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Florida Braces For Likely Impact Of Tropical Storm Ian; Fiona Slams Into Canada's Atlantic Coast; Iranian Women Lead Protests, Calling For Freedom; Democrat John Fetterman Holds Campaign Rallies for PA Senate; Sources: Trump In Secret Court Fight To Stop Aides From Sharing Information About 1/6 With Grand Jury; Michigan GOP Candidate Under Investigation In Voting Machine Scheme. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 24, 2022 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:42]
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Alex Marquardt in Washington in today for Jim Acosta.
After a quiet start, the Atlantic hurricane season roaring to life. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has just declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Ian is expected to strengthen and become the first major hurricane to hit that state since 2018.
And in Puerto Rico, which was slammed by Hurricane Fiona nearly a week ago, there are still broken trees, roads damaged and widespread power outages. Fiona continues to cause havoc much further north in Canada. It made landfall in Nova Scotia this morning with hurricane strength. Entire homes on the coast just washed away.
CNN meteorologist Britley Ritz is tracking the latest.
Britley, what can we expect?
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Ian is expected to rapidly intensify over the upcoming days as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico where the environment is a little more conducive for development. We're losing that wind shear. Wind direction, wind speed changing with height as it moves off to the west at 16 miles per hour. A lot more convection. A lot more organized as we are looking at satellite. And as we notice a bit more of a center, we'll gain some clarity as to where this storm is expected to arrive on somewhere the coastline of Florida.
So currently sitting down in the Caribbean, expected to take its track into the Gulf of Mexico by Monday becoming a category 2 storm, with winds expected around 100 miles per hour. Tuesday morning, crossing over Cuba, now moving as a cat 3, a major hurricane, at 115 miles per hour. That cone widens as we talked about. There is a lot of uncertainty as to where this system can lie or make landfall.
From Destin, all the way down into Key West, expect landfall sometime Wednesday into Thursday. Again, that uncertainty lies where the center is with the storm. So as soon as we find that out, we'll have a better idea as to where landfall will be. The American model Friday, 5:00 in the evening, coming into play around the panhandle of Florida. But notice that uncertainty. The European Wednesday at 2:00 in the afternoon. We've got that center of the storm right off the west coast of Florida.
And that also plays a big role in how much rain we are expected to get. Two to four inches widespread. But notice the euro as it takes it in Wednesday. We're talking about rainfall totals near Tampa, Central Florida, back up into Jacksonville, Gainesville. Reaching up over a foot. So again, a lot of uncertainty there but we do know is that the wind is going to pick up, the wave heights are going to pick up, and we're dealing with quite a bit of rain.
Now only that, like you said, Alex, we are dealing with quite a bit of activity out into the Atlantic and rising up was Fiona. And quite impressive. Now post Tropical Cyclone Fiona still dealing with wind gusts over 100 miles per hour. So it takes its track north at 25 miles per hour. The center of the storm located in the Gulf of Lawrence. Expected to take its track over Labrador. (INAUDIBLE), according to the Canada National Hurricane Center, did say that Nova Scotia is expected to see these conditions clear up a bit within the next three to six hours.
But of course, a fierce system caused surge. All that water coming up onto shore. Very impressive. Unfortunately very dangerous. And this is what -- was a result of that strong moving water. Many homes just completely wiped off and into the water themselves. And not only that, but tree limbs down, power lines down. Many across Newfoundland and all across Labrador dealing with widespread power outages. And this is just going to be a continuing problem over the upcoming days.
Prince Edward Island looking at trees falling right into the homes of this people up in Canada. We're talking wind speeds of 100 plus. Not only that, but, again, hurricane force winds for many. Although it is expected to weaken, it does stay as an area of low pressure as it moves into Labrador -- Alex.
[15:05:04]
MARQUARDT: So much destruction. So much uncertainty. And so much fear. Britley Ritz, we know you'll be tracking all of that. Thank you very much.
Now to CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir. Bill of course no stranger to storms and hurricanes and the incredible damage that they cause.
Bill, our CNN team spoke with a 62-year-old who is on the ground in Newfoundland saying that he's never seen storm damage like this. How much has that area historically seen storms that are that strong?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It's been a while, Alex. You know, the low pressure, the lower the pressure, the higher the waves and the winds and the fierceness of the storm. And it was an all-time low as it came barreling towards eastern Canada there. They had some good warning, obviously. They've had a couple of days to batten down the hatches there and prepare for this and a little stronger infrastructure which Fiona showed us, though, in Puerto Rico is that even if the wind speeds aren't Maria sized, 170, 180 mile-an- hour category 4 or 5, they can still cause real infrastructure damage.
A lot of the power outage is frustrating folks a week after the storm hit there as well. We'll see, you know, what is borne out up in Nova Scotia, up there in eastern Canada there as well, but the one to watch now is what's happening in the Gulf of Mexico.
What the science tells us about these storms, we don't necessarily get more of them in the age of the climate crisis. But they get upgraded. What were one or two categories are not three or fours. And we'll see what happens in the coming days as this storm now. It heads towards Cuba and up into the Gulf.
MARQUARDT: And speaking of the damage, when you look at the kind of damage that we're seeing in Canada and in Puerto Rico, when they talk about rebuilding or they look forward towards rebuilding, how much are these storms and what we know is coming going to change the way that these communities rebuild their structures?
WEIR: Yes. That's a fantastic question. It's all about -- you know, all zoning is local. And as you travel up and down the vulnerable coast lines, you find some communities that are really taking this seriously and are fortifying themselves. Charleston has billion-dollar seawall plans. Other places are ignoring it as they have historically as well. But sometimes whether you ignore it or not, the realities of it come to bear economically even if you don't get hit by a storm directly.
For example, Louisiana took four hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. That put I think over a dozen local small insurance companies out of business. It changed property values and calculations about tax bases, so yes, the age of adaptation is part of this crisis. It's bracing and battening down the hatches for what is already (INAUDIBLE).
MARQUARDT: All right. I think we just lost our connection with Bill Weir there in New York. We will try to get him back.
Coming up next, thousands of Iranians are boldly standing up to the authoritarian regime there after a woman died in the custody of the country's morality police. Jason Rezaian spent more than 500 days in an Iranian jail. He'll be joining me live, that's next.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:12:24]
MARQUARDT: In Iran, officials are cracking down on the unprecedented wave of defiance that's happening now throughout the country and has been for days. Iran's state news agency reporting that at least 1200 people have been arrested in the protest over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Now that video obtained from the pro-reform activist outlet Iran Wire. Now Iran's morality police arrested Amini for allegedly not wearing her head scarf or hijab properly. Three days after her detention, she died.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has more on these bold protests raging all across Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A week like no other Iran has seen in years. Protests ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini have snowballed into much more than that. Women have been leading the calls for change and freedom, rising up for rights this generation has never had.
But even those who've seen it all joined in. This old woman waves her head scar, softly chanting, death to the supreme leader. The threat of punishment by jail or flogging hasn't stopped their remarkable acts of defiance.
CNN can't verify the circumstances of this video or when it was filmed. It shows a woman standing up to the morality police, the woman in black, refusing to come down or to wear her head scarf, the hijab. Commotion breaks out as they tried to grab her. She shouts that she is standing up for the sake of Mahsa Amini.
The government appears to be using all it's got to silence the voices of dissent. A female force deployed for the first time on the streets. It's also been firing live rounds directly at protesters, according to Amnesty International. Several people have so far been killed and many others injured.
President Ebrahim Raisi in New York on Thursday appeared to be dismissing the real grievances of the thousands who've taken to the streets.
EBRAHIM RAISI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Vis-a-vis what is occurring, having demonstrations be it unionized organizations, labor organizations, or towards any specific issue or incident, of course, these are normal and fully expected. But we must differentiate between demonstrators and vandalism.
[15:15:08]
KARADSHEH: On Friday, more ominous warnings from authorities. The army, they say, is ready to deal with conspiracies of so-called enemies. As the country descends into darkness with internet disruptions not seen since the 2019 protests, many now bracing for what the coming hours and days may bring.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Jomana for that report.
CNN contributor and "Washington Post" global opinions writer Jason Rezaian joins me now. He spent 544 days in Iranian jail and wrote a memoir about what he went through. You can see it right there. Jason, there are protests now taking place outside Iran. These
pictures are from London today. You see how big these crowds are getting. This is a story that of course is really resonating for so many different reasons.
Let's start at the core of what happened. This was a young woman who died at the hands of the morality police. There have obviously been a lot of cases surrounding them. How much do you think that what we are seeing in Iran and now elsewhere goes to the actions of that police force? .
JASON REZAIAN, WASHINGTON POST OPINION WRITER: Well, look, Alex, I think it's sort of the straw that broke the camel's back. Iranians have been frustrated over a variety of different factors for many years. But the treatment of women has been one that's been at the core of protests going back to the founding of the Islamic Republic. And, you know, we see Iranian women. They are educated. They are a part of the workforce.
They're part of every aspect of life, but they're degraded, they're subjugated. And I think the frustrations are just boiling over in a way that probably will never go back again. I mean, this is a watershed moment, I would say.
MARQUARDT: Well, speak more to that. We're using a lot of superlatives. Now this is -- we've seen a lot of protests in recent years. They seem to spike and then go away. What has been your impression as you have seen these grow not just in Tehran but spread across the country? .
REZAIAN: It's exhilarating but it's also terrifying. The protests are taking place in Tehran, all over Tehran, but also in different provinces, in cities small and large around the country. That's not something that we've seen in the past. But when you think about it in terms of the gender aspect of this, this is 50 percent of the population that's being represented in this. And all of the men who support them.
I think the Iranian people have been waiting for a moment where they can represent their true feelings about the way that their government abuses them. This is one of those moments. And unfortunately the crackdown on the internet, the shutting down of all communication tools has made it very difficult for us to see what's going on inside the world -- around the world. What's going on inside Iran. But it's clear that the regime is very, very, very afraid of these protests right now.
MARQUARDT: And they're taking real risks going out there, standing on top of cars. Women cutting their hair and taking off their hijabs. What are the risks that they're running by doing this?
REZAIAN: They are making the ultimate risk. They will face imprisonment. They will face flogging. And some of them may have been killed already, and others will likely be killed in the days and weeks ahead. We cannot underestimate the abuses of power that the Islamic republic is ready to commit to maintain control over that society. MARQUARDT: But does this moment feel any different to you? Are you
afraid that this series of protests will fall away like we have seen others?
REZAIAN: I'm not sure I can say that this is going to lead to the downfall of the regime. But what we've seen over the last few years is a quickening of the pace of protests. They are more. They are coming about more quickly. They are coming about in different parts of the country where we haven't seen them before. And I just don't see them able to dial this back. The dissent is real. The frustrations are real. And the regime has proven that it's unable to adequately address those concerns that are natural.
You know, this is a country of modern thinking, Westernized thinking, in some ways, people in large urban areas. But also incredibly educated society. So, you know, I think it's only natural to assume that the frustrations will continue until Iranians are able to express their frustrations and receive more representative government.
MARQUARDT: There is a relatively new president who has said that these protests, these rioters will be dealt with decisively. Of course he's not the final authority in that country. It's the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. But what do you make so far of the security forces and the government's reaction?
[15:20:02]
REZAIAN: Look, I think that it's been brutal. I think that, you know, they are sending out text messages to all people in the country to stay off the streets. I have been in Iran when those text messages get out. That's a warning that we will take live fire, live ammunition against protesters if we deem it necessary. I don't imagine that there will be any mercy from the regime at this point against protesters.
And that's all the more reason why we should be raising their voices, amplifying their voices and really awed and astounded by the risks these people are willing to take to exercise their basic rights.
MARQUARDT: We've seen the U.S. impose new sanctions against Iran, specifically against the morality police. Foreign countries of course always weary to get involved. But we have seen the U.S. and others speaking out. Do you think that the international community is doing enough?
REZAIAN: Not doing enough, but doing more than they were a few weeks ago. Another move that the Biden administration made yesterday was to take off limitations on communication software and make it more accessible, easier for Western companies to sell their software to Iranians. That's a very good step. But it begs the question, why were those tools being blocked in the first place?
And the answer to that question is that we've placed so many restrictions on the Iranian regime, but we haven't been supporting civil society in that country. And that's the next step of where we need to go as the United States but also the international community democracies. MARQUARDT: Is that one of the main things that countries like the
United States can do is help on the internet side of things and really help them get their message out?
REZAIAN: Certainly. I mean, doing whatever we can to work with tech companies, to ensure that Iranians have access to the internet. But also, again, to amplify their voices. As these images come out, do what we can to spread them far and wide and condemn the brutal responses by the Iranian regime.
MARQUARDT: You of course are no stranger to what happens behind closed doors. As we noted, 544 days in detention. The Iranian president has been in touch with Miss Amini's family, saying that they will get to the bottom of her death. But for right now her official cause of death is a heart attack. Then she went into a coma. Do you think we'll actually ever know the real answer?
REZAIAN: I think we already know the real answer. She died in the hands of her captors. This is not the first time an Iranian citizen was beaten to death by morality police or other law enforcement. You know, I think the idea that she had a heart attack and fell is just an excuse, one that will never be fully investigated by Iranian authorities. We are still waiting for an investigation of the downing of the Ukraine Air Flight 752 almost three years ago.
We can't expect them to hold anybody accountable in any real ways or get justice for these people who have suffered at the hands of this regime.
MARQUARDT: Well, it's a tragedy that led to a potentially historic moment. Certainly one that we are all watching extremely closely.
Jason Rezaian, really appreciate your time.
REZAIAN: Always my pleasure. Thank you.
MARQUARDT: All right. Well, coming up, CNN's exclusive reporting on a secret legal battle being waged by Trump's lawyers. We'll have those details next.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:27:57]
MARQUARDT: Welcome back. We are just 45 days out from the November midterm elections. And one of the most closely watched races is for the Senate in the state of Pennsylvania. Democrat Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman will face off against Republican rival Dr. Mehmet Oz. And today Fetterman just wrapped up one rally and is holding another one later on.
CNN's Dan Merica was there, he joins us now live from Philadelphia.
Dan, you heard Fetterman's remarks. He's now making abortion central to his push ahead of the midterms.
DAN MERICA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, this event was all about motivating Fetterman's base. I'm in a county right now, Philadelphia County, 81 percent Biden voters in 2020. The zip code Fetterman has spoken was 96 percent Biden voters in 2020. So this was not a persuadable crowd. These people have decided they are Democrats, they are planning on voting for John Fetterman.
And as we've seen across the country abortion has been the motivating issue for Democrats since the Roe v. Wade decision, since the Dobbs decision in overturning Roe v. Wade. Fetterman made this a key plank that he spoke about today. Take a listen to how he framed that debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN FETTERMAN (D), NOMINEE FOR U.S. SENATE IN PENNSYLVANIA: Dr. Oz might be a joke. Might be a joke. But it's not funny. It's not funny. Because that is on the ballot here in Pennsylvania right now.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
FETTERMAN: I fought for Philadelphia, and I'm going to fight for abortion rights here in Pennsylvania and in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MERICA: This is something that we have seen Democrats across the country do, make abortion front and center. Now, obviously this race against Dr. Oz has focused on a number of issues, inflation, the economy, abortion among them. It's also gotten quite personal. So you've seen that Dr. Oz throughout the last few weeks has made John Fetterman's stroke an issue and his recovery an issue.
We saw during this event which was his first rally in Philadelphia since he suffered the stroke in May and took about two months off of the campaign trail.
[15:30:00]
You know, we saw him address this issue. He asked the crowd to raise their hands to talk about whether they have had a serious health issue or their family has had serious health issues.
He is trying to personalize this issue, especially with Democrats who are already decided to vote on him, trying to motivate them to his side and sort of cast down and scorn on the Oz strategy of making Fetterman's health a central issue.
We'll see if that works, Alex, in November.
MARQUARDT: Really one of the most fascinating races of the midterm elections.
Dan Merica, we know you will be following it every step of the way. Dan Merica, in the great commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Now, to exclusive CNN reporting about a secret court battle that's being waged by former President Donald Trump's lawyers. Sources are saying Trump's attorneys are fighting to keep witnesses from testifying before a federal grand jury about Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
CNN's Marshall Cohen has been following all of this.
Marshall, this is an incredible turn of events. What more are you learning?
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: A great scooper from our colleagues, Evan Perez, Katelyn Polantz and Zack Cohen, really getting a glimpse into the grand jury investigation. That's the criminal probe based here in Washington into January 6th.
And the new reporting is that there's a secret battle being waged between the Justice Department and Donald Trump's lawyers over what information is going to go to the grand jury.
It's all about what witnesses can be asked, what they can reveal about inside the White House conversations during those critical months between the 2020 election, the January 6th insurrection, and Joe Biden's inauguration.
So what the Trump team is doing, they are trying to block information from going to the grand jury. They want to assert privilege, whether it's executive privilege, attorney/client privilege. They want to keep some of this material out of bounds for the criminal probe.
What the DOJ might be trying to do is to pierce that privilege, get to the heart of the issue, so they could basically tell the grand jury about some of those very intimate conversations with Trump.
But they can't just do it because privilege is a thing. It exists here. They would need a court order from a judge to overcome that barrier
MARQUARDT: So do we know what steps the Trump legal team will take next?
COHEN: Unfortunately, this whole situation is secret. By law, grand jury activity is secret.
We actually saw Trump lawyers going into the courtroom a few days ago. We wouldn't be allowed into that hearing because it's a closed-door matter.
But we can figure out clues about what this might be about based on the witnesses who have already testified. Key players from the Trump White House, folks like Pat Cipollone, Greg Jacob, Pence's chief counsel, key players that were there with Trump in those final weeks.
They have already testified to the grand jury, Alex. But they did decline to answer some questions based on privilege. That might be what the DOJ is trying to zero in on, try to overcome
those hurdles, get more information to the grand jury, which, of course, in our legal system, it is the grand jury who decides whether or not to bring an indictment.
MARQUARDT: All right, Marshall Cohen, thank you so much for breaking all that down. Appreciate it, sir.
Another Republican nominee for Michigan's attorney general is under criminal investigation for possibly tampering with voting machines.
Matthew DePerno has also long espoused false claims about voting machines in the 2020 election. And now newly obtain e-mails show just how far he went to try to prove his bogus claims.
Here's CNN's Drew Griffin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This guy smiling for the pictures is running to be the top law enforcement official in the State of Michigan. So why is he also running from us?
(on camera): Mr. DePerno, we'd like to give you every opportunity to answer some questions.
(voice-over): Matt DePerno, the Republican candidate for Michigan's attorney general, is also under criminal investigation for a conspiracy to unlawfully obtain access to voting machines though he hasn't been charged.
He is also one of the main sources of the biggest lies surrounding the 2020 election, a debunked tale that Dominion voting tabulators changed votes from Trump to Biden.
His campaign manager initially told CNN DePerno would do an interview. That didn't happen.
(on camera): Mr. DePerno, can we just have a few minutes of your time?
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: We've been trying to ask you questions for like a month and a half.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not right now. Excuse us, guys. Not right now.
GRIFFIN: What were you trying to do with those tabulators? What were you trying to prove?
(voice-over): DePerno and eight others tried to prove there was fraud in the 2020 election. According to the current State Attorney General, they illegally seized voting machines and broke into the tabulators and performed tests on the equipment. MATTHEW DEPERNO, (R), MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE: We've been able to show, through our case, how the how the machines can actually manipulate votes.
GRIFFIN: It is simply nonsense. At one point, DePerno even posted a video of one of his so-called experts breaking into an actual voting machine, unintentionally proving how difficult it would be to manipulate votes.
[15:35:03]
Every machine would have to be physically breached, which is a crime.
DEPERNO: What needs to happen here is database modification commands.
GRIFFIN: Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's Secretary of State.
(on camera): That, to me, seems like a crime on video.
JOCELYN BENSON, (D), MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: It sure does to me as well. Yes. And as the state's chief election officer, my job is to report those potential crimes, which I did. And also ensure that any machines that were tampered with are decommissioned and replaced.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): CNN has learned DePerno's so-called private investigation may have gone beyond tabulators and led to attempts to open sealed paper ballots.
In an e-mail to an attorney in March 2021, the clerk of Barry County, Michigan. says DePerno told her she would "need to collect the ballots, which are under seal," and that DePerno said, "They will be opening the ballot bags and resealing them." The clerk refused.
Michigan's results were not only certified, local audits and a State Senate report, led by Republicans, found no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The report is adopted.
GRIFFIN: What's so alarming is that DePerno's scheme in Michigan is linked to others just like it across the country. Authorities in multiple states are investigating voting machine breaches.
In a Colorado case, two men who worked with DePerno were named on a warrant in a federal investigation for identity theft and intentional damage to a protected computer.
Also named, Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy --
MIKE LINDELL, CEO, MYPILLOW: Just demand an audit.
GRIFFIN: -- who has been one of the most vocal spreaders of lies about voting machines.
And in Georgia, this surveillance video shows DePerno's I.T. expert -- remember the guy from that video -- in a restricted area of an election's office where voting machines were breached.
And another one of DePerno's I.T. experts claims in a court case "he forensically examined Dominion Democracy Suite Voting Systems in Arizona, Michigan, Colorado, and Georgia."
Secretary of State Benson says her state gave information to the Department of Justice.
BENSON: I think we've seen, on every level, a lot of evidence that this is a nationally coordinated effort, whether it is to try to gain access to our voting machines, whether it is trying to run candidates who are spouting misinformation to become chief election officers.
GRIFFIN: In Michigan, not only is DePerno running for attorney general, but the Republican nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state all say they believe the meritless claim the 2020 election was fraudulent.
Should they win, they would control upcoming elections.
In fact, 27 States have an election denier running for a position that could influence elections.
DAVID BECKER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR ELECTION INNOVATION AND RESEARCH: We're in a very dangerous moment right now. If people who are running on a platform of election denial is telling their voters that they will, in fact, put their thumb on the scale to ensure that their candidates win, we could have a real problem with actual democracy in the United States.
GRIFFIN: Election system adviser, David Becker, says the danger is not just if candidates win, but also if they lose and refuse to accept the results.
BECKER: Imagine we have dozens of January 6s all over the country at different places and times.
GRIFFIN: Which is why the upcoming midterms are so consequential.
In Michigan, voters will choose if election deniers will lead their state, including a potential attorney general under criminal investigation.
(on camera): Are you worried you will be indicted before the election, sir?
And we've just learned the special prosecutor in the case is asking for more investigative work to be done before he can decide if Matt Deperno and eight others will be charged.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT: Our thank to Drew Griffin for that terrific report.
Coming up next, shocking video showing a police vehicle with a suspect inside hit by a train. We'll have the details next.
[15:39:03]
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARQUARDT: Next, we have a shocking story out of Colorado where a police vehicle with a suspect inside was hit by a train. Bodycam video captured the moment.
I want to warn you first that this video is graphic.
CNN's Camila Bernal is following this story.
Camila, what happened here?
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alex. I'll start from the very beginning. Authorities say they were responding to a 911 call that was reporting a road-rage incident involving a gun.
So what happened was, when authorities responded, they got there and found 20-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez. First, it was Platteville police that responded but then, later on, it was also Fort Lupton police that got to the scene.
But after they got there, they parked their car right behind the 20- year-old's car. She had pulled up just over the railroad tracks. So the officers parked right on the tracks. And that's key here.
The officers arrest her, put her in the back of the patrol car parked on the tracks. Then they go search her truck for this gun they believe is involved in this incident.
And as they're searching the truck for that gun, you hear the train horns. And of course, there's some chaos. And then you see it.
I want to show you that video.
Again, it is disturbing to watch.
Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(TRAIN HORN)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL: It is unbelievable. Because that 20-year-old, Yareni Rios- Gonzalez, was inside of that car.
We have reached out to her attorney. He has not gotten back to us.
But he tell local media she has nine broken ribs. She has a broken arm, injuries to her head and her back. Authorities say these were horrible injuries but she is expected to survive.
[15:45:07]
The officer that parked right behind her on the tracks has been place on paid administrative leave.
But of course, there's still a lot of questions as to why officers did this, why they didn't take precautions, was this reckless. All of this is under investigation at the moment -- Alex?
MARQUARDT: I'll say. But why they parked on the tracks. Just extraordinary to watch that video. Thankfully, she is expected to survive.
Camila Bernal, thank you so much for that report. Appreciate it.
BERNAL: Thank you.
MARQUARDT: Coming up next, we have an inside look at a real-life story that is just like the TV show "Succession." It's called "THE MURDOCHS, EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE." It's CNN's new original series. We will have that preview coming up.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:34]
MARQUARDT: The media titan, Rupert Murdoch, has built one of the biggest media empires in history in the past few decades.
Now the new CNN original series, "THE MURDOCHS: EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE," reveals through exclusive reporting how one family's ambitions are shaping business, media and politics around the world.
CNN's Athena Jones has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Rupert Murdoch --
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Rupert Murdoch --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rupert Murdoch --
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rupert Murdoch, patriarchy of arguably the most influential media company in the world.
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: A billionaire businessman who has already transformed America's political and media landscape, and who could shape the next presidential election.
JIM RUTENBERG, WRITER-AT-LARGE, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": They really had not been this kind of media political power in American history.
JONES: Over seven decades, the News Corp. chairman built an empire, amassing unrivaled power on three continents.
MARGARET THATCHER, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: (INAUDIBLE)
JONES: Supporting conservative politicians and policies from Margaret Thatcher --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His newspapers have backed him, and she in turn backed him.
JONES: -- and Ronald Reagan, to Boris Johnson and Brexit.
Through properties like "The Wall Street Journal", "The New York Post", and particularly Fox News, the media titan plays a major role in Republican politics.
RUTENBERG: We used to talk about the Republican National Committee. Now, we talk about Fox News.
JONES: But as potential GOP contenders eye the White House, how will Murdoch and his holdings approach 2024? Especially former President Donald Trump?
"The Journal" and "Post" editorial pages provide some clues.
KARL ROVE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: A lot of the former president's problems are of his own creation.
JONES: And on Fox --
RUTENBERG: When Rupert Murdoch got on board with Trump, we saw a diminishment of critical voices in its commentator ranks, in its
analyst ranks. Now, we are seeing commentators, and even some hosts who have been very critical of Trump.
JONES: Murdoch has criticized Trump's hyper focus on the 2020 election, saying conservatives must play a forceful role in political debate.
RUPERT MURDOCH, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, NEWS CORP. (voice-over): But that will not happen if President Trump stays focused on the past.
JONES: He was not an early supporter of Trump. Eventually coming around as Trump's popularity with Fox viewers grew.
MURDOCH: My friend, Donald J. Trump.
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
JONES: Fox's fawning, uncritical coverage helped the real estate mogul build a large and loyal following that has dominated the GOP.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hannity, come on up. Sean Hannity.
(CHEERING)
JONES: That support on full display in 2018, when one of the networks' most prominent hosts joined a campaign rally with Trump. Fox later calling his appearance, a distraction.
This time around --
RUTENBERG: Rupert Murdoch is moving back to where he was or has moved back towards where he was in 2016 where Trump will get no free ride. And his son, Lachlan, is right there with his father. They are going to make it hard on him.
JONES: And it is the next in line, Murdoch's elder son, now co- chairman of the News Corp, who many will be watching.
RUTENBERG: So 2024 will be the first full open Republican election where Lachlan Murdoch is as important, if not more important than his father. He is not a Trump lover, so he could be the real "it" factor in how this plays out during the primaries.
JONES: Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Athena for that report.
Tune into the all-new CNN original series "THE MURDOCHS: EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE," premiering Sunday at 9:00 p.m. with back-to-back episodes, only on CNN.
Turning now to this week's "CNN Hero."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RABBI AMY WEISS, CNN HERO: Underwear is just an overlooked item, and it's super expensive. So the parents who are struggling financially tend to think, you can't see the underwear, so it will be OK.
There's a crisis for this very essential need that really makes a big difference in their social and academic world.
Kids who need underwear don't want used underwear. That's gross, isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
WEISS: We only give away new underwear.
Kids, they want what all of us want. Security and dignity.
We want to increase these kids' self-esteem and confidence. That's really what it is all about. Helping fill that gap when no one else is doing it.
And to keep them in school when they've got underwear it's just easier to be a kid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:55:02]
MARQUARDT: To find out more and to nominate someone you think should be a CNN Hero, CNNheroes.com.
Coming up, Iran is attempting to stop widespread protests across the country following the death of a 22-year-old young woman who was detained by the country's Morality Police for not wearing her head scarf properly. We'll have more on that.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:00:00]
MARQUARDT: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Alex Marquardt in Washington, in today for Jim Acosta.
