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Former State Trooper Under Investigation Was Hired as Police Officer by Uvalde School District; Prime Minister Liz Truss' Speech to Tories Gets Tepid Response; At Least 17 Migrants Dead After Boats Sink in Greek Waters; At Least 34 Dead in Mass Shooting in Thailand. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired October 06, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, do let me bring you up to date with the latest top stories this hour.

The U.S. is sending an aircraft carrier strike group near the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea's ballistic missile test. Pyongyang fired two missiles near South Korea on Wednesday just two days after launching one over Japan.

And at least 30 people are dead including children at a child care center in northern Thailand. It's unclear whether all the victims are children. We'll have much more on both these stories in "EARLY START."

Now though to the FBI search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. A U.S. appeals court could decide by the end of next month on the legality of the special master reviewing the seized materials. The former president's attorneys suggested a scheduled -- schedule that would have dragged the process out until next year. We're learning that the clemency requests, health care documents and IRS forms were amongst the materials taken. They also include paperwork related to the 2020 election and communications about Trump's businesses. Bloomberg News made the list public after it was inadvertently posted to the public court docket.

Now closing arguments are expected today in the damages phase of the Alex Jones trial in Connecticut. The controversial Infowars host will not testify in his own defense. Jurors will have to decide how much to award the families of eight students and the employees killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting. A judge has already found Jones and his company liable for damages.

A former Texas state trooper who is under investigation for her actions during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde has been hired as a police officer in the Uvalde School District. What's not clear is whether school officials knew she was under investigation when they hired her. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz went there to find out enhances exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: School shooting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which building?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER (voice-over): In a community reeling from one of the worst school shootings in history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm behind you. I'm behind you.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Still begging for answers and accountability.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got it, I got it! I got it.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): CNN has learned that one of the Texas state troopers under investigation for her actions at Robb Elementary has a new job as a newly hired school police officer at Uvalde elementary, trusted with protecting some of the same students who survived the massacre.

Parents of children who were killed at Robb were the first to notice the officer, Crimson Elizondo on campus.

[04:05:00]

Recognizing her from body camera footage of the shooting. Elizondo, a four-year veteran of the Texas Department of Public Safety was one of the first law enforcement officers on a scene on May 24th. She resigned from the DPS over the summer and was hired by the Uvalde School District soon after.

PROKUPECZ: I actually have some questions for you now.

CRIMSON ELIZONDO, FORMER TEXAS STATE TROOPER: I'm not answering any questions.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): On the playground outside her new post, Elizondo can be seen here in the dark blue uniform.

PROKUPECZ: Officer Elizondo, I'm doing a story about you and your time at DPS. I'd like to ask you some questions if possible.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Before Elizondo resigned from DPS, her actions and the actions of six other DPS officers at the scene of the shooting were preferred for further investigation. In a redacted internal memo to the organization's director, obtained by CNN.

DPS cited, quote, actions which may be inconsistent with training and department requirements as the reason for the referral.

Despite early efforts by state officials to blame the local police department in Uvalde for the failed response.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we going in or we're staying here. What do we do?

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): A timeline from body camera footage shows Elizondo arrived on scene just two minutes after the shooting began. The new information now indicates she was among several DPS officers on scene who potentially could have taken action to stop the gunmen.

Footage shows her without a tactical bulletproof vest or long rifle, at a step with active shooter training. She spends most of the 77 minutes before the classroom was breached outside the school. According to sources familiar with the investigation, Elizondo told investigators that without her gear she was not comfortable joining the others inside.

Out of nearly 400 law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting, 91 were from the Texas Department of Public Safety, seven of those officers were referred for further investigation for their conduct that day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He shot the windows out.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Crimson Elizondo is one of them. The other six still work for DPS, while the investigation into their actions continues. It is unclear if the Uvalde School District was aware of the investigation at the time of Elizondo's hiring.

PROKUPECZ: Sir?

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The district has not responded to e-mails, calls or direct questions from CNN.

PROKUPECZ: Sir, do you know this officer who you have recently hired? Are you aware that she is under investigation for her actions on the day of the shooting? Do you think she is fit to serve here? Considering that her actions are under investigation? Mr. Miller, you don't want to respond to that?

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Elizondo's hiring raises further questions about the Department of Public Safety and the lack of transparency around the investigation and the conduct of its troopers. DPS did not comment for this story.

STEVEN MCCRAW, DIRECTOR, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: I'm not --

PROKUPECZ: Well, I think this is important.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Speaking to CNN in September, DPS director Steven McCraw promised he'll resign if his agency was shown to have culpability for the botched response.

MCCRAW: Hey, I'll be the first to resign, OK? I'd be gladly to resign, I'll take my resignation altogether, OK, if I think there is culpability on the Department of Public Safety. Period. OK? But we're going to hold officers accountable, no one gets a pass. But every officer is going to be held accountable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Crimson.

ELIZONDO: Yes, I mean, as good as you can be.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): CNN also learning that Elizondo was recorded on video after delivering medical care to survivors, reflecting on the horrors of what she saw inside. An officer asked if her children attend Robb Elementary, Elizondo's response --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your kids go there?

ELIZONDO: Yes, my sons in daycare and he's not -- he's not old enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw you.

ELIZONDO: Yes, no. If my son had been in there -- I would not have been outside, I promise you that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Ten year old Uziyah Garcia was one of the children who died in the Uvalde massacre. His legal guardian Brett Cross has this reaction to the report that you just saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT CROSS, LEGAL GUARDIAN OF UZIYAH GARCIA: I'm absolutely appalled. I even asked the school board beforehand when they said that we were getting more officers if they were hiring or they were going to be officers that were there on May 24th that were going to be patrolling and being around here and they told me no. So, I'm disgusted. And honestly, I'm pissed off at the remarks that she had to say.

[04:10:00]

If her kids were in there, she would have -- she wouldn't have stayed outside. So, the rest of our kids didn't matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Cross and others have been holding a vigil outside of Uvalde School District offices as they continue to press for more transparency in the investigation and to demand that officers who were at the school during the shooting be suspended. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Protesters with the environmental group Greenpeace briefly interrupting Prime Minister Liz Truss as she was addressing her party conference in Birmingham on Wednesday. They held up a banner reading, "who voted for this" before they were hustled out of the room.

Truss had only held her post for a month. And her keynote speech was supposed to be her moment to shine as the newly minted Prime Minister. But after a series of embarrassing missteps and reversals, party reaction to her bold agenda was lukewarm at best. Truss now heads to the Czech Republic for the inaugural summit of the European Political Community in Prague. CNN's Selma Abdelaziz has been following all of this for us. An interesting visit because we didn't know she was going to go but a triumph perhaps for Macron who is behind all of this, who needed her there. But then she needs to be there as well, to be seen on the world stage.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, the Prime Minister, I think to put it mildly, suffering a loss of trust and confidence, right. One of the worse political crises this country has seen in modern times. And I say that because it was largely a self-inflicted one. Let's quickly go through that to set up where the Prime Minister is as she flies to Prague today.

The government releasing this mini budget. Supposed to be a pro-growth plan, a pro-growth policy. Instead, it's billions of dollars' worth of tax cuts that are being paid for with hefty borrowing. The pound plummets. Pensions sink, mortgage rates rise.

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And of course, on Monday, this massive U-turn, this about face. The government saying, look, we're going to scrap part of this plan which was to lower the tax rate for the wealthiest in the country. All of that, of course, causing markets to shake, causing families to have serious concern and worries about the government. And while she's on this very shaky domestic ground the Prime Minister now traveling to Prague to try to demonstrate strength on the world stage, right.

So, this is an important inaugural meeting for something called the European Political Committee, a brainchild of President Emmanuel Macron of France. The idea is to bring the 27 member states ever closer to nonmember states, to those who want to join the EU but also to those like the U.K. who don't want to come back necessarily but want to rebuild that relationship. So, a lot of opportunity there, but it's going to be really difficult when you think she's shoulder to shoulder with these European leaders and facing this crisis at home -- Max.

FOSTER: Another big test for Liz Truss which seem to come big and fast for her. Salma, thank you.

We're following developments out of Greece as well where the Coast Guard says at least 16 migrants have died after two separate boats sank in Greek waters. The now search and rescue operations are underway. Journalists of Elinda Labropoulou joins us from Athens with more -- Elinda.

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST, ATHENS GREECE: Well, Max, it seems that the number of dead has actually risen. Now we're up to 17 people. A boy, a young boy has been added to the list of 16 women that have died in the ship wreck just outside the island of Lesbos.

At the moment, the information about two different ship wrecks. So, there is one shipwreck outside this island of Lesbos and there's one outside the island of Kythira. The deaths that we know are outside Lesbos and search and rescue operations are underway for dozens more that are missing. In the gale force winds blowing in the overall area.

The bodies of the 16 women and the child that were found are all believed to be African. They have been recovered near Lesbos after a dingy carrying about 40 people sank and 9 people have been rescued. Authorities there say that some people may have made it to land so we may have some good news as the day progresses. Now there's also a second search and rescue operation several hundred

kilometers away to the west near another island, the island of Kythira, where a sailboat -- which was carrying about 95 migrants -- hit rock and sank late on Wednesday. About 80 people have been rescued there and it was a really dramatic rescue because basically it was very close to the island, so a lot of the locals could see this boat sinking. A lot of the people as their boats sank managed to get to hold on to rocks and big cliffs that are in the area. So, there's some dramatic images from people holding on to rocks as rescuers came from above and tried to pull them up using ropes.

And the mayor, the local mayor has just described how he saw five people drown in front of his own eyes. He said the weather conditions were so bad that people have disappeared really quickly. Unfortunately, authorities are saying severe weather conditions will continue and of course we'll be following the operation throughout the day -- Max.

OK, Elinda, back with you with more details as they come in to you. Thank you. We'll be right back.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Breaking news just in to CNN. At least 34 people have been killed including multiple children in a shooting in northern Thailand. CNN's Selina Wang following developments from Tokyo -- Selina.

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've just learned that at least 34 people died from this mass shooting that took place at a childcare center in northeastern Thailand. We are learning that the victims included children as well as adults. According to authorities they have identified the shooter as a 34-year-old former police officer. He took his own life after the incident as well and also killed his own wife and child, that is according to authorities. We do not know yet at this point if the wife, the family, if they were included in this death count.

Now the context here is that gun ownership in Thailand, it is relatively high compared to other places in Southeast Asia, but the official numbers do not include the huge amount of illegal weapons that are in the country. Mass shootings are also rare in Thailand although there was a major mass shooting in 2020 that saw a soldier kill 29 people.

FOSTER: You say the situation of gun ownership there and yet gun violence is relatively low. So that's why this is such a shock, let alone the type of victims we're talking about.

WANG: It's absolutely heartbreaking. We are still getting details about how this happened, what kind of security there was, who the victims were, what was happening, but heartbreaking. This took place at a childcare center. Again, victims including children. We're still learning more of these details but authorities are saying that the shooter did take his own life. A 34-year-old former police officer was identified as the shooter.

FOSTER: And do we know anything about his history? Some suggestion that he had recently been dismissed. Do we know anything in terms of motive?

WANG: We have no new information on the motive right now but we are following very, very closely the updates from the police authorities. We have yet to hear any more information about the suspect, about the person who took his own life. But we do know that he not only took his own life but the life of his family members as well.

FOSTER: In terms of this area of the country, what can you tell us about it for those that don't really understand the geography?

WANG: So, we know that this is a place in northeastern Thailand and that this was taking place at a childcare center. We're getting information about what the environment is like in this place where the shooting happened. But again, this was happening at a place where children are supposed to be safe and secure at a childcare center.

[04:25:02]

This is absolutely devastating.

FOSTER: Absolutely. Selina, back with you as soon as we get more information. Thank you very much, indeed.

Now in the Western U.S. temperatures will remain high while the East Coast is cooling down. CNN's Pedram Javaheri is following that forecast for us -- Pedram.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, Max. Let's show you what's happening across the United States. We do have a front on approach that'll bring with it some of the coolest weather we've seen in months across portions of the Midwest and the Northeast. A few light showers but the wet weather is not the concern. It's the cool air on the back side of it that's going to get some people's attention.

Look at Chicago -- 74 down to a double nickel, that's 55 degrees on Friday afternoon. About 12 degrees below seasonal averages. And all of that cool air eventually arrives in the Northeast from the 70s dropping into the 50s. So, just an early indication that autumn is on the horizon here in the coming days.

And you'll notice again the Northeast really cools off here while the West does begin to warm up. Quick glance across the Atlantic. Quiet conditions, tropical depression 12, a fish storm expected to remain over open waters. A 90 percent chance of another system trying to form. Models indicate this will track towards the west. Could impact Nicaragua and Honduras but it is a ways out at this point. So, it's just worth monitoring in the coming days.

Now the Southwest, plenty of rainfall in place in recent months. About half the state of Arizona still experiencing drought conditions while the state of New Mexico, 76 percent of it underneath drought conditions. And notice, more beneficial rainfall in store in the coming days. And especially into next week still expecting wet weather to continue across a large area of the Southwest. In fact, you can see the rain is in store. Albuquerque, only 63. Phoenix, 94. How about the 40s coming back across Rapid City and Minot. Temps in Minneapolis, Max, only 56 degrees.

FOSTER: Thank you to Pedram. Thank you for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM as well. I'm Max Foster in London. "EARLY START" will continue to follow the breaking news out of Thailand for you next. Stay with CNN.

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