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Fox To Pay Over $787M To Dominion To Settle Defamation Case; U.S. Supreme Court To Rule On Pill Access Wednesday; Family Demands Justice For Wounded 16-Year-Old; Moscow Court Rejects WSJ Reporter's Appeal; Lawyer: Alexei Navalny Beaten In His Cell, Faces New Charges; At Least 29 People Killed In Beijing Blaze. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired April 19, 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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[02:00:30]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Last minute settlement. Fox News will cut a $787 million check for its Dominion lies, but avoids having to tell the truth at trial and issue on air retractions.
Deadline looming. We're just hours away from the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on access to an abortion pill. What President could tell us about this case.
Plus, fighting flares up again in Sudan's capital, as both sides ignore a ceasefire agreement, and the U.N. is warning of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, the jury was sworn in, lawyers were ready for opening statements. But then Fox News blinked. Reaching a last-second settlement with Dominion Voting Systems agreeing to pay almost $800 million to Dominion. About half of the initial claim for damages. In a statement Fox said, we acknowledge the court's rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects foxes continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.
Listen now to just a few examples of what Fox considers its high journalistic standards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR: 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. And that is an actual threat to democracy. MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK ANCHOR: Sidney, we talked about the Dominion software. I know that there were voting irregularities. Tell me about that.
JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: The president's lawyers alleging a company called Dominion which they say started in Venezuela with Cuban money and with the assistance of Smartmatic software. A backdoor is capable of flipping votes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Under the settlement, Fox News hosts will not have to acknowledge the lies they told on air about Dominion. And while this case may be over, Fox is now bracing for another suit from voting machine company Smartmatic. And it's demanding $2.7 billion. Smartmatic's company attorney says Dominion's litigation expose some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox's disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest. CNN's Danny Freeman has more on the Dominion settlement.
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just after the judge announced that there was going to be a settlement in this case, I got to say the Dominion attorneys were all smiles today as they left the courthouse and then less the -- and they left the press conference telling us that this was a good day for Dominion and a good day for democracy. Now, this incredibly large settlement of $787 million was actually just less than half of what Dominion was initially asking for, that $1.6 billion figure but of course, still a sizable number.
And I should say there was a lot of lead up actually to this settlement. The jury was sworn in Tuesday morning opening statements for ready to go 1:30 in the afternoon. But then after a mysterious 2- 1/2-hour delay, finally the judge came back and said that there would be a resolution to this case. The parties came together and they settled. And the judge even said to the jury, if you weren't there, the parties probably would not have been able to reach a settlement in this case.
The judge made that announcement and then Dominion came out and take a listen to what some of their attorneys had to say.
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JUSTIN NELSON, LAWYER OF DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS: The truth does not know red or blue. People across the political spectrum can and should disagree on issues, even of the most profound importance. But for our democracy to endure for another 250 years and hopefully much longer, we must share a commitment to facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: Now in contrast, the attorneys for Fox News they did not take any questions from the press. They just walked down the street here in Wilmington, but they did release a statement later on saying in part, we are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems. We acknowledged the court's rulings finding certain claims about Dominion being false.
[02:05:01]
This settlement reflects Fox's continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. So again, we're still waiting for certain details about the settlement but as of now we do know that Fox does not intend to make any statement on its air about these false claims about Dominion. But again, we'll wait and see if that changes in the future.
Danny Freeman, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.
CHURCH: After the settlement was reached, Dominion lawyers spoke about the case and why the timing of the agreement was so important for the company.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN SHAKELFORD, DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS LAWYER: Ultimately, it's about our client. It was about Dominion. Dominion has been through a tremendous amount of trauma starting with the 2020 election. Largely at the hands of Fox, at least initially and Dominion needed justice. We got into this case with two goals, accountability and justice. And we achieved accountability when we exposed everything that had been going on at Fox News, through the discovery process and the motion papers we had the last couple of months. And we got justice for our client for Dominion today.
DAVIDA BROOK, DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS LAWYER: I think that what we wanted what we needed was accountability. And we got that in two forms, both in the summary judgment opinion that they finally acknowledged today, they acknowledged that the statements that they broadcast on their air were false. But also, in the fact that this case didn't settle until now. This case didn't settle before the documents were made public.
This case didn't settle until the world got to see what really went on at Fox News in 2020. And that was what we were focused on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And Dominion isn't done with its legal battles. It still has cases pending against right-wing TV networks Newsmax and OAN and against Trump allies Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Michael Lindell. All of these parties deny wrongdoing and fighting the suits.
Well, in the coming hours, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to weigh in on a proposed ban on abortion medication issued by a Texas judge. On Tuesday, a group of anti-abortion doctors asked the court to restrict access to the drug while the matter is being debated. They claim the FDA has not done enough to study the drug's safety.
Joining me now from Los Angeles is Jessica Levinson. She is a professor at Loyola Law School and host of the Passing Judgment podcast. Always good to have you with us. JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Good to be here. So, the Justice Department will file a response by midday Wednesday, and then the Supreme Court could rule at any time after that, as this legal battle over the abortion pill Mifepristone continues and nearly two weeks after a Texas federal judge said the drug should not have been approved back in 2000.
So, we're just hours away from the Supreme Court making a ruling on access to this critical drug. What do you think will likely happen?
LEVINSON: So, if the Supreme Court follows the law when it comes to these temporary stays, which again is of course all we're talking about, we're not talking about here at the merits of the case. We're talking about whether there's a pause on Judge Kacsmaryk's decision while the case is working its way through the system, then what the Supreme Court should do is what they do in other cases.
Maintain the status quo. Allow there to be access to Mifepristone. Put a put a stay on Judge Kacsmaryk's decision and allow the Fifth Circuit to have their hearings in the middle of May, allow this case to play out. The default should always be when we have a change like this, basically, do no harm, maintain the status quo while the case is being appealed. And that's really what the court should do. You asked me what will they do? I don't know if there's five votes for that.
CHURCH: But if they were following the law as they should do, then really they should just leave it as is.
LEVINSON: So, I think the better argument here for a lot of reasons is just leave it as is. Pause on that decision for a couple of reasons. One, I think the decision is without legal basis, regardless of what you think about Mifepristone, the decision that says one district court judge, one federal judge, can undermine the FDA's approval of a drug from more than a quarter -- almost a quarter century ago. Legally, that doesn't make sense.
It doesn't make sense in terms of the people who sued, they don't have enough of an injury, the doctors and the Medical Associations. It doesn't make sense in terms of the power of a judge versus the power of an executive agency. And it doesn't make sense under our current reading of this very old 1873 law called the Comstock Act. So, I think for all those reasons, and the reason again, that we default to keeping the status quo while cases are appealed, it would make no sense for the court to do anything but just pause this ruling.
CHURCH: And Jessica, anti-abortion doctors urge the Supreme Court Tuesday to keep Mifepristone restrictions in place and justices will decide by midnight Thursday whether to do that.
[02:10:03]
What would be the consequences if the court decides to restrict that access? How will that suddenly change the rights of women right across this country?
LEVINSON: Well, it's going to create some chaos to be sure, because let's remember that well, this case is moving its way through the system, there's another case out of Washington, a different federal judge said, with respect to 17 states and the District of Columbia that the FDA should make no changes and should not make it more difficult for anybody to obtain mifepristone.
So, on one level, we have competing court rulings in that case, at least with respect to those 18 jurisdictions. I think there would be a lot of confusion about which law to cover. And then there's this question of, would the FDA actually have to follow this Texas court's opinion because the FDA has something called enforcement discretion? And so just like the Department of Homeland Security, when we were talking about DACA, essentially decided not to prosecute and deport some people, the FDA could basically decide not to enforce this particular ruling.
Now, that's a path a lot of people don't want the FDA to take because it does set a certain precedent about what executive agencies would do. But that's a long way of saying, there's lots of moving parts. We don't know exactly what would happen for women's ability to obtain Mifepristone if that's what the Supreme Court does. It depends on the FDA. It depends on our reading of that Washington judge's decision as well.
CHURCH: Jessica Levinson, always a pleasure to get your legal analysis on these matters. Appreciate it.
LEVINSON: Thank you.
CHURCH: The attorney for the family of Ralph Yarl says it is a miracle. The 16-year-old survived being shot twice at close range. The black teenager was shot in the head and arm after he went to the wrong house to pick up his siblings last week in Kansas City. He's now out of the hospital but his family says he faces a long and difficult recovery. The white homeowner and suspected shooter Andrew Lester is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday.
He turned himself into authorities on Tuesday and was released hours later on bail. CNN's Lucy Kafanov has the latest.
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LUCY KAFANOV, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old white homeowner charged with shooting Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old black teenager turned himself into authorities today and was released on $200,000 bond and a prohibition on him possessing weapons. Community leaders and Yarl's attorneys speaking out today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A charge does not mean justice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want him out but we understand that's part of the process.
KAFANOV: Yarl's mother spoke with CBS News about the events of that night when Yarl went to pick up his younger brothers from a friend's home. CLEO NAGBE, MOTHER OF RALPH YARL: His brothers was supposed to run outside get in the car and they -- and they come home. And that was what was supposed to happen. And while he was standing there, his brothers didn't run outside but he got a couple of bullets in his body instead of a couple of twins coming up out and giving him a hug.
KAFANOV: Lester faces two felony charges in the shooting. Assault in the first degree and armed criminal action.
KAFANOV (on camera): The incident unfolded on the front porch of the home behind me. The homeowner telling police that Ralph Yarl came up to his front porch, he rang the doorbell but Ralph had made a mistake. This home is located at 115th Street. The home he was supposed to go to is one block away right there 115th Terrace.
KAFANOV (voice over): According to the probable cause statement, Lester told investigators he was in bed when he heard the doorbell ring, then picked up his gun before responding to answer the door. He said after opening the main door he saw a black male approximately six-feet tall and he believed someone was attempting to break into the house and shot twice within a few seconds of opening the main door.
He also told investigators that no words were exchanged, and is quoted as saying he was scared to death by the teenager size and by his inability to defend himself.
LEE MERRITT, YARL FAMILY ATTORNEY: You have to face an ugly reality here in the states that the color of his skin is often seen as a threat in and of itself.
KAFANOV: According to prosecutors, there's no evidence Yarl ever crossed the threshold into Lester's home.
FAITH SPOONMORE, AUNT OF RALPH YARL: You just cannot wrap your head around it from being shot, for doing absolutely nothing wrong.
KAFANOV: Yarl told investigators he fell to the ground after being shot in the head and was then shot in the arm. He said the man who shot him said don't come around here. Yarl then ran away going to multiple homes asking for help.
Investigators say they observed blood on the front porch, blood on the driveway and blood in the streets after the shooting.
NAGBE: Ralph was shot on top of his left eye, the -- I will say in the left frontal lobe and then he was shot again in the upper right arm. That injury is extensive and the residual effect of that injury is going to stay with him for quite a while.
[02:15:08]
KAFANOV (on camera): Another other condition of Lester's release is that his phone is subject to monitoring. He is not allowed to have any contact with Ralph Yarl or his family. It's unclear when he will appear in court for an initial hearing. This as protesters take to the streets of Kansas City for a second time on Tuesday to demand justice and action.
Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Kansas City, Missouri.
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CHURCH: The attorney for a man who fatally shot a 20-year-old woman in his upstate New York driveway says his client felt menaced. Kaylin Gillis was a passenger in a car that mistakenly turned onto the man's property while they were looking for a friend's house. She was struck with a bullet as the car drove away. 65-year-old Kevin Monahan is charged with second degree murder.
According to his attorney, Monahan says several vehicles including a motorcycle were revving their engines and drove up his driveway at a high rate of speed. The sheriff says Monahan was not threatened at all.
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SHERIFF JEFFREY MURPHY, WASHINGTON COUNTY, NEW YORK: He has not made any statements. He obtained a lawyer before he came out of the house. And he has not made any statements and quite frankly has not shown any remorse in this case.
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CHURCH: Friends and family are remembering Kaylin Gillis as a sweet girl with a kind heart. She was a member of her high school cheerleading team before graduating in 2021.
Officials in Maine have arrested and charged a man in connection with multiple killings. Joseph Eaton is accused of murdering four people after police discovered their bodies at a home in the town of Bowdoin on Tuesday. Shortly after authorities responded to reports of several vehicles getting hit with gunfire on a nearby highway. Three people were shot and taken to the hospital. Officials say they believe the two incidents are connected.
In Nashville, Tennessee, students at the Covenant school returned to classes on Tuesday, the first time since the deadly shooting there three weeks ago. The school says classes will resume on campus through several phases. Some classes are temporarily being held at a nearby church. A 28-year-old former student shot and killed three children and three adults before being killed by police.
And on the same day the school reopened, a protest was held to demand Tennessee lawmakers pass gun safety laws called Linking Arms for Change. The protests featured a long human chain of demonstrators through downtown Nashville. The organizers of the event said the cause is not a political issue but a safety issue.
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JUSTIN PEARSON, TENNESSEE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: This is an extraordinary moment for the state of Tennessee for the people in Nashville, for everyone in our community wants to see an end of gun violence. It shows what we've already known. The majority of people in Tennessee want to see common sense gun legislation and reform and they want the people who are in the statehouse to do something.
That's why myself, Representative Jones, Representative Johnson have been willing to raise our voices about this issue. Because these parents and these loved ones from Covenant, they want to see solutions to the problems that we're facing as a state.
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CHURCH: That is Tennessee Democrat Justin Pearson who was expelled from the state house early this month after taking part in a gun control protest in the chamber. He and fellow Democrat Justin Jones were temporarily reinstated. A special election will be held on August 3rd to officially fill the seats. They both intend to run again.
All right. Time for a short break now. When we come back, a ceasefire in Sudan broken as soon as it started. We're live in the region with the latest on the fighting.
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CHURCH: A 24-hour ceasefire in Sudan was over almost as soon as it began with fighting quickly raging again in the capital. Witnesses have reported gunfire and explosions around the army headquarters and the presidential palace in Khartoum. The World Health Organization says at least 270 people have been killed since fighting broke out on Saturday. And gunmen have reportedly raided the homes of U.N. staff and other international groups, sexually assaulting women and stealing cars.
CNN's Larry Madowo is following developments. He joins us live this hour from Nairobi, Kenya. So, Larry, what is the latest on this fighting that continues despite this ceasefire supposedly being put in place?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary the headline here that that ceasefire is not being respected. It looks that is not being respected by both sides. I just spoke to one friend in Khartoum, who said that last night was a horror movie that she woke up today and the standard bombardment and artillery that she had a little bit of a meltdown just scared herself because last night, hours after the ceasefire should have come into effect.
What she believes is the missile hit the house next to her and it caught fire and it was still burning several hours later. Another friend has sent us a video that I want to show you that you can see the smoke rising above Khartoum. This is the south side of Khartoum which you can also hear the video in the background some sounds of bombardment. So, this is not what a ceasefire it looks like.
And especially because CNN understands that so far, mediation efforts have failed. Trying to get these two gentlemen, the warring generals in Sudan, General Burhan who leads the Sudanese armed forces and General Mohamed Hamdan Hemedti who leads the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces. This can't seem to agree because there have been mediation efforts by the United States and the U.K.
The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia who are called a Quartet and a major diplomatic plank here. They've been mediation efforts by the regional body, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, that's not happening. But in the meantime, because the ceasefire is not holding it means people can go out to replenish food and water. They can get medicines. They can reunite with family members.
People who can't go to hospital because as you heard in the last hour about half of the hospitals in Khartoum are not operating or not operating at capacity because even staff can't get there. It's not safe for them to do.
[02:25:10]
We're now at day five of this conflict and the fears that people had when we began on Saturday that this might degenerate into full blown Civil War appears to be coming true because when people are hidden in their own homes, hunkering down not aware of when this will end you can see how much -- how scary this situation is, Rosemary, for so many people. I have friends who are stuck in the country who went to see family were hoping for be there the last 10 days of Ramadan. These are supposed to be the holiest days of the month, and then this.
CHURCH: Yes. A terrifying situation. And as always civilians, the ones paying the highest price. Larry Madowo bringing us the latest from his vantage point there in Nairobi. Many thanks.
Well, just ahead. Detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich heads to court in Moscow. The first time he's been seen publicly since his arrest. We will have details on his appeal to leave prison while he awaits trial. Back in just a moment.
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[02:30:02]
CHURCH: Detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will have to remain behind bars, after losing an appeal to change the terms of his detention while he awaits trial on espionage charges. More now from CNN, Matthew Chance.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's the first glimpse of Evan Gershkovich for weeks. The U.S. reporter accused in Russia of espionage. Standing arms folded behind the glass courtroom cage, even manages a smile for the cameras. A few journalists call out their support. hold strong one shakes. Everyone sends you a big hello, the voice says for being hustled away. The court rejected an appeal for bail, well, for Gershskovich to be kept under house arrest instead of in prison. Outside his lawyers spoke of how he was holding up behind bars. Reading classic Russian novels, one said and watching cooking shows on T.V. But the U.S. ambassador was far more critical expressing her concerns at his confinement.
LYNNE TRACY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: I can only say how troubling it was to see Evan, an innocent journalists held in these circumstances. The charges against Evan are baseless and we call on the Russian Federation to immediately release him.
CHANCE (voiceover): Amid its brutal invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been stepping up its crackdown on free speech and dissent, using the war as cover to silence independent journalism. Court to jail long standing critics like Vladimir Kara-Murza, sentenced to 25 years for treason. Just this week, after speaking out on the conflict.
VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA, RUSSIAN JOURNALIST: The war crimes, these are war crimes.
CHANCE (voiceover): And the pressure is maintained behind bars. Last month, supporters of Alexei Navalny, the jailed Russian anti- corruption campaigner. Accused the authorities of poisoning the Kremlin critic again, this time at the Penal Colony. Now, his lawyers say he's been beaten up in his cell and faces new criminal charges. It is against this backdrop. Evan Gershkovich remains detained in a Moscow prison. Determined says lawyers to defend himself but utterly at the mercy of an increasingly authoritarian Russian state. Matthew Chance, CNN London.
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CHURCH: And you heard Matthew Chance mention how Alexei Navalny was beaten in his prison cell. His lawyer says Navalny refused to enter his cell after a prisoner with quote, hygiene problems was moved there. Navalny apparently dragged that prisoner out of the cell and prison guards stepped in and struck Navalny. He is now accused of violating a criminal code against any disruptions in institutions such as prisons and could face an additional five years in prison if convicted. Still to come, a deadly fire tears through a Beijing hospital. The latest on the blaze and the dramatic attempts to escape it.
[02:35:00]
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CHURCH: This is the aftermath of a hospital fire in Beijing. At least 29 people were killed on Tuesday, including 26 patients. It's one of the deadliest fires in the city in years. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is live in Hong Kong, she joins us now. Kristie, horrifying images of people trying to escape this fire. What more are you learning about the deadly hospital blaze? And, of course, what happened to some of those people clinging to the side of that building?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary, a horrifying and tragic development in the Chinese capital. We have learned at least 29 people have died after this fire erupted in the hospital in Beijing. Among the dead, they have 26 patients at Changfeng Hospital, a nurse, a care provider and a family member of a patient. And according to state run media, we know that the fire broke out on Tuesday around 1:00 p.m. Local time. It was extinguished about 30 minutes later. 71 patients were evacuated and on a press event that took place just hours ago earlier today.
A Beijing District Officials said that the fire was caused by sparks generated during construction work which ignited combustible paint on site. And 12 people we've also learned had been detained on suspicion of gross negligence. Now, I want to show you this dramatic video of people escaping the deadly fire. One person in this video is seen exiting the hospital through window using a bedsheet and the person climbs down the window lands on that blue, sort of roof like structure and then scrambles across the rooftop to the next building. And then later in this clip, which has been circulating widely on Chinese social media on social media around the world.
When the camera starts to pan to the left, you can see others attempting, trying desperately to escape. You can see them perching on those air conditioning units that are outside balancing quite precariously on them just waiting to be rescued. And we have tried to figure out the fate of these individuals and unfortunately CNN does not know whether these people were able to find and safety. Whether they were rescued or not at the hospital fire is one of the most deadly in the Chinese capital in recent years. As surpasses the death toll from the dashing district fire in Beijing in 2017, that killed about 19 people that took place in a cramped building for migrant workers.
[02:40:08]
And it prompted authorities to demolish illegal apartment blocks. According to state media, the Communist Party secretary for Beijing visited the site of the latest fire and he said this let's bring up the statement for you, "The fire is heartbreaking, the lesson is extremely profound. It sounded the alarm for us, reminding us that the string of safe production cannot be loosened even for a moment, and the elimination of fire hazards cannot be stopped for a moment." But official Chinese media did not report on the fire on Tuesday until many hours after it was extinguished. And that has prompted criticism widespread on social media. Back to you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right, Kristie Lu Stout, joining us live from Hong Kong. Many thanks. 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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CHURCH: A parking garage collapsed in New York City on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring five others. It's still not clear what caused the collapse but records at the city's Department of Buildings show the structure had six open violations, three of which were classified as hazardous. Firefighters had to use robots and drones to search the building because it continued to crumble after they arrived. At least one worker had to be rescued after being trapped on an upper floor.
Searches are still ongoing though officials believe no one else is trapped inside. There are calls for several officials in the U.S. State of Oklahoma to resign after they were secretly recorded making alleged racist remarks and threatening to kill journalists. A sheriff and two deputies have been suspended from the State Sheriffs Association but remain in their jobs. CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The Weekend Edition of the McCurtain Gazette-News dropped an epic bombshell on its readers in southeast Oklahoma. The headline was understated, yet chilling. County officials discuss killing burying Gazette reporters. And Bruce and Chris Willingham, the father and son reporting team at the heart of this story, published the recordings that they say involve five McCurtain County officials to back up their story.
BRUCE WILLINGHAM, PUBLISHER, MCCURTAIN GAZETTE-NEWS: I was expecting it, you know, chitter chatter stuff about County business and stuff and that's how it started. And then it got down to the extremely serious stuff.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): The paper reported Sheriff Kevin Clark, he was joined in a march 6 meeting by two other Sheriff's Department officials as well as two county commissioners.
WILLINGHAM: They were talking about killing me and my son.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've known two or three hit men, that were very quiet guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And would cut no (BLEEP) mercy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Louisiana, because this is all mafia around here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): The recordings captured the group talking about hiring hitmen to kill the reporters and where the bodies could be hidden.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The old saying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What comes around goes around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will. I told you it will.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know where two big deep holes are, if you ever need them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got an excavator.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, there already pre-dug.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): Bruce Willingham says he legally recorded the conversation because he was looking to prove that County officials were violating open public meeting laws. But was stunned at what he actually captured.
WILLINGHAM: It was appalling. I mean, you cannot imagine my reaction when I heard it.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): The recordings also included racist talk of lynching black people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we -- was back in the day, when that -- when (BLEEP) would take a damn black guy and whoop their ass and throw him in the cell? I'd run for (BLEEPING) Sheriff guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, well, it's not like that no more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know, take them down to mud creek and hang them up with a damn rope.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I tell you about that there --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you can't do that anymore. They got more rights than we got.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): CNN has not been able to verify the authenticity of the recording or confirm who said what. CNN has reached out to the County officials for comment. In a statement the McCurtain County Sheriff's Office did not address any of the shocking statements. But instead claimed the recordings were altered and the conversations were recorded illegally. Oklahoma's Republican Governor says, "He's appalled and disheartened by the County official's comments and has called for the sheriff and three others to resign." A group of protesters also showed up at a county commissioners meeting demanding the officials reportedly captured on the recording resign. And the mayor of Idabel, where the newspaper is located, also wants them to resign.
CRAIG YOUNG, MAYOR OF IDABEL, OKLAHOMA: I hate to know that this is 2023. And we still have folks who want to live like 1921 Al Capone lifestyle. When you start talking about lynching and killing folk and act like human lives don't mean anything to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LAVANDERA (on camera): The Oklahoma Attorney General says, state authorities are investigating these threats. And the Oklahoma Sheriffs Association says it has suspended the membership of the sheriff and the two deputies involved in the conversation. And CNN has also been told that the reporters Bruce and Chris Willingham have been advised to temporarily leave town and that they have. Ed Lavandera, CNN.
CHURCH: U.S. Senate Republicans blocked a request to temporarily replace Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein on the powerful Judiciary committee. Some Republicans praised Feinstein but ultimately held the line in denying the appeal from the Democratic Senate Majority Leader.
[02:50:11]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D-NY): Few have accomplished as much in office as Senator Feinstein. Our colleague and friends has made her wish clearer, that another senator temporarily serve on the Judiciary Committee until she returns.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): The reason this is being made is to try to change the numbers on the committee in a way that I think would be harmful to the Senate. And to pass out a handful of judges that I think should never be on the bench. So, with that in mind, and with all due respect to Senator Feinstein, I object.
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CHURCH: Feinstein who is 89 has missed weeks of work and 58 votes while recovering from shingles. She is under pressure from some within her own party to resign. The U.S. Justice Department is accusing members of small separatist political groups of working with Russian government agents in hopes of influencing a local Florida election, and possibly the 2020 presidential race. The indictment says four U.S. citizens and two Russian nationals are facing charges for allegedly participating in the plot.
Prosecutors say the Russian defendants directed the American political groups to act as illegal agents of the Russian government by sowing discord and spreading pro-Russian propaganda. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has not formally launched his highly anticipated presidential campaign yet, but other Republicans are already using his fight with Disney as an attack line. CNN's Brian Todd has the story.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Florida's powerful and popular governor Ron DeSantis under increasing pressure over his fight with Disney. Former President Donald Trump posting today on his social media website that DeSantis is being quote, "Absolutely destroyed by Disney and that DeSantis is engaging in a political stunt." Trump joins other top Republicans like possible presidential candidate Chris Christie, who are slamming DeSantis for not being able to outmaneuver Disney's CEO. CHRIS CHRISTIE, FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: That's not the guy I want sitting across from President Xi. And negotiating our next agreement with China. We're sitting across from Putin and trying to resolve what's happening in Ukraine. If you can't see around a quarter that Bob Iger created for you.
TODD (voiceover): The heat being turned up on DeSantis after his latest threat against Disney to raise Disney's taxes or build something right near Disney's land near Orlando.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): People have said, you know, maybe have another, maybe create a state park, maybe try to do more amusement parks. Someone even said, like, maybe you need another state prison. Who knows? I mean, I just think that the possibilities are endless.
TODD (voiceover): DeSantis his aides say he was joking, according to journalist Mark Caputo, but the stakes are high in his battle against the Magic Kingdom. DeSantis is vowing to retaliate against Disney after the entertainment and theme park giant Florida. DeSantis is attempt for the state to take overpower of Disney's special taxing district in that area of Florida.
MARC CAPUTO, NATIONAL REPORTER, THE MESSENGER: Disney's needs a big job generator. It's an incredibly popular place like people come to Florida to go to Disney World. Disney produces very popular films. How much is this going to be a benefit to Ron DeSantis in the long run.
TODD (voiceover): A risk that the man who won his last election in November by almost 20 percentage points has seemed very willing to take. DeSantis has a spat with Disney started last year when a Florida law was passed that he backed limiting instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Disney spoke out against that bill. Analysts say by declaring war on Disney, DeSantis is up ending the Republican landscape going against the traditional pro- business values of the party.
JONAH GOLDBERG, CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF EXEC. EDITOR, THE DISPATCH: Historically, that's not something that the free-market GOP has looked to do. But it does signal that we're in a different GOP now. It's sort of cultural wars all the way down.
TODD (voiceover): And observers say his willingness to take on Disney is a measure of DeSantis his overall swagger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As he has grown into the office and the exercise of power the likes of which we haven't seen in the state.
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TODD (on camera): Disney CEO Bob Iger recently said he'd welcome a sit down with Ron DeSantis to try to resolve their dispute. Asked if he would agree to meet with Iger, DeSantis said he would. If Disney would accept the idea that they're not going to live under a different set of rules than everyone else. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: It may go down as one of the greatest comebacks in sports. Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills Safety, who had to be resuscitated after collapsing on the field in January has been fully cleared to return to football. Doctors diagnosed him as suffering a rare condition, in which a traumatic blow to the heart at a certain time during the heartbeat can cause it to stop. But he believes that's all behind him now.
[02:55:11]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAMAR HAMLIN, BUFFALO BILLS SAFETY: I've been beating statistics my whole life, you know, and some people might say that coming back to play might not be the best option. But that's their opinion. And like I said, I've been beating statistics my whole life, so I like my chances here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Hamlin's team says he has been participating in offseason workouts and he says, being able to wake up and take deep breaths the wow moment is now happening every day. And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church, I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom in just a moment. Hope you can stick with us.
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