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CNN International: South Carolina Jury Finds Former Attorney Alex Murdaugh Guilty of Murder; Republicans Attend Conservative Political Action Conference; Speculation Grows About Who Will Take the Fall at Fox News; Presidential Candidates in Nigeria Challenge Election Results; Greek Rail Disaster Death Toll Rises to 57 Amid Growing Outrage. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired March 03, 2023 - 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 are just joining us, let me bring you up-to-date with our top stories this hour.

Parts of the southern U.S. are getting pummeled by strong storms. More than 60 million people cross the region are facing the threat of severe weather. There have been at least 90 storm reports so far.

Disgrace former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh will be sentenced in the coming hours after being convicted of killing his wife and son. The jury deliberated less than three hours on Thursday before returning their verdict.

Earlier my colleague Kim Brunhuber discussed the verdict with Areva Martin. She's a civil rights attorney and legal affairs commentator in Los Angeles. They discussed the speedy verdict and the impact of putting Murdaugh himself on the stand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Very surprising, Kim, that the jury only deliberated for about three hours. Particularly given how many witnesses testified on behalf of the prosecution and the voluminous amount of evidence that was presented both by the prosecution and defense. I was not expecting them to return in just several hours.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I mean, letting Alex testify, I mean, was that big mistake do you think?

MARTIN: I think that the defense didn't have a choice. When the prosecution put on almost ten or so witnesses that testified that they could identify Alex Murdaugh's voice in that video that was taken or, you know, produced just moments before the cellphone of his son Paul's went dead? That was a big problem for Alex. Because he had told the police for months that he was not at that kennel before his wife and son were killed. And now you had ten witnesses coming forward for the prosecution saying, yes, that is his voice. He was there just moments before the murders occurred. So he had to I believe he felt he had to get on the witness stand and try to explain why he had lied to police.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Areva Martin there speaking with CNN. Now we'll have much more on this developing story in the coming hour.

Now a high profile Republican gathering is under way right now in Maryland, a CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference is normally considered a major stop for Republican U.S. presidential hopefuls. But some key figures are skipping the event this year. CNN's Jeff Zeleny explains.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It's a right of passage for Republican hopefuls to stop by CPAC to meet these conservative activists from across the country. This year it is an entirely different feel. There's no leadership of the Republican Party here. Unlike years before, there are no Senate Republican leaders here, no House Republican leaders as well, but it is the presidential candidates so different.

This essentially has become the Trump show. You walk through the hallways here, so much paraphernalia and other supporters of former President Donald Trump. While other presidential candidates, other Republican hopefuls are actually going to Florida this weekend, skipping this annual CPAC conference as it's known to speak at a Club for Growth conference, the Club for Growth, of course, a very influential anti-Tax Group here in Washington. They decided to host a competing event that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and several other leading Republican governors and others are appearing at.

[04:35:00]

So, in a nutshell what it shows us, there's a simply as a dividing line in the Republican Party, Donald Trump at the middle of that between those who want to send him back to office and those who are looking for a fresh start. So, unusual compared to many years here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And some of the CPAC attendees expressed disappointment that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis didn't show up, he represents the biggest challenge to Donald Trump early in the race.

U.S. Congressman George Santos will face a House ethics investigation. The New York Republican has been confronted with legal issues and calls for resignation after lying about much of his life history during his campaign last year. On Thursday, the House Ethics Committee voted to move forward with the investigation. They'll look into a range of issues including whether Santos engaged in unlawful activity during his campaign and whether he engaged in sexual misconduct with someone who applied for a job in his Congressional office.

Fox News is reeling from the scandal brought by revelations that it lied to its viewers about the 2020 presidential election. They're exposed in a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems showing that some anchors peddled theories that the election was stolen even though they knew it wasn't. And the big question for the network now is, whose heads will roll. Brian Todd reports from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As Fox News deals with agonizing fallout from the Dominion lawsuit and the bombshell revelation that the network driven by the lure of profits and ratings was willing to lie to its viewers about who won the 2020 election. New questions are being raised about who will take the fall.

DAVID FOLKENFLIK, MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, NPR: If you're looking for someone to be forced to walk the plank as a measure of public accountability for this, it's sure not going to be Rupert Murdoch himself and it's very unlikely to be his son Lachlan Murdoch.

TODD (voice-over): So, who? New reporting from CNN's Oliver Darcy says questions are being raised about the future of a Fox executive named Suzanne Scott.

JEFFREY SONNENFELD, YALE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: Suzanne Scott, their CEO who is a very troubled successor to Roger Ailes, she was the executioner to all this stuff.

TODD (voice-over): Scott was named by "Forbes Magazine" in 2021 as one of the 100 most powerful women in media and entertainment. But as Fox News takes more heat over the discovery that some of the network's top anchors knew the election wasn't stolen from Donald Trump and still proclaimed it was.

FOLKENFLIK: Suzanne Scott is, you know, the one at whose desk the buck stops. If you read Murdoch's testimony closely.

TODD (voice-over): During his deposition in the Dominion lawsuit, Murdoch seemed to distance himself from the decision making at Fox in the wake of the 2020 Election.

Quote: I appointed Ms. Scott to the job and I delegate everything to her.

But analysts say in reality --

FOLKENFLIK: The stakes were just far too important in the hours and days and weeks after the November 2020 elections for Murdoch to completely sit back and just watch it unfold. And in fact, the evidence that has been brought to light so far shows that he didn't.

TODD (voice-over): Murdoch admitted in his deposition that while election lies were being propagated on Fox's air after the 2020 vote, that he, quote, would have liked us be stronger in denouncing it in hindsight.

But he also admitted that partially at Scott's urging he didn't push back for fear of losing viewers. Another person at Fox who could take the fall, former Republican House

Speaker Paul Ryan who's a Fox board member. Ryan has admitted that while he advised Murdoch after the 2020 election that Fox shouldn't spread conspiracy theories --

PAUL RYAN, FOX BOARD MEMBER, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I do. I have a responsibility to offer my opinion and perspective and I do that. But I don't go out on TV and do it.

SONNENFELD: He said, well I quietly voice my opinion. That's not what a director is supposed do. That is a failure of management oversight. He is complicit through his complacency.

TODD: Fox declined to comment when CNN reached out to ask about Suzanne Scott's future at the network. For now, Fox is not offering any public statements in support of Scott. CNN also reached out multiple times to Paul Ryan and his spokespeople for a response to the criticism of him. We haven't heard back.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The U.S. Justice Department is rejecting former President Donald Trump's claims that he should be immune from civil lawsuits over the January 6 insurrection. The department filed a brief with the federal appeals court on Thursday saying that the president cannot be absolutely immune for speech on a matter of public concern if the speech is found to have incited violence. His lawyers say the civil lawsuit is brought by Capitol Police officers and House Democrats are frivolous.

The Justice Department is urging the court to reject Trump's argument writing, quote, no part of a president's official responsibilities includes the incitement of imminent private violence.

The DOJ emphasized it was not weighing in on any potential criminal liability.

Now the candidates who came up short in Nigeria's contested presidential election are challenging the results.

[04:40:00]

Election officials said the Peoples Democratic Party candidate Atiku Abubakar came in second in Saturday's vote. But the 76-year-old has declared himself the rightful winner. He along with the third party candidate Peter Obi say that they will contest the results in court.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for president elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the campaign welcomes the challenges. Saturday's election has been criticized by independent observers for irregularities. CNN's Larry Madowo has the very latest for you from Lagos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another extraordinary day in the Nigerian post election period where number two and number three in the presidential election both say they won the election and they will both go to court to contest the outcome. Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party who has run and lost six times says he was the rightful winner and this election was a rape of democracy. Some strong criticism for the Independent National Electoral Commission.

ATIKU ABUBAKAR, NIGERIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The weekend election was neither free nor fair. Preliminary assessments indicate that it is the worst conducted elections since the return to democratic rule. The manipulation and fraud that attended this election are unprecedented in the history of our nation.

MADOWO: Peter Obi of the Labour Party also says he won the election and the Nigerian people have been robbed. And this will go down in history as the most controversial election. And he too is going to court.

PETER OBI, NIGERIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me reiterate and assure you the good people of Nigeria, that we will explore all legal and peaceful options to reclaim our mandate. We won the election and we will prove it to Nigerians.

MADOWO: Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi actually have a history. Peter Obi was Atiku's running mate in 2019 and Atiku left the door open for a dialogue between them. Bola Tinubu presidential campaign says they are misleading the public and Bola Tinubu rightfully won the election. So, this battle now moves to court. And Nigerian courts have never overturned a presidential election. But as Peter Obi says, he hopes that they will do the right thing because the future of their children is at stake.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Lagos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The blame game is on in Greece, after a fatal head on train collision. Ahead, protests, a strike and heartbreak.

Finally, they've arrived, the capsule caring astronauts any cosmonaut has docked at the International Space Station. The hatch is open and they are getting a warm welcome as you can see.

[04:45:00]

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FOSTER: A scary scene in Hong Kong on Thursday night as a massive fire engulfed a skyscraper under construction. It broke out shortly before midnight on the roof of an 18 story hotel. Flames quickly spread to other floors and the fire could be seen from miles away. Falling debris and ember started fires on nearby buildings as well. At least two people were injured. It's unclear though what caused the blaze.

In Greece, 57 people are now confirmed dead after the head on train collision earlier this week. Crews keep sifting through the wreckage near the city of Larissa and anger is building. The Greek Federation of Rail Workers announced a 24-hour strike saying government disrespect for their industry caused the crash. The federation says requests for more staff and the training and modern security systems have been thrown into the bin. But government blames disaster on human error and arrested a station manager. An audio recording of him speaking to one of the train drivers was released on Thursday. Our CNN's Nada Bashir has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Wrangled metal, charred debris, the remnants of a disaster that could have been avoided. And now this.

TRAIN MASTER (through translator): Proceed through red traffic light exit until traffic light entry of Neon Poron.

TRAIN DRIVER (voice-over): Vasilis, am I good to go?

TRAIN MASTER (through translator): Go, go.

TRAIN DRIVER (voice-over): Done. Have a good night.

TRAIN MASTER (through translator): Have a good trip.

BASHIR (voice-over): An audio recording of the station master in Larissa, ordering one of the train drivers involved in the deadly collision to ignore a red-light warning. The country's Prime Minister has described the collision as a product of tragic human error.

The station master heard in that recording now detained, charged with causing mass deaths and grievous bodily harm through negligence.

BASHIR: That negligence has of course, come with devastating consequences. You can see behind me the emergency response team still working to clear the wreckage. Still working to try to recover bodies. But in the most tragic of cases, there is only DNA left to identify some of the victims.

BASHIR (voice-over): And for those involved in the recovery efforts, it is a deeply difficult process.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Instead of saving lives we have to recover bodies. It is not something that we like. It is not something we want to do. And it is something that will remain in our memory for ever as much as we try to get rid of it.

BASHIR (voice-over): The tragedy has sparked anger across the country. Protestors seen here clashing with police officers in Athens. The country's transport minister has since tendered his resignation conceding on Wednesday that the country's rail network is simply not up to the standard one would expect in the 21st century. And as recovery efforts draw to a close, questions over accountability and frustration towards the government are only growing.

Nada Bashir, CNN, in Tempi, Greece.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Protests and physical fights broke out in the Georgian Parliament on Thursday. Lawmakers were holding a hearing on the controversial foreign agents bill when members of the opposition ruling Dream Party started fighting. The ruling party backs the bill which would require organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from overseas to register as foreign agents. Critics say it's similar to a Russian law that's being used to crack down on civil society.

Protests have also broken out across Serbia over the replacement of two deputy prosecutors who were investigating a state-run energy company. Hundreds of demonstrators peacefully went out on the capital streets in Belgrade. The prosecutors were looking into the misappropriation of more than $7 million from a state-run utility. Another prosecutor says the two were reassigned due to slow work and their own requests. But this demonstrator wasn't buying that excuse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[04:50:00]

JANKO CEGI, SERBIAN PROTESTER (through translator): I came here to support these great prosecutors who had found courage and strength to fight against the problem that grips the society and that it is not only crime but also corruption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The protest comes as Serbia is seeking European Union membership by proving that it can root out corruption and organized crime.

The remainder of the season is up in the air for NBA star LeBron James. Next, what the Los Angeles Lakers are saying about an injury on his foot.

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FOSTER: The Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is recovering after injuring a tendon on his right foot. The 38-year-old was hurt during Sunday's win in Dallas. But the official evaluation came after his return to Los Angeles. James who broke the NBA all-time scoring record last month has missed the Lakers last two games. The Lakers are scheduled to play again tonight. It's unclear if James will play, but doctors say he'll be re-evaluated in three weeks.

Now college football stand out Jalen Carter is back in the NFL combine. According to reports Carter turned himself into authorities in Georgia on Wednesday night. He posted bond and was released.

[04:55:00]

The former University of Georgia player is charged with reckless driving and racing in connection to the fatal crash that killed a teammate and one of his team's staffer. The star lineman is projected to be a top pick for the NFL draft.

And a fresh crew has arrived safely at the International Space Station. When the hatch to the capsule opened, two Americans, one Russian and one cosmonaut -- one astronaut from the UAE were greeted with hugs and high fives as well. The new crew meeting the existing crew in the ISS for the first time. Their Endeavor spacecraft docked a little more than 24 hours after the blastoff from the Kennedy Space Center. The astronauts and cosmonaut will spend about six months on the station where they will conduct science experiments and work on the structure as well.

U.S. National Park Service has advice for anyone who comes face-to- face with a bear in the wild. Not about what they should do but what they shouldn't to actually. In a tweet it told nature lovers not to push a slower friend down -- even if the friendship has run its course. The tweet drew some questions though. One man asked, what if they are the slower friend. The park service response was check on your friendship beforehand.

Now before we go and sticking with animals, the state of Utah is asking residents for helping to manage an increasingly invasive species -- that's the bullfrog. And the proposal is to eat them. In Utah it's always bull frog hunting season and you don't need a license to catch them. Officials even provided a recipe for breaded bull frogs legs. As many people from Louisiana and Florida swamps know, frog legs taste like chicken or fish or whatever your taste buds tell you.

Thanks for joining me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London. "EARLY START" with Christine Romans is next here on CNN.

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