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CNN This Morning
Six Ex-Mississippi Officers Back in Court on State Charges; Mob of Criminals Steals up to $100,000 worth of Goods; GOP At Iowa State Fair. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired August 14, 2023 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Happening this morning, six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who have already pleaded guilty to brutalizing and torturing two black men, they're due back in court, this time on state charges. Prosecutors say the suspects were all white, nicknamed themselves the Goon Squad. They're accused of using excessive force and then covering up their crimes.
Our Ryan Young joins us now from Atlanta.
Ryan, you were reporting on this a few weeks ago with us. Now they're back in court. Talk to us about the significance of this, what they're facing on the state level.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's unbelievable, Poppy, when you think about this, on the side that the sheriff says he didn't know any of this was going on. You had members of law enforcement calling themselves the Goon Squad. And for folks who are not familiar with the details of this story, I will warn you, some of it is graphic. They decided to show up to these men's home, they went inside, and then once they went inside, they went through a series of just touristic physical abuse of these men. They called them the n- word, they shocked them with a Taser, they poured oil on them, they threw eggs at them. And then, at one point, they even tried to sexually assault one of the men.
And if that wasn't enough, at one point they pulled a bullet out of a gun, they stuck it in a man's mouth, and they pulled the trigger. And when it didn't go off the first time, they racked it, and they pulled the trigger again, lacerating a tongue of one of the victims. And as you can imagine, this happened back in January. These men were coming forward basically saying, hey, something was done to us. No one believed them for quite some time.
In fact, take a listen to the spokesman for the two victims in this case.
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JOHN C. BARNETT, FOUNDER, TRUE HEALING UNDER GOD: Sheriff Bailey, I know you was -- your voice was cracking last week, buddy, and you was sitting there and crying, and he say he didn't know nothing about it. And I didn't -- I didn't - I didn't know nothing about it. I'd be a fool to think that.
It's a squad! So, we come to disassemble, dismantle and terminate the Goon Squad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: And, Poppy, as you can imagine, people are angry in this community. They feel like it hasn't gone far enough.
What members of the community are calling for is an investigation into the entire sheriff's department. The sheriff has not stepped down. Those state charges are going to happen later today. They're going to plead guilty to that. The federal charges have already gone through.
But there's so many questions here. How could six members of a deputy force go missing for two hours with no body camera footage -
HARLOW: Yes.
YOUNG: And not have to say anything. And this took several months for them to finally figure out what they were up to. They even planned it to the point where they knew where the cameras at the house were before going in.
So many questions about this. And, guess what, Poppy, there are other people out there in the community who are saying they had interactions with this Goon Squad as well. So, we're not done digging just yet.
[08:35:02]
We've been asking the sheriff for an interview for several weeks now. That has not happened. We're hoping to get him on camera at some point to tell us what happens next with this entire department.
HARLOW: Ryan Young, keep us posted, as you do. Thanks for the reporting.
MATTINGLY: Well, a smash and grab robbery caught on tape at a Los Angeles mall. And you're going to want to look at this. Police say a mob of criminals wearing head-to-toe black ran into a mall Saturday, overwhelmed staff and stole between $60,000 and $100,000 worth of merchandise.
CNN's Josh Campbell joins us live from Los Angeles.
Josh, what are police saying at this point? Do they have any leads at all?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: None that we know of at this hour, Phil. And these cases are so he difficult because these so- called criminal flash mobs strike without warning. They're gone oftentimes within a matter of a minute or so. These individuals were wearing masks. Some of them driving away in
vehicles with paper license plates. So, a lot of work for police to do there on the investigative side.
Just to set the scene for our viewers. I mean imagine you're out and about, like so many of us on a weekend, at a shopping center, and you come face-to-face with a mob of criminals that are smashing and grabbing their way through a store. That's exactly what happened here Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles at Topanga Mall. You had shoppers that were just going about their business. You had store employees who were doing their work. And then this happened.
Watch.
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CAMPBELL: Now, Phil, as you mentioned, up to $100,000 worth of goods were stolen, according to police. You can see one -- it looks like an employee there just exasperated. Nothing that he can do. A truly terrifying situation.
The Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement. I'll read part of that. They said that, "to criminals, this is just property taken. To those who live in the area and patronize the Topanga Mall, it is a loss of feeling safe. The LAPD will exhaust all efforts to bring those responsible into custody and seek criminal prosecution.
Now, it's worth pointing out, Phil, that a very similar incident happened just days ago in nearby Glendale, California. I believe we have some of that video to show you. You had a very similar criminal mob of people descend on a shopping center. They got away with upwards of $300,000 worth of goods, according to authorities. And that investigation still very much underway.
For law enforcement, they're hoping that members of the public, people who might know these groups, will come forward. There is a reward of $50,000 that's currently being offered. But a lot of the times, because these groups are, you know, closed off and they're, obviously, hiding their faces, it's up to police to try to find the goods on the back end, once they actually make their way onto the black market, these illicit trading platforms. And so that's very difficult to crack. But, obviously, for members of the community here, very unsettling. For those who were there, certainly terrifying.
HARLOW: Of course! Like I was just saying to Phil, can you imagine? You're in there shopping with your family and that happens.
CAMPBELL: Yes.
HARLOW: Josh, thank you.
CAMPBELL: You bet.
HARLOW: So, imagine looking through your telescope, and what do you see? A question mark. Look at that. That is what scientists saw in some new images taken from the Webb Telescope. What this cosmic question mark could mean, ahead.
MATTINGLY: And former President Trump's team in Iowa trying to drown out his rivals, one in particular, Governor Ron DeSantis, who had multiple run-ins with Trump supporters as well as protesters from the left.
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GOV. KIM REYNOLDS (R-IA): We're in Iowa. And in Iowa, we're Iowa nice. So, let's give everybody the opportunity to hear our candidates!
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[08:42:27]
HARLOW: All right, this just in, it is Monday morning, and former President Trump is, once again, going after the judge overseeing a case brought against him over -- for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He is already testing Judge Tanya Chutkan's three-day-old warning against making, quote, inflammatory statements on social media about any individuals involved in this case.
So, on Truth Social, Trump posted, calling her "highly partisan" and said she, quote, "obviously wants" him "behind bars." He also called her, quote, "very biased and unfair."
Trump has repeatedly called for her immediate recusal from the case. He's also asked for a venue change out of Washington, D.C. It's not clear whether he will face any repercussions from these latest posts.
MATTINGLY: I just -- I like how you framed that, it is Monday.
HARLOW: It's Monday morning. Are you surprised?
MATTINGLY: And it's a day that ends in "y." And we took two days off, and now we're back. By the way, Tanya Chutkan was confirmed by the Senate in 2014, 95-0.
HARLOW: Almost unanimously, right? Yes.
MATTINGLY: Just double checking that.
HARLOW: Yes.
MATTINGLY: OK, well, Donald Trump may have left Iowa, but he's making sure that he stays the main focus at the fair this week. Thirty staffers have been working the Iowa State Fair since dawn. Fourteen hours a day, handing out beer koozies, yard signs, even pamphlets taking aim at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. That's according to a new "Semafor" report. DeSantis getting the brunt of the attacks this weekend from both left and right. A group of what appeared to be liberal protesters ringing cow bells, blowing whistles as he spoke to voters on Saturday. But Trump supporters also heckled the GOP presidential candidate yelling, we love Trump, as the governor flipped burgers. HARLOW: And at one point a plane pulling a banner that read, "be
likeable, Ron," even flew over the crowds of people. I think our Jeff Zeleny reported some of that was from liberal groups, right?
MATTINGLY: Yes.
HARLOW: Yes. Republican hopefuls are flocking to this fair. It has become a very important political tradition ahead of the state's first in the nation caucuses. Trump overshadowed all of them, though, when he showed up Saturday with a handful of lawmakers backing him from Governor DeSantis' own state.
Joining us now, politics reporter from Semafor, Shelby Talcott.
Shelby, it's great to have you.
Phil mentioned part of the reporting that was yours. I mean no one's surprised that Trump is overshadowing all of this. What about the fact that he's going directly -- I mean Ron DeSantis is just like taking it from left, right, and center and Trump.
SHELBY TALCOTT, POLITICS REPORTER, "SEMAFOR": Yes, well, I will say Ron DeSantis views that as a badge of honor, particularly these liberal protesters that showed up, not just at the state fair, but the day before when he was at an event nearby. And so he -- you know, I think he's taking it as what it is.
[08:45:05]
And he views this as an example of, hey, well, this is -- I am clearly the frontrunner against Donald Trump. And this is why Donald Trump is going after me. And then you see the liberal protesters going after me. So, his argument -- or his way to spin all of this is, this is actually a good thing. It shows that people are afraid of me.
But it's also tough, right, because I -- when I was at the state fair and these protesters were ringing their cow bells, all the attention moved to the protesters. And so it does kind of distract from the message that Ron DeSantis is trying to get out there.
MATTINGLY: So, Shelby, I kind of vacillate back and forth between two different thoughts as I read your reporting, which is great reporting. One is that this Trump campaign -- this iteration of the Trump campaign is so different from, you know, the 2016 version that I covered, or to some degree 2020, obviously, in the middle of Covid. They have an organization. They have an operation that can get out and do what they're doing on the ground there.
But I also wonder if that underscores what you hear from team DeSantis and other folks like yourself who are talking to voters in Iowa that see softness in Trump's numbers in that state and potential vulnerability.
TALCOTT: Yes, it's -- there's both. It's a really interesting primary race so far. You're right, this presidential run by Donald Trump, in terms of who he has around him, is probably the most experienced out of the campaigns he's run. And so you do see them doing these things on the ground and not taking his lead in Iowa up to chance. But at the same time, we are -- we've been talking to voters all weekend. And there's this - we're seeing what campaigns are arguing, which is, there is significant interest in a non-Trump alternative. So, how do you square that with the fact that when Donald Trump does show up at the state fair, he still draws the biggest crowds. He's able to successfully drown out all of his opponents. It's this -- it's probably the most difficult thing that his opponents are running up against.
HARLOW: Does it feel different? Your point that there is significant interest in someone else? Does it feel different this time?
TALCOTT: I think it does. And I -- and I say that because, as I have been around the state fair this week, and as I have been listening to some of these other candidates, and they're out on the ground all day long. So, Donald Trump came in, he made his massive splash, but he left. And granted the way that they are trying to keep the focus on him is by having this massive operation on the ground, but the candidates themselves are on the ground. And so it is making a difference. We're hearing from voters. And the biggest thing we're hearing from voters, and it's not just at the state fair, but when I travel across the country, is that they're tired of the drama that comes with Trump.
HARLOW: Shelby Talcott, thank you. Enjoy Des Moines.
So there is a lot about deep space that I don't know, Phil knows it all, but I don't know all (INAUDIBLE).
MATTINGLY: You're the pro space person. Very pro space. (INAUDIBLE).
HARLOW: I do like space stories.
Now the universe maybe telling us the fact more bluntly than ever. NASA's Webb Telescope has spotted a literal - that is a cosmic question mark deep in the galaxy. No, really, take a look at the picture. The glowing object in the shape of a question mark was captured last month. Scientists are not sure about its origin, but think it could be what happens when two galaxies collide. They even say the merging of galaxies into a question mark-like shape has happened before. But one expert physicist said there is no way to know for sure without more research, even comparing the discovery to someone who finds a chicken tender that looks like George Washington.
Can we pull that back up on the screen? Does it look like a question mark to you?
MATTINGLY: Yes. Yes. Look at -- do you see it? Also, for the record, chicken tenders that look like George Washington are awesome.
HARLOW: Oh, yes. What's that from, the chicken tender thing?
MATTINGLY: You know how people will like find fast food and say this looks like Mother Teresa?
HARLOW: No. No.
MATTINGLY: Or this looks -
HARLOW: That's a thing?
Anyway.
MATTINGLY: You know what else is a thing?
HARLOW: What?
MATTINGLY: The best story of this entire weekend, which I know you did not see, because you were out running and doing things with your family.
HARLOW: I was biking with my kids.
MATTINGLY: I know, that's what I'm saying, you weren't watching Jessica Pegula -
HARLOW: (INAUDIBLE).
MATTINGLY: Who's trying to upset the world's number one tennis player at the Canadian Open.
HARLOW: Oh, I know this story!
MATTINGLY: Oh, all right.
HARLOW: Yes, keep going.
MATTINGLY: When she was rudely interrupted by this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, wow, "Cotton Eye Joe" just came on mid-rally.
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MATTINGLY: We're going to get into the epic run and that bizarre moment, coming up next.
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[08:53:41]
HARLOW: All right, that's a live look at the Fulton County Courthouse in Georgia where the buses that transport jurors, Fulton County jurors, that could hear evidence in the election subversion case. They have just arrived. Obviously, this could be a very pivotal week for that. We will keep you posted.
Phil.
HARLOW: Well, Poppy, tennis is a game of focus. That's why stadium officials are constantly asking the crowd to stay silent while a match is in progress. But even the chair umpire couldn't prepare for what happened when two of the top women in tennis faced off at the Canadian Open semi-finals.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, wow, "Cotton Eye Joe" just came on mid-rally.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Replay the point.
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MATTINGLY: Yes, that was "Cotton Eye Joe" mid-rally. It interrupted the point. And if you're confused how and why that happened, so was, well, everyone else. Especially Jessica Pegula, who was on the verge of closing out a second set tie break to beat Iga Swiatek. After that interruption, Pegula hit a cold streak and lost the set. She did turn it around in the third to upset the world number one. Pegula went on to win the title yesterday, steamrolling Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets in a match that lasted only 49 minutes. And after the match, the sound guy couldn't help but get one more jab in.
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[08:55:05]
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JESSICA PEGULA, CANADIAN OPEN CHAMPION: I just couldn't believe it was actually happening. I was like, where are we right now? Why - of all songs, I come to learn that I lost a lot of points consecutively after "Cotton Eye Joe" came on. So, I'm glad I got over the "Cotton Eye Joe" jinx or whatever you want to call it and was able to overcome that. So, today, yes, it was just funny after I won because it was almost my downfall yesterday, but not - not anymore.
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MATTINGLY: Obviously great to see her laugh it off. Pegula is the first American woman to win the tournament since Serena Williams in 2013.
What I was most impressed by -
HARLOW: What?
MATTINGLY: The caller (ph) guy immediately ID'ing "Cotton Eye Joe" during the broadcast. That is a talent. And he - the certainty with which he said it.
HARLOW: I would fail at that.
MATTINGLY: You don't know. You would know "Cotton Eye Joe."
See, did you?
HARLOW: Yes, I would - yes, that is one I would know. MATTINGLY: You know. I trust you. That's the one you would immediately
know.
HARLOW: OK.
We need to save time for this because today is a really great day for the CNN family, for this show, for me. We get to officially welcome Phil Mattingly as co-anchor of CNN THIS MORNING. You are a great journalist. All sorts of awards. You're an even better person. You care so much about our team, which matters so much to us, and you have an awesome wife, Chelsea, and four kids, all standing behind you, and we are thrilled to welcome you.
MATTINGLY: Who I owe absolutely everything to.
HARLOW: That's true.
MATTINGLY: But also a huge thanks to you.
HARLOW: Yes.
MATTINGLY: A huge thanks to the team putting up with me for the last three months.
I do want to note, by the way -
HARLOW: What?
MATTINGLY: My coffee is now down there.
HARLOW: Oh, my gosh.
MATTINGLY: Tucked behind three different cabinets.
HARLOW: No more spill Mattingly.
MATTINGLY: Because the first couple days when we did this, and I spilled coffee absolutely everywhere and thought to myself, Poppy is definitely going to want me to hang out for a longer period of time. I'm thrilled. I can't thank you guys enough.
HARLOW: It's what made you - it's what made me want to have you hang out.
MATTINGLY: Let's go do important, good, nuanced reporting with depth work for the months and years ahead.
HARLOW: Yes. We will. And bring people a few laughs along the way. We promise you that.
MATTINGLY: Oh, yes, we're going to have fun. Sorry, we're going to have some fun.
HARLOW: But now to the serious stuff, before we go.
Take a look. Again, we were just talking about those buses, Phil, that were pulling up in Georgia, the Fulton County grand jury. A significant day.
MATTINGLY: No, there's no question about it. Significant day. Our reporters have been doing great work on this over the course of -- as Sara Murray pointed out earlier, years, not coming to a conclusion, potentially, in the days ahead.
HARLOW: Yes.
MATTINGLY: "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts after this break.
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