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CNN This Morning

Suspect in NYPD Machete Attack Expressed Desire to Join Taliban; Hard-liners Still Not Sold on McCarthy; Idaho Stabbings Suspect to Waive Extradition Hearing; Study: Staying Hydrated Lowers Risk for Disease, Early Death; Pope Benedict's Body Lying in State at Vatican. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired January 02, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS Well, he didn't have to wait till the summer, because Ja Morant took off his shoes, signed them and gave them to the youngster, who could not hold back those tears of joy. Ja even taking the time to take pictures with the boy and his family. That is what dreams are made of.

[06:00:16]

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Oh, that's so sweet. I also love the mascot carrying the ladder to help with the -- the basketball controversy. Good stuff. Thanks so much, Coy.

WIRE: You got it.

FISHER: And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Kristin Fisher. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go, go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go! Let's go!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, just horrifying.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Terrifying.

LEMON: Yes. Right. That was the intense scene in Times Square.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. You can see Poppy is here. Kaitlan is off. Lucky Kaitlan. She's on assignment. She's off. She's on assignment. It's so good to see you.

Did you have a good New Year's?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I wore my sparkles for you.

LEMON: You look great. I missed you.

HARLOW: I missed you. Can I come next time?

LEMON: Yes.

HARLOW: You were so good and sparkly in New Orleans with your three children.

LEMON: Yes, with my three children. It was great to be with family. Of course, you know that's everything over the holidays, as you know, Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes.

LEMON: We have to talk about what happened over the New Year's. There was a New Year's Eve attack on police near Times Square just hours before midnight. Who investigators now have in custody and what we are just learning about the suspect's diary.

HARLOW: Plus, a one-in-a-century floor fight looms as Kevin McCarthy's speaker bid faces its final hurdle. But will his big concessions be enough to win over the, quote, "never Kevin" crew?

LEMON: We shall see. The clock is ticking. And the Ph.D. student in criminal justice suspected of killing four college students could be headed back to Idaho soon. Why he is planning to waive an extradition hearing, straight ahead.

We've got to start with this. There's some new details coming in this morning on the New Year's Eve machete attack near Times Square.

We've learned that the 19-year-old suspect, who injured three police officers, carried a handwritten diary in which he wrote of his desire to join the Taliban in Afghanistan and die as a martyr.

Now, law enforcement searched the attacker's home in Maine on Sunday. He remains in custody in New York but has not been formally charged.

So joining us now from Times Square is CNN's Gloria Pazmino.

Gloria, good morning to you. This is a frightening -- a frightening story. What are investigators looking for -- looking into at this hour?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. Good morning.

We are learning more about that suspect, Trevor Bickford, as you said, from Maine, who law enforcement officers tell us traveled here to New York City last week and then approached the area of New York Times Square on Saturday, on New Year's Eve, and tried to get into this area where I'm standing right now, which was highly, highly secured because of the New Year's Eve celebration.

He approached one of the security checkpoints, and he approached a police officer and tried to attack him with a machete. He then tried to strike another officer, and that's when a third officer that was also on the scene fired a shot from his service weapon and injured the suspect, Trevor Bickford, in his shoulder.

Now, we are also learning, according to law enforcement sources, that Trevor Bickford was carrying a diary that -- where he had handwritten notes about wanting to join the Taliban in Afghanistan, and he expressed a desire to die as a martyr.

Law enforcement sources also telling us that they are trying to figure out, both at the U.S. Southern District here in New York whether he will be charged federally or state law. The Manhattan district attorney also looking into this -- Don.

LEMON: Gloria, do we know anything about the suspect's condition -- I mean, the officers' conditions, I should say?

PAZMINO: The suspect -- the suspect is recovering in the hospital, but Don, those three officers also recovering. One of them had just graduated from the academy last week. Times Square was one of his first assignments.

He is in good spirits. We heard about that officer from Mayor Eric Adams yesterday, early morning, who visited with those three officers after they were injured in that attack. They are all expected to make a recovery.

LEMON: It is horrifying. Gloria, thank you very much. We appreciate that.

I want to bring in now CNN law enforcement analyst Jonathan Wackrow. Good morning to you. This is -- it's -- I mean, it's crazy.

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Crazy. This is a brazen attack. It's a brazen attack against the NYPD, a brazen attack against the city, and right now the question is why? What was the motive here of this 19-year-old suspect who's now in custody, what was he doing? What was his intent?

HARLOW: The fact that they have a diary and what we know of it says that he had this desire to join the Taliban. Of course, I guess it depends how extensive his writings are within that diary, but that seems like that will help a lot in terms of trying to get to a motive.

[06:05:14]

WACKROW: Well, it's going to start painting that picture, right? So investigators right now are starting to go through every aspect of this individual's life, to include the diary, but also all of the digital trace elements of his life. Social media, interactions with people online.

Really seeking to understand was this individual self-radicalized, or were they directed or encouraged by an individual or a group? Really trying to make that nexus back to a foreign terror group. Right?

Just saying, I want to be part of the Taliban isn't enough. You have to say was this act really tied to the furtherance of an ideology to really get that terrorism charge. LEMON: So they're going through his home in Maine to look for all of

that, right? They're probably going through --

WACKROW: They're going through every aspect of his life.

So we do know that the FBI went; it has been searching the home. But everywhere else.

You have to think, this individual traveled down to New York on Thursday. Thursday to Saturday, what happened? You know, who did he meet with? Who did he interact with? Again, was there somebody that was directing this act, really shepherding him to engage in this violent act against the NYPD on New Year's Eve?

Again, think about the iconic status of New Year's Eve, this event as a whole.

HARLOW: We've all been there covering it in Times Square. Yes.

WACKROW: Exactly. And again, so this is really looking at, you know, what was that motivation? Where did it come from? Why that spot, too, right? You know, walking around New York City with a machete, you could have launched an attack anywhere. Why there? Why these officers? Why that moment in time?

HARLOW: Remarkable response from the officers.

WACKROW: Yes.

HARLOW: Wishing them well. Thank you --

WACKROW: Than you so much.

HARLOW: -- very much, John.

New this morning, a suspect is in custody after a New Year's Eve mass shooting that happened in Mobile, Alabama.

Police say a 24-year-old man is dead, nine others, ranging in age from 17 to 57 were injured. Some severely injured.

Thousands of people were waiting to ring in the new year in the downtown area there in Mobile when a gunman started shooting about 45 minutes before midnight. Police say the male suspect is getting treatment and will be transferred to the jail and charged with those murder counts.

LEMON: Yes, lots of gun violence, just violence in general we're starting off with this morning. Sorry about that, but that is the news.

And this morning, the House speaker Kevin -- well, the person who wants to be speaker, Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader still does not know if he has enough votes to secure his bid to become the next speaker.

That's even after making concessions last night to some of the right's most hardline demands.

CNN's Lauren Fox live on Capitol Hill with more to explain it all. Hopefully you can explain it, because there's a lot going on. Good morning to you, Lauren.

Just one day until the big vote. Will McCarthy -- is he going to have these votes?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the key question, Don, and I don't think anyone here has the answer to it. McCarthy hoping that he has the votes but right now, he doesn't look like he has secured them.

This comes after a week of intense lobbying between Christmas and New Year's, constant phone calls with allies and detractors, seeing what he could give conservatives to try and win them over.

Last night, like you said, he made a clear concession to conservatives on a private conference call, telling them that he would be willing to include in the rules package a lower threshold of what it would take to call for a vote to oust the speaker, from half the conference to just five single members.

That is something that moderates are really opposed to, but it's something that they could potentially rally around if it delivered McCarthy the votes he needed.

But on that same call, Matt Gaetz, a key detractor, one of the five members who said he is opposed to McCarthy, said he's still a no. That surprised a lot of moderates and really led to a lot of frustration on this call, as lawmakers are hoping, at least his allies, that McCarthy can be the next speaker.

But there's really a lot of uncertainty right now whether that is going to be able to come true tomorrow on the floor.

LEMON: All right, Lauren. So what if he doesn't? What is he doesn't get those votes? Then what?

FOX: We -- we're talking, Don, about a once-in-a-century floor fight, where you have multiple rounds of voting, multiple ballots on the House floor. Normally, this is a formality up here.

But this could be a major, major distraction. And a lot of moderates that I talked to last week said they are ready for a fight. They are going to be for Kevin McCarthy on the first ballot, and they are going to be for Kevin McCarthy on the 1,000th ballot.

But there's a real political cost to a floor fight, because what do voters back home think about the Republican majority if they are just entrenched in this massive fight on the floor for days or weeks -- Don.

LEMON: Lauren, appreciate it. Kind of -- this shows what is to come with the 118th Congress where they still don't know at this point.

HARLOW: Oh, man. That's ahead. There you go.

All right. Well, we have to turn to this, because the suspect charged with murdering four University of Idaho students is planning to waive his extradition hearing.

[06:10:08]

Bryan Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder in the Moscow, Idaho, killings. His attorney says that his client is, quote, "shocked" after being accused of killing Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves. They were all stabbed to death.

We have been following this, as you know, for two months now. They were all stabbed to death in their home on November the 13th.

Jean Casarez is live for us in Pennsylvania. That is outside of the jail. Jean, what do you know?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy.

We're here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. This is the Monroe County correctional facility. It is in Monroe County, and it is a very rural area.

And Bryan Kohberger is right here. His attorney tells me he is in isolation. He is waiting for his next court, which is tomorrow. It is that extradition proceeding to get him back to Idaho.

The attorney also confirms with me that he talked with his client at length, describing to him the pros and the cons. And he has made the decision, Bryan Kohberger made the decision that he will waive extradition to go back to Idaho.

Now on Friday morning, in the early morning hours, he was arrested right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, very small town. I mean, it's not far from here.

Why here? Authorities say this is his home. This is where he was from. And CNN has learned that Bryan Kohberger's father flew to Washington and actually drove with him home for the holidays. His attorney tells me that they arrived about December 17th.

Now, we do know, and a source is telling CNN, that the FBI was surveilling him right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania for four days before the arrest. At the very same time, law enforcement prosecutors were getting their evidence together to present to a judge for that arrest warrant affidavit.

And we do understand, the source tells CNN, it's based on DNA, and it's also based on that white car, which is now in Pennsylvania and authorities have.

With everything going on, I asked his attorney, does he realize what is happening right now and the seriousness of this? Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON LABAR, CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER, REPRESENTING IDAHO KILLING SUSPECT: He's doing OK. He's shocked a little bit. Obviously, he's calm right now. You know, we don't really know much about the case.

CASAREZ: Well, your client is highly educated, very intelligent. He has to appreciate the seriousness of what is happening right now.

LABAR: Absolutely. He is very intelligent. In my hour conversation with him, that comes off. I can tell that. And he understands where we are right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And we have received a statement from the family that says they appreciate also the seriousness of this. They are cooperating with law enforcement, and they are very sad for the families involved. And they respect and ask for their privacy -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Jean Casarez, thank you very much for that reporting.

New this morning, actor Jeremy Renner is hospitalized in critical but stable condition after a snowplow accident near Reno, Nevada. That's what a spokesperson told our affiliate KNBC.

Renner was air-lifted, I should say, to a local hospital, according to the sheriff's office. They say that he was the only one involved in this incident. No further details on what caused that accident, which is now under investigation.

And there's also this new study -- We wish him very well, obviously. It's very sad there.

Listen, there's this new study that says keeping hydrated, as we are with our 18 cups of water and coffee here, could be a key to the lower risk of death. Which is interesting. What you need to know next. We'll tell you.

HARLOW: Also, thousands of people preparing to pay their respects to the late Pope Benedict XVI as he lies in state today at the Vatican. The plans this week for saying good-bye ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you not tell that I don't want any water? Enough with the nagging and the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Why do I need to ask what that's from?

LEMON: What is that from?

HARLOW: I don't know. LEMON: Do we know?

HARLOW: Oh, "The Guilt Trip," my brilliant young producer tells me.

LEMON: That's Tim with me and the water.

HARLOW: I'm old.

LEMON: I'm like, the beer counts. It's all, I mean, liquid, right? Just stay hydrated. Specifically water. We'll ask Elizabeth Cohen. But let us explain what's happening to you.

New this morning, staying hydrated is important for your body in so many ways. But now, a new study suggests it could truly be a life saver. That is according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health. Drinking water can significantly lower your risk of developing chronic diseases, prematurely aging your body, or even dying early. Wow, that is --

HARLOW: Something.

LEMON: -- pretty good, right? Elizabeth Cohen is here, our senior medical correspondent.

So Elizabeth, what does this new study find? Is it just water or is it hydrating in general?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's hydrating in general. Don, what they did was so interesting.

They looked at more than 11,000 people. So this is a huge group of people. And they looked at their -- at their blood to see who was better hydrated and who was worse hydrated.

And you really can get a very good idea from looking at people's blood, who was better and who was worse hydrated. And they followed them for decades. And here is what they found.

What they found is that folks who getting -- who were on the lower end of hydration, who were not as well-hydrated, they had a 21 percent increased risk of premature death and a 64 percent increased risk of heart failure, diabetes, dementia and all sorts of other things. I mean, it was really a very clear relationship.

So really, this is stuff we already know. Hydration is good for you, so stay hydrated.

LEMON: Hmm.

HARLOW: Why were you asking if it's just water?

LEMON: Because -- I mean, I think it can be -- Elizabeth, I've known you for a long time. We've been doing these studies, and I remember doing a study with you not so long ago -- correct me if I'm wrong -- where we talked about whether it's hydrating. Is it just water? Is this whole think about drink this much water, drink this -- and it said it wasn't just water.

[06:20:11]

As long as you were getting liquid, which in most cases is water, right? It could be tea. It could be, in some ways, coffee. It could be.

HARLOW: I thought he was asking about beer.

LEMON: Maybe beer. But as long as you're hydrating.

COHEN: It does not have -- it does not have to be water. Now here's the -- here's the issue, though. If you're going to drink a ton of juice, you're getting a whole lot of sugar. If you drink a ton of soda, you're getting a lot of sugar.

If you're drinking a ton of beer, you're going to be drunk all the time.

So there are issues with other kinds of things to drink. But it doesn't have to be water. You can get hydrated in other ways. Also, there are a lot of foods that have high water content. So it does not have to be water, but certainly, watch yourself if you're drinking a lot of sugary things or a lot of alcohol.

LEMON: I mean, listen, in all seriousness, I mean, it is good. Good, clean water is probably the best way to do it. I know we're joking around, but that is the best way to do it. And this is a serious study. Because if you can prevent death and aging and the onset of different -- certain diseases, yes.

HARLOW: I fill my kids' water bottles, like, all day, every day and just leave them around the house so that they're constantly picking them up.

Elizabeth, thank you very much.

LEMON: Thanks, Elizabeth. Good to see you. Happy new year to you.

Thank you. She said happy new year. She was thinking happy new year.

HARLOW: Yes, she was.

LEMON: The former Brazilian president, Bolsonaro, fleeing his successor's inauguration. Why he is in Florida.

Plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUDOR DIXON, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Gretchen Whitmer sure is good at taking businesses hostage and holding it for ransom.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: What went through your head when she said that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: There she is, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, newly sworn into a second term. She is speaking out. Her reaction also to the sentences for those men who plotted to kidnap her. Kaitlan sat down with her. You'll see it ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone, to CNN THIS MORNING. Here's what's coming up. Fleeing to Florida. Why former President Bolsonaro left Brazil and is now taking refuge in Orlando.

Plus, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts says that justices shouldn't live in fear. What he says to the court system.

And people keep taking the wrong "to go" orders on purpose, we're told. Why is this happening and the consequences, straight ahead.

HARLOW: Well, tens of thousands are expected to pay their respects to the late Pope Benedict in Vatican City today to honor his life and his legacy.

He passed away on New Year's Eve at the age of 95. His body is currently lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica. His funeral is set for Thursday.

Our Fred Pleitgen is live for us for CNN this morning in Vatican City.

Fred, good morning to you. What's so unique about this is it's never happened in six centuries, that a former pope has died. They've always been pope when they passed. So this is all new.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly, because they usually serve until the end of their lifetime.

First of all, happy new year to you, to Don and the entire crew. You're absolutely right. It's quite a remarkable scene here at -- at St. Peter's Square where you do already have thousands of people who are pouring in here to pay their final respects to Pope Benedict XVI.

I'll get out of your way a little bit. It's a bit crowded here. There's a lot of people who are coming here from the immediate area, from Rome. There's a lot of people who are affiliated from the church. We have also seen people coming in from Germany.

Pope Benedict XVI was, of course, German but also very much attached to his homeland in Germany, Bavaria. You know, the area around Munich and really someone who celebrated that area.

It was interesting. It was a final letter from Pope Benedict came out where he praised the area from Germany that he was from.

But as you can see, this is a big event here in -- for the Catholic Church, for Rome, for the entire Catholic community in the world, really. And pretty much that hasn't happened in hundreds of years, that when the funeral for Pope Benedict is going to happen, the acting pope is going to preside over the funeral of his predecessor.

Certainly, a remarkable event. But also of course, right now, this area just celebrating the life and legacy of Pope Benedict, who you know, he was pope for about a little over seven years. But he was very influential here in the Catholic Church for decades, really, since the early '80s, Poppy.

HARLOW: I know that he will lie in state until the funeral Thursday. What do we know about the funeral. And I wonder if major heads of state are attending?

PLEITGEN: Yes, so we're not clear whether major heads of state are going to be attending. We do know that this morning, already, the Italian prime minister and the Italian president have already been here and have visited Pope Benedict's body here in St. Peter's Cathedral.

One of the things that we do know, however, is that Pope Benedict wanted a smaller funeral than, for instance, his predecessors. He didn't want a large funeral.

I was here when the funeral for John Paul II happened, and also when Pope Benedict became pope in 2005, and that was a gigantic event. There were millions of people who came here to Rome and, of course, lots of heads of state and heads of government.

Pope Benedict himself wanted a smaller, more humble ceremony. That is certainly going to happen. But it's also going to be provided -- presided over, as we said, by Pope Francis himself -- Poppy.

HARLOW: That will be remarkable, in and of itself, to see. Certainly making history there. Frederik Pleitgen live in Vatican City, thank you.

LEMON: And this morning's, Brazil's former president is here in the U.S. Jair Bolsonaro fled to Florida just days before his successor took office. Bolsonaro skipped Sunday's inauguration of the country's new president, Luis Ignacio Lula Da Silva, after refusing to concede the election to him.

So joining us now with more from Brazil, CNN's Julia Vargas Jones.

Good morning to you, Julia. Bolsonaro never actually conceded the election. He was actually seen in Florida over the last few days. How do you see this playing out over the next few days?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He never did concede, Don, or congratulate his opponent. In fact, he went the other direction, challenging election results.

And his supporters took to the streets, demanding a military intervention.

[06:30:00]