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Idaho Police: No Suspect, No Weapon In Deaths Of 4 Students; Colorado Shooting Suspect's Grandfather Is California Republican State Lawmaker; Get Ready For Busiest Thanksgiving Travel Since Before Pandemic; U.S. Men's Team In First World Cup Match Since 2014. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired November 21, 2022 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: We've got new details in the brutal killings of four college students in Idaho. Detectives say the 911 call was made from one of the surviving roommates' cell phones. They're not identifying who exactly made the call, but police also say there were several friends at the crime scene by the time investigators arrived.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: CNN's Camila Bernal is live in Moscow, Idaho. Camila, it's been more than a week since the stabbings. Police still have no suspect, no weapon, no motive. So where is this investigation going next?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Victor, Bianna. Well, I can tell you that they still have studying the crime scene on their to-do list. Because just moments ago they actually expanded that crime scene to the area behind the house. There's a parking lot back there. That is all now part of the crime scene.

We're seeing investigators coming in and out of the house. This weekend they searched all the cars. They're going through hundreds and hundreds of tips. They've interviewed about 90 people and you know, they're ruling people out. They say the people that made that 911 call, the roommates, they are not suspects. They've also ruled out a couple of other people, but of course, the question remains, who is responsible then? Police even saying that this has been difficult for them. Here is the captain overseeing this investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. ROGER LANIER, MOSCOW, IDAHO POLICE: It's been very hard for members of the community, and it's been equally difficult for our officers and for the investigators. We will continue to put all of our resources towards investigating and bringing this to a resolution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now we have seen those resources, but family and friends, they still think that more is needed.

[15:35:00] They're putting these flyers on a lot of the houses in this neighborhood asking people for tips, for any information. They say even something small could lead to an arrest. All of this as families are trying to plan their final good-byes. We know that Ethan's funeral is today. They're asking everybody to wear blue because that was his triplet color -- Bianna, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Camila Bernal for us there, thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Joining us now is Andrew McCabe, a CNN senior law enforcement analyst and the former deputy director of the FBI. Always good to see you, Andrew. So, a week later, what do you make of how this investigation has been handled thus far?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Bianna, and there's a number of really kind of troubling and challenging things that have taken place so far. So, you would have to first look at the misinformation, the kind of chaotic way they addressed things, like whether or not there was a threat to the community. They initially said there was not, and now course they've backed off of that. They initially stated that that they thought it was a crime of passion.

It was a comment that was made very, very early on in the investigation. It caused many of us who have had time investigating things like this to kind of wonder how you could draw that conclusion. They seemed to have backed away from that as well.

I've also been struck by some of the things they've said about ruling out some potential suspects. So, they've already made public statements that they've ruled out involvement by any of the other roommates who were present at the location at the time of the crime. The other individuals who responded the next morning before the 911 call was made, and I think the driver who brought the two girls home to their residence the night before just before.

So, it's really curious. It at least raises the possibility that they have started this investigation, maybe been overwhelmed by it to some degree. They've certainly fired some stray voltage off in terms of their public statements and that's never a really good sign for a well-organized, well-executed investigation.

BLACKWELL: Let's turn now to the mass shooting in Colorado. CNN has learned that the grandfather of the shooting suspect is an outgoing California assemblyman. This is the suspect's maternal grandfather. He was also the mayor of Santee. He was someone who after January 6th said this is Lexington and Concord's first shots fired against tyranny. This is according to "The San Diego Union Tribune." Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden's wherein on January 20.

Now it's important to say we don't know the relationship between these two, if they spoke regularly or if that philosophy was shared, but as we talked about at the top of this hour and last, the rhetoric from elected officials in this environment can be used as or interpreted as justification of some of the things that we're seeing.

MCCABE: Well, it's certainly true, Victor, that overly heated, charged rhetoric by elected officials is never a good thing, particularly in the impact -- the disproportionate impact we see that it has on people who are already of extremist tendencies.

So, putting aside the family relation between the Congressman and the shooter here because as you mentioned, we don't really know there's any sort of a significant connection between the two of them with respect to this crime. But in his role as a public official, he certainly should have been more conscious about the impact that his words can have, and particularly when -- let's call it for what it is. It's lying about January 6th, the attack on our Capitol.

GOLODRYGA: Andrew, if we can just take a bigger picture here, the last time we spoke about hate crime and I believe was after the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband and what you told us still gives me chills. And you said that you don't believe, and you are worried that there are not enough resources devoted for law enforcement to go after all of these threats, whether they're political threats, whether they're anti-LBGTQ threats, antisemitism here in New York, what have you. Do you feel that that applies to all of these hate crime threats as well, putting the political threats aside?

MCCABE: There is no question, Bianna, that hate crimes threats have skyrocketed in the last few years in the same way that we've seen threats to members of the Congress and threats to people holding public office. I was looking at the FBI's stats just a little while ago. In 2018, the FBI reported just over 7,000 hate crimes reported over the course of that year. In 2019, that number went up to 7,287, and in 2020, the last year we have statistics for, it's over 8,263. So, it went up a thousand incidents of reporting in run one year.

[15:40:00]

And it's important to note that even the bureau believes that these reporting numbers are far lower than what's actually happening because there are problems collecting this data, and people don't always report these things as hate crimes. So, there is no question that threat picture is getting much more serious in this country on the domestic side, and that has got to make us think critically about what sort of resources our law enforcement community has to work with.

GOLODRYGA: We've got to make lawmakers think about what can be done to get those resources to officials. Andrew McCabe, thank you.

BLACKWELL: State lawmaker Randy Vogel tried to clean up his comments in a tweet later, but as we learned more about this alleged shooter, we'll of course bring that to you.

Let's talk about travel because if you are hitting the road or the sky or train this week, airports and highways may see the biggest holiday rush in years. How to get through it with fewer hassles, next.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: If you're planning to travel for this week for Thanksgiving, be prepared to pack -- for packed airports I should say and congested highways.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, some things never change. Holiday travel this year is now expected to be the busiest it's been in years, near pre-pandemic levels. Here's CNN's Pete Muntean for some tips to avoid travel missteps. Take notes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Bianna, things are just ramping up at airports across the country. The TSA anticipates it could screen 2.5 million people at airports nationwide tomorrow. It is a lot of people and a lot of stress. But there are a lot of tips out there to alleviate some of that stress. So, we put some of the biggest ones to the test.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Travel tips you might not know about, let's go!

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Travel hacks are going viral ahead of this Thanksgiving rush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's a flight hack I bet you didn't know.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): With AAA projecting more than 54 million people, traveling 50 miles or more between Wednesday and Sunday. So, we turned to a trio of travel experts for the best advice to make your trip smoother, one of the biggest tips. Ditch that checked bag and bring only a carry-on. This summer when airlines canceled 55,000 flights, passengers flooded the federal government with lost lug complaints.

SCOTT KEYES, SCOTT'S CHEAP FLIGHTS: If your flight gets canceled or you miss a connection, it's far easier to get put on the new plane and be nimble if you don't have a checked bag that they have to go find and moved to a new flight.

MUNTEAN: A lot of airlines these days will allow you to track your checked luggage on their app but TikTok-ers came up with this idea. Take a tracker like this Apple air tag and drop it in your bag.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): We put it to the test tracking my bag as it snaked through Reagan National Airport into the plane and out at baggage claim in Charlotte.

MUNTEAN: Major bag alert. Made it.

KEYES: I think this is one of the best viral tips to happen in years.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Still, most Americans will drive this holiday. AAA says it's best to drive when everybody else isn't. The worst times on Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on I-85 in Atlanta, congestion can be more than twice the norm. Coming home again on Sunday, try to avoid driving from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00.

PAULA TWIDALE, SENIOR VP OF TRAVEL, AAA: The real key is to be conscious of leaving at a reasonable time where you know traffic should be a little bit better. It's not going to be light. It's not going to be great, but it should be better. MUNTEAN (voice-over): Beyond traffic, one of the top concerns for

drivers is the cost of gas. But Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy says a little bit of planning goes a long way. With prices an averaged 35 cents higher than a year ago. Simply crossing the border from Arizona into California, gas prices can spike by more than a dollar a gallon.

PATRICK DE HAAN, GASBUDDY: If motorists are taking to the road for a road trip, I certainly would advise to shop around. They could be leaving low gas prices behind or they the low gas prices could be on the road in front of them.

MUNTEAN: One more warning about driving. Airports are worried they may simply run low on parking spaces because during the pandemic, more people started driving to the airport and stopped taking public transit. Their big tip is to book your spots at the airport ahead of time online if you can. But the biggest tip from our experts, simply just be patient during our Thanksgiving travel season. Besides seeing highs of the pandemic, this could be one of the biggest Thanksgiving travel seasons in the last 20 years -- Victor, Bianna.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Take a deep breath in and be patient.

BLACKWELL: I'll be all right.

GOLODRYGA: And don't forget the air tags.

BLACKWELL: And a gin and tonic.

GOLODRYGA: There you go. That's a good combo.

BLACKWELL: Maybe two.

GOLODRYGA: Or three.

Well, for the first time in eight years, the United States is playing in a World Cup match. Details on the score and the growing controversies off the field. We are live in Qatar up next.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Well, right now, we've been watching it during the break. U.S. --

BLACKWELL: Why do you have to tell people that?

GOLODRYGA: Look, I haven't been prepping for this show. The U.S. men's national soccer team is facing off against Wales in their first World Cup match since 2014. It's been a long time, Victor.

BLACKWELL: And CNN's Don Riddell is live in Doha at the tournament. We know how the team is holding up because Bianna just told everybody we're watching up here. GOLODRYGA: I didn't give the score.

BLACKWELL: But you tell everybody how they're holding up.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: It's tight. It's almost over, actually. It's 1-1 at the moment. The U.S. had a really good pass first half taking the lead through Tim Weah, but within the last few minutes actually, Wales equalized with a penalty from Gareth Bale. A lot of American soccer fans will know exactly who he is. He recently led LAFC to their first ever MLS cup.

So, looks like it's heading for a draw. There's probably about four minutes left in this game. Remember there are three group games. This is the first of them. So, a draw is certainly not the worst result for the United States. Two games still to come against England and Iran, but obviously they would prefer to win it. Looks like it being a draw for now though.

GOLODRYGA: It's great to see team USA back on the field though. A lot of the controversy off the field as, you know, the captains of several European teams will not be wearing the "OneLove" arm bands which are part of a campaign that opposes discrimination and promotes inclusion.

[15:55:00]

Quickly, what can you tell us about that?

RIDDELL: Well, they were all set to. I mean, the England team they were going to be the first team out who were going to wear this armband. The captain Harry Kane was going to be doing it. The FA said that they were prepared to pay a fine, but FIFA made it pretty clear at the 11th hour that players could actually be booked or maybe even sent off the field and England said that was just not something that they were prepared to risk. But in the end, the players did take a knee. They said that was a gesture of inclusivity and of course given where we are, Qatar, how they feel about LBGTQ rights, that was still a pretty powerful move by the England team.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, it was powerful. Don Riddell, thank you.

And "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts right after the quick break.

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