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Police Searching for Extremely Dangerous Kidnapping Suspect; Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Visits Wounded Soldiers in Mykolaiv; Florida Pastor Challenges State Ban on High School A.P. African- American Course. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 30, 2023 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: There is a manhunt right now for a suspect in a brutal kidnapping who police say may actually be searching online right now for his next victim. 36-year-old Benjamin Obadiah Foster is accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman in Oregon. That woman remains in critical condition.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Lord. Authorities are warning he is extremely dangerous and may be using dating apps to evade capture, but also to find potential future new victims.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov, she has been following the story for us. I mean, it is quite a warning for police to say that he is still maybe out there looking for other victims.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jim, Erica. This is now an intensive around the clock search. Benjamin Obadiah Foster being charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and assault. The district attorney said that he tried to killed this victim in Grants Pass, Oregon, while, quote, intentionally torturing her and secretly confining her in a place where she was not likely to be found.

Police say she was discovered bound, severely into unconsciousness. Foster fled the scene before officers arrived. This was back on Tuesday. On Thursday night, authorities raided a property about 20 miles north where they found a bunch of evidence, including his car. They believe he was helped by a 68-year-old woman who was arrested for hindering prosecution, but he managed to escape leaving this small community on edge. Take a listen to police chief.

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CHIEF WARREN HENSMAN, GRANTS PASS POLICE: I am always concerned about our community, and this individual's behavior clearly shows that he is capable of doing anything to anyone within our community.

Everybody is hurt by this. We typically think that this could not happen in our small community of 40,000 people, but this can happen anywhere in the United States. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KAFANOV: Now, the police released several photos of him. They are warning that Foster might try to change his appearance by shaving his beard or hair or changing his hair color. They are asking folks to pay extra attention to these facial features, the eyes and the facial structures, since, obviously, those are difficult to change.

And, guys, it's also not his first run-in with the law. There was two separate charges against him in Nevada in 2019. In the first case, he was charged with felony battery constituting domestic violence. His ex-girlfriend testified that he tried to strangle her in a rage in 2017 after another man texted her.

While that case was still pending in court, Foster was charged with felony assault, battery and kidnapping for allegedly attacking another woman, his then-girlfriend, this was 2019. She told police he kept her tied up for two weeks. He strangled her to the point of unconsciousness, burned with lye.

She ultimately escaped and he ultimately agreed to plea deals, was sentenced to a maximum of 30 months in prison but given credit for the more than 700 days served in the first case. And police chief in Oregon, guys, are saying he was just extremely troubled by the fact that this man was not behind bars in Nevada.

SCIUTTO: Yes, who wouldn't be?

HILL: Lucy, I appreciate it. Thank you.

In South Carolina, the murder trial for Alex Murdaugh back in session this morning. The former attorney is accused of shooting and killing his wife and son in 2021.

The defense right now is cross-examining a state law enforcement agent who first took the stand on Friday. She was in the vehicle when officers first interviewed Murdaugh on the scene of that shooting.

SCIUTTO: On Friday, prosecutors played never before seen video from that interview. You can see it there, Murdaugh crying as he described finding the bodies of his wife and son. He also says he touched them at the scene.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I tried to turn him over, and I figured it out. His cell phone popped out of his pocket. I started try to do something with it, thinking that maybe, but then I put it back down really quickly. Then I went to my wife, and I -- I mean I could see --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you touch Maggie at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did. I touched them both. I tried to take -- I mean, and I tried to do it as limited as possible, but I tried to take their pulse on both of them.

[10:00]

And, you know, I called 911 pretty much right away.

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SCIUTTO: Well, the account there speaking of touching them is raising questions, because investigators say that Murdaugh was clean, as they described it at the scene, he did not appear to have any blood on him. And we are going to bring you updates, further updates as get them from today's testimony.

Also this morning, the Ukrainian president is close now to the frontlines of this ongoing war, visiting wounded soldiers in the hospital as fierce fighting, deadly fighting rages in the south and the east. We're going to be live in Kyiv with the details.

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HILL: Ukraine's president and Denmark's prime minister are visiting Red Cross representatives and military personnel in Southern Ukraine where fierce fighting is happening now.

SCIUTTO: They also spoke with wounded Ukrainian soldiers in the Mykolaiv hospital. They gave medals to honor medical military staff.

Russia's relentless and deliberate attacks on civilians continue as a missile hit a residential building in the northeastern city of Kharkiv. That single attack killed at least one person, injured three more, we see so many like it every day.

CNN's Senior International Correspondent Sam Kiley is in the capital of Kyiv. I wonder what the Ukrainian president's words were, description was of the current state of play.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is making increasingly loud pleas for strategic weapons, Jim. You will recall that last week there was this big controversy that was then resolved within NATO about the supply of tanks led when the Germans and the Americans agreed that they would both kind of break the seal on their anxieties over those weapons.

Now, those are not strategic weapons. They're battlefield replacements for what the Ukrainians have already lost, albeit much more sophisticated and potentially more potent and useful to the Ukrainians. But what the Ukrainians really want are long range missiles and they're not getting them because the United States and other countries fear that those longer range missiles could be used to attack inside -- targets inside Russia itself, and which is a slightly peculiar argument given the enormously long border between Ukraine and Russia means that if the Ukrainians wanted to attack targets within Russian territory, even with short range weapons, they would be able to do so.

But there is a concern over escalation there and then ultimately also, as you know, Jim, the president here has, right back to 11 months ago, been pleading with the international community to allow the supply of fighter bombers, of jets. There has been some talk that potentially they might get hold of some M-16s. There are also some Soviet-era jets still in the warehouses effectively around Eastern Europe. But at the moment, that is being resisted. Jim?

SCIUTTO: Yes. The F-16 has been a consistent issue from the beginning that that would be seen by some as an escalation with Russia. We'll watch that debate closely. Sam Kiley in Kyiv, thanks so much.

Well, a Russian teenager is now facing years in prison for social media posts that criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 19-year-old Olesya Krivtsova is under house arrest, wearing an ankle monitor now. Her social media post authorities described as a discredit to the Russian army and claims somehow justified terrorism.

HILL: Russian officials have placed her on a list of terrorists and extremists for that Instagram story about the explosion of a Ukrainian bridge last October. Her lawyer tells CNN she could get three years for that post alone and up to seven years for other charges that she justified terrorism. We will continue to monitor that.

Up next here, we are going to speak with a Florida pastor who is stepping in to fill a gap created by his state's lawmakers, a gap in education. Why he has decided to open his church as a place to teach that A.P. class on African-American studies for high schoolers.

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HILL: This week, the College Board, the nonprofit that runs the advanced placement program are releasing an updated framework for its African-American studies course. Up until now, it has been a pilot, and that pilot version currently taught at about 60 schools across the country recently became a target of lawmakers, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who want to limit discussions of history and race in the classroom.

Well, now, a church in St. Petersburg, Florida, is stepping in, opening its doors to students who want to take that course.

Joining me now is the pastor of Allendale United Methodist, Andy Oliver. Pastor Andy, it's great to have you with us this morning. And such an interesting update to the story, as we've been following it out of Florida, what made you decide to open your doors here and to hold the class there at your church?

ANDY OLIVER, PASTOR, ALLENDALE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Well, when I heard my governor say that this class was of little educational value and that it was sending the message to, you know, black and brown students that they are of little educational value and little value, I wanted to make sure I sent the message that they are of immeasurable value, and that when the history books are written, it will be these students that fill the pages and ultimately the governor is going to be a footnote to all this. HILL: Now, I know you do have some interests and, initially, you felt that you would be able to offer the curriculum once it is released but not -- the students wouldn't actually be able to then take the A.P. test for credit. But that has changed.

OLIVER: It has changed. We have professors that have stepped up from both the college and high school level that have been in touch with the College Board. And we plan to offer the course for credit. We also plan to offer a version of the course for the general population. Because if there is anything that makes people want to take the class more expanding it. So, I want to thank the governor for making this class so popular.

HILL: That is true. As we look at -- there is such an important discussion, I think, happening in this country about the real history of the United States. And what we have all learned, right, over time what is being taught now, what is available.

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And so I think it's also important to set some of the facts straight when we look at what is happening here. This was always pilot course. The revisions were always set to be released on Wednesday based on feedback from experts and educators who were dealing with this class.

And I thought it was interesting that the College Board actually sent a letter to its members in the wake of all this brouhaha in Florida and say, to be clear, to states or districts have seen the official framework that it will be released on February 1, much less provided feedback on it.

Governor DeSantis, though, seems to be claiming victory, that he somehow led to -- by questioning this course that it's my understand he hadn't seen, that he had somehow led to changes with the course, in which he had zero input. When you looking at this, do you believe that these concerns of the governor are genuine? And is he concerned about the curriculum here? Is he concerned about education?

OLIVER: We have a governor in Florida that's more interested in running for president on the backs of black, brown youth, of trans kids than he has interest in the well-being of children.

And so, you know, actually, if he is listening, I want to invite him to enroll in this class, because it would help him to be a better governor and a person. We all need to have the history to do better so that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past.

HILL: Has there been any pushback either in the community or within your congregation?

OLIVER: Not in the congregation. And we always get a few letters, notes, we'll get some phone calls after this interview, for sure, but the people that have responded thanking us for doing this and the partners that we've created, we're going to be partnering with the Woodson Museum, for example, an African-American history museum here in St. Petersburg, and others who want to step in to partner because they believe it is always the right time to do the right thing no matter what kind of consequences the governor may threaten.

HILL: Has this changed at the way you approach your own work?

OLIVER: Well, I follow a guy named Jesus who was executed by the state. And so I am kind of in the line of work of standing up to the state when it has gone too far no matter the consequences. And this is the most important thing that we can be doing at this moment in the state of Florida as a church.

HILL: Why is it that you believe it is the most important? Is it about setting the record straight? Is it about opening up a conversation? What is it to you that speaks to you as this is the most important work in the state of Florida?

OLIVER: Again, it is sending the message to young black students that they are of immeasurable value. The history of their ancestors is so important not only for them to know but for all of us to know so that we can do better. And when they are able to hear their stories being told and when we are able to learn the correct version of the mistakes that we made in the past, only then can we go forward and do better.

SCIUTTO: Pastor Andy Oliver, I appreciate your time today, and please keep us posted. We would love to hear some updates on the class.

OLIVER: Thank you, Erica.

SCIUTTO: All right. Coming up next with apologies to our friends in Cincinnati and San Francisco, the Super Bowl, it is set. See what Chiefs and Eagles are saying about the big game, which will feature a couple of history-making firsts.

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HILL: Super Bowl LVII is set with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks from now in Arizona -- actually, in two weeks, we will know who won two weeks from today.

SCIUTTO: We will. And so beyond the action on the field, the game has a couple of big firsts, first time two black quarterbacks will start, also the first time two brothers will face each other. That is one very happy mom in the stadium that day, though probably a little tough decision as to who she's going to root for.

Coy Wire joining us now. Coy, what should we expect?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, either you can't win or you can't lose, Jim and Erica. The Eagles and the Chiefs, top two season of playoffs, top two scoring offenses led by those phenomenal quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, this will be the first time in NFL history, there will be two black starting quarterbacks in the Super Bowl.

And here is how each of them booked their tickets to Arizona in the AFC. Joe Burrow, Bengals, traveled to Kansas city for a rematch of last year's AFC title game when Cincinnati beat the Chiefs in overtime, bad blood boiling over in this one, Mahomes limping all game. 15 seconds to go, game is tied at 20, and Mahomes is hit late out of bounds by Joseph Ossai of the Bengals. It put the Chiefs in field goal range. Ossai was crying after the game, seeing Harrison Butker kick the 45-yard game-winning field goal. Chiefs win 23-20 heading to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years.

In the NFC, the Eagles putting an end to the magical run by the 49ers and third string rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, he was injured early in the first getting hit on his throwing arm by Haason Reddick. So, the Niners go to their fourth string quarterback, Josh Johnson, but he, too, was leaving the game with an injury. On offense, the Eagles couldn't be stopped. Jalen Hurts wearing the NFL's best defense out, roll into a 37-7 win securing a spot in the Super Bowl for the first since they won it five years ago.

This Super Bowl is wrought with storylines. For one, it's being called the Kelce Brothers Bowl, Travis of the Chiefs, Jason of the Eagles, they are going to become the first brothers to ever face each other as players in the big game. They're just two kids from Cleveland. They both went to the University of Cincinnati, both got drafted. And when it's all said and done, they're likely both headed to the hall of fame. No brothers have ever done that either, Jim, Erica.

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They also each won a Super Bowl. Mama Donna and Dad Ed, what are they going to do? That is the question.

SCIUTTO: I immediately thought.