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Air National Guardsman Charged Under Espionage Act; Macron Enacts New Pension Law; Abortion Medication Drug Access Extended While Supreme Court Considers Case; Republican Hopefuls Court Pro-Gun Voters; Biden In Ireland; Cash App Killer Known By Victim; Children Crossing Darien Gap; Rebuilding Notre-Dame. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired April 15, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of our viewers watching here in the United States and around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the Air National Guardsman charged with leaking classified documents had access to some of the United States' most sensitive intelligence. How he got such high level clearance.
Panic and chaos at a political event in Japan, why the prime minister had to be rushed to a safe location.
And pension reform is now law in France, less than a day after the country's constitutional council defied weeks of protests and approved the plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Laila Harrak.
HARRAK: The man accused of leaking U.S. classified documents has now been charged under the Espionage Act. The 21 year old Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira made his first appearance in federal court on Friday, a day after being arrested. The classified documents were posted in at least two different Discord chat rooms and included detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including on the state of the war in Ukraine.
Well, President Joe Biden says he's directed national security agencies to secure sensitive information.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have instructed the department to make sure that they get to the root of why he had access in the first place, number one.
And number two, to focus extensively on the extent to which it all occurred. And that's going on right now. I have nothing to report beyond what's already been reported.
QUESTION: How long do you think that will take?
BIDEN: Well, there's no way to predict how long an investigation will take. But I don't think it's going to take very long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: Jason Carroll has the latest now on the charges and the continuing fallout from the leaks.
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JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jack Teixeira's family leaving federal court in Boston this afternoon, refusing to answer any questions.
The 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman made his first appearance in front of a federal judge today. He's now charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents and/or material.
An unsealed affidavit shows that Teixeira was granted top secret security clearance back in 2021. He had high level access to the nation's most guarded intelligence and other highly classified programs.
The affidavit alleges he began posting classified documents starting in 2022 and then recently, on April 6th, used a government computer to search a database using the word "leak."
Once it was publicly revealed that someone was leaking classified documents --
MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is not just about taking home documents. People who sign agreements to be able to receive classified documents acknowledge the importance to the national security of not disclosing those documents.
CARROLL: Teixeira was an I.T. specialist for the Air National Guard, whose job was to help maintain a network where top secret information was held.
According to official U.S. sources, Teixeira is believed to be the leader of a small group of the social media platform, Discord, a site popular with video gamers and where the classified documents had been posted.
The leaked classified documents included a wide range of highly classified information, including eavesdropping on key allies and adversaries and blunt assessments on the state of the Ukraine war.
Investigators ultimately narrowed in on the chat group. According to a U.S. government source familiar with the case, Teixeira was under surveillance for at least a couple of days prior to his arrest. While President Biden played down the security damage on Thursday, today he released a statement.
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CARROLL (voice-over): Saying, in part, "I've directed our military and intelligence community to take steps to further secure and limit distribution of sensitive information. And our national security team is closely coordinating with our partners and allies."
But the ultimate national security impact of the leak still to be determined.
GARLAND: The Department of Defense is leading an important effort now to evaluate and review the national security implications.
CARROLL (voice-over): Jason Carroll, CNN, Boston.
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HARRAK: Joining me now, Steve Hall is a CNN national security analyst and a former CIA chief of Russia operations.
Steve, good to have you with us.
What lessons should the Pentagon draw?
What needs changing, what should be looked at?
STEVE HALL, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think the first thing that we need to look or the Pentagon needs to look at, I should say, is something we refer to as compartmentalization in terms of who really needs to know this information.
The need to know idea is simply, just because you have a top secret clearance doesn't necessarily mean that you need to see, of course, every single piece of top secret information that the U.S. government has in its possession.
So I think that's where the Pentagon has to start.
It has to say, who are the lists of people that need to see this particular type of sensitive information and who doesn't need to be on that list?
And that takes some discipline to do. You really have to keep your records very straight but I think that's where you start. And we saw the problems that come out when you don't do that. You see start -- you start to see different streams of intelligence from different parts of the world, covering different topics, that one person had access to.
And that can be a real counterintelligence issue.
HARRAK: And also a person that junior as well.
I mean, what surprises you the most about this case?
HALL: Well, again, what surprises me is this, as you indicated, correctly, a relatively junior officer has access to a lot of different information. Now some of that, maybe the -- maybe because we now know that this person was actually a systems administrator.
So somebody who had low level administrative capabilities to try to keep the systems running. And sometimes with that results in is somebody having a lot of access to a lot of information that they don't necessarily really need for the for their work.
So again, the Pentagon has to identify who precisely needs to see what pieces of information and keep other people out of it, even if they have a clearance.
HARRAK: Is there a sense of relief that this isn't part of some elaborate foreign operation?
HALL: Well, we're still pretty early on in the investigation on this one. So I think that there is at least probably some initial relief that, for example, the Russians or another adversarial country doesn't have their fingerprints all over this from the start.
However, we do know that there were foreign nationals in this chat group and on this server that the individual who leaked this information had. So it's possible that there is indeed some foreign involvement in this. And I think it's probably just too soon at this point for us to tell for sure.
HARRAK: What would you say is the most damaging aspect of this -- ?
HALL: The distinction between the sort of systemic problems that are inside the Department of Defense and the Pentagon versus the actual information itself.
With regard to the information itself, you know, I'm not sure that there's a whole ton of that information that is going to be devastating to U.S. national security.
We're talking about things like, how much how much ammunition, rather, are the Ukrainians burning through on a regular basis?
What's the likelihood that the war is going to be a long, drawn-out affair?
I mean, these are not particularly top secret. Well, they were labeled top secret but not that necessarily sensitive pieces of information.
But the systemic problem is much more troubling because, if one person could get access to this type of information and then leak it out, who's to say how many others could do that?
And that is the real threat, in my view, to national security in this particular incident. HARRAK: Now you're already referenced it, in terms of geopolitical
fallout, some highly sensitive information about Russia's war in Ukraine was out there for all to read. You are a former CIA chief of Russia operations.
What has this intelligence leak revealed that the Russians didn't already know?
And how do you think this might impact the course of the war?
HALL: In my assessment -- and, again, we haven't seen all of the documentation that that this person leaked. So we don't know all the extensive nature of it perhaps yet. But I think that it's more than likely that the Russians actually probably had most of this information already from their own intelligence sources.
Again, this is not horrifically sensitive information, at least what we've seen so far. You know, there are conclusions that are basically finished intelligence analytical pieces, saying, for example, that the war is going to continue long past 2023 into 2024.
This is something that I think many of us have been saying for a long time. So I'm not sure that the Russians have a whole lot of information there. There is some sensitive stuff with regard to where there are weaknesses in the Ukrainian, for example, defense systems.
But the Ukrainians themselves have said, look, we can fix those things. We can change those things. Those aren't particularly problematic for us.
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HALL: In terms of the battlefield impact of the release of this information, again, I think the Ukrainians are going to be able to adjust. Obviously, we're going to be working with them very carefully to make sure that they understand what they need to adjust.
But in terms of battlefield impact on Ukraine itself, I don't think it will be that significant.
HARRAK: A final thought from you.
Why does this keep happening in the U.S.?
HALL: Well, again, it depends. I mean, you know, we've -- we see this particular incident. Many people have described this as a catastrophic situation. I think, again, systemically, it is something that we need to take very seriously. All leaks of information are bad.
But when you compare it to others who have leaked, for example, many people have talked about Snowden's leaks, the nature of that information and the amount of that information is much more significant actually than this leak.
But no leak is good. You know, counterintelligence people need to focus on this and it's clear that right now the focus needs to be on the Department of Defense.
HARRAK: Steve Hall, thank you so much for joining us.
HILL: Sure.
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HARRAK: Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida has returned to the campaign trail after he was evacuated from the venue when an explosion went off. The blast was heard as he was set to give a speech to supporters.
Well, police arrested a man suspected of throwing a device at the scene. Public broadcaster NHK reports that the prime minister was not harmed. CNN's Marc Stewart joins us now live from Tokyo with more on this developing story.
Marc, what more have you been able to learn?
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Laila, since we last talked, we are now hearing from the prime minister directly. He indeed did give that speech and, in that speech, he acknowledged that police are investigating what's been described as some kind of explosion.
He said he's fine. He apologized for what happened and appreciated the concern. And then he said the real attention should be on the upcoming elections. Let me walk you through though what exactly happened at around noon time in Tokyo in the small port -- fishing port of Wakayama, which is about six or seven hours' drive south of Tokyo.
The prime minister there was gathered when witnesses described some kind of silver object flying through the air. One witness told Japanese broadcaster NHK that there was some kind of bright light. And then there was the explosion.
Immediately, the prime minister was removed from that area, whisked away by his security entourage. And then a man, a younger man -- that's how he's described -- was basically tackled to the ground by people in the crowd, including what is believed to be a police officer, a man who was wearing glasses.
He had a mask, a gray backpack. He has now been removed and is facing a charge described by police as forcible obstruction of business. According to Japanese law, that basically means getting in the way of everyday affairs.
How the -- how a potential weapons charge may fit into all this, we don't know.
And the other big looming question is, who is this man, this man who is accused of throwing this object?
We are still waiting to get confirmation of his name, his age, where he was from and, Laila, if he had any kind of political issues or gripes with the prime minister. But this is the start of a political season. There are a lot of issues facing Japanese voters, including everything from inflation to the future of nuclear energy.
But that is -- that's what we know so far. The prime minister indeed is safe.
HARRAK: Marc, eerily reminiscent, this incident, of what happened just, what, nine months ago after his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, of course, was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech. It just highlights again that there is a serious security issue.
STEWART: Right. So typically now, since then, when a prime minister travels, there is certainly local protection as well as the prime minister's larger security force. One question that we have been asking is about access. This happened at a fishing port, a very public place in Wakayama.
Were people screened?
Did they go through metal detectors as we see in other places of the world, such as the United States when political rallies are held there?
That is a big looming question. But of course, security has now been -- is now going to be under the spotlight further after this incident,
HARRAK: Marc Stewart, reporting live from that developing story in Tokyo, thank you so much, Marc.
And we turn our attention now to France, where, in the past few hours, president Emmanuel Macron has enacted the controversial pension reform law. It comes after the nation's highest constitutional court on Friday declined to block the bill.
But the anger against Macron and his plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 is still very strong. Union leaders vowed to continue the fight.
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HARRAK: At least one leader calling for historic protests on May 1st, a day, usually marked by large labor demonstrations. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has more on the story from Paris.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The green light for French president Emmanuel Macron's pension reform bill met with red flares by protesters.
PLEITGEN: As you can see, the people here voicing their anger after the decision of the Constitutional Council and many of them are saying they will continue to go out on the streets and protest even after this decision.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The ruling made by members of the French Constitutional Council known as the Wise Men gives Macron the go-ahead to raise the age of retirement from 62 to 64. FLORIAN BRU, PROTESTER: Since his first election, he acted very badly. He acted always against us, against the people. He's not a democrat; he's an autocrat.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The government is expected to enact to approve the bill into law this weekend, with an invitation for talks already extended to union leaders. Ahead of the ruling, police barricaded the country's highest constitutional authority after outbursts of violence on Thursday, the 12th day of demonstrations against this bill.
Following the ruling, the French prime minister said there is neither a winner nor a loser tonight. But opposition leaders are already urging Macron not to enact the law, with protesters also vowing to continue their fight.
BRU: Yes, we are going to keep protesting because we need to be respected.
JEAN BAPTISTE REDDE, PROTESTER: I don't see how people could just let it go and forget about it.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The discontent on the street a sign that, despite this victory, Macron could still have a bumpy road ahead -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Paris.
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HARRAK: Russian missiles pummel a city in Eastern Ukraine, leaving a deadly swath of destruction as emergency crews rush to look for survivors in ravaged buildings. We will have a live report.
And later people in southeast Florida begin the long road to recovery after days of monumental flooding. Details after the break.
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HARRAK: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is slamming Russian forces as terrorists, following a barrage of missile strikes on the city of Slovyansk. Officials say the missiles rained down on the city Friday, killing at least eight people. The strikes led to a scramble to find survivors in the buildings torn up by explosions.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine is decimating Russia's clandestine special forces. That's according to "The Washington Post," which is quoting some of the U.S. intelligence documents recently leaked online.
For more on all that, Barbie Nadeau joins us now from Rome.
Barbie, what is the latest from Slovyansk? BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now what we're hearing, as you said, there are at least eight people dead, around 21 people injured. But there are still people under the rubble.
President Zelenskyy saying that, you know, condemning this act, saying these hit residential buildings, seven different spots were hit. And you know, you just look at the devastation, some of these images and you wonder what the death toll could be.
At the end of this, they're still searching for survivors, of course.
HARRAK: And what has the reaction been to the intelligence leak about the war?
NADEAU: Well, very obviously, I guess Russia is looking at this skeptically because it doesn't shine a very good light on them, especially these reports of infighting and trouble within that special -- the special forces that they have there.
So there's a saying they're looking at it for the authenticity. They don't trust the veracity of it and that they're going to really, really investigate whether or not these reports any truth to them later.
HARRAK: Barbie Nadeau in Rome, thank you so very much.
Now dozens of brush fires just outside New York City are being blamed on a freight train. The CSX train was reportedly throwing off sparks as it headed southbound near Stony Point, New York, on Friday.
Authorities called CSX, which says it then voluntarily stopped the train to inspect it, saying no issues were found. A number of firefighters suffered heat exhaustion with no other injuries -- but no other injuries were reported. About 100 homes were evacuated but structural damage was minor.
People in parts of southeast Florida, getting a break from rainstorms that flooded the area in the past few days. According to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service, Fort Lauderdale saw almost 26 inches -- that's about 65 centimeters -- of rain in the 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday.
As the floodwaters recede, first responders and some residents are still making wellness checks and helping neighbors in need of shelter.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have my 90 year old uncle I'm taking care of in the House, can't get out. I go see after my neighbor, who's 86. She's supposed to go to the doctor. I can't take her to the doctors and it's just horrible.
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HARRAK: Florida's governor issued a state of emergency to get more resources for rescue crews and residents. U.S. regulators have given SpaceX the green light launch what the
company calls the most powerful rocket ever built. The uncrewed test flight of the starship could blast off from Texas as soon as Monday, is supposed to complete almost one full orbit of the Earth before splashing down near Hawaii.
While the inaugural flight is considered crucial to the company's goals, SpaceX says the craft could help humanity return to the moon and potentially travel to Mars.
Access to a key abortion drug has been extended in parts of the U.S. But it may not be for long. We will explain the latest legal maneuvers in the ongoing dispute over medication abortion -- after the break.
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HARRAK: Welcome back to all of our viewers around the world. I'm Laila Harrak and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
U.S. Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito has temporarily extended access to the abortion drug mifepristone. While the high court considers an emergency appeal filed by the Biden administration and a drug manufacturer.
Significant restrictions had been set to go into effect early Saturday and CNN justice correspondent Jessica Schneider has the story.
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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: As of now, it is status quo for the abortion pill mifepristone, meaning that all of the restrictions that the FDA feared are not in effect.
That's because, on Friday afternoon, justice Samuel Alito stepped in for the Supreme Court and put a pause on all of the legal proceedings that have been playing out for the past week.
But it's only a short pause. The Supreme Court is now inviting the anti abortion doctors who brought this case to file briefs, making their case why changes to the abortion pill should go into effect while this appeals process plays out.
And the Supreme Court is saying that it will decide by Wednesday night, in fact, whether to let those restrictions go into effect after all. So the Supreme Court effectively kicking the can down the road here.
But for now, the important takeaway is that mifepristone remains fully available for women up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. Women can also still get the drug after a telehealth visit with their doctor as opposed to in person. And they can still obtain mifepristone by mail.
So we will see what the Supreme Court decides and whether it will remain status quo for the future while this appeals process fully plays out -- Jessica Schneider, CNN Washington.
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HARRAK: Just days after two deadly mass shootings in the U.S., Republican presidential hopefuls attended a gun rights convention to try to court voters.
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HARRAK: Former president Donald Trump and his ex running mate Mike Pence were among those who rallied supporters at the NRA convention. CNN's Kristen Holmes has the details.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was proud to be the most pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment president you've ever had in the White House.
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): I will stand with each and every one of you in protection of what we all know is common sense.
NIKKI HALEY (R-SC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am a concealed weapons permit holder myself. My husband is a hunter. And we value the fact that citizens have the right to protect themselves.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The National Rifle Association convention highlights the sway the NRA still holds with the Republican Party, even amid a rise in mass shootings in the U.S., including those in Kentucky and Tennessee in recent days.
MIKE PENCE (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know I speak with everyone here when I say that our hearts and our prayers are with all the families that suffered loss and injury in these unspeakable attacks.
HOLMES (voice-over): Former Vice President Mike Pence called for mass shooters to be punished more quickly.
PENCE: I believe the time has come to institute a federal death penalty statute with accelerated appeal to ensure that those who engage in mass shootings face execution in months, not years.
HOLMES (voice-over): Several contenders suggested policymakers should focus on expanding mental health resources and armed guards to protect schools.
ASA HUTCHINSON (R-AR), FORMER GOVERNOR: If you're going to protect children, you need to have armed personnel to protect the children.
GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): We know the crux of these issues. It's undiagnosed mental health. It's a lack of opportunity in schools. HOLMES (voice-over): Former President Trump delivered the closing remarks at the forum promoting his actions to expand gun rights while in the White House.
TRUMP: I fought Obama's unconstitutional effort to ban 3D printed guns. I stood up for our hunters, fishers and sportsmen like no other president has ever done before.
HOLMES (voice-over): Appearing via video, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who is seen as Trump's top rival for the nomination touted his efforts to expand gun rights in the Sunshine State.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): As governor, I've resisted calls to take up gun control even when such a stand is superficially unpopular, because I understand that it is precisely at those moments when a right is unpopular that it needs true champions.
HOLMES (voice-over): The conference also marks the first time Trump and Pence have appeared in person at the same event after their public split following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as the two former allies appear on a collision course in a 2024 GOP primary.
HOLMES: And the former president didn't just talk about what he did while he was in the White House. He also talked about what he would do if elected president again in 2024, including calling for national concealed carry reciprocity.
Now that would be something that would be incredibly hard to pass and obviously incredibly controversial -- Kristen Holmes, CNN, Indianapolis, Indiana.
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HARRAK: President Joe Biden is heading back to the U.S. at this hour after a four-day tour of Ireland. He's been downright joyful about visiting his family's ancestral homeland. And it seems Ireland was equally elated about its fondness for Mr. Biden. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has more.
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BARRA MULLIGAN, PRESIDENT BIDEN'S 5TH COUSIN: I don't know sometimes if Joe Biden's Irish or if we're all American.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Ta me sa bhaile.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Ta me sa bhaile," Gaelic for "I'm at home."
BIDEN: Only wish I could stay longer.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Biden may be facing crises, including a major intelligence leak in the United States. But here in Ireland he's received a hero's welcome.
BIDEN: It's incredible. O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): The country's weather not dampening President Biden's spirits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think of the weather, Mr. President?
BIDEN: It's fine. It's fine. It feels wonderful. Feels like I'm coming home.
PETER MCGUIGAN, LOUTH RESIDENT: Cupcakes are all bake for him. And it's a big welcome for Joe, isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): First, the President visited County Louth on Ireland's East Coast, where his great, great grandfather immigrated from more than 170 years ago.
O'SULLIVAN: Why do the Irish love American president so much?
What is it about it?
MCGUIGAN: America is our second country. During the famine times and the bad times that we had with our neighbors, all our people immigrants went to America. They were welcomed with open arms, as you were yourself, Donie.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): In Ireland Biden seems to have cousins everywhere.
O'SULLIVAN: So let me just get this straight. So your great, great, great --
MULLIGAN: Grandfather was Joe Biden's great grandfather's cousin.
O'SULLIVAN: Very good.
MULLIGAN: I think that's the best --
O'SULLIVAN: You like that?
MULLIGAN: Oh, yes, yes.
O'SULLIVAN: First cousin, second cousin.
LAUREN & EMILY BLEWITT, PRESIDENT BIDEN'S FOURTH COUSINS: Fourth, I think.
O'SULLIVAN: Fourth cousin?
L. BLEWITT: Yes, yes.
O'SULLIVAN: That's pretty close.
L. BLEWITT: Because my dad is third.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes. L. BLEWITT: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): In Ballina, on Ireland's Atlantic coast, we meet two of the President's youngest cousins, Lauren and Emily Blewitt.
E. BLEWITT: The town is so excited. It's such a buzz.
[02:35:00]
CHRISTINA FORDE, BALLINA RESIDENT: Welcome home. Welcome. You've been gone too long. Come on in, Joe, and close the door.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Locals here say Biden's great-great-great grandfather Edward Blewitt sold bricks for the construction of the town's cathedral in the 19th century. And then he used that money to move to America.
O'SULLIVAN: So this here is -- would have been the fireplace, basically.
ERNIE CAFFREY, BALLINA RESIDENT: Fireplace, yes.
O'SULLIVAN: Wow.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): More bricks. Ernie Caffrey says this is what remains of Biden's ancestral home here in Ballina. Ernie runs Caffrey's Gallery. In the front window, a Biden portrait.
O'SULLIVAN: You painted this?
HILARY LYONS, BALLINA RESIDENT: Yes. I am friendly with the owner of this premises and I was passing down on Saturday, last Saturday and was popping in to say hello. I got a notion Saturday afternoon. I said, I'm going to go home and I'm going to do a painting of Joe. So I did.
O'SULLIVAN: What does this mean to the community, though?
MICHAEL CARR, OWNER, PADDY MAC'S: It means a huge thing to Ballina, a huge thing to me. All people have become it for years to see where did he come from, where did he go.
O'SULLIVAN: This speech brings a close to President Biden's trip to Ireland here in Ballina, our County Mayo, the town where his ancestors left from almost 200 years ago -- Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, Mayo, Ireland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Coming up, new details emerge about the suspect accused of killing CashApp founder Bob Lee.
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HARRAK: Details are emerging about Nima Momeni, the man accused in the murder of CashApp founder Bob Lee. Newly released court documents and video place the two men together in the hours before Lee's fatal stabbing, as CNN's Veronica Miracle reports.
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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a newly filed motion to detain, the district attorney here in San Francisco lays out a picture of exactly why they believe Nima Momeni killed Bob Lee nine days ago.
That document insists that Nima Momeni stabbed Bob Lee three times, one of those times in the heart, which ultimately ended up killing Lee. It also links the two through Momeni's sister.
Now there was some kind of altercation, according to the district attorney, at some point in the night. Exactly what happened and exactly what the motive is for this killing, the district attorney would not say.
But she did say they have a clear picture of exactly what led up to the stabbing thanks to surveillance video. Take a listen.
BROOKE JENKINS, SAN FRANCISCO DA: The two men left an apartment in Millennium Tower prior to the stabbing. Together, they got into Mr. Momeni's vehicle. Mr. Momeni was driving. They ended up in the area of the stabbing and that is where they exited the vehicle. And approximately five minutes later is when the stabbing took place.
MIRACLE: Momeni was supposed to be arraigned today. He was in court but his arraignment has been continued to April 25th. When he did walk in, his family was sitting in the front row, including, we're told, his sister and an older woman, who both held up their hands in the shape of a heart, showing their support for him.
He acknowledged them and smiled but said few words during the very quick hearing. His attorney who's representing him did speak to the media and said this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The facts will come out. What is basically in the press and what's being said the accurate as far as what occurred will come out in terms of time.
MIRACLE: Momeni is facing a murder charge with an enhancement, because this was committed with a knife. According to the district attorney, she said he is facing 26 years to life in prison -- Veronica Miracle, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: A U.S. hostage envoy says Russia has not indicated what it wants for the release of American journalist, Evan Gershkovich. "The Wall Street Journal" reporter was detained last month on allegations of espionage, which he denies.
He is one of two Americans the U.S. has designated as being wrongfully detained in Russia. The other, of course, is the former Marine, Paul Whelan. On Thursday, his sister demanded more action from the White House to secure his release.
The U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs says America is doing all it can but acknowledges there has been little progress in the Gershkovich case.
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ROGER CARSTENS, SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR HOSTAGE AFFAIRS: Negotiations I've had in the past, not with the Russians, where the other side is actually, throughout secret channels, said we're doing something and, by the way, here's what we want to get out of this.
In this case, there have been no discussions of that sort. And we don't yet know.
We're not taking our foot off the gas. We're going to find a way to bring Paul and Evan home. But I want you to know that Evans and Paul -- and I'm going to say, Paul, because I've been working on this case for so long, they're front and center in our mind. We are going to find a way to get this done.
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HARRAK: Supporters of the jailed Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, fear he has been poisoned again. Navalny was in court for two hearings on Friday. His team says prison officials were forced to call an ambulance last week to treat him for severe stomach pain and that he has been losing weight, a lot of weight.
Navalny was poisoned with a possible nerve agent back in 2020. His allies' theory he is been poisoned again, gradually, in small doses.
UNICEF says there has been a staggering increase in the number of child migrants crossing the treacherous Darien Gap in Central America. Almost 9,700 young people attempted the trek in the first two months of this year. That's up seven times from the same period last year.
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HARRAK: Travelers have reported robberies, corpses, mutilations and rape in the dense forest along the route. The 40 mile trek north -- that's about 60 kilometers -- brings migrants from Colombia to Panama. It's a crucial passage for those hoping to reach the U.S. and Canada.
Coming up on the premiere episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," CNN's Nick Paton Walsh travels with a group of migrants making that dangerous crossing. Take a look.
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(MUSIC PLAYING) NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And literally meters from Colombia, the ground turns.
WALSH: People as they walk, just discarding their shoes. Their 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, it's just possibly go and get your feet out of it.
WALSH (voice-over): 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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HARRAK: And you can see the entire report from Nick Paton Walsh on the premiere episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," this Sunday night at 8:00 pm Eastern.
Well, as France marks the anniversary of a legendary cathedral going up in flames, we get an inside look at the restoration efforts. That's just ahead.
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HARRAK: The curtain is coming down for the final time on "The Phantom of the Opera."
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HARRAK (voice-over): After 35 years, the longest running play on Broadway is closing on Sunday. New York City mayor Eric Adams presented a key to the city to composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The play has been seen by nearly 20 million people, grossing more than $1 billion. Producers say they had to close the play because they couldn't keep up with the weekly expenses after the pandemic.
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HARRAK: End of an era.
French president Emmanuel Macron played tourist on Friday, visiting Notre-Dame cathedral to get a look at reconstruction work. It's been four years since flames destroyed large parts of the beloved monument. CNN's Jim Bittermann got his own look at the painstaking efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was the most haunting image of a sickening afternoon.
The spire of Notre-Dame crashing through the cathedral roof as flames burned all around. In the four years since says giant oaks have been felled and they ashes cleared away.
Shock and dismay has turned to confidence that the spire and the cathedral will rise again and soon if you believe the general who President Emmanuel Macron put in charge of rebuilding the monument.
JEAN-LOUIS GEORGELIN, HEAD OF NOTRE-DAME RECONSTRUCTION: The President say we will rebuild this -- and find you is the words -- have said the face and the reputation of fancies that stayed.
BITTERMANN (voice-over): At the general once the Chief of Staff of the French army went to visit an extraordinary woodshop in Eastern France to inspect how the work is going.
Here carpenters are moving around tons of oak like children's building blocks to rebuild the spire that collapsed as well as the rest of the cathedrals roof beams which were destroyed in the fire, cutting and fitting precise down to the millimeter.
BITTERMANN: While much care and effort and money are being expended to make sure the reconstructed Notre-Dame is just like the old one. The workers who are working on these giant pieces of wood say they are sometimes amazed at how they could have done all this 1000 years ago.
BITTERMANN (voice-over): One person who's had a better view than most of the Notre-Dame reconstruction is photographer Tomas Van Houtryve. His photos are going up along the walls of the Notre-Dame worksite.
He began taking pictures with the cathedral long before the fire, sometimes using an ancient wooden camera as old as the iconic spire itself.
Van Houtryve was then commissioned to document the work inside by National Geographic and the French establishment charged with the Notre-Dame restoration and preservation as the monument slowly rose again from the ashes. He emotionally recorded the work inside and outside.
TOMAS VAN HOUTRYVE, PHOTOGRAPHER: When you're inside Notre-Dame, you feel something. It's a place of reverence. And when you're inside it and you see it in its damaged state, you feel something even more. I mean, it goes it goes straight to your heart.
BITTERMANN (voice-over): Van Houtryve has watched firsthand as not only the damage from the fire was cleared away but as well centuries of grime that had accumulated before the fire. In some ways he believes the newly restored Notre-Dame will be even better than what was there before.
[02:55:00] HOUTRYVE: When they take the scaffolding out and they and were able to see everything I think it will look immaculate beautiful in a way we've never seen it before.
BITTERMANN (voice-over): Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
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HARRAK: I'm Laila Harrak. Do stay with us. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
