearms offenses. But prosecutors told a judge yesterday they're seeking to indict Routh for the alleged attempt on Donald Trump's life on September 15th.

The prosecutor described Routh is having a clear line of fire from where he was allegedly positioned along the chain link fence bordering the Trump golf club to the sixth green, just minutes before Trump would have arrived there. And where Routh had a quote, easy shot, just a hundred feet away.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is here with the latest on this.

Katelyn, I think this is what we've been waiting for. How soon could this indictment come down?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME & JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, as soon as the prosecutors are ready to take it through the grand jury. They made quite clear in this hearing yesterday for Ryan Routh they were doing just what they needed to do to keep him in jail.

And that they had morning or to come, even we're telling the judge that he is very likely to be charged with an attempted assassination.

So right now, the charges he's facing, they're placeholders so that they can go and continue to investigate. They had picked him up on the interstate shortly after this incident on Sunday.

And the judge did say he needs to stay in jail for a number of reasons. If he's charged with attempted assassination through the grand jury and ends up being convicted, that is the type of charge that potentially carries a life-in-prison sentence with it.

And this is a person that the judge has already said, you know, there's a lot of evidence here ready, before even the grand jury's looking at it.

There's this potential lengthy incarceration. That's a reason he should stay in jail. And this man has a history of the use of weapons, over 100 arrests in the past, and also some travel abroad that has -- where he has shown his political beliefs.

KEILAR: And these are federal charges to be clear, right?

POLANTZ: It does appear that the federal government is going to be continuing this case, quite clearly. That's why they're in court keeping him in jail.

KEILAR: So Trump issued a statement demanding, quote, "Let Florida handle the case," in all caps. So he's very adamant about this.

You have these -- the federal side of things, then there's the Florida investigation. How is there an interaction here?

POLANTZ: Well, what Donald Trump is saying is a political statement. He's saying, you know, this is them mishandling things, the Justice Department and the FBI, because there's just these two weapons possession charges against this guy, Ryan Routh, right now.

But, you know, Trump is not in control of this. This is very likely to be charged even if he hadn't been on the golf course that day.

So whatever Donald Trump says is not going to be interfering with this case. And it does appear the Justice Department is taking this quite seriously, just takes a little time.

KEILAR: All right. Katelyn, thank you so much. The story continues and continues.

And still to come, much of Florida is under a state of emergency as people there prepare for what will soon be Hurricane Helene. The latest track next.

And well tell you why TikTok is purging some accounts. Which ones? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:42:33]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Cities in Florida are bracing for a storm that could be the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. in a year.

About three hours ago, Tropical Storm Helene formed in the Caribbean Sea. It could take just two days to strengthen into a category three hurricane before hitting Florida's Gulf Coast on Thursday.

Sixty-one of Florida's 67 counties are now under a state of emergency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We don't know exactly. It hasn't formed yet. There's still some uncertainty. But I think the fact that this would be forecasted as a major at this point without formation shows that this has a potential to be a really, really significant storm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Let's go now to CNN meteorologist, Chad Myers.

So, Chad, the National Hurricane Center has never forecasted a major hurricane this early in its life cycle, I guess. How is that happening? How is it forming so quick?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, the water is very warm. There is very little shear out there, which means the storm isn't going to get torn apart by wind.

And because a hurricane doesn't like wind. A thunderstorm likes to make wind, but a hurricane makes its own wind. It doesn't want any wind around it from anywhere else.

And so because it is still just developing and then ramping up to a possibility of a category three in just 48 hours, that's what the governor was talking about right there.

Hurricane watches are in effect from the Big Bend almost all the way down there to Tampa and Fort Myers.

And yes, that three means category three. At least that is the forecast.

Now the models yesterday, if you've been watching Twitter, X, whatever, and you've been scared about this thing, the models have settled down. It isn't some huge monster storm, according to the models anymore, but it's still a category two, category three in a place that's already been hit this year,

Ten to 15-foot storm surge, wind, and waves. But the American model, which was much stronger yesterday, it was -- it was 130-mile-per-hour storm. It is not that yet right now.

And the morning run has settled down a little bit, not quite as strong. It's come very much in line with the European model. So still winds of 110 miles per hour, surge pushing in, an awful lot of rainfall as well.

Certainly the potential for flash flooding in a place that has already been hit and was hit last year. And this is the town of Perry that got hit so very hard.

Even Valdosta, you will see six, maybe eight inches of rainfall. And, yes, we do have that potential for flash flooding. And that's going to be the case.

[13:44:59]

I hope you're not on the water.

I know you're not, Jim.

(LAUGHTER)

MYERS: But the waves are going to be 30 to 40 feet --

(CROSSTALK)

SCIUTTO: You always talk -- with every storm, with every storm we talk about, you always talk about those warm coastal waters and what that means about strengthening these storms.

Chad Myers, thanks as always.

Brianna?

KEILAR: Now, to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour.

TikTok has removed accounts associated with two Russian media groups for trying to exercise what it called "covert influence" on the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

The accounts are linked to a news organizations behind the Sputnik News Agency and the Russia Today TV broadcaster.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Justice Department charged two RT employees for funneling $10 million into a U.S. company that boasts a slate of high-profile right-wing pro-Trump commentators.

Also, the final bull on the run after escaping from a rodeo in Massachusetts has finally been caught. After three -- wait, more than a day, I should say -- of freedom. There he is.

Eight bulls escaping the rodeo that was taking place at a mall on Sunday. Seven were captured within hours in a nearby neighborhood. The final bull, though, managed to stay on the lam for a full day before finally being lassoed late last night after a long chase.

And Coca-Cola pulling its newest "permanent" flavor from store shelves just six months after introducing its new spiced-flavor soda. The company has decided to discontinue the new drink.

Coca-Cola has offered for no reason for the move. But says it plans to introduce an exciting new flavor in 2025.

And when we come back, why several Tufts University lacrosse players ended up in the hospital after a workout with a recent graduate of the Navy SEAL's selection and training course. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:32]

KEILAR: Right now, three Tufts University lacrosse players are still in the hospital a week after an extreme workout with a graduate of the Navy SEAL Selection and Training Program that's known as BUDS, or Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training.

Initially, nine players went to the hospital after this voluntary 45- minute workout, all with a rare and sometimes life-threatening condition called Rhabdomyolysis.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Rhabdo, as it is known in short, happens when muscles break down, possibly even disintegrate after a strenuous workout.

And those broken-down muscle fibers can contain large amounts of elements like potassium and phosphate that then can be released into the bloodstream causing complications with the kidneys.

Tufts University says it has postponed team practice and appointed an independent investigator to review the incident.

With us now is former Navy SEAL commander, Dan O'Shea.

Dan, this is so troubling to learn about. What is your reaction? And what kind of questions does this raise for you when you hear about this?

DAN O'SHEA, FORMER NAVY SEAL COMMANDER: Well, to be frank, I'm not surprised. The intensity -- the fact that nine college-age, obviously very fit young men, ended up in the hospital. It's pretty severe. But it's not outside the realm.

You know, in training, the SEAL training, especially, Hell Week was designed for preparation for combat because of the stakes. And throughout training, you know, a class would start with 120, 150 students and typically graduate 20,25 over six months.

So that kind of attrition rate is pretty normal and pretty standard for anyone who goes through Basic Underwater Demolition School or Navy SEAL training.

KEILAR: Yes, and you've written about what their training for, what SEALs are training for. It is obviously not a lacrosse match, right? It is for something very different.

When we look at what special forces go through, what they need to be ready for, should this have been something, let's say, akin to BUDS? Should that have been what these lacrosse players we're experiencing or should this have been maybe adjusted for a different population?

O'SHEA: Well, to be frank, a college lacrosse player is exactly the type of candidate that the SEAL teams are looking for. A lot of lacrosse players make an incredible SEAL. They're great teammates, great team players.

They're very physically fit there. They have the strength and endurance that the team guys are looking for. But it was a 45-minute workout. Obviously, he pushed these guys to the limit.

And to be frank, in BUDS training, from the day you show up on the quarterdeck, you're being pushed to failure every day and from day one. And you're doing hundreds, if not thousands of pushups and sit- ups literally every day.

So your entire experience, from the moment you walk across the quarterdeck, is to experience this type of physical abuse because it's -- SEALs trained for combat.

And we are looking for a few select men. And that's not everyone who signed up to join the Navy. It's a very select fraternity.

And that's just the reality of the mindset of the SEALs, unfortunately, for these college kids, who weren't quite up to -- you know, quite ready for what the workout entailed.

But, again, it was only 45 minutes. It wasn't like these kids we're doing a week-long immersion in the SEAL teams. It was a 45-minute workout, not -- not a seven-day, five-day Hell Week experience.

[13:55:08]

KEILAR: Dan, what do you think the lesson is to -- and we're still looking for some details, we should say, of exactly what they experienced in this short time period.

We've heard of this happening before to other college athletes, although from what I've read, it's a few here, maybe a handful there. This is a large number of students that this has happened, even after this strenuous workout.

What do you think the lessons learned here need to be?

O'SHEA: Well, number one, again, there are a lot of factors we don't know about, the humidity, the heat, were they dehydrated, had they not gotten a good night sleep the night before. We don't know all the parameters, so I don't want to read into that. I'm not a doctor.

But the reality is SEAL training is very tough. It's -- it's to a standard for a reason because the consequences of what SEALs face in training and in combat.

And I mean, the wars of 9-11 in the last 20 odd years, we lost nearly 120 SEALs in combat and in training. And about a quarter of those deaths were in training.

So Navy SEAL training, conditioning, it's not for the faint of heart. And it's sometimes not even -- not even ready for college-age fitness as well.

KEILAR: All right. Dan O'Shea, thank you so much. We really appreciate your insights on this.

O'SHEA: Thank you.

KEILAR: Still to come, football Hall of Famer Brett Favre just revealed a heartbreaking diagnosis while speaking on Capitol Hill. We'll have that story just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)