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Judge Denies Public Release of Bodycam Video of Andrew Brown Jr Shooting; Pfizer: Pill to Treat COVID Could be Available by End of Year; 1st Juror in Chauvin Trial Speaks Out; Still Bitter: Inside Trump's First Months Out of Office; Outside Group Warned Capitol, Security Officials Before Riot; Capitol Police Officer Beaten in January 6th Attack Calls Out "Whitewash". Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired April 28, 2021 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:33:32]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: We're back with more breaking news. A judge in North Carolina has just denied the public release of the bodycam footage in the deadly shooting of Andrew Brown Jr, who was shot and killed last night by police serving a warrant in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

And I want to go right to CNN's Brian Todd, following this for us on the ground.

Brian, why? Why did the judge deny release of this video?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, the judge basically believes it's not appropriate to release the video right now.

There are concerns about a fair and impartial trial possibly being affected by this. There are some concerns about the safety of some people who may be on the video that could be affected by this.

There are a range of concerns that the judge cited.

The bottom line is, the public and the media will not be able to view these videos for at least 30 days.

He is saying that, after 30 to 45 days, after the State Bureau of Investigation completes its investigation, then, only then, if that bureau and the judge and the prosecution decides it's appropriate to release the videos, then they may be released or they may not.

After 30 to 45 days, it looks like this will be revisited, Ana. So the public is not going to see these, the contents of the videos for at least a month.

However, the judge did rule that Andrew Brown's son, Khalil Ferebee, and one attorney, licensed in the state of North Carolina, will be able to see the entire content of the videos within 10 days.

Now, the Brown family attorney, Ben Crump, came out with a statement saying he's very disappointed in this judge's ruling, that he believes the public and everybody should be seeing the videos.

[13:35:02]

But another attorney for the Brown family, Wayne Kendall, described it as a partial victory. Here's what Mr. Kendall had to say.

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WAYNE KENDALL, BROWN FAMILY ATTORNEY: So at least now, and sometime within the next 10 days or so, we will have the opportunity for at least one representative of the legal team, as well as Mr. Ferebee, will be allowed to see these, what we consider to be now, five video cams in full.

With only the facial features of the deputies that were there on the scene, as well as their identification, like a name badge, to be redacted or blurred out.

So, from the standpoint of the family, we would consider this a partial victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So after 10 days, after Khalil Ferebee and one attorney get to see these videos, it's possible that Mr. Ferebee will come out and describe in more detail what those videos show.

Another very dramatic moment today in court, Ana, was when the district attorney, Eric Womble, directly refuted the account of one of the Brown family attorneys -- here name is Chantel Lassiter.

She said that, on the 20 seconds of video that they were allowed to see, there was no indication that Andrew Brown moved in a menacing way with his vehicle towards the officers who were trying to arrest him.

And according to her account, he was trying to move away from them and avoid them.

Well, Eric Womble, the district attorney, said that the video that he was shown sees that, both in reverse and in forward drive, that Andrew Brown's vehicle made contact with sheriff deputies.

So that is a very dramatic moment in court today.

We did speak to Chantel Lassiter, after her account was refuted by the D.A. She said she stands by what she says on the 20 seconds of tape that she was able to see -- Ana?

CABRERA: That's so interesting. And obviously, there has been a growing pressure there in the community for this video to be released. So upon word of this news, what is the reaction been there?

TODD: Well, it's kind of a mixed reaction here. The public is just still digesting this.

We may see more protests tonight. The public and the protesters and their leaders have been calling for a full release, let's get everything out, let's make it available to everybody, so they can draw their conclusions.

And that, by the way, is what the attorney for the media was arguing in court today. He said, basically, let all the light be shed on this so we can all see this and not necessarily have to rely on the accounts of one side or the other. That media petition was denied by the judge.

We will see what the reaction of the public is. I imagine, Ana, it will be much of the same as the last week. There will be people on the streets marching, possibly, and calling for full disclosure on this as they have been for a week.

It looks like the Brown family attorneys are not entirely satisfied with all of this.

CABRERA: Brian Todd, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, thank you.

He had a front row seat and a pivotal role in a major moment for our country. A juror in the Derek Chauvin trial tells CNN every day in that courtroom during the trial felt like a funeral. The interview next.

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[13:42:57]

CABRERA: Listen to this. In terms of the pandemic, new developments. Pfizer's CEO says he hopes to have an antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 widely available by the end of the year.

So if it works, people could start treating symptoms at home as soon as they have them. And that could help people avoid a trip to the hospital.

Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is joining us.

Elizabeth, tell us more about this pill and what it could mean going forward?

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Ana, if this works out, this could be really, really terrific.

Right now, most drugs used to treat COVID-19, the ones that really seem to make a difference, those are intravenous, Remdesivir, the antibody drugs. You have to get an infusion. You have to be in a hospital. And it takes a while. It's not easy to do.

But if there could be a pill that you could take at home that would help fight COVID-19, that would be amazing.

This pill that Pfizer is studying, it's called a protease inhibitor. It stops the replication or slows down the replication of virus. It's used to treat HIV, for example, and hepatitis.

And so the CEO of Pfizer is saying he hopes to have more news this summer.

Right now, they're just in phase one. That's the very beginning, just small-scale studies. They would need to move on to phase two and phase three -- Ana?

CABRERA: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for your reporting.

Now this. The first juror who actually deliberated in the Derek Chauvin trial is speaking out about his experience.

Brandon Mitchell, a 31-year-old basketball coach, tells CNN it was a grueling process, one that demanded a lot of him and his fellow jurors.

Take a listen.

BRANDON MITCHELL, JUROR IN THE DEREK CHAUVIN TRIAL: Inside the courtroom, for me, was extremely stressful, extremely draining on a day-to-day basis.

It 100 percent was not easy at all each day just coming in, because watching somebody die each day, that's tough -- that's a tough thing to watch on film.

It was straining on us. We were all tired and drained at the end of the day. Emotional. Things that like, where it's like, that's not visible.

[13:45:00]

And I know we all tried to hold it together in the courtroom. But things like that aren't visible. It was 100 percent taking a toll on us just being in that room every day.

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CABRERA: A toll every day. Mitchell went on to say that this trial was so hard on him, he wasn't sure he would be able to continue.

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MITCHELL: There were a few times where I broke down. There was a weekend where I was, like, I don't know if I will make it in on Monday, because it was too much for me.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: How did you get through?

MITCHELL: I actually told myself -- I was maybe five minutes from calling my mom and telling her, I'm not going on Monday. And I told myself, I said, if I am not here, who will be here for us. And for us meaning for the black man.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: The judge in this case said he would not be releasing the names of the jurors for another six months. But Mitchell said he wanted to make himself known now, to show people this is how this system is supposed to work.

Well, he lost his election but not the appetite for revenge or a potential political comeback. Inside President Trump's unconventional first few months out of office.

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[13:50:40]

CABRERA: From the Oval Office to a converted bridal suite above Mar-a- Lago's ballroom, brand-new CNN reporting on former President Trump's first 100 days out of office details a man who remains bitter about his 2020 election lost but enjoying his role as kingmaker from his club in Palm Beach.

According to more than a dozen Trump aides and allies who spoke to CNN, Trump's days are now filled with a lot of golf, meetings with pro-Trump Republicans, complaints about Democrats and perceived enemies in his own party and plotting a potential comeback in 2024.

Oh, and friends say he's giving a buffet.

Let's get to my colleague behind this reporting, CNN reporter, Gabby Orr.

Gabby, great reporting.

What was the most surprising thing you learned while digging into Trump's first 100 days out of office?

GABBY ORR, CNN REPORTER: Well, frankly, Ana, what was surprising to me is just how unconventional both the president's activities and set up have been down at Mar-a Lago.

Usually, a former president, at this point, would be writing a memoir about their time in the White House or planning their presidential library. But for Donald Trump, that's not been the case.

He's actually actively engaged in recruiting primary candidates to challenge Republicans he doesn't like. This includes Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, and others who he has expressed disdain for in the months since he left office.

On top of that, he's actively involved in plotting ways to really codify his control of the Republican Party.

And he's leaning on many former advisers, people who worked alongside him in the White House and in the West Wing, as he makes those moves.

He's talking to people like Kellyanne Conway, former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, former Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi, as he really strategizes and figures out what is next for him, both in 2022, and even beyond that, potentially, with a comeback bid in 2024.

And, again, going back to the setup here, I was just down in West Palm Beach last weekend. And it's notable to see that President Trump doesn't really have an officer down there.

He's working out of the converted bridal suite above Mar-a-Lago's ballroom. And this is where he's holding these strategy sessions with his aides and where he's interviewing candidates to take on Republican incumbents who he does not like.

CABRERA: It's interesting, because a lot of former presidents take a break from politics once they're out of office. Not so the case with former President Trump.

Gabby Orr, thank you for your insights.

We are still learning much more about the January 6th attack on the capitol. There's new evidence that law enforcement officials ignored, even dismissed violent online warnings ahead of the deadly insurrection.

According to internal e-mails, a representative from the outside artificial intelligence group, Data Miner, warned capitol security officials on January 5th of several troubling posts.

Including one by someone specifically urging people to go to Washington on January 6th and to help storm the capitol.

Adding, quote, "We will storm government buildings, kill cops, kill security guards, kill federal employees and agents." That's a quote.

The representative also warned officials of additional disturbing chatter about storming the capitol on the social media platform, Parler.

When the chief security officer for the architect of the capitol flagged these warnings to her supervisor, an officer responded to her in an e-mail, saying, quote, "There is no talk about any credible threats for storming the capitol."

Meanwhile, one of the officers beaten in that attack is speaking out to CNN, calling it one of the most vicious events he has ever encountered in his life, and calling out politicians who are now downplaying the riot.

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MICHAEL FANONE, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER: It's been very difficult seeing elected officials and other individuals kind of whitewash the events of that day or downplay what happened.

I experienced a group of individuals that were trying to kill me to accomplish, you know, their goal.

I experienced the most brutal, savage hand-to-hand combat of my entire life, let alone, my policing career, which spans almost two decades. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:55:05]

CABRERA: Meanwhile, the FBI is still trying to find the guy who did this.

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(SHOUTING)

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CABRERA: At least 400 people are facing charge so far in the capitol attack.

But the FBI needs your help as they try to identify this man that they say was involved in violent assaults on federal law enforcement officers that day.

If you have any information, go to tips.FBI.gov or dial 1-800-CALLFBI.

That does it for me today. Thank you for being with me. I'll see you back here tomorrow. You can follow me on Twitter, @AnaCabrera.

In the meantime, NEWSROOM continues next with Alisyn and Victor.

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