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Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) On Xi Hailing New Era In U.S.-China Relations, But Warning Trump On Taiwan; Court Overturns Alex Murdaugh's Murder Convictions, Orders New Trial; Researchers: Learning Recession Slide Predates COVID. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired May 14, 2026 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Chinese state media reporting that Xi warned Trump that Taiwan, the democratic, self-governing island that Beijing views as part of its territory is "the most important issue in China- U.S. relations and could create a very dangerous situation if mishandled." Some observers viewing that as a threat.

CNN's Will Ripley is live this morning in Taipei, Taiwan.

It seems like this island, which China has threatened to take by force, is really emerging for China as a -- as a key issue here of the summit. Meanwhile, it's sort of the tale of two straits. Meanwhile, you've got the Strait of Hormuz also lingering there with the president wanting China to help get that open.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. You know, it's interesting Sara because the officials here in Taipei were sort of expecting this kind of language from Xi Jinping. It didn't come as a surprise that it was the first thing the Chinese state media reported -- this comment basically saying that if the U.S. and China mishandled the issue of Taiwan it could lead to a military conflict. We've heard that sort of thing from Beijing repeatedly over the years. It is noteworthy but not surprising that was the first line of information that they chose to lead to the Xinhua news agency.

I want to read you a little bit more of the quote that was reported by Chinese state media from Xi Jinping. He said, "Taiwan independence and cross strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the U.S."

And because they were expecting that kind of language here in Taipei, there was a response very quickly from the Taiwan cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee. I'll read you that as well, Sara. It said, "China's military threat is the sole source of insecurity in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region. Continuous enhancement of defense and effective joint deterrents are the most critical factors to ensuring regional security."

The reason why they talked about enhancement of defense is because one big concern they have here in Taipei is that behind closed doors Xi Jinping could ask President Trump to either delay or stall or flat-out deny a $14 billion arms sales package that Taiwan's Parliament has approved but has yet to be approved by President Trump in Washington. It's still in limbo.

That would be a major setback for Taiwan if President Trump didn't approve that package quickly because it would basically indicate that he's willing to negotiate Taiwan's security in exchange for some sort of grand bargain.

That was, of course, the big concern that Taiwanese officials expressed in the days and weeks leading up to this meeting. We heard from the Taiwan foreign minister who said that he hoped this summit would bring no surprises. The deputy foreign minister said he was afraid that Taiwan could be on the menu.

So even though they knew here in Taipei that Xi was going to press this claim that Beijing has had for 75 years that Taiwan belong to China, even though Taiwan has had its own government and its own military the entire time -- and also, by the way, happens to have the production of all of the world's -- nearly all of the world's most advance chips that are crucial to the United States' deep investment AI. Without Taiwan the entire tech economy would essentially collapse if its supply chain were disrupted.

So Taiwan knows that they have that leverage. They're hoping that President Trump keeps that in mind when he's in talks with Xi Jinping and doesn't send the message that Taiwan's security is up for negotiation.

SIDNER: Will Ripley, thank you so much, live there for us from Taipei, Taiwan -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: With us now is Congressman Mark Alford, Republican from Missouri. Congressman, always great to see you.

Let me read you part of that statement from China again. "If it is not handled properly..." -- this is -- he's talking about the Taiwan issue here. "If it is not handled properly, the two countries may clash or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-U.S. relationship into a very dangerous situation." So some see that as a warning or a threat from President Xi.

You care deeply about Taiwan. You have been there -- traveling there in the --

REP. MARK ALFORD (R-MO): I do.

BERMAN: -- last couple of years.

What do you think the clear U.S. statement on Taiwan should be?

ALFORD: Well John, thanks for having me on.

Look, we have had since 1979 the Taiwan Relations Act from Congress, a policy of strategic ambiguity. We're not saying they're an independent nation but we're not saying they're part of China either.

We don't have an embassy there. We have an American Institute of Taiwan. I've been there. It's a very beautiful facility.

But Taiwan is important to us. It's important for their chip manufacturing, for drone capabilities. Our partnership with Taiwan is important but also our partnership -- burgeoning partnership, it looks like, between Trump and Xi in this new era that Xi has described is also important.

We've got to make sure that trade continues. We've got to make sure that we are able to export our Missouri soybeans and pork to China. And Taiwan also, of course, is buying some of those as well. It is a delicate tap dance at this point.

[07:35:00]

But look, in the appropriations process (coughing) -- excuse me. In the appropriations process just two weeks ago under the full committee for appropriations we appropriated $500 million for Taiwan in foreign military financing. That is up from $300 million just one year ago. So we are I think sending a signal to Taiwan that we value them but we also value President Trump's initiative to better relations with China.

BERMAN: Would you want those better relations to come at the expense of any reduced arms sales to Taiwan?

ALFORD: No. Taiwan needs to be ready for what could happen. And under our strategic ambiguity -- the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act we have committed to not necessarily aid in their self-defense but give them what they need to defend against any aggression from China. And that's very important that we live up to that.

BERMAN: Congressman, I want to play for you again some sound from President Trump as he was leaving for Beijing. He was asked about whether or not the situation -- Americans' financial situation weighed on him as he thought about the negotiations with Iran. Listen to his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: When you're negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are Americans' financial situation motivating you to make a deal?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not even a little bit. It -- the only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing -- we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all. That's the only thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So the president said, "I don't think about Americans' financial situation."

How much do you think about Americans' financial situation when it comes to Iran?

ALFORD: I think about it every day. And if I could just kind of give a little clarity to what I think President Trump was saying is look, he does care about the American people. He does care about the price at the pump. But he also realizes, as I do John, that we cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. If we did and they were to use it and put it on a ballistic missile that they've developed and God forbid hit some of our troops in Eastern Europe with that, gas prices would be $10.00 a gallon.

The point is now is the time, after 47 years of aggression from a terrorist state -- the largest terrorist state probably in the world -- this is time to put an end to it. This is a time to make sure that they will never rear their ugly head again as a theocracy to threaten other nations with a nuclear weapon. And I applaud President Trump for doing this.

I know that it is a hardship on filling up. It just cost me $100 to fill up my Ford Expedition last week when I was home in the district -- and I travel a lot. I know it's a hardship.

But we've got to do this now. If we don't, it's -- they are going to reconstitute just like a bad illness. Your doctor tells you to finish -- to finish your antibiotic or it's going to come back stronger. If we don't take our full regimen -- if we don't do this now, I don't want to think about what the future holds.

BERMAN: How long is that full regimen though? When you take antibiotics you get, you know, 30. You know, five a day for six days. Is this going to be five a day for four more months because -- and how much longer is it going to cost you 100 bucks to fill up your Ford Expedition?

ALFORD: Look, I don't have a crystal ball in this. I do know that we do have control over the Straits of Hormuz right now. Things have improved somewhat. I know Saudi Arabia --

BERMAN: I'm sorry. Congressman, if we have control -- if we have control, how come -- how come there aren't vessels going in and out --

ALFORD: Yeah.

BERMAN: -- of the Strait of Hormuz right now?

ALFORD: Because there are still some safety issues and Saudi Arabia and other countries did not want us to provide those services where we're escorting tankers through.

There's -- there is -- this has become very complicated because other Mideastern countries -- Middle East countries -- Saudi Arabia and others -- they want Iran to be dealt with, but they also know that this is a delicate situation. And so I think they are coordinating with the United States of America in this plan to fully open the Straits of Hormuz, to fully get oil flowing through that area so that we can live in peace with Iran and whatever regime ends up happening there. BERMAN: Congressman Mark Alford from Missouri. We always appreciate you coming on the show. Thank you so much -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is a wild, wild twist coming out of South Carolina. South Carolina's attorney general is now trying to fast- track a new murder trial for Alex Murdaugh after the State Supreme Court overturned his convictions for murdering -- the murder of his wife and son.

[07:40:00]

The justices sided with Murdaugh's defense team here, which had argued that jurors had been tainted by the actions of the court clerk, Becky Hill, during the -- for that first trial. Some of the jurors had purported that Hill made comments to them insinuating Murdaugh was guilty. She was questioned about it under oath in 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you all -- did you ever instruct the jury to "watch him closely" immediately before he testified, looking at his actions and looking at his movements? Did you ever tell a jury to do that?

BECKY HILL, MURDAUGH TRIAL COURT CLERK: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever tell the jury to pay attention to Mr. Murdaugh's testimony?

HILL: To pay attention? Not specifically to his testimony. I did tell the jury to pay attention --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To what?

HILL: -- just generally in the hallway when I was speaking --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not to him?

HILL: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just any witness.

HILL: Right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Well, the justices now say this in part of their opinion -- that "She egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility and his defense thus triggering the presumption of prejudice." The opinion also states that the clerk "Placed her fingers on the scales of justice."

CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson here with us right now.

I mean, it's been three years since Alex Murdaugh's double-murder trial ended with two life sentences. How wild a twist is this? JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Oh, it is huge, Kate -- good morning -- right? Just for perspective though, this is what these clerks, right, are all about. What happens is that they sit with the jury and they're sort of like the den mother to the jury. Whatever the jury needs. We're starting a little late today.

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

JACKSON: They take the lunch orders, when the verdict, and all the rest of it, and so there's the influence there.

And so the cornerstone of our democratic process -- the cornerstone of the trial process is a fair trial. Jurors have enough to process in a courtroom. Exhibits aplenty, text messages, emails, video, and all the rest of it. And when have a defendant who is about to testify and you have the den mother saying that -- for perspective, she's the court clerk -- saying hey, watch his movements, right? Don't let the defense confuse you, right? All of these different things that are inflammatory that are clearly designed to put your thumb on the scale, it becomes problematic.

And oh, by the way, Kate, she was selling a book at the time, and a guilty verdict would have been to her commercial interest to do so.

So the judges in the Supreme Court did the right thing. That's the State Supreme Court.

BOLDUAN: Um-hum.

JACKSON: Five-0 decision. They said, you know what, a fair trial is so important. We've got to reverse this. Even though three jurors heard it --

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

JACKSON: -- and that's it.

BOLDUAN: Joey, but what does a new trial look like now? I mean, how challenging is it to seat a jury after -- I mean, this --

JACKSON: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- trial got --

JACKSON: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- huge national attention.

JACKSON: It did.

BOLDUAN: In South Carolina it was everywhere. I mean, and then this? I mean --

JACKSON: Yes, a very good point. So a six-week trial. People were glued in. The defendant, who -- you know, defendants generally don't testify. Lately they have been. He testified for two days. So it's a big deal.

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

JACKSON: The reversal is a big deal.

Now the question is, will there be a retrial? Yes, there's been the indication from the prosecutor because the courts don't order. They order the case to go back. It's up to the prosecutor to say --

BOLDUAN: Right, OK.

JACKSON: -- I'm going to try this case again. And so they'll make that decision.

But look at this context. He already is serving 40 years in connection with a federal fraud crime in addition to 27 years in connection with a state crime. They're running at the same time. It's called concurrent time. So the analysis here is do we really -- and they can if state prosecutors want to go in and do it again or do we want to offer him some -- a plea.

And by the way, Kate, the judges also said in this decision --

BOLDUAN: Um-hum.

JACKSON: -- you've got to tone down other evidence that you allowed into this case. And if there's a retrial, we'll see the toning down, and here's what the toning down is. He -- I mentioned the financial fraud cases --

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

JACKSON: This case was so much about fraud. There were like 12 1/2 hours the court said that were dedicated to the issue of he's a fraudster. He rips off his clients. He rips off his law firm. And so the issue becomes is this case a murder trial or is it a fraud trial? It prejudices the jury. The court didn't like that and so if there's a retrial, we'll see a lot less of that and a lot more about the murder.

BOLDUAN: If --

JACKSON: If.

BOLDUAN: I mean, that -- there is a lot going on here. A wild twist.

Thanks, Joey --

JACKSON: Always.

BOLDUAN: -- for helping us understand it.

JACKSON: Appreciate you.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: All right. So new pictures of a remarkable rescue off the coast of Florida. A small plane carrying 11 people crashed in the Atlantic. The Air Force rerouted a training flight to search for survivors, along with the Coast Guard, and they found all 11 passengers alive on life rafts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. RORY WHIPPLE, U.S. AIR FORCE PARARESCUE: And you could tell just by looking at them that, you know, they were in distress physically, mentally, emotionally. Um, but for us, we train to a higher -- very high level to deal with this type of thing. So for us it's just another day at work, another day of training. But this time instead of training it was real world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:45:05]

BERMAN: The 11 survivors were flown to Florida and then taken to the hospital.

All right. School testing scores in a freefall and now there is growing concern about a reading recession.

And a wild police chase ends in a rollover crash, then a toddler comes crawling out of the car moments later. Imagine it.

(COMMERCIAL)

SIDNER: All right. A stark new warning about the state of education and the country's schoolchildren in the United States are facing what's being called a learning recession. A new national education scorecard shows reading scores have dropped in more than 80 percent of school districts compared to 10 years ago. That's according to an analysis by The New York Times. That same analysis finds that one in three schools in the United States students are reading at a full grade level lower than they were a decade ago.

[07:50:00]

The new report says eighth-grade reading scores are at their lowest point since 1990. Fourth-grade is pre-2003 levels. Only a handful of states had meaningful growth in reading over the last couple of years.

One major factor could be the increased use of social media. Kids are reading their phones and not books. As one of the researchers in the study put it, "The pandemic was the mudslide that had followed seven years of steady erosion."

Former education secretary during the Biden administration, Miguel Cardona, is joining me now.

This is alarming to say the least -- this reading recession if you will. But this did start before the pandemic. Can all of this be blamed on screentime or are there other factors that are sort of causing this long-term decline in reading?

MIGUEL CARDONA, FORMER SECRETARY OF EDUCATION, BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, CARDONA SOLUTIONS: Hello, Sara. Thank you for having me.

And yes, I'm pleased you pointed out that it happened before the pandemic. If anything, the pandemic made it worse. But I do believe over the last decade or so we -- there's been a benign neglect that has turned into an attack on public education, and I think that contributes to it.

I also believe, as you pointed out, that, you know, a shift to phones and devices has decreased the number of students that read for pleasure, which is also contributing to it.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about some of the other things that researchers sort of pointed to in this. They're talking about less test-based accountability. But one that kind of stood out was chronic absenteeism. And, of course, social media --

CARDONA: Yeah.

SIDNER: -- and the rise of smartphones.

Which of those really concerns you the most ultimately?

CARDONA: Yeah. You know, it's funny. We're due for a renaissance in how we assess our students, without question. We need to improve it. I do think accountability is critical but oftentimes what we see is accountability without the supports that are needed. So I caution that a bit.

I do believe we need to make sure we're measuring how our students are performing but we also have to do that while providing the supports that our schools need to thrive.

Attendance is a factor. Sometimes the best academic intervention you could provide is strategies to improve attendance. Chronic absenteeism has been an issue, and it got worse during the pandemic. And I think that is a strategy that is promising that I'm seeing across the country states are really focusing on.

SIDNER: I want to talk about some of the things that actually were going right and if that may be one of the answers here as well.

CARDONA: Um-hum.

SIDNER: Um, this idea of phonics-based approach that -- you know, sounding things out as the science of reading. Some of the places that improved their reading scores are using the phonics-based approach. I hadn't realized that some places had gone away from that.

Should schools nationwide --

CARDONA: Yeah. SIDNER: -- return to a phonics-based approach you think?

CARDONA: Yeah. You know, I'm a firm believer. As a fourth-grade teacher -- I started off as a fourth-grade teacher and remembering, you know, phonics, phonemics awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, oral language -- how important that was to a really strong program.

And I think in some places they have gone away from that and we have to make sure we're returning to what we know works for students while also taking into account the important variations that are needed for multilingual learners such as oral fluency and um -- and talking and not just staying focused on the decoding part but also using language.

The science is there. The research is there. We have to make sure we're doing a good job putting in programs but also supporting educators and getting highly-qualified teachers to teach this. What good is a curriculum if we're not investing in making sure that we have highly-qualified teachers who are supported in front of our students?

SIDNER: Overall, what is your biggest concern? I mean, obviously, this administration wants to get rid of the Department of Education.

CARDONA: Yeah.

SIDNER: There are some cuts.

What are you -- what are your biggest concerns going forward as to --

CARDONA: Yeah.

SIDNER: -- what needs to be done to deal with this decline?

CARDONA: I appreciate that question and let me take a step back. Look, this is a matter of urgency for everyone. We need to come together in education and say what works in our schools. You know, I worry that the voucher schemes or defunding research like the important research that is driving this conversation today -- I worry about the cuts in research there. I worry about the vouchers and cuts in public education.

Let's come together to find out how we can work together to make sure our students are reading, early literacy, improving chronic absenteeism. Look, I can bet against politicians in D.C., but I will never bet against our educators. Let's come together and unite our country around what's best for our students. I feel optimistic that we can do that in this country.

SIDNER: All right, Miguel Cardona. Thank you so much for taking the time this morning -- John.

BERMAN: So a toddler in Arkansas walked away from a high-speed rollover crash after police said his mother refused to pull over for speeding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) POLICE OFFICER: Hands up!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

POLICE OFFICER: We've got a toddler walking out of the back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:55:04]

BERMAN: So it was after the chase and the crash that the toddler climbed out of the backseat as his mother was placed in handcuffs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE OFFICER: It's a kid. Do you understand me? Come here. Stand in front of my car. You could have killed your child. Do you understand?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

POLICE OFFICER: That was the stupidest thing you've ever done in your life. Today was the stupidest decision you've ever made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The 23-year-old driver faces several charges, including child endangerment. Whew, terrifying.

So in Iowa a quick-thinking student helped save a woman's life when her house caught fire. A 17-year-old and his family were at a nearby golf course when they saw a house just go up in flames. The teen and his father ran to help just as that propane tank there exploded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAREK DESSIMOZ, STUDENT: I started knocking on the windows. Like, I was hitting it as hard as I could and seeing if someone was there. And this lady -- I see her inside and she runs over and opens the door and she's shocked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: An Amazon delivery driver also joined in on the rescue, and they were all able to pull the woman to safety. That's quick thinking and great work from all of them.

So in San Franciso, workers are having to fill holes all over the city for the strangest of reasons. Someone buried $10,000 somewhere and left clues on how to find it, but two weeks in no treasure and just a lot of holes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are beautiful flowers here so who would want to destroy a park but for 10 grand?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hearing about the holes is a bummer because we're ruining the ecosystem and the land here is not good for everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The clues say the treasure weighs 150 pounds and is buried a foot underground somewhere within a seven-mile radius of City Hall -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: That was like a series of oh my gosh stories, just one after another.

BERMAN: I brought it. I think I did a good job today. I'm going to go now.

BOLDUAN: You did. I think you brought it today. You can go now.

BERMAN: My work is done.

BOLDUAN: No so far now. Thank you so much.

Let's turn to this. The legal team for Kouri Richins says now they plan to appeal. That is after the judge sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Richins is the Utah woman who wrote a children's book about grief after the death of her husband only to be convicted of murdering him.

Watching Kouri Richins during her sentencing was quite something. She appeared to gasp and even roll her eyes as her late husband's sister read a victim impact statement.

Here's the judge from court handing down this most severe sentence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE RICHARD MRAZIK, THIRD DISTRICT COURT OF UTAH: A person convicted of committing that sequence of events in that way and for that reason -- a person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: "Too dangerous to ever be free."

CNN's Jean Casarez is tracking this. You've been -- you've followed this trial from the --

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BOLDUAN: -- very beginning. Quite something in court.

CASAREZ: You know, the judge also said on Valentine's Day of 2022 you tried to poison your husband to death with a sandwich, but he survived. And instead of saying what did I do, the next 17 days you worked at getting stronger fentanyl and you did it that time. Five times the lethal limit of fentanyl was in his system when he died.

This was an all-day sentencing hearing and Kouri Richins has -- you know, a defendant has the opportunity --

BOLDUAN: Yes.

CASAREZ: -- right before the sentence comes to allocute. To beg for mercy with the judge. She spoke for 30 minutes but it was not as it normally is. She was speaking to her three little boys -- her son. She was talking about how wonderful her husband Eric Richins, the victim, was. Of how what a beautiful father he was. Everyone loved him. And she kept saying be him in your life. Go on and hunt and fish and be just like your father. And the jury convicted her of poisoning him to death.

And then she gets to the point where she says, "And murder -- it was not murder. Eric was in pain. This was an accident." So she started blaming Eric Richins for his own death right there on fentanyl. And she said, "I never committed murder."

Now listen to Kouri Richins as she spoke to the court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOURI RICHINS, SENTENCED TO LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE: That is completely wrong and an absolute lie. You dad was in physical pain -- a lot of physical pain. He would have never left us intentionally and I would have never taken him from you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And then gut-wrenching victim impact statements. But the focus turned to Kouri and her facial expressions as Eric Richins' family spoke with pain -- listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE RICHINS-BENSON, SISTER OF ERIC RICHINS: Or used the boys are bargaining chips with my dad. She repeatedly threatened not to let him see his grandsons unless he could convince me, as Eric's trustee of his trust, to capitulate to her legal demands and give her all the trust assets while isolating the boys.