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"All Hell Broke Loose"; Singapore Airlines Turbulence; Closing Arguments for Tuesday in Trump Hush Money Trial; Hush Money Trial; Battle for Graceland; Remembering Alice Stewart. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 22, 2024 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:30:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: All hell broke loose. Passengers are describing what happened the moments their plane hit severe turbulence, leaving one man dead and many others injured. What we're learning about what happened in that midair nightmare.

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ACOSTA: This morning, an investigation is underway into the extreme turbulence that hit a Singapore Airlines flight, leaving one passenger dead and more than 100 others hurt. Here's what one passenger told my colleague, Erin Burnett, about the incident.

[10:35:00]

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ANDREW DAVIES, SINGAPORE AIRLINES PASSENGER: There was so much screaming and it was when I -- it was actually, I realized the gravity of it when I looked over my shoulder and saw the -- you know, the people sitting behind me with a lady who had a big gash in her head and blood pouring down her face.

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ACOSTA: Absolutely frightening. The flight from London to Singapore was diverted to Bangkok yesterday. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team from the U.S. to help authorities in Singapore find out what caused the sudden and violent change in altitude.

CNN International Correspondent Marc Stewart joins me now from Beijing. Marc, what's the latest with the investigation?

MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, there is general agreement that this jumbo jet hit severe turbulence when it was flying at 37,000 feet. The real question now is what happened before, during, and after as part of a broader investigation that, as you mentioned, will involve American investigators as well as those from Singapore.

And among the questions that these investigators will likely ask, one, what was the weather like? But they'll also talk to the pilots to find out exactly what they were doing at the time. It could also include flight attendants, passengers, also the individuals from Singapore Airlines who helped plan the route of this particular flight.

You know, investigators will tell you it's not only about figuring what happened in this particular case, but also if any lessons can be learned from the future to prevent such widespread chaos from happening again. And chaos seems to be the appropriate term to describe what happened in the cabin. As you were hearing from that passenger, we're getting some more insight. We are told that the seatbelt light was turned on before all of this happened.

As -- despite these -- you know these movements, a man, a 73-year-old man sadly passed away in this incident. We are told that CPR was performed for about 20 minutes.

In addition, as we have seen, there are -- scores of people are still in the hospital with some very severe injuries. But for the passengers who were able to travel, a special flight was chartered by Singapore Airlines that brought them back this morning back to Singapore, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Marc Stewart in Beijing for us. Thank you very much.

Still ahead, Trump's defense rests. The jury now in a holding pattern until after Memorial Day. Is that a good idea? When a verdict could come. We'll talk about that next.

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[10:40:00]

ACOSTA: In New York, both prosecution and defense teams are hunkering down, preparing their closing arguments in Trump's hush money trial. Those are set for next Tuesday.

The defense rested their case following testimonies from just two witnesses. Trump, despite his repeated claims that he'd be willing to take the stand, did not do so. So, the jury will now move forward without hearing directly from the former president.

Joining me now lawyer and jury consultant, Linda Moreno. Linda, thank you so much for being with us. I guess, first of all, what would the jury make of in your view? I mean, I suppose it could be all over the place. Trump not taking the stand and might they be aware of the fact that he was boasting that he would take the stand at some point?

LINDA MORENO, LAWYER AND JURY CONSULTANT: Well, good morning, Jim. Good to be with you.

ACOSTA: Yes.

MORENO: Look, let's be honest. This is a jury of New Yorkers. They may or may not be cognizant that Mr. Trump was boasting and promising that he would take the stand and then he didn't. But frankly, the constitution doesn't impose that burden. And not only that, but the judge is going to instruct the jury. They are absolutely forbidden to consider whether he takes the stand or not. They cannot hold them -- that against him. That's a constitutional error.

ACOSTA: And, Linda, what do you make of the fact that the judge said, OK, we're going to pick this up next week after Memorial Day weekend? It's like four or five days from now. Is that a good idea to do with a jury? I mean, they're probably on the edge of their seat ready to get this over with.

MORENO: Well, you know, I think a few things about that, and I think it might inert to the benefit of both parties. Here's what I mean. This has been, of course, a historic trial. These jurors have been faithful and diligent and all the court observers have said they've been quite committed to their role. And that's a lot of pressure on a juror who sits in a drug trial or any kind of criminal trial, let alone a trial of this historic significance.

So, I think they might welcome the break, quite frankly, to be with their families in some restorative kind of family setting. And don't forget, the holiday that they're going to be celebrating is Memorial Day, which is the day that we honor those who died to protect our country, our constitution, and those principles that are implicated in the very trial that Mr. Trump is in. They may be pondering that as well.

And frankly, I think that the time break (INAUDIBLE) to the benefit of Mr. Trump, especially after the last witness with the drama and the disruption.

ACOSTA: Right.

MORENO: Perhaps a little from all of that play to summations on Tuesday, then there's going to be a benefit.

ACOSTA: Well, I mean, if you were the prosecution, do you kind of wish that you could go right now and get these closing arguments over with and send it off to the jury given that dust up with Costello, Robert Costello, defense's final witness?

[10:45:00]

MORENO: Well, I'm a defense lawyer. But I would say that what the prosecution probably likes about this is that it gives them more time to perfect their argument because they have to have a pretty perfect summation going forward.

ACOSTA: Yes.

MORENO: So, more time for both sides. We lawyers are greedy. We like more time.

ACOSTA: And Trump was talking about Judge Merchan yesterday in very disparaging terms. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The judge hates Donald Trump. Just take a look. Take a look at him. Take a look at where he comes from. He can't stand Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I mean, the judge is Latino. Obviously, Trump is making reference to his Latino heritage there, saying, OK, well, I can't get a fair trial because the guy is Latino. I mean, does the -- one has to think, I mean, yes, they're going to be thinking about the importance of Memorial Day and so on, let's hope. But, you know, folks are on their phones, they're looking at whatever apps they look at, maybe this pops up on their feed.

Is that a good idea for Donald Trump to be going out there and saying that kind of thing? Just strictly from a, you know, staying out of legal hot water standpoint. A juror might see that and take great offense to that.

MORENO: Well, I take great offense to that. I'm a Latina. But I think these jurors have to rise above that, and that's what they're told to do. They're told to leave their prejudices behind. And that kind of out of courtroom commentary really is not anything they're supposed to consider. That's not evidence. That's not witness testimony or document. And if they're faithful to their oath, and I believe they will be, they won't consider that.

But of course, I -- personally, I think it's beneath Mr. Trump to have made those comments.

ACOSTA: All right. Linda Moreno, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

MORENO: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Still ahead. Breaking news in the fight for the family of Elvis Presley to keep Graceland. We have some breaking news on that. Be right back.

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[10:50:00]

ACOSTA: Breaking news in the fight for the family of Elvis Presley to keep Graceland, a Tennessee judge has issued a stay putting the sale of the estate on hold. CNN's Isabel Rosales joins us now. Isabel, I've been all shook up over this, whether or not Graceland was going to get sold off. What's the latest?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. So, Graceland is safe for right now. That chancellor out of Shelby County, Tennessee, issuing a stay, essentially blocking the sale of Graceland temporarily.

So, let me take a couple of steps back into what is happening in this bizarre legal case. And that is, according to a lawsuit filed by the heir of the king of rock 'n' roll, Riley Keough, the company behind this sale, Nausanny Investments, presented documents saying that Lisa Marie Presley, before she passed had taken out a loan with them of $3.8 million and used Graceland as collateral.

Well, when she defaulted on that loan, the company says, that property belongs to us. We're allowed to foreclose on this and get our money back. Well, Riley Keough stating in court and in the lawsuits that the documents are fake. Her mother never agreed to this. She never used Graceland as collateral and that the company is fake. She's accusing the company of being fake.

Well, the judge is specifically pointing in this under 10-minute hearing today to an issue of the notary. The person who signed off on this paperwork claiming that this is all legal, they filed a signed affidavit saying they never met Lisa Marie Presley. They never notarize any documents for her.

The chancellor is saying that this brings into question the authenticity of Lisa Marie Presley signature. And stating that Graceland is a very unique property. It's important to the history of Tennessee and it would cause irreparable harm under Tennessee law for this estate to be sold. That chancellor saying he wants to wait for adequate discovery to come about for the merits of the case to be argued in court before a sale happens.

And, Jim, also wanting to let you know that this estate, according to a Presley executive talking to the Rolling Stone back in 2020, is worth $400 to $500 million. And beyond that, behind the mansion is the final resting place of the king himself, Elvis, and other family members. So, that's an important and tricky detail and in this entire story.

ACOSTA: That's right. The family of Elvis Presley can stay in the building, at least for now. All right. Isabel Rosales, we'll keep tabs on it. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Still ahead. I want to remember a good friend of mine, Alice Stewart. She passed away this past weekend, appeared on the show often. I just want to share a few thoughts and memories about Alice. We'll be right back.

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[10:55:00]

ACOSTA: I didn't want to end this program without saying goodbye to a special friend of mine. Last weekend, we lost CNN Political Commentator Alice Stewart. She was just 58 years old.

I met Alice more than a decade ago during the 2012 campaign. She was working for Rick Santorum, who was running for the GOP presidential nomination during that cycle. And I'll never forget how Alice wanted to take a jab at Santorum's rival, Mitt Romney, who had an aide who said Romney could just Etch A Sketch his old positions on issues in favor of new ones for the general election campaign. And you can see this on screen. At one event in Maryland, Alice showed up with a bag full of Etch A Sketches to hand out to the press. That's how Alice was. She was smart and savvy, but also kind to everybody she met, a rarity here in Washington. Alice was also a person of principle, deeply conservative.

Alice was upfront about her criticism of Donald Trump, and she did not back down when she thought she was right. She became a fixture on my weekend show, paired with the wonderful Maria Cardona. And they debuted on my first weekday show back in February. Alice and Maria could disagree, yes, but without being disagreeable.

Back in 2019, Alice invited me up to Harvard where she had a fellowship to talk to the students there. There was one pro-Trump student who was giving me a hard time at this event. After the event, Alice told me I was being too nice to the guy and that she would have let him have it. It was just her way of letting me know I did just fine.

[11:00:00]

Alice was always caring, always looking out for others. When she walked out on set, Alice would have a big bright smile on her face, eager to start mixing it up on whatever the political news of the day might be.

I imagine Alice looking down on all of us right now, from that big round table in the sky, making her case with a smile and a kind word. Yes, Alice's views might not have aligned with yours, but we need more Alices in the world, not fewer. No need to figure out how to settle debates without tearing each other apart. We need that. Alice knew that. And that's why we are grateful for her, grateful for her legacy. And that will stay with us in the days and weeks and years to come.

Alice, we love you and we miss you.