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Court Upholds Griner's Conviction; High-Stakes Debate in Pennsylvania; DeSantis and Crist Trade Jabs in Debate; Deadly Attack in St. Louis; Adidas Ends Partnership with Kanye West. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired October 25, 2022 - 09:00   ET

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

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[09:00:44]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Erica Hill. It is a very busy Tuesday at this hour.

We are officially now two weeks away from the midterms. A major focus on the Senate battle in Pennsylvania today, one of the most critical races this cycle. Tonight, Republican Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman will face off for their first and only debate. And we are on the ground in Harrisburg.

Overnight in Florida, incumbent Republican Governor Ron DeSantis going toe to toe with his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist. The two sparring on a number of topics. We'll discuss with Charlie Crist in our next hour.

Plus, new this morning, Adidas officially severing ties with Kanye West following a rash of offensive and anti-Semitic comments. What could it mean for the brand, for West and why did it take so long?

We begin, though, with this news just in to CNN. A Moscow regional court upholding the drug smuggling conviction of American basketball star Brittney Griner. She was sentenced, of course, to nine years behind bars in Russia.

CNN's Kylie Atwood is live at the State Department for us this morning.

So, Kylie, what more are we hearing about what this could mean in terms of challenges for her with this sentence?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, as you said, the court upheld the verdict, which means that Brittney Griner has still been found guilty of smuggling drugs into Russia. That was largely expected. We didn't think that the verdict was going to be impacted here.

But when it comes to her sentence, her sentence has been slightly reduced. It's a nine year sentence originally and what the court determined today was that the time that she has spent in pre-trial detention, each day is going to count towards one and a half days of her prison sentence. So that essentially reduces a few months off.

But what we are finding is that this isn't really surprising. Russia wasn't really expected to come out and really change the verdict here or all together change their position that Brittney Griner has been found guilty. And Brittney Griner was actually someone who spoke during this hearing today. I do want to tell you what she said via video link. She wasn't there in-person. She said, quote, yes, I pleaded guilty. I do not -- I did not intend to do this. But I understand the charge against me and I hope that this will be taken into account. She also said, quote, it's been very, very stressful and very traumatic to my mental and physhic state and to my family, who haven't been able to communicate.

Of course, Brittney Griner has been saying over the past few weeks through her lawyers that this has been a really challenging time for her. She's worried about not being able to come home. And we should note that this trial today effectively ends the legal proceedings.

And so now the onus is on the Biden administration, the diplomats, to try and pull off some sort of diplomatic deal, some sort of trade potentially, a prisoner swap, to try and get Brittney Griner home.

Now, we're also hearing from the White House this morning with the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, coming out saying they are aware of this news. They are calling on Russia to immediately release Griner, and also saying this, quote, President Biden has been very clear that Brittney Griner should be released immediately, and, in recent weeks the Biden/Harris administration has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney, as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan.

Of course, the Biden administration working behind the scenes with Russia to try and secure some sort of deal. They say that there has been a pretty regular pace in terms of back and forth to try and produce a deal to get her out. But what they have continued to say is that Russia has not engaged in a really substantive way to try and bring an end to getting her and Paul Whelan home.

Guys.

HILL: Kylie Atwood with the very latest for us. We'll stay on top of that. Thank you.

And I just want to note too, later this hour we will be joined by State Department Spokesperson Ned Price with more on this Brittney Griner case.

ATWOOD: Thanks, guys.

HILL: Let's take you now to the 2022 midterms. It is expected to be a bit of a fiery debate tonight in Pennsylvania. And there's been plenty of anticipation building up to this night.

CNN congressional correspondent Jessica Dean is on the trail in Harrisburg.

So, this, of course, is the only scheduled debate between Mehmet Oz and John Fetterman.

[09:05:04]

What are we expecting to see tonight besides some fireworks and, you know, perhaps some ribbing of candidates?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, the sparring back and forth, Erica. This is such a dynamic race that holds so much value for both Republicans and Democrats. It's an open seat here in Pennsylvania. Democrats wanting to flip it to their side. Republicans wanting to hold on to this seat. So you can imagine just how much attention, how much money has been spent here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

So we have John Fetterman, the lieutenant governor, Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee there, and new polling from CNN showing it's a tight race. Fetterman leading 51 percent to 46 percent going into tonight's debate.

Also interesting what our polling showed when we took a look talking to likely voters about what was the most important issues for them. And if you take a look at what they responded with, the economy, far and away, their biggest concern. What they're most focused on followed by abortion and voting rights and elections, the security of elections. So, that's kind of the dynamic at play as we head into this evening.

Here's what we can expect. You'll remember that Fetterman is recovering from a stroke that he suffered just days before the May primary. He has been very open about suffering from auditory processing issues which means he's been using closed captioning in public formats to be able to kind of understand what someone's saying and then respond to it. We saw him do that at an event over the weekend with Senator Amy Klobuchar. A pretty public test run of how tonight will go because he's going to be using that closed captioning technology in this debate with Mehmet Oz.

We've also seen Fetterman's surrogates' kind of lowering expectations. We saw Klobuchar even saying, you know, he's not that great of a debater. He's really more about the issues, that sort of thing.

And then, of course, you compare that with Mehmet Oz, who spent years and years on television talking to people at home, being an on air TV talent. So, that's kind of what we're looking at as we head into tonight. And both men, of course, seeking to get any edge in this race that they possibly can.

This is an ever tightening race here in Pennsylvania. I've laid out why it's so important for both sides of the aisle to capture this seat. And so what they're trying to do is really edge out any -- get any edge they can, Erica. We have found some undecided voters here on the ground. We've talked to them. They kind of seem like unicorns, but they do exist and these two campaigns trying to swing either of them to their side with this debate tonight.

HILL: They do seem like unicorns. And the fact that you can find them, Jessica, you get extra points in my book.

DEAN: Yes.

HILL: Always appreciate it. Thank you.

DEAN: Thank you. Thank you.

HILL: Well, another state getting a lot of attention, Florida. A heated debate there overnight between Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who, of course, is vying to keep his job, and his challenger, Democratic nominee Charlie Crist.

CNN's Steve Contorno following all of it for us from St. Petersburg, Florida, this morning.

So, they did spar, as expected, on abortion, inflation. The cost of homeowners insurance, too, which is a major, major issues for Floridians. What were some of the major headlines coming out of this debate?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Erica, these two candidates covered a lot of ground in their debate. The first and only debate of their race. Charlie Crist accused Governor DeSantis of being a bully, someone who cares more about inflaming culture wars for his political benefit than he does about the state of Florida. And Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, said that Charlie Crist is someone who has been in lockstep with President Biden, someone who doesn't -- hasn't been -- has been on all sides of the political aisle, a Republican, a Democrat, an independent and someone you can't trust.

But, really, the -- abortion and -- and on this question of whether DeSantis is going to stick around for a full term, that's where the sparks really flew.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Charlie Crist has voted with Joe Biden 100% of the time to give us these inflationary policies and to drive up the cost of everything that we're doing.

CHARLIE CRIST (D), FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Ron, you talk about Joe Biden a lot. I understand, you think you're going to be running against him. I can see how you might get confused. But you're running for governor. You're running for governor. And I have a question for you. You're running for governor. Why don't you look in the eyes of the people of the state of Florida and say to them, if you're re-elected, you will serve a full four-year term as governor, yes or no? Yes or no, Ron? Will you serve a full four-year term if you're re-elected governor of Florida? It's not a tough question.

DESANTIS: The only worn out old donkey I'm looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist.

I'm proud of the 15 weeks that we did. I know Charlie Crist opposes that even though the baby is fully formed, has a heartbeat, can feel pain and can suck their thumb.

CRIST: I don't want to ban abortion. I want to make sure we keep a woman's right to choose available to the women of the state of Florida. And I want to make sure that we don't have a governor in the future who wouldn't even allow exceptions for rape or incest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, DeSantis also said that Charlie Crist supports abortion all the way up until term. Charlie Crist says that's totally misleading.

[09:10:02]

He supports restoring the country and the state to the status quo under Roe v. Wade.

I'll also point out that the debate moderator twice had informed the audience and the viewers at home that the candidates were not supposed to ask questions of each other. So, Erica, Charlie Crist kind of bent the rules a little bit by asking DeSantis about his political future, but it certainly produced one of the more memorable moments from last night's debate.

HILL: Yes. Well, if he was looking for that soundbite, he certainly got it.

Steve Contorno, appreciate it. Thank you.

In the next hour we will talk with Florida Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Charlie Crist. He'll join us live. Stay with us for that.

Rishi Sunak now officially the British prime minister, the third person to hold that office in just seven weeks. King Charles formally appointed them when the two met at Buckingham Palace this morning and then it was on to 10 Downing Street to start day one on the job.

In his first speech, he vowed to tackling Britain's economic crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda. This will mean difficult decisions to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Sunak becomes the youngest British prime minister in more than 200 years. He is also the country's first ever prime minister of color. Liz Truss, who, of course, he is replacing now, held her final cabinet meeting this morning. Up next, Adidas the latest company to drop Kanye West after the

rapper's series of anti-Semitic remarks. A lot of pressure, though, and questions about why it took so long, and new pressure on music platforms to do the same.

Plus, what we're learning about the victims of a school shooting in St. Louis. Among them, a beloved teacher and a 15-year-old girl.

And a bit later here, the surge in RSV cases in children now putting a strain on some emergency rooms. So, when does the virus really require a trip to the hospital? What parents need to know, that's next.

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HILL: New details this morning about that deadly school shooting in St. Louis. Police say the shooter, 19-year-old Orlando Harris, graduated from the school last year. He was armed with a long gun, dozens of high-capacity magazines, when he walked into the Central Performing and Visual Arts High School on Monday. Two people -- he killed two people before ultimately being killed by police.

CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is joining us now live from St. Louis.

So, Adrienne, important to have those details, also important that we talk about the victims and the lives that were taken yesterday. What more do we know?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Erica, this morning that is what folks showing up to this memorial are doing, they are honoring and remembering the two who died inside of this school yesterday, including a beloved 61-year-old physical education and health teacher. One student, who was here, she put these candles out. They were glowing overnight, but it's raining this morning. And so, as you can imagine, those candles are no longer burning. But she said she made that teacher -- she made everyone feel loved.

We're also learning more about the teen, the female teenager who was killed. Her friends and father saying she was planning to celebrate her 16th birthday next month. And this weekend her friends, who belong to a dance group with her, told me they were preparing to dress up for Halloween and celebrate. It's something they did every year.

Meanwhile, I spoke with the mother who was trading text messages with her freshman daughter who was inside, terrified. Listen to that -- what that mom told her child.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANARY STANTON, PARENT: And then I was trying to reassure her so she wouldn't panic and tell her, well, the school has metal detectors, so we know there's no weapon. I started working again and maybe about five or six minutes later she sent texts in all caps saying, mom, come pick me up. Come pick me up. Someone was dead. Come pick me up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROADDUS: And that is an image that child and the other students who had to walk past that scene will likely live with for the rest of their lives.

Now, the mom did tell me she found a little comfort knowing members of law enforcement responded so quickly.

Let's take a look at the timeline.

According to investigators, that first call for an active shooter came in around 11 after 9:00 a.m. Four minutes later, members of law enforcement arrived on scene. At 9:23 officers engaged with the suspect. Keep in mind, chief investigators tell us that 19-year-old entered this school with his weapon unconcealed. And at that moment, the commissioner saying everyone knew what that teen was going to do. By 9:25 the teen was down.

Erica.

HILL: That is just heartbreaking all around.

Adrienne Broaddus, appreciate the update for us. Thank you.

New this morning, Adidas has now officially severed ties with Kanye West, who, of course, legally changed his name is Ye. The German sportswear company is the latest brand to distance itself from him after a series of offensive anti-Semitic comments in recent days.

Let's get a closer look at where things stand this morning. CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans and CNN's senior media reporter Oliver Darcy are here.

So, Christine, one of the things that was interesting is, we have heard calls for days.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

HILL: It was, I believe, last Thursday that the ADL came out and said, hey, Adidas, where are you in the wake of these comments because after he wore that white lives matter t-shirt, it was only a couple of days before they said we're reviewing the partnership.

ROMANS: Yes.

HILL: Is there any idea why it took so long for Adidas to say anything?

ROMANS: Well, and for a while there it was boycott Adidas was also trending as people were really discussing this.

[09:20:01]

Look, this is a long-term partnership between the two going back to -- all the way to 2013. And Kanye West, I mean, he is a billionaire according to Forbes. in part because of the tennis shoes that he sells that are - with Adidas, this partnership. This is what Adidas is saying about terminating the partnership immediately now. Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other sort of hate speech. His recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.

The company goes on in this press release to say, this will hurt the company financially. They know they're going to take a hit. That hit is going to be about $246 million and the company's net income in 2022 because they do have such a deep partnership with him.

No word if they're going to pull the products.

HILL: Yes.

ROMANS: I think that's interesting as well. You know that he's had sort of a divorce, a messy breakup from Gap as well over they say, you know, differences in management opinions. Unclear if they're going to be pulling any of that -- any of that merchandise either.

HILL: I mean I found some online this morning.

ROMANS: All right.

HILL: So it's still for sale. Whether that changes and how that all shakes out, we'll see.

Oliver, as I understand it, you actually just heard from the ADL.

OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: Yes, the ADL is praising Adidas for taking this step. But I think, if we look backwards here, this really did test businesses and show how much hate they were really willing to tolerate before cutting ties with West. It wasn't like he was making these comments in private and a news organization reported it out. He was going on these anti-Semitic rants in broad daylight and it still took a couple weeks for these companies to cut ties and end their relationships with Kanye West.

And I think the second question here is, where does Kanye West go from now - or go now. You know, it's hard to imagine other businesses are going to want to do -- partner with him. And so the question is, where does he go? And the only business that's welcoming him with open arms right now is Parler, and that's this social media platform which is a hot bed for right wing extremism. And so it's really a tremendous fall for Kanye West, someone who's a cultural sensation. People grew up listening to his music. And now he's got, you know, just tens of thousands of followers on this really radical website which he says he wants to buy.

HILL: We see some familiar logos there on the screen. Spotify and Apple, Christine. So we know, among other companies and organizations that have cut ties with him, CAA, his agents talent management agency.

ROMANS: Yes.

HILL: Balenciaga also ended its partnership with him. But there are calls online, right, from everyday people and others saying, hey, Apple, Spotify, others, you need to look at your relationships. Do we have a sense of what those -- I mean are there really existing partnerships, or is it just that the music is available there, we think you should pull it off?

ROMANS: You know, he is an artist, he's a rapper, he's a designer. So, he is a billionaire, right? And so he's got this long track record of products and music that is out there.

The question is, I wonder, is this -- you know, is there -- these calls to cancel him, and that - such a word is so - is so loaded. There are also those who are saying, look, something is happening with Kanye West right now and they don't know exactly what it is. I mean what he is saying is just -- is just - you --

HILL: It's full of hate. I mean there's no way around it.

ROMANS: It's terrible. It's terrible. It's terrible. And I don't even want to repeat it all. But they are -- I mean, I don't know how he can go forward and forge any new partnerships. He is so erratic here and so hateful. What is the upside for any brand to tie with him other than, as Oliver points out, a right wing platform for hate speech.

HILL: Right.

The other thing too, and, Oliver, just quickly on this, you know, the statement from Adidas touches on this. Consumers have certain expectations, and I would say even younger consumers today are really holding brands to account when it comes to living up to what they say are their corporate values, right, and their efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion. The fact that there was silence for so many days, has that already hurt Adidas, Oliver?

DARCY: Yes, I think there has been some brand damage because they just stood still as he was making these comments. Again, it wasn't like these were secret comments. They were happening in broad daylight. He was asked to apologize for them. Instead of doing so, he was unrelenting and he doubled down, tripled down on these remarks. And so, yes, I think Adidas standing still for so long didn't do them any favors.

HILL: Oliver Darcy, Christine Romans, appreciate it. Thank you both.

Some sad news to report to you just into CNN. We've learned the former defense secretary, Ash Carter, has passed away at the age of 68. His family says he suffered a sudden cardiac event. Carter served under President Obama from 2014 to 2017 and more recently was director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School. He is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and two children.

Still ahead here, pediatric hospital beds continue to fill up as these cases of the respiratory illness RSV are rising. And now the combined threats of RSV, Covid and the flu are converging.

[09:25:05] Why there are concerns for health care facilities, next.

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HILL: We're continuing to follow this dangerous spike in a common respiratory illness known as RSV among children. And it's now really impacting hospitals, as we know, across the country and capacity.

[09:30:00]

Doctors concerned the health risk could worsen in the weeks to come as the flu and a possible Covid surge loom.