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Severe Weather and Tornadoes Devastate Parts of Indiana, Arkansas, and Nearby States; Grand Jury in Manhattan Indicts Former President Trump; Former President Trump Expected to Travel to New York to Voluntarily Surrender to Manhattan District Attorney; New York City Increasing Security in Anticipation of Arrival of Former President Trump. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired April 01, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:30]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. It is Saturday, the 1st day of April.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. You are in the CNN Newsroom.

WALKER: People in the southeast are under the gun for severe and dangerous weather. Tornado watches and warnings are in effect right now for parts of Mississippi all the way to Georgia. It comes as the death toll is rising after those massive storms tore through seven states, and now at least nine people are dead, dozens more injured. There were over 50 sightings of tornadoes, including 22 in Illinois, 12 and Arkansas, and eight in Iowa.

BLACKWELL: In Arkansas, three people are dead after the violent storm swept through that state. The National Weather Service has confirmed at least two tornadoes have touched down in the state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You hear a lot of commotion and stuff, then it was just over. I go outside, and it's crazy as people got blood all over their faces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Three people were killed when an apparent tornado ripped through Sullivan, Indiana. First responders work through the night to clear the streets so they could get to the places hit hardest. In Illinois baseball-sized hail damaged some vehicles so badly that they had to be towed from the roadway.

But the hardest hit area is a small town of Wynne, Arkansas. Four people have died there. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is there and he shows us the damage.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are in badly devastated Wynne, Arkansas, where electrical vehicles and companies are on the scene, trying to assess the initial damage here that the mayor described has literally split his town in half. And we are standing directly in that path from this devastating tornado.

I want you to see behind me. This is a home. That is the living room, and that's somebody's piano. There's no music being played there today. This house has been vacated. There have been injuries. Overnight there were active search and recovery efforts taking place. We walked around this area. The Wynne high school here in Arkansas, home to the Yellowjackets, their home football field was decimated by this tornado. And I want you to see it from the air, because you can notice the indiscriminate nature of a tornado and how its path of destruction is very concentrated. It literally, like peeling back the skin off of an orange, took the artificial turf and ripped it off of their home field. But on the other side of the football field, it was left untouched. So we're some homes.

But the areas where it hit hardest, of course, completely devastated, and we have seen just the true nature of how incredible mother nature can be. It is a scary morning as we get first light and get an idea of just how bad this tornado really was, toppling trees, overturning trains, taking vehicles and sweeping them across the ground. And also just taking out electricity and communications within this area. Just get a load of the destruction from the Wynne high school directly over my righthand shoulder. Terrifying moments. Fortunately, there were no students within that school because the tornado occurred in the evening.

I'm CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Wynne, Arkansas.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WALKER: Yes, just devastating to see. To Illinois now where dozens of people had to be pulled to safety after the roof collapsed at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere. First responders arrived in minutes to what they are describing as absolute chaos. One person was killed.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is joining us live from outside the theater. More than 200 people, we understand, were inside when that roof came down. What more do you know?

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know those folks who were inside of the Apollo Theater were here for a concert, having a good time. But at least 28 people --

BLACKWELL: All right, we've been having some technical issues, as you might understand, getting out from that area. If we can get Adrienne back live, we will bring that to you.

But as we said, the description from first responders was that there was absolute chaos there when they arrived. Now, we know that the severe weather threat is not over there, firing up this morning across the country. CNN Meteorologist Britley Ritz is tracking it from the Weather Center. Where specifically should we be watching right now?

[10:05:00]

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We're watching the southeast now for strong storms. They're sub-severe, which is great, but one or two may get to that point where we're talking about wind gusts over 60 miles per hour and some small hail later this afternoon. Then we start focusing on the northeast, where we have more of that tornado threat. The storms throughout the southeast, currently no watches, no warnings in place, so we're watching them slowly start to weaken, but will ramp up again once we bring in some afternoon heating. So you'll see those areas highlighted in yellow, where we're a little more vulnerable for that severe weather threat.

Again, all hazards in play just as they were yesterday, just not as likely. So areas up across the northeast, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, New York, back into Philadelphia under that slight risk where we have a few tornadoes possible. But this is more what I think is going to be a damaging wind threat. So throughout the southeast, that system tracks further down to the south. Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Charleston, Savannah, up into Wilmington dealing with some stronger storms throughout the latter part of the morning and into the afternoon. But once we get into the evening, that system clears. We get on up into the northeast. Here we are, Saturday afternoon, 2:00 we get an initiation around that area of low pressure. You see how that line is starting to bow out a bit. That's the wind threat that I'm talking about, with what is in that line. Then we have to focus on the threat of isolated tornadoes.

That's 6:00, 7:00 eastern time. Once we get to about 11:00, midnight, the front moves through. Our precept then starts to switch over. And 57 tornado reports over the last 24 hours, folks from Minnesota on up into Texas back across the southeast. We are already over 150 percent of average for tornadoes. Mind you were not even to peak season yet. Peak season comes into play April, May, and June. So folks, we're really starting to get this spring weather kicking in. We have to watch this closely into the upcoming hours, especially across the northeast.

BLACKWELL: All right, we certainly will. Britley Ritz, thanks so much.

Donald Trump is expected to travel to New York on Monday and then voluntarily surrender the next day to the Manhattan district attorney. This will be a first in U.S. history for a former president.

WALKER: Yes, that's right. And security is tight in and around the courthouse ahead of Tuesday's arrangement, that is when we expect the lengthy indictment against Trump to be unsealed.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz joining us now. Hi, Katelyn. Please walk us through what we can expect next week.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Tuesday is going to be a really big day for Donald Trump. He's going to arrive in New York City, we believe, on Monday, and then Tuesday has a full slate of activity where he will be facing the criminal justice system for the first time. This highly unusual scenario where there is the district attorney and others wanting Trump to be treated just like any criminal defendant, and he will have to go through the process, just like anyone would who is facing an indictment and heading to trial. And yet this is President Trump. So things will have to be different. He is a former president of the United States, the first ever to be charged with a crime like this.

And so what will happen as he enters that courthouse, he will be processed just like any criminal defendant, but then he will walk down into the courtroom and there will be cameras lining the hallways. We already know that. We don't know yet if there will be cameras inside the courtroom, but we do expect there to be quite a bit of a bubble around him. Much of the courtroom has already been -- or the courthouse has already been locked down. And we know that there will be strict Secret Service presence around him, even armed guards. And we also know that he is not expected to be handcuffed at this point in time whenever he is walking to the courtroom to face his charges.

BLACKWELL: So Trump's attorneys say that they're going to file a motion to dismiss. Tell us more about that.

POLANTZ: Right well, they're saying that that is what they plan to do, that they're going to want to get these charges thrown out. But no one has seen the charges yet. They have not seen it. Donald Trump does not know what he is charged with, and neither do we as we are awaiting this. What we do know is that he is facing 30 or more crimes potentially. It looks like that will not all be misdemeanors. That would be very unusual if they were so. So that means that he's very likely facing at least one felony charge, a very serious type of criminal charge.

And we know that his team is saying that they're going to try and get these charges thrown out. But that is ultimately up to the judge. The judge in this case will have lots of work to do before any trial would occur after Donald Trump pleads not guilty. The judge will get to look quite closely at what those charges are and decide that whether the law allows it to go before a trial.

WALKER: Alright, Katelyn Polantz, appreciate your reporting. Thank you.

So the courthouse where Trump will be indicted is now under 24/7 blanket security.

BLACKWELL: So far, Mayor Eric Adams says the city has seen no credible security threats, but they're still vigilant to possible protests and unrest.

[10:10:02]

Let's bring it now Polo Sandoval. Local, state, and federal officials are now working on security ahead of Trump's arraignment. What do we know? Because I imagine there's some things that are not public, but for as much as we know, explain.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, our colleague Katelyn just touched on it briefly. Let's expand a little bit on what is going to be just major logistical and also security considerations that we'll certainly be seeing, in fact, we have been seeing for the last several days in terms of the first, security. I look to my right, I see some temporary lights that were set up. To my left, you see officers that are still posted at the entrance of the Manhattan District Attorney's office. Rain or shine, 24/7 as we heard from officials.

We are expecting that increased police presence. Those court officers are being asked to work through the weekend to make sure that the building remains secure ahead of next week. And then also what you don't see, the behind the scenes intelligence efforts right now by officials to flag any potential threats online that we should mention that Mayor Eric Adams' office is saying that there are no current, they have not identified any existing threats at this point, but they certainly continue to monitor.

And then of course, the logistics that come with all of this. They continue to work security. You have Secret Service and NYPD. They have moved former presidents in and out of the city before. And a process that is quite normal will be unprecedented because this will be a first for the law enforcement officers tasked with keeping everything safe Monday and Tuesday.

WALKER: Yes, the authorities have quite a busy weekend ahead of them. Polo Sandoval, thank you.

So key House Republicans are lining up to defend the former president. But there are some powerful members of the GOP who have so far not come to Trump's defense. The political reaction to Trump's indictment is ahead.

BLACKWELL: An American journalist is detained in Russia, accused by the Kremlin of espionage. We're joined by the family of another American who has been detained in Russia for years. Their concerns and what they want from the Biden administration, that's coming up.

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[10:16:13]

WALKER: Donald Trump loyalists are rallying around him, calling the indictment against him outrageous, a political witch hunt, and a dark day for America.

BLACKWELL: Some Democrats say the indictment shows no one is above the law. CNN political reporter Alayna Treene is tracking reaction on Capitol Hill. So what are you hearing from lawmakers?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, unsurprisingly, we're seeing Republicans and Democrats come down on opposite sides of this issue, but I do think it's really interesting to look at what Republicans are saying. Immediately after news of the indictment broke, we saw several top House Republicans and Senate Republicans come to his defense, as well as some of Trump's 2024, potential 2024 rivals. Now I think it's really interesting to note that House Speaker Kevin

McCarthy, one of Trump's top allies in Congress, tweeted right after the indictment came out. He wrote that "Alvin Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our presidential elections," and later, he wrote, "The American people will not tolerate this injustice, and the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account."

Now, other House Republicans meet similar statements of support. We also saw Jim Jordan, the House Judiciary Committee, say that it was outrageous and we could expect potentially some more action from some of these committees to rally around Donald Trump. I will note, though, it is notable that the two top Senate Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader -- or Senate Minority Whip, excuse me, John Thune, both silent on the issue after this.

But a lot of this support also extends beyond Congress. We're seeing his rivals like Governor Ron DeSantis, who has not been willing to go this far yet, also come out and support Donald Trump. He tweeted as well on Thursday night. He wrote, "The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American." He later wrote, "Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with the Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda."

So clearly a lot of support for the former president. And I will add, Victor and Amara, that this is what Donald Trump's team wants. They think that this could potentially be beneficial to him in the long run. Of course, we don't know what the long term effect of this indictment will be, but they're currently enjoying a lot of the support from people on Capitol Hill and Republicans beyond.

BLACKWELL: All right, Alayna Treene for us in Washington. Thank you so much.

Let's bring it now CNN senior political commentator and former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, and CNN political commentator Karen Finney. Good morning to you both. Congressman, let me start with you. Do you know enough yet to agree or disagree with some of your former Republican House colleagues that this is political?

ADAM KINZINGER, (R) FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: No, no, and they don't know either. Look, it's one thing to say, hey, let's take a look at what this indictment says. It's the rule of law, that's kind of an important thing. But to see people like Lindsey Graham jump out there and cry on TV begging for money for him, and to see some of my other colleagues that seem to have read an indictment that even Donald Trump himself hasn't read, they don't have the proper information.

Look, there may be, once we actually see what this indictment is, there may be then a point at which they can come out and say, look, this looks like anybody else wouldn't have been charged with this. But we're not there yet. And the rule of law and, frankly, the impartiality of the law is so important that just, I would recommend to my colleagues. They may not take my advice here, but just take a deep breath, give it a potato or two, and let's see what this says before you go out and make these statements.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the indictment that we know is coming, Karen, of a former president is a moment, right? It is something worth marking even before we see the indictment.

[10:20:00]

But there's some members of Congress who are speaking in such absolutes, and even with some stunts of handing out ham sandwiches, and we don't know the charges. We don't know the underlying evidence. We don't know the facts. And they're saying that you can throw this whole thing out.

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, you're exactly right, Victor. But here's what we do know. We do know that when this case was a federal case, it was Bill Barr at the U.S. Department of Justice who shut it down. We know that a grand jury made up of ordinary Americans had to hear the evidence from all sides and make -- and take a vote to get to bring this indictment. So it's not just Alvin Bragg.

And you know so much of what's happening, it's so bad for our democracy to see Republican leaders literally undermining our democracy and our democratic institutions, by the very Constitution they swear an oath to uphold and defend. And I think it's critical in this moment that Democrats just continue to do their jobs, no fundraising, no gimmicks, no popcorn. So far, we haven't seen any anything like that, which I think one or two have maybe done fundraising, which I wish they would not do that, because this is a very serious moment for our country, and we should treat it as such.

BLACKWELL: That was going to be a question. We know that the former president has raised, they say, more than $4 million in the day after the indictment, but they are Democrats also sending those fundraising emails. You say that that's not only bad form, it's just inappropriate for the moment?

FINNEY: Correct, it is inappropriate for the moment. We shouldn't be fundraising off of this. This is -- we should treat this with the level of seriousness, because again, think about the fact that we spent a couple of weeks here sort of debating whether or not this case should even be brought. That is how low Donald Trump has brought us, to the point where someone who committed a crime, potentially a very serious crime, one that may have influenced the outcome of an election, we're debating whether or not that that's the right case that should go first or second. But rather the underlying principle is this is about democracy. This is about the rule of law and our democratic institutions, so we should treat it as such.

Sometimes silence speaks, and we have not heard from the Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Senate. We have not heard from the Minority Whip John Thune. Congressman, what do you make of their silence at this moment? Are they, I think you said take a potato or two, which I've never heard. But I think from the context I understand what you mean, or is this from two men who really aren't feeling Donald Trump and weren't going to jump to his defense no matter what the indictment said? KINZINGER: Yes, I mean, I think it's kind of, look, every member of

Congress, I can tell you, with maybe a few exceptions, because I can kind of pull the curtain back and let you peer inside, they all wish they didn't have to comment on this. They all wish that this wasn't happening, and they always, frankly, that somebody would ride in on a white horse or a unicorn and Donald Trump wouldn't be a factor and he wouldn't run for president again. And maybe Ron DeSantis ride in and just saved their lives. But they're unwilling to actually say what needs to be said, like they're waiting for somebody coming on a white horse, and they're the ones that you know, are among the people that can come in on these white horses.

So I think in Mitch McConnell's case and John Thune's case, they are doing the right thing, which is they don't want to jump to any conclusions until they know what's in that indictment. And then they can come forward and make a statement. They very well, then may say that this appears to be political. They very well may say this appears to be very legitimate, but at least they'll have the facts in front of them, and I think people will take their word then with a lot more gravitas than people that jump to conclusions without, frankly, having any idea what's in this indictment besides what we've kind of heard through the grapevine.

BLACKWELL: Speaking of making a statement, Congressman, do you think there's any chance that Donald Trump slips into and out of New York without some gesture or statement of defiance or self-declared martyrdom? What do you expect on Tuesday?

KINZINGER: I expect there's no chance he doesn't make some kind of a statement, unless -- the only caveat here is if the judge in essence threatens him or says, like, hey, we're going to put a gag order on you if you continue to go out and do this, then maybe his lawyers will say, hey, don't say anything.

But no, I mean, look, Donald Trump is going to try to raise money on this. We've already seen that. He is raising money on this. He's a professional victim. The most powerful man in the world that happens to be the victim of almost every circumstance that can ever exist. It says a lot for his character that he is, again, a constant victim. And he's going to play that card, and he plays it quite successfully, honestly, and it's going to help him in the primary. So I expect he's going to make a spectacle. If he doesn't, it will be probably because his lawyers told him that he just simply can't do that.

[10:25:02]

BLACKWELL: All right, Adam Kinzinger, Karen Finney, thank you.

WALKER: Right now, back to our top story. A tornado outbreak is so far blamed for at least nine deaths across the country. In Illinois, dozens of people had to be pulled to safety after the roof collapsed at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere. First responders arrived in minutes to what they are describing as absolute chaos. One person was killed. And CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is joining us now live from outside that theater. Adrienne, I guess I should be surprised that just one person was killed looking at the damage. What do you know? ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As far as right now, that is

what we know. At least one person was killed, at least 28 others injured. Now the range of injuries varies. According to officials, at least five were described to have what were called severe injuries. They were also transported by ambulance. And if you look behind me, you can see where the sign of the Apollo Theater has fallen.

What I want to look from above, take a look at our view from above, you can see where the roof collapsed. Now, there were tornadoes throughout the state of Illinois, but there has been no confirmed tornado here in Belvidere. We are west of Chicago, about an hour-and- a-half, give or take. Meanwhile, here on the ground, you can see there is going to be a massive cleanup happening, which is already to the left of me, starting today. There are bricks scattered along this stretch of the street. There's shattered glass. There's glass in the parking lot where we are, so as folks walked through, they're walking extremely gingerly.

Around the neighborhood you can see where trees have fallen, and even when we were setting up, my photojournalist Jake notice that a tree in the near distance was shifting. So this is the beginning of cleanup. But what we do know, at least one person has died, 28 others injured. They were all here last night for a concert at the Apollo Theater. Back to you.

WALKER: Just a tragic situation. Adrienne Broaddus, thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: The Biden administration is urging all Americans to leave Russia after authorities there detained a U.S. reporter for "The Wall Street Journal." We have the very latest on that next.

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WALKER: The Biden administration says it is working on getting in contact with "The Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich who is being held in a Russia prison. Russian officials arrested Gershkovich on Wednesday on espionage charges, and he now faces 20 years in prison. It is the first time an American journalist has been detained on accusations by Moscow of spying since the Cold War. "The Wall Street Journal" vehemently denies those espionage claims.

Joining me now is Elizabeth Whelan, whose brother, Paul, is serving a 16 year sentence in a Russian penal colony after being convicted of espionage charges. He was arrested first in 2018. Elizabeth, welcome, and thank you so much for your time. I know your family has expressed tremendous frustration at the lack of progress as you see it in the efforts to secure your brother's release, and, like Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich is being accused of espionage. But like we said, it's the first time in American journalist has been detained in this way since the cold war. What do you think Gershkovich's family can expect to happen next?

ELIZABETH WHELAN, SISTER OF PAUL WHELAN: Well, it's really difficult to say. I mean, there are some obvious similarities between how this has started. Each case is very different in terms of how hostage taking of this sort goes down, but we can see that the FSB has arrested both Paul and Evan, that he is being held in Lefortovo, just as Paul was, and then these sham espionage charges.

But exactly what will happen next is uncertain. It will be a couple of months, I understand, before he has his first hearing. And this happened with Paul, as well. Those hearings got put off and off over a year-and-a-half before his trial actually happened. So of course, I'm sure his family is hoping that something can be done to get him out of Lefortovo before they have to endure a sham trial.

WALKER: from what I understand, it doesn't look like the Russians would even begin negotiations, if they're open to it, until a sham trial takes place, and Gershkovich is tried and convicted. Is that your understanding?

WHELAN: Well, that has been their patterns so far. And quite frankly, when I heard about the news about Evan, we had two reactions. First, of course, great sympathy for him and for his family to have to go through this ordeal. We know all too well how this can go. But also shocked that Russia would show itself to be so weak as to resort to trying to pull off another hostage-taking like this. I don't know what they expect to accomplish, but it doesn't look good for them on the world stage.

WALKER: Sure, sure. And I understand that you and your family are concerned for the well-being of your brother because he's not been able to make his usual daily calls to your parents. And this was as of Thursday, as I understand it. What do you think is going on? And do you think the detention of Gershkovich is playing into all of this?

WHELAN: That was my first thought when that happened, but we actually think now that this is, as you know, the first, the Wagner Group and now the Ministry of Defense are recruiting in the prisons to get people to send to the front line on their war on Ukraine. And I believe that Paul may have been sent off to the side to a hospital, as he has the last couple of times the recruiters came around to the prison camp, so that he can't see what's going on and report out about that. So we are hoping to hear from him soon. But it's always worrying when we lose contact with him like this.

[10:35:10]

WALKER: Look, we know that the Biden administration was able to secure the release of Brittney Griner and, of course, Trevor Reed, and of course, it was a bittersweet moment for your family because I'm sure you were hopeful. But Paul Whelan was not released as a part of these prisoner swaps. What do you believe it's going to take to bring the likes of your brother and Gershkovich home.

WHELAN: That's a really good question. Um I've had some very pointed conversations with officials within the government in the last couple of days, just trying to find out where things stand for Paul. And I have faith after these conversations that good and smart people are working, and they have been across two administrations to try to solve this problem. It is particularly difficult these espionage charges. They allow Russia to do a lot of things behind the scenes, hold hearings and trials in secret, and that sort of thing. It becomes very difficult to know what they're up to.

I do believe that everyone is supremely irritated by the fact that Evan has now been arrested as well, and I'm sure there's going to be some doubling down on efforts to get him out.

But I have to say, what's helped us through all of this has been the support of the American people. Folks writing to Paul, trying to do everything they can to keep his spirits up. I mean, over 40 pounds of mail was delivered to the prison just a couple of weeks ago, letters from all across America, people of every different political stripe trying to support Paul.

We don't have the backing of a large sports conglomerate or media moguls, and that sort of thing. And we're glad to see that Evan is getting so much support right out of the gate. And we hope that, that folks remember that you know for an ordinary family like us and our brother, who doesn't necessarily have all that same backing, that those letters that you're sending, those messages are worth so much to him. And thank you for your support.

WALKER: Forty pounds of mail, that's a lot of support and weight as well. Elizabeth Whelan, we only wish you the best and hope that you as well can keep your spirits up. Thank you. And of course, we'll continue to follow this and Evan Gershkovich's detainment. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: A major blow to FOX News Channel. A Delaware judge ruled Friday that Dominion Voting Systems historic $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against the network will go to trial later this month. And this means that some of FOX News's highest ranking executives and most prominent hosts could be called to testify about the 2020 election lies that were promoted on the channel.

CNN's Marshall Cohen has been following the details of this case for us. All right, Marshall, take it from there.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Victor, there is no other way to put it. This was a huge loss for FOX News. This is not what they wanted to see yesterday in this huge ruling from the judge. They wanted to avoid a trial. They argued that they were fully protected under the First Amendment. But the judge ruled yesterday in a 130-page ruling that this case will go to trial. And unless there is some sort of last- minute settlement, which is always possible, jury selection is going to start in less than two weeks.

Now, remember Victor, this is all about FOX's decision in 2020 to embrace the big lie, to put people on their channel that were peddling the false claim that Dominion rigged the election. Let me read for you a quote from the judge about that exact matter. This is Judge Eric Davis down in the Delaware Superior Court. He said, quote, "The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that it is CRYSTAL clear that none of the statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true."

And Victor, I'm not the one who put "CRYSTAL" clear in all caps. That was the judge. He is saying here that Dominion had already proven that this was false, and now it will be up to the jury to decide if it was defamation. Victor?

BLACKWELL: I was going to ask that, who chose the capitalization there, but 130 pages, that is very detailed. Marshall Cohen, thank you for the reporting.

COHEN: You bet.

WALKER: Today loved ones will say their goodbyes to two more victims of this week's Nashville school shooting. We're going to have the full, all the details on the funerals next.

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[10:43:46]

WALKER: This morning, the Nashville community is still mourning the deaths of three children and three adults who were killed this week in the mass shooting at a private Christian school.

BLACKWELL: Funeral services were held yesterday for nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus, and later today, 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak and nine-year-old Hallie Scruggs will be laid to rest.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is in Nashville for us, a painful stretch for the next several days as they say goodbye to the people who lost their lives.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's true, Victor. And look, there are still people who are coming out all morning this morning, putting down stuffed animals and messages to the six who were killed out here in front of Covenant Presbyterian Church later this afternoon. The family of Hallie Scruggs will say goodbye to her at the same church where her father is the head pastor. Now Hallie Scruggs, her funeral at 3:00 p.m. local time, central time today. Just nine years old, her aunt describing her as incredibly smart, feisty enough to keep up with her three brothers and her aunt's four boys, a love for life that kept her smiling and running and jumping and playing and always on the go.

[10:45:00]

Sixty-one-year-old Cynthia Peak will also be laid to rest this morning, excuse me, this afternoon, at a church across town here in Nashville. Cynthia Peak, who was called Cindy by her friends, was a substitute teacher. She was close friends with the first lady of Tennessee, Maria Lee. The governor memorializing Cindy Peak in a video he released after the shootings here, saying that she was actually expected at dinner with the governor and his wife on Monday, on Monday evening. Of course, she was killed Monday morning inside the Covenant School.

And then tomorrow they will lay William Kinney, the last of the three children, to rest on Sunday. It is a very difficult time for this community, of course, saying these goodbyes. These are private funerals. The media is not invited to these, but the families have expressed their gratitude to the community for all of their condolences and support.

WALKER: All right, Dianne Gallagher, thank you very much for your reporting.

Well, no two medical patients are exactly alike, and a new 3-D printing project could help surgeons customize their work in the future. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has today's "Innovate."

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: A team at MIT is using 3-D printing to help reshape medical care by making it more personal.

CHRISTOPHER NGUYEN, CLEVELAND CLINIC: It will helpful in planning new surgeries to understand and see what patients are like individually.

YURKEVICH: And they're starting with one of the bodies most complex organs, the heart. Using medical imagery, a 3-D printer builds a customized model heart. It's made of a soft, flexible polymer, but otherwise matches the patient's unique anatomy. A special sleeve puts the model into motion, mimicking the patient's actual cardiac cycle.

ELLEN ROCHE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, MIT: We're making it active so that it can contract itself and beat, and then we can change the anatomy of it to replicate disease conditions.

YURKEVICH: These models will give doctors a better grip on what's happening with the patient's blood flow before undergoing any type of surgery.

NGUYEN: Everyone knows with Zoom, it's not the same as saying somebody in person, right? It's the same thing with surgeons. So the more of a human it becomes, the more information we can get out of it, and better healthcare eventually.

YURKEVICH: A team at MIT hopes their project will advance how 3-D printing can improve medical education and also health care in the future.

ROCHE: It can lead to better surgical outcomes and, therefore, that is going to improve quality of life.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

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WALKER: Final Four weekend is here, and it started with a bang and an undefeated season up in smoke.

BLACKWELL: Coy Wire is joining us live from Houston ahead of the men's Final Four tonight. But Coy, let's start with that that big bang, the massive upset in the women's bracket in Dallas.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: It was bonkers. One school is going to be able to call itself national champs for the first time ever tomorrow. But Iowa, South Carolina last night had all the makings of a heavyweight title bout. In order to get there, the unstoppable Caitlin Clark and her Hawkeyes taking the undefeated Gamecocks and Aliyah Boston, a battle of the last two national players of the year. Sold out crowd in Dallas. In the end, it was the 2023 edition coming out on top. Clark was lights out all night long, setting a national semifinal record, scoring 41 points for a second straight game. Aliyah Boston had eight as Iowa holds on to win 77 to 73, snapping South Carolina's 42 game win streak. The Hawkeyes headed to the national championship for the first time in team history.

Now, in the early game, LSU is trying to put an end to a Final Four curse, if you will, zero and five all time entering the night. They were down nine to Virginia Tech after three, and then it clicked. The Tigers starting the fourth quarter on a 22 to three run. Their dynamic duo of Angel Reese and Alexis Morris combining to score 20 of their 51 points in the final quarter. LSU wins by seven. And Kim Mulkey, she's fearless with her fashion. The magic is real. The Hall of Fame coach is now taking the value bangles (ph) to the championship game in their second season in Baton Rouge. So it'll be Iowa and LSU. Tipoff is at 3:30 eastern tomorrow.

Now, the men's Final Four is tonight. Florida Atlantic and San Diego State followed by Miami and UConn. UConn is the only team that's ever played in the Final Four in their program's history. They're led by one of the most fiery coaches in the country, Dan Hurley. Now his wife earlier in the week revealed that he has a lucky pair of undergarments. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: I read an article, and some would say that your passion is kind of fiery, like a fire-breathing dragon. Is it true that you've been wearing a certain same sort of clothing article for superstitious reasons?

DANNY HURLEY, UCONN HEAD COACH: That's definitely true, as well as the socks. But the socks are unremarkable. They're just a blue pair.

WIRE: But the same pair.

HURLEY: Same pair, and I've gone back to an older pair of shoes that I wore in Rhode Island when we won an NCAA tournament there. But it goes by well beyond that, because today I've got on your my "Be the Lion" t-shirt underneath with a pair of lion underwear, because I'm I need to be reminded during like, this is pretty stressful.

[10:55:09]

There's a lot of pressure here. You got to remind yourself that you're not only a dragon, but you're also, you're a lion.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, I'm not superstitious like coach. I'm sometimes a little bit stitious (ph). How about you, Victor and Amara? Any lucky outfits that you guys wear?

WALKER: Did you make sure -- did you make sure to ask him that he actually changes out that underwear like every game?

WIRE: Oh, no, he wears the lucky dragon adult underoos, as they have been called every game.

BLACKWELL: Adult underoos, that will stay with me.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: Coy Wire, thanks so much.

WALKER: Thanks, Coy. Good to see you.

And thank you for watching.

BLACKWELL: There is much more ahead in the next hour of CNN Newsroom. Fredricka Whitfield is up next.

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