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Sources: Trump Faces 30+ Counts Related To Business Fraud; Sununu: Trump "Shouldn't Be The Nominee"; Prominent Republicans React To Former President's Indictment; Trump Lashes Out at District Attorney, Judge Over Indictment; Pope To Preside Over Holy Week Events After Leaving Hospital; "Eva Longoria, Searching For Mexico" Airs Sunday at 9P ET/PT; Historic FOX Defamation Case Will Go To High- Stakes Jury Trial. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 01, 2023 - 17:00   ET

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

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[17:00:12]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. We begin this hour with deadly weather striking. Several states and powerful storms now hammering several more.

Right now, some 70 million Americans are under the threat of severe weather, more than 50 tornadoes have been reported in seven states in the South and Midwest. The overall death toll from the outbreak of storms has jumped to 21.

This evening, in Arkansas, the National Guard, is rolling into devastated communities and there are reports that at least a dozen tornadoes touching down in that state.

In Northern Illinois, one of the storm related deaths came during a crowded concert last night when the roof of the venue collapsed.

CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is in Belvidere, Illinois for us.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Jim, this is one of the hardest hit areas. You can see the physical damage here at the Apollo Theater behind me. But we do know at least 28 people are transported to the hospital. At least one person was killed and others had serious injuries.

We're told when the roof here at the Apollo Theater collapsed, about 260 people were inside. First responders describe the scene as chaotic when they arrived. Some people were trapped under the debris.

The folks were here for a concert, many came for a good time. Some of the people who were here not only included folks who just wanted to enjoy the event, but members of staff. Back outside this crew has been working to clear the area. There were bricks scattered throughout the street, as well as other debris.

If you drive around the neighborhood, and it is a bit challenging to drive, because there are barricades in place like this, but we were able to see trees that have also fallen across the state of Illinois. There were multiple confirmed tornadoes.

One woman who stopped by to see what happened after she heard about it, said she was devastated because she had so many memories here at the Apollo Theater. But right now, her thoughts are with the people who were injured. Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Adrienne Broaddus thanks so much.

This afternoon, seven storm-related deaths were confirmed in Tennessee. All seven were in McNairy County. And joining us on the phone right now is the Sheriff of McNairy County, Guy Buck. Sheriff Buck, thanks for joining us on such a sad day.

Tell us about what happened. How did we come to find seven deaths in your county? It's just unbelievable.

GUY BUCK, MCNAIRY COUNTY SHERIFF: It is, and very tragic. But at about midnight last night, we had a series of storms that crossed our county from west to east. We had one that came through and then immediately followed by another. It completely -- well, it crossed our county completely from one side to the other. And we had deaths on the west side of the county and all the way to the east side of the county.

ACOSTA: And so what does that mean in terms of the extent of the damage? Do you have power? Are there folks who are now homeless? I suppose there's a lot. Yes.

BUCK: There's -- I don't have the -- I guess the accurate number of people who are displaced or homeless or without power, but it's -- there's a large number. I would say close to 50 homes that are completely devastated lost.

To be honest with you, I don't know how. We don't have more loss of life other than the fact that we did have a lot of early notification. A lot of people obviously heed those warnings and they sought out a proper shelter because had they not looking at the devastation that we have our death toll could have been in the hundreds.

[17:05:59]

ACOSTA: Wow. And I'm just curious, Sheriff, did you personally witness what took place or experience a bit of what took place? And if not, what have you heard from some of your neighbors and folks in the community in terms of what they're saying, what it sounded like, what it looked like, and so on?

BUCK: I don't think that there's anybody in our community who didn't experience this firsthand. And I think every employee that I had, including myself, we've been out all night and then are -- and are still out. The recovery efforts are still underway. We're still going through collapsed buildings, glass houses, making sure that we haven't missed anybody. But, yes, it's just -- I guess the power of Mother Nature is something not to be underestimated.

ACOSTA: That's very true. All right. Sheriff Guy Buck, thank you very much for your time. All the best of your community. I know it's a trying moment for all of you. Our hearts are with you. Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

BUCK: Thank you.

All right. In just three days, Donald Trump is expected to make some unwelcome history as he voluntarily surrenders to New York authorities after being indicted by the Manhattan district attorney. He'll be the first former or sitting U.S. president to be arraigned on criminal charges.

Trump and his allies say the prosecution is nothing but a political move. And now Trump advisers are telling our Kristen Holmes they believe there's no way Trump can get a fair trial in Manhattan. Kristen joins me now from outside Trump's state, Mar-a-Lago.

Kristen, I suppose this is what they're going to say. You and I both know Donald Trump is not beloved in Manhattan, but I suppose they're going to have to deal with this. What more are you learning?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, and that is what they are starting to say. And I do want to be clear, this is coming from the political side. We talked to members of the legal team who say there's just not currently under consideration to ask for a change of venue to a perhaps more Trump friendly area or Trump friendly borough, and that they're not going to be making any decisions until they actually see that indictment, which they're expected to do on Tuesday when Trump is arraigned.

But look, this is just another part of this narrative. Another thing that we are hearing that from these Trump advisors, from these Trump allies that this is an unfair case. And as we have reported, Trump himself has been going after the district of attorney in Manhattan linking Alvin Bragg to Democrats saying that he is linked to Joe Biden, talking about where he donated money from.

He also went after the judge that he's expected to appear in front of on Tuesday, saying that that Judge specifically hates him. Again, part of a narrative here that that they have begun to spin and we're going to likely hear more about this New York part of it as we continue down this path, as we go through Tuesday.

The other thing to remember here is that we're talking about a potential hearing way down the road, right? This is not something that is happening right now. He has to get arraigned first on Tuesday. We actually have to look at those charges. And that's one thing to point out when we kind of continue to give the Trump defense here. We continue to talk about these Republicans who are coming to his defense. They have not actually seen the legal charges. So they are talking about how this is unfair, how this is all political, it's a political hoax, but they haven't actually seen what he's being charged with, Jim.

ACOSTA: That's very true. We heard that from Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, from the January 6 Committee. She was saying a lot of these defenders. They haven't seen the indictment. None of us have seen the indictment. But what is the reaction around Mar-a-Lago to the fact that Trump has been able to raise some money as a result of this? I mean, I suppose they feel as though this is beneficial to them in the months to come, may not help in a general, but in terms of raising money, this sort of thing helps.

HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. Like they are very pleased with those numbers. Yesterday, the campaign released a statement saying they had raised over $4 million in the 24 hour since Trump has been indicted. And this is something that we believe that they weren't, one, we knew that they were fundraising off of.

But we also knew that they thought this could help them politically, at least in the short-term, when it came to this idea of the Republican primary. Now, of course, there are still questions about what this means in the long-term.

There's also questions about what this fundraising looks like, overall. But again, that four -- over $4 million, that was something that they announced yesterday. We'll wait, of course, to see those filings and the final numbers and break those down for you as well. Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Kristen Holmes, thank you very much.

For more, let's bring in CNN senior legal analyst, Elie Honig.

Elie, what do you make of this reporting? I mean, I suppose they have to say something. They're going to say something and these Trump advisors saying that there's no way that Trump can get a fair trial in Manhattan.

What -- I suppose I don't really have any options here to move the case to Staten Island. What do you make of those complaints?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. So that's a political position, Jim. There is a way you can go into a court and ask them to move venue to another county. I give Trump's team little to no chance of succeeding. You understand why they would want to change venue though. If you look at New York County, which is Manhattan, in 2020, the vote count there was 86% for Joe Biden, 12% for Donald Trump.

[17:10:09]

Now, that's not to say jurors aren't necessarily going to vote at a criminal trial the way they voted at the ballot booth, because judges will tell jurors, it doesn't matter what your political views are, but you can rest assured both sides are going to want to know that if Trump's legal team makes a motion to move this case out to Staten Island, where the political numbers are much better for Trump. I give them slim to no chance of actually succeeding on that.

ACOSTA: And, Elie, we know that there are -- we think that we know, that there are over 30 charges and at least one as a felony. Why do we have to wait to know what the specifics are? Is there a reason why the indictment remains sealed? Was that surprising to you that didn't just come out on Thursday or Friday?

HONIG: No, not surprising. This is the way it almost always works. When you return an indictment in state court where -- and we are in state court here with the Manhattan DA, it automatically goes over to the judge and it remains under seal until the arraignment. That is standard procedure here.

Part of that is to protect the interests of both parties, really. The prosecutor doesn't want the charges out there until the person is formally arraigned. The defendant may not want it out there till they're formally arraigned.

There are extraordinary circumstances where it can be released early, but it doesn't appear like that's going to happen here. And so this is -- you know, as much as this is a big spectacle, Jim, this is also very much just a case like any other. And in that respect, it's being handled like any other case.

ACOSTA: And what can we expect on Tuesday, speaking of how things are typically handled, might be slightly different? There's some reporting out there that he's not going to be paraded in front of the cameras in handcuffs and so on. What do you expect to see?

HONIG: So, obviously, that will be extraordinary media interest, extraordinary security precautions. Normally, a person would be photographed, mug shot at, although mug shots are not supposed to be public in New York State, unless there's some compelling law enforcement interest.

So we'll see if they follow through with that. A person ordinarily is fingerprinted. We'll see if they do that. Handcuffs usually are a very brief part of the picture. But I doubt Secret Service will allow Donald Trump to be handcuffed. I bet they sort of negotiate around that.

In court, what will happen is a standard arraignment, the indictment will be unsealed. That should be the moment when we in the public see that indictment 2:15 P.M., according to the reporting on Tuesday. The judge will advise Trump here are the -- let's say 34 accounts, according to the reporting against you. The judge will then say to the defendant, do you want me to read them all to you or have you just read this on your own with your lawyer?

And defendants almost always waive that. They say, I've read it, it's fine. He'll enter a guilt -- excuse me, he'll enter a plea of not guilty in all likelihood. And then the judge will set bail, in this case, there will be what we call released on own recognizance, meaning, you don't have to post any money, you don't have to wear an ankle bracelet just come back for your next court date.

And if you don't do that, then we'll get more severe in the bail conditions. And then it'll be released. And we'll have a schedule. We'll have -- we'll have the table set for pretrial motions, for discovery, which is the exchange of information, prosecutors have to turn over all their evidence and will be on the way to trial. ACOSTA: Oh, and just a quick, just a button it up, Elie, quick follow- up. Do we think there will be cameras in the courtroom? That was I guess one question I've heard some folks ask me.

HONIG: So the reporting -- yes, the reporting has been there'll be cameras in the hallway outside the courtroom, which should be able to capture images of Donald Trump entering the courtroom. It is up to the judge in New York State, whether to allow live audio feed or cameras in the courtroom and the judge there has to sort of balance the public interest in this matter, versus the need to protect the quorum.

Look, courts are kind of old-fashioned and stodgy when it comes to this. Judges like to think, well, we're not a made for TV event. I respectfully differ with judges on that. I think we should have live feeds of all court proceedings.

The U.S. Supreme Court has started doing audio feeds during COVID --

ACOSTA: Right.

HONIG: -- actually, there are reluctance. And, you know what, it's turned out fine. And we have much more transparency now. And these proceedings are of great public interest.

They're public proceedings, Jim. Any person can walk in there and sit in the gallery. So why not use modern technology? I'm going out a little bit of a soapbox here. But --

ACOSTA: No, please.

HONIG: -- I think the outcome should be that we all get to see it as it happens.

ACOSTA: Well, and it's the first time a sitting or former president has been indicted. And this is a -- an unprecedented criminal case that we're all going to be following. So why not watch it as well? You know, I think there's a strong case to be made. Hopefully we'll make it.

Elie Honig, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

HONIG: Thanks, Jim. All right.

ACOSTA: All right. For the first time since the Cold War, an American journalist is detained in Russia on charges of spying. The White House is demanding is released. We'll have the very latest next.

Plus, Pope Francis talks to CNN Vatican correspondent, Delia Gallagher, as he leaves the hospital ahead of Palm Sunday. Hear what he said to Delia, that's coming up.

And later, the world will always know Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, but the famous Jedi is also a hero to many in Ukraine. His newest project to help the war efforts. He'll talk about that with us. He returns. Return to the Jedi in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[17:15:09]

ACOSTA: The leaders of more than 30 global news organizations signed a letter pressing Russia to release U.S. journalists, Evan Gershkovich. The Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested in Russia. He's accused of spying and is sitting in jail. And Jodie Ginsberg joins us now to talk about this. She's the President of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Jodie, I know you also signed the letter to the Russian ambassador to the U.S. about this. What does that letter say? And just your thoughts knowing that Evan is still being detained?

JODIE GINSBERG, PRESIDENT, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: Yes. Thanks, Jim. We at CPJ actually coordinated the letter. We were delighted that so many editors from global news organizations, from the Associated Press to the BBC, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, all signed the letter.

And I think that gives you an indication of the seriousness with which those news outlets to view this arrest. This is the first time since the Cold War, since 1986 that an American journalist has been arrested on espionage charges. It's a really serious escalation in the attacks and suppression on journalists and journalism that we've seen since the invasion of Ukraine last year, but for many years under Vladimir Putin.

[17:20:24]

ACOSTA: And, Jodie, what does this mean for covering the news in Russia, in Moscow? Obviously, for international journalists in Russia, there is a danger of being arrested. This is -- this case is a perfect example of that. And so many Western journalists have pulled out. And we know Russia right now, the citizens, there are subjected to propaganda on a minute by minute basis because of the state television situation that they have there. So who's left to cover the news? It's a really tough situation.

GINSBERG: Well, that's right. I mean, Russia has effectively eliminated independent Russian reporting. After last year, they criminalized reporting on the war, which has essentially led many, many journalists, hundreds of Russian journalists to flee the country to try and set up outside, but as you say, getting information back in is challenging, many sites are banned.

Foreign journalists have been able to operate a little. There were a handful of foreign correspondents still in the country. I understand the Wall Street Journal just pulled its Moscow bureau chief as a result of this latest arrest. It's going to be increasingly challenging for people to bring accurate information about what's happening inside Russia to the outside world, and to the Russian people inside Russia.

ACOSTA: And you tweeted, in part, that a situation like this allows people to be distracted from the wrongdoing of those in power, and instead focus on the alleged wrongdoing of the journalist. What did you mean by that?

GINSBERG: Well, this is classic authoritarian behavior.

ACOSTA: Yes.

GINSBERG: Authoritarian leaders, authoritarian governments frequently use national security laws, accusations of terrorism, accusations of spying, accusations of financial wrongdoing, to detract from what they're doing and the wrongdoing at home.

Remember, Russia has invaded another sovereign country and is at war with them unjustly. They use this kind of accusation to detract from what they're doing and put the suspicion on the journalist. Then the people think, well, perhaps there's some truth to this. There's no smoke without fire. And it allows them to continue this narrative that journalists are untrustworthy. And that means people start to doubt them.

ACOSTA: And just very briefly, what are the prospects for Evan being released?

GINSBERG: It's unclear at this stage. It's extremely troubling that he's been charged with espionage. Espionage trials typically take place without any transparency. They very rarely end in acquittal. We are waiting to see if this arrest and detention is a ploy by Russia to get something out of the U.S. We don't yet know if they're going to ask for some kind of prisoner swap.

But it is a very troubling situation and he could be there. The trial is not expected until May. He certainly could be there, at least for two months, but potentially longer. So it's really important that we continue to raise the profile of this case, to talk about this case. It's really important that we get him out as soon as possible.

ACOSTA: Well, thanks for helping us spread the word. Jodie Ginsberg, thank you so much. Very troubling story. We hope the best -- hope for the best for Evan and that is released soon. Thanks so much.

Still ahead, we still don't know what charges the now indictment or the now indicted former president Donald Trump faces. But some Republicans are already rallying around their front runner for the nomination in the Republican Party in 2024. We'll discuss the possible perils of that strategy, next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[17:25:11]

ACOSTA: Former president Donald Trump is expected to travel to New York on Monday where he will face more than 30 counts related to business fraud. He will voluntarily surrender on Tuesday to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and be arraigned the first time that a current or former U.S. president has been criminally charged or at least that's how we expect it all to go down.

And joining us now to talk about this is former Republican congressman, Joe Walsh, host of the podcast White Flag, and CNN political commentator, Mondaire Jones, a former Democratic Congressman. I have two former members of Congress with me. This is -- this is great.

You know, Joe for so many years, you know this, Donald Trump has been known as the Teflon Don of politics. Is some of that Teflon starting to chip?

JOE WALSH, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: No, no. Jim, I don't believe --

ACOSTA: You're that much of a pessimist?

WALSH: Yes, I am, for the country. Look, Trump was the leader of the Republican Party a week ago, a month ago, a year ago, two years ago. This will only help him. Politically, this will strengthen him, this indictment.

Now, there could be a lot more coming down the pike, a lot more serious. Potential indictments coming down the pike. But, no, this is Trump's party, and this indictment has made it more Trump's party. Look what Jeb Bush said today. I mean, a number of Republicans are rallying around him.

ACOSTA: Yes, I did not see that one coming. Jeb Bush coming to Donald Trump's defense.

Mondaire, you've been openly critical of those who say this is a poor test case, perhaps weaker than other pending actions against Trump and Georgia with the Special Counsel. Lay that out for us. Why do you think so many are underestimating these charges that Alvin Bragg is bringing?

And we should note, again, as Zoe Lofgren did in the last hour, we have not seen the indictment, so we don't know what it says. But lay out that argument for us.

MONDAIRE JONES, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: And, by the way, I think everyone should wait to see what the indictment says.

[17:30:00]

I imagine, that was 34 counts, As CNN's John Miller has reported, there is going to be a lot in there that may be illuminating for those who are doubtful about the merits of the case that's being brought by the Manhattan D.A.

Look, I think we should distinguish between what helps Donald Trump in a Republican primary and what helps him in a general election. I do not think that he has strengthened for purposes of a general election.

And, of course, the Fulton County district attorney has not completed its work. The federal Department of Justice has not completed its work.

I would imagine, even, that some Republicans, maybe more are concerned with issues and the viability as we approach the beginning of those primaries next year.

But, look, I think if you care about having a country where we still have a rule of law, which is critical to the functioning of any true demand receipt, you know, you want to take this seriously.

You and I could not get away with manipulating business records for purposes of concealing obvious campaign finance violations that Michael Cohen has gone to prison for after having pled guilty, too.

And I don't think a former president should be allowed to get away with that either.

And I think people who are saying that, you know, Alvin Bragg should not be bringing a case where he believes even that a crime or multiple crimes have been committed, are really elevating one man above the law.

ACOSTA: And, Joe, to what you were just saying a few moments ago, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, a possible candidate in 2024, he was on the Bill Maher show last night. He thinks the indictment only helps Trump, who likes to play the victim.

Let's watch it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): It only helps him, right?

(CROSSTALK)

BILL MAHER, HOST, "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": Absolutely.

SUNUNU: - which I think we can all agree, which doesn't understand.

I don't think he's going to be the nominee. He shouldn't be the nominee. He can't win in '24.

MAHER: Yes.

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

SUNUNU: But it's built a lot of empathy, sympathy, if you will. It solidified his base.

MAHER: I think he will be the nominee.

SUNUNU: Really?

MAHER: I don't think he will win -

(CROSSTALK)

MAHER: But that never matters to him -

SUNUNU: Well, that's it.

MAHER: - whether he actually wins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And, Joe, even as Sununu says Trump should not be the nominee. He is saying he will vote for Trump if he does manage to win the Republican nomination.

JOE WALSH, (R), FORMER ILLINOIS CONGRESSMAN: Yes.

ACOSTA: What do you make of that? And maybe were people saying this before potential layering of indictments. We may see a letter you know Georgia, the special counsel layered on top of the Manhattan. Maybe that will change some minds.

What do you think?

WALSH: Maybe. I don't know. But, Jim, you nailed it. I mean, Trump could and should be indicted for pressuring Georgia to overthrow their election results.

Trump is responsible for a violent attempt to overthrow America's election.

Look, I agree with Mondaire, no one is above the law.

Two things can be true at once. No one is above the law. And this will help Trump politically within the Republican Party. Not in a general election, but within the Republican Party.

And, you know, Jim, Republicans are stuck with him. For seven years, they never stood up to this guy. They never held him accountable. This isn't a surprise. And now they're stuck with him.

ACOSTA: And, Mondaire, I mean, what do you think of what Governor Sununu said? And what do you think about some of these big names in the Republican Party?

Jeb Bush? Like I said earlier, I did not see that one coming, the way Trump went after the Bush family in the 2016 campaign. That will always stand out as one of the things I will not forget from that campaign.

But here's Jeb Bush's tweet: "Bragg's predecessor didn't take up the case. The justice department didn't take up the case. Bragg first said he would not take up the case. This is very political. It's not a matter of justice.@

What do you think?

JONES: Full disclosure, I know Alvin Bragg. But even aside from that, we have seen him decline to prosecute Donald Trump for other alleged crimes.

In fact, Mark Pomerantz, a career prosecutor, famously quit the Manhattan D.A.'s office and wrote a book about this.

And so this idea that Alvin Bragg is behaving politically, I think, is deeply unfair and wholly unsupported.

But, you know, more than that, I think the fact that someone like Jeb Bush is accusing Alvin Bragg of engaging in political persecution just shows you how broken the Republican Party is.

I imagine Jeb Bush wants to have some kind of political career in the future and feels like he needs to align himself with the mood of the base of the Republican Party, which, to be sure, does feel like this is some unfair, you know, prosecution.

But let's be clear. The base is also going to feel that way if and when Fulton County does what it does, which is likely to be a prosecution.

And it's going to feel that way when the Department of Justice, you know, potentially does it - does this in the case of the classified documents or the insurrection at the capital?

So you're never going to get to a point, I think, where the base of the Republican Party thinks that any prosecution of Donald Trump for his myriad crimes is acceptable.

WALSH: And, Jim, because of that, because the base will stick with Trump - think about this - every Republican running against Trump has to defend Trump.

How can you run against Trump if you're going to defend him?

[17:34:59]

ACOSTA: And we've seen that some of that, Mondaire. You saw Ron DeSantis the other day trying to thread the needle by criticizing Alvin Bragg, but at the same time, bringing up the hush money payment to a porn star and so on.

How does that work? Do you think that DeSantis can thread that needle? And what does it do in terms of making him a viable, more viable general election candidate?

He's, in the past, been going after the D.A. in that way.

JONES: I think Ron DeSantis' strength in the Republican primary has thus far been greatly exaggerated because he is so untested. And I think we're seeing that play out.

He's still trying to avoid certain media appearances. He is trying to do both things, whereas you just mentioned.

And I think he has really felt the consequences of that, as Donald Trump has - has risen in the polls after his attacks have done have gone un-responded to from Ron DeSantis.

I don't think you can - you can treat Donald Trump with kiddie gloves. I think you've got to - I think you've got to give as good as you get.

And otherwise, he's going to control the narrative about Ron DeSantis and all of his other economists.

ACOSTA: All right, well, Joe Walsh, Mondaire Jones, gentlemen, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

Still ahead. Pope Francis out of the hospital, just as Catholics prepare for the holiest week of their calendar. An update on how the pontiff is feeling, coming up in just a few moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): How you feel, Holy Father?

POPE FRANCIS (through translation): Still alive, you know?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:42]

ACOSTA: Pope Francis was released from the hospital earlier today after being treated for the last three days for a respiratory infection. The Vatican says he will take part in tomorrow's Palm Sunday services.

And CNN's Delia Gallagher is in Rome with the latest.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, there was a lot of relief today to see Pope Francis heading home. But before he got there, he made a number of stops along the way. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER (voice-over): After spending several days at Rome's Gemelli Hospital due to a respiratory infection, Pope Francis surprised journalists when leaving on Saturday by stopping and getting out of the car to thank us for our work.

I asked the pope how he was feeling. "Still alive," he joked.

Francis also comforted and prayed with a couple who had lost their daughter, Angelica, just last night.

While in the hospital on Friday, the pope visited the pediatric oncology and neurosurgery ward, bringing children Easter eggs and children's book and rosaries. He even baptized a newborn baby boy, Miguel Andhell (ph).

After leaving the hospital, Francis stopped at the Basilica of St. Mary's Major in Rome to pray for the children he had met and all the families who have lost a child or whose children are ill, the Vatican said.

And one last stop before arriving back at the Vatican, the pope greeted and thanked the police. Francis confirmed to journalists that he will be present on Sunday in

St. Peter's Square for Palm Sunday mass. And that he's still intends to travel to Hungary at the end of the month.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER: And, Jim, you know, this is a delicate time for Pope Francis, 86 years old, just getting over a bout with bronchitis.

But as you can see from those moments today, doesn't seem to have any intention of slowing down - Jim?

ACOSTA: And it's great to see that.

Delia Gallagher, thanks so much.

Tomorrow, at a new time, Eve Longoria's culinary adventure continues in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It's a new episode of the great CNN original series, "SEARCHING FOR MEXICO."

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to make it like a very crispy skin. No?

EVA LONGORIA, ACTRESS: That's a good idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LONGORIA: I concur.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You hear that? That's the crispy skin.

LONGORIA: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we're putting it in here.

LONGORIA: Oh, that's beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the way we played it.

LONGORIA: Presentation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LONGORIA (voice-over): The pureed vegetables and habanero chili salsa turns this dish into a rainbow of color.

(on camera): I've never had a meal like this. One of the best meals of my life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And don't miss this new episode of "EVA LONGORIA, SEARCHING FOR MEXICO" tomorrow at 9:00, right here on CNN.

Still ahead, a judge rules the historic billion-dollar defamation case against FOX News will go to trial. The major decision also takes apart some of FOX's key defenses. That's next.

[17:43:44]

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[17:48:25]

ACOSTA: Jury selection begins in a few weeks as the defamation case against FOX News moves into a Delaware courtroom.

The judge said it is crystal clear that none of the statements FOX aired about Dominion Voting Systems are true.

And previous testimony uncovered the networks promotion of 2020 election lies spread by its biggest stars.

Mediaite editor-in-chief, Aidan McLaughlin, joins us now.

Aiden, good to see you again.

The judge was pretty tough in his comments. What do you think of those comments?

AIDAN MCLAUGHLIN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, MEDIAITE: Yes, I mean, I spoke to one lawyer who said they've never seen a judge write crystal clear in bold italics.

And I think that -

ACOSTA: Yes.

MCLAUGHLIN: - just goes to show how firmly ruled in Dominion's favor.

But he completely tossed the neutral and fair reporting defenses, which means FOX can't argue a key defense that they've been making in this case, which is that the hosts were merely reporting on newsworthy allegations made by President Donald Trump and his team.

The judge found that not only were the claims being made on air false but that the FOX host actually endorsed them in a way that would lead any reasonable viewer who is looking at these segments to conclude that the claims being aired were true.

A key point that the judge also made in his ruling was that FOX was not conducting good faith reporting.

And by that, he meant there was a lot of evidence that these claims were false, and FOX News knew that these claims were false, and they still allowed it to go on the air.

And they failed to show their viewers the claims that would debunk the stolen election claims being made on the air.

[17:49:59]

That is a journalistic scandal for FOX News, as we've spoken about in the past.

The fact that their own fact-checking department sent an email that we know internally two hosts of the network saying the Dominion claims are all false and that those claims were still promoted on air without that caveat being noted.

And it also is a huge problem for FOX News going into this trial. If this trial goes ahead and there's no settlement in mid-Apri9l, that means that the judges already decided that these claims were false and that FOX News was not doing protected opinion when they aired those claims.

Now all the jury has to decide is whether there was actual malice at play, which means that FOX News knew that these claims were false and aired them anyway.

ACOSTA: Yes.

MCLAUGHLIN: But I can't tell you what a jury will decide in this, but it doesn't bode well for FOX, given the evidence that we have.

ACOSTA: Well, and in a statement, reacting to the ruling judge are the judge's ruling, a FOX spokesperson said this. We can put this up on screen.

"This case is and has always been about the First Amendment protections of the media's absolutely right to cover the news. FOX will continue to fiercely advocate for the rights of free speech and a free process."

We move into the next phase of these proceedings. But if they can - they argue this is a First Amendment issue, do you think?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, not really now, because the judge completely tossed that argument, right?

I think what FOX News was saying from the beginning is that all they were doing was reporting on what the president of the United States was saying.

Now every news outlet in the country was doing that, right? They were reporting that Donald Trump was claiming the election was stolen.

But those other outlets were also, at the same time, saying there is no basis to those allegations. What FOX News did is they failed to air that. And that's what this judge so scathingly laid out in this opinion. And that's why the jury in a trial is not going to be deciding whether

or not FOX was fairly reporting on this or whether those - those that reporting was protected by the First Amendment.

All they have to decide is whether FOX knew that those claims were false and still air them anyway.

ACOSTA: Right. And the FOX media machine is rallying behind Trump after his indictment.

There's one example that we can show. Tucker Carlson, who we've learned from the Dominion filing, once said about Trump that he hated him passionately.

But here's what he's saying now about the indictment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX HOST, "TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT: This indictment is something brand new, the beginning of something. But it's also the combination of something, the culmination of an effort to make certain that Donald Trump is never elected president again.

That was the whole purpose of the January 6th committee. This is what it seems to be. It's a political perch.

And confronted with it, the real quislings here, who are the Republican leaders in Washington, are naturally calling for a surrender.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I mean, Aidan, it seems as though, even with this Dominion case hanging over their heads, FOX has not learned any of its lessons. People like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity are still doing the same thing, peddling the same lies.

I mean, it just seems as though, without some kind of case that comes down on them like a ton of bricks, they're just not going to change their ways.

MCLAUGHLIN: Right. And I think that the evidence is there that Tucker Carlson, in the last couple of months and, in fact, since the 2020 election, has repeatedly suggested that it was not a free and fair election.

I don't think - I don't have any optimism that FOX is going to change on that front.

Primarily, because the issue with Dominion is that it's a private company, that FOX News was promoting lies about them.

Them just saying that the election was stolen really appeals to their base. It doesn't land them in any legal liability, even though it's a journalistic scandal, of course, that we haven't seen in a very long time. The thing about Tucker Carlson, in particular - and this is my report

in the last couple of weeks has found this - is that he really operates in his own fiefdom at FOX News.

He is not accountable to leadership. There's not much editorial oversight over his show, if any.

And FOX News CEO Suzanne Scott is not often a fan of the kind of rhetoric that he airs on his show, particularly more extreme stuff that fueled, say, the riot, the January 6th riot at the capital.

But there's nothing she can do about it because he's protected by, one, the Murdochs, and by the audience, which is desperate for this kind of stuff. And we'll turn on the network if they start turning on Trump.

ACOSTA: Incredible.

And the parallels with Trump and his base are pretty glaring there. I mean, it sounds almost like the same kind of dynamic.

All right, Aidan McLaughlin, great to see you as always. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

MCLAUGHLIN: Thank you.

ACOSTA: And last summer, Nelly Cheboi was voted CNN Hero of the Year for her efforts to break intergenerational poverty by bringing computer science, technology and education to rural Africa.

A lot has happened in just the past few months.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, AC 360": The 2022 CNN Hero of the Year is Nelly Cheboi.

(CHEERING)

NELLY CHEBOI, 2022 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: You can only imagine like how crazy it was when I was named the CNN hero there. I thought I was like about to fall down. I looked at the audience and it was my mom screaming back at me.

(APPLAUSE)

CHEBOI: Like most women that come before her, they die in poverty, like that's all they know, poverty.

[17:55:00]

I don't think it can get any bigger than that. So it was really hard for me to see that the work was bigger than me now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We also congratulate Nelly Cheboi. CHEBOI: The president of Kenya congratulated me talked about Tackle.

It's - it has become a household name in Kenya. Everyone knows that we are teaching kids computer skills.

(SHOUTING)

CHEBOI: But I'm really excited about is the future in Kenya and in the rest of the continent where kids are going to be learning about the tech world.

(SHOUTING)

CHEBOI: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

There's hope like for what is an expiration date, right? When you were growing up in poverty, you think of yourself as less than.

I knew just how powerful the kids celebrating this award was. I wanted to turn that into like, hey, yes, this can happen for you, too, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And to learn more, go to CNNheroes com. And while you're there, nominate a hero of your own.

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