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Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez Hold Fighting Oligarchy Rally; Court Docs in Idaho Murder Trial Show Surviving Roommates' Phone Usage Before 911 Call. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired March 20, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: On the same week that a poll showed Democrats with a dismal favorability rating of only 29 percent, many are facing voters face-to-face at what are becoming very fiery town halls. We're talking shouting matches, lots of booing, constituents voicing their concerns about White House policies, and how Democrats are reacting or not reacting enough to them.

In Michigan, Senator Elissa Slotkin took a question on where the party is heading when it comes to leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELLISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): All of those things require me to be more than just an AOC. I can't do what she does because we live in a purple state and I'm a pragmatist. Everyone you mentioned has a lot of words, but what have they actually done to change the situation with Donald Trump?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Minutes from now, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders will be teaming up for a rally in Las Vegas. CNN's Eva McKend is there. And Eva, you've been talking to people who are there at the event.

What are you hearing from them? All right, Eva, can you hear me? I think we might be having a technical difficulty.

Can you hear me, Eva?

EVA MCKEND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jeff, are we still good? I haven't heard anything.

KEILAR: OK, I think Eva cannot hear us. We're going to try to re- establish her signal so that we can get her.

But still ahead, it's a smiling selfie of the accused Idaho murderer taken just hours after the killings. What new court documents are revealing about the timeline of when the victim's friends called for help?

[15:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: As Democrats are trying to figure out how to counter President Trump in his second term, and they are not in agreement on that, you have the more liberal wing of the party. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders teaming up for this event in Las Vegas.

Let's bring back CNN's Eva McKend. She is there at the rally. Tell us a little bit about what people are expecting, what they want to hear.

MCKEND: Well, Brianna, when you speak to voters here, they are applauding Senator Sanders for standing in the gap, for speaking to their concerns right now, and really for being a fighter in this moment. That is what they are looking for. But the goal here of the fighting oligarchy tour is not only to preach to the converted, but also to bring Republicans into the coalition that may have supported President Trump.

That's why we have seen Senator Sanders be in so many districts with Republican Congress members at the helm. Now, here in Las Vegas, this is a more purple district led by a Democrat, but the message is the same, that whether you are conservative or progressive, you will be harmed by President Trump's agenda.

We caught up with an 80-year-old Vietnam veteran. He is of a much different generation than Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but he is a huge fan of hers. And he volunteers with other veterans, many of whom supported President Trump, but they too are concerned about the future of VA benefits. Take a listen to how he is thinking about this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RET. STAFF SGT. WILLIAM COX, VIETNAM VETERAN: People need to demonstrate more. I think if it keeps going this way, we need to -- everybody needs to hit the pavement. I'll even put my wife in a wheelchair and we'll hit the pavement and just get out and, you know, let people know that you think it's wrong and what is going on is wrong and not American.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:40:03]

MCKEND: And Brianna, this is part of a three-day, five-city swing, and you can see there why they would want someone like that in their community serving as an ambassador to advance this argument as Democrats and left-leaning voters scramble to recapture the working class. So, Senator Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez going to take the stage in the next hour here -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, we'll see what they say in a critical time for Democrats. Eva McKend, thank you so much.

Newly released court documents offering a clearer timeline around those brutal stabbings of four University of Idaho students. SANCHEZ: A court filing submitted by the defense reveals the phone activity of two surviving roommates before they called 911. One roommate, identified as BF, began reaching out to family members beginning at 7:30 that morning and also took some photos. It wasn't until 11:56, more than four hours later, that police were finally called. The other roommate appears to have spent hours on Instagram. We're joined now by Defense Attorney Misty Marris to break down these new details. Misty, thanks so much for being with us.

Why is that timeline significant and what does it indicate to you?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: So the timeline is incredibly important. It's important for both the prosecution and the defense. What's happening right now in these new filings, we're learning so much now that some of the gag order and a lot of documents that were under seal are now in public sphere.

So part of what this submission is about is, the defense says, that the prosecution was actually cherry picking messages and focused on that timeframe between 4:00 a.m. and 4:30 where the two surviving roommates are exchanging what we've all read and seen to be pretty intense text messages speaking about how they were scared.

But previously the narrative had been that they fell asleep after that, woke up, and then called 911. Now there's an accounting of activity during that time period leading up to that 11:56 a.m. 911 call. So essentially the defense is trying to diminish some of the credibility of potential witness testimony of those roommates and also trying to question the timeline of when these murders could have taken place. So it's a defense strategy at this point.

KEILAR: Yes, we're not going to know until they testify, which is going to be crucial. We'll remember that when the initial 911 call was placed, it wasn't for them. They didn't say, hey, my roommate is dead.

You know, it's almost like there may have been some denial in this. So we'll have to hear them explain some of that.

But I do wonder, Misty, because you hear DM one of these surviving roommates. She said that she saw these bushy eyebrows on the person in the house and we know that Brian Koberger took a selfie not long after the murder, just hours after. How crucial is this photograph?

MARRIS: This is really important, Brianna, and you hit the nail on the head, and both issues go together. So we know Dylan Mortensen's surviving roommate, she is the only known person that actually saw the masked intruder that night. And she said that his mouth and his forehead was covered, but she did observe bushy eyebrows.

The defense is taking great pains to keep that testimony out of the courtroom. They say that her account is not credible. She's changed her statements in the investigation. She admitted to utilizing alcohol the night before. They're trying to keep it out.

Now, prosecutors are arguing this particular photograph, it's for the jury to decide what does bushy eyebrows mean. And so this photograph has evidentiary value. The jury will make a determination about an objective standard, if you think about it, who has bushy eyebrows. Well, that could be different to different people.

What that means, it's not a word that has a specific definition, but that the jury should be the one to make the determination about whether or not that photograph of Koberger is consistent with Dylan Mortensen's account of that night. So this is an incredibly important piece of evidence, and we're just learning about some of this right now, even though this case has been going on for two years.

SANCHEZ: And, Misty, what do you make of prosecutors pointing to this evidence that Koberger bought a knife and a sheath on Amazon months before the killings? Is that potentially a smoking gun?

MARRIS: Well, certainly that knife sheath is a large part of the prosecution's case. As we know, knife sheath left behind at the house, and Koberger's DNA found statistical matches found on that knife sheath. That's going to be how the prosecutors put this case together.

Of course, we know the defense. They're not going to contest that the DNA was Koberger's.

[15:45:00]

They're going to say it could have gotten in the house some other way. Just because the DNA is on it, it doesn't mean that Koberger was ever in that house. So that's the defense.

What prosecutors are going to do, loop back into those Amazon records. It's part of a warrant for a lot of electronic records that included his consumer click records on Amazon. And they're going to say, don't you think it's a bit coincidental that he purchases a knife sheath eight months before, and then there's a knife sheath found in the house? And they're going to do that because, of course, they have the burden of proof, but also to combat what we know the defense argument will be.

That, yes, even if there was DNA on it, it doesn't necessarily mean he was in the house. It could have been transferred. It could have gotten there another way.

So absolutely, Boris, that's putting together those pieces, not relying solely on the DNA, but all the evidence in total to put Koberger in that house on that night.

KEILAR: It's really shaping up to be quite the case as we see some of these bits and pieces that will be introduced in court. Misty Marris, thank you so much. Always great to have you.

And minutes from now, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order that's aimed at dismantling the Department of Education. Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: A new episode of "UNITED STATES OF SCANDAL WITH JAKE TAPPER" focuses on the Supreme Court nomination of Clarence Thomas back in 1991. The nomination, of course, sparked a national controversy when one of his former employees, Anita Hill, accused him of sexual harassment. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here she was, a lone, young, black woman coming up against the entire Senate establishment, not afraid to speak in great detail about embarrassing details having to do with sex.

ANITA HILL, CLARENCE THOMAS FORMER EMPLOYEE: One of the oddest episodes I remember was an occasion in which Thomas was drinking a Coke in his office, looked at the can, and asked, who has put pubic hair on my Coke?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anita Hill, she has a story that is diametrically opposed to the story that everyone's telling about Clarence Thomas. So, for Thomas' supporters on the committee, the project is to tear apart Anita Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: With us now to discuss is CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper. Jake, this is so fascinating. I think so many of us remember that moment.

But some people don't. Give us a little context around this episode.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: When you say some people, you mean Boris. So, let's start --

SANCHEZ: 36.

KEILAR: That's the difference. I was 11.

TAPPER: I was 23, you were 11, you were in utero. So, let me first of all bring you back to the setting. The entire Senate Judiciary Committee is men. That's it. All men. 100 percent.

Second of all, the concept of sexual harassment is like a new term, right? It's like, what? What is this? What are you talking about? Because before this moment in society, it wasn't really -- I mean, obviously, it existed in practice and it existed in law, but it wasn't really something people talked about.

So, this was one of those moments that really captured the nation in terms of, oh, we're changing or we're talking about something as a society.

SANCHEZ: And you had mentioned speaking to Anita Hill one-on-one as one of the highlights of this season.

TAPPER: Well, you know this from being a journalist. One of the greatest things that we get to do as news junkies is we get to actually ask questions of people that we would, if we were accountants or lawyers or whatever, we'd be sitting at home saying, I really would love to ask this person this.

So, one of the things, in addition to everything she went through and the messed-up lack of process, which, by the way, the Senate Judiciary Committee still hasn't figured out, as you might remember from the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, still completely rushed, completely like seat of their pants, didn't do the vetting, et cetera, et cetera.

But beyond that, I wanted to know about the Biden of it all. He was the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And then also something that I've never heard her asked, which is, so you were this trailblazer, and your party embraced it, the Democratic Party -- I don't know if she's a Democrat, actually -- but the Democratic Party embraced it. And 1992 was the year of the woman, exciting, exciting for you and for women's rights, et cetera.

But your party also nominated Bill Clinton as its presidential nominee. How did you reconcile that? So that was just something I really wanted to ask her.

SANCHEZ: What did you make of how public opinion has changed? Because now you're having this conversation post-MeToo at a time where these conversations are more common and a lot of folks have been held accountable, but also when there are legitimate questions about whether there's been repercussions after MeToo and whether some of that has been pulled back.

TAPPER: So we haven't had another one of these eruptions in some time. We will. I'm sure we're due.

At the time, nobody knew who to believe, according to polling. A plurality believed Thomas, not her. Obviously, since then, there have been the MeToo moment, but there's also been some blowback to there. Did people go too far?

So who knows? I mean, I think there's more awareness that this happens and acceptance of it, but I have no idea how much public opinion has changed.

And she actually talks about this. She thinks that people believe women, for the most part, but they don't care.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

KEILAR: What a fascinating conversation, though, Jake.

TAPPER: It's really interesting, yes.

KEILAR: Thank you so much. And it's in a new episode of "THE UNITED STATES OF SCANDAL" that will air Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN. And we'll be right back.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Do you guana have some eggs? Josh Johnson, the owner and founder of Down Goes Iguana in Florida, has been removing the invasive green iguanas on Marco Island for years. The reptiles, of course, are an invasive species, and they can damage landscaping and compromise pool structures. So John gets rid of them by killing them on sight.

KEILAR: OK, that's right. And he also decided that he might do something with all the pests he caught. So John harvests iguana eggs directly from their remains, and then he cooks them. Adds a splash of milk, salt, pepper, blend of Latin-inspired spices, and there you go. He serves them up for breakfast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe it, but it tastes like eggs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And a lot cheaper, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot cheaper, OK. This is great. You know, and these are local, so there's no tariffs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: And it's important to explain. We're bringing you this story because people have been shell-shocked by high egg prices. Would that be a good enough reason, though, to try the most Florida breakfast ever?

KEILAR: It's not --

SANCHEZ: Would you try it?

KEILAR: I probably would, honestly. I'll eat anything, but it's not farm-to-table. It's like pool-to-table.

SANCHEZ: Pretty much, yes. Listen, people sell iguana meat in Facebook Marketplace in Florida, so this is not that bad.

"THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

Enjoy your breakfast.

END