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CNN This Morning
Today: Funeral for Tyre Nicholas as Family Demands Justice; Biden, McCarthy to Meet for First Time on Debt Ceiling; Nikki Haley to Be First Challenger to Trump in 2024 Race; Ukraine: 'Maximum Escalation' from Russia in the Coming Weeks; Israel's Netanyahu Doesn't Deny Drone Attacks in Iran; Sides Spar Over Claims of Murdaugh Confession on Tape. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired February 01, 2023 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: And as for the size of the pellet, just want to quickly show this graphic to you. Super, super tiny. It's just about the size about the tip of my pen, and yet, they managed to find it. Back to you.
[06:00:13]
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Unbelievable.
I'm surprised it was lost in the first place but glad it was found. Something so dangerous.
All right. Kristie Lu Stout, thank you so much.
Thanks for joining me. I'm Christine Romans. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic is back on TNT.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: That was fun!
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: (SNORING NOISES)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: If you're wondering why we're tired this morning --
LEMON: Oh, wait, are we on the air?
HARLOW: Yes! It's real.
LEMON: How are you guys doing?
COLLINS: It was an awesome game. I feel, like, energized by stuff like that.
LEMON: You were the last holdout. COLLINS: In Alabama, there's a whole thing in the fourth quarter.
Everyone holds their fours up, because you don't leave the game in the fourth quarter.
HARLOW: Really?
COLLINS: It's a big thing with Nick Saban. He does not like when fans leave the game. And so last night, I could not leave early. It's like -- it's like in my soul.
LEMON: I was like --
HARLOW: And you were the first to go.
LEMON: I was like, I've got to go. Peace out.
HARLOW: So much fun. Thanks, boss, for taking us.
LEMON: Yes, we got to go to the game last night.
So thank you so much. We had fun last night. Thanks for joining us. Good morning, everybody.
That was a Knicks/Lakers game. We're going to talk a little bit more about that. But now we have to get to the news, because there is a lot going on.
Today, Tyre Nichols's life will be celebrated in Memphis as the city prepares for his funeral. Authorities also say that even more videos are set to be released. What will the body cam reveal this time?
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: I would not run if President Trump ran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: That was then, this is now. Quite an about-face. First former Governor Nikki Haley was not going to challenge Donald Trump. Now she is. When she plans to make her big 2024 announcement as she positions herself against her former boss.
And this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: If asked by all relevant parties, I'll certainly consider it. But I'm -- I'm not pushing myself in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: A potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine. That's Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sat down for an interview with Jake Tapper, his first interview with CNN since he has taken office again. We have more on that exclusive ahead.
LEMON: Yes. A very wide-ranging interview. Lots to get to.
But we're going to begin in Memphis, where the parents of Tyre Nichols are demanding justice as they prepare to bury their son. The funeral set to begin just hours from now as the fallout over the brutal police beating keeps growing.
CNN has obtained the initial police report, which paints a vastly different picture from what we saw on that horrific video. CNN has also learned the city of Memphis is preparing to release even more videos.
Civil right leaders and the vice president, Kamala Harris, set to attend Tyre's funeral.
Last night, Tyre's family spoke at the same sanctuary where the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his final mountaintop speech on the eve of his assassination in Memphis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODNEY WELLS, STEPFATHER OF TYRE NICHOLS: Keep fighting for justice for our son and my family. Protect my wife, because she's very fragile right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got it.
WELLS: We need that for her. Trust me. And we've got to stay strong for her. So, justice for Tyre.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
WELLS: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
WELLS: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre! UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for Tyre!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And CNN's Ryan Young is covering the story for us. He's live in Memphis right now outside of the church.
Good morning, Ryan. As we prepare for Tyre's funeral --
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Don.
LEMON: -- there are a lot of developments in this case. What can you tell us?
YOUNG: Yes, absolutely. There's still a lot of pain in this community. People asking questions about the police department and that initial incident report, because in that incident report, it doesn't talk about the escalation of force used against Tyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YOUNG (voice-over): Tyre Nichols to be laid to rest later this morning. His funeral will be held at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis.
Last night, Nichols's family was joined by national clergy and Reverend Al Sharpton at the Mason Temple, the same site Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop," the day before his assassination in April 1968.
BISHOP BRANDON PORTER, CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST: The need for justice has brought us here again.
YOUNG (voice-over): Sharpton, who is scheduled to give the eulogy at Nichols's funeral, called for police reform.
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: We are going to continue to fight this fight around police brutality and killing until we get federal laws changed. What happened to Tyre is a disgrace to this country. We're all Tyre now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
SHARPTON: And we're all going to stand up with this family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
YOUNG (voice-over): This as we are learning more videos are set to be released from the investigation into Nichols' death. And we are seeing for the first time a picture of the initial police report filed just hours after the traffic stop that says Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving. The report contradicts police video released last week. It states
Nichols started to fight with officers and says he was grabbing for Detective Martin's gun, further stating he began actively resisting and pulling the duty belts and grabbing officer Smith by his vest.
The report lists one of the officers as a victim. The report does not mention the officers punching and kicking Nichols. Officers are seen discussing this at the scene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got him out of the car. We said, Hey, bro, you good? (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Swarm, bam! He almost hit me. He reached for my gun.
YOUNG (voice-over): Additionally, personnel files obtained by CNN show that several of the Memphis cops charged in connection to Tyree Nichols's death have histories of minor department violations, including Emmitt Martin, who joined the Memphis Police Department in 2018 and had two separate suspensions.
Nichols's family wants these officers held accountable.
WELLS: Keep fighting for justice for my son and my family.
JAMAL DUPREE, TYRE NICHOLS'S BROTHER: I've been fighting my whole life, fighting my whole life. And the one fight that I need to be at, I wasn't here. You know? And at the end of the day, I'm never going to forget (ph) my brother.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YOUNG (on camera): Don, this really has been a big impact on this city. I talked to two police officers off-camera yesterday here in Memphis, and they tell me this has totally changed the way they even see policing in their own city.
They know they're going to have to do a lot of work with the community. They're asking some of the same questions about what's going to happen next, because obviously, this investigation is still ongoing, and we're still learning new details as the days go on -- Don.
LEMON: Considering the eulogy for George Floyd, all eyes will be on Memphis to see what -- and hear what the Reverend Al Sharpton has to say about Tyre Nichols.
Thank you, appreciate that. Ryan Young in Memphis.
HARLOW: All right. The manhunt in Oregon for a suspect accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman ended with Benjamin Foster dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, following an hours-long standoff on Tuesday night.
Law enforcement officers had surrounded a property in Grant's Pass, Oregon, where he was believed to be hiding under a house. It is the same home where a woman was found beaten, bound, and unconscious last week. Authorities were concerned that he was using dating apps to try to
find new victims.
COLLINS: The stakes are high, expectations low for today's meeting between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the White House. They're going to sit down this afternoon.
The president and the speaker have both essentially set their terms ahead of these talks on the debt ceiling. The goal is to break the current stalemate to avoid what could be a devastating financial default.
But that's easier said than done, and no one knows that better than CNN's Lauren Fox, who is live for us on Capitol Hill this morning.
You know, Lauren, this meeting is going to happen this afternoon, but what are we -- what are we really expecting to happen when McCarthy and Biden get in the same room with each other?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I do think there is an important distinction, Kaitlan, between a meeting and a negotiation.
What you're going to see today is really a meeting of both the speaker of the House and the president of the United States, who are going to have to deal with complicated issues, not just on the debt ceiling, but on spending in the year ahead. So they need to begin this conversation.
For the White House, they have drawn that red line. There are no negotiations as part of an increase to the debt ceiling. They reiterated that repeatedly yesterday, ahead of this meeting.
Meanwhile, for Kevin McCarthy, he's been doing a lot of preparation, trying to make this more of a negotiation today when he sits down with the president. He's been consulting with important chairmen, including Jason Smith of Ways and Means, as well as Patrick McHenry of Financial Services.
He's also been talking to Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, who has extensive experience in these kinds of high-stakes negotiations, Kaitlan.
Republicans are going to meet today at 9 a.m. as a conference to try to get their messaging all on the same page. But a lot of challenges, of course, going into this meeting for Kevin McCarthy today.
COLLINS: Yes, mainly where they are wanting these cuts to come from.
Also today on Capitol Hill, Lauren, you're reporting that that vote to remove Congressman Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee could happen as soon as today. Does McCarthy now believe that he has the votes to actually successfully kick her off that committee?
FOX: Yes, he does believe he has the votes, Kaitlan. And this comes after a hard-fought negotiation with some of his members, who are now feeling more comfortable, because they say there is due process language including -- included in this resolution. Victoria Sparks yesterday saying she is now comfortable with voting to oust Ilhan Omar from committee.
But obviously, this took way longer than many people expected. This was supposed to be a simple vote for Republicans. It has proved complicated once again because of this narrow majority.
COLLINS: And notable that it was seen as that emergency resolution last night, given what we saw during the speaker's fight over needing 72 hours.
[06:10:02]
COLLINS: Lauren Fox, thank you so much. We'll check in with you back this morning.
All right. And now this!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALEY: When you're looking at a run for president, you look at two things. You first look at, does the current situation push for new leadership?
The second question is, am I that person that could be that new leader.
That, yes, we need to go in a new direction.
And can I be that leader? Yes, I think I can be that leader.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Check and check. That is former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley, nearly two weeks ago, giving a clear pitch on her qualifications to be president of the United States. Now she's making it official.
A source familiar with her plans says she will announce her bid on February 15th in Charleston.
Let's go to our Kylie Atwood. She is live in D.C.
So not only the first Republican to challenge Donald Trump officially, but someone who said that she would never do that.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. I mean, this is major news overnight, because we've all been waiting. After we saw that Fox News interview, where she clearly indicated that she believed that she is a good person to run, to be president in 2024, we are all waiting to see when she would jump into this race.
Because as of now, it's going to be a one-on- one competition between her and the former vice president. She believes that she can bring new leadership to the table, but as you said, she has said in the past that she wouldn't run if the former president ran. Let's just listen to how she phrased that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he runs again in 2024, will you support him?
HALEY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he decides that he's going to run, would that preclude any sort of run that you would possibly make yourself?
HALEY: I would not run if President Trump ran. And I would talk to him about it. That's something that we'll have a conversation about at some point if that decision is something that has to be made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ATWOOD: And she had that conversation with him in recent days.
The former president told reporters over the weekend that Nikki Haley gave him a call, saying that he was considering jumping into the race, and he told her that she should do it. So clearly, they had that conversation. This announcement is expected on February 15th in Charleston, South Carolina.
Kylie, big news, as you said, overnight. Thanks very much for that.
LEMON: Certainly -- I don't know, is it surprising news, considering the interview she was hinting in the Fox News interview that you played that she was going to run for president.
But the problem that she has is Donald Trump, and I think the thing that is good for her, possibly, is Donald Trump. So there's a contradiction there. She's going to have to answer some questions about it, but people like her because she was in his cabinet.
HARLOW: What do you think? You were covering the Trump White House during this? And the way also that she, you know, ended her role in the Trump White House.
COLLINS: I mean, it's going to be tough for any of these people who worked for him to run for office. Obviously, Mike pence is another person we're expecting. Mike Pompeo, as well. Now Nikki Haley.
Seems like she's going to be the first one to actually get in the race and actually put her name in the ring first, since Trump. She'd be the only other Republican running.
I think that's where it's going to be difficult for her. Because one question that I heard from people yesterday after this broke in the post and courier and kudos for them for breaking this, is, you know, you don't want to be the only one that he's going after.
And that is going to be the situation if she does announce as soon as Kylie is reporting on February 15. And so I think that's going to be the challenge. It's not that -- she already knew that this was going to be the challenge with Trump, when it's just the two of them. That's going to be the focus.
LEMON: She spoke to him, and he said, you know, encouraged -- it is reported he encouraged her --
COLLINS: He said that.
LEMON: -- to get into the race.
COLLINS: Yes.
LEMON: But she's the only one for now. And I think, io other people who want to get in the race, it's like, finally. It gives -- it offers them cover, because now they can say, Well, she's in the race and I'm not the only one. And she'll take the initial heat, and then they'll be able to come along. And then they'll have to take the heat, of course.
COLLINS: Yes. And he may have told her that she should get in the race, but Trump has said that no Republicans should challenge him for this nomination. That's what I've been reporting.
HARLOW: Did he mean it?
COLLINS: Exactly.
HARLOW: OK.
COLLINS: Also this morning, Russia says it's preparing for a maximum escalation of the war in Ukraine in the coming weeks. That is according to a top Ukrainian national security official, who says his country is not excluding any scenario in the next two to three weeks.
He says the Russians are gathering materials, doing drills in preparation for what could come next.
All of this is the context for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, what he told Jake Tapper when he said he would consider serving potentially as a mediator for Russia and Ukraine, but not unless he is asked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NETANYAHU: If I'm asked by both sides, and frankly, if I'm asked by the United States, because I think, you know, you can't have too many cooks in the kitchen. If asked by all relevant parties, I'll certainly consider it. But I'm -- I'm not pushing myself in. I think this is of monumental importance, because I think the peace of the world is at stake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There's a lot to discuss here. Netanyahu went on to make the case that Israel is helping Ukraine right now by attacking Iranian weapons productions that are being used to attack Ukraine.
[06:15:03]
But he refused to acknowledge whether Israel was behind drone attacks on an Iranian military plant over the weekend. Look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR Did Israel carry out this strike in Iran over the weekend?
NETANYAHU: I never talk about specific operations with the exception, I think, of our raid on Iran's secret nuclear archive. And every time some explosion takes place in the Middle East, you know, Israel is blamed or given responsibility. Sometimes we are; sometimes we're not.
But I will say that there is -- you're right. There is an overriding mission that I have. And I came back and ran in these elections and was elected the sixth time -- for the sixth time, because I have three overriding goals.
One is to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions. The second is to expand the peace dramatically, to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, as a lead into ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
And the third is to further boost Israel's incredible economy.
But the first is first. The first is Iran. And I will only say this: that I will do everything in my power as Israel's prime minister to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear arsenal that is expressly directed at annihilating us. And they also say, not only death to Israel, but death to America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Back with us now, Kylie Atwood at the State Department. What has the State Department, Kylie, said about these attacks?
ATWOOD: Well, listen, the State Department also hasn't said anything, really, about these attacks. Not confirming or denying that Israel was behind them.
But I do think the fact that the prime minister is not coming out and saying that Israel wasn't behind them is a pretty good indication that they were. Because these are the types of things that we have seen Israel do against Iran's military, against Iran's building nuclear program in the past.
And this is one thing where the Biden administration and where Israel are actually on pretty similar pages right now. Because we saw that Iran nuclear deal fall apart. There have been no real efforts to revive that deal.
And so both of these countries are watching Iran's nuclear program incredibly closely. The secretary of state saying in Israel that the United States will do everything in its power to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, Kylie, appreciate that.
A two-second clip of audio is taking center stage in Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial. Was it really a confession there? The defense team slowing it down for the court to hear more clearly.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I decline to answer the question.
Same answer.
Same answer.
Same answer.
Same answer.
Same answer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Former President Trump once suggested only guilty people and mobsters plead the Fifth. How could you forget that? But he just did it more than 400 times. We'll tell you more next.
LEMON: I wonder what that says. He did explain it, though. He said --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:21:26]
LEMON: So here's a question. Did Alex Murdaugh actually confess to murdering his own son, or did an investigator simply mishear Murdaugh while he was distraught and sobbing?
Murdaugh's defense team got the chance to grill that investigator during the double murder trial, and they slowed down the audio clip for the whole court to hear.
So let's get some explanation here. I want to go now to Randi Kaye, following the trial. Walterboro, South Carolina, is where she is this morning.
Good morning to you. Randi, that investigator says that he is sure about what he heard. How did that play out in court?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Don, that investigator thought that he heard a confession from Alex Murdaugh, and that would have taken place during this conversation that Murdaugh had with investigators back on June 10th of 2021, just a few days after the murders. So as you said, they replayed that in court. The defense pressed this
investigator on it, trying to get him to change his mind. It was a pretty dramatic moment as they slowed the tape down. Watch what happens.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DICK HARPOOTLIAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: According to your testimony, he says, "I did him so bad."
JEFF CROFT, SLED SPECIAL AGENT: That is what I understood him to say, yes, sir.
KAYE (voice-over): Alex Murdaugh's defense lawyer cross-examining a special investigator and witness for the prosecution. The goal: to clear up what he heard, or thought he heard, Alex Murdaugh say that seemed to sound like a confession.
When Alex was interviewed by investigators on June 10, 2021, just a few days after his wife and son were murdered, he said this when talking about his son, Paul.
ALEX MURDAUGH, ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE AND SON: It was just so bad. I did him so bad!
KAYE (voice-over): The witness, Special Agent Jeff Croft with SLED, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, had told the court he thought Alex said, "I did him so bad."
But the defense suggested Alex actually said, "They did him so bad."
HARPOOTLIAN: Did you consider that to be some sort of confession on June the 10th?
CROFT: Again, I -- It was something that we were definitely going to follow up on. Yes, sir.
HARPOOTLIAN: Why didn't you ask him right then and there, when he said, "I did him so bad," why didn't you ask him, "What do you mean by that, Alex?"
CROFT: Again, it was early in the investigation.
HARPOOTLIAN: So what were -- what were the things going through your mind when you heard or misheard, "I did him so bad," like, I wasn't a good dad? I spoiled him? Or I killed him? What was going through your mental notes?
CROFT: There was a mental note that it was definitely something that we needed to follow up on and ask at a later time.
KAYE (voice-over): The defense replayed the part of the interview in question at regular speed, then slowed it down to a third of the speed and played it again.
HARPOOTLIAN: Your honor, we'd like to play it again at one-third speed.
MURDAUGH: It's just so bad. I did him so bad.
HARPOOTLIAN: Did you hear "they" then?
CROFT: No, sir, I did not.
HARPOOTLIAN: But you would agree that the jury gets to decide what he -- what he said on that tape. That's the best evidence.
CROFT: Yes, sir.
KAYE (voice-over): The defense also got that same witness to tell the jury that the murder weapon that killed Paul Murdaugh was not one of the guns collected from Alex's gun room at the house. The witness said the ammunition wasn't a match either.
HARPOOTLIAN: None of the shotguns that you brought yesterday, according to the ballistic report, your lab analysis, fired the shots that killed Paul, correct?
CROFT: I do not have the lab report in front of me.
HARPOOTLIAN: Have you ever found the murder weapons?
CROFT: Not that I'm aware of, sir.
HARPOOTLIAN: And you didn't find any similar ammunition at Moselle on June the 8th or any time after that? Correct?
CROFT: I did not, sir.
KAYE (voice-over): Still, John Bedingfield, Alex's second cousin and a captain with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, also testified for the state. He told the jury he built AR-style rifles for Alex Murdaugh, the same type of rifle the prosecution says was used at the murder scene.
[06:25:20]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many Blackouts, AR-style rifles, did you make for Alex Murdaugh?
JOHN BEDINGFIELD, SECOND COUSIN OF ALEX MURDAUGH: Three.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when was that last one made?
BEDINGFIELD: 2018.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: April?
BEDINGFIELD: April 2018.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (on camera): And when court resumes today in just a few hours, a computer crimes expert who was testifying for the state will be back on the stand. He did forensics, Don, on Maggie Murdaugh's phone. And he said it was moved long after she was dead, that the camera tried to open for just one second for facial recognition, but it wasn't Maggie's face, so it didn't open.
Also, he said there were five missed calls from Alex Murdaugh and two text messages long after she was dead. One said, "Call me, babe." So now the jury will have to make some sense of that, Don.
LEMON: This is all fascinating. Randi Kaye, thank you this morning. We appreciate it.
HARLOW: Well, we've learned the FBI searched President Biden's former think tank office after his aides found classified documents there. What it could mean for the special counsel's investigation.
Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So Mr. Trump, I take it you are -- are not going to answer any questions about your preparations today with your counsel, is that correct?
TRUMP: Should I say this or should I respond to that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: New video showing former President Trump, who once said only the mob takes the Fifth, doing just that, actually, more than 400 times in his deposition with New York Attorney General Letitia James.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:30:00]
