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Mike Pence Testifies before the Grand Jury; Pentagon leak Suspect Remains Behind Bars while Considering a Bail Petition from a Judge; Fighting Still Rages in Sudan's Capital despite a Renewed Ceasefire; Yoon Stresses U.S.-South Korea Alliance In Speech To Congress; 100,000 Rally In Favor Of Netanyahu's Judicial Overhaul Plan; Carroll Testifies For Third Day In Case Against Donald Trump. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired April 28, 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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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you joining us across the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on "CNN Newsroom," a first in modern history, Former Vice- President Mike Pence testifies before a grand jury for his former boss Donald Trump.
The judge considers a bail for the suspect in the Pentagon leak's case, why prosecutors say he is a flight risk. And --
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Reports of fighting in Khartoum despite a new ceasefire, as foreign citizens rushed to evacuate.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin this hour with a first in modern American history. A former Vice-President compelled to testify about his direct conversations with the President he served. That is the situation Mike Pence found himself in on Thursday before a grand jury in Washington.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz has details.
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KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Former Vice- President Mike Pence testified before a federal grand jury on Thursday for more than five hours, that testimony would have been about what happened after the 2020 election leading up to January 6th. All of those conversations, he directly would have had with Donald Trump, the President at the time, at a time when Donald Trump was pressuring him to overturn the vote. Pence refused to do so, Pence has also spoken about those
conversations publicly, he's written about them in his book, then he has been on a tour about. Now, he is talking about them really regularly. But never before has an investigation has a grand jury and have prosecutors gotten Pence under oath to reveal exactly what he thought, what he felt, and what was said to between him and Donald Trump on those crucial days as part of this investigation.
So this is a really significant moment in the January 6th criminal investigation being led by Special Counsel Jack Smith at the Justice Department, it is also quite a momentous moment in history. There has never before been a vice-president called to testify in a subpoena about the President that he served alongside, and that did not happen in Watergate with Richard Nixon, it did not happen with Whitewater with Bill Clinton, which both had very active grand juries. So this is different.
It also is a very crucial moment putting Mike Pence here, because the Justice Department had to fight for this testimony. They went to court over this. Donald Trump tried to block the testimony. He tried to limit what Pence could say about the direct conversations, lost those court battles.
Mike Pence also went to court to fight on this and did not want to testify under subpoena, but he did get a little bit of leeway from the court, being able to protect what he was doing when he was the presiding officer on January 6th. But today, that federal grand jury did hear from Mike Pence for more than five hours, one-on-one. The grand jurors would have been able to ask him questions, they would've been able to piece him into the investigation, a very active investigation that they have heard from many, many witnesses on. And now, the prosecutors will take that to testimony and see how it fits, tried to fit it into potential charges as they look towards the future. It will become, at least part of the record of what will now be known about January 6th to the Justice Department and potentially to the public later on.
Katelyn Polantz, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: And joining me now from Los Angeles is Civil Rights Attorney Areva Martin, and CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein. Thank you so much for joining us, both of you.
Areva, I want to start with you, how crucial of a witness is Pence, and do you think they will have learned anything new here?
AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER: Oh, I think absolutely, Kim, even though Mike Pence has been on a booked tour, even though he has written about what happened leading up to January 6th in his book, that's very different than testifying under oath before a grand jury.
The grand jury -- in that grand jury proceedings, they get to learn details that I would imagine have not been disclosed in that book. You know, how long were meetings with Donald Trump, exactly what he said, what Mike Pence said in response. This is a dramatic turn of events. We know that Mike Pence resisted any efforts that were aimed at trying to get him to give his testimony before a grand jury or before the January 6th Committee. So this is a significant development and it just shows how the special counsel has been appointed in this case has been a lot more aggressive in this investigation.
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BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's right. And Ron, I mean we've been emphasizing the historic nature of this, the first time that the vice-president has been compelled to testify about his former boss. How worried should Donald Trump be?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think this really underscores the magnitude of this investigation and of the many investigations that he faced. You know, Mike Pence did the right thing on January 6th. After that, he has been circumspect. He has gone so far in criticizing Trump and no further. You know, he said we will never see eye to eye about what happened that day, which seems a pretty, you know, kind a mild way of describing those events, it's certainly well short of what others like Liz Cheney have said, saying that it would disqualify Trump from being President again.
But I think the fact that the Justice Department, you know, went to this effort, brought him in, first of all, it suggests that if that vice-president can be compelled to testify, others that they are seeking are going to be compelled to testify as well.
But, it just underscores just how much -- how many nets Donald Trump is facing and how they are tightening around him. He held a rally after the Manhattan, you know, D.A. indicted him. He is looking at potentially two more federal indictments, and a very serious investigation in Georgia. The challenges are -- the legal challenges and the political challenges that go with that are only getting more pronounced.
BRUNHUBER: And Ron, just staying with you, I mean, you know, we heard from Areva, I mean he is written about all of this in his book. How actually forthcoming do you think Pence will be about those crucial one-on-one conversations between himself and Donald Trump?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, based on everything that we have seen for Mike Pence, I don't think he is going to go out in his way to damage Donald Trump or to deliver incriminating evidence. If anything, I think he would probably bend in the opposite direction. But I also think that you, know, he is someone who prides himself on his fealty to the law and I think you will answer questions that he is asked.
So, there is no predicting. I don't think anybody can entirely predict whether his testimony will be helpful or harmful to Trump. But I do think that, you know, he is not going to overtly mislead a grand jury. You know, it just does not seem in character from Mike Pence, and how he perceives his role to be, as we saw under that pressure on January 6th.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Areva, since they won't get Trump himself here, I mean Pence is obviously sort of the top of the food chain in terms of his -- in terms of his profile in this investigation. Do you think that suggests the special counsel is almost done here?
MARTIN: I think it is a significant development. And we should not underestimate what this may mean, in terms of how close the special counsel is with respect to, you know, determining whether there is going to be an indictment or not. Now, I think it is also important, Kim, to note that this is a testimony by Mike Pence before this grand jury is happening on the day when E. Jean Carroll, in a federal courthouse, in a civil matter, not a criminal matter, but in a civil matter has testified that Donald Trump raped her.
This -- the level of legal jeopardy that this former President finds himself in is unprecedented. And this is all occurring while he is running for President again.
And Mike Pence also has signaled that he is likely to become a candidate for President, so we have a former vice-president testifying about a former president, trying to overthrow a legitimate election of the sitting president while that former president is being accused of raping a woman.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I mean, plenty of legal woes facing Donald Trump, since Areva -- you know, you're talking about the political implications, Ron, let's pivot there. Do you think that Mike Pence will be hurt politically here just by testifying, or could this help in some way do you think?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, he is having trouble getting traction in the race so far. And you know, Donald Trump is taking up a lot of space. I mean, you know Kim, the coalition that is supporting him in polls at this point looks an awful like -- lot like the coalition that he mobilized to win the nomination in 2016.
I mean, he is winning about half of Republicans without a college degree. He is only winning a quarter and a third of the Republicans with a degree, but that is essentially what he managed last time. You see Ron DeSantis fading, but still a very strong second place. And between the two of them, they are carving out about three quarters or more of the Republican primary vote.
I think all of the Republican candidates face the same challenge. I mean, the evidence is very clear that most Republican voters do not view all of this as disqualifying, even though there are plenty of general election swing voters who are recoiling from the cumulative wait as we are discussing all these legal matters.
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And none of the other Republican candidates including Pence have been willing to make an explicit race to Republican voters about why they should not renominate Donald Trump. I think the evidence of the last six months is that strategy is not going to work. If they want to dislodge him, they are going to have to give Republican voters a more explicit reason to do so. All of this is giving them plenty of ammunition, if nothing else, on
that kind of expediency argument that he can't win, it will be difficult to him to win a general election. But so far they've been tiptoeing around it, and i think very clearly, Mike Pence or anyone else, they're going to have to tell Republican voters why they should not renominate Donald Trump.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's right. Last word, Areva, on this special counsel probe. Former Chief-of-Staff -- Trump Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows, he could be the single most important witness in all of Trump himself of course. So could he and will he be compelled to testify, do you think?
MARTIN: Yeah, you know, there is a lot of conversation happening about whether he may be given immunity, came to testify. Obviously he has lots of information. He was in contact with Donald Trump. He was in the White House doing some of those critical meetings as they were trying to determine what could be done to overthrow the election.
We know that he has lots of information. And I would not be surprised if there is not an immunity deal that is struck with Mark Meadows and that he is forced to testify. And again, i think the information that he has might be the linchpin, might be that critical information that connects all of the dots. So, even though Mike Pence has been timid and has been hesitant to give any testimony that could be considered unfavorable to Donald Trump, it's not so clear to me that Mark Meadows and all of the other people who might be called into a grand jury are going to take the same approach.
At some point, people are going to start to realize that they themselves may face criminal prosecution and legal jeopardy, if they are not forthcoming with the information that they have about what happened now leading up to January 6th.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that is why he would need the immunity precisely for that reason. We'll have to leave it there, thank you so much for your analysis, both of you. Areva Martin and Ron Brownstein, again, thank you.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having us.
MARTIN: Thanks, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: The suspect in the Pentagon leak's case will remain in jail for now, as the judge considers bail. Prosecutors called 21-year-old Jack Teixeira a risk to national security with the risk of violent threats. And they say that he may have access to top secret documents.
CNN's Emily Schmidt reports.
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EMILY SCHMIDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lawyers painted two different views of Jack Teixeira. Prosecutors called the 21-year-old a flight risk, and an attractive candidate for a foreign government to recruit. Teixeira's lawyers said his client never meant to disrupt geopolitical affairs and accused prosecutors of exaggerating Teixeira's danger to national security.
REP. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D-VA): Everyone across Capitol Hill, but particularly members of the intelligence community are focused on understanding what happened, what went wrong, how this individual had a security clearance in the first place. And then how there were no red flags triggered every time he was accessing information that he should not have been accessing.
SCHMIDT (voice-over): Government documents submitted before Teixeira detention hearing reveal photos of his bedroom, a gun locker filled with multiple weapons, and a pendant with a Russian military insignia.
Photos of what documents say were destroyed electronics and records from his social media, where the government alleges to show that if he had his way he would kill a ton of people and discussed wanting to make a minivan into an assassination van.
Court filings also alleged that he searched terms like Uvalde and Ruby Ridge, and subjects related to Russia and Ukraine on classified government systems.
PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Broadly speaking, the department is looking at our security process, as I mentioned, to include the process by which we vet and provide security clearances.
SCHMIDT (voice-over): Teixeira's father told the judge that if his son is released to his custody, he would report if he broke any conditions of his release.
I am Emily Schmidt, reporting.
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BRUNHUBER: All right, the developing story that we're following this hour, the U.S. Army says that three soldiers were killed after two military helicopters crashed near Healy, Alaska. Another soldier was injured and is being treated in hospital. The army says that the two A-64 Apache choppers were returning from a training flight at the time of the crash.
A new three-day truce is supposed to be underway in Sudan between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. But a short time ago, witnesses reported at the fire near the Presidential Palace in Central Khartoum. The last truce was repeatedly broken and hundreds of people had been killed since the fighting began two weeks ago. And Sudan is also struggling with a worsening humanitarian crisis. There are critical shortages of water, food, medicine, electricity.
CNN's David McKenzie is tracking all of this live from Johannesburg. So first, David, what is the latest on the fighting, the evacuations, and the worsening humanitarian situation?
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that extended ceasefire that was agreed upon, Kim, by both the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military appears to have been broken pretty quickly as soon as it was announced. Really, it was brokered by the U.S. and Saudi governments. But there has been, according to eyewitnesses, fighting across parts of Khartoum and heavy strikes and artillery and shows that this ceasefire is really a ceasefire is really a ceasefire in name only.
Now, the Rapid Support Forces, that paramilitary group that is fighting in the military, did admit that when they agreed to the ceasefire that there are elements within the group that may not be listening to the Central Command. But it is clear that a sustained humanitarian truce is not happening and the situation just gets worse and worse.
Also, I want to turn your attention to the western part of the country, where there has been streaming over the border into Chad refugees. The U.N. officials I have been speaking to say the numbers have started increasing, they are in difficult conditions right on the border, possibly will be moved into refugee camps. Here is one witness and survivor of the brutality on the other side of the border.
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DESKI ABDOULAYE BEDIM, SUDANESE REFUGEE (through translator): Armed men came to our compound and asked us to leave before we became collateral victims. Under threat, we left in a hurry on a donkey to come here. I got separated from my seven children and I can't find them. We have seen parents massacred by Arab militia while they have done nothing. We are victims of gratuitous barbarism that we do not understand.
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MCKENZIE: This is rarely reminiscent disturbingly so came up in the early 2000s where you had the Janjaweed militia and other military groups, in what has been routinely called and facing many face prosecution including the former leader of genocide.
El Geneina, an importance it in the western part of the country of Sudan, which is on the border of Chad has seen repeated clashes between Arab militia, according to the Sudan Doctors Union and civilians who arm themselves according to that witness, with arms from the police station. And there is a fear that many in that part of the country, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Worrying development, there. David McKenzie in Johannesburg, thank you so much.
Ukraine lays the groundwork for its expected attempt to turn the tide of the war.
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Still ahead, we go to the frontlines in Southern Ukraine where the stage is being set for Kyiv's counteroffensive. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine says rescue operations are underway after a barrage of Russian strikes across the country.
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That was the sound of air-raid sirens in Kyiv, a little over two hours ago. Officials say air-defense system shot down more than a dozen missiles and drones over the capital. The city still took some damage, but there are no reports of civilian casualties. But three other cities across Ukraine have also been struck, with at least eight people killed and more than a dozen wounded. In the city of Uman, rockets hit high-rise buildings causing some of them to partially collapse.
A lot is happening as Ukraine prepares for its expected counter offensive. NATO says it has already delivered 98 percent of combat vehicles that promised to Kyiv. That includes 230 tanks and more than 1500 armored vehicles.
Nick Paton Walsh reports, both Russia and Ukraine are jostling for the advantage before the counteroffensive begins.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Spring is here, after winter's frozen horror. And the buzz and sting of Ukraine's looming counter-offensive is growing.
Aiming at Russian positions within 30 seconds, the Ukrainian unit has moved away. It may be a precise operation, but the Russian response is not.
Slamming into the nearby town edging closer to us.
(on-camera): Impossible to tell what the Russians are trying to hit, but another example of the intense bombardment. Their bid to stop the counter offensive from starting.
(voice-over): It is ordinary civilians caught in the rising dust behind us, who bear the brunt of Russia's frustrated rage.
Along and around the brutalized towns where Ukraine says it may launch its attack, there are more signs it is underway, lurking in the foliage than Ukraine has given publicly.
That's because Ukraine has said nothing at all about when, where, or how it will attack. But among machine gun fire in the nearby trenches, drone operators hidden in the rubble. The detailed intimate picture they have of their enemy, just two fields away, is startling. Watching and trying to kill each other every hour. They have noticed the Russians pulling back.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Another drone team has seen the Russians, also left to fend in ruins, riddled by chaos in their ranks.
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It won't be long until that cunning or chaos meets a decisive test in this flat, open, and perilous space.
Nick Paton Walsh CNN, Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: The war in Ukraine is expected to be on the agenda when Pope Francis meets with Hungarian leaders in the coming hours. The Pope departed Rome a short time ago. He is heading to Budapest for a three-day visit. He is set to meet with Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban in addition to civil society leaders and local clergy.
The Vatican says he wants to show his commitment to a more fraternal society near Europe that's wounded by war. Now the Pope's visit comes a few weeks after a health scare, the 86-year old Pontiff spent several nights in the hospital for bronchitis.
Still ahead, rallying allies. South Korea's President addresses the U.S. Congress saying the country must present a united front against threats from North Korea. Stay with us.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: And 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.
South Korea's president delivered a passionate speech to the U.S. Congress on Thursday. Yoon Suk Yeol was welcomed with enthusiastic applause from lawmakers as he marked 70 years of South Korea's alliance with the U.S. He accused North Korea of threatening peace with its nuclear program and missile tests.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has more from Seoul.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol started his address to Congress by saying no matter where you sit, you stand with Korea. Now, that was met with applause, also a standing ovation, one of many standing ovations that he received while speaking in Congress this Thursday. One of the main focuses was the alliance. The fact that this is the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea. YOON SUK YEOL, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): But today, our alliance is stronger than ever more prosperous together, and more connected like no other. Indeed, it has been the linchpin, safeguarding our freedom, peace, and prosperity.
HANCOCKS: There were a few key themes which went throughout the whole speech, freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Now, he did say that he believed that democracy was still at risk. He spoke of disinformation and propaganda as being those risks.
He also spoke of the emergence of the economy of South Korea. The fact that just after the Korean War, it was one of the poorest nations in the world, and now it is the 10th largest economy in the world.
He did later in the speech also referenced North Korea saying it is a threat to the region, to the world. Saying that North Korea has abandoned freedom. And also referencing what he and U.S. President Joe Biden had announced the day before.
This was a new security agreement that the two sides have announced. President Yoon went to Washington hoping for this strengthened extended deterrence when it comes to North Korea. And that appears to be what he has got.
In particular, one thing we focus on is the fact that there will be a new U.S. nuclear submarine that will be deployed into Korean waters. According to a presidential office -- official, that could be within a few weeks. Now, interestingly, Washington did say that they warned Beijing ahead of time about this Washington Declaration as the security agreement is called. They said it is a preventative measure to stop and deter North Korean missile and nuclear threats and Beijing shouldn't be concerned.
That is not the way Beijing sees it, though. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said "the actions of the U.S. reeks of cold war mentality." Interestingly, there hasn't been any reaction so far from North Korea to the past few days, and this state visit.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
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BRUNHUBER: President Biden is hoping to inspire a whole new generation of public servants and reporters. On Thursday, he celebrated Take Your Children To Work Day at the White House. The commander-in-chief enters the south lawn with the detail of junior Secret Service agents complete with earpieces and aviator glasses as you can see there. Biden answered some hard-hitting questions from the crowd, revealing his favorite color is blue and his favorite color -- favorite flavor of ice cream is chocolate chip.
Tens of thousands take to the streets in favor of a controversial plan to overhaul Israel's judicial system. We'll take you to Jerusalem after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is imposing new sanctions on groups in Russia and Iran that are accused of taking Americans, hostage. Officials say the move should serve as a warning to those who might be thinking of doing the same. The sanctions notably impact Russia's Federal Security Service and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The penalties come amid severe high-profile cases of Americans that the Biden administration considers to be wrongfully detained. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan are both being held in Russia on charges of spying. And at least three American citizens are being held in Iran's notorious Evin Prison.
In Jerusalem, tens of thousands of right-wing protesters marched in front of Israel's parliament on Thursday in the first big public rally to support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial plan to overhaul the judicial system. Since January, there have been massive protests against the plan which opponents say would weaken the independence of the Supreme Court.
Here's CNN's Hadas Gold reporting from Jerusalem.
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HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: For months, hundreds of thousands of Israelis had taken to the streets of Israel to protest against the traditional overhaul plan the Israeli government has put forward. That would give unprecedented power in the hands of the Israeli parliament over the Supreme Court. But this protest is something different.
These protesters, they are in favor of the judicial reform. They say their voices haven't been heard as much in the Israeli street and so that's why they're coming out here in front of the Israeli Supreme Court and the Israeli parliament because they want their voices heard by the parliamentarians.
They want these reforms to be cast. They want these reforms to go through. They say that this is what they voted for in those November elections. They say the right-wing parties won the majority and this is what they want her.
For the people out here, they say this for them is democracy. They want more power in the hands of the people. Now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had suspended the legislative process on these reforms after the most massive general strike in Israeli history.
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But the Israeli parliament is coming back into session next week. And some of the right-wing ministers have said that no matter what these reforms will come back onto the table, no matter what the negotiations might be happening behind the scenes. And for these protesters here they say that's what they want to happen. They say no matter what, it is their votes that won the majority November, and they want these reforms done now.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
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BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. For those of you here in North America, I'll be back in just a moment with more news. For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next.
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BRUNHUBER: The woman suing Donald Trump for allegedly raping her in 1996 and then defaming her years later when she made the claim public was back on the stand on Thursday. And attorney for the former president pressed E. Jean Carroll about the alleged incident, repeatedly asking why she didn't scream for help.
Paula Reid has details.
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PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): E. Jean Carroll grilled on her allegations that Donald Trump raped her in a department store in the 1990s. This, on the third day of her civil battery and defamation lawsuit in a federal court in Manhattan. Trump defense lawyer Joe Tacopina cross-examined Carroll for hours today about her story and her motivations.
Using your own words, the facts that you have alleged in the story you have alleged here are odd. Tacopina said. Carroll responded, certain parts of the story are difficult to conceive of. Yes.
The exchange becoming heated when Tacopina repeatedly asked Carroll why she didn't scream during the alleged assault. I'm not a screamer. I was too much in panic to scream. You can't beat up on me for not screaming.
Tacopina shot back. I'm not beating you up. I'm asking you questions, Ms. Carroll. Through tears, Carroll asserted. I'm telling you he raped me whether I screamed or not. I don't need an excuse for not screaming.
Tacopina, an experienced trial attorney also currently defending Trump in an unrelated criminal case being brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, is known for his brash style of defending clients.
JOE TACOPINA, TRUMP DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No, no, no. It can't -- it can't be. It's just -- this was a federal presidential election. The allegation here in some twilight zone sort of scenario.
REID: Outside court, a Trump spokesperson said the case is entirely political. And Trump himself accuses Carroll of lying, saying her case is "a made-up scam." Tacopina press Carroll on why she waited until 2019 to go public with her story.
She said she was mourning her mother's death. And then I thought this may be a way to change the culture of sexual violence. The light dawned. We can actually change things if we all tell our stories. And I thought, by God, this may be the time.
Tacopina told the judge, he was about halfway through his cross- examination. Now, there's no court on Friday so Carroll is expected to be back on the witness stand Monday to face more questions from Trump's attorney.
Paula Reid, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: One of four men who escaped from a jail in Mississippi last weekend has been captured in Texas. Officials say Jerry Raynes was taken into custody on Thursday in Spring Valley, Texas after being spotted there on Sunday. On Wednesday, Mississippi police confirmed the body of escapee Dylan Arrington was found in a burnt-out house after a two-hour standoff with police.
Authorities believe Arrington killed the pastor and stole his truck. Meanwhile, the manhunt continues for the other two inmates who escaped last Saturday, Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison.
And train with potentially hazardous material have derailed in southwestern Wisconsin. At least a dozen cars went off the tracks and into the Mississippi River. Authorities report four people were injured. A local emergency management specialist says the carriers carrying potentially hazardous materials believed to be painted batteries didn't go into the river. Officials are investigating what caused the derailment.
Five when visiting Chicago on a work trip took a wrong turn and ended up saving lives. They were on their way to meet colleagues for dinner on Monday when the wrong turn led them to the scene of a fiery crash. All those other commuters maneuvered away from the scene. the group sprang into action. Listen to this.
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GRIFFIN NATHMAN, HELPED CRASH VICTIMS: And the car starts popping and you know the fire is escalating.
TANNER STUETTGEN, HELPED CRASH VICTIMS: It was just trying to get them out of the car as fast as we could.
JARRETT POWERS, HELPED CRASH VICTIMS: It got to a point where like we took a -- like we took a step back. We looked at the car and we like had -- we didn't really have a choice at that point.
STUETTGEN: If it was ever one of my friends or family that was in a crash like this, that there would be people who would stop and help.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Now, thankfully, everyone seems to have made it out OK. Illinois State Police say they're still investigating what led up to the crash.
U.S. talk show host Jerry Springer has died at the age of 79. Once a broadcaster and the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, he's best known for his tabloid talk show which featured outrageous arguments and physical confrontations.
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BRUNHUBER: Springer once told CNN he didn't mind being called the grandfather of trash T.V. The show aired more than 4,000 episodes ending in 2018.
Brittney Griner is drawing attention to the plight of dozens of American nationals currently detained abroad. And the WNBA star says she will never play basketball overseas again unless it's for a Team USA at the Olympics after spending nearly 300 days in Russian custody. Now, back on American soil, Griner speaking out about her experience.
CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Brittney Griner unveiling a mural of American detainees held abroad. The 32-year-old American basketball star speaking to the media for the first time since her release from detention in Russia in December. Griner got emotional when asked how she found the resilience to finally speak out.
BRITTNEY GRINER, WNBA PLAYER FORMERLY DETAINED IN RUSSIA: You know, I'm no stranger to a -- to hard times, so you cried, now you made me cry. Just dig in deep, honestly. You know, you're going to be faced with adversities throughout your life. This was a pretty big one. But I just kind of relied on my hard work getting through it.
TODD: Griner was detained for nearly 10 months, much of it in a bleak remote penal colony about 300 miles from Moscow. She'd received a nine-year sentence for drug smuggling after being arrested at a Moscow airport carrying cannabis oil in vape cartridges just before the Ukraine war started.
Griner said she'd packed the cartridges by accident. She said during some of her more desolate moments in detention, seeing pictures of her family and images of the efforts to get her out, met everything.
GRINER: It made me a little bit have hope, which is a really hard thing to have a really dangerous thing to have because when it doesn't work, it's so crashing.
TODD: And she spoke of what she'd tell Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, two Americans now held in Russia, and all the other wrongfully detained Americans abroad.
GRINER: Stay strong. Keep fighting. Don't give up. Just keep waking up on a little routine and stick to that routine and the best you can. I know that's what helped me.
TODD: Asked if she felt guilt for her release after a shorter time in detention than Whelan and some others, Griner said if she could have gotten them out herself, she would have. She pointedly made no specific mention of the conditions she faced in Russian detention except at one moment.
GRINER: No one should be in those conditions. Like hands down. No one's to be in any of the conditions that I went through or they're going through.
TODD: Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post writer who was held in Iran for nearly a year and a half told us about what Griner may be going through emotionally right now.
JASON REZAIAN, WASHINGTON POST OPINION WRITER, HELD IN IRAN 544 DAYS: You know, once you've been isolated and confined and having -- have had choice taken from you for that long. You know, it's not really natural to just kind of come back to freedom. And then couple that with sort of not being able to understand, hey, why am I not happier about this?
TODD: Griner's news conference came the same day as the Wall Street Journal, Gershkovich's employer, the Washington Post, and The New York Times ran full-page ads of a joint letter demanding his release.
(on camera) Brittany Griner's news conference also came the same day as the U.S. imposed new sanctions on groups in Russia and Iran that are accused of taking Americans hostage or wrongfully detaining them. The sanctions target Russia's Federal Security Service and the intelligence branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, after a 20-year loan, the giant panda Ya Ya is back home in China. She arrived in Shanghai on Thursday after a 16-hour flight. Ya Ya had been the Memphis Zoo in the U.S. since 2003 as a symbol of Chinese-American goodwill but became an unexpected symbol of deteriorating relations.
In recent months, the 22-year-old had appeared thin with clumps of firm missing. Activists alleged she was mistreated as people in China demanded her return. Memphis Zoo officials denied any mistreatment and U.S. and Chinese scientists agree she had excellent care, but said she had a genetic skin and fur condition.
All right, well, here's a reminder that students, schools, and livestock just don't mix. A group of Illinois high school seniors bought animals to campus as a prank. But a cow escaped. Well, ended up loose in the nearby neighborhood. Police had to corral the beast turning the area into a real-life rodeo. Listen to this.
[02:55:01]
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JAIME MICHELINI, RESIDENT: We saw a helicopter and then we saw the truck so we walked on over to see if there really was a cow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what did you see?
MICHELINI: We really saw a cow.
KURT HEJZA, RESIDENT: I was standing kind of by the truck, and it looked like a rodeo. It was crazy.
MATTHEW MICHELINI, RESIDENT: Park Ridge, Niles, you wouldn't be expecting to see a cow, you know. Maybe a deer or two but yes, this is a -- I guess a great way to start off the summer, right? Like it's a little excitement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: No one was injured and the cow was taken to a nearby shelter. The students involved were issued citations to appear in a local court.
All right That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more news. Please do stay with us.
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