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Air Force National Guardsman behind Pentagon Document Leak on Discord got Arrested, Appears in Court; Joe Biden continues his Ireland visit; Major damage felt in Florida's rare rainfall event; Donald Trump Responds to Questions over a lawsuit by New York Attorney General; Controversial Pension Bill to be Decided Today as Protests in France Continues; New Videos Shows Massive Devastation In Bakhmut; Pyongyang Says It Launched New Solid-Fuel ICBM; Jury Selection Begins In $16B Case Against Fox News. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 14, 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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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Coming up on "CNN Newsroom."

In just a few hours from now, the National Guardsmen arrested in connection with leaked U.S. classified documents will appear in court. Ahead, how he was discovered, and these security flaws that allowed the leak to happen.

It's U.S. President Biden's last day in Ireland. We're live in Dublin with a look at what he accomplished during the visit.

And a one-in-1000-year rainfall event hits south Florida, with more on the way. You'll see the damage it's causing.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin with a major development in the leak of classified Pentagon documents posted online. The FBI has arrested 21-year old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who will appear in a Boston courtroom in the coming hours.

The Air Force says his job was to help make sure the military's vast global communications network was working properly. A government source tells CNN, Teixeira had been under surveillance for several days before his arrest, and multiple U.S. officials say he is believed to be the leader of the online check group where the classified documents were posted. Now, the damaging leaks and Teixeira's arrest have prompted the Pentagon to tighten access to classified intelligence.

CNN's Kylie Atwood reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dramatic overhead video of a 21-year old airman in the Massachusetts National Guard, being arrested outside of his relative's home. Suspect, Jack Teixeira, taken into U.S. custody in connection with leaked classified documents that have recently appeared on social media sites.

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: FBI agents took Teixeira into custody earlier this afternoon, without incident. He will have an initial appearance at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The arrest comes exactly a week after President Biden and other senior U.S. leaders, including the Secretary of Defense were briefed on the leak, unleashing a fast moving search by the US government to identify the culprit. He was under surveillance for at least a couple of days before his arrest, according to the U.S. government source.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: There is a full-blown investigation going on.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The documents were leaked on Discord, a chat and messaging platform often used by gamers. "The Washington Post" spoke with a member of the group who met the leaker online about four years ago and had seen the posted classified documents on Discord.

UNKNOWN: There's talks of foreign intelligence agencies who's supplying what and what wars who's funding certain things? there's talks of nuclear weaponry. I mean, that's hardly touching the iceberg. There's just stuff that if your tax dollars are funding these atrocities then you should be able to know about it.

ATWOOD (voice-over): He said, the wide ranging US secrets began appearing in the chat group six to eight months ago, earlier than U.S. officials have so far publicly acknowledged.

UNKNOWN: I don't think that there was a goal nor some sort of accomplishment that he was looking for and sharing these documents. Of course, there's some anti-government sentiment, but that's not unlike most right-wingers in the modern day.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The group known as Thugs Shaker Central, included 20 to 30 people who bonded over military gear, guns and god, "The Washington Post" reported. And Teixeira was viewed as their strict but revered leader.

The Pentagon spokesperson described the leak as a deliberate criminal act, and said steps are being taken to limit the number of people who have access to this top secret information.

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON: We continue to review those distribution lists, update them, make sure there's you need to know.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The Pentagon is also carrying out a damage assessment to determine the scope of the leak's impact and U.S. officials are seeking to quell the concerns of intelligence sharing allies.

While Biden said today he's not anxious about the leaks impact on U.S. National Security or operations underway --

BIDEN: I'm concerned that it happened, but there's nothing contemporaneous that I'm aware of, that is a big consequence.

ATWOOD (voice-over): -- U.S. lawmakers remain concerned about the possible implications on the battlefield in Ukraine.

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I've never seen a leak like this, that may and I do emphasize may have a real effect on the battlefield in Ukraine, if, in fact, sources and methods have been compromised, that could translate into dead Ukrainians that didn't need to be dead.

ATWOOD (on-camera): Now, Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in 2019. That was even before he graduated from high school, but he went through the training to be a cyber transport specialist.

[02:05:03]

Essentially what that means is he was an I.T. specialist making sure that the communication systems work. And according to a U.S. government official familiar with this situation, the FBI was actually planning to arrest him when he went into work on Thursday. But when he didn't go into work, they position themselves outside of that family's home, and they arrested him when he came him out.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And for more on this, I'm joined by Steve Moore, who is a retired FBI supervisory special agent, now a CNN Law Enforcement contributor, and he joins me from Los Angeles.

Thanks so much for being here with us. So what, what do you make --

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: -- of the fact that -- that someone like him such a -- such a junior rank had access, to all this information.

MOORE: Well, sometimes it's just required if you have somebody who works on the I.T.'s -- the I.T. base of the intelligence facility, then you're going to have information coming in and out, that he will have acts to -- access to, but he doesn't really need to. That's one part of it.

The other part of it, though, is that there is top secret, and then there's top secret. The owners of the classified information say hypothetically, the CIA, had a source somewhere. They are not going to put this into the standard military distribution system, they're just not because something like this might happen. So, I think the potential damage from this -- from these leaks is not as catastrophic as it could have been.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it's still very embarrassing for the U.S. and you --

MOORE: Yes.

BRUNHUBER: -- you know, highlighted an obvious vulnerability. I mean, there were -- there were changes made after the Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning cases, millions of dollars that were spent to harden the systems, but it seems as though not all the right lessons were learned.

MOOORE: No, I'm kind of concerned that he had the access he did, and it seems that he had some really unsupervised access to this information.

I mean, you can't even bring a cellphone into the type of facility in which he was working. So, obviously, he was breaking that rule pretty frequently because he was taking pictures. So, I think what we have here is just lacks command structure that allowed somebody who could go off to go off.

BRUNHUBER: So that's, you know, his access, but then there's the fact that it took so long for this breach to be discovered. What does that tell you?

MOORE: Well, the issue here is that until you see the breach out in public, you don't know it's gone necessarily. And to have access to top secret information you have to sign saying you view the document, you have all these different issues, and different hoops you need to jump through just to view the document, which is why he was found so quickly.

But you don't know if the person is taking that information and using it against you until you see it in the press or you have bad consequences internationally.

BRUNHUBER: So in terms of the investigation, what happens now, not just for him, but maybe trying to find others who might have been involved in disseminating the information?

MOORE: What they need to do is know every single person that potentially saw this. That's going to be hard, but the FBI is good at stuff like that. So, they're going to go and find these people and explain to them their responsibility now not to discuss this.

Then the FBI is going to go and try to find out how this happened, how it could be prevented in the future, and they're going to find every single thing in his house, in Teixeira's house, that could potentially be results of his find.

BRUNHUBER: And he'll be appearing in the courtroom later today, so we'll find out some of this information. But what kind of charges and possibly punishment do you think he could face? MOORE: Well, this is -- this is certainly espionage of the -- of the

highest order. I think he is on the hook for life or possibly a death penalty. That doesn't mean I think that's where they're going to go with this because I don't believe and I don't think they'll come to the conclusion that he did this for anti-government reasons. He did this because he had some kind of desperate need to look important to friends.

[02:10:01]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I think that would be, you know, life or death punishment would be highly unusual, given what we've seen in the other --

MOORE: Sure.

BRUNHUBER: -- previous cases, which were much --

MOORE: I agree.

BRUNHUBER: -- which were much lower. We'll find out in the coming hours. Steve Moore in Los Angeles, really appreciate your insights. Thanks so much.

MOORE: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: U.S. president Joe Biden quoted an Irish proverb on Thursday while visiting his ancestral homeland, saying, quote "Your feet will bring you where your heart is."

In the hours ahead, he'll travel to County Mayo in western Ireland to meet relatives from one side of the family tree. On Thursday, the president planted a tree and during talks with the Irish president and prime minister, President Biden repeatedly praised the country's close ties. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: It feels so good to be able to have this emerging and stronger, stronger relationship between the United States and Ireland. I think our values are the same, and I think our concerns are the same. So, I'm really looking forward to continue work with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Let's bring in CNN's Kevin Liptak, who is live in Dublin. So Kevin, take us through the highlights and what's out for you?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, this trip really has acted as a springboard for President Biden to talk about these issues that he often talks about on the global stage, particularly this idea of democracy. And certainly, it's true that Ireland really does represent the kind of modern progressive democracy that he does think can act as a bulwark against this tide of populism that you've seen over the last decade or so. And so, he talked about that in his speech yesterday. He talked about

how Ireland has helped provide refuge for people who have fled Ukraine, but certainly there have -- this is not a trip that is, has a main policy objective. This is really a personal trip for President Biden, a homecoming of sorts, and you saw that over the course of the day yesterday as he walked in to the Irish Parliament.

He said in the Irish language that he felt like he was at home and he felt so comfortable speaking to those lawmakers. In fact, he received such a warm welcome, and it is such a difference than he sometimes receives in the American Congress back in Washington.

The president really kind of letting his guard down at certain moments, talking about things that he isn't necessarily talking about when he's back home. And the most interesting one to me was when he referenced his age. He said he was at the end of his career, and he said his age lent him some perspective and some wisdom.

So, certainly, President Biden receiving a very warm welcome here in Ireland. And as you mentioned, he will be heading out later today to explore another side of his family ancestry, his paternal side. He'll be out in County Mayo hill. He's expected to speak in front of quite a -- quite a large crowd in the town of Ballina, in front of a cathedral that actually does have a family connection. His Great-great-great grandfather sold the bricks to that cathedral in order to pay for his passage to the United States. So, certainly president Biden getting a lot of his ancestry and as he completes this tour of Ireland later today. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much for coming Kevin Liptak in Dublin.

The area around Fort Lauderdale, Florida is trying to recover from its rainiest day in history. Officials say Wednesday's rainfall was a one- in-1000-year event, triggering widespread flooding and two weak tornadoes, and it was compounded by more rain on Thursday.

Fort Lauderdale recorded more than two-feet of rain in a 24 hour period. Drivers were forced to abandon cars as the water rose. The Fort Lauderdale Airport is closed until at least nine o'clock, Friday morning.

Florida's governor declared a state of emergency for the region. Several state agencies and emergency crews are doing everything they can to drain the water. Residents say they've never seen anything like it. Listen to this.

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PAUL GUERERRO, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA RESIDENT: I waved at a couple of choppers, and then one of those big trucks came by and picked us all up. You don't want to leave your stuff, you know, you got all your animals and you're second guessing you're thinking, what am I -- what am I forgetting? I don't want to leave. It's really hard to leave all your stuff, bro, you know, my whole life's possessions in that house. It's all underwater. My wife and my son, all our stuff is all done. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Let's get the latest from CNN Meteorologist Britley Ritz. Britley, just incredible what they've been through. Are they out of the woods yet?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, thankfully, the rain chances have started to taper back a bit, not a whole lot going on at the moment. But over the last 48 hours, I want to show you this. West Palm to Miami are ranged between two and over 20 inches of rain, Fort Lauderdale being the bullseye where we picked up over 20 inches, nearly 26 inches, and you heard Kim mentioned, that was a one-in-1000- year event, and a lot of this happened over just a 6 to 7-hour period of time. You see that one storm with no steering mechanism, just rain itself out.

[02:15:00]

And you know what, if this 26 inches verifies in Fort Lauderdale, we will have broken a state rain record for 24 hours. The previous record 1980 back in November when we picked up 23 inches of rain.

There it is, a radar showing you most of the rain pushing off into the Atlantic with that area of low pressure one or two storms, but you notice they're moving away from the states, a thumbs up there. But here through Friday, there, maybe one or two storms fire up later into the afternoon. We get that heating of the day, the sea breeze starts to kick in, and we bring in another inch to two inches of rain. So, we have to keep that in mind.

On the backend of this system, we've got this ridge of high pressure that's set up and we are talking about record heat from the plains to the northeast. Newark, New Jersey, 92 degrees on Thursday, shattering a record that was set back in 1977 where we hit 86 degrees, and we will once again have the possibility of breaking nearly 30-plus record highs for Friday from the Great Lakes back into the northeast, each black spot that you're seeing.

I want to show you Boston's high on Friday, 76 degrees. Typically, we're supposed to be in the mid-50s. Eventually, we'll get back there. We do have a cold front that's going to swing on by temperatures in Boston will fall back into the 50s here shortly, Saturday and Sunday. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Britley Ritz, appreciate it.

All right. Now, Western Australia is getting walloped by a historically powerful cyclone. Ilsa broke wind speed records when it smashed into the coast, making landfall late Thursday night with the strength of a Category Four hurricane in the Atlantic.

The storm has weakened as it moves further inland, but it still has the potential to cause significant damage, but that severe wind and heavy rainfall over the coming hours. Ilsa is expected to weaken below tropical cyclone strength later Friday night. After being arrested for falsifying business records, former U.S.

president Donald Trump faced a day of questions in another legal battle. Details on the case that could decide the fate of his business empire, next. Plus, this --

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Violent protests in Paris as a crucial court ruling on France's pension reform law is just hours away. We'll have a live report from Paris when we come back. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Florida now has some of the harshest restrictions on abortion access in the United States. Late Thursday, Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed into law a measure that bans most abortions at six weeks, after the State House approved the final version of the bill, and also bans the use of telemedicine for abortion prescriptions and requires medication be dispensed by physicians, not by mail.

Now, this as the national battle over access to abortion medication is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Justice Department is asking the high court to intervene in a case involving mifepristone, a drug use for medication abortions, that's after an appeals court froze part of a ruling that would suspend the drugs' FDA approval but kept in place restrictions that make access to the pill more difficult.

Also Thursday, a federal judge in Washington states said the FDA must comply with this order forbidding the rejection of mifepristone's availability in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump answered questions under oath on Thursday in a lengthy deposition meeting. It's related to the New York Attorney General's lawsuit, alleging business fraud with the Trump organization, the case that could ultimately bar trump or his adult children from operating businesses in the state.

CNN's Kara Scannell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former president Donald Trump met with investigators with the New York Attorney General's office for nearly seven hours on Thursday. A source telling CNN that he answered numerous questions under oath during that period. The New York attorney general Letitia James was in the room for part of that time, the source says.

Trump's decision to answer questions marks a significant shift in strategy. In August, he asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination when asked nearly 400 questions. James sued Trump, his eldest children and the Trump organization in a $250 million lawsuit alleging native fronted lenders, insurers and others by inflating the value of their properties on their financial statements. Trump and his children have denied any wrongdoing.

Since then, a shift in strategy, one factor in a civil lawsuit, the jury can make an adverse inference, meaning they can hold it against someone when they don't answer any questions. Neither Trump or James have made any official statements following this deposition. This case, though, is going to trial in October.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A crucial ruling is expected in France in the coming hours. A decision from the nation's highest constitutional court on whether the pension reform law will stand or fall.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets Thursday and ongoing protests against the government's controversial plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Now, some demonstrations were peaceful, but others weren't. Have a look at this.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Smoke bombs, projectiles and tear gas were fired as protesters clashed with police.

Joining us live now from Paris is CNN Senior Producer Saskya Vandoorne. So take us through what we've seen so far, some of that chaos that we saw on the streets there and what we're expecting when it comes to today's crucial decision by the constitutional council.

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, as you just said Kim, indeed, all eyes are on the constitutional council ruling today and on the nine members who will be voting. Now, they've been deliberating for the past four weeks, and we expect the decision to come this evening. Now, they could either green light the law or they could approve some parts of it and ask for changes to certain aspects. Now, they could also throw the whole thing out, but we think that is highly unlikely.

Now, Kim, as you said yesterday was the 12th day of pension reform protests, and it was lower turnout than in previous weeks at 380,000. People took to the streets, and as you said, we saw violence erupting throughout the day.

Just in the morning, protesters headed to the LVMH headquarters there, they stormed it, and then they made their way to the constitutional council, where they set off red flares.

[02:25:01]

Now, I just want to talk about this still that I think, this photograph that was taken yesterday, that I think sums up the situation, pretty well right now. It shows hundreds of police officers in front of the constitutional council, and this is just such a rare sight, Kim, it really shows how tense the situation is right now in France, and how much is expected in the ruling today.

Now, the question is, will the ruling appease protesters, or will it throw more fuel onto the fire? Take a listen to what this protester had to say yesterday, Kim.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FANNY FERRERO, POLITICAL STUDENT IN LYON (through translator): I think the movement will continue in any case, because the pension reform is a bit of a straw that broke the camel's back. There are many things, there were many other problems before. They were already the yellow vests before the pension reform. So, there has been anger for a long time before. I think there are many things to change other than the pension reform, but if we manage to go back on that it would already be a huge step forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANDOORNE: Now, Kim, that sentiment has been echoed by other trade union members who say that they will continue to protest no matter the ruling today. So, we expect to see more scuffles this evening after the ruling. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll stay on that story throughout today. Saskya Vandoorne in Paris, thanks so much.

Months of grinding battles have taken a toll on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Just ahead, we'll give you a bird's eye view of the city and its deep scars left by fighting. Stay with us.

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[02:30:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

A new video shows the sheer devastation that months of fighting have left on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Have a look. The footage released by Russian state-owned news outlet shows entire city blocks obliterated by brutal battles. Ukraine says Russian forces launched dozens of attacks per day trying to take full control of the city.

Meanwhile, Poland is getting the green light from Germany to send five of its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Poland needed the go-ahead from Berlin because it inherited the plains from the former East Germany. Now, for more, Barbie Nadeau joins us from Rome. And, Barbie, so take us through the latest in the battle for Bakhmut.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. You know, you look at that imagery and it's just total devastation. It's as if the city's been wiped off the map, as you said full apartment blocks completely obliterated. And you know, that's really why it is so important that Poland has the go-ahead now from Germany to give Ukraine some of these fighter jets.

Now, they have about a dozen that they inherited from Germany in operation over Poland right now. They'll be giving five of those now to Ukraine. And Ukraine can use those to beef up their arsenal. They've been lacking that.

And you know, Poland was the first NATO country to pledge fighter jets. And so, the president of Poland says they'll finally be delivered thanks to Germany and that's going to help them as they try to keep control of Bakhmut, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much, Barbie Nadeau in Rome.

Still to come. North Korea says it launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile which are what we're learning about the weapons test next. Stay with us.

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[02:36:24]

BRUNHUBER: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is in Beijing and expected to meet with trade union leaders and then with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Just a short time ago, Lula laid a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes at Tiananmen Square. His visit to China is seen as an indicator of Brazil's return to the world diplomatic stage. But despite previously vowing to discuss peacemaking strategies with Russia's ally, China, there's no mention of the war in Ukraine on Lula's official schedule. Instead, he and the Chinese president are expected to focus largely on issues of trade and investment.

North Korea says the rocket that it launched on Thursday was a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile. State media reports that leader Kim Jong-un guided the weapons test. That is reportedly a solid-fueled ICBM, which can be moved more easily and launched quicker than a liquid-fueled rocket.

Joining me now is CNN's Paula Hancocks in Seoul. So, Paula, what more can you tell us about this type of missile?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, this is one of the technologies that Kim Jong-un just over two years ago had said he wanted to perfect. It was part of his five-year plan, his military improvement plan to be able to launch a solid-fueled ICBM. Now, this is what North Korea says that they have shown us this Friday morning. It was launched on Thursday morning.

The key here is the type of fuel that's used. The fact that it is easier to manage, it is easier to move quicker to launch, and of course that makes it more difficult to detect and if necessary, intercept. Experts say it is a significant development for North Korea, although not a game-changer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANKIT PANDA, STANTON SR. FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Fuel ICBMs compared to their liquid propellant counterparts are generally speaking, much more responsive than a crisis. That means that they can be used much quicker. They don't need to be fueled right before they're launched. Think of a firecracker that's ready to go once the fuse is lit. A solid fuel ICBM is something similar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, the launch on Thursday was widely criticized by those in the region and also by the United States. The South Korean military has reacted today. They have said that it could well be a solid-fuel missile, but they believe that North Korea needs more time and effort to be able to effectively use this kind of technology. Of course, time and effort is something Kim Jong-un has plenty of.

And it also comes at a time when there's no communication whatsoever between North and South Korea. There is usually a hotline between the two Koreas. There's a phone call in the morning and in the afternoon. The intention of that is to try and defuse any tensions or avoid any miscalculation.

But for the past week, North Korea has simply not answered the phone. It has done that in the past as well to protest against increasing U.S. and South Korean military drills, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right, thanks so much, Paula Hancocks, in Seoul.

Search efforts are ongoing for three Nepali Sherpas missing on Mount Everest. Officials say the trio were delivering materials to clear roots for climbers when they were buried in an avalanche. Authorities are using helicopters and teams on the ground to find the Sherpas.

The avalanche struck between the base camp and camp one around particularly treacherous sections of the route to the top of the world. Sherpas play a critical role in finding a safe path through the terrain. The spring climbing season is the most popular time of the year to make the dangerous trek.

Well, much to the ire of China, the Philippines, and the United States are now several days into their largest-ever joint military exercises.

[02:40:04]

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BRUNHUBER: Troops from both countries held anti-tank missile exercises on Thursday at a military base in the northern Philippines. The joint exercises aimed to boost Manila's military capability while showing U.S. support for the Philippines as China's assertiveness grows. The two allies plan to hold more exercises in the South China Sea later this year, which will include other countries. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers here in the U.S. and Canada, the news continues after a quick break. For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next.

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BRUNHUBER: Jury selection is expected to resume Monday on Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit against Fox News. The company is suing for $1.6 billion over Fox's promotion of false conspiracy theories from the 2020 presidential election. CNN's Brian Todd reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The curtain officially raised in what could be an explosive trial. The jury selection started today in the $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News brought by Dominion Voting Systems. Potential jurors asked if they regularly watch Fox News programs and whether they can still be impartial if they do.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Simply knowing a story isn't enough to get someone kicked off of a jury because judges often instruct, or will instruct jurors to put aside anything they know about the case beforehand and pledge to be fair.

TUCKER CARLSON, HOST, FOX NEWS CHANNEL: Tonight, you are watching --

TODD: The case centers around Fox's decision to allow strange inaccurate claims about Dominion onto its airwaves after the 2020 election to promote the false theory that the election was stolen from Donald Trump.

CARLSON: Electronic voting machines didn't allow people to vote apparently. And that whatever you think of it, the cause of it, it shakes people's faith in the system. That is an actual threat to democracy.

TODD: Host Tucker Carlson, part of an array of high-profile Fox hosts and executives expected to take the stand. A roster including Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch, and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott. But analyst Erik Wemple says much of Dominion's case will likely center around second-tier stars like Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro, and Maria Bartiromo.

MARIA BARTIMORO, HOST, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK: Sidney, we talked about the Dominion software. I know that there were voting irregularities. Tell me about that.

ERIK WEMPLE, WASHINGTON POST MEDIA CRITIC: Those people, their state of mind is going to play a really big role in this, what did they know, when did they know. There's going to be situations where they're going to be read back their text messages, the text messages of their producers, all kinds of correspondence saying, you knew this was BS, didn't you? TODD: On Thursday, audio recordings of previously on-aired conversations between Bartiromo and then-Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell were made public after being played in court. Giuliani and Powell, two of the most vociferous promoters of election lies.

RUDY GIULIANI, THEN-TRUMP ATTORNEY: We have more than enough unobserved ballots in Michigan and in Pennsylvania to overthrow the election.

BARTIROMO: OK, perfect.

TODD: The discovery process has already been bruising for Fox with Rupert Murdoch saying under oath, of the election denialism on Fox, I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it in hindsight.

WEMPLE: With Rupert Murdoch, he is where the entire organization rots from. He confessed in a deposition that he could have stopped this madness, but he chose not to. That's a tremendously incriminating comment at least journalistically.

TODD: Fox says it hasn't defamed anyone and says the Dominion suit is a breach of its First Amendment rights.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Fox News is not the only entity that Dominion is going after regarding misinformation following the 2020 election. Dominion has also filed suit against Trump ally and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell against former Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell and against the two smaller right-wing networks, News Max and One America News Network. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

BRUNHUBER: In the hours ahead, tens of thousands of Americans will converge in downtown Indianapolis to celebrate guns. The National Rifle Association is holding its annual convention this weekend with science promising 14 acres of guns and gear. The roster of speakers includes plenty of big names like former U.S. President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. The event is also a big draw for many everyday Americans and those who work in the firearms industry.

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NICK SCOVIL, MARKETING COORDINATOR, SAVAGE ARMS: We're looking to show off some of our new products. If they want to see the who's who of the firearms industry that this is the place to be.

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BRUNHUBER: According to the gun violence archive, there have been more than 150 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year. One left several children out of school in Nashville just a few weeks ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): Our kids are being hunted. And the NRA's business model is to give aid to the hunters. That's what the NRA does today.

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BRUNHUBER: Protests are expected outside the convention, and security will be heavy.

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Police in San Francisco have arrested a suspect in a high-profile murder that led to some questions the city's commitment to safety. CNN's Veronica Miracle has the story.

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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nine days after the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco.

BROOKE JENKINS, SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Mr. Lee's killer has been identified, arrested, and now will be brought to justice.

MIRACLE: The suspect, 38-year-old Nima Momeni was booked on a murder charge early Thursday.

BILL SCOTT, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE CHIEF: We are confident in the evidence that we have found so far. Mr. Momeni is our focus and the single suspect in this case.

MIRACLE: Momeni's online profiles identify him as an IT consultant. And police say Lee's murder was not a random act.

SCOTT: We follow the evidence and there's a lot of evidence. The evidence shows that they knew each other.

MIRACLE: The final moments of Robert Lee's life were captured by surveillance video posted by the Daily Mail before the police had access to it according to the police chief, and show the 43-year-old tech executive in the early morning hours of April 4 suffering from stab injuries and looking for assistance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a male screaming, help, saying someone stabbed me. Advise, he's bleeding out.

SCOTT: This is not about San Francisco.

MIRACLE: The murder sparked renewed outrage over crime in San Francisco, frustrating local officials.

SCOTT: This is about human nature like many homicides are and many murders are. And it could have happened anywhere.

MIRACLE: The district attorney expressed frustration that the city was unfairly maligned in this case, calling out a tweet by Elon Musk. JENKINS: Reckless and irresponsible statements like those contained in Mr. Musk's tweet that assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee's death serve to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco and also negatively impact the pursuit of justice for victims of crime.

MIRACLE: The mayor assured constituents that combating crime is a top priority.

LONDON BREED, MAYOR OF SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA: That is our goal to make San Francisco a better, more safer city for each and every one of us.

MIRACLE: But the police chief said their first priority is finding justice for victims and their families.

SCOTT: We have to keep the bigger picture in mind that this is a case of a man that lost his life with people who love him and care about him that deserve justice.

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BRUNHUBER: A fire at a plastic recycling plant in Indiana has been fully extinguished, but concerns remain over potential toxins in the air. Firefighters spent two days battling the inferno, about two thousand people living near the plant were still under evacuation orders on Thursday. Officials hadn't detected any toxic compounds as of Wednesday morning, but the state fire marshal has already said the smoke plumes were "definitely toxic." Authorities are trying to determine the cause of the blaze.

And officials in Texas are investigating the deadliest barn fire on record in the U.S. More than 18,000 cows were killed in an explosion and fire at a dairy farm in Northwest Texas on Tuesday. Firefighters rescued one employee as the flames engulfed a building in the barns where the animals were kept.

In a statement to CNN, Castro County judge thank the first responders adding "this is a devastating loss that will impact many." There's no word yet on what caused the explosion.

All right, coming up on the premiere episode of The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh travels with a group of migrants as they make the arduous trek on foot through the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama. Have a look.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: And literally meters from Colombia, the ground turns. People as they walk just discarding their shoes. A real sense of the atmosphere changing now we've crossed the border into Panama. People clumping together perhaps fearing for their own safety. And this mud is just impossibly going to get your feet out of it.

This man who didn't want to be named, now with nothing on his feet but his resolve. Pause and imagine where you've come from if you're willing to do this barefoot with a woolen sweater and plastic bags. Pierce your feet or break an ankle and this mud may be your grave.

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BRUNHUBER: And you can see the whole report from Nick Paton Walsh on the premiere episode of The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper this Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

And finally, this hour. The Red Cross is recruited Snoopy to send the message if you're cool, they'll donate blood. Now, those who donate are getting a t-shirt, you see there, featuring Joe Cooley. Remember him, the alter ego of the Peanuts Beagle? The shirt has gone viral on TikTok.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you want a red cross Snoopy shirt, this is what you need to know about donating blood.

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BRUNHUBER: (INAUDIBLE) campaign seems to be working. The Red Cross says blood donations have jumped more than 40 percent compared to the week before the Peanuts partnership. There has also been an increase in first-time donors. Excellent.

Well, thanks for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more of today's top stories after a quick break. Please do stay with us.

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