Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Doctor: All Shooting Victims Expected To Make Full Recovery; Dad Of 2018 Shooting Victim Was To Go To FSU Event On Day Of Attack; Federal Judge Pauses Trump Admin Mass Firings At CFPB; Scientists: Strongest Evidence Yet Of Life Beyond Solar System. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired April 18, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:41]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Hospital officials just gave an update on the condition of the survivors from the mass shooting at Florida State University.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BRETT HOWARD, OPERATED ON FSU SHOOTING PATIENT: Received six patients. All six were in stable condition upon arrival. Three of them did go to the operating room and have since been out of the operating room.

All six of them today are in stable condition, one which is in fair condition, given a serious injury. Two of them are possibly going home today, which we're extremely proud of.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You said six total victims treated here. Does that include the suspect or is he treated elsewhere? And were all of these gunshot wounds?

HOWARD: Yes. So six patients, that's all I can tell you.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Were they all gunshot victims?

HOWARD: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Two men were killed. One of them, we've learned, worked for Aramark Food Services. The company confirming that employees death a short time ago. Five others were wounded.

In the last hour, the police chief from Tallahassee also told me a little bit more about the suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE REVELL, CHIEF, TALLAHASSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT: We do know that the suspect's, he received -- he received significant injuries and will remain in the hospital for a significant amount of time. And then after that time, we'll transport him to a local detention facility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Well, my next guest was supposed to be in the building where that attack happened at Florida State in what he calls a cruel coincidence.

Jeff Binkley's daughter, Maura, was a student at FSU when she was killed in a mass shooting in 2018 at a yoga studio near campus.

The Maura's Voice Symposium, an anti-hate event aimed at building safer campuses, was set for 5:00 p.m. yesterday. It was canceled due to that mass shooting on campus.

Jeff Binkley joins me now.

Jeff, I appreciate you taking the time to join us here.

I imagine it's been quite a 24 hours for you. How are you processing all of this? The fact that you were supposed to be there for an anti- hate event in your daughter's memory as all of this is unfolding. Where does that leave you today?

JEFF BINKLEY, DAUGHTER, MAURA, KILLED IN 2018 SHOOTING NEAR FSU: And thank you, Erica.

It's, at the same time surreal, but all too real. This feels like it did on November 2nd, 2018. It's just -- it's hard to describe.

But I was here for a purpose. And you know, everyone involved in that seminar was here for a purpose. And it just highlights how important it is to continue our work. I mean, this was exactly what we were working to prevent.

And the horrible irony of this happening on the day we have it scheduled, I -- I really can't describe it, except the only thing I know how to do is continue to work and redouble our efforts.

HILL: I believe that you were telling the "Tallahassee Democrat" that when you first heard those sirens yesterday, you were in your hotel room, but you -- you basically knew. You knew what was happening in that moment and that it was likely a mass shooting.

To your point, this -- you know, sort of strengthens your resolve, highlights the importance of the work that you're doing.

What does it change -- I mean, the fact that this was canceled, yes. But how does it add even more importance and immediacy to what you're doing in this moment?

BINKLEY: It does. This happening yesterday and I'm thinking of, you know, the victims, their families, their loved ones. I know -- I always say you don't know unless, you know.

If any of them are listening, watching, I know. And it is that much more feeling of responsibility every time something like this happens. I believe we're all responsible to a degree. Our institutions, you

know, including, you know, journalism, our all our public institutions.

But those of us as individuals and those of us who have found themselves as a survivor, as so many are doing such important work, there's just that much more urgency.

[14:35:02]

But also, we have to step back and look at each occurrence and certainly this one, because it's right here where so many of the, the principles of our work are based, to, you know, once information is available to analyze it, try to learn what we can.

I mean, motivation, you know certainly just -- just anything that we can learn from, develop and make our contribution to efforts to enhance prevention.

Which are going on everywhere with so many institutions, you know, of all types, law enforcement, campus officials you know, city, county officials, all levels of government and -- and -- and academia and private foundations.

And we just are thinking about, how can we better, even better contribute and contribute in -- just in a more urgent manner?

HILL: As I understand, you know, part of what you were there for, right, in partnership with Maura's Voice was really to engage in meaningful conversations.

And I think when we break it down, there have been so many efforts by the families of victims, people like yourself, to remind people how much a conversation can matter.

I think of efforts right from Sandy Hook Promise about just saying hello to other kids at schools. What is the most important part of those meaningful conversations, as you're hoping to facilitate that discussion?

BINKLEY: I think connection, to make a foundation to build collective will in our society. I think the -- the key element to advancing the ability to prevent these kinds of things is through the collective will of our society.

And that's what these conversations are about. That's what, you know, Sandy Hook Promise is -- is talking about doing. In doing those things, you're a part of that and building that collective will to purposely do whatever you can to address these issues.

And organizations like ours can build a research -- help build a research and policy framework around that.

But -- but it is, you know, going to take a greater element of will on our society as a whole to advance the ability to -- to prevent these awful tragedies. HILL: Yes. You're right. And to sometimes have conversations that

could be difficult.

Jeff, thank you for your time. Thank you for your work in honor and in memory of your daughter, Maura. And thank you for pushing for those connections and those very important conversations.

BINKLEY: Thank you so much. And I'm sending my love to the entire FSU and Tallahassee community, again, all victims, survivors. And thank you. Thank you for your time.

HILL: Yes. Thanks again, Jeff.

And Jeff's organization again is Maura's Voice.

Still to come here, disturbing new allegations against DOGE. A report of federal employees being screamed at, forced to work for 36 hours straight to carry out mass firings, gutting their own agency.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:42:44]

HILL: A federal judge has just paused the Trump administration's mass firings at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Termination notices actually started going out yesterday.

And 1,500 of the agency's 1,700 employees were expected to receive them. That's despite a court ruling last week that said cutbacks could not be so severe as to stop the agency's necessary work.

Well, now, disturbing new details about just how some of those firings were carried out.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is joining me with all of these new developments.

I mean, never a dull moment here. So walk us through where we stand right now, how this all happened.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: So the Trump administration has been trying to shut down the CFPB, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for some time now. It's been tied up in court.

DOGE is involved. And what they did yesterday is essentially told 90 percent of that agency that they're fired and that today would be their last day. They'd lose access to their computers.

A federal judge then said, "We're going to have an emergency hearing this morning." That took place. It only lasted about a half an hour. But a lot of facts came out about how this was going on.

One of the things was that there's sworn testimony from an anonymous person who was involved in this implementation of the firings at the CFPB. He says that "DOGE member, Gavin Klieger, managed the reduction in

force. He kept the team up for 36 hours straight to ensure that the notices would go out yesterday, Thursday. Gavin was screaming at people he did not believe we're working fast enough."

That anonymous employee is also saying under oath to the court that the top lawyer at the CFPB was -- was being told that there was a court order that said that they can't cut back the agency so severely that it can't do it's normal tasks.

And the lawyer said, ignore that concern, that leadership would be assuming the risk. So that was all moving forward.

The judge held the hearing and said, you know what, it's not happening today. People's computers are not going to be shut off. The mass layoffs will not take place, as these people had been told today.

There's going to be a hearing in about 10 days and a lot of evidence gathering before then.

HILL: So remind me, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, right, so this was created back in 2008 after the financial crisis, the meltdown, I should say, financial meltdown.

But look at this. This was all about protecting consumers. So when we look at this, in terms of return on investment for the federal government, I mean, what is the benefit to cutting it?

[14:45:09]

POLANTZ: Well, Republicans have hated it for a long time. It was an agency originally championed by Senator Elizabeth Warren.

But it is an agency that fields complaints from consumers whenever they believe that banks are doing them wrong --

HILL: Right.

POLANTZ: -- in some way or are being affected by predatory lending.

In this situation, the CFPB, theoretically, it could be, I don't know, assumed into another agency, something like that. There have been many court fights over many years. This isn't the first one about this agency.

But if you just look at the facts of how the agency operates, they get five million complaints that they're just expecting this year from consumers. Half a million calls. They track all of that. They investigate it.

And according to the court documents in this case, that reduction yesterday was reducing the Consumer Response Unit from 135 people down to eight employees.

HILL: Eight?

POLANTZ: Eight. And firing the entirety of the people who manage the database that tracks the millions of complaints. Also --

HILL: Wait, zero people would be managing the database?

POLANTZ: In that -- yes.

HILL: OK.

POLANTZ: In that part. And also, zero people on the general law and ethics staff, everyone working on the natural disaster staff, and every staff member working with disability and accessibility groups, making sure the agency is in compliance.

HILL: So again, this is an agency that helps consumers who feel they have been a victim of fraud.

POLANTZ: Yes.

HILL: Right? And DOGE is supposed to be rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. And here's where we stand.

POLANTZ: Well, the stated mission of DOGE is to root it out within the federal government, yes.

HILL: OK. Katelyn, appreciate it. Thank you.

POLANTZ: So in 10 days, we're back -- we'll be back in court.

HILL: Great. Thank you.

Still to come here, scientists say they have just found the strongest signs of life beyond earth. We'll speak with the scientist behind the potentially landmark findings just ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:25]

HILL: Cue some X-Files music. Are we alone in the cosmos? Turns out, the truth may be out there. Way, way, way, like very far out there.

But out there, a mere 124 light years from earth, if you really want to be exact about it. That's where scientists have now found the strongest signs yet of the potential for life beyond our solar system.

How did they do this? Well, researchers using the Webb Space Telescope have found evidence that two gases, gases which are produced on earth by living organisms like plankton, may also be present on this distant planet known as K2-18B.

And now, look, it's important to note here researchers stress they're not announcing they've discovered life on K2-18B. But they do believe there may be signs that some sort of biological process could be happening there.

Here to walk us through it is Nikku Madhusudhan, who is leading -- the lead scientist behind these findings. He's a professor of astrophysics and exoplanetary science at the University of Cambridge.

It's great to have you here to walk us through this and to put it in layman's terms for people like me.

So talk to me about, so this planet, K2-18B, was discovered in 2015. And while you were studying it, so you found some evidence that suggested there was presence of this molecule.

It's called dimethyl sulfide. That's important because it also exists here on earth. But it's something that's only produced by living organisms.

What did it tell you? What did your findings tell you about what it could mean, it's existence on that planet? And the fact that you estimate that there's actually, like, thousands of times higher than what we see here on earth. What did that tell you?

NIKKU MADHUSUDHAN, PROFESSOR OF ASTROPHYSICS & EXOPLANETARY SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE: Yes, thank you. Thanks for that introduction, for setting the stage.

That is correct, is that we are seeing hints of at least one of two molecules. It's DMS, as you mentioned, dimethyl sulfide, or D.M., D.S., dimethyl disulfide or both.

Now both these molecules, as you mentioned, are known, are produced primarily by life here on earth, organic matter. But they have also been predicted to be strong biosignatures on other planets.

And the reason for that is that it's very hard to make these molecules by any other process other than life in large quantities.

Now, what we are seeing, tentative hints of these molecules in these other exoplanet, the -- the amounts we are seeing are thousands of times higher, which -- which tells us that, based on current knowledge, there may be unknown unknowns, there may be processes, abiotic, non-biological processes we may discover in the future.

But based on current knowledge, there is no other way to explain that but life.

Having said that, we want to remain extremely cautious given the magnitude of what this could lead to. So -- so we would like to do more theoretical studies and look into experimental studies to see if there is any abiotic process.

But so far, it's looking like life is -- is -- is a viable explanation.

(CROSSTALK)

MADHUSUDHAN: But we also want to get more observations.

HILL: Life could be a viable explanation. Is there any way to tell -- tell what type of life that could be? MADHUSUDHAN: So our baseline assumption is similar to the life of the

microorganisms in earth's oceans that produce these gases. So -- so we are talking about simple microbial life. We don't know anything or we can't even guess anything beyond that.

HILL: Can't get beyond that. So 124 light years away, that's not exactly next door. As you continue your research here, where do you take it next? I mean, obviously, I know you can't go there, since we know that.

[14:55:06]

But when you're looking at how far away it is and as you're continuing that research and trying to determine what is there potentially in terms of life, how -- how will you know?

MADHUSUDHAN: Yes. So we want to go in two directions. First, we want to definitely make more observations to see if the data that we are looking at, the features that we are seeing -- you can see the features by eye in the spectrum, but we just want to make more observations to see if those features are real or -- or they are a fluke.

We think they are real, but we need more observations and we would hold judgment on that until then.

And in parallel, we also want to do, as I said, more theoretical and experimental studies to rule out any non-biological false positives.

And this could take us a couple of years. It could, the theoretical side, could take us 10 years. But we -- we want to be thorough. That's the most important thing.

HILL: Well, we look forward to the thorough update, whether it's two years or 10 years from now.

Nikku, really appreciate it. Thank you.

MADHUSUDHAN: Thank you.

HILL: When we come back here on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, is the U.S. ready to walk away from the Russia-Ukraine talks? Secretary of State Marco Rubio sending out a warning, as the president, a short time later, sounds a bit more optimistic. So where do things stand? That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)