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Nashville Council to Decide Fate of Ousted Lawmaker; Abortion Pill Halt in Texas Judge Ruling; Pentagon Documents Leaked; Governor Abbott of Texas Plans to Pardon Convicted Murderer; Russia Missile Strikes Kills Two in Zaporizhzhia; Tensions Between China and Taiwan Rise. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 10, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, the hours to come could see one of two Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee expelled over a gun reform protest reclaim his seat. We'll explain how and what else supporters are planning.

Another state is making it harder for women to get abortions. Details plus a look at what's likely to happen over pair of conflicting court decisions over a popular abortion drug.

Plus, highly classified Pentagon documents leaked on social media sites. This hour, one ally the U.S. apparently has been spying on says it wants to talk.

Good to have you with us. And we begin here in the United States where officials in Nashville, Tennessee are set to determine the fate of expelled Democratic state lawmaker Justin Jones. In the coming hours, the Nashville Metro Council will vote on whether to reinstate him back into the state's house of Representatives. Jones was one of two black lawmakers expelled by a Republican supermajority last week for taking part in a gun reform protests on the House floor.

A third member who is white, was spared. The expelled lawmaker said the GOP-controlled state capital always had a, quote, "toxic environment."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN PEARSON, EXPELLED STATE LAWMAKER: It has always been a toxic work environment to work in the Tennessee state capitol when you have people who make comments about hanging you on a tree and hanging black people on a tree as a form of capital punishment, when you wear a dashiki on the House floor and a member gets up and they talk about your dashiki, saying it's unprofessional. They are really sending signals that you don't belong here. JUSTIN JONES, EXPELLED STATE LAWMAKER: I think our presence as young

black voices for our constituencies, people who will not bow down, those who will not be conformed, that's what made -- put a target on us, the day we walked into Tennessee general assembly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Isabel Rosales has more.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Monday evening, the metropolitan council here right behind me in Nashville will decide the political future of ousted lawmaker, former Representative Justin Jones. They are set to not only vote to appoint him but also vote to suspend a council rule that prohibits an appointment and a nomination from happening during the same meeting.

If they're successful with that, then they will go ahead and appoint him to his former seat as an interim successor. They will need a supermajority for that. That's 27 council members to vote for that. We've also heard from a councilman, Jeff Syracuse, that they have not received any threats here of any sort of political retribution for reappointing Justin Jones back to his seat.

Meanwhile, when it comes to Justin Pearson, the other ousted lawmaker, he delivered a powerful sermon on Easter Sunday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERSON: Resurrection is always promised. Let them beat. Let them (inaudible). Let them expel. Let them (inaudible) out. Let them do what they must. There's a promise. This Sunday's resurrection is on the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And when it comes to Pearson's vacancy, that is entirely up to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. We were told by the chairman that they are not planning to discuss Pearson's situation up until their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday. And even then, it's unclear when they will schedule a special meeting to address that open seat.

We are also seeing on social media organizers, Nashvillians right here, organizing a day of action. So, they will meet here before city council to rally and then after that city council meeting, they will go over and march to the state capital. Isabelle Rosales, CNN, Nashville, Tennessee.

CHURCH: And earlier, CNN spoke with a member of the Nashville Metro Council who will hold that special meeting in the coming hours. Councilwoman Kyonzte Toombs says Republican efforts to expel the two black lawmakers has backfired.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYONZTE TOOMBS, METRO NASHVILLE CITY COUNCIL: The actions of the legislature on last week have definitely given Representative Jones and Pearson a larger stage.

[02:05:02]

As you said, they are activists. They speak for the people. They've been involved in the community for years. When individuals elected them to that seat, they knew who they were. They wanted an activist in those seats, someone who would be unapologetic and speak for the people. And so, you'll see that the people won't be silenced and so you'll see a lot more protests until they are restored to their seats.

And also, you'll see protests because there is still the issue of common-sense gun laws and, you know, we're still experiencing gun violence at a high level in this country and in this state. So, you'll still see protests and you'll still see constituents getting behind Representative Jones and Pearson and pushing for it even more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Councilwoman Toombs also said she has heard from thousands of her constituents who are demanding that both the ousted lawmakers be reinstated.

In Iowa, there's criticism and anger from victim advocate groups after the "De Moines Register" reported that the state has halted its practice of paying for emergency contraception and in some cases, abortions for sexual assault victims. A spokesperson for the newly elected Republican attorney general said the payments are on hold as part of a review of victim services and as she evaluates whether this is an appropriate use of public funds.

In a statement through the "De Moines Register," the CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States called the move deplorable and reprehensible.

Well, the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary says the Biden administration is considering all options after a Texas judge ruled to suspend the Food and Drug Administration's approval of a medication abortion drug. Here's what the secretary told CNN's Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) XAVIER BECERRA, HHS SERETARY: You've got to believe that an appeals court, the Supreme Court, whatever court, has to understand that this ruling by this one judge overturns not just access to mifepristone, but possibly any number of drugs.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: What if they don't?

BECERRA: That is speculation that I think is not worth engaging in.

BASH: But are you taking it off the table that you will recommend the FDA ignore a ban?

BECERRA: Everything is on the table. The president said that way back when the Dobbs decision came out. Every option is on the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: A spokesperson for the department later tried to walk back that comment saying it would be -- it would set a dangerous precedent for the administration to disregard a binding decision. But the Justice Department and the drugs manufacturer have begun the appeals process. Within an hour of the Texas ruling, a judge in Washington State ruled in favor of 17 Democratic-led states and Washington D.C. looking to expand access to the abortion pill, which allows them to keep the drug available.

The abortion pill ruling in Texas is drawing strong reaction, including from those on Capitol Hill. CNN's Alayna Treene has more.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The reaction from lawmakers has been pretty disparate. After the court's decision was announced, Democrats immediately started railing against the ruling. They held press conferences and spend the airwaves and some have even heaped pressure on President Biden to ignore the judge's decision altogether.

Now, Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, have been far less outspoken, though we did hear from a few who are pressed on the issue during the Sunday shows. That includes Congressman Tony Gonzalez. He's a Republican from Texas who had pretty harsh words for the Biden administration. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TONY GONZALEZ (R-TX): -- if the administration wants to not lead this ruling, not live up to this ruling, then we're going to have a problem and it may become a point where House Republicans on the appropriation side have to defund FDA programs that don't make sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, not all Republicans are taking the same position. Others like Senator Lindsey Graham are urging the party to tamp down the divisive rhetoric and frame their positions as reasonable. Here's Lindsey Graham.

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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I want to protect as many babies as possible. I want exceptions for pregnancies as result of rape, incest. If the life of the mother is in jeopardy, then the family can decide. I do believe in common sense restrictions on abortion. That's where America is at. We can win this issue at the ballot box if we show up with reasonable positions. If we have our head in the sand, we're going to lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, I've argued that Graham's comments on this are pretty indicative of the broader political environment that Republicans face when it comes to this issue. This is very tricky territory for the party to navigate. Abortion in the wake of the Dobbs decision last year has not been a winning issue for Republicans, and we saw that during the 2022 midterm elections. CHURCH: Jessica Levinson is a professor at Loyola Law School and host

of the "Passing Judgment Podcast." She joins me now from Los Angeles. Always a pleasure to talk with you.

[02:10:02]

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Good to be here.

CHURCH: So, Jessica in what has become an increasingly divided nation, two opposing decisions on the abortion pill played out Friday, one that would block access to an abortion drug in every state, while the other would increase access to that same pill. So, what happens next?

LEVINSON: So, that's the legal question. The ruling from Texas, the one that would suspend the FDA's approval of mifepristone, which was approved back in 2000. That decision is stayed for seven days while the Department of Justice appeals up to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. So, nothing happens right now to people's access to mifepristone.

I think the Fifth Circuit will hear that appeal very quickly and then in part, Rosemary, because of what you said, there's also a competing ruling by another federal judge in Washington that essentially says exactly the opposite. This case feels somewhat destined for the Supreme Court. But I do want people to know right now, at this point, nothing changes at the very least for a week and potentially for much longer.

CHURCH: So, if this does end up going to the Supreme Court and that does look likely, that Supreme Court is a reflection of a very polarized nation. What would you expect the outcome to be?

LEVINSON: So, this is a very conservative Supreme Court. And of course, it is the same court that overturned Roe v. Wade and said that there is no constitutionally protected right to obtain an abortion. Having said that, this is a slightly different legal question, and I think that there are a couple of kind of escape hatches for the Supreme Court if they don't want to get to the big merits issue here.

For instance, the people who sued in the Texas case, the doctors who sued and the medical associations who sued, I think there's a real legal question as to whether or not they have something called standing to walk into federal courthouse doors. I don't think that they proved that they have enough of an injury in order to be the plaintiffs, and that could provide the Supreme Court, again, with kind of a safety valve.

The other thing for people to remember is that, yes, this is a very conservative court. But if this Texas ruling stands, it also means that a single judge can essentially undermine approval by the FDA for other drugs as well. And that's a precedent that even this court might not want to set. So, I think there's some reason to kind of pause before we say, oh, it's a conservative ruling, and it's a conservative court so they'll uphold it. CHURCH: And Jessica, while all of this plays out, the Iowa Attorney General's Office has just halted its long-term practice of paying for emergency contraception and in some cases, abortions for sexual assault victims. What's going on here?

LEVINSON: I think that what we're seeing in the wake of the Dobbs decision, that June decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, is that states really are taking steps to make it very, very difficult to obtain abortions, sometimes outright banning them. But this is really a political decision that they want to try and make it very difficult for some women, including victims of sexual assault and rape to obtain an abortion.

And it's a political decision that they have made. I think that they have the legal right to do so at this point, unless there's something under the state constitution that would prevent them. But I think what we're also seeing in a few elections, for instance, the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, some other state elections leading up to 2024 is that these types of policy changes may not be popular with a lot of not just Democrats, but Independents and Moderates.

CHURCH: And why do you think the United States of America is now in a position where it's debating a woman's choice of what to do with her own body without the women of this nation, apparently having much say in the matter? How did we get here?

LEVINSON: Well, I think we got here through -- it took a long time to get here, but in part, the judiciary is not the most to make decisions that reflect the popular will, and I think that's actually for good reasons. So, imagine that there's a law which we all agree is problematic. It tramples on individual rights. It's a law that bless the segregation.

And at the time, people support that lot. You don't want the judiciary going with popular opinion. Having said that, I think we now have a Supreme Court that is on some issues out of step with the American public. We've been here before, and the question is whether or not the Supreme Court kind of self corrects the way that they did back in the late 1930s early 1940s. That's about where we are in terms of how conservative this court is.

CHURCH: Jessica Levinson, always a pleasure to get your analysis. Many thanks.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

[02:15:01]

CHURCH: We are seeing more fallout from highly classified Pentagon documents leaked online in recent weeks. The documents appeared last month on the social media platform Discord, according to screenshots of the post reviewed by CNN. Taken together, they're providing a rare window into how Washington spies on allies and foes alike. One of those allies, South Korea, says discussions will be held with counterparts in the U.S. after some of the documents revealed a detailed conversation between South Korean national security officials regarding Ukraine.

As a whole, the topics exposed in the leak range from U.S. support for Ukraine to information on other key allies like Israel. They appear to have been produced between mid-February and early March. U.S. official say they fear all of this could jeopardize intelligence sources and methods and compromise foreign relationships.

The Justice Department confirmed to CNN that it has launched an investigation into the source of the leak. One U.S. lawmaker discussed the significance of the documents with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-AZ): We actually have to figure out the extent of how much is actual verifiable information that we've collected, how much is it something has been repurposed by our foreign enemies specifically Russia for their end goal. And let's be clear, the reason this is coming out right now it's because its goal is to weaken our resolve, weaken our alliance and help their end goal, which is to take all of Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN Ukraine has altered some of its military plans because of the leak. There are also concerns that sources who provided information about Russian troops might be in danger.

The governor of Texas says he is working to pardon an army sergeant convicted of killing a Black Lives Matter protester. On Friday, a jury found Daniel Perry guilty of fatally shooting 28-year-old Garrett Foster. Just a day later, Governor Greg Abbott announced the potential pardon even before a judge set a date for Perry's sentencing. CNN's Camila Bernal has the latest.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to the pardon, Governor Greg Abbott is pointing to self-defense and to the stand your ground laws in Texas. But the district attorney in Travis County says this is troubling and says in the legal process, it is a jury who gets to decide not the governor.

Now, in terms of the case, this all happened in 2020 during a Black Lives Matter protests in Austin, Texas. And Daniel Perry was driving for a Rideshare company. He, at some point, encounters protesters and specifically encounters Garrett Foster, who was 28-years-old at the time. And Perry's defense team says that Foster, who was carrying an AK-47 raised that AK-47 that Perry felt like his life was in jeopardy.

That's when he decided to pull out the gun from his car and shoot and kill Foster. Now, the district attorney in Travis County saying that this was not self-defense, saying that this was murder and a jury here agreed on Friday. I want you to listen to Foster's father and his reaction after that verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEPHEN FOSTER, FATHER OF GARRETT FOSTER: I just like to the -- thankful for the legal team that represented us and the jury, and we're happy with the verdict. We are very sorry for his family as well. It just -- there's no winners in this and I'm just glad it's over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now, the governor says he will work quickly to pardon Perry. He wants an expedited process in all of this. But keep in mind, Perry has not been sentenced. He has not appealed his conviction yet, so there's still a lot that needs to happen here in the legal process. Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

CHURCH: Still to come, Beijing puts Taiwan on alert, three days of military drills are coming to a close, sending a warning about the islands growing ties with U.S. officials.

And we'll go to Ukraine for the latest from Bakhmut and an overnight Russian missile strike in Zaporizhzhia. Back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: In Ukraine, at least two people are dead after Russian strikes hit the city of Zaporizhzhia. Officials say the rockets ripped through this residential building early Sunday killing a 50-year-old man and his 11-year-old daughter. Crews managed to rescue a third person from the rubble. In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again accused Russia of terrorism for carrying out the attack on Orthodox Palm Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRIANE (through translation): This is how the terrorist state is spending this Palm Sunday. This is how Russia is further isolating itself from the world, from humanity. Every holy Christian holiday teaches us that although we may not know how, we can be sure that evil will lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A military spokesperson says Ukrainian forces are still holding their positions in Bakhmut despite difficulties. He also says that Wagner fighters have been the most aggressive in the Bakhmut direction, but Ukraine is still supplying ammunition, food and supplies to its troops in the area and evacuating the wounded.

Meanwhile, a soldier on leave described the fighting as hell in Bakhmut. He also noted that Russia has the advantage in numbers and ammunition and that the enemy artillery is shooting nonstop.

[02:24:57]

China's military has been ramping up the rhetoric as it nears the end of drills in the waters and skies around Taiwan. State media says the People's Liberation Army practiced maritime blockades and ambush assaults on enemy vessels Monday. The drills began a day after Taiwan's president returned from a trip to visit officials in the U.S. and Central America, a move that angered Beijing.

So, let's get the latest from CNN's Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang. He joins us now live. So, Steven, what's the latest on these military drills and the threat that they might pose if there's a miscalculation of sorts?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Rosemary. Now, it's worth noting that in terms of skill and intensity, this is still not reaching the level what we saw last year when then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. I believe we have some live videos of the Taiwan Strait and the waters, at least in this location appeared to be calm as of now.

Now, the reason for this relative restraint, if you will, according to many analysts, says due to the fact that President Tsai visits to the U.S. this time coinciding with several very important visits here in China, including one by a former Taiwan president, whose party is considered pro-Beijing and the Beijing leadership here obviously aware of their actions, what their actions might have on Taiwan domestic politics, especially with a presidential election coming in January of next year.

And also of course, French President Macron and the European Commission President Von Der Leyen both were here and the E.U. foreign policy chief is coming this week along with Brazilian President Lula. So, the Chinese are increasingly trying to present itself as this global hub for diplomacy as in international peacemaker, especially on the heels of that deal they brokered between the Saudis and Iranians.

Obviously, there are a lot of expectations and what they could do on the war in Ukraine as well, so they are mindful of their actions, the optics and implications of what they do on Taiwan on this front as well.

But the worry here as we've mentioned is, you know, as they continue to normalize this kind of war games around Taiwan, no matter the scale and intensity, especially with her assets crossing the median line in the strait that had been observed by both sides for decades until recently.

There is this new element of added uncertainty and potential danger especially with not just Taiwanese, but also Americans and their allies continue to sail through and fly through this region to assert their claims and navigational and overflight freedoms.

And a miscalculation, of course, could lead to not just conflict but also a confrontation and conflict between the two superpowers of the world, and that, of course, is a major concern here. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Steven Jiang joining us live from Beijing. Well, for decades they were known as the troubles. The deadly sectarian violence that tore through Northern Ireland. Now, U.S. President Joe Biden will be headed there to mark the 25th anniversary of the agreement that brought them to an end. More on that milestone just ahead.

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CHURCH: A tense calm has fallen over Jerusalem with thousands of worshippers gathered for one of the holiest times of the year just days after violence erupted.

Jewish worshippers gathered at the Western Wall where the traditional priestly blessing for Passover proceeded peacefully. Israeli police boosted forces ahead of the prayers and other religious events including Easter mass. At the same time, Muslims gathered at the Al- Aqsa Mosque for prayers amid the holy month of Ramadan. Tensions there remain heightened nearly a week after Israeli forces stormed one of Islam's holiest sites.

Israel claims its forces had to go into the mosque because hundreds of rioters had barricaded themselves inside.

U.S. President Joe Biden is heading to Northern Ireland this week to celebrate an historic anniversary. The President arrived back in Washington hours ago after spending the weekend at Camp David. His first stop abroad will be Belfast where 25 years ago Monday, British and Irish leaders and most of Northern Ireland's political factions signed the Good Friday Agreement.

The power sharing accord ended three decades of deadly sectarian violence between Protestant unionists, Catholic Republicans and the British military that were known as The Troubles.

But while the violence subsided, many say the sectarian tensions that triggered it remains simmering beneath the surface.

CNN's Nic Robertson reported on the historic agreement for us 25 years ago and has returned to Belfast to see how the peace deal has changed life there and how it has not.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): Erin McArdle is a peace baby. The first Catholic born minutes after Northern Ireland's 1998 Good Friday peace agreement was signed.

ERIN MCARDLE, NORTHERN IRISH PEACE BABY: (INAUDIBLE) is really special. It's something that I'm very proud of.

ROBERTSON: Putting an end to decades of bloodshed. Her mother hoping Erin wouldn't face the dangers known as The Troubles as she did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were still very skeptical, will this work?

MCARDLE: They always stayed about home just because of the bombings and the shootings and that. So, I think yes, for me personally, the Good Friday Agreement has made my life very happy and very safe.

ROBERTSON (on camera): This is where the deal was signed. I was outside that night. The ground was freezing underfoot that inside here the mood thought. Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell sent over by President Bill Clinton did what had been impossible for 30 years with more than 3000 lives lost. He negotiated a peaceful end to the sectarian bloodletting.

So, what does it mean to you that your father used to paint murals like these here?

JOEL KEYS, POLITICAL ACTIVIST: I think it's great to get kind of in a way let some love forever.

ROBERTSON: Joel Keys is another peace baby, a Protestant.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Has the Good Friday Belfast agreement delivered for you?

KEYS: I don't think so. What the Good Friday Agreement did was took away the bombs and bullets but it had nothing they address people's mindsets.

ROBERTSON (voice over): Despite helping the economy, the Good Friday Peace Agreement has so far struggled to shift historic divisions. Protestant, tending to be pro-British and some Catholic's aspirations for united island.

[02:35:03]

KEYS: What peace Canada looks like nowadays is, oh, I'm a Protestant. I've got Catholic friends but we just don't talk about that stuff. And that's peace. But I think that's pseudo peace. That's false peace. We should be able to have strong conversations with each other.

ROBERTSON (on camera): But so many barriers to conversation remain. Most schools are still segregated and remarkably, these peace walls are not only still here, they're taller and longer than they were before the peace deal. Real tensions exist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) could have been nor could have been difficult situation (INAUDIBLE) we're going to lost a daughter, like you know what I mean?

ROBERTSON: In Derry, 12-year-old Ella McClay, a Protestant school girl tells us how a group of Catholic children beat her up.

ELLA MCCLAY, PROTESTANT SCHOOL GIRL: (INAUDIBLE) and they were like you're proud to know.

ROBERTSON: Your products and that's what they were saying.

The video her parents share with us is brutal. Police say they're investigating the incident as a sectarian attack. A shocking reminder of life before the peace deal. There are other reminders too. These marches coming out to support a group that police believe tried to kill one of their officers in February.

Parading through Belfast, just days ahead of President Joe Biden's visit. Hardline groups that rejected the Good Friday Agreement haven't gone away.

ROBERTSON (on camera): It's because of groups like this one that the British government has recently raised its terror threat level here in Northern Ireland from substantial to severe from a threat likely to a threat highly likely.

ROBERTSON (voice over): For Erin and most people here despite imperfections Northern Ireland's cup is more than half full.

MCARDLE: And half a year so, I like to stand right there and other ladies.

ROBERTSON: Nic Robertson, CNN, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CRAIG: Still ahead. Searching for the missing and the cause of the disaster after building collapses in France. We'll tell you the latest from Massay when CNN NEWSROOM continues.

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[02:40:27]

CHURCH: Rescue workers in France have uncovered two bodies from the rubble of a collapsed building. It happened in Marseille shortly after midnight Sunday. The mayor says a violent explosion shook the building and it then collapsed. Eight people were reported missing but it's not clear if that includes the two bodies that have been found. The local prosecutor says investigators are looking into whether a gas leak caused the disaster.

Also in France, at least four people have been killed by an avalanche near Mont Blanc. This video was captured from a nearby ski resort. In addition to those killed, the interior minister tweeted that several others have been injured. Officials say two more people are missing but eight others escaped unharmed.

I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, World Sport is coming up next. And for those of you here in North America. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Do stay with us.

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