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Warden Says, Idaho Suspect in Custody of Pennsylvania State Police; Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Allies Want to Adjourn House Amid Speaker Vote Chaos; Actor Jeremy Renner Remains in ICU, Improving After Accident. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 04, 2023 - 10:30   ET

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


[10:30:00]

JEREMY PARR, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AND HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER, LOYOLA BLAKEFIELD: Thanks for inviting us.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: So, Peter, for folks at home not familiar with your story, I wonder if you could just say briefly how this happened. What happened to you and what was the reaction on the field at the time?

PETER LAAKE, HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE PLAYER WHO SURVIVED COMMOTIO CORDIS: Yes, So, I had commotio cordis, which something to do with -- it's like a millisecond of your heartbeat, where it like opens up, and when it's hit, it's like a -- it's almost like a -- it just stops your heart, like it doesn't know what to do. And I had that on the field and the response was Mr. Parr, and a trainer, and a lot of people came out off the stands to kind of to help like administer CPR.

SCIUTTO: Commotio cordis is one thing that's been theorized by a lot of doctors as may have happened to Damar Hamlin as well. Was it tough for you, Peter, to see that? Did it bring back tough memories of your own case?

LAAKE: Yes. I didn't see it live but I saw it pretty like quickly after I heard about it. And it was pretty scary. I mean, it just kind of like me and my parents just saw it and it's like -- it looked kind of similar. So, we kind of just thought back and, you know, it reminded us of like what had happened.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Jeremy, good to have you here too, because, listen, Peter's parents say you saved his life. And within a couple minutes, folks were administering CPR, but then also key that you had one of these AEDs by the field, were able to get it up and running and to shocked his heart, in effect, back into rhythm. How did you manage that? And how important is it to have a plan for something like this?

PARR: So, I think that's the key statement right there. You know, having a sudden cardiac arrest is extremely rare in athletics. And I think we still have to remember that, as rare as it is, it's even more rare to have a survival case.

And I think we're very fortunate that we had a try amount of help. We had resource on the field. We had an AED on site, and we had a plan for not just cardiac arrest, but we try to have a plan for anything potentially catastrophic or a severe injury that may happen.

So, you can't plan for everything, but in Peter's case, I was on site. We had a physician on site, and medical personnel and an athletic trainer for the opposing team too. So, when he was struck, it was very similar to Monday. It was an innocent-looking play, it was a play that happens a thousand times in the course of a lacrosse season. He got hit in the chest, and eerily similar to Monday night. He took a couple of steps afterwards. I remember him recalling that he could follow the path of the ball and then his body just collapsed on the field. At that point, you know, his teammates, the officials, the spectators are all aware that something out of the ordinary is happening.

So, fortunately, for us, we were there, we were able to respond and evaluate and figure out that it was a catastrophic injury. And, fortunately, EMS was able to arrive quickly but the key impact is having the AED on site that we could get that attached to him and diagnosed and revived within two minutes of his injury.

SCIUTTO: Yes. The story on the American Heart Association, which folks watch, by the way, because it shows how important and how quickly you acted.

Peter, good news here is you were back on the field, right? Does that -- and, by the way, every medical condition is different, but I imagine that offers some hope to folks who go through this.

PARR: Yes, absolutely. I mean, he's an astonishing case, though. And I think it all comes back to how quick he was revived, and he was transported to the hospital. He was awake, conscious and speaking to us, as he went into the ambulance and transported. He had fantastic medical care afterwards with a sports cardiologist who put him through a battery of tests, and he was actually running a mile on an inclined treadmill, you know, two days after it happened.

SCIUTTO: Wow, that's amazing.

PARR: So, they took some precautions. He had a custom-made chest protector made. But he was back playing lacrosse I think three weeks later. And that's had no restrictions with his lacrosse and basketball.

SCIUTTO: That's phenomenal. Well, Peter, we're glad you're well.

[10:35:00]

I've seen that Kevlar chest protector that you have now. We wish you the best of luck. And, Jeremy, thanks so much for the work you did here saving this guy.

For folks watching at home, for more information on how to be prepared for these types of situations, also find first aid training classes, that's the first thing that occurred to me watching this, you can go to the American Heart Association's website, lots of good information there.

HILL: Yes, so important, Jim, so important. Still to come here, we are going to take you live to Idaho. The suspect in the killing of four college students will be extradited to face murder charges there. What is next in this case, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

HILL: New this morning, CNN has learned that Bryan Kohberger, the suspect who is accused in the gruesome deaths of four college students nearly two months ago, CNN has learned he has been moved from that Monroe County jail in Pennsylvania, is now in the custody of Pennsylvania State Police.

SCIUTTO: All this as officials in Moscow, Idaho, are now preparing for his arrival in that state. And that is where CNN Correspondent Veronica Miracle is. Veronica, what more do we know about when Kohberger is expected to arrive in Idaho and then what happens?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim and Erica, we have been pressing authorities about the exact transportation process. Will they be driving him, flying him? How long is that going to take? And that's just information they refuse to reveal for security reasons, not just because of Kohberger but also because of the authorities.

Police have told us, though, that they have ten days to get him here. So, we are standing by, waiting for his arrival here in Moscow, Idaho.

His family yesterday was in court when he waived extradition. They were crying. At one point, he turned around and mouthed, I love you, to them. And we do know his father was with him when he made that cross-country trip back to Pennsylvania to be with them. His father had flown to Washington State and they had driven together in that white Hyundai Elantra.

And now we understand that during that cross-country trip, they were pulled over two times in the state of Indiana, once be a sheriff, and then another by Indiana State Police. And they were let off with a warning both times. That body camera video, you can hear the conversation between them. That second time he was pulled over for tailgating, let off with a warning.

And authorities there are saying that there was no alert on a license plate or a specific individual outside of that white Hyundai that police were looking for in Idaho, so there was no reason to alert that incident. Of course, we are still standing by waiting here in Idaho for his return. Guys?

SCIUTTO: Important developments. We'll be watching. Veronica Miracle, thanks so much.

HILL: Joining me now, Casey Jordan, criminologist and behavioral analyst. Casey, good to see you this morning. There are so many people, understandably, trying to piece together what may have happened here, especially now that there is a person, right, set to be extradited, this suspect to be charged. Some of the things that stand out that I would just love you to comment on, what you see in these moments. If we talk about the crime itself again nearly two months ago, you have somebody who walks into a house in the middle of the night, kills four people brutally with a knife, walks out, there's not much trace left. What does that tell you about a person who would operate in that manner? Is there a chance -- I mean, is this something that's typical of a first-time offender?

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST AND BEHAVORIAL ANALYST: It's not just an ordinary first-time offender. It would be somebody who is highly intelligent and highly organized. And in criminology, we say, the sky would be good for it.

The fact that he is a doctoral student in criminology and criminal justice, I mean, it puts a shudder through my body, but I can't say that I'm surprised. It means that, for years, he has been studying not just the criminal justice system, so he knows, by the way, how all this extradition and first appearance works, he knows how to make a plea. I think he's anticipated all of this, to be honest.

But it also begs the question, did this guy kind of cross the line between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and maybe criminology and the study of the criminal mind was the magic potion that gave him the confidence to try something that he was studying? This is not typical. This is definitely an outlier.

In terms of what his motive could be, it could just be the thrill of the experiment, I am smarter than everyone else, I'm going to try to see how I feel and then see if I can get away with it. That's our best conjecture at this point.

HILL: From the very beginning, when you say about it not being typical from the very beginning, we had heard that this was an isolated, targeted attack, which raised questions, right? If it was targeted, whether someone in that house was a specific target, whether there could have been a connection between the person who committed these brutal, horrific murders and one or more of the victims. Would any of that be, quote/unquote, typical?

JORDAN: Well, the targeting would be more typical. But what would be most typical is if it was somebody within the victims' inner circle who knew them.

From the outset, I was out on a limb saying, I think that this guy is completely unrelated to these four people. If there is a connection, Erica, I would predict that it's something so superficial that the victims didn't even know about it, like maybe he met these girls in the corner club and offered to buy one a drink and she turned him down.

[10:45:06]

She wouldn't even remember that. But for him, if indeed he is the culprit, that could have loomed large in a life that is full of bullying and rejection, where he's overcompensating for deep insecurities. And that looms large in a life to where maybe he would begin stalking. But I don't believe that there was any vendetta, any revenge involved. I don't think he knew them at all. But did he case the joint? Did he watch from the woods, these people enter that night? Only one person knows the answer to this at this point. I'm of the belief he was hiding inside and waiting for them to come home, maybe not even sure if who would come home.

But you can see a lot of inside somebody's house through their sliders when their lights are on and it's dark outside. He could have been waiting for a long time watching. I wouldn't even be surprised if he wore infrared goggles and a clean suit during the crime, but it will be interesting to see what the affidavit reveals. And do not expect him to talk. I think you're going to hit a stone wall with him.

HILL: All right. That affidavit, though, could potentially tell us a lot once it is unsealed. Casey, I appreciate it, as always. Thank you.

JORDAN: Good to be here.

SCIUTTO: Fascinating conversation.

We are keeping an eye on Capitol Hill this morning, as Kevin McCarthy struggles to gather enough votes from his own party to become speaker of the House. Now, we're learning he may want to adjourn before another embarrassing vote. Not clear yet he has the votes to do that either.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

SCIUTTO: All right. Another development on the Hill, this just into CNN, House Republican Leader McCarthy and his colleagues are now actively discussing adjourning, again, for the day, not holding a vote on the speakership right now. They don't have the votes, it seems, but that vote to adjourn would also require 218 votes. Not clear if they have the votes to do that, either. Otherwise, a fourth round of voting will go ahead this afternoon.

HILL: I just hear Hamilton over and over and over again in my head, they don't have the votes.

CNN Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten is here to walk us through some of the possible scenarios. I'm not going to make you sing it, Harry, but I know this could go -- we have a lot of options here.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: It could, and thank God I don't have to sing it because that would just explode the ears, right?

All right, so, scenario number one is that Kevin McCarthy can still win, right? He can still win. You think back a hundred years ago, the last time we had a speaker's vote that went on for ballots and ballots and ballots, Frederick Gillett won on ballot nine back in 1923 after failing on the first eight. He did so by compromising with an ideological wing of his party, much like Kevin McCarthy may have to do. All right, if it's not Kevin McCarthy, who might it be? Well, it could be Majority Leader Steve Scalise as a compromise candidate. He is better liked, it seems, in the Republican conference than McCarthy is. He won in the November leadership elections with no opposition, unlike McCarthy. He has a more conservative record. But most of the anti- McCarthy GOP is more conservative than him and it could also potentially alienate some of the more moderate Republicans.

Okay. If it's not Scalise, who might it be? Maybe it's Patrick McHenry, who is the former House GOP deputy whip. He's ideologically between McCarthy and Scalise. And think through history, right? Think about 1999, when the GOP caucus size was similar to what it is now, then the then-GOP deputy whip, Dennis Hastert, became speaker as option number three, much like McHenry, may.

Okay. But if it's not McHenry what might happen? Well, the mainstream GOP could do something really outside the box, right, maybe an anti- GOP, anti-McCarthy GOP choice, the very conservative, Jim Jordan, maybe they decide, screw it, we're going to go in that direction, or maybe you might even get a coalition government with some Dems actually joining with the Republicans and perhaps nominating a more moderate Republican, or eve Hakeem Jeffries. You see that along the Alaska legislature.

One last (INAUDIBLE) I'll kind of point out, look, it took 133 ballots back in 1855 to 1866, so this could go on for a very long time. Back then, they actually agreed to a plurality to elect a speaker instead of the majority rules that normally govern this sort of thing.

HILL: Yes, plurality, that would be an interesting compromise. Harry Enten, thanks very much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: All right. Still ahead, we do have an update on the actor, Jeremy Renner, and the progress he is making in his first comments, as well as a picture he shared since a traumatic snowplow accident.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:00]

SCIUTTO: Well, some relief this morning, Jeremy Renner is thanking fans in his first social media post since a snowplow accident on New Year's Day. The Hawkeye actor included a selfie of him in the hospital which showed some facial injuries.

HILL: CNN Entertainment Reporter Chloe Melas has been following this really closely, keeping us updated. So, you're also -- Chloe, you've learned some more about what happened.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: So, there was a press conference yesterday. And then we also spoke to the sheriff this morning on CNN This Morning, and he gave more details as to what happened, and it all had to do with the fact that this snowplow began to roll after he had used it, the Snowcat, to tow a vehicle out of his driveway. And he's so lucky to be alive. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF DARIN BALAAM, WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA: A family member quickly ran to a neighbor's house, asked for help. Those neighbors came out with some towels, and then fire from the fire protection district and North Lake Tahoe came down and then we care-flighted him when we arrived. He was speaking when our deputies arrived on scene. For what had just occurred, he was in good spirits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELAS: Unbelievable, because the Snowcat we learned last night during the press conference with that sheriff that you saw right there, it's over 14,000 pounds, Erica.

And the other thing is that -- so, they had lost power, three feet of snow in the area, in his driveway. He's plowing the area, then he uses his Snowcat to tow a vehicle of his that had gotten stuck in the snow. And family member was driving it. He successfully tows the vehicle and gets off the Snowcat to talk to this family member, and that's when it starts to roll. He tried to hop back on and obviously wasn't successful. Luck to be alive, still in the ICU, but as you saw on Instagram, and we also spoke to his rep who said he's in good spirits, he just has a long road to recovery.

HILL: So, long road, but prognosis is good?

[11:00:01]

MELAS: Going to be good.

HILL: Okay, good, we'll take it. Chloe, I appreciate it. Thank you.

And thanks to all of you for joining us today. I'm Erica Hill.

SCIUTTO: And I'm Jim Sciutto.