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Rapper Young Thug Freed after Making Non-Negotiated Plea in Georgia's Longest Ever Criminal Trial; Donald Trump Criticized for Stating Liz Cheney Should Face Firing Squad; Former Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams Interviewed on Donald Trump's Rhetoric and Misinformation Efforts Aimed at Georgia Voters; Former Manhattan D.A. Official: An Election Win Could Be Trump's Best Legal Strategy; ProPublica: Growing Number of Women Dying from Lack of Abortion Care. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired November 01, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Changed his plea to guilty for multiple criminal charges. Prosecutors accused the rapper of leading an Atlanta street gang that committed murder and other violent crimes. It ends Georgia's longest ever criminal trial.

CNN's Nick Valencia joining us not from Atlanta. What more can you tell us about this plea deal? This is a big deal.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Sara. And quite frankly, it's egg on the face for the Fulton County District Attorney's Office for Fani Willis. Plea negotiations were ongoing earlier this week between Young Thug and the D.A.'s office, but they broke down because, according to his attorney, Young Thug did not want to plead guilty to being the head of a street gang or testify against the remaining co-defendants.

So instead, his attorney took a big legal gamble yesterday and entered a non-negotiated plea to the judge, putting his fate in the hands of that judge, who ultimately decided that Young Thug had served his time. He went from facing life in prison to ultimately getting 15 years of probation and being banned from metro Atlanta for 10 years, among the other conditions of that sentencing. But listen to him plead his case successfully to the judge prior to the sentencing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY "YOUNG THUG" WILLIAMS, RAPPER: I take full responsibility for, you know, my crimes, or my charges.

I am a smart guy. I am a good guy, and I really got a good heart. You know, I find myself in a lot of stuff because, because I was just nice or cool, you know. And I understand that you can't be that way when you reach a certain height because it could end bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VALENCIA: And with this ends the longest case in Georgia state history. Jury selection process alone took 10 months. And this case drew fierce criticism for prosecutors' use of rap lyrics as proof of existence of a gang and their actions. It was a tumultuous case that dragged on for months including multiple motions for a mistrial, three different judges. But ultimately Young Thug is home after being in custody for more than 900 days. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, Nick Valencia in Atlanta for us. Thank you so much.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking this morning, Liz Cheney's new response to Donald Trump suggestion of gun barrels pointing at her as the battle for women voters gets white hot.

A new report that two women lost their lives after doctors delayed treating miscarriages.

And expect the unexpected. Hurricanes, labor strikes could make the latest jobs report before Election Day a messy one. The new numbers out in just a few minutes.

I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: Happening now, the final days of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris's historically tight race. Now confronting some of the most violent and vicious attacks to date. Overnight, Trump called Harris a sleazebag, President Biden a stupid b-word, and the words you are first about to hear, his suggestion that Liz Cheney should face a firing squad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's a radical war hawk. Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrel shooting at her, OK. Let's see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face.

When that sleazebag said during the debate, she said, oh, your rallies aren't well-attended and people leave. They don't leave, and they're really well-attended. We can't get places big enough.

When Biden got up with a red background, the pink background, and he looked like the devil, he looked so stupid, right? And he said, we will stop MAGA. MAGA, we're going to -- I said, listen, you stupid bastard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: OK, here is Liz Cheney's response this morning, "This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death." CNN political director David Chalian with us now wow. What is the one

big thing that we should know this morning? And I think I know what you're going to say.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, I mean, the one big thing here is the contrast in the closings. And it is instructive of where these candidates think they are. This is, you know, Donald Trump saying, talking about a firing squad for Liz Cheney is in no way -- I just want -- in no laboratory would his campaign team design this, him sitting on stage with Tucker Carlson and talking about Liz Cheney and a firing squad as the thing they want to be doing four days before the votes are counted in this very tight election.

So -- but I think it's instructive because you see in these dangerous comments, I mean, we have seen real world danger of overheated political rhetoric. And you see in these dangerous words where Trump is in his closing days.

[08:05:04]

And I think interestingly, Sara, you see on the other side that Harris incorporates this into her close. She is actually still trying in these days to make an appeal to swing voters, to, to widen her appeal. That's not something Donald Trump seems to be doing very much of with this with these comments. Listen to Vice President Harris, how she's closing out this campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Listen to what he's saying as his closing argument. It's all about hate and division. And it's not just what he says, it's what he will do, because if elected, you can be sure he will bring back family separation policies, only on a much greater scale than the last time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHALIAN: So again, she is drawing attention to his divisive language as part of her appeal to voters to say hey, it doesn't have to be this way.

I also just want to note, you brought up Liz Cheney's tweet in response there. Did you see what the hashtag was there about women? You want the one big thing to close out this entire election season, keep your eye on how women vote on Tuesday. It is going to, I think, be the thing we look at to make us understand how this election ends up.

SIDNER: Hashtag "Women will not be silenced" is what Liz Cheney put there.

Let me ask you about this. I know you've been poring over our polls, as you always do as a consummate professional. The CNN poll of polls out on the so-called blue wall states, what are you seeing?

CHALIAN: Yes. So we just came out because there was a slew of new polling out of the blue wall states. We did some earlier this week. Marist was out this morning, so we always like to put all the reputable polling together. And so in the poll of polls in these blue wall states now, you see these are five most recent reputable polls averaged together. In Michigan, 49 percent Harris, 46 percent Trump. In Pennsylvania, a dead heat, 48 percent, 48 percent. And in Wisconsin, looks like Michigan there, 49 percent to 46 percent.

Now, those three point races in Michigan and Wisconsin, that's still within a general margin of error that you would have in polling. So that is still unbelievably close. But perhaps Harris and her team feeling a bit better going into Tuesday about those two blue wall states where we've said all along, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania is where this race will likely be decided.

SIDNER: It has the most electoral votes of those states, and so more important in some ways. But you've got to win them all. David Chalian, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So a closer look now at battleground Georgia, where early voting there is breaking records, and also where voters are being inundated with disinformation. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is pushing back overnight against a new disinformation campaign targeting the state, a viral video that was shared on X purporting to show a Haitian immigrant with multiple Georgia I.D.s claiming to have voted multiple times. Now, Raffensperger put out a statement saying, point blank, "This is obviously fake and part of a disinformation effort. Likely it is a production of Russian troll farms." Yet the original video had well over half a million views as of last night.

Joining us right now is Stacey Abrams, the former Democratic leader of the Georgia House. She's also the host of the new podcast "Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams." It's good to see you. Thanks for coming in.

STACEY ABRAMS, (D) FORMER GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Thanks for having me.

BOLDUAN: You just recently said that Georgia is ground zero for misinformation and disinformation this campaign cycle. Do you think it's taking hold, having an influence on voters in Georgia, or do you think the pushback, like we're seeing from Raffensperger there, is doing enough to kind of dispel the lies and lay out the facts?

ABRAMS: I would say that, luckily, we have a very strong network of organizations that have been paying attention to disinformation flooding our state for multiple months. And while we appreciate the fact that the secretary of state is weighing in, we know that this has been happening for years. In fact, on my podcast, Esosa Osa, who is one of the leading figures on disinformation, pointed out that it's been targeting voters in Georgia for quite some time. And unfortunately, some of that misinformation has come from within the state.

But what we do know is that when people have trusted messengers like these local organizations who are reaching out, saying here's what the real facts are, here's what you need to do, we know that it has an effect. And so we're very proud of the work that's happening through grassroots organizations to push back against this disinformation.

BOLDUAN: I know that's something you've been working years on is these grassroots efforts.

The secretary of state also is part of this pushback. He called out Elon Musk last night, and specifically he said, saying that "We ask Elon Musk and the leadership of other social media platforms to take this down."

[08:10:00]

We have seen Elon Musk's growing visibility with Trump's campaign and his influence. How much and what kind of influence do you think Elon Musk is having on this election?

ABRAMS: Sadly, what he is doing is vitiating the bonds that bring us together in a democracy. When you offer to pay millions of dollars to buy votes, when you flout the responsibility of truth, you are weakening democracy. And that type of coarseness, but also that type of flouting of your responsibility, that abdication signals that no one else has to follow the rules either.

And I believe it is endemic to the way the Republican Party is operating today when the president -- the former president of the United States has as his chief champion, someone who bought an organ of information and uses it to spread disinformation, and mal- information, who manipulates and manufactures information and mistruths in order to undermine democracy.

We should be deeply afraid of -- anyone and everyone who believes in democracy should not only disavow Elon Musk, they should vote against Donald Trump, because we know that he has promised to give this man even more power in a Trump administration. And so I would call upon every Republican official who believes that our democracy deserves to be saved to stand with Liz Cheney and say no to Donald Trump and no to Elon Musk.

BOLDUAN: We've seen -- I want to ask you about Liz Cheney in just one second, but early voting has been just breaking records from day one in Georgia. You have been working on improving voter turnout in Georgia for years. What do you think is driving this surge in early voting this time?

ABRAMS: Well, while we are excited about who's showing up, we have to understand that turnout does not mean there is not voter suppression activity. A lot of those voters in 2020 were able to vote by mail. One of the reasons were seeing early lines is because they can no longer use the easier method of voting by mail because of SB-202, because of SB-189, laws that Raffensperger and Brian Kemp supported and pushed forward. People who are disabled, people who have lost their homes are facing harder times casting their ballots, but they refuse to be silenced.

And what we are excited about is that here in the state of Georgia, despite the government making it harder to cast your ballot, people are willing to fight to make it happen anyway. So they're showing up. They're standing in lines they shouldn't have to stand in because they believe their voices matter and that this election matters. And we believe they're standing in these lines, especially to support Kamala Harris.

BOLDUAN: I think in another time, another election, it would be wildly surprising to hear, to hear you say, you should listen to Liz Cheney with regard to this election. What do you think of what has -- I mean, people are -- it's going to be settling in today, what Donald Trump said yesterday and Liz Cheney responding this morning to Donald Trump's suggesting she should be put in front of a firing line, and the fact that the response is going to be it's not surprising coming from Donald Trump.

ABRAMS: Here's the problem. We know that strongmen, that authoritarianism begins with the kind of coarse language, the kind of dehumanizing language that Donald Trump uses. But we also have to look at the fact that he had four years to lay the groundwork for what he wants to do next, and that is he has demonized the press. He has taken over the judiciary in such a fashion that it is no longer protecting the rights of women, the rights of communities that are marginalized and disadvantaged. And he is -- he treats Americans as enemies, not as opponents.

Those are the classic signs of strongmen, of authoritarians. And so what we have to understand is not only is it his rhetoric, it will now become his policies, policies that the Supreme Court has said he cannot be held accountable for if he breaks the law, if he undermines democracy.

And so, while Liz Cheney and I don't agree on much, we both agree that America should survive this election and should have the chance to thrive and return to our core fundamental values. We can disagree about policy, but we should not disagree about the need to protect our democracy, protect our infrastructure, and protect our values. And that is something that Kamala Harris will do, and that is something every single day Donald Trump proves he does not believe in. He does not believe in the values of America. And if he is elected, he will do his level best to undo what we have fought for 248 years to make possible in this country.

BOLDUAN: Battleground Georgia, Kamala Harris heading back there, heading back to Georgia this weekend. I'm starting to lose track of all of all of the travel itineraries, but I think she's back there this weekend, of course, right before votes starting being counted. Stacey Abrams, thanks for your time. John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, new reporting this morning details the death of a woman after being forced to wait 40 hours for treatment due to abortion bans.

And new evidence in the criminal investigation into Sean Combs. A witness now claiming to have footage of combs allegedly victimizing other celebrities. And we are minutes away from a new jobs report. It will be the final

one before Election Day. Why it may look different than the ones we have seen in recent months.

[08:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: This morning, Donald Trump has a clear path out of many of his legal troubles, win the election.

CNN's Kara Scannell is with us now.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, that's right. I mean, if you look at what this election means for Donald trump, it's obviously the potential presidency, but it also could make the difference between whether he serves any time in jail and most specifically, you know, whether he gets sentenced. It is going to have an impact on any of his criminal cases, there are still several outstanding, but the sentencing is the one that's most urgent and could mean the difference between being in bars and being a free man.

Now, a lot of lawyers and retired judges I spoke to say that they think this will really turn on it because if Donald Trump wins the election, then it means that he's going to have a roadmap of legal challenges that he will try to pursue.

The first thing up, November 12th, one week after election day, the judge overseeing the "hush money" case --

BERMAN: Which is a New York case.

[08:20:16]

SCANNELL: A New York State case. That judge will decide whether the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity impacts the conviction in that case. Now, if he rules in favor of Trump, it's over. That's the end of it. If he rules against Trump, then his lawyers are going to launch a series of challenges because the distance between that decision on the 12th and his scheduled sentencing date is two weeks.

So, they will be asking every judge, Judge Merchan, appeals courts maybe, even up to the Supreme Court, to stop the sentencing so they can challenge that ruling and they also have some other legal challenges that they're working on too. They are trying to move this case from state court into federal court and also, just in general, going to be challenging this conviction.

So, if Trump is the president elect then you might see some of these courts agree that he shouldn't be sentenced. He's going to be taking over the country. That would be a distraction. But if he's not the president elect, then a lot of lawyers think that his sentencing day will come.

It may not be two weeks after that decision. It could get delayed. You know, just a couple of months. But they do think he could be sentenced in this case within the next six month if he loses this election and of course, this is the first time any judges had to do this in American history.

BERMAN: Yes, I mean, pretty unprecedented. I mean, for sure. And that's the New York State case, not to mention the Jack Smith federal cases, which if Trump wins, he will just basically wave a magic wand and make it go away.

Kara Scannell, thank you very much -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, the top five CNN heroes of 2024 have been announced. And this morning, were introducing you to one of the finalists.

Nearly 130 million girls worldwide are not in school today because their families can't afford the cost of the school uniform. And when Idaho native Payton McGriff learned about this, she made it her college project. And today, her non-profit every year provides specially designed uniforms to more than 1,500 girls and in doing so, transforming their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAYTON MCGRIFF, FOUNDER AND CEO OF SHE (STYLE HER EMPOWERED): When a girl enters our program, she not only receives a new school uniform, but she receives a full tuition scholarship, full year of school supplies, a reusable menstrual kit, and a year-round tutoring from our local staff.

After we provided our first round of uniforms, we realized our students were outgrowing them very quickly. So, that was where the Uniform That Grows was born. It grows six sizes and up to 12in in length. It adjusts in various parts of the body to provide a well- tailored fit.

To put their uniform on for the first time, that's one of the most joyous experiences that we see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Look at those smiling faces. You can go to CNNheroes.com right now to vote for your favorite hero this year. You can vote ten times a day to help support the heroes who inspire you most. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:27:19]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the disturbing trend, mothers- to-be dying, the consequence of restrictive abortion laws.

New reporting from "ProPublica" on two women, an 18-year-old, Nevaeh Crain, she died in Texas last year after being turned away twice from hospitals, even though she had sepsis. The third time she entered the emergency room, she died from the complications from her miscarriage. "ProPublica" has found multiple other women who have lost their lives

after doctors delayed treating miscarriages including Josseli Barnica.

Joining me now is Cassandra Jaramillo, a reporter with "ProPublica" at the forefront of these crucial reports. First of all, tell me what happened with Josseli.

CASSANDRA JARAMILLO, "PROPUBLICA" REPORTER: Josseli Barnica was a Honduran woman in the Houston area that was having problems with her pregnancy in the 17th week. She went into the hospital complaining of cramping and bleeding and unfortunately was made to wait 40 hours before she delivered and unfortunately, three days later, she died of sepsis.

SIDNER: Sepsis seems to be the case here with these women. And in the first case, she went, they said she had sepsis, right? But then they sent her home. Can you tell me about the complications that these restrictive abortion laws are having when it comes to things like miscarriages?

JARAMILLO: What we are finding with our reporting at "ProPublica" is that there is a delay in care that these pregnant women are facing in Texas, and we started our reporting out of Georgia and then went to Texas to try to figure out what does the landscape look there.

We know that maternal deaths are up since COVID, and in the case of Josseli Barnica and Nevaeh Crain, these are women who did not want abortions. They wanted their pregnancies. And tragically, due to state law had put them in a gray area that doctors were putting more attention to the fetal cardiac activity instead of giving them the care that they needed at that time, where it wasn't an option at that time, I should say.

SIDNER: Can I ask you about doctors, is this fear that they are going to be prosecuted?

JARAMILLO: With the doctors in both of these cases, we made several attempts to reach them. It's hard to know what was going through their head.

In the case of Josseli Barnica, Josseli goes to the hospital days after this law gets enacted in Texas and one thing that we can take away, though is that, there is, from our conversations with doctors in Texas, is that there is this fear of professional ruin and now criminal consequences in the state.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you, we heard from a husband whose wife nearly died in Texas because of these severely restricted abortion care in that state and he went online, he went viral talking about his wife and what she went through. And I want you to hear a little bit of it. His name is Ryan Hamilton.

[08:30:18]