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Lebanon State T.V.: Four Killed In Missile Attack On Car Near Israeli Border; Official: United States Personnel Injured In Attack On Air Base In Iraq; Trump And Haley On New Hampshire, DeSantis Campaigning In South Carolina; Haley Questions If Trump Is Mentally Fit To Be President; Actor Alec Baldwin Charged A Second Time In Fatal "Rust" Shooting; Biden's Campaign Shifts Back To Retail Politics; L.A. Innocence Project Takes On Scott Peterson Murder Case. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired January 20, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: The Ravens, 9-1/2-point favorites in that one.

[13:00:00]

The 49ers also 9-1/2-point favorites over the Packers. And Green Bay still riding high after beating the Cowboys. And quarterback Jordan Love looking to pull off his second straight, huge upset. Now, the 40ers and Packers have one of the best playoff rivalries in sports. This is their record, 10th meeting in the postseason.

San Fran has a five and four record in those games, including winning the last four in a row. But Love says despite his team's lack of playoff experience, they are confident bunch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JORDAN LOVE, QUARTERBACK, GREEN BAY PACKERS: Obviously, yes. Experience is huge in these situations, but no, I think we're just -- we're confident in our -- on our whole team and what we got. And now, it just comes down to execution, making the most of the plays we have and I think that's what we're doing.

It's another test, but you know, that's what we're doing it for to be able to -- you know, have these challenges and step up these big-time moments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, and a lot of people are jealous at the Packers, Fredricka, you know, it went from Brett Favre, to Aaron Rodgers, to now, Jordan Love.

So, since 1992, they've had a good to great quarterback under center. You know, meanwhile, some teams, they haven't even had one in that 30- year span.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Oh, plus, Andy Scholes got to love his name. Very cute.

All right. Thanks so much. Andy Scholes. Appreciate it.

All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with this breaking news a deadly missile strike in the Syrian capital Damascus. Syrian state television says several Iranian military advisors were among those killed when a building was targeted today.

Iranian and Syrian news agencies both saying Israel was behind the attack. The Israeli Defense Force, says they won't comment on the report. And you can see video from the scene that shows the building in ruins.

We're also getting reports from the Lebanese state-run news agency that four people were killed when Israel targeted a car traveling near the border between the two countries.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in Tel Aviv, Israel. And Ben Wedeman is in Beirut, Lebanon. Ben, let's go to you first. What do we know about this -- the target of this strike in Damascus?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the building that was struck, Fredricka was a building that Iranian media itself says was a residence for Iranian advisors, stationed in Syria.

Now, what we've learned subsequently, is that among them were five members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. So-called al-Quds Force, which is international or foreign branch, and they named four of those who were killed. One of them is Hojjatollah Omidvar, who appears to be the head of intelligence for the al-Quds Force in Syria.

And this does seem to be a significant strike in terms of the seniority of this individual. Now, keep in mind that last month, on the 25th of December, there was a similar strike on Damascus, or rather a farm outside Damascus, killing also a senior advisor with the IRGC.

And in the aftermath of that, or at least the Iranian say that this Monday, they struck what they called Israeli spy headquarters in Erbil, in northern Iraq, in retaliation for that strike itself.

Now, it does appear that the Iranians who normally work through other allies like Hezbollah, like the Houthis, like militias, in Iraq, to strike the U.S. and Israel, it appears that Israel is going for the Iranians themselves.

Now, this certainly does threaten to broaden the war that is raging in Gaza, but we're seeing ripples of that war here in South Lebanon, as well as in Syria, with the Houthis in the Red Sea, and in Iraq as well. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. And Nic let's talking about that, you know, attack that we know of right now in Ira. We know that an Iran-backed militia is taking responsibility for that attack and an airbase there, which injured U.S. personnel. What more can you tell us? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, which is an umbrella term in Iraq, that covers essentially all those Iran backed militias who have been targeting the United States, both in Iraq and in Syria, as well more than 140 strikes since October, the seventh, since the masses attack against Israel.

So, are the two events the strike on the IRGC personnel in Damascus today and several hours later, an attack on U.S. interests and U.S. personnel serving in Iraq at the Ain Al Asad airbase in the western part of Iraq are the two connected they could easily be.

[13:05:03]

ROBERTSON: And the -- in the minds of the Iranians, the Iranians have said that, you know, they see Israel and the United States as the same thing. They claim that their strike -- their strikes are in support of the people of Gaza.

But at the moment, in terms of casualties and effected I know, Asad airbase, an important U.S. base in Iraq. There are casualties among U.S. service personnel. We don't know how many casualties, we don't know the severity of those casualties.

But it's -- at moments like this. And exactly as Ben was saying, you get the sense of the ripple effects, you get the sense of the escalation that Iran's -- that Israel strike and that they haven't claimed obviously, they, don't acknowledge that, but it has the hallmarks of them. That the strike in Damascus can be connected to something earlier in the week, and in the north of Iraq, and so on, and so on.

But on days, like today, when you see the strike in Damascus early in the day, and then, the strike on U.S. troops later in the same day, you do get that sense of this sort of escalation at the moment.

And to bring in the north -- the southern Lebanon, northern border of Israel, where I've been most of this week, you get a sense of that tension and escalation there.

Hezbollah literally on the border, firing shoulder launch rockets at the homes of Israelis just inside the north of Israel.

The tensions there, the tempo there is also gradually heating up, and that does create that big picture across the region of a -- of a drumbeat to escalation.

WHITFIELD: A lot going on. All right. Nic Robertson, Ben Wedeman, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

All right now, back to this country and the countdown to the New Hampshire primary just three days away. And the remaining three candidates vying for the Republican nomination are using what little time they have left to influence any undecided voters.

Former President Donald Trump picking up a big endorsement last night from South Carolina Senator and one-time presidential candidate Tim Scott, as you see right there.

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is going right after Trump at her campaign stops in the Granite State today.

Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is spending his time in South Carolina, hoping a victory there will catapult his path to the GOP nomination.

We've got teams watching all the drama unfolding on the campaign trail. Let's start with CNN, Omar Jimenez in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Omar, what's going on there in these last few days, the busy campaign trail?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, well, for starters, all of these campaigns are trying to do what they can these final days to get any voters that might be undecided over to their side, or also to reinforce voters decisions if they've already decided to go with a certain candidate.

A quick snapshot, we had Donald Trump holding a rally last night where of course he played up the endorsement of South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. The South Carolinian who appointed Tim Scott, Nikki Haley has also had a flurry of events over the course of today, as well trying to find any support that she can. Ron DeSantis is in South Carolina today, but as expected to be back in the state tomorrow.

But when you go back to Nikki Haley for a second, polls have shown her within single digits of the former president, obviously, this is still a major hill to climb to challenge him in a way that he has not been challenged up until this point, especially coming off his dominating win at the Iowa caucuses.

But what we've seen in the past few days is Nikki Haley going directly after Donald Trump, in a way that she really has not before, this particular week, yesterday, or today, in particular, talking about a rally that Trump held last night and criticizing him for what appeared to be confusing her for Nancy Pelosi when he complained that Nikki Haley didn't do more, didn't do a better job with January 6th, when she wasn't in D.C., and she wasn't even in the office at the time.

Take a listen to some more of what Nikki Haley had to say to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not saying anything derogatory. But when you're dealing with the pressures of a presidency, we can't have someone else that we question whether they are mentally fit to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And, of course, the major question with her is, will she be able to pose a serious, the most serious threat to the former president we have seen up until this point. One interesting thing was when Chris Christie dropped out. I talked to a lot of his voters. And some of them were considering going over to Nikki Haley. The ones that were hesitating though, said it was because they didn't think she was going directly after Donald Trump, enough.

So, we've sort of seen a little bit of that shift here. And it will be interesting to see if that's the strategy just here for New Hampshire, or the beginning of a longer-term pattern once we get past this state.

WHITFIELD: All right. Omar Jimenez, thanks so much, in Manchester. Also, in Manchester, Alayna Treene, on the campaign trail. Alayna, how is the former president using these final hours?

[13:10:08]

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CONGRESSIONAL AND PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS REPORTER: Yes. Well, he has a big message for his supporters here, in New Hampshire, and that is to not get complacent.

It's a similar message that he also used in Iowa, which was really warning voters to ignore the polls do not look at how high of a lead he has in this state.

And to come out for him.

He told his supporters last night at his rally in Concord, Manchester, that margins matter, and that he needs them to turn out for him on Tuesday.

Now, part of that messaging, as well has been really recognizing the stakes in New Hampshire. Donald Trump and his team really do believe that if he can win in New Hampshire after winning in Iowa, that it will essentially end the primary early and force his rivals, namely, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. out of the race.

Trump spoke about that last night in Concord. Take a listen to what he said.

Oh, I don't think we have -- oh, we might not have this on. I will read. I can read for you what he said. He said, "we'll finish it off is what he told that crowd in Concord, he said this could end it, get the big vote, it ends it. He also said, then we can focus on Biden and his thugs.

Now, Fred, I can tell you that historically, Donald Trump has a point. If he were to win New Hampshire right after winning Iowa, he would be the first non-Republican or non-incumbent Republican, I should say, who had done so in 40 years.

And so, that is really the hope for the campaign. Now, as Omar mentioned, as well, Donald Trump is really ramping up his attacks on Nikki Haley.

He did that last night. He's going to continue to do that in his speech tonight. And throughout the rest of the weekend. He's been throwing cold water on the notion that she might be his V.P. arguing that she's not tough enough or smart enough to be president and really trying to undercut any momentum that she has in these final days before Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Alayna Treene. And while some of the candidates two out of the three are there in New Hampshire, Ron DeSantis, is actually spending his time in South Carolina.

That's where we find CNN's Steve Contorno right now on the trail with him. So, what's the psychology here on why DeSantis is there in South Carolina when that primary is yet four weeks away.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: To put it bluntly, Fred, is because he can't win in New Hampshire. And in fact, he is positioned right now to finish in a distant third place. So, they are quickly moving their operations to South Carolina.

They believe that there's an opportunity here to really cut into Nikki Haley support in her home state. He has two events earlier today. He will be speaking at this restaurant here later this afternoon.

And the case that they're going to try to make is that Nikki Haley is no -- is not as conservative as the voters in South Carolina are that he is a far more conservative candidate.

But there's also been a lot of self-reflection from Governor DeSantis of late. He has talked a lot about what went wrong in Iowa, what's gone wrong in his presidential campaign.

Listen to what he said last night about why he has faced such a difficult time in this race so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, you know, you have a candidate, Trump as a former president, I mean, he's very well known. You know, it's hard to compete with that, generally.

But you also have another candidate, Haley, how much money has she spent? I mean, it's unbelievable. I talked to somebody that got seven pieces of mail the other day, and I'm thinking to myself, wait a minute, OK. So, you do the first piece of mail not going to vote for. Second piece of mail not going to vote for, but that magic seventh mailer, all of a sudden, you're going to vote for, I mean, give me a break with how it is.

Look, you have to accumulate delegates. We, you know, viewed New Hampshire as momentum coming out of Iowa. I had $50 million spent against me, no one has ever had that much spent against them through Iowa in the history of Republican presidential politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now DeSantis has said he's going to fight on in this race, and if he's in the hunt, that means he believes that there is a pathway. But he also said yesterday that he's not going to just do this for this -- for his health, Fred. WHITFIELD: All right. Steve Contorno, thank you so much. Alayna Treene and Omar Jimenez, as well, appreciate it all on the campaign trail.

All right. In this quick programming note, don't miss. Our exclusive interview with Senator Tim Scott tomorrow morning at 9:00 on State of the Union.

All right. Still to come, actor Alec Baldwin has been indicted by a New Mexico grand jury on charges connected to the 2021 fatal shooting on the set of the movie "Rust". What's next in that case? Straight ahead."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:18:48]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. Attorneys for Alec Baldwin, say they are looking forward to having their day in court, after grand jury in New Mexico indicted the actor with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

The charges are in connection with the 2021 fatal shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust". Baldwin had been rehearsing a scene and holding the gun that fired live ammunition, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin was initially charged a year ago, but those charges were dropped.

Here to discuss is defense attorney Misty Marris, and stunt coordinator Scott Kasha.

All right, good to see both of you. Let's begin with you, Misty. So, explain why the charges from last year were dropped. And is it an issue of new evidence to help bring this new indictment?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE AND TRIAL ATTORNEY: Yes, Fred. So, here is the path that this case was on. And this has been going on for a while. So, last year, the charges were dropped when a special prosecutor came into the case. And then you have fresh eyes on all of the investigation and all of the evidence that had been collected.

At that time, they dropped the charges without prejudice. That means they could be revived at any time. Central to that decision was whether or not the gun, Alec Baldwin was holding that cause this tragic occurrence, had been manipulated or altered, prior to the time it was on set.

[13:20:11]

The prosecutor said we have to investigate this. Now, in the fall, it came to light that there was a forensic expert report generated by the prosecution that found it could only have been discharged, if he pulled the trigger.

Fast forward, this case goes to grand jury, and now, the charges are viable again, and we're on the path towards trial. So, that's the path that this case took. WHITFIELD: OK And so, then, what will happen now, if you're the defense attorneys for Alec Baldwin. They say, OK, they are looking forward to their day in court. But are -- is it -- is it in their court to try to establish the activity of that weapon? How it may have been manipulated prior to being handed to Alec Baldwin? Or do they simply take the posture of wait and see what the prosecution says about the sequence of events of the handling of that weapon?

MARRIS: Yes. So, there is two different legal theories that we see from these new charges. Both or involuntary manslaughter, one charge relates directly to the handling of the gun, negligent use of a firearm. The other relates to being basically recklessness on set. So, that's the difference.

So, the question is, was Alec Baldwin reckless? What did he know he was also a producer? Something that's going to be attacked by the defense. Is that during this testing, when this forensic report was generated, it was done with a different gun that was -- made new parts. It was done with a sample, because the original gun was destroyed in the context of testing.

So, the defense is going to have a lot of fodder to attack the results of that forensic report. And I expect that to be central. In addition to the question, how did live bullets get on the set to begin with? So, those are some of the central questions that the defense is going to raise?

WHITFIELD: Right. OK. And then, Scott, let's talk a little bit more about you know, the gun. Obviously, it's, you know, central to the whole case, who handled it. What about those live rounds? How did they get there? Who knew about them? When was that discovery made?

Remind people if you could about the possible sequence of events involving this gun, before it would end up in the actor in this case, Alec Baldwin's hands.

SCOTT COSCIA, STUNT COORDINATOR: So, I feel this was one of the most colossal break down of safety protocols, maybe in the history of film. There is a lot of blame to go around. And I feel Alec Baldwin has none of that blame.

He is an actor. He is not supposed to know how a gun works. I'm the expert. OK? I'm an armorer. I'm a former police officer. I understand how guns work. There is a complicated kind of gun to work with the cowboy gun. It's not like your regular revolver where you just crack open the cylinder and you can see what rounds are in there. You have to open a little hatch and then spin the cylinder. It's not an easy gun to work with.

So, let's start from the working backwards. The A.D. handed -- Dave Hall handed Alec Baldwin the gun, said, clean gun. Dave Hall is not authorized to handle weapons on the set. I, as the armorer and the only one.

I give a talk for safety every time I walk on a set and I say I will not go up to your camera and touch your camera do not touch my props. OK? Do not touch my weapons. These are not toys. They are fun. Yes, everybody likes when I walk on set and I've got the cool stuff the A.R. 15s. But nobody is allowed to touch them.

So, we have that right there. This is a modified gun. OK? First of all, the armorer should have been there, these guns should not have been left out. Jon-Eric Hexum, with a story I tell every single set I walk on, he picked up a gun, so I can't believe this director is making me stay late, put it through his head, pulled the trigger and killed himself. OK? He was joking around, but these are not toys. These are absolutely not toys.

So, the armorer should have been there. Why it was loaded? I have no idea. There have been changes since Jon-Eric Hexum. And then, if we look at the gun itself.

A common practice from some armorer, is not all of them, is they use unmodified weapons. So, when I say modified, I mean modified where you can -- you can't put a real bullet in there.

You cannot put a real round if you want it. OK? Any weapon I bring on a set, it is modified, so you can't put around in there. It's my understanding I have read somewhere that this gun was modified, so we could fire it quicker.

So, you could do kind of a quick draw scenario, you could press the trigger, and you slit -- you take the hammer back like you see in these old west movies where they fire, hammer fire it. That made it easier to fire. So, Alec Baldwin story of getting caught on his shock it's very plausible in my -- in my expert opinion. How the rounds get there? I have no, no idea. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, OK, was very inexperienced.

If you can't tell the difference between a live round and a blank, you should not be an armorer. Plain and simple.

She -- there is her fingerprints I've read on it in article in Vanity Fair. Her fingerprints are on at least one round. If you cannot tell the difference, I don't know what to say, you should not be an armorer.

She should have shut down production right then in there. OK?

She should have shut down production right down in there, done an inventory of every round, and then, production could resume. But you tell -- you tell the production, look, I found a live round. We cannot go forward with anything involving firearms.

WHITFIELD: Right.

[13:25:00]

So, then, Scott, you're describing a situation where the negligence is, you know, rests solely on the armorer. So, then, Misty, why are we not seeing charges as it relates to negligence involving the armorer in this case? Why is it? Just listening to the sequence of events for Scott. Is it because Alec was a producer? You know? And there lies some responsibility, unlike a kind of responsibility that an actor would have, some of it because he's got dual roles here.

MARRIS: Right. So, the theory against Alec Baldwin is the dual roles. There are, in fact, charges against Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who is the armorer in this case. That trial is scheduled to go forward. And I think it a month from now. And so, it's coming up.

And we might learn some more of these questions. But Scott Brooks (PH) brings up great points because some of the other issues that are going to take front, center stage in this trial will be her qualifications. Was she qualified in that role?

And again, how those live rounds got on set is the unanswered question that we have not learned from what's out there in the public. And I would expect the defense of Alec Baldwin to really be focused on that.

And look, it's going to be a blame game. It's going to be, this person, that person, the other person, whoever is responsible to cut up the criminal culpability. And on that front, Fred, you hit the nail on the head, you might want to sit in my seat as a lawyer.

One of the questions is going to be what were his role as a producer in the hiring of the staff assessing qualifications? He said he didn't have those responsibilities. That's going to be a very fact facts sensitive analysis that will come into the courtroom.

WHITFIELD: It's very fascinating. Still, so many questions. And Scott Coscia, and Misty Marris, you did an awesome job guiding us through what are going to be some of those questions and some answers.

But you know, still, I mean, it's anyone's guess, isn't it? Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

COSCIA: Thank you.

MARRIS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up. Shifting campaign strategy. President Joe Biden turning to retail politics. How his team hopes it can help him break through stubborn disapproval figures straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:31:18]

WHITFIELD: All right. President Joe Biden is ramping up his 2024 campaign schedule in hopes of breaking through his low approval ratings. Advisers and Biden himself say his focus on international conflicts has prevented him from devoting time to his re-election efforts, but Biden's campaign now expects his return to retail politics like speaking with voters at local diners and small businesses. Will that help him defend his record and earn support?

Joining me now is CNN senior reporter Kevin Liptak who is traveling with the president in Delaware.

Kevin, good to see you. So, what more can you tell us about Biden's return to retail politics?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah. And you have started this see this play out over the last several weeks. As of yesterday, the president held a single event at the White House but he had been going to all of these battleground states and trying to meet voters sort of where they are in their own milieu.

So you saw him for example in South Carolina going to a soul food restaurant. You saw him in Allentown, Pennsylvania, going from small business to small business, trying to speak with the owners about what he calls a small business boom and just last week, he was in battleground state, North Carolina, and he actually dropped by an individual's home for what the campaign called a kitchen table talk about his efforts to reduce student debt.

And what Biden's campaign advisers say is that they're using this time, ten months before the election day, to really try and figure out new ways of putting Biden among the people, trying to interact with people because they do say this is sort of his secret weapon. It highlights his best at attributes. His ability to connect at a person to person level with voters in a way that sometimes his speeches haven't necessarily been able to do.

And you did mention this disconnect. There is all kinds of signs the economy doing well, whether it's consumer sentiment, whether it's inflation easing, whether it's the stock market reaching record highs, but President Biden hasn't necessarily been able to improve his own approval ratings. And so, the real question going forward is whether these attempts to try and connect with voters will breakthrough, will help Biden improve his standing ahead of next year's election.

Now there's another issue that the president is planning to highlight next week and that is abortion. As we approach the anniversary of the original Roe versus Wade decision, we will see President Biden, along with the Vice President Kamala Harris really talking about this issue in earnest. We'll see the Vice President in Wisconsin on Monday and we'll also see President Biden and Kamala Harris headline a campaign rally in northern Virginia on Tuesday, the day of the New Hampshire primary, really trying to underscore their record on this front and trying to make clear that former President Trump is the most responsible for the overturning of Roe versus Wade by the Supreme Court earlier in President Biden's term, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Kevin, has the Biden campaign said anything else about why Biden's message on the economy isn't resonating well enough with voters?

LIPTAK: Well, their real understanding here is that the key ingredient to this will be time. That as inflation eases and as wages increase, that more voters will begin to feel the effects of an improving economy. But the big question is whether they will assign credit to President Biden himself for these improvements. I think that that is sort of a constant frustration among President Biden's advisers is that as the economy has improved over the last six months, over the last year or so, that you haven't seen an uptick in President Biden's approval ratings.

[13:35:08]

Bt they do believe that over the next ten months, as these gains sink into people's lives and people's psyches, that President Biden could benefit from that by the time of next year's election.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak, thanks so much.

All right. Joining me now to talk more about the state of the race three days out from the New Hampshire primary is Seung Min Kim. She is a CNN political analyst and a White House reporter for "The Associated Press". And Michael Gold is a political correspondent for "The New York Times".

Great to see you.

SEUNG MIN KIM, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: Al right. Seung Min Kim -- let's begin with you, Seung Min. "The Washington Post" today reports on how inside the White House, there are discussions to bolster Social Security, which might mean increasing taxes for people making over $400,000 a year. The feeling is that Trump will win the Republican nomination and that he is promising to protect Social Security if elected.

I mean, do you see the Biden White House expediting policies or programs, tackling a variety of things from prescription drugs to taxes and corporate price gouging as we talk about inflation, corporate price gouging in these next few months to help secure re- election?

KIM: It's a really interesting push and pull that Biden advisers are probably going through right now, which is that they are of course talking about policies that he would want to promote, for example, in a second term. Certainly, I think we'll hear more about his second term vision in his State of the Union Address on March 7th. But they are also trying to balance promoting his big legislative accomplishments which they feel, kind of speaking to what you were just talking to Kevin about, that his legislative accomplishments, particularly from the first two years in office, haven't really seeped in with voters.

So while they are figuring out different ways, different things that he could talk about in a campaign trail of what he would do if he were re-elected, certainly finding policy areas where he can make a more effective contrast with Donald Trump, they're also trying to balance how to sell these accomplishments, how to sell sort of these, you know, changes and advancements that are coming in various communities, and connecting that directly to President Biden and his administration of what they were able to do because they really haven't been able to do that yet.

And aside from running really hard against Donald Trump, that's going to be their calling card as President Biden runs his reelection. There are the kind of two pillars of the message we'll be hearing from the Biden campaign in the coming months.

WHITFIELD: And, Michael, you know, among Republicans, you know, how nervous are Nikki Haley donors? Especially after an endorsement for Trump from Tim Scott, who Haley appointed to the Senate when she was South Carolina governor.

MICHAEL GOLD, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Well, look. I think Haley's donors and all her supporters were already watching New Hampshire anxiously. This is a very important state for her. She has to win here or come very close to make a convincing argument that she should stay in the race.

I do think it's worth pointing out that after Scott dropped out, we did see Haley pick up some of his donors. It's going to be really tough to know until people vote on Tuesday how much Scott's endorsement affected her standing here. Obviously, she's been trying to put up big numbers in New Hampshire so she can make the case and continue on to South Carolina and beyond.

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh. Seung Min, what is behind the whole write-in campaign for Biden in New Hampshire, you know? I mean, are there concerns that Democrat challengers, Dean Phillips, Marianne Williamson, you know, could upstage Biden in this stage? What's going on?

KIM: So basically as we know on a technical -- on a technical level, the New Hampshire Democratic primaries shouldn't matter. They're getting awarded zero delegates because of the way they went against the Democratic National Committee's calendar, that they upset a nominating calendar that was preferred by President Biden and his team where Carolina goes first among all the other states.

But it could have a symbolic impact. Obviously, there is a write-in campaign that's being waged and how significant that, how significant the margins are, how you know, how many people write in Joe Biden or variations of acceptable answers for Joe Biden compared to people who actually vote for Dean Phillips or other Democratic candidates in the race. That could signal some sort of, sign of, you know, enthusiasm for the current president.

But the official line is, you know, this is a primary that doesn't really matter. They're not getting any delegates. He's obviously not, you know, the Biden campaign is not formally competing in the state and right now for them, all eyes are on South Carolina. President Biden is traveling there for a Democratic Party dinner and that's a state they are focusing heavily on to kick start their campaign and kick start the road, the road campaign for President Biden this year.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Michael, right now, you're inside there in New Hampshire but when you venture out, what are people going to be seeing?

[13:40:02]

What are you going to be seeing in the candidates as they try to secure these last minute votes just three days away now?

GOLD: I think it's notable that Trump is campaigning basically every day in New Hampshire. He's got a rally every day, which is a busiest stretch of campaigning he's had since joining the race essentially. And he's really trying to make the case that Nikki Haley does not have what it takes to be president. Last night obviously he had Tim Scott on stage and just reported that they're expecting the bring Governor McMaster and a bunch of other South Carolina Republicans here which will be a twist of the knife to Haley to show she doesn't have much political support at home.

I think Haley is really focused on making stops connecting with voters and making the case there needs to be an alternative to Donald Trump in this race. I think it's also worth northing that Governor DeSantis has essentially signaled that he's shifting his focus away from New Hampshire where he has not been polling well, and he's focused on South Carolina. My colleagues have reported it seems like he's clearing a pathway to drop out because it's going to be an expensive fight to go for another month especially after putting up what is expected to be a middle finish here. I think the big question here is how many independents come out on Tuesday and whether those people are as moderate as the Haley campaign is expecting and whether they will ultimately support her.

WHITFIELD: All right. A lot riding on Tuesday in New Hampshire.

Seung Min Kim, Michael Gold, good to see you both. Thanks so much.

GOLD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, convicted killer Scott Peterson is getting new legal help. The Los Angeles Innocence Project will represent him as he fights his conviction for murdering his wife and unborn child. That's next.

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[13:45:59]

WHITFIELD: The Los Angeles Innocence Project is taking on the conviction of Scott Peterson, who was found guilty in one the most high profile murder cases of the early 2000s. He was convicted of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn child and sentence to death in 2004. That sentence was overturned by the California Supreme Court in 2020. The L.A. Innocence Project argues key evidence was withheld from his first trial.

CNN's Camila Bernal has the latest.

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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Almost two decades after Scott Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife and unborn son, the possibility of new evidence has emerged in the case that captured the nation's attention. A motion filed by the Los Angeles Innocence Project says key evidence was withheld from his first trial. CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: The Innocence Project does look to exonerate people who are factually guilty but also who had been wrongfully convicted based on due process issues.

BERNAL: Their attorneys filed a motion asking for post- conviction discovery and the testing of evidence for the presence of DNA to support Peterson's claim of actual innocence. They indicate newly discovered evidence in the motion references of burglary across the street from the Petersons in the week leading up to the day Laci Peterson was killed. They also want more information about a van found after Laci's disappearance that appears to contain blood evidence.

JORDAN: One of the things that they're looking for is DNA on a mattress found in a burned out van by the Modesto Airport.

BERNAL: The motion also asking for DNA testing of duct tape recovered from Laci's remains, as well as tape and twine tied around the neck of the baby's remains, and points to findings from former journalist Mike Gudgell.

MIKE GUDGELL, RETIRED JOURNALIST: I think there's enough evidence that it's probable that someone else may have committed a crime. Enough evidence for law enforcement to investigate further.

BERNAL: Scott Peterson reported his pregnant wife Laci missing on Christmas Eve 2002 after he returned home from fishing that morning. Four months later, her body and the body of her unborn baby named Conner washed up separately in the San Francisco Bay, two miles from where Scott said he had been fishing.

Court testimony from Amber Frey, a woman who claimed to be dating Scott before Laci went missing, pointed to a possible motive.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She was the star witness for the prosecution because in November of that year, she had started dating him and she asked Scott Peterson, are you married? And he said, no, my wife died. I'm single. And a month later, Laci went missing.

BERNAL: Scott Peterson was convicted of murder in 2004 and was sentenced to death in 2005. The California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence in 2020, but upheld the convictions. Peterson is serving life in prison without parole, and is petitioning the court to order the prosecution to provide discovery, including DNA retesting and other evidence. He maintains his innocence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): Now, Fred, these attorneys, what they want is either evidence to be tested for the very first time or to be retested because of technological advancements here. Some of that evidence includes things that washed up on shore when Connor and Laci's bodies were found. Now, because Scott Peterson's death sentence was overturned, he no longer qualifies for a court appointed attorney. So, what happens here is that the L.A. Innocence Project, they are the ones that are paying for all of this, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh. All right. Camila Bernal, thank you so much.

BERNAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

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[13:54:23]

WHITFIELD: A father and son's weekend project yielded ways to recycle what the big waste processing companies just won't take. And now their business is cleaning up in today's "Start Small, Think Big".

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RYAN METZGER, FOUNDER, RIDWELL: It started, it was just Owen and me. It would bring it all back here before we could then take it to a partner who would recycle stuff.

OWEN METZGER, RIDWELL: I remember the garage would be full up right here like a mountain all the way to the roof.

R. METZGER: Ridwell focuses on things that don't get picked up by traditional recycling companies.

SHELBY GAGNON, RIDWELL CUSTOMER: Ridwell comes to my home every other Tuesday.

[13:55:00]

And they take away all my plastic, my batteries, my light bulbs, the shoes and pants. It is so convenient, it is so easy. I just -- I really love that I'm part of something bigger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The drivers come bag and they grab the full back and then they take it back to our warehouse.

This is where all the material from Washington comes in and things get sorted. They get separated. And then they get consolidated. All this plastic behind you is not collected in traditional recycling and this is about a day's worth that we bring in.

So we have people that are emptying the bags, they're sorting out any contaminants and then they're putting them in these larger bags here to be baled. We fill a whole truck with them and those get delivered to our partners.

R. METZGER: Ridwell today is in seven states. The team effort to try to keep things from landfills and we're trying to do our part by just showing there's more and more possibilities than people even thought.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Big part, indeed.

All right. At a funeral in Iowa today, a community mourned the loss of a brave high school principal who saved students during a mass shooting earlier this month. Dan Marburger spent ten days in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries this week. He was shot several times and is being hailed as a hero for distracting the gunman during the deadly attack at Perry High School 16 days ago in which a sixth grader was also killed. Today, Marburger was remembered and honored by mourners including his students. Dan Marburger was 56 years old.

We'll be right back.

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